Web Design Archives - Soapbox Studio

Branding, Color, Customers, Logo Design, Web Design

Build Brand Trust and Confidence – Best Proven Strategies

In today’s competitive world, building trust and brand confidence is vital for your business. Branding has become a critical component of success for businesses and individuals. While we often associate branding with logos, taglines, and marketing strategies, visuals are another equally powerful tool. Your logo can significantly enhance your brand’s trust and your confidence, and impact personal and businesses performance.

In this post, we will explore the profound influence of visuals on brand trust and confidence and how this boost can positively affect your future personal achievements. So, let’s dive in and discover the remarkable connection between visuals, confidence, trust and personal performance!

Let’s explore brand trust and confidence with these topics:

Visual Communication and Brand Confidence
Building Brand Trust and Confidence
The Psychology of Visuals and Confidence
The Ripple Effect: Boosting Personal Performance
Reinforcing Brand Confidence Through Performance
Take Confident Action

Visual Communication and Brand Confidence

Visual communication is a timeless and powerful tool throughout history to convey messages and ideas. It can uniquely transcend language barriers and communicate directly to our emotions, making it a universally understood expression.

We are inherently drawn to visual stimuli, and our brains are wired to process images much faster than text or spoken words. This innate inclination towards visual information makes it an incredibly effective means of communication, particularly in branding and marketing.

When branding, visual communication is vital in establishing a solid and memorable identity for a company or organization. By harnessing the power of visuals, businesses can effectively communicate their brand’s values, personality, and essence to their target audience.

Through carefully curated visual language, including colors, fonts, and imagery, a brand can evoke specific emotions and create a lasting impression that resonates with people on a deeper level.

In the age of social media and digital marketing, where attention spans are shorter, and competition for engagement is fierce, the power of visual communication becomes even more critical. Compelling visuals can captivate an audience’s attention, making a brand stand out in a crowded online landscape.

Your visuals are more likely to be remembered, shared, and leave a lasting impression, increasing brand recognition and fostering a stronger connection with the target audience.

Building Brand Trust and Confidence

In branding, establishing brand confidence is crucial for gaining potential customers’ or clients’ trust and loyalty. Visual elements are pivotal in this process, shaping perceptions and creating a lasting impression.

When individuals encounter a visually cohesive and appealing brand, they are more likely to perceive it as professional, trustworthy, and reliable. Consistency in visual communication is vital to building brand confidence.

The visual properties, such as fonts, colors, and imagery, are consistent across various platforms and products, creating a sense of familiarity. It reinforces the brand’s identity in the minds of the audience. A consistent identity serves as a visual anchor that customers can rely on, enhancing their confidence in the brand.

A well-designed logo is a fundamental element of visual communication that contributes to brand trust and confidence. A logo serves as the visual representation of a brand, encapsulating its values, personality, and essence.

When a logo is thoughtfully designed, visually appealing, and aligned with the brand’s identity, it becomes a powerful symbol that instantly conveys professionalism and reliability. Seeing a recognizable logo can evoke a sense of trust in potential customers, making them more inclined to choose your brand over competitors.

Beyond the logo, other components, such as a visually stunning website and eye-catching social media graphics, also significantly build brand confidence. In the modern digital age, a website is often the first point of contact between a brand and its potential customers.

A visually appealing and well-designed website creates a positive first impression and conveys the brand’s commitment to quality and professionalism. It signals that the brand is invested in delivering a seamless and enjoyable user experience, which instills confidence in visitors.

Similarly, social media platforms have become powerful channels for brand communication. Eye-catching graphics and visuals on social media help brands capture attention and engage with their audience.

Delivering appealing content that aligns with the brand’s identity can reinforce their professionalism and build trust with their followers. This can translate into increased brand confidence and a higher likelihood of individuals choosing the brand over its competitors.

The Psychology of Visuals and Confidence

Another way to build brand trust and confidence is through the psychology of visuals. Psychology has long recognized the strong connection between visuals and human emotions.

Understanding this connection allows brands to tap into the power of visuals to shape how their audience perceives them. By strategically utilizing visual elements, brands can influence the emotional response of their audience and ultimately build confidence.

Colors, in particular, profoundly impact human psychology and can evoke different emotional associations. Each color carries its psychological meaning and can elicit specific feelings and reactions. For example, warm colors like red and orange are often associated with energy, excitement, and passion.

They can create a sense of urgency or enthusiasm, making them ideal for brands that want to evoke these emotions in their audience. On the contrary, cool colors like blue and green are often associated with calmness, trust, and nature. They can convey a sense of reliability and tranquility.

Strategically selecting colors that align with a brand’s personality, values, and emotions they want to evoke, can create a visual language that resonates with their target audience. Consistency in using these colors across various touchpoints reinforces the emotional associations and enhances the audience’s perception of the brand.

If you want to read more about colors and how to choose the best colors for your brand, read this post: How To Choose the Best Classic Colors For Your Brand.

The Ripple Effect: Boosting Personal Performance

The impact of brand confidence extends beyond its influence on customers; it also has a remarkable effect on personal performance. When your brand exudes confidence through its visuals, it attracts customers and inspires you and your team to reach new heights of personal and professional achievement.

A visually appealing and cohesive brand can give you a sense of pride, instill self-assurance, and motivate you to deliver your best work.When you witness the positive response to your visuals and see how they resonate with your target audience, it creates a sense of validation and satisfaction.

This newfound confidence in your brand’s image permeates every aspect of your professional life. It shapes your mindset, influences your behavior, and boosts your overall performance.

Another way brand confidence impacts personal performance is through enhanced stakeholder engagement. When your brand exudes confidence and professionalism, it creates a positive impression on stakeholders, including clients, partners, and investors. A cohesive brand is a powerful tool for building trust and credibility.

It enhances your ability to communicate effectively, negotiate confidently, and build strong relationships. This, in turn, opens doors to new opportunities, collaborations, and partnerships that align with your vision and contribute to your personal growth and success.

Reinforcing Brand Confidence Through Performance

Brand confidence and personal performance are deeply interconnected, forming a continuous cycle that propels success. Your visuals play a crucial role in instilling confidence in your audience, and their positive response, in turn, boosts your confidence and drives your performance to new heights.

This cycle establishes a positive feedback loop, where each success reinforces the other, leading to more remarkable achievements.

When your visuals evoke a sense of professionalism, trustworthiness, and reliability, they create a foundation of confidence in the minds of your audience. As your audience responds positively to your brand through increased engagement, sales, or positive feedback, their validation fuels your confidence.

That confidence acts as a catalyst for personal performance. Seeing your brand resonate with your target audience and gaining their trust inspires you to push your boundaries and strive for even more significant achievements. It instills a belief in your abilities and fuels your motivation to deliver high-quality work consistently.

This cycle works hand in hand to drive growth and success. The more confidence your audience has in your brand, the more they will engage with your products or services, refer others to your brand and become loyal advocates. This increased support and engagement allow you to excel and demonstrate your expertise, amplifying brand confidence.

It is important to note that this cycle requires consistency and a commitment to delivering high-quality work. By consistently meeting or exceeding expectations, you reinforce your brand’s positive image and maintain your audience’s confidence.

Take Confident Action

Visual communication is a powerful tool that plays a vital role in branding, building brand confidence, and enhancing personal performance. By effectively utilizing visuals, brands can establish a solid and memorable identity, conveying their values and personality to the target audience.

Consistency in visual communication reinforces identity and creates familiarity, fostering confidence. Moreover, the psychology of visuals allows brands to evoke emotional responses and build a positive perception strategically.

Brand confidence, in turn, boosts personal performance and opens doors to new opportunities, driving growth and success. The symbiotic relationship between brand confidence and personal performance creates a virtuous cycle that propels individuals and brands towards incredible achievements and long-term success.

If you need a little VIP treatment to up-level your brand and in turn your brand confidence, our VIP Days will be a massive asset to you. Graphic design VIP Days can be a valuable investment for companies that want to create custom designs in a tight timeframe so your business can stand out and look professional.

If you’re tired of the constant back and forth in a traditional model and don’t have months to spend tweaking revisions, this option is a great way to accomplish every task on your graphic design to-do list in a single day. In just one afternoon, you’ll have professional, ready-to-use graphics.

If your business needs this, contact Soapbox Studio to book your VIP Day now. Claim your spot and enjoy the VIP Day treatment!

August 22, 2024

Branding, Fonts, Logo Design, Print Design, Web Design

10 Tested Graphic Design Tips That Entrepreneurs Need To Know

As an entrepreneur, are you looking for some tested graphic design tips? Since aesthetics mean so much to today’s generation of consumers, even the most low-tech entrepreneur could use a few design tips. We’ve got you covered.

