Happy Holidays!

Please note that Kalico Design will be closed from Wednesday, December 23 through the New Year. We will return to the office—fresh, well-rested and full of great, new, creative ideas for you—on Monday, January 4.

I wish you all a very safe and happy holiday season!

Last Minute Gifts: Shop Local!

It's coming down to the wire, the holidays are almost here! If you are looking for some fun, last-minute gift ideas, you may not have to look very far. Shop Local!

If you are in the Frederick, MD region (which is where Kalico has been doing most of our shopping!), try a gift card from the Downtown Frederick Partnership. Gift cards can be purchased for any amount between $10-$500 and are usable at more than 150 shops and restaurants in downtown Frederick! You can purchase your Downtown Frederick Gift Card at the Visitor Center located at 19 E Church Street, during office hours of Monday - Sunday from 9am - 5pm, or call the visitor's center at 301-600-4047. The Downtown Frederick Gift Card is an easy way to give a great gift to friends and family! For a complete list of participating stores, click here.

Another great Frederick gift idea is a jar (or several jars, because they are just THAT good!) of locally produced McCutcheons jellies, preserves or jams. Plus, they have a great selection of sauces, honey, salad dressings and more—I mean, who doesn't like food as a gift! Orders can be purchased online, but I recommend visiting either their factory store at 13 South Wisner Street in downtown Frederick, or visiting their special holiday store, located in the middle of the FSK Mall! I've been buying McCutcheon's products as holiday gifts for years—my out-of-state family members always look forward to it!

Not in the Frederick region? Try to shop at some of your own local stores. Maybe there is a great town bakery nearby, a small, eclectic bookstore, local coffee shop, or an independently owned restaurant—get creative! For a great resource, with a shop-local focus, visit The 3/50 Project, you can then click on Supporters to find a few independently-owned, local shops in your hometown. Happy gift-giving!

Gifts for the Stylish Women in Your Lives!

Sorry for the delay in gift-idea posting. And only 2.5 weeks to go...ACK!

Well, if you are in the Frederick, MD region, and have some fabulous ladies on your to-buy list, you really must stop by Neccessories in the Westview Shopping Center (by the movie theaters)!

Neccessories offers an array of creative gifts and accessories for all the stylish women in your life! From fashionable home decor, to unusual office accessories; unique beauty products to lovely (and affordable!) fashion jewelry, Neccessories has it all! Plus, owner Jackie Lamothe always will greet you warmly at the door, making your shopping experience fun and relaxing — you'll be sure to look forward to your next visit!

Here's just a small sample of what you can find at Neccessories:
• Caspari line of napkins and guest towels
• Monogrammed soaps from Mudpie
• Potpourri from Aromatique
• Serving trays, coasters, and placemats by RockFlowerPaper
• Macbeth line of decoupage trays and buckets
• Candles by Voluspa and Nouvelle
• Murano Glass jewelry from Hilary London (these are simply beautiful!)
• Leather desk sets & journals from Florence
• Mistral Soaps & Soap Rocks (these would make a really fun, small gift!)
• Greeting cards from Leanin Tree, Positively Green, and Cardthartic
• Baggallini bags, totes, luggage (plus eco-friendly totes & shopping bags!)
• And More!

Be sure to stop by Necessories in the Westview Promenade Shopping Center (just two doors down from Chico's).
Neccessories: The Store For Stylish Women and Those Who Love Them!

*Photo from The Neccessories Facebook page

Another Great Gift Idea: Teach 'Em How to Cook!

Here's another unique gift idea, especially for those in the Western Maryland region: Cooking Classes! The Kitchen Studio of Frederick offers a variety of cooking classes—both for adults and kids! From demonstrations to hands-on lessons on topics including Sushi, Baking, Ethnic cooking and more, this is a gift that everyone will love!

The Kitchen Studio Cooking School in Frederick, Maryland is where everything is about the food and a relaxed, playful goodtime. You’ll want to join us over and over for our unique classes where you are sure to meet some friends, pick up some new kitchen skills and enjoy fabulous food! Our classes are small, our instructors really know their stuff and a great time is had by all!

Visit The Kitchen Studio's website to view their upcoming class calendar and to purchase a gift card for your special someones!

On a side note, be sure to check out Kitchen Studio owner, Chef Christine Van Bloem's latest endeavor — Break Some Eggs, a web portal with cooking tips, recipes and videos geared especially to tweens (ages 9-12ish)!

Holidays Already?! (Don't Panic—Great Gift Ideas From Kalico)

I realized today how quickly the holiday season is approaching us (thanksgiving is next week and only 35 days until christmas, oh my!). I know that most of my family and friends already have everything they could possibly need, so I tend to look for unique and creative gift ideas during the holiday season. I thought I would start posting unique gift ideas or resources in the upcoming few weeks, which will hopefully inspire you. (Plus, if you have any creative ideas, please send them on—share the love!) Here we go...



Savor Something Special
Well, to start things off, here's a whole catalog full of unique finds and gift ideas. Savor the Success, a premium online business network for women entrepreneurs, has recently published it's 2nd annual Holiday Catalog, featuring over 50 of the top women entrepreneurs in America! From soy candles to dog biscuits, jewelry to baby clothes, or even graphic design services (ahem, check out page 52). Also, check out page 30, coloring books for women—what a fun idea for some of your best girlfriends!

To download a pdf of the catalog, click here. This is a fantastic opportunity to support some small, women-owned businesses, while getting things checked off your holiday shopping list! Let me know what you think!

Client Spotlight: DFP Celebrates 20th Anniversary

Downtown Frederick Partnership recently launched their 20th Anniversary program, which will take place starting this holiday season through all of 2010. And Kalico went along for the ride, donating design services to create the 20th anniversary logo, as well as postcards and product posters.

Celebrate Downtown Frederick Partnership’s 20th Anniversary by purchasing unique, limited-edition merchandise from downtown shops — share the wonderful tastes and treats of Downtown Frederick with family and friends! Products will range from a limited-edition snow globe featuring Frederick's famous spires, to specialty hot chocolate, wines, beer, BBQ sauce and much much more! A portion of purchases will
benefit the Partnership as it continues to enhance, promote and preserve Downtown Frederick as a great place to live, work, shop and play.

You won't want to miss these great products from some of your favorite downtown shops! Download a calendar of products and participating shops here!

Glamour Shots!

