Shelby County Magazines: Branding at a Distance

When the Shelby County Reporter set up shop in central Alabama way back in 1843, it could not have foreseen that Shelby County would one day be the wealthiest and fastest-growing county in the state. But the newspaper kept up with the times, and two years ago, it started a series of niche magazines: Shelby Living, the Shelby Bride Guide, and Alabama Wellness.


These are full-color, nicely-designed lifestyle mags, but they’re also distributed free of charge--which means that the way they’re displayed has a lot to do with their perceived value. So when Shelby County Newspapers launched these new niche publications, they also purchased several hundred sleek, modern acrylic magazine stands.

They knew that these stands would be have a lot to do with creating a brand identity for the new publications, so they sought a sharp, crisp, easily-recognizable sticker that would stand out at a distance as customers approached the stands.

Why did Matthew Allen of Shelby County Newspapers choose Custom Sticker Makers?

“Honestly, it was originally by just searching the web for a vendor that could provide us with a good price,” he told us. “I landed on the CSM website and felt comfortable because it was easy to navigate and I could get an instant quote right there.” He went on to note that CSM got the repeat business after a job well done.

Brand-Building: POM Wonderful Packaging

By now, just about everyone has seen the distinctive labels and packaging of POM Wonderful pomegranate juice. But have you ever stopped to consider exactly what it is that gives their products such visual appeal?

A recent interview with Lynda Resnick (aka the POMQueen) on Brandmix got me thinking. First, the shape of their bottle imitates the curves of the pomegranate fruit, giving it some stand-out power among beverages. Secondly, the logo featured on their packaging imitates those attractive curves with a spacious, confident font that substitutes a heart for the ‘O’ in POM. That, plus the ‘Wonderful’ tells you something right off the bat: whatever it is in this unusual bottle, you’re going to love it.

This makes plenty of sense in terms of a focus for this brand, because prior to its entry in supermarkets everywhere, almost no one (other than the foodies) had any idea what a pomegranate was. POM's logo and packaging works to overcome that objection right away: it doesn’t matter whether you know what it is. People love this stuff. It’s wonderful.

For everyone who works with labels and logos in selling products, there’s an object lesson here. What’s your ideal customer’s single biggest objection to purchasing your product? And how can you work to address this (or negate it) with the feel, focus and aesthetic of your packaging and label design?

i-TAG: Branding, Identity and Alzheimer's

Currently, there are over 5 million people with Alzheimer’s—a number, unfortunately, that’s expected to grow in coming years. When these folks wander off, if they’re not found within 24 hours, up to half of them will suffer serious injury or even death.

Enter i-TAG, an identity solutions business serving the caregivers of individuals with Alzheimers with a simple little GPS device worn on a string. Using the i-TAG system, if a loved one with Alzheimers wanders off the property, an alert is sent to caregivers via email and text. They can then consult the i-TAG web portal and find their loved one in real time—without having to spend all day driving around, or calling in the local police.

i-TAG uses custom stickers to brand these handy little GPS devices with a clever, easy-to-remember slogan: “i-tag-along.” It's a tag that applies equally to other applications of the device, which include keeping track of wandering kids in chaotic situations like field trips.

“[CSM offers] a good quality sticker that fits perfectly on the i-tag-along GPS device,” said Jenaro Centeno of i-TAG. “The quantity choices along with price points are also positives.”