Finding the right Graphic Designer for you

When searching for a graphic designer to hire it can seem overwhelming at first; there are many fresh faced designers born every minute and everyone’s portfolio looks amazing (it should they only put their best work forward, possibly work that isn’t even for a real customer). So how do you decide who you should hire for your business without ending up with:

• The Unreliable Designer.
  Whose auto reply to everything is “I’ll get it to you tomorrow”
• The Head in the Clouds Designer.
  Off in their own world, you ask for soft and delicate and they give you back heavy metal
• The Scrooge McDuck Designer.
  You want how much for a 1 page leaflet? My first born you say? Well I have no prior knowledge so if that is what it costs…
  
  

To avoid these pitfalls and develop the relationship you want with the right designer, you must look at who they are outside of graphic design. I know you want someone who is going to design incredible graphics for you, but if you have seen their portfolio and it doesn’t look like your dog drew it then chances are they have the degree, and the experience to do it no trouble. What you really are looking for is business behaviour; are they professional enough to complete a project from start to finish and give you what you need?

Referrals

If you have friends or colleagues who have used a designer before ask them who they hired, they might have used someone they loved and can recommend. Referrals are the best way to get any business, your friends and colleagues will give honest opinions of their experiences and if you are happy enough with their opinion then go ahead and enquire with the designer. If they get back to you immediately you know you are important to them.

Websites

Try a suitable Google search; type in “Graphic Designers ‘Your Location” or “Freelance Designer”. Most designer’s will have their own website, if they don’t it makes it a little more difficult to gauge who they are. Check out their site - do you like the tone of it? Is it friendly and approachable and does it suit who you are and what you want? Try and find a designers site that matches your style and the project you need. A formal project might require a formal designer, a fun and quirky project might need a bubbly, creative designer.

Online Directories

Online Directories like Finda and Yellow will have lists of companies that do design under the industry. This is a little more risky as you do get whatever anyone has put up there. The golden rule is though if you try and contact a designer and they couldn’t seem less interested in you, or they take longer than 24 hours to get back to you – forget them. If they can’t put the effort in to gain your business, you can be sure they aren’t going to put the effort in to keep it either. 

Finding the right Graphic Designer for you is tough, but worth it in the long run.
It’s like buying a puppy - You want a good breed that fits into your lifestyle, gives you the loyalty and attention you need, doesn't cost a fortune and doesn’t make a mess on your project.

Working from Home – How to Avoid Cabin Fever

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/working_home

I have been working from home for a little over a year now, and lots of people say to me oh how do you do it I just couldn’t stay motivated. And it’s true staying motivated is tough, but I think being a person driven by guilt (not always healthy but in this case it helps) has given me the drive to get out of pyjamas every day. I am one of those people who if I’m not busy doing something or improving or learning then I start to feel guilty like I am wasting time. Which is a feeling I started to feel guilty about having after reading The Busy Trap  I feel guilty for feeling like I need to be busy – how confusing.

Anyway if you’re not driven by that guilt like me here are a few tips to stay motivated:

1. Set up a work space, put up posters or pictures or whatever gets you inspired. This is a work space and work space only; don’t let kid’s toys or anything else interrupt this space. It should look professional.
   
   
2. Set an alarm. Get up on time every day, whether you plan to hit the gym first or not. Get up at the same time every day so you start at the same time every day.
   
   
3. Plan your days. Get up, get ready, check personal emails, start work on time. 10 minute mid-morning break, lunch, 10 minute mid-afternoon break, finish - turn the computer off.
   
   
4. Don’t procrastinate, it is exactly the same as if you were at an office, except worse – your boss is you! If you fail your boss, you fail. Period. There is no safety net.
   
   
5. Play music! Have the radio going rather than discs or ipod if possible, I find the talking in-between songs feels like I have work mates... It’s true!
   
   
6.  Make time to schedule outings. Whether it is a quick coffee for a meeting, with a friend or picking up supplies. Make sure you get out of the house. Just don’t let a quick excursion become hours at the mall or beach.
   
   
7. Talk to yourself. I know this sounds verge of cabin fever, but saying what you think out loud means you get to use your voice and exercise your throat muscles. It also means you’ll be less likely to chew your flat mates/partners ear off when they walk in the door.
   
   
8. Turn off Facebook! It is the biggest distraction ever invented - I swear to you! Allow yourself to check it only once or twice and each time log off and shut the browser. I’m serious! Don’t leave it sitting in a tab, it’s too tempting to open and have a peak and before you know it hours have dribbled away.
   
