Collaborating Creates Delicious Results
Earlier this year, I got some help from our readers as I worked on a logo design for My Doorstep Deliveries.
With your input we narrowed down the choices and came up with a logo our client truly loved.
Next we were asked to develop a brochure, owner Danielle could drop off with prospective clients which would give them a feel for the services she offered. The challenge was to develop a piece which would be appealing to her clients ( primarily seniors) and yet still convey the essence of her bubbly personality.
For some reason, I couldn’t find the right balance, and relied once again on creative input and collaboration, this time from Heather our graphic design intern. Working together, building off each other’s ideas, we have developed something our client loves.
I have really enjoyed having other designers on the team this summer, and I am glad Heather will be hanging around through the fall!
Pick the Winner for the June Business Card Makeover
As we continue our crusade to rid the world of ugly business cards–one card at a time, we are ready to pick and June winner. As you are considering which oneto vote for, let’s talk about professionalism. Your business card is a selling tool. Is it projecting an accurate image of who you are and what you do?
Take a minute and view your card through the eyes of a prospective client or more importantly a referral partner. Are they going to be comfortable passing on your card to their best client?
If you’re a lawyer, for instance, your card should probably not be using Comic Sans MS font (Actually, no one should be using it). But conversely, if you’re a wedding planner, you might want to shy away from the traditional, and extremely common Times New Roman.
Your branding is more than just the font selection. All the elements of your card including the colors, images ( please avoid any of the clip art available from Microsoft), the size and shape of the card, and the weight of the paper all contribute to the image your brand conveys.
Here’s the latest batch of cards vying for your votes. Pick the one you believe deserves this month’s free business card makeover!
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!
Straightening A Crooked Image
Many of the small businesses we work with, come to us with a “crooked image” . Just like patients visiting a chiropractor, they are walking around, conducting business, just not doing it well.
This was the case with Dr. Jeff Yoder, owner of Meridian Chiropractic Clinic. With a well established practice, his branding did not represent the professionalism of his practice.
He had a simple logo for his practice, which he used on business cards and letterhead. It was not, however, included in his website design, which featured only a generic spine image, that could have belonged to any doctor.
With a practice, serving primarily a professional community ( lawyers and accountants who spend too many hours sitting at their desks) we wanted to give him a fresh, distinctive look that would appeal to this audience.
Starting with new text treatment his company name presented some interesting challenges from a design standpoint. The long middle word made the stacking of the three words seem odd. The initials by themselves MCC looked too much like a local cafeteria.
We finally settled on a design which featured just the “M” in a distinctive font. The addition of a little yellow really brought a some life to the design. Once we finalized the logo, the banner came together very quickly. Then Allison took over an finished the design of the website.
May Business Card Makeover – Winner!
Business cards take a lot of abuse. They are shoved into pockets, purses, and business card cases, crumpled in sweaty palms, and otherwise mutilated. So ask yourself: is your card up to the abuse? