My Favorite WordPress Tools and Plugins

July 22, 2015 by Ciera Holzenthal 1 Comment

Running a blog can be a lot of hard work, so today I’m sharing my favorite WordPress tools and plugins to help improve your site and simplify your life!

1. Click To Tweet

This is the easiest way to get more shares for your content! This free plugin allows you to easily create tweetable snippets for your readers right from WordPress. Whoever clicks on the link will have the message automatically added to their Twitter status box. This makes it easy for people to share your content and grow your traffic.

2. Genesis Framework

The Genesis Framework empowers you to quickly and easily build incredible websites with WordPress. It’s well-coded and well-supported. The Genesis framework uses child themes so you can update without losing your customizations. It’s inexpensive with tons of possibilities and dedicated plugins. It comes with built-in features like multiple layouts, custom body post classes for each post, breadcrumbs and numeric navigation. Unlike other theme companies, StudioPress’s Pro-Plus Package is a one-time fee for life-time membership. You’ll get every theme they make, now and in the future. Want to learn more about why I love Genesis, read this post: The Ultimate Guide for Setting up WordPress Genesis Framework

3. CoSchedule

I know I’ve mentioned CoSchedule here before, but it is one of my favorites and worth mentioning again. CoSchedule is a drag-and-drop editorial calendar for WordPress. With it, you can schedule blog posts and automatically send messages to your social. You can use this plugin to view the posts you have published for the month, posts that are in the works, and the posts that you have planned. My favorite part is that you view your content and social media schedule all on the same calendar.

4. Tiny MCE Advanced

Ever wish the visual editor in WordPress offered more options? Well, this plugin is for you! It will let you add, remove and arrange the buttons that are shown on the visual editor toolbar. It includes 15 plugins for TinyMCE that are automatically enabled or disabled depending on what buttons are chosen. I’ve had this one installed for so long I can’t even remember what the original Tiny MCE looks like.

5. Broken Link Checker

If you’ve been blogging for a while, I bet you have tons of broken links in old posts. Dead hyperlinks are not just annoying to your website visitors – their existence can result in a negative impact on your website’s SEO rankings. This plugin will monitor your site (blog posts, pages, comments, etc.) looking for broken links and let you know if any are found.

6. Google Analytics Dashboard

Google Analytics Dashboard gives you the ability to view your Google Analytics data right in your WordPress dashboard. Sure, you can open up Google Analytics every time you want to look at your stats, but if you just want a quick glance, this plugin is certainly convenient. You can also allow other users to see the same dashboard information when they are logged in.

7. HostGator Optimized WordPress

Optimized WordPress is a new hosting platform from HostGator that is specifically built for an optimized WordPress environment. Packages will come pre-loaded with PHP 5.6 by default (the most recent PHP version offered). HostGator will handle all of the core, theme, and plugin updates without the need for any action on your part. In other words, you won’t have to worry about logging into your WP-Admin panel to handle common updates. Additionally, Optimized WordPress does not provide cPanel access, allowing you to install and access your WordPress sites without needing to access or navigate an extra control panel to do the things you want to do.

I hope these resources enable you to simplify your processes and improve your site!

Thank you HostGator for sponsoring this post and thank you for supporting this blog by allowing me to post occasional sponsored content. All sponsored posts feature products or services that I truly feel would be of interest to you. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Graphic Love: Splash

July 9, 2015 by Ciera Holzenthal Leave a Comment

Happy summer! The heat is sweltering, per usual, and all I want to do is take a dip in a pool with a nice, big margarita. Lucky for me, after we shot this, I got to keep the big kiddy pool we bought—so that’s where I’ll be the rest of the summer.

Summer Inspired Moodboard

The inspiration from this shoot came from the Solange’s Instagram. I loved the colored water and wanted to incorporate it into a more urban glam shoot.

tropical warm hued goddess

urban glam tropical goddess

I always need to have a hint of vintage in everything I do. Time Warp provided the awesome 60’s polka dot bottoms and french floral swim suit, as well as that killer Egyptian tank. I need that in my life, pronto.

orange water vintage goddess

We gave the ladies complimentary cocktails that matched their distinctive color schemes. Vanessa, our pink lady, and Sydney, our tropical warm-hued goddess. I loved the way these two different themes looked next to each other.

60’s polka dot bottoms

You can try this at home, too. Just buy food coloring and mix the primary colors until you have a shade you want to splash in!

urban glam summer goddess

french floral swim suit

jungle goddesses in vintage Egyptian tank

pearl sunnies and vintage swim

pink hair and white lips

Introducing Pursuit Creative Conference

July 8, 2015 by Ciera Holzenthal 1 Comment

Introducing Pursuit Creative Entrepreneur Conference

I’ve been mentioning Pursuit Creative Conference casually around here but now the project has finally gotten to a point where I have some pretty exciting news, so I want to share how it all got started!

After running Made In Mind together for a while, Kristy and I started thinking about what would come next. The idea of a conference came up and I remembered that another local designer, Justin Shiels was thinking about the same thing. We reached out to him and immediately decided to go for it!

Since we didn’t want to use either of our brands, we had to start from the beginning – coming up with a name, logo, website, bank account (on and on) all before we could even start thinking about the actual conference. But after 6 months of planning, our trio team is making some serious headway. We now have a conference date, venue, a crew of volunteers, have launched our Kickstarter campaign (which is how we are selling tickets) and are finalizing our speaker list this month!

