One attendee wrote in:

What's involved in developing a 'strong' look and feel in terms of brand?

When it comes to developing and launching brand identity, think about:

• Your Strategy: I know $1m companies bent on having a world-class look and feel that are gearing up to spend six figures on a project with a designer. Typically, they're going too far.
  
  Conversely, I've seen $20m companies that look like they hired a 13-year-old (and not a particularly talented one) to design their website, logo, and materials. I see companies like this hindered all the time because of their look and feel. Conversations go like this:
  
  
  • Mr. Prospect: No, I wouldn't consider them as a service provider?
    
    
  • Mike: Mr. Prospect, why?
    
    
  • Mr. Prospect: Well, I looked at their website and I simply don't think they're in our league as a company.

In my experience, "in my league" starts with, and sometimes ends with, a first impression based on look and feel.

• Leadership: The company has to be ready to spend the money and go through the process to up the ante on how you look. Sometimes it's not a matter of money; it's that leadership doesn't really think it's a priority. Regardless of the matter, when something is not a leadership priority, you can find yourself in a losing battle. (Think Sisyphus.)
  
  
• Designer: Designers come in all shapes, sizes, and prices. Hire someone "in your league." A bad designer will say they do the same thing as a good designer "for less." Good designers cost a pretty penny. And they should.
  
  Vet the designer portfolios carefully. They don't need to be huge, but you have to like what you see. If you don't have a good design sense, you'll just have to trust someone who does to help you make the decisions. (If design isn't your thing, don't trust yourself. Smart people with good intentions that have no design sense have succeeded mucking up many a good design with their "helpful feedback.")
  
  
• Design Process: Don't get bogged down in the details. Graphic design processes at services firms can devolve into pure pain. (Think Kafkaesque morass.) Read this article to learn more.
  
  
• Implementation: The new look and feel needs to be in everything you send out. And, of course, the more you send it out, the more effect you'll get. Just be careful not to get too enamored with the look and feel because it's such great design. The design is a backdrop for the actual messages you want to get out and actions you want prospects and clients to take. It's not the message in and of itself.