Red Hat vs DataPortability WorkGroup – a victim of logo copying?

Image via AndWat

With the innumerable businesses that exist in the world today, it seems inconceivable that there are enough logos to go around, so of course there are going to be similarities – just check out these top 10 similar logos for example. It makes you wonder whether the similarities were really coincidence, or if one designer was slightly more than influenced by the other.

Having a logo that is unique to your business has obvious benefits – you will stand out as a company that is individual and people will come to instantly associate that logo with your company – but, especially for smaller companies, it can sometimes be tempting to see a fantastic logo and think “I want that!”

The law differentiates between ‘copied’ work, which is self explanatory, ‘derivative’ work which is a copy of the original used as a basis for something new, and ‘influenced’ work which is inspired by and similar to the original, but is not the same. Under copyright law, the artist of the original piece of work also has rights over any derivative work.

For example, let’s say company A’s logo is an image of an eagle on a branch. Company B copies the image outline exactly and fills it in black, creating a perfect silhouette of the original. This is a derivative logo and company B needs permission from company A to use it. Company C however likes the idea and picks a similar logo, but uses a different bird that is uniquely drawn for them by an artist – their logo is certainly influenced by the original, but is not directly copying it in any way and so does not require permission from company A.

As a business, you may have ideas on what you would like your logo to look like so it is a good idea to do some research and find out if logos like the one you want already exist, and then steer clear of anything that is too similar. It may mean a little bit of compromise on your ‘perfect’ design, but it will be well worth it to avoid problems. Always check out the artist you plan to work with and make sure they have not been sued before for copyright infringement, and if necessary ask them about their design process and how they would go from images of logos you like to creating something brand new and unique.

Once you’ve got your logo, make sure you copyright it to avoid being at the other end of the copying ladder – you certainly don’t want to see that image you paid out for being stolen by someone else! All original work is automatically copyrighted, but taking out an ‘official’ copyright is not expensive and will give you that extra power and backup should you ever need to prove in court that the image belongs to you.

Facebook has been busy rolling out timelines not just for users but for brands too. You can switch over to the new timeline already (just look for a message at the top of your brand page) and it’s a good idea to take a quick peek now even if you don’t confirm the change just yet, as Facebook has made it very clear that the timeline will be compulsory for all pages, and soon – the new layout becomes mandatory at the end of this month.

Easy-to-Find, Backdated Content

So, what exactly is this new timeline? To put it simply, it is the most radical change that Facebook has made since it was first made available to the general public in 2006. The new design allows visitors to the page to easily scroll back to the beginning and find posts that you made months or even years ago.

True to its focus on all things chronological, the new timeline also allows you to post backdated content. So, even if you launched your brand a decade ago but your Facebook page six months ago, you can let your fans know all about your brand history by adding in highlights such as the company launch date, key product launches, press features and more.

Large Cover Banner

However, probably the feature with the most ‘love it or hate it’ response is the new cover photo. Gone is the large profile picture of the past, replaced by a much smaller, square image (a little like Twitter) that overlaps a large, rectangular banner across the top of the page.

Facebook’s rules are clear – no advertising, no promotions and no asking users to ‘like’ your page. (On a side note, the old landing tabs are now gone too which has caused a bit of a ruckus, as almost every brand to have one had a ‘like us now‘ call to action on theirs). Instead, the new cover image is supposed to be a representation of your brand’s personality, a pictorial summary of what makes it so special and unique. So pick out some stunning visual imagery relevant to your brand identity, as it will be the first thing people see when they land on your page.

Fan-to-Brand Private Messaging

The other key feature to point out is the new messaging system that allows fans to contact a brand directly by sending a private message from the fan page. Whilst most brands probably don’t want yet another inbox to check, new messages show up as a notification just as other page interactions do, and allow your fans to feel closer to the brand. By using this message feature to interact with them about product enquiries for example, you will be building up trust and showing that yes, there really is an actual person behind that anonymous Facebook page.

Overall, the changes are not small and are going to take some getting used to, but the idea behind them is great – creating a much more interactive, friendly feel that helps fans to really get to know and love your brand.

1. Illegible Type

As a web designer, it is your job to make it as easy as possible for your client to get their message across. They might have written the most amazing piece of copy but if their website visitors can’t read it, it’s worthless. Choose the right font, make it large enough to read and check that it stands out against the background – nothing gives visitors more of a headache than deciphering dark red words against black. And never make the copy too small (see image below)!

