Valentine's Day PIF

Here is a VDay PIF that I just designed to kick off this new blog. The images already come Etsy sized so all you have to do is right click on the images to save. Please enjoy!

Thank you for viewing my new blog, please add yourself to my list of followers and I promise to do the same for you.

T♥

Things to do when there's nothing to do!

Sitting here thinking a lot lately because my shops are slow. Here's a list of things to do when biz gets slow that will perk up your shop and make things start moving again.

"What to do?"

1. Go to Etsy promos section and start answering all those threads with your info. Now you have the time to actually look at other people's items and comment on their blogs. I can guarantee this will be not only appreciated, but returned to you tenfold.
2. Start a blog, flickr, Big Crumbs, Twitter, etc. Join a ning group such as "We Love Etsy". Spend hours of fun jazzing up your little space of the internet.
3. Submit your site. This is something I"m very familiar with because I had a website for many years off Etsy where I sold my jewelry. There are so many places to get listed! Start by Googling submit website, website directories, and things of that nature. You could do this all day and never run out of lists to add your shop to.
4. Get Organized. Take some time to catch up on shop accounting. It's always a good idea to go through what's laying around and try to make sense of everything. Even the most highly organized person probably needs to at least empty the trash in their office! lol
5. Learn something new. As most of my readers, on/off Etsy friends know, I am currently catching up on my graphic design knowledge. Last time things were this slow I learned how to make art pendants, scrapbook, and crocheted some scarfs. Keeping your mind busy keeps it off your slow sales.
6. Start free shops on other selling sites. It never hurts to have your site come up as much as possible on Google. Starting a shop on Artfire and sites like it is a snap. Put a couple of items and even if they don't sell, free publicity rocks!
7. Write a tutorial. It's always fun to use your knowledge to help others. Why not write about something you want to share and either post it for free somewhere or sell it on Etsy? Nothing is better than an email only sale! I love the idea of less packaging and not going to the p.o.
8. Inspire yourself. Sometimes we get so obsessed with checking our online site and the business end of it all, we forget why we started this darn thing in the first place! It doesn't matter if you are a graphic artist or a bath and body person, there's always something out there that will get your creative juices flowing. Go to a museum, park, perfume store. Promise you it will be worth it!
9. Start a list of business/personal goals. Even though we love our shops and want them to succeed, it's always good to take an account of how it is impacting your life and the people around you. Create a short list of what you'd like to accomplish goal wise in all things. Please remember to put your family and self first♥
10. Start again at number 1 until business picks up!

*Please note, the best thing to do sometimes is just walk away from your computer/biz for 24 hours and then come back. Usually things are hopping again.

T♥

Owls are overtaking my graphic design shop!

I have become obsessed with making owl banners because there are so many, many, ways to incorporate these little cuties into my designs.

I am currently restraining myself from making anymore until some are adopted and go on to better homes.

I am also working really hard to study for this logo class and at the same time learn some advanced Photoshop tricks. I just made a mock logo for my shops in order to practice. Here's the jewelry one...

 

I might be offering some free logo design services in the near future to build up my portfolio. So I will definitely keep everyone posted and announce it here, my other blog Jewelry by Tara Biz, and of course on the Etsy forums.

T♥

What's the first thing..

You are supposed to do as a Graphic Artist? And what did I neglect to do for all these years that I have sold designs in my shops? The first thing anyone would do in this situation, create a watermark! Finally today I got some free time and I made this...

http://ny-image3.etsy.com//il_fullxfull.121175955.jpg

I'd put in a pic but I guess Blogger is crashing again and can't handle it's photo issues, sigh:*(

Anyhoo, hope you enjoy my latest. I am putting up a ton of owls, chicks, etc. because they are just so darn cute!

Shout out to the fabulous,

Cupcake Cutiees

For continuing to bring me the cutest graphics ever!

T♥

What makes a Logo a GOOD Logo?

