Ciera Design Studio

Brand identity and design solutions for creative businesses and passionate entrepreneurs

Photography 101: Why Blog Photography Matters

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Whatever your goals are if you’re using your blog as a platform to reach them – visual appeal is important. Blog photography matters because it makes your reader slow down and pay closer attention to what you’re saying. A photo can be used to illustrate a point, tell a story, sell a product or all three.

A guest post from Veronica Armstrong

I’ve been blogging for two and a half years. When I started I didn’t have a plan. I was sending random words and thoughts into the blogging abyss. There’s nothing wrong with that but if you have clearly defined goals and a desire to be a successful blogger planning is essential.

One important element of blogging I neglected was photography. At the time I wasn’t interested in doing much more than sharing funny stories about my life in Vermont. Once I reevaluated my writing and blogging goals I set out to improve my photography skills and increase the visual appeal of my site. It’s paid off tremendously.

veronica-armstrong-farmers-market

One of my first blog photos. Yikes!

Incredible opportunities have come my way thanks to my blog photography. I’ve worked as a blog ambassador for a well-known photography forum and community, reviewed top of the line gear, and photographed a private event at a blog conference. Whatever your goals are if you’re using your blog as a platform to reach them –  visual appeal is important.

Blog photography matters because it makes your reader slow down and pay closer attention to what you’re saying. A photo can be used to illustrate a point, tell a story, sell a product or all three. Think of a nice photo as a rest stop for your eyes. Taking a break and letting your eyes linger at a nice looking image gives you time to process the content you’ve read.

veronica-armstrong

Think about the message you want your blog to convey and choose photos accordingly. My blog is about my life as an Ivy League MBA wife and inspiring women to document their children’s lives with photography. The photos one sees on my site are happy, fun, vibrant, pretty and sweet. That is how I see my life so those are the kinds of photos I share. Keep the rest of your visual branding in mind when making choices about which photos to post.

veronica-armstrong

The art of photography is intimidating. There is a mountain of information to learn and at times it seems impossible to keep up. Start small and set goals for yourself. Think of where you want your blog to be a year from now and how improving your photography can help with that. Do you want to increase traffic? Build a larger community? Create content that is curated by top bloggers?

veronica-armstrong

Make a plan and get shooting. Practice is the best teacher. I’ll be back next month with tips on how choosing the right aperture sets the mood of your photos and improves your photography.

veronica-armstrong

 

About the author: Veronica Armstrong is an Ithaca, New York based writer and photographer who blogs at VeronicaArmstrong.com. 

Dom Loves Mary Font [Friday Favorites]

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Happy Friday! I am SO excited about today’s favorite font! Last week I received this amazing box in the mail presenting a new font from Debi Sementelli and Brian J. Bonislawsky of Correspondence Ink. The font, Dom Loves Mary, was inspired by and created in memory of Debi’s in-laws, Dominic and Mary Sementelli. The package was such a creative way to present the story behind the font and also included some amazing letter pressed note cards from Aerialist Press!

Dom Loves Mary Script Letterpressed Cards Aerialist Press

Dom Loves Mary Script Font Promo Box

 

WHAT’S UNIQUE ABOUT THE DOM LOVES MARY FONT FAMILY:

The script and text fonts are lettering styles that were made to compliment each other. The script, with a vintage, classic feel, will add elegance to your design, while the text serves to offer support with easy to read simplicity.

In addition to the standard character set, each of the uniquely styled script fonts includes a collection of flourished ornaments. Use them to create corners, headers or other embellishments to complete the look. And if you really want to fancy things up, they offer two sets of 72 additional flourishes that were specifically made to add to upper and lower case letters for easy customization. Dress them up with one, two or more. It’s like choosing simple pearls or piling on the glitz!

Dom Loves Mary also has a set of the most frequently used add-on words. This set of 66 includes envelope friendly titles including Mr., Mrs. and Miss, as well as words to fill out your invitation suite including RSVP, Respond, Save the Date, Accommodations, Directions and more! Add-on words also include angled words like and, at, to, on, for, from and of to add a special touch to your large groups of copy.