As a graphic design company with over 50 years of combined experience designing websites and graphics for entrepreneurs and business owners, we know what it takes to keep up with today’s trends. These are our top ten tips to keep your graphics looking clean and professional in today’s marketplace.

Let’s go over these 10 tested graphic design tips:

Keep it Simple
Be Consistent with Colors and Fonts
Don’t Use Too Many Graphics or Icons
Use Script Fonts Sparingly (and Never in All Caps)
Have Someone Other Than You Critique Your Work
Make a Folder of Logos and Brands You Love
Don’t Feel Obligated To Use a Friend of a Friend
Don’t Do It Yourself
Spend Your Money Where It Counts
Hire a Graphic Designer

1. Keep It Simple

People often believe that graphic design tips need to be complex to look professional. This simply isn’t true. Keeping your designs minimalistic makes them easier to use in a variety of contexts while maintaining that clean crisp look that draws the eye.

Think about the simple shapes, lines, colors, and fonts that your favorite brands use. How can you replicate that simplicity for your brand identity? Stay away from complicated overlays, photographs, and unreadable text or colors that will distract people from who you are and what you offer.

2. Be Consistent with Colors and Fonts

If you could summarize your brand identity in just a few words, what would you say? Is your brand modern, adventurous, rustic, or colorful? Identifying some key adjectives surrounding your identity will help you stay consistent throughout your web presence and print materials.

If you run an accounting firm, you probably don’t want to use a childlike crayon font. If you own a sporting goods brand, you want to stay away from scrolling cursive fonts. The same holds true for colors.

If you’re marketing to young women, rustic browns probably won’t communicate your identity effectively. Similarly, A baby clothing brand might want to avoid harsh neons. Whatever tone you choose for your branding – be consistent across the board.

3. Don’t Use Too Many Graphics or Icons

Our next graphic design tip is that when it comes to promoting your company, it’s easy to get overly excited. You could fill a vision board with graphics that fit with your company’s vision. But be careful! If you use too many, people get visually overwhelmed and can’t make sense of what they’re looking at. For a logo, just use one image concept.

Don’t try to combine too many or it will no longer make sense. On your website, keep it simple. You can add some images or graphics that help set the tone, but don’t fill every square inch. People need negative space and simplicity so they keep scrolling and want to learn more.

4. Use Script Fonts Sparingly (and never in all caps)

We like to play around with fancy fonts. It’s just fun. But when you’re establishing a brand identity, you need to prioritize readability. If customers can’t read the words you post, it’s going to be pretty hard to connect with them.

A notoriously hard to read font style is script fonts. These are the fonts that look like handwriting or cursive. They are often thin and have a lot of extra curly wisps at the ends of letters and sentences.

One of our most important graphic design tips is that you should use these fonts very sparingly, if at all. This is not the type of font that you want to use for your main website copy or slogan.

And if you use a script font, never use it in all capital letters. These fonts weren’t designed to be in all caps, and it often makes them even harder to read.

If you’re using a script font for a main title or heading, make sure you don’t play too much with the letter spacing or distance. This can make it look awkward and minimize the handwriting effect that you were aiming for to begin with.

If you want to learn more about choosing the best font for your business, read this post: How to Choose the Right Font for Your Brand.

5. Have Someone Other Than You Critique Your Work

Our next graphic design tips is that we are often our own worst critics, but sometimes we’re also our own worst enablers. We know how much work and passion went into a project, so sometimes it is hard for us to see the flaws that exist.

Getting an extra pair of eyes to look at your work and give feedback can help you see your website or brand through a newcomer’s eyes.

Maybe the colors you used don’t fit the vibe. Or maybe it’s harder to read the fonts than you realized. Getting an outside opinion can help you cover all your bases so you don’t run into problems later on.

6. Make a Folder of Logos or Brands You Love

Another graphic design tip is that when you’re just establishing your brand or going through a rebranding process, it’s easy to get lost in the details, so remember to make a folder of you logos you love.

If you find yourself overwhelmed with all the options for colors or fonts to use, take a break. Spend a few minutes collecting the logos, shapes, and colors used by your favorite brands and put them all in one folder.

Then spend some time looking them over together. What common themes do you see? Are there similar color schemes? Do they use a similar font design? Are there specific lines or shapes among the logos?

This exercise will help you cut through the overwhelming amount of options to identify what you like and what elements your eye is drawn to.

7. Don’t Feel Obligated to Use a Friend of a Friend

This next graphic design tip can be a bit controversial. If your friend’s son is going to school for graphic design, you shouldn’t feel automatically obligated to use him. This is your professional brand and the quality matters.

It’s easy to take shortcuts or cut costs, but you usually get what you pay for. You don’t want your brand to lose credibility with your customers because it looks like an amateur did it.

When you’re seeking help to establish your brand identity and get professional assistance designing your logo, do your research. Look at the portfolio of past projects a designer has done and see if they align with your vision.

Find someone who you are confident can deliver the professional results that you want as an established business owner with a reputable brand.

8. Don’t Do It Yourself

Unless you have training in graphic design, trying to achieve your vision by yourself will only result in stress and frustration.

It’s easy to have a picture in your head of what you want, but without the skills to achieve it, it’s hard to make your vision a reality without help. As an entrepreneur, your driven can-do attitude has gotten you far.

There’s a lot that you’ve done on your own. But graphic design doesn’t need to be just another item on your to-do list to make you feel overwhelmed. All of the best entrepreneurs have learned how and when to delegate or outsource complex tasks.

Instead of spending dozens of hours frustrated at your computer, let a designer spend a couple of hours doing it for you. They have the skills to make your vision a reality in just a few clicks!

9. Spend Your Money Where It Counts

This next of our graphic design tips is really important, as an entrepreneur, you have to prioritize. You have a limited budget and a seemingly unlimited list of things you could spend it on. So how do you decide where to allocate those funds? Prioritize the items that will draw in more patrons and convert them to paying customers.

A logo is often the first impression that people have of your brand. If it’s amateur-looking and clunky, they could click off your website without giving it a second glance. If there’s money to be spent drawing in customers, a professional logo design will be one of your greatest assets.

10. Hire a Graphic Designer

Finally, the last of our graphic design tips is to consider hiring a graphic designer. Once you’ve thought through all the elements that draw your eye, what colors you prefer, and what tone your brand portrays, hiring a graphic designer is the easiest way to upgrade your web presence almost instantly.

There are tons of branding professionals and social media managers that can help with the upkeep once you establish your brand, but you should start with a solid logo and brand guide.

A graphic designer can help you get started. Instead of spending the next ten months dreaming of what you want, why not hire a designer today and take real achievable steps towards your goals?

As an entrepreneur, making feasible plans to move towards your vision will help you keep building momentum for your business.

Turn that vision into a reality by working directly with a designer to receive a logo you can use on all of your web pages, social media posts and merchandise for years to come! We’d love to help with any of your graphic design needs, click here to learn more about the design packages we offer.

As graphic design professionals, we’ve seen people fall into the same pitfalls over and over. To help you avoid repeating these same mistakes, we compiled this top ten list to give you the easiest next steps to take. Follow these 10 graphic design tips and your business can be booming with customers who love your eye-catching brand.

Instead of presenting amateur designs and clunky colors that make potential customers doubt your credentials, you can show up every day with graphics that build their trust and increase their confidence.

As you navigate the tricky obstacles of running a business and establishing a reputable online presence, let us keep the graphic design process easy so you can focus on the things that matter most! If you have questions about how to get started with a designer, click here.

August 19, 2024

Branding, Color, Color Theory, Fonts, Logo Design, Print Design, Video, Web Design, Wordpress

Crafting Credibility: The Secrets Of Good Graphic Design For Business

If you have ever wondered if good graphic design matters for your business, the answer is yes! Good graphic design plays a very important role in the overall success of your business because it’s true what they say: people “judge a book by its cover,” and potential clients judge a business by the way it visually looks online or in print.

Not only do potential customers judge your business by its looks, but the look of your brand significantly impacts customer engagement and brand reputation.

Your business brand image conveys your overall brand identity and business values and has the potential to attract your ideal client. Professional graphic design for your business is crucial for attracting potential customers and subtly repelling those who do not align with your offerings.

