This is your hub for everything I write—whether you’re growing a brand with The Creative Brief or navigating the business-of-one life with Solo(ish). Explore by topic or follow the content stream that fits where you are now. Both are here to help you work smarter, show up stronger, and stay aligned with what matters most.
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Brand culture is the culture that a company cultivates in order to powerfully, consistently and competitively deliver its brand to market. It’s how people work together to bring the brand alive for customers. But brand cultures are more than an expression of the brand itself; they are, by necessity, an expression of the people who work for that brand and the decisions and ways of working and behaving that they agree to work within.
While the branding and marketing are undoubtedly connected, there are minute differences between the two. As a business owner it is essential that you understand branding and marketing in detail, so that you can effectively utilize them together. Below is a closer look at the differences between branding and marketing.
I often talk about how your logo is not your brand, nor is it your identity. Logo design, identity design and branding all have different roles, that together, form a perceived image for a business or product. Here is some clarification of the differences between...
An advantage of marketing a small business is the flexibility to try new strategies to grow your business.
Though you may be flexible enough to try new marketing tactics to grow your business is your logo?
When you think about great branding, Coca Cola’s distinctive red and white lettering, Nike’s swoosh and Adidas’s three stripes likely come to mind. But as a small business, imagining the level of investment that’s gone into these iconic images can make the thought of...
FREELANCE VERSUS THE SALARIED (IN-HOUSE) JOB. When I was just starting out, the thought of a designer going in-house was almost unheard of. We were educated to believe that the best work was being done by ad agencies and design studios, and your best bet starting out was to get a freelance gig starting at the bottom and proving yourself to move up to the juicy client work.
It’s hard for me to believe I’ve been at this—being a design professional—for nearly 25 years, since I’m the first one not to go into some more traditional (for my family, at least) field of study or business. I grew up around relatives who worked on Wall Street, in...
You’ve likely seen the meme below on LinkedIn and thought to yourself “Yes, this is so true. But what can I do about it. I don’t have a budget for training and development”. Or maybe you see that meme and think about yourself and wish your boss could break with a...
We’ve all heard the old saying that it’s “not what you know, but who you know” when it comes to getting a new job. Look, lets be honest with ourselves for a moment shall we? We’re all talented, creative, and experienced to one degree or another. And we have great...
Andy Brenits to present “Your Logo Is Not Your Brand: Strategies and Tactics for Taking Your Brand to the Next Level”.
Congratulations business owner! Your small, or start-up, company is doing well…and after all of that hard work you’re finally getting noticed by colleagues, potential employees, and of course the competition. Now it’s time to take your brand to the next level so that...
I’m one of those lucky people who knew early on what I wanted to do when I grew up, and my parents always encouraged me to develop my talent. Growing up in a family full of business professionals I was encouraged to “do more art” rather than persuaded to focus on...
Andy Brenits to teach at Columbia University Beginning in August.
Andy Brenits presented “Influencing The ‘Buy’ Decision” at the Queen Creek Chamber of Commerce on June 14th.
Andy Brenits presented “Influencing The ‘Buy’ Decision” at the Queen Creek Chamber of Commerce on June 14th.
Very happy to have been a contributor to the new white paper just released: Collaboration in the Workplace: How to Overcome 7 Common Challenges. Check it out here.
Andy Brenits will return to the QC Chamber of Commerce beginning June 14, 2016 to give a 2-part talk about marketing and branding strategy for small business. Mr. Brenits spoke previously about personal branding in August of 2015.
HOW recently asked me and Ed Roberts about how we approached creating the 2015 lineup of speakers and sessions for the In-House Management Program at the HOW Design Conference. See more at.
I was interviewed by Melissa Mazzoleni for HOW recently about leading in-house teams, and how in-house creatives can get their careers moving forward. Below is an excerpt, and link to the original article. "...Managing a design business – or any business – just isn’t...
I'm honored to have been asked to judge the 2014 In-House Design Awards for HOW Magazine. "...As the deadline for this year’s In-House Design Awards is just around the corner, we’re excited to announce the outstanding in-house experts who will act as judges for the...
I've been selected to be the co-program director for the 2015 HOW Design conference, In-House Managers program. With friend and colleague Ed Roberts, we'll be working with the directors of the other programs to develop a strong topic and speaker list.
I was interviewed by Bryn Mooth for HOW magazine about how In-House is changing. Below is an excerpt, and link to the original article. "...The in-house industry is maturing on a couple of different fronts. One, we’re seeing (especially now that the economy is...
I've had all kinds of bosses during the last twenty years. Some were great, while others...not so much. As my career progressed and I decided that I wanted to get into management, I naturally thought to myself "When I get there, I'm going to do it better." Sound...
The 5 past and present InSource Presidents recently got together to talk about their experiences leading InSource, and reminisce about how they came to join the organization. The two-hour conversation lead to brainstorming, and reminiscing, and will be the topic of an...