Last Wednesday, Beaver Design went to the HBI Business Expo at the Galleria, Hatfield. This is the second time Beaver Design has exhibitied at one of these Business Expos (you can read about our previous time here) and it was great to meet and talk with so many businesses from the local area.

We were pleased to see so many start-up businesses and get a chance to talk about the need for strong branding, quality marketing materials and of course, good website design. Many of the people we talked to were also interested in our digital signage services and if you would like to find out more about digital signage, as well as some video case-studies, please take a look at www.beaver-group.com.

For those of you who gave us your business card or entered it into our bowl, there was a chance to win a bottle of Taittinger champagne. We are pleased to announce that the winner of this bottle is Nicole Foulger from St John Ambulance. Congratulations! It will be finding it's way over to you in the next few days.

If you would like any more information about us or what we do (graphic design, web design & digital signage), please take a look around this website or just give us a call.

As part of our service to market research for some of our client’s products, Beaver Design provides packaging for various kinds of products.

This month Beaver Design provided over 4000 printed boxes to test three different products in four different countries and each project involved the design, layout and finished artwork for each product. The boxes were then printed and shipped ready for filling in Poland, Switzerland, Turkey and the UK.

The results of this market research will go on to help well known brands deliver better products for consumers around the world.

When Essex based South Eastern Electrical decided to create a facilities management division of the company, they contacted Beaver Design. The new venture ‘Tudor Facilities Management’ asked us to create a corporate brand image, with a new design and the print of their general stationery and a quality brochure.

After consultation with the directors we came up with the simple, clean look they required starting with the company logo (above). From this, we further designed letterheads, compliment slips and business cards. With some careful consideration, we also sourced all of the relevant images to create a company brochure which is clean, to the point and reflects Tudor’s ethos – quality.

In only a short time, Beaver Design has provided Tudor Facilities Management with everything, including delivery of all printed items, days before their deadline.

Beaver Design is now working on finalising the new website for Tudor, which will go online in a few days. Watch this space!

This month, we looked at how important it is to recognise and use your brand when creating a web presence.

Download your copy of our article from Axis Magazine (1MB) >

A website should be an extension of your brand, not a separate part of it. It should fit with your other company material and create a complete picture for your customers and prospects.

A logo and a slogan are usually a good way to encapsulate a company and what they stand for. From there you should think about the design of the brand; what are you trying to say? Your company isn’t just a purveyor of goods and services. You are different from the competition and you should make that distinction clear.

Where is the brand?

The brand is an intangible thing and exists in the minds of your customers. How it gets into their mind is through your marketing material and website. This means your brand can be seen in your business cards, brochures, letterhead paper, website, posters and so on. Your marketing material and website isn’t just trying to sell, it’s got to build the brand.

South Eastern Electrical saw the need to have a solid brand identity and called on us to design logos, brochures and a website for them. Take a look at our short case-study on South Eastern Electrical >

What can a brand do?

A strong brand adds value to what you sell. It’s doubtful that Nike trainers really cost £100 to make. Nike can charge that price in part because of the brand they have. People are willing to pay more for a brand.

Successful and established brands also have the flexibility to engage with their audience in different ways. Masterfoods renamed their Mars bars to “Believe” for a few months during the 2006 World Cup. They could do this because the Mars brand is so established, that even with a new name the product was easily recognised.

With a solid and well designed brand, you can give all your marketing a unified, complimentary and memorable identity.

View more of our articles for Axis Magazine >

If you work in the Hertfordshire area, then there's one event you don't want to miss. It's the Hertfordshire Business Independent, Business Expo. Here you'll be able to meet local businesses, see new products and innovations, as well as talk to people about your own needs.

Beaver Design will be there again this year giving visitors an opportunity to see our work and talk to us about what we can do for you.

It's being held at the Galleria, Hatfield on the 24th June 2009 and doors open at 10:00am. It's really not an event you want to miss, so come on down and we'll see you there!