Digital Reality, Inc. - Houston's leading Marketing, Branding and Promotional Advertising Firm.

Your business's website will be many people's first impression of your company, products and services. As a result, your site represents a critical component of your branding strategy: It communicates who you are, what you offer and what you promise (your brand) through its content, organization and appearance (the look and feel).

Just as you wouldn't deliver a sales pitch in a tie die shirt and cutoff jeans , you don't want a disheveled site, either. So whether you plan to develop your website yourself or outsource the task, consider your website from a branding perspective:

Step 1. Analyze. Before you decide what to say and how to say it online, it's pivotal to analyze your audience, your competitors, your industry and yourself.

What attracts customers? Obviously the quality of a product does, but visual images contribute a great deal. It is not only the image provided by the packaging that counts but the whole corporate identity of the company.

There are now many products and services on the market which are similar in content though produced by different companies. It is vital, therefore, for a company to distinguish itself from its competitors by having a strong company image which is immediately recognizable.

Logos are part of this image. They are symbols which often include a name or initials to identify a company. The logo establishes a visual identity for the company, just as different groups of young people express their identity through hairstyles and clothes. All groups from all cultures and throughout the ages have used colors and symbols to show their identity.

It has been over 2 years in transition to elevate the packaging for Holmes Smokehouse. Done gradually over a long period I have been able to hold onto the existing base of customers who purchase the product and capture a plethora of new buyers with the new packaging. The last design worked very well in the marketplace and this one promises to elevate the brand even further.

Check it out HERE

Burton Sausage is another brand I work with at Holmes Smokehouse. These are two separate companies owned by a parent organization that have two completely different flavor profiles and brand appearance. These new labels I created are an immense upgrade from what they are currently using. Which is a bland color driven no frills look. I've decided to give Burton a small town distressed feeling to bring it back to its roots of where the company started and to let the consumer know that the brand still has that small batch high end flavor that they have come to expect. This was a lot of fun to work on since I was able to incorporate some of my illustration into the piece. Below is the conceptual sketch I started with when I was brainstorming what this label should look like.

My day job is with Holmes Smokehouse, a high end purveyor of fine meat products, where I work as the Director of Marketing/Creative Director. Last month we "unleashed" our own brand of hot dogs on the greater Houston market along with Dallas, and San Antonio. Above is the billboard campaign we currently have up all over the major byways in Houston. In designing this billboard I tried not to stray to much from our previous billboard campaigns which focuses heavily on our product shot. We also wanted to convey that our dog would be able to compete in the regional market and we accomplished this by calling out all the other big brands with a little comedy.

Strata is a powerful tool in the world of packaging design/retail display. This is a rendering that I did for the sales staff at a previous job to use as a selling tool to acquire some new business. This new corrugated blister packaging was way more eco friendly and just as secure using minimal plastic. I modeled everything here including the phones.

This was a righteously fun project to work on and the first and only AS SEEN ON TV product that I've branded. The client came to us with nothing except for his actual product, which in this case was a booklet and a disposable camera. I was fortunate enough to get to create a complete brand image on this one. This picture is of course the box completely unfolded. The images of the lawyer used are completely doctored in photoshop. The body and head are separate images and the hand on the front is my own.

A strong brand is invaluable as the battle for customers intensifies day by day. It's important to spend time investing in researching, defining, and building your brand. After all your brand is the source of a promise to your consumer. It's a foundational piece in your marketing communication and one you do not want to be without.

We have smart, motivated, talented people with amazing capabilities -- to brand your business.

Branding your business is one of the most important things you can do to grow your business and give your customers a clear picture of your company and your purpose. Its an inescapable requirement and we can help you realize your potential.