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The YMCA is a worldwide youth organization which is located in Geneva, Switzerland and has over 64 million beneficiaries in more than 120 countries. Originally founded by Sir George Williams in London on the 6^th of June, 1844, it aimed to put into effect by promoting a healthy “body, mind and spirit”.  The YMCA has one of the most widely recognized logos in the world beside giants such as Nike, Apple, Adidas and others but it also has some of the most interesting and rich history behind their logo.

The First YMCA Logo:

A meeting for the Eighth Conference of the World Alliance of YMCAs was held in Geneva, Switzerland and one of the things that they wanted to do was to come up with a “distinctive international badge of the Associations”. In the next conference, this logo was revealed.

While the circle is divided into five parts, it embodies the oneness of mankind. The five parts have the names of the five parts of the world (or what they were called at the time). Inside the circle are two Greek letters, Chi and Rho (XP), which are the first two letters of the word Christ, symbolizing that Christ was at the center of the movement.

The Triangle YMCA Logos:

The logo was redesigned in in 1891 by Luther H. Gulick. Luther was a firm believer in physical fitness and transformed the role of sports at the YMCA. His idea for the logo was a red equilateral triangle with the words “Spirit”, “Mind” and “Body” written on it.

The logo was changed again in 1895 when the Canadian and American met at the convention. Luther H. Gulick’s red triangle logo was added to the original logo, combining the two.

A few changes were made to the logo in 1896. The most noticeable change was the addition of a second ring to the logo. The text inside the logo was made hollow and was not filled in with color any longer, amongst other changes. It is commonly thought that the second ring was added as a sign of infinite friendship and love amongst individuals.

1897 saw quite a major change to the YMCA logo. The circles and text inside were dropped entirely with the new logo only consisting of a red, equilateral triangle with a black bar going across the triangle, showing the letters “YMCA”. This was one of logos that remained unchanged for the longest, lasting from 1897 to 1967.

For seventy years, essentially the same logo had been used in some variation or combination with only minor changes being seen. John Root, the general executive of Chicago, had a new design made. The design used a bent bar and a triangle which together made the symbol of “Y”. This design brought a fresh aspect to the logo while also retaining Luther H. Gulick’s traditional red triangle.

In 2010, there was a massive change for the organization. There were big changes made which included the name and logo of the organization. The organization no longer goes by “YMCA”, now simply being known as “The Y”. Three of the main focuses of the organization now include youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. The logo was also designed and chosen accordingly, now showcasing the letter “Y” in a bold manner. There are no set colors for the new logo and often a combination of colors is used. This look is used to promote the diversity of the organization. However, the logo still includes the iconic triangle that it has been associated with since 1891. It pays homage and shows that the organization is still the same at its core but has come a long way from where it started.

The YMCA was and is one of the most widely known and recognized organizations in the world with a logo that people can immediately discern. Throughout the years the logo has had symbolic value to the people and the organization. Every change was carefully planned and thought out, often with a vote being taken before any sort of change was allowed or implemented.

The current logo is often used when launching activities. The organizer will upload the designed logo to the internet and customize a batch of enamel pins, for events, festivals, exhibitions, and other occasions. Such small, beautifully crafted pins are the best choice for promotions.

With time, as the world has changed and media has grown, the organization has also made changes to stay in the limelight. The most recent change to the logo was perhaps the most obvious and bold one ever made in the organization’s history but it sends a strong message about how the organization is still what it was years ago but has managed to keep up with the times and focus on current issues instead of staying set in its ways.

If you are looking for a logo designer for your business, you will come across plenty of options to choose from. This may make it complicated for you to decide which logo designer to opt for. It’s important to note that good logo design companies share a certain characteristics that you can notice. If you make sure to check for these during your hunt for the right designer, there’s a good chance that you’ll find the perfect logo design solution that meets your needs down to the tee.

Experience – The More, the Merrier

If you want the best logo designer, look for candidates that have a considerable amount of experience. Think of it this way: a new logo designer will not understand what you are aiming for and thus will not be able to deliver the quality of work you want.

That won’t be the case with an experienced logo designer, as their past experiences will guide them to make fewer mistakes and deliver exceptional work time and time again.

Published Work and Awards Accumulated

A great way to determine if a logo designer is worth your time or not is by verifying if their work has been published in any books or magazines. Find out how recognized a logo designer is in the industry. Also, if they have accumulated any awards, it will testify that the logo designer is worth doing business with.

