BestBizCards

Who cares about having nice business cards, anyway?

2009-12-13T09:04:00.000-08:00

I do. And not just because I sell them!

Top 5 Reasons to Have Top-Notch Business Cards:

1. They are your #1 marketing item
2. People will judge you and your business by them
3. They are convenient and they fit in wallets and card holders
4. Everyone has cards, but few have cards that stand out
5. They are no more expensive than plain or ugly cards.

See my new order site: www.justbizcards.ca for more info!

Building your personal brand

2009-11-23T00:27:00.000-08:00

These are just a few links with great ideas about personal branding:

How to Build the Ultimate Social Media Resume
Personal Branding 101
How to Create Your Personal Brand
The Brand Called You
How to Create a Personal Brand by Becoming a Thought Leader
Dropcards - Business cards for mobile phones

Everything is based on branding now: what you wear, drink, eat - what you do for a living...it's basically your reputation and life and self all rolled up in one. By presenting a well-thought-out personal brand you will be more able accomplish your goals and achieve your dreams.
Why?
Your personal brand is based on your values and personal mission statement, just like a large corporation's. This helps you focus on your goals and aspirations in life and that is the first step to achieving them.

Where the money's at

2009-11-19T12:56:00.000-08:00

According to one website, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 made $300 million on its release day back on Nov. 10 and over $550 million in its first five days. It's so much money it doesn't even register.

It only took a relatively small $45 million to create the game and a modest $200 million to launch it, giving Activision a profit of over $55 million its first day. They expect to make $14 billion from this one game over its lifetime.

They spent $200 million on marketing throughout 2009 (TV and magazine ads, E3 booth, PR, etc.) Some might think $200 million is too much for marketing and PR. But they wouldn't have spent it if it didn't work.

Oh, and by the way: Modern Warfare 2 is slated to be "the biggest entertainment launch of all time."

Time management is self management

2009-11-17T00:19:00.000-08:00

Everyone's heard about time management...now experts are saying that you can't manage time; you can only manage yourself and your activities. Either way, I have read many TM books over the years but I've only really begun to put this concept in place, in a serious way, in the past few weeks.

For example, with advice from one sales book, I have had my television shut off for almost a month (except for Friends and Will and Grace on the odd Friday night, and a movie or two on a Sunday afternoon). This is giving me a lot more time to do design and marketing work, household chores, and going for walks.

I didn't realize I was watching that much TV - I used to only watch 3-4 hours per day, which didn't seem much until I realized that it adds up to around 25-30 hours a week, a decent part-time job!

Another thing I am trying is the Weekly Timesheet. This was recommended to us in design school as a way to keep track of time and our many projects. Of course no one really used it then! But the same sales book recommended it and I have started writing down my activities. It's proven helpful since Internet research (surfing) and updating blogs and Twitter can take more time than I imagine.

Only time will tell if this will make a massive impact on my career but one thing is certain, practicing time management gives you a huge boost in self-respect.

Little Black Dress

2009-11-15T03:18:00.000-08:00

Gabrielle Chanel was one of the few self-made women of history.

Born to an unmarried couple in France in 1883, and later abandoned by her father after her mother died, she rose from an orphanage to become one of the most sought-after women of the 20th century.

How did she accomplish this? Coco, like many brilliant success stories, had an obsessive dream to escape poverty. She first tried her luck as a shopkeeper and then as a singer and dancer (that's where she picked up her nickname, Coco). Later, she became the mistress of a wealthy gentleman named Etienne Balsan. Then came her big break: at age 27, she met her benefactor, Englishman Arthur Capel, who helped her set up her first milliner shop in Paris, in 1910. She went on to become hat-maker to the Paris elite.

"Once she opened her business and began to apply her taste and capacities to it, she would change into a woman entrepreneur forever. Nothing would stop her: not the lack of experience, not even the war that soon exploded. For the rest of her life she would work as both craftsman and businesswoman, implementing her own view of the art of dressing on her ever expanding clientele..." Famous Women

She invented the simple, elegant and practical Little Black Dress, worn by herself, Marilyn Monroe, Princess Diana, and many, many others. This was a revolution a century ago, when all women wore layers of heavy clothing, corsets, mounds of ruffles and lace - even in the sweltering heat of summer.

Chanel faced a major obstacle after World War 1, when she had closed her shop briefly. In the following years she lost her top fashion designer place to male designers. Dior and other male fashion designers took over, but in 1953 she reopened with the need to dress women in comfortable clothing: "A dress isn't right unless the arm lifts easily...Elegance in clothes means freedom to move freely." Although she was over 70 years old at the time, and critics were extremely harsh, she pressed on and was still designing her latest clothing line at her death on January 10, 1971, at age 87.

And thanks to Coco Chanel, born into poverty and disgrace but with a drive to succeed, several hundred ladies showed up at the old Cosmo Club in Moncton last night, in little black dresses. And every single one of them looked amazing.

Sometimes Facebook Annoys Me.

