Archive for creative design

How to Enhance Your Brand, Email Marketing and Social Media

September 15, 2011Marketing Tips9 Comments

Enhance your marketing at the Media Marketing Mixer! Get your company media mix in one convenient stop at a savings! Media Marketing Mixer is bringing the 4 P’s of media to the Dallas area September 24, 2011. Don’t miss out on Photography, Professional video, Product creative design and Printing all in one place at incredible prices. RSVP today!

Design Dept. has teamed up with Leslie Scott’s Photography and Picture this in Video to bring you quality marketing services in one location saving you time and money.

Come get your professional headshot, video and brand identity package at the Media Marketing Mixer! Don’t miss the opportunity to enhance your marketing collateral, website, social media, email marketing and brand image.

Top Reasons You Should Attend the Media Marketing Mixer

More companies are adding social media to their marketing plan with 4 of the top 10 highest traffic websites are social media sites. And it is important to have a professional headshot on your profile as well as your printed marketing material. Adding video to your email campaigns and website can increase conversion rates and brand identity, improve click through rate, provide dynamic interactive experience, provide online tutorials and drive traffic to your website.

The event is September 24, 2011 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. located at 3530 Forest Lane, Suite 102 in Dallas. RSVP by September 19^th and hold event package prices with purchase within 30 days and enter to win a Free Media Marketing package. It is FREE to attend the event. For more information call 214-683-6905 or visit www.yourdesigndept.com.

How to Work with Your Creative Services

January 28, 2011Buying Creative ServicesLeave a comment

You have a great marketing plan for your products or services and now you need to hire the creative talent to implement your plan.

Finding the right creative partner to design your marketing material can be challenging and frustrating. Here are a few tips to help you through this process.

Take the time to determine what your budget is for your project. This way you know what kind of creative services you should target. If your budget is limited a small design firms or freelancer may be the best partner for your project.

Set up a personal meeting with your creative prospects to get a feel for their working style and view their work. Be prepared to make a decision to choose your creative partner from the quality of the work they have already done. Creative concepts takes time and most creative professionals will not start working for you until you have made a commitment to hire them for the project. A deposit is usually required to start a project.

You should receive an estimate from your creative prospects for the scope of your project. Make sure it is detailed and you understand what will be delivered. Do not start the project until you have received an estimate.

Know your deadline and request a timeline for your project. Keep in mind that meeting a timeline is not just your creative partner’s responsibility, but yours as well. You must keep your end of the bargain in order to meet your deadline. If you have agreed to give your feedback on the creative design on a certain day and you do not, then that may affect your deadline.

Don’t be afraid to communicate what you like or don’t like about a design. Give clear direction so your creative team can meet your expectations. Keep an open mind and sit back and let them do what you’re paying them to do.

Make sure all decision makers are present during creative reviews. This way everyone can provide feedback and agree on the next steps. This will save you time and money.

It is not unusual to take several rounds of revisions before you reach the final design. It is your creative partner’s responsibility to know your consumers and give you the marketing material you need. Trust them to give you the results you desire and this process should be fun and exciting!

Your comments are always welcome. Thanks

3 Creative Design Tips

January 21, 2011Design Tips1 Comment

When I’m thinking about the design for a new marketing piece I’m creating, three things come to mind. What graphics, fonts and colors will work together to convey the message I want to give? These design tips will ensure your design is impactful and gets your prospects attention.

Typography is the art and process of arranging type on a page. Take the time to search for a font that compliments your message. Your font should be readable and legible. Fonts can be Sans Serif or Serif. Sans Serif is a category of typefaces that do not use serifs, small lines at the ends of characters. An example of a Sans Serif font is Arial and an example of a Serif font is Times New Roman. A font size, style and positioning can really add impact to your design. So play with your fonts and have fun with typography.
Graphics are the main visual for your design. It will draw your prospect to your design. A graphic can be a combination of shapes and images or a photo. Choose a graphic that represents your message. For example, if the headline is “Get Excited About Yearbook Design with Color”, then a photo of a person smiling, clapping and or jumping up and down would be a good choice. The quality of the graphic will affect the look of your design. If your design will be printed, make sure your graphic is 300 dpi and 72 dpi for web. A good resource for royalty free photos is www.istockphoto.com.
Colors create a mood. Orange, red and brown are warm, soft colors. Blues and greens are cool and more serious colors. If your marketing piece is for a day care, you might use more warm colors to convey happy and fun. If your marketing piece is for a law firm, you might use more cool serious colors. One way to choose your colors is to pick colors from your graphics. Determine a base color and find colors that go with it to create a color palette. You will need both light and dark colors to create contrast. A Color Wheel can help you determine your color palette. The proper color combination will create an overall harmony in your design.

The right fonts, graphics and colors in your design will create a high impact marketing piece that will result in consumer action.

Your comments are always welcome. Thanks

3 Steps to a Successful Marketing Strategy

January 14, 2011Marketing Tips6 Comments

O.K you have done your research and you have determined your target market. Now what? Develop a marketing strategy that will reach your target market and motivate them to buy your product or service. These 3 steps will get you moving in the right direction.

Determine the most effective marketing media. Does your market spend more time on the internet or watching television? If your product or service is specialized, a direct marketing campaign will be more effective.
A successful marketing message will have impact and get the attention of your target market. Using humor or stimulating emotions are very powerful in getting consumers attention.
Now that you have their attention, your message must speak to them. It should be to the point, simple and provide a solution to a problem, need or want. It must include an incentive and call to action. What do you want the consumer to do right now? Contact your Sales Representative or go online to register, for example.

I know this sounds all good, but you’re thinking I don’t have the time or skill to create my marketing material. Get help implementing your marketing strategy. You will be surprised at how affordable it can be to outsource your marketing and creative design. There are a number of freelance Marketing Professionals and Graphic Designers that have the talent but don’t have the overhead. This means cost savings to you and you can spend your time doing what you do best.

Your comments are always welcome. Thanks

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