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Fred’s Southern Kitchen approached Nice Branding Agency with the desire to open a new location that was geared towards a younger demographic. Their main objective was to create an environment that was warm and welcoming. They wanted a new brand that highlighted their fresh ingredients and farm grown tastes. In addition to capturing the freshness of their dishes, the owners of Fred’s expressed a high value on the history and traditions they had built their restaurants upon. To get the client moving in the right direction, Nice presented Fred’s with brand boards to determine which look would fit best with their objectives. After the selection process was complete, Nice had a clear direction from the client on which way to steer the brand. From here, Nice spent multiple hours brainstorming, working to uncover the true meaning of the all new Fred’s Market Restaurant. Over several Red Bulls and countless scribbled notes, Nice was able to create a mission statement that truly summed up what freds stood for. It was here that the slogan “farm-to-plate freshness” was born. Nice then developed a logo, business cards, menus, website, and other various materials that together, created a new brand image for Fred’s. Nice was able to put a branded touch on various decor items throughout the restaurant’s interior and exterior, creating an atmosphere that led to an unforgettable experience. Due to the fact that the history of Fred’s was so important, Nice took the story of Fred’s and translated it into a storyboard graphic that became one of the focal points in the restaurant. Our team developed various sayings and words that were translated to wall art, table tops, and server shirts to bring a fresh vibe to the overall dining experience.

Logo Development

Business Card Development

Menu Development

Mission Statement

Creative Sayings for Signage, Marketing and Server Shirts

Branded Interior Design

Creative Tabletops

Graphic Story Board

Branding Interior Design

So today’s the day… America will choose. Will the next President of the United States be Mitt or Obama? We’ve heard the words, we’ve seen the commercials and our decisions are made. However, we here at CE Design Co. wonder if you had to vote based on graphics alone, who would you choose. Would it be Mitt or would it be Obama?

Throughout the campaign, we’ve kept a close eye on the graphic choices of each candidate. We saw Mitt deliver some great photography along with killer taglines. We’ve seen Obama use very vintage graphic elements with modern fonts, which seem to be all the hype right now.

It seemed that each candidate built a brand; however, we saw one candidate stick to his brand and one somewhat fluctuate a bit more. Was Mitt doomed from day one with the choice of Trajan Pro in his logo? Gotham and Nevis seem to be all the rage right now. Did Obama know that?

We’ve been able to see a strong brand from Obama since day one. Obama has seemed to stick with san serif fonts and bold blocks of color. He does have a serif block font thrown in but it still carries forth his modern look. His graphic take is minimal but strong. Many of his supporting pieces have used vintage textures, to give them a distressed and relaxed look. More and more designers today are designing with a heavy influence on a vintage look. Many younger people seem to be drawn to this look. We didn’t seem to see very many traditional looks out of the Obama campaign for 2012.

Mitt has seemed to be all over the map with his graphics. Some were strong and some were not. From the beginning, he started out with black and white images with a color logo placed on them. We saw him use a serif font for most of his promotional items, but then we noticed a shift to san serif fonts, along with some new vintage elements that snuck in, all having a heavy tendency that leaned towards the look of Obama’s campaign. From the beginning we saw some traditional graphics from Mitt, which would most likely draw in a more traditional crowd; however, we wonder if Mitt was smart to mix in some more modern graphics to draw in the younger and more hip crowds.

We are somewhat sad to say, with our ears closed and our morals ignored, we would vote for Obama. In our eyes, his graphics seem to kill Mitt’s.

So today we ask, based on graphics alone, who would you vote for?

She’s been here for a while now… and we think she’s here’s to stay. Meet our Newest Team Member, Lisa Wright, our Jack of All Trades.

Appointed to bring peace and quiet to the pink and black walls of CE, she brought nothing of the sort. This Chatty Cathy is destined to provide our client’s with nothing less than genuine greatness through her ambitious energy and clever communication skills. She’s here to promote, sell and do well! With a mind for marketing and an obsession for organization, this bubbly, beach lovin’ blonde is the caretaker of our clients, controller of chaos, and cultivator of commotion.

“Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails, that’s what little boys are made of.”

Baby Avenue, a new baby and children’s boutique located at Lakeside Village in Lakeland, Florida recently opened their doors and kicked off their grand opening event. Owner, Katrina Stevenson asked for help from CE Design Co. We started with an existing logo and color scheme and were able to build the basics of a brand through marketing materials and other creative ideas. CE also utilized social media to spread the word of the new store in town. Check out some of our work for this fabulous retail store!!

