There’s something very powerful about a simple wordmark logo.  A “wordmark” or “logotype” is a logo design made up purely of text. It simply spells out the name of your business. No graphic accents or other bells & whistles. Some of the biggest brands in existence have chosen a wordmark logo to be the foundation […]

Let’s Talk Sub-Brands. First off, what is a sub-brand? In the simplest of terms, it’s a complementary brand created under an existing main brand. A brand within a brand, if you will. A brand spin-off. It’s the Coke Zero to Coca-Cola. The Audible to Amazon. The Air Jordan to Nike. This subsidiary / secondary brand […]

5 V’s you need to build an irresistible brand. When we say the word “branding”, things like logos, color palettes, and font choices come to mind. But we all know that a brand is much more than just the visuals. “A brand is a set of expectations, memories, stories, and relationships that, taken together, account […]

Trust is the first step to making the sale. Your website’s main goal is to convert viewers into buyers, so you NEED to be sure that it fosters a sense of trust with users. How do you do it? With the following list of what I like to call “trust factor” items. In order to […]

I’m a firm believer in listing pricing on your website. This is a hotly-debated topic, and I’m not saying that displaying pricing is right for 100% of businesses, but I do believe it’s crucial for us small, service-based businesses. Why? Two reasons: Transparency and qualifying your leads. For me, it comes down to this: I […]

How a memorable theme woven throughout your branding just might give you an edge. I named my business Absolute JEM not only because of my initials (hence the “misspelling”) and because my clients are absolute gems, but also because I wanted to give my brand a theme. I use a consistent gem theme throughout my […]