It’s not enough to slap together any old website for your business and call it a day. In order to be an asset to your brand, your website needs regular traffic — and lots of it. If you want to drive more traffic to your website, employ these tips to attract new potential clients.

Have a Consistent Brand Identity

Having a consistent brand identity creates a loyal customer base. Therefore, you should create a company style guide. Think about the type of language that everyone in your company should use when creating marketing materials. Use the same kind of photo in all marketing and on your website. Try choosing pictures that contain people that look like your potential customer. You should spend time putting your company’s story into words where it can be accessed frequently. Your company should choose a color to use on your website and in marketing that resonates with your target audience. Use the same typeface throughout your site. Every email sent on behalf of the company should end in the same way.

Be Generous with Your Branding

When potential customers can instantly recognize when you post, then they start to think about your company more often. You can do this by including your company’s logo on every page. Then, create a slogan that customers will remember and use it in all marketing. Every page on your website should be set up in the same way, and it should be easy to get to essential pages on your site. Doing this helps customers feel like they can trust your company.

Diversify Your Marketing Strategy

You should focus on marketing across the internet to drive new customers to your website. Grab your Google My Business page and keep it updated regularly. Encourage your current customers to leave reviews there. Claim review sites across the web where potential customers may look to find out more about your company. Write guest blogs to show that you are an expert in your niche, and be sure to include a link to your website. You can also utilize more traditional marketing strategies to draw attention to your brand and website. While these methods may not be as direct, they do have a large impact on brand awareness and conversions.

It is vital to attract new customers to your website consistently. Creating and enforcing guidelines for your brand makes it easier for customers to identify your marketing when they see it. Be sure that it is easy for new traffic to find out what others are saying about your company. Then, make it easy for them to buy your product or service. This will encourage higher conversion rates and more profits for your business.

Designing an effective website can be hard work. Hire us to do it for you!

As a graphic designer, you want to continue growing in your field and find success when it comes to your career. Graphic design is often competitive, especially with how much technology continues to evolve. If you want to excel in your field, there are a few essential tips to follow as you make the journey from novice to professional.

Explore Subsets of Graphic Design— Like Motion Graphics

The industry is constantly expanding and you need to grow with it. Broadening your skills allows you to become a well-rounded artist. Plus it opens up the stage for greater career opportunities down the line.

If you’re looking for something beyond print or web design, consider motion graphics. Motion graphic artists animate everything from typographical treatments to assets for games, online applications, and films.

They tell a compelling story by using movement to engage audiences. Excelling in motion graphics in addition to learning about traditional graphic design enables you to have more options.

Keep in mind that there’s a higher learning curve for this subset of design.

If you prefer a more traditional route, there are several art and design schools who offer animation programs.

But if you want to jump in head first, you can always experiment using online tools to learn by doing.

Whatever you decide, just have fun with it!

Choose a Specialty

Becoming the ‘go-to’ person for a specific skill in the industry is what designers want to achieve. Not only is this a way to earn respect from your peers but, it also gives you the freedom to charge higher rates.

A lot of designers try to do everything well instead of focusing on a few things they do well.  As a result, they become a Jack of all trades, master of none. You don’t want to fall into that.

You want to focus on what you do best.  Maybe you’re a master at creating custom fonts or designing awesome websites.

Whatever your thing is, don’t limit the opportunities and tools available to you.

You can still explore other specialties to make yourself stand out in the industry. If you aren’t sure about what your thing is. start exploring!

And more importantly, don’t be afraid to fail. You might have to down a few different paths before finding the right one.

Upgrade Your Digital and Physical Portfolio

Your portfolio is often the main factor that determines if a potential client or employer decides to work with you. Update your portfolio regularly to ensure potential clients will see current pieces.

The key is to make these pieces relevant to them. So in addition to the actual creative, you’ll also need to write a decent case study to show that you’re a problem solver — not a pixel pusher. 

Remember: the best portfolios show personality, versatility, and creativity.

It also doesn’t hurt to include recommendations from former clients. Everyone likes to know that the person they are hiring is capable of handling their project. 

Think of your portfolio as your 24/7 business card. It is what sells you to the client before even speaking to them.

Accept Criticism

No one likes to be told that they didn’t do something right or that they need to change, but that is the nature of the design world.

You will almost always be asked to make revisions to your work, which makes it important to develop a thick skin.

Keep in mind that you can only grow if you continue to make changes to your work and evolve as an artist. Failing to take in constructive criticism is a quick way to burn bridges and develop a poor reputation.

