Four Exercises to Fuel Your Design Innovation

                     Four Exercises to Fuel Your Design Innovation

Even the most brilliant creators need new fuel from time to time.

If you’re feeling stifled or uninspired (or you just want to have fun!) consider some of these creative “sparks” from designer Jim Krause to ignite fresh perspective in your monthly routine.

Exercise: Make a puddle of ink. Blow the ink around using a straw. Consider layering different colors of ink and using different kinds of paper. To mix things up, repeat this exercise but start the puddle of ink on an existing picture—a landscape, a silhouette, a cultural icon.

Takeaway: Creating things that create themselves reminds us that art is fun and beauty can arise from unexpected places.

Exercise: Choose a subject and create 25 thumbnail icons that depict its message and its meaning. If that’s too easy, try 50 or 100. Start with basic sketches and transition into graphic design or photos. Consider different line weights, shaded and filled areas, or combinations of geometric shapes.

Takeaway: Forcing yourself to sketch the same thing in different ways can build and broaden your artistic muscle. The next time you work on a concept, fill a full page with icon sketch versions of it before you settle on your design of choice.

Exercise: When was the last time you took out a paintbrush? Still-life portraits are a tangible way to sharpen your skills, especially when you combine objects of various shapes and textures in interesting arrangements (think eggs in a bowl surrounded by glass spice bottles on a bustled cloth napkin).

Takeaway: Still-life paintings are like eating your carrots: they’re good for you and increase your appreciation of texture. Painting helps you learn to see forms and colors, which makes you a more effective artist in any field.

Exercise: Begin with a blank piece of paper. Make a mark using the media of your choice (India ink, acrylic paint, and toothbrush, sketching pencils, chalk). The next mark you make will be a reaction to the first mark. This can be a new mark, a line, shading, fillers, or finishes. The goal here is not to “plan” what you’re going to draw but to practice progressive art by following one element to another (like a group of people taking turns adding sentences to a narrative). Your goal is not to create a thing of beauty, but simply to flow. If the results are pleasing, that’s fine. If not, that’ s ok too. 

Takeaway: This exercise teaches the artist to rely on instinct: to react or flow rather than to plan and control. The best art can be born out of spontaneity.

Tend Your Roots

Creating is like breathing: it brings energy and life! If you only create what you’re “told” to do, you will stagnate. Tend your roots by cultivating the passions and interests that nourish your artistic core. As you pursue creative expressions outside your job or career, originality will flow in your profession as well.

Now that your designs are really singing, find high impact print options that won’t shock your budget. Want to talk cost-effective wow factors like thermography, high shine coatings, or alternative bleed options? Give us a call!
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What the Amazon Effect Means for Your Small Business

             What the Amazon Effect Means for Your Small Business

When Josh Silverman took over Etsy (an e-commerce website focused on handmade and vintage items), he faced immense pressure to revive the company financially.

He didn’t disappoint. While shedding jobs and increasing holiday promotions, Etsy swung from a $29.9 million loss (in 2016) to an $81.8 million net income in 2017.

Managing this feat in the face of Amazon’s competition was impressive. Amazon notched $51 billion in net sales in the first quarter of 2018, recently confirming it has exceeded 100 million Prime members globally. In contrast, Etsy has 1.9 active sellers and 33.4 million active buyers.

Amazon is everywhere: delivering groceries, storing music, and putting items at your doorstep in two days or less. Amazon has been so present that it has become a verb: as in, “I Amazoned it.” While Amazon brings smiles to many, it brings tremors to some small businesses. Many are outraged at the demise of mom-and-pop shops, and even large-scale retailers have taken hits.

What It Means For Small Business

The Amazon effect is a catchphrase used to describe how Amazon has influenced our interactions with other businesses.

Because so many people are Amazon subscribers, this platform has raised expectations for shopping experiences. As writer Corey Pemberton notes,

“Because the vast majority of us use Amazon regularly, we’re well aware of a new kind of customer experience. We used to drive to the shopping mall, painstakingly search for items, and wait in long lines with little complaint. But now that we’ve experienced the joy of picking out things in our pajamas and clicking to have them shipped straight to us, the alternative seems substantially less desirable.”

Subsequently, expectations of all businesses have increased.

How Your Business Can Adapt

Here are four ways small businesses can adapt in the wake of Amazon’s influence.

1. Work to develop distinct, personalized products.

Part of what makes your business irreplaceable is the individual products only you can produce.

While resellers can undercut some sales, a small business with a unique, quality product can’t easily be replicated.

2. Partner with e-commerce platforms.

A recent Insureon insurance company poll of 2,400 business owners showed 68 percent of businesses surveyed said that online retailers had a positive impact on their business:

"[Online retailers] have forced small businesses to embrace e-commerce as a critical route to reach their consumers and revenue source," said Jeff Somers, president of Insureon.

Businesses that don't sell online will struggle to stay relevant in the modern age, but e-commerce doesn't just mean partnering with Amazon. Typically, a small business's website is the most common place to sell.

3. Feature customer ratings and reviews.
When buying online, people need extra input to tip toward commitment.

When you’re looking to buy, who do you trust more: a long-time neighbor or a sophisticated salesperson? Obviously, humans are biased toward “ordinary people.” One of Amazon’s best features in their abundance of ratings and reviews. Capitalize on this yourself and allow the words of others to convince your prospects.

4. Become a destination.
Amazon is convenient, so make your business an experience, not just an errand. Change your product mix regularly and make it enjoyable for people to physically “discover.” Add entertainment with lessons, parties, samples, or anything to engage families. Tell your story and give people pride in doing business with you.