 

Nothing Worth Having Comes Easy by Ciera Design

I had some time to test out the font and I just love all of the variations and flourishes it offers! For the design above I used a combination of the three Dom Loves Mary script fonts for the wording (you get all three in the Pro package). The capital N is from the Stylistic version, while most of the lower case letters are from the Contextual version. To encapsulate the saying, I chose two simple flourishes. The top one comes from Flourishes One set, while the bottom is from the Flourishes Two set. To read more about the inspiration behind the Dom Loves Mary font (it is truly a great story) and the diverse packages available for purchase head over to Correspondence Ink on MyFonts!

A VERY SPECIAL DEAL FOR CIERA DESIGN READERS!

Debi is offering 40% off her new font with discount code “bloglove” when you purchase at MyFonts, this is an amazing deal!

I received a copy of Dom Loves Mary c/o Correspondence Ink. All opinions are my own.

DIY Autumn Leaf Table Place Cards

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I love a pretty table for the holidays so today I am showing y’all how to make simple place cards to add a little something special to any decor. This design is versatile so can really be used for any holiday or special occasion but I thought it would be nice for Thanksgiving!

DIY Thanksgiving Table Place Cards

MATERIALS: cardstock / two different colors of paper / pretty font / branch punch / adhesive gel / hole punch / gold brads

DIY Thanksgiving Table Name Cards Process

 DIRECTIONS:

1a. Print all of the names you will need on card stock and trim them to 2″ x 1″
1b. For each place setting trim one 3.75″ x 5.5″ piece of card stock and fold in half to 3.75″ x 2.75″
2. Select two colors of paper for your leaves and punch about 12 of each color
3. Rotating colors, glue down the leaves in rows slightly overlapping them
4a. Hole punch your name cards on each end and insert the gold brads.
4b. Since the hole punch didn’t reach where I needed it on the folded card, I just used the brads to make the holes through the card stock
5. Secure the brads by folding them down on the inside of the place card and you are done!

DIY Autumn Leaf Table Place Cards

DIY Autumn Leaf Table Name Cards

These directions also work to make greeting cards!

hello leaf card

happy birthday leaf card

How To Get More Blog Followers with Guest Posting and Collaborations

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Blogging is an amazing way to grow your brand and get your business out there, but in the beginning it can be very difficult to get people to start following your blog. Today I’m sharing two ways to get your business out there when you’re just starting out and how to get readership when you’ve got no fans or followers. These two ways are guest posting and collaborating.

Use this free worksheet to help you get started with guest posting and collaborations!

Guest Posting

When it comes to guest posting, you can either guest post on other blogs or have others contribute to your own blog.

Guest Posting on Other Blogs:

Posting on other blogs has some great benefits. It puts more links to your blog out on the web, which makes it easier for people to find your site in search engines like Google or Bing.

Another way guest posting helps grow your following is by positioning you as an expert in your field. Once you post on another blog, you can add a link to the article and a short description of what you wrote in the Publications section on your LinkedIn profile. You can also add a logo from that blog or link your article to a Press or As Seen On page on your site.

When looking for blogs to guest post on, look for blogs outside your niche that might need help on the topic you’re an expert in. For example: If you’re a graphic designer, try posting on a blog for crafters on the topic of the importance of good logo design.

Having Contributors on Your Own Blog:

Having other people guest post on your own blog can also help publicize your site. When someone posts on your blog, they will most likely share links to the post on their social networks, so your blog is being publicized to their following in addition to yours. Any extra eyes on your site can help grow the number of followers you have.

 

Collaborations with Other Bloggers

Collaborating with other bloggers, both larger and smaller, on a project is a fun way to grow everyone’s following. Brainstorm some ideas for a project you’d like to work on and make a list of bloggers who might be able to help the project.