2. Overuse of Flash

Flash allows you to add some great features to your website, but add too many and the load time will be so long that only the most loyal of customers will bother waiting until the end.

3. Auto Playing Music

Have you ever clicked on a website only to hear an unwanted piece of music start to play? Or worse, start to mix in with the music you were already listening to? This is one of the top pet peeves of Internet users so avoid it at all costs.

 4. Welcome Intros

You might think your fancy intro page or video looks great. Website users, on the other hand, will see it as a barrier between them and the ‘proper’ website. If you must have an intro, give the user a clear option to skip it – return visitors especially will be grateful for this!

5. No Contact Details

By making it difficult, or impossible, for users to find contact details you are giving off an unprofessional image and lowering trust. Display a link to the Contact Us page clearly, such as in the footer.

6. Browser Incompatibility

IE used to be the browser of choice but nowadays Firefox, Chrome, Safari and other browsers will likely account for a significant proportion of your daily visitors. It is a common mistake to perfect the website’s design in your usual browser and forget to check that it appears the same in others, too.

7. Pop Ups

Never. Ever. Use pop ups. Even a friendly message inviting users to subscribe to your newsletter will look spammy in pop-up format. Instead, ensure that users can find whatever they are looking for quickly and easily through a clear, Flash-free navigation system.

Getting your message across to its target audience in under 30 seconds can often be quite a challenge. We have produced TV commercials over a wide range of budgets. We can also provide up to date advice on all the latest technical and licensing requirements, ensuring a hassle free production on time and on budget.

One of the key drivers to brand success is a strong clinical advocacy and Key Opinion Leader (KOL).

The KOL mapping tool has been developed to enhance individual knowledge and help develop target lists of KOLs most suitable for further attention in any defined therapy area or country to drive sales of any brand.

The KOL information is packaged in a user friendly web based tool, which can be company branded, with integral geographical map that can be accessed by any listed members of the internal or external team (eg marketing, sales, medical, market access).

Contained within the tool is a photo of the individual KOL (where possible) and a summary (biog etc), their key research interests, all publications and contacts details (including email address).

The KOL mapping tool is interactive and additional information can be added by company staff for each KOL as new or useful information is uncovered regarding each customer. In addition a star system is in place for both advocacy and influence along with a list of key attributes (eg good speaker) thus giving the user an ‘at a glance’ knowledge of that KOL based on both internal and external information.

The tool can also be used for setting an individual objective for each KOL which can be tracked by the Marketing/Medical team. This gives all the relevant info on the KOLs prior to a company visit ensuring an informed and targeted discussion.

Lisa Hansen, Pharmaceutical Marketing Consultant at immaculate comments:

‘KOLs are generally impressed if a company representative has taken the time to find out about them and know their key achievements and key studies prior to visiting them. Our KOL Mapping Tool allows companies to enhance their perception and develop relationships with customers and in turn, leads to a strong advocate base of KOLs.’

The KOL Mapping Tool has now adopted by a number of Pharmaceuticals.

To find out more please get in touch with immaculate

The Old Post House, Heath Road, Weybridge, Surrey KT13 8TS United Kingdom

immaculate.co.uk  | +44 (0) 1932 268 899

A.J. Kohn of Blind Five Year Old has written an extensive and thorough guide to all things Google+ that is well worth reading if you run or market your business online. For those short of time though, I’ll cut a long story short and tell you that Search+, as Kohn has named it, no longer bases search results on pages that are most relevant to your search term but instead provides results that are relevant to your search term and to you, personally.

The first point to make, and one that I can’t stress enough, is to get your business on Google+! Then, implement a +1 button on your website – include it on all your product pages if you are an e-commerce company. A +1 works much like a Facebook ‘like’ or a Twitter ‘tweet’ in that it shares that page on the user’s Google+ profile. The (very important) difference here is that the number of +1s a page has will affect where it ranks in Google search results.

When signed into Google, users will see a mixture of generic search results and pages that people in their circles (think, ‘friends’) have +1’d. Having many +1s, regardless of whether they are from the user’s circle lists or not, will also bump a page up in the search results. Another point to note is that content you write on your Google+ page, whether a personal profile or a business page, can also appear in search results, especially if many people have +1’d it, which doesn’t happen with Facebook or Twitter posts.

Basically, by creating a Google+ presence and encouraging website visitors to +1 your pages, you will be increasing your search rankings in a way that may be more effective than any other SEO technique to date. With many businesses yet to cotton on, right now Google+ is offering a low-competition, high-result method of marketing which any business would be crazy to pass up on!

