Business Card Makeover – The Final Winner!
The business card makeover contest has been a lot of fun. We have seen a number of cards which really needed a makeover. Along the way, we have been able to help several business owners.
This month, our intern Dan took the lead on the redesign. Here is what he had to say about the process.
Although it may be popular, a business card doesn’t need to be a bright color or have a flashy gradient to stand out.
Sometimes, just a strong images can really catch someone’s eyes and portray something about the business at the same time. I’m not endorsing the use of stock photos on business cards, but select graphics, used correctly, can add a nice touch.
While experimenting with the design, for this month’s winner Wire2U, I made a graphic of the AC plug (of which I was kind of proud). I liked it so much, I started looking at other cables to include. Each of the cables which appear on the card is was created from an actual cablet I found laying around my house or at the office.
These cables make the business card more noticeable and interesting, while appealing to people, such as myself, who live with cluttered rooms with countless confusing cables. As for the color scheme, I used yellow to attract attention, but added navy to keep a professional and trustworthy image. Be sure to ask the winner, Pat Seal, for his business card to see it in person the next time you run into him at a Rainmaker Event.
Unfortunately, there is some bad news in this post too. As much as we have enjoyed ridding the world of ugly business cards this will be the last business card makeover .
But, a good brand is constantly evolving, so stay tuned to here and on our facebook fanpage, because there are new things are just around the corner.
Meet Dan Lipson, our Newest Intern
As the youngest intern at Roundpeg, I am still in high school at North Central. I take an active role at school as a committee chair in student council, mostly doing the advertising for school events and getting local businesses as sponsors. Although mostly working with video and motion graphics, I’m still very interested in web and logo design, and marketing strategies.
I’m excited to get hands on with web design and learn more about uses social media in the advertising space. I’m sure that this summer will be a great and fun experience to help me in my future with web and graphic designs.
Music, Food and a Bit of Research. The Life of a Roundpeg Intern
by Kelly Rogers,
I’ve been at Roundpeg for five weeks now and let me tell you, it’s definitely not what I expected. In fact, it’s blown my expectations out of the water. Every day I face new challenges, tackle new assignments, and have fun along the way. I could not ask for a better staff to help me understand HTML, WordPress, and how to check-in on foursquare.
Not only am I getting valuable learning experience at Roundpeg, I am also exploring new cultures… through dining. Who knew it was possible to look forward to Mondays at work? Every other Monday the Roundpeg crew heads out to a new restaurant for what we like to refer to as “adventures in dining.” I have been fortunate enough to experience these fine cuisines before, but my boss Jay has not. So far we’ve all enjoyed watching Jay try Thai, Indian, and Greek food for the first time. Of course, in return, we will be checking out a KFC Buffet.
Another highlight for me has been the launch of our very own Roundpeg Radio. Every Friday we accept tweeted song requests (@roundpegradio) and stream them live from our website. I’ve had a blast jamming out to the playlist with the rest of the crew, not to mention it magically helps the weekend get here a little faster! ( And from a business perspective, the software we found to run the application has made it’s way onto two client websites)
Now that I’ve made it sound like we never actually work at Roundpeg, I guess I should summarize what they’ve had me working on this past month. I’ve enjoyed helping design websites on WordPress, going with Jay to some one-on-ones, attending networking events, and getting to know our clients.
My biggest struggle so far has been learning how to get the best results from my research. I have found it hard to scroll through databases such as Google Reader and select relevant, credibie informaton for our clients. So if you have any suggestions to make that task easier, feel free to share them here.
Meet Roundpeg Intern Mallory King
By: Mallory King
Hello, Roundpeg readers!
My name is Mallory King and I’ll be working with Taylor Brough this summer as a graphic design intern at Roundpeg. When I’m not at Roundpeg this summer, you can find me at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, where my part-time job as a gallery facilitator is never dull.
I know what you’re thinking: “Designers make pretty pictures, not poetic blog posts, so she’d better make it snappy!” Let me assure you: when Lorraine asked me if I preferred words, numbers or pictures during my interview, my response was, “Words!” The response was an obvious one given my B.A. in journalism from Butler University (Go Dawgs!). That’s right– I’m a writer! And a classically trained ballet dancer. I’ve even been known to bake a pretty mean cupcake or two. All of this on top of design skills honed during my time in J-school at Butler. Thank heavens my over-priced education seems, if nothing else, to have paid a few dividends in the jack-of-all-trades department!
This summer, Taylor will be putting my knack for arranging clean lines, sharp graphics and interesting fonts to some practical use. I’ll be helping him maintain Roundpeg’s fresh approach to design while developing my own skill set. With Taylor as my fearless (fearful?) leader, I know my design prowess will increase… or at least the collection of design books on my bookshelf will be slightly more justified. In all seriousness, though, I’m looking forward to digging in as a part of this well-oiled Roundpeg team. From what I’ve seen so far, these folks have got the right idea and they’ve got the seamless, design-conscious package to prove it.
Follow me on Twitter @malloryking86!
Introducing Our Marketing Intern, Kelly Rogers
Hello blog world! My name is Kelly Rogers and I am Roundpeg’s marketing intern for the summer. I am a junior at Purdue University (I have a feeling I may be butting heads with the IU fans around the office) majoring in advertising and public relations.
I am an active member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority and a member of PRSSA and AAF. I have lived in the Indianapolis area for the majority of my life and I can’t wait to start networking and meeting other Indy-area social media enthusiasts like myself (follow me on Twitter @kellyarogers).
