Business Card Makeover – The Final Winner!

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.

Vote for Your Favorite

Entries are now closed, but you can still vote for your favorite by selecting the link below. Be sure to pick the card you believe most deserves to win!

Biz Card Makeover: Inspiration

We’ve been talking a lot lately about what makes a bad business card: hard to read, printed on computer paper, and just plain ugly. So it’s about time we show you some examples of good design.  Draw inspiration from these examples, but remember your card should ultimately reflect who you are, not just look cool and flashy.

All photos are drawn from this great article. Check it out for dozens of more examples of great cards, as well as some tips on designing your own card.

Simple Business Card Designs Can Be Beautiful

A good business card doesn’t have to be crazy and avant garde: classy and elegant work well, too.

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Unusual Shapes Can Create a Striking Design for Your Card

When you have a bit more in your business card budget,  try playing around with shapes for a slightly different feel.

You can keep the standard business card size, but bring a whole new sensibility to your card.  These designs are memorable, but remember your production cost will be much higher.

Want a New Design for Your Business Card?

If any of these beautiful business cards have inspired you to make a change give us a call.  We would love to help!

Indy-Biz Redesign Part 1

Written by Neil Chaggar

At Roundpeg, we’re always in the process of reinventing and rejuvenating different aspects of our products and services.  For example, the recent redesign of our own website, which turned out to be an impressive fresh new look, thanks to Jay Mattingly – our summer intern. Next in line is our business journal website, Indy-Biz.com.

It’s my second time tackling a redesign and somewhat easier since the current site is very plain and simple. Though, I have to be careful in maintaining that professional and credible feel of the current website.

After checking out several other business journal websites, we’ve come up with two final themes for the new site that allows readers to have great readability and easy access to their Indy and Carmel business news.

In addition, Taylor and I have also been working on a new logo for the website. Currently, we have six different logos we are evaluating. Help us find the right logo for Indy-Biz by sharing your opinions on the survey below.

Check back in a few days for the survey results.  Neil Out!

Logo From Sketch Pad to 3 – D

I recently finished a logo design for a new restaurant called Chef JJ’s Back Yard. It was fun working on this logo because Chef JJ has been a long time client of Roundpeg’s.  As their business has evolved, from personal chef to full-fledged restaurant, so have their logo designs, all of which were created by Roundpeg.  The new logo includes s his some of the elements from earlier versions, but has a distinct, more modern feel and edgy font choice.  This version was designed, knowing a 3 – D version would eventually be created for the building signage.

After the design was finalized, a local artist, who creates both decorative and functional pieces constructed from a range of materials including: steel, bronze, iron, wood, glass and tile created his interpretation of the logo in a 3D metal version sign of Chef JJ’s logo.  The sign now hangs in the entrance of Chef JJ’s Back Yard. It’s really cool to see something transformed into a 3 dimensional piece after seeing it only on screen or on paper.

A bit about Chef JJ’s Backyard – Located in the heart of Broad Ripple, the indoor and outdoor retail living space creates an open feel that will allow clients to enjoy the grilling experience, nature and a view of the river.  The Back Yard blends grilling and outdoor living with the farm to form concept using only fresh, local food sources to create a very unique dining experience.  We are looking forward to a few company events at JJ’s.

And the artist, Andy Ball, ( Lorraine’s husband) will have his first local exhibit at the Indianapolis Art Center just a few blocks away from JJ’s.  So stop in to see the sign, then head up the Monon, for his opening on September 11 and then wander down to see his other work at Chef JJ’s

 

Logos & More

Great Brands begin with a great logo, supported by consistent use of font, color, style and words. Let Roundpeg help you create a brand that is both memorable and meaningful to your customers.

Our services include:

• Company names and Domains – Brainstorming, research and testing

• Visual brands – Logos, colors, fonts an brand guidelines

• Tag lines – We help you craft the message to support your brand

• Printed collateral – Stationary, brochures, and direct mail
  

”Lorraine does an outstanding job helping new businesses get started – with a business plan process that makes sense. Lorraine has a unique ability to take painful processes, like business plans, and make them interesting and educational. Her guidance really helped us focus on the big picture, and my business is growing as a result.”

– K.Vanover, Reliance Technology

Roundpeg Redesign, Part III: And Then there Were Two

Written by Jay Mattingly

After much deliberation, creation, and speculation, we have narrowed the  choices for a new website design to two templates, “Corporate” and “Unique”. After selecting the finalists for our redesign, our graphic design guru Taylor created a a mock-up of how each them would look with Roundpeg branding.

I have to admit, when I first saw each theme, I liked the “Corporate” theme much more. But after seeing each Roundpeg version, I think that both themes would play to Roundpeg’s strengths exceedingly well.  And so we would love to have some opinions from other small business owners and marketing professionals.

What do you think of the two templates. Please take a look at the two mock ups below, as well as the functional templates so you get a sense of how the graphics will move, and how you will navigate through the site if we select one or the other template.

We appreciate your input, comments, feedback and suggestions.

New Look for Old Client

My good friend, and long time client,  JJ Boston is opening a unique restaurant in Broad Ripple later this summer.   In preparation for the opening, we are helping with much of his marketing, pr and graphics.   This has been a fun, but challenging project.

Like many of our clients, we have worked with JJ on and off through the years, as his business has changed and grown.  And his logo has changed with him.   The first  version was created for his private dining business and the second as he launched his identity as a grill master.

With the opening of JJ’s Backyard, he wanted a look that would carry through from his building to his napkins.  He asked us to find a way to to combine natural metals, and flame, and the result is something we all love.

Taylor really found a way to bring the flame to life in this new design.  While I know it will be strong in print, I can’t wait to see the final version on the outside of his building!

Creative Solution for Credit Specialist

Victoria Finch recently asked us design a brochure and insert handout for her company Integrated Credit Specialists. A locally owned and operated credit education company based in Indianapolis, Indiana, Victoria wanted a professional yet personal image for her collateral.

She challenged us t0 find a way to present a lot of information without making the brochure feel cluttered.  Breaking up the copy with heads and subheads allowed us to do just that!

And finally, she wrestled with whether or not to put pricing in the brochure.  The cost of reprinting is prohibitive, but she didn’t want to be locked in. The solution? Bookmark sized rate cards, which are less expensive to print, and can be updated easily.  This way she has the best of both worlds.

We enjoyed this projected because Victoria was clear about what she wanted to accomplish, gave us feedback and listened to suggestions.

Rebranding for UHAS

United Health Actuarial Services, Inc., provides health actuarial and management consulting services for a wide range of individual and group medical and supplemental insurance products, and health & welfare actuarial and benefits consulting for both insured and self-insured plans.

An extremely professional organization, with a solid reputation in their industry, they wanted to refresh the UHAS branding, to create a logo which conveyed the strength of their brand.  As you can see from the before and after images, this was accomplished by by changing their color to a darker, stronger color, changing their font and  eliminating the graphic under the logo.

There was great communication throughout the process with UHAS, resulting with powerful a branding package.

We have also created a new look for the website, which will be rolling out soon!

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