Google has already expressed its interest in the world of quantum computers, by dabbling with D-Wave’s Chimera chip back in December 2009.

That chip was not part of a true quantum computer, but achieved impressive results.

So, what is quantum computing, and how could it affect SEO?

Quantum computing refers to computers which rely on quantum mechanical stuff directly. It’s relatively easy to create a computer which relies on an understanding of quantum mechanics – ‘classic’ computers already do, using semiconductors.

The real trick is to make use of two quantum phenomena:

“Superposition” is the ability of an object to be in a variety of states at once.

“Entanglement” is where changes in one sub-atomic particle are directly reflected in another, linked, sub-atomic particle.

The most likely result of large-scale quantum computing, as far as SEO is concerned, would be an increase in Google’s access to computing power, and a reduction in their use of resources.

If they could focus on maintaining a smaller cluster of quantum computers, for instance, they might be able to use more extensive ‘Mechanical Turk’ methods of verifying sites.

Less likely, if Microsoft got the jump on Google, Bing could stand to make some real gains – better service for websites, and the ability to utterly revamp their search algorithms.

For SEO agencies, it’ll present a range of new challenges.

Larger computing tasks would be run through servers directly owned by Google and Microsoft, which could lead to massive conflicts of interest.

Search engines will be able to run more sophisticated algorithms, and will probably become capable of reliably detecting SEO link-building and keyword patterns. They may penalise traditional SEO.

Content and on-site optimisation might end up being the most important parts of online marketing, and the visible difference between many digital campaigns and traditional advertising will start to disappear.

Don’t worry too much. A major breakthrough is a way off, a good decade by conservative estimates.

But do worry a bit.

The advent of quantum computing will be a game-changer.

Disclaimer: This article was written by the holder of an Arts degree. Nausea, hair loss, or superpowers due to the misapplication of Science^TM are entirely the reader’s fault.

Kestrel Ophthalmics provide a breadth of todays innovations in Ophthalmic products to key clinicians who require outstanding service and support, insightful specialist knowledge and a high caliber of products, delivering successful patient outcomes.

Immaculate have been appointed to provide traditional and digital design and marketing support to help Kestrel to become renowned as the most respected distributor of ophthalmic products in the UK.

Maria Ponsford, Deputy Managing Director at Kestrel Ophthalmics comments:

‘We chose Immaculate our partner as we felt they really understood us and our aims, not only who we are now but also who we want to be in the future. Creative ideas coupled with solid design made it an easy decision. Paul and Phil already feel part of our team.’

All will become clear with the launch of their new website early in the New Year – watch this space!

Not only is the navigation organised in a more sensible way but there are also several new reporting functions that will shed more light on your data. As many of these are brand new check out these links for more information on how to find the reports and how the information can help you learn more about how your visitors are interacting with your website.

Google Analytics Real Time

See visitors interacting with your website right now, page views are reported only seconds after they occur.

Multi-Channel Funnels

This exciting new report allows you to see which channels brought visitors and the paths they used during the 30 days prior to conversion.

Mobile Reporting

With the rapid increase in mobile users this report gives you greater visibility to see the devises that people are using to find your site. Knowing this information will allow you to take steps to optimise for these users.

Flow Visualisation

This highly visual and sophisticated tool graphically shows how visitors navigate through your site. This is a complete re-imagination of the navigation tools available in the old version of Google Analytics.

Are you an Account Executive ready to step up or an Account Manager looking for the next stage of their career? Do you want to create multi-sector solutions for a vast range of businesses? Can you help provide engaging, relevant, innovative strategies and memorable creative experiences that deliver clients the best possible return on their investment?

If you think you got what it takes we’d like to hear from you

No phone calls and No agencies please

Developing product launch promotion communications

Creating tools to facilitate seminar experiences

Delivery of e-Camapaigns through HTML communications

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Presenting the product with attention to detail

Creating brand styled infographics to tell the story

Direct mail and promotional activities to get the product noticed and talked about

Tools that help to inform the patient

Product communications to raise brand profile and align perceptions

Promotional activities to drive awareness and actions

Literature detailing the benefits and functionality of the product

Communications to inform and educate the patient

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Depakote 'Postcards from the edge' campaign mailing used powerful messages from real life sufferers

Campaign pieces focused on patient insights and experiences

Data conveyed clearly and concisely

Campaign materials for psychiatrists and prescribers

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Great Ormond Street Hospital PAH patient information 'filofax' folder

A personal medical record for children suffering from PAH and their families

Detailed information & options for treatment, clearly laid out and colour coded for ease

Setting out the way forward for the brand and educating audiences to present it in an engaging yet consistent way

Brand communication tools to 'tell the Merial story'

Brand engagement activation and identity guidelines to ensure that brand messages are consistently told

Use drop shipping to minimise your risks

Drop shipping is a great way for small businesses to set up effective e-commerce sites that offer a wide range of different products. The risk factor is limited, as there is no need for a large upfront initial investment in stock and it also saves on storage expenses. When someone places an order on your site, you simply need to relay it to the wholesaler, who will post the items directly to the customer. Easy!