Positive Reviews and Testimonials

You can tell a lot about a logo designer based on their reviews and testimonials. If a logo designer has a positive track record, it just goes to show they genuinely care about their work. Additionally, by going through reviews and testimonials, you can learn how a logo designer works and whether they will be the right fit for your business.

Exceptional Customer Service

The last thing you need is to start working with a logo designer only for them to stop responding to your emails and calls. The logo designer of your choice has to be present and should be available to communicate with you when you need it.

Great logo designers provide exceptional customer service throughout the process, from the initial email to sales support. Keeping this in mind, there is no reason why you should look for anything less in a logo designer for your business specifically.

Affordable Pricing

The cost of the logo designer will reflect their service. While the statement “you get what you pay for” is accurate to some extent, it should not be taken as the only factor for top-notch quality service from a logo designer demanding top dollar for your work.

While you may be wondering how much a logo costs, the prices vary depending on the required work. For this reason, you should stick to a logo designer that goes the extra mile by drawing up a customized quote for your business.

The factors mentioned above are the most prominent ones that need to be considered to choose the right logo designer for your business. While there may be other factors worth considering, the ones listed in this blog will exceed your expectation in finding an exceptional logo designer for your business.

Every business, company, or brand needs a logo to represent themselves. Having a good logo can gain good recognition and attract more customers/users. The majority of the popular multinational technology companies have iconic logos that make them well known and if anybody sees their logo, they will recognize the brand without any thought. The types of the logo used nowadays are way different from the logos that were used years back.

The design of logos changes from time to time to come up with the customer’s expectations. Many big companies after being founded have changed their logo more than six times, each time trying to make the logo better than before. Now, most companies either use text or abstract logos, both of these categories have subcategories each different than the previous. 

Trends and Examples

Now simplified logos are a common type of way to design logos. Simplified logos are basically logos that are redesigned so that the logos are easy to read, smaller in size, etc. Now, you may have noticed that many old companies had very showy logos. Complicated logo designs are being outdated some companies say and are changing the way their logos look to give the logos a simple yet attractive vibe.

Many famous companies like Uber, Yahoo! and Crocs have recently changed their logo into a more simplified version. The simplified logo design has made work easier as they do not have to put in hours of their time to make a complicated yet perfect looking logo. Branding is overall easier as well because putting these icons/logos on billboards is easier. This style is the most modern out of all the trendy logo designs and its simplicity stands out.

Geometry 

Next is the logos that mostly contain the geometrical design. Companies like Katerra and The Pudding have really flashy and yet straightforward logos. On top of the logo being filled with geometrical shapes, the names of the companies are also written in a flashy manner to match the icon. These logo designs are gaining very much momentum for the past few years as many big fashion designing companies are also thinking about changing their logo to geometry based.

Icon with Text

Another modern logo design is the symbol which is paired with the name of the brand. A majority of the big companies use this logo design as it gets their name out as well as shows the symbol of the brand in the logo. Companies like Target, Microsoft, Slack all use this logo design. This type of logo design is enjoyable to watch when it is animated. A more distinctive evolution of the logo as stated by Slack can fulfil the purpose of the logo better than the previous one.

Hand Drawn Logos

The hand-drawn designs are a very popular logo design favoured by tattoo or barbershops, pubs, and bars, etc. The logo basically has the name of the shop written in a handwriting format followed with different alignments based on the shop owner. These logos are hand-drawn so they are not perfect but that is the great thing about them. They do not have to be perfect, being simple yet charming is enough to attract the customers.

Topography Logos

Next are the topography logos which are widely used by many fashionable companies. The basic design of the logos contains the name of the brand but some of the letters have been sliced in half and shown in such a way that the alphabet is still recognizable. Events and companies like Luminato and curious pictures have this type of logo. This logo design never goes out of style. The most popular logo option is Sans serif typography.

Clustered Logo

One type of logo design is the clustered logo. This logo has been a popular design trend for the past few years. The logo has letters stuck to one another either from side to side or top to bottom. Brands like Zara, Byrider, etc have this kind of logo design. The clustered logos portray the feeling of reliability and are really popular in the United States of America. 

Gradients

Gradients are a very popular logo design that has been used for quite some time now. The gradient logos are the logos that shine that most as they have vibrant colours and look exquisite. These logos are purely simple in design, but the use of radiant colours totally changes the perspective of the customer and thus is widely used by many companies. Redmi and Mozilla Firefox both are known to use this logo design for quite some time.

