Well, TOH has lain fallow for many months now. I haven't "gotten around" to posting any tips. This is chiefly because I am not passionate about the theme. Yes, I have knowledge to offer, yes it is a great fit with my business. There are some aspects to the specialty advertising industry I find fun and fresh. But my heart is not particularly in this.

Just wanted to let you know that The Other Hat is powered by SquareSpace. Not to be confused with Sponge Bob's four-sided trousers.

I'm no expert, but when I created RedMint Promotions, I built redmint.net the hard way. I used html (an audible gasp is appropriate here).

Years later, when I created a Katie Vorreiter site, I used Yahoo's Site Builder. To be sure, it was a vast improvement, but it was a static page, not a blog.

So, I created a WordPress blog, which lay fallow for a looooong time, 'cause I couldn't figure the dern thing out, and what was a blog, anyway?

When I fired up The Other Hat, I got a temporary TypePad account, but I was overwhelmed by their terminology and choices. Plus, I didn't care for the fact that I had to enter a CC# for a "free" 30 day trial.

I Yahoo'd* "blog tools" and found SquareSpace. Their home page was somehow grounding in my sea of panic. I liked their no-nonsense writing style. I like the truly "free" 30 day trial. I have found it to be fairly intuitive, very rich, pretty flexible and smart, smart, smart.

So, if you are considering hanging your hat on the web, may I suggest SquareSpace?

* Yes, I swim upstream. As a former Yahoo employee, I can't quite bring myself to say or type the G word as a verb.

You know the old acronym (or is it a mnemonic?) - KISS - Keep it Simple, Stupid. Now there's a little saying that stuck in each and every one of our heads the first time we heard it. It's applicable almost everything  - from basketball to basket weaving to hair weaving.

Today I'm referring to your logo. It can be beautiful, it can be fun. It can be arresting or provoking. But if you plan to reproduce it on collateral or promotional items, KISS. Check out my RedMint logo, and my Other Hat logo. They are simple line art. They are one color - a basic color. I don't have to worry about replicating an obscure Pantone color, or paying an embroiderer to source some special hue of thread. RedMint's color is a basic, bright red. The Other Hat is a navyish blue, and lime green. The gal on the right, who juggles far better than I ever could, has lots of colors in her hats. But I have another version that's just crisp outlines.

If you use shades or half-tone colors in your logo, it's going to be difficult and costly to reproduce. The more colors you have to include on each brochure or pen, the more dough you are gonna have to part with.

We all remember KISS so well because it cleverly reinforces it's own wisdom. Which is probably why "Don't Make It Difficult, Dummy" never caught on.  

If you are just getting started, that's an exciting place to be. Just forming a company? Ready to market your book? Launch your website?

This is a great place to start, because you can start well. What you'll need to do is spend some time creating your identity. Now, I'm not talking about laminating a fake I.D. I'm talking about putting together a package, a look with continuity.

Your identity includes the name of your venture, the tag line*, your logo, and your colors. These elements will be carried over into your business cards, letterhead, website, promotional items and marketing collateral.

So consider what you like, what you get excited about, who you are. Then set that aside, and think about how you want your market to perceive you. Are you selling YOU, or are you selling a facet of yourself? You're complex, baby. Consider your venture, consider what you need to convey about it, and infuse that with those personal elements.

K. That's 'nuff for now.

*Your tag line is that catchy little phrase that conveys a bit more about your business or service. Why use RedMint Promotions? Because we're "red hot & minty fresh."

One of my other gigs is owning & running RedMint Promotions, a provider of specialty advertising products.

You know - swag, tchotckies, give-aways, trade-show goodies, logo'd apparel - that kinda stuff. I sorta fell into the industry about 5 years ago. It can be great fun. It can also be a big headache.

So let's make it fun, shall we? Herein I'll try and pass on things I've learned. You ask questions and share ideas, and we'll all benefit, yes?

Yes.