General Business Blog
Why A Good 30 Second Pitch Will Grow Your Business
I’ve been networking since practically day 1 of my business journey. Every meeting in every group I’ve been in wants you to do a 30-second introduction or pitch. Over the years, I’ve ended up getting a lot of attention for my introductions. Today I thought we’d...
Why Your Existing Clients Are Important for Success
I do a lot in my business to help small established businesses use graphic design to get more leads. That means I help them get new customers and that’s been a big focus in the entrepreneur and small business communities for a long time. I see ads all the time about...
Ask the Designer: Pitch Decks vs. Media Kits
I was watching a T.V. show the other day about a scrappy bunch of software developers in California. In the show the team of four nerdy guys is preparing for a meeting to present their company to potential investors. They kept talking about their clothes and the demo...
Why you need to revise your business plan as you grow
I remember writing my business plan. I was on a vacation with my family sitting on the bed in the hotel room on my laptop writing up my vision for the future. It was something I put together when I was super new to the freelance entrepreneur business owner game. If...
What is a Style Guide and Why do you need it
One of the best things to come across my desk as a graphic designer working with existing businesses is their style guide. I love them because it makes my job so much easier. I’m not always going to be one working on their logo or their last marketing campaign. I was...
Why It’s Important to Think Like Your Audience
When I started my business I was given a lot of advice on how to get customers. One of the pieces of advice I got was to think like my audience. It didn’t make sense to me then, but it makes a lot more sense to me now. Here are few things I’ve learned that will help...
Why Market Research is Important for Creating Good Designs
When I ask a client “Tell me about your audience?” they sometimes don’t know anything about them. One of the ways to learn more about your audience – your ideal clients – is to do market research. Today I’m going to answer a few of the most common questions I get when...
Why Market Positioning Matters in Graphic Design
One of graphic design’s best friends is marketing. The two disciplines work together towards the same goals – getting businesses noticed so they can get more sales and thrive. Market Positioning, sometimes shortened down simply to “positioning or position” is a tenet...
3 Popular Types of Logos
When it comes to starting a business the first thing everyone thinks about is getting a logo. A logo is a design that represents a business. It can use words, letters, or images to convey information about the personality and type of business to potential customers....
Goal Creation Tips for the Newbie Goal Setter
With the end of the year coming up, I started doing what I do every November, I started working on my goals for the next year. It was a great tip I got years ago, from a mentor I had. What I didn’t know at the time was that less than 20% of people create goals. An...
Why Not All Graphic Design is the Same
“What do you mean you don’t create websites, you’re a designer right? Don't you all do the same thing?” I hear this all the time when I have to explain to someone that I don't create websites but exclusively focus on creating marketing materials. What a lot of people...
“The Supposed To Life”: Why Strategy Matters
I love writing about design and business, but sometimes I want a break from it to talk about other things. This article is half mindset work and half practical advice and relates to life just as much as it does your business. The number one thing that I hear from...
3 reasons people are loyal to brands
When it comes to the products & services that fill our daily lives, we all have our favorites and our reasons for our loyalty to certain brands. If you feel like this loyalty to a brand makes you a little odd or set in your ways, it doesn't. Overall, around 8 out...
4 Tips that take the Confusion out of Choosing the Right Graphic Designer
I wrote a blog similar to this several years ago, you might see it floating around the internet, but I felt like it was time to redo it as the industry and landscape of the business community and design community have changed a lot! This is still one of my favorite...
Why Good Design Grows Businesses
Graphic Design is art with a purpose. It’s meant to be a tool to communicate information between a business and its customers or potential customers. There is a lot of chatter around about whether graphic design helps a business – Does it matter for a business’s...
The top 2 questions I get asked the most as a graphic design and visual marketing specialist
I spend a lot of time answering questions for potential clients, active clients, and former clients. I love answering their questions. It’s always fascinating to see what people want to know. Yet, I seem to find myself answering these same 2 questions the most, and...
Ask the Designer: Common Questions about Stock Art and Stock Media
I spend a lot of time discussing art and media with my clients. A topic of conversation that usually comes up is stock art and stock media. Stock photography alone makes an appearance in half of all ads with 9 out of 10 digital marketers using stock photos in their...
5 ways to boost the visibility of a business
Visibility. It’s a word thrown around on the internet a lot these days. What it means for business owners is advertising and putting your business out in front of potential customers. Businesses need visibility to grow - especially if you're in a fairly saturated...
5 Common Design Terms and What They Mean!
Every industry has its jargon. The words specific to their profession that someone outside the industry would scratch their heads at and graphic design is no different. I do my best to avoid using industry-specific terms because I know my clients don’t know what they...
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%...