http://www.articlealley.com en-us editorial@articlealley.com The search engines try to be good at keeping their methods of ranking websites top-secret. You never quite know exactly why such-and-so company wound up in the #1 slot and your company is way down on page 3. You wonder if it's because the search engines l... http://www.articlealley.com/article_678983_6.html 30th October 2008 Have you ever seen a logo that looked like a jumbled mess of drawings? Where there are so many elements competing for your attention that you don't know where to look or what it all means? Or where there are so many layered elements that they're all confu... http://www.articlealley.com/article_678971_15.html 30th October 2008 Picking colors for your logo can be difficult. Just how do you go about choosing appropriate colors? Everyone has favorite colors, and many people also have colors they hate. But, whether or not you personally like a color actually has little to do with i... http://www.articlealley.com/article_678964_15.html 30th October 2008 You've just launched your website, marking the end of a huge effort and the beginning of a whole new way of doing business. Now, all you have to do is sit back and wait for visitors to flood in, right? But, wait, people have to know your site there in ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_678765_3.html 30th October 2008 Many entrepreneurs think that the font for their business name is like a trophy wife�just there to look pretty, all perfect hair and manicure. So, they try to find a font that looks cool, often without looking at any of the features of the font itself. ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_642601_15.html 19th September 2008 Many entrepreneurs think that the icon for their logo should be a picture that appeals to them personally. They go into the logo design process looking to create an icon with personal symbolic meaning, because they think that the icon's job is to appeal t... http://www.articlealley.com/article_640530_15.html 17th September 2008 Raise your hand if you've ever "fixed" something important with duct tape. Come on, you know who you are. I'll admit it�I know I'm guilty. In college, during a particularly low-income quarter, I fixed my broken backpack with duct tape because I could... http://www.articlealley.com/article_639605_15.html 16th September 2008 "Once upon a time, in a land far away, there was a little girl who wore a red hood everywhere she went. One day, her mother sent her to her grandmother's house in the next village, with some goodies in a basket. In order to get there, the little girl h... http://www.articlealley.com/article_638587_15.html 15th September 2008 I get a lot of questions from small business owners who have two major problems they solve or two services they offer in one business. I'm not really sure why this is so prevalent�but I have a feeling that it might have to do with the reluctance that a ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_638288_15.html 15th September 2008 "Ba ba ba bum... Mister Sandman (Oooh...) Bring me a dream. Bring me the cutest girl that I've ever seen..." This is the beginning of a classic, harmonized song. Sure, one person can sing this song, and it will sound just fine. But, if a group of three... http://www.articlealley.com/article_637673_15.html 15th September 2008 Where I live, there are 4 traffic lights between my house and the main road. So, before I can really get on my way in any journey, I usually have to stop, no matter where I'm going. Some days, I even have to stop and wait at all 4 lights. All this stoppin... http://www.articlealley.com/article_637342_15.html 15th September 2008 When you're designing a trifold brochure, you have to put your contact information someplace on the brochure. The only question is, where? There are a few options: On the front of the brochure - Whether you put the contact info on the front depends ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_533833_15.html 08th May 2008 How important is it for small and mid-size businesses to have a strong brand identity and why? Very important! To see why, let's look at the typical way that a one-person business starts up. Many small businesses, especially one-person businesses, d... http://www.articlealley.com/article_533107_15.html 08th May 2008 I lived in the dormitories for the first two years I was in college. Life on campus tended to be a bit boring, though. But there was one building down the hill that was known for providing entertainment. The inhabitants tended to throw parties for pretty ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_531993_15.html 08th May 2008 Think of the last time you were on the midway at a state fair. Every booth was brightly colored, full of interesting things to see, do, and win. Hawkers yelled: "Step right up!", "Three tries for a dollar!", "Win a stuffed bunny for the lovely lady!" Ligh... http://www.articlealley.com/article_531528_15.html 08th May 2008 Many small businesses start their websites and put a "Links" page up as one of their first few pages?thinking that this will help them rank better. While it's a nice gesture to link to your vendors, associates, resources, and products you like?and your... http://www.articlealley.com/article_530727_3.html 07th May 2008 "Mirror, Mirror on the wall... Who's The Fairest One Of All?" The wicked witch uses this line to ask her magic mirror about her beauty, and