The Secrets of Good Graphic Design For Business

Let’s go over the secrets of good graphic design for your business with these topics:

What Graphic Design Is & Is Not
Understanding the Different Types of Design For Your Business
Utilizing Graphic Design for Business Success
How Graphic Design Can Increase Your Business Credibility
Secrets of Effective Graphic Design
How Do You Know If It’s Time To Hire a Professional Designer?
Elevating Business Success Through Good Design

What Graphic Design Is and Is Not

Graphic Design IS:

It’s easy to get confused about what graphic design IS. At its core, graphic design is indeed an art form—a dynamic blend of creativity, visual communication, attraction, and problem-solving.

It’s the art of visually organizing information and ideas in a way that is not only aesthetically pleasing but also functional and meaningful. Quality graphic design extends beyond mere aesthetics; to attract the right clientele, engaging the services of a professional designer is essential.

Professional designers possess a wealth of knowledge and expertise in visual communication, enabling them to craft designs that effectively convey messages, evoke emotions, and resonate with your target audience.

Their understanding of color theory, typography, layout principles, and industry trends allows them to create visually appealing and cohesive designs. These designs will leave a lasting impression and make it easy for potential customers to understand what your business is all about and what you are selling.

Additionally, professional designers have access to specialized industry tools and software, enabling them to execute their creative vision with precision and efficiency. Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop are two programs that Soapbox Studio designers use on a daily basis.

Graphic Design Is NOT:

On the flip side, it’s important to understand what makes graphic design so specialized. First of all, graphic design is NOT easy. It takes a lot of practice, training, skill, and attention to detail. All Soapbox Studio designers have their bachelor’s degrees, and the combined experience of our lead designers on staff is over 50 years!

Graphic Design is also NOT just pretty images and fonts; it plays a crucial role in shaping a brand’s image. Design is about strategically leveraging design elements to communicate a brand’s values, personality, and message.

Through the careful selection of colors, font pairing, imagery, and layout, graphic design helps to establish a cohesive and memorable brand identity that resonates with the target audience.

Graphic Design is NOT just about choosing a template in Canva or a similar program and then choosing another template when you are bored with the first one. Good graphic design for your business is strategic and should blend cohesively with your brand guide and company image through thoughtful intention, always with the business’s client in mind.

Understanding the Different Types of Design For Your Business

Branding

To understand the different types of design your business can utilize, it’s important to learn what each type includes. First, there is branding, which includes your logo, brand guide, company color schemes, signature fonts, and samples of the type of imagery.

At the forefront of branding is your logo, the visual symbol that is the cornerstone of your brand identity. Alongside your logo, a well-defined brand guide provides a roadmap for maintaining consistency and cohesion across all brand touchpoints. Then, you will convey your brand’s tone and style from the company’s color schemes and signature fonts. Each component is crucial in reinforcing your brand’s identity and fostering recognition and trust among your audience.

The secret to credibility is using a professional brand guide. If you don’t already have one, have Soapbox Studio create one for you, or take a look at our Logo Rx package if you need a logo designed. You’ll want to use it whenever you hire a graphic designer to create designs for your business.

Pass it along to anyone working on your visuals or promotions. Keeping a cohesive look throughout your business establishes you as a rock-solid company.

Website

Our next type of graphic design for your business is your website. In today’s digital age, your website serves as the digital hub for your brand, making it one of the most important elements of your online presence. It’s not just a collection of web pages; it’s a dynamic platform that showcases your products, services, and brand identity to the world.

A professional website takes time to build and pull together all the foundation pieces that make it a great home for your business. It’s where you will showcase what you offer and who you are to everyone on the internet.

Adding cool pictures and graphics helps make it look even better. But it’s not just about looks; your website is also a powerful tool for growing your business. By making it easy for people to find you on search engines, giving them clear ways to get in touch, making purchases or payments, and using smart marketing tricks, your website can turn visitors into customers. So, investing in a top-notch website is key to making a big impact and getting ahead online.

Marketing

Our next type of graphic design for your business. Marketing encompasses diverse strategies and tactics to promote your products or services and attract customers.

From eye-catching advertisements to visually striking graphics across various channels, such as slide decks, email campaigns, and print materials, graphic design plays a pivotal role in capturing the attention of potential customers and conveying your message effectively through cohesive marketing.

Social Media Graphics

Let’s explore the next type of graphic design your business can implore – social media graphics. In today’s digital age, social media platforms have become indispensable tools for businesses to connect with their audience, build brand awareness, and drive engagement.

Social media graphics encompass various visual content specifically tailored for these platforms, including posts, stories, banners, profile images, and advertisements.

Effective social media graphics are designed to inform and capture the attention of your target audience as they scroll through their feeds. To ensure maximum impact, they should be visually appealing, on-brand, and optimized for each platform’s unique specifications.

Published Content

Our next form of graphic design for business is published content. Newsletters, flyers, books, annual reports, and any other design you publish fall into this category.

Well-designed published content should capture readers’ interest with eye-catching visuals like featured images and infographics. Similarly, effective email newsletter design, with visually appealing layouts and compelling graphics, boosts engagement and drives conversions by optimizing readability across devices.

Digital Products

Your digital products are also a vital type of graphic design for your business. The digital products your business might create are workbooks, guides, checklists, lead magnets, slide decks, and more.

These products encompass a wide range of digital assets and experiences designed to enhance user engagement, streamline processes, and deliver value to customers.

Digital products have become an integral part of modern business strategies, and graphic design plays a crucial role in shaping their effectiveness and appeal. These digital assets serve various purposes, from educating and engaging audiences to generating leads and driving conversions. The better your digital products look, the more you will sell.

Video

Our final type of graphic design for your business is video. Video could be in a category all on its own, but has emerged as a powerful medium for communication, storytelling, and engagement. From short promotional clips to in-depth tutorials, video content offers businesses a dynamic and versatile platform to connect with their audience in a meaningful way.

Video graphic design encompasses a wide range of elements, including title graphics, visual effects, motion graphics, typography, branding elements, and more. These elements come together to create visually compelling and cohesive video content that will capture your customers’ attention and effectively communicate your brand message.

Utilizing Graphic Design For Business Success

Now that you understand the different types of graphic design for your business let’s explore how to utilize them successfully.

The best way to utilize graphic design in your business is to take a three-fold approach. You’ll want to make sure you have effective design strategies in place in these three areas of your business: print, web, and digital.

Effective Use of Print Design

First, let’s consider the realm of print design. Despite the digital age’s dominance, print materials remain a powerful tool for businesses to connect with their audience in tangible and memorable ways.

From business cards and brochures to posters and packaging, print design offers numerous opportunities to showcase your brand identity and convey your message effectively.

By investing in a professional print designer, businesses can leave behind the homemade look and provide a lasting, credible impression on customers and prospects, driving brand recognition and loyalty.

How To Best Use Web Design

Next, we have web design, which plays a central role in shaping your online presence and customer experience. Your website serves as the digital hub for your business, making it essential to prioritize user-friendly design, intuitive navigation, and visually engaging content.

From responsive layouts and compelling imagery to seamless functionality and intuitive navigation, effective web design is essential for capturing your visitor’s attention, driving engagement, and encouraging conversions.

A top-notch website serves as a tool for potential customers to learn everything they need to know about your business and inspires them to go down a path that will end in reaching out and further engaging your business.

The Best Use of Digital Design

Finally, digital design encompasses a wide range of assets and experiences that businesses leverage to connect with their audience in the digital realm. This includes social media graphics, slide templates and presentations, digital ads, and multimedia content such as videos and animations.

By adopting a strategic approach to utilizing digital design, businesses can create visually compelling and impactful digital experiences that resonate with their audience, drive engagement, and, ultimately, achieve their business objectives.

Professional design should be used purposefully across all three of these strategies, and when it is, magic happens! Your brand will automatically be elevated into a business you can be confident and proud of, which naturally boosts your sales.

How Graphic Design Can Increase Your Business Credibility

We talked a little bit about how professional graphic design can increase your business credibility, but let’s dive a bit deeper. The key to effective graphic design lies in creating visuals that not only appeal to your personal preferences but also resonate with your client.

It’s crucial to create designs that catch the eye and appeal to what people naturally like. Instead of going with personal preferences, consider what your audience enjoys. Professional design is vital because even if your clients can’t explain why they like it, they’ll notice and avoid anything that looks amateurish.

Through cohesive visual elements such as logos, color schemes, typography, and imagery, graphic design helps establish a consistent and recognizable brand image across all touchpoints.

Consistency in branding instills confidence and trust in your audience, signaling professionalism, reliability, and attention to detail.

As customers encounter your brand consistently across various platforms and communications, they develop a sense of familiarity and reliability, which in turn strengthens your business’s credibility. This credibility drives conversions and customer engagement and fosters deep customer loyalty.

