tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5482257022865409712012-03-11T14:41:26.137-05:00Gail + Sallynoreply@blogger.comBlogger231100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548225702286540971.post-64259590365079699772011-11-23T14:53:00.001-06:002011-11-23T15:59:11.717-06:00

We see lots and lots of QR codes added to advertising today. Rarely, though, do businesses take full advantage of the QR code's graphic placement in their message. Just plunking your QR code into your ad is wasting a potentially valuable marketing message. Above is a page sample from the wonderful and visually lovely Flor product catalog. Let's take a moment to learn from Flor — and take

Gail + Sallynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548225702286540971.post-42744416300325572262011-09-16T17:48:00.001-05:002011-09-21T15:22:42.706-05:00

All of a sudden they're everywhere, those odd little black and white boxes of digital data. They're in the newspaper, on business cards, on websites, in stores. Why do people use them? How do they get generated? Do YOU need a QR code? QR stands for "quick response code." QR codes are two-dimensional barcodes which can quickly and easily be scanned by most camera phones. They're free to create

Gail + Sallynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548225702286540971.post-92030307947886347282011-05-27T12:10:00.021-05:002011-05-31T10:13:45.367-05:00

We've been producing a lot of postcards lately for clients. With businesses scrambling to learn and master social media marketing, it might be the perfect time for your business to consider an old-fashioned marketing method, the postcard. Perhaps it's because we love to touch and handle our mail, or maybe it's because we're over 30 and remember days when everything wasn't digital, but we love

Gail + Sallynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548225702286540971.post-42835715413679272342011-02-17T14:56:00.004-06:002011-02-17T15:27:53.791-06:00

Are you marketing to women? Holly Buchanan, co-author of The Soccer Mom Myth--Today's Female Consumer, Who She Really Is, Why She Really Buys writes an amazing blog called "Marketing to Women Online" (www.marketingtowomenonline.typepad.com). One of her posts highlights Las Olas Surf Safaris for Women (http://www.surflasolas.com/index.html) and their on-target approach to females who want to try

Gail + Sallynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548225702286540971.post-69350134256527259072010-11-24T14:45:00.025-06:002011-01-04T20:47:54.842-06:00

Do your customers request information about your services or products? Do you need to cross-market new or recently-added products? Do you have displays where people can pick up more information about your company? Do you find yourself gathering all sorts of handouts to give people when they want more information?If so, you need a good brochure.We find that clients who have begun their marketing

Gail + Sallynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548225702286540971.post-20756911315644706712010-10-13T17:04:00.030-05:002010-10-15T20:38:47.034-05:00

Designing a logo is one of the biggest challenges I face as a graphic designer. A logo is the summary of your business, your visual presentation to the world of what you do, of what you have to offer. On the quest for the perfect logo, where do we start?When clients come to me for a new logo design I feel a mixture of excitement...and dread. Before I get started, I worry. How will I come up with

Gail + Sallynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548225702286540971.post-72681824773348626082010-05-12T15:03:00.017-05:002010-05-12T16:22:41.495-05:00

"Let's imagine you and I are meeting in Donostia-San Sebastián in the north of Spain for dinner. And we're going to have dinner in the old town. What are we going to have for dinner? I know. We'll have some beer, los pintxos, some ice cream, and a cafe cortado. And guess what? We'll get the entire meal on one plate. The beers, six pinxtos, ice-cream and the coffee. All served to us on one plate -

Gail + Sallynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548225702286540971.post-45578543804878520142010-03-03T12:18:00.014-06:002010-03-04T14:51:46.024-06:00

An article in the business section of the March 1 Star Tribune caught my eye: Caribou Coffee just "retooled" their business. The business struggled in 2008, and although 2009 saw an improvement, the company decided it was time to revitalize their languishing brand.Caribou Coffee is one of my favorite businesses, and not only because of their great coffee. I love the attention they give to every

Gail + Sallynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548225702286540971.post-80993246386266373342010-01-03T16:00:00.020-06:002010-01-03T19:00:52.544-06:00

It's the time of year for making resolutions. Why not take a few minutes and focus on your business goals for 2010? We're big believers in loving the work you do and doing the work you love, and in this spirit offer a few easy, inexpensive and enjoyable ideas for jump starting your 2010 marketing efforts. We've used these ideas ourselves in 2009. And if you need inspiration, have a little fun

Gail + Sallynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548225702286540971.post-58148322945295818532009-12-15T14:55:00.014-06:002009-12-15T20:13:05.036-06:00

If you're an architect, illustrator, or photographer -- or if you create or sell a product that you'd like to show off to the world -- why not let a creative business card do the work for you? Instead of printing plain business cards, why not print 2-sided cards and include a "wow!" visual expression of your business on the back side? I've always wanted an excuse to design for a Moo business card

Gail + Sallynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548225702286540971.post-4287383245360219252009-11-11T09:00:00.006-06:002009-11-11T09:56:09.323-06:00

I'm a fan of Mad Men, the AMC series about the world of Madison Avenue advertising in the 1960s. I was thrilled last Sunday night when Peggy Olson, a copywriter played by Elizabeth Moss, finally got some respect from her male colleagues. The final episode of the season dealt with how the principals of Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency react to the news that their agency will be sold: they spend

Gail + Sallynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548225702286540971.post-50075788309496803372009-11-04T16:43:00.021-06:002009-11-06T17:10:36.553-06:00

