Over the past couple of months, Bergan Blue has been working closely with a unique promotional agency called Talking Sales. Whilst the business had been around for a while, Talking Sales had no solid branding in place. We worked closely with owner Kimberley to create a logo, business cards, with compliments slips and a website.

We’re happy to announce that the Talking Sales website was launched today! Please click on the image below to view the website, or go to talkingsales.com.au.

Common Design Mistakes - Part 1

Whether in start-up phase or well established, the fact is that small businesses can’t always afford to pay to have their marketing materials designed professionally. So sometimes they decide to design their own. This is where things can go horribly wrong. Below you will find some basic design tips that will help make your flyers or ads look a little more like you had professional help!

symmetrical madness

Centering every visual element in your marketing material is not the best approach. Despite the attraction to symmetry being deeply ingrained in us as humans, when it comes to design having your business logo, marketing message, pictures and contact details all in one long-running, centered paragraph isn’t only unprofessional looking, it also looks lazy and boring.

Those corners are just begging to be filled. That doesn’t mean you should fill up every other bit of space on your canvas, but instead plan your design strategically, sketch it out on some paper, do a mock up of your sketch, and then play with it until it looks right.

too much text

You have a matter of seconds to get the attention of your audience. When they look at your flyer and see a page full of black text and a tiny logo, you’ve lost a customer. Most people today barely have time to pick up your flyer or glance at your ad, let alone read a whole marketing pitch on a piece of paper. They’re not going to waste their time reading something like this, so don’t waste your very precious time making this kind of flyer. Volume does not equal quality. Cut down on unnecessary text and make every word left on your design one that counts.

clip art

Clip art is for your kids’ projects and garage sales. It should not be part of anything that comes out of your business. Trust me on this one.

no white space

As I mentioned above, you shouldn’t try to fill up every pixel of free space. All marketing material needs blank or white space – websites, business cards, flyers and stickers. All of them. It gives the illusion of there being less text to read, makes the text that is there easier to read and generally presents the overall design as clean and neat. Overcrowding your designs with pictures, accents or big bits of text screaming, ‘DON’T MISS OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!’ is not going to help with your image.

not proofing before printing

I like to think I’m a bit of a Nazi when it comes to spelling, grammar and, well, pretty much anything to do with language. So I can’t help but notice when I get a flyer or brochure that says, ‘We sell used furnture.’ Spot the mistake? I can promise you I did.

It amazes me how often this happens, and it’s not just on things that the businesses in question have printed themselves – it’s also on material that has been printed professionally. Professional printers WILL NOT proof your work. That is your job and you need to make sure you do it before sending off the so called finished files. I know what it’s like to have been working on a personal design for 3 weeks and wanting to see the back of it so I can get on with my client work. It’s only natural that when you finally get the look right, you’re keen to just get the printing over and done with. But not checking your spelling or leaving out a comma where there should be one makes your audience think you didn’t care about getting their business enough to double check your work before sending it to them. And who wants to give their money to someone who apparently doesn’t care if they get it or not?

I know as small business owners we are all run off our feet and usually very time poor. Sometimes it is easier to just throw a flyer together in Word. But think of it this way: marketing your business should not be less important than doing the accounts or working on a client’s project. Without good marketing, you won’t have those clients and your bank account will be sitting still twiddling its thumbs.

When you need to get a flyer done for the next promotion, set aside a decent block of time and plan your design down to the last detail. Once you’ve planned, try designing it using the tips above. If you need to, look at designs on the web or keep competitors mail-outs and compare your design to them. Don’t blatantly rip off their design, but ask yourself, ‘What’s this flyer got that makes it look better than mine?’

Whatever you do, don’t rush to get your marketing done so you can get back to your latest project. This is your business and its image, and that is the most important project of all.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of Common Design Mistakes

It’s easy to get colours right, but it’s even easier to get them wrong. In web design it is crucial that you make well-informed colour choices. It might sound far-fetched but your choices of colour in web design can make or break your online business. Websites that are aesthetically pleasing and well designed are the ones that get more hits, and a more likely to get returning business.

Visitors to your website will judge your design skills – there’s no escaping it. According to the Institute of Color Research, “colour effects and directs the decision making process of the customer. It identifies a company, its product lines and the quality of the merchandise.” Their research also reveals that individuals make a subconscious judgement about an item within 90 seconds of initial viewing and up to 90% of that judgement is based on colour. If you want your clients and customers to make a positive judgement of your business, you really need for your web design to be of the highest standard. This includes getting your colours right.

Harmony is the key when deciding colour choices in web design. Choosing harmonious, non-offensive colours will keep people coming back to visit your website. It’s extremely important you make your website user-friendly in all areas, and colour is no exception. You want to make your clients’ and customers’ experience with your business the best as it can be. You don’t want to turn them off with your colour choices. Employing the wrong colours in web design always looks unprofessional – potential customers will not be captivated by your business and you run the risk of offending them, or even hurting their eyes! Both of these results will have them closing the browser in seconds, or worse, they will take their business elsewhere.

It is also important to remember that your colour choices must be relevant to your business and familiar to existing customers - why choose red for your website when your company colour has always been blue? Everyone likes the familiar so don’t be swayed by the countless colours in the web design rainbow. Make smart, safe choices and it will cause less confusion for all.

Colours themselves have specific meanings, so it’s important that you do further research to find out what they mean. Colours often have different connotations in different cultures and it is important to consider this if you are targeting an international audience. The following provides common Western meanings of colours that are used in web design:

Red: power, excitement, energy. Good to use for a promotion. Should be used sparingly as it is tiring to the eye

Blue: sophistication, stable, serious, dependable. One of the most common colours used in web design.

White: neutral, calm. The best choice for backgrounds.

Pink: feminine, love, friendship. Preferred by women, could alienate male users.

Green: tranquillity, stability, renewal. Great if your business is ‘going green’.

Yellow: warmth, humour, youth. Try a warmer tone of yellow, as bright shades are often harsh on the eyes.

Brown: masculine, productivity, endurance. Great for accents on your website

Black: technical, strong, authority. The best colour for text. Best used in small areas

Orange: health, heat, flamboyant. Avoid overuse.

Grey: intelligence, practicality, professional. Good for disabled items and text.

Colour and the relationships between colours is a science in itself. The process of designing a website when there are so many colours available to you can be a daunting task. Do your research, remember good design techniques, and think about the customer’s needs and you should be able to make well-informed decisions. If in doubt, get the professionals in as they are specially trained in colour theory and will have your website looking harmonious and professional in no time at all.

To celebrate the launch of the new website and blog, we’re offering a FREE Business Card, Letterhead or With Compliments Slip design with any Web Design project booked in for August or September!

* Design only. Printing costs extra. Project must be booked
prior to July 31st with a minimum of 5 pages per website.

If you would like an obligation free quote or simply a chat about the weather, please contact us!