Conversational style is considered to be different between men and women. A more masculine style involves the tendency to use communication typically as a way to accomplish a task, solve a problem, or exert control. On the complete opposite spectrum of things, the more feminine communication style views talk as an activity in itself rather than a means of accomplishing a goal. It is more common for people to see women participating in gossip and having a legitimate conversation as opposed to men who tend to keep their conversations short and to the point and try to talk only to complete some type of task. You don’t usually see guys calling each other on the phone just because they felt like chatting, whereas women do it all the time.
Should this even be discussed? Should workplace communication be modified according to the gender ratio?
A logo is as important to a business/ company as a mother to a child. Think about it. As far fetched as it may sound , a logo can even make or break a business. The recall factor, the ‘coolness’ bit and its relevance to the business are basics, elements that cannot be ignored at any cost while designing a logo. However, there appear to be a whole array of other aspects that go into the making of a logo. We’ve compiled the best ones. 35 mantras for a perfect logo – here we go :
1. Do not use more than three colours.
2. Get rid of everything that is not absolutely necessary.
3. Type must be easy enough for your grandma to read.
4. The logo must be recognizable.
5. Create a unique shape or layout for the logo.
6. Confirm that the logo looks appealing to more than just three (3) individuals.
7. Do not combine elements from popular logos and claim it as original work.
8. Do not use clipart under any circumstances.
9. The logo should look good in black and white.
10. Make sure that the logo is recognizable when inverted.
11. Make sure that the logo is recognizable when resized.
12. If the logo contains an icon or symbol, as well as text, place each so that they complement one another.
13. Avoid recent logo design trends. Instead, make the logo look timeless.
14. Fit the logo into a square layout if possible, avoid obscure layouts.
15. Consider the different places and ways that the logo will be presented.
16. Invoke feelings of being bold and confident, never dull and weak.
17. Realize that you will not create a perfect logo. Design is an evolutionary process.
18. Use sharp lines for sharp businesses, smooth lines for smooth businesses.
19. The logo must have some connection to what it is representing.
20. A photo does not make a logo.
21. Do not use more than two fonts.
22. Each element of the logo needs to be aligned. Left, center, right, top, or bottom.
23. Know who is going to be looking at the logo before you think of ideas for it.
24. Always choose function over innovation.
25. If the brand name is memorable, the brand name should be the logo.
26. Everyone should like the logo design, not just the business that will use it.
27. Create variations. The more variations, the more likely you are to get it right.
28. The logo must look consistent across multiple platforms.
29. The logo must be easy to describe.
30. Do not use taglines in the logo if possible.
31. Sketch out ideas using paper and pencil before working on a computer.
32. Keep the design simple.
33. The logo should be balanced visually.
34. Avoid bright, neon colours and dark, dull colours.
35. The logo must not break any of the above rules.
If you’ve mastered the golden rules above, we can’t promise that your logo will be perfect or the best, but we can certainly say that it’ll be better than those that are made randomly. We can safely infer that in due course, and with practise, you will see your designs evolving and changing for the better. We hope this helped. Wishing you a truckload of amazing logos! Happy Designing!!
You can also check out the following links for reference:
http://www.webmedia-solutions.com/web-development-blog/graphic-design/9-logo-design-tips/78/
http://www.thelogofactory.com/logo-design-tips/
http://sbinfocanada.about.com/od/marketing/a/brandingks.htm
http://yayeps.wordpress.com/2010/02/01/quick-guide-effective-logo/
Sometimes, all it takes is a little bit of motivation to achieve great heights. Most people might believe that the smaller the organisation, lesser the benefits, lesser the fun. This path is taken to devote more time towards productivity and meeting deadlines. But don’t you think the smaller the organisation, more the motivation required? Give the thought and you will see that the size of the organization actually does not even matters. The bottom line is every individual requires motivation to perform. Highly motivated employees often find that their efficiency is accelerated from working in a pleasant office environment. An organization that listens to problems. Here are some things that you can do.
Team outings: Team outings are a great way to get to know your employee or colleagues. Make sure you spend some quality time with your employees outside work to understand them better. Use soft adventure activities and effective management games that will improve inter personal relationships and communication, pumping enthusiasm, behavioural change and development in every step.
Schedule exercise breaks: There’s no reason why you cannot follow larger organization trends in taking breaks. Even a break for ten minutes can lead to increased productivity with a fresh mind.
Cultivate fun: Make your office an exciting place by engaging employees in activities. Involve employees in contests, activities and celebrations to increase interaction and participation. This practice is especially important in creative organizations where creativity plays a pivotal role. Try doing something fun and witness the change in results.
Lead with laughter: Bring in humour in your organization. Research has proved that some level of humour increases productivity and efficiency in every organization. A light moment always helps to remove the cob-webs in the brain. After all, Carlie Chaplin says that ‘A day without laughter is a day wasted’.
