I went into PCWorld on the weekend, probably the first time in a year and I was met by quite a few surprises.

1.) They’ve re-branded (good strategy, poor execution)
2.) They have a new range of PC’s available

They had the usual selection of computers ranging from laptops and desktops to MACS and consoles but I was surprised to see another isle of top branded PC’s that looked a little different. I’m a little outdated with my computer tech knowledge so this may actually be no surprise to some people.

SONY, PHILLIPS and HP have created they very own I-MAC look-a-like PC’s. Each one looked great and each one wasn’t as expensive as I thought they’d be. They had good specs and I was surprised by the combination of style, price and userabilty each one had.

SONY VIAO -It looked like a combination of a MAC G5 (metal casing) and the older I-MACs. (see what I mean).

Phillips – Like the current I-Mac but in black.

HP – Like the older I-Macs again but in black but with a touch screen! (WOW)lol.

Like the I-MAC they were all, all-in-one units which was a great selling point for me (and the touch screensmile) I hate PC’s because there so messy, ugly and problem prone but there much more affordable and probably better value for money then a MAC. I’m also use to the PC, switching systems would probably be a pain so having a mixture of the two is perfect.

Apple have always had a big presence with designers and the US. They certainly infiltrated the UK with the Ipod and now it seems that Apple have had an effect on the way computers are made on a whole.

The sheer simplicity of the IMAC (all in one) makes it a great product for everyone. Most people want a nice looking computer as its now a household object. They also want one which not messy and preferably easy to use. Although these new styled computers are still PCS’s running on Windows, it is a step in an old but maybe not fully explored direction which Apple have built there empire on.

Will this be the new way for PC’s?

This is a brief guide to help you ascertain on your own WHEN your company needs a re-brand. Questions asked and answered:

- What’s a brand?
- Why would you need a re-brand?
- What does a re-brand involve?
- When do you need one?

Whats a business brand? (briefly)

The term “brand” represents your business values, history and direction. It’s a statement as to who you are and what you stand for. As times changes so will your business, the brand and the image it projects.

Why would you need a re-brand?

Who would have thought 15 years ago you would be on the PC, reading and blogging away. It’s probably one of the changes that have affected your business even if it’s in the slightest way. Your business will change even further according to new technology, trends, people and events, all of which may have minimal or drastic effect on your strategy but overall it will have an effect and you must express the impact it has on the business or be left behind. (An outdated image is a common reason for a re-brand)

Change in your business is inevitable so the question is not “IF” I need a re-brand but WHEN do I need it. Companies should go through a re-brand at least several times in its lifetime and it should be a scheduled event reoccurring with minimal consideration once a year and with a major consideration every 5 years.

What does a re-brand involve?

For corporate companies it’s a strategic action and they’ll have invested in research to determine any decisions being made (all apart of the re-brand process). They’ll have meetings and make joint conclusions about the future of the business along with prospective deals and changes being made. This all helps to make a strategic decision on when it needs to be done (now or later) because it will be done at some stage.

For a small company operating as a one man band the decision maybe harder. There’s no conferring with the sales department, director or the tea boy because you’re all of them. Your response and research capability to the world maybe limited because you don’t have a global impact but that’s fine because the question of a re-brand should initially be ascertained internally.

How do you know when you need a re-brand?

It all comes down to research. The idea is to look at the business and find evidence of progress and change.

Be vigorous and dig deep because the changes will be specific to your business model but you may not have even realised the changes that took place.

Sum up everything that has changed about your business from the processes and sales to the way you’re now perceived. Look at it in a timescale, what’s changed within a year, anything significant or just small changes. A number of small changes can be just as strong as a big one.

After research is done, analyse the results and look for detailed answers:

- How has your business changed over the years?
- How dramatic has the change been?
- How important are the changes?
- (Most importantly) Is the brand and image communicating who you are now?

Remember that re-brands don’t have to mean an overhaul of the whole company image. The size of any change in the business should match the size of any change in your brand image. It could simply be a change of strap-line to signify a slight change in direction but a change nether the less to show a sign of progress.

The most common reasons for a re-brand:
- A merger or take over of a company
- A change in strategy
- A change in direction
- Keeping with the times
- Solving a problem

Specific changes that may have occurred that lead to a re-brand:
- Offering new services
- New core service
- Grown as a business
- Lost profit
- Created a partnership
- Now web based business
- Now an office based business
- New clients
- New targets
- Outdated
- Brand image not working.

Examples of popular re-brands

The term graphic designer is quite vague. Most people don’t know what it means or what role they play. I think business owners have a better idea then the general public as they will come into contact with one at some point or another but people still don’t have a great idea about what one does.

The term graphic designer has its history embedded in print design but as time went on sub-genres were created and the role of a graphic designer was expanded and specific roles were used instead of the term graphic designer.

- Graphic designer
- Illustrator
- Package designer
- Photo editor
- Magazine Layout designer
- Typographer
- Artworker

New technology, disciplines and terms came into play such as CGI, web designer, multimedia designer and 3D artist which clouded the term graphic designer as design went beyond print. In some cases the same concepts, methods and ideology are used as a graphic designer except it wasn’t for print, so is it graphic design or not?

