design | Digrafika Graphic Design

The Bookmark: More Than Just A Place Holder

Lately it seems more small business owners are asking me for inexpensive printing ideas. While they’d love to be investing in personalized promotional items, the cost per item is not always economical. Enter the bookmark, stage right.

Customized bookmarks are easier than ever to order. Many printers offer a standard 2″x6″ template now, eliminating costly setup and cutting charges. Often you can design online by adding images, backgrounds, colors and text, or upload your own completed design.

Use bookmark sized cards in addition to your traditional business card. Give bookmarks to clients and colleagues to promote or advertise, or to announce incentives. Feeling extra creative? Personalize printed bookmarks by adding ribbon, textured paper, gems, buttons and more.

Ideas for bookmark content:

Business services checklist (great for realtor, landscaper or handyman to give to homeowners)
Top 10 list
Tips and tricks
Inspirational quotes
Coupon or incentive
Team photo of your employees
Calendar for upcoming events
Announce a new product
Event Ticket
Punch Card
Add URL and password for special access to offers on your website
Gift Certificate

Clients will think of you first when they see your bookmark in their current book or magazine, sitting on their desk or on their corkboard, or in their wallet or bag. You’ll want to hand them out more frequently knowing the printing cost is low, but the value of the bookmark is sky high!

Noferin Duo Creates Environmentally Conscious Art

Noferin embodies the combined efforts of Candy, a graphic designer and painter, and Nick, environmentally conscious writer and sculpter. The results of this duo are whimsical sculptures and prints of the Pecanpals. catch

The characters art brought to life through playful prints and cheerful wooden sculptures. Follow the Pecanpals’ adventures through the stories told in the hand-carved, hand-painted prints. Or make up your own tales by playing with a wooden Pecanpal.

Recently Noferin announced their Natural Wood Series of Pecanpals, following the success of their previous coloured wood edition. Pecanpals are made from 100% sustainably harvested wood from rubber tree that would otherwise go to waste.

My favorite design aspect is the contemporary take on a vintage look, especially in the prints. I love the how the colors are fused with detailed illustrations and how the wood grains are enhanced.

Be sure to visit Noferin’s online gallery to browse the prints and illustrations and see how Pecanpals interact with nature and enjoy their little world.

Create Your Own Comic Strip at MakeBeliefsComix.com

At MakeBeliefsComix.com you can create your own comic strip, complete with interchangeable characters and thought balloons. Spend a few minutes with the site and have some fun. Or use the site as a teaching tool for children. It’s a great way to learn about emotions and communication. Add colors, text, and additional story lines. When you’re done, you can print your strip or just a single frame, or send to a friend. Additional links include story ideas and teacher resources. All in all, two thumbs up for a fun, interactive site.

Grain Edit features modern design & vintage graphics

The Grain Edit blog is a well run, fascinating look into 1950s-70s design.

The galleries of artwork, brochures, vintage books and posters highlight artists worldwide. They also feature interviews, including many contemporary artists who have been inspired by the colors, shapes and fonts of the period.

If you enjoy design of any kind, or just need to feel inspired, check out Grain Edit.

Improve website traffic and visibility with CreativeMind Search Marketing

Have you ever Googled yourself or your business and wondered why you don’t show up until page 3?

Patti Fousek of CreativeMind Search Marketing is the guru to contact to increase your web presence and achieve your website goals. Her services include Affordable Search Engine Optimization and In-house SEO Training Workshops. But one thing I find most valuable is her trainings and consistent blog posts about growing your business through social media and Search Engine Optimization.

From small businesses with sites containing as few as five pages, to corporate and ecommerce sites looking to enhance their brand, SEO services will enhance your website ranking with:

analysis of usability and design
targeted key word phrases
content suggestions and copy editing
web analytics, reports, and tracking

Do you think social media is just for kids? Think again. If you are petrified of social media like I was just a short while ago, Patti’s calm demeanor and expert hands-on training will put you at ease. Patti will fully explain the benefits of sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and more. If you want to blog, or learn another social media outlet, you can build credibility and show expertise in your field by learning how to post valuable content. Your business will grow and your website traffic will increase.