Photo credit: www.istockphoto.com
How would you define branding? While some would associate it with an identity, others would define it with a logo. Try asking your employees what they think. Be sure that at least 4 out of 10 would have different interpretations of this word.
What’s more important than just understanding a brand is to churn up a consistent strategy. Make this concoction with slight variations every time in accordance with your brand. What’s employee got to do with this? This is where you take your first step. Make sure your employee lives, breathes and evolves with your brand. Make an impression on their minds. The more control you have over a person’s mental image about your brand the more effective you will be in turning that employee into a brand ambassador. That’s branding, and that’s why branding matters.
Ultimately, a brand is not what you say it is, it’s what they say it is… While you might play a significant role in forming the brand, it ultimately boils down to how your brand is perceived. Think your brand could become a success? That’s why we said ‘leave the job to us’!
It’s fun straying away from reality every once in a while. Life is mostly dictated to us. Very few have it the other way round. Work is a necessary evil for most. What if you could customise your workplace? A pinch of this and a dash of that – just the way you like it! Let’s dare to dream, if only for a few short, precious minutes. Please pardon my language. This is creative liberty at its best. I’m splurging on the language!
First of all, I wouldn’t have a boss. I’d be my own boss. If I’m late for work, I’m late for work. I wouldn’t need to explain why I’m late. I’d walk right into the office and put on some 80s Rock music in full volume. Do I need coffee to start the day? A cocktail may be!
Let’s call a meeting.
Meeting in progress. My phone rings. “Hello!” “Yeah?” “Ok”! Meeting cancelled. My friend’s here.
I feel blue. I think I need a break. “All right everybody; I’m off work for the next two weeks, three if I feel like it”.
“You will get a 10% hike every month. It’s not based on performance. It’s just the way it is.”
“Sunshine holiday!”
“No loss of pay whatsoever”.
“The company will contribute an equivalent of your entire salary every month towards your Provident Fund”.
“Work from home. I will give you ‘Home Shift Allowance’”.
“Go anywhere for lunch. The company will pay the bill”.
I know I’m going slightly overboard now. I have to stop ‘because I need to snap back. Hello!! Yes. You too. It was a dream. Get back to work now before you lose your pay!
Your first day at your organization could turn out to be a tricky one! For one, what you wear (this may include even your watch), how you wear it and how you represent yourself plays a big role. Before you enter, ensure that every aspect of the organization has been thoroughly researched. If the organization was a human being, what would his/her character be? What is the tone of his/her voice? Do you think you will fit in?
When you are convinced that this organization is good enough to be your second home, make sure you make your first impression a good one! When you meet your colleagues for the first time, greet yourself. Remember to make sure you deliver a firm hand shake when required. Smile and make eye contact. Eye contact can communicate your confidence. Draw that fine line between being a blabber mouth and being reserved to the extent of being mis-read. The biggest challenge of facing your first day is making you stand out from the rest of your colleagues without letting yourself stand apart. It is important to include yourself in the conversation. Go ahead. Take the initiative. Be yourself.
Here’s to making a remarkable first impression!
Fables always have a moral. Have you wondered how you could use this in your organization. Construction of an image plays a very important role in branding. In the current day scenario, one observes that several companies try to concoct an instant recipe. They wait for a magic wand to transform your company to a super power. While, it is nice to aim for the stars, do not expect to hit bull’s eye instantly.
We are all aware of the ‘Camel and the Tent story’. To recall the gist of this tale, on a dark stormy night a camel seeks shelter from a man comfortably in a tent by first peeking it’s head inside the tent. As time went by, the camel slowly occupied more space in the tent. Soon the camel occupies the tent and kick the man out.
The most obvious inference from this is that “Give them an inch, and they take a yard”. But flip the card and on the other side you also see that “Small gradual changes are much easier to accept than taking one giant leap step”.
All changes, even the really small ones are scary. Employees these days are extremely ressistent to change. Most employees associate every small change to a large radical transformation that occurs over a short period of time. While necessary changes are important, it is also advisable that one understands his work place, his work mates and sub-ordinates. Give new employees time to adjust to your environment. Make sure that he has been perfectly trained. Understand that every person in your organization will have a different work style and ethics. Every input adds to the success of an idea. Use the principle of Kaizen, which is the art of making small incremental steps in a spirit of continuous improvement.
At the end of the day, there is no right or wrong. All we can give is an opinion.
