The first question most people have when they start to think about images for a project they’re working on is, “Where will I find good images to use?” To answer that question we’ll start by looking at the four options for getting images, and what the pros and cons of each are. (I’ll give you a big hint: stock photos are one of them!) Option 1: Take your own photographs You can take your…
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,…
Everyone is going digital. There’s nothing earth-shattering about that. This makes being somewhat social media savvy is necessary to attracting new business from these potential clients. I know, I know, it was only a few months ago I was griping about the evils of jumping on the social media bandwagon. While I still think social media is not necessary for everyone, it still has its place in a healthy business’ overall marketing strategy. Through the…
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…
I just did a simple website for a startup massage business. Now, this guy is a great guy, but let’s just say that his tech skills were something to be desired. Which is pretty common among my clients, so he’s in good company 😉 He loved the website, but the first question out of his mouth was, “So how do I show up on Google?” I saw that coming a mile away.
“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.
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.
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.
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…
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,…