Be sure to visit CreativeMind Search Marketing online, follow Patti on Twitter for the latest info.

Promote the health of your brand and the environment

Earth Day, April 22, is observed in 175 countries and is celebrated by more than a half billion people every year. Earth Day is considered a day of action for changing human behavior and provoking policy changes.

Arbor Day, celebrated every year on the last Friday in April, encourages everyone to plant and care for trees. The customary observance is to plant a tree.

What does this mean for your business?

You can help encourage people to conserve and save our planet with eco-friendly giveaways. Many companies produce environment-friendly promotional products made of recycleable material that you can customize with your name and logo. Use these items as tradeshow giveaways or customer gifts.

Several promo product companies supply strictly environmentally responsible merchandise guaranteed to project your environmental goals.

Need ideas for products on which to emblazen your logo?

Pens and other traditionally plastic items made with biodegradable corn or recycled paper
Water bottles or travel mugs made from BPA-free plastic
Recycled paper notepads or Post-its
Toys like wooden yo-yos, recycled plastic flying discs, globe stressballs
Solar powered gadgets and chargers
Organic tote bags
Apparel made from organic cotton or bamboo, or recycled materials

Most promotional item companies will help you make decisions on environmental products that help communicate your choices and goals. Just be sure your logo is provided in the proper file format, usually as a vector file, so as not to incur additional setup fees from the promo company. If you’re not sure about your logo’s format, contact a graphic designer to review the proper file type with you.

Keep your audience in mind when designing a logo

If you’re considering a new logo for your business or new product, keep your audience in mind. Often a business owner tries to choose a logo that is based on a private experience or personal preference, without giving mind to who they are marketing their services too.

Your logo design must be appealing to your target audience. Therefore, you must take some time to consider who your target audience is with the logo design. If you are targeting upper middle class business people, your logo design will be vastly different from a company that targets teenagers who like to skateboard. If your logo design fails to catch the attention of your target group, your business will likely be passed over for the competition.

But most importantly, the finished logo design is meaningless until your company can communicate to consumers, through marketing and networking, what its underlying associations are. It is a trigger that leads consumers to identify with and become loyal to your brand. But building that mental bridge takes time and money. The story of the Nike swoosh, an otherwise meaningless symbol, has been told through saavy marking and has transformed the logo into a symbol for an athletic lifestyle.

Designing is an intuitive process and interpreting a client’s vision can be a fun challenge. A graphic designer’s line of questions and method of consultation is designed to enhance the creative process and determine who you are targeting and how to tell your story.

Need inspiration for a memorable business card?

Ever wonder if your business card will stand out in a crowd? Check out these amazing business card designs incorporating clever layout ideas with customized shapes and paper choices.

Some cards are strictly novelty, but they all command your attention and it’s likely you’ll hang onto a card like this rather than send it to the circular file.

Clean, streamlined designs really make an impression

A business card, brochure, postcard, website, promotional items: What does each tell you about a business? Is there a common theme, and recognizable logo on each item? Does a professional, uncomplicated look help you decide where would you rather shop and which business you’re more likely to trust?

When customers trust your business, they believe you are more likely to deliver products and services with honesty and integrity, and they believe they will have an overall pleasant experience. They will likely tell a friend about that experience.

The mission of your logo, stationery, website, and marketing materials is to express credibility. Your customers need to feel they are choosing an established company who they can believe in and rely on. Your professional, clean, coordinated look should appear on everything a prospective customer sees.

If your materials appear too cluttered with mixed messages, disconnected by using too many colors and fonts, or unbalanced, it’s time to hire a designer to create a professional look for your business. Create a reason to believe in your company by paying closer attention to your company’s appearance, and your customers will have an easier time deciding who to trust.