Are you looking for the perfect way to say ‘Thank you’? Well, look no further because Bullpen Marketing is offering you a glass that expresses thoughtful gratitude for that fellow co-worker, employee or customer. Literally.

Not only is this crystal glass decorated in a style that is classy, but it also says ‘thank you’ in six different languages: English, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, French and German.  If you wish to permanently say ‘thank you,’ feel free to imprint your own message on the bottom of the glass so that every time that person picks it up they can remember how they were truly appreciated. Now that’s empathy right there people. If this is not the crystal object for you, remember that Bullpen Marketing has more options for you to choose from!

A set of four of this glass is as low as $39.25. Not too shabby at all, so call Bullpen Marketing today and order this special glass for that special person!

You may have noticed the change in the Bullpen logo this year. As much love and respect as we have for the game of baseball (hence the bullpen reference) it was time to move on to something different while accessing areas for improvement. For instance, the way the old logo was laid out made it unclear to some that the name was comprised of 2 words, not one word bunched together. The narrow, horizontal shape was also sometimes limiting when it came to smaller imprint areas. Also, we wanted to move away from baseball analogies, so the flaming baseball would no longer serve a purpose. And finally, it was just about that time to freshen the brand, launch a new website (coming soon!), and get a little bit more sophisticated. And besides, it gives us an opportunity to write a blog post on the topic—logos ARE our business! Speaking of blog post…

Logos are a key identifier of a brand. Customers know to look for it when shopping and need nothing more than to see the mark before the involuntary action of picking it up and placing it in their cart overpowers them. If you’re extremely lucky, you begin with a classic and timeless design such as Coca-Cola, which has been essentially the same since 1915. If you’re SOL, your logo has gone through more changes than Sally Field’s character in the movie Sybil and still remains not quite right. (Cough, cough…Pepsi)

Of course we’re not trying to suggest that changing your logo is a bad thing. It’s actually a natural and organic progression and development of a brand. Logos, from their very creation, go through life stages. Some grow up, some get let loose, some develop partnerships, and hell, some even die. Of course, no matter the change, it has to follow some sort of rhyme or reason. Don’t make your logo graduate college if it should still be playing in the jungle gym. (Way to ruin my childhood memories…Nickelodeon.)

Logo redesign is pretty similar to introducing a new girl- or boyfriend to your parents. The parents in this case would be your customers, and the significant other would be your logo. You wouldn’t skip several steps, elope in Vegas with Junior (a bum you found on a street corner, decided you liked the way he looked and gave him a try) and hope for the best when he meets mom and pop. That relationship would end faster than a high school boy’s first sexual encounter.  (Here’s looking at you… Tropicana.)

In short when it comes to redesigning your logo, sit down, relax, have a cold Pepsi. Then pick up the phone to call Bullpen. We know it’s not an easy process. Let us come up with a new design solution and lets your logo evolve together with your brand.

If you’re a business with a logo and brand colors, you’ve probably memorized your PMS (Pantone Matching System) numbers by now. Pantone is used throughout the world and was the first color system created for the purpose of reproducibility. So whether you were printing with Printer A or Printer B, your couldn’t-live-without-it canary yellow 102 or your beloved Reflex Blue would always turn out the same. Born from the genius of Lawrence Herbert in the early 1960’s, Pantone has been and still is the color standard of the world.

But as recently as last year, Pantone reinvented the (color) wheel with it’s new system, Pantone Goe (pronounced “go”).

The Goe System was created largely in response to designers who wanted a broader range of colors to choose from. And they got just that. With almost twice as many colors (2058 from 1114), the Goe System also offers designers other advantages such as the color management software myPantone and matching RGB values.

But the grass isn’t all PMS 7483 green. The new system comes with a price (starting at $499). And we remember how successful New Coke was? (Or perhaps you don’t, which is the point.) When trying to alter a standard that has been around for almost half a century, surely there will be resistance or reluctance to change. Also only a small percentage of original PMS colors have a true color match equivalent since this system uses different base inks. Make sure to ask your printer if they have the new inks before you get your heart set on any new color.

So don’t go throwing away those PMS swatch books just yet. This system should be used as an addition, not as a replacement to your color system. And when all else fails, blame it on the printer!

• Logo Design – We entered our redesign of St. Pius X High School’s panther logo. The original logo was outdated and plain. The new logo better reflected the school’s personality and received student buy-in before roll-out

• Individual Promotional Product – Our pen-turned-USB-drive project for AMA’s M.planet Conference was a big hit. The USB drive was pre-loaded with all conference materials and fit inside the cap of the pen. Marketers received the pen in a silver-and-black alloy case when they arrived at the conference.

Each entry must have a detailed work plan that outlines the challenges, strategies/tactics and results of the project. Entries are judged on their marketing effectiveness. As AMA says, “It’s not a beauty contest.”

Winners and contestants will be celebrated at the InterContinental Houston Hotel, Thursday, May 22, 2008 from 6p.m. – 9:30p.m.

Check out past Crystal Awards winners.