In our last ezine, we launched a new infoproduct and a new email newsletter template with a simplified design and layout — I LOVE the new template because it really focuses on getting our loyal subscribers awesome content in a way that is easy to read and digest.

Brian and I are also working on an upgrade to our own website design (we’re so excited), but we won’t be ready to debut that until later. We’re in the design facelift phase right now and, as you can imagine, we’re nitpicking everything from the menu and the flow of content, to the paths our visitors travel, and every pixel of spacing.

The new upgrade is already so good, I’m having some website shame of my own (unheard of, I know) in regards to this one!

Why upgrade the site? Well first we do it every 18 months to 2 years as we continue to learn. Second, we’ve gained immense clarity (I’m talking crystal clear) about our brand and we need refine things a bit.

Now, along with gaining complete clarity about the Bourn Creative brand and where we want to take it, I’ve gained clarity in other areas too!

But My Clarity Lead to Infoproduct Irritation

This all came to a head while Brian and I were strategizing for 2012/2013.

Read my Rant on Infoproducts and How I’m Taking a Stand

Freedom…

Many of us entrepreneurs, in our excitement over our newfound independence, often want to express our newly liberated tastes in our logo design. In our exuberance, we might try to include all of our favorite colors, graphic elements, and even an elaborate thousand-word story into our logos.

It’s perfectly natural. Finally emancipated from someone else’s ideas about what looks good, we want to proclaim our own. Our logos often become repositories for all of that previously pent-up creative energy.

Responsibility…

But in reality, we have to step back and take a wider, more long-term look at the function of a logo. Because the elements that go into designing a great small business logo — including the graphics and illustrations, typefaces, and colors—should not be based on our tastes.

Read More About The MUSIC of a Great Small Business Logo Design

This past week put both Brian and I on overload. We were not only in catch-up mode from my Arizona trip for Ali Brown’s Millionaire Protege Club retreat, but also three of our biggest clients all needed giant projects done all at the same time!

Needless to say we were really looking forward to some detached-downtime over weekend with the kids. On Saturday after soccer, we played boards games, Wii, and Legos all day. Then on Sunday we hit the pumpkin patch and Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm with Brian’s mom, June.

When June arrived at our house on Sunday, we were getting in the car and she asked, “Which pumpkin patch are we going to?”

“What?! There is only one pumpkin patch to go to,” I replied. Then it dawned on me. There are a few really good pumpkin patches around our house, but I only ever think of one. For me the words “Pumpkin Patch” and “Bishop’s Farm” mean the same thing.

Read More About Branding Pumpkins

I have to be honest, at Bourn Creative we were so excited to start working with Millionaire Marketing Coach Kendall SummerHawk on her design projects. (I had been following Kendall and her work off and on since early 2009 and had heard wonderful things about her!)

We jumped right in with the design of four different information products! From the workbook front and back covers, to the CD wrappers and CD labels, to the design of the workbook content, Bourn Creative created four beautiful foundations to showcase the in-depth content inside each of these products — I know because I read the all of the workbooks and transcripts included in each product as I was laying out the content… and I learned a TON just from reading them!

Read More About Kendall SummerHawk’s Success Story

A logo is more than a visual representation of your business, product, program, or even service. When done right, it will also become one of your most valuable assets. Your logo is placed on everything and opinions about you and your business will be formed based on a single glance.

While you will most likely work with a designer to create your logo, it is important that you educate yourself so you can not only communicate clearly with your designer, but make an informed decision when selecting your final mark.

There are three areas that you need to understand before hiring a designer to design your logo:

Learn the 3 Things You Must Understand Before Hiring a Designer to Design Your Logo

Last week I published a blog post on writing and using your mission statement. I shared what a mission statement is, how to write one, and why you need to use it and live it – how to turn your mission statement into your own personal uplifting affirmation or motivating mantra.

Here are some ideas to help you turn your mission into your mantra:

• Make it your screen saver
• Record it and put it on your iPod
• Use it as a bookmark in your journal
• Frame it and put it on your office wall
• Have it emailed to you automatically every morning
• Make it the background on your smart phone
• Print it out and tape it to your bathroom mirror
• Write it on a note card and keep it on your nightstand
• Write it on a sticky-note and put it on your computer monitor
• Record it as your alarm wake up greeting

Learn How Using Your Mission Statement Can Improve Your Business

When building a brand, there are three approaches you can take:

• Branding a Business
• Branding a Person
• Branding a Thing

Are You Branding a Business, Person, or Thing?

So do you really need a mission statement in your business? Yes!

Your mission statement isn’t just part of a business plan, in reality, your mission statement, like your
core values, is a critical part in defining a successful brand and building a solid foundation for business growth and marketing.

It must convey your core values, your beliefs, and what you stand for, and it needs to communicate why your business exists and what you hope to achieve.

If your mission statement has meaning to you, it can be a powerful tool in guiding your company’s forward movement and your decisions. The key is infusing your mission statement into the everyday operations of your business and every aspect of your brand.

The problem is that most mission statements tend to be all statement (boring) and no mission (motivating).

Learn About Writing a Meaningful Mission Statement

Your brand is what the consumers can see, hear, smell, touch, and taste. It includes the visual, written, spoken, and tactile aspects of your brand.

Visual Brand

Your visual brand encompasses all aspects of your brand that are represented visually. From your logo, business card, and brochures, to your invoices and envelopes, to your Facebook photo, avatar, and Twitter background, to your website, email newsletter, and blog, and even the clothes you wear, every time your brand is seen it is sending a message.

Learn The Difference Between Your Brand and Your Branding

Every successful business has values.

Values are the standards of behavior in a business. They are the operating principles that guide the business.

Some businesses look at values definition as a simple exercise to complete and get through — for these businesses, their values statement is just an empty, meaningless statement.

But other businesses, the truly successful businesses look at values definition as a core requirement to define their brand. For these businesses, their values are meaningful and the are infused throughout the entire business and live by them each day.

Your values represent what you stand for and what you believe is most important. They can’t be defined based on what others think they should be, or what you think they SHOULD be — they need to come from your heart and from the heart of your business.

Learn How Your Values Can Help You Make Better Decisions