4 common mistakes in logo design Does your logo need a makeover? Too much detail—When designing your logo, consider how it will look when printed small. Most complex designs will actually lose their detail when printed small. Logos with minimal detail will process better and become more memorable. Poor typeface choice—The font selection may be the most important part of designing a logo. Choose a font that matches the style of the graphic you created. It shouldn't be similar to the graphic, but needs to reflect the same characteristics. Be sure you use a maximum of two fonts or it will be difficult to read. Remember, the less detail, the more memorable. Relying too much on the color palette—Your logo should look good even without color. Many designers focus too much on the color of the logo, but this should actually be the last thing you decide. The design should look just as high-quality in black and white as it does in color. Too similar to other logos—Your logo shouldn't resemble your competitors. Create something unique to your business! Click here to see samples of logos done right. Tips to boost employee loyalty Your company's success relies heavily on your employees. Without your employees, reaching your business and growing your business would be completely impossible. It's easy to get caught up in numbers and the company's goals and overlook the gears that keep the business turning—your employees. Are your actions portraying your appreciation for all that they do? There are four key areas that promote employee loyalty: Confidence boosts. If you want employees to continuously be driven to give their all, you need to praise them for good work. Everyone needs a confidence boost every now and then. Approval. Employees need to know that their work is valued and what they do makes a difference both internally and externally. Acceptance. It may sound juvenile, but your employees need to feel liked and accepted by their coworkers. No one wants to feel like an outcast. Rewards. Employees need incentives. When the company has successes, those involved need to be rewarded accordingly. The emotion of color in your advertising Colors have a huge influence on how we see the world around us. Knowing this, consider the feelings these colors will trigger when planning your marketing pieces. Black itself is a very classic color. If used correctly in your marketing, it can trigger a formal or sophisticated feeling. Using the color poorly may trigger gloom and doom. Blue is perhaps the most popular color, and usually exudes a soothing, calm feeling. Brown signifies comfort, credibility and warmth. It can be linked with nature, and at the same time, symbolize sophistication. Gray indicates reliability and maturity. Green is often linked with environmental issues, but also is the color of nature, wealth and serenity. Orange is simultaneously flamboyant and casual. It's often linked with health, energy and friendliness. Purple symbolizes royalty and wealth, and has an exotic quality. Red is usually linked with energy and vitality, and commands attention. It's a great color to use if you're trying to have your message stand out. This color usually triggers strong emotions. White is simple and clean. It can also strike a cold and sterile feel. Yellow is energetic, cheerful and uplifting. It's important to choose the right shade of yellow in your marketing so you don't strain readers' eyes. Make your on-hold message work for you No matter what size business you have, you need to have an on-hold message. Remember that no other form of your advertising is heard by so many of your customers and potential customers. Consider these tips and facts when creating your on-hold message: Include information your callers would want to know. Callers will usually listen to about 30 seconds of the on-hold message until their attention is lost. The voice of the recording should reflect the appropriate tone and never be dull. The amount of times one person will call your number directly reflects how often you should change your on-hold message. All Seasons Communications recently created an on-hold message for one its clients. Listen to our client dentists Drs. Baker and Brecht's effective on-hold message. All Seasons Communications is a full-service advertising, marketing and public relations agency. Visit www.allseasonscommunications.com to learn more, call us at 586.752.6381, or e-mail us as info@allseasonscommunications.com. To be removed from future e-mails please reply to this message with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line. We apologize for any inconvenience. Click here to forward this e-mail.