Visual Marketing: 99 Proven Ways for Small Businesses to Market with Images and Design

36. It's Not All Business All the Time: Adding a Personalized Blog Header Brings Human Interest to a Business Website

Entrepreneurs identify with their businesses, but there's always another side to them. Tim Berry, president and founder of Palo Alto Software, wanted to connect both his business and personal side in the design of his blog header that resides on a company website. Rodrigo Garcia helped Berry realize this effort in the blog header design that sits atop his business blog.

Since the business content—entrepreneurship and business planning—is well-represented in the blog itself, Berry decided to show a more casual unbusiness-like look. Berry says, “The banner would emphasize what's different about me.”

Why It Works

Berry is a seasoned entrepreneur who is already well known in the business planning space, as is the company he founded and its products. By putting Berry out in front on the blog, it positions Berry as the public “face” of the company and humanizes it. His relaxed visage interjects a human element into an otherwise straightforward business site, creating greater customer intimacy.

There's a lot at play in this header. First the words describe what the blog is about. But the appealing nature scenes, combined with Berry's friendly face (a far cry from professional and stuffy head shots most of us have), put the reader at ease and tell us that this blog isn't ...