You see it's like this, we get tons of e-mails, mailings, and telephone calls about the accounting profession every month. Couple that with contacts we make, the Internet alerts we receive, and the trips we take, and you begin to understand that we operate as a filter, only reporting on a small number of the items that we receive--those we believe can provide you immediate benefits.
To handle the overload, we give little time searching for the implications of the many items that cross our desk. In fact, most end up in the garbage with a grim "I'm not impressed." I tend to think that we have become a bit jaded.
However, I may be wrong. I just received a FedEx package from the Atlanta accounting and consulting firm of Tauber & Balser. It contains a press release announcing the creation of a new firm brand, which includes a new logo, communications system, promotional materials, and Web site. Accompanying the release was the firm folder with eight brochures.
There were no real surprises in what was said, but I was bowled over by the presentation. The more I studied what I received, the more obvious it became how much thought went into the redesign efforts. Let me give you some examples.
- The firm's new tag line, "The Team You Can Count On," is intended to focus on expressed key attributes of the firm: teamwork, knowledge, experience, and the ability to solve clients' problems.
- As firm COO Leslie Balmforth explains, "The new logo utilizes a friendly yet classic typeface and two colors. Blue is a professional, conservative color representing trust and security. The gold ampersand links the firm's two names together creating a whole rather than two separate elements, bringing unity to the firm."
- The brochures, providing a firm overview, describing employment opportunities at the firm, and keying into the firm's six core services of accounting and auditing, business consulting, business valuation, forensic accounting, mergers and acquisitions, and tax, are all similarly designed and have an extremely clean and professional look.
- The firm folder has a number of nice touches. On the inside, there is an imprinted business card for the firm. On the top of the inside of the folder, there is a paragraph describing what makes the firm distinctive and unique.
- The business card for the firm's staff is printed on both sides and rather than giving titles, a simple CPA follows the staff name. On the back of the card is a listing of the core services offered by the firm.
It is obvious that considerable thought went into the above and the execution is superb. Clearly, a very capable designer spent a lot of time and effort on the endeavor. Beyond that, you have a firm COO who made sure he understood how each element played a valuable role in sending a message to current and potential clients. I am sure every member of the firm also understands that, as well.Accounting firms with similar service offerings compete against one another on a continuous basis. Maybe they feel like they are a bit jaded too, but as Tauber & Balser has shown, a firm can really stand out simply by stating in a creative, crisp professional manner what it does.
