Your Business Logo and Color Scheme

My business logo and color scheme started one lovely spring day in my office, after two years of working with words and images. I purchased some rubber stamps and played with them. A logo emerged: simple, elegant, with the right feeling for my business. I took the ideas from the stamps and played with Photoshop on the computer until I had created an original business logo that felt totally right.

Luckily for me, in my day job I worked among some of the top designers in the world at the Department of Architecture at MIT. An elegant Italian Ph.D. student named Maria was doing me the favor of giving me feedback on my business logo. She loved it! That was reassuring, but what really helped was what she said next.

"And this can be your color scheme, too! You can get green boxes, or white bags or boxes with green ribbons, and make all your packaging match up with this. Oh, it will be so pretty!"

This started the wheels turning for me. Until then, I had gone with a rich, sparkly look. My display had used deep colors: black velvet, sheer purple fabric with silver snowflakes, and black velvet displays. Using this logo, and getting the advice from Maria, meant that I would need to go in a different direction.

I decided that the color scheme for everything in my business would be the colors of my logo: lime green, white and grey. First I designed business cards that were professionally printed on white glossy cardstock. Then I designed my website in these and coordinating colors.

For packaging, I used kraft boxes with round logo stickers, then moved to organza bags in white and pale lime green. I gradually changed my show setup so I had the perfect color tablecloths in pale lime green, with white and black displays and fixtures; even my tent is green. I also added a little color and whimsy in the form of bright bowls from which I hung flowerpot creatures purchased from a crafts shop. The creatures have proven so popular that I bought extra to resell at shows!

Little by little I continue to improve my setup, making it more elegant and professional. Each time I set up, I receive many compliments on the setup itself, and it does attract customers. People find the color scheme peaceful and inviting, and it doesn't compete with the jewelry. I also found this when I designed a brochure. The jewelry is quite colorful, and the subtlety of my color scheme provides a good background for it.

My advice for when you are setting up a business logo, website and/or booth is to find a color scheme that matches you and the feeling you want your business to convey. Don't be afraid to experiment with different pieces to get the look you want; it has taken me three years to get to this point, and it's still developing. You may want it to be as colorful as the rainbow or as sophisticated as basic black. Whatever it is, the important thing is to be consistent. That way, people will start to recognize the look of your business and remember you, helping to build business over time.

Author Susan Midlarsky of Aspiring Arts handcrafts jewelry with stones that harmonize well and are beneficial to the human body, color combinations that are connected to refinement, and sometimes offerings from nature. She has also recently started making glass beads; you can see her progress at her online blog. Susan loves the magical glow people feel upon finding a piece of jewelry that suits them or fills a need.

In The News:


pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


Intelligent Design comes from Brand & Account Planners

I've been reminded recently, rather forcefully, that not all reality... Read More

Business Case Study Automotive Detailing Franchise Company

How do automotive detailing companies start? What makes them work... Read More

The Face of Your Business, Part I

When we initially started our businesses, we had to decide... Read More

Living Your Brand on the Web - Part 2

Now that everyone has conformed to Living Your Brand on... Read More

Entrepreneur Speaks on Brand Extension in the Franchise Cleaning Business

On question I have been asked over and over again... Read More

Is It Legal? - Indecent Naming With Tradition

When Mitsubishi launched a new car with the name "Pajero"... Read More

Branding - More Than Just a Statement - A Memory Scar

Conjure up in your mind broad rolling meadows with runs... Read More

Why You? -- Professional Identity Branding

You can have first-rate products and services, but if you... Read More

Brand Equity Building - Measuring Brand Value

Measuring brand equity allows a company to establish a baseline... Read More

Brand Warfare is More of a War than You Think

We will discuss Brand Marketing for a minute. In this... Read More

Brand Equity - Brand Identity Guru

7 Qualities Of A Strong Brand:1. Commands premium pricing while... Read More

Brand Building For Profit: The Colour Behind the Brand and Why I Wear Red Ties!

Colour is essential to building a strong brand.Many of you... Read More

Your Business Logo and Color Scheme

My business logo and color scheme started one lovely spring... Read More

Franchising is Virtually Fraud Free

The number of complaints to the Federal Trade Commission on... Read More

Branding Strategy - Brand Identity

Today, in many organizations around the world, branding is treated... Read More

Britney Spears Branding

How would you like to sell as much in one... Read More

The Big Uneasy: Clearing the Clouds of Guess

People often come to me to assist them with developing... Read More

Does Your Message Pass the Test?

Develop an effective benefit message and you're well on your... Read More

FTC Reviews The Franchise Rule

After more than a decade since the last attempt to... Read More

The Big-Pay Off -- Brand Value

Many CEOs and marketing directors find their time wasted evaluating... Read More

The Top 10 Strategies for the Positioning of Success

Many businesses of today are often driven to compete striclty... Read More

Why Having A Niche Automatically Boosts Your Credibility - Become The Expert by Getting Focused

Yes, yes, we've heard it all before... loads of life... Read More

Multi-Brand Franchises in the QSR Sector

Well not everyone is aware that McDonalds also owns several... Read More

Setting the Right Price

One of the ways people get to know you is... Read More

Build Customer Loyalty by Promoting Your Customers

Do you want to attract new customers while building greater... Read More

Differentiate and Dominate

Quite often small business owners will ask me to reveal... Read More

Branding: What Not to Do

Here's a little story about what not to do as... Read More

Strategic Moves In The Branding Gamble!

The so called 'globalisation' has cluttered the world markets with... Read More

Which Of These Words Attract Your Clients

Whether it's your business card, tagline, article title, web site... Read More

Time To Revamp Your Visual Identity?

Look at your company logo. Does it fade into the... Read More

Clouds Gather Before A Storm: Utilizing The Power Of Brand

How brand management can help utility organisations to create a... Read More

You?ll Bring a Parade of Business to Your Door!

Parades happen in every big city and many small towns.... Read More

The Very Basics of Design

Design is a very subjective thing, therefore, if you ask... Read More