Chaotic Logos

Another is the chaotic arrangements logos which portrays letters aligned in a weird or messy manner. Byron and Fashion for Good use of this logo design. 

Text in a Box 

Text in a box is a logo design used by Duke University Press and Modern Flipbooks. These logos are easy to read as they portray the name of the company in boxes. Many companies use this logo design and add the name of their company and just reverse it to make it look unique. The better the font and simplicity of the letters the better this logo design will look.

Vintage Style 

The last trend is the Vintage style logo design which is an old classic logo design used by Pixel frames and Boardman. Vintage-style logos does not support all the companies and it depends on what the nature of the company is to attract more customers.

Conclusion

Almost all of these logo designs are being used by companies all around the world. All of these logo designs communicate with their customers one way or another and make them keep coming back to the brand. The logos attract more and new potential customers increasing their reach and reputation.  

A logo is the epitome of any brand which strives for longevity and loyalty. Over time, this image is stuck in a consumer’s mind and becomes synonymous with the ‘brand identity’ globally. Hence it is crucial to know what makes the most effective and striking brand logo which resonates with audiences all around. Let us take a look at a particular family of logo: The Wordmark.

What exactly is a Wordmark Logo design?

Keeping things as simplistic and minimalistic as possible, Wordmark (or logotype) refers to fully textually based logos which omit any illustrations, symbols, mascots or thematic elements. The only tools at work here are the vibrant or graceful colors and the font that do the job of typographically displaying the name of the brand itself.

Using a Wordmark type logo design for your business, regardless of the nature of the service it provides, hosts a number of benefits. Thanks to their simplicity and minimal design, these logos are easy to remember and identify your brand with. Since there is not much complexity involved here, the production and modification of these logos over time require less creativity, thinking or effort. Thus little variations will keep the brand’s logo intact and flourishing for years to come. 

Lastly, it might be very intuitive to think that Wordmark logo designs are especially visually appealing for one-word or short-named business brands. This is because as we add more elements and concepts into the logo, it can become cluttered however some businesses with long string of characters in their logo have made it successful too, like the New York Times. So all in all, it shows us the versatility and the universal ease of use of the Wordmark Logo design.

Some popular examples

It is no doubt, Wordmark logos are preferred by titans in the industries around the world with the likes of Disney, Coca Cola and Nintendo utilizing them. This idea further cements their neat design and effective approach at enamoring and capturing the observer’s interest and curiosity.

In every field and category of products, the Wordmark logo is prevalent. A glimpse into electronic families show no shortage of this design as companies like Sony, Haier, Toshiba, Panasonic and Phillips have stuck to this approach for years.

Moving over to social media and e-commerce giants like Facebook, Amazon, eBay and Google, we can see the same pattern of Wordmark logo designs. Among clothing retailers, the trend continues with Marks & Spencer, Zara, Prada and Calvin Klein, brands which have made a huge impact and influence in terms of fashion around the world.

Part of their appeal comes from the sense of promoting professionalism. This is ideal for respected and credible editorial and financial sources including New York Times, Forbes, JP Morgan and TIME all of which boast a simple Wordmark logo approach.

Designing your Wordmark Logo Design

Now that we have looked at the pros of Wordmark logo designs and some inspiring examples to go along with them, it is time to shed some light on good practices when designing the logotype.

Font size and color

Right off the bat, it should be apparent that color palette and font are the most crucial elements to an effective Wordmark logo. Striving for excellence in both of these aspects will result in the creation of an ideal logo. The typeface or font matters a lot to not just  the overall look, but feel and vibe of the logo.

Its’ boldness/thickness determines how valiant of a picture it needs to strike while the space between the letters indicates a stylistic choice and further plays into the elegance of the logo. A narrowly spaced logo can strike a sharper image while widely spaced kerning can muddle viewers. Thus, it is good to strive for the perfect balance when it comes to kerning.

The font type itself also varies from businesses to businesses with most preferring the Serif type. Experiment with some fonts and their stylistic elements until the tone and personification of your business aligns with the outlook of the logo.

