http://www.mystique.ca/blog/index.php var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www."); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); ]]> Copyright 2012, from me from me en-US SPHPBLOG 0.5.1 http://www.mystique.ca/blog/index.php?entry=entry120430-161910
Slipstre.am
Slipstre.am is a plug-in for Chrome that allows you to hide certain status updates on Twitter.

For example, if like me you think Foursquare-based tweets are irrelevant, then simply add ‘Foursquare’ and / or ‘4sq.com’ as a term. You can also mute specific users.

Mute.ly
If you’re just looking for a simple tool that mutes a Twitter user then here it is.

Buffer
A scheduling tool for Twitter. Rather than sharing lots of content in a short space of time, you can click the Buffer bookmarklet to add it to your tweeting schedule. Tweets will then be staggered. You can plug in your Bit.ly account to use a custom domain and monitor analytics. Try Buffer.

PostPost
A tool that helps you to discover interesting tweets that might otherwise have been buried. PostPost identifies standout content from the people you follow, and aggregates it on one page (embedding watchable videos and full size images, as opposed to links).

Tweetwally
A tool for creating a ‘tweetwall’. Choose hashtags, keywords or users and Tweetwally will display them on a dedicated web page. You can embed tweetwall onto your own website.

econsultancy.com



Frank Beecham
Mystique Creative]]> Social Media http://www.mystique.ca/blog/index.php?entry=entry120430-161910 from me Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:19:10 GMT http://www.mystique.ca/blog/comments.php?y=12&m=04&entry=entry120430-161910 http://www.mystique.ca/blog/index.php?entry=entry120430-161740
Findings include:
• 98% have a Facebook page with an average community size of over 8k fans.
• Average Facebook and Twitter communities grew by 30% and 81%, respectively.
• Average value of a Facebook Like is $214.81 over 12 months following acquisition.
• 73% allocate half of a full time employee to managing social networking activities.
• 43% budget $0 for their social networking activities.
• The top 3 factors for success are: strategy, prioritization, dedicated staff.




Frank Beecham
Mystique Creative]]> Social Media http://www.mystique.ca/blog/index.php?entry=entry120430-161740 from me Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:17:40 GMT http://www.mystique.ca/blog/comments.php?y=12&m=04&entry=entry120430-161740 http://www.mystique.ca/blog/index.php?entry=entry120426-160402
Slipstre.am
Slipstre.am is a plug-in for Chrome that allows you to hide certain status updates on Twitter. 

For example, if like me you think Foursquare-based tweets are irrelevant, then simply add ‘Foursquare’ and / or ‘4sq.com’ as a term. You can also mute specific users.

Mute.ly
If you’re just looking for a simple tool that mutes a Twitter user then here it is.

Buffer
A scheduling tool for Twitter. Rather than sharing lots of content in a short space of time, you can click the Buffer bookmarklet to add it to your tweeting schedule. Tweets will then be staggered. You can plug in your Bit.ly account to use a custom domain and monitor analytics. Try Buffer.

PostPost
A tool that helps you to discover interesting tweets that might otherwise have been buried. PostPost identifies standout content from the people you follow, and aggregates it on one page (embedding watchable videos and full size images, as opposed to links).

Tweetwally
A tool for creating a ‘tweetwall’. Choose hashtags, keywords or users and Tweetwally will display them on a dedicated web page. You can embed tweetwall onto your own website. 

econsultancy.com



Frank Beecham
Mystique Creative]]> Social Media http://www.mystique.ca/blog/index.php?entry=entry120426-160402 from me Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:04:02 GMT http://www.mystique.ca/blog/comments.php?y=12&m=04&entry=entry120426-160402 http://www.mystique.ca/blog/index.php?entry=entry120416-101857 Relogo is a branding initiative developed by designer Matt McInerney.

rel="logo" is a proposed standard for serving and maintaining up-to-date logos for use in various media. By including a line of code on your site that links to a scalable vector logo, you make it very easy for other websites, applications, readers, clients, and stations to ensure that they are using an approved logo directly from you.
– relogo.org

This is a brilliant proposal and I really hope that it gains the recognition and support it deserves. Gone will be the days of bitmapped client logos for print. This is good for all, designers and clients alike. Let's make this happen!