Fostering deep customer loyalty is another significant benefit of credibility established through graphic design. When customers trust your brand and have positive experiences with your products or services, they are more likely to become loyal advocates who continue to support and promote your business over time.

Secrets of Effective Graphic Design

Not only is it crucially important to build customer loyalty and business credibility through strategic design uses, but it’s also helpful to learn the secrets to effective graphic design.

Secret #1: Keep It Simple

Secret #1 is to remember when in doubt, to keep your designs simple. Don’t use more than a few fonts in a design; if it’s a publication, 3 is plenty. The headline can be a display font, body copy font, and subhead font. In a logo, if you are not a professional, don’t use more than 2 fonts. Simple is key.

Too many fonts or graphics look confusing or even messy and unprofessional. When your customers are confused, they will not buy what you are offering, so make sure the designs you choose to represent your brand are simple and clear.

Secret #2: Limit Font Types

When you are working with fonts, make sure you limit the number of typefaces in each design piece. Also, remember that script fonts are hard to read, so it’s best to use them sparingly across your marketing. Don’t use scripts or handwritten fonts in all caps or increase the letter spacing on them. It’s a telltale sign of an amateur designer.

Secret #3: Utilize White Space

White space in a design is not a bad thing; in fact, it’s a good use of design. Every design needs a place for the eye to rest, and often, the best place for that is white space. By strategically using white space, give your customer a chance to pause and truly ingest what you are offering. Keep a good flow of content without overwhelming the viewer.

Secret #4: Use Consistent Branding

There is nothing more confusing to your customers than inconsistent branding. Your customer may become confused if your print design materials and your online presence don’t cohesively match.

And remember, confused customers do not buy what you are offering. It’s important to ensure that all design elements used in your branding and marketing are consistent and cohesive and utilize the same imagery, fonts, color scheme, and overall look and feel.

Secret #5: Use Professional or Quality Photos

If your business uses many stock images in its marketing, you may consider investing in a stock imagery service like Adobe Stock. Digital asset services will provide you with high-quality, legal-use images that you can use in various areas of your marketing.

If you have photos of yourself or your staff, invest in a photographer or someone skilled at photography who can do a professional photo shoot for you, even if it’s simply headshots for your website and social platforms.

One thing that can ruin your business’s credibility in one glance is poor-quality images of your business, staff, or the owner. No one wants to see the arm of a loved one attached, but attempted to be cropped out. Go the extra step to present your business as the professional that you are.

To learn our other great graphic design tips, read this post: Graphic Design Tips for Entrepreneurs.

How Do You Know It’s Time To Hire A Professional Designer?

You may be wondering if it’s time to go ahead and just hire a professional graphic designer to sell your products and offerings to your potential customers effectively. Let’s go over the two crucial facts that will help you determine whether it’s time to get professional help with your designs.

If Your Design Is Suffering

Knowing when to hire a professional designer is crucial for ensuring the success and effectiveness of your design projects. There are several key indicators that can signal it’s time to bring in professional expertise.

It’s time to hire a professional designer if your design efforts are falling short and your designs are not meeting your expectations or the needs of your audience. If a client seems confused about any part of your services, take a look at the design as well as the copy. Does design play a role in the confusion?

While it’s commendable to try to tackle design tasks on your own, there comes a point where you may need more than your skills and resources to achieve the desired results.

You might also want to seriously consider hiring when the stakes are high, such as for important branding initiatives, marketing campaigns, ads or product launches. Investing in professional design services becomes even more critical. Your brand image and reputation are on the line, and cutting corners on design could have significant consequences.

Effective design plays a pivotal role in capturing attention, generating excitement, and driving sales when introducing a new product to the market. Professional designers can help create compelling product packaging, eye-catching promotional materials, and engaging marketing assets that effectively communicate the value proposition of your new product.

First impressions are crucial in business, as they often determine how customers perceive your brand and whether they engage further with your products or services.

Your brand’s visual elements immediately impact potential customers, whether it’s your website, logo, business cards, or marketing materials. By investing in professional design, you can ensure that your brand makes a positive and memorable first impression.

When the Benefits Outweigh the Cost

While hiring a professional designer involves an investment, it’s essential to consider the long-term benefits and return on investment. Professional designers possess design expertise and specialized knowledge and skills in graphic design, enabling them to create visually compelling and effective designs that communicate your message effectively.

They also have unique skills and are trained to think creatively and outside the box, allowing them to come up with unique and innovative design solutions that set your brand apart from the competition.

Professionals can easily create unique designs that are custom and one-of-a-kind, tailored to your brand’s identity, values, and objectives. Unlike generic templates or DIY design tools, professional designers can develop unique and distinctive designs that reflect your brand’s personality and resonate with your target audience.

Graphic design professionals also understand design principles. They have a deep understanding of typography, color theory, layout, and composition. This knowledge allows them to create designs that are visually appealing, easy to navigate, and effectively communicate your message.

Get Your Time Back and More

Attempting to create designs yourself can be time-consuming and frustrating, especially if you lack the necessary skills and expertise. By hiring a professional designer, you can save time and energy that can be better spent on other aspects of your business while ensuring that your design projects are completed efficiently and to a high standard.

Professional design plays a crucial role in shaping your brand’s identity and perception. By investing in professional design services, you can elevate the quality of your branding materials, reinforce your brand’s visual identity, and create a consistent and cohesive brand experience across all touchpoints.

Well-designed branding and marketing materials can leave a lasting impression on your audience, fostering trust, credibility, and loyalty toward your brand. Professional design helps create memorable and engaging experiences for your customers, strengthening their connection with your brand and increasing their likelihood of repeat business and referrals.

And finally, hiring a professional allows you to charge more for your services. High-quality design reflects professionalism, quality, and attention to detail, which can justify higher prices for your products or services. Investing in professional design allows you to position your brand as premium and charge higher prices, ultimately increasing your profitability and competitiveness in the market.

Elevating Business Success Through Good Design

The importance of good graphic design for your business cannot be overstated. As the saying goes, people do judge a book by its cover, and the same holds for businesses. Your brand’s visual identity is the first point of contact with potential customers, shaping their perception of your business and influencing their purchasing decisions.

Not only does effective graphic design enhance the aesthetic appeal of your materials, but it also plays a crucial role in conveying your brand’s identity, values, and message. By investing in professional design services, you can create visually compelling and cohesive branding materials that leave a lasting impression on your audience, foster trust and credibility, and ultimately drive business success.

Whether you’re launching a new product, making a strong first impression, or seeking to elevate your brand’s credibility, knowing when to hire a professional designer is essential. When the benefits of professional design outweigh the cost, and when your design needs surpass your own capabilities, it’s time to prioritize investing in professional design expertise. By partnering with a skilled designer, you can unlock the full potential of your brand and set your business on the path to success in today’s competitive marketplace.

If you are ready to partner with a professional designer, check out our packages at Soapbox Studio or our Contact Us form and find out how we can help you craft credibility through quality graphic design in your business.

March 21, 2024

Branding, Logo Design, News, Print Design, VIP Day, Web Design, Wordpress

What’s A VIP Day & The Surprising Reasons You’ll Love It!

Graphic Design VIP Days are a unique opportunity for businesses and entrepreneurs to work one-on-one with a professional graphic designer to create custom designs that will help them elevate their brand and stand out in a crowded market. Every business owner knows that the to-do list never ends. There are endless ideas about how to improve your website, your graphics, your social media presence, your products or packages, and your marketing. Yet, there’s so much to do and so little time. With VIP Days, you can get everything done in one day. If you’re on the fence, this in-depth guide about the pros and cons of our graphic design VIP day will help you decide whether to take the leap.

The Benefits of Graphic Design VIP Days

If you don’t have extra time to juggle all the business demands, chances are you’ve hired help. By outsourcing and delegating work, you free your schedule up for the things that truly matter. However, a VIP Day is the perfect format to accomplish your goals if you’ve been frustrated by communicating back and forth through emails over weeks or months. And here’s why:

VIPs Get Personalized Attention

One of the most significant advantages of a graphic design VIP Day is the personalized attention you will receive from a professional designer. During a VIP Day, you will have the designer’s undivided attention for 6-hours and can work together to create designs tailored to your specific needs and preferences. By booking a full day with a designer, you discuss your goals together during a PreVIP call and develop projects in real-time on the VIP Day, so you can provide feedback and see results immediately. This collaboration creates the synergy needed to stand out in a crowded market and create a unique and recognizable brand. Clients do need to be available during the 6 hours to give feedback and approvals.

