The Building Blocks Of Visual Vocabulary - Consistency

Your Visual Vocabulary consists of the secondary design elements that are used in conjunction with your logo to form your brand identity. Your Visual Vocabulary is composed of the graphics, font styles, colors, and even the type of paper you choose.

Once you have determined the elements to use in your Visual Vocabulary, it is important to use those elements consistently throughout all of your marketing materials. This consistency will make your entire set of materials look like a family. Having a consistent set of marketing materials makes you look more organized and professional. It also makes your business more memorable, because the repetition of the consistent elements creates repeated impressions on your audience. The more you repeat your marketing images and messages consistently, the easier it will be for your clients to associate them with your business.

The four ways to create consistency in your Visual Vocabulary are:

1. Using the same or similar visuals and graphics throughout your marketing materials makes them instantly recognizable, which is becoming more important as marketing media messages become more prevalent and people become more inundated with them. The graphical elements that you can work with in your Visual Vocabulary include the backgrounds, text treatments (such as tagline styles), shapes, layout conventions, and the photo library you use.

Enhance your Visual Vocabulary's consistency by:

Repeating some of the same graphics across all of your materials. Your logo should appear on all of your marketing pieces and business documents. Other graphics to consider repeating include your tagline, your contact information block, line art, patterns, and any unifying background or decorative shapes or color fields.

Maintaining similarity in the type of visuals and graphics you use. If you regularly use photography throughout your materials and then switch to clip art for one piece, it will look out of place in your marketing story.

Placing key graphics in similar locations. By placing some graphics, such as your logo and tagline, consistently in the same place across all of your marketing materials, you will make your materials look like a family.

2. Using a small group of coordinated fonts across all of your marketing materials. Your company should have designated fonts to use in the following situations:

A logo font, which is typically not one of the fonts that come installed on Windows machines: it should be more unique and interesting. Some logos will have two or three different fonts in them. If this is the case, then consider using one of those fonts as the secondary font as well.

A secondary font, used for headlines, sub-headlines, taglines, special text such as graphics and captions, and decorative text such as pull quotes, which are the large quotes that are used decoratively in articles and documents. This can be the same font as is used in your logo. This is typically an interesting and unique font as well. This may also be used as the font for your contact information in your stationery, depending on its legibility.

A tertiary font is optional and may be used when the secondary font is not always legible, for mid-length texts such as pull quotes and contact information.

A serif text font, for lengthy printed documents. Printed materials are more easily read if they are in serif font rather than sans-serif font.

A sans-serif font, for shorter printed documents and on-screen use. Text on a computer monitor is easier to read in a sans-serif font than in a serif font.

A website font, which may be the same font as is used as the main sans-serif text font, depending on how that font translates for online viewing.

All of these fonts should have similar or contrasting characteristics. Choosing fonts with similar characteristics will make your fonts match and create consistency throughout your documents. Choosing fonts with contrasting characteristics will build visual texture and interest into your materials. For example, you could pick all thin, sans-serif fonts such as Arial and Frutiger to create a harmonious, matching suite of fonts. Or you could pick fonts with contrasting characteristics to create greater interest, such as using a serif font like Palatino for the headlines and then using a sans-serif font like Verdana for the text.

3. Using the same, limited color palette across all of your materials seems obvious, but many entrepreneurs try to make their marketing materials look more interesting by mixing up the color palette of each piece. But instead of making the materials look more interesting, this spectrum of color makes them look disjointed and uncoordinated.

You can create your color palette by:

The corporate colors established in your logo. Many logos are made up of one or two colors. You could pick one or both of these colors to make up your main color palette.

If your logo has a lot of colors, you can choose a color or two out of your logo to use as your main color palette. Picking more than a couple of colors to use can make your materials look too bright and unprofessional.

The same hue or shade. You can extend your basic color palette by using tints or shades of those colors. For example, if you have a navy blue in your logo, you can use a lighter or medium blue as another piece of your color palette, and it will still coordinate.

Complimentary colors. Every color has a complimentary one-an opposite-on the color wheel. For example, yellow and purple are complimentary colors. This is the best route for extending your color palette if you have a logo with just one color or a logo that's black plus one other color. You can extend your color palette easily by using the compliment to your corporate color in your materials.