For colors, the theme of “what suits your business best” is reiterated. For a more vibrant and lively approach, especially when it comes to toy brands, toddler products or fast-food chains, a diverse spectrum of colors mean the real deal. For a professional touch, especially in terms of media giants or tech-related disciplines, it might be more fitting for a monochromatic color scheme. A good mix-and-match would also be to blend different colors for a single name, like FedEx.

Again, your color choice should take into account the demographic of the audience you are targeting, including their gender and age stats.

Letter casing and shapes

Modifying certain characters of your business name string either by upper or lower casing or accentuating them can make a lot of difference too. What this does is highlight certain parts of the text and brings them to spotlight, so an observer can readily make out the brand logo just by a few letters. Mix-and-matching between upper and lower cases for the Wordmark logo is a stylistic choice and will often work.

Lastly, you can further highlight or put emphasis on certain characters in a logo by enclosing them in a circle, rectangle or any other shape for that matter. BBC is a great example in this regard, almost resembling a simple, timeless clock or calendar whose dial will keep switching but never cease.

Some tools to look out for

Shopify’s Hatchful is a good starting point for creating brand logos, which is free but has additional extensions for $8.99. Meanwhile, Designhill also has an extensive library of tools to work out and experiment with various tools, starting out at $250. Wix.com has been an emerging talent in this field too, so they can also cater to tailor-made business logos where you can hire a professional designer too.

Conclusion

A Wordmark logo design can do wonders for your minimalistic approach to promoting your brand image. It is the working of many careful factors like font weight, color, spacing, casing and playing around with shapes. Keeping your audience in mind while designing these logos and resorting to current examples of big brands and feedback from audience is the ideal way towards an effective Wordmark logo.

Now the logo of a company, business or organization is a standing point and face of the company. Having a good logo can gain the company good recognition. Branding is an integral part when starting a company should it be a small-scale or large-scale company. Branding can reach people far and wide and can make your company or brand quite popular. During branding, you will have to make your logo which will be the face of the company and will be seen by people around the world. The two types of Logos are quite popular to use, Text Logos and Abstract Logos. Now, if you have chosen a professional graphic designer to create your logo and help in branding then that can help you make a name for your company and attract more customers. 

The majority of the popular multinational technology companies have iconic logos that make them well known and if anybody sees their logo, they will recognize the brand without any thought. Both Text and Abstract Logos are used by almost all of the big organizations. Now the debate comes when selecting which logo you should choose to represent your company. Both logos can prove beneficial for your company, but you must bear in mind what each logo represents, and which will suit your company best.

What are Text Logos

Text Logos are pretty basic to understand. The logo itself has the name of your company in it and attracts potential customers. Many popular companies like Coca-Cola, NASA, Dell, BBC, etc use Text Logos in which the name of their companies is easily noticeable. Obviously, the logos can be made in different shapes, sizes, and font of the name of your company can be of your choosing in such a way that it is charming to the audience. Now if a brand starts getting popular its logo will stand out more and a text logo’s main purpose is to get immediate recognition. Text Logos are simple in the way they look and how they present themselves to the people. People can easily memorize the name of the brand unless it’s a name that can’t be pronounced easily. The logo portrays the name of the company thus the person doesn’t have to go deep into the meaning of the logo and can just appreciate its powerfulness.

What are Abstract Logos

Talking about abstract Logos, these are totally different from Text Logos. Instead of your company name, a symbol or icon is used to represent your company. Now Abstract Logos tend to attract the customers more as every company has a unique Abstract logo which can deep meaning behind it. Abstract Logos are also used by many popular companies such as Nike, Apple, PlayStation, Microsoft, etc. Abstract Logos make people constantly think of their logo which is not the case with Text Logos. For example, people might constantly try to find out the meaning of the design of why the apple in Apple’s logo has been taken a bit off. Many Abstract Logos have numerous interpretations which can leave the person thinking for quite some time.

Conclusion

In all honesty, both logos are quite different from one another, but their purpose is the same. Both can be used to attract more customers and make more sales. To conclude, which logo is better is not up to us to decide but rather it is upon the person choosing it. The nature of your company can decide which logo better suits it.

Like every year, retailers expect robust sales during the holiday season this year, mainly because many people have been stuck at home, which means increased savings. However, the coronavirus could bring this holiday season to a halt. But what can businesses expect from a COVID-19 stricken 2020 holiday season? Will they have to brace for impact, or can they adopt new strategies to prevent a disaster in the making? To find out, read on.