Say goodbye to moments like this ...


Kudos to those progressive companies such as foursquare for showing their support.



Rene Tan
Graphic Designer
Mystique Creative
]]> Graphic Design, Branding http://www.mystique.ca/blog/index.php?entry=entry120416-101857 from me Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:18:57 GMT http://www.mystique.ca/blog/comments.php?y=12&m=04&entry=entry120416-101857 http://www.mystique.ca/blog/index.php?entry=entry120329-114530
Below are a few examples of logos recently designed by Mystique. Let us know how you like them.
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ARCTIC HARVEST • A new product line for Just Quality International — a leading supplier of Frozen Vegetables/Fruits, Juice Concentrates and ingredients for the food, beverage and nutritional industries for the US and Canada.


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MEETINGS INDUSTRY EUCHRE TOURNAMENT(MIET) • An event created to raise much needed funds in support of Princess Margaret Hospital, a world recognized leader in the fight against cancer. For more information visit their site http://miet.ca/


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THE CORD BLOOD BANK OF CANADA • The cord blood bank of choice for expectant parents. Stay tuned for their new website.

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JUNO HOOPS • A revised logo to highlight a change in venue. This year's event is held in Ottawa. It will be the second annual celebrity basketball game in support of MusiCounts, Canada’s music education charity associated with CARAS.


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EWT Construction • A new contacting company focusing on home renovations including additions, remodeling, as well as decks.

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Does your brand reflect the outstanding company you are — or want to be? Take a long hard look… Does your logo look dated? Are your communication pieces consistent with your website? Is your website converting visitors into profitable customers? If you're uncertain — or believe your image is less than stellar — it's time to overhaul your brand.

We'd love to speak with you about your specific branding initiatives. Contact us today.



Paul Bies

President,
Mystique Creative


]]> Graphic Design http://www.mystique.ca/blog/index.php?entry=entry120329-114530 from me Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:45:30 GMT http://www.mystique.ca/blog/comments.php?y=12&m=03&entry=entry120329-114530 http://www.mystique.ca/blog/index.php?entry=entry120323-171503
Here are a few interesting personal branding projects I've come across that can get the juices flowing as well as some of my personal favourites.

Comic Sans project




Hipster Branding








Branding Lakes






Rene Tan
Graphic Designer
Mystique Creative

]]> Graphic Design, Branding http://www.mystique.ca/blog/index.php?entry=entry120323-171503 from me Fri, 23 Mar 2012 21:15:03 GMT http://www.mystique.ca/blog/comments.php?y=12&m=03&entry=entry120323-171503 http://www.mystique.ca/blog/index.php?entry=entry120318-222212 Geosocial Networking – this type of social networking uses geographic services and capabilities, such as geocoding and geotagging, to enable additional social dynamics.
Location-Based Services – this type of information or entertainment service utilizes the geographic position of a mobile device through a network.


Read more: http://www.marketingtechblog.com/geosoc ... z1pWlR16tI

from www.marketingtechblog.com



Frank Beecham
Mystique Creative]]> General http://www.mystique.ca/blog/index.php?entry=entry120318-222212 from me Mon, 19 Mar 2012 02:22:12 GMT http://www.mystique.ca/blog/comments.php?y=12&m=03&entry=entry120318-222212 http://www.mystique.ca/blog/index.php?entry=entry120228-093357
Below are the good, bad and the downright ugly – of course I may be a tad harsh in categorization but in some cases, as you'll see below, sometimes it's not necessary to go through a rebrand.


The Good:

Toronto Blue Jays



This wasn't so much a rebrand as much as it was a modernized version of their original logo. Kudos goes out to this design as the retro feel draws out feelings of the good old days when the Jays won those back to back World Series Championships. I've regained some interest in our Jays (despite the team's recent seasons of stagnancy) – all thanks to nostalgia.

Lebron James



I think Lebron's latest iteration of his brand is something to be applauded. While I thought his LBJ23 logo integrated all those elements neatly into one mark – it was still overall, a busy and rather ugly looking brand. His new brand, not only is cleaner and far more simplified – it conveys more meaning. The mark integrates LJ into the crown element (which was somewhat lost in the last mark) and places that much more emphasis on his identity and nickname, King James. Gotta love how the brand works on a headband ...