In some cases it is and creates a new sub-genre of its own (eg. web design (not web developer) and in some cases its not (were it defines its own industry (3D animation)).

“Ol Skool” designers will still say that a graphic designer does not include web designers, multimedia designers and 3D artists and to a certain extent I would agree. They are different disciplines and I like the role of the old graphic designer being diligent and true to professional design for print, (its very important to a designers skill level) but as times change so has graphic design.

I use my professional graphic design skills for print but I also utilize them in web design.

What is a graphic designer? A true expert in communication.:)

This question was raised the other day in the Free Index Business centre and I thought it was a great question.

How to make cheap marketing not look cheap.

Unless you have some great contacts with designers, printers, photographers, SEO’specialists, broadcasters, publishers and the Royal Mail who’ll give you 90% discount on everything then I don’t think you can make cheap marketing not look cheap, it is what it is but should the success of a marketing campaign revolve around a budget?

Any form of marketing success comes down to the idea and its execution. A poor attempt on either one can let down a whole campaign, whether it was cheap or expensive. Overall, having a big budget and using it right allows you to narrow down on any mistakes and produce a better finish with a better return on your investment. The bigger the budget the better chance you have of success.

In saying this, there are the anomalies which defy the rule. These anomalies don’t really focus on the budget at heart but more so the idea. The execution is simply a ways to a means. Here they are:

1.) Guerilla marketing – A cheap and effective way of marketing which doesn’t necessarily look cheap because the focus is drawn to the message and style of delivery in relation to the service/product.

For example (doable but illegal and unadvisable) – Buy a tin of paint and a paintbrush from the pound shop and paint your company name on the surface of every road in your area.

It’s cheap and effective, a little unprofessional and illegal but if you’re a painter & decorator you’ll probably hit gold (or end up in court).


2.) Value for money – The strength of a good deal can sometimes overpower the hint of a cheap marketing document because the deal was just so great. Where you can go over the top with guerilla marketing above you are essentially doing the opposite with this idea.

Forget the shock tactics, design and paper it was printed on, the deal is just straight forward. The success of this tactic is based around the TA. Its not just enough to know who exactly will be interested in your deal but who will really want your deal right now. If it lands in the right hands they’ll look past the cheap delivery and just buy.

As you can see, both ideas have there drawbacks but with a little more thought on the execution, (a classier guerilla campaign or intensive research into your TA) they can be executed cheaply and they can work.

The key point in the success of both tactics is YOU. The best possible way of making cheap marketing not look cheap is to play to YOUR strengths, whatever business your in. Maximise on what skillset you do have to gain the best possible result.

he other day an ecademy member showed me an article about how creative workers (designers) should follow and learn from financial workers to become more business acute. The overall theme suggested that designers are creative but not natural business people and struggle with running a real business. They should get help from the specialists with a financial background to succeed.

There is much to learn from financial specialists and it would certainly help any business not just a creative one but IMHO it’ the financiers who should be learning from us (the designer). Here it comes, a very bold statement.

Designers make the best business men/women.

The idea of a designer dressed in baggy jeans and a t-shirt, drinking copulas amounts of coffee combined with quick microwave snacks whilst sitting on their Mac listening to music and creating brilliant but irrelevant pieces of work for personal purposes is still very real and vivid BUT there are also the alternative versions. Designers today come in many forms and they have moved up a step, capitalizing on technology, knowledge and ambition.

What other business sector do you know (including financial) who can use their professional background to generate a business idea, research it, conceptualise it, utilse modern technology, brand it, market it, sell it and make it a reality whilst keeping it all in house.

Todays designer takes on a varied selection of roles which intertwine with each other and expand into other sectors. This builds the experience that the designer needs to contend as a great business person. A designer can learn how to do the job of others but not just anyone can learn to be a designer.

Right now you may be saying “If you’re so good why aren’t you a millionaire?”
Well, I am, thanks very muchsmile I’m a gazzillionaire ( gazzilionaire???, maybe I do need financial help)

“okay why aren’t all designers millionaires?”

Businesses revolve around their assets, some have a shop, some a product, some have tools. A designer on the other hand has nothing just them self, the possibility of an idea and a cultured skill set.

People walk into shops without being invited, people buy products on a daily basis but who will pay for an idea. Forget buying it, can you sell it?
Why designers are the best business people but not necessarily millionaires, because they take hardest job. They make a sale out of pure trust, they sell you something thats not physical, they sell ideas which you don’t even know about, they sell the making of a business.

You may well now ask is that really a great person, one who chooses to sell something which doesn’t sell. It’s a good point and raises the question, “what makes a good business person, one whose a millionaire or one who does the impossible?”

Designers are good business people but you can’t define a good business person by their industry whether it be design, finance or anything else. The human character has too many variables to make a generic stereotype of anyone. The best business people are not designers or financial experts but people who do the impossible.