Old Mixed with the New.

With a company name change, an updated services list and a new perspective; Trinity Electrical absolutely loved a portion of their old logo design and didn't want to let it go. Understandably so, the fist with a lightening bolt aligned well with their business ethics and strongly represented the concept of power and strength.

However, a different color scheme and a fresh look was a priority for any marketing materials used moving forward. With a slick black and grey combination, the yellow lightening bolt really stands out on this custom designed business card. When printed on a high-quality cover stock with a glossy finish, this business card design is one that will catch the eye of anyone who sees it.

Start designing your custom designed business cards today with Tasha Lee Design. Tasha Lee Design is a creative design firm located in the Chicagoland area who specializes in print design for small businesses.

Contact Tasha Lee Today :: 630-335-0156 :: tasha@tashaleedesign.com

National Peanut Month!

It is ironic that I came across the interesting fact of March being National Peanut Month because I have just discovered a new Peanut Butter Ball recipe that is to die for! This recipe is all over Pinterest and if you are a fellow user, you too, have most likely run across it.

What is so awesome about them, is these balls are packed full of protein and are healthy for you! My family fights over them when I make them and a double batch barely lasts 5 days in my home. So if you are crazy about peanut butter, you MUST try these out.

No-Bake Energy Bites

(makes 18-20 bites)

1 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)

1/3 cup honey

1 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup ground flaxseed

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

Mix everything above in a medium bowl until thoroughly incorporated. Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. Once chilled, roll into balls and enjoy! Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Original Source: Smashed Peas and Carrots

Tasha Lee Design, Chicagoland Graphic Designer
Email Me: tasha@tashaleedesign.com

What I Love About Small Businesses.

Small businesses are typically on a shoestring budget and love to learn do-it-yourself methods, marketing and professional design is one of the first things they cut when the budget gets tight and because of this, my workload is subject to many ups and downs, so it surprises many of my professional network when they learn that small businesses are 80% of my clientele. Now I am not saying that if a larger company wants to work with me that I will turn them away, but I do focus most of my efforts on the onsie and twosie type shops.

Why?
I see that small businesses struggle with their marketing, with keeping their business image consistent and coming up with a professional design that really separates them from their main competitors. It is becoming more common for companies who are a part of my industry to shoot up their rates, exclude the smaller guys with smaller projects, who ask more questions and are inconsistent in their marketing needs.

I can’t imagine dropping my small guys. I LOVE my small guys. Small businesses are emotionally invested in their company, many times creating partnerships with family members and or childhood friends. Small businesses have a great passion for their companies, truly believe in their product and market it with all their heart and soul. I love to hear about the stories behind the start of a small business and how they got to where they are right now. When talking about a new idea, I like to see the light in their eyes and hear the excitement in their voice. I like to get to know my clients to have a complete understanding of their personality and their business goals. Many of these characteristics that small business owners obtain are few and far between when dealing in Corporate America. Corporate America is so focused on the bottom line, they loose the passion that stems from owning your own business. I think the TV show Undercover Boss is a great example of this. Large companies loose sight of their roots and forget what matters to the little guys, which creates a huge disconnect between the two.

I myself am a small business owner, I have stable growth and pride myself on quality. I am individually owned and only use outside resources when it will benefit my clients. I am a big proponent of why pay for something when you can get it for free? I want to help my clients design marketing materials and to develop websites that not only mean something, but that they are proud of. I strive to give my clients flexibility, to allow them to be as much a part of the creative process as they want to be. Feeling boxed into your choices is uncomfortable for anyone, especially a small business owner who is typically wearing many of the hats needed in their business. One thing that stands out to me about small business owners is the heart behind the business.

What I am here to do is offer choices, allow my clients to be as involved as they like to be and only hire me when they NEED ME. I don't believe in retainer fees or monthly packages that may or may not include services that you will use. Working with the small guys is a great passion of mine, as I truly believe that all businesses deserve the right to professional design for an affordable price and to not pay for something that they really don't need.

Tasha Lee Design, Chicagoland Graphic Designer
Email Me: tasha@tashaleedesign.com

What is Your Niche? Clients That Tower Above

A great struggle of business owners is finding their niche market. Competitors are all around you and determining what makes you different, more valuable and which niche you belong in can be an intimidating task.

I attended a seminar last Spring that mentioned the idea of placing your clients into towers. What!? That was exactly my response, let me explain.

Each one of your clients can be categorized, as you go through the list, start placing your clients into their corresponding category. This can be based on the type of project, demographics, industry for businesses working B2B or a number of other options. As you start categorizing, you will see one of your lists TOWER about the others.... this is your niche market. The market you work with most often, have the most experience with and can best determine their needs. Since the category far exceeds and towers above all other categories, you can then leverage this as your niche market. Use this information to start marketing to that particular niche using words such as, SPECIALIZE or CATER TO.

