We all know, that in actual fact designers not only create images that are designed to catch the eye of the consumer, but to make a business appear professional also and indeed the core purpose of their work is to help convert potential customers into actual customers via brand/image and marketing materials linked in with this.

Is that all?

I’m sure a lot of business owners think that really is all there is to the design industry that serves them and the many designers that populate it.

In some cases (for some designers) that really is all there is to it – they don’t operate on many other levels other than to make their designs professional, pretty, and eye catching.

However there really are other aspects that must be considered when you commission a design to develop the brand image for your business, a couple of these are explored in more detail now;

1. Target Market;

Recently I was approached by a company interested in brand design; their product and service was one that should be targeting both men and women, and yet when I was shown the design they had received already for another designer I immediately noted some glaring issues with it.

The design itself was eye pleasing and on the surface of it a less experienced person may observe that it was a professional effort; but the designer had produced something which featured a stylised woman as the central figure within the logo and not only that despite the stylised nature of the image, she was clearly of oriental heritage.

I quickly pointed out to the customer that when one’s target market is male and females and not women only, that to gender bias one’s logo design is counter productive, and even worse to possibly alienate even more people by making the character a particular ethnicity when your product is targeted at all nationalities.

A creative must think, think, think, and then and think some more about the target market when they are designing. To enable that before they start designing, they absolutely have to ask the business owner about the business; who are the customers, how will the product or service be sold to them, and so on.

2. Colours & Tones

A long time ago now I wrote a very popular article entitled the ‘The Relationship Between Colours & Sales’ – I’ve long since populated the piece across the internet and you can thus read it on many websites.

Although as creatives we don’t need to enslave ourselves completely to the rules of colour psychology, any designer working on a project should always keep this in mind.

In addition to considering the psychological effect certain colours have on mood and behaviour, which is well documented by the marketing industry, one needs to consider the socio-economic dynamic of the target market as this has some bearing on the tone of the colour scheme chosen.

For instance it’s not uncommon for my clients to ask for a bright colour scheme for their brand design, but this doesn’t always suit their target market; it’s known that low income groups are attracted to bright colours and thus if you don’t wish to attract low income groups a bright colour scheme isn’t right for your brand design regardless of what you like as an individual.

When your designer goes to work and you review concepts it’s vital to appreciate the design isn’t supposed to necessarily appeal to what you like, it’s supposed to appeal to your target market and this may not necessarily be the same thing as your own favourite colours.

These are just a couple of important areas that must be considered by your designer before they start work on your brand development, some of the other areas include;

-      Ensuring the design will work well whether printed billboard sized or business card sized.

-      Making sure the company name is easily readable.

-      Ensuring the design is neither too tall in height, or too wide horizontally; disproportionate designs can be more difficult to incorporate into layouts for print such as flyers, stationery, brochures and so on; this means these items may not look as good as they should.

Much of this advice can also be applied even when you already have your brand design established and have moved on to developing this further with your marketing materials.

It’s important that the designer working on your printed stationery and marketing materials appreciates the need to be sympathetic to the brand theme already established, and also has sufficient skill and experience to bear in mind that designs created must appeal to the target market.

If you stay at home and want to earn an income for yourself or your family, there's never been a better time than now. With so many opportunities online, you can easily start your own home business with a computer, Internet connection, desk and chair! Whether you want to start a part-time or full-time home business, here are some excellent home business solutions to consider.

1. Make Money Online by Offering Web-related Services

If you're skilled in Web design, graphic design, Internet marketing, or other Web-related services, you can make money online by offering these services to others. There are many homemakers and business people just like you who are getting online to start a business. They'll need their own website, hosting, domain name, company Web logo, and Internet marketing services.

If you can provide these services, you'll have a terrific opportunity for residual income. Many of these services are paid monthly or yearly, so the potential for success is amazing.

2. Educate Others and Work from Home

If you have special skills and love to teach, there's good news. You no longer have to apply for a teaching job at a school or university. You can now start your own training website and teach others from the comfort of your own home. The Internet is flooded daily with people who want to increase their knowledge and skills. Many moms and dads are now offering classes, selling e-books, and providing instructional websites all while staying home with the kids. It's a great way to make money online without paying high daycare bills!

There are also unique home business solutions online where you can sign up with a company that provides training to students for you. You can potentially earn a huge residual income by promoting their educational services.

3. Join an MLM Opportunity

MLM has grown tremendously in recent years thanks to online technology. More and more people are making money online with MLM because it's so much easier to communicate using online resources such as email, websites, and instant messaging.

If you decide to join an MLM company, be sure the company is trustworthy. Investigate before you sign on, or find a company that will investigate for you. A good place to start is a dependable MLM directory. These companies will investigate many different home business solutions and list only those that are legitimate and that offer the most profit potential.

4. Niche Home Business Solutions

Many homemakers are earning a substantial income by offering niche products or services. For example, the mother who loves to sew baby clothing decides to sell her items through her own website or through consignment websites. Or, a father who loves to do handiwork around the house starts a "handyman" e-zine and sells related products and tools. A young college student discovers the secrets to college life and starts his or her own "college life" newsletter.

The possibilities are endless. Other niche home business ideas include baking, hunting, fishing, musical instruction, handmade crafts, handmade furniture, parenting, pets, weddings, gardening, and sports.