The whole point is to provide creative entrepreneurs the tools and insights they need to either jump start their business or continue growing their venture. It will be a day full of speakers, panelists, collaborating and hashing out new ideas.

Whether you run your mini empire outside of regular office hours, have a home studio or set-up shop at your kitchen table… The Pursuit Creative Conference revolves around supporting your unique needs and your unconventional ventures.

Creative Entrepreneur Conference Planning Meeting

Growing your business to a sustainable level is tough and often frustrating. There are so many things that you should do and it’s hard to find clarity and focus on what matters. While it’s easy to get pulled in a million directions, it’s also hard to find traction.

We want to provide the business tools for you to thrive in addition to the support of camaraderie. We want to create something that is bigger than our individual business… Pursuit is about Community. We are so thrilled about our progress so far, here are some of our exciting updates and ways for you to get involved:

CALL FOR SPEAKERS

We are currently inviting proposals from creative entrepreneurs, visual artists, illustrators, designers, photographers, bloggers, coaches, writers, and makers that have ditched the 9-5 and are making a living from their passion. Our attendees are looking to be inspired and to leave the conference with tangible next steps to help grow their creative businesses. We’d love for you to apply if you have an idea for a presentation or panel. The deadline is Monday, July 20 at 5:00pm central.

TWITTER CHAT

Pull up a chair and let’s talk shop. Join us for a Twitter chat on Tuesday, July 14th from 6-7 pm central. This conversation will revolve around Instagram and how to use the platform as a business tool. You can find us at @hellopursuit to dive in and follow the convo using the hashtag #PursuitChat. Never been part of a Twitter Chat before? No worries. It’s really simple and you can even attend in your pajamas. Sounds like fun? Mark your calendars and hop on Twitter to join in.

TICKETS

Have you been meaning to make a trip to New Orleans? Well this would be the perfect time! October is the best time to visit and we still have some pre-sale discounted tickets available!

Purchasing a ticket for the Pursuit Creative Conference is an investment in you + your business. Have you ever stepped into a room filled with others that share your same mission and facing the same highs and lows? It’s powerful.

Insights from our experienced speakers and panelists will leave you with a fresh perspective and reinvigorated you to take action. By connecting with our community of ambitious creative types, you’ll always have a crew to hold you accountable and will spark the motivation to take your business to the next level.

SPONSOR

Want to get your business in front of awesome creative entrepreneurs? We have sponsorship opportunities ranging from $349–$5,000 including placement on our web site, ads in the conference program, logo & signage placement at the event, social media promotion and more! Get all the details through our Kickstarter campaign!

SPREAD THE WORD

If you know anything about Kickstarter, you’ll know that we have to meet our total goal in order to get any of the money and make this event happen. I’d love if you could help spread the word a little bit! We have a media page full of images to download and ready to go tweets!

SWAG/SUPPORT

You can’t make it to the conference, but you still want to support our ambitions to empower other creative entrepreneurs and make this conference a reality. We have some lower levels on Kickstarter where you can scoop up some cool swag!

8 Steps To Set Up Your Files For Print

July 6, 2015 by Ciera Holzenthal 1 Comment

How To Set Up Your Files For Print Using Adobe InDesign and Illustrator

If you have worked with printing projects, you most likely have felt overwhelmed by the entire process. What paper to choose, color modes, setting up your files, the list goes on. Today I wanted to share a few simple steps to double-check once you are ready to send your file for print! I hope these steps to set up your files for print are helpful for your process, and ease that overwhelm!

Colors

Pantone Spot Colors
If you are printing with a limited amount of colors (1-3 colors) or have specific brand colors that need to match exactly, then printing with Pantone colors is most likely the best option. Here is how to locate your pantone colors:

InDesign: Select a new swatch, then under “color mode” select which Pantone library your swatch is in (typically either Pantone Solid Coated or Uncoated, depending which type of paper you are printing on).

Illustrator: Under the “swatches library menu” on the color panel, select “color books” then select the Pantone color book your project uses.

CMYK
If you do not have a need for specific Pantone colors, than your file should always be set up using CMYK colors, instead of RGB. If you print something in RGB, your images will most likely not match your intended color. They often turn out dull or darker. This is how you can check to make sure your file is set up in the CMYK color profile:

InDesign: Select the swatches that you want to convert to CMYK (spot or RGB), select “Swatch Options” from the drop down menu on the top right. Change the color mode setting to CMYK, and click ok.

Illustrator: Go to “File” > “Document Color Mode” and check CMYK.

Remove Unused Colors
This step is not necessary, but it does help clean up your file and make your printer happy! When I am ready to send a file to print, I always clean up my colors by removing the unused colors. This helps to make sure you aren’t using two similar colors, when you could combine it to one color.

InDesign and Illustrator: In the swatches panel, click the drop down menu and check “Select All Unused” and then delete the unused swatches.