The success of a brand depends on a number of things. Sometimes it may just be pure luck. Some of us may not have thought about this, I did – look what I found out! Here’s a look at a few brand-names that are now synonymous to that ‘type of product’. When I think I get three random names – Cadbury, Godrej and Xerox. Think about it now and tell me if I’m wrong. Cadbury was founded as a chocolate brand in England way back in 1824. It came to India in 1948 and established itself as the chocolate bar of choice over the next couple of years. Now if someone wants to buy a chocolate, they want ‘Cadbury’. “I want Cadbury” – a child says, pointing at a chocolate bar with a different name altogether! “I need to ‘Xerox’ these”. “Did you lock your ‘Godrej’?! How many times have you done it yourself? Food for thought!
If you go by the books, the ideal scenario would read a company first satisfies the needs of a shareholder, the customer comes second (contrary to popular belief that the customer comes first) and then the employee. But then again, when has an ideal case every worked? One notices that the benefit of the customer is directly proportional to employee satisfaction. When you recruit employees who are passionate about their job, they communicate the right message with enthusiasm and confidence, which in turn makes a better impression on the customer interested in your product.
The secret ingredient to this recipe is hiring employees who live up to your brand’s name. Recruit employees who are empowered and passionate about what they sell (be it an idea or a product). Of course you cannot assure that this practice will be carried out by all employees per say, especially if your organization is one that is constantly expanding, but one thing that we can tell you is that this is worth the effort. Maintain a common culture that will unite your employees to form a strong loyal bond to your organization.
Being the CEO can be a tough task. It’s a win or lose situation. If your message is communicated the right way, your organization benefits in more ways than one. Try asking yourself these questions.
• How well do you know your employees? Are all employees creative and team players? Are some of them aloof and uncommunicative?
• Do you sense a mild friction between your employees? How soon and how well can you solve it? Is this friction obstructing productivity?
• Are you making sure your employee voice is heard? Are you available to every employee in the organization in case of a problem?
When you are well connected and communicated to the employee, the customer are able to see that difference. It is as simple as that.
What are we trying to say is this – as a CEO, it is your duty to transform yourself to take up several roles. A mentor, an agony aunt, a manager and at the same time be bridge that balance between being involved in your employees day-to-day activities and giving them the responsibility to take their decisions. Sounds like a Hercules task? Then again, ask yourself “In life, what comes easy?”
Have you noticed the Domino’s India fan page on Facebook? It reads “Welcome to the Domino’s community of pizza lovers. Comment, converse, connect.” Several brands including KFC, Kurkure, Axe and others use similar lines. Just when we thought the SNS fight just got bigger and stronger, somewhere in the alley, brands seem to be making the best use of it… and why not? Join the dots and you find what these brands are trying to achieve with this funda is exactly this – With direct interaction with the product, not only does the recall value increase but the most important result achieved by most of these brands rhymes with the ‘Prince of Wales’… Bingo… Sales! Not just that, several companies are now using social networking sites exclusively to interact with employees and brand consumers.
Take an example, say… Facebook. Recently, a company tracking social media statistics reports that the average Facebook user is between the age of 18-25 years. If you’re a youth centric marketer, Facebook marketing might just be your cup of tea. What a relevant application does is help generate the buzz and becomes the topic of discussion making the peer group feel updated as it connects with them easily.
It’s also important to realize that even with a very nascent advertising system, Facebook applications can probably help brands achieve a target of 2.5 billion dollars in one year. And it’s easy to see why, as their targeting capabilities exceed Google’s as much as Anne Hathaway’s Oscars performance exceeded James Franco’s. Imagine if you went to Google to do a search and a box popped up that read “Before you search for “Khara Masala chicken wing restaurants” please tell us your name, your age, your gender, your relationship status, your high school, and upload some photos and videos of yourself and your friends. Thank you.” Essentially, that’s how Facebook works, but in reverse. We gave them the data, and now they can use it to target ads.
Even Twitter allows members to connect with one another through messages called ‘tweets’ that can be received either via the Twitter site or by e-mail, instant messenger, or cell phones. The use of this communication in the workplace reflects the way that the new and upcoming workforce, the so-called Generation Y, communicates and behaves. Such use therefore might make the workplace more attractive to Generation Y employees and in turn help employers to attract and retain these employees and plan for future staffing issues.
So should we start looking towards these sites for recruitment and promotion decisions? Well only after thorough research and ‘with significant caution’. While you can search sites for consumers and information, there are hazaar dangers in relying on the information found on these sites. For example, How sure are you about the authenticity of the account?
Another thing we must remember is the fact that we cannot take for granted that the SNS will remain the exact same tomorrow. By doing that, you are well ignoring the history of self-serve digital marketing. What Google was three years ago is not what it is today. Every platform evolves over a period of time…
In conclusion, only time will tell which platform eventually wins the highly coveted ad currency notes and becomes the major trend for employee branding and communication. But as it stands today it is still no contest when it comes to where to rely on for sales and understanding employee trends.
