Waltham Abbey designer Mitch Herber claims clear and concise images are key for new companies

Mitch Herber has run Waltham Abbey-based graphic design firm Catalyst Image Solutions (CIS) since 2012, providing companies and other organisations with branding and marketing.

With clients including Waltham Abbey Town Council, the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, and shops on Sun Street, Mr Herbert has provided branding for existing organisations as well as helping to launch completely new ones.

Despite running CIS for only three years, Mr Herber has worked as a designer for years before and he claims his experience has taught him the most important rules of the business.

He said: “In advertising and marketing, you have just seven seconds maximum to capture someone’s attention, so if it is not memorable you will lose their attention and they will throw it in the bin.

“This often means coming up with something amusing – you might put a picture of a gorilla on a leaflet, because it gets attention.”

Keeping an idea simple and clear is most important for new businesses, he claims, and he often comes up with branding from scratch for a completely new organisation.

He said: “People underestimate the power of an image.

“You need to give the target market a simple image they can latch on to.

“You have to make it memorable, clear and concise and seems top of the market they want to be in.”

Mr Herber uses this technique and a network of contacts to meet new clients, and offers a range of services including logo design, marketing materials and sign printing.

This approach has seen him work for a range of clients around the world, including Formula One team Jordan Grand Prix, and Gibraltar national lottery company Globalot.

He said: “I know if I do a good job they will come back and print again and again.

“It is a win-win situation.

“It is about seeing the opportunity and not just grabbing the money.

“You have to think ‘That is a good idea, I would not mind a slice of that’.”