Photos

All photos in your file should be converted to CMYK prior to handing off to the printer. To do this, you simply open the photo in Photoshop and select “Image” > “Mode” > “Convert to CMYK”. If you have several images in your file, you can create an action in Photoshop to convert to CMYK, and then batch process those images. Make sure you don’t save over your original RGB photos, and instead create a new file with the added “-CMYK” in the file name. This prevents you from overriding the original file. Once all of your images are converted to the proper color mode, you just need to make sure they are linked up in InDesign or Illustrator through the “Links” panel (Window > Links).

Set up Bleeds

If your project has an image or color that goes to the edge of the file, you will need to set up bleeds. Bleeds allow for additional space beyond the trim mark, to make sure that when the piece is printed it has a bit of tolerance for the edge of the paper. To set up the bleeds simply click “File” > “Document Setup” and adjust the bleeds there. Typically 1/8” will suffice. Once you have the bleeds setup, make sure all of your artwork that goes to the edge extends to the bleed lines.

[Tweet “Learn how to make your printer happy with these simple steps to prepare your files! #graphicdesign”]

Packaging Files

Once you have your file ready to send to the printer, you are ready to package. A packaged file includes the InDesign or Illustrator file, the IDML (for InDesign: compatible with older versions), linked files, fonts and the output text file.

To package your file simply click “File” > “Package”. Double check the “Colors and Inks” as well as the “Links and Images” to make sure you have the correct profiles and didn’t miss any RGB images or wrong color settings.

PDF

If you are sending your project to a printer, they typically prefer the packaged InDesign or Illustrator file, however it is nice to include a PDF for reference. If you are printing from a vendor online, they will have specific instructions on how to export your PDF for their printers. For a reference PDF for the printer, I typically export as a Press Quality PDF, and include trim marks and bleeds.

Notes to Printer

Once you have your packaged file, and are ready to send to print, you can create a zip folder of all of the files in the folder. Depending on the project, you might want to include a diagram showing how the printed piece should look. This is great to have if your project has complicated folds, die cuts, etc. You can also include any notes specific to your project in the email with your final zip file.

I hope this tutorial was helpful for you, and eased the pain of setting up your files for print!

About the author: Jamie is the designer and blogger behind Spruce Rd., an independently run boutique design studio specializing in crafting brand identities and websites for creative entrepreneurs. When not collaborating with awesome people, she can be found whipping up a new dish in the kitchen, or exploring local coffee shops. She loves all things chocolate, Wes Anderson and Rifle Paper Co.

5 Tips for Building a Successful Freelance Business

July 3, 2015 by Ciera Holzenthal 8 Comments

It’s pretty unbelievable to think about, but I have been running my business for five years now! I have learned a ton along the way, but it never ends, I’m continuously striving to improve both my work and my business. Today, I want to look back and share a few key things I’ve learned as a business owner and entrepreneur over the years. I hope they can help you build or grow a successful freelance business.

1. Find a Supportive Network

In the beginning, I tried to do everything myself. I filed my own taxes, started to learn web development, and basically just created stressful situations and wasted a lot of time. I realized I should focus on what I’m passionate about, visual brand development for creative businesses. I’m not passionate about learning code or figuring out how to file taxes.

Your support network can include many different types of people from your family and friends to fellow freelancers and blog buddies. Check if there are any local communities that you can join. If you don’t have any local meet-ups, you can start your own or participate in online networking like Facebook groups. Just because you work for yourself doesn’t mean you have to do everything alone!

2. Create an Effective Portfolio

A portfolio should showcase the work you want to do more of and NOT everything you have ever created. Don’t make the mistake of trying to show off too much of your work. Potential clients don’t need to see everything, be selective. Focus on your best work and consider the sort of projects that you’d like more of in the future.

3. Go the extra mile

This is one of my top pieces of advice. Word of mouth is powerful, nothing can help you or hurt you more. While I still had my full-time job, I started getting connections by doing pro bono work for a few New Orleans non-profits. When I decided to make the leap out on my own in 2010, I let them know that I would not be available to work pro bono any more, and guess what? They decided to continue working with me anyway and I still work with many of them five years later! Just because I was doing the work for free in the beginning, I was never lazy and I did my best work. These clients have recommended me numerous times and continue to reach out even when they move on to new positions or totally different fields!

4. Learn to Say no

In business, what you DON’T do is just as important as what you do. Knowing your ideal client and the type of person you enjoy working with can make a huge difference in the success of your business and your sanity. Turning down work is scary but saying no to something that isn’t a good fit (or you just dislike) gives you the time and energy to do the things you love!

When I first starting freelancing, I said yes to just about everything but I quickly learned that there’s just not enough time for that. Take a look at your business. What is it that you LOVE doing? For me, it’s branding, art direction and invitation design. They’re my favorites, so that is what I want to make sure I have time for. You may not know your ideal client immediately, it can be a slow process and can also evolve over time.

People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.” – Steve Jobs

5. Establish Systems and Processes

When I first started, I thought I could just jump right into freelancing since I had design experience in the real world. I didn’t really think about the business side. How I’d have to spend less time designing and more time networking, pursuing new work, meeting with clients, invoicing, updating my portfolio, accounting and lots of other things that I don’t necessarily enjoy doing. I didn’t know anything about business and I am still learning as I go.

I slowly created processes (client questionnaires, invoicing, contracts) as things came up. I didn’t even have a separate business bank account for my first few years. It would have saved me lots of time and headaches in the long run if I would have spent some time up front to get all of this in order. A lot of my processes get updated as time goes by, and that is okay! For me, the most important is to always use a contract no matter how large or small the job is, whether it is your best friend or a complete stranger. It is the only way that both designer and client can be on the same page.

