Back when I started selling graphic design in 1998, I quickly learned the value of marketing and that in-person contact with potential clients is the most rewarding form of promotion. Most small business owners can attest to the roller coaster that is entrepreneurship. When things are good (i.e. You have so many projects that you simply don’t have the time to do much, outside of delivering your product or service) your marketing efforts can slow to a crawl. With the year nearing an end and demand slowing down, I was recently afforded some time to exhibit for the first time in a while. It wasn’t a disaster. But factor in technical issues, last minute decision-making and chilly drizzle (it was an outdoor evening event), and by the end of it, I was spinning my wheels on how to make things better. Here are 9 nuggets of advice I’d be remiss if I didn’t pass on.

1. Plan, plan, plan

There’s always a chance things may not go accordingly. But planning can eliminate the probability of mishaps. Write “before”, “after” and “during checklists. Start early to eliminate last-minute chaos.

2. Get the word out

Let attendees know you’ll be. In many cases, event facilitators assign a booth number to each exhibitor once they’ve made a commitment. If this is the case, share your booth number via email, social media and by word of mouth so attendees know where to find you during the event.

3. Brand your booth consistently

Consider all of the visual elements you plan to use at your exhibit. Items like a tent (if outdoors) or fabric walls, table covering, a banner, some kind of table-top display, promotional prints (business cards, brochures or fact sheets, sign-in sheets), your laptop, products,  giveaways, clothing and possibly more. A great way to ensure that your branding is consistent is to do a dry run. Set up your booth at your office, the way it will look the day of your event. Step back and consider the outer and interior design of your space. Is it a place you’d want to stop if you were a potential client? Jot down changes you’d like to make and make it happen. If it’s not in your budget to do it all at once, don’t let that stop you from presenting, instead, make updates piece by piece until your visuals are where you want them in the future.

4. Quid pro quo

Give something away in exchange for something else. If your giveaways look good to attendees, they will likely flock to your booth and won’t mind joining your email list of filling out a form or two. You don’t have to be giving away award show swag either. Something as simple as a t-shirt can leave a lasting impression. Be as creative as you can within your budget.

5. Be vocal

If you’re like me, it takes a minute to warm up to a crowd. Practicing your elevator pitch routinely before the event will help eliminate anxiety. Remember that attendees may feel just as timid about approaching your booth as you feel about soliciting to them. At a minimum, a warm greeting may inspire them to stop and talk or eventually circle back for a visit.

6. Troubleshoot your technology

Test your machinery, equipment, and presentations the night before, then arrive early enough to do a dry run after you’ve set up your exhibit and before the attendees arrive.

7. Dress the part

Wear clothing that’s consistent with your visual brand colors. You are the most integral part of your visual brand. Consider the weather and the temperature of the venue.

8. Prepare for Murphy’s Law

Know that some things don’t always go as planned. Be flexible. If you run into unexpected issues, try to adjust as quickly as you can and know that being present is half the battle. At least you’re not at home binge-watching old episodes of Walking Dead staving off the guilt of playing hooky on your business.

9. Pack for the next one.

Once your event is over, pack up your exhibit like you’re heading to the next one. Store your exhibit equipment and materials in an easily accessible space. If (like me) you had room for improvement, be sure to switch out old items with upgraded ones as you receive them over time.

Exhibiting is one of the best ways to learn more about potential clients and build brand awareness. Planning for it can be both exciting and stressful. Using the tips outlined above are a great place to start to ensure your booth is a success.

You’re just about ready to launch a new endeavor and you’re thinking of hiring a professional graphic designer to enhance your visual brand. Whether you’re in the market for a single item such as a flyer, or something more complex like an entire series of branded elements, knowing how the process will flow will help you to avoid foreseeable challenges and enable your designer to come up with creatives that are most reflective of your vision. From the creative brief to submitting your copy, this article outlines each step of the pre-design phase to ensure that you start off on the right foot.

Creative Brief

Combined, your style, technical and proofing goals comprise what design professionals call a creative brief. It’s a document that summarizes your vision and serves as a blueprint for how you would like your final design to look.

Style

In this case, style has to do with the important aspects of your design, such as your vision or how you foresee your design in its finished form. It also has to do with copy writing. Ensuring that your copy is final and already written in the tone you prefer before it reaches your graphic designer’s inbox will likely prevent costly editing at the tail end of your project.