I recently was luckily enough to have headshots shot by Mary Kate McKenna Photography. Mary Kate is a lifestyle photographer who now resides in the Frederick, MD region. She was gracious enough to donate some of her talents to members of the Greater Frederick Advertising Federation, and offered members free business headshots. Now, as you can see, Mary Kate stays far away from your typical, boring, stuffy headshots, opting to shoot outdoors, and encouraging her clients to wear comfortable clothing. Basically she takes shots that really show you, as yourself.

If you're a small business owner who uses personal headshots to help promote your business (I strongly recommend using one on the about section of your website, at least), I encourage you to get some professional photography done. Try to use fun, creative shots that will give your clients a sense of who you are. This will help set you apart from your competition and will make everything a bit more personal.

Now, I am in a bit of a dilemma, as I can't seem to choose which image I like best (although I think I am leaning towards one). I'd appreciate your input—let me know which one you are drawn to the most, and I will start using it on the Kalico website. After all, I want the image to stand out, be fun, and set me apart from my competition, which will hopefully help the viewer to remember me the next time they need some graphic design work!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! Wow, graphic designers are huge dorks, aren't we!? Thanks to Louanne Welgoss of LTD Creative for sharing this photo.

It IS easy being green!

Kalico Design is proud to have recently been awarded Green America's Business Seal of Approval! To become a member, we had to pass their approximately 3-month long screening process. The Screening Team investigates each company to determine: 1) its familiarity with and commitment to social and environmental responsibility, and 2) significant action in terms of this commitment. The Green Business Seal of approval designates

"businesses that are socially and environmentally responsible in the way they source, manufacture, and market their products and run their offices and factories."

Being eco-conscious is an ongoing journey Kalico explores on a daily basis. I am continually trying to discover new ways to run my business in a more environmentally-friendly way and I encourage my clients to do the same.

Kalico can help develop eco-conscious, cost-effective options for businesses at every stage of their greening process—whether it's by simply using recycled, FSC-certified papers with soy inks, or creating long-term, effective planning for your next printed marketing piece. The bottom line is this: we approach sustainable business practices as an on-going learning process. We try to better our eco-consciousness everyday and we invite you to join us in whatever ways you can.

Be on the lookout for our next eNewsletter, which will focus on easy steps so you, too, can "green" your marketing and design efforts! Find out why being green doesn’t necessarily mean spending green on your next marketing and graphic design project! Sign up today for our free newsletter.

Savoring Success!

I recently stumbled across a great social networking site, specifically for women business entrepreneurs—Savor the Success! While I haven't had time to fully explore everything that is offered by this networking site, so far I've read some helpful newsletter articles, connected with a few other women business owners in my region and beyond, and have recently signed up to be an advertiser in their upcoming Holiday catalog (more info to come soon). I strongly urge any female business owner to check out this great resource. It is free to become a basic member, but you can always upgrade to become a premium member in order to get even more great educational and PR opportunities. Be sure to check out my profile page!

Natural Health is a Natural Pick for New Design Book

I am excited to announce that one of my editorial layouts for the the Fall 2009 issue of Find It Frederick magazine has been selected to appear in The New Big Book of Layouts! "Tea, Sympathy and Natural Healing" was an article written by Jeanne Marie Ford about alternative and natural health remedies. For the story layout, I decide to go with lots of white space, and large, close-up images depicting different alternative health remedies, which give an overall clean, soft and eye-catching look.

The New Big Book of Layouts, published by HarperCollins and produced by Crescent Hill Books, will be in stores in May 2010. I can't wait to see all the other winning entries! For more information on this book, or other graphic design resources by Crescent Hill, please visit their website.

Hablas Designer?

“We’ll use the 72 dpi royalty-free jpg for FPO and then replace it with the vector-based art. Also, the press needs a CMYK, hi-res, 300 dpi pdf of the dieline with bleeds.”

Say what!

Often times, designers don’t realize that we’ve developed our own little language. We’ll ask for a certain type of file, or get into press-talk (lingo for the printer) and not realize that we’ve essentially just muttered complete gobblitygook to any regular human being! As this miscommunication seems to occur on a regular basis, especially with small business owners who are handling most aspects of the business’s PR and marketing, I’ve developed a glossary of common design-to-client phrases and vocabulary. I hope this will help when dealing with a graphic designer on your next marketing campaign!

1. DPI (dots per inch): DPI is the number of dots (or pixels - PPI) that fit horizontally and vertically into a one-inch measure. The more dots per inch, the more detail is captured and the sharper the image. In order for a regular sized image to print clearly, it should be at least 266 dpi.

2. High-resolution image: An image with a high level of sharpness/clarity. High-resolution images for printing purposes are usually 266-300 dpi.

3. Four-color process: The printing process that reproduces colors by combining, cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK). If you look at printed material through a magnifying glass, you'll see that the printed image consists of dots in these four colors. These dots are printed on top of each other, next to each other or just close to each other, depending on the color and tonal values wanted. For example; printing a blue dot over a yellow dot will give you green.

4. FPO (For placement only): This refers to images or text used “for placement only,” to indicate how the finished layout will look. Copy is usually called “dummy text,” and will most often look Latin. Images can be as simple as shaded boxes, or may be represented by low-resolution photos or illustrations, which will be replaced with high-resolution images (see #2) prior to printing.

5. PMS (Pantone Matching System): Trust me, it's not what you think! The Pantone Matching System is used for specifying and blending match colors. It provides designers with swatches of over 700 colors and gives printers the recipes for making those colors. PMS colors are often used for logos and other 2-3 color jobs.

6. CMYK: CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black, the four process color inks. Most graphic design jobs, such as brochures, posters, postcards, or media kits will be printed in CMYK.

7. Resolution: An agreement? Not in a graphic design world! When referring to digital images, the resolution of an image is an important factor in determining the attainable output quality. The higher the resolution of an image, the less pixilated it will be and the curves of the image will appear smoother. High-resolution images for printing purposes are usually 266-300 dpi. (See #1 & #2)

8. Royalty-free Imagery: This has nothing to do with a lower-class of images! Royalty-Free images are intellectual property, like photos and graphic images, that are sold for a single standard fee. These can be used repeatedly by the purchaser only, but the company that sold the images usually still owns all the rights to it. Kalico Design has been successful with incorporating high-quality, low-cost royalty-free imagery in most of our designs. However, we will always consult our clients prior to purchasing.