I hope these tips can help you if you are thinking about ditching your 9-5 or looking to grow your own small business!

Related: 10 Ways To Expand Your Small Business and 4 Way To Make Your Brand Stand Out

That’s A Wrap: May and June

June 30, 2015 by Ciera Holzenthal Leave a Comment

Wedding planning and the Pursuit Conference have once again been the major things on my mind the past two months. I guess it’ll be that way until October when they are both over! Zander and I have been engaged for a year now (crazy!) so we celebrated by going back to the restaurant where he popped the question. My puppy Scrappy has also been a top priority, house training her and making sure she gets enough play time! Besides all that, I have tons of client projects in the works that I can hopefully share on the blog soon! If you are interested in hearing more personal updates like these on a regular basis, you can follow me on Instagram for a more day-to-day glance into my life. Here are some snaps from the past two months.

IN THE STUDIO, SHOP & BLOG

I quietly launched a new ebook called Blogging With Intention – it’s only $6.75 and you can get a free preview of it by signing up for the Pursuit email list!
I updated my portfolio page with some new work including this brand identity design for a health & wellness advocate
I also updated my Etsy shop! You can now get my art prints as digital downloads so you can print yourself.
Our May Made In Mind Social was super special because we got to announce some fun Pursuit news and Death to the Stock Photo joined us as a part of their 2015 road trip!

ELSEWHERE

Thanks to Aspen Summit for the nice mention of The Meetup Guide (get 50% off by clicking here)
I’m sharing my favorite keyboard shortcuts over on Brigette’s blog along with a ton of other creatives!
Play Party Pin featured my S’more Pops in a round up of 50 Amazing Smores Recipes
The Blog Market shared two post from the blog, How to Create Color Palettes in Adobe Illustrator and Why Small Businesses and Bloggers Need Private Cloud Storage

P.S. I love to collaborate with brands and other bloggers, find out more here.

DIY Hand Lettered Pillow With Giant Pom Poms

June 29, 2015 by Ciera Holzenthal 2 Comments

Let’s stay home, okay? Just because the pillow said so. I am so in love with our new hand lettered pillow (and the sentiment) and my kiddos are crazy in love with the giant pom poms on each of the corners. I’ve been slowly filling up our new couches with fun throw pillows, and have been admiring some of the hand lettered beauties on Etsy. I decided that I could make my own and add some giant pom poms for a pop of color and fun. If you’re not a hand letterer, that’s a-okay too, I’ve got a free printable template of this phrase for you! You could also take any phrase printed from the web or a font you like to use as a template.

Make this fun hand lettered giant pom pom pillow!

It took me a just a couple hours in one afternoon to create this pillow and I know it will be loved in our home for a long time. I’d originally planned on lettering a bold, adventurous phrase on the pillow, but honestly- the older my hubby and I get (and since having kids) we’re such homebodies! We love to be at home. So instead I chose the cozy, ‘Let’s Stay Home’ phrase that makes me want to curl up on the couch and catch up on trash TV even more than I did before. Here’s what you’ll need to make your own:

Make your own hand lettered giant pom pom pillow!

Pillow Cover (or grab a pre-made pillow to customize!)
• Drop cloth (unwaxed)
• Sewing machine with white or cream thread
• Sewing scissors
• Pillow form

To Customize your Pillow
• Fabric paint
• Small paint brush
• Template of your choosing (get ours below!)
• Pencil
• Yarn in colors of your choice
• Embroidery needle
• Round lid the size you would like your pom poms

Before you start, you’ll want to decide if you’d like to make your own throw pillow, or customize an assembled pillow. I chose to make an envelope style pillow out of a piece of drop cloth. I bought the drop cloth to make a pillow before Christmas and have now made 3 pillows, a tree skirt and a couple wall hangings. I love working with them- and they’re so affordable! For instructions on how I make my pillows, you can hop over to this post.

Making A Customized Throw Pillow

Once you have a pillow cover ready to customize, you’ll need to pick your lettering. You can download and print a free copy of the lettering I created here.

DIY-Hand-Lettered-Giant-Pom-Pom-Pillow-1

Turn your printed template over and use a pencil to color over the design (on the back). I like to use as heavy as a pencil as available (I used 7B for this) since it transfers without much effort. Lay the design on your pillow and trace over the template, pressing firmly to transfer a light imprint of the design to your pillow cover.

DIY-Hand-Lettered-Giant-Pom-Pom-Pillow-2

Now you’re ready to get painting! My favourite fabric paint is Tulip Soft Matte Black Paint because it kind of looks like graphite paint if you don’t iron it and it doesn’t have that awful shiny look of most fabric paints. Paint over your template transfer, slowly filling in the thicker lines.

Hand Painting A Throw Pillow

Let your pillow dry and get started on the pom poms! I used two whole balls of yarn (although they weren’t large skeins) for this. I chose to have two shades of green in my pom poms, but you could have one or even three. Choose a circular lid that’s the size you would like your pom poms and start wrapping your yarn around the centre. Keep on wrapping until you have more yarn on than you think is necessary. Slide your yarn off your circular lid and tie a tight piece of yarn around the centre, snipping the loops on each end to create your pom poms.

