Well, I came across this super easy and cheap idea on my addiction Pinterest.com.

S’more Teacher Appreciation Gift, thanks to Crystal & Co.’s blog!

I thought they were so so cute, but I wanted to Christmas them up a bit, so I created my own labels and printed:

What else is needed?

• Graham Crackers (most people probably have on hand)
• Marshmallows (I prefer the larger ones for melting purposes)
• Mini Hersey Bars
• Clear Cellophane Treat Bags
• Stapler

This was said to me in a meeting the other day. A meeting with someone who came to me for advice on her brand and marketing campaign. This killlllsssssss me as a designer and marketer. Kind of like Stacy and Clinton hate when people say “I wear it because it’s comfortable.”

I understand in light of the economy, everyone is looking to save buck…but at what cost are you saving that dollar? Do you really think that people will take you seriously if you hand them a brochure made in word or publisher with the ever fancy 3D word art and clipart? How many people are you going to get to buy your product or services with shoddy design and branding? So maybe you saved a ton of money on your design, but how many sales did you lose because of that?

I cannot express enough the importance of creating a strong brand backed with professional design that has been thought out and cohesive. Would you take a financial planner seriously if he/she showed up in a Yugo and wearing ripped jeans and a dirty t-shirt? Of course not! Invest in your business. Put together a plan of what marketing pieces will have the biggest effect on your business and then pay a professional designer to create them. Put some Money into building your website…do NOT just have your friend’s 18 year old nephew who took Year Book in high school throw a site up for you because it is what you should do. That’s what it will look like…throw up.

When people are checking out your business, they will make judgement calls. They are going to pick you either because they know you, or because your marketing pieces/website look nicer than your competitors. So unless you want to keep business within your circle of friends and not expand….yeah.

To answer the above question of “Why?”, because the difference in appearance could mean the close of a sale, or not.

Well, here is a quick guide to wait is going to be HOT this summer!

Citrus Colors - Bright oranges, yellows, and greens! Nothing says summer like bright, cheerful colors. I am loving the combination of citrus colors! These colors flow together nicely and make me think of an ice cold glass of lemonade on a hot day. Yum! Perfect for a fun pool party or any summer event.

Peaches & Cream - Looking for something a little softer? Try light peach colors or pinky-peach colors mixed with cream, ivory or eggshell whites. Light and romantic. An evening wedding in June perhaps?

Watermelon & Orange Sherbet - A melt in your mouth combination! This colors can be used in fun, yet tasteful ways. And by tasteful, I mean tasty.

Of course you are not limited to just these colors. Just do what makes you happy and makes you think of your ideal summer day, whether it be favorite summer treat, vacation spot or summer activity.

Worse yet, is when a company invests in a beautiful design that does not send a strong marketing message.

Surprisingly enough, most people do not have clear marketing objectives when setting out to design or re-design their website. In fact, when I start asking questions about goals and what they would like to see their website do, they get flustered and say “I just thought I needed a website.” Not so.

Think of your website as the closing statement to a sales pitch. Everything you do to bring leads in, whether it is networking, print ads, social media, etc., it all funnels to your website. Wherever your potential customers land will need to have a clear call to action that directs them to what it is you want them to do. It could be you would like them to call or email you, or fill out a survey, or purchase a product. However, if you do not have anything on your site guiding to that action, then what good is having a website at all?

Your call to actions should be clear and in a place that viewers will see right away. Hiding your phone number in the footer will not get the phones ringing. Putting your social media links below the fold will not get you more followers. Even making sure that a contact us or buy now more pleasing to the eye will bring in more customers. Recently I changed the look of a contact us button for a client and within one week, they had a 12% increase in email submissions. It is all about figuring out what your customers want.

So in answer to my original question, a good marketing strategy and brand assessment should come first. Once you know what it is you would like to do, the design will come together.

3D Valentines Cards

It’s getting close to February 14th, so time to start thinking about the Valentines you’re going to send with your kids (or yourself if you’re into that to school. You could easily go pick up box of Spiderman or Disney Princess Valentines and have your kid put their John Hancock on the back. But why not have your kid stand out and look original?

I found these really cute Valentines Card idea on Frugal Girls Blog! So I took my daughter out in her Valentines finery and snapped a couple of pictures to use for the design. Then I created this simple, but fun Valentines card design , printed the images at Walgreens and then popped in the sucker to make it look 3D. It looks like she is literally handing her friends the heart shaped lollipop. How cute is that!?! Easy, but looks timely. Makes you look like Martha Stewart, and who doesn’t like to impress the other mom’s in the PTA?

Just the Design

Blue Eyes

Hello all! A little late in the game for my Project 52 piece this week. The topic was Natural Light, so while my kids were playing one morning, I snapped a picture of my son looking out the window at the birds in the trees outside. I think you can actually see the awe in his eyes. I also like how the lighting showcases his blue eyes and long lashes. At first I didn’t like the shadowing, but I love it now!

I did edit the photo a little in photoshop, gotta show off my mad design skillz yo. I gave the picture a vintage look, what do you think?

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

I have been hearing from random places about Project 52. Google it, it’s out there I swear. Basically different forums have different lists of a different type of picture to take each week. It is supposed to encourage you to take out your camera once a week and try new techniques you may never have tried on your own.

I’m in! A couple weeks late, but better late than never, right? So all you lucky fans will get to see my weekly take on the Project 52 Pictures.

This week’s theme from the list I am following online is Macro. Macro photography is close-up photography of usually very small subjects. The classical definition is that the image projected on the “film plane” (i.e., film or a digital sensor) is close to the same size as the subject (Wikipedia).

Here  is my image for the week. If any photogs are out there reading this blog, what do you think? Any tips? Would love to hear from you!

Tiny Leaves on Blue Sky

I liked the contrast of the green against the blue. Also the detail of the veins on each leaf.

Taken with Olympus EVOLT E-500 Digital SLR Camera.

But one of the easiest things to update and fills the void for unpainted walls, is updating my website.

So I guess 2011 is going to be my blue period. The teals and grays felt fresh, crisp and clean to me. I’m loving it. I LOVE the ease of use of my new website. And adding a blog, well that’s going to be therapeutic. All you lucky folks out there are no succumbed to my most inner ramblings.

So that’s my big change for the year! At least for my company. What are you changing about your business or even about you this year?