9. Comp (comprehensive): Nope, sorry, this doesn’t imply that it’s free! Comp's are made to show what a prospective design project will look like, for example; the layout of the image, use of color, the size, folding, trimming and the paper that will be used. It is also named a dummy.

10. Grayscale: Grayscale images contains black, white, no color and up to 256 shades of gray.

11. Pixel: A single speckle of Tinkerbell’s pixie dust! And, in graphic design terms, a pixel is the smallest picture element (used to display an image on a computer) that can be independently assigned a color.

12. Vector-based graphic: Vector graphics are drawn in paths. This allows the designer to resize images freely without getting pixilated edges. Most vector images can be scaled up or down indefinitely without losing a lot of detail or quality. Images such as logos or charts and graphs are often best when supplied as vector-based art.

13. White Space: No, this is not an 80’s hair band! In visual arts, white space is often referred to as negative space. It is that portion of a page left unmarked: the space between graphics, margins, gutters, columns, etc. The term arises from graphic design practice, where printing processes generally use white paper. A page crammed full of text or graphics with very little white space runs the risk of appearing busy, cluttered, and is typically difficult to read. White space is the designer’s friend—it allows the eye to have a visual break when scanning across a layout. Do not be afraid to use it!

14. Dieline: (No reference to Halloween here!) Dielines are used as a placeholder for assisting in the proper layout of a document that will be custom cut as part of the finishing process. A dieline is not printed on the final piece but is used to determine correct layout, cutting and folding. Dielines are typically used for projects such as pocket folders, envelopes, or other packaging.

I hope this brief list of common graphic design terms will help you during the next conversation with your designer. And remember, should we ever use a phrase or term that is unfamiliar, just ask us, we love to speak designer!

Grab an Accountability Partner, Doh Si Doh!

As a small business owner myself, I know how hard it is to work on your own marketing and business planning. There's always a client project, phone call or meeting that comes first, which consequently pushes your own business needs to the back burner. I'll admit, it's hard for me to stay on top of everything and make sure I not only reach my clients goals, but reach my own business goals as well.

So, a few weeks ago, I decided to take some action. I found an "accountability partner"—someone who keeps me on my toes and makes sure I follow through with each one of my business goals. I, in turn, reciprocate the favor and help her to reach her goals as well. So far, it has been an extremely productive relationship. My partner and I meet every other week, setting our own goals for each meeting. For me, having a set deadline and knowing that there will be someone there to keep me in check has been a completely different mind set. No longer are my own business goals getting pushed to the wayside, because I don't want to let my partner down. In fact, despite being the busiest I've been since Kalico's inception (Yay!), I've still managed to update my website, apply for a grant, brainstorm a new marketing plan, research self promo ideas, as well as work on my next eNewsletter (sign up now!) — all projects that had gotten put off during the past few months!

I recommend that any small business owner try to find their own accountability partner. And it doesn't have to be someone in your same field because most small biz owners face the same challenges and strive to reach similar goals. So, try it out, and let me know how it goes! Swing that Partner Round and Round!

Kalico Sponsors MicroBusiness Roundtable

Kalico is proud to be a co-sponsor of the Greater Frederick Advertising Federation's first roundtable series dedicated to freelancers and solopreneurs.

The Greater Frederick Advertising Federation’s Breakfast Sessions at The Coffee Table are an outstanding way for micro-business owners and freelancers to connect with each other to gain insight on the latest trends and innovations, while collectively solving problems associated with running the smallest of small businesses.

Each session will cover a topic of interests to individuals who wear many, if not all, hats when it comes to running their business. Finance, networking, sales, and home-based issues are the just the start as the conversations will generate ideas and resources to ultimately help your business thrive.

Our first session will be held on Wednesday, September 2 from 8-9am at The Coffee Table in Frederick, MD. Here is more detailed info:

Support Networks
A Chinese proverb states, “one generation plants a tree, another gets the shade.” Who or what is planting the trees for you? As individuals running small businesses, we rely on the help of others for guidance, financial support, and an array of other needs that are sometimes difficult to take on ourselves. What people or products are in your support network? This session will focus on topics to help strengthen our networks in order to meet the needs of our growing businesses.

For additional information, please email me or visit www.greaterfrederickadfed.org.

Goodbye Lazy Days of Summer!

Let me first apologize for my 2 week leave of absence on the blogging. It's been a very busy August at Kalico Design. Goodbye lazy days of summer, hello busy busy fall! Of course, I can't complain about the slew of work that has recently come in (I did just buy a new house, after all!) Check out some of the exciting projects I'll be working on in the upcoming months:

1. Downtown Frederick Partnership's 20th Anniversary: I am super excited to be working with the Downtown Frederick Partnership to celebrate their 20 years of promoting and preserving the vitality of Downtown Frederick. Be on the lookout for an anniversary logo, plus lots of great commemorative products courtesy of local downtown businesses.

2. Find It Frederick: I remember picking up the premiere issue of this Frederick-based magazine and thinking it was the coolest thing ever! I have lived in the Frederick area all my life, but Find It Frederick manages to report on the unique finds throughout the Frederick region—even the things the "locals" don't know about! I am very excited to be working on the the Fall issue of this publication. I'll be sure to let you know when it is available, b/c you won't want to miss it!

3. Damascus Dental of Mt. Airy: I have loved working with this laser dental office over the past year, developing a whole new identity with them. It started with a logo and ended with a new state-of-the-art cosmetic and laser dental center in Mt. Airy MD. (ok, well, the logo at least helped with the office decorating!). I'm getting ready to start revamping this company's website to reflect their new look!

4. Interior Design Services (IDS): Just finished with the logo and business cards for this start-up interior designer who focuses on green, eco-friendly and energy efficient residential and commercial interior design services. I really enjoy working with start-up companies and helping them to develop their brand image! IDS even offers an online consulting services for those DIYers.

These are just a few of the amazing jobs I have coming up! I'll keep you updated on the status of some of them and will also showcase some of the final results. Now, back to the graphic designing...

Expose Yourself!

Want to get more media exposure for your business or product? It may be as easy as signing up for HARO (Help A Reporter Out)! And the best part is that it's free!

HARO was founded by Peter Shankman and runs on the philosophy that "Everyone is an Expert at Something". It is a web source for reporters around the world to find their sources, and a way for you to get the press you're looking for. HARO is currently the largest free source repository in the world, sending out over 1,200 queries from worldwide media each week.