Baby Avenue Business Cards

Baby Avenue Advertisement

Open House Flyer

Baby Avenue with the Sidewalk Sign

Reusable Tote Bags

Open House Cupcake Cards

Open House Event
Window and Wall Displays

Splash Page: www.mybabyavenue.com

Facebook Page

Blog Site: www.mybabyavenue.com/blog

Here’s an article that says it better than we can… maybe!

Here’s the link to the article just to give the author credit! http://www.mpdailyfix.com/why-branding-matters-stand-out-from-the-rest-of-the-herd/

In this digital age, a successful business needs to provide outstanding service, offer intrinsic value to its clients, build customer relationships—and stand out from the crowd on myriad online platforms.

To set one’s company apart from the herd, a business needs a brand. The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a “name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.”

To understand the elements of small-business branding, you first need to know why it’s essential to a company’s success.

1. Branding is your business identity. Branding goes beyond your name, tagline, and logo. Your brand is who your business is to the world. What is your story? What makes you special? Differentiation is key for a dynamic brand. Your brand is your mission, vision, and story wrapped up in one unique package.

2. Branding is your business ambassador. It helps customers familiarize themselves with your business and builds trust with colleagues, customers, and prospects.

3. A great brand is memorable. If people can’t remember your brand, they will not be inspired to do business with you. People buy from businesses they know, trust, and like.

4. Social media demands a visible, attractive brand. It’s not a question of “should” you engage in social media anymore, it’s “how.” A brand helps folks identify your business in your marketing sphere.

5. Branding helps your business get recognized on multiple platforms. Getting your message out and keeping it consistent is only achievable when your brand is searchable, recognizable, and accountable. You need to manage your brand on different platforms (your blog, social media sites, etc.)

6. People connect with your brand through its story. Every company has a “how we came to be” story. Let your story be part of the brand that resonates with your customers.

7. Branding levels the playing field for small businesses. Entrepreneurs do not have an unlimited marketing budget. However, by honing your brand’s message, visuals, and style, you can go toe to toe with your larger competitors—and look good doing it.

8. Today’s connected, social savvy consumers demand it. People need to see you’re on top of your game with a compelling brand. A solid brand equals trust.

9. Small businesses are doomed to fail without effective branding. Sad, but true. Your ideas and outstanding service aren’t enough to cut it in today’s brutal business climate. Your brand is your story, and stories are essential to attracting and keeping customers.

10. Smart branding will bring your “red carpet moment.” Whether through social media, traditional advertising, or good old-fashioned networking, influencers and decision-makers are on the lookout for trend-setting businesses. Make the biggest impact possible by having a memorable brand.

When it comes to designing your brand, you need to plan well and find a great logo maker or designer that understands your company’s needs. Contrary to popular belief, a fresh, professionally designed logo doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Websites like FreeLogoServices, are cool resources to design your logo for your website, blog, Facebook business page, Twitter page, and other social media platforms.

When done well, a brand can help businesses gain new customers, expand their circle of influence, and stand out.

Dylan Mazeika is an online writer with a background in marketing and small business. He enjoys helping business owners with branding efforts through the use of a logo maker.

For some reason lately, I have been obsessing over commercials. Here at CE, we don’t really piddle much in these waters, but none the less, they are a big part of the advertising world, which is our world. My husband has this compulsive disorder to where he thinks everytime a commercial comes on, he needs to flip the channel… yes he is part of that demographic. However, lately, I have been making him sit through some. In honor of my husband’s diligence to the world of advertising, one that somewhat pays his bills, I would like to highlight a few favorites.

There is pretty much one word that describes this commercial for me and that would have to be “amazing”. Unless there is some magical program that the genius who created this commercial has, I can only imagine the hours it must have taken to create this beast. Every place you look covered in paint swatch cards… it’s just unbelievable. What’s even more suprising is that this is not the only one. I have probably seen atleast three others over the course of a few months. The love for this commercial probably stems from my love of those paint swatch cards. Basically if I walk into Lowe’s or Home Depot, paint companies are going to loose a few cents because I leave with a stack the size of a cheeseburger, and no paint or intentions of painting any room.

I don’t know if this one is the tallest model I have ever see, the awesome sense of style it brings, the funky music and stark simplistic setting or simply the transitions of clothing, but I have been enthralled with this commercial ever since I first saw it. I do have to say, it makes me want to go into that store, even though it really doesn’t fit my style. Great job White House | Black Market!

So in terms of concept, this one takes that cake. Not only is what the lady is saying straight whack, but what the husband responds to her with is one of the funniest lines I have heard in a while. The concept of people feeling richer because they use your product or participate in your brand is clever, but even more, the way that straight talk plays it out is fantastic. Congrats Straight Talk. Your advertising cleverness has far surpassed the whit of your product.