Looking at the Bigger Picture

According to the National Retail Federation, sales are estimated to grow anywhere from 3.6% to 5.2% from the beginning of November to the end of this year. This translates to $755.3 to $767 billion in spending. Apparently, consumers are very engaged and are looking for opportunities to celebrate the Christmas season despite the rising damage of COVID-19.

Americans with extra money lying around due to federal relief checks granted at the beginning of the global pandemic, lower overall spending, and lower gas prices could end up creating a shopping uptick. On the other hand, millions of Americans have remained jobless for quite some time, making it difficult for the economy to recover after a cascade of shutdowns to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Moreover, as COVID-19 cases rise across the globe, lawmakers have been forced to impose new restrictions. These restrictions can have severe consequences, as the road to recovery for the economy could be set in reverse.  

Holiday-Time Resilience

As dire as things may seem, consumers are showing up to prepare for the holiday season. The concept of holiday-time resilience is a factor that cannot be undermined, nor can it be ignored.

2020 will be about tangible gifts since spa visits, travel, and other expenses on services that require physical movement will be off the table. Think of it this way; grandma won’t visit the family, so she will send gifts instead. Since she will not be spending money on airfare, she will have more money to spend, meaning she will spend more on gifts than she usually would.

2020 Will be a Techie Holiday

This holiday season, the consumer electronics sector will likely see a colossal increase in numbers, with Americans looking to upgrade their tech and gadgets to work from home productively, and even entertain themselves. NPD group estimates an 18% increase in sales for consumer electronics due to the stay-at-home lifestyle from October to December. People will need to keep finding new ways to keep themselves and their families entertained and avoid the emotional exhaustion caused by long periods of lockdowns.

Preparing for the Holiday Season during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The pandemic could be challenging for many businesses as they prepare for an unprecedented retail landscape. Due to the pandemic, people have changed their shopping habits, of which some could be permanent. Even when the pandemic is removed from the equation, businesses had prepared their supply chains to ensure timely deliveries during the holidays for greater customer satisfaction, increased brand loyalty, and of course, more sales. Given the complexity of logistics and production this year, planning and preparation need to be given enough importance to ensure a successful holiday sales season.

Businesses can expect the following shopping trends due to the ongoing pandemic:

• Decreased Spending

Due to financial stress and economic uncertainty, consumers will most likely decrease their holiday spending.

• Increased Online Shopping

The retail industry has been hit hard this year but ecommerce is growing exponentially. In fact, ecommerce will continue to grow as more consumers have permanently shifted towards online shopping.

• The Strain on Supply Chain

There will be a considerable amount of pressure on businesses during an already troubled holiday season with changing consumer behavior. Ecommerce stores will have to prepare their supply chains to meet the increasing demand, while retailers will have to move their resources to fulfillment centers to process a mounting number of online orders.

As businesses prepare for the Christmas and the holiday season, here are three effective strategies that could turn things in their favor:

1) Understand the Entire Product Timeline

To have a successful and profitable holiday season, businesses will need to understand their entire product timeline from product manufacturing to delivery to distribution centers. By determining how much time each step in the product timeline takes, businesses can come up with a well-planned schedule for holiday season sales.

2) Manage Costs

Many businesses consider offering striking product combinations and packaging for the holiday season but these can add costs quickly. To determine what products to sell, businesses need to consider all costs, i.e. materials, design, transportation, etc. and plan everything accordingly.

3) Customizing Offers

Businesses need to be careful not to exhaust their budgets to deliver custom orders. Customization increases costs, requires additional time and could result in an unsellable product. To prevent this, all expenses need to be evaluated for a custom design or product, which will allow businesses to determine whether the customization is worth all the extra costs and effort.

To successfully make customizations for the holiday season, here are a couple of tips worth considering:

• Use holiday stickers or labels instead of customized boxes;
• Use standard containers or bottles, and decorate them with unique labels instead of opting for specialty options;
• Add little tidbits like coupons, stickers, etc. to packages for a more personal touch;

While the holiday season this year is unpredictable, businesses will need to alter their strategies according to the factors mentioned above to stay afloat and perhaps even increase sales compared to the holiday seasons of yesteryears. As challenging as it may seem in light of COVID-19, all projections and research suggests that businesses are in for a pleasant surprise this Christmas.

Christmas and holiday season is just round the corner and it calls for some exciting changes to greet the festive occasion with all the anticipation it warrants. One of the easiest yet compelling ways you can tailor your branding for Christmas is by embellishing your existing logo with animated effects.

