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Just What Do We Pay Graphic Designers For

We all know, that in actual fact designers not only create images that are designed to catch the eye of the consumer, but to make a business appear professional also and indeed the core purpose of their work is to help convert potential customers into actual customers via brand/image and marketing materials linked in with this.

Is that all?

I’m sure a lot of business owners think that really is all there is to the design industry that serves them and the many designers that populate it.

In some cases (for some designers) that really is all there is to it – they don’t operate on many other levels other than to make their designs professional, pretty, and eye catching.

However there really are other aspects that must be considered when you commission a design to develop the brand image for your business, a couple of these are explored in more detail now;

1. Target Market;

Recently I was approached by a company interested in brand design; their product and service was one that should be targeting both men and women, and yet when I was shown the design they had received already for another designer I immediately noted some glaring issues with it.

The design itself was eye pleasing and on the surface of it a less experienced person may observe that it was a professional effort; but the designer had produced something which featured a stylised woman as the central figure within the logo and not only that despite the stylised nature of the image, she was clearly of oriental heritage.

I quickly pointed out to the customer that when one’s target market is male and females and not women only, that to gender bias one’s logo design is counter productive, and even worse to possibly alienate even more people by making the character a particular ethnicity when your product is targeted at all nationalities.

A creative must think, think, think, and then and think some more about the target market when they are designing. To enable that before they start designing, they absolutely have to ask the business owner about the business; who are the customers, how will the product or service be sold to them, and so on.

2. Colours & Tones

A long time ago now I wrote a very popular article entitled the ‘The Relationship Between Colours & Sales’ – I’ve long since populated the piece across the internet and you can thus read it on many websites.

Although as creatives we don’t need to enslave ourselves completely to the rules of colour psychology, any designer working on a project should always keep this in mind.

In addition to considering the psychological effect certain colours have on mood and behaviour, which is well documented by the marketing industry, one needs to consider the socio-economic dynamic of the target market as this has some bearing on the tone of the colour scheme chosen.

For instance it’s not uncommon for my clients to ask for a bright colour scheme for their brand design, but this doesn’t always suit their target market; it’s known that low income groups are attracted to bright colours and thus if you don’t wish to attract low income groups a bright colour scheme isn’t right for your brand design regardless of what you like as an individual.

When your designer goes to work and you review concepts it’s vital to appreciate the design isn’t supposed to necessarily appeal to what you like, it’s supposed to appeal to your target market and this may not necessarily be the same thing as your own favourite colours.

These are just a couple of important areas that must be considered by your designer before they start work on your brand development, some of the other areas include;

-      Ensuring the design will work well whether printed billboard sized or business card sized.

-      Making sure the company name is easily readable.

-      Ensuring the design is neither too tall in height, or too wide horizontally; disproportionate designs can be more difficult to incorporate into layouts for print such as flyers, stationery, brochures and so on; this means these items may not look as good as they should.

Much of this advice can also be applied even when you already have your brand design established and have moved on to developing this further with your marketing materials.

It’s important that the designer working on your printed stationery and marketing materials appreciates the need to be sympathetic to the brand theme already established, and also has sufficient skill and experience to bear in mind that designs created must appeal to the target market.

5 Home Business Solutions for the Homemaker

If you stay at home and want to earn an income for yourself or your family, there's never been a better time than now. With so many opportunities online, you can easily start your own home business with a computer, Internet connection, desk and chair! Whether you want to start a part-time or full-time home business, here are some excellent home business solutions to consider.

1. Make Money Online by Offering Web-related Services

If you're skilled in Web design, graphic design, Internet marketing, or other Web-related services, you can make money online by offering these services to others. There are many homemakers and business people just like you who are getting online to start a business. They'll need their own website, hosting, domain name, company Web logo, and Internet marketing services.

If you can provide these services, you'll have a terrific opportunity for residual income. Many of these services are paid monthly or yearly, so the potential for success is amazing.

2. Educate Others and Work from Home

If you have special skills and love to teach, there's good news. You no longer have to apply for a teaching job at a school or university. You can now start your own training website and teach others from the comfort of your own home. The Internet is flooded daily with people who want to increase their knowledge and skills. Many moms and dads are now offering classes, selling e-books, and providing instructional websites all while staying home with the kids. It's a great way to make money online without paying high daycare bills!

There are also unique home business solutions online where you can sign up with a company that provides training to students for you. You can potentially earn a huge residual income by promoting their educational services.

