Time to put the spotlight on another happy face around BrandCo HQ. This time, it’s that sweet voice that you get the pleasure of hearing when you call our office. Mackenzie is a sparkling breath of fresh air that takes care of her fellow employees’ needs, not to mention, Ken’s, too! We’re lucky that we have someone as great a Mack to take care of us. Learn more about this blondie below.

What do you do here?

My Title at Brandco is Administrative Assistant. Basically what I do here is answer the phones, stock up on our sodas,water and snacks, pay everyone :), keep the fish alive, make sure everyone’s birthday is celebrated, help with party planning events and all other office related stuff.

What got you into developing / design?

Luckily for our clients, I’m not in developing or design 🙂 My boyfriend works in a similar atmosphere. He loves his job and I knew jobs like this don’t come around very often. I couldn’t pass up a chance to love where I work too. Even though I’m not assisting in the design or development aspect, I’m doing what I love, which is helping others.

If your co-workers could describe you in 3 words…

Helpful, Quiet and Smiley.

Favorite resource / place for inspiration / brand:

Though I am not a designer/ developer, I still love to make things and get crafty! I am a Pinterest addict and I don’t see myself ever recovering from it ever. Unless of course they come out with some updated form of Pinterest.

Best thing about BrandCo:

The best thing about BrandCo is the people who work here. Everyone is so talented, creative and just really good, kind people. Everyone is so eager to help each other, it really makes you want to be your best self everyday.

If you had a super power…

Time travel. I think it would be so interesting to see how everyone lived and dressed from a different time period.

What is the defining cartoon of your childhood?

I have a few… Fraggle Rock, Mister Rogers Neighborhood and Pee Wee’s Playhouse. I realize none of these are cartoons but this is what I watched.

Any special awards / milestones / fun facts about you?

Fun Facts:I worked for Walt Disney World for 9 years in entertainment. I spent a year overseas working for Hong Kong Disneyland. There’s only 1 Mickey Mouse and yes, Cinderella does have sleepovers in her castle and her mice and birds braid all of her princess friends hair. Also, animals do talk and love wearing clothes.

When you’re not at BrandCo, what are you up to? (Interests, Hobbies)

Usually I spend my free time with my boyfriend going to car shows and supercross races. We also love coming up with future furniture creations. I also spend time with my mom, who is an artist. We like finding new stores with unique things.

The one thing you’d like to share about yourself that maybe people don’t know:

I was an Artistic Roller skater, which is pretty much like the ice skating you see on tv, only on roller skates. My grandparents owned 2 roller skating rinks in Michigan around the 1950’s. One is still in business today. I competed competitively and I still enjoy lacing up my skates for 80’s night at the local Roller Rink.

 

Stay tuned for another Employee Spotlight coming up soon!

Gini Ingram’s new logo is fresh out of the BrandCo oven! Our team just put the final garnish atop the logotype for the Lafayette, Louisiana based Realtor®. Gini is a newer agent, and as such, needed help establishing her brand. During our initial consultation, we talked about really trying to capture the essence of the area she lives and works in. We discussed traditional Cajun imagery like the Acadian style housing that was very popular in the area, as well as the symbolic fleur de lis. The most important thing was that the logo feel warm, inviting, and make people feel comfortable. Gini Ingram’s brand is all about southern hospitality, and having her clients feel right at home with her.

We knew that Gini would be interested in seeing script options for her name. So, we broke out our fancy watercolor pens and some crisp, white paper and wrote her name over and over and over again. Once we had a few options to our liking, we scanned the options into the computer and began fleshing the typography out. Once the script was just right, we added the traditional fleur de lis as a dot on one of the i’s.

Using the word Realtor® in a logo can be tricky, so we worked within the National Association of Realtors guidelines to make sure that Gini’s new look was in compliance with their rules and regulations. Through our investigations we created a look that both satisfied the NAR, as well as brought that warmth and personality that Gini wanted all along.

As we’ve preached for years and years, content is the key to achieving Search Engine Optimization! Simply put, Search Engines want to know what you have to say and they want to be sure it’s said with your readers in mind. With content being so important, blog writers and/or website users are often tempted to simply take it from others. Here are the top reasons why you should create your own content instead of copy it.

Don’t Waste Your Time

Believe it or not, if you found content on the internet, it is most likely already indexed on the majority of Search Engines. But what does that really mean? It means that sites like Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc are already giving credit to a specific domain for the content you found. If you copy and paste that content into your website, you’re then considered a duplicate. Search Engines do not want to credit duplicated content as a dependable source when answering users’ questions. They’re10x more likely to provide the original content than to ever suggest yours to someone that is searching for the information. If the purpose of adding content to your site is to be found in Search Engines (the fabled SEO), then copying and pasting someone else’s work is a step backwards and you’re mostly just wasting your time.

