Tag: Graphic Design

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Cycling Team Uniforms

Elijah Bleu's Coffehouse in Truckee approached me earlier in the year to design their cycling team uniforms complete with their logo and branding. Working with the specifications from Hincapie Sports, the manufacturer of elite and custom cycling uniforms, I laid out a design for their cycling jerseys, cycling vests, cycling shorts, gloves, and arm warmers. Below is the Elijah Bleu Cycling Team adorned in my uniform design.

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Why consistent branding is necessary

Your brand, (i.e. logo, colors, shapes, "look and feel," and messaging), is crucial for business. Period. Your brand is how people get to know you, recognize you, and easily tell others about you. According to David Yunghans, Regional Developmenet Director from Constant Contact (an email newsletter), keeping your branding consistent is essential in your business' promotion as the brand is half of what makes the sale. His article relays the do's in why consistent branding is a valuable tool in today's marketing efforts.

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Attracting New Customers Workshop Series

Attracting New Customers:
 A Workshop Series on How to Successfully Market Your Business

Dates: 3 Thursdays: September 30, October 7 and 14th Time: 6:30-8:30 PM Location: Tentatively the TDPRD Community Building, TBD Myself and Laura Guntren (Business Development and Marketing Coach) are offering a 3-part workshop series for entrepreneurs. This series is designed to give small business owners/entrepreneurs the tools they need to develop a basic marketing strategy, which will help them successfully grow their business. By the end of the workshop the participants will have the tools needed to: ● Create a brand identity that will allow them to consistently and effectively promote their business. ● Position their products and services in a way that differentiates themselves from their competitors. ● Identify simple marketing techniques they can use to attract more GREAT customers (and keep those customers coming back for more). ● Build a basic marketing plan that will help them achieve your goals in a timely manner, without exhausting themselves (or their budget). Teaching small business owners how to attract and maintain a profitable customer base is critical to the economic health of our community. As these businesses grow and thrive they provide jobs, educational opportunities, industry and commerce to the residents of our Sierra Nevada community. NOTE: If you think "everyone" is your target market, believe that you will get website traffic without having a marketing plan, or are not sure if you need a website, a Facebook fanpage, or business cards, then this is the workshop for you. About the presenters: Together Laura and I bring over 15 years of regional and national marketing experience and effective design experience into this workshop. The workshop dates are Sept 30th, Oct 7th, and 14th, from 6:30-8:30 pm. LIMITED TIME OFFER: Get a 25% discount for pre-registration - available until September 15: $90 for the entire series + a materials fee of $15. After Sept 15th: $120 for the series + a materials fee of $15. Contact me to register by calling 530-587-7492 or email sara@sarazimmerman.net.

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Sara's newest design portfolio images

I recently updated my graphic and web design portfolio to include some of my most recently completed projects from the Spring. Among them are logos, business cards, postcards, rack cards, icons, ads, hang tags, and numerous websites. Take a peek.

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Recap from my marketing workshop

Thank you to everyone who attended last night's marketing meeting. I was so stoked to see so many people interested in growing their business as well as loved the great feedback and comments. Some of the additional things we discussed that are not on the worksheets include: Blogs to Follow: - Sara's blog: scroll down to the right and you will find a place to enter your email address for blog updates at http://www.sarazimmerman.net/more/blog/. - Seth Godin: go to http://sethgodin.typepad.com/ and enter your email address on the left - Marketing Sherpa: go to http://www.marketingsherpa.com/index.html and a pop up will ask you for your info. Business Resources: - Sara Zimmerman Art, Illustration and Design, Graphic and Web Design that will make you stand out, 530-587-7492, sara@sarazimmerman.net - Laura Guntren, Business and Marketing Coach, 530-386-141,7 LCGuntren@hotmail.com, free 1/2 hour consultations - Small Business Administration: http://www.sba.gov/ - Small Business Development Center: closest is Roseville at www.sbdcsierra.org - Books we discussed last night. Recommended Social Networks: (Some of these have tricks to how to create and build them. If you don't know what you're doing and need help, please ask before you spend a ton of time). - Facebook and a Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com - Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/ - Twitter: http://twitter.com/ eCards to send to clients: - Send Out Cards: http://www.sendoutcards.com (you can also have your marketing materials made onto these) - Smile box: http://www.smilebox.com I know I presented a lot of stuff and it can be a bit overwhelming. However, both Laura and I are happy to help you create what you need, from a game plan that fits your time and budget to the actual materials itself. We can help you plan, set up your social networks, your email campaigns, your print/web ads, and integrate you blog and website, and the list goes on.... Additionally, I am thinking of making this a longer workshop (thank you for your feedback to recommend it) and delve deeper into the actual marketing efforts I recommended. I will keep you posted on that. In the meantime, if you have any questions or would like to schedule some time, (or know someone who needs a hand), please send them my way. I am very happy to work with small business owners so I can help them move towards their dreams. And if you want to write me some other feedback or a testimonial, please feel free to do by email, through my Linked In, on my Facebook Fan Page, or on Google. A special thanks to the girls at Full Circle Movement for letting me host this workshop there and for Juju Z. Treat Company in providing some tasty, chocolate stuffed marshmallows. Stay stoked and true to your passion!

