Business, Blogging
Lauren Hooker
40 Ways to Use Adobe Illustrator to Improve ...

Adobe Illustrator is my go-to software for anything and everything design-related. It's the one program I truly couldn't work without.

And while it's easy to assume that the program's primary focus is illustration based on the name, there is so much more to this design software. 

With tools for type, color, photo cropping, image tracing, drawing, and much more, it has innumerable benefits for bloggers and business owners, alike.

To get your creative gears turning, here's a look at 40 ways Adobe Illustrator can take your blog and/or business to the next level.

40 Ways to Use Adobe Illustrator to Improve Your Blog and Business
Blogging, Business, Branding, Design
Lauren Hooker
How to Create Eye-Catching Blog Post Graphics

First impressions are crucial, especially in business.

Potential customers and clients make judgments about your business within the first few seconds of coming into contact with it, whether it’s through your website, your social media accounts, or a simple blog post graphic.

And those initial thoughts - whether they’re spot on or far off from what you want them to be - are within your control. You have the opportunity to make a killer first impression through high-quality, branded visuals.

If your blog is a large part of your business or you’re hoping to drive more traffic back to your site through your blog, you have to have eye-catching blog graphics to not only generate a positive first impression, but to encourage readers to share your posts on sites like Pinterest and be seen by an even wider audience.

So how do you create eye-catching blog post graphics? And better yet, how can you set them apart so they’ll stand out from the rest and be recognized time and time again?

How to Create Eye-Catching Blog Post Graphics
Business, Visual Marketing
Lauren Hooker
40 Easy, Engaging Video Content Ideas for Your ...

“When I discovered YouTube, I didn’t work for 5 days.” - Michael Scott

Video platforms like YouTube (and more recently, Periscope) are easily the world’s greatest time-wasters. We’ve all been guilty of losing track of time on YouTube at least once, because videos are easily consumable, very addicting, and highly entertaining.

As a matter of fact, studies show that a whopping 78% of us watch videos online every week and 55% watch videos online every day.

Which is why Youtube is also the world’s greatest overnight-success-maker. If you’re on the production-side of a video and you’ve come up with a clever idea, you might just have a viral hit on your hands.

Video holds a lot of potential for interaction, engagement, and shares for creative businesses. And for that reason, it’s one of the best visual marketing tools you can use.

But it producing videos can be a little overwhelming, can’t it? Even with helpful video tools out there like Animoto, many of us struggle to come up with simple ideas for video content that would appeal to our audience. 

And that’s where this post comes in. I’ve rounded up 40 easy, engaging video content ideas to help get your creative gears turning. My hope is that you’ll find a few ideas to implement and as a result, bring your business more exposure.

40 Easy, Engaging Video Content Ideas for Your Creative Business
Business, Visual Marketing
Lauren Hooker
Why You Should Be Using Infographics for Your ...

If you’re looking for a good way to kill at least an hour of your time, type in the word “infographic” in the Pinterest search bar.

Thousands of clever graphics will pop up on everything from “how to make a salad taste awesome” to a baby’s first year in a review. There’s even an infographic that answers the pressing question, “Is your dog sleeping a little too much?”

Then, after you’ve admired the genius creativity behind them, take a gander at how many repins and likes each of those infographics receives. Thousands upon thousands.

In fact, infographic volumes have increased by over 800% in 2 years. Publishers who use infographics grow in traffic an average of 12% more than those who don’t. 

What is it about infographics that makes them so appealing? And better yet, how can you come up with some clever infographics for your business so it gains more exposure through likes and shares?

I have all the answers for you in this post.

Why You Should Be Using Infographics for Your Business (And How to Create Them)
Blogging
Lauren Hooker
How to Create Catchy Headlines

Is your headline the first thing you consider when you sit down to write a post?

Probably not, but creating a catchy blog post title is one of the most important aspects of each blog post. It's the gateway to your content; it convinces people to click or scroll right past your latest post'. 

