‘State of the Art’ keeps you apprised of the latest in design and offers sensible and dignified solutions to the ever-changing modern marketing landscape that local businesses grapple with every day. In crafting their distinctive logos, definitive taglines, award-winning ad campaigns, effective marketing materials and elegant websites, Northlight Advertising executives Rick Miller and Linda Smith draw from decades of experience and a passion for creative energy. Whether you run a small business, corporation, educational institution, restaurant, museum or one of the country’s finest homebuilders, let them shed some light on the economical approach to producing exceptional results. 

[dropcap style=”square” color=”#0c0c0c” bgcolor=”#ffffff” sradius=”40″ font=”arial”]Q:[/dropcap]We’re a small, nonprofit arts organization dedicated to family-friendly programming in the borough of West Chester. Our founder was also a professional graphic designer. So we saved a ton of money in the start-up days with her as our in-house creative. But that was 15 years ago and she has since moved on. How do we know when it’s time to think about updating our image?

[dropcap style=”square” color=”#0c0c0c” bgcolor=”#ffffff” sradius=”40″ font=”arial”]A:[/dropcap]It’s time. There have been a few changes in the world over the last 15 years – and keeping your image fresh is an ongoing task. Obviously, the biggest change has been the explosion of online venues as a showcase for your brand. We would start with a review of your existing materials and current marketing efforts and a discussion of your goals for the near term and the future. When it comes to your logo and collateral, we’ll give you our honest advice. We won’t advise you to spend money where it isn’t needed. After 15 years, there is probably a lot of value in your existing brand, so we don’t need to “re-invent the wheel” – maybe just spin it in some new directions. At Northlight, we take pride in being good listeners and creative thinkers… but our creativity is always grounded in our common sense.

To us, doing great work isn’t a chore, it’s an obsession.

[dropcap style=”square” color=”#0c0c0c” bgcolor=”#ffffff” sradius=”40″ font=”arial”]Q:[/dropcap]My husband and I fulfilled our life-long dream last month when we opened our very own antiques rental operation in Kennett Square. Needless to say, we don’t feel “at home” on the web, but we pay our bills online and use Facebook to keep up with our grandchildren. So when we were approached by a firm to handle our website we were a little confused when they quoted us on SEO AND design work. We know SEO is important, but should we be paying out of our ears for both?

[dropcap style=”square” color=”#0c0c0c” bgcolor=”#ffffff” sradius=”40″ font=”arial”]A:[/dropcap]Congratulations on achieving your dream. Now let’s get to work so it doesn’t become a nightmare. Having been self-employed for 40 years, I’m quite familiar with your situation. However, your question about “paying out of your ears for both” doesn’t sound right. Using one source for the design of your advertising message and the marketing of that message should actually save you money. At Northlight, we also provide “one stop shopping” so I understand why any sensible advertising firm would combine online skills (such as SEO) and design work… because it’s all related. Having one team handle everything keeps your image and your message consistent across all venues. Plus, things happen much faster when everything is under one roof – from photography and ad design to press releases, event management and all things web (including SEO, e-blasts and social media) – there’s a lot of “overlap” that saves us time and you money.  I’m thinking that maybe you’ve just been listening to the wrong firm.

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We are surrounded by design almost every minute of our lives, yet making design decisions that delight customers and drive business can be tough.  If you’re struggling with a design matter at work or home shoot Rick an email and check back next month to see if he answered your query.