Making Giant Pom Poms

When your pom poms have been created and your pillow case is dry, you can attach your pom poms using matching yarn and an embroidery needle (the needle with the biggest eye you can find). Tie a knot in a length of yarn and start from the inside of the pillow cover, looping in and out of the pom pom, then tying it off.

Giant Pom Poms for Throw Pillows

That’s all there is to it! I’m so happy I took the time to create my own hand lettered pillow instead of dishing out for some of the ones that I’d found online. If you were to create a hand lettered pillow, what would yours say? And are you a fan of pom poms as much as I am?

Hand Lettered Giant Pom Pom Pillow

About the author: Colleen is the DIY and lifestyle blogger behind Lemon Thistle where she shares printable art and hands on tutorials for DIY home decor, parties and gifts.

Summer Travel Fun

June 26, 2015 by Ciera Holzenthal 1 Comment

It’s time to start planning those summer vacations! I’m sharing some thoughts on using a credit card strategically to help you out.

strategic-use-of-credit-cards-for-travel-1

Y’all are already aware of my love for summer and summer travel. Two years ago I took a trip with my BFFs to Palm Springs and last summer I went to Alt Summit and then on a seven week adventure through Madrid, Barcelona, Marsielle, Nice, Paris, London and Reykjavík (I still owe y’all some travel guides).

strategic-use-of-credit-cards-for-travel-2

Travel, whether it be to a conference or on a vacation, is crucial to my sanity and for keeping my creative juices flowing. You may be wondering how the heck is all this travel possible for a self-employed graphic designer without tons of money or savings.

strategic-use-of-credit-cards-for-travel-4

I’m spilling the beans… I’m just paying off those trips a year later. But I wasn’t prancing around, being extravagant and getting myself into debt that I wouldn’t be able to pay back, this was an intentional plan. I picked a credit card that was right for my needs and figured out how much I needed to pay each month to have it payed off in one year.

strategic-use-of-credit-cards-for-travel-5

This year’s travel plans couldn’t be more different but one thing that stays the same: I still don’t have ton of money saved up. I’m getting married in October so my bachelorette party is this summer in Miami and then our honeymoon will be in October (we are thinking Tulum, Mexico). My favorite travel locations include boats, beaches or pools (as you can tell by the photos here from past trips). If you have any suggestions for Miami or Tulum I’d love for you to share them in the comments!

strategic-use-of-credit-cards-for-travel-3

When it comes to traveling, I like a credit card that allows me to earn miles and doesn’t have an annual fee. Also, when traveling abroad, a card without foreign transaction fees is key! This is exactly what makes the Discover It Miles credit card such a perfect fit for me. You also don’t have to worry about blackout dates, the miles never expire, and there is $0 fraud liability guarantee where you are never responsible for unauthorized purchases on your card. Also, as an introductory offer, cardmembers will now receive double the amount of miles they’ve earned at the end of their first year – with no spending cap. This is huge! To explore all of the rewards and discover more about the card for yourself, just click here.

strategic-use-of-credit-cards-for-travel-6

Thank you for supporting this blog by allowing me to post occasional sponsored content. All sponsored posts feature products or services that I truly feel would be of interest to you. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

May Made In Mind Social Recap

June 24, 2015 by Ciera Holzenthal Leave a Comment

For those of you who are new around here, you probably haven’t heard about my side project. The Made in Mind Social is a local group of creative types that gather every other month to meet other like-minded creatives, learn about other local businesses and collaborate on future projects.

Bellocq was kind enough to host us for May and Tivoli & Lee treated us to an amazing cheese plate. We did a fun raffle for some Pursuit themed gifts and Ashlee from Smallchalk created a gorgeous chalkboard for us. It was a super special event because we got to announce some fun Pursuit news and Death to the Stock Photo joined us as a part of their 2015 road trip! It blows our mind how many cool and creative people we get to meet who are ‘doing their thing’ and show up to talk about it!

Thanks to Kristy and Allison for the photos. Interested in sponsoring an event? Find details here. Not in New Orleans but want to hold awesome events like this one? Start a Made In Mind chapter in your city! OR start your own from scratch with the help of The Meetup Guide.

Steps to Refining and Setting Mid-Year Goals

June 22, 2015 by Ciera Holzenthal 2 Comments

I don’t know about you, but I can hardly believe that it is June already! The year is certainly flying by, and it is easy to start to feel panic that the year is almost halfway done when thinking about the goals you have set for your business and all that you want to accomplish in 2015.

Rather than panic, use it as a chance to evaluate the goals you set in January and see if they are still relevant. Didn’t set any? Now is the perfect time to gain focus for the second half of your year. Here are some simple ways to set or refine your goals:

Which aspect of your business is most important to you this year?

You may have a monetary goal for the year, or perhaps you want to achieve a work/life balance that suits your lifestyle needs. Whatever your ultimate intention for your year is, keep that front of mind while evaluating and setting your goals!

Which goals have you already met?

Look back at the goals you set at the beginning of the year and see which ones you can cross off. Whether it was a single item, like finding a new office space, or simply something you are ahead of schedule on, such as booking 15 new clients, take a moment to celebrate, then see how you can either update that goal or expand it for the second half of the year.