This summer I am looking forward to acquiring new skills which I would never learn in the classroom. For example: Purdue, along with many other universities, does not offer a class on social media and social networking. It never occurred to me how useful these websites can be for business professionals and small-business owners.
Social media makes it easier than ever to effectively reach target markets and attract new customers. I thought I had the bases covered with Twitter and Facebook, but with this internship I am quickly learning those websites are just the surface of the social networking world. Quote me on this; I will be the mayor of something on foursquare by the end of the summer!
There are countless opportunities and advantages of interning with a smaller marketing company. Roundpeg’s post on IndianaINTERNnet said: “no two days will be the same,” which is exactly what I am looking for in an internship.
During my time here at Roundpeg I look forward to working on anything and everything marketing-related. I am very excited to attend client meetings, networking events, write blogs, build websites and do whatever else Jay and Lorraine throw my way. Already on my first day I attended my first project meeting and sat through a crash-course on two lifesaving tools: WordPress and AddressTwo. When I return to West Lafayette in the fall, I am confident that Roundpeg will have provided me with the tools and knowledge I need to have success in the “real world.”
Introducing: Emily Beck Our New PR Intern
We are excited about the three new interns who have joined Roundpeg this summer. Over the next few weeks you will get to know them through their blog posts and appearances at Indy networking events. Today, meet Emily:
by Emily Beck
As an incoming senior student at Indiana University, I am working towards earning my degree in journalism with a concentration in public relations and a specialization in human resources. Graduating from Bishop Dwenger High School in Fort Wayne, I am new to the Indianapolis area. Aside from being a full-time student, I am also an active member of Pi Beta Phi sorority, PRSSA, IUDM and various other campus organizations.
I have held one previous online internship with The ZOI Greek Directory. As an intern here at Roundpeg, I hope to enhance and develop my writing and public relations skills. I also hope to build strong relationships through various networking events which will better prepare myself for a future in the public relations field.
It’s Time to Move Forward – Always
Written by Neil Chaggar
“Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.”
I didn’t fully understand the quote when I read it but half-way through writing this blog post, I knew exactly what it meant. I came to the conclusion that most things change overtime, including technologies, economies, businesses, even people. What’s important is moving forward and adapting to those changes.
Over the course of my internship, I gained the knowledge that there’s always ways and opportunities to do things not only differently but better and faster. For example, Lorraine decided in addition to writing blog posts, she wanted to reach her audience through another medium called Podcasting. Though we started from scratch, we learned enough about it for Lorraine to now create weekly podcasts episodes.
Another technological change we’ve recently come across is CoolIris. This modern tool has the potential to change the way we display media such as pictures and videos on our websites. Though we’ve played around with the software only for a short period of time, we look forward to many innovative ideas and features it’ll present us with in the future.
So as I end my internship here at Roundpeg and say farewell to my boss and my co-workers, I’d like to remind you all to keep moving forward, always have room for improvement and try new things in life.
Neil C.
And if you have enjoyed Neil’s post’s here be sure to check out his personal blog as he continues to see his next assignment. http://neilchaggar.wordpress.com
CoolIris in Progress
We showed off how we could use CoolIris to display videos. It works equally well for graphics. Here are just a few items from our design portfolio displayed with CoolIris.
Cool CoolIris
Written by Neil Chaggar
With so many new applications being created almost daily, it is rare to come across something which makes you say: “Wow… that is cool!” I had one of those moments just the other day when Lorraine showed me CoolIris.
What it is: CoolIris is a simple yet innovative software which showcases media on your website. It displays both images and video in a manner of an interactive 3D wall in which you can drag your files to go back and forth, and make them bigger or smaller. Did I mention the installation is a breeze?!
How it works: CoolIris works with various different third party websites for your images such as Flickr, Picasa etc. and YouTube for videos.
Once you have uploaded your pictures and or video to these accounts, you can select just the content you want to feature on your website. It works well with social media sites like Facebook and MySpace too. You can even customize the wall with your own background!
Why use it: If you deal with lots of images and/or videos on your website, CoolIris may just be what you’ve been looking for to organize and uplift your media content.
If I haven’t sold you on this cool new web feature yet, please go on CoolIris website and check out how simple it is to use and what it can do for you.
And check out the video wall I created for Lorraine.
Neil Out
Tie Your Shoes
Today’s post is by our intern Neil:
Have you ever tried running in shoes without shoelaces? It is difficult, and risky as you can easily trip and fall on your face. 
Running your business website without taking advantage of SEO tools creates a similar scenario. While you are unlikely to be in danger of physical injury, the risk to your business is real. Without a solid focus on SEO, you will find yourself tripping and falling as you attempt to drive traffic and connect with potential prospects and clients.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) according to Wikapedia
is the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via “natural” or un-paid (“organic” or “algorithmic”) search results as opposed to search engine marketing (SEM) which deals with paid inclusion
There are many tools you can use to improve your position with search engines such as Google, Yahoo and BIN. Moving to the top of the search list means potential customers find you faster and easier compared to your competitors. This in turn will improve the quantity and quality of traffic to your website.
I have been researching SEO tools for the past few weeks and here are two of my favorites.
- Google Analytics which analyzes your web site’s performance by helping you understand what terms drive traffic, what information visitors search for when they arrive, and how long they stay. By looking at the data you can make adjustments in your site to improve your performance.
- Linkscape from SMOZ.org In the internet world you are judged by the company you keep. These relationships are measured in links. Using this tool you can discover who links to you and more interesting, who links to your competitors.
At Roundpeg we rely on these tools to help our clients rank higher on Search Engines and drive more traffic to their sites. Do you have a favorite SEO tool?
Neil out!