Once you have all of the details ironed out, reach out to the bloggers on your list to see if they would be interesting in the collaboration. If they say yes, make sure you take care of all of the details for them to ensure that it is as easy for them as possible. If they say no, thank them for their response and move on to the next person on your list.

For example, you could coordinate a blog series on blogger’s favorite DIY projects. Each blogger you collaborate with would be assigned a week, and you would both promote the post through your social media pages. Then when the blog series is over, you could combine each of the DIY posts into an ebook and give it to each of the contributors to give to their following.

This helps each person in the collaboration because their content is being shared with new audiences as each person helps promote their post.

When you focus on these steps to grow your following, you’ll also notice relationships and friendships being formed with the people in your collaborations, which can lead to bigger opportunities down the road.

Gaining blog followers with guest posting and collaborations will help you go from zero fans and followers to a growing fan base and a growing presence in the online world.

About the author: Mariah is a Graphic Designer/Wedding Stylist who has a passion for helping creative entrepreneurs turn their passion into profit.

On Transparency and Blog Integrity

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Hey guys! I’m popping in with a little update because I want to be completely transparent with my readers and because my blog integrity means a lot to me.

I blog because I love it. Blogging inspires me to take photographs, make projects, learn new recipes and to document my life in an organized and creative way. I enjoy sharing my passions and obsessions with my readers and I have been blown away by the community around blogging. I love connecting with new people all over the world that I wouldn’t be able to otherwise.

But remember, my ‘real job’ is a freelance graphic designer and while I LOVE blogging, it takes a lot of time away from paid opportunities. For my first two years of blogging I held off on accepting advertisers, sponsors and affiliates because it was important to me that these things didn’t influence my content. I wanted to concentrate on creating unique ideas and giving the blog time to develop. Once the blog was on a steady track I opened it up to sponsorships. For me, this was less about making a few dollars and more about building great relationships in the web world and allowing me to share these new friends with you!

You may have noticed that, in addition to my sponsor spotlight posts, I have joined some advertising networks. This means occasional sponsored posts. Sponsored posts allow me to dedicate more time towards this blog and create original and unique content for you guys! I always have and always will continue to post things I can honestly stand behind. I will never post about something that is not relevant to me or my readers or let compensation influence my special space.

I know there are a lot of people who don’t think blogs should accept compensation and I have so much respect for bloggers who put their time and energy into creating content without having advertisers. I did that for years, but now that I am transforming this blog from a hobby into a part of my business, I now understand the value of these types of opportunities.

I truly enjoy what I do and feel extremely lucky everyday. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to email me and you can read my official Privacy Policy and Disclosure here.

xo Ciera

Gull Rock Pottery Sculpture Garden

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On my Maine road trip back in June, we received a tip to check out Gull Rock Pottery. It was well off the beaten path and totally out of our way but I’m so glad we took the trek. It’s a remote in-home pottery studio surrounded by an amazing sculpture garden on the water’s edge. It was really cool to wander through the property and in and out of the juts of land that held the sculptures.

Gull Rock Pottery Sculpture Garden

Gull Rock Pottery Sculpture Garden

Gull Rock Pottery Sculpture Garden

Gull Rock Pottery Sculpture Garden

Gull Rock Pottery Sculpture Garden

Gull Rock Pottery Sculpture Garden

Check out all of the photos from my Maine road trip!

Keep Your Clients Coming Back For More

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So you’ve been going at this freelance thing for a while now. And you are left wondering, “How do I keep my clients coming back for more?”

5 ways to obtain additional business from current clients

It’s no secret that it is far easier to obtain additional business from current clients than to acquire new clients. To increase revenue, business strategists encourage the practice of up-selling or cross-selling. I hate those terms because they allude to selling your client something they don’t need. For example, I never want to “sell” my client on a fancy, cost-prohibitive, printed brochure when their business may reap more rewards from investing in a website redesign. Instead of “selling” your client additional products or projects, how about focusing on selling yourself as an asset to their team?