5. Investments

If you like to take your chances in the stock market, investing is easier than ever on the Internet. Many homemakers make money online by investing in Forex, the popular and lucrative currency exchange market. Some earn money with traditional stocks. If this is your passion, you can now do it from home with minimal effort.

Please be careful, as there are many scams with companies trying to get you to invest in fake stocks. Check out every opportunity carefully, and keep your funds safe by dealing only with reputable, well-known stock companies and brokers.

No matter which home business solution you choose, use online directories and the testimonies of other online business owners to help you find the opportunities that will fit your schedule and budget.

Every online business should have a marketing and advertising plan. While paid advertising - especially Internet advertising - can drive highly targeted traffic to your site, many online businesses overlook a key component of any marketing and advertising plan: press releases and press release distribution. A great press release can garner the kind of exposure that money can't buy; in essence, it's free advertising. Press release distribution is an extremely cost-effective way to get the word out to thousands, hundreds of thousands, and perhaps millions of potential customers.

Many business owners might respond, "But I've written press releases and haven't received a single response." If that's the case, the lack of response is most likely either due to either a poorly written press release or poor press release distribution.

Although virtually anyone can string words together, writing a press release that will grab and hold the attention of the media is an art. Many press release services also offer press release writing services; in most cases, it's worth the money to leave it to the professionals. If you do want to write your own press release, though, here are some tips:

1. At the top of the release, include a contact person's name, phone number, and email address, as well as the URL of your website. It's imperative that whomever is listed will be available to speak to the media. In other words, don't decide to distribute your press release and then head off on vacation.

2. Make the topic timely. Unless yours is a Fortune 1000 company, simply announcing that your product exists will draw only a yawn from the media. Find a hook. Your hook could be an upcoming holiday, for example. Better yet, find a way to piggyback your product or service onto something that's currently making news. Reporters are always looking for new angles for their follow-up stories.

3. Don't forget the Five Ws. A reporter should be able to read the first paragraph of your release and know who, what, where, when, and why. If they don't find the information there, they won't read any further.

4. Incorporate quotes from an "expert." The expert could be you, the CEO of your company, or someone with whom you collaborate. The bottom line is that he or she should be able to authoritatively speak about the topic of the release, and should be available to the media for interviews.

5. Keep it short. A press release is a teaser to get the media interested in your company. Say what you need to say in 400-500 words. If reporters want more information, they'll contact you.

6. A picture is worth 1,000 words. If you're promoting a product, have high-resolution (300 dpi) images available, and state their availability at the end of your press release. Editors will choose to cover a product with a photo over a product without every single time.

When it comes to press release distribution, use press release services. Ideally, you should use a press release distribution service that can target your release to members of the media that specifically cover your market or industry. Consider a press release distribution service that offers online print distribution, fax distribution, and audio distribution.

Keep in mind that press release distribution can take awhile to bear fruit. In contrast to websites, which continually publish new content, magazines often have months of lead time. Your press release may get some immediate responses, and continue to receive a trickle of responses for months to come.

Lastly, press release writing and press release distribution should be a cornerstone of your marketing and advertising efforts. Issuing a new press release every three to four weeks keeps your company in front of the media, and has a cumulative effect of increasing the effectiveness of your press releases.

An office chair is a type of furniture that is designed to help employees sit in a single location for extended periods of time. Many office chairs can swivel, and this will allow the workers to reach different places without having to get up. The seat of these chairs will conform to the shape of those who sit in it, and they will often have armrests and backing to support the spines of those who sit in them. The goal of an office chair was to make the worker feel comfortable so that they could concentrate on performing various tasks. Because of the environment, the chairs that were used by executives differed from the employees.

Traditionally, office chairs that were designed for executives did not have the ability to swivel, and this showed that the executive had no need to move into multiple places, and could reside in a single position. Over time, the executive office chair became large, and many of them also featured closed arms, and are made with luxurious materials. Most executives today have office chairs that are large and elaborate. While office chairs were first designed in the 19th century, it wasn't until the 1970s when ergonomics was used in their design.

Because those sitting in chairs for extended periods of time would experience back pain, an emphasis was placed on designing chairs that would be as comfortable as possible, and would prevent those sitting in them from getting stress injuries. This led to office chairs that were adjustable in many ways. A person of a different height or size could adjust the chair in a way that fits them. The best contemporary office chairs can be adjusted to fit a person of virtually any size. Despite this, sitting down in any chair for extended periods of time will bring stress to the back. Even those who sit in the best chairs will want to get up and move around once every 30 minutes.

People who spend lots of time sitting in an office will want to make sure they purchase the correct chair. While being cheap with other forms of office furniture is generally not a problem, you should want to invest money in a good chair that will bring comfort to your back. Using office chairs which are ergonomic can help you avoid back problems. The best office chairs are those which offer support to your lower back. There are hundreds of office chairs available on the market, and no one chair is considered to be the best, even if it is the most expensive. In addition to back support, a good office chair should have an excellent amount of depth. The standard depth for office chairs is a maximum of 20 inches.

The height of the seat is also important. For most people a height about 16 to 20 inches is usually sufficient. This is a height which should allow you to rest both of your feet flat on the floor. It is also important for office chairs to support your lower back, because chairs that don't support the lower backs of those who site in them will cause them to slouch, and this will add even more stress to their lower backs.