Lebron may have destroyed some of his personal brand and fan-base with his free-agent antics (*ahem* the Decision) but this certainly makes it up for me, but then again I'm not a Cleveland native.

HP



This was a truly minimalistic take on Hewlett Packard's brand. This one was tough as it was either hit or miss – people I discussed this logo with either loved it or hated it. I think its just a clean and logical evolution for their brand as it conveys technology, speed and the future. Also, they've got enough brand equity to make this jump – just as Nike did with their swoosh mark. It's a shame that they decided not to take on this direction.


The Bad:

Museum of the Moving Image



The new brand really does nothing for me as it lacks the character and playful movement found in the type exercises of the old brand. What kills me though, is that they carry over that type exercise into other components of their branding such as web, digital and signage. Just doesn't make any sense.



Comedy Network



There's nothing funny about this rebrand. It may have some quirkiness built into the wordmark but it just doesn't compensate for the lack of colour and liveliness found in their old brand.

It also seems to get lost in its promotional materials as the word looks more like a descriptor than anything. This can probably be attributed to the fact that the tagline has been dropped and it almost needs a simple graphic like the oval enclosure to help distinguish it more as a brand.




And the Downright Ugly:

Sportsnet



For one of Canada's main sports networks, it seems awfully American – it is just me or did it immediately remind you of this.



One can applaud the attempt to emphasize the SN aspect of their brand to help incorporate its six sister stations but I think it just fell flat.

On another note, their major rival network – has already explored that direction of emphasis. Yes, its ugly but at least they have the excuse that they started using it six years ago.



MuchMusic



Did Martha Stewart buy the network? This is just one of those cases (much like Gap) where if it ain't broke – don't fix it. MuchMusic's logo is just so iconic – it may be old but it still retains modern looking standards in my opinion.

All images sourced from Brand New.



Rene Tan
Graphic Designer
Mystique Creative]]> Graphic Design, Branding http://www.mystique.ca/blog/index.php?entry=entry120228-093357 from me Tue, 28 Feb 2012 14:33:57 GMT http://www.mystique.ca/blog/comments.php?y=12&m=02&entry=entry120228-093357 http://www.mystique.ca/blog/index.php?entry=entry120223-121156

1. Content is King. You need to have lots of quality content that is related to your business. You want to engage the visitor to keep them coming back. Add a blog and keep adding articles as Google tends to like large sites.

2. Tag your images. Many forget to assign alt tags to their images. I'm not talking about calling a file 'logo'. Give alt tags to images that include your keywords.

3. Get quality inbound links. The keyword is quality. You need links from sites with a good reputation and lots of traffic. Beware of the spam links from directories with no relation to your industry. non-useful links are easily caught and discounted by search engines.

4. Videos help rankings. A under-utilized tool. A well produced video will not only help your SEO efforts but help build your brand.

5. Continue your SEO efforts. Website search engine optimization is an on-going process. If you want to maintain your page one rankings you need to review and update your site on an ongoing basis.

Need traffic for your site? Contact us for a free, no strings attached, website check up. Learn how we can help attract targeted traffic to your site and then leverage that traffic to grow your business.

Paul Bies


President,
Mystique Creative
416.441.2666 x 14
Contact us now.

P.S. Stay tuned for more articles to help you get noticed.
Bookmark this blog, or sign up for our RSS feed.]]> SEO http://www.mystique.ca/blog/index.php?entry=entry120223-121156 from me Thu, 23 Feb 2012 17:11:56 GMT http://www.mystique.ca/blog/comments.php?y=12&m=02&entry=entry120223-121156 http://www.mystique.ca/blog/index.php?entry=entry120214-111225
Unless it is an alphabetical character or number, typographical symbols are represented by a mix of gibberish html code. Remember these simple notes the next time you send or receive a manuscript, it’ll save a lot of editing time.





Frank Beecham
Mystique Creative]]> Graphic Design http://www.mystique.ca/blog/index.php?entry=entry120214-111225 from me Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:12:25 GMT http://www.mystique.ca/blog/comments.php?y=12&m=02&entry=entry120214-111225