₦airaland Forum

jahbiz: Op, hope you have paid for this advert of yours?

Where's the advert?

https://cdn29.elitedaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/stop-elite-daily1.jpg

Have you ever considered the fact that you might be thinking TOO much when it comes to building your business?

You spend weeks and months (maybe even years) trying to figure out which email software to use, which color to make your call-to-action button, or whether to build your portfolio on WordPress or Squarespace.

You fret over details like how much you should charge your first client, what your site’s color scheme should be, and what time of year you should “launch” your next offer or product.

Should you charge by the hour or by the project? Should you require a down payment?

Should you use Creative Market? Or Envato? Or just do your own thing with Paypal? or is it Selz? or Gumroad?

[size=14pt]The decisions are endless.[/size]

And if you waste all of your time “thinking” about the little details that make up a business, you may miss the bigger picture.

At the end of the day, every moment you spend tweaking font-size on your site is a moment you’re not doing the REAL WORK that it takes to run a business. (Unless you’re in the business of tweaking font-size on your own site.)

Every minute you spend listening to a podcast, reading a blog post, or watching a video that may help you grow your business is time taken away from ACTUALLY growing your business.

[size=14pt]I fell for this myself recently[/size]

I’ve been working a lot on a huge rebrand of GraphicDesignBlender.com. Not only am I redesigning the web site (details to come soon), but I’m rethinking the entire business model, upping our content focus, and even highly considering a name change for the site and brand.

And GraphicDesignBlender.com has recently suffered because of it.

Traffic is down. Revenue is down. But most disturbingly, I’ve been less active with GDB readers on social media and been less responsive to email than I would like to be.

It’s not the end of the world, but it reminded me of the best blogging advice I ever received.

It came from designer extraordinaire David Airey (who we interviewed at Stoked, by the way) and went something like this (totally paraphrasing here):

Stop worrying so much about how perfect your blog design is and start providing quality content to your readers.

See, the real work of blogging isn’t about line-height, padding, or margins. And the real work of your business isn’t about wordpress vs. squarespace or anything like that.

[size=14pt]So what is the “real work”?[/size]

So what’s this “real work” I keep referring to?

It’s got two parts:

1. It’s what your customers/clients expect from you.
2. It’s what brings in the money.
Like these:

The real work of running a blog? (1)Writing blog posts and (2)monetizing with ads or products.
The real work of freelancing? (1)Designing something amazing and (2)charging your client for it.
Take a minute and think through your business. Are you (1)creating something that people are expecting from you and then (2)turning that creation into money for your business?

If you’re spending more time redesigning, tweaking your business plan, or adjusting your facebook marketing, you’re not doing the “real work.”

[size=14pt]It probably feels like real work. But it’s not.[/size]

It’s keeping you from doing the work that will really help you propel your business forward. And it’s time to put that all aside and dig in for a little while. See what it’s like to design thirty web sites, create 100 logos, write 50 blog posts, or craft a dozen taglines.

In that moment (and in that moment only) do you realize what it means to do the work that fuels your business. And once you’ve gone through the effort to actually do the work your business requires, you’ll find that the rest of it all comes much more easily.

Think about it. … or, you know, don’t.



Source:http://www.graphicdesignblender.com/hey-entrepreneurs-youre-thinking-too-much

emmydeep: Elrufai, you see why i told u to stop persecuting the children of God.
The wicked will never go unpunished.

Elrufai, remember what happend to pharoah and his men.

The plaque of the Egyptians is gradually falling on the Northern Elites sponsoring the killing of Christians.

Like seriously? I think you need urgent psychiatric evaluation.

Konnektions146: this topic is a good one.
I think i have learnt much more from TheWisest than i thought when opening this thread.
I like constructive criticism, at least no individual would claim to know it all.
@op,
You need to be passionate about your job than the finances,as we all know, An enterpreneur need to make his business stabilize, gain ground and customer confidence, package his goods and services nicely and in turn the reward(money) would roll in (Money is good but making money your base is doom)

I totally agree with you. Its the more reason people who have a passion for something get to succeed more at it than those who are into it for the money because they get to satisfy their curiosity and understand the whole processes if the job better.