Thankfully, the design industry is continuously evolving due to innovations in digital technologies. As trends change, brands need to stay at the top of their game to keep up with changing customer expectations. This year has been all about motion design; animated elements have cemented themselves as an integral part of innovative ideas that bring the logos of brands come to life.

Animated logos can be utilized as important component of a company’s brand identity and marketing activities. Motion designers transform static logos into something unique, particularly on special occasions like Black Friday or Christmas sales. Today, prominent brands share animated versions of their logos with their target audience. But this begs the question: “why should companies invest in logo animation?” To find out the answer to this question and how animated logos offer a fresh start for Christmas and New Year sales in 2020, then read on.

Understanding Animated Logos

Logos serve as the heart of any brand identity. It represents a product or company’s personality and holds considerable significance in the development of a branding strategy. An innovative logo can connect a brand with its target audience by effectively telling their story. When graphic designers do their jobs right, logos can serve as an effective brand image, positively affecting their marketing strategy.

Although static logos are still outstandingly popular and are largely used by some of the biggest brands in the world, animated logos work exceedingly well as temporary placements when you want to draw attention to changes during a special occasion, such as Christmas. For instance, most websites change their themes on Christmas and Holiday season. Animating your logo during the week of Christmas can create a great impression and implicitly communicate that you have something special in store for your customers.

Benefits of an Animated Logo for Christmas and New Year Sales in 2020

Introducing changes in the appearance of your website is an excellent way of portraying that you’re an active brand that adapts itself to different occasions. Can you imagine a website that’s been using the same website themes and logo for years, without at all changing form for any season or event? That’s an example of a brand that you must avoid turning into at all costs!

Animated logos are a dynamic and modern way to present a brand, which shows character and delivers the right message to attract the target audience. Additionally, it makes it easier to stand apart from competitors, mainly because animated logos are all about originality. Although 2020 has been generally depressing and lifeless, there’s no reason why your logo and website themes should be the same, especially during occasions as wholesome as Christmas.

So here are some benefits of animating your logo this Christmas and ornament your brand in line with the spirit of peace and happiness that this occasion brings:

Originality

It is a common experience to see that the logos of most brands share similar traits with their competitors. It may not be intentional and those similarities may only exist because some recognized elements are required to explain a brand effectively. But during sales season, smaller businesses tend to get so invested in promotional offers and deals that they forget they tend to forget the branding aspect of their business, which is something that a creative logo can greatly help with.

Originality might sound daunting at first but when you think about it, all original ideas are merely a conglomeration of different ideas put together creatively. When original graphics are combined with different animation effects on your existing logo during a given occasion, you’re essentially telling your customers that your brand is alive and kicking and ready to surprise them with exciting offerings. Even something as simple as using an animated snowfall effect on your logo for Christmas can do wonders if you want to refashion your brand temporarily, capturing the conventions of the occasion in your website’s logo and theme.

Increased Brand Awareness

Dynamic images and video content fare better than static images, simply because they mimic real-life much better than static images. We’re used to seeing things in action, filled with life. An animated logo conveys that fact of life in a way that static images could never.

To connect with your target audience and communicate that you’re ready for the Christmas season, an appropriately animated logo can be surprisingly effective.

Creating Strong First Impressions

This Christmas and New Year, you will need to leave a strong first impression on your target audience if you wish to reach your business goals. The year has been tough for all of us and there is a general air of fear and uncertainty in the minds of most people due to the devastating effects of COVID-19. This is why it is particularly important for businesses to do something different for the holiday season this time and inspire customers with the confidence and hope that our present struggles will end and life will get back to normal. It might take a while but we’ll get there.

The great thing about animated logos is that they can create positive first impressions and serve as evidence that you’re doing something different for the given occasion; all this without being requiring you to make any time-consuming or expensive changes. Consider the fact that it takes a few seconds for your target audience to decide whether they like something or not. Since your logo is the face of your brand, it is your one opportunity to leave strong impressions on your potential customers and convey the idea that you’re a premium brand of value that your competitors might lack.

Improved Storytelling

By tweaking your animated logo just a bit, you can make it a part of your storytelling process. Think about it; an animated logo can better explain your business than a static image. It can serve as a short video that tells the unique story behind your business or capture the theme of the occasion or event you’re targeting your customers for, such a Christmas.

