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How a Mobile-Friendly Website Keeps You in Business

May 2, 2016SheilaGraphic Design, UX, Web Design, WordPress2 CommentsGoogle, iPad, iPhone, mobile, mobile-friendly, rank, responsive, SEO, smartphone, websites

It’s no secret that Americans are addicted to their smartphones. Time reported that the average American checks their smartphones approximately 46 times a day; some reports go as high at 86. Regardless of whether or not this is a healthy habit (no judgement, I do it too!), we can no longer deny that mobile web browsing is here to stay. A mobile movement has officially begun but this shift has been a long time coming….

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Design is Not a Commodity

May 21, 2015SheilaBusiness Tips, Graphic Design11 Commentsbusiness, cheap, commodity, contests, graphic design, logo, Logo Design, online

Unfortunately for me and my fellow designers, graphic design just happens to be one of those things that are starting to be considered a commodity. Which would be fine, but of course, it isn’t actually a commodity.

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What This Year’s Super Bowl Fail Can Teach Us About Graphic Design

February 5, 2015SheilaBranding, Graphic Designbusiness, design, fail, football, marketing, opportunity, research, risk, super bowl

Like most intelligent, amazing people out there, I was rooting for the Seahawks this year (did I just lose half of you? Good ;). Hey, I’m from Seattle, so I have to root for them. Anyway, I’m sure you all are well aware of that last, horrific, play fail. The Seahawks were four points down, but it was their ball. They were like, 3 millimeters from the line with two whole minutes to go. I,…

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How to Incorporate Good Design into Your Small Business

December 20, 2014SheilaBusiness Tips, Graphic Designbrochures, business goals, design, logo, marketing, website design, websites

Now that we’ve spent some time talking about why good design matters, let’s talk about how you can implement elements of good design in your business. The first step in thinking about good design is to remember that the big picture feeling is what you’re working towards. Before you begin developing or updating your design, make sure you’re taking the time to identify the core elements of your message.   First things first An easy…

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Why Good Design Matters

November 25, 2014SheilaBusiness Tips, Graphic Design3 Commentsclients, customers, design, graphic design, logo, value, website

Have you ever gone to a website or picked up a business card from a new company only to find yourself dissatisfied or uninterested? Me too. Which got me thinking… there’s a lot of talk about what you need to do to create a killer website, or a great logo. But why does good design even matter? Why do you need it? I’ll tell you why.   There’s an intangible value to good graphic design. It’s more than getting…

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“Can’t I Just Set Up My Own WordPress Site?”

October 28, 2014SheilaBusiness Tips, Graphic Design29 Commentsbusiness goals, professional, websites, wordpress

I get this sort of question a lot. Sometimes, I’ll run into a potential client who understands they might need help with their logo, or brochure…but for some reason, they’d like to be a little more hands-on when it comes to their website. Especially once I mention that I use WordPress for all the websites that I do. “Oh, WordPress? I can do that.” There’s no point arguing, so after I chuckle to myself, I…

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8 Reasons Why Design Contests Are Bad for Clients

September 29, 2014SheilaBusiness Tips, Graphic Design, Marketing9 Commentscheap design, crowdsourcing, design, design contests, graphic design, logo, spec work

Last week we talked about the dangers of design contests for designers, which are usually pretty obvious. But for the clients that actually get work done from them, the dangers can be a little more elusive. If you are the owner of a start-up, or simply don’t know where to turn to find a decent design, I’m sure the allure of design contests sound pretty sweet. Heck, they sure market them enough to push anyone’s…

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How to Give Your Graphic Designer Feedback in 11 Easy Steps

July 21, 2014SheilaBusiness Tips, Graphic Design19 Commentsaudience, business, business goals, client, design, feedback, goals, graphic design, logo

A couple weeks ago, we were talking about how your designer is not an order taker. I made a pretty convincing case as to why, as the client, you should refrain from telling your graphic designer how to do their job. But of course we’re now all wondering, when and how should you offer feedback? If at all? Rest assured, I think it’s perfectly fine and healthy for a client to provide constructive feedback in…

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Your Graphic Designer is Not an Order Taker

June 30, 2014SheilaBusiness Tips, Graphic Design21 Commentsaudience, business, goals, graphic designer, marketing

“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.

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Good, Fast, Cheap: Yes, You Can Only Pick Two.

April 12, 2014SheilaBusiness Tips, Graphic Design12 Commentsbad logos, cheap design, client, design, fast, good, logo

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.

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