We’re excited to announce the launch of a new web site for the Muddy Rudder restaurant in Yarmouth, Maine.

Logo design

Our work with the restaurant began with the redesign of their logo.

Our rebranding efforts focused on making the restaurant appear more contemporary, with a greater appeal to younger people and families. Unfortunately, the clientele was getting older and the restaurant needed some fresh energy.

New web site design

When new owners took over the restaurant, it included the web site as well.

It used to be that every logo had specific colors that were chosen from the Pantone Matching System. These PMS colors were noted by number and might be 185 red or 541 blue. As a designer, that was always one part of the logo design job: to choose and assign the PMS color for the brand identity.

Pantone colors are used in offset printing jobs when you print something like a one-color, two-color or three-color job. This used to be very common for business cards or letterhead. If something prints 4-color (CMYK) whether with a traditional offset printer or with a digital printing system, PMS colors are not used and will be converted if they are part of a file. Read this, if you need a better understanding of the difference between CMYK and PMS colors.

Nowadays it is not always necessary for a logo to be designed with Pantone colors or assigned PMS numbers.

Recently, I was asked to take part in the Women’s Business Bistro. This group, based in Portland, Maine is highlighting women entrepreneurs in the area. I was interviewed and asked about what has made me successful and what advice I have to others who want to start a business. Below is the 5 minute video highlights of the interview.

Starting a new business is exciting. And getting a shiny new logo and web site are often one of the activities that entrepreneurs look forward to. Compared to writing a business plan, making cold calls or trying to find investors, hiring someone to design a brand identity can seem like a lot of fun.

When should a start up invest in their brand identity?

In the book Predictable Success, author Les McKeown says:

You’re not going to get your branding right at the beginning, so don’t spend money as if you have. Design and branding can and should evolve as you get closer to your market, and you hear their chatter more and more clearly.

I completely agree with this thought. Depending on your product/service your branding may come sooner, but it should never come first.

In my last post, I asked: Which Comes First: Web Site Design Or Content? In this post I wanted to use a case study to show some examples of how we’ve developed better web sites by working on content and design together.

Relax America came to Visible Logic looking for a web site that would be the consumer-focused online presence for their new service. Relax America is a professional services network that gives members one place to find all the professional services you need in your life. Their proprietary system matches the most appropriate business professional or self-service option to you based on your specific requirements. Much in the same way Google refines your search based on what it knows about you, Relax America grows in usefulness the more times you find services using it’s client matching system.

As you can see, it’s hard to quickly and elegantly describe Relax America using only words. If you haven’t yet, check out the site before you keep reading.