Once you sign up to be included on the list as a source, each day, you'll receive up to three emails, each with anywhere from 15-30 queries per email. They'll all be labeled with [shankman.com] in the subject line, for easy filtering. If you see a request you can answer, go for it! HelpAReporter.com really is that simple.

I'll admit, I was a little weary of getting the daily emails, but it hasn't been a problem. The emails are divided up into categories (Urgent, Business, Travel, General, Health, etc.) for quick scanning and each request is just a very simple description of the query, contact person and publication info. When I have time to read through them, i do; when i'm too busy, I just delete them. I've also been able to send some source requests to clients, which they've greatly appreciate.

Again, sign up is super easy and FREE! And may be the chance for you to get the exposure you want!

Get Published!

Submit your work for free. Crescent Hill books produces a variety of design-related books featuring only the best of today's graphic design. And the best thing is that it is free to submit your work! No entry fees, no publishing fees, and no award fees! Go to the Crescent Hill books submission page and create an account. You can then upload your designs for potential submission in a number of great design books (some upcoming titles include The Best of Sports Marketing and Design, The Mini Book of Great Logos and The New Big Book of Layouts). Your design submissions will then be judged by Crescent Hills panel who will let you know whether they make a good fit with the publication or not.

This is a great way to get your work published! Let me know if you submit your work, so I can be sure to look for it in upcoming publications!

The Logo Low-Down Series: Tip 6

We have reached our final tip in the Logo Low-Down series. I hope these tips have given you some insight on some of the factors that go into creating a profession, custom logo, as well as how to do your research before hiring a graphic designer. Keep in mind that your logo will be one of your most important business marketing tools! You will use it on all your company marketing and materials, so you really must be sure to have a mark that will represent your company now and in the future. Remember, your logo is extremely important—please hire a professional!

Logo Tip #6: Consistency is Key
Once you have your eye-catching, thoughtful and professionally designed logo—keep it consistent! This is the mark that will start to define your business, one you should use on ALL future marketing materials. Don’t confuse the customer by changing the colors, editing the format, or skewing the dimensions. Keep it easily recognizable by your market by staying consistent with it’s usage.

The Logo Low-Down Series: Tip 5

Logo Tip #5: The Black and White of It
Another important design principle to consider when designing (or re-designing) a logo is the ability for it to read well in black and white, as well as at large and small scales. A logo must work equally in black and white or color. Even with the predominance of web and 4-color printing, your logo must still be legible on such simple business paperwork as a fax, invoice or photocopy. Your logo also needs to work on various size scales—small enough to fit on a pen, and large enough to work on a billboard.

In order for easy and clean scaling to occur, a logo should always first be designed as a vector-based illustration file. (This is one main reason why hiring a professional is important!) Special design programs, such as Adobe Illustrator should be used for logo development—never programs like Word, Publisher or Paintshop! Have your logo created in the correct file format the first time around—it will save you frustration, time and money in the long run.

The Logo Low-Down Series: Tip 4

Logo Tip #4: K.I.S.S
My design instructor at Salisbury University instilled a very valuable design principle on us—K.I.S.S., “Keep It Simple, Stupid!”. This concept applies best to logo design. Frequently, over-used effects such as glows, shadows, 3-D effects, gradients, unreadable fonts, and unnecessary graphics take away from the readability—and ultimately the success—of a creative and compelling logo. The old saying “Less is More” certainly applies here.

The Logo Low-Down Series: Tip 3

Logo Tip #3: Research & Plan
A logo is much more than clip art and your business name. A successful logo requires planning and research by both the business owner and logo designer. As a business owner, you should reflect on your company’s core values and how you want to be perceived by the public. Do you want to come across edgy vs. traditional, artsy vs. corporate? You should also research existing logos either by flipping through a logo book at your local bookstore, or viewing some online. Two great online resources for logo samples are LogoPond or LogoGala. Pick out the logo designs you like vs. those you don’t—try to determine why—and make sure to convey these thoughts to your designer.

A professional designer will also do their homework. A designer will interview you to get an in-depth understanding of your company. They will research your competition and will also consider your target audience base, making sure to use colors, fonts, and graphics that will be appealing to your market. At Kalico, we do an in-depth, free consultation with each of our logo clients. We go through a series of questions that are designed to help us get to know your company better—how it is run, who your audience is, and how you want to be perceived by that audience.

As I mentioned before, a logo is so much more than just your favorite font or a piece of clip art you found online (which gets into a whole other issue of copyright law, but I digress). Your logo needs to be carefully planned, researched and executed. Be sure to hire a professional!

The Logo Low-Down Series: Tip 2

Well, I'm all moved into my new house (YES!). We are having trouble getting comcast to hook us up with our internet connection, so for the time-being I am borrowing a wireless stick from a friend (thank goodness for technologically savvy friends!). Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to bring you the next tip in logo design!

Logo Tip #2: Investing in Your Brand
Your business identity, beginning with the logo, is an investment in the success of your business. This is the mark that, if done correctly, will identify your company for years to come. When starting a new business, or redesigning the identity of an existing company, the business owner should budget sufficient time and funds for the logo design. This is a “must” when developing a business plan.

A logo and branding design process that is carefully planned, fully researched, and professionally executed may seem like a large up-front cost. However, the future success and market recognition of your company through a clearly defined identity will be more than worth the investment. Remember, if done correctly, you'll be using your logo to help define your business and to market your brand for years and years to come. Be sure to do it right the first time around!

The Low-Down on Logos

Over the next few weeks, I will be focusing my posts on a six part series regarding logo design. Here goes...

Branding. It's currently a popular catch phrase, and can encompass the entire persona of a company, from the visual marketing to the employee uniform, even down to something as small as how the phones are answered. While a logo is just the tip of the branding iceberg, it is one of the most important visual aspects. A logo serves to set the tone of a company and starts to creates recognition among the market base.

For example, if you see a symbol of an apple, with a small chunk out of the right side, what company do you think of? Apple (or MACintosh), of course. But not only do you start thinking about ipods, iphones, or laptops, you also associate MAC with it's brand, or identity, and think technology, hip, trendy, cutting-edge. This is part of Brand Association, and shows how a simple logo mark can pretty much say everything about your company.