Just remember, this isn’t personal. Feedback is meant to help you meet your clients needs more effectively.

There are many ways to grow and succeed as a graphic designer. While there isn’t one way to accomplish your goals, you can grow in this industry by making learning a habit. 

If you know how to think logically about projects, you’ll be an asset to clients. They want  designers able to solve problems creatively and from a business perspective.

Once you’ve decided to be an exhibitor at a trade show, it’s time to design your booth and leverage the power of this captive audience. Here are four proven ways to help you make your trade show booth a success:

Bring in a Crowd with Fun Giveaways

It is no secret that trade show attendees are drawn to the booths with the best giveaways. For this reason, it’s essential to make sure that you have plenty of swag on hand. This will encourage people to visit your booth — and even better — give you their full attention. The most important rule to follow when designing your promotional items is to make sure that they have your company logo prominently displayed. This is one small detail that’ll yield significant results. You’ll ensure that your brand stays top of mind for attendees long after the show has ended.

Protect Your Equipment

Even the sturdiest booth will be ruined if it’s damaged in transit. This is why it’s critical to pick a reputable shipping company for your booth and all of its merchandise and equipment. Double-check that your freight company has a good record, as mistakes in shipping are extremely common. It’s also recommended to make sure you have the proper tracking information so that you can keep tabs on your booth before the show.

Consider Your Audience

Every aspect of your booth should be geared towards your audience. This may change from event to event, so don’t hesitate to switch it up to fit your objectives. For example, if a trade show is attracting primarily women, your giveaways and booth should be designed to draw this target segment into your area.

Create Custom Graphics

One of the first things attendees will notice about your booth is the graphics. Do they look professional? Is the booth design interesting? These are questions you need to ask yourself as you plan your booth design. 

Custom graphics will make your booth stand out from others on the show floor and generate awareness of your products or services. The goal is to create graphics that people will remember. The copy on your graphics should be clear and eye-catching. You’ll want to choose bold colors and designs, not make them too abstract.

With the right research and planning, you can harness the power of a trade show booth to best promote your business. Do not be afraid to get creative and think outside of the box and create a booth people will talk about for years to come.

Partner with Keylay Design to make your next trade show the best one yet!

Professional designers can’t afford to wait for inspiration to hit. There’s simply too much competition. You must do what is necessary to encourage creativity if you expect to be successful. Meaning that you have to stay ahead of the curve.

Genius is 1% Inspiration and 99% Perspiration

Is inspiration some esoteric gossamer piece of whimsy that must be anticipated with bated breath, or can you find a way to make lightning strike in the same place twice? Tara Heavey asks, “Can you use perspiration to fuel the pump of inspiration? The truth is, you can waste a lot of time waiting for inspiration to grant a moment of brilliance, or you can create an environment that’s conducive to creating those moments that matter most in the creative process.” You don’t have to be at the mercy of the fates; you can create inspiration at will. As a professional designer, you’re obligated to do just that. Fashion designers must be both artists and craftsmen.

Inspiration Can Come from Anywhere

One of the most important things you can do to cultivate inspiration is to keep your eyes and mind open. For instance, both fashion design and graphic design are often heavily influenced by current trends in pop culture, historical art, and contemporary cultural symbols. Failing to take notice of this creates missed opportunities and limits your own imagination. The Proof Fairy explains, “You also need to cultivate the kinds of relationships that will sustain you and give you the chance to experience those beneficial bolts of brilliance more often. Professional relationships should help each person in the relationship to be successful.”

It’s All Art in the End

The primary goal of graphic design and fashion design is the same in the end: to create a functional, aesthetically-pleasing product. To accomplish this successfully, fashion designers must be both artists and craftsmen. As a creative professional, you should recognize the importance of controlling the creative process to the extent it is possible. Kapital Clothing states their mission as, “[We] don’t consider [ourselves] as artists, but as craftsmen. However, with our western view of practical beauty connecting life to a lens of understanding, those lines are favorably blurred.” As a professional, you should be able to find the inspiration needed to produce the kind of quality work necessary for success.

Inspiration is the stuff of success. As a professional, you must work to be receptive to the sources of inspiration around you. After all, you never know what bit of magic will be discovered around the next corner. But sometimes we need a little help and there is no shame in asking for it. Getting a fresh set of eyes can set the stage for increased productivity and inspiration.  Let us be that help for you!