Like video content, animated logos make it easier for businesses to create emotional connections with their viewers. Moreover, they can also be shared across the web, meaning more people can understand what your brand stands for just by seeing your logo.

Evokes Emotions

Christmas and New Year are occasions that bring people together. There’s a general aura of compassion, love, and bliss. If your logo isn’t attuned with the occasions that are happening in the outside word, you’ll fail to resonate with your customers and engage them emotionally.

With animations, you can design logos that trigger a wide range of positive emotions like intrigue, joy, and excitement; all perfectly evocative of the festivities of Christmas and the holiday season.

If your animated logo triggers positive emotions in your target audience, then they will not only remember your brand, but they will be most likely do business with you. Furthermore, they may even associate your brand with pleasant and happy thoughts, and that is something the whole world is desperately in need of given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Finishing Up

If you were not sure how to take a fresh start for your Christmas and New Year campaigns this year, you now know what needs to be done.

What is really impressive about getting your logo animated is how easy and affordable it is that all you need to do is add simple but interesting effects to your logo in line with the sales event you’re targeting, and that will do wonders for you in terms of customer engagement, leading to better conversions. However, enough emphasis cannot be placed on the fact you will need to do a bit of research, as you can’t make do with just any animated logo. To make this happen, here are a couple of tips worth considering:

• Before you create an animated logo, consider your business goals and how your brand should be represented.
• Focus on the sales event or special occasion that you’re targeting, and flavor your logo accordingly.
• Avoid complex animated logos, and keep them short. Your animated logos should be no more than 10 seconds.

If you follow these tips, you can really stand out among your competitors and resonate with your customers for better engagement, and of course, profits this holiday season. And therein lies the power of animated logos.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to harm businesses and the economy, turning to the internet for making money online is becoming the solution for many laid-off employees.

That is not to say that people were not working online before Covid-19. It is just that there are more, and the demand for online workers continues to grow.

The following list of methods should give you some ideas on how to make money on the internet if you are also looking to improve your financial situation.

Method #1 – Online Surveys

According to the report of PennyHoarder, knowledgeable survey takers make about 8 dollars per hour on average.

An online survey nets somewhere between 1 to 5 bucks each. And while it does not come close to having a full-time venture, you can still make a decent income by consistently working on them.

Research companies pay certain websites money to gather relevant information. For example, they want to find out whether people are feeling positive or negative about a particular political party, relationships with neighboring countries, or their expectations from the current government.

Before you start working with online surveys, create a separate email account for signups. This way, you can avoid potential spam coming to your main email box.

As for reputable websites worth your time, some examples include Swagbucks, Inbox Dollars, CashCrate, and Toluna.

Method #2 – Print on Demand Venture

A print-on-demand store could be your ticket to financial independence. Printify platform has you covered on custom merchandise creation explained in detail, and they are one of the best suppliers you can find.

Print-on-demand is a process of white-labeling products, such as t-shirts or mugs, with eye-catching designs that one can sell on a per-order basis.

Start by researching the market and picking a niche. Try to find a balance between a demand that is not too saturated and an idea that you find interesting. After all, working on a niche that you have no interest in will lead to a lack of motivation.

For instance, if you love dogs, do not expect to compete against established brands that offer custom merch for pet lovers. However, if you were to design something like chihuahuas or huskies that look like famous people, there would be less competition to worry about.

Once you pick the niche, build a website. Platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce usually have simple integrations. Not to mention available guides online if you get stuck.

When the website is up, add products and get to promoting. Focus on search engine optimization for organic traffic as well as social media. You can run contests to reach more people or join relevant groups to promote your merch.

Finally, if you are finding it difficult to come up with enough designs for the merchandise, remember that there is an option to hire a freelance designer.

Turning your print on demand business into a joint venture is worth considering. Having another person manage the design side of the business would give you more time to promote the store.

Method #3 – Streaming

Streaming has become a popular form of entertainment and popular streaming channels are making a lot of money by attracting people through interesting videos.

If you have an entertaining personality and would love to interact with people, then try your luck with Twitch TV or YouTube.

Pick a topic for your stream. It can be video games, cooking, music, talk shows, or another theme you are comfortable with.

Monetize the stream by running ads, getting subscriptions and donations, posting highlights to a YouTube channel, and getting sponsorship deals.

