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Loving these super shiny #spotuv #postcards we designed for our clients @pillow_partners 🤩 @westcoastaccelerator #printdesign #spotuvpostcards #graphicdesign #ayrshirebusiness https://www.instagram.com/p/BuYcRvFFdBP/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=gvcg6b555yf4

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To celebrate 3 years since Gosh Creative launched, we decided to give Ayrshire Businesses the chance to win £2000 worth of branding, print and digital.

Entrepreneurs were invited to submit a poem or verse about their business for a chance at the prize. 

 We received funny poems, clever poems, touching poems - some rhymed and some didn’t but they all had passion. 

We held a Burns Supper on Friday 25 January. The haggis was piped in by local piper, Calum. We cut it open to reveal the winner, Leanne Cairns Millinery (previously Fascinators by Leanne). 

 Leanne’s fantastic poem is below:  

 Makin’ time fur yer ain Bunnet 

 Wee sleakit cowrin tim’rous bunnet Whiy ye still no oan ma heed? The winters nearly oor And yer still a piece o’ tweed 

A hae been that busy makin’ Fur ithers oor the year  Waddins’, racin’ an’ aw that Yin day, a ken ye’ll appear 

 Ma napper noo is foonered An’ in need o’ a bonnie bunnet Ma heid needs you oot there To perch up oan ma summit 

 Wae trimming, an’ brimmin’ Sewin’ an’ blockin’ An’ makin’ the lassies braw A ken its’s time tae get ye done Afore the February thaw 

 Watch out as we will be sharing Leanne’s journey as we develop her brand identity, print materials and website. Follow her story on Facebook and Instagram @gotogosh

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Loving our new branding! We will be updating all our #socialmedia profiles and #marketing materials very soon! Here’s our new #businesscard with our updated #logo #spotuv https://www.instagram.com/p/BpPBxg3F2Lj/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=s6uv02lcckck

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Roller banner designed by Gosh for @stirlingbridgefestival @westcoastaccelerator #graphicdesign #collaboration #ayrshire #westisbest #gotogosh https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo8uDWiFb38/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=osy5mdupw9hh

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I had a lovely afternoon yesterday delivering #wordpresstraining for the super talented Frances Clarke. We designed a #WordPress #website to showcase Frances’ stunning portfolio check it out here: www.francesclarksculpture.co.uk Now Frances can keep her website up-to-date with all her latest artwork, news and events 🙌 #graphicdesign #webdesign #sculpture #ayrshire #westcoastaccelerator https://www.instagram.com/p/BovuLunFtN2/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=8sayxu0exab8

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Not a bad place for a Friday morning meeting #Garrettgardens ##westk #sunnyday https://www.instagram.com/p/BoQ3qQcFq4Z/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1n7av9t9by2cw

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The posters designed by our work experience pupil, Jodie arrived today! Looking forward to getting them distributed @vertexfest @deadelectric @theshores_band @dywayrshire @westcoastaccelerator #graphicdesign #yearofyoungpeople https://www.instagram.com/p/BoMkwQVlnha/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=16w24zd9y2m6a

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Delighted to have Jodie from Greenwood Academy with us this week as part of the @dywayrshire work experience programme. She has successfully designed a poster for the @deadelectric @theshores_band gig who are playing at @vertexfest this November and sent it off to print - I’ll share it here when it arrives #graphicdesign #ayrshire #posters #livemusic https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn_E3yxlKEB/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=5lu2ev439frk

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So...working from home today and my Bluetooth keyboard has given up. I managed to borrow this beauty #itsgonnabeagoodday for #graphicdesign https://www.instagram.com/p/BnqJ0ZZloEc/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=11ezezpgsk2tw

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Janet @liquidicious is delighted with our new #EllieMae #businesscards designed by Gosh #ayrshire #graphicdesign

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Fantastic quote from Dilma Rousseff #internationalwomensday

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Very excited to see these #woodeffect #embossed #businesscards we designed for @a.r.interiors in #westkilbride. They are a perfect complement to the beautiful wooden products available in store. #westk #ayrshirebusiness

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If anyone is passing Gosh HQ with a jar of instant please stop by - there is just a lonely coaster where my #coffee should be after a failed attempt to make posh #coffee with my #aeropress #firstworldproblems #letusbelovely #designerlife

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Typeface Personality

When creating a brand there are a lot of things you need to consider: colour, logotype and typeface. There are thousands of typefaces, each with their own personality. So, which one should you use? Your typefaces' personality should reflect the personality of your brand. So make sure you get it right.

Serif Serif fonts have small lines at the end of strokes to help your eyes go from letter to letter easily. The lines can be a small flick or a longer more elegant line, this is used more for decoration. One example of a Serif typeface is Georgia. 

Serif typefaces are considered: traditional, formal and mature.

Sans Serif Sans Serifs are similar to serifs but without the extra lines and decoration. This is the most common typeface used online because it is very easy read. Sans Serifs are useful with small text. Most have sharp solid lines such as Arial. 

