Tag: graphic design

Why I’m asking for your design and marketing budget

When I ask the all-important (and much dreaded) “what’s your budget” question to new clients, I almost always get the same response: “I’m not really sure. Can’t you tell me how much it will cost?” My answer? Not really.

I had been wanting to write a blog posting on this topic for quite some time when I received the email below from Ilise Benun at The Marketing Mix with an article written by designer Lisa Smith Youngdahl. She explains it as well as I ever could, so I’ll let you read what she had to say…

When a client approaches me about a new design project, I will ask what the budget is for this project. Often, the client is not prepared for this question.Why do you think I would ask this question?

A.  I want to find out the highest possible cost the client willing to pay.

B.  I have no idea what I’m doing, or how much to charge.

C.  To help my client obtain the best value for what his business can afford.

Of course, if you think about it, “c” is the right answer. A good designer wants to help the client and create successful marketing that will help achieve the desired action. If the budget is known, the designer can offer cost effective options that will work within your price range. Having an idea of what you can spend will allow you to work with the designer to prioritize the strongest features you need that fit within your budget.

This process helps create an informed decision about what is the best choice for your marketing, and which might yield the best ROI.

If you feel lost determining a number, a rule of thumb is that 5-10% of your gross profit should be spent on marketing. A new business may need to spend more than an established one.

1 Comment by on February 20, 2012
filed in Business Advice
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Choosing a Designer Is A Lot Like Buying A Car

Choosing a good designer is a lot like picking out your next car; there are lots of options (style, cost, speed, etc.) and you should weigh all of them carefully to find the best option for you.

If price is your #1 concern, you can be frugal and opt for a low-end model. A quick Google or Craigslist search will reveal plenty of students, small-time freelancers and even crowdsourcing websites who are willing to do projects for next to nothing. But, be careful…you might find that you get what you pay for. Just like a used car dealership, some designers are heavy on salesmanship but never end up delivering on a quality product. In the long run, you might get stuck with a huge repair bill for a clunker of a car.

If money is no object and you want to make a big splash, a luxury model is your best bet. There are plenty of Mercedes- and BMW-style agencies around… you know the types: large, shiny offices downtown with a roster of big-name clients in the lobby. Sure, they have a lot of experience, but you’re also paying a lot for the brand name.

I like to tell my clients that I am the Volkswagen of designers. Slightly quirky. A little trendy. Dependable and well built. Light-hearted and fun. Affordable, but not cheap. Overall, a good bargain for a quality product.

I’m interested in hearing your perspective… if you’re a designer, what type of car would you describe yourself as to new clients? If you’re a potential client, what type of car are you looking to buy?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jen Lombardi is the head honcho and creative genius at Kiwi Creative, a suburban Cleveland marketing and branding studio helping small- and medium-sized companies grow their business through innovative and effective communications. With experience in graphic design, web programming, content development, social media and online strategy, Kiwi Creative offers all the expertise of a full-service agency with an affordable price tag.
Follow us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/kiwicreativeoh) or Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/kiwicreativeoh)

 

No Comments by on August 30, 2011
filed in How To...
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How To Work With a Graphic Designer

You’re a small business owner and need to hire a designer to create a logo. Or a website. Or a postcard. Or an insert-your-own-creative-project-here.

Before you get started, check out this insider’s guide chock-full of valuable tips to make your first experience working with a graphic designer a positive one.

Do… keep an open mind.

99.9% of things that a designer does are for a specific reason. Fonts have a distinct personality. Colors convey emotion. And as much as you like pink polka dots, they’re probably not appropriate for your insurance business brochure. Let go of your personal biases and trust your designer – they’re the expert and that’s why you hired them. You wouldn’t tell your plumber how to install a toilet, would you?

Don’t… assume. As they say, it makes an ass of you and me.

Clients tend to use phrases like “quick” or “simple” or “easy” to describe projects that end up taking an entire week (or month!) to complete. Yes, technically redrawing a logo takes less than an hour. But what you’re forgetting about are the dozens of hours spent brainstorming and sketching rough drafts before a designer ever presents the first concept. Before you assume that a project will only take a few minutes — or cost just a few bucks — ask your designer for a rough estimate and timeline, including a reasonable number of revisions. It’s better to have that info upfront than to encounter an unexpectedly high invoice or a missed deadline at the end.

Do… use visual examples to avoid communication failure.

Your idea of “clean and modern” maybe be pretty far off from what your designer thinks of as “clean and modern.” Avoid this communication breakdown and use visual examples whenever possible. Your designer isn’t going to copy those website examples that you emailed over, but they will give him/her a better idea of what you really mean by “make the social media icons prominent, but not overbearing.” After all, a picture is worth a thousand words, right?