Neighboring colors. Think of a rainbow. If you create a color palette of neighboring colors, you'll create a harmonious and calming feel to your marketing materials.

The same type of colors throughout your materials. For example, if you use all bright colors, all soft colors, or all complex colors as your palette, you can mix up your color palette and still keep a feeling of consistency throughout your materials.

The exception to these rules is when your color palette is mixed up in an intentional way to enhance your brand message, or when you've assigned different colors to different service or product lines. For example, a company with a "bright," "playful," or "energetic" personality might want to mix up its color palette between pieces. Or if you have multiple product or service offerings, you might want to assign each offering its own main color, and use those distinct colors to differentiate your marketing materials for each offering.

4. Using coordinating papers for your printed materials. Paper can be an inexpensive way to add some interest and depth to your Visual Vocabulary. You can do this in many ways:

Choosing high-quality paper to print on will always make your materials look more professional. This typically means choosing a thick paper for your business cards and a coordinating paper from the same product line for your letterhead.

Using glossy paper only when appropriate is best. Glossy paper might be great for a business card or a brochure, but it's not appropriate for your letterhead or other pieces that might need a personal touch. Glossy always looks higher-end and distances your materials from your reader.

Colored or textured papers can add to your Visual Vocabulary, if they work with your brand message. If you are trying to create an artisinal or hands-on look to your materials, consider colored or textured paper. For a technical or medical look, stick with smooth, white paper.

Creating consistency through the repetition of the four elements listed above will make your business appear more professional and memorable. Consistent materials will also make you appear more credible and trustworthy. Consistency can help your business marketing efforts to be more successful.

There are a couple of bonus areas in which you can create consistency:

The copywriting style that you use. Make sure that you consistently write in the same voice, use the same style of copyediting, and are addressing the same type of audience in your writing. Your materials will appear much more unified and cohesive if you do.

Repeating some of the same words throughout your materials helps you to frame your customer's point of view about your services. This can help you to become known for the topics that you address in your materials.

The timing of your marketing. For example, if you traditionally send out an eNewsletter on a set day of the month, at a set time, your readers will come to expect to receive it then. If you send out four postcards per year, space them out evenly so that people receive consistent messages.

Erin Ferree is a brand identity and marketing design strategist who creates big visibility for small businesses. Through her customized marketing and brand identity packages, Erin helps her clients discover their brand differentiators, then designs logos, business cards, and other marketing materials and websites to reflect that differentiation, as well as to increase credibility and memorability. http://www.elf-design.com

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The Chakra Song

We may feel we are familiar with the practices of prayer or meditation and we may have tried these unsuccessfully and wondered why such time honored avenues to self empowerment have failed to work in our lives. We may hear many testimonies that describe the effective power to transform our lives which these practices can bestow upon us and we may have felt frustrated that we have not learned how to use these tools to make ourselves feel happier, healthier or more content. Now a new tool, the Chakra Song, is available which may help you to realize the goals you may have felt you might never be able to attain.

Many healing traditions all refer to an energetic body that is the template for our physical body and which is directly related to our health, happiness and wellbeing. This energetic body has nodes of energy called chakras which are directly related to different aspects of our health and how we manifest our lives in this world. When the energetic body is functioning poorly we may work to heal it; one of the most fundamental parts of the work we must do to heal our energetic bodies is to cleanse our chakras of stagnant energy.

Clearing our chakras has immense benefit. Our natural energy flow can be bogged down by so many different things. Anything which creates stress impedes the health of our energetic body, that part of us which is healed by practices like Reiki, yoga or acupuncture. When the energetic body is healthy our minds work better, our emotions are healthier, and our physical bodies become healthier as well.

Our energetic bodies respond to our thoughts. This is why when we are conflicted or angry or depressed our energetic bodies become damaged and then function poorly. This is also why simple meditation or prayer can be so effective at restoring us to a state of wellbeing in body mind and spirit. By focusing our thoughts on healing our energetic body we restore ourselves to happiness, health and wellbeing.

It can sometimes be very difficult to learn how to meditate or pray effectively. Our minds are often too bemired by inner turmoil or too easily distracted by external and irrelevant influences. It takes patience to learn to quiet our thoughts so that we may empty ourselves of all the beliefs and conditions which may get in the way of successful prayer or meditation.

