A Call for Guest Blog Submissions

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Last week I announced that I was challenging myself to write [almost] daily blog posts.  I plan to write and post on the blog Monday – Friday and continue to keep the weekends free from work.  Part of my plan to keep up an almost daily blogging schedule is to also open the blog up to guest submissions.

This is something that I have thought about doing for a while.  I think it would be nice to hear a voice on the blog and for readers to gain insight from someone other than myself.  While my personal marketing strategy has made me a bit of a narcissist (it cannot be helped with that sort of marketing strategy), I am not so naïve as to believe that reader’s can only gain insight on topics related to marketing and design from myself.  It is for this reason that I have decided to open the blog up to guest post opportunities.

If you are interested in submitting to the blog, fill out the form below or click here (same form), to submit your content for review.  The blog’s focus is on marketing and design.  Marketing topics may range from content marketing to social media marketing and everything in between.  Design topics that I am looking for are in the areas of graphic design, illustration, web design, user interface design, etc.  I am looking for design topics as they relate to marketing materials (print, digital, etc.).

I would like to note that a submission of a post, does not guarantee publishing.  I will review submitted posts for relevancy to the topics that I am looking for and for grammar.  If I think it is a good fit, I will contact you to let you know and give you a publishing date.  If I have any questions or requested edits, I will contact you as well.  Please make sure to include an author’s bio and up to two (2) links to your site, social media, etc.

 

Why You Should Blog | Freelance Graphic Design Blog

Setting a Schedule & Plan to Execute a Daily Blogging Goal

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My to-do listLast week I announced here that I had set a goal of [almost] daily blogging.  So, my first challenge is to figure out how to make that an attainable goal for myself and for me that means planning and scheduling.  I already use a daily to-do list that I make at the end of every workday for the following day’s tasks to be completed.  It’s a bit of an old school tactic in that it is an actual handwritten list that is posted next to my desk.

My first step is to place “daily blog” as the first item on my to-do list each day.  When I sit down at my desk each morning to get ready to work, instead of checking my email first, I will write a blog post.  At least this is the plan.

Step two in my plan, is to continue with my old schedule for writing blog posts.  Although I try to keep a strict no weekend work policy to keep a healthy work/life balance, there is one exception to this rule.  I dedicate one weekend a month to write blog posts.  Since I was only publishing four posts a month on average (for every Friday of that upcoming month), it was not too time consuming to write.  I usually split this up into two on Saturday and two on Sunday.  I am going to keep this in place with the hope that it may put me ahead or give me a small reserve for days when I have writer’s block or nothing that I feel is of value to say.

My third step is to continue jotting post ideas in a running Evernote note.  I use Evernote to jot down ideas that come to me in the middle of the night, when I am out and about, or while I am working.  I have an open running note called “Blog Post Ideas,” where I put ideas that pop into my mind for something to write about.  This has been helpful when I sit down to write, because I can just see what topics I have previously come up with and write about them.  It eliminates the step of trying to figure out what to write about.

The fourth step will be to open my blog up to guest submissions.  This is something that I had been thinking about doing for a while.  I was planning to do this for 2014, but why put off for tomorrow, what you can do today?  While I do not expect to have a lot of submissions, I figure any that I do receive will help to take some of the pressure off of myself.

By putting together a plan and a schedule for doing things, I feel less anxious about this undertaking.  It makes me feel warm, snuggly and safe.  My next goal will be to conquer the self-defeating thoughts that are attempting to attach my psyche about this goal!

Black Friday/Cyber Monday 2013 Tech Deals for Small Businesses

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Ah, it’s that magical time of year that we all look forward to…DEALS!  As a small business owner, I am always looking for ways to save money.  For me, keeping my overhead as low as possible and using technology are two of the most important aspects of my business.  With Black Friday and Cyber Monday approaching, I have been keeping an eye out for deals and steals to help me nab resources, equipment and anything else that I feel is an actual “need” for my business.  I figured there may be others trying to do the same thing; so I decided to create a running list of what I find for me to refer back to and for you guys as well.

If you know of a useful tech related deal that I may have missed, feel free to leave it in the comments and I will do my best to get it added to this list!