3. Join an MLM Opportunity

MLM has grown tremendously in recent years thanks to online technology. More and more people are making money online with MLM because it's so much easier to communicate using online resources such as email, websites, and instant messaging.

If you decide to join an MLM company, be sure the company is trustworthy. Investigate before you sign on, or find a company that will investigate for you. A good place to start is a dependable MLM directory. These companies will investigate many different home business solutions and list only those that are legitimate and that offer the most profit potential.

4. Niche Home Business Solutions

Many homemakers are earning a substantial income by offering niche products or services. For example, the mother who loves to sew baby clothing decides to sell her items through her own website or through consignment websites. Or, a father who loves to do handiwork around the house starts a "handyman" e-zine and sells related products and tools. A young college student discovers the secrets to college life and starts his or her own "college life" newsletter.

The possibilities are endless. Other niche home business ideas include baking, hunting, fishing, musical instruction, handmade crafts, handmade furniture, parenting, pets, weddings, gardening, and sports.

5. Investments

If you like to take your chances in the stock market, investing is easier than ever on the Internet. Many homemakers make money online by investing in Forex, the popular and lucrative currency exchange market. Some earn money with traditional stocks. If this is your passion, you can now do it from home with minimal effort.

Please be careful, as there are many scams with companies trying to get you to invest in fake stocks. Check out every opportunity carefully, and keep your funds safe by dealing only with reputable, well-known stock companies and brokers.

No matter which home business solution you choose, use online directories and the testimonies of other online business owners to help you find the opportunities that will fit your schedule and budget.

How to Write a Great Press Release and Increase Press Release Distribution

Every online business should have a marketing and advertising plan. While paid advertising - especially Internet advertising - can drive highly targeted traffic to your site, many online businesses overlook a key component of any marketing and advertising plan: press releases and press release distribution. A great press release can garner the kind of exposure that money can't buy; in essence, it's free advertising. Press release distribution is an extremely cost-effective way to get the word out to thousands, hundreds of thousands, and perhaps millions of potential customers.

Many business owners might respond, "But I've written press releases and haven't received a single response." If that's the case, the lack of response is most likely either due to either a poorly written press release or poor press release distribution.

Although virtually anyone can string words together, writing a press release that will grab and hold the attention of the media is an art. Many press release services also offer press release writing services; in most cases, it's worth the money to leave it to the professionals. If you do want to write your own press release, though, here are some tips:

1. At the top of the release, include a contact person's name, phone number, and email address, as well as the URL of your website. It's imperative that whomever is listed will be available to speak to the media. In other words, don't decide to distribute your press release and then head off on vacation.

2. Make the topic timely. Unless yours is a Fortune 1000 company, simply announcing that your product exists will draw only a yawn from the media. Find a hook. Your hook could be an upcoming holiday, for example. Better yet, find a way to piggyback your product or service onto something that's currently making news. Reporters are always looking for new angles for their follow-up stories.

3. Don't forget the Five Ws. A reporter should be able to read the first paragraph of your release and know who, what, where, when, and why. If they don't find the information there, they won't read any further.

4. Incorporate quotes from an "expert." The expert could be you, the CEO of your company, or someone with whom you collaborate. The bottom line is that he or she should be able to authoritatively speak about the topic of the release, and should be available to the media for interviews.

5. Keep it short. A press release is a teaser to get the media interested in your company. Say what you need to say in 400-500 words. If reporters want more information, they'll contact you.

6. A picture is worth 1,000 words. If you're promoting a product, have high-resolution (300 dpi) images available, and state their availability at the end of your press release. Editors will choose to cover a product with a photo over a product without every single time.

When it comes to press release distribution, use press release services. Ideally, you should use a press release distribution service that can target your release to members of the media that specifically cover your market or industry. Consider a press release distribution service that offers online print distribution, fax distribution, and audio distribution.

Keep in mind that press release distribution can take awhile to bear fruit. In contrast to websites, which continually publish new content, magazines often have months of lead time. Your press release may get some immediate responses, and continue to receive a trickle of responses for months to come.

Lastly, press release writing and press release distribution should be a cornerstone of your marketing and advertising efforts. Issuing a new press release every three to four weeks keeps your company in front of the media, and has a cumulative effect of increasing the effectiveness of your press releases.

