2020 Pantone Color of the Year
Every year I like to post the Pantone Color of the Year as I find it so interesting how it becomes sewn into our culture and very apparent in desing and advertising trends. This is truly a classic color, and just like a good cup of coffee it never gets old. Here is...
BAHAMAS HURRICANE RELIEF
Your support would be greatly appreciated! Hurricane Dorian has delivered a devastating blow to our neighbors to the east – Grand Bahama and Abaco. We are extremely saddened by the loss of life, homes destroyed and landscape damaged. The spirit and resolve of our...
Social media quality trumps quantity every time
When it comes to digital marketing and in particular your social media presence, quality trumps quantity and makes your brand more personable in the long run. Truth is, WE ARE DROWNING IN CONTENT and nobody can deny that. Don't be a me too and toss out...
Your image your brand
At this point in the digital age, I don’t need to tell you that images are important to your brand. For years, you’ve been diligently putting pictures on your blog posts, on social media, and in your email newsletters. You’ve seen for yourself the increasing...
Risky Business
On a recent flight I was reading about University of South Florida’s quest to revise their academic logo and all the public “feedback” that came with the project. After $47K with no discernible results the university spent an additional $8,000 to revise its current...
Even Giants Fail
About seven years ago, Google launched its own social networking site named Google+. Recently, Google announced it will be closing down the consumer version of Google+ in the coming months as it disclosed a privacy bug. I was reminded of the depreciation of Google...
2019 Pantone Color of the Year
Vibrant, yet mellow PANTONE 16-1546 Living Coral embraces us with warmth and nourishment to provide comfort and buoyancy in our continually shifting environment. In reaction to the onslaught of digital technology and social media increasingly embedding into daily...
Gratitude Rules
Don’t for the obvious this holiday season. An email I received this morning served as a simple reminder just how easy it is to thank your customers or clients in a meaningful way and perhaps gain a little business at the same time (see the subtle offer at the end)....
Going old school
Recently we were asked by a client to resurrect a postcard that I did almost 9 years ago. This struct me as curious but they relayed to me that they found a box of cards and put them out for guests at the front desk and they were gone in less than two days. When was...
iPhone Food Photography
As a commercial photographer with a specialty in Food Photography I get asked often how to take better food images all the time. I realize that for most restaurants it's not sustainable to bring in a photographer every time you have a new menu item or run...
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
The rise and fall of Sears Sears filed for bankruptcy on Monday and it certainly marks the end of an iconic run. While most of us look at the once retail giant with disdain, Sears is not really a failure, but a success. A success for a great idea: Sell other people's...
Information vs Emotion
The great debate Most small business advertising focuses on information based messaging. Simply stated, an offer with a call to action and perhaps a photo of the product or establishment. So what does emotion have to do with creating loyal, enthusiastic customers or...
Unique Selling Position
How are you unique? Before you can begin to sell your product or service to anyone else, you have to sell yourself on it. This is super important when your product or service is similar to those around you. In this day and age very few businesses are truly...
Recipe for Success
A recipe for success If you own a restaurant keep your clients coming back and bring in new diners with this simple recipe. Entice. Engage. Welcome. Make sure your website is up to date. It doesn't have to be fancy but at a minimum should give your customers a good...
Understanding Image Size
A simple way of looking at image size I’m constantly reminded each week by clients that many people really don’t understand image size and image resolution and what they mean. I often request an image or art for a print application and receive a postage size piece of...
Time for a new website?
Is your business website helping or hindering your business? If you’re like most business, you rely heavily on your website. It may be your primary marketing vehicle and if it is not, it should be. Unless you are really paying attention you website is probably...
Do the right thing
This afternoon I stopped into a Starbucks for my afternoon fix to get me though the last few hours of the day only to find it closed. After further examination, I discovered an email in the form of an open letter from Howard Schultz buried in all the Memorial Weekend...
Zimoun
If you like art, design or both you'll love Alfstad& Contemporary Gallery in Sarasota. This month they have a particularly interesting installation by...
