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

9 Simple Ways to Improve Your Design Skills

9 Simple Ways to Improve Your Design Skills

“I just don’t have an eye for that sort of stuff.”
“I am the last person you would want to design a logo.”
“I wish I could do that, but I’m not very creative.”

Whenever someone finds out I’m a graphic designer, I usually hear something similar to the responses above.

And while I agree that some people are more clued into design than others, I’ll be the first to tell you that you don’t have to have a design degree to implement great design.

Whether you’re a self-taught designer who’s just getting their feet wet with client work or you’re a business owner who’s faced with the task of designing graphics for their brand and website, you can absolutely create beautiful designs… You just have to be willing to learn and practice!

And with the help of these 9 resources and actions, you’ll improve your design skills in no time.

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7 Common Mistakes You Might Be Making with Your Logo (And How to Fix Them)

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7 Common Mistakes You Might Be Making with Your Logo (And How to Fix Them)

Designing a logo is much more difficult than it appears on the surface. 

As with anything that looks easy, there are many tricks of the trade involved to make a logo look visually pleasing and appeal to the right audience.

You may have discovered this already, whether you’ve tried your hand at designing your own logo or you’ve designed logos for other business owners.

But over time, as you learn more about design and gain more experience, you start to pick up some tricks of the trade and learn to avoid some common logo mistakes.

Here are 7 that I come across fairly often (along with some easy ways to fix them!). 

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14 Answers to Tricky Questions About Providing Web Design Services

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14 Answers to Tricky Questions About Providing Web Design Services

Have you ever been designing for a client when a sticky situation pops up?

Maybe they continue to ask for more revisions than you originally planned for. 
Or they don’t provide enough information for the pages of their website.
Or they don’t have photos that compliment your designs.

How do you handle these situations?

Over the past 3 years, I’ve run into numerous unique challenges while working with clients, and I often figured them out through a series of trial and error. 

But to spare you the trouble of having to figure things out all on your own, I’ve rounded up 14 tricky questions from my Freelance Academy course Q+A’s and I’m sharing the answers with you in today’s post. 

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5 Surprising Stats About Your Business’s Visuals

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5 Surprising Stats About Your Business’s Visuals

How would your life be different if you were able to generate more sales? 

Would you be able to quit your day job? 
Spend more time with your kids? 
Take that vacation that's been taking up space on your bucket list?

The key to making sales is trust, and building trust with your potential customers starts with making a killer first impression through visuals.

Your promotional photos, graphics, and videos should not only look amazing; they need to be intentionally designed using strategies that are proven to increase sales. 

If the potential to build trust with your audience, create a killer first impression, and make more sales isn’t enough to convince you to step up your business’s visuals, the following stats might. 

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28 Collateral Item Ideas for Your Creative Business

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28 Collateral Item Ideas for Your Creative Business

The key to every professional, easily recognizable brand is consistency.

When brands use the same colors, logos, fonts, patterns, and imagery over and over again, potential clients and customers begin to associate those visuals with their business.

Consider Chipotle. 

You don’t have to see their logo to recognize their foil-wrapped burritos or white paper cups with brown hand lettering.

Because they’re consistent, you associate these visuals with their brand.

The same should be true for your business. And the best way you can brand create consistency is through your collateral items.