VIPs Get Custom Designs

If you’re working with a professional designer, you want graphics to be unique and one-of-a-kind. By working directly with a designer during your VIP Day, they will be able to create custom designs that align with your brand identity and messaging. Soapbox Studio has the expertise and skills to create visually striking designs that will help differentiate your business from the competition. Working in real-time will make your vision a reality right in front of your eyes. Your graphics will go from bland and generic to branded and beautiful! By the end of your 6-hour session, your business will have custom graphics that convey a strong visual identity and establish you as a leader in your industry. You will leave our VIP Day with graphics that make you look as professional as you are!

VIPs Benefit from Focused Productivity

A graphic design VIP Day utilizes your time efficiently and increases productivity. By working one-on-one with a designer, you can ensure that your design projects are completed on time and that you can meet your deadlines. This assurance will enable you to make plans and schedule content, knowing you won’t need to wait any longer. Our graphic design VIP Day can be a great way to jump-start a project or get back on track if you have fallen behind.

VIPs Benefit from Ultra-Focused Design Work

When you book a VIP Day 6-hour session with Soapbox Studio, you benefit by unlocking their undivided attention on your business. Because Soapbox will solely focus on your business for the day, they will produce maximum results for you and your business. Studies show that when we bounce between tasks, our productivity is minimized, and it takes longer to re-focus, which wastes time. Booking a VIP Day allows both Soapbox and you to focus on one client for the day, which translates into efficient, well-executed designs that look great and are completed at an accelerated rate. Soapbox designers love VIP Days because it’s like tapping into a superpower and getting into the grove of the client’s business and brand. Likewise, clients love the brilliant brainstorming and design work that comes from an ultra-focused time with design professionals.

The Benefits of Creating a Plan for your Graphic Design VIP Day

While we don’t think our VIP Days come with many cons, it’s essential to recognize the limitations one day holds. For example, booking a whole day to work with a designer may not be enough time, and you may need to secure multiple days for larger projects. So, if you’re trying to identify how to utilize a VIP Day most effectively, here’s how to make a strategic plan:

Build Your VIP Day into Your Budget

When you become one of our VIPs, you pay to have individualized and uninterrupted time with a designer. Only a few graphic designers offer this personal touch, but it is an investment. Creating a great plan to utilize your VIP Day starts with building it into your business budget. The price of individualized attention will pay off in the long run because it will save you the hassle of emailing back and forth with every project on your graphic design to-do list. Your business will grow when your graphics have a special touch, personalized attention, and custom design work to help you establish credibility. Every successful business owner knows you have to spend money to make money, and looking professional is a top priority for businesses that want to thrive!

Create a Strategic Graphic Design To-Do List That Will Fit into One Day

To ensure your VIP Day is the most efficient it can be, you need to think strategically about what projects our designers can complete in the 6-hour time frame. Your projects will be met most effectively if the scope of your VIP Day is realistic. If you need ideas of everything our designers can accomplish in a day, here are some examples:

A simple website with 3-5 pages (complex or extra pages, themes we are not familiar with, or additional formatting may require additional time)
3 logos and 2 covers
1 logo, branding guide, and template for a product cover
Sales page refresh in LeadPages, including 1 hero image
20-page workbook template and custom cover
Various title cards for courses, videos, intro outro with music (depending on how many)

Set Aside Time in Your Schedule for your VIP Day

While our designers are doing all the work, the benefit of booking a VIP Day is that you can give feedback in real-time. To accomplish this, the VIP Day should be scheduled when you won’t have other commitments or meetings. When you book your VIP Day and the PreVIP call, find the time in your calendar to block out that you won’t have additional distractions. By protecting this time, you can give your projects the mental energy they deserve, so you get graphics that look as professional as you are.

Why You Should Book a Graphic Design VIP Day

If you need a little VIP treatment to catalyze your business into a more tremendous success, our VIP Days will be a massive asset to you. Graphic design VIP Days can be a valuable investment for companies that want to create custom designs in a tight timeframe so your business can stand out and look professional. If you’re tired of the constant back and forth in a traditional model and don’t have months to spend tweaking revisions, this option is a great way to accomplish every task on your graphic design to-do list in a single day. In just one afternoon, you’ll have professional, ready-to-use graphics. If your business needs this, contact Soapbox Studio to book your VIP Day now. Our calendar is booking up fast. Claim your spot and enjoy the VIP Day treatment!

February 7, 2023

Branding, Color Theory, Logo Design, Print Design, Web Design

6 Research-Proven Statistics Every Business Owner Needs to Know About Scroll-Stopping Design

If you’re an online business owner, you know that marketing your products and services is vital for the growth of your business. Not every entrepreneur has a knack for marketing, but learning data about the most effective practices can help you spend your time, energy, and finances where they will matter the most. As you post content and ads online, it’s vital to have consistent branding and messaging in place so your potential customers get the same quality of engagement from you every time. If you want to develop a strong brand, you need a good logo, web design, and a brand guide that will help make a good impression. Several studies have proven the importance of good design, so we’ve collected the most helpful facts here in one place to help you run your business with research-backed strategies.

Good Design Proves Credibility

Tyton Media conducted a survey which found that 48% of people said that the design on a website was the number one factor they looked at to determine the credibility of a business. This has significant ramifications for you as a business owner. How much time and money have you invested in the design of your website and marketing materials? If your website is not up to par or doesn’t have an eye-catching design, people could be turned away within seconds. Your business has so much to offer, so you don’t want to risk losing customers through such a simple mistake. If you’re not sure how your design elements compare to other companies within your industry, have a friend or graphic designer take a look and give you some feedback. Sometimes, it just takes a few tweaks to boost your web traffic and increase your revenue.

Good Design Makes Good First Impressions

Google performed testing and found that it only took 17 to 50 milliseconds for people to decide how they felt about a website. This doesn’t give you much time to make an excellent first impression. Most people cannot read your home page in just a few milliseconds. This means the thing contributing to their initial impression of your business is colors, fonts, logos, and the overall look of the page. Does your logo stand out? Are your colors congruent? Is your font readable? Using a cumbersome font or outdated color may not directly impact your business’s products, but it can be hard to get past a bad first impression. Don’t start your relationship with a client on a bad note when your design can grow your customer’s faith in your products and abilities!

Eye-Catching Design is Worth a Thousand Words

Missouri University of Science and Technology produced a study that concluded that it takes a person’s eyes 2.6 seconds to focus on a specific webpage element when it loads. So what is the most prominent design element on your page? For most websites, it’s the logo. It takes less than 3 seconds for your potential customer to look at your logo and make conclusions about who you are, how capable you are, and if they want to stay on your website. The purpose of a good logo is to communicate your brand identity through a visual graphic. So it turns out the popular idiom “a picture is worth a thousand words” is true. Your logo can communicate more about who you are than a whole blog post. So what does your logo convey? Is it good enough to create a lasting impression in 3 seconds or less?

Good Logos Help with Brand Recognition

While a study found that it takes people 10 seconds or less to form an impression about a brand’s logo, it still takes 5-7 impressions for the consumer to recognize the logo if they see it again. This means you should be putting your logo on everything your company produces. Put it on your website, your social media pages, your business cards, your letterhead, your email signatures, and your signs or packaging. If your logo is prominent in multiple places, it will take less time to become a recognizable brand to your customer. If this is done well, your customer may even recognize your logo out in the wild and tell their friends about you.

An Excellent Logo Builds Business

Did you know that a memorable logo is 13% more likely to get consumers’ attention and 71.6% more likely to get a positive response from consumers? Just think about the companies with the most recognizable logos. Apple, McDonalds, Nike, and Coca-Cola are all incredibly successful companies that have stood the test of time. Their logos have also been proven to be some of the most recognizable and well-loved. It turns out those two things are correlated. If a logo has the power to catch your ideal customer’s eye and make them think fondly of you, they will be more likely to make a purchase, become a return customer, and even share your company or products with people they love.

Good Design Will Help You Outperform Your Competitors

Adobe found that companies with strong designs outperform those with weak designs by 219% on the S&P Index (a stock market index) over ten years. Who knew graphic design had so much power over your revenue and longtime growth? Therefore, investing a significant portion of your branding budget in graphic design is crucial. If you don’t have the skills to design your logo, we can help your business make a great impression.

