Lots of people talk about their branding and dog on how ‘simple’ or ‘boring’ or ‘low-key’ it is.  They complain about how much their logo doesn’t reflect ‘who they are’ or ‘what they feel’ or ‘how they shoot.’

Okay.  Let’s take a look at Apple.  Most popular products on the planet, at the moment.  Go to their website and look at their logo.  Simpler than simple.  The logo in no way captures all the incredible and fabulous things the company produces, but it gives us a peek at their sleek style.

Try to imagine a logo that screamed ‘cutting-edge inventive geeky hipster wearing retro, tight-tight eighties throwback jeans and an Ed Hardy t-shirt’ is our target market. It would be…a hot mess.

Again, think of all the things for sale at Target.  Everything from clothing to dental floss to vitamin water.  Imagine a logo that said all those things.  Hot mess city.  Same goes for Wal-Mart.  Adobe.  Any grocery store on the planet.  And your business, too.  No symbol on the planet can capture everything you do!

A strong logo rarely includes doodads or thingamabobs.  The earth’s best logos are fairly simple.  (Golden arches, anyone?) So think simple.  And simpler, still.

Stop trying to commission a logo that screams YOU AND EVERYTHING YOU DO.  It’ll be out of date in no time.  Find one that whispers of your essence but allows room for growth across the years.

Oh, and the business therapy winner?  Xander of Photographing Sound. E-mail me to claim your prize, love! Thanks to all of you who signed up for the Merit Badge mail, left comments, and tweeted about the giveaway!

Want to read it on the blog? LOGO TIPS AND TRICKS

Successful brands evolve.  They make mistakes, learn from them, and make more mistakes, then learn…and in the process, they tweak their logos.  There’s a fascinating look at well-known brands here. So go.

Go.  See Target’s 1st, absolutely wretched logo, and take heart.  You, too, will evolve.

Want to read it on the blog? EVOLVE.

Entering a Target for the first time made it okay for me to boycott Wal-Mart forever.  Target was so…CLEAN.  And so…PRETTY.  Yes, they’re a big box store that sells crap that’s going to break in six months, but I FEEL like it’s going to last longer.  Because hey, there’s aisle after aisle of eye candy.  And well-stocked shelves. And products available at reasonable prices for a limited time.

What can we learn from Target?

Little things can be big things. A clean, open working space doesn’t cost much to maintain, but can cause a big boost in client (er, ‘guest’) perception of your company.

Improve on what’s out there, if only by a slim margin. Target isn’t 1,000 times better than Wal-mart, and you don’t have to be 1,000 times better than your competitor to nab more business.  Just improve on the status quo.  This could be a handwritten note to your project manager after finishing a freelance job or a quick phone call instead of an e-mail when handling customer service.  Nothing revolutionary, just an improvement; win the world over in baby steps.

And uh, get rid of that mullet. Or you’ll be branded a Wal-mart shopper for life.

Want to read it on the blog? BRAND HALL OF FAME: TARGET.