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I have no clue if such a day even exists. If it does, odds are it's probably not today.

But here on our blog, we deem it so.

In honor of this "holiday", I'd like to dedicate today's post to our fantastic design team at Sonic Promos. Michael Fritz and Rahmie Santoso work behind the scenes to support our staff and wow our clients. Their hands touch every order, at multiple stages.

Here are some of the many ways our artists improve your marketing materials.

They think beyond the logo. We create product at Sonic- branded merchandise and marketing materials for clients in a wide range of industries. Promotional products are a form of advertising, so clearly the logo is central to any project. But, it's not just about the logo. You want your target audience to actually wear, carry and use your materials. Good product selection helps achieve this goal, as does creative and interesting artwork. We rely on our art team to suggest details that add some all-important oomph. And they deliver.

But they don't forget the logo. As I said above, the products we create are advertisements, contributing to an organization's visual identity and overall brand. We take our clients' style guidelines very seriously, and we don't take liberties. Our graphic designers are respectful of and pay acute attention to PMS colors, logo versions, protective fields and minimum size restrictions. Additional graphic elements should only enhance, never corrupt nor distract from your logo.

They check production proofs like hawks. The moment you set foot on that casino floor, they'll be watching you like hawks. Hawks with video cameras. Ocean's Eleven, anyone?

When an order is moved into production, our graphic team is responsible for uploading and submitting art files to the supplier. As is the case with any communication, you can control how the message is transmitted, but you have no control over how it's received and interpreted. That's why production proofs are so important. They confirm that the supplier has correctly used and placed the artwork. Unfortunately, it's not uncommon to discover inconsistencies. Checking and rechecking proofs before giving approval to print is very important, and we greatly appreciate the art department's keen eyes.

Michael and Rahmie, thank you so much for your incredible work and diligence. We hope you know how important you are.

I came across an interesting article by Nicholas Tart on the Retire@21 blog today: 17 Evolutions of Your Favorite Logos.

It's fascinating to see how much has changed, and across a very short period of time in many cases.

You know on makeover shows when people comment, "you look like you've lost 10 years!"? I feel that way about the Apple logo in 1976. What a difference. It's hard to imagine the original logo illuminated on an iPad, isn't it?

IBM's logo has also come a long way. Granted, these changes occurred over the course of 80+ years, compared to Apple's 36 year journey.

In the original article, Tart explains why the original Volkswagen logo is reminiscent of Nazi symbolism. Apparently, Hitler was involved in the company's founding. After WWII, Volkswagen understandably revamped its logo.

Over the years, the UPS logo has assumed a much cleaner look. That seems to be a common theme with many icons. Check out the evolution of the Kodak, Nokia, Shell and Yahoo logos in Tart's article. All of them adopt bolder fonts and stick with 1-2 colors.

I have to wonder if this is done, in part, to simplify reproduction. It's a lot easier to accurately reproduce a logo across multiple media (printed collateral, websites, products and packaging) when there aren't fine lines, small details and complicated color schemes present.

What are your thoughts on these logo transformations? Do you prefer one of the older versions, or do you agree with the company's current choice?

All diagrams sourced from www.retireat21.com.

Let's talk about color.

Most of us have a favorite color. Mine is yellow. Specifically PMS 107.

It makes me feel happy and warm. And it's not all in my head; humans really do have physical and psychological reactions to different hues.

Do you ever think about how certain colors make you feel? Generally speaking, blues and greens are very soothing, and warm colors like red, orange and yellow, energize and motivate action.

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Marketers are attune to these effects, and they apply color theory to retail stores, websites, advertisements and direct mail all the time. Shouldn't you be thinking about it when designing promotional materials too?

Most of the time, our clients opt for items that match (or closely match) the colors present in their logo. There's nothing wrong with that, but it can be fun to mix things up, especially if a different choice would better enhance your goal.

For example, orange is supposed to appeal to children and energize adults. How about doing orange Frisbees for August's summer company picnic? Or, if your primary goal for October's trade show is to gather signatures for a sustainability pledge, opt for red tabling materials to A) grab attention and B) motivate a call to action.

What are your thoughts on color theory? Do you agree with the associations in the table above? Have you ever applied color theory to a marketing campaign with particular success?  

