Did you know the name Apple was inspired while Steve Jobs was pruning Gravenstein apple trees on his friend’s orchard? According to the recent Steve Jobs biography, Apple Computer could have just as easily been called Personal Computing International. Had it been, who knows if it would have met with the same iconic success.

The Apple name, along with others such as Virgin and The Gap are not immediately intuitive because they evoke something about the company’s unique positioning. And they are risky. If you think about it, the word virgin has negative connotations, especially for an airline: new, untested, and young to list a few. The naysayers in the boardroom would certainly pick these out as an argument against such a name. Those with a different vision might say it perfectly captures the spirit of a new entrant into a category dominated by sameness and mediocrity. When you think of the possibilities for a positive disruption to the airline (and others) business, ‘virgin’ could also mean new, fresh, energetic, willing and young.

Naming success in this case is all about how the name is defined in the minds of the consumer, and creating a link between the name and the company’s positioning.

Evocative names are some of the most exciting to create, but the reality is, they are only one type of name, and admittedly, not all types are as exciting. Why? There are many variables that go into determining the right name for a company or product: What industry is it? Does it need to be descriptive; What is the personality of the firm?; Are there any legal or regulatory considerations that need to be conformed to? These are just a few of the things that need to be considered when we are doing naming for our clients.

Truth is, a name can come from anywhere and anyone. Yes, you can name your own company, but what you are missing is an exhaustive search and a deeper development past the obvious names, and in the process, perhaps even validation for an earlier inspiration. In seeking name options for our clients at Industrial Brand we pursue multiple streams of naming types. We may explore functional names that are merely descriptive of what the company does or sells, made up names, hybrids composed of two or more words, evocative names such as those mentioned above and any number of other name types in our quest to fully explore all the options. The quantity of names generated cannot be underestimated—it is in fact crucial. As a fascinating aside, have a look at some of the name generation Thomas Edison did when coming up with a name for what we now know as the ‘phonograph’. Marvellous insight.

It is at this point that engaging a firm experienced with naming adds the most value. Finding the best name is only partially about generating options. Sorting and filtering the names down to a select shortlist requires experience and skill, and objective analysis. Subjective analysis should not come into this process. “I don’t like it” or “This reminds me of…” are not relevant here and are not representative of how the target audience may see it. The goal is to land on something that will resonate with the market and support your goals for the company.

At Industrial Brand we don’t attempt naming for a client without first doing extensive research into the client’s industry, their organization and competition. Armed with this, and the raw names we generated, we can then begin to filter them.

We use a nine point matrix to score each name on a scale. Some of the elements we scrutinize are as simple as appearance and sound: Does it look good?; Are there any awkward letter combinations, etc.?; Does it sound good when spoken?; Will it be easy to mispronounce or be misheard?; Is it a word that’s uncommon or hard to spell (by the way, not always a bad thing)?

Other filters are more complex to analyze: Things such as how much meaning the name has, and how deeply layered other meanings are, distinctiveness within the industry and from the competition and whether the name is flat and lifeless or energetic. Is it corporate and impersonal, or genuine and warm?—there’s a reason and fit for each.

Ultimately though, the name has to be available. Canada only, USA, Global? The wider the reach, the more complex and less likely it will be that the chosen name is available. In addition, finding a suitable URL is vitally important today. In fact, we’ve had clients whose priority was owning the root name dot com URL for the company, so that dictated the name they ultimately selected.

We’ve had to get creative with URL selection and consider what URL is available for chosen names before presenting options to the client. If it seems there’s a possibility for acquisition of a desired URL, then we will keep the name under consideration. Ideally, we want the .ca, .com, .co, .net and any other domains that are relevant to the client.

Finally, working with an intellectual property specialist to ensure rights and ownership of a trademark name is almost always advisable. This applies to the name as well as the final logo created. A good trademark lawyer will also suggest options and advise modifications to avoid potential conflict. Considering the money, time and effort that will be invested in turning the name into your brand, ensuring legal ownership at the outset is a must. No one wants to receive an unexpected cease and desist letter even part way down the rebranding road.

As a recent article about naming your child suggested, the name you give your offspring can determine their success later in life. While it seems implausible to imagine that the difference between “Steve”, “Mike” or “Larry” would matter all that much to your kid’s success, when you think about it in terms of your business, it’s not all that hard to envision that the choices you make at the start do have a magnifying effect on the trajectory of your enterprise.