I always say it: If you are into entrepreneurship because of hunger, you'll be largely wasting your time because you will lack the drive, insight and vision for that business. You'll basically be concerned about the present alone with no vision of the future.

TheWisest: Not all brother! Brand Consultants and Designers ALWAYS work together. We need you guys to visualize what the client's business is about. You sound like an expert in your field - I respect that

Thanks. Guess I might be consulting you from time to time also. Hopefully, we'll start attracting interest of well paying clients soon.

Switpal: SME that has limited capital & can't afford to pay a good designer.... Wht advise can u give?

I really don't know how to reply this. But it best to lay more emphasis on other components of your business like efficient service delivery, good customer service, prompt response, etc. You can then consult a designer when the business is stable enough.

Send me a mail.

TheWisest: Lol! Are you kidding me?! Ok, first of, I'm not a designer. And I'll never be. I'm a Brand Consultant, I have a degree in that discipline and I love my work! Branding is about creating something you can't see but you can feel. It's a WIDE field that even corporate giants have the positions of Brand Managers. So friend, a designer cannot be a Brand Consultant. Stick with one

Noted! I never meant to undermine your field and I never knew it was so wide. My apologies

TheWisest: People, people, people! Not all businesses need a logo. Defining the brand of your business to your "target" audience should be the highest priority. Many people make the mistake of just giving the job straight into the hands of a logo or graphic designer and leaving them with the task of defining your business for you. Will you be able to trust another parent to determine the needs of your own child and meet them adequately? Will another parent ever know your child the way you know them? NO! Why entrust your "business baby" to an outsider for definition?

What's the correction? Look for a brand consultant and hire them. They know how to ask the right questions to unravel the real meat of your business. So, after that, then you can invite the logo/graphic designer. SIMPLE

I guess you've being mixing with the wrong set of mediocre designers. A real designer does more of researching than designing when it comes to a logo and creating marketing materials. But most people want designers that will charge you cheap prices, how do you expect to get the best?

Creating a logo is 90% research and 10% design. Your designer should serve as your consultant and the both of you should have extensive chats on what you want for your business, what he can offer and the possibilities.

moshoodn: Thanks. Can you help me with it?

Besides, as a designer, looking objectively at the Dangote Eagle logo, does it effectively communicate for all its different arms.

Thanks.

Mail me at darefunflick@yahoo.com.
Dangote's logo consists of an eagle over an horizon... dominance, agility and service. The designer's might give a different explanation but thats what I got from it.

moshoodn: Erad... Thanks for the insight.
Please, I've got somethings to ask.
This is my third year running in my biz and I wanna step it up to a bigger level, hence I need to get myself a proper brand logo and discard the old.
Now, how can I get a logo that fits into my different arms of biz like Dangote. He does a single logo for his pastas, cements, sugars, noodles etc.
Let say I have an ICT centre, a laboratory and a training centre all with the same prefix ie Planet Xylics ICT Centre, Planet Xylics Laboratories and Planet Xylics Training Centre. And I would want a meaningful logo that can represent all and can easily be identified with.
I'll appreciate your prompt response.
Thanks.

Its something better discussed with whoever you'll be giving the logo design job to. The designer will assist you with a design brief questionnaire and he can give you suggestions on ideas he thinks will encompass all sections of your business as well as send a direct message to clients at the first glance.

Bootybuttchic: so i quoted u thrice .criousslly? ...your post most have been too dumb,i didnt check d username cos i wudnt think just a person wrote those craps.....bro are u educated cos walahi u dont sound like one......if u aremaybe u are amongst those usually called educated illitrate....no offence intended!

Now its obvious I struck a nerve.
Eeeeeyah, sorry. I know better than degrading myself to insult you and you are absolutely right, I've never seen the four corners of a formal educational institution.

You sound so pained. All the insults and all, there's more to it than my comments. Whatever it may be, I hope you discover and put a check on it soon before it consumes you. I'm sure you still have a bit of sanity left to achieve that.