Sure, Mac has millions of dollars to spend on marketing and branding, how can you compete with that as a small business owner? The truth is, small businesses can brand themselves—and must, in order to stand out among the crowds! It all starts with a professional logo. If that logo is then used correctly and consistently in all marketing endeavors (such as business cards, brochures, ad campaigns, or even email signatures), people will start to recognize your logo. Then they will start to associate your logo with your company, your customer service, products, business ethics, etc. This is the start of your brand recognition — creating a reaction with a visual message.

Now that we've established how important a logo is and how it visually represents your company, let's talk about some of the important aspects of a logo, and why it's important to hire a professional.

Logo Tip #1: Warning: Don’t Try This At Home!
Having a computer with some design programs does not make you an identity designer! Hire a trained professional to create your logo design. Do research when selecting a designer. Make sure to review their portfolio, either online or in person, until you find one that best fits your business needs.

A professional will do research on your company, meet with you to get a better sense of your target audience, and will also research your competitors. All these factors will help produce a logo that is specifically tailored to your business, representing you. Hiring outside help also will give you a different perspective of your company. As designers we can see your business as a customer would see it, and will also learn how you view it internally. It's like getting the inside scoop from both sides.

And last, not only will a professional produce an eye-catching and creative logo mark, they'll also be able to produce your logo in all the necessary file formats. Maybe you just plan to use your logo on your website right now, but down the road you decide you want t-shirts made using the logo. These two usages require completely different file formats, sizes, and compressions in order to get maximum results. A professional will be able to think in the long-term, setting you up adequately for future use of your logo in a variety of different ways. (Trust me, this will save you from major headaches down the road)

Stay tuned for more logo tips!

Kalico News is in Smart Company!

I am happy to announce that the Kalico News blog is currently featured on Smart Company magazine's website. Check out some of the other business-oriented blogs here! You'll find a rich resource of tips and tricks including info on stress relief, web hosting, social media and more!

As I've mentioned before, if you reside or do business in the western Maryland region, be sure to check out Smart Company magazine. Here's a little more about the publication:

On the forefront, Smart Company Magazine is a business-to-business publication aimed at providing working professionals in Frederick and Washington counties with valuable insight into the regional business climate. Inside the cover, though, you’ll find it’s much more. With a clear and engaging perspective, Smart Company Magazine offers informative and entertaining editorial about the issues that matter most to the local business community.

And best of all, it's free to subscribe! For more information, please visit the Smart Company website. Also, be sure to look for Kalico's interview in the next issue!

Small Business Marketing Tips

I recently attending a Greater Frederick Advertising Federation event called "1,2,3...All Eyes on Me". It was a speed networking event where marketing and design professionals gave free feedback and advice to local merchants in the Downtown Frederick district. I gave advice on print design materials, including postcards, ads, brochures, etc. While each retailer had their own marketing agenda and plan, I found I was giving similar advice to all. Here's a summation of most of the advice, as it pertains to most small businesses.

1. Hire a Professional Where Needed
Sure, you may be rolling your eyes, thinking "Of course she say that, she wants to work!". Well, naturally I'd love the work, but even if I wasn't a designer, I would recommend hiring a professional to visually portray your marketing message. This doesn't mean you have spend thousands of dollars and hire a large advertising agency to do everything for you! Perhaps you are a good writer—Great! Then, you can write all your own text and send it to a graphic designer to use in a layout. Or, maybe you know your way around a computer, but are creatively-challenged. No problem, hire a designer to create templates for your ad, then you can just update them on your own! Maybe you have a bunch of ideas for content, but just can't seem to get them across. Fine! Gather all your ideas (in writing) then meet with a copywriter for an hour or two to just edit and simplify where needed. Remember, you should ALWAYS hire a professional to design your logo and your website, otherwise you will be doing a huge dis-service to your overall marketing message. Small Business owners are used to wearing many hats, but make sure to only wear the hats that fit you!

2. Stay Consistent
Make sure all your advertising and marketing has a consistent look and message, or else you will confuse your audience. This can be relatively easy, and may be something you can do on your own. For instance, in your advertising headlines, make sure all the grammar is consistent, if you initial cap every word in one headline, make sure you do the same for all. Or, be sure to use the same color palette for all your marketing. This doesn't mean everything has to be exactly the same—use a palette of 6-8 colors. Mix and match and you'll get a variety of different looks, yet all will be tied in to each other. Also, be sure to use your logo on most, if not all, of your marketing materials.

3. White Space is Your Friend
White space is a design term that refers to the portion of a page left unmarked: the space between graphics, margins, gutters, columns, etc. It allows the eye to have a visual break when scanning across a layout. A lot of small business owners who do their own design and layout want to fit as much information as possible on an ad or postcard. DO NOT DO THIS!!! Ask yourself, if I received this advertisement in the mail, would I stop to read all this tiny text and all these crazy call-outs? Be honest, no, you wouldn't, you'd probably toss it aside—I know I would (and do). If you include too much information, your audience will get overwhelmed and simply lose interest. Skim your content down so only the absolute most important information is included. Use one clever headline, followed by smaller informational text, followed by your contact info. You want to use your marketing pieces to entice your customers to come to YOU for more information, not tell them EVERYTHING upfront! No one will want to buy your milk, if you've crammed the whole cow on your ad. (well, you know what I mean)

I hope these three tips help!

Opa! Be Greek For a Day!

If you are in the western Maryland region, please stop by Frederick's Big Fat Greek Festival, which will be held Thursday, May 14 through Sunday, May 17. The festival will be open for lunch and dinner from 11:30-8:00pm, located in the Sts. Peter & Paul Greek Church lot at 920 West 7th Street, Frederick, MD. Featuring great food, specialty Greek pastries, folk dancing demonstrations, live music, Taverna nights, a children's play area, and a Greek market—it's a cultural experience for the whole family!

Kalico is proud to be in charge of Festival design and marketing again this year, and we are looking forward to nice weather and a great crowd! If you can make it, please be sure to stop by the pastry booth in the church hall and say hi! Also, don't miss the display of custom-designed beach bags by Character Bags, another Kalico client . It's Chic to be Greek, don't miss this great event!

Kalico Sponsors WHY Magazine (Work.Home.You)

Kalico Design is the sponsor of the May/June issue of WHY magazine, an ezine representing the growing number of work-at-homers in today's business world.

