FAQ & More…

My goal is simple; ensure my clients understand what is happening at every stage of a project.

While a client doesn't need to know the technology - and usually doesn't want to - they should understand the value behind using it.

These resources are here to answer frequently asked questions about working with a graphic designer or web designer and various aspects of print and online projects.

Feel free to contact me with your own questions. I'd be happy to help if I can.

Creativity
- Creativity In Advertising
  - I was listening to the radio the other morning, as I do most mornings and "The Osgood File" came on. Dave Ross was filling in and and talking about "Figuring Out Ways To Force Viewers To Watch TV Ads."
  - Now with so many of us using TiVo and DVRs, fewer and fewer of us are watching commercials. (I, myself, love my DVR. I can watch Hereos and The Closer in a fraction of the time.)
  - But Dave wonders if the point of watching TV is to be entertained, "If the commercials are entertaining enough, conceivably, Super Bowl rules might kick in - where you skip the programming so you can watch the commercials."
  - It was a very amusing segment and I chuckled, but then I got to thinking...is YOUR advertising clever and engaging? Is it entertaining? Does your audience want to watch/read it?
  - (Read entire article)
- Creating Creativity
  - I used to find myself in a momentary panic when first sitting down to "design." I would wonder if I had anything creative to add. But experience has taught me that the first thing I needed to do when sitting down to create - was not to sit down at all.
  - (Read entire article)
Marketing
- Homemade Is Great For Cookies, But Not For Your Marketing: 10 Things You Must Know About Working With a Designer
  - You invest plenty in marketing your business. But just as you hire an accountant to help you keep your finances in top shape, your marketing can benefit by working with a graphic designer.
  - If you have a great message but it gets lost in a reader-unfriendly format, it won’t get read. If you have a lovely layout but no real message the end result will be the same – no one will care. You’ve just wasted your marketing budget.
  - A designer is able to bring experience and expertise that will help you craft a stronger and more effective marketing message while designing a consistent “brand” for your business.Can’t afford it you say? If you are not seeing the maximum benefit from the money you are already spending on advertising, you can’t afford not to.
  - Here are 10 things you must know about working with a designer.
  - (Read entire article)
- Green Eggs And Spam
  - Email is a great way to stay in touch with clients and prospects. It's quick, relatively easy and extremely cost effective.
  - Here are my Top Three Tips for using emails to your greatest advantage:
  - (Read entire article)
- Marketing Your Product
  - I had an interesting conversation with a client a while back.
  - He's a great guy with a great product that no one else is providing. Yet he's having trouble selling. Needless to say he's confused and frustrated. He's thinking, I have no competition I should be sitting back and taking orders.
  - (Read entire article)
- Marketing Your Website
  - One of the biggest questions clients ask is "How will people find me once my website is up and running?"
  - My clients are mainly small businesses. Many are startups by first-time business owners so the idea of marketing in general, and internet marketing specifically, can be a bit overwhelming.
  - (Read entire article)
- To Blog Or Not To Blog...
  - Just about everyone has heard the term "blog" bantered about. That doesn't mean you know what it is or how to use it to promote your business. So let's take a look at blogs as a marketing tool.
  - (Read entire article)
Organizing Yourself & Your Projects
- Dealing With Digital Photos
  - What if you need to send digital pictures to your web or graphic designer? Or you may want to blackmail your boss with photos from the office party - but that's a felony so I would discourage you from doing that!
  - To share your pictures, whether you are sending them to your designer or to Grandma, you will need to make sure the file size is within the limits of the application you are using, whether it is your email utility or an online photo album like Snapfish.com.
  - (Read entire article)
- Taming Your Inbox
  - Anyone with a website has - or should have - an email address that visitors can use to contact them with questions or orders. In addition to these emails, we are flooded daily with messages from family, friends and the ubiquitous spam.
  - One way to tame the beast is to add some content to the subject line of the emails coming from your website. It will help you determine where the emails are coming from and what they are about.
  - (Read entire article)
Printing & Print Design
- The Numbers Game
  - When you are getting ready to send a job to print one of the most basic questions you need to answer is "How many do you want printed?"
  - (Read entire article)
- What's Up With The Color?
  - Color management is a vexing issue for many of us. There are people who dedicate their whole careers to this very issue. You don't need to be one of them. But you should have some basic understanding about color.
  - To understand why the color your printer spits out is different from what you see on your monitor you need to understand additive vs. subtractive color and how you perceive color.
  - (Read entire article)
Resources
- Finding Images For Projects
  - A picture's worth 1000 words - but how do you find the one that will speak to your customers?
  - There are a number of good sites from which you can get free clip art. Type "free clip art" into your search engine to see a long list of sites providing just that.
  - (Read entire article)
- Image Licensing
  - A large part of marketing is visual; its important to find the right image to convey your message quickly. But the copyright laws governing usage of such images can sometimes be confusing.
  - Here's a quick overview of some common terms you should be familiar with.
  - (Read entire article)
Web
- Choosing An Effective URL
  - Selecting THE PERFECT name for your online business can often be a daunting task, especially if THE PERFECT domain name is already taken.
  - So here are some things to consider in selecting your URL.
  - (Read entire article)
- How Do I Get My Business Online?
  - The first step is to identify your goal. If you are a merchant, you will obviously want to sell your products online on an eCommerce site. For service providers it may be simply having an online presence, or to create a resource center for customers – a brochure or static website. For individuals it may be to keep in touch with family and friends – and have a little fun.
  - (Read entire article)
- Is Anyone Out There? - Web Analytics
  - Often I talk to people who assume that because I design websites, the money is just rolling in. (If only!) These are usually the same people who assume that if they create a website the money will come rolling in for them.
  - The internet does provide a plethora of opportunities for those willing to go after them. But like anything else, there are no short cuts. Running a web-based business is still running a business; you must work to make it successful.
  - By using web analytics you can start working smarter not just just harder.
  - (Read entire article)
- Registering Your Domain
  - Too often I get phone calls from business owners who no longer own their domain names.
  - "How can this happen?" you ask. More easily than you realize. When you hire someone to develop your website, often they will be the one to register your domain name and sometimes they do it under their own name. You've just made your first big mistake.
  - (Read entire article)
- Selecting A Host Provider
  - What is a host provider and how do you select one for your website?
  - A host provider is a company that will allow you to upload your files onto their server making them accessible via the web.
  - (Read entire article)