It is doubtful that Steve Jobs, arrogant and visionary though he was, could ever have initially seen the company he named Apple ascend to such a massive and industry-dominating place in the world. Or maybe he did? Regardless, that name was the right choice, and the fit with the people, products, values and vision created a distinction that propelled the company to mythic status.

We are concerned about our impact on the environment and strive to create business practices that support sustainability. In our business we strive to reduce our use of paper and take other steps to control our impact environmentally.

In our role as marketing strategists, designers and often as the lead in the specification and vendor qualification process for print production, we are in the position to educate, create and produce on behalf of our clients. Thus, we do so with the smallest possible environmental impact. In these pursuits we are currently taking the following initiatives:

• Communicating via email (invoices, newsletter) where practical and client preference. This not only reduces paper, but also the carbon impact of mail sent via traditional means.
• Convincing numerous client NOT to print excess collateral materials such as annual reports, and if possible avoid printing altogether in favour of producing online materials to be distributed electronically.
• Educating our clients on the benefits of specifying paper from mills committed to sustainable production such as Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC); wind power, recycled content and carbon neutrality.
• Selecting printers who are committed to sustainable practices through FSC certification process and their own efforts to use environmentally-friendly materials and reclamation processes.
• Donation of used computers to schools and deserving charities, or environmentally safe disposable services.

Recently the Government of British Columbia presented one of our valued clients with its 2011 WelcomeBC Day Award, in recognition of their innovative website developed by Yours Truly, the talented team here at Industrial Brand.

But never mind about us….here’s what they do that makes them special. The Immigrant Employment Council of BC (IEC-BC) provides a unique service to the community, connecting employers with motivated and skilled global talent, in a way that hasn’t been done before. Through www.tapintotalent.ca, prospective employers now have direct access to a wealth of labour market resources, including opportunities to connect with a pool of highly skilled immigrant talent.

After thoroughly understanding IEC-BC’s needs, we designed their site to be easy to use and visually-pleasing, but also to capitalize on a few key areas like highlighting a job-matching service with a database of hundreds of pre-screened, job-ready immigrant candidates, as well as the ability to post job openings at no cost. Everyone wins (and we don’t just mean awards!). We are proud to have worked on this project with a client that is a purveyor of positive, progressive change in the community.

Check out the IEC-BC case study in our portfolio or visit their website to read more about this amazing organization and all that they do.

We recently sent our summer newsletter which covers topics like how to brew the perfect cup of iced coffee, a quick look at a couple recent success stories, an article about how businesses can select the best design partner, and an announcement about a couple additions to our growing team.

Hopefully you received a copy of the newsletter in your inbox, but don’t panic if you missed it, you can still view it online. Please sign up to be added for the next blast due in a few months (we try to keep them to a minimum).

Happy summer!

As passionate food freaks, it’s all too common to get caught up in the tastes and exoticism of what we are experiencing, rather than in what makes the most sense and is good. In fact, if you look at what makes something ‘gourmet’ these days, more often than not it’s the item that has taken great effort and care to produce and spent the least amount of time traveling from the farm to your table.

A good example of this in Vancouver is asparagus. Ask around and you’d be hard pressed to find someone who can tell you specifically that they’ve even tasted fresh, local asparagus. Seriously. Most of what people buy comes from Mexico or California with little thought to the seasonality, or what was done to it to get it to grow, or survive the long trip here. In contrast, the local season for asparagus is very short—a few weeks at best. If you’re not quick, and early, at the farmer’s market, you might not even realize we have an asparagus supply here!

Enter Foodtree.

Although manifest as a website and mobile app to share fresh, mouth-watering photos of food in your community in a fun and simple way, Foodtree is a philosophical and fundamental shift in our approach to understanding the where, why and how of the food we consume. If information is power, then this is one of the key ways we as consumers can control our food supply future. Until we empower ourselves in this way, organic and healthy food will remain a novelty and just slightly out of reach of the mainstream.

Yet, mainstreaming this concern about where our food comes from and what’s in it, is precisely what’s required.

Inspired by the symbols, styles and ideology of the Homesteading movement, the new identity hearkens to a simpler time of getting back to the land and a self-sufficient lifestyle. The hand-crafting and do-it-yourself ethic also produced a unique aesthetic evocative of an era past, but also in resurgence.

Our future may very well lie in the successful merger of a new integration of technology with the sustainable methods from our past. This is what Foodtree represents and the logo and its application is meant to evoke.

Used in situations where two adjacent characters would bump into each other, there are two types of ligatures, standard ligatures and discretionary ligatures.

