Published Articles by Snowden McFall
"Does Your Corporate Identity Reflect Your Image?"
by Snowden McFall, MAT
Chair of Motivational Professional Experts Group, National Speakers Association
New England Speaks - The Journal of the New England Chapter of the National Speakers Association
Imagine for a moment outgoing NESA President Rick Segel's logo: a caricature of his head coming out of a zipper. It's clever, funny, and intriguing - exactly like Rick. It's an effective corporate identity which perfectly represents the speaker and gets the client to ask questions.
That's exactly what you want your corporate identity to do - establish an image that portrays who you are and what makes you distinctive. Are you a dynamic people-oriented person or a technological wizard? Do you work with spontaneous children or conservative executives? Do you make people laugh, or do you tug on their heartstrings, or both? Your answers impact your professional image and style.
Technically, your corporate identity includes your name or your company's name, your logo mark (some graphic or illustration), and your theme line or positioning statement. Those elements, combined with your chosen typeface or font, your PMS (Pantone Matching System) colors, and the paper stock you select, help establish a graphic standard for your professional speaking business. Make these decisions with an advertising agency/graphic design firm. No matter how good your computer skills are, don't try to create your own logo unless you have a design degree. It's like hiring a lawyer to do your legal work and an accountant to do your financials. It's smart and will save you substantial time and money. Tapping into the creativity of people whose entire focus is on marketing and advertising will only benefit you.
Consistency is key. Think about Coca Cola®. What color are their cans? Red - and have been for decades. Coca Cola knows that one of the most critical elements in advertising is consistency. If one year their cans were blue, and the next green, and the next purple, they would not be instantly recognizable.
Once you have established your graphic standard, stick with it. Use the same color scheme, typeface, and graphics over and over again. Clients will expect it from you, and it will help get you rehired. Here's an example. As owner of a 17-year old advertising and training company, I negotiated with the publishers of my new book to design the cover. First, we established the logo mark for Fired Up! The yellow flame stands for the fire inside each person, the purple circle represents wholeness and spirituality, and the red symbolizes power and heart. The logo means that when someone is Fired Up!, they share the strength of their heart and soul with others, creating unity and connection. We then registered the logo as a federal trademark to protect it. That same logo and color scheme carried over into all my other graphics, from the book cover to the business card to the note cards. My positioning statement, The Fired Up! Motivator, says what I do and what kind of speaker I am. And it works! I wore a red and purple button with the logo and line, Ask My Why I'm Fired Up!, to the 1996 NSA Convention. People still approach me and ask, "Aren't you the Fired Up! person?"
Mary Warzecha does everything in shades of deep blue and gold/copper. Dynamic Performance is her corporate name, and she always uses a metallic swash under it. Her positioning statement, Management Consulting with a Difference, is designed to get prospective clients to ask "What difference?" The best logos make people curious about you and encourage them to ask questions. You then have the perfect opportunity to give your classic elevator speech where you quickly define what you do and for whom.
You are unique! Show your market what makes you special by having an unusual and expressive corporate identity. It doesn't have to flashy or expensive - it just has to be you!