Every website needs a domain name -- a unique string of letters and numbers making up your internet website address. Usually this name starts with www and ends with com or org. Domain names can be literal interpretations of business names (www.createandbarrel.com) or clever phrases (www.givemyregardsto.com). They can abbreviate a long name (www.emofree.com) or use humor (www.yogabeans.com).In my

Gail + Sallynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548225702286540971.post-65205846670090601412009-10-06T10:23:00.013-05:002009-10-19T11:05:33.361-05:00

You've probably had that (sadly, rare) experience of meeting someone for the first time, only to be struck by how great it feels to have their full attention. This is the kind of stranger who -- no matter how busy, powerful, or popular they are -- is genuinely interested in what you have to say. Being understood, being listened to—that’s a wonderful feeling, isn’t it?That’s how you want your

Gail + Sallynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548225702286540971.post-63977467583510468662009-10-06T08:58:00.020-05:002009-10-19T11:05:52.783-05:00

Nonprofits, in particular, need to create annual fundraising pieces. Usually these fundraising appeals are in the form of a brochure. The brochure might be mailed on its own with a letter from an executive director, used during in-person appeals as a follow up to the "sale," or given to potential donors who express an interest in the organization and its mission.Who better to promote your

Gail + Sallynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548225702286540971.post-60341238508357318182009-08-08T08:46:00.009-05:002009-08-09T10:18:55.597-05:00

A couple of years ago, we created a website for Pilgrim Congregational Church. The committee that we worked with wanted a website that communicated what the church was to people who were seeking a church in Duluth, especially those who found the website through its denomination, the United Church of Christ. Together with the committee, we created a website that presented an attractive,

Gail + Sallynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548225702286540971.post-4516869674967212742009-08-07T19:30:00.019-05:002009-10-19T11:08:47.284-05:00

"Minnesota Sea Grant's Toward Sustainable Tourism booklet won a 2009 APEX award for publication excellence in the one-of-a-kind scientific and environmental publications category. APEX awards recognize achievements in graphic design, editorial content, and overall communications quality.In its 40-pages, Toward Sustainable Tourism explores the ingenuity and efforts applied to sustainable tourism

Gail + Sallynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548225702286540971.post-50871240017409257442009-07-14T15:46:00.025-05:002009-11-04T19:08:38.133-06:00

A brochure shouldn't just look beautiful, it should be effective at communicating your message to your target audience. We've developed a checklist to help; we call this list the "Five W's" -- the who, what, why, where & when of compelling brochures.The Five W's uses a "left brain" approach to communication (left brain = verbal, analytical, logical). While we often think of writing and design as

Gail + Sallynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548225702286540971.post-80670835106726128432009-07-02T11:34:00.006-05:002009-07-08T10:08:30.893-05:00

Have you managed to operate your business or nonprofit thus far without a website? Perhaps you have a website, but your genius nephew created it for you and you secretly find it to be not particularly attractive. Perhaps your website hasn't been updated in a few years and it basically sits out there on the Internet all by its lonesome.There are so many reasons you need a smart, interactive

Gail + Sallynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548225702286540971.post-87680952452118550712009-07-02T09:49:00.024-05:002009-10-19T11:09:59.410-05:00

I just finished a project I've never done before: posters to be used as "ads" inside of public bathroom stalls. We've all seen them, right? For us females who spend more time actually inside stalls, we can't miss seeing the messages.In this case, I did them for Community Memorial Hospital. It was the marketing director's idea and a darn good one, I think.Here's how it worked: I designed very

Gail + Sallynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548225702286540971.post-8983874216050688472009-06-24T16:05:00.010-05:002009-10-19T11:11:01.510-05:00

We just finished a simple tri-fold brochure for Community Memorial Hospital. Their Foundation actively seeks donations which go to support all kinds of good projects in the Cloquet medical community. Until now, the Foundation never had any sort of descriptive brochure describing their purpose or mission for fundraising...a glaring missing link. Really--can you expect potential donors to give

Gail + Sallynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548225702286540971.post-28790989343273191102009-06-23T17:17:00.020-05:002009-10-19T11:11:45.791-05:00

"The life of a designer is a life of fighting--fight against the ugliness, just like a doctor fights against disease. For us, visual disease is what we have around and what we try to do is try to cure it somehow, you know, with design." -- Massimo Vignelli------------------------------------------------------I watched a documentary last Saturday night, called "Helvetica: Changing the world, one

Gail + Sallynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548225702286540971.post-34451961132869669392009-06-10T15:47:00.003-05:002009-06-10T16:29:15.205-05:00

I was 20 years old the summer of 1975, a Journalism major on my first internship at the Marquette County Tribune, in Montello, Wisconsin. Only three days into the job, I was already bored with typing and proofreading the longhand reports from the newspaper’s rural correspondents; reports larded with news about church potlucks, who visited whom, weddings, births and even funeral lunches which

Gail + Sallynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548225702286540971.post-49961532956820891752009-06-07T20:49:00.003-05:002009-07-14T20:01:11.093-05:00

I've always known I was a designer...though it took me awhile to put a label to the inclination.I loved art in junior and high school. While most kids got stressed about drawing the "perfect" picture, the one that looked like it was "supposed" to, I simply enjoyed the attempt, the "doing."It's not that I could draw or paint particularly well, the skills most people associate with budding artists.

Gail + Sallynoreply@blogger.com0