Most people are acquainted with the ampersand, the celebrity of the ligature world, but that is comparable to the ability to identify Jim Morrison–it doesn’t mean you know the entire Doors discography nor the history of Classic Rock. Knowledge of design holds a certain amount of cultural capital in our society, and although some seem to have a certain proclivity for it, for most it takes effort, training and practice to speak it fluently.

We had a recent situation where a client wasn’t versed in design language and we failed to interpret. In this particular situation, the kerning (space between letters) came into question. Actually, the design had been kerned, but it was re-kerned and resubmitted only to have it returned with the same comment. As a designer being able to take criticism is a required skill, but there is no guarantee that a client has the vocabulary to communicate the issue. Resolution finally came when we switched to the telephone and were able to ask the client to point out the problem, it turned out that the “letter spacing issue” was that the “f” and “i” were touching.

It was a ligature.

To us, it was design love and attentiveness; to them, it looked like an error. We were speaking different languages. The fact that the client did not know what a ligature was flew under our radar, but had we stepped back from their initial comment and considered its context we may have saved time and irritation for us all.

So why hasn’t the ligature passed into the realm of common visual vernacular? Why don’t they feel as natural to clients as layouts designed with the golden ratio? One reason ligatures have not saturated the designscape is that in recent history many typefaces did not included them, so the designer had to choose to change faces, or create them by hand. However, with the dominance of OpenType, this seems to be a problem of the past as many typefaces are equipped with a large variety ligatures. Another force working against the pervasiveness of the ligature is the designer’s nightmare–the dreaded word processing program. Fortunately, fixes have been created for Pages and you can now choose to “use ligatures” and Microsoft Word 2010 has added support for OpenType ligatures, (for help enabling them you can find a tutorial here).

Technical functionality is not the only hinge when it comes to ligature use; personal taste is also a factor. To some, the use of ligatures is on par with the choice of serif or sans. With roots in early writing, some see ligatures as carrying a certain rare elegance, adding class and refinement to text. On the opposing side, some view them as antiquated, traditional and superfluous. Lovers of the ligature will argue that they are not merely ornamental, but efficient, replacing two letters with one and simultaneously increasing legibility–exuding the modern ideals of form following function.

Ligatures are a decision that every designer must make for themselves. To me, they are something special; so efficient, so thoughtful, so graceful, so salacious–and when I come upon them in life, I can’t help but smile, as I imagine two letters making love.

So we pose the question to you, are ligatures an element of typographic style you cannot live without? Should we as designers come together and create guidelines for their use? Or, are they archaic and a tradition that needs updating or better yet, to just go away?

Industrial Brand is excited to welcome two new members to our growing communication design team.

Sylvia Rigakis comes to us from Edmonton Alberta where she owned and managed her Chaos Communications for 14 years and served as President of the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada (GDC) Alberta North Chapter as well as Vice-President, Communications for the national executive of the GDC. A graduate of Emily Carr University of Art and Design and Grant MacEwan University, Sylvia brings over 20 years of experience as a designer, director and manager as she assumes the role of Production Manager, overseeing all aspect of project and studio management.

Tyler Wilman is a talented young designer adept at identity, print and web design and production, making him a perfect fit for our team. Also a graduate of Emily Carr’s Communication Design program, Tyler combines with conceptual thinking, obsession for type and photography, and traditional graphic design process to bear as a Senior Communication Designer and leader on our team.

Welcome Sylvia & Tyler! We’re pleased to have you on the team and already enjoying collaborating with you on the brand, identity, communication and interactive projects in the studio recently.

Move beyond the RFP to evaluate and hire the best design firm

I have responded to numerous Requests For Proposals (RFPs) in the two decades I have been managing a design studio, and we have developed a point of view that makes some business people uncomfortable: RFPs are an expensive and inaccurate process when hiring design services.

RFPs are a flawed mechanism

While graphic and communication design is increasingly considered a critical component of business success, expert business analysts and chartered accountants are advising their corporate clients to avoid this antiquated method of evaluating and selecting design vendors.

In his excellent article in CA Magazine A Decent Proposal, Cal Harrison argues:

“buyers have the opportunity to create strategic advantage for their organizations when procuring a professional services firm. However, they must first abandon their reliance on the constraints of the traditional RFP process.”

RFPs were born in the manufacturing sector, where project parameters were often clearly defined. Such is rarely the case with professional services like design. Expertise, budget and timelines should be expected in any project description, but RFPs too often score based on issues like hourly rates, process description, sustainability policies, even creativity—all reasonable issues to consider, but not a good basis for evaluating solid candidates for solving your business needs.

