What Does it Mean to be a Marketing and Communications Agency?

What Does it Mean to be a Marketing and Communications Agency?At Asterisk Creative, we pride ourselves on being an award-winning marketing and communications agency. But what exactly does that mean?

Bascially, a marketing and communications agency takes a full-service approach. We understand that no matter the set up, marketing must work with public relations which must work with digital and so on and so forth. It’s best for all involved when all of those entities can be under one roof.

At Asterisk Creative, we have teams that are segmented by specialty. However, we all work together to offer you a holistic approach. Whether you’re in need of branding, public relations, SEO, social media management, marketing materials, web design and development, or some combination thereof, our teams work together to make sure your messaging is cohesive and your overall goals are met. All of your campaigns are multi-faceted, and all facets are designed to work together. Your marketing communications are custom-designed to speak to your company and each of its target audiences. What you get in return is a higher lead generation count which ups your potential to increase sales. This is exactly what you should expect from a marketing and communications agency worth its salt.

If this sounds like the type of help you need – or that you’ll be looking for in the new year – give us a shout. We’d love to add you to our client roster and get your business going gangbusters!

Get the Best from Your Graphic Designer

Get the Best from Your Graphic Designer | Asterisk Creative | Southeast Branding AgencyWhen hiring a graphic designer, a lot gets laid on their shoulders and depends on their skills. But there are a few things you can bring to the table to get the best from your graphic designer. Here are a few tips.

Know the goals of the piece you want designed.
Is this an informational piece? Is the purpose of this piece more to drive sales? The look and feel of the design will be completely different depending on what you want the piece to accomplish. Communicating your goals to your graphic designer is certainly essential to get a proper design.

Communicate your expectations and deadlines.
Among the first pieces of information your graphic designer needs is your deadline. Everything hinges on that. Your designer will need to work backwards to factor in print time, proof time, revision time and design time. Your graphic designer also needs to know how involved you want or need to be, as well as any fonts and colors associated with your brand. This will allow them to work with you appropriately in terms of how strict a brand standard they need to stick to.

Be clear about your design ideas and inspirations.
If you have a concept in your head – or in your boardroom – of how you want your piece to look, let your graphic designer know now, not later. No one wants to let a client down. And no one wants to spend time on a design that doesn’t match what a client is looking for. If your brand is built upon a Bohemian look, giving a designer free reign may find you getting a highly structural piece back as a result. And you’re not going to like it.

Also be crystal clear about your audience.
While your wants and needs should come into play, a good graphic designer is going to chat with you about who you’re trying to reach, too. As we’ve discussed in a previous post, things that seem like simple choices, like fonts and colors, often communicate “messages” of their own. Having a graphic designer that knows those messages and uses them to your advantage in reaching YOUR audience is crucial.

Ready to get started with your graphic design project? Contact Asterisk Creative today.

Let Us Be Your Storytellers

Let Us Be Your Storytellers | Southeast Marketing and Branding Agency | Asterisk CreativeAt Asterisk Creative, we talk a lot about being storytellers. But what do we mean by that?

Effective advertising and marketing campaigns don’t just market a product or a service. They convey your brand message to your target audience. They authentically communicate the values of your company. In short, they tell your story.

As one of the southeast’s premier advertising, marketing and branding agencies, Asterisk Creative has made storytelling an award-winning business. We understand that in order to grow a brand you must find the genuine values that speak to your target audience. We know that you must then leverage those in a way that creates new business. Our team focuses on your marketing and branding goals and how they pertain to your overall business objectives.  We take a big-picture look at what is meaningful branding-wise, and we set a clear definition of what success will look like. Our team then gets to work on creating a branding and marketing strategy that is the right mixture of design, advertising, & public relations. All to get your story told effectively.

We have a team of storytellers, creative minds with the capability to create content, design, and experiences that will speak to your audience in a way nothing else can. Contact Asterisk Creative and have your story told.

Graphic Design Best Practices

graphic design best practices | graphic design agency | web design agency | asterisk creativeWhether you’re talking about a website layout or printed marketing pieces, good design is essential. Knowing and following graphic design best practices is a great place to start.

One of the most basic graphic design best practices, and one that’s stood the test of time, is KISS – Keep It Simple, Stupid. Simply stated: don’t overcrowd your piece, don’t use a convoluted collection of colors and fonts, and don’t forget that white space is your friend. A simple design communicates your message much more effectively.

Another basic best practice in graphic design is understanding the messages your color choices send. Warm colors bring feelings of passion; cool colors have a calming effect. If you reference a color wheel, colors side-by-side are analogous and communicate unity and balance. Colors across from each other are complementary; using complementary colors brings a bit more higher emotion to your design.

Lastly, humans tend to read designs (both web and print) from top left to bottom right, generally speaking. A good design will make this flow easy for the viewer and not block that flow at any point.

Let your marketing pieces speak volumes for you. Contact Asterisk Creative for amazing design work today.