Brand recognition is a huge part of a companies identity. A lot of times we don’t even realize how strongly the brand is until we are put to the test to see if we actually recognize an image, sound or tag line.

Recently somebody posted a really good test on brand recognition over on the new Designer Today Forum. The test is found on the CramerSweeney website. According to the website…

“CramerSweeney is redefining “full service”, as the only company in the world comprised of an ad agency, an instructional design company, a public/media relations company, an interactive/multimedia firm, and a branding firm.”

The CramerSweeney Smart Marketing IQ Test consists of 20 questions from 4 brand intelligence areas. Icon identification, tagline memorization, mascot identifiation and audible recognition. The test is quick, fun and really well done.

I had a little trouble with the audible recognition part and I think that has something to do with the fact that I am a much more visual person. I think designers tend to be.

My score was 14 out of 20. Give the test a try and let me know how you did in the comments. Also let me know if you are in the design field or not. I am curious how much more brand sensitive designers are compared to non-designers. Good luck!

CramerSweeney Smart Marketing IQ Test

We all know that the net is full of prank items today. Google has Gmail Custom Time and Project Virgle. YouTube linked most of it’s featured videos to a single video, Rick Astley-Never Gonna Give You Up. So it really was no surprise to me to find out the article from PrintPlanet was also a prank. I really got a kick out of it!

With companies so concerned about “green” this and “green” that. This article hit on a great topic in the printing industry. How cool would it be if we could grow our own toner?

The Ultimate in Green Printing: Xerox Enables Customers to Grow Their Own

Adobe announced today that it now has a free online version of Photoshop. The new Photoshop is being called Photoshop Express. It joins the family that includes Photoshop CS3, Photoshop CS3 Extended and Photoshop Elements. Obviously the free online version does not have the power that the full Photoshop CS3 version has but it appears to be a pretty powerful option. While I am a little surprised that Adobe would add yet another member to the family, with the reasonably priced Photoshop Elements available for only a fraction of the cost of the CS3 version, it really does seem like a good fit.

Photoshop Express states that it is taking the intimidation out of using Photoshop but making it easier to use. This is great for people who might be intimidated but all the buttons and functions of even Photoshop Elements. While this is a stripped down version of Photoshop CS3, it still appears to have plenty of power packed into it. With abilities such as Sketch, Hue, Black and White, Tint and much more. You even have 2G of storage and your own My Gallery section to display your photos.

You can read the press release on Adobe’s site. Press Release

Signing up was simple and fast. You just fill out a short form and verify your email. Before you know it you’ll be uploading photos, editing and sharing!