Recently, I was given the privilege of designing the cover for the paperback edition of one of my favorite business books, Brand Harmony by Steve Yastrow. The process of redesigning helped me reconnect with the core principles of my small business marketing philosophy. We had to create a visual that showed the essence of Brand Harmony, which is thoughtfully orchestrating every experience customers have with your business, so that each customer has a compelling and motivating story about you.
The possibilities for the design were endless, ranging from representing a pointillist painting to depicting the employees of a company seamlessly working together. We finally settled on the violin motif because of its beautiful simplicity – which is just what a small business’ brand should be. (Accomplished photographer Laura Poland found just the right angle to capture the cover image.)
Brand Harmony is an exceptionally good book for the small business owner or marketing professional because of its radical ideas on marketing such as:
- How to cut your advertising budget and make more money.
- Brute force branding – why it doesn’t work.
- Clear action steps about connecting with your customers and finding out what is truly important to them.
- How to create your “Picture of Success” and develop a path to reach it.
After all this to-do, I’m sure you’d like to see the cover, eh? Here are the front and back covers:
And if you’d like to buy the book, it’s only $10 at yastrow.com.