Most RFPs score hourly rates or total project price as only one component of a proposal, but all RFPs try to commodify that which is not a commodity, generally attracting those most eager to win the work despite not having clearly defined project parameters—in other words, the lowest bidders who are also often the least qualified or suitable.

What is the difference between one design firm and the next? It may very well be the reduced uncertainty they bring via experience, process and motivation to meet the agreed to goals and budget. The adage “you get what you pay for” absolutely holds true in this context.

RFPs often do little more than create artificial optics of fair market evaluation, instead of producing terrific results. By their nature, RFPs can only yield ideas based on conjecture and loose, arbitrary budget guesses.

The bottom line is that the RFP process is counterproductive to a good design process. It doesn’t fully allow designers to bring their outside perspective and critical thinking to bear. The best graphic and communication designers work as consultants WITH their clients to analyze, diagnose and create strategic solutions from the inside that address problems and meet goals, not toss about random ‘best guesses’ based on incomplete RFP information. The most progressive and admired companies in the world understand that design isn’t a commoditized output well suited to an RFP process.

So how do you choose the best design team?

A quick Google search offers a dizzying array of design firms of all kinds and sizes, some offer general graphic design and production services, others specialize in strategy, branding or digital and interactive technologies. But what criteria should you use to compare one experienced firm to another and choose the best design firm?

Hire an expert in their field and yours. There is a distinct advantage to hiring designers who have superior educations and professional designations, such as certified graphic designers (CGDs). Additionally, consider design teams that specialize in producing solutions for your particular industry. Specialization can result in beneficial insights that can work to your advantage, but consider that it could also be something to avoid if what you are looking for is a fresh set of eyes. Whatever your starting point is, seek out designers who utilize a process that allows them to identify critical elements and uncover key insights and ultimately customizing a communication design solution.

Evaluating a design team’s portfolio and process is crucial, but look beyond the pretty pictures and ubiquitous descriptions of process and request comprehensive case studies that outline goals, context, approach, results and testimonials. Case studies will demonstrate if their process is results-driven and show you what steps the design team will take, giving you a good idea what you can expect and whether you’ll like working with them. If they don’t have any, move on.

It’s important to realize that the real value of a relationship with a designer is in their repeatable process, applied to your specific problem, not merely the final product. The value of this relationship often emerges over time, so look for indications that the design firm has been and will be around for the long term.

A beautiful website, portfolio or even proposal will never tell the whole story. It’s critical to hire a likeminded company that shares your goals and ethics. Invite design firm candidates to interviews and judge fit in person with dialogue. You don’t need to become friends, but remember, the design firms you really want to work with are also concerned about fit and are evaluating you too. Both parties will be defined by the other.

Look for thought leaders in the design field who are highly respected by industry and peers. What evidence can you find that they are leaders in their field? Do they participate in the leadership of professional associations? Are they involved in teaching or mentoring? Do they publish opinions on industry issues? This can be very telling about their perspective and abilities.

Choosing the right design firm can be a critical moment in the growth of your business and it can be equivalent to hiring a senior employee or taking on a partner. At Industrial Brand, about 20% of our business comes from clients who have ineffectively hired a design provider and have to completely redo their identity systems or websites, didn’t understand what they were actually paying for, or found themselves with limited options after their designers vanished.

As you evaluate candidates, try not to get too distracted by hourly rates or final deliverables. Instead focus on the more valuable diagnostic, strategic and creative thinking being offered. Experience shows that those who can provide the best results in the shortest amount of time charge higher rates.

Make sure you understand what is and is not included in the project fees. It’s normal for the cost of images, photography and writing necessary for a project’s success to be supplementary, but discuss what budget should be expected for a project of your scope. If the company is experienced, they will be able to at least offer you a budget range so there are no surprises. Don’t forget to also clarify the form in which the work will be delivered and ownership/copyright terms surrounding the finished work. Will they provide working files? Will the website use a content management system? Is there any licensing involved?

Once you have found an experienced design firm you like, the rough parameters of the project are clarified and a basic understanding has been reached, a written contract is an important step in solidifying the agreement. Good designers employ comprehensive contracts. But demanding written proposals up front isn’t going to get you the best talent. A complete project proposal often can’t even be created until the design firm has been engaged and initial assessments made—and paid for their time of course.

