Inspiration Knows No Bounds...

My inspiration knows now bounds, because even when I'm sick & tired  POOF! there it is...

So I'm laid up on the couch for part of this morning, not feeling too stellar, keeping an eye on the rugrat while Disney plays on tv.  And in my moments of I'm pretty too damned tired and icky feeling to sit up...I have this idea pop into my head.  While I usually send an personal email to my customers when I ship something, Storenvy has allowed me to make a more personalized shipping notice that does the same thing.  Any care instructions I send within usually, if they're applicable.   And I always try to remember to send a business card or two for both of my businesses, including a few to hand out to lucky friends.

Image used courtesy of Echoland

Customer service however often entails a real connection and personalization to ordering handmade.  It's not a requirement but it goes a long way towards making the customer happy.  Some people include cute hand or computer made tags.  Others include notes, and my friend Sarah of Echoland wraps hers in the most adorable little parcels.  I've also seen some of the branding packaging of Freckle Fox Boutique which is too cute for words even!

Image used courtesy of Freckle Fox Boutique

Tangent complete.  So my thought...it's a craft my mother started and one that I know with great care & skill can look absolutely fantastic.  Card making.  As I'm a major DIYer I always prefer to make something from scratch rather than buy it pre-made.  I think my customers will appreciate this, but really I'd love direct feedback!  (I do plan on adding cards to the store at some point regardless but this would be a nice jump off point in the mean time.)

So what do you think of handmade cards?  Do you have any you've received that have brought a smile or giggle out?  Have examples you want to share?  Post in the comments below!

Happy Crafting,
Aradia
of
Aradia's Hand

Branding 101: Consistency is Key

We all know that familiar red dot with the larger red circle around it... Target.  Then the two tailed mermaid of Starbucks which is modeled after Melusine.  The big, bright yellow M, or golden arches, of McDonalds.  How about something more obvious - Walmart, Michaels...the list goes on.  These are all stores or businesses, and also brands.

When I started my foray into re-vamping my business "branding" came up a lot.  And honestly I was at a bit of a loss for what it meant given that the context was never quite clear.  So if you're in that boat let me give you a paddle and help clear things up.

Your branding is the image of your business.  It's the name, the font used, the colors, and any logo used to represent your business.  It's also you, yes your face.  For big brands like the ones mentioned before, being human isn't such a big deal.  For small businesses however, representing yourself & your business as one entity is essential to your success.

The thing about branding is being consistent.  You want your logo, name, image to be so common place, that a stranger sees it and immediately knows who/what it is.  I know this can be tough for the artsy types.  You get pulled into the myriad colors, shades, fonts, and other stylizations to create your image.  The issue is that confuses people.  Sure it may be the same name, but when you used Arial here, then Georgia there, or some block font, or fancy script - it's hard to tell whether it's even the same thing.

As my business coach said to me while we discussed branding, your branding is the clothing of your business.  (Share this tidbit with your followers!)  For me that really hit it home and cleared up all of the vague references I'd been battling with.

So you know what branding is, now what?

Quick Tips for Good Branding:

• Be consistent.
• Same font.
• Super duper tip:  use a font that is free for commercial use.
• For your website:  stick to 2-3 fonts.  1) Logo font, 2) Heading font, 3) Body text font.
• Same logo.
• Use color & black and white.
• Have several versions and sizes.
• Save as a .JPG & .PNG.
• Don't be afraid to ask for help in making a logo.
• Same colors.
• Black & white not withstanding, choose 2-3 colors (remember we want to keep it simple) that compliment one another.  For help with this find an artist or someone with an eye for color & check out www.color-hex.com.
• Be simple & to the point.  (You don't need a fancy stylized graphic.  Your name nicely done in your chosen palette works just fine.)
• Your profile picture should nearly 100% of the time be YOUR face - not a logo.
• Why?  People connect with a face, a person, they develop relationships with people not illustrations.  (Is this an absolute, honestly no, but if you want to connect with your audience it's advice well worth following.)
• Make sure your image is consistent with your branding.  Funny, flirty, serious, ... being out of sync confuses people.

The big picture:  Your branding should speak to your market.  So when in doubt consider who you're trying to reach and what appeals to them most.  And if you've made your branding and you're not selling to who you intended, perhaps it's time to re-think your market!

Praise & Shoutout:  I owe much of my understanding to working with Laura George, a business coach for creatives.  While the information I've provided here is an amalgamation of my own thoughts, what I've learned from her, and research I've done online and through observation if you're needing serious help and can't "do it on your own" I highly suggest hiring her or another business coach.

Happy Crafting,
Aradia
of
Aradia's Hand