It’s A Rainy Monday; Time To Get Positive

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My current location:  Atlanta Georgia Suburbs

It is raining cats, dogs and armadillos.  My view outside my office windows looks like it is 7:45 pm and not 7:45 am.  We are under a severe weather threat and flash flood warnings.  It’s also Monday.  Time to get positive, so here is what I’ve got:

  1. We are one day closer to my birthday.
  2. We are one day closer to the weekend.
  3. I have coffee and if I run out, there is a Dunkin’ Donuts across the street and a Starbucks a block away.
  4. I have feet and arms to swim through any flood waters to get more coffee.
  5. The rain and any floods will clear away the pollen.
  6. Today is a good allergy day.

It may seem corny, but focusing on what is good, distracts me from what may seem bad.  This is how my day started and I will end it on a positive note as well.  Do you have exercises or lists that you make to stay positive?

 

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Why You Should Not Design Your Logo in Photoshop

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Spoiler Alert:  Adobe Photoshop is not the end all, be all of design.  It is not the only design software on the planet and as a designer; I am telling you that any designer worth their salt does not only use Photoshop.  Each of the different software programs that Adobe makes is a “tool” used in the creation and design of print graphics, digital design graphics, motion graphics, etc.  Depending on what I am designing, I may use three different programs in conjunction with each other to make the final product.  Each one has specific strengths and specific weaknesses that make it a good candidate for certain types of design and functions.

Photoshop is not a good candidate for creating a logo.  If you are a new start-up, entrepreneur, small business owner, etc and you want to create your logo yourself, do not use Photoshop.  You will be doing yourself a disservice.  I am a strong advocate for having a logo professionally developed and designed, not just because I am a designer, but also because I see it as an investment for your business.  I feel that it hurts a business more than it helps, to try to create one on their own.  I understand that in the short term, it is a cost savings option, but in the long term, it can hurt your brand and end up costing you further down the line.

If you must create it yourself, use a vector based design program like Adobe Illustrator.  Do not use Adobe Photoshop, MS Paint, MS PowerPoint, MS Publisher or MS Word.  You are probably thinking that you will design something quick to use in the short term and then later down the line, when you have more money, you will hire someone to “clean it up.”  You probably also think that it will not cost too much money or will be a simple job to “clean up” your design.  If the logo you are furnishing to the designer for clean up, is not a vector graphic; they will have to redraw/recreate your logo first, before they can do anything to modify it.  Opening a jpeg, gif or bitmap file in a vector program and saving it as an .eps file will not make it a vector graphic.  You have the right file type, but the image, is still an image.

Image files are raster-based files that are made up of pixels.  Pixels are tiny squares that make up the image you see on screen.  Certain image file types are even designed to “knock out” some of these pixels to make the file size smaller and render a visual faster (low resolution vs. high resolution).  Photoshop is a raster program whose strength is image manipulation and screen ready graphics.  It has a few other strengths, but image manipulation is a large one.  It’s where the term “Photoshopped” comes from as it pertains to magazine covers, duped images, etc.  Your source logo file should not be an image or image file.

Vector graphics are made up of lines and points.  Those lines and points create shapes with fills.  Think along the lines of geometry.  Even the fonts are turned into shapes with lines and fills for each letter in the final file output for a logo.  With a vector graphic, you can scale it as large or as small as you want without suffering any quality loss.  You cannot do that with a raster image.  With a vector graphic, you can output as a raster image.  If you try to use Photoshop to create a vector version of a raster image, it will look like crap.  Trust me.  You can easily change the colors of an element within your logo graphic with a vector graphic.  You may need to do some bootlegging to do the same thing in Photoshop with a raster image.

You may also run into problems later down the line when using vendors to create packaging, embroidered items, etc. because they will not accept anything other than a vector file for your logo.

In the end, you will probably spend more money later to “fix things” than you would upfront to have it created.  I often feel that it would be of more value to spend the money to have a logo created to be a good fit for the brand, it’s industry and it’s demographic/target audience; than to fix something that the owner previously created when they first started out.  They end up spending almost as much money for me to recreate and then fix, refine and clean up.  So if you must create a logo yourself, you can save a little money later, if you do not use Photoshop.  Use a vector program instead like Adobe Illustrator, to create the first iteration of your logo.

Mr. & Mrs. High Maintenance:: Client Relations

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Every freelancer and small business owner, will at some point in their, career meet Mr. or Mrs. High Maintenance.  They may even patronize your business together.  Learning how to effectively communicate and set boundaries will be critical when dealing with them.  Not all high maintenance clients are bad, there are different levels within the high maintenance category and I have outlined a few that I have seen below.

The Freak Out Client

This client will call you in a panic, and on the verge of having a heart attack because the Internet is down, or the sky fell…  This client is very passionate about their business and the work you are doing for them really matters to them.  That is not a bad thing; it’s a really good thing and can really help to motivate a freelancer to put out great work.  Because they are so passionate and perhaps a bit fearful of things not going right, they may have a tendency to constantly call, email and send singing telegrams.  The key to working with a client like this is to give them what they need – reassurance.  Create a schedule to give them updates on the project on a daily basis.  Make the updates detailed and have them send you any questions or concerns in one bulk email or during a daily update call.  This helps to create some boundaries so that you are not inundated with calls and emails and also provides reassurance and clarity on the project’s progress.