Top class customer service doesn’t have to cost a fortune

By simply listening to what your customers say, you can quickly build a great reputation and develop your all-important brand trust. Don’t be afraid to say sorry! A great way to apologise is to gift your customer a money-off coupon – they benefit from a reduced price and you get the chance to make sure that, next time, their experience is spot on.

Build a slick website

It pays to invest in your website, but don’t fall into the trap of thinking that expensive always equals good. An inexpensive site with great usability and a simple design will always win out over an expensive, flashy site that is difficult to navigate.

Test your usability

Usability testing and conversion rate optimisation will help you to increase conversions from your existing customers. You don’t even need to drive lots more traffic – by simply making your site secure, easy to use and a pleasure to browse, a greater proportion of your customers will contact you or complete the payment process, earning you more profits.

Invest in PPC and SEO

Internet marketing is an affordable and highly effective way to increase the amount of traffic to any site and allows small brands to rank alongside the market leaders. Once you have started to invest in SEO your traffic will begin to increase – and as you already have a slick website with an awesome design and great usability, you should have no problem converting all of these new visitors into paying customers.

Develop some awesome content

This can be a resource, infographic, video, blog, or whatever! As long as the content is unique, relevant and interesting you will find that more people visit your site, giving you the opportunity to develop relationships and build a community based around what you do.

Don’t try to run before you can walk

Your site is up and running, you have loads of traffic and a great conversion rate, your relationships and online community is growing – so what’s next? Firstly, just keep doing what you are doing. Make sure that you’re not only good at what you do, but great. Know your niche and once you are established; you can continue to grow the business from there.

Campaigns and materials were designed and developed for particular target audiences, with particular needs, but always with the products and service as drivers for success.

As a standard all pieces are produced in English, French & German, with other translations and adaptations as required.

Fluid iconography to symbolise sound described in bright color ways to appeal to the audience demographic

Giving the brand personality in on and offline environments

A place to come and explore products and enjoy experiences

Bringing it all together online and across Europe

International brand campaigning

Quite simply a place to live the brand

National and international product campaigning

‘more immaculate than immaculate – these guys deliver the goods time after time after time!’

European Marketing Manager

Skyscape is the new standard for a greener, smarter and cost effective cloud solutions which are secure, sustainable and compliant.

Immaculate assisted this ‘assured cloud alliance’ which included such names as Cisco, QinetiQ, EMC and VM ware to position their new cloud services offer and present to the market.

Paul Cutmore, Managing Director at immaculate comments:

‘We sought to communicate Skyscape by creating brand communications that enabled differentiation of the offer. We did this by leveraging value, integrity and social responsibility to develop a core proposition that set them apart and positioned Skyscape for success; in saturated market place.’

Watch this space, literally, for the next installment

Click image to view website

First impressions count for this new consultancy

A wide range of services - click to view website

Always looking to take the brand to the next level

A coffee table piece that embodies the ‘Toothbeary experience’

Patient information leaflet

Patient plan reminder information

Creation of a brand and communications that could stand up within a B2B environment and have the ability to migrate to a B2C

Mobile and tablet compatible website build

Bringing all the services together in one digital environment. Click image to view the website

Classy, sophisticated and elegant – says it all

A CMS driven website to tell the story of this idyllic luxurious retreat - click image to view website

A new identity to bring this once traditional printer in line with their new offer

A website to re-enforce the brand statement described within the new identity and to change audiences perceptions - click image to view website

A new website and service offer differentiation for this consultancy

Developing an identity that could be seen as innovative yet trustworthy and delivering to market was the challenge.

Clean, contemporary and corporate. Click image to view the website

Creating an brand identity that signals the personalities of the business, the individuals within it and delivering communications that present ‘freedom’ - Click on image to view website

Tools to help position the business offer to convince potential clients to switch

The complete service offer remit presented under one consistent communication style