General Business Blog

5 Things That Set A Business Up For Success

Everyone wants a piece of the American Dream and for many, that means starting a business and being their own boss! Unfortunately, the statistics for new businesses aren’t very optimistic as 80% of all businesses fail.  In order for your company to be part of that 20%...

5 Smartphone Apps I Use to Run My Business

It takes a lot to run a business and we all have our tools to get it done. Here are 5 apps on my phone that I love and use regularly for my business. DISCLAIMER: I do not have anything to do with any of these apps! I just like them and recommend them as a fan!...

5 common design choices that make a design less attractive

I’ve spent close to a decade doing graphic design in Orange County, California and I’ve seen a lot of designs that have these same unfortunate choices in them. It makes them stick out as something created by a newer designer or non-designer and can change the...

How to Determine Your Business’s Ideal Client

We talk about needing Ideal clients in your business. It’s mentioned that these are the people who want, need and will like who you are and what you’re offering them. It’s also well recognized that these folks are different for each business. The question I feel like...

The Art of the Visual Rebrand

Maybe your company has grown a lot recently. Perhaps you just don’t like the logo you had at first, it doesn’t fit your vision. You’re actually a lot more specialized than your old logo makes you out to be or you just inherited the family business and want to...

The Number One Mistake I Struggle To Fix as a Designer

The number one mistake that I struggle to fix as a designer: poorly written text. I love talking about graphic design and the different elements that make up a good design, like the colors, fonts and more. Here’s the thing, that’s not all graphic design is. Under the...

3 Things to Know about DIY Graphic Design

I’m on social media a lot. I’m in several entrepreneur groups and groups for graphic designers. At least once a day I see a post like “Ladies!! Who does your graphic design? Drop the deets below” and inevitably, without fail I see a chain of comments that boil down to...

2,000-year-old selling techniques that still work!

Over 2,000 years ago, Greek philosopher, Aristotle came up with his Rhetorical Triangle that was made up of the 3 pillars of persuasion. These pillars (I call them techniques) of selling still work! Ideally, an advertisement or sales pitch would use all three of these...

four financial tips for new freelancers and creatives

According to Forbes Magazine, 1.57 million Americans are part of the gig economy. With money being at the forethought for a lot of us right now, I wanted to share a few good tips about money for new freelancers and independent creatives. Tip 1: Separate Your Business...

10 Ways to Help Your Business Right Now

Right now, the world is in the middle of a health crisis. New terms like "self-isolation" and "social distancing" have caught on. Gatherings and public events are canceled. Many businesses are shut down, others have employees working from home. For small business...

Branding is Not Your Logo

I had an email from a potential client the other day who was asking for help with her branding, which is great and I’m happy to help. After a few minutes of discussion via email, I asked if she had a logo or if she needed me to create one and she said, “I need one,...

Guest Blog: Interviewing Tips for Small Business Owners

As a graphic designer in Orange County, California that works with a lot of small businesses, I get asked a lot of questions about growing a company and hiring help. Unfortunately, this isn't my specialty, but It is the specialty of my friend and colleague, Deshaunte...

Guest Blog: Hiring Basics by Tami Wiersma of Quad County, Inc

Patrice's Note: As a graphic designer in Orange County, California, I get asked all the time about best hiring practices. The truth is I don't know that much about them so I reached out to my amazing client Tami Wiersma of Quad County, Inc who specializes in human...

Tales from the Past: Santa Claus and Advertising

Thanksgiving is over and twinkling holiday lights have started to pop up at shopping centers everywhere.  With Thanksgiving over, Holiday Shopping Season has officially begun and with that the start of advertisements galore. One of the icons of the holiday advertising...

Style Profile : 1980s

The 1980's were a time of excess and change. The economy in America was booming, walls (both figurative and literal) were coming down. This was the height of the "Me Generation" where individual identity and capitalism reigned supreme. MTV was new and very popular,...

Tales from the Past – The 1972 New York City Subway Map

The purpose of design is to help communicate information using visuals. As a graphic designer in Orange County, I can’t think of anything that would need to communicate information better than a map or diagram.  It’s one of the best ways to help get hundreds of...

LESS IS MORE: WHAT HALLOWEEN AND HITCHCOCK CAN TEACH YOU

LESS IS MORE: WHAT HALLOWEEN AND HITCHCOCK CAN TEACH YOU ABOUT ADVERTISING This month I have a treat for you!! A guest blog from the amazing blogger (and my best friend) Reina Victoria of A Dash of Gonzo! It’s October, so ‘tis the season