Office Chair

An office chair is a type of furniture that is designed to help employees sit in a single location for extended periods of time. Many office chairs can swivel, and this will allow the workers to reach different places without having to get up. The seat of these chairs will conform to the shape of those who sit in it, and they will often have armrests and backing to support the spines of those who sit in them. The goal of an office chair was to make the worker feel comfortable so that they could concentrate on performing various tasks. Because of the environment, the chairs that were used by executives differed from the employees.

Traditionally, office chairs that were designed for executives did not have the ability to swivel, and this showed that the executive had no need to move into multiple places, and could reside in a single position. Over time, the executive office chair became large, and many of them also featured closed arms, and are made with luxurious materials. Most executives today have office chairs that are large and elaborate. While office chairs were first designed in the 19th century, it wasn't until the 1970s when ergonomics was used in their design.

Because those sitting in chairs for extended periods of time would experience back pain, an emphasis was placed on designing chairs that would be as comfortable as possible, and would prevent those sitting in them from getting stress injuries. This led to office chairs that were adjustable in many ways. A person of a different height or size could adjust the chair in a way that fits them. The best contemporary office chairs can be adjusted to fit a person of virtually any size. Despite this, sitting down in any chair for extended periods of time will bring stress to the back. Even those who sit in the best chairs will want to get up and move around once every 30 minutes.

People who spend lots of time sitting in an office will want to make sure they purchase the correct chair. While being cheap with other forms of office furniture is generally not a problem, you should want to invest money in a good chair that will bring comfort to your back. Using office chairs which are ergonomic can help you avoid back problems. The best office chairs are those which offer support to your lower back. There are hundreds of office chairs available on the market, and no one chair is considered to be the best, even if it is the most expensive. In addition to back support, a good office chair should have an excellent amount of depth. The standard depth for office chairs is a maximum of 20 inches.

The height of the seat is also important. For most people a height about 16 to 20 inches is usually sufficient. This is a height which should allow you to rest both of your feet flat on the floor. It is also important for office chairs to support your lower back, because chairs that don't support the lower backs of those who site in them will cause them to slouch, and this will add even more stress to their lower backs.

Earn The Insider Secrets Of Income

Get Rich Quick Scams Revealed

Read this article before you consider paying for a "get rich quick" program.

From: http://swasdm.amentors.hop.clickbank.net

Everybody would love to make lots of money quickly, working from home, and only doing a few hours of work per week. I've spent the past two years trying to find a great way of doing this. Only over the course of the past few months have I found any "get rich quick" programs worth buying. I've been trying to make money online for a long time. I had a few small websites, but they never made much more than a few hundred per month. It was easy money and didn't require much work on my part, but I knew there were people out there doing better than I was and I knew I could do as well as them.

Now, I've seen a lot of "get rich quick" programs. Most of these people make claims about earning $2000/day with Google or something similarly insane. Almost all of these people are complete liars. Even if they were making $2000/day with Google AdSense, it'd be because they had high - traffic websites with a lot of quality content. I'd know, because in one whole month, I never even made half of what they promised I'd make daily with their programs. Maybe you've already been scammed by one of these fraudsters. Anyway, I finally got sick of what was being offered.

I decided I'd look through the all of the "get rich quick" programs I could find and see if there were any that were actually legitimate. I found that there were owners selling their programs for well over $100, but the information in them could be found almost anywhere online for free. Additionally, they all contained out-of-date information, had no e-mail support, no money back guarantees, and broken links in the downloads section.

In conclusion, almost all of the programs I found were completely useless. The owners knew it, but they couldn't care less about their customers since they didn't offer refund policies! Amazingly, while looking through all of the programs, I actually did find a few legitimate programs. They were run by ordinary people like you and me, and they had found some great methods of making money from their home by doing very little work.

I spent some time working with those programs, and my income is now ten times what it used to be. These programs provided a large amount of great information on how to make extra money on your computer doing very little work. Numerous customers had provided great feedback and reviews for their products. Many of them have started to make money just days after buying!

Their programs have excellent prices, and the authors have a group of paid staff who are dedicating to helping you or providing assistance if you need any. I must say I was amazed! If you do decide to purchase any of the programs listed below, I recommend you join quickly. Most of the owners tell me they are getting an overwhelming number of sales and plan on raising prices in the near future, so order while prices are still low!