The best designers don’t give away strategy and ideas to prospects—certainly not before engaging in the research and diagnostics required to fully understand the situation—so don’t ask for it before hiring a design team. If the results of the initial research and discovery phase don’t impress you, or you truly dislike working with them, discontinue the relationship and move on. Blair Enns, a sales and marketing consultant who specializes in creative services, even suggests to his design firm clients that they offer prospects a money back guarantee for this first phase. Now that’s bold.

Cover your bases, not your ass

Many argue that RFPs bring transparency, objectivity and accountability to the procurement process, increasing competition that results in competitive prices, but more often than not the RFP process itself lacks integrity, prohibits the designer from acting as a consultant, costs the design buyer more in the end, and results in nothing more than something to hide behind when the wrong choice was made—and by then it’s too late.

So next time you’re seeking a professional design firm, instead of relying on a poorly considered RFP that imposes process, articulate your problem, goals and budget and ask qualified candidates smart questions to determine who can bring their experience, critical thinking and design process to bear to best create clever solutions for you. Instead of becoming fixated on the deliverables and costs prior to choosing the right design partner, remember that what you really pay for is a well-considered process, so use this opportunity to start a long term relationship with a design partner you can trust.

Tips for evaluating a design firm

• Consider a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) that includes project goals and budget as an alternative to an RFP
• Consult with design industry associations like GDC.net for guidance in selecting designers
• Consider whether specialization in your industry will be an advantage or not
• Avoid meaningless descriptions of process by asking to see relevant case studies that show goals, context, approach, solution, and results
• Encourage discussion and questions by respondents and meet with most qualified candidates in person to judge fit, but choose talent over fit
• Engage a design team to evaluate and diagnose solutions before requiring a project proposal
• Ask what happens if after the first phase you are not comfortable working together
• Clarify what you will actually get in the end and who owns the working files
• Formalize a written proposal or contract only after an agreement has been arrived at

Have you ever hung out with people who all belong to a different professional circle than you and they crack ‘industry specific’ jokes? You can feel clueless and a total ‘div head’ (English slang for a rather slow stupid person) for not getting the joke. In the same way I am also sure we have all been involved in conversations even within our own companies where people are talking about something that we don’t understand. Even though we may never admit it, we have probably played along with the conversation pretending to be in the know, nodding with a sense of confidence backed with extreme fear that we may get caught out.

This is one reason I decided to take the ‘Introduction to Web Development and Design’ course at BCIT. As a designer in my 30′s I was trained and bottle-fed on print design and not web design (the web will never smell as good as a freshly printed ink drenched brochure). My lack of knowledge and understanding for coding and web standards was starting to be a hindrance. Sure I may have nodded my head with understanding as our web guys talked about divs, WC3 and some guy called Zeldman, and as Art Director in a company that focusses on web and print design my knowledge was lacking, so it was time to go back to school.

I have a successful career, am married with a kid and I can afford more than just plain pasta for dinner and here I am at 37 being a student again. I know this is all in my head but it was for sure a little bizarre going off to class once a week. I was also concerned before the first class  that I would be the ‘old fart’ in the corner trying to keep up with all the young ‘whipper snappers’. In fact there was a great diversity of people there, from younger people who were just starting their careers; people who were hired by their companies to maintain their corporate website (and needed training) and people like myself.

The course was hard work. It was like learning a new language, something that doesn’t come easily to me. Remembering when to use absolute, float or relative positioning sometimes ‘mashed’ my brain but at the same time the problem solving part of my brain enjoyed figuring-out solutions to why the code I just wrote didn’t do what I had expected (damn those closing tags).

I procrastinated (well actually avoided) taking this course as I had to admit to myself that I was not perfect, or that times had changed and that I needed to ‘catch up’ a little. But I am glad I did. I can now participate fully in conversations, give better strategic direction to my entire team and am able to challenge my web guys and know what I am talking about. I don’t pretend to know everything about web and programming, but investing in this new knowledge has given me new tools and confidence.

One unexpected bonus of being in college for me was receiving a student membership card where I got a killer discount for trendy clothing shops selling 80′s style clothes (that I unfortunately remember wearing the first time I went to college).

In conclusion, I would invite you to ask yourself if there is room for you to improve or to be better in your job. It’s OK to go back to college or seek private one-on-one training when the opportunity arises. Don’t be a ‘div head’ and let your ego or some other reason prevent you from growing in your profession.