   

There are good and bad points about every job and every working situation, working from home is no different. It has its up sides and down sides, yes you have to work alone so if you crave and rely on workmates to get you through it’s probably not for you. But if you want the freedom of being your own boss, then give it a go – it might be the best thing you ever do!

How to get traffic to your new site

You have just bought your first website, it’s flash and looks great – good for you! But now what? How do you get people’s attention and attract visitors to your new fandangle site?

1. Offline Advertising.

Yes we spend more time on line than we do off, but it is still important to include your website address on all pieces of advertising material you have. Make sure it is on your business cards, letterheads, signage, sign written cars, church bulletin, news board, shop window – everywhere! If you have the budget to be spending on flyers, posters, radio, television and other conventional media methods don’t forget to include it there. Don’t ever assume that people won’t remember the address, you’ll be surprised what some people remember when they really want to.

2. Online Directories.

Loads of these on the net - set up a profile for your business on as many as possible, if you already have a profile set up then don’t forget to update it with your new website and a link to it. Free on line directories are even better, you don’t have to pay a cent! I have been asked before whether I would recommend paying to be on some of the sites that require a fee, and I would say you need to check out there stats first

• How much traffic do they get to their own site, in particular to people searching your industry?
• Will they link to your site cleanly and not use the dreaded “nofollow” link. This is a piece of code added to links when you don’t want the link to gain any page rank from it. Don’t waste your money if they use it, it’s no good!
• Where is your listing going to sit amongst your competitors? If you aren’t on the first page, forget it.
• Do you get any added bonuses to paying, more pictures, description, ad space anywhere else?
  
  

Weigh up the answers to these questions and make the call. Personally I don’t recommend it, but some people might find it beneficial – the type of people who pay money to go in the yellow pages – if you have forgotten what those are they are the big chunky yellow books possibly holding up your computer screen right now (Money well spent… *cough*)

Google free directories and a bunch more will come up. It takes time, but gaining traffic to your site always will. Here are a few free directories to get you started anyway.

Finda, Yalwa, Businessme, Mysherrif, NZWebz, Website directory, Hotfrog, NZS.com, Bold Kiwi, Zoomin

3. Social Media.

Love it or hate it, or perhaps don’t understand it but it helps. Add your site to all of your pages, set some pages up if you haven’t already (are you nuts it’s 2012 – join us already!). Always treat your pages as a business page though; don’t go misusing social media if you don’t understand it. Yes it will help with traffic to your site, but it will hinder your sales if you start announcing your personal details, no one needs to know you’re having trouble in your relationship or went to the doctor yesterday about that rash spreading. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogger, Flickr, Google+, StumbleUpon… the options are endless, you pick what works for you and think you can keep up to date.

4. Online.

Beware of link farmers they will not help you and may hinder your results. A link farmer is someone who usually sends you a spammy email saying they can gain 100s of visitors by link baiting to your site. They can’t. Well not from anywhere good, and if you are seen fraternising with such scum Google will punish you. Only ever purchase from reputable websites, but even better try get linked to from good websites. If you have something amazing on your site that may be of interest to a reputable company, send it to them! You might be lucky enough that they find it so incredible they link to your site for free. This also illustrates how important it is to keep your web content up to date and fresh, old stale content doesn’t get links.

Don’t forget to include your web address in your email signature guys! And send it out to all of your current customers, let them know you have decided to join the online world. Every click counts.

5. SEO.

Make sure your site is SEO friendly and Google can index it to begin with. This means good content, good META tags and a well coded/designed site. If you’re brand new don’t expect any amazing results straight away, Google has a stand down period where you sit in limbo for 2 months before they even choose to recognise you exist. This gives you plenty of time to get the address out there and linked through though, you’ll jump up the ladder the more links you have and the more relevant your content is.

Getting started can be the hard part of any business, but keep at it. Gaining traffic to your site isn’t a once off thing; it requires constant attention (sorry to disappoint you if you thought it was going to be easy). The most important part is to have a good website, make the content relevant, interesting and easy to navigate and people will enjoy visiting your site over and over.

Wedding Websites – 7 Benefits and tips to putting your big day online

It’s nearly wedding season! As the final details are being organised by the loved up couples the newest addition to the big day is an official wedding website. Having your wedding online gives the opportunity to share your story with friends and family and keep memories of the event easily accessible. With so many other details to nail out before you walk down the aisle, adding an additional piece of work to it might seem unbearable, but here are the benefits of having your very own wedding website.

