Your Graphic Designer is Not an Order Taker
“Would you like fries with that?” Sadly, I think the vast majority of graphic designers are simply that: order takers. And it’s to the detriment of their clients, and their clients’ businesses.
Social Media is Dead. Long Live Social Media!
I know I’m not the only one to come up with this oh-so-clever headline. But I think it’s true. Social media is dead—at least for small businesses. Whoa, what? But not without a caveat…social media is alive and well. I’ll explain in a minute. I finally found some evidence of what I’ve long suspected…that marketing budgets spent on social media is a waste.
How to Know if it’s Time for a Rebrand in 6 Easy Steps
A lot of people always wonder if they should rebrand. Some companies who have had the same brand, colors, and typography since the 80’s (and it shows) probably could use a facelift; other companies seem to churn out new identities every few years. Obviously there is a balance somewhere in between, but how do you tell? I’ll give you six easy ways to know whether or not a company rebrand should be in your immediate…
Why Lupus Made Me a Better Small Business Owner
I’m going to share something with you that I don’t tell very many people. I have Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, otherwise known as SLE, or simply, Lupus. Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease, which basically means my body is attacking itself and I’m pretty much stuck with it. The reason why I want to share this with you is because I’ve been gleaning some valuable insights about running a small business with a chronic illness. Surprisingly,…
How Long Does it Take to Design a Logo? A Peek Behind the Process
Many people, and rightfully so, aren’t aware of the sheer amount of time and effort that goes into creating a strong brand identity—aka, a logo. Understandably, many potential clients are stunned when I tell them my logo design prices (let’s just say a logo should cost you more than a nice dinner.) In fact, most professional designers would agree: a logo takes a lot of time, thought, skill, and effort. All of this amounts to…
Good, Fast, Cheap: Yes, You Can Only Pick Two.
Time=Money Every once in a while I run into a client who truly doesn’t seem to grasp this concept. It’s a pretty simple one. Time=money. Cheap things are cheap because they aren’t made well or didn’t take too long to make. Expensive things are expensive because they are higher quality and/or take considerable time to create. Design is no different.
The Importance of Color in Logo Design
Color shouldn’t be taken lightly. Whenever I design a logo for someone, I’m always surprised that they usually either a) haven’t given much thought to color or b) don’t really care. Or worse, c) want their logo to be purple because that’s their favorite color. #fail What most people don’t realize is that color in logo design is incredibly important. It sets the foundation for the company’s branding and how it will be received (or…
4 Things I Learned About Contracts from the Little Mermaid
I was watching Disney’s iconic 1989 masterpiece (throwback!), wondering what to write this blog post about, when it dawned on me: OMG, the Little Mermaid has contracts in it! I could write about that. (Remember the part when the evil sea witch, Ursula, gets Ariel to sign away her voice in exchange for legs? Yeah. Contract!) And the irony here is that contracts are not bad, they just have to be used in a smart…
Show Your Clients Some Love
It’s super easy to neglect your current or past clients and customers. Why is that? Probably because, as a small business, you’re up to your neck in a million other things—invoicing, marketing, paying your bills, walking the dog, meetings—it’s so easy to neglect the people who are most important to your business: your clients. But whatever you do, don’t.
How (and Why) You Need to Niche
Super bowl Sunday is this weekend. And like many other viewers, I mostly watch it for the ads. Not that I’ll buy anything from them, they’re just much more entertaining than usual. Plus a ton of money was spent on these commercials, so they’re bound to be good (or at least good-er). But that’s the thing; consumers are getting better and better at ignoring mass media. So while companies are spending more and more money…