Welcome to my Thursday info. for Graphic Designers. Since I don't do regular features you can just expect sporadic PIF's, Tutorials, and general info. from both of my blogs. I do run an artist feature daily on my jewelry blog.

Jewelry by Tara Blog

So today's scoop is actually from a class I am taking called Logo Design. I have been asked to create logos a lot in the past year and I haven't had any formal training in it. I wanted to offer my online/offline clients a profession logo, presentation, and collaborative experience. So here's my first of many to come info. session on Logo Design.

What makes a good logo?

The following are 10 things that can make a logo more memorable and visually appealing.

1. Uniqueness of logo. Your logo should stand out as an individual in a sea of other logos.

2. Sophistication. The logo should not only have a professional appearance, but avoid inappropriate images, fonts, etc. It should also clearly communicate it's message without overstimulating with too much design/imagery.

3. Conceptual Design. Using parts of the actual logo to express ideas, words, numbers, as a concept. I.E. Jewelry by Tara = Jewelry♦Tara Not the best example and not my actual logo, but the concept is replacing the by w/the diamond for jewelry. Another example would be to take the name Purple velvet and I have obviously replaced the black in purple w/purple.

4. Logo Relevancy. What makes a logo most relevant is to incorporate company imagery that is easily recognizable into the design. When adding a design to a logo you must really think ahead. Will this company only be making X 10 years from now? Or should I go with a broader design to incorporate possible product changes.

5. Versatility. So important! The logo you design should be able to be incorporated into any type of advertising the company desires. Banners, stationary, etc. A flexible size and distinguishable font are very necessary to design. Some letters and images will become illegible when applied to different sizes and components.

6. Cohesiveness. Good logos should not require a frame around them, but should stand alone in their design. No to say there aren't some fantastic logos that do have this type of imagery, but they have been well incorporated into the overall effect and do not detract from the logo itself. The shapes should not appear too detached from each other either and not appear disjointed. Reducing the spaces between fonts is a good way of bringing your logo into a more cohesive position.

7. Attractiveness. This is totally subjective of course but there are some points that hold true to all design. See 1-7 and 8-10.

8. Memorability. What makes a logo memorable? Logos that are simple in their design but not in their concept. They read easily what the brand is and reinforce your product image.

9. How to make your logo endure the test of time. Don't fall for trends that make your logo appear dated, assume that your client will be using this design for the rest of the company's life.

10. Secondary characteristics of a good logo. The ability to animate your logo and using multicultural imagery. Multicultural meaning images that can be seen on the worldwide web and are easily understood by sight if not by language. I.E. Symbols such as arrows, hands, etc. and/or images like faces, or trees.

Okay, so that's my 10 for today and I'm sure there will be a lot more info. to come. I'm actually finding this reading part of my class more interesting than I thought I would. Who knew so much went into good logo design? Please do not undervalue your fellow graphic designer's work by calling banners, and premade logos LOGO DESIGN. A true logo design is unique only to that particular company. Otherwise it's just a general advertisement for your company and why have a company ad when you can have a stand out company brand? What I'm trying to point out with all this is that logo design is intense and therefore costs more. Which essentially gives you more over time.

T♥

What is handmade market?

Most people don't know so I'm going to share it with you today.

Handmade Market

This is a fab place to show you wares in a craft show setting. I really enjoy looking at all the shops there and I have advertised with both of mine before.

Hoping it gets bigger and has a wider audience, it's only $2 a week right now!

Okay, that's enough outside promotion! lol Here's what's new w/me...






Hearts for Haiti Banner/Avatar sets are still available, only $5 to help out our Haitian friends!

There are so many more styles in my shop. Please take my poll on the side of this post to help me better understand what types of designs to create in the future.

Thanks so much for reading!
T♥

For my latest artist feature please visit my other blog here:

Jewelry by Tara Blog

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog! For more about my by Tara empire please visit my main blog here.

Jewelry by Tara Biz

Stop on by and sit a spell, I love to rant and rave, give away free stuff, and just have a good time!

T♥