1. RSVP

Having a section dedicated to RSVP makes it easy for your guests to confirm or decline the invitation to your event. If you are pre ordering a menu, your guests can easily select what option they would like and any special dietary requirements. Having a simple form emailed to you with their choice in menu and number of guests makes it easy and stress free when organising seating and meals with the catering company.

2. Photos

Add a gallery! It’s fun and makes the site interesting for family and friends to browse through the fun you two as a couple have shared together during your relationship. Some members who might be travelling to the big event may not have even met your partner, so having a few pictures up of your fiancé is a nice way for people to start imagining the babies to come! You must put photos of the wedding up afterwards as well, so guests can browse through the big day’s events.

3. Your story

A must have is your story! How did you and your beloved meet, what was the proposal like? Everyone loves a good romance story so share it with your guests, if you feel up to writing it that is... Add in photos and cute quotes to really make it stand out.

4. The Wedding Party

Details and photos of the best man, groomsmen, maid of honour, bridesmaids and parents of each couple (optional). These are the people who are sharing and helping you make the big day a success, so include them in your site. If there are any issues on the day the guests know who to go and speak to should they need to. Providing contact details gives family and friends who might not be able to attend the big day a chance to send messages they may want read out or included in wedding books without you knowing. Sneaky sneaky.

5. Venue Details

Having your wedding day details easily accessible allows for guests to plan their day, they might need to arrange transport or accommodation so letting them know where and when they are expected to attend prepares them for what is to come. Don’t forget to include maps, pictures and links to venues so people can see your magical destination.

6. Accommodation, Transport, Childcare services

If required add details of accommodation and travel options, add a few different places so guests have a choice. Check in with the closest venues to see if they will do you a discount for groups, then let people know on your website how they can cash in on the deal! If you are offering a childcare service on the day provide details for your guests how they can use the service, with links and photos on what they should expect.

7. The Registry

Providing links to the stores your registry is held at makes it easier for your guests to give a gift. A lot of people are unsure what to give at weddings, as gift giving has changed slightly in the traditional sense over the years. It is probably more common now to give money, so you can mention this on your website if your prefer. I don’t think it is a good idea to set up a PayPal account and start taking peoples credit card details! But let your guests know their token is appreciated on the day and anything they choose to give would be gratefully accepted.

There are some great wedding websites out there already, and plenty of free templates you can use if you have the time. Nothing beats your own custom website design though, perfectly themed to match your invites and the rest of the day, it really does set the event alive. So if you can see the benefits behind having your wedding online look into getting your own site built, I promise I will put as much love into building it as you have the content.

Check out www.thethomsenwedding.co.nz for a recent example of DBC work.

Wildlife Photographer of the year Exhibition

In the weekend I went to go and see the Wildlife Photographer of the year exhibition at the Auckland Museum. What an amazing exhibition!! Firstly I was impressed at how well the Museum has done to organise and set up such a glorious space to display the artworks and secondly by the amount of talent some kids have!

A piece from the under 10's

The whole gallery wasn’t children’s work, it was mostly professional photography, but there were a few sections dedicated to teen work and another section to under 10. Just incredible! I did wonder how much their parents had to do with the image though, the cameras they were using were an easy $5,000 – I don’t consider my childhood to be overly under-privileged but there is no way my mother would have bought me a $5,000 “toy”.




I was also impressed by the stories told behind the photo, so many photographers put their own life on the line for a good shot. There was an incredible image a heard of bison storming through the snow towards the camera, the photographer was out shooting wolves at the time and something startled them and they began to run towards him. Instead of ditching the camera and running for his life he was adjusting saturation and lenses!! Another, the winning shot was a Polar Bear, half in the water half out. The man who took this shot was in the water with a snorkel and fins only, tied to the boat by a rope, this bear swam up to him and patted his camera with his paw… WITH HIS PAW!!! It then swam away but not before giving an award winning masterpiece. Was it worth it? It appears so…

Possibly the cutest thing I have ever seen

We started to discuss how much image alteration is allowed before it becomes graphic design instead of photography. Am I just being a cynical designer here in assuming every image I see released professionally must have had some Photoshop work done to it? If these images truly are untouched and this is the raw photo taken, then I am even more impressed!

It has definitely inspired me to take up photography myself, and I’m not ashamed to admit my early photography WILL require the use of Photoshop I have no doubt in that. As I have done a bit of photo work already for clients building websites who need product or shop photos done before, I think it is time I invested into an SLR camera. If anyone has any recommendations please let me know, there are a couple that have been suggested to me already so I’m going to look further into the Sony Alpha A290, Canon EOS 1100D and the Canon EOS 60D.