Which goals are you not on track to meet?

If you have any quantitative goals, such as “photograph 10 weddings” or “book 20 branding clients,” you should be close to reaching half of that value at this point. If you’re not close, it might be time to step up your efforts to meet that goal! Or, you may wish to adjust that goal if it no longer feels right. If you have a certain time of year that is your busy season, be sure to take that into account when calculating anything quantitative.

[Tweet “Free download! Keep your business goals in focus with these 5 simple steps!”]

What has changed since the beginning of the year?

You may have had a change in your personal life that affects how much you can work. Perhaps you examined your business and started offering additional or new services. Major changes like these will alter the goals you have for the remainder of your year, so take the time to see how the changes in your life or business are affecting your goals.

How can you streamline your work?

A goal for anyone should be to operate in a way that doesn’t waste your time – or your client’s time. Take a look at your systems and see what items could be refined or made more efficient, such as finally writing those canned email replies, updating your website’s contact form to ask better questions or actually hiring that VA. Make it a goal to accomplish those smaller items that have big impact.

While different businesses require different types of planning and goal setting, it is always crucial to have an objective and develop a plan to get there.

About the author: Laura is a graphic designer who loves working with small, creative businesses to build thoughtful brands at her studio, Dotted Design.

Indie Script Font by Lián Types

June 9, 2015 by Ciera Holzenthal Leave a Comment

I have a new favorite script font called Indie that you totally need to add to your collection! Maximiliano first discovered his love for typography while studying graphic design at Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina. As an innocent font hobby turned to addiction, his type design career matured at an incredibly rapid rate, due much to his fascination with calligraphy. He founded Lián Types in 2008 and it took him only two years thereafter to develop his own approach to the art, mixing his interest in calligraphy with a growing skillfulness in digitizing the most challenging of curves. “The truth is that I’m also doing my best to be a good calligrapher, and I don’t like making fonts which I can’t do myself by hand. My letters are me!”

Inspired by many styles of calligraphy, Lián Types is now among the most successful foundries specializing in script fonts and ornamented display type. “Designing script faces is not a game,” he said. “They’re not ‘the easy ones.’ They’re not for beginners, as some may think. A well-made script is like a marvel you just can’t stop staring at. Like history tells us: the written word can be as precious as any other art work.”

Maximiliano has won prestigious awards and his fonts have been adopted by some of the best designed publications around. His best selling typefaces include Selfie, Brand and Heroe and now he has just launched the latest Indie, which may be my favorite of them all. It’s on sale for 30% off until Wednesday night, so don’t miss this sale!

Graphic Love: Picasso’s Portrait

May 27, 2015 by Ciera Holzenthal Leave a Comment

Picasso's Portrait Inspiration Moodboard

The idea for this photo shoot came to me out of nowhere. Hours after seeing the image on the top right of the moodboard, a shot from the 2015 W Mag Movie Issue, I was researching Picasso’s work and different make-up techniques inspired by his work.

Picasso Inspired Woman with Lemon Portrait Picasso Inspired Woman with Daisy Portrait

Fun fact: One week after we shot, Picasso’s Woman of Algiers painting broke the record of most expensive painting to sell at auction, going for $160 million. I love when things turn out to be unexpectedly relevant!

Picasso Inspired Portrait Red and White

I wanted to take this concept in a much different direction from our last feature, Glitter Mania. The focus would be portrait shots to showcase elaborate make-up. We would create a specific scene by shooting it in a studio, with no distractions.

Picasso Inspired Photographic Portrait Woman with Picasso Inspired Makeup

Each model had a specific theme and color scheme. I wanted to pull colors from Picasso’s work—bright and rich blues, greens, reds, oranges and yellows. I love how direct and purposeful his work is, no matter how elaborate, and I wanted to explore how you could break his harsh and direct lines down on a real human face.

Picasso Inspired Makeup and Portrait

I took some later inspiration from a small Snapchat / Tumblr trend inspired by Steph, #burntpicasso. The whole idea of making yourself a piece of art makes me warm inside. Have a great rest of the week!

Creative Direction: Ashley Monaghan | Photography: Malarie Zaunbrecher | Make-up: Meghan Mcgee | Stylist: Makenzie Godzo | Clothing: Time Warp

6 Simple Ways to Brainstorm Blog Post Ideas + A Free Worksheet

May 18, 2015 by Ciera Holzenthal 6 Comments

Blogging can be a great tool for small business owners. It provides a way to connect with your audience, share your expertise, and even help convince people to work with you. It can also be a fun creative outlet or provide a needed break in your daily routine.

While the pros are easy to count, that doesn’t mean it is always easy to come up with new blog post ideas! Especially if you’ve been blogging for a while, you may feel like you’ve hit a wall with new post ideas. Luckily, there are several simple ways to generate some quality post ideas.

Why do you blog?

The first step for any blogger is to identify who you are trying to reach. Many bloggers get overwhelmed or feel unfocused when they aren’t sure who to write for. If you are a business owner, you might be writing to attract potential new clients. If you have a personal blog, you might be hoping to connect with fellow fashion lovers or food connoisseurs. When you identify this, it makes your focus that much clearer and the ideas easier to form.

What are some of your favorite blogs?