2009-11-14T01:01:00.000-08:00

Like when you try to invite a couple of your friends from your email contacts, and it goes and invites everything and everyone on the entire list, whether you want them or not.
I'm all for social media, but Facebook needs some etiquette lessons.

5 Reasons Why You Should Have the Best Business Card You Can Afford

2009-11-12T00:47:00.000-08:00

What does your business card matter, anyway? Every business person has one; they may seem like little expensive pieces of paper that cost more than they are worth (unless you print your own with your office printer or get the plain black ink ones from Staples or Kwik Kopy - but even these can end up more than you thought in the long run).

Well, high quality business cards are a necessary part of your business and marketing arsenal - here are five reasons why:

1) They are one of the least expensive but effective ways to advertise you and your business
2) They can easily be kept in your wallet, and when you hand them out, kept in your prospective customer's wallet, at all times and within easy reach.
3) Just like a nice car or suit, an attractive, quality card enhances your image
4) You are more likely to pass out awesome cards than cheap or ugly ones, and the more people who have your card, the better
5) Many printers can create full-colour and even double-sided business cards nowadays that rival the old one-colour, one-sided cards in price

These are just five reasons why you should have the best cards you can get your hands on; there are many more reasons I don't have time to go into now...
Check out my website to learn more at Designs By Sarah.

Celebs getting paid to Tweet...

2009-11-10T23:53:00.000-08:00

How do you feel about this?

Is it another way celebrities are selling out, or is it a smart way for companies to advertise?

I have to agree with TechCrunch, celebrites make enough without having Twitterati bid to have them advertise on their sites. And, as my better half and business partner, Morgan, points out, how can we trust anything these celebrites say? (Well, apparently Ad.ly will mark the ad tweets so we all know, so there, Morgan, you can rest assured that famous Twitterati are still authentic...)

On the other hand, how would it look if Kim Kardashian a-okayed Designs By Sarah? hmmm....

Hyundai's Marketing Beats McDonalds, Walmart

2009-11-10T00:50:00.000-08:00

I used to own a Hyundai Elantra. My grandmother and aunt owned a turquoise Excel, a cheap but feisty little car. My aunt has switched to some sort of Hyundai station wagon and a co-worker has bought his second silver Accent, calling them "tough little cars".

Well Hyundai has just beat out all the other corporations in Ad Age's marketing survey.

How?

They didn't flinch from the bad economy. They didn't try to pretend everything is wonderful.

"Now finance or lease any new Hyundai, and if you lose your income in the next year, you can return it with no impact on your credit."

Hyundai also released its hot new sporty Genesis Coupe. It has the best braking system in the world and over 300 horsepower.

And, while other auto makers were staggering under imminent bankruptcy, Hyundai made a bold move: during the Academy Awards, when GM dropped its nine ads, Hyundai bought them all.

Not bad for a little company that started out as the butt of jokes.

Carl Dair – A Typographic Quest

2009-11-09T01:00:00.000-08:00

"Carl Dair – A Typographic Quest

Type designer Rod McDonald looks at the life and work of one of the most complex and contradictory figures in the history of Canadian graphic design."

This presentation, given by the GDC, is set Nov.25, at NSCAD, in Nova Scotia. Morgan and I went to see the same presentation this summer in Moncton. It was fascinating.

I'll have to dig up the photos we took of Carl Dair's books and advertisements. Stay tuned!

Trying to Get Around to Time Management

2009-11-08T00:14:00.000-08:00

Years ago I read Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It was okay I guess, but I didn't put it into practice. However having just finished re-reading Frank Bettger's wonderful sales book How I Raised Myself From Failure to Success in Selling, I have decided that it's time to implement time management and self-organization. Really. For real. Not just plan, or plan to plan. Do it.

The problem is, it takes so long to plan it all! I guess I'll call it another "investment" that will save time in the long run...Why does preparation and planning feel so Not Important/Not Urgent?

If you find yourself wasting time doing non-meaningful stuff, check out this informative blog to learn more about the Time Matrix; it could revolutionize your life! I can already feel it beginning to revolutionize mine.

Graphic Design & Multimedia Showcase Review

2009-11-07T00:27:00.001-08:00

Yesterday afternoon, there was a showcase for the students of CompuCollege's Multimedia program at the Coastal Inn Champlain. Morgan and I went, just planning to just have a quick glance around. However this show was much better organized than we had anticipated and we ended up staying and chatting with each student.

Each person had a display board and computer monitor (Mac of course) which showed various projects, a few which were of amazing, professional quality.

Some of the students focused on video editing and web design, while the majority had 10-20 print pieces on display, and all of them had their own business cards with their business logos, printed at Dieppe Imaging. I took one of each.

A few of the projects that stood out included Cora Joshua's self-published book and her nature photography and Alex Killam's logos including his own, printed on a black business card (very sharp!).

There were other extraordinary works of art such as the tiny flower box packages that looked like they were taken out of some expensive beauty spa, and the most professional technical illustration of a cell phone I've ever seen outside of a magazine.