time and time again, the mirror always says, "Why, you are, of course!" Then, one day, the mirror answers "There is... http://www.articlealley.com/article_529994_15.html 06th May 2008 If someone walked up to you and said "you should make your business more like a snowflake" you'd probably think they were a little crazy. Do they think your business should be made from ice crystals? Be cold or melty? Fall from the sky? None of these seem... http://www.articlealley.com/article_529190_15.html 06th May 2008 Today, people expect instant gratification. There's IM, instead of slow postal service. Instant video downloads, for those spur-of the moment entertainment needs. There are "instant noodles" when taking a few minutes to cook something just won't do. And, ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_528210_3.html 01st May 2008 In a singles bar, patrons typically have the same sorts of insecurities running through their heads: "I've been hurt before." "Should I trust her?" "Can I let my walls down and let him in?" These insecurities really get in the way of finding a happy... http://www.articlealley.com/article_512593_3.html 07th April 2008 Sirens blare. Ambulance lights flash. The paramedics jump out and attend to the things that they need to do to stabilize the patient. They check pulse and breath, administer CPR, minimize the bleeding, and brace the neck. Then they load the victim onto a ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_512318_3.html 07th April 2008 When I was in 6th grade, track and field was all the rage. I've never been particularly athletic. But it was 1984 and everyone in my class was pretty fascinated with the Olympics that year. As you can imagine the school's annual track meet turned into a m... http://www.articlealley.com/article_511847_3.html 07th April 2008 In Cajun cooking, almost every dish starts with what's known as "The Trinity"�onions, celery and bell peppers. These 3 ingredients are the foundation of almost every savory dish. Whether you're eating gumbo, jambalaya, or even a Cajun soup, they all sta... http://www.articlealley.com/article_511146_3.html 07th April 2008 You've decided to build a website. Great! Your first step is to determine its structure�the pages you want to include and the information you want provide to visitors. But how to begin? Your first instinct may be to make your site different from ever... http://www.articlealley.com/article_510332_3.html 07th April 2008 Ah, rainbows. They're beautiful things, stretching across the sky, like Mother Nature apologizing for wet, nasty weather. It's no wonder that so many people love them. But, love can quickly turn to hate if you use a many-colored palette in your busines... http://www.articlealley.com/article_510029_15.html 07th April 2008 The right logo, with the right characteristics, will boost your visibility, credibility and memorablity � which means more business for you!These characteristics include:Consistency in use of your logo, tagline, materials. Repeti... http://www.articlealley.com/article_225417_15.html 10th October 2007 If you don't plan to allow enough time for your project to be designed, printed and delivered, then you may still be able to have your project completed in time, but the design will have to be rushed.This means that your designer will put asid... http://www.articlealley.com/article_224815_15.html 08th October 2007 Are you ready to hire someone to design your logo, collaterals, or artwork for your website? Well, here's just the information you need to get the best results from hiring your first (or your first successful) graphic designer.To assure that w... http://www.articlealley.com/article_219417_15.html 25th September 2007 A graphic designer's goal is to provide you with the logos, artwork and page designs that best fit your business, personality, industry, and target market and conveys your offerings and differentiators. The experience of reaching that goal can be extremel... http://www.articlealley.com/article_219333_15.html 25th September 2007 One of your ultimate goals when creating your small business website will be to ensure that the website can be found by clients and prospects using Internet search engines (for example, Google, Yahoo!, and so forth). But there's not a lot of understandabl... http://www.articlealley.com/article_216601_15.html 21st September 2007 A follow-up tool such as a post card, HTML newsletter, or note card is essential to make sure that your services stay "top-of-mind" with the people that you meet. It's said that a prospect needs to hear from you seven times before they will make a purchas... http://www.articlealley.com/article_215339_3.html 20th September 2007 Making a great first impression often begins with your business card. Your business card is typically the first of your marketing materials that a new client will see. It should clearly tell your client who you are and what you do at first glance.