The Found Gen

Marketing That Works.

brand awareness

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How Can You Get Quick, Custom-Designed Marketing Material for Your Business

Guess what? Real design takes real work. It’s not AI-generated. It’s not machine-driven. It’s creative, it requires extensive mental power to get an audience to visually relate to your brand, and… It. Takes. Time. 

Ask any designer out there – heck, even give it a try yourself on a site like Canva – and you will discover just how much effort goes into developing and delivering a polished, professional piece of marketing material. 

So, when any business is looking for a rush design project, they need to face the facts. They can pick two: good, fast or cheap. 

  • Need a rush job? You can get it fast and cheap, but it won’t be good. 
  • Need something fast and good? Expect to pay a premium for it.
  • Want good and affordable? Well, forget fast.

Of course, even when you do pick two, there’s always more to the story…

The Iceberg of Immediacy

Immediacy has a way of causing even the calmest of us to get a serious kick of adrenaline. At times, immediacy can’t be avoided. Events outside our control require us to act, and in those instances, we may need to make compromises in order to get the job done. 

But when rush job after rush job is the result of poor planning, it’s time to reevaluate your marketing strategy. We see it all too often, but what can be easy to forget in the heat of a rush job moment is that every time an urgent matter rises to the top, it means other priorities are effectively getting sidelined. All those other marketing goals you set for your team? Yep, they’re still there. They’ve just now sunk beneath the surface and are suddenly less and less attainable.

Can you get quick, custom-designed marketing material? Yes, for a price (and we’re not just talking budget there). Consider your marketing goals and business priorities as you weigh your alternatives and assess whether quick and cheap is worth it for your needs. If you want a second opinion, give us a call at The Found Gen. We’re happy to offer up our two cents (free of charge).

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How Often Should You Refresh Your Branding

Some brands seem to have life eternal – Nike, Coca-Cola, BMW. Everyone knows these and other power players of our time, and while they’re in a league of their own, even these big hitters have to make tweaks to their brand and image over time to stay relevant with their audience.

You should be doing the same, but exactly how often you need to refresh your branding can be a bit nuanced. Here are some things to keep in mind as you consider the question of how frequently to refresh your branding. 

Brand Evolution vs. Revolution

Trends evolve annually, but even the most fashion-forward of us aren’t going to refresh our brand that frequently unless it becomes necessary (like if you merge with another business or undergo a major business change). After all, brand recognition is built on consistency. Too many haphazard changes is just confusing.

Instead, it’s helpful to consider your brand’s look and feel in terms of an ongoing evolution rather than waiting to drop a full-scale brand revolution. This type of approach enables you to make smaller upgrades on a more frequent basis to keep your style fresh and relevant to your readers.

3 is the Magic Number

These brand refreshes should be considered every three to five years, though this may vary depending on the medium in question. For example, websites, email templates and social channels benefit from upgrades like a new font or other visual refreshes that modernize the brand every three-ish years, whereas printed materials can be stretched a bit farther. 

With everything, the general idea is that you’re always continuing to move forward – even if the updates are subtle. You need your brand to represent your business as it stands today (and tomorrow) – it can’t be stuck two decades in the past. If it is, you’ll immediately lose credibility before you even have a chance to earn it.

Call Us Today to Get Started 

If it’s been 8, 10 or (gasp!) more years since you’ve thought about your logo and brand, it’s time to call us at The Found Gen. We can help revive your brand and keep your messaging and design on point for the future.