We must learn to recognize that many of our thoughts are vicious circles that never arrive at any functional conclusion but simple run about and about in circles endlessly consuming our minds and our time. Once we see that this is true we may begin to recognize when thoughts of this nature arise in our minds and begin to interrupt them, to stop thinking them. The more we practice not thinking these consuming thoughts the more we free our minds to think in healthier ways and the closer we become to realizing true internal peace.

In that peaceful state we can focus our thoughts more clearly on those things which really matter most to us, like our health. We can take control of our wellbeing and direct ourselves to become healthier, happier and more content. This works because everything that is manifest in the physical plane of this world begins as a thought form in our energetic bodies. By cleansing and healing our energetic bodies we create an effective thought form or mental template for our state of being which is healthier, happier and more fulfilling.

This template then manifests in the physical world by making our bodies healthier and bringing us new opportunities to enhance our lives and the lives of those we love. In this manner, the simple quiet practices of prayer or meditation become transformational tools with which we can effectively change our lives and make the world around us a happier, healthier more abundant place for all of us to share.

To help with the visualization work related to cleansing my chakras I decided to write a song. Song is one of the most powerful tools in my life. The music is borrowed from the Popcorn part of the soundtrack from the movie A Clockwork Orange. I chose this music because it is so happy, light and energizing. I hope you will find the music for this song and will then enjoy it as much as I have. This song works! It has practically written itself. My chakra visualizations are much stronger and clearer. What's more, as I was composing this song during my drive home from work I had scarcely any pain, typically driving has been a very painful activity for me because of needing to grasp the steering wheel, even when I remember to use my open palm against the steering wheel rather than grasp it the pain while driving has been pretty bad. No more! Please feel free to modify this song in any way that works best for you.

The Chakra Song

In my root chakra I find - red life energy divine
It is pure and good; it cleanses me and energizes me
Its vitality that strengthens me and helps me to survive
Now the vital red life chakra power opens like a flower
...Repeat the line above until your root chakra visualization is clear then move to the YES line...
Yes, the vital red life chakra power opens like a flower

In my loin chakra I find - hot orange energy divine
It is pure and good; it cleanses me and energizes me
It is sexual; it inspires me, it helps me to create
Now the hot orange inspirational power opens like a flower
...Repeat the line above until your loin chakra visualization is clear then move to the YES line...
Yes, the hot orange inspirational power opens like a flower

In my mind chakra I find - yellow energy divine
It is pure and good; it cleanses me and energizes me
It is teaching me; it makes me free, it helps me to be me
Now the mental yellow teaching power opens like a flower
...Repeat the line above until your mind chakra visualization is clear then move to the YES line...
Yes, the mental yellow teaching power opens like a flower

In my heart chakra I find - sweet green energy divine
It is pure and good; it cleanses me and energizes me
It is compassionate; its full of love, it helps me be healthy
Now the sweet green loving chakra power opens like a flower
...Repeat the line above until your heart chakra visualization is clear then move to the YES line...
Yes, the sweet green loving chakra power opens like a flower

In my voice chakra I find - loud blue energy divine
It is pure and good; it cleanses me and energizes me
It communicates; it speaks to thee, it sings along with me
Now the loud blue singing chakra power opens like a flower
...Repeat the line above until your voice chakra visualization is clear then move to the YES line...
Yes, the loud blue singing chakra power opens like a flower

In my brow chakra I find - purple energy divine
It is pure and good; it cleanses me and energizes me
Its intuitive; it knows the truth, it helps me to perceive
Now the purple wisdom chakra power opens like a flower
...Repeat the line above until your brow chakra visualization is clear then move to the YES line...
Yes, the purple wisdom chakra power opens like a flower

In my crown chakra I find - violet white energy divine
It is pure and good; it cleanses me and energizes me
Its the god I am, my divinity; it realizes me
It connects me to infinity and all that I can be
Now the violet white chakra power opens like a flower
...Repeat the line above until your crown chakra visualization is clear then move to the YES line...
Yes, the violet white chakra power opens like a flower

Now you know the chakra song; so we all can sing along
Now the divine rainbow chakra powers open like a flower
...Repeat until all of your chakras are clearly visualized together then move to the YES line...
Yes, the divine rainbow chakra powers open like a flower

Now the vital red life chakra power opens like a flower
...Repeat until your root chakras 4 petals stretch into radiating cords of energy then move to the YES line...
Yes, the vital red life chakra power opens like a flower