To Your Online Success,

http://swasdm.amentors.hop.clickbank.net

Bartending

SHAKING, STIRRING, AND STRAINING

Drinks requiring only shaking are covered with a plastic shaker cup and mixed within the glass; whereas shaken and strained or stirred and strained drinks are originally mixed within (a) shaker cups (glass & stainless steel) and then transferred to a glass. Remember to always fill your shaker full of ice before mixing drinks requiring either stirring/shaking and straining. The same applies to glassware; always start with a full glass of ice.

*SAFETY PRECAUTIONS*

Please keep in mind that while directions such as "shoot drink", "drink without using hands", "ignite drink", or "while leaning head over bar pour drink into mouth" are all authentic recipe components, they are only suggestions and should not be attempted if you feel that they might pose a hazard to your health. Make certain to never carry or transport a lit drink, as alcohol is a flammable liquid and should be respectfully treated as such. Before drinking, completely extinguish any drink suggesting ignition.

Always overstock on ice, fresh resupply is critical in the maintenance of professional standards. Whenever glassware or bottles are broken in the vicinity of the ice bin, melt the ice with hot water, clean the bin, and restock with new ice.

Ice

Ice can be one of the most important factors in determining a drink's quality. Generally speaking, the small square-shaped "slices" usually referred to as "bar" ice are best. Aside from preventing premature blender destruction, the smaller style ice cube, will by virtue of increased surface area, make for a significantly colder drink. The resulting reduction in vapor pressure (fumes) from the alcohol makes for a more palatable mixed drink.

As mentioned before in the section on Ice, whenever glassware or bottles are broken in the vicinity of the ice bin, melt the ice with hot water, clean the bin and restock with new ice.

A 2-speed commercial blender is practically a must for quality frozens. Don't destroy a 15-speed kitchen blender trying to crush ice; it's simply not made for the job. Waring produces a good line of commercial 2-speed Blendor models that start at less than $90.00.

Liquor Measurement

The use of a shot system has been adopted, whereby a shot is equal to whichever size jigger you use, keeping in mind that the recipes are based on a 1 1/2 oz. shot. When using a different size jigger, correct proportioning can be main­tained by using larger glassware and more mixer if the "shot" is bigger or vice versa if smaller. Use a 1 1/4 oz. shot and the specified sizes and measurements for a milder recipe variation. Splashes are 1 oz., scoops are 4 ozs. and dashes are from 3 to 5 drops. This system was chosen not only because it's quick and easy to use but most importantly, because it's adaptable to your bartending style.

Liquor Measuring Key

Dash-------3 to 5 drops

Scoop------4 ounces

Shot-------1 1/2 ounces

Splash-----1 ounce

Tablespoon-'/2 ounce (3 tspn.)

Teaspoon---'/6 ounce

A.K.A.-----"Also Known As"

S.A.-------"See Also"

V/O--------"Variation or Option"

/----------"or"

R----------"Registered Trademark"

Find Hidden Money for Your Business Through Revenue Recovery

If you're searching for ways to increase your bottom line, starting a new venture or going after a new business opportunity might not be the answer. Your small business could have hidden money through overcharges that you're not aware of - and revenue recovery may be the answer.

Did you know that businesses lose approximately $250 billion per year through inefficient billing systems and practices? More than 80% of all businesses are overcharged annually without their knowledge! Your home business or small business could very well be within this percentage.

Don't become a victim of poor business management. Good business economics comes from smart management. Knowing about overcharges and how to prevent them will greatly improve your business finance management today and for the future.

What are Overcharges?

Overcharges are additional charges that you may have paid unawares on certain types of bills. These "additional" charges are often accounting or typing mistakes, hidden fees that you were not informed about, or even fees tacked onto bills by a dishonest company. There are many types of overcharges. Here are just a few that are common with businesses.

Workers Comp Overcharges

If you have workers compensation issues at your workplace, then you may also have mistakes that are costing you money each year. These mistakes are often discovered in payrolls, experience modifications, classifications, or NCCI rules applications. There may also be insurance company overcharges. These "mistakes" can cost your company thousands of dollars per year if not caught in time.

Telecom Overcharges

Some studies show that almost 80% of telephone bills contain errors that cost American businesses millions of dollars per year. Telecom overcharges have become a major problem because of the variety of telecom services offered today. Many corporate businesses and franchises must keep up with long distance calling and toll-free calls, cell phones, answering services, telemarketers, and customer service calls. It's no wonder telecom overcharges are so common.

Telephone bills have become so complicated to read that many ignore the details and just write a check for the bill! What's the result? Businesses lose hard-earned money.