 

The “I Am Paying You” Client

This client can be a bit difficult to deal with because the involvement of money changing from their hands to yours, for goods or services means you are now property.  Do you try to keep set office hours and a nice work/life balance?  That will not fly with this type of client.  If they call you at midnight Christmas Eve, you better answer because they are paying you.  Any excuse for denying an unreasonable request will be met with the statement, “but I’m paying you…” The best way I have found to deal with this type of client is one of two ways:  have a heart to heart talk and lay out the boundaries to continue the project, or have a heart to heart talk about discontinuing the project.  Again, communication is key.  It is possible to speak to the client and have a civil conversation (not argument) about the issues that have come up and come to an agreement to continue or discontinue with the project.  If the client needs you to be available at midnight on Christmas Eve and you are unable to do that; ultimately you cannot meet the clients’ expectations and are not a good fit for them.

 

The I Needed It Yesterday Client

We live in a busy world and some of us have very busy and demanding careers. Some clients may contact you for a job that would ordinarily take two weeks to complete and need you to turn it around that same day.  This may also be a chronic occurrence from the same client.  Never fear, if it is a chronic occurrence, they will be used to your chronic reply of the mission impossible.  Sometimes clients hope that today may be the day that you are finally able to perform the miracle that beats all miracles.  My mother used to tell me that it never hurts to ask something; the worst that could happen is that someone says “no.”  Politely explain why you will not be able to perform the request in the time period needed and give a timeline for when you can get the request done.  I find that in most cases, the client will still get the work done.

 

The Friends & Family Client

This client knows you outside of the scope of your business.  They may have changed your poopy diapers or have dark secrets about you, that you never want to see the light of day.  They usually want a discount for work that will probably drive you insane.  While you may feel a sense of loyalty and perhaps a fear of retribution, you have to set boundaries with this client on what to expect and the project parameters.  They will need to understand that while their relationship with you is of a personal nature, the project relationship is of a business nature and will be treated as such.

Above anything else, communication is the key to dealing with any client and developing a successful working relationship.

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Are You Being Left Behind?

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I’m going to answer the title of this post’s question for you; no you are not being left behind.  At least not left behind in the way that many small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs are.  The fact that you are reading this post tells me that.  You at least know how to use the internet, a computer or a mobile device and perhaps social media well enough that you found this post.  You are at least trying not to be left behind.

It boggles my mind that people still put such low stock into the power of digital marketing.  At this point, it just does not make sense to me that people still do not see the value in mobile media, social media, content creation (infographics, blogs, etc) and other forms of digital marketing.  I feel it’s more of a stubbornness to take the time to investigate and learn or just a fear of “the unknown,” like outer space.  It brings to mind the stories you hear about how Steve Job’s personal computer was scoffed at or how people didn’t want to give up typewriters and learn how to use a computer.

The technology train is ever moving and finding new routes.  If you do not get on the train, you will get left behind and there may not be any more stops left to board.  Even large brands are wholeheartedly embracing digital marketing and helping to expand the scope and possibilities of that marketing sphere.  If you want to compete, you cannot stay stuck in old traditional methods.  I’m not saying that they do not work or have any value, but learn to adapt and apply them to fit today’s techniques and platforms.

Being stubborn and not attempting to learn and try, is doing you a disservice.  Yes, you may be making money and doing ok, but why not do better?  If there were a way to broaden your scope, reach more people, and bring in more revenue, just by learning something new; why wouldn’t you do it?  Do you want to settle for mediocre, or be great?  Give your business the best chance possible to succeed and get on the train before it’s too late.  Typewriters…

 

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Announcement :: New Endeavor

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I am really excited about this!  I am opening/have added a store to Colleen Eakins Design.  At the end of last year, I made a new year’s resolution to create more art, outside of my graphic design business.  I slacked off a bit at first and then I found inspiration to do something I have always wanted to do…make designs for graphic tees/t-shirts.  My own fashion style is what I call “comfortable.”  Sometimes it’s a bit funky and sometimes it’s a bit subdued, but it is always comfortable.  I feel graphic tees can be dressed up or down depending on what you put with them and they are a staple in my wardrobe (next to my pajamas).

While trying to live up to the standard I set for myself with creating more artwork, I started making graphic illustrations based on my own photography (a hobby of mine).  I started to think that I would not mind wearing a shirt with some of the artwork and the idea took off from there.  So, today I am announcing that the Colleen Eakins Design [store] is now open…with a small collection of graphic t-shirts.  I plan to continue to expand the store, but for now I am starting small.

Take a looksie and let me know what you think!  I am always open to feedback and ways I can improve!

Store Link:  store.colleeneakins.com