Now that 2010 is in full swing you may have already abandoned your new year's resolution to get fit, but one resolution you can keep is to empower your mind with some new knowledge.

Each year I like to make a list of books I'd like to read to add to my repertoire of knowledge.  Even if you get through only a couple of books on your list each year it's an opportunity to gain different insights, perspectives and tips from various authors.

I enjoy reading music business, design and entrepreneurial books to help educate, motivate and inspire me in ways that help me in my artistic and business endeavors. 

After speaking with other artists, musicians and business owners I realized that others feel the same way about incorporating regular reading into their informational diet.  That's why I've enhanced my Recommended Reading page within this website giving you the opportunity to not only review books that may assist you, but also purchase them.  Enjoy.

A logo is a cue card to your brand.  Whether you’re a musician or a large company having a logo is a quick and easy way for others to identify who you are and what you do.

A logo is a part of your entity’s identity.  Once others become aware of who you are and what you do—and see your logo plastered all over every marketing piece that you create--they’ll start to see your logo and immediately recall what they know and think about you. 

Once known, your logo becomes the visual reference that, when seen allows the viewer to recall all that they know about you and your endeavors.  You may hear companies talk about branding—that’s what they’re talking about; the association someone makes when they see the company’s logo or hear the company’s name.  That’s your brand.

Hopefully, people associate good things with your brand.  However, that association is up to you and your actions to create a positive reputation for yourself.  Once you have a positive reputation in place you’ll want to help your fans, clients and customers to quickly and easily recall that brand with little to no explanation, hence creating a logo—a visual reference to your brand.

What makes a good logo:

Understandable – It’s easy to read and grasp the logo concept.  If there is text, it’s easily readable, and if there are iconic images or visual elements they’re also understandable, or make visual sense within the design as a whole.

Color or not – Good logos look great stripped down to their essence, meaning they work well in black and white or with color (just like a good song that if you strip it down to only the barest essential instrumentation still captures the essence of the tune…then you know you’ve got a good song).

Large or small – Good logos work well in large sizes or small as on a business card.

Simple – Great logos are simple. Over complicated logos are busy and do not keep a viewers attention.  A simple logo is like good concise writing—the fewest amount of words are used to get the message across to readers.

Visual impact – By this I’m referring to how visually interesting the logo is.  In other words, does it catch your eye?  Is it visually pleasing to your eye?  Is it memorable?

Need logo design?  contact Nick Venturella Media