An eLuna Media publication, "WHY is dedicated to work-at-homers of all sorts, including entrepreneurs with start-up businesses, full-time and part-time telecommuters, those who bring work home from the office occasionally or every day, and everyone in between." Published on a bi-monthly basis, WHY offers tools and information on how to manage the stresses of trying to juggle work with personal and home demands.

As a home-based business, Kalico is very proud to sponsor such a unique, niche publication so rich with informative articles, tips and tools. Be sure to check out the most current issue of WHY Magzine!

Spring Special!

To celebrate spring, the upcoming nice weather, and one of my favorite months of the year, Kalico will be offering 10% off design service fees for brochures, newsletters, eNewsletters and catalogs during the entire month of May! Don't miss out! If you're looking to enhance your marketing materials with one of these pieces, please email me for an estimate. Keep in mind the discounted price does not include fees for printing or stock photography purchase. Offer will be good for orders placed before May 31, 2009.

FE FI FO...File Format?

Hi all. I apologize for the delay in posts, I've been dealing with a dance performance and a lingering sickness the past two weeks. But, I am just starting to feel like I'm back into the regular routine today and I wanted to be sure to get a new post up.

I've compiled a list and brief description of the file formats most commonly used for graphic designers. I often provide clients a disk of their logos in various file formats for future usage. However, there is often confusion as to which file should be used where and how and when. Hence, the Kalico Design File Format Tips list:

1. eps
Encapsulated PostScript File. This is a vector-based file. You may not be able to open this file, as it is intended for a designer or printer’s usage. However, you may be able to place this file format in an image box when using a word processing program, such as Microsoft Word. To be used on promotional materials such as t-shirts, signs or brochures, if sending off to a printer.

2. jpg
Joint Photographic Electronic Group. A common compression method that shrinks a file’s storage size by discarding non-important picture detail. You should be able to open a jpg file and/or place it in an image box when using a word processing program, such as Microsoft Word. To be used on any printed material, especially anything printed in-house.

JPGs are commonly also used for web graphics. Please check the resolution and file size in order to determine your particular jpg's intended usage. You will not want to use a web jpg on a printed piece as the file was scaled down and optimized for web-usage, so it will not print clearly. When in doubt, feel free to ask your graphic designer whether your jpg file is safe for printing or not.

3. tif
Tagged Image File Format. A common graphic file format used for saving bitmapped images such as scans, photographs, illustrations and logos. You should be able to open a tif file and/or place it in an image box when using a word processing program, such as Microsoft Word. To be used on any printed material.

4. pdf
Portable Document Format. This file is a self-contained cross-platform document. In plain language, it is a file that will look the same on the screen and in print, regardless of what kind of computer or printer someone is using and regardless of what software package was originally used to create it. You should be able to open a pdf file, and use it on mostly all printed materials, provided the pdf was distilled correctly.

5. gif
Graphics Interchange Format. GIF images display up to 256 colors. GIF images generally have very small file sizes and are the most widely used graphic format on the web. The low quality resulting from compression makes them unsuitable for professional printing. Kalico Design provides gif files that are ideal for web usage, and will have a translucent background. DO NOT USE THE GIF FILE FOR PRINTING! It has been optimized for web-usage, and the file size has been scaled down, so it will not print clearly.

While there are several more file formats used in graphic design and printing, these are the most common and basic. Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions regarding a particular file format or to see if your file is safe for print or web usage.

You Send It (no, really, you can do it!)

By now, you have probably heard of the term "FTP" when talking about file transfers. FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, and is a way to exchange and manipulate files over a computer network, such as the Internet. Basically, it is a way to send or transfer files that are too large to email. While you may not know it, chances are you've used FTP many times before. It is most commonly used to download content, such as music MP3 files.

But, what happens when you want to send a large file to one or multiple recipients? Usually, you would need to have an FTP Client, such as Fetch, SmartFTP or FileZilla, installed on your computer. An FTP Client is software that is designed to transfer files back-and-forth between computers over an Internet connection, .

I've ran into this problem with many clients: I want to send them a large file, but they are unable to download the file b/c they do not have an FTP Client installed, have problems with their FTP client, or have forgotten their user name and password, etc. In reverse, I've also had many clients unable to send me large files via FTP, which, ultimately, results in burning files to a disk and sending them the old fashioned way, courtesy of USPS, UPS or FedEx. The only problem with this solution is the time lost during shipment.

No more, my friends! I'd like to introduce you to YouSendIt.com. YouSendIt acts as a buffer between the sender and the recipients. It is an online application that allows anyone to send large files to, well, anyone. Oh, and did I mention it's free!

At YouSendIt, you upload a file and input your recipients' email addresses. YouSendIt will then send an email message to all your recipients, with a direct link to download files. It's fast, easy, and also notifies you when your files have been sent. Check it out and let me know how YouSendIt.com works for you!

Hint: You must first archive or stuff your files to combine multiple files into one single file before sending. Examples of archiving programs include WinZip and WinRar on Windows, and Stuffit on Macs. If you'd like more information on Archiving programs, feel free to shoot me an email.

Rethink Your Marketing During this Darn Recession

I was recently interviewed by a local business magazine, Smart Company (if you're in the Western Maryland region, please be sure to get a FREE subscription, it is a great local business resource). The interview was about "rethinking your business strategy in a recession". I gave input from a design, advertising and marketing perspective and I wanted to relay some of the topics that came up.

First and foremost, even though we are facing an economic crisis, now is not the time to cut back on your marketing! But, it can be a time to rethink your marketing. Consumers are still spending, they are just being more selective and careful about their spending. Reassess your advertising efforts. Make sure all your advertising materials have reason and meaning, get across your message effectively and successfully, look professional, and are geared towards your target audience.

Approach this "downtime" as a chance to really think about how you want to be perceived by your customers. If you haven't already done so, focus on your identity and branding. Is your logo professional, clean and creative? Does it visually represent what your company does and who your company is? Do you have current business cards that are professionally printed? Is your website easy to navigate, clean and concise, up-to-date and visually eye-catching? During this economic recession, make sure your company's identity will be remembered and recognized by your clients. Make sure it is cohesive and representative of your business ethics and practice. Be positive and use this downtime to work on all the things you didn't have time to focus on before. Your company will only better from it!

My April eNewsletter will be coming out soon, and the focus is "Marketing and Design on a Budget". It will include tips and tools for cost-effective marketing, including some free resources. Don't miss out! Be sure to subscribe to Kalico's eNewsletter. (it's free and we will never share or sell your contact information, cross my heart!)