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New graphic and web design testimonial

I just received a nice testimonial from Juju Z. Treat Company.  I helped them create a logo, identity, branding, business cards, labels for their products, and ultimately created a website for them. I had such a fun time working with them to create something custom and unique that truly speaks to their their vision AND their target market. Here's what nice things they had to say about me. Thanks guys! "We came to Sara looking for a unique design that would perfectly fit the vision of our new business. Together through some helpful marketing meetings and brainstorming sessions, Sara provided us some samples that truly spoke to our ideas. She ran with it to not only create a distinctive, hand-drawn peach for our logo, but a full identity that equally matched our business direction. From there, Sara created the perfect label for our marshmallows that will help our product get noticed during our critical start-up phase." ~ Jeff and Karen Brunings, Juju Z. Treat Company

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New Marketing and Design Testimonial

I love working with acupuncturist and healer, Michelle Turley. Michelle came to me, wanting to stand out and get a new look for her business that embodied all the things she is trying to do. Based on her likes and dislikes, we brainstormed about symbols and ideas. From there, I hand-painted her a logo and used hand-drawn science illustrations on herbs on her marketing materials, including business cards, flyers, Vertical Response newsletter, and website. We had a fun time working through the steps and I am very happy with how everything turned out. Michelle recently provided me with a wonderful testimonial. Thanks Michelle! You rock!

"I highly recommend working with Sara. She far exceeded my expectations and opened my mind to multiple opportunities. Every time I leave a meeting with Sara I feel so very grateful she is leading the way and so very excited and inspired about the future of my business. Sara always gets the job done in a professional, timely matter and with an artistic touch that WILL get you noticed!!!!" ~ Michelle Turley, L.Ac, michelleturleylac.com

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What's your business vision?

One of the first things I ask my new design clients is what is their vision for their business? This often stifles folks. Most people think that getting a logo and some marketing materials is the first and main thing needed to promote a successful small business. But how do you know who to appeal to or where to put your efforts if you don't know where you want to go/grow? In my half hour free consultations, I often ask question after question, trying to find the correct design style and direction that will match my clients' needs. If you don't have a clear vision of what you want for your business, how can you effectively appropriate money and time into marketing and advertising? If you have a plan but fail to convey it to your designer, how will they create something that appeals to your target market as well as create something that can grow with you? If you don't know where to start, then start by asking for clarity. Second, talk to a marketing firm. Third, seek help from small business development centers or business life coaches. Or, if you haven't the time or money for those and need to hire a designer anyways, find a designer that has a marketing background so you can formulate a direction and plan that works for you.

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Colors inspired by the Bishop Buttermilks

Wow, wow, and more wow! The Buttermilks climbing area on the East Side of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range near Bishop, CA is so incredibly beautiful. Nestled right below snowline are the most picturesque boulders littering the sage and sparsely-pined hillsides. The boulders themselves are pure gems for climbing and considered some of the best in the world. The view, however, can be appreciated by those beyond the climbing folk. Here's a quick shot I grabbed facing the west (opposite of the stellar boulders) after sunrise. Though the colors are muted, there is still a lot to be seen. Here is a palette I created based on inspiration from this tremendous place.

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Illustrations make you get noticed

Ever go to a job fair, chamber of commerce, bulletin board, or coffee shop flier stand? What do you see there? I typically see is an ocean of cookie-cutter marketing materials strewn about, hoping to catch the attention of a potential client. Unfortunately many of these businesses, events, or  people hoping to catch a break are only contributing to the mess. They spend countless hours, and hundreds, (if not thousands of dollars), hiring a designer to create a look and a printer to deliver that message so they stand out from the crowd. Yet, when using the same ol' fonts, colors, and layouts, how unique can one be? That's where hand-drawn elements can make your dollars (and time) count. Illustrations, either hand-drawn or painted, can make your business, event or project really POP! They can add that personal flavor that visually represents the person behind the project. And surprisingly enough, it doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg to do so. If you don't have the budget to recreate an entire website or full identity, you can often spice things up with just a few hand-drawn flourishes, icons, or hand-painted textures, etc. Illustrated design may not be for every business or everybody. For instance, if you are in financial consulting and appeal to a more conservative, middle-aged crowd, then a streamlined, corporate look will most likely be best. However, if you are hosting an event or creating a fundraiser t-shirt for a Gen X/Gen Y crowd who loves the outdoors, pets, music or art, then a hand-drawn theme may be the exact way to catch the attention of your market. In a world of over-stimulation and constant eye-candy, it seems impossible to make your materials stand out from others. However, offering the alternative from the standard will most likely gets heads turning, and eventually clients and customers coming your way.