
photo by Patrik Michalicka on Unsplash
Something to Consider
How is your brand showing up, before you even arrive? Frazzled and unkempt or clear eyed and focused?
Images and symbols are very important to Bounce and our clients. We both understand the power of images as effective tools to convey that certain feeling and message that is unique to you and your business.
Think about it, if the events of the last year have taught us anything, it is that symbols have the power to unite, create a feeling and even spark a movement.
Your business logo is a symbol too and how your brand looks matters. It can be representative of you, your beliefs, organizational culture and even purpose for being.
Your business is your baby, and everyone likes beautiful babies, yes?
The need to create, refine, revisit and revise your brands’ logo and imagery is not just for small and mid-sized businesses. Global brands, with seemingly limitless marketing and communications budgets, high visibility and brand awareness are faced with these very issues too. In the last year, instantly recognizable brands, such as General Motors, Burger King and even Kellogg’s have changed their symbols to ensure they continue to appeal to their audiences. Some have been spot on and some have been met with mixed results. (Sorry, Toucan Sam!)
Announcing the brand changes, General Motors chief marketing officer Deborah Wahl shares that GM “…changed to a lowercase “gm” with a softer blue gradient evoking clean skies of a zero emissions future and an underline below the “m,” a nod to GM’s underlying Ultium battery architecture. The negative space around the “m” even looks like an electrical plug…but overall, it really wants to humanize our company.”
See what they did there? Colors, font, and spacing to convey a feeling, a belief, a product and a legacy. All in one symbol. Impressive stuff.
But remember, this isn’t just for firms with the means. You can do this too. With a thoughtful approach (and the right partner, like, um, I don’t know….Bounce?!), you can convey so much through imagery that speaks to who you are and what your business is all about.
So unless you invented Velcro, sliced bread or those plastic covers at the end of shoelaces, (SEE: aglet. Who knew?), you should consider how your brand is showing up, before it even arrives.
Don’t have one? Not sure where to begin? That’s ok, we assembled 5 questions to help us, help you. It’s time.

Bounce at Work
We love designing brands for our clients since we get to hear stories of passion, purpose and commitment. But it’s also fun since we get to be strategic, playful and imaginative. Here’s some recent examples of branding work we completed together with clients who were seeking to refresh their brand and communications, just like you.

(Small) Businesses We Love
At Bounce “headquarters,” we are using the social distancing time to freshen up our space. Some new lighting, furniture and color, always color.
As you can see, we are narrowing down our color options with different paint samples and realized that we've been shopping at the same paint shop, Benjamin Moore Liberty Paint & Deco Inc. in Fresh Meadows, for more than 15 years. On top of that, they have been a Fresh Meadows home improvement staple for more than 50 years! We love these stories of businesses that are built to last.
The team at Liberty are knowledgeable, local and as friendly as they come. Shop local and support your small business community! (And feel free to let us know what you think of our HQ color options, at ideas@bouncemarketingconsulting.com)

Things Worth Sharing
- Every brand has a story to tell. It can come in the form of a sign or a slogan, but the audience is more attracted when a brand has its own mascot. The crew at Bored Panda share this great article that pulls the curtain back on the origins of iconic mascots like the Colonel, Wendy and Little Debbie!
- 2021 will see the end of the online world’s love affair with “free” online services. As we now understand, providing “free” content and services means relying on advertising income to make money. Or so says Sridhar Ramaswamy from Wired.
- What’s in a name? A lot, according to Molly Reynolds, a contributor at the Huffington Post. There’s a science to it.
- As remote work for the masses continues and evolves, workplace communication tool Slack has been experimenting with new features to help it meet the moment, shares Neal Fryman from Morning Brew.
- If we can’t go there, can we at least see teeny-weeny tiny versions of it? Diorama artist Hank Cheng crafts tiny versions of real places to pay homage to beloved locales. Not for the sausage fingered!