HostGator

**UPDATED** I received an email from HostGator this week announcing, “we will be offering our best discounts of the year all weekend!” from 11/29 – 12/02.  The deal will be as follows:

host-gator-cyber-monday

  • The whole Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend will be 60% OFF Hosting (Starting at $1.98/month) and $4.50 domains.
  • We will be running limited time flash sales each day for 75% OFF Hosting (Starting at only $1.24/month) and $1.95 domains. Check the site regularly to catch one!
  • The discount applies to all new hosting packages – including Shared, Reseller, VPS and Dedicated servers!
  • Domain discounts will be for .COM/NET/ORG/INFO/BIZ

And… We’re kicking off Black Friday in style with a 1 hour flash sale for 75% OFF Hosting (starting at only $1.24/m) and $1.95 domains. This will run from 12 AM central to 1AM Central, November 29th.

 

Amazon

Amazon is advertising a section of their site completely dedicated to Black Friday deals on computers and accessories.  Kindle Fire HD’s will be $50 off on Cyber Monday (12/02/13) ONLY!

kindle-fire-cyber-monday

Kashoo | Cloud Accounting

If you have an account with Kashoo, they are offering a $50 Amazon or iTunes gift card if you upgrade to an annual plan for their Cyber Monday deal.  Invitation code to get the deal is:  cyber13

CyberMonday_kashoo

App Sumo

**UPDATED**  App Sumo is a deal site that I have gotten some great deals from in the past for my business.  Last year’s deal was pretty sweet, and I anticipate that this year’s would be as well.  So, here it is:

  • Brand NEW Creative Market Black Friday Bundle: Hundreds of themes, icons, fonts and graphics worth over $1200 – only $39
  • Hittail: Drive your website targeted and free organic search traffic – only $49
  • Themify: 40 beautiful customizable themes for your WordPress sites – only $39
  • Copy Hackers: Learn how to write copy that drives sales, improves conversion rates, and is actually fun to read – only $39
  • Prey: Track your computer in case it’s ever stolen – only $39
  • Crazy Egg: Free lifetime of Crazy Egg to know where your visitors are clicking on your website – Free!

appsumo-black-friday

 

These deals will be good for 24 hours only on Friday 11/29/13, starting at 12:00am CST.

 

Best Buy

Quoted directly from Best Buy’s site:  “There’s no place like Best Buy for incredible Cyber Monday savings — and the Best Buy deals for Cyber Monday 2013 will blow you away. Our Cyber Monday 2013 sales event on December 2 will offer you an amazing list of hot products on sale, only online at BestBuy.com”

 

Hyper

I received this info in my inbox just this morning (Thursday) from the PR staff at Hyper.  HYPER is a consumer electronics brand by Sanho Corporation. Headquartered in Fremont, California, Sanho designs, manufactures and markets IT accessories with a focus on Apple accessories, portable power and storage. Sanho is committed to developing cutting edge products with a dedicated focus on performance, quality, value and service, with sales and marketing office in the U.S. in Silicon Valley, California, production facilities near Shanghai, China, and R&D teams in both countries.

Hyper will have sales of up to 50% off of items across their entire site.  Items marked down include battery packs for Apple laptops, storage devices, HDMI cables and Apple accessories.

hyper-black-friday

 

HitTail (formerly YouSendIt.com)

Upgrade your account to the unlimited storage plan and receive 40% off of the regular subscription price.

hightail-black-friday

 

iThemes

From now (Friday) until Monday, December 2 at 11:59 pm CST, Save 50% off of the WordPress Web Designer’s Toolkit.  Use coupon code:  TOOLKIT50.  The toolkit includes 200+ themes, 30+ plugins, 500+ hours of training and access to their WordPress Developer Course.

ithemes-black-friday

Organic Themes

Use coupon code:  THNKSGVG13 to save 20% off of any theme purchase from Organic Themes.  Sale begins on Black Friday (11/29/13) and lasts through Cyber Monday (12/02/13).

 

organic-themes-black-friday

 

123RF Stock Photos

Purchase a 12 month subscription plan on Cyber Monday, December 2, 2013, and receive an extra 3 months FREE!

123rf-cyber-monday

 

Tripit Pro

I love Tripit and use it to organize all of the information for my trips.  On Cyber Monday, you can gift a Tripit subscription for just $39/year with coupon code MAGICMONDAY.

tripit-cyber-monday

 

Solid Stock Photos

Solid Stock is offering 3 bundles for Cyber Monday that will save you 25%, 30% or 35% on Solid Stock Cash, the currency used to purchase stock photography from the site.

solid-stock-cyber-monday

 

 

Full Disclosure:  Some links included in this post may be affiliate links that earn me a small commission.

Ready, Set, Go! My Blogging Challenge to Myself

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For the past couple of years, I have been toying with the idea of blogging more frequently.  Like, a LOT more frequently…as in daily.  I have also toyed with the idea of opening the blog up for guest submissions in the areas of marketing and design (graphic, web, UI, etc.).  Currently, all of the blog posts you read here are written by me and something new posts to the blog once a week.

