So I’ve looking into getting back into martial arts. And I found a great Groupon for a Tae Kwon Do school that was right down the street from me. While I was at it, I started researching some other schools that offered Krav Maga, a type of street self-defense, as well. Then I ran into a website that looked just like the one where I bought the Groupon from. I was excited. “Ooo,” I thought,…
I get it. Times are tough. And this mistake is a very common one; a lot of people either are confused about where to start or don’t have the time or money for this activity. But if they don’t do this one thing for their small business, they may as well kiss that business goodbye.
Panic! Okay, maybe not quite yet. I’ve run into this a couple of times, mostly after I’d designed a new logo for a client. Once or twice they’ve come back to me, worried that their logo looked like another logo floating around out there.
Like everyone else, I’m throwing my two cents in at Yahoo’s decision to update its logo. And like everyone else, I must admit, I’m becoming so used to these sterile logo redesigns that it almost doesn’t even elicit a response from me. A “meh” will suffice.
Do you ever sit down at your desk, with a ton of work to do, but can’t seem to concentrate? I get that all the time. And it always seems to happen right when a deadline’s looming.
Introducing…Apex Creative Hi all! To my loyal followers and fans, thank you for all of your continued support, and for your interest in what I’ve been up to. As you may be wondering, why the heck would I change my business name now? Especially as my brand equity has grown and organic search results are up. All I can say it, it’s been a long time coming. Ever since I started freelancing, I’ve struggled with…
Clients turn us down all the time. Aren’t we ever allowed to return the favor? I say, heck yes! Sometimes, for one reason or another, we get that feeling in our gut that something just isn’t quite right. And it’s always best to heed rather than ignore those red flags. But let’s say you’re in the middle of your meeting with a potential client, and then you realize you should turn down the project? Do…
I just walked away from an $8,000 project. “What, are you crazy?!” Is probably what you’re thinking right now. Yes, I am crazy. Crazy enough to put my sanity and happiness before profits. The reason I want to share this with you is to encourage all other designers out there that it’s okay to say “no” sometimes. In fact, the ability to say “no” is an important part of what we do. But if you’re…
Small businesses, beware. A longtime client of mine recently told me that he had signed up with a SEO marketing company (you know, the ones who constantly fill your spam folder). He said he was paying $350 a month and that they guaranteed his site will rank number one on Google within a few months. I quickly told him he was probably being scammed and that there is no way to guarantee search rank, especially…
After being around the design block for a few years, I’ve come across some really great resources, usually in the form of books. And after years of reading, collecting, buying, and even returning some, I think I have a pretty solid collection now, of which there are 15 that I consider share-worthy. These 15 books are the crème de la crème of design reads; whether they are the most useful, the most inspirational, or most…