Here are 5 practical ways you can keep your clients coming back for more:

1. Listen more than you speak

Take the time to truly listen to your clients. Ask the right questions. You may find that what they think they need is very different from what they actually need. Show them that you are looking out for their dollar, and they will value you and your work for years to come.

2. Under-promise & Overdeliver

This is key. Allow me to give you an example. After receiving a signed quote for a logo design, I sent my client a specific production schedule outlining when to expect the first draft, revisions, etc. I allowed 14 days to develop my first round of concepts. It may take me far less than 14 days to design the logo, but this way I build in some cushion for the what-ifs (my child gets sick, a family emergency comes up, etc.). Luckily for me, no “what-ifs” erupted so I was able to deliver the logo concepts 2 days earlier than promised. Result: A pleasantly surprised client. Don’t put yourself in a position where you can’t reach deadlines or are delivering sub-par work. If you set realistic expectations and communicate clear deadlines, your clients will be willing to wait for quality work.

3. Facetime

And no, I’m not talking about the app. You can accomplish a lot over phone and email these days, but nothing develops a business relationship as effectively as in-person communication. Schedule a coffee date to introduce yourself and brainstorm. Your client will not only be invested in the project. He/she will be invested in you.

4. Check in

Don’t be a fair weather friend. Check in with your client a few weeks/months after project completion and ask how things are going. Ask if there is anything you could have done to make the project more successful. Show you care about more than a paid invoice.

5. Blog Regularly

You knew this one was coming. Regular blogging will not only do wonders for your website’s SEO, it will enhance your client relationships. Your clients want to know you as a person, not just a designer.

About the author: Lauren Kaczmarski is a designer & blogger based in Charlotte who loves photography, typography and eating Nutella straight out of the jar.  

Favorite Posts of October

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October was an amazing month! I announced some big news and celebrated three years of this blog! Here is a recap of my favorite posts from October in case you missed anything!

October Favorite Posts

Favorite Posts of October:

1 Brand Spotlight: Maeven
2 DIY Paint Dipped Pumpkins
3 Adding Apps on Facebook
4 Fall Essentials Roundup
5 Three Year Blogiversary Fun
6 The Font Feast Presents Sweet Pork Tacos
7 What I Wore // New Orleans Fashion Week
8 Abstract Illustrations by jD style

>>> Don’t forget, today is the last day of the HALF OFF SPONSOR SPOT SALE! Purchase advertising spaces HERE and just enter code “3YEARS” for the 50% off discount! 

 

Ciera Design elsewhere in October:

– Ciera Design spotlight over on The Better Blogger Network
– Featured on Real Stories, Real People, Real Inspiration at After Nine To Five
– October’s calendar featured on Half Asleep Studio
–  DIY Paint Dipped Pumpkins featured on Stuff Steph Does, Call Me Cal, Studio DIY and 52 Weeks Project
– Fall Essentials Roundup featured on the Lucky Magazine Blog
– Photo DIY Card featured on Pixi Wishes and Forehead Kisses

My social media series continues on the Alt blog:
Growing Your Blog Through Social Media
Growing Your Blog Through Pinterest
Growing Your Blog Through Twitter

Thanks to everyone who shares my content, I really appreciate it!

Thanks to all who entered the 3 Year Blogiversary Giveaway AND THE WINNER IS: Alycia! Congrats, I’ll be emailing you shortly! Winner picked by Random.org through Rafflecopter.

What I Wore // New Orleans Fashion Week

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Biannually, NOLA Fashion Council hosts NOLA Fashion Week to provide Southern born or based designers a platform to gain exposure. This year, I attended the kickoff party featuring the very talented designer, Matthew Arthur! My sister and I were two lucky ducks and got a room at the beautiful Hotel Modern to hang out in before the party got started!