While I enjoy writing, I have been afraid of starting something that I might not be able to keep up.  I did not want to set a standard or an expectation from readers (not that I have many), and fail them and myself if I fell off of the wagon.  I realize that is the problem with fear.  You never get started.  You never get a chance to prove yourself right or wrong.  You never get a chance to fail or succeed.  So, today I start.

I might fail.  I might succeed.  I will not know either, if I do not start.  My challenge to myself is to blog almost daily.  Almost, because I am sticking to the work boundaries I have set for myself of not working on the weekends.  When I shut my computer down at 5pm on Fridays, it does not turn back on until 8am on Monday.  That will remain the same.  So my challenge is to blog everyday, Monday – Friday.

I have to give some credit to Chris Mance and his blog post here:  3 Reasons Why Blogging Daily is Easier Than You Think

Reading this post helped to push me make my decision to in the words of Nike, “Just Do It.”  I’ve also decided that I would like to have guest posters, but that’s a topic for another post!

Behind the Scenes: My Logo Design Process

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I thought I would take a little time to give a behind the scenes look at my logo design process.  Because I like to think of my logo design services as more of a development process, I thought it might be cool to see what steps I take to get to the final finished design.

Each project begins with a logo questionnaire.  I send it to the client and while the basic questions in the questionnaire are standard, I usually add additional questions that I may have that are unique to that client.  I ask a lot of questions!  For me, this helps me to get a better understanding of the client’s business, their goals, what they envision for their business in the present/future and what they like stylistically.  It is important to me that the final product not only represent the business, and be effective in doing so, but also represent the client as well.  I want it to be something that they are proud to show off.  In a way, a logo that you are proud of can be a confidence builder.  It is the difference between standing in front of a group of people to present in an ill fitting suit and doing so in a tailor-made suit with a perfect fit.

Once I receive the questionnaire back from the client, I look over it to see if I have any additional questions.  If I do, then I ask, if not, I launch in to the marketing research phase.  I use the answers in the questionnaire to guide me in terms of what to research, where to look, etc.  The more I know about the client’s market and demographic, the better I can design for them.  I research colors, shapes and fonts.  In one case, I researched colors and how they were viewed by different cultures for an international client.  I wanted to make sure that the color choice would not be offensive or have a negative connotation to the culture they were planning to market to.

InterNaturals_Logo_Support

After I wrap up my research, I write up a report and send it to the client to review.  If there is something further they would like for me to research, I will do so, otherwise, I move into the design phase of the project.  I take the information I gathered from the marketing research and I create a color palette to work from.  I like to have all of my “pieces” in place before I actually start designing, so not only do I select my colors and shades, but I also look through my font library and choose fonts.  If I am not satisfied with what I have or I need something different, I will look for additional fonts to use/purchase for the project.  I also brainstorm ideas and look for inspiration.  My inspiration comes from a variety of sources and usually is either spawned from a brainstorming session or a run.  I like running because it allows me to clear my head and think.  Usually when I return from a run, I am full of new ideas.  Another place of inspiration is the shower.  I am honestly contemplating installing some kind of notebook/writing instrument in the shower to jot down my ideas!

 behind-the-scenes-2

Once I have all of my “pieces” in place, I am ready to design.  By this point, the ideas easily flow and come together on screen.  I honestly feel that my best work is done from following this process.  When I deviate from it, I am not satisfied with my work and if I am not satisfied, there is no way that I am going to send it on to the client.  I think part of the reason is that I am equal parts “thinker” and “designer.”  I need time to think about things and brainstorm.  As a designer, I can visualize things in my mind and how they may or may not work together.  I guess in a way, I design in my head and by the time I am at the computer, I am really just pouring out everything that I visualized and saw in my mind on to the screen.

The J. White Collection Logo Design

Once I have all of the concepts done (6-10), I send them on to the client.  I am often told that I make it very difficult for them to choose one because they like most if not all and for very different reasons!  Of course that makes me happy, because if they hated them all, I would need to find a new profession and I quite like what I do.  They get 3 revision rounds, but most clients are usually done by the 2nd round.  Mainly because each revision round normally gives them 3-6 variations to look over.  Once they have made their final selection, I finalize the concept and send them their final files and a logo manual to guide them and any of their vendors with the proper usage and brand standards for their logo.

That’s it!  I hope you enjoyed this glimpse in to my world. 🙂