Sans Serif typefaces are considered modern and contemporary.

Script Scripts are elegant typefaces. Scripts have a strong personalities compared to Serifs and Sans Serifs; so they work well as titles. AnnabelleJF is a good example of a script font; it is elegant and fancy. Script typefaces are difficult to read so they are not used in main bodies of text.

This blog was posted by Matthew, while he was on work experience from Ardrossan Academy.

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Business cards designed for Sarah Hunter at Pink Ivy #graphicdesign #businesscards #print #pink #ayrshire #marketing #networking #iknowawomanwhocan #abw

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How To Name Your Business

So, you have decided to start your own business, great! You know what you do, how you do it, why you do it, where you do it and who you do it for - now all you need is the perfect name that sums it all up.

This is one of the first stumbling blocks for many new businesses. Some people have a eureka moment and find the perfect name almost instantly, that just happens to have a free domain name and free social media profile waiting to be launched. For most businesses, finding the right name is a long (sometimes) painstaking process that can take days, weeks, months even.

I have put together some top tips to help you find the perfect name for your business:

WHEN TO START

Most businesses will want to get the name sorted straight away, because it makes your idea more tangible and it also helps you start spreading the word about your exciting new venture. Pause.

Before you think about naming your business, define your brand:

Who you are?

What do you do?

Why do you do it?

How do you do it?

Who do you do it for?

Once you have answered these questions - you can start brainstorming ideas.

BRAINSTORMING

If possible, get some people to help you at this stage, it is good to bounce ideas around and get a conversation going.

What you will need:

Post it notes

A flip chart or big sheets of paper

Pens and pencils

Thesaurus

Methods:

Keywords

Start by drawing up a list of all the keywords associated with your business. This could be products, services, brand values, location, industry. A good way of doing this is for each person to take some post it notes and a pen and then you all get 5-10 mins to write down as many keywords as you can.

You then stick all the post it notes on a big sheet of paper and look for prominent words that appear multiple times, but also look out for words that have a fresh appeal.

Once you have selected 10-15 words from the activity, start mind mapping.

Mind mapping

This is a great activity for generating names, it can be done alone or in a small group. Write one keyword at a time on a large piece of paper or flipchart and start writing down words associated with that word (see example below) - you can use a thesaurus if you get stuck. Once you run out of words start with next key word and so, until you have done them all. This helps generate fresh ideas and opens new avenues.

GENERATING NAMES

Now you have all the words that you associate with your business, whether it’s related to the names of people involved, services, products, geography, colour association - you can start to draw up a list of possible names - try to 10-15 names.

Here are some name types you might want to consider

Founder names: e.g. Morrisons Popular for professional services where the reputation, knowledge and experience of the owners is key to the success of the business.

Product or Service names: e.g. hotels.com Does what it says on the tin approach, great for search engine optimisation and keeps things nice and simple.

Metaphorical Names: e.g. Orange With so many names already taken a metaphorical name can be the perfect way to project the essence of your brand and help you stand out from your competitors.

Random names: e.g.  Apple Sometimes a name doesn’t have to mean anything. Companies like Apple have chosen random names which didn’t have any obvious attachment to their products or services and now they are household names.

Mashed-up names: e.g. MailChimp Quirky and fun, mashed up names are also good for unique domain names and social media profiles.

Super short, abbreviated names: e.g. Fedex The shorter your web address and Twitter handle the better, that’s why companies like Federal Express have been shortening their names and their web addresses

Made up names: e.g. Twitter Can’t get the name you want – make one up. Misspelling, mashups and names plucked out of thin air are all over the internet.

CHECKING AVAILABILITY

Now you have your list be careful not to get to attached to anyone one name, it might already be taken. If there is another Sam’s shoe shop in Peru, it’s probably not a game changer, but if it’s in the same town, county or country – you probably need a rethink.

Availability checks:

 Is the domain name free?

Can you get the matching social media profiles?

Are there any other companies registered with the same name?

Is the name registered or trademarked?

TONE OF VOICE/BRAND AWARENESS

At this stage, you might have lost some or all of your names, you will probably have 5-10 potential names to take forward. Now you need to start thinking how each name works in relation to your brand.

If you are offering professional services, such as legal services, a mashed-up name could appear silly and unprofessional.

If you are opening a soft play for children a founder name such as Bill Wright Associates would be misleading.

You can test names by setting up a focus groups or distributing a survey.  Ask questions like:

Is it memorable?

Is it relevant?

Is it unique?

How does it make you feel? 

Once you compiled all your research – Choose a Name.

I hope that is offered you some guidance on selecting the right name for your business.

If you have any questions or would like some help branding your business, get in touch.

Call Mary on 07484 515 451 or email: mary@goshcreative.co.uk

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New West Kilbride visitor map designed by Mary Cahill at Gosh Creative.