Peace.

https://graphicdesignschools.com/uploads/digital_asset/file/1547/brand-identity_600x315.jpg

The initial lack of customers and cash flow often causes new small business owners to put off designing a logo and marketing materials professionally "until they get a few clients" or "until they get started." Unfortunately, designing their own marketing materials when they launch their businesses instead of having them professionally created will make getting those initial clients more difficult and may result in a business that will not succeed.

Many entrepreneurs choose to design their own marketing materials when they launch their businesses, especially by creating their first business card. Or sometimes they will have an amateur designer, friend, or relative create the design. There are several reasons why this is not the best idea. An amateur logo design and business card can make your business more likely to fail for a number of reason.

Your business will not look stable. It will appear to be more likely to fold or to fail. Clients will not have confidence in doing business with you. Would you do business with someone who seems to be on unstable footing and who might not be in business by the end of your project or after you have purchased an item?

You will look like a very small business. Large, successful businesses would never consider doing business without professional, originally designed marketing materials. Using materials that are not professionally designed (i.e., Microsoft or Vistaprint templates) makes your business appear even smaller and can possibly indicate that you cannot perform to or meet the standards required.

You will look unpolished and rough. Not having a professional "look and feel" can make it appear as though your business does not matter to you. Customers may get the impression that you do not care about the way your business presents itself, which might indicate that you would not care about the quality of your work or the way that your work reflects upon their business.

You will look unfocused. Unprofessional, uncoordinated marketing materials can make your business look "jumbled" or confused. If you have a business card with one look and feel and a Web site with another, this creates a confused—and confusing—look and feel for your business. This can also cause an identity crisis for a small business. When looking at your differently designed materials, potential clients may be fooled into thinking that they are looking at materials that represent different companies.


About half of all businesses fail within their first few years. One source of failure that is commonly cited by experts is sloppy or ineffective marketing. If your marketing materials do not stand out from those of your competitors, your sales will suffer.

When you start a business, you need to create the quickest possible route to business success. A logo helps to create this by contributing to your business's visibility, credibility, and memorability—three factors that will help your business to grow and achieve success. So, while putting off your logo development may seem like a prudent idea from a cash-flow point of view, it could result in your business never getting off the ground. It can also lead to your business folding when it would otherwise succeed.

If you think that you can't afford to design a logo when starting your business, consider the outcomes—how can you afford not to?

Source; http://www.elf-design.com/article-No-Logo.html

Check the portfolio(s) of Nairaland logo designers here; https://www.nairaland.com/1823110/nairaland-portfolio-logo-designers

Bootybuttchic: why dont you people just read and go,if you cant say something reasonable about the issue"u can always oppose ones point with your own opinion and not insults"(i guess your ife students) .....buts its d guys opinion ,contribute or scram! ....pkakam

I'm really trying to understand how my comments have affected you. My first comment was a simple question, the second was an advice.

I'm still trying to figure out why you picked me out but that's a question I probably don't want an answer to. Be good, and you should probably go check your B.P.

Ifeconwaba: i dont have time to decipate energy to comments that make no sense to a sane mind

Guess I'm right then. You finally got tired of your library science.

It is well bro. Downgrading OAU won't make you feel better about yourself, trust me.

Ifeconwaba: OVER HYPED SCHOOL

1 OAU IFE thinks the are the best in nigeria’, but i cant see any ground breaking invention the school has performed since it was established compare to great schools like UNN AND UI

2 the students of the school always over hype the the school on every thread that is related to education here on nairaland

3 A School that can not give admission on merit , but is primarily based on selection. why because the management of the school is corrupt

4 OAU students are fond of over hyping the beauty of the school, but my visit to the school last week made to realize that social media hype is not a yardstick the measure the through state of something

Why do I sense frustration resulting from possible rejection?

frankben: I don't think it's advisable to learn graphics online because it will surely get to a point were you'd be confused hence, the need for physical presence arises... I advice you enroll into any computer learning center near you and explain to them about your interest in graphic design...

Hope this helps...

I think you are wrong. Everything I know from beginning to the end was learnt online. No one ever physically put me through with anything. It's all dependent on the zeal to learn and level of commitment.

tomiobj: . I can't post all the pics again. I'll just copy the link

That will work too. Thanks.

tomiobj: . Nobody reads the same post twice

And why do you think you automatically follow any thread you comment on? So you'll be notified of new comments and check back.