Industrial Brand was recently featured in an article called Leverage Design as a Business Asset in Business in Vancouver’s 2011 edition of How-To, their annual publication of practical tips for business. The article (reproduced below) by GDC/BC‘s Copywriting Chair, Eagranie Yuh, argues that businesses who invest in hiring experienced designers have an advantage and reap rewards in the long term.

Leverage Design as a Business Asset
by Eagrane Yuh

Think about your business assets: human resources, information technology, investments, property and design.

That’s right: design. In a recent poll of 526 businesses conducted by Harris/Decima, 63 per cent of respondents reported a link between design and better business performance.

A recent study from the United Kingdom shows that three-quarters of businesses that have made design an integral part of their operations have improved their competitive advantage.

How does visual strategy translate into business success?

Differentiating your product

Level Ground Trading in Victoria was one of the first companies to market fair-trade coffee, but since its beginnings in 1997, many similar companies had entered the market. Consumers liked Level Ground’s coffee and key message but not the packaging and design of the product.

Level Ground worked with Subplot Design Inc., which overhauled the company’s brand strategy, logo and packaging. From a decline of 1.3 per cent in sales from the prior year, Level Ground saw an increase in sales of 12 per cent across its main categories.

“It finally gave them a way to tell the story that they hadn’t had in the past,” says Roy White, CGD, creative director and partner at Subplot Design.

Reaching your target market

In 2009, Amacon, a real-estate and development and construction firm, launched District, a condominium complex in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant neighbourhood. “We really had to build brand awareness, because there were limited developments like District in the area. We needed to sell the area,” says Nic Jensen, Amacon’s sales and marketing manager.

Amacon hired Industrial Brand, a Vancouver design firm, to target a specific demographic with a cohesive campaign that included a website, a display centre, brochures and several 40-foot billboards.

Amacon opened the display suites on September 15, 2009, intending to sell 75 per cent of the units by the end of the year. By the close of opening weekend, the first building was sold out. Three months later, the second building was sold out, and Amacon closed the sales centre, a full nine months ahead of schedule.

“The pre-sale market wasn’t very strong at that time, especially in a new area. The campaign was exactly what we needed,” says Jensen.

Gaining a competitive edge

Read Jones Christoffersen (RJC) is Canada’s oldest engineering firm. Its outdated website didn’t reflect the stature of a company that had been in business for six decades and completed more than 30,000 projects. “We needed to bring the personality of the firm to the forefront,” says Patricia Glass, RJC’s marketing specialist.

Industrial Brand revamped the website. Search-engine optimized, the new site has a robust search function that has brought in new clients. What’s more, a new recruitment interface has significantly streamlined RJC’s recruitment process.

Becoming more efficient

Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) is Canada’s leading retailer of quality outdoor gear and clothing. With 14 stores across the country, the company has a strong brand and consistency across its visual communications.

This is primarily due to MEC’s brandstandards guide. The 38-page guide provides explicit instructions for the company’s visual communications: logo, font, colours, in-store signage, store exteriors, website and more.

For Judy Snaydon, CGD, MEC’s creative director, the guide ensures consistency and enables efficiency. “We work with a lot of external vendors. If we didn’t have brand standards, I’d be constantly having to outline who we are, what we’re about and what our brand looks like. With brand standards, I can stop worrying about these things and focus on the objectives of each project.”

Using design as a business asset

These companies have leveraged design as a business asset and invested in strong visual strategies. In working with certified designers, they work with providers who incorporate strategy, problem-solving and business acumen into the process. The Society of Graphic Designers of Canada (GDC) is the professional association for certified graphic designers (CGD). To be certified, a graphic designer must pass a rigorous portfolio review and abide by a code of ethics.

The society’s website provides resources for businesses to find certified designers and to determine whether they they themselves are working with reputable designers. For more information, visit www.gdc.net.

Eagranie Yuh is copywriting chair for the B.C. Mainland chapter of GDC. She is a freelance business writer and award-winning blogger. She also teaches chocolate-tasting classes.

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This article from Business in Vancouver How-To 2011, which you can download as a PDF here, which contains numerous other practical tips and informative articles for the business community. We encourage you to support BIV and buy a printed copy today!

Business in Vancouver has been publishing in-depth local business news, analysis and commentary since 1989. The newspaper also produces a weekly ranked list of the biggest companies and players in a wide range of B.C. industries and commercial sectors, monthly features and industry-focused sections that arm its subscribers with a complete package of local business intelligence each week.

From How-To, published by BIV Magazines. Copyright © 2011, BIV Magazines, a division of BIV Media LP. Reproduced with permission.