Think about the blogs you read, and make a list of ones you can’t wait to dive into when you see a new post. What about their posts attracts you? Perhaps they share knowledge, share personal stories, or use a unique voice to tell their story. When you identify what attracts you to your favorite posts, it will help you write your own!

What is a problem you recently had and then solved?

People love reading free tips and learning from their peers. A great way to connect with your readers and contribute to your community is to share something you learned. Not only might you help someone with the same problem, it helps you relate to others by showing you are human and don’t always have all the answers right away either.

What is a question you get asked all the time?

Do you find yourself receiving similar emails, tweets, or queries often wanting to know the same things? Make the answer a blog post! Not only will this help position you as an expert with the answers people are looking for, it will make your responses oh-so fast by simply directing people to your post for an answer.

[Tweet “Stuck on what to blog about? Download this free worksheet by @dotteddesign! #smallbiz #blogadvice”]

What is something you wish people knew about your business, industry or passions?

Is there a misconception about the industry you are in? Share your perspective and experiences! Do you find yourself running into the same problems with clients or customers? Write a post sharing your advice on dealing with the issue. Instead of feeling frustrated, use the energy to share a positive post and help others who might be fighting the same battles.

What resources or tools that you’ve found could help someone out?

Making a list of helpful resources is a great post generator. You could include tools you use to run your business, people in other fields that could be resources for your clients, or even podcasts within your niche that you love. As with many of these points, being generous with your knowledge not only builds trust with your readers, it will bring them back time and again.

To make this even easier, you can use this free brainstorming worksheet to get your creative vibes flowing. There is also space for those moments when you have a post idea and need to jot it down somewhere before you forget! Try setting aside a small amount of time each week to knock out your ideas, and writing will become even easier.

While blogging can seem overwhelming, it is a great tool for connecting with others in your industry, with clients, or with your community. When you look at it as a way to share and have fun, it won’t seem like a daunting chore anymore!

Download the Free Worksheet!

Need even more help getting started? Check out Ciera's e-book, Blogging With Intention.

About the author: Laura is a graphic designer who loves working with small, creative businesses to build thoughtful brands at her studio, Dotted Design.

Stock Photos and Great Design To Help Nepal

May 17, 2015 by Ciera Holzenthal Leave a Comment

Y’all know that I am a big fan of Creative Market, both for purchasing stock imagery and graphics and also for selling some of my own goods. And now there is even more reason to shop with them! Throughout the month of May, participating Creative Market shops will donate up to 100% of their earnings to Nepal disaster relief. And in partnership with the Autodesk Foundation, they’ll also match the first $20,000! These funds will be sent to All Hands, a non-profit organization that addresses the immediate and long-term needs of communities impacted by natural disasters. I’m donating 50% of my sales, so if you are in need of some stock photos go check out my shop and join us in our efforts to help Nepal!

How to Create Color Palettes in Adobe Illustrator

May 13, 2015 by Ciera Holzenthal 1 Comment

When working in Adobe Illustrator, I find that shortcuts help streamline my process and make for a more efficient use of my time. I love discovering useful productivity tips, so I thought I would share one that has helped me stay both consistent in my brand and save production time. Here are three essential tips for working with color palettes in Adobe Illustrator.

Create a Color Palette

There are several resources online to help create unique color palettes, including Design Seeds, Kuler/Adobe Color CC and Pinterest. By far, my favorite tool to use is searching through color inspiration boards on Pinterest! They provide a great starting point for developing your color palette.

To create a color palette in Adobe Illustrator, you will first need to create a color swatch for each specific color. Select the color you want to add to your palette, and then select the “new swatch” tool in the swatches panel. After you have added each of the color swatches, you can select all of them at once (by clicking shift or command + clicking the swatch) and then select the “new color group” button on the swatches panel. Now you have your color palette in its own group!

Save the Color Palette for Future Use

Once you have your color palette established, you might want to save this palette and reference it for future Illustrator projects. This is especially handy if you have a blog or a brand that uses the same specific colors throughout multiple projects. I even have a color group of semi-neutral colors that are great for muted background tints. The possibilities are endless!

To save your new color palette, first edit the swatches in the swatches panel so that it only contains your color palette you want to save. Select “save swatch library” from the swatches panel menu, and you are good to go! You can edit this swatch library anytime you want by choosing File > Open, and locate the swatch file in your library (by default this is located here: Illustrator/Presets/Swatches folder). Edit the swatches, then click save.

To reference your swatches in a new file, you click “swatch libraries menu” from the swatches panel, and then select “user defined.” There, you will find the swatch palette you created in any future Illustrator file.

[Tweet “Improve your #AdobeIllustrator efficiency! @SpruceRd is teaching us how to organize color palettes!”]

Convert Color Swatches to Pantone

When working with logo files, or large print runs, you might need to convert your color swatches in Illustrator to Pantone swatches. To do this, simply select the objects you would like to switch to Pantone. Then select “edit” > “edit colors” > “recolor artwork”. Select the swatches icon to limit the colors to a specific Pantone color group, and select the specific Pantone color book to limit your illustration to spot colors. Click “ok” to close the dialogue box and convert the CMYK colors to Pantone colors.

Speaking of shortcuts, Ciera and I are both sharing our favorite keyboard shortcuts over on Brigette Indelicato’s blog!