If this is how everyone posts continuation of threads as new threads, won't you find nairaland boring?

I'm sure when you get a new set of similar pictures, you'll open another thread for those too... It shouldn't be that way.

Kindly do what's appropriate and move these images to the initial thread you opened for them.

@tomiobj

Since this is a continuation of the first post you made, I'll advise you post these images there instead of creating multiple topics for the same thing.

https://www.nairaland.com/1823541/amazing-pieces-art-pictures

I'll go first to better illustrate how entries should appear.

https://alextass.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/logo-design-portfolio-alex-tass.jpg

Hi guys,
This thread is being created to assist logo designers have a sort of portfolio here on Nairaland.
Its not for comparison or anything of sorts, just a thread where people can drop their logos and members and guests can always come around to check it out and in the process pick designers they might wish to work with.

Some rules apply though for organisation purposes.

*All designers will have a maximum of four(4) attachments only.
*Each attachment will have a 1000px by 200px dimension.
*The first attachment must carry the designer's logo only as well as his/her contact details if he/she thinks it's necessary.
*The other three(3) attachments will contain maximum of five(5) logos each for clarity purpose in no particular order.
*All designs submitted must be the genuine work of the designer submitting it, any forgery or false claims will incur the designer punishments of various degrees.

Designers are advised to pick out the best of their best designs to better impress visitors and potential clients. No text here, just your designs speaking for you.

Have fun.

frankben4real: A logo must be simple:
this is one of the problem people have in logo design, take a look at the world leading logo like SONY, SAMSUNG, LG, DM TECH, DELL, HP, IBM, RAY.BAN, COCACOLA, ADIDAS, 7UP, PEPSI, FEDEX,NOKIA AMAZON.COM DSTV..you can see that most of this company stick to word mark type logo with slight symbols just like amazon.com with a small arrow, FedEx with two different colours,while some companies would also like to go for only symbol like infinity,mercedes, star times these are ideas that should strike your mind befor venturing into logo design

3.A logo must not exceed three colours

*A logo MUST not be simple, a logo SHOULD advisably be simple. This depends on the brief you are working with and your client, some concepts can't be executed with simplicity.

*A logo CAN exceed three colours. This is still because of the same reason above.

Just make sure there's a smooth blend among all elements of the logo and most importantly, your logo MUST be a vector.

Chigold101: Erad i really have a problem when people talk about testimony, experience & award in anything that have to do with creativity. If people go for only people that have the afore mentioned quality it means new talents can never discovered. As a logo creator myself, what matters is being able to translate the clients imagination into a reality. Therefore, what client should look out for is not those with some mundane experience, good testimony nor award winner but that person who can bring into reality what‘s in the mind of the company or organistion. I designed my firstlogo as a novice without a name then. The logo turned out to be a bomb

Hi Chigold101, thank you for that rebuttal. The article isn't mine but I think I should be able to contribute in that regards.

I also have my reservations about testimonies and awards for the fact that they are not such too common practices in this part of the world but Experience my good friend is very essential in hiring a graphic designer. I'll use few of my experiences as case study...

While developing as a designer, I rocked. I also designed a couple of logos and they were the bomb but there was an issue, I used adobe photoshop. Photoshop most often than not doesn't deal in vectors so most of my logos were bitmaps. It took experience for me to understand this vital ingredient of logo designing. Now an inexperienced client would have come to me for a logo seeing my bitmap works and I would have done a marvellous job for him but it will also take him experience to realise that my wonderful logo has usage restrictions. Then he'll start spending more to look for a new designer to either recreate his logo in vector format or give him something new entirely.

99designs helped me in big way because that was where I realised most of my shortcomings as a logo designer. Experience can never be undermined in any occupation. Once in a while, the newbies get it right but the experienced ones not only get it right most times, they enlighten the clients in areas they(clients) are getting it wrong and make it all right.

Your job as a designer isn't only to design, it is to have the best interest of your client(s) at heart by advising them in regards to their design choices. How do you advise a construction logo client when you have never dealt with such before?

I hope I was able to make some sense.