Time and time again, research proves that good design matters. These statistics show just how much the visual aspects of a brand influence the customer’s impression. If you want to make a solid first impression, create lasting relationships with repeat clients, and build a customer base that is loyal enough to tell their friends about you – it all starts in those first few seconds. We created our LogoRx Brainstorming Guide to help businesses brainstorm the best colors, fonts, and graphics to make those first few seconds count. If you want help from a professional, we have the knowledge and skills to get you started on the right foot. No business deserves to fail because of a few design errors. So with the right research-proven techniques and some quality graphic design, your business could thrive more than you knew possible!

December 6, 2022

Web Design, Wordpress

Our Favorite WordPress Theme

Ahh… WordPress Themes.

Were you so inclined, you could spend literal days searching out the perfect WordPress theme to fit every nook and cranny of any given industry. Trust us, we’ve done it. And in the end, it was semi-pointless endeavor that resulted in frustration, confusion, and most importantly, lost time & money.

Now we want to preface this post by saying that everyone’s needs are different, so this is by no means a “one-size-fits-all” situation, and you should really try to look at the big picture and consider your website’s goals before landing on any one particular theme. But… here are a few things we’ve learned along the way when it comes to finding a reliable, flexible and well-built theme.

Don’t Be Fooled by “Pretty” Site Theme Samples

This is one concept we can’t stress enough! A number of years back, it was very common for people to seek out themes that played to their specific audience. Own a car wash? Gotta start off by finding a theme that’s designed specifically for car washes! Starting a wellness blog? Better find a theme that’s full of attractive fonts, pleasing color schemes, and Instagram-worthy lifestyle photos!

We can tell you from experience this is NOT the best approach.

While it’s tempting to search out a theme that appears close to what you want for the final product, it’s not the most important consideration. Oftentimes, these themes are built with a clunky foundation, making the install process challenging to a newcomer (or at times a seasoned professional!); or worse yet, poorly designed, where the user interface is an afterthought (making general maintenance or customization challenging).

Sadly, there’s no quick and easy way to determine a nice theme from a poorly-made one (every theme has a unique learning curve depending on how it was built). But it’s best not to be swayed by “pretty” or convenient theme samples. Take time to consider the site layout options, special features (and how they might apply to you), and most importantly, the user-interface.

There are a lot of nice, flexible options out there that make site development and maintenance a breeze… themes like Avada or Betheme, or themes that utilize content/page builders like Elementor or Divi. With these well-built UI/maintenance tools, you can create a beautiful, professional looking site and be able to maintain it with relative ease.

Good Documentation and Support Are Key

Let’s be honest… learning WordPress (and any given theme) can be difficult, time-intensive and frustrating at times. Good theme developers are known for several reasons… namely, they are reliable and spend the time with their documentation and theme support. As mentioned previously, we learned the hard way that choosing themes based on esthetics is not the best approach. We worked with several themes that had poor documentation, little or no customer support, and left us with more challenging and expensive fixes that needed to be made in order to get the proper end result.

Tech support from a developer is absolutely worth researching when investing in a particular theme. If you have a Dev that’s willing to help answer questions, has an easily searchable forum, and/or can even offer to fix minor problems, it should really increase their consideration… especially if they’ve been around for awhile.

Again, it can be tough to get a read on solid developers from the rest, but looking at popular themes on themeforest.net is a great place to start.

Do You Really Need All the Bells and Whistles?

Another good question to ask yourself is… “do I really need all these fancy features?”

Website technology is advancing quickly, and with it comes an ever-changing array of options… Advanced Sliders, Content Animation, Header Builders, Next Gen Blocks, Visual Editors, etc. Plenty of themes out there (especially the well built ones) offer a plethora of features… most of which you may never touch (and many of which just add to the site bulk and steepen the learning curve).

The best advice we can give here? Quality over quantity.

Try not to be swayed by having every special feature available, but instead focus on ones that have good user reviews (especially from beginners), good documentation, and seem to fit your overall site needs. Good developers are always refining their themes and will release new and improved features as they are tried and tested. Don’t worry about those fancy content animations, unless they are a crucial component that your site needs to function properly or convey your message.

So Which Theme Do You Recommend?

We get asked this a lot, but as mentioned earlier… there’s no right answer. The theme that’s best is the one that works for your specific needs and site goals. But… for our time and money, the best theme we’ve come across is Kriesi’s Enfold.

We’ll be the first to admit, we may be stuck in our ways, but Enfold has been our go-to theme for years now. Here’s a few reason why:

– It may not have some of the newer features that other (more popular) themes do, but that’s okay…

Chances are you (or your customers) don’t want to spend time learning features probably don’t need or won’t use.

– Kriesi has great documentation and support.

We can’t tell you how many times we’ve run into an issue that we’ve been able to easily solve with a quick search of their support forums. Failing that, their staff is happy to answer questions or even offer low-level fixes to problems we’ve run into… usually within a day’s time or less.

– Enfold has a variety of demo site samples that are a great launchpad.

While we don’t use this feature often, it’s definitely helpful for a beginner as a starting point. A one-click install of demo material will give you a leg up on creating a nice, professional looking site (again, don’t worry if a demo is designed for a different industry or with a different color scheme, etc… all of those components are easily customizable, and shouldn’t hinder you from considering what the layout and page formatting can do for you).

– Enfold’s Advanced Layout Editor is well-built and easy to use.

Besides their excellent support, this may be Enfold’s biggest strength. While not as fancy or flexible as some of the others, Enfold’s Layout UI is user-friendly, and hands-down the best we’ve come across for building pages and managing site content. Page Builders like Divi and Elementor are great and can do virtually anything you’d like, but there’s definitely a “less is more” approach that makes Enfold a much easier and more straight-forward option (especially when it comes to problem-solving… which is ~95% of your time when building out a site LOL).

While it may not be the answer to everyone’s site development woes, Enfold is a great choice for beginners and advanced users alike. It’s flexible, well-built, well-documented, reliable, and should allow for most customization you would need. Just take the time to review their samples and consider how the layouts, functionality and special features would apply to your project.

Good luck, and if you have any questions or need a hand, you can always feel free to drop us a line.

November 16, 2022

Branding, Logo Design, Print Design, Web Design

5 Must-Have Elements You Need to Start a New Business

Have you decided to start your own business? Congratulations! You have already completed the most challenging part of beginning something new and life-changing. However, as you start researching everything you need to get your new business off the ground, the unending information overload you’ll encounter from business coaches and online entrepreneurs can be overwhelming. When it comes down to it, though, there are only five essential elements you need to build a thriving business from the ground up. If this article is helpful, you can download our FREE Brainstorming Guide to keep all this valuable information in one place and reference it every time you get stuck! As a business owner, this is my simple list of everything you need to get your business started:

Every New Business Needs a Logo

A professional-looking logo is essential if you want to stand out immediately from your competition. A catchy name isn’t always memorable enough to keep your business at the front of people’s minds. But if you have a quality logo, people will recognize your brand with a glance. A logo does the heavy lifting of communicating your brand identity, which can set you apart as a professional and build customer loyalty. If your audience trust that your business is the real deal, higher-paying clients will take you seriously, and you can operate at higher price points. A logo functions as your stamp on the world. Every product, web page, or social media page associated with your business should include your logo so people know it’s you.

Every New Business Needs a Color Palette

Many psychological studies confirm that colors communicate emotions and make us feel something. This is why people describe yellow as happy and blue as melancholy. People tend to purchase based on emotion and rationalize with facts and logic afterward. Using a harmonious color palette in all your marketing is vital if you want to appeal to the part of a customer’s brain that develops the desire to make that purchase. Coolors.co is a great website to build color palettes and try out different colors together. Creating a color palette that communicates the tone and identity of your brand will work seamlessly with your logo to build credibility and increase trust. If you need help finding the right colors, our free downloadable Brainstorming Guide dives deeper into the psychology of color to help you build the palette right for your brand!

Every New Business Needs a Business Card & Letterhead

As you build your new business, networking within your industry and connecting with potential clients is crucial. Some of this will naturally happen online, but if you’re ever out in public and want people to remember you, hand them your business card! A business card has all your contact information so they can remember to connect with you after leaving the event. You never want to be in a scenario where you connect with your ideal client out in the wild and have nothing to give them. There’s a 99% chance they will have forgotten your website name by the time they get home, and there’s nothing more tragic than a missed opportunity like that. Similarly, having a professional-looking letterhead will help you communicate with high-paying clients and land more significant sales.

Every New Business Needs a Brand Guide

A brand guide is a document that helps keep your branding consistent. It will tell you what fonts, colors, and everything makes your brand identity stand out. In addition, having a reference when designing your graphic elements is helpful and keeps you on track. Still, it’s also a great tool if you outsource your marketing to an industry professional. You can send them your brand guide, and they’ll have everything they need to keep your branding professional without needing to start from scratch. In addition, keeping your communication simple and consistent will help potential clients connect with your messaging and view you as an expert.