Don’t… use cliché catchphrases.

Avoid using phrases like “make it pop” and “take it to the next level” and  “similar but different.” I know they sound like cool marketing buzz words, but they’re really pretty vague and useless sayings. Instead, be specific and, per the point above, use visual examples whenever possible.

Do… be prepared and get organized.

You just sent an email to your designer asking for a couple packaging options for your newest product. But did you remember to mention the dimensions of the box? What about a list of the stores where it’ll be sold? And did you send over the UPC code that needs to go on the back? Do yourself a favor and get all of this information together upfront. Otherwise, your designer will be hounding you for it later.

Don’t… make changes. One. At. A. Time.

Gather your thoughts, get the feedback of your team and THEN send the concept back to the designer for changes. It’s way easier (and more cost effective) to make changes in large batches than to take a piecemeal approach.

Update: This article has been translated into Ukranian – enjoy, my European friends!

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Jen Lombardi is the head honcho and creative genius at Kiwi Creative, a suburban Cleveland marketing and branding studio helping small- and medium-sized companies grow their business through innovative and effective communications. With experience in graphic design, web programming, content development, social media and online strategy, Kiwi Creative offers all the expertise of a full-service agency with an affordable price tag.

Follow us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/kiwicreativeoh) or Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/kiwicreativeoh)

 

1 Comment by on April 20, 2011
filed in How To...
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Pantone Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies are SO last week. The latest and greatest sweet treat for all of your designer friends? Pantone chip cookies.

Unfortunately you can’t order these delectable delights online, but here’s the recipe straight from creator Kim Neill’s website  if you’re feeling creative enough to make ‘em yourself:

FOR THE DOUGH:

I used Mary’s Sugar Cookie recipe from the Betty Crocker cookbook. Super tasty. Recipe here:

http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe196.marys-sugar-cookies.html

Roll dough out between 1/4” and 1/8“ thickness. I find thinner cookies keep their shape better.

Cut 2” x 2.5”  rectangles out of dough (You can cut a stencil from cardboard to trace if you like).

Cook until lightly golden brown, keeping an eye on them as they cook because they cook quickly!

Note on Quantities: If you are filling a Pantone Tin, three batches of cookies will only fill up the tin halfway. They are big tins! To resolve this, I ended up lining the bottom of the tin with folded over bubble wrap just to make the tin look full and happy.

An alternative to the tin is filling a Pantone Mug with Pantone Cookies, which makes for a nice individual gift.

Both Pantone Tins and Pantone Mugs can be found on amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=pantone+mug&x=0&y=0

FOR THE ROYAL ICING:

This is a great recipe to use because it keeps color vibrant, doesn’t fade and dries nice without being too hard. Flavor with white vanilla here if you can. Regular vanilla tends to darken the icing a bit. You might want to adda bit more milk then the recipe calls for to get the perfect spreading consistency. Recipe here:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sugar-Cookie-Icing/Detail.aspx

DECORATING THE COOKIES:

Make a big bowl of white royal icing.

Start by spreading a strip of white icing across the all the cookie bottoms and let dry.

Now use what’s left of your white icing to make colors.

I made colors one at a time as I went. Scoop 3-4 heaping tablespoons of icing in a tiny bowl and then color with solid food coloring. This will color 3-5 cookies.

Once you are done with one color, rinse your bowl out and start again.

Doing colors this way keeps the mess down and you don’t have to worry about

what you just mixed drying out.

Don’t worry about matching a PMS color exactly.

I just eyed it and then grabbed the PMS book once cookies dried to identify the right color.

Using a food dye pen, write the matching PMS number down on the cookies.

I used Gourmet Food Writers. Available here:

http://www.amazon.com/Americolor-Gourmet-Writer-Decorating-Pieces/dp/B0012DPVVC/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1295974985&sr=8-3-fkmr0

To make Metallic Chips, use a soft brush or cotton ball to burnish icing surface with gold or silver luster dust.

These were REALLY fun to make and taste even better!

© 2011 Kim Neill

3 Comments by on February 7, 2011
filed in Really Random
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Graphic Design: You Get What You Pay For

I’ve recently developed a bit of an obsession with cleverly-designed infographics (check out this blogger’s Top 10 of 2010), so this Venn diagram definitely had me chuckling to myself this afternoon. So funny. So sad. So true.

So, how do YOU like your graphic design? (Hint: Answer verrrrrrrry carefully if you still want to be my friend after taking the poll.)

How do you like your graphic design?

View Results

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FYI: I like to give credit when it’s due for stuff I post on this blog, but this image was sent to me by a friend so I have no idea where it came from. If you know the original artist/website, let me  know and I’ll give ‘em a shout out.

No Comments by on January 4, 2011
filed in Really Random
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