Amsi Pro Poster Style Font

May 8, 2015 by Ciera Holzenthal Leave a Comment

The impulse to draw Amsi Pro, according to designer Stawix Ruecha, was an encounter with the simple, expressive display faces of the early 20th century — in the German style known as Plakatstil, or Poster Style. The Amsi familiy is an ambitious interpretation of the historical Block Berthold Condensed, extrapolating a dark, condensed display style into a huge family. With three widths and eight weights, from Thin to Heavy, and Italics (actually: oblique romans) for all, it totals 48 styles. The Narrow and Condensed styles are good choices for compact headlines; the middle weights of both the normal and Narrow versions will work well in longer text settings.

DIY Wine of the Month & Free Printable

May 7, 2015 by Ciera Holzenthal Leave a Comment

This thoughtful wine of the month printable is a great Mother’s Day gift that gives all year!

Champage and Cards for Mother'sDay

Click here to download the card and tags!

Wine of the Month Free Mother's Day Printable

For Mother’s Day a few years ago my sister and I gave my mom a wine of the month gift. But instead of buying it from an online store, we decided to do it ourselves. I designed the card and tags that go on 12 bottles of wine, one for each month. I thought the design was due for an update so I’m here today with this special free download for you!

Wine of the Month Free Mother's Day Printable Card and Tags

If you live close to your mom, it’s fun to hand deliver the bottle and maybe she’ll even share it with you! It also makes for a great last-minute gift since you can just print at home and grab the first bottle at a store that is convenient to you.

Click here to download the card and tags!

So pretty! DIY Wine of the Month (click through for free printable)

Directions

Download and print the pdfs below (available in both the pink shown here and orange incase your mom isn’t into pink). Trim the cards out and then each month you just pick out a wine for her to enjoy and attach the pretty tag for that month. A gift that gives all year!

Click here to download the card and tags!

I’d love to hear your Mother’s Day plans and see pictures if you use these!

DIY Wine of the Month Card

Free Mother's Day Printable

P.S. Need more gift ideas? Check out My Favorite Gift Ideas for the Wine Lover

This design is © Ciera Holzenthal. All rights reserved. It may not be copied, resold, made available for download, given away or redistributed elsewhere without my written permission. Please link directly to this page if you would like to share these downloads with others.

Ricotta Toast with Fresh Berries for Mother’s Day Brunch

May 5, 2015 by Ciera Holzenthal 2 Comments

Hello, Ciera Design readers! My name is Katie Kosaya, I’m a food photographer from New York City, and I’m really excited to be featured here today!

Fresh Berries and Ricotta on Toast

Here’s a fun, springy recipe for Mother’s Day brunch. I’m a big fan of the fancy toast trend, because it’s such a simple idea that can have infinite interpretations. And there’s something about crunchy toasted bread that never gets old, especially when combined with fresh, colorful toppings.

Fresh Berries and Ricotta on Toast

While savory toast is always good, after a winter of comfort food, I’m very ready to start eating juicy berries and fruit again. You can use strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, peaches, pineapple, or anything else in season. Top it all with sprinkled seeds, such as chia, sunflower, flax, or nuts like toasted walnuts or sliced almonds. I also sometimes finish off the dish with a drizzle of honey.

Fresh Berries and Ricotta on Toast

I love this raspberry-blueberry combination with a pinch of citrus and a hint of mint. It’s vibrant, flavorful and bursts with vitamins! Try my recipe below, but really, it’s more one particular arrangement of tasty ingredients — feel free to experiment!

Ricotta Toast with Fresh Berries

Ingredients:

2 slices of a bread of your choice (I use ciabatta)
2 Tbsp fresh ricotta
1 cup of mixed berries of your choice, washed (I used raspberries and blueberries)
2 kumquats, washed, thinly sliced
1 sprig of fresh mint, washed, thinly chopped
1 Tbsp liquid honey

Fresh Berries and Ricotta on Toast

Assembly:

Lightly toast bread in the oven. Let it cool.
Spread 1 tablespoon of ricotta on each slice of bread.
Add berries, kumquat slices and mint leaves on top of ricotta.
Drizzle with honey.
Serve with a cup of hot coffee or tea for a perfect start to your day!

P.S. If you are hosting a brunch, you should probably set up a Bloody Mary bar or a Mimosa bar!

Mocking Up Your Design Work

May 4, 2015 by Ciera Holzenthal 8 Comments

As a designer, I’m a visual thinker, but that doesn’t mean that my clients are. Sometimes they need help actually visualizing the end result. This is where mocking up my work comes in handy. When sending a design to a client, presentation is always crucial. Mockups are also great for showcasing final work in your portfolio like I have done here, here and here. This is great when you can’t get around to photographing your work.

Stationery Mockup

The process of mocking up your design work doesn’t have to be difficult or too time consuming. You could always build your mockup files from scratch, but there is not always time for that, so I like to use pre made templates. My favorite spot to find mockup images is Creative Market. To find mockups like these search words like tablet, screen, corporate templates and mockup. Once you find a mockup you like, just download and paste your own designs in! Some files even take advantage of Photoshop smart objects which makes it even more easy to create your own mockups. So just keep that in mind when reading through project descriptions.

iPhone iPad Mac Screen Mockups

Stationery Mockup