If you live around the Auckland area and are looking for some free entertainment, definitely go check the gallery out, you won’t be disappointed. Be warned this also appeals to families, and screaming children also come with the gallery.

How to create content for your first website

So you have decided your company needs to be online. Congratulations – go you!
Deciding what you should put online is the hardest part of all. Writing web content is different to writing print, people engage differently online than they do in person or on paper. You have less time to grab and hold their attention and more things to worry about like usability, design and structure.

Starting to create content for your first website is the main concern most clients I have worked with have; usually I would sit down with them over a cup of tea and discuss their requirements, competitors, and details of their business – who they sell to, who they would like to sell to and what other marketing they have running currently (but today I am writing it down for you). Once you have a gauge on who your business is/ who you are - you are half way there! Figure out your unique point of view, what makes you different to your competitors and what do you believe are your best assets?

Start with a brainstorm, write down all of the assets your business has:

• Location
• Staff experience
• Qualifications
• Products
• Ingredients/tools/suppliers

Now write down everything you can think about who might be looking at buying what you have to offer, your target audience:

• Sex
• Age
• Monetary status
• Their fears / concerns (this one is important)
• Lifestyle

The aim of your website should be to address and answer any questions your customers might have. You want to inform them of everything you do, think about what could go wrong in your industry; these are the fears your target audience have. Now think of what you can do to address them and put at ease any concerns your customer might have over using you. 

As an example, a construction company wanted to address the fear they found a lot of their customers had that construction companies are always late and don’t finish projects on time. So they introduced a guarantee policy on their website where for every day they were over due on a project they would pay the customer $100. If you were looking for a construction company and you saw one offered this deal and a competitor didn’t, who would you trust? People are more trusting of you when they see you are human and have something to lose if you let them down. No one wants to part with $100 so I’d believe they are going to finish on time!

Once you have the direction your website is heading, you’ll need to think of how many pages you’ll need and what should go on them.

Home Page

This is your landing page, the page that people will go to when they first click on your site. You need to grab their attention immediately and let them know what you do.

Include a catchy heading that sparks interest (make sure it is keyword rich). Follow this with a brief paragraph about 200 words and nail out exactly what it is you do and how you can help them. Do you find this tough to write? Think about your location, what you sell, what you believe in and how you can improve a customer’s life. You don’t have to go into too much detail, take a look at other websites (particularly your competitors) and see how they do it. Don’t copy it now, you’ll never win. As being the newer of the websites Google already has you at a disadvantage. The longer you are online, the better you rank. So you had better find a point of difference if you want to overtake and start pinching some customers.

Other pages you might like to include (industry dependant)

About Us Page

Go into great detail who you are, where you came from, what you believe in. If you have staff you might want to include their profiles. People are more trusting of using companies with a face. So don’t be shy about having yours on display. Keep your content to 300-600 words, and break it up with sub headings and bullet points. Google loves lists, and so do people reading off a screen.

Products and Services

What do you have on offer? Clearly set out what you sell, its benefits (remember answer queries and fears people might have) and include a price list if you have one! So many companies feel shy about including prices online, which is stupid. The prices aren’t going to change when someone rings up to ask are they - your competitor can ring up and ask just as easily so what are you hiding from? You need to make the decision for customers to come to you as easy as possible so don’t hide anything – customers will smell a rat.

Why choose us page

This can be multiple pages and doesn’t have to be titled as such; these are pages for you to gloat about what you can do for them. Can you get testimonials from your previous clients? Great! Definitely include them and any success stories and images you might have from past projects. Start a gallery – people love looking through photos and videos. Include any press releases, advertising or special deals. These are the extra pages people will filter around to find out more about you. Word of mouth is strong advertising, so why not be the mouth? Show proof of your success and what you have done for other people so far.

Contact

Always let people know how they can get hold of you. Include any Social Media or Blog sites you are linked in to. Put in an address, a phone number an email address, try and include something like this on every page if you can. You never want someone to have to click more than once before being able to get a hold of you.

This is the best compassionate photo I could find,
it made me all smooshy inside so had to be included. Naaw

The best advice I can give for creating content is be real. People want to interact with human beings, not machines. So add a personal touch to it. Don’t speak in marketing gibberish - it is obvious you want to sell them a product, sell to them through stories and life events, be compassionate in your writing and the tone will set itself.









Good luck! Any questions give me a shout!

Click here for more information on how I can help you get started.