Don’t Believe Anything You See – and other advice from a photo editor!

I just want to share a photo editing project. My client just got married…It was a simple, lovely wedding; and the bride’s only request was that everyone (family and wedding party) dress in black and white…Well, two people didn’t follow the rules…So Photoshop to the rescue!  Here’s the original photo. The gentleman on the left is in a blue jacket and khaki pants. Although you can’t see it too well, but the woman to his left has a rose colored top.

Like I said…Photoshop to the rescue…Here’s the updated version.NOW the wedding day was perfect!

Why Does my Downloaded Image Look Terrible in Print?

As a graphic designer,  I often have people send me images to include in a newsletter or brochure.  As soon as I see the size of the file, I know that it looks perfect on their computer monitor, BUT what they don’t realized is that if that same image is printed, it will not have the same crisp, clean look.

The beauty of that online image is that at a very low resolution (generally 72 dpi), it can look great and displays quickly. However when it comes to a printed image, it needs to be in the neighborhood of 300 dpi (dots per inch….that’s dots of ink) to display well.

For example… Here is an image at 300 dpi, perfect for printing purposes. 

If you took that same image and downloaded it off a website, the resolution would be around 72 dpi; and although it would look fine online, in print it would look something like this. 

So now when your graphic designer asks for a high resolution image for your next printed piece, you can impress him/her with your knowledge and understanding of why the 300 dpi image is necessary…And go ahead and throw out terms such as 300 dpi vs 72 dpi…Then ask about CMYK vs RGB files….It’ll freak ’em out!

 

Happy Holidays from Designer Mouse Graphic Design

Hallelujah! This Deserves Repeating…Enjoy

I put this out every year, but very year I continue to enjoy it!

Woof! Bernese Mountain Dog Illustrations

Just wanted to share a recent project…These logo images are for a pet trainer and Bernese Mountain dog breeder…With photos of her dogs in hand, these are the resulting illustrations for the two sides of her business.

If you have pet issues, need recommendations for the best breed of dog to be part of your family, or have any other questions about your four-legged friends, visit www.professorofpetetiquette.com for more information.

If you need an illustration for your business, contact Designer Mouse Graphic Design!

It’s Snowing on My Blog…Time to Break Out the Holiday Designer Mouse

Stay Cool! Stay Calm! Enjoy your Holidays!

How to find THIS Graphic Designer!

Want to be noticed? Want to be found?   Is the bullhorn not working?

I’d like to pass  along information that I will be sharing in a presentation at my weekly morning networking meeting….I’m hoping that my audience will say “WOW….What was that you said? How do I do this?” There is a method to my madness…Rather than repeat the details, I will direct them to my blog which will increase site traffic and hopefully raise my rankings… blah dee blah dee blah…You know the drill.  This is something we’re all striving to achieve.

Anyway, something I learned recently was how to see what keywords are being used in Google searches to find graphic designers (or anyone or anything else for that matter).

Here are the steps:

Do a Google search for “keyword tools.” Chances are you’ll find Google AdWords in the top ranking.

Follow the link and type in the keyword(s) you would like to research.

What you will learn is the how many people typed in “graphic design” as well as other  words and phrases that are similar and useful in your efforts to be noticed!  The information is provided globally and locally in a monthly tally.

So what do you do with this? Well I’d suggest you incorporate those popular terms into your blog, your website, even direct mail materials.

This will certainly give you the attention you deserve (or at least more than you’re getting right now!)….And you can lose the bullhorn!

How Will You Meet Your 2011 Goals?

OK, so it’s October…It’s Fall…Do your thoughts turn to dry brown leaves, cooler days, holidays and gatherings with friends and family?

OR as a business person, do your thoughts turn to the fact that you haven’t met your 2011 goals and you only have 3 months left to do so?

As a commercial from way back used to say…”So what’s a mother to do?” (or in this case, what are YOU to do?)

Well, as the owner of a graphic design business, I’ve been thinking the same thing (although I have to admit I almost bought some Candy Corn the other day….That once-a-year purchase that I eat til I feel awful, and then I don’t do it again til next October…After all, it’s tradition!)