(These last two projects were so amazing that I focused on the projects instead of the designers and can't recall who did them! I believe they were Janna Lounsbury and Nicole Daigle but Morgan swears Lindsay Loeffler made the cell phone illustration along with the cat magazine. I tend to get people mixed up and I sincerely apologize for that. Feel free to correct me and I will update this post!).

The only thing I would have liked to see is for the students to have displayed the originals beside their re-designed projects, and maybe a title next to some of the projects (we didn't have a clue we were looking at magazine cover designs until we were half-way through).

Oh yes, and if any students happen to read this post, please never say "I don't know" if someone asks you why you put a particular colour or shape or image in your logo/ad/magazine cover. Always have a reason for everything you do!

All in all, a great show, very well planned by Jamie Morrison (CompuCollege Career Services). I was really impressed by them all.

Logos in Northern Alberta

2009-11-06T00:39:00.001-08:00

Ok this is what I call small-town logo style. That's all I am going to say. (But again, at least it was not hand-drawn).

Why does the City of Moncton's logo have tentacles?

2009-11-06T00:10:00.000-08:00

Why?

Why tentacles?

What is the logo supposed to be?

(Ok, so it was created a while ago, but when I was driving over it on Main St yesterday, I was reminded again, What the hell is it?)

An effective logo must be simple, attractive, and easy to reproduce on any substrate in black and white or in colour. They got simple down. And it's easily reproducible, at least in colour.

However, a great logo must communicate its message clearly. (It's even better if it has secret messages in it! But that's hard to do). This one doesn't really communicate anything (at least to me) except maybe an alien live in the city of Moncton. With tentacles.

What is Moncton's logo supposed to be saying? Tri-cities? Moncton is not three cities; it's one of the three cities. Dieppe and Riverview have their own logos.

Hawk, you are one of the biggest design companies around, but what were you thinking? I do not agree with your post, Juggling Man, the new logo is not better, it's just different.

Makes you think (at least it does if you're in advertising)

2009-11-05T00:02:00.000-08:00

Creativity Online published a slightly disturbing article basically stating that the regular mass-appeal billboards, newspaper ads, etc. are all passé.

The thing now is to target a smaller market, with a special feeling. We need to emotionally connect with a select audience and engage it with subtlety.

It will be a while (probably a LONG while) before this type of advertising reaches most of Atlantic Canada. It will, however, definitely be something to strive for in the future.

It seems designers just have to go to Toronto...

2009-11-04T13:06:00.000-08:00

Marketing magazine`s Top Ten Ad Agencies were named on Monday for 2009. Despite the poor economy, several creative Canadian companies kept afloat or even prospered, a good sign for related industries.

Of course, most of the top agencies are located in Toronto and Montreal, and some are actually international companies. BleuBlancRouge has some of the most provocative, interesting print ads and commercials - the kind of stuff we can only dream of here in Moncton...at least for now. The Hive, out of Toronto, is responsible for a ton of famous ads including Lotto 649`s Happy Dance and VISA`s Sumo Wrestler (Win Free Groceries for a Year Contest).

It gives us something to aim for, to make stellar ads like those.

Wow

2009-11-02T23:51:00.000-08:00

This is sad news.

The NYC ad agency that brought us "Where's the Beef?", Little Caesar's "Pizza Pizza" and Staples "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" Back to School Ads have gone out of business.

There are a few possible reasons listed: too "old-school" with no crossover to modern, digital work; "poor account management"; and "failure to replace lost clients". (This last one was cited as one of Miramichi's FatKat's reasons for failure as well).

It seems that anyone, even the most creative, can go down if not careful. Creepy.

Is Image Everything?

2009-11-01T23:50:00.000-08:00

Is Image Everything?

I have always found that to be a negative, shallow statement. You can't judge a book by its cover, etc. I always believed that you should be as transparent as possible, maybe even unattractive to show how good you are on the inside. Wow, I didn't know I took the logic that far, but that's what I always felt.

However, I'm starting to warm up to the notion that maybe it's ok to be as professional and appropriately attractive as possible, in physical appearance, but especially in business image. Dan Kennedy has pointed out that one banker refused to believe he was a CEO because Dan wasn't wearing a tie. He didn't like ties, but he started wearing one. After all, study after study proves that a positive, attractive image increases salaries, sales, and even business performance.

So I guess as long as the inside matches the outside, and the inner goodness matches the outer, it's all right.
After all, I'd hate to be one of those businesses that look good and profitable and win awards, but two months later go out of business. Look good and be good is the motto.

Why everyone should at least have a Blog

2009-11-01T05:10:00.000-08:00

I have started blogs and websites before, and then got too busy or overwhelmed to continue. I mean, who am I to write to the masses in the Universe? What would I say? And do I have to write for hours every day, like the Big Bloggers do? I don't have the time!
Well, I decided to just take it one little step at a time...ok I will be back soon! Because everyone needs a free way to get more visibility!