A while ago I did a new banner, avatar, sticker and business cards for my great friend Debbie from Santiam Designs. Guess what? Her shop on Artfire was just picked up for an article on Handmadenews that cites her unified, professional look as a GREAT example of online branding. :)

++ UPDATE++

..... and the more I think about it, the more I flattered I am by this article.

See... I've won design awards before... even been in a national magazine... BUT that's designers recognizing good design... which is great to get the stamp of approval from your peers and good professional validation as the judges in these things are "rockstar class" designers. BUT it is even more meaningful that someone who is NOT another designer picked Debbie's shop graphics out of the crowd of how many ever thousands of jewelry shops there are on etsy and artfire. This tells me that the branding I created for her is VERY solid and works. It works so well that they were able to clearly get the message I put into her branding without a word of explanation. This is far more valuable to my sense of accomplishment and to her store than ANY plaques or trophies, even if it was selected to receive same by the likes of Debbie Millman, Sean Adams
(both truly wonderful folks who give their time to AIGA) or one of the other living design gods.

But of course, it doesn't end (or even begin) with good branding/graphics. It's Deb's whole package... she takes crystal clear, beautifully staged photos and makes a wonderful, original, crave-able designs. She's also great to deal with from a customer service standpoint. To standout in a crowded marketplace, you have to be on top of your game ... from every angle. Just because you know a little photoshop doesn't mean you understand the big picture of branding your products. Try to find a professional graphic designer to work with, someone who does this for a living, not as a side job. They should ask you a bucketful of questions and want to see/touch/use your product for themselves.

That being said, this is a two-way street. All the professional branding in the world will not turn manure into gold. Start with the best product you can produce. Don't cut corners and don't copy. Be original and love what you make. When the foundation is in place, well done branding can lift an already great product up to the stratosphere. Perception of the value of ANY product (and thus the amount of $$ consumers will pay for it) starts with the impression they get of VALUE and PERSONALITY through the way the product is presented. Good branding is a KEY part of this perception.