But I digress…One thing that I am going to do is touch base with all the clients I’ve done business with in the past.  I want to remind them that Designer Mouse is available to help with their promotion…To help them meet those 2011 goals.  I plan to utilize email marketing and make a monthly connection. For a reasonable investment in time and money, you could do the same.

Follow ups could include a postcard, a personal note (an art that has gone by the wayside!) or a phone call.

Provide an incentive. Offer a discount. Do something to get your clients to reconnect. Or simply connect to see how that individual and their business is doing.  Just a reminder that you’re available to help them meet their goals can go a long way.

So those are my ideas…What are yours? Please share your thoughts for the benefit of all! I look forward to your comments.

Money Saving Ways To Promote Your Business

There are so many avenues to promote your business…so which way do you turn? You need to think about how your audience gets their information…Direct mail? Google searches? Social Media? Emails? And of course there’s always the good old fashioned  “in person” approach.  All are of value and ideally, you need to cover all the bases in order to reach the largest audience.

Now we come down to budget and time…Show of hands…How many of you have an endless supply of money to promote via print, email, online, social media?  How many have time to keep up with all of this?

What I have discovered is that baby steps are the best way to go. Most of us cannot do it all all at once BUT if you take the attitude that “I can’t do it” and do nothing at all, then six months from now you will be at the same place you are now. If on the other hand you tackle one thing at a time, looking back, you’ll be amazed at what you’ve accomplished and how far you’ve come.

So let’s look at the baby steps you can take to cover the areas that are currently not covered when it comes to the promotion of your products and services. Hopefully I can provide some money saving promotion ideas along the way.

Direct mail – Postcards, flyers, door hangers – The cost of full color printing has come down so much over the last few years. You can get a good looking piece for a decent price if you know where to shop! And if you go the “door hanger” route, find an organization (Boy Scouts? Youth Groups? etc.)  that is looking to raise money. They can canvas a neighborhood, raise money at an inexpensive rate…It’s a WIN-WIN situation.

Check into QR Codes… Here is a sample just in case you don’t know what it is. If you have a reader app on your phone, you can scan this image and it’ll take you to a website, dial a phone number, etc.  Go ahead and try it…This is a shameless plug…This QR Code goes to the Designer Mouse website….Be sure to come back and read the rest of this post! 

Add a QR Code to your business card (so easy to create – just do an online search for “QR Code generation”, follow the steps and you’ll have artwork in a matter of minutes.

Email Marketing – For $15/month, you can create a template and put out an endless number of eNewsletters/ePostcards to connect with current and potential clients. Visit http://www.constantcontact.com or http://www.icontact.com. Both sites provide templates, storage for your email list and reports at an affordable price.

Online promotion – Do you have a website? You need one! People need to be able to find you and be able to check you out! How about a blog? If you set this up yourself, you can do it for free… The cost is your time to maintain it! Link your blog to your website and your social media profiles, and begin to generate a buzz!

Speaking of  Social Media – facebook, LinkedIn, etc. – Include your website and blog URLs in your social media profiles, participate in the online chat, and generate some interest in you and your business.

As you can see, there’s all sorts of opportunity to promote your business… A bit overwhelming, huh.  Remember…baby steps…You don’t have to do everything NOW.  And you don’t have to do it all yourself. Remember that your time may be better spent focusing on your core business.  What is your time worth?  Would you be saving dollars in the long run by hiring an expert to assist you with your promotion?  All things to ponder.

Be All That You Can Be!

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?”                                       Marianne Williamson

I love this quote. BUT I still struggle with it.

The portion about “who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous..etc….actually who are you not to be?”….I totally get it. I understand how important it is to be the best you can be. Do not waste your talents. It is an injustice to hide the gifts that God gave you.

On the other hand, I struggle with the reference to “fear”…fear of being “powerful beyond measure.” Why is being powerful something to be afraid of?

That question transitions into this quote…”To whom much is given, much is required and even more demanded.”

I think this is the key…Being all you can be, being powerful…it becomes your responsibility…It is required…And quite honestly, it’s a lot of work and potentially something to be afraid of…BUT in my opinion,  it’s worth it!

I would love to hear your take on this.  What is your interpretation?