Character Bags Logo Featured on LogoGala

I've mentioned LogoGala in an earlier post as a great resource for logo design samples. Earlier this week, I was honored to have the Character Bags logo featured on LogoGala! Every few days a logo is featured, and an in-depth series of questions and answers are posted. It is a great way to learn about the designer's thought process, a backstage look at the logo's development.

While a relatively new site, LogoGala has gained popularity as a great design resource in a very short period of time. To celebrate that success, as well as gain more exposure, LogoGala is currently offering their first promotion. Here are the prizes:

Prizes:
Prize 1: The Big Book of Design Ideas 3 courtesy of Crescent Hill Books
Prize 2: American Corporate Identity 2009 courtesy of Crescent Hill Books
Prize 3: Big Book of Business Cards courtesy of Crescent Hill Books
Prize 4: 2008 Wolda Logo Design Annual courtesy of Wolda.org
Prize 5: Two (2) Helvetica Special Edition Moleskine Notebooks courtesy of Moleskine Asia
Prize 6: A FREE logo design courtesy of Sean Farrell at Penflare Designs. You will receive two concepts and two revisions for your logo. (Worth $250)
Prize 7: A FREE 30 minute logo consultation via Skype or email courtesy of Jacob Cass.
Prize 8: A FREE 30 minute logo consultation via Skype or email courtesy of David Airey

If you'd like to enter to win any of these prizes, go to LogoGala's blog. And be sure to check out all the great logos in their gallery too!

Don't Monkey Around with Your Email Marketing

I wanted to introduce everyone to the email service provider I've used for many years — Meet Mail Chimp! I have been using mail chimp for Kalico Design's eNewsletter for the past year and have been thoroughly happy with their services, customer support and pricing — plus, their user interface is very easy-to-use. And they offer tons of free resources on email marketing tips and tricks. (and I LOVE the fact that mailchimp does not require you to include their logo or advertising anywhere on your eNewsletter, so everything looks like it comes directly from you)

Here's a little more info from the horse's (or, er, monkey's mouth):

MailChimp is a do-it-yourself email marketing service for "the Google generation." We make it easy to send email newsletters to customers, manage subscriber lists, and track campaign performance. Unlike some of our competitors, we don't "dumb things down." We take extremely powerful tools that sophisticated marketers use and we make them accessible to anyone.

Please keep in mind that Kalico Design offers eMail Marketing and design services. Should you want a sophisticated, professionally-designed eNewsletter, give us a call or shoot us an email at info@kalicodesign.com! We also would be happy to set you up with your own MailChimp account, which you can have personal access to, in order to adjust settings, add contacts and more! And be sure to sign up for Kalico News, our free, quarterly newsletter that shares tips and information for marketing your small business.

Equinox Dance Company Site Goes Live

Kalico just launched the redesign of Equinox Dance Company's website. This project was done on a pro bono basis, as the non-profit arts organization is very close to my heart. The design is simple yet effective, showcasing various photos of the talented dance company. In the future, I plan to add a flash introduction as well as video clips. But for now, I'm just happy the new site is up and people will be able to purchase tickets online for the upcoming spring performance.

About Equinox:
Serving as the premier adult modern dance company in the Frederick, MD region, Equinox Dance Company (EDC) strives to promote dance as an expressive art form, as well as a physical activity, throughout the community by means of both performance and educational lectures. EDC is a highly diverse company, fusing jazz and tap with its contemporary modern-based background. Consisting of approximately fifteen devoted dancers, this troupe's talents shine not only through their dancing abilities, but also through their creative choreographic skills.

Equinox is a project I helped start several years ago as a means for adults to continue dancing. It is a unique group, because all dancers are on a volunteer basis—we dance because we love it! Please take a moment to view the new site and come see us perform in april! Tickets on sale now!

Kalico Wins Awards

I just found out that Kalico has been awarded 4 American Graphic Design & Advertising awards! Selected winning pieces include the DanceFest logo, Neccessories logo, Joy of Herbs logo and the Frederick Symphony Orchestra season brochure! It is an honor to have these pieces recognized by AGDA. To view the award-wining work, please visit our website at kalicodesign.com!

About the Award:
Founded by David E. Carter, a noted authority on logo design and corporate identity,the American Graphic Design and Advertising awards is an annual design competition, with a corresponding book highlighting the competition winners. AGDA continues its illustrious twenty-four-year legacy as a mainstay for designers who want to keep current with contemporary American design and corporate identity. The size of the creative firm or client is inconsequential; promoting great design is the goal. The AGDA winners book will be published in Fall 2009.

"Business Networking That Doesn't Suck"

I just wanted to drop a quick note about a social networking site I've been a member of for the past year. Biznik has been a great way to network with others in the business community, as well as a good resource for a wide range of articles on all kinds of business topics. While I am a member of other social networking sites, like facebook and linkedin, I have found Biznik has been the best resource for business networking. I highly recommend checking it out, especially if you are a business owner or manager. Here's a little more information, directly from Biznik:

About Biznik
Biznik is based on a simple idea: connecting small businesses to each other for mutual business benefit.Biznik combines powerful social networking technology with face-to-face meetings and education, in a community that serves the unique needs of entrepreneurs and personal businesses. Biznik is a free service with opportunities for members to pay for enhanced features and more visibility. Membership levels include Supporting, Active and Basic. Biznik offers a variety of services for each member at each membership level, with new programs and resources being added regularly.

Check it out: www.biznik.com! Let me know what you think. And be sure to visit my profile!

Guerilla Marketing: The F.U. Lesson

For the past few weeks, I've been meeting with a guerilla marketing coach, who has helped me focus on the marketing plan and tactics for Kalico Design. During the course of my work day I get so caught up in producing eye-catching and effective graphic design to help others portray their marketing message, that my own marketing kind of gets put on the back burner. Not anymore! I meet once a week with my coach, and take an hour or two out of the week to work on my own marketing with focused intentionality and determination. While I am not permitted to share the specific guerilla worksheets, verbiage and lessons; I'd like to share some of the (very simple!) actions I've taken in the past few weeks which have yielded results. I plan to hit on one or two topics each week, in the hopes that some of these my help others out as well.