What I Wore // New Orleans Fashion Week at Hotel Modern

What I Wore // New Orleans Fashion Week at Hotel Modern

What I Wore // New Orleans Fashion Week at Hotel Modern

What I Wore // New Orleans Fashion Week at Hotel Modern

What I Wore // New Orleans Fashion Week at Hotel Modern

What I Wore // New Orleans Fashion Week at Hotel Modern

What I Wore // New Orleans Fashion Week at Hotel Modern

What I Wore // New Orleans Fashion Week at Hotel Modern

Blouse – Loft 3H (purchased at NOLA Fashion Week’s Retail Shopping Day) // Skirt – Urban Outfitters (similar) // Ring c/o Dixi // Bracelets – vintage // Shoes c/o Blowfish // Location c/o The Hotel Modern and NOLAFC. You can see Jasmine’s outfit here!

The Font Feast Presents Sweet Pork Tacos

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My blog, Lulu the Baker, is mostly recipes, but I love anything to do with design–especially beautiful fonts! And like all good design, a great font can be a source of inspiration. Sometimes a striking font inspires you to throw a party. Sometimes it inspires you to re-design your brand or update your logo. In my case, a great font inspires me to cook!

I came across the Los Banditos font while designing a flier for my husband’s office. I can’t even remember what the flier was for, but I needed a font that was old-timey and reminiscent of the Wild West. Los Banditos makes me think of the Spanish Missions all along the coast of California, of ivory-handled pistols with red roses sticking out the barrels and black mariachi suits covered in intricate embroidery. Best of all, it makes me think of tacos! Of sweet and tender shredded pork topped with cool, crisp lettuce and salty cheese wrapped in warm corn tortillas!

sweet pork tacos 1

Sweet Pork Tacos inspired by Los Banditos Font

3+ lbs boneless pork roast
1/2 cup apple juice
1 cup brown sugar, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 10-oz can mild green chile enchilada sauce*
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
4-5 good shakes worcestershire sauce
1 lime (optional)

Add all ingredients except 1/2 cup brown sugar and lime to a large crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours. 30 minutes before the pork is done, add the reserved 1/2 cup brown sugar and stir. When cooked through, remove meat to a large cutting board and shred using two forks. Place shredded pork in a large bowl or baking dish and spoon over it enough of the cooking liquid to make it moist but not soupy. If desired, squeeze lime juice over the meat and toss. Serve in warm tortillas with your favorite taco toppings.

*If you have time, you should really make this green enchilada sauce from Our Best Bites. It is amazing! I make a big batch, divide it into 1- or 2-cup servings, and freeze it to use in this recipe, or for enchiladas or smothered burritos.

About the author: Melissa writes about her adventures in food, family, and farming at Lulu the Baker. She develops recipes, cooks, and photographs for The Font Feast column.

Exciting Blog Announcement!

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To exist is to change

My goal for this blog has always been to create an inspiring place for both myself and my readers. Over three years, I have been putting more and more effort and love into this space, as much as I possibly can. But when I get busy with freelance work, it’s hard. I always want to have great content for you guys, so because of this, I have decided to add some regular guest contributors! This blog is my baby so I have carefully chosen contributors that are creative, full of positivity and fresh perspective.

I’m so excited to share with you the new team of creators and new features coming to the blog! These guys will be sharing recipes inspired by fonts, carefully created round-ups and advice on blogging, freelance and photography! This means, that in addition to my regular posts, you will get ever more content starting this week! Head over to the Blog Contributors section to read more about them and their new columns! As I add more contributors and/or columns that page will be updated.

DON’T FORGET:
>> I’m still offering HALF OFF of ALL sponsor spots
>> You can still enter the huge 3 year blogiversary giveaway
>> AND the Meet & Greet is still going strong – so go chime in

DIY Paint Dipped Pumpkins

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I think I’m over the whole pumpkin carving thing. It’s always harder than I remember and I end up getting frustrated that I can’t get it perfect. So this year, I decided to paint some simple color blocked pumpkins! Although I am calling them paint dipped pumpkins, they are not actually dipped, they just look like it!