Now the hot orange inspirational power opens like a flower
...Repeat until your loin chakras 6 petals stretch into radiating cords of energy then move to the YES line...
Yes, the inspiring hot orange power opens like a flower

Now the mental yellow teaching power opens like a flower
...Repeat until your mind chakras 10 petals stretch into radiating cords of energy then move to the YES line...
Yes, the mental yellow teaching power opens like a flower

Now the sweet green loving chakra power opens like a flower
...Repeat until your heart chakras 12 petals stretch into radiating cords of energy then move to the YES line...
Yes, the sweet green loving chakra power opens like a flower

Now the loud blue singing chakra power opens like a flower
...Repeat until your voice chakras 16 petals stretch into radiating cords of energy then move to the YES line...
Yes, the loud blue singing chakra power opens like a flower

Now the purple wisdom chakra power opens like a flower
...Repeat until your brow chakras 2 petals stretch into descending cords of energy that weave back and forth through your lower chakras like a caduceus symbol then move to the YES line...
Yes, the purple wisdom chakra power opens like a flower

Now the violet white chakra power opens like a flower
...Repeat until your crown chakras 40 petals stretch into radiating cords of energy and a solid broad cord of white energy connects your crown to the heavens then move to the YES line...
Yes, the violet white chakra power opens like a flower

Now the lovely rainbow chakra powers open like a flower
...Repeat until all your chakras radiating cords mingle their energy in your energetic body then move to the YES line...
Yes, the lovely rainbow chakra powers open like a flower

Now the divine living chakra powers open like a flower
...Repeat until your crown chakra is connected to the heavens by a strong white cord then move to the YES line...
Yes, the divine living chakra powers open like a flower
Now all the divine living chakra powers open like a flower

Once you have experienced the connection from the heavens to the crown chakra open wide follow up by singing the Beach Boys Good Vibrations; make up the lyrics as you go using any positive affirmations you like that describe yourself as a happy healthy human being whose good fortune brings you everything you may wish for.

Please note that your visualization of the chakras may take some time, many years for me, but I have now given you the key that turned the trick with me. Dont worry about where you visualize these at first, it can be easier to visualize them in front of your minds eye and then later transfer them to their respective places within your energetic body.

Chakra Descriptions Crown Chakra - located on the top of the head, it is connected to your divinity
Third Eye (Brow) Chakra - between the eyebrows, related to intuition & ESP
Throat (Voice) Chakra - near the larynx, related to speech & self-expression
Heart Chakra - below the sternum, related to healing, love & compassion
Solar Plexus (Mind) Chakra - behind the navel, related to power & mental functions
Sacrum (Loin) Chakra - behind the sex organs, related to sex, emotion & creativity
Root Chakra - below the base of the spine, related to security, instinct & survival

Your visualizations need not be complex at first and may begin with the individual chakra colors which you may then try to shape into balls of light. As you get better at visualizing balls of color for the chakras start to visualize the petals of each chakra as they appear on the surface pointing inward. Then visualize the petals unfolding outward from the center to form flower shapes. As the flower shapes appear visualize the petals stretching out into cords of energy that radiate outward like stars. Later as you visualize all the chakras radiating watch as the rays of the brow chakra descend through all the chakras in a weaving pattern like a caduceus. The rays of the other chakras will mingle with one another filling out your energetic body.

Today my energetic body resembled a tree covered in vines with all the chakras within it glowing and radiating and merging their energies into all the subtle leaves (organs or nodes) of my energetic body.

BIO: Fledgling author Greg Gourdian has worked with the general public as a psychic reader for a little over four years from 1981 to 1986. Much of his written work is channeled, although he will admit that he has no idea who many of the sources for his channeled work may be. He has many strange tales to tell regarding his spiritual journey and he attempts to tell his tales in a humorous or entertaining manner. While not an accredited teacher, Greg has taught classes in psychology, sociology, metaphysics and parapsychology.

Visit Greg's blog at http://tangledintime.blogspot.com/

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Piano Playing Secrets Of The Pros

It's no secret that professional piano players use techniques that amateur piano players don't. So what else is new? Professional golfers use techniques that amateur golfers don't use (at least not very well), and pro ball players use techniques that sandlot and weekend athletes don't use -- or again, not very well.

