will help customers find you and your products. 



Thinking through your marketing niche is thinking 

 about your customers. What are the people you hope to 

 reach looking for, and what might drive them to 

 connect with you? Why is your farm or enterprise one 

 that they should want to connect with? The point of 

 this, of course, is that consumers want to find local 

 suppliers who are bringing to the marketplace the 

 products they want, grown or made in a way that fits 

 their philosophy. They are searching and screening to 

 see if what they want are the products you, as seller, 

 have. The consumer, as buyer, wants you to reach out 

 and make a connection. Your image, communicated 

 through your signs and logo, can be the lifeline. 



As the farm's image is planted in the minds of 

 neighbors, business associates, and customers, it 

 becomes a familiar identifier and acts as a reminder 

 that the farm is in business and invites patronage. The 

 logo can be put on anything and go anywhere. It should 

 be used on letterhead and invoices, business cards, 

 point-of-sale tags and cards, vehicles, and Web site. It 

 can work hard and extend your message beyond people 

 driving by the farm. The value of familiarity is 

 immeasurable, and exposure is key. 



Detail is important. Color, design, size, and 

 materials all make statements. By selecting carefully, 

 a package will evolve into your trademark that 

 expresses your vision. Colors should be chosen to 

 reinforce your intentions. If color is not a forte of 

 someone in the family, your local paint store is a handy 

 resource. Browse the displays of paint shades and 



tones and consider finish 

 options. Weed out the colors 

 that do not fit, and bring home 

 chips that you think do. Take 

 enough time, remembering 

 that it is OK to change your 

 mind, scrap it, and start over. 

 Ask a local art teacher, 

 relative, or print shop to look 

 at what you have come up 

 with, and ask their opinion. 

 Ask what your image says to 

 them to see if it is in line with 

 your intentions. 



Original artwork may be 

 expensive, unless a willing 

 friend or family member has 

 talent. Trying some pencil sketches can help 

 crystallize everyone's thinking. Cost can be managed 

 by using a computer-generated image instead of hiring 

 an artist for an original rendering. A local design 

 company using "desktop-publishing" software may fit 

 the bill, and later modifications, such as sizing, can be 

 handled easily. 



The ultimate goal is a picture that reflects the 

 essence of the message you want to send. Now it is 

 time to make a budget. There are options. This 

 expenditure should be thought of as an investment 

 important to the credibility of a business venture, but 

 how much to spend can be hard to decide. Cost 

 considerations can be managed by breaking down the 

 project into steps and by extending the development or 

 the execution over time. Artwork can be purchased 

 one year, leaving the building of the permanent sign 

 until the next. Meanwhile, the logo image can be 

 applied to letterhead and point-of-purchase signage. 

 Once scanned into your computer, it can be placed on 

 invoices and any print fliers, posters, or other 

 disposables tailored to an event, function, or mailing. 

 Implementing step-by-step is a good way to 

 manage cost. Your list might look like this. Year one, 

 get the artwork for the logo, get it scanned into the 

 computer for application on print materials, and have 

 business cards made. Year two, have farm sign made, 

 buy the hardware and posts, and put it up. Year three, 

 add flood lights and an attractive base around the sign 

 pole and have vehicle decals made and applied. Year 

 four, have sale price tags, price board for retail site, 



18 



Fruit Notes, Volume 68, Winter, 2003 