Method #4 – Video Editing

Video editors are in demand because more and more brands are starting to realize how effective video content is. Be it social media, videos on the business websites, commercials on streaming platforms, teasers about upcoming products, or customer testimonials – the content has to be persuasive.

The data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics show that video editors with no experience make about 15 dollars an hour. And these are just the bottom 10%. The ones at the top make as much as 82 dollars an hour and up.

Learning to become a good video editor will take a while. You also need to understand that good editing consists of more than just putting some clips together. Videos need tasteful transitions and good pacing. They need to flow and tell a story. The right effects and soundtrack play a prominent role as well.

As soon as you feel like you are ready to take on your first assignment, look for potential gigs on platforms like Fiverr and UpWork. The sooner you get real work experience as a video editor, the faster you can start moving up the ladder and transition from amateur to professional.

Method #5 – Social Media Management

Social media managers can start as someone who runs a personal channel on a platform and grows it organically. Then, when they gain enough experience, it is possible to get in touch with already established brands and offer them your services.

Most celebrities do not run social media pages themselves. Instead, they hire someone who can do the work for them. You could be that someone. And given how popular sites like Facebook and Instagram continue to be, knowing the ins and outs of such platforms should give you a job for years to come.

Method #6 – Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketers need a reliable affiliate program. Amazon and ClickBank are the two options that stand out, but there are other choices. You get to decide and pick, but be sure that the affiliate partner will pay you.

Developing a website instead of advertising on social media is more effective to reap the benefits of affiliate marketing. With a website, you can  attract site visitors consistently  if you can publish valuable articles optimized for search. Organic traffic plays a prominent role in the overall success of an affiliate marketing project.

Method #7 – Blogging

Bloggers have a plethora of options when it comes to monetization methods. Ads, affiliate links, sponsored content, a crowdfunding page, and even digital product promotion on your blog is a good way to make money.

However, before you start thinking about monetization, you will need to work on attracting an audience that will read your blog. Focus on article quality and try to inform your visitors and offer solutions rather than being overly sales-y. Also, find a niche that you find interesting to write about. Otherwise, you may lose motivation before actually accomplishing anything with the blog.

Method #8 – Online Courses

People are looking to add new skills to their repertoire and change careers or advance in their current jobs. And it is thanks to platforms like Udemy and Skillshare that such opportunities to improve and learn new things exist.

You can develop and sell your online course if you believe you have the expertise to effectively teach a subject/skill. Find a topic and collect information from as many sources as you can. Then, compile the information in a single course or a series of courses and publish it on the mentioned platforms.

The Black Friday sale takes place each year after the day of Thanksgiving. The sale usually goes on for about four days till Cyber Monday. Massive deals and discounts are given by stores each day and hundreds of products. The shop earns a lot of profit during the sale.

Can your website handle it?

Keywords are Important

The biggest thing that you need to worry about is if your website can handle the traffic on the days of the sale. As the majority of your customers would want to buy the products from the website, this can cause your website to slow down if it is not maintained properly. If your website can handle a large amount of traffic on the Black Friday sale, then you might go into a loss. That is because if customers come to your website and find it to be loading slower and actions are being registered slowly then they will most definitely go to another website. Now you will need to avoid this by testing the website’s server load capacity. The better the expected laid is the more customers will stay on your website. The cart and the checkout sections of your website are the most important and you need to make sure they function fast as well.

Another important thing to bear in mind is the keywords. On most websites like Amazon, the majority of the customers do not even go to the latter pages. You need to make sure you are on the first page so that the item you have in stock is sold the most. You also need to set up proper keywords that can make your item to be easily found in a search. Choose whichever keywords are trending the most and use them as a source.

The Website should have it all!

Your website should definitely have a gift guide as the Black Friday sale marks the start of the Christmas shopping season. A lot of customers will come to your website expecting to buy some of the best gifts for Christmas. Making a proper gift guide can help customers navigate through the products to whichever gift they are looking for. Another thing to check is which products are being sold the most. The products with the highest value should be on the front page of the website. For example, the new generation consoles, Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 should definitely be on your front page with good bundle discounts. You should also have a proper email marketing system as the more customers you reach via any social media platform or email can increase your profits.

The Final Word

Even though this might be the first Black Friday sale in which stores might be close due to the lockdown you can still make huge profits if you make good use of the online business. Using these tips, you can make sure that you are ahead of the competition and maintain a proper profit lead despite the pandemic.