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branding, identity & more

Design is central to a brand.

Maestro Graphic Studios integrates artful, creative, and lasting visual impressions for numerous brands. We range from local to fortune 500 companies.

Maestro Graphic Studios creates thoughtfully designed and lasting visual images for numerous entities across a broad range of business categories. In addition to the following services:

  • Corporate reports // Announcements and marketing collateral pieces // Editorial design for books, magazines, and other publications.

  • Logos, trademarks, and symbols // Full-color offsets and digital printing.

  • Infographics // Point of purchase displays, posters and more.

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kara Irish Pottery

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is branding?

Branding is the perceived emotional corporate image as a whole. It is certainly not a light topic – whole publications & hundreds of books have been written on the topic. However, to put it in a nutshell, you could describe a ‘brand’ as an organization, service or product with a ‘personality’ that is shaped by the perceptions of the audience. On that note, it should also be stated that a designer cannot “make” a brand – only the audience can do this. A designer forms the foundation of the brand.

Many people believe a brand only consists of a few elements – some colours, some fonts, a logo, a slogan and maybe  some music added in too. In reality, it is much more complicated than that. You might say that a brand is a ‘corporate image’. The fundamental idea and core concept behind having a ‘corporate image’ is that everything a company does, everything it owns and everything it produces should reflect the values and aims of the business as a whole. It is the consistency of this core idea that makes up the company, driving it, showing what it stands for, what it believes in and why they exist. It is not purely some colours, some typefaces, a logo and a slogan.

As an example, let’s look at the well known IT company, Apple. Apple as a company, projects a humanistic corporate culture and a strong corporate ethic, one which is characterised by volunteerism, support of good causes & involvement in the community. These values of the business are evident throughout everything they do, from their innovative products and advertising, right through to their customer service. Apple is an emotionally humanist brand that really connects with people – when people buy or use their products or services; they feel part of the brand, like a tribe even. It is this emotional connection that creates their brand – not purely their products and a bite sized logo.

What is identity design?

Identity is the visual aspects that form part of the overall brand. One major role in the ‘brand’ or ‘corporate image’ of a company is its identity. In most cases, identity design is based around the visual devices used within a company, usually assembled within a set of guidelines. These guidelines that make up an identity usually administer how the identity is applied throughout a variety of mediums, using approved colour palettes, fonts, layouts, measurements and so forth. These guidelines ensure that the identity of the company is kept coherent, which in turn, allows the brand as a whole, to be recognisable.

The identity or ‘image’ of a company is made up of many visual devices:

  • A Logo (The symbol of the entire identity & brand)
  • Stationery (Letterhead + business card + envelopes, etc.)
  • Marketing Collateral (Flyers, brochures, books, websites, etc.)
  • Products & Packaging (Products sold and the packaging in which they come in)
  • Apparel Design (Tangible clothing items that are worn by employees)
  • Signage (Interior & exterior design)
  • Messages & Actions (Messages conveyed via indirect or direct modes of communication)
  • Other Communication (Audio, smell, touch, etc.)
  • Anything visual that represents the business.

All of these things make up an identity and should support the brand as a whole. The logo however, is the corporate identity and brand all wrapped up into one identifiable mark. This mark is the avatar and symbol of the business as a whole.

What is a logo?

A logo identifies a business in its simplest form via the use of a mark or iconTo understand what a logo is, we must first understand what it is for.

A logo is for… identificationIt identifies a company or product via the use of a mark, flag, symbol or signature. A logo does not sell the company directly nor rarely does it describe a business. Logos derive their meaning from the quality of the thing it symbolises, not the other way around – logos are there to identify, not to explain. In a nutshell, what a logo means is more important than what it looks like.

To illustrate this concept, think of logos like people. We prefer to be called by our names – James, Dorothy, John – rather than by the confusing and forgettable description of ourselves such as “the guy who always wears pink and has blonde hair”. In this same way, a logo should not literally describe what the business does but rather, identify the business in a way that is recognisable and memorable. It is also important to note that only after a logo becomes familiar, does it function the way it is intended to do much alike how we must learn people’s names to identify them.

The logo identifies a business or product in its simplest form.

What are the logo styles?

Wordmark – A stylized type that may include small abstract or pictorial elements e.g. Coca-Cola

Pictorial Mark – A literal or representative imagery used to symbolize the brand e.g. Apple, Inc.

Abstract Mark –Abstract shapes and symbols used to convey an idea or feeling e.g.

Letterform Mark – A monogram usually consisting of 1-3 letters e.g. Louis Vuitton, Chanel or Gucci

Emblem – A badge that usually envelopes the logo e.g. UPS

Character –A mascot that represents the brand e.g. Starbucks’ mermaid

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY ABOUT OUR WORK

Michael and his team are true professionals! He designed a beautiful logo, email signature, YouTube Channel Art and Facebook Cover Photo for my business. I couldn’t be happier! Thank you! Maestro!

– Richard Varner, The Varner Group

With my fast pace career, I’m on the go constantly. I needed good quality cutting edge business cards. Michael & his team at Maestro gave me options & deliveried on time. Thanks Guys! you make me look good.

– Marcus Ricketts, Office Tek Pros

Michael is an experienced and creative designer. His attention to detail is amazing and his personalized service always exceeds my expectations!

– Jan Walker, ParkLand International

Maestro Graphic Studios lives up to their name and reputation. To be more specific, they will swiftly transfer and orchestrate your ideas into life. I have asked them to redesign my company’s website and logo and they did a superb job. Michael and his team were extremely professional and accommodating to my busy schedule. He listened well and added value to the final design with his creative ideas. I truly believe that they genuinely want your business to succeed and flourish. I’m planning on working with them again to create few marketing strategies and techniques in addition to using their creative ability with an overall branding assistance. Finally, I found their pricing strategy to be quite reasonable and fair for the quality of service they provided. Thanks Maestro Graphic Studios for a great experience!

– ITelligence Solutions, LLC