Knowing what your niche is the hardest part, once it is determined, run with it! Now that you know what type of client you work with most often, you can building case studies and position yourself as an expert in your newly defined niche. How exciting! You have the start to a marketing plan. Start creating your marketing materials to reflect your niche and spark the interest of your ideal client.

WAYS To Target Your Niche Market:

• Advertise in printed publications that your niche is interested in
• Become a member of a forum or chat board and start answering questions / giving advice within your niche market
• Customize your website design to appeal to your niche market by offering resources, products and solutions that meet their needs
• Define new products and services that cater to your niche market
• Define / Position yourself as an expert through public speaking, blogging or seminars
• Ask current clients for referrals or testimonials that fall within your niche market
• Build case studies to show that you have had success within your niche market
  

Tasha Lee Design, Chicagoland Graphic Designer
Email Me: tasha@tashaleedesign.com

Why Professional Logo Design?

Your logo is your business identity that will be used to advertise and promote your business to the world, therefore it should be taken seriously and done by a professional company. If you choose to compromise on your price and quality of services by getting a cheap amateur to do the job it is highly likely that your own business image will also end up looking as unprofessional as the company that created your logo for you.

True professionals have the equipment, software and expertise, to provide you with the most effective and powerful brand-building tool, your company logo.

Cheap companies will often compromise on factors that are important to save them costs but the result is a cheap logo, for example, they may use clipart, whereas a professional company will produce a logo for you that is 100% original.

A logo should look just as good on a 5 metre tall sign on top of business building as it does 1cm high on business stationery. A professional company will produce you a logo that is in various formats, jpg and png are the most important for general use (like on a website), but you should also receive your logo design in the very important vector file format such as eps. Vector files are used when a graphic is required to be scaled in size without losing image quality, this means that if you ever need to make a large banner or poster you can using the vector file. Other files are not scalable and the logo or graphic is distorted when trying to increase its size.

You also want to be sure that you are the legal owner and have ownership rights to the design meaning that no other business can use it without your permission.

Ultimately a professional company has two things that sets them apart and make them so much better at designing logos than aspiring amateurs. Professional logo designers have training and experience, and these two make all the difference.

When considering a particular logo design company check what is included in your logo design services package before choosing a company to design your logo. It is important to view the samples on their portfolio to see samples of their work to give you an idea of their ability. Contact them and see how quickly they respond to your inquiry and how helpful they are to get an idea of their customer service. Look for client testimonials on their websites and make sure that they are genuine by calling the clients and asking how was their experience working with the logo design firm.

Tasha Lee Design, Chicagoland Graphic Designer
Email Me: tasha@tashaleedesign.com

SLIM SOFIA SIPS SKINNY CAN

The Pepsi “Skinny Can,” introduced at Fashion Week last month and rolling out now, is supported by striking print advertising. That includes this portrait of “Modern Family” star Sofia Vergara sipping from the new look can. Pepsi promoted the packaging as a celebration of confident women; feminist critics note that the fashion-related launch links “slim” to “successful,” and point the possible Photoshopping of the voluptuous Vergara down to a sleeker version for the ad. read more

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DUFFY NATURALLY

Duffy & Partners is responsible for creating new packaging for Natural Inspirations, a line of bath and body products launching this October. The Natural Inspirations line was created “to comfort the body and soothe the soul” while offering a new way to support Susan G. Komen for the Cure in its mission to end breast cancer.The packaging features beautifully layered botanical illustrations sweeping over pale pink backgrounds, each designed to represent a specific aromatherapy blends. see the products


Graphic Artist, Chicagoland Graphic Designer
Email Me: tasha@tashaleedesign.com

Green Design

ENVIRONMENTALISTS ARE NUTS

The Nutmobile, a traveling ambassador for the Planters brand, has gone green. The new model runs on biodiesel and has a wind turbine, solar panels, LED interior lighting, recycled parts and wood floors purportedly reclaimed from a 19th century barn. It made its public debut at the Global Green Oscars preparty. The redesigned Nutmobile joins a succession of mobile ad vehicles, best known of which is the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. Jason Levine is Planters’ senior director for marketing. He has the new Nutmobile is based on an Isuzu box truck. According to James Riseborough, chief creative officer of builder Turtle Transit, the fiberglass peanut body is held in place with an underlying steel frame. Energy captured and converted by the wind turbine and solar panel drive an alternator that recharges batteries for interior lighting and sound system. Joe Doyon, Turtle Transit’s general manager says that this kind of advertising is having a renaissance due to the popularity of camera phones.

