When you think of branding, you probably think of colors, logos, taglines and more. But before you can define your brand’s design elements, you have to define your brand’s tone.

Every element of your brand will embody the tone that you set. For example, fun, light and cheerful brands tend to use brighter colors while serious brands might use deeper, bolder colors. But colors are just one way to evoke emotion and set the tone with your audience. Ultimately, the very essence of your brand is its tone. …

A brand archetype is essentially your brand’s persona. It outlines what you value, your approach to customer service and so much more.

Your brand’s persona provides a human-like quality that your customers can relate to. While on the surface it might sound silly to create a persona for a non-living, abstract thing, it’s actually wise because it helps create a consistent customer experience.

Without branding, your customers will struggle to know what you offer that your competitors don’t or find ways to connect with you on a deeper level to build loyalty and serve as an advocate through reviews and…

Quotes and estimates are common terms when a request for proposal (RFP) goes out. But if you’re looking for work, such as branding or a website redesign, you should know the specific difference between quotes and estimates. And realize that there are distinct benefits and detractors of each of these.

What Is an Estimate?

An estimate is a general projection of how much a project could cost you. Estimates show an hourly rate for a project with some projections for how long the project might take. …

Have you ever experienced trying to watch a video in a loud place or somewhere you can’t turn up the sound? Perhaps you were at a restaurant during a business trip or a movie theater during the trailers or lying next to your partner while they were sleeping.

When people think about web accessibility, they probably think about making their website usable for individuals who are blind. But what about people suffering from cataracts short-term or those who visited the eye doctor and had their eyes dilated, or simply misplaced their eyeglasses.

Website accessibility is not just about providing tools…

Your customers’ time is precious. It’s your job to protect it.

Website speed optimization still has a great impact on your online presence. In addition to protecting your customers’ precious time, sluggish websites also experience negative impacts on the following.

· SEO rankings: Google and other search engines work to get relevant information to their users quickly. If your site is slower than your competitors’ websites, more than likely you’ll rank under those competitors. Mobile website speed optimization is especially important in Google’s eyes.

· User experience: Slow page load times can lead to a poor user experience. No one…

Most marketing and communication teams are already stretched thin. Piling one more project on those busy schedules is unrealistic sometimes. So when it’s time to strategize the annual report, it’s challenging to shift priorities.

Sadly, the result is often a rushed annual report that lacks the impact it could have with more time and attention.

Early planning can help you prepare for the time it takes to organize such an important piece of marketing. And with earlier planning, you’ll also be able to build a strategy for distributing your annual report effectively.

After more than 20 years of producing annual…

The more descriptive and complete an organization’s brand guidelines are, the easier it is to ensure strong, consistent branding across all mediums. But one aspect of brand guidelines that few organizations consider is outlining accessibility standards.

Accessibility is a hot topic for websites because a lack of accessibility compliance can lead to costly lawsuits. But accessibility extends far beyond websites into mobile apps, social media, podcasts, videos and even the colors your brand uses.

Organizations that have taken the time and care to outline fonts, colors and messaging in their brand guidelines should also consider expanding this information with the…

An annual report offers an outstanding marketing and communication opportunity when used appropriately. Long gone are the days of boring and dry annual reports that provide little in the way of a company update, other than business financials.

Today’s effective annual reports tell the brand’s story and entice the senses with stunning visuals and video, while making readers feel good about the year ahead.

But to achieve all these communication objectives, one should consider our top 10 annual report objectives.

1. Clear Big Picture

Before drafting your annual report, decide what the big picture or main idea of your annual report is. …