Income Tax Overcharges

Businesses can also lose money through income tax overpayments. This can occur whether it's an individual who owns a small home-based business or a small business owner with 5 to 100 employees. The IRS rules change almost every year, so keeping up with income taxes can be a difficult task - even for a financial consultant or accountant!

Tax overcharges can and do occur every year for individuals and business owners. What many don't realize is that these overcharges can turn into hefty refunds if submitted to the IRS as amended tax returns. Your business could have tax overcharges waiting to be claimed!

Rent, Leases and Utilities

Other areas where overcharges can occur are with business offices or building rent, leases, or utilities. In cases where the landlord includes utilities with your rent or lease agreement, he may be getting a discount on utilities, but charging you, the tenant, full price. Therefore, you might possibly negotiate a better rate if this is found to be true. This could result in tremendous savings every month for your business.

Revenue Recovery Solutions

There are many ways to investigate and recover lost revenue; however, it can be very time-consuming to audit all of your business information and bills each month. Luckily, there are many companies such as AmCorp Management that specialize in revenue recovery. They keep up with business news and investigate your bills for you to find overcharges and recover them for you. They provide business services that save you time so you can test new business ideas and possibly increase your bottom line each year through revenue recovery.

Consider revenue recovery to be a lifesaver, not a waste of time. You might be surprised at the money that has been hidden in overcharges year after year.

Best Web Hosting – Business Guide

Kingsrealm Consulting Group has announced the release of their annual   best-of-the-best web hosting providers - a business guide for small and mid-size   companies. This free report outlines the top choices for a wide range of   categories including low cost, high powered, and customer support.

Say’s Kingsrealm CEO “We have found over the years that choosing a hosting   provider can be a minefield of uncertainty for most companies. Even the best   made plans for web hosting can go bad and leave a company scrambling for a quick   solution to a hosting nightmare. This annual report serves as a guide to help   companies who need to find a hosting provider make that decision a good   one.”

The guide is broken down into useful categories tailored to every business.   Whether your web hosting needs are traditional or extraordinary there is a   selection that will provide you the maximum power and flexibility for your needs   at far lower cost than you might have imagined.

Having vetted and time tested these companies on over 500 projects we have   kept the best and scrapped the rest so you don’t need to deal with the junk. We   have created a truly useful resource to keep your business safe and   productive.

The report “The best Hosting Providers – A Business Guide” is available from   the company as a free .pdf download.

Download the report: (http://www.kingsrealm.com/Best-Hosting-Solutions/index.html-The Best   Hosting Providers - A Business Report )

About Kingsrealm

Kingsrealm Consulting Group is a full service   interactive agency, offering a broad spectrum of Online PR, Social Media,   Digital Marketing and Systems Engineering services custom tailored to grow your   business and boost your bottom line.

Top Offshoring Company India

The main specialty area of an established management consultancy recognized as a quality provider of cost-effective offshore company India services then became to organize, multi-task, re-invent and design customized business model deliverables for a company based in another continent. This could include simply guidance and consultancy and then a step-up to another third party agency, which would then undertake the offshoring related tasks or the offshoring company India could expand the limit of its resources to accommodate the presence of a dedicated workforce to perform a variety of outsourced tasks for mutually agreed cost and quality terms.

What are the main advantages in choosing an offshoring company India?

At the core of offshoring any process or groups of processes that are vital or even non-core but important nonetheless, is the fact that the attractively lower cost of business operations, be it production, manufacturing support or marketing etc. associated with assured business continuity and productivity, offers business owners better operating margins.

Crucial factors in determining an offshore based organization’s decision to utilize the considerably reduced and tempting offer of expert services of a certain standard sometimes at less than 50% of home shore costs combine to help sway the decision in the favor of a top offshoring company India. Close competition if offered to the top offshoring company India by those in China, Indonesia, Philippines or Malaysia, the other emerging destinations for offshoring.

While for the IT based industry, offshoring to India and other Asian countries dominated by the stronger dollar and pound currency, the USP includes lower cost and predictable quality that is consistent with lower attrition rates than abroad, experts feel India has an extra edge over the previously named South Asian countries because it has a larger and more competent talent pool of English speaking people willing to do the grunt work. This fact was reported in the GSLI’s latest annual survey by global management consulting firm, A.T. Kearney.

To keep up to date with the latest industry news about trends in outsourcing, stop by www.eupath.com – the leading offshoring company India!