Your Readers Want to Hear From You

People end up on your website because they want to know what you have to say. In the instance of real estate agents, your current and potential clients want the opportunity to get to know you through what you write. It seems strange to think that your personality comes out in what you type, but it definitely does. If they wanted to read that other content, they would have found it on their own. Yet, they came to your website! Give them the real deal! If you had access to that other content, they most likely did, too. Sell yourself, not someone else.

You’re the Expert

When you’re writing for your website, you’re giving your real-world knowledge the ability to come to life on the internet. You know what you’re talking about. Don’t feel the need to take content just because it is online. The content that your readers want is the information that you tell your clients, friends, family every day. Having that info available online, at-the-ready, for all your potential friends and future customers, is what will help increase your web presence.

Most Importantly, It’s Plagiarism

Whoa! That’s a serious word! But, it’s true! Plagiarism is defined as “the practice of taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own.” I know that Plagiarism seemed like a more punishable offense prior to the world wide web, but the impact on SEO makes a big difference in the success of your website.

If you find articles on the internet that you feel would have a great place within your website, there are options. It’s best to use that information as inspiration rather than taking it word for word. Credit your source. Write in your own words. Be original. Your readers will appreciate it and you’ll get the bump in ranking that you’re looking for.

Marangeli’s fresh, new business cards are hot off the press and we absolutely love how they turned out! Stemming from her very organic and unique logo, we wanted to be sure that her business cards mirrored these same ideas. We were instantly head over heels for her color palette, so we decided to really let the orange shine with a complete wash on the back side of the card. We then utilized a duo-tone look on the front side to balance everything out in a visually appealing manner.

We designed this card to host all of Marangeli’s personal contact information on one side of the card while the rest of her Keller Williams® brokerage details would be placed on the back.  Inspiration for the slightly off-center look of Marangeli’s personal contacts was drawn from her Aranza Homes typeface. We also gave her website address some flair with a leaf embellishment from her logo to draw attention to it. All luxury cards from BrandCo. have the option for glossy Spot UV elements. In this case we highlighted the leaf arch in her logo as a main element. We really love how these turned out!

The Beaches Properties needed a new look for their Jacksonville based real estate business. Carryn Iredale, the owner, was looking for a logo that captured a certain essence of the area. With clients ranging from snow birds, first time homebuyers, and even investors, Carryn wanted her logo to appeal to a wide range of people. With a name like The Beaches Properties, our creative gears began turning as soon as the consultation was underway, and our pencils had scribbled out a page FULL of ideas by the end of the call. 

Our logo team talked about multiple ways to capture the idea of beachfront homes and the beach lifestyle. We also knew steering clear of obvious real estate imagery would help distinguish her brand from others. One of the ideas we came up with was a whale’s tail breaching the surface of the water. We immediately ran with that idea once Carryn gave us her blessing, but we made sure to explore other beach related imagery like waves, bubbles, palm trees, and the list goes on.

The Beaches Properties eventually became what you see here! We opted for a somewhat abstract representation of a whale’s tail for the icon. The pattern covering the icon was meant to symbolize the ebb and flow of the tides. We paired the imagery with a playful yet modern font, and used colors that mimic the clearest of blue waters. In the end, Carryn Iredale has a unique new look to her brand, and one that will help her stand out in the crowd. 

Angie Dunbar is the brains behind Team Bamboo, located in beautiful Kansas City. Angie wanted a new logo that had the same fresh and clean appearance as the brand she was looking to create. Their calling card is “A Fresh Alternative in KC Real Estate” after all, so we knew that was something we had to live up to.

The bamboo concept was something that our team focused on from the very beginning. Angie came to us with the idea, and knew it would be a perfect way to capture the essence of her business. Coming from a family that had been in the construction industry, she made the connection that bamboo is a very strong building material and could tie closely to her real estate business. Bamboo also brings with it a sense of freshness, a sense of serenity, and a certain contemporary style that we knew her logo would benefit from. Lastly, the bamboo plant is characterized by a dense root system, mimicking the community mentality of Angie and her team of agents. And let’s not forget how much panda bears love bamboo, and who doesn’t love panda bears?

After exploring a few different ideas, Team Bamboo and Team BrandCo settled on an interesting play between bamboo stalks and housing imagery. By adding the open door to the thicket of bamboo, we knew there would be no mistaking the relationship between the icon and real estate. Add in some soothing green tones, and you’ve got one fresh looking new logo.