Author: Colin Finkle

  • 11 Star Exercise: The Key to Word Of Mouth Marketing

    11 Star Exercise: The Key to Word Of Mouth Marketing

    Envisioning the perfect experience for your customers so you can enable viral growth. Imagine a 1 star, 3 star, 5 star experience, then go beyond to 7 star, 9 star and even 11-star. Going to the extreme is fun and will make the easier answers seem more attainable.

  • Generating a Company Name That Fits The Ski Lifestyle

    Generating a Company Name That Fits The Ski Lifestyle

    Finding a novel, short, impactful name that is in the intersection of personal care and the snowboard / ski lifestyle. We use the Multiply Method to generate hundreds of brand names, and eliminate all to arrive at an amazing name that comes with a 7-letter domain name!

  • What makes a good logo?

    What makes a good logo?

    A bad logo can inhibit a good organization. A logo is intended to be a mental shortcut to past experiences with a brand, hopefully bringing up good feelings. A good logo is distinct, and not generic. A good logo is simple, and not complex. A good logo is appropriate, and not awkward. A good logo…

  • What Your Logo Font Says About Your Brand

    What Your Logo Font Says About Your Brand

    A professional designer talks about what the font in a logo says about the brand. Fonts are magic. They can play with our emotions and affect how we feel about the words that they represent. Have you ever had someone send you an email in all caps? It feels like they are yelling. The content…

  • Middleman or Intermediary

    Middleman or Intermediary

    Intermediation, or letting other businesses get in the way of customers, can build a brand but put it in a poor strategic position. Executive Summary | Abstract | TL;DR A middleman or intermediary is an individual or company with a business interest in staying between one company and its customer. Good intermediaries can provide access…

  • Jacob Cass interview

    Jacob Cass interview

    Jacob Cass travels the world with his wife and his laptop creating inspired design work for grateful clients along the way. We all have been given the advice: “envision a life that you would be proud of, and then take steps to make it happen.” It’s meant to be inspiring, but it is always a…

  • Nick Westergaard interview

    Nick Westergaard interview

    How bravery in marketing can lead the human moments in which great brands are forged. I often catch myself doing small brand reviews of commercial vehicles while in my own car; mostly small business whose truck graphics will be the most prominent billboard they will ever own. It is mostly as one would expect: a…

  • Top Minds in Industrial Design Talk Smart Speakers

    Top Minds in Industrial Design Talk Smart Speakers

    Chadwick Harber, Nichole Rouillac, Grayson Byrd, Mika Becktor and Norio Fujikawa comment on the latest smart speaker designs. Introduction The smart speaker is a new product category defined by having a voice assistant always at the ready. “Alexa: buy some more laundry detergent,” or “Google: what is my next appointment?” or “Siri: play the Evolve…

  • Multiply Method: How to Name A Business Creatively

    Multiply Method: How to Name A Business Creatively

    Turn a spreadsheet into a creative business name generator, and find the perfect catchy company name. Struggling with how to name a business? Frustrated with online company name generators? We all understand the need for a short, catchy, original name that conveys a sense of the brand. But we don’t know how to find that perfect…

  • What is Brand Identity?

    What is Brand Identity?

    The definition of brand identity (or corporate identity): the collection of designs that represent an organization to customers. You may be asking: What are common pieces in a brand identity? How is brand identity differ from brand image? What makes for an effective brand identity? Brand Identity is what designers contribute to the brand. As…