What Do "Back to the Future" and SEO Have In Common?

"Lorraine…I'm Your Density! I mean, your destiny."

OK, OK, so SEO and Back to the Future don't really have a lot in common. But during a recent SEO discussion, I simply could NOT get this quote out of my mind!

I recently attended "PowerPress", a superbly informative seminar led by our friend Tobin of New North. While the seminar's main focus was on Wordpress websites (I seriously have so much new information that my brain has gone into slight overload), we also touched on some great SEO tools and practices.

Now, I won't even begin to pretend that I know a whole lot about SEO. I get the general idea and even some of the ways you can increase it, but most of time it just makes me cross-eyed to think about it (I'm a more visual kind of person...hence the whole graphic designer thing). But, the tool that really caught my eye is called SEO Quake, a handy analytic seo-tool for Firefox, Chrome and Opera browsers. While SEO Quake offers a variety of free tools, today we focused on Keyword density. Keyword density is the number of times a keyword or phrase appears on a web page compared to the total number of words on the page.

You can use SEO Quake to test your own site's keyword density, to see which keywords on your site are the biggest/most used—and it may not necessarily be the keywords you want! Go ahead and download SEO Quake for yourself and see where your keyword destiny…I mean density, registers.

What's Your Issuu?

So what is issuu? This amazing online resource offers individuals a library of over a million free publications, as well as serves as a free publishing platform . While magazines are the most eye catching to me, Issuu has no limits to the types of documents it contains. While surfing the site I noticed maps, annual reports, brochures, flyers, and even the IKEA catalogue (ok, so I got a little distracted looking through the catalog, I'm not gonna lie). Honestly, I truly think I could spend all day on this website.

Kalico uses issuu to upload several of our client's publications. Both Find it Frederick and Frederick County Guide are uploaded to the site and available for viewing upon release date. Our favorite part about issuu? Its amazingly simple to use! You can either set up a free account (warning: free accounts will show advertising) or use their affordable Issuu Pro plan (details here) with benefits such as unlimited publications, unlimited storage & backup and detailed reader statistics. Once your account is set up, all you need is to upload a pdf of your publication and voilà, instant online magazine (or brochure, or map, or annual report…you get the idea!)

Plus, you can get coding from issuu to put your publication directly on your website, blog or facebook fan page. Um, let me demonstrate…

Open publication - Free publishing - More arts

Coo, huh? Interested in working with Kalico Design on your next publication AND getting it online? Give us a shout (or email, we like emails too).

Online Printers: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

A few weeks ago, I teamed up with Tobin Lehman from Tobin Lehman Design + Interactive to compare notes on some of our favorite (and not so favorite) online printers. With so many options out there, sometimes it's hard to find a printer that offers decent quality, affordable pricing, good customer service and user-friendly navigation for basic projects such as business cards, postcards or tri-fold brochures. This article gives you some first-hand feedback for your next small printing project. 

Greener Printer 
Kim: Greener Printer is one of my favorite online printers because not only are they a certified green printer (using only recycled papers with soy inks and following sustainable business practices), but they also offer high-quality, affordable printing. It’s the best of both worlds! Greener Printer offers a wide range of templated products such as business cards, brochures, and even catalogs. In addition, they can do custom sizes and quotes as well. Their website is easy to use, allowing you to quickly calculate printing prices, with simple upload options. My only negative for this printer is that their turn-around time is not as fast as some of those “other” online printers.
http://www.greenerprinter.com 

Moo
Kim: So, I’ll admit it, I’ve only recently come across Moo, but so far I love them! Their website not only offers great pricing on products such as business cards, mini cards, postcards, and more; but they also offer some great resources for design inspiration and printing tips. One especially cool feature on moo is their unique Printfinity technology, which allows you to print a different design on every single card in the pack! Um, did someone say, AWESOME! (oh, wait, that was me). My only negative for this printer is that while they continue to add more, their current product options are a tad limited.
http://us.moo.com/

