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What is a VIP Day, and Why You Will 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!

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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!

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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.

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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!

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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!

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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!

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Graphic Design: 10 Tips for Entrepreneurs

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.

1. Keep It Simple

People often believe that graphics 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

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. One of the most notoriously hard to read font styles 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. 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.

5. Have Someone Other Than You Critique Your Work

We are 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

Especially when you’re just establishing your brand or going through a rebranding process, it’s easy to get lost in the details. 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

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

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

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!

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 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.