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.
As a freelance graphic designer, I’ve come across a few myths in regards to my chosen profession. People seem to have some understandable, and sometimes strange, objections or concerns to hiring a freelancer. Hopefully this should clear some of those up.
As a graphic designer who dabbles in marketing and branding, I’m always on the lookout for new inspiration. I never thought I’d find it watching GoT, but the more I studied the plot and characters, the more I realized that it had more in common with solid marketing principles than I had previously thought. *spoiler alert The following assumes you are a fan of Game of Thrones, and have at least watched through Season…
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…
Qualifying clients isn’t easy… But luckily I just recently revamped my process for selecting clients. Revamp as in, actually having one instead of winging it or hoping that the phone doesn’t ring. My problem was, that when it came to dealing with established clients, I was fine. But when someone emailed me or called me out of the blue, asking about my services, I had no idea what I was doing. I froze up. Finally…
So after a long hiatus, you are now ready for the final piece of this branding/logo/identity puzzle, right? Right. I do apologize for the long delay, things have gotten quite busy around here, which is good for me (but bad for you, my readers!). So, let’s jump right in, shall we? Picking up where we left off in this 3 part miniseries, today’s focus is on the third and final “step” in building a comprehensive…
You’ve heard the terms thrown around a lot. Branding. Logos. Identity. What do they all mean? How do they differ? Does their order matter? And if so, which came first, the chicken or the egg? In this 3 part miniseries, I will detail each of these “steps” and explain their differences, their importance, and meaning of each. This week, allow me to introduce Step 1: Branding. Step 1) Branding: the emotional perception or idea…
Today it seems that designers are a dime a dozen; anyone with a computer and a copy of Photoshop considers themselves a bona fide graphic designer. How can you possibly tell who’s good and who’s not? Simple, just ask yourself these 10 burning questions before hiring one. (And designers, double check that you can pass these benchmarks as well.) 1. How strong is their portfolio? This is paramount, because at the end of the…
Hint: it’s not what you think. What’s the biggest mistake your business could be making during a recession? Drum roll, please… Cutting back on marketing dollars. It’s true. The best time to spend more, not less, on marketing and advertising is when the economy is down. Fortunately for you, not many people are aware of this fact. Here are a few reasons why this secret is true and why you should utilize it to your…
(*Unless you want to be mediocre, in which case, I can’t help you) Is your business awesome? Amazing? Stellar? Of course it is, but the real question is…are your customers aware of this fact? If the answer is yes, then you can stop reading right here. But if the answer is no, or you’re not sure, then you’ve come to the right place, because that’s what I’m here to do…to help make sure everyone knows…