Every New Business Needs a Website

No business is complete without a professional website. Your website is your business’s primary source of information that can be accessed far and wide, day or night. Much like your logo and branding, your website should convey what your business is about, the product or service(s) you offer, and appeal to your target audience in a sleek, professional, concise manner. How your website looks and functions will set the tone for your business relationship with potential clients. A good user experience and a well-built site will inspire trust and confidence and most likely be the first step in a lasting customer relationship.

You don’t just want to start a new business – you want to create a successful one. The key to standing out from among your competitors, connecting with potential high-paying clients, and bringing in substantial revenue is branding. When you have a professional logo, color palette, business card, brand guide, and website, you will have all the primary building blocks to make your business successful. To help you do this, we’ve created a free downloadable Brainstorming Guide so you can have all the essential information in one place and brainstorm to create a brand that sets you apart. So start brainstorming with the guide today to start your business strong!

October 18, 2022

Branding, Fonts, Logo Design, Print Design, Web Design

The Ultimate Checklist for Starting a New Online Business

Starting a new online business is both scary and exciting. It’s a considerable risk that takes a huge personal investment of time and money, but when it becomes successful, there’s no better feeling! If you’re starting a new online business in 2023, We’ve compiled the ultimate business checklist, so you have everything you need to hit the ground running. As an online business owner who has grown subscriber lists, launched e-courses, and run a brick-and-mortar company for over ten years, we have learned all the tips and tricks the hard way so you don’t have to. However, if you want to skip to the end, we’ve included the link to download our Free Brainstorming Guide so you can start planning a successful brand today! Here’s my ultimate business checklist for new business owners:

Business Name

Of course, a business name is essential. Your business needs an identity that goes beyond your first and last name. This gives your business room to grow and allows you to scale your revenue as you find more success. A business name also proclaims what your brand does best and what people can expect from your business.

Core Values

Creating core values is a step that’s easy to skip or push off until later. However, your core values can dictate each action you take as a business owner. Core values help you to know what your brand prioritizes and what you find valuable. Your core values will help customers and clients align with your mission down the road. But at the beginning of establishing your mission, core values are a helpful filter to select the most effective business moves to start with. For example, do you prioritize a solid work-life balance and set hours for work and free time? Or do you prioritize flexibility and integration so that you can work from anywhere? Your values will help you make the business moves to achieve the things you prioritize without getting distracted by irrelevant possibilities.

Business Plan

From the very start of your online business, you need to know what your business does and what it offers. If you sell products, you need to select which companies to partner with and source supplies from. You should have a plan to connect with clients if you provide a service. It helps to have a specific target audience in your business plan, which will help you know how to market yourself. Every business needs funding and a financial plan to ensure you’re increasing revenue and staying out of debt. As you establish your online presence, your business plan will help you curate a marketing strategy that aligns with your vision and goals. Don’t start your business without a firm plan in place!

Market Research

You know your business offers value to the public, but do they? Doing market research will help you understand customers’ core needs, which will help you know how to communicate your offer in a way that resonates with them and convinces them to make a purchase. If you have a fantastic product but don’t know how to communicate its value to the people that need it, your business won’t grow very fast. Research your competitors to understand the market and identify what is working or not working for them. Figure out what sets you apart and what messaging your target market is drawn to. This research will be invaluable to you moving forward.

Elevator Pitch

Once you know how to communicate the value of your offer to your target audience, you need to refine your pitch. You should be able to explain what your business offers concisely and compellingly within only a sentence or two. Think of being stuck in an elevator for 30 seconds with the potential customer of your dreams! How would you take them to the next step in your business in less than a minute? What are the most precise words to explain what you do? What are the most concise words that connect with their felt needs? How can you leave them stepping out of that elevator wanting more?

Business Email

People need to contact you. Most online businesses don’t have a phone number accessible, so establishing a business email address is vital. This will be valuable as you start various business accounts or download software for your business. Ideally, your email address will either be info@YourBusinessName.com or YourBusinessName@domain.com. You can create an email address with your website as the domain if you have a business website. If you can’t do this, you can set up a temporary Gmail to transition to your own environment once everything is set up. Once you have an email account, you can begin connecting with clients through email. You can create an email subscriber opt-in if you have a blog or content on your website. Once they give you their email address, you can send them discounts, downloadable resources, articles, new products, and business updates to help them stay connected.

System for Record-Keeping

Keeping precise records will be your new best friend. Keep track of the time you spend, the money you spend, the revenue you make, and the products you sell, and keep all business and tax documentation in one place. You should have organized financial records for each month, quarter, and year you are in business. You should also keep track of tax information throughout the year, so filing your taxes is simple. If you book appointments, consultations, client calls, or any other meetings, you can find the best calendar to keep track of your time commitments. There is also a myriad of booking software available to make appointments easy to manage on both sides.

Legal Paperwork and Financial Accounts

Depending on your business, you may not need all of the paperwork and accounts that a brick-and-mortar company might. Research the requirements for your state and county. If you register your business, you will need to know whether to set up an LLC, corporation, DBA, or sole proprietorship. In addition, you may need to file for specific business licenses or permits depending on what you sell. Once your business meets all the requirements, you can set up bank accounts to keep your financial transactions in order.

Registered Domain

No official business wants to be running on blogspot.com. You need your own domain to be perceived as professional and trustworthy. You can use dozens of websites to check domain availability, like Google Domains. Purchasing a domain name is usually inexpensive unless you have a common business name with a lot of competition. Once you buy a domain, that will be your website name. You can purchase multiple domains and reroute them to your website if you’d like people to find you in numerous ways.

Website

Once you have a domain, you have to set up a website. This begins by selecting a host. Every website is hosted on a worldwide server, so you must choose a hosting platform like GoDaddy and purchase a basic hosting plan. There are also services like Squarespace and Wix, which will host your website and give you all the design tools you need in one place. If you don’t use an all-in-one service, you can set up a website using WordPress through your hosting platform. If this sounds overwhelming, it might be a good idea to hire a web developer (HINT HINT) to help. Once you have your website started, you’ll need to build your web pages. You should have a home page, an about page, a contact page, and an online shop. Finally, utilize your brand name and colors to make your website look professional and consistent with all your other branding.

Logo

Every professional business needs a logo. With one glance, this critical part of your brand identity tells your potential customers who you are. They will see whether you used an elegant, feminine font, a daring, bold font, a rustic natural font, or a minimalistic timeless font. They will also notice whether you used pastel colors, neon colors, bright colors, muted colors, or neutral colors. The combination of colors you use can communicate the personality of your brand and will draw the eye of your ideal customer. This can be portrayed through your design elements, lines, graphics, and shapes. If you need help brainstorming which fonts and color palettes will best communicate your brand’s identity, download our free Brainstorming Guide.

Brand Guide

Whether you design all your social media graphics and marketing materials yourself or hire a graphic designer or VA to help you, you should have a brand guide. A brand guide lists out the names of each font, the codes for each color, and the core messaging of your brand so that every design and promotional graphic looks consistent. A brand guide will help create web pages, postcards, business cards, letterhead, social media graphics, and promotional flyers. If you haven’t yet selected the colors and fonts that best match your brand, use my brainstorming guide link above to help create a consistent brand identity that grows your credibility within your target market.

Business Card

Even though you’re an online business, face-to-face networking will still happen. If you bump into your ideal customer in real life, you should be equipped with a professional business card to hand them. A business card will include your logo, brand colors, branded fonts, business name, website, and contact info, including your business email. Make sure you have each listed item before making business cards. Some people even like to include a QR code that takes people directly to their website. Then, don’t forget to slip a few business cards into your bag whenever you leave your home or office.

Letterhead

Having official business letterhead is a necessity. It truly takes your brand’s professionalism and credibility to the next level. If you need a graphic designer to create stationery for you, send them your brand guide and logo, and they will have everything they need to get started. You can use your letterhead for any official business correspondence or even invoices.

Blog

Posting consistent content in a blog-like format helps Google know that your website is up-to-date. This will rank your website higher in Google search results and make it easier to find online, which is invaluable for online businesses. For example, you can post business updates, sales, and discounts through your blog and email list if you sell products. You could also post about how to use your product or industry-related articles. If you provide a service, you can publish content to give your clients more information and set yourself apart as a thought leader within your niche market. For example, real estate agents like to post articles about how to find your dream home, the best times to buy a house, and home decorating trends. On the other hand, a natural deodorant company might post articles about hygiene or where to buy non-toxic products. If you’re not a natural writer, you can hire a freelance writer skilled in writing articles optimized for search engine algorithm visibility.