What was the last sponsored event you went to? I bet you saw branding everywhere, right? How were the branded materials being used?

Sometimes, promotional materials are just... present at an event. They provide a backdrop for photo ops, decorate empty tables and watch the action pass from a merchandise display in the corner. Used in this way, promotional items are simply wallflower attendees; they stand back from the action and never draw attention to themselves.

At other events I've attended, promotional materials are the focus of attention. They interact with the audience, add character and liveliness to the event's atmosphere, prompt discussion and steal the spotlight. Compared to the wallflowers described above, these promotional materials are social butterflies.

The funny thing is, the same item has the potential to be a wallflower or a butterfly. The difference is all in how you implement and distribute the materials.

As an example, let's look at how the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer uses promotional items to enhance their event series.

Engage alumni

Annual events like the Avon Walk attract the same participants, year after year. These alumni are your loyal customers; they enjoy the experience and support your cause so much that they return annually. The Avon staff recognizes alumni with colorful buttons that are handed out for free at Event Eve, and they're always a huge hit. On the route, the buttons act as great conversation starters, enabling walkers to identify seasoned veterans. They create a big impact for minimal investment.

Educate your audience

Every three minutes, someone is diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. This shocking statistic really summarizes the importance of breast cancer research, so the Avon Walk staff go to great lengths to ensure their walkers remember this factoid. Throughout the event, volunteers and crew members drape imprinted ribbons around walkers' necks at 3-minute intervals. At closing ceremonies, it's very sobering to look around the crowd and take in the number of "marked" individuals.

Play with color

Screen printed T-shirts for staff, volunteers and attendees are pretty standard at athletic events for charity. Take it a step further, and change up the shirt color for different groups. At the Avon Walk, crew members and youth crew members are easy to spot in yellow and blue tees. All walkers receive a white T-shirt when they register (to wear during training walks and fundraising events), and a colored T-shirt when they cross the finish line (as a souvenir for their hard work). The Avon Walk also distinguishes breast cancer survivors with a different colored finisher tee.

Reward exemplary fundraising

When a walker registers for the 2-Day Avon Walk, they commit to a hefty amount of fundraising- $1,800 to be exact. Although this money is used to further breast cancer research and supporting services, the Walk staff understands that it's never easy to ask friends, loved ones and local businesses to donate funds. For this reason, they really do everything they can to encourage and support their walkers throughout the process.

Branded materials come into play here too, in the form of fundraising rewards. Walkers can earn things like branded shoelaces, hats, and sports equipment by achieving and surpassing certain benchmarks. During the walk, it's quite common to spot a "Fantastic Fundraiser" proudly sporting a hard-earned hat. 

Cultivate a community

Avon Walk coordinators and staff put a lot of effort into procuring colorful and memorable event materials, but they also count on walkers and supporters for further decoration. They've successfully created a culture in which participants voluntarily deck themselves from head to toe in pink accessories and witty team T-shirts. In my three years with the Avon Walk, I've seen Team Boob-Bees sporting antennae and stingers, fans of the Washington Capitals "rocking the pink" in custom tees, ladies in iridescent butterfly wings, magenta tutus and hot pink rattan hula skirts. These team costumes come at no additional expense to the Avon Walk, but they really improve the spirit of the event.

I hope these examples have given you some ideas for your next event. Focus on creative implementation and distribution to get the biggest bang for your buck.

How do you feel about lollipops?

I have to admit, they're not my favorite candy. As a kid, Blow Pops and Tootsie pops generally littered my Halloween pumpkin well into April. Mounds Bars, Almond Joys, and Whoppers had priority, in case you wanted to know.

Despite my indifference to Tootsie Pops, I never failed to check the wrapper for a hidden star. Everyone knows that a star-marked wrapper is gold in your hands. Hello, free lollipop!

I never really thought twice about this promotion until my coworker Michael sent me this article last week.

Apparently, it's a total myth, and no one is entirely sure how or why it came to be.

The full illustration shows a boy dressed as a Native American chief shooting an arrow at a five-pointed star. It's said that roughly one third of Tootsie Pops are wrapped in this print, so the star is neither rare nor special.

Check out the full article to read more about how the company responds to letters and crinkled wrappers from kids hoping to redeem their freebie.

Pretty neat how a little 3 inch square piece of coated paper can cause such buzz for a candy company!