10 Tips to Simplify Your Logo

The talent of a good designer (in any discipline) is understanding restraint and when more is just…well…more. Here are some basic pointers to keep your logo concepts sharpened, or to explore simplifying an existing logo.
Branding Trends: Why are logos getting simpler and more minimalist?

Everyone’s asking: Why are logos suddenly getting simpler? The real question should be: Why did they ever grow complex?
It’s a little baffling to see a much plagiarized and reposted online “logo trends report” list the following—minimalism, geometric shapes, crisper angles, classic, black and white, and typography—as “2013’s new trends to watch.” Whaaaaaat? New? Trends? These are more like basic tenets of logo design.
Those of us that stayed focused on the design principles of brand identity: communicating key aspects in clean, simplified forms with maximum brevity, meaning, and impact never really left the room. To the rest, a warm welcome back from wherever you were. Read More
Brand Coaching for Small Businesses: Introductory Offer

Know anyone who needs help in defining or refining their brand, but who can’t quite figure out where to start? The Gist Brands coaching workshop is a structured, but fun and engaging way to get unstuck and get going.
The Approach
The idea is to make high-level brand strategy ideas and concepts available to smaller businesses in an abbreviated and more accessible coaching format, with business owners doing some of the legwork and process themselves to make it more affordable. Instruction and coaching happens in a supportive group environment that makes the discovery process more lively, fun, and insightful, and gives you a long term network of other business owners that are in similar situations as yourself.
A Basic Guide to Branding: The Brand Evolution Process
Many business owners think of branding as either some mysterious black-box process that yields a desirable “aura” to a company, or confuse branding with logo design, which is just one facet (and actually an outcome) of a branding process rather than the starting point. For more on this distinction, see the post “Brand vs. Logo: The Mystery Solved.”
The truth about the process of branding couldn’t be simpler: It is the process of defining or refining your focus; who you are, what makes you different, and what unique value you offer. Then, once defined or refined, being intentional and strategic about making that tangible for people not just in logos and design, but in what you say and—more importantly—do. Read More
What’s the Gist Brands Secret Sauce?
What’s the Gist Brands Secret Sauce? >> Find out.