SmartPress
Tobin: I just recently used this printer for an online job and I was very impressed by the quality of the user experience, paper choices, and pricing. They really seem like they have a good process and system in place to make your account accessible as well. I like being able to see all my jobs in one place, and that is a nice feature. The proofing process was really easy and approvals seemed to be well controlled. I plan on using this printer for a few more projects to see how the other product offerings turn out.
http://www.smartpress.com

VistaPrint
Kim: Good, old VistaPrint. The positives for VistaPrint are their 1) speed and 2) amount of product options. The negatives for VistaPrint are their 1) speed and 2) amount of product options. VistaPrint is a great go-to, online printer when you need something fast and cheap. While their quality is not bad, it’s not super impressive either. As a general rule, I only use them for postcards and 4-color digital business cards…materials that don’t need exact color matching, and things that I need in a hurry. I find that lately they almost have too many product offerings, which can make it a little confusing when trying to place an order. While they don’t offer live chat or email customer service, their customer service via phone has always been extremely helpful.

Tobin: I’ve only used Vistaprint on one occasion for some folders a few years back. The quality was well done, but price was not the cheapest, which was something to be considered for my client. Everything was done on time, and I have no complaints about the service. I get TONs of emails from them now, which is good and bad.
http://www.vistaprint.com

Got Print
Tobin: Quality and price are both above average among providers although shipping price is a bit high from some others I have used. I’ve never had to send any work back, but I’ve not been blown away by good quality either. The biggest problem I find is the turn-around time. I’ve sent jobs and not heard from them for a week. If you’re trying to meet a tight deadline stay away from this printer.
http://www.gotprint.com/

Overnight Prints
Kim: I do not recommend using OvernightPrints, and will never use them again. A few years ago, I was happy to send small, quick-turn-around runs for business cards or postcards to OvernightPrints. Unfortunately the last 3 orders I sent to them all returned with errors including trim mistakes and inconsistencies on business cards, major color errors, and in one case, a client’s entire logo did not even print on his card (even though the files were set up correctly). While they offer extremely low pricing, I’d much prefer to spend a little more to alleviate the poor quality and errors this company has recently been producing.

Tobin: While product is speedily delivered, quality is sacrificed. Approximately half of the business card related print jobs I’ve requested were received with errors and I’ve had to send the work back and have it reprinted. The quality of brochures and envelopes, in my experience, has been fine.
http://www.overnightprints.com/

Hope this helps you with your next online printing decisions. Keep in mind, I only recommend using online printers for smaller print runs and only for certain projects such as business cards, postcards, rack cards, trifolds, etc. Should you have a more custom project and/or need a very large quantity, be sure to go with a more local printer!  Have another printer you'd recommend, please leave a comment below!

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About Tobin Lehman
Tobin Lehman is an advertiser and educator who lives in Frederick, Maryland. His professional portfolio can be found at www.tobinlehman.com , and you can contact him at contact@tobinlehman.com. 

We're Still Here, We Swear!

OK, OK, so I've definitely been MIA the past few weeks on the blog scene. But, let me tell you, it's been a very busy past few weeks at the Kalico homefront! Take a look at just a few of the recent projects we've been slaving away happily working on and let me know which one is your favorite!

1. Find it Frederick Website: This exciting, fun, Frederick web site launched in March! Check it out here.

 2. Find It Frederick and Frederick County Guide Spring Issues: A few of the quarterly magazines we do the design and layout for.

3. NAVTA Rack Cards: We designed a series of rack cards for this national vet tech association to use at trade shows around the country.

4. Frederick Atlantic Website: This Atlantic League baseball team is looking to move to our area, and they needed a general information website for press and locals to refer to. Check it out here!

5. Various Logo Designs: Just a few samples of some of the Spring logos we've been working on, including a logo for a start-up lunch delivery company, a management company, and a nonprofit's anniversary logo.

So, there you have it, just a few samplings of Kalico's past 2 months. Which project do you like the best and why? What other kinds of articles and information would you like to see on our blog? Stayed tuned for more exciting news and sample project work to come!

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!

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!

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!