Archive for February, 2010
Double-duty business cards
Posted in: Graphic Design, Graphic Design Blog by Jennifer Slagle on February 19, 2010
A double-duty business card can be a good thing or a not-so-good thing. Below are two very specific examples of this.
- The good double-duty business card - Using your business card for more than just telling who you are and what you do. Print a coupon or special offer on the backs of your cards. Include them with invoices to current customers. If you offer a referral incentive, print it on the card.
- The not-so-good double-duty business card – Use your business card to focus on one business, not multiple. Someone whose card indicates they ‘do it all’ might be perceived as the infamous “Jack-of-all- Trades, Master of None.” This is especially true if you use the same business card for two or more different businesses (such as your part-time real estate business and your part-time computer repair business).
If you are trying to break into a specific specialty within the same business (such as newsletter design or Web design), design a separate business card to give to your target market. Depending on your business, you might want to have a fun card and a serious card.
Business Card Tips
Posted in: Graphic Design, Graphic Design Blog by Jennifer Slagle on February 18, 2010
Business cards serve many purposes but their primary purpose is to tell what you do and give the recipient a way to contact you.
At the very least a name and contact method (address or phone number) should go on your business card. As for where to put this information, there are hundreds of possible arrangements, but there are a few commonly accepted guidelines for where to place the most essential information.
Minimum Information for a Business Card
Other information is optional but as a minimum the business card should usually contain:
- Individual’s Name and/or Business Name
- Individual’s Title or some other descriptive text to indicate what the person does if it’s not obvious from the business name
- A way (preferrably multiple ways) to contact the person — could be phone, fax, email, web page, mailing address, street address, etc.
It is not necessary to but a complete listing of services or products on the business card. Keep it to the essentials. Use brochures and personal interviews to disclose the full range of services or products offered.
- Orientation – Horizontal layouts are the most typical, most widely used format for business cards.
- Name – Whether using a horizontal or vertical arrangement, the person’s name or the business name are usually the most prominent text item on the card. It is usually placed in the center or upper half of the card and emphasized with a larger or bolder font.
- Contact – Contact information is usually placed in the lower half of the card (left, right, or centered). The preferred method of contact (such as phone number or email) is often emphasized with a larger size, bolder font, or more prominent placement.
What is branding?
Posted in: Graphic Design Blog by Jennifer Slagle on February 17, 2010
To create a “brand” for your company is to create your image, and to promote that image within your campaigns and marketing materials. Working in branding allows me to get involved with many aspects of your business, from logo design to advertising to slogans. The goal of a brand is to make a company unique and recognizable, and to project a desired image. Over time, a brand can make a company a household name, and identifiable by a simple shape or color. To create a brand for your company, I need to fully understand the goals of your organization, the industry as a whole, and will then create the appropriate materials to represent your company.
Creating marketing materials – what to do…
Posted in: Graphic Design, Graphic Design Blog by Jennifer Slagle on February 11, 2010
Because of my own business needs, this topic has been on my mind a lot lately. I have been researching the best way to effectively communicate what my business has to offer to the optimal client base. Does that include a tri-fold brochure? Should I make some rack cards and put them out for everyone to see and take if they choose? Should I make postcards that act as a “teaser” to entice that person to look into my company and see what I can offer. Should I create some type of printed portfolio showcasing a range of my work?
My husband works with sales for a major bank in the US and he keeps telling me that research shows many people will through a tri-fold brochure in the garbage before they even look at it. Being that I create those for clients frequently, I don’t like hearing that. That is what I was getting ready to create for myself! Only problem is that I just couldn’t bring myself to do this without adding a creative twist making the brochure a different size or adding some type of embellishment… but, that is when the price went up too… I can’t win.
So I thought some more… With social media changing so much I find myself spending so much time on perfecting my website as that is my main reference for my business when potential clients want to see my work. In my field, it is key. So with that knowledge and thought process behind me AND my website finally starting to take final shape, it is time for me to create some postcard “teasers” for my business. For me and my business, that is the best bang for my buck I believe! Stay tuned, I will post it when I am done.
A new WordPress theme!
Posted in: Graphic Design, Graphic Design Blog, Word Press by Jennifer Slagle on February 5, 2010
Hang tight – I have been working hard to get my site looking and feeling the way I want! I hope you like this new theme that I have recently downloaded. It is so user friendly and I am finding with a few extra tips from my brother, I am able to actually do most of this on my own! Who would have thought I could do such a thing. Hopefully it will be finished real soon. Let me know your thoughts.