In fact, studies show that 8 out of 10 people will read your headline but only 2 out of 10 will read your entire post. 

Here are a few pointers for drawing in potential readers and a couple "templates" to help you create a catchy headline for your upcoming posts. 

How to Create Catchy Headlines

Design

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3 Key Benefits of Using Photos to Promote Your Offerings

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3 Key Benefits of Using Photos to Promote Your Offerings

No one liked Pinterest when it first launched. 

The founder, Ben Sildermann, struggled to find investors who were on board with his vision when he approached them at the outset; no one thought his project would amount to much.

And while Ben may have been frustrated then, I have a feeling he’s laughing now. 

Because that little project no one was interested in investing in? It’s gone from 5,000 users to a whopping 180 million users in just 5 years.

Pinterest has become an inspiration resource, a search engine, and a fantastic outlet for businesses to market their offerings. It’s filled with gorgeous, high-quality photos of everything under the sun. It’s a visual feast.

While the statistics of Pinterest’s growth are shocking and inspiring, they’re even more telling of just how powerful visuals are today and will continue to be in the future. They’re indicative of the direction things are moving when it comes to marketing your business and getting noticed by potential customers.

There are many different visuals you can use to promote your products and services - from infographics to animated videos and everything in between - but photos are one of the most effective. 

And while we know that subconsciously, we don’t always take the time to consider why. 

So now’s a great time to take a few simple minutes to consider these 3 big reasons you should be making every effort to capture high-quality photos to promote your offerings.

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The Ins and Outs of My Squarespace Client Design Process

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The Ins and Outs of My Squarespace Client Design Process

It’s no secret that I love Squarespace. Not only is it easy to customize, easy to use, and easy on the eyes, but it makes the client process so simple for designers who use it to create client sites.

Because Squarespace is still relatively new and there aren’t as many designers using it as there are on Wordpress, I receive several emails each week regarding about the ins and outs of how I design client sites using the platform. 

I get asked everything from how I handle billing to how I choose a template, so today I’m sharing an inside look at my Squarespace client design process from start to finish. 

For those of you who are already designing sites in Squarespace, I hope you’re able to take something away that makes things simpler and more efficient on your end. And for those of you who are considering trying your hand at offering Squarespace site design in the future, I hope this post convinces you to take the leap and try it out.

Top 10 Tips for Aspiring Graphic Designers

Top 10 Tips for Aspiring Graphic Designers

While I love helping all creative business owners, I get especially excited when I receive emails from other graphic designers and aspiring graphic designers about my process, how I got started in the industry, and my advice for finding clients. 

I received one email last week from a design student asking me to share 10 insights on how to become a successful graphic designer. And as I was typing my response to her, I realized that many of you out there might be able to relate to many of these insights or glean something from them, too.

While these tips are geared toward designers, they can truly apply to any field. Here’s a look at 10 things I’ve learned from my 5+ years of freelance design experience.

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How to Implement My 2-Week Design Process (Video!)

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How to Implement My 2-Week Design Process (Video!)

Ever since I shared my 2-week design process on the Elle & Company blog a few months ago, I've received a ton of comments and emails about the ins and outs of how it works.

So we decided to switch things up a bit from our normal blog content with a video explaining the benefits of the 2-week process as well as some tips for how you might be able to implement it for your service-based business.

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8 Ways to Enhance Your Website’s User Experience

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8 Ways to Enhance Your Website’s User Experience

I emphasize high quality content often on the Elle & Company blog, and for good reason: it gives visitors a reason to return, increases shares and traffic to your website, builds trust with your audience, and in turn increases bookings and sales. 

I also highlight the benefits of a streamlined client process, share posts on SEO (which, by the way, is the focus of this week’s Elle & Company newsletter), and stress the importance of an intentional social media strategy to funnel people back to your site.

But all of the above loses value if users can’t quickly and effectively find what they’re looking for on your website. 

And that’s where today’s post on user experience design comes in.