IAFP – International Association for Food Protection

I have had the pleasureof assisting these awesome people with their latest project, creating a theme around their 2011 Annual Event in Milwaukee.  They are also marking their 100th year of service and were in need of a logo to state this.  While these two events are completely separate, we needed to make sure the “looks” worked well together.

Here is the 100th Anniversary logo we came up with.

I will post the annual event material soon!  The colors aren’t coming through correctly this morning…

studio 3

We have been busy getting business cards, letterhead, flyers and everything else in order for Amanda at studio 3.  Below is a taste of what their business cards are going to look like.  Very happy with the way things are turning out for her!  We are doing a front and back full color business card.

I could upload more, but instead I need to get working on studio 3′s newsletter!  Yes, another thing to add to my list of capabilities.  I am designing newsletters and sending them out every month for clients.  Calling myself their “Virtual Assistant!”

We have amazing teachers at our school.  Each year we have been extremely blessed with wonderful teachers.  This year though, one in particular, really grabbed a hold of my little girl and gave her her first pair of “big girl” wings…  I get tears just thinking about it.  But really, her teacher has a gift that we were so lucky to get!  She will be the one we never will forget!

So with that said, if you think I am missing every once in awhile this summer, you are probably correct.  I might be playing hookie at the pool or feeding the goats at the zoo or riding the Tornado at Adventureland.  I will still be trying to keep my business going as smooth as always, but I do have my priorities straight!  Family is definitely #1 for this workin mama!

When I look back at choosing my companies name, I can honestly say, I started with just my name being business name.  Then, I moved on to my initials.  Pretty common moves so far…  Then, I added 26 (my anniversary date) to my initials.  It was starting to feel better but we were still not there.  Then, my husband called one day and said, “I got it, Design 26!”  I loved it right away.  It sounded catchy yet creative yet it was going to require someone to think “I wonder what the 26 stands for???”  For me, I felt that would bring my customer closer to building a relationship with me.  They would reach out and ask what the significance was of the 26.

My company name stayed that way until I re-organized my website.  In that process, I was consulted to add the word “Graphic” to my name.  Design is a very broad word and adding the word graphic to it would give my customers that much more knowledge in what I offer.  It also would help Google find me when that customer searches for a graphic designer as opposed to just a designer.

So, my name has been changed now for a little over six months.  My business cards haven’t changed yet.  They will once this stack runs dry.  I would love to hear your thoughts regarding my process.  Recently I had someone ask me what a graphic designer even did.  That made me think again about whether or not I had chosen the correct name…

After seeing her many examples of amazing work (very jealous designer here…) where the items are designed around a particular fold, I have to admit, they caught my attention.  Let’s be honest, how many tri-fold brochures really capture our attention and make us want to “Read more!”  Just turning your tri-fold horizontal is enough of a change to capture the audience’s attention.

My favorite fold has to be with the double gate fold.  I received a small piece that came folded down to a 4×6 size.   But when I opened it up, it was so captivating and I couldn’t help but read more!

Check out her site for some interesting info on folding – www.foldfactory.com.  Confirmed to me that there really is someone obsessed about EVERYTHING!!!  My wheels are turning with ideas on how to fold that next marketing piece!!!

Although a professional, easy-to-use, and friendly website to represent your company is the critical foundation that you must have in order, the rise of Social Media has opened new doors for you to connect directly with your customers online.  Using these unique tools to broaden your online presence and further connect with your market is a matter of doing a few simple things.

• Develop A Plan – This may seem trivial, but establishing an objective-based plan for what you and your company plans to do within the Social Media world is critical to avoid wasting time and developing the most efficient use of your time.  Social Media is not difficult to get involved with, but it does take time, so having a plan in place will help you and your team use time wisely and allow for objectives to be met.
• Establish A Few Social Media Websites To Engage – With so many options online, determine a few good websites that you feel there would be value in getting involved with.  This not only means that the user base is advantageous to your business, but that you enjoy the website and can work with the tools available on this website.
• Update Your Website – Once you start establishing a base of websites you’re involved with, be sure to reconnect your own website to these accounts, so that current clients have the opportunity to further connect with your business in the environment that they’re also a part of.
• Stay Current – Once you have the plan in place and start setting up your visibility within the Social Media world, don’t let things go stale.  Try and allot a small amount of time each day to update your accounts.
• Reach Out – As you become more efficient within the social network or online community you’re engaging, do your best to reach out and make new connections within the online environment.  Along with broadening your reach within the networks you’re a part of, step out a bit further by trying to understand and use additional social media outlets.

Another option is to contact me and we can review your business needs.  I have seen firsthand how many of these tools have helped my business.

So, yesterday I sent out a ton of requests to people to be a connection with me, recommend my work, or let me join their groups on Linkedin.  Just when I thought that I was in the big world all alone as a freelancer, I now feel like I have a whole group of supporters to rely on and get answers to problems when I get stuck.

What other forms of social media are out there that I haven’t even dipped my toe in yet?  I have heard of yelp and flicr, but haven’t really done much with them.  I guess I have learned my lesson and need to get on that quickly!

If we aren’t friends yet on these different forms of social media that I am connected to, invite me!  I would love to connect with you!

Here is a picture of the site before.

While the site created the feel of warmth, it wasn’t inviting.  It also required the customer to click in order to find any information out regarding the business.  The studio owner was wanting that step taken out for the customer.

The studio owner also felt the menu items were too wordy and just kind of ran across the page – Agreed!

Here is a picture of the site after!

This is the site after we converted it to a WordPress format.

Much warmer and when the customer is on the homepage, it is capturing them and giving them a brief idea of what they have to offer without forcing them to click on the menu.

We still have a little tweaking to finish up on, but we are getting there and have already found quite a strong turnaround with their analytic scores.

Check out the site for yourself.  I would love to have your feedback!

www.studio3pilates.com

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