What does the shape of your logo say about your brand?
We all know that a logo is the trademark that represents and identifies your brand. It is probably the first thing your customers think of when it comes to identifying your brand. Logo design is a true art – from the colour to shape. A good logo should stir up some emotions in a client. It should infer particular qualities about your brand. 
Now let’s look at the shape of your logo, what does it say about your brand? Straight lines, circles, curves, triangles, squares, all imply different meanings.
Circles, rings & ovals – circles have an implication of community, unity, friendship, relationship, a sense of belonging. Rings give an implication of marriage and partnership.
Triangles & squares – mean stability and can also be used to imply balance.
Lines – Vertical lines are associated with masculinity and strength. While horizontal lines suggest community, tranquillity and calm.
Rounded letters, jagged and angular typefaces – give a dynamic, soft and youthful appeal.
Habits that successful people follow
To achieve high levels of success, you must start developing the habits of the highly successful.
No matter where you are in life, there is always more to reach for. When you constantly strive to become a better person and invest in your future daily, you grow as an individual. When you grow, your value increases. The more your value increases, the more successful you will become – and it all starts with your habits.
We all know that not every habit is a good one, but one needs to have a desire to develop a good habit in order to succeed.
The first thing to do when working to towards success is changing the habits that do not add any value to your life and learn how to direct your energy towards the most rewarding tasks in your life.
Take a look into your life and check if the things that you are doing have the potential to bring the most reward to you and your business. If not, then it is time to change your habits.
Prioritizing is one habit you need to adopt if you want to succeed in doing business. High achievers never lose sight of what their major goal is. Think of what the most important thing to achieve at the moment is, and work hard to achieve it. Work hard every day and do something that brings you closer to achieving your goal.
To be successful you need to have a positive attitude towards everything. Turn every negative thing into positive. A huge number of successful entrepreneurs have experienced some set back or negativity somewhere in their journeys that could have made them quit. But instead of quitting they had a positive mental attitude about themselves and their abilities, which gave them the power needed to continue along and reach their goals.
Reflections – Refugee Crisis
One only has to turn on any news channel or read the front page of a newspaper to be reminded of the ever growing refugee crisis in Europe. This is an issue that we have not seen on this scale since the second world war with thousands of people fleeing to what they hope to be a better life.
What has this to do with Entrepreneurship? As I pause and reflect on the European issues, I must also think about similar ongoing issues in Africa and Asia that too often don’t get the headlines. But the human tragedy remains the same: People pushed outside their current lives, comfort zones and security into a strange place, strange people, no safety, no fall back and no support. Through all this they have to fend for themselves, their families and their futures. Now it sounds like your every day Entrepreneur.
I am not, in no way, making light of the real human tragedy in the world, but too often we as Entrepreneurs are being forced into a similar type of place. Survival and day to day living for a lot of small businesses is a very real process.
What we may need to set up in Africa are Entrepreneur camps, to cater for those who find themselves out in a strange land with no guidance or hope or future and fend for them with care, guidance and education, giving them a new direction for the future, hope for tomorrow and encouragement for today.
These places actually exist, but are too often empty and not used. Places like Entrepreneur Incubator and Academy, Shanduka Black Umbrellas, Business Place and others have proven processes and programmes ready for those entrepreneur refugees, waiting with open doors for those in need of help to come in, seek shelter and gain a new hope for a new future.
No quota system or government allocation is needed here, just a willingness of those wanting help.
How fonts affect your brand.
Did you ever think that choosing a font for your brand could be of such huge importance?
Well, just like colour, the type of font you use on your brand says a lot about it.
Font selection plays an important role in sending the right message in a brand or logo design. It is for this very reason important to invest a lot in selecting an appropriate font when designing a logo.
Your logo, right from the font, the colour and shape, should provide an immediate sense of what your company is all about.
When selecting a font, ensure that all parties working with that brand adhere to predefined standards and styling conventions of your brand. If the logo design has a mismatching font, then it is a disaster.
Different fonts work best for different businesses, because every company is unique. For example, a logo for a legal firm, which should convey honorability, strength and justice, might best be represented in a bold, straightforward font free of flourish, whereas a candy shop might opt for a spontaneous font that communicates youth, sweetness and fun. Similarly, an art store can’t have a quiet and boring font.
Each brand stands for something unique. It has its own personality. A font has the ability to deliver the brand identity beyond the literal sense.
Here is three things to look at when selecting a font:
Legibility – Any text information presented should be easy to read. A font that is too difficult to grasp can make your logo less legible. The right font can deliver the message with clarity.
Originality – Originality in your logo is very important. Choosing an overused font style will make your logo look repetitive and therefore it will lack the uniqueness in it.
Flexibility – Your font should look good on all the channels it is used. It should look good both on paper and a computer screen. It should be recognisable in any type of print medium.
Fonts really do matter; they can influence the persuasion and perception of a customer or client.
Meet Stephanie Tanny – Our speaker on today’s Lunch ‘n Learn
The highly-rated Stephanie Tanny, who hails from Colorado in the USA, was today’s speaker at EI’s Lunch ‘n Learn programme.
Stephan is a phenomenal woman who is a Life and Business Coach. She works with individuals across the world helping them realise their dreams, accelerate their results, and create richer, more fulfilling lives.
Stephanie’s journey towards international acclaim started when she became part of The White House Leadership programme in 2012.
Since then, she has appeared live on C-SPAN and shared the stage with public figures such as President Bill Clinton and John Oliver from The Daily Show.
Stephanie is currently in South Africa on business, and was thrilled when she got the invitation to come and speak at the Lunch ‘n Learn. She shared with participants about ‘The Full Spectrum of Wealth’, which are Vocation, Health, Relationships and Time & Money freedom.
She believes that connecting people with similar experiences will only energise you because our work is all interconnected.
Her motto in life is “You deserve to live a life you truly love”! Check out her website to keep up with her!