Earlier this year, I made a deal with my partner, Dick, to buy his assets in the business. Our name was DeWaard and Jones and part of the deal was that I change the name to something else. The name change was my idea. I wanted something fresh that wouldn't get us confused with some sort of financial services firm and would be more inclusive than two names and an ampersand. Little did I know what I was getting myself into.

Fast forward four months. It took me all this time to come up with the business name, a logo and new business cards. I am very happy with all of them, but the process has been bloody painful, especially for a small business with only eight people in it. And the list of things still to do stretches over two pages!

Why, you ask, would I put myself through this pain? The motivation is pretty strong. If I were a plumber, my business name wouldn’t really matter. As soon as you know I am a plumber, you will probably have a pretty good idea of what I do. But if I tell you that I am an Information Plumber, my guess is that most people will be at least a bit puzzled. Hence my dilemma. How do I get across to people the essence of what my business does and the value it offers?

I am not a marketing professional. I am just a small business owner trying to grow my business. But I have learned enough about marketing to understand that people form learned is that a brand is both visual and auditory. When people see a brand image, it evokes a connection with past experiences. When people see this image, they react. Not everyone likes Coca Cola, but pretty much everyone knows the brand.

So my challenge is not an easy one. How do I visually get across the idea of software that improves business process and helps a business grow and prosper? I worked with Sydney Paige Cole, a member of my team, and Rowan Moore-Seifred, a local graphics artist of some renown, and we came up with this spiral glyph. It represents iteration, process, growth and forward movement, all in a single image.

Will this result in overnight fame and fortune? I am not holding my breath. What I do intend to do is work to associate my spiral glyph with the idea of business transformation and growth. As that mental association grows, my hope is that local business owners will, at some level, become more accessible to my whole brand. At least that’s the theory.

As I work down this path, I will let you know what I learn.

Wednesday, November 07, 2007 8:34:12 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)      Comments [0]