Technical

You should also be able to provide technical details on your project like the deadline, project dimensions (width and height), whether the project will be for print or digital use (or both) and exactly what file formats you’ll need.

Proofing Forecast

Knowing about how many rounds of revisions you think you’ll need beforehand is equally important. We usually provide three rounds of revisions into a quote for projects with eight or fewer pages; however, with any designer, as the number of pages or level of complexity increases, the number of editorial rounds needed can increase as well.

Estimate

With a finalized creative brief in hand, your designer is equipped to calculate your estimate. While each designer’s formula may vary, it’s likely that he or she uses a standardized pricing resource for guidance. We use the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook Pricing Ethical Guidelines in conjunction with rate scales for our state and past audits. Once you’ve had an opportunity to review your estimate, you can decide whether or not to move on to the next step. Be prepared to pay a deposit up front. Most designers require it unless you’ve agreed on other terms.

Make a payment and submit your project assets

Project assets you’ll be asked to send include items like finalized copy, images (photos, vector illustrations or logos), and a style guide or listing of any design rules your designer should adhere to for brand consistency. If you didn’t do so when you submitted your creative brief, this is also a good time to send links to examples of designs you admire and any additional unique items that you feel will assist the designer in achieving your vision.

Once the pre-design phase is done, your designer will be prepared to start creating your new design.

Copyright: racorn / 123RF Stock Photo

Back in the day as a graphic artist fresh out of college, my idea of how every graphic should look was slightly over-the-top. My delusions of digital grandeur would sometimes result in a final composition that was not always a match between my client’s vision and what I presented to them on paper. After all, I was an amateur, and years of working with a variety of clients has certainly decreased those kinds of scenarios significantly. But the dilemma created by not seeing eye to eye with your designer can happen even with the most seasoned graphic artists. Here are three ways to communicate more clearly with your graphic designer.

1. Write your creative brief like the success of your business depends on it.

Before you get started, provide your designer with a stellar creative brief. A creative brief is a short yet thorough description of your business and your project goals. It should include specific details about your vision for your final design and other important information like your company’s overview, target audience, message and established brand elements (if applicable) like colors, fonts, imagery, etc. Remember, less is more, but specificity is key.

2. Have your designer tell you what you meant.

During the creative brief review process, politely have your designer reiterate what they think you are saying. Most good designers who are genuinely seeking understanding will do this before you ask. This is of mutual importance because you both need to know that you are on the right track to prevent wasted time, effort and money.

3. Get thorough with your edits.

Once your designer presents your graphic to you, take some time to really review it and get feedback from colleagues, family and friends. Write down a list of any changes you would like made. Be sure to submit all of your revisions during the editorial phase. Submitting them after the project has been finalized is likely to yield additional fees. Be very specific. For example, if you say, “I would like this image to look less whimsical and more corporate,” augment that request with a link to a visual example that you like. That way, there will be little confusion.

In conclusion, graphic artists are human too. Though we’d like to believe we can use our creative intuitiveness to read your mind, we simply can’t. Communicating your vision to us in a clear and concise way that leaves little room for guessing enables us to produce a project that makes your brand a true reflection of your business.

African American Student Celebrates Graduation

Whether transitioning from high school to higher education or from college to a new career, a stunning announcement to let people know you’ve completed a leg of your academic journey is an ideal way to mark a noteworthy milestone. While graduation announcements are commonly done by professional graphic artists, many people opt to design and print their own. If you’re one of those people we’ve pulled together a list of five resources complete with affiliate links that will help you to achieve your D.I.Y. goals.

1. Photographs
When considering photography, leaving the work to a professional is ideal, but doing it well yourself is completely doable. Mapping out your trek to great photos includes having clear goals about what you want them to look like, educating yourself about the basics and getting access to the equipment you’ll need to achieve photos you’ll love. This post contains affiliate links.

Decide what you want
Start by figuring out how you want your final photos to look. Search stock photo websites for portrait-style photos. Determine what you like about the photo then use similar staging and adjust your camera settings to try to achieve a similar look and feel.

Learn the basics
Take an online course. Websites like Creative Live, and Lynda offer courses that explain everything from Lighting 101 to Photoshop.

