When it comes to branding your business, just getting past the logo design can be daunting. Once you have a logo, what do you do with it? Mariah Walters, CEO of TheInnkeeper.com bed & breakfast directory, had an existing logo, a lot of ideas, and a short timeline as the annual PAII conference approached. What to do? In August 2013, she’d worked with InsideOut to finish step one: a full, WordPress-based website redesign.
With the PAII conference coming up, it was time to put her branding into high gear! Mariah worked with InsideOut Graphic Designer, Jennifer Lozada, to create a consistently branded trade show booth. From the printed business cards and brochures to the 10-foot backdrop, everything had the same look and feel for a professional first impression.
Essential Elements for Branding Your Business at Trade Shows
TheInnkeeper.com’s trade show booth at the 2014 PAII conference. Mariah and her team added the homey finishing touches!
Using the new website as a design base, Jennifer worked with Mariah to design the following branded products, which are vital pieces for any trade show presence.
Trade Show Display Designs: the “Big Picture” for Branding Your Business
Using the logo, fonts and colors from the website, Jennifer designed two portable 10′ x 7.5’and 2.5′ x 2.5′ displays, both fabricated by AAdvantageDisplays.com. Because there would be a table in front of the large display, Jennifer kept the most important information on the top half of the display. The smaller display was designed to be used either on the floor or a tabletop.
Graphic Design of Brochures and Business Cards: the “Take Away” Pieces for Branding Your Business at Trade Shows
QR-coded trifold brochure and business card designs for TheInnkeeper.com.
Jennifer also worked with Mariah to create a full color trifold brochure, 8.5″ x 11″ when fully opened. To save on production costs and envelopes, they chose a standard letter size designed with a self-mailer panel. (Larger and non-standard sizes always cost more. Not having to mail in an envelope is an added bonus!) Both her brochure and business card feature QR codes that allow smartphone users to simply scan and arrive at her website—no typing! The back of the business card was left uncoated so Mariah and her team members could write additional notes or contact information if needed.
OpenOffice Slideshow Presentation
Using the content Mariah provided, Jennifer created a slideshow using TheInnkeeper.com’s logo and colors. Mariah could now use her laptop as another display, playing the presentation about TheInnkeeper’s services in a continuous loop. Designed with OpenOffice, a free, open source program, the slideshow can now be used by Mariah as a template for future presentations.
“Thank you so much for your beautiful design work. The convention was outstanding!”
~ Mariah Walters, CEO, TheInnkeeper.com
Branding your business doesn’t have to be a pain when you have the right people to work with! Contact us today for help with designing trade show booth displays, brochures, business cards and other graphic designs for small businesses.