So we’ve found an Article about fonts that quite frankly, we probably could expound upon if we had a day or so to work on it, but because we have clients that we need to service today, we will just let you read what the fab folks at www.DesignInspiration.com wrote.

This article gives some insight into fonts and what certain font faces represent and mean. You might find it interesting and then after reading, take a look at your own logo and marketing material and see how you are coming off to your potential clients and customers.

Feel free to give us a call if you are feeling that your font might be giving the wrong impression… and for goodness sakes, don’t ever use Jazz Let.

In terms of sales and marketing for your business, you have to have a clever way to leave your mark and make yourself memorable. No matter what profession your business is in, you are most likely not the only company offering the service that you provide. Even further, you are not the only one out there pushing the service you provide to your potential customers. Therefore, it is imperative to leave a lasting mark on those that see multiple companies offering the same service throughout each day. Although you may do it better than your competition, the client will not know that until you have performed a service or two for them.

We highly advise our clients to be creative when visiting a potential client. Don’t just leave a pen with your logo on it or a magnet with your phone number… they already have 40 of those with your competitors number on them. You’ve got to set yourself apart and that’s where we come in. We offer Schemin’ and Dreamin’ Sessions where we brainstorm to come up with different ideas of clever items you can drop off to your potential clients. The picture above shows a result from one of these creative brainstorming sessions.

A while back, our client, Springer-Peterson Roofing and Sheet Metal was doing just that. Leaving a generic promotional item with their potential clients. They decided they wanted to try something different. We gave them some ideas and they landed upon this cookie package with a clever sticker that says “People would think you were one smart cookie if we were your roofer”. Not only do they offer their potential clients a tasty treat, but the whole package is tied together with a unique saying that relates back to the service they provide.

Each package costs them less than $5 so they aren’t afraid to give them out. Just last week, they landed a $80,000 project and it all started with a couple cookies! We would say that was a pretty good return on their investment!

If it’s time to spruce up what you are doing in your sales department, don’t be afraid to give us a call and see how we can make you just alittle more unforgettable.

Here’s a quick follow up to our previous post regarding Social Media. This chart shows the growth in the age range of users of social media outlets. We found it pretty interesting so we thought we would share it with you. Basically, it boils down to the fact that if your target customer is between the ages of 18 and 64, and you want to reach them, a great way to do that is through a social media outlet. ENJOY!

We know that Sarah got engaged to Matt by her updated relationship status on Facebook and we know that people approve by the 98 “Likes” it received within the first hour.  We also know that she ate at Chipotle on Main Street with Lindsay on Tuesday at 1:12 p.m. because she checked in. Sarah had a bad day on Wednesday, and we know that from her irate status update which occurred from her iPhone at 2:45 p.m.  We know that she loves traveling from all of her photos and we know that she even went to Spain with Becky and Alexis (who were tagged) in her photo album last spring break. We also know that she’s a fan of #Snookie from Jersey Shore, because she follows her on Twitter.

Social media has crept its way into our lives and we have learned to both love it and accept it with open arms.  These days, when two people decide that it’s time to exclusively date one another becoming “Facebook Official” holds a massive amount of weight in one’s relationship.

So, it should come as no surprise that teenagers and young adults are enthralled with the social media epidemic, but they’re not the only ones anymore.  Businesses have turned to social media in promotional and advertising efforts, and honestly—it’s a brilliant, effective, and often a successful idea.

By navigating the Facebook strings correctly, a business can target people down to their location and education level.  If you wanted to reach females, with a college degree, who are engaged and live in Portsmouth, New Hampshire that can be done.  If you wanted to target alumni’s of a particular college or university, that can be done.  If you wanted to target males who are between the ages of 18-24 and have an interest in baseball in the Central Florida area, that can also be done.  Restaurant owners: wanting to advertise an upcoming drink special or menu roll-out?  Realtors: wanting to get the word out about a new development or a price drop on a have-to-have house?  Within seconds of posting your buzz-worthy news people will be able to see it, share it, interact with it, and hopefully respond to it.

The younger generations and business owners aren’t the only ones diving into the craze anymore, but the older and wiser crew has caught on to the epidemic as of late.  According to the highly reputable Pew Research Center, social networking use among Internet users ages 50 and older has nearly doubled over the past year.  Half of the Internet users between the ages of 50-64 and one in four users age 65 and older now use social networking sites.  While email and online news is still more appealing to older users, social media sites attract many repeat visitors and are continuously growing.

Interested?  But not familiar with the world of social media?  Call us!  We have various options and packages available.