<b... http://www.articlealley.com/article_215140_15.html 20th September 2007 Branding is a hot topic in marketing these days, but it's defined in different ways and looked at from different angles. There are many components that make up a brand, and we call each component a Brand Layer.Here are our definitions of some ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_215446_15.html 20th September 2007 A business card is one of the most important marketing pieces that you'll develop for your company, since it is typically the first piece of your marketing materials that a new client will see.One of the most debated points in business card de... http://www.articlealley.com/article_214746_15.html 20th September 2007 There are many components of a brand identity: logo, color palette, font choice, and the Visual Vocabulary. There's a lot of information available about the use of logos, colors, and Visual Vocabulary, but not much on the effective use of fonts. So, here'... http://www.articlealley.com/article_216035_15.html 20th September 2007 Now that you've designed and launched your website, you have a powerful marketing tool for your business. But, your website is only as useful as the content is current. The process of keeping the content on your site current is called website maintenance,... http://www.articlealley.com/article_214354_3.html 18th September 2007 The initial lack of customers and cash flow often causes new small business owners to put off designing a logo and marketing materials professionally "until they get a few clients" or "until they get started." Unfortunately, designing their own marketing ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_205259_15.html 22nd August 2007 Business and marketing experts urge small business owners to "brand" their businesses with a logo and a set of consistent marketing materials - a brand identity system. But they rarely explain the reasons behind this advice. A logo and consistent marketin... http://www.articlealley.com/article_204674_15.html 22nd August 2007 "Brand identity" is the combination of consistent visual elements that are used in your marketing materials. A basic brand identity kit consists of a logo, business card, letterhead, and envelope. It can be extended to include a Web site, brochure, folder... http://www.articlealley.com/article_204063_15.html 21st August 2007 At first glance the title of this article sounds obvious - that your website would look like all your other marketing materials. Of course that's just something that would have to happen, right? But I run into more and more entrepreneurs who want to break... http://www.articlealley.com/article_203900_3.html 21st August 2007 One of the biggest problems that small businesses face is ineffective websites. A website is often one of the largest start-up marketing expenses for a small business; unfortunately, many small businesses never see a return on that investment. Why do m... http://www.articlealley.com/article_203622_45.html 20th August 2007 Unfortunately once you've finished designing your piece, the work is not over. There are several additional pieces to consider when you're working out your timeline: Other timing considerations: - Time for other vendors' work. Writing, proofreading ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_202984_15.html 17th August 2007 Lead time is one of the most often overlooked aspects of a design project. For some projects it's not a huge concern - you just need to get your designs reasonably quickly so you can start marketing. You should expect quick service from any designer. B... http://www.articlealley.com/article_191047_15.html 25th July 2007 Last time, I talked about one of the first steps involved in setting up your email newsletter: Getting an Email Newsletter Service. Another commonly-asked question is how to design the newsletter to make it the most effective. This breaks down into severa... http://www.articlealley.com/article_190814_3.html 24th July 2007 I often get asked to develop a small business's logo as a symbol-only logo. But for many small businesses, this isn't the right choice for a couple of reasons. Designing a symbol-only logo is a much more complicated (and often more expensive) process, ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_187100_15.html 20th July 2007 An email newsletter is one of the most convenient and easy ways to keep in touch with your clients and prospects. So you've made the decision to design an email newsletter to use as your follow up tool in your brand design toolkit? The next decision is ho... http://www.articlealley.com/article_186614_3.html 18th July 2007 Choosing a niche-a small, focused target market-for your services can be very beneficial to your business. It will help your clients to focus on and identify the services that you offer, and it will help you to develop deep expertise in a single area-and ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_186046_15.html 13th July 2007 Thoughtfully defining your business-and your differentiation-will help you to understand who you are, what you do, and what makes you different. Not many small businesses take the time to answer those core questions about their business, but those answers... http://www.articlealley.com/article_185840_15.html 13th July 2007 As a small business owner, you're passionate about your business. You think about your business all the time. You constantly get ideas on how to improve it, changes to make, and more and more details about your business. You wake up in the middle of the n... http://www.articlealley.com/article_185324_15.html 11th July 2007 I wanted to share some general tips relating to graphic design for small businesses: Always include an address on your business card, even if you are operating a small business out of your home-it greatly increases your credibility and makes you look m... http://www.articlealley.com/article_184742_15.html 11th July 2007