So it's not surprising that professional piano players have some tricks up their sleeves that the rest of us mortals don't have. But that doesn't mean we can't try to emulate the great pianists. We may not pull it off as well as them, but we sure can have a lot of fun trying, and who knows? Maybe a few of us can actually learn these techniques well enough to win some admiration from our friends, join a group, play for our own enjoyment, or whatever.

Here is a list of just a few of the technique the pros use when they play piano. There are more, of course, but this is a pretty good estimate of the most important skills:
Pro Secret 1: Straddles. Leaving one of more notes out of a chord to create an open feeling.
Pro Secret 2: 2/1 & 3/1 Breakups. Breaking a chord up by playing part of the chord & then the rest of the chord.
Pro Secret 3: Waterfall Chords. Broken chords cascading down from the top of the keyboard similar to a waterfall.
Pro Secret 4: Tremolo-Fired Runs. Rapid-fire runs made of chords, but starting with a tremolo.
Pro Secret 5: Half-Step Slides. Approaching the next chord from 1/2 step above or below.
Pro Secret 6: Suspensions. Using the 4th as a "hangover" instead of the 3rd.
Pro Secret 7: Chord Substitutions. Harmonizing songs using different chords than the traditional ones.
Pro Secret 8: Voicing in 4ths. Stacking chords in intervals of 4ths instead of 3rds.
Pro Secret 9: Turn-Arounds. A chord progression that turns you around, like a cul-de-sac.
Pro Secret 10: Introductions. Creating a front door for the song.
Pro Secret 11: Endings. Creating a back door for the song.
Pro Secret 12: Transposing. Playing a song in a key different than it was written in.
Pro Secret 13: Modulating. Getting from key to key smoothly.
Pro Secret 14: Altering a Melody to Create a New Melody. Using neighboring tones to craft a new tune.
Pro Secret 15: Inversions. Instead of always playing chords in root position, using a variety of "upside down" chords.
Pro Secret 16: Creating Original Chord Progressions. Linking chords together creatively.
Pro Secret 17: Echoes - Rhythmic, Melodic, Harmonic. The easiest way to begin the arranging process.
Pro Secret 18: Touch. The difference between a sledge hammer and a pillow.
Pro Secret 19: II7 to V7 Progression. One of the most common chord progressions.
Pro Secret 20: Latin-American Rhythms. Using various rhythm patterns such as Samba, Bossa Nova, Cha Cha, etc.
Pro Secret 21: Locked Hands Style. Playing the melody in both hands with a chord under the right hand melody.
Pro Secret 22: Jazz Styles. Lush, offset beats, comping, color tones, etc.
Pro Secret 23: Two-Handed Arps. The Flowing River Of Sound. Using broken chords in both hands at the same time.
Pro Secret 24: Parallelisms. Parts moving the same direction (such as 10ths, octaves, etc.)
Pro Secret 25: Ragtime Techniques. Barrel-house and early jazz styles.
Pro Secret 26: Polytonality & Superimposition. Playing in two keys at the same time, and playing two different chords at the same time.
Pro Secret 27: Delay-Catch-Up Technique. Falling behind the beat, then catching up.
Pro Secret 28: Slash Chords. Chords over a left-hand counter melody.
Pro Secret 29: Counter-Melodies. Creating a sub-tune that is complimentary to the main tune.
Pro Secret 30: Western Sounds. Wagon-wheel bass styles, etc.
Pro Secret 31: Gospel Sounds. "Get on that church" and "shouting" styles.
Pro Secret 32: 12 Bar Blues. The basis for thousands of songs in all styles.
Pro Secret 33: Passing Tones. Tones that "pass through" the current chord.
Pro Secret 34: Question-Answer Techniques. Repeating a previous musical phrase but in a new way.
Pro Secret 35: Far-Out Harmonies. Extended chords, altered chords.
Pro Secret 36: Syncopation. Playing between the beats.

There are other techniques the pros use, and new techniques are always being invented. But for a list of worthy goals for an aspiring piano player, this list will keep us busy for a long time.

For more info on piano playing secrets of the pros, please go to "Piano Playing Secrets Of The Pros!" In addition, a series of 101 free email lessons on piano playing is available at "Exciting Piano Lessons On Musical Chords & Sizzling Chord Progressions!"

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