Get yourself a camera
If you haven’t already, you’ll want to rent or purchase a good camera. Entry level cameras like the Canon EOS Rebel T6i and the Nikon D3300 can both yield impressive photographs. Also, keep in mind that a good lens can mean the difference between a mediocre photograph and a stunning one. A 50mm lens is a good starter lens for editorial-style portraits. If you’re the graduate and you’re taking own photos, be sure to use a remote control shutter release that’s compatible with your camera. If you opt for an indoor shoot or don’t have sufficient natural light, consider investing in an affordable lighting kit.

2. At least one proofreader besides you
Even if you’re pretty confident about your writing skills, a second set of eyes (a professional or just a friend who pays lots of attention to detail) can help to prevent costly mistakes before you go to print. On websites like Fiverr, Upwork and Elance, freelancers who specialize in everything from proofing to copy writing often offer up their skills for a nominal fee.

3. Design software
Despite the learning curve they may pose for the graphic design novice, industry standard creative software applications like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign each have a unique set of attributes that will enable you to create beautiful announcements. The  online course websites mentioned above also offer beginning courses on these applications. If you’re not quite ready to take on Adobe applications, you can use any common desktop publishing application. Microsoft Word, Publisher and PowerPoint are all suitable for designing your announcement. If you’re not sure how to conceptualize from scratch, templates are a great place to start.

4. Fonts
Fonts can make or break a design. If you decide to use common fonts like Arial, Calibri or Georgia, use formatting tools to tweak font sizes and thicknesses to make blocks of text more or less prominent. If you would like your design to be a little more unique, you can install more decorative fonts. Resources like Google Fonts and FontBundles offer a variety of impressive free and affordable fonts.

5. Printing
If you opt to print at home a couple of printers that come highly recommended include the Epson Artisan 1430 Inkjet Printer and the Canon PIXMA PRO-100 which prints on card stock (up to 110 lb). Both printers rank highly when reviewed for their ability to print items like announcements and invitations. Using a good quality paper goes a long way when printing at home and can improve your results substantially.

If you prefer to avoid printing on your personal printer you can always employ the services of a professional print house. Online printers such as Overnight Prints, Vista Print, Club flyers and PS Prints boast quick turnaround times, affordable rates and user-friendly interfaces that make your designs easy to upload, pay for and ship.

If you’d prefer a little more attention, check local independently-owned printers or popular franchises like Fed Ex Office or the UPS Store. Local printers offer the added benefit of in-person communication which enables you to oversee the printing process more thoroughly.

Finally, producing your own attractive graduation announcement is a meticulous process but is achievable with the right resources. Furthermore, by doing it yourself you produce an endearing keepsake that will hold personal value far beyond that special day.

Coffee Mug – Camera Lens Travel Thermos

Lately I’ve been getting a lot of feedback about a cool mug I found on Amazon and I thought I’d give it an honest review complete with affiliate links.

On a search for a unique gift for a close photographer friend, I stumbled upon the Camera Lens Coffee Mug. It’s a replica of a Canon camera lens. It holds 13.5 oz when filled up/11 oz if covered with lid. Its outer shell is made of food grade ABS plastic materials and it has an extra-fine stainless steel interior. Like most travel mugs, this one has a screw-on top to prevent spills.

Why I love it.

Appearance

I liked the way this mug looked so much that I bought one for myself. My friend loved it as well.

Functionality

It serves it’s purpose. As mugs go its fine. No surprises there.

Emotional Affect

Sipping from this mug is fun and inspiring. Holding it sparks creativity and makes me want to be a better photographer.

Pros

• Feels great in my hand especially when it’s full. It’s not too heavy or bulky. There’s something about the texture of this cup. With groovy bands, lumpy mock buttons and a cone-esque shape it feels comfortable to hold.
• More spill-proof than an uncapped mug.
• The top traps the heat.
• It’s a great conversation starter and marketing piece (especially for photographers).

Cons

• Not listed as dishwasher safe.
• The outer grooves can be a little hard to clean without a bottle brush.
• May not stand the test of time. I purchased a total of 4 of these mugs on Amazon from HL United and one from HomeBrand. Three were for three different friends and one was for me. The first one I bought for myself didn’t last long. In all my heavy-handed, glory, I stripped the grooves in the cap and cup rim by twisting it on too tightly (too many times). The other company I bought it from was HomeBrand. I had no problems with it.

Would I buy it again?

Yes. This mug is too cute. I take it nearly everywhere with me.