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HAVE A GLASS

Creative agency Beattie McGuinness Bungay New York found a unique design solution that goes beyond p-o-p. Their concept takes emptied bottles of Bols Genever, a Dutch spirits brand, and via a specialized handmade process recycles them into attractive drinking glasses. The glasses are being leveraged as selling tools and premiums, with the vision to expand the program to consumers through a mail-in program.




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ALL QUIET ON THE CHIP FRONT
Frito-Lay has silenced its SunChips brand bag. The noisy but remarkably compostable eco-bag upset sensitive consumers and triggered a noise-free bag movement. The company states: “You asked for a quieter bag and we heard you loud and clear.”
read more

Freelance Artist, Chicagoland Graphic Designer
Email Me: tasha@tashaleedesign.com

Auto Zone Gets Girly

Can car care products be marketed directly to women, or at the very least be gender-neutral? Check out this branding exercise by design student Vinh Pho, which makes AutoZone products seem as if they were being sold out of Bath & Body Works.


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Oscars pushing its envelope

Previously just dressed-up office supply issue, this year's Academy Awards' winners' envelopes are now custom-designed by Marc Friedland Couture Communications.

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jcpenny Boxes It Up

J. C. Penney Company is now jcpenney, and it has a new logo to match, the first redesign in its 40-year-history.

The letters "jcp" are emphasized in the new design. The Helvetica letters are placed off-center in a red box; the remainder of the name is shown breaking free of the box, symbolic of the company breaking out into new retail areas. The box and initial letters are also used alone, such as in the company's avatar. (At this writing, the old logo was still in use on the jcp website, and predictions are that the new design will be rolled out formally in advertising shown during the Academy Awards on February 27.)

The redesign comes on the heels of a recent redesign of the Sears logo—which was also set in a high x-height sans serif. Some say the redesign was in response to burgeoning sales at more contemporary competitors such as Macy's and Kohl's.

Who designed the new mark? From the company's web site: "To choose a new logo design, jcpenney sought submissions that reflect a wide range of perspectives. Participants included the Company's associates, several design agencies, and two art schools – University of Cincinnati and Rhode Island School of Design – that collectively submitted over 200 designs for consideration. The winning design was provided by Luke Langhus, a third-year graphic design student at the University of Cincinnati, who chose to reintroduce jcpenney's iconic red box – a symbol he has long associated with the national retailer. Langhus developed a versatile logo that preserves the company's namesake but can be modified to showcase the 'jcp' independently, given his intent to ensure it would resonate with constantly connected digital consumers who often use abbreviations."

jcpenney.net


Graphic Designer Portfolio, Chicagoland Graphic Designer
Graphic Design Questions? Email Me: tasha@tashaleedesign.com

Graphic Designer Rolls

Mayor Villaraigosa, in partnership with Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, has declared graphic designer and cyclist Geoff McFetridge winner of the Bike Awareness and Safety slogan contest. The "Give Me 3" bus shelter posters will be seen on 1,000 ads, and refers to support of 3 Foot Passing legislation that would give bikers more room to ride. The winning slogan was submitted by Danny Gamboa of Long Beach CA. Other sponsors of the effort to make the City of Angels a more bike friendly place include LADOT, LAPD and Midnight Ridazz. read more


Beyond The Cup
Nestlé is the latest major corporation to invest substantially to become more sustainable, in this instance expanding its reach into sustainable coffee farming, making its factories more efficient and reducing its packaging. Beyond the Cup: The Nescafe Plan aims to double the amount of Nescafé, the instant coffee, that it buys directly from farmers. They also intend to increase its number of agronomists and field technicians. To reduce its direct impacts, Nestlé is investing funds into its own factories to reduce energy and waste, and to use spent coffee grounds as fuel in all factories. see more

Graphic Designer's Portfolio, Chicagoland Graphic Designer
Email Me: tasha@tashaleedesign.com

Nordstrom Gets Real

Director Andrew Walton of production company IDENTITY has helmed a series of intimate documentary-style vignettes for Nordstrom. The campaign, titled “Career Mode,” sits on Nordstrom website and real Nordstrom customers sharing thoughts on their style and how what they wear to work defines them personally and professionally. Says Pia Hunter is Creative Director, Nordstrom and she notes that she “wanted real stories from real people and of course, to capture our customers in their best possible light.” One of the four films features a marketing freelancer…
 read more

Graphic Designer Portfolio, Chicagoland Graphic Designer
Email Me: tasha@tashaleedesign.com