An Enhanced Customer Experience


Amazon isn’t killing small business, but it is changing the way we buy and sell.

Payoneer e-commerce manager Iain McNicoll says Amazon has given entrepreneurs a chance to create customer experiences they might have otherwise been overlooked:

"People see Amazon as crushing small business," McNicoll said. "Really, I think it opens up a door for small business, allowing them to now reach new customers that they wouldn't have been able to reach in the past."
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Four Ways to Market Smarter in 2019

                           Four Ways to Market Smarter in 2020

Looking to energize your base or drum up new leads?
A new year is a great time to refresh your marketing matrix. Whether you’ve been in business for two months or for 20 years, creating awareness and interest is always a current challenge. Here are four areas to tweak as you build a competitive edge this year.

1. Know Your Audience.

Who are your ideal customers? What are their challenges or the goals you can help them achieve?

Revisit your buyer persona regularly and make sure you’re still clear on who you want to reach. These profiles can be used to segment your list and to personalize your latest pitch.

Knowing your audience also means examining whether you’re hitting your target. Are you sharing information that your prospects are actually hearing? Re-examine your media strategy and conduct regular database purging.

If you’ve been neglecting your database, your communication will be skewed as well. Successful marketing relies on data-driven decisions, so ensure your contacts are current.

2. Employ User-Centric Content.


In an increasingly individualized market, blanket sales pitches have lost momentum.

If you want to gain trust from your network, make it your goal to reach people in a more personal way.

How?

Position yourself as a giver, a helper, or an equipper in your print marketing. Use content that is insightful, entertaining, and easy for your prospects to apply.

3. Move From Keyboard to Camera.


Hubspot recently found 72% of people prefer video when they want to learn about a product or service.

With the dominance of YouTube and social media, the explosion of visual content is bound to continue. Our brain processes images 60 times faster than words, and humans are naturally drawn to narratives and stories.

Why not share more of your story through video?

Whether it’s quick bursts (think Snapchat, Instagram Stories, or Facebook Live) or a professionally edited piece for your website, video content will keep you connecting in ways that are real and relevant to this generation.

As you grow, look to connect your online and offline presence. One example: ask a leading question on your direct mailer and have them scan a QR code or use a personalized landing page (PURL).

4. Lighten Your Load Through Marketing Automation.


No matter how hard you try, you can’t do it all.

A great deal of effort can be saved through automation software, which expands your reach and boosts your efficiency.

Marketing automation allows you to identify warm leads and nurture prospects with highly personalized content that meets users at every stage of their customer journey. This can lighten your administrative load, provide an excellent return on your investment, and generate significant new revenue.

Automation software is especially effective in transforming traffic to leads and prospects to customers. Automated content is tailored to consumers based on how they interact with your company, growing their trust in you and making them much more likely to buy.

A recent Salesforce study found that 67% of marketing leaders use marketing automation of some kind, and this number is expected to grow significantly in years to come.

Keep in Shape


Your customers will change and evolve, and so will your business.

As people change, your job is to understand how your customers want to buy and to make it easy for them to do it!

Keep your marketing in high gear as you find new ways to streamline data, boost engagement, and improve the customer experience of each person you serve.For more of our informative blogs go to: https://store.printcafeli.com/blog/Print_Cafe_Blog.html

 

How a Reputable Printing Company Can Help Your Business

           How a Reputable Printing Company Can Help Your Business

Making money is the only target of individuals owning a production or a business. It is the main concern of every business owner to find the best way to maximize their profits. However, the strategy of making profit  relies upon the tactics of catching the attention of the highest number of customers. This is better accomplished by advertising and printing products are taken as a really effectual items in the realm of marketing. In the article let’s have a discussion on how a leading printing company can serve the entrepreneurs to promote their business.

Significance of Printing for Promoting a Product
 
The success of the business depends a lot on the strategy of advertisement. It is a means to reach and attract the maximum number of customers as possible.  Hence, business owners nurture a great anxiety regarding the best measure of advertisement for the promotion of their business. There’s no need to explain, the whole industry of advertisement, but it does depend extensively on the varied tactics of printing.

Leaflets, business cards, banners, envelopes, cards, booklets, catalogs and more, have always been in the trend of marketing. However, the modern production owners, are also getting switched to the up-to-date printing means. This includes printing on apparels, retractable and back drop banner stands, promotional products and much more.

However, for acquiring a satisfactory printing service according to their budget, individuals must contact a well-known printing company. The next passage can help individuals to grasp this point in a better manner.

How a Reputable Printing Company Can Help Your Business
 
Employing a reputable printing company can help marketing buyers to ditch numerous anxieties regarding their business promotions. Which will be the best way of advertising a product or a business? Which printing measure will suit their budget? All these questions of the client can be met by a reputable printing service company.

Reading the following points can help marketing buyers to assimilate the significance of getting a renowned printing company they can work with.

    Customized service – Every client is different and their choices vary. Hence, taking into account the various requirements, the service providers can offer a customized printing service for their clients.
    Profit making ideas – They are experienced on this ground for a longer period. Hence, they can help the individuals to choose the most effective printing measure on their budget best for marketing their business.
    Quality service – They ensure individuals with quality material and updated technological advancements. Therefore, individuals can avail themselves of the latest and brand new approaches in terms of advertising their products.
    Freedom of choices – All types of printing techniques are accessible under a single roof. Catalogs, banners, apparell, business cards, promotional products, and other exciting measures of printing are available.

Get in touch with the best company 

The Printing Café of LI is a well-renowned printing company where individuals can obtain quality printing services at reasonable prices. Log on to www.printcafeli.com   to learn more about their service amenities. Individuals can also opt for the other articles posted online for gaining more information.
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