Social Media

As a digital business, part of your online marketing plan should include at least one social media platform. Platforms you can utilize are Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Reddit. Don’t go overboard. Choose only one to three platforms to focus your marketing strategy on. The goal is to post consistently on each platform with information about your products/services, branded content, photos, and graphics. Social media platforms are great ways to connect with new customers and increase online engagement with your brand. Ensure each social media platform is linked to your website and has your contact information.

As you start your new online business, this is the ultimate business checklist to help you have everything you need to be successful. With these accounts and resources in place, you will have all the tools you need to start your business in the best direction. Your potential clients will know just by looking at your website or logo that you are a trustworthy professional. With consistent branding and a credible online presence, it will be easy for potential customers to connect with you, trust you, and purchase from you. As a result, you will increase your revenue and grow your market! If you’re still feeling unsure about your branding or feel like you don’t have an eye for graphic design, you can use our downloadable Brainstorming Guide to give you confidence. This guide was created by graphic design professionals with decades of experience running a successful business. We provide you with all the crucial questions you need to answer before developing scroll-stopping marketing that your customers will love.

Don’t let the overwhelm of starting a business make you feel stuck. With this ultimate business checklist under your belt, you can take it one step at a time until your business is ready to launch! Online businesses are being started and experiencing tremendous success every day. Your business could be next with a bit of grit and a whole lot of passion!

August 20, 2022

Branding, Color Theory, Fonts, Logo Design, Print Design, Web Design

What Bad Graphic Design Could Cost You

Did you know that bad graphic design could cost your business significantly? Trust, reputation, and dollars – the essential things to build your business – are at stake if you have bad graphic design. Whether it’s on your website, merchandise, print marketing materials, social media channels, or products – bad design can ruin your chances of bringing in customers.

Most online entrepreneurs start off with bad graphic design. We all have to start somewhere. But just as you invest in your website or your training in your niche, you need to invest in better graphic design to continue to scale your business and monetize your content.

What are the most significant ways bad graphic design can jeopardize your success? Here’s our list of the top five.

1. Destroys Your First Impression

Whether they realize it or not, that first look matters. A potential customer will take one glance at your website or print materials and decide whether you are credible or not. They will make split-second judgments about how professional you are, how trustworthy you are, how qualified you are, and how well you fit their needs. Unfortunately, this first glance rarely includes your smiling face or firm handshake. Most people will go to websites or social media platforms to investigate a business or company before ever making contact. So what does your first impression tell potential customers? Will they know within 3 seconds whether they want to hire you or not? Will they instantly connect with your brand identity and decide they like your company more than your competition? If you’re not sure, it’s time to take a deeper look at your graphic design. This post will include a list of the most offputting design errors down below, so you can see what you’re doing wrong.

It’s very common for beginner entrepreneurs and business startups to try doing their own graphic design. It seems easier to do everything yourself or keep it in-house. Whether through YouTube tutorials or your friend’s son who has a knack for computers, these methods do not achieve a professional-quality result. If your graphic design looks amateur, potential customers will think your business is amateur.

Don’t let bad design ruin your reputation! That first impression is worth its weight in gold because it can make all the difference between whether a high-paying client chooses you or someone else. People absolutely judge a book by its cover, so let your cover tell the whole story!

2. It’s Impossible to Establish Your Identity

What do you want your first impression to communicate? Your graphics, colors, fonts, and logo help potential customers capture your brand identity with one glance. They will know who you are, what sets you apart, and what you offer. However, with bad design, it can be challenging to communicate your identity without spelling it out. Bad graphic design works against you.

Some graphics might confuse a customer because your aesthetic is basic/neutral and doesn’t communicate anything about who you are. On the other hand, your graphics might communicate something opposite your identity. As a result, potential customers may leave your website thinking you’re something you aren’t. In this way, bad graphic design is dangerous. There are plenty of things online to distract people from your website – so don’t let it be your graphics!

3. Misrepresents You

Bad graphic design can give people entirely the wrong impression about who you are and what you do. Your goal with a logo, website header, brochure, or webpage design is to tell people what to expect from you. If your graphics give them the wrong impression, it can lead to problematic customer interactions if they’re expecting something different from what you do best.

If an educator has comic sans as the font on their website, people might assume they are a teacher for elementary grades rather than adults because of the juvenile tone of the font. Whether a yoga teacher uses neon colors or pastels will cause their customers to question what kind of teacher they are and whether they emphasize relaxation or cardio. If you own a construction company and your logo includes a skyscraper, people who need help with minor home construction might never call. These graphic design elements can help or hurt you, and it’s your job to find an expert that will help you find the difference.

4. Disproves your Credibility

There are many elements that entrepreneurs utilize to prove their credibility. They may include their educational background, job history, or credentials in their bio. They might list trusted websites their work or product has been featured on. They may include testimonials or reviews. And the goal is that their website aesthetic and design presence agrees with each of these.

However, amateur-looking graphics can make even the most convinced customer doubt your expertise. Like one bad review can make people doubt dozens of good reviews, bad design can make people wonder if you’re actually as professional or qualified as you say. This will lead to customer interactions where you’re left having to prove yourself repeatedly. You don’t want that!

Instead, good graphic design can work together with all these elements to make you stand out as the expert in your niche. People will enter into each interaction, convinced you are the best person to go to and clamoring for your time because they’re sure there’s a line. If they’re confident that you’re the best, or your products are the best, they will tell their friends. And in an age of social media where a post like that can go viral overnight, I’ve seen entire product lines sold out from one convincing “word-of-mouth” testimonial. So good graphic design can contribute to convincing people you’re the best, which can give you more success than you realized.

5. Communicates Unprofessionalism

Professionalism matters. It’s all about how people perceive you. They want to know they can trust you, that you’re dependable, and you will deliver what they paid for. Even if your business practices are up to par, your graphics might cause them to doubt. Though this applies to every industry, it’s especially true for copywriters, coaches, bloggers, marketers, or anyone within the digital content space. Even though you don’t need to be good at graphic design to excel in writing or coaching, people will still view your graphics as an example of the quality of your services.

People online don’t necessarily understand that your graphics require skills you may not personally possess. Instead, they see the look of your website or business card, and they make assumptions about the quality of your work. Your aesthetic should ease these fears because it’s top-quality and professional, just like you!

Why Your Graphics are Offputting

Bad Colors

An out-of-date color palette or bad color combination can give people a bad taste in their mouth, even if they can’t put a finger on why. Bad colors give a terrible impression.

Messy Lines

If your lines are messy or your graphics don’t look clean, it gives an impression of hasty last-minute work or unprofessionalism.

Cluttered Appearance

People get visually overstimulated if your graphics are too cluttered or have too many overlapping elements. This will confuse them about your identity, and they may click off your site because it’s overwhelming.

Doesn’t Match Your Brand

If the words on the page say something different than your graphics communicate, your brand identity will come off as disjointed and disconnected. As a result, people may not understand who you are or what you offer.

Seems Unoriginal

If your graphics seem too basic or look like another popular brand, it will leave a bad taste in their mouths because it looks like you’re copying something that’s already been done. Not only that, but they may confuse the identity of another brand with your brand identity.

How to Avoid All These Mistakes

If you don’t want the bad graphic design to cost your business, it’s best to find an expert to help get it right the first time. This will save you hours of frustration, and the money you spend will be more than repaid as your business grows. Without this, poor color choices, homegrown logos, and amataur layouts will all slowly errode your credibility. Even if customers aren’t thinking it’s a bad design, there is something about it they wont like.

As you work with a professional, it’s essential to communicate your vision clearly. Check out our other posts on this page to learn what you need to know to establish your brand identity. As you communicate with your designer, it’s also important to trust their process. Let them do what they do best so that your website doesn’t fall into the trap of bad graphic design. Here are a few tips to remember as you go through this process:

Trust their professional judgment
Be clear on what you want
Communicate your brand identity plainly
Be flexible with exact details
Be specific about what you do/don’t like
Be open to their feedback and willing to embrace changes
Let them do what they do best

Ultimately, working with an expert is a collaborative process. There might be elements on your wishlist that will work against your ultimate goal. A graphic designer will be able to tell you if you’re asking for bad colors or graphics that confuse your brand identity. As you work with an expert, you’ll be able to avoid altogether these top five mistakes that will cost your business. Now, your design can help your business grow like never before!

May 4, 2022