I did an Internet search for the term “archway,” and, as you would expect I had more hits than I could ever go through in a lifetime. I began looking at each listing and tried to identify those hits that were companies rather than articles, etc. about archways.  I found quite a few.  To narrow those specific hits down I relied upon two simple filtration rules:
    1. Look at the home page only because you can determine if the page belongs to         a company with a logo or with the need for logo from the home page;
    2. Look for a logo, and skip the site if there is a logo because getting a company             to replace its existing logo is very difficult no matter how much better your                 offering is.
Then I bookmarked those pages that made it past the filters so I could review each page in better detail. The obvious candidates were companies that used the word “Archway” in their business name, and that used graphics but had no logo. Those sites were bookmarked to a special folder and all other bookmarks from the search were deleted. I ended up with seven companies after searching about two hundred home pages. One in particular interested me for special reasons. That company’s website is at: http://www.archwayinsurance.co.uk/

My interest was special for several reasons. The word “Archway” prominent in its name, and it had no logo, but it appreciated that graphics do matter, even though it obviously used clip art photographs on its site. Another thing that appealed to me was that the company was in London and my photograph was taken at a place that Londoners know well.  Some say: “Familiarity breeds contempt.”  I like to think it also can breed comfort.

My next step had to be working up some sort of pitch to approach them with. That required dressing up the image, i.e., making it look like a logo.  Not being a designer that was not so easy to do. But I took a stab at it. You have to promise not to laugh – and here are my two offerings.

The final step was writing a simple but direct message to the company.

Dear Mr. X:
Attached hereto is a photograph that I took the photograph at Blenheim Palace on a recent trip. It has been modified by the addition of your company name. I thought it or some variation of it made by your appointed designer might be of interest to you for use as a logo on your Website.  Of course, the photograph can also be used without the company name. Additionally, I attach a PDF file of how the photograph alone might look on your Website’s homepage and letterhead, if redesigned.

As the copyright owner of the photograph I reserve all rights to its use. I could easily provide you with a license to use the photograph for a reasonable fee. If you have an interest in using the Archway photograph, I would be pleased to hear from you.

Thank you.


Richard Weisgrau

Finally, the email with photographs attached was sent. Now the waiting begins all over. I’ll keep you posted on the results.

(c) 2006 Richard Weisgrau [contact] [bio]

Go to Part 4