Building Brand Awareness
7 Simple Ways to Build Brand Awareness By definition I think Brand Awareness is the degree to which a customer or potential customer can correctly associate a company with a specific product or service. Creating brand awareness is the foundation of any successful...
Secrets of menu design
A few helpful things to consider from the masters A lot goes into the design of a great restaurant menu. And a carefully crafted menu in both design and content can greatly aid the serving staff as well as bring in thousands more dollars to the bottom line in a short...
Can you market to squirrels?
If you can, business must be good... Watching Animal Planet the other day got me thinking. Did you know the attention span of a squirrel is about one second? This explains their highly indecisive nature. But the attention span of a squirrel focused on an acorn is...
Psychology of Marketing
The psychology of Marketing As you all know, marketing is the bridge between your product or service and your customers. Because you are marketing to people, PSYCHOLOGY comes into play in almost everything you do. That being said, here are a few truths to consider in...
Know Your Audience
Knowing your audience is the key to your success. The better you understand them, the more successful you’ll be. Find common ground and engage them whenever possible over a variety of platforms
2017 Pantone Color Of The Year
Color: GREENERY | PANTONE 15-0343 One of my favorite times of the year is when Pantone posts the new color of the year. It’s really a symbolic gesture to post an actual color that trumps all others but it’s always fun to watch that color show up as the...
Is Social Media Right For Your Business?
Is Social Media Right For Your Business? I’m circling back to this topic because it comes up almost each and every day with one client or another or in conversation with a business owner. Truth is, if you have a website for your business and are not REALLY paying...
100 Useful Reminders
Useful reminders for any age A friend of mine shared some useful advice for me on Facebook yesterday that I’m sure by now is circulating it’s way around the internet as we are into the height of graduation season. While the tips were intended towards graduating high...
World Oceans Day
World Oceans Day is an annual observation celebrated each year on June 8th. The day symbolically honors the world's oceans, celebrates the products the ocean provides such as seafood as well as marine life itself for aquariums, pets, and also a time to appreciate its...
Earth Day 2016
Get involved Earth Day Network’s mission is to broaden and diversify the environmental movement worldwide and to mobilize it as the most effective vehicle to build a healthy, sustainable environment, address climate change, and protect the Earth for future...
World Creativity Day
Inspire. Innovate. Create. World Creativity and Innovation day is observed today, April 21 across the world and the goal is to build capacity for everyone to be open to new ideas and to make new decisions that make the world a better place and make their place in the...
Go Old School
Recently I received a post card that served as a great reminder on several fronts. One, print is not all but dead. Two, powerful marketing doesn’t have to be overly complicated and expensive. And three, going old school is OK. When was the last time you received an...
Time Lapse Movie Clips
Time lapse movie clips are a great way to present something different a little different or illustrate a progression of any kind. Most of today's prosumer cameras have a time lapse feature so you don't necessarily need to hire a...
Are You Lovin’ It?
New Packaging for McDonalds. This post isn’t to let you know that McDonalds has new packaging or to find out if you love it. If it makes you run out and buy a large fry so much for the better. That’s pretty much the intent. This post is, however, meant to be a gentile...
10 Tips for your new business website
Useful Tips for your business website 1. Make sure your design is responsive, meaning it renders on all devices including desktops, laptops, tablets and smart phones. 2. Use copy sparingly like you were paying somebody by the word. It’s much more difficult to...
Secrets of Menu Design
A lot goes into the design of a great restaurant menu. And a carefully crafted menu in both design and content can greatly aid the serving staff as well as bring in thousands more dollars to the bottom line in a short period of time. No other design project is harder...
Instagram for Business
It's always fun when you stumble upon one of your images when you are doing something totally unrelated like this sponsored ad for SYNC PERFORMANCE on Instagram. Instagram is a very cost effective and powerful business tool where you can target your ads in a very...
2016 Pantone Color of the Year
ROSE QUARTZ & SERENITY PANTONE 13-1520 & PANTONE 15-3919 Pantone®, an XRITE Company, released their 2016 Color of the year. I always like this event even if it is a little self serving because they have been a part of most every designers life since art...