Paint Dipped Pumpkins DIY

The first thing you need to do is section off your pumpkin with masking tape. You can tape it right down the center if you like, but I decided to tape mine at an angle to make it a little more interesting! Make sure the tape is firmly pressed down, otherwise your paint will run underneath it. Once you get the tape in place, you will want to prime your pumpkin with white acrylic paint. This makes sure that the color you choose is not dulled by the orange of the pumpkin. I applied two coats letting it dry in between.

Tape and Prime Pumpkins First

After the white primer is dry, now comes the fun part! Pick whatever color acrylic paint you like and paint over the same area of the pumpkin that is now white.

Paint Palette

I painted one with neon pink and one with black. For the pink, it took three coats to cover fully and the black only took one coat, it just depends on the color and thickness of the paint you are using.

DIY Fluorescent Pink Painted Pumpkins

Once you achieve the coverage that you are happy with and your colored paint dries, pull the tape off being very careful not to pull the paint off with it. And there you have it, a beautifully simple dipped pumpkin!

Ciera with DIY Fluorescent Pink Painted Pumpkin

I also decided to glam this Halloween up with a glitter dipped pumpkin. For this one, instead of priming with white, I primed the pumpkin with gold acrylic paint. Once that was dry, I painted the same area with Modge Podge and then sprinkled gold glitter over the glue covered area.

Glitter Dipped Pumpkins DIY

Materials for painted pumpkins: masking tape, white acrylic paint, color acrylic paint, paint brush

Color Blocked Pumpkins DIY: Black, Gold, Pink

Materials for glitter pumpkins: masking tape, gold acrylic paint, Modge Podge, paint brush, gold glitter

Modern Painted Pumpkins DIY

Even though Halloween is right around the corner you still have time to brighten up your home with these quick and easy DIY pumpkins!

Paint Dipped Pumpkins & Skull

My sister and I worked on our pumpkins together so you can head over to her blog, Sequin Crush, for even more awesome DIY pumpkins!

Even More Pumpkin DIYs Over On Sequin Crush

3 Year Blogiversary Giveaway (closed)

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3 Year Blogiversary Group Giveaway

Some of my favorite bloggers and shop owners are joining me today to make this 3 Year Blogiversary Party even more special! Today I’m kicking off the biggest giveaway this blog has seen in it’s three years! I can’t thank these lovely ladies enough for making this giveaway super special for you guys! One lucky reader is going to win the entire prize package, valued at over $100. Let’s take a peek at all the goodies being offered:

1 // OH, WHAT LOVE STUDIOS is giving the lucky winner a vintage Kodak Duaflex IV camera with Kodet Lens. This camera was created between 1947 and 1960 and takes 620 roll film. Perfect as a wedding or photography prop, shelf decoration or to add to your camera collection.

2 // DIXI is offering a beautiful Thousand Wishes Necklace. This delicate yet statement wishbone necklace can make all your dreams come true!

3 // CHANTILLY SONGS is is generously offering two of her albums (Up to the Moon EP and Caught Light). Her voice is so beautiful, you should go check her out!

4 // PRETTIFUL DESIGNS is giving away a $15 credit to their shop full of digital scrapbooking paper and clip art.

5 // YELLOW BIRD + YELLOW BEARD is offering an adorable 10ft handmade Fall leaves paper garland! The perfect decoration for this time of year!

6 // And yours truly is giving the lucky winner a medium sponsor spot for November!

 

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY: I’m using Rafflecopter to track entries so you can login below through Facebook OR your email and it will allow you to enter multiple ways! Good luck!! This giveaway is open through October 30. The winner’s name will be chosen randomly and announced soon after. Please note that your entry will be removed if you do not complete it correctly. Must have a USA or Canada shipping address to be eligible for entry.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you are in a reader click out to access the Rafflecopter entry form. 

 

Don’t forget I’m still offering HALF OFF of ALL sponsor spots! AND the Meet & Greet is still going strong so go chime in!

Get a free worksheet to help you define what your brand personality traits are >> Yes, Please!

Ciera Design Studio established 2010
xo Ciera