Breakthrough is not always comfortable

Easter is a time when Christians think about sacrifice and humility among many other things and these ideas-sacrifice, pain, humility, triumph-have been on my mind. It’s quite interesting because I have had some positive and remarkable things happening to me lately and I have been more excited, sensing a breakthrough in my purpose and in my business not to mention that I’m on the final chapters of my first book which has been a journey and a quest to complete. Yet in the midst of all this, I have also had some difficult personal experiences going on and I’ve had to make some hard decisions. The two extremes have left me wondering about the true nature of success and have led me to the interesting realization that breakthrough is not always comfortable.

This is rather strange isn’t it? I’m sure when you think about your breakthrough moment – that promotion you’ve been waiting for, that business deal that will launch your company into a profitable enterprise, completing your undergrad or masters degree or any other aspiration you’re committed to-you think about the happiness and the celebration that will accompany the moment of glory, walking on air as people around you rejoice and applaud, feeling like you’re on top of the world. And this is all well and good but then sometimes it’s not quite that simple. Often we may miss out on our breakthrough or it may pass us by completely because it doesn’t look like that grand moment – it’s uncomfortable, disturbing, challenging…it’s difficult. Yes, the celebration will come, yes the grand moment is there but the greatest breakthroughs also involve discomfort. Brilliance and success requires us to change, to adapt which means there is some growing pain involved through which we are molded to adjust to that breakthrough and surpass it.

If you’re wondering why your moment of glory doesn’t look or feel like it should then be assured that it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re wrong or that you’ve messed up, it just means that you’re moving to a new level, shedding parts of you that must go in order for you to truly triumph and move to a higher place. If you’re also struggling to make a difficult decision that you know is good for you, then be comforted – decisions that are meant to bring positive change in our lives are sometimes the most uncomfortable. Just because it’s the best thing for you doesn’t necessarily mean it’s easy.

Regardless of any difficulties - gather your strength, stay focused, stay committed to your breakthrough…the discomfort and the sacrifice makes it that much more worthwhile.

“….Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference”

Excerpt from “The Road not Taken” by Robert Frost

BRAND ID: Characteristics of Great Logo Design (by INC Magazine)

What Makes a Logo Great?
Milton Glaser, the legendary graphic designer best known for the "I Love New York" logo, says that it has to do with simplicity. "You want to move the viewer in a perception so that when they first look at [the logo]...they get the idea, because that act between seeing and understanding is critical," he recently told the graphic design blog Design Informer. We expanded Glaser's point and compiled a list of four characteristics that distinguish great logos from the legions of the not-so-great.

Make It Unique
Your logo should stand out and be recognized among the slew of others in the same market space. Matt Mickiewicz, co-founder of Sitepoint.com, suggests staying away from overly used icons, like globes and arrows. And according to graphic designer David Airey, you should keep in mind that a logo doesn't need to say what a company does. "The Mercedes logo isn't a car. The Virgin Atlantic logo isn't an aeroplane. The Apple logo isn't a computer," he writes on the popular logo design site Logo Design Love. So don't feel like your coffee shop's logo needs to show coffee beans.

Make It Adaptable
Strong logos translate well across different mediums. Will your logo evoke the same meaning on a business card as it will on a billboard? "Keeping the design simple allows for flexibility in size," writes Airey. "Ideally, your design should work at a minimum of around one inch without loss of detail." Mickiewicz adds that when a logo does not reproduce well on a small scale it causes problems for a brand's clarity and value. Also keep in mind that it should reproduce well in black and white; the fax machine isn't going away any time soon.

Make It Appropriate
Before embarking on any sort of marketing campaign, you must first nail down your target audience. A logo needs to accurately reflect a company's culture and values: the company's essence. "Designing for a lawyer? Ditch the fun approach. Designing for a kid’s TV show? Nothing too serious," writes Airey. Doing some market research is critical, too. Mickiewicz warns that color is a major attribute in determining the appropriateness of a logo design. "Different colors are associated with different meanings in different cultures. It's important to think about how the colors in your logo reflect your brand values and the services or products you sell," he says.

Make It Timeless
Milton Glaser created the "I Love New York" logo in 1975. Thirty-six years later, shirts and tchotchkes bearing that ubiquitous emblem still line the walls of gift shops around the world. "I did the bloody thing in 1975, and I thought it would last a couple of months as a promotion and disappear," said Glaser in a 2009 interview for Big Think. Eddie Opara, a New York-based partner with the international design firm Pentagram, says that it's the neutrality of a design that makes a logo timeless, citing the NBC Universal logo as an example. "You look at the clean lines, the symmetry, the modernist structure, the neutrality behind it...and it really exposes the timeless quality," he says. Even though it's been changed over the years, the timeless elements remain.

REFERENCE: http://www.inc.com/ss/4-characteristics-of-great-logo-design