My first "field work" assignment was relatively simple (I've found that most of the guerilla marketing tactics are actually extremely simple, and I often think to myself "Duh. Why HAVEN'T I been doing that?"). Anyway, my first task was simple — follow up, or F.U., as one of my networking buddies has coined! I actually thought I had been doing a relatively good job at this. I follow up consistently with clients during the course of a particular job, and often soon after the job as well. What I hadn't been doing was following-up with clients on a regular, scheduled basis. I would just send a follow-up email or give a client a quick phone call when I had the time or when it popped in my head, which resulted in putting the follow-up on the back burner, or sometimes forgetting for weeks or months on end.

So, last week, I followed up with the majority of my past clients, just by sending a quick email. And guess what!? I had an 80% response rate, which immediately resulted in new projects for 40% of those I had contacted, with several more potential projects in the future for others. All by just sending a quick email! I now have also scheduled a semi-annual F.U. session on the Kalico calendar, so I will be sure to follow through on the whole follow-up!

Are you doing consistent and effective follow-up with your existing clients? If not, try it out and let me know what results you get. Send and email, or make a phone call—whatever works best for YOU and your business! Be sure to make it a habit and designate certain F.U. days on your calendar to help you remember!

Also, if you'd like more information on guerilla marketing, please visit their website or check out the guerilla blog for more marketing suggestions!

Valentine's Day Promo

Happy Valentine's Day! I apologize for the delay in posting, it's been a busy two weeks on the Kalico home front. I managed to send out my first client gift and promo last week—a Valentine's Day promo thanking all my clients. While it was just a simple treat, a tin of M&M's, labeled with my name and a V-Day greeting, as well as a few extra chocolates, it seemed to be a big hit with all my clients! I don't think they were expecting it! I had originally intended to send out a Christmas gift, but then I figured, why not send it out at a different time? Stand out amongst the slew of Christmas/New Year's holiday promos, and I think it did the trick! Plus, I get to eat all the left over candies!

Green Yet Logo Gets Recognition!

I was just notified that the Green Yet? logo has recently been selected to be published in the upcoming book, The Big Book of Green Design. The book will be 384 pages of design examples of earth-friendly designs. It will be printed on FSC certified paper, and broken into three sections, including: 1. Retail and B2B Products that portray a green image; 2. Companies that have 'gone green' and 3.Individual Green-ness (examples of graphic designers who have 'gone green').

The book will be produced by Crescent Hill Books, creators of books such as "The Big Book of Logos" series, the Creativity series and American Corporate Identity book series. No word on when the book will be available in stores, but I will be sure to keep you updated.

Logo Inspiration & Resource

I recently submitted a few of my logo designs to both LogoPond and LogoGala, both of which are great sources of inspiration, showcasing professionally created logos. I often go there to get ideas on color combinations, illustration techniques, or interesting font choices that I can incorporate into my own logo designs (or to just browse through some great concepts in general). LogoPond has hundreds of logos showcased, and there is a great search field if you're looking for a particular style or industry. While LogoGala is relatively new, there are more logos added daily, so this will most likely become a great resource in just a few months time. Please be sure to visit LogoPond and vote for my logos (which will give them better site rankings and higher visibility):

Green Yet
Joy of Herbs
Character Bags

To vote, just click on the little life saver icon in the bottom left corner. More logos to be posted soon!

Designer People: Television Series

I happily stumbled across a great television program last night. For the remainder of January, Ovation TV is showing a series called "Designer People". It highlights leading designers in architecture, communication, industrial, interior, and fashion, from all over the world. Last night I watched the episode on Ed Fella, who was an emerging commercial designer (as they called it back then) in the 1960's and 70's. Of course, I thought it was extremely interesting, especially due to the fact that Ed did not use the computer to develop any of his designs, even into the 80's and 90's! He broke the conventions of graphic design — at the time dominated by the Swiss design approach, consisting a clean lines, minimal features and a grid system — by making text have a sense of movement on the page, often swirling and curving.

The Designer People series is part of Ovation TV's overall "Everything is Art" campaign. I highly recommend trying to catch a few of these episodes. For a list of upcoming shows, go to the schedule page on Ovation TV's website and click on "design".

Bittbox—Great Design Resources

I wanted to let everyone know about a great design resource site I've been going to for a while now — www.bittbox.com! Bittbox offers loads of free fonts, tutorials, textures, even some vector art. Bittbox is the brain child of Jay Hilgert who self characterizes himself as a "Designer, Blogger, Web Enthusiast, and an Apple Geek". Just wanted to say thanks to Jay and to Bittbox, they've been a great resource for my own designs, and I'll be sure to keep going back to them! I hope Bittbox might help you out as well—be sure to check them out!

Our New Site Goes Live

I've been working on it for months, and I'm excited to announce that Kalico's new website is now live! I feel it is a great way to start the 2009 year, and a way to celebrate our one year anniversary! The new site is complete with an updated look and enhanced features, an improved portfolio section, and a more defined process. Please check it out at www.kalicodesign.com and I look forward to your feedback!

DanceFest Poster to be Published!

Kalico Design's poster design for the 2008 DanceFest event has been selected to appear in Crescent Hill Books "Big Book of Self Promotion". The book will be available in stores February 2009. The DanceFest poster will be featured in a section dedicated to the promotion of arts events and organizations.

DanceFest is presented by the Frederick Arts Council, showcasing dance studios and companies in the Frederick region. Ticket proceeds go towards an annual dance scholarship. I was excited to work on the project this year, especially as a past performer.

Kalico Judges Awards Competition

I was honored to be one of the judges for the Greater Frederick Advertising Federation's (GFAF) Student ADDY competition.

"The ADDY® Awards is the advertising industry's largest and most representative competition, attracting the areas brightest and most talented creatives. The mission of the ADDY competition is to recognize and reward creative excellence in the art of advertising."

This year's student work was great, as usual, representing various regional schools including Susquehanna University, Salisbury University, Kaplan College, Frederick Community College and Shepherd College. I was especially impressed with the craftsmanship and attention to detail. I was also happy to see that most projects reflected real-world design, for instance a direct mail piece such as a Frequent Flyer Miles reward card promotion or a text-heavy annual report.

Real graphic design doesn't mean making something just look pretty. It means taking the content a client supplies and creating a layout or look that best communicates the client's overall message to their target audience base.

I look forward to seeing more student work in the future. Who knows, maybe I'll be hiring one of these talented designers one day in the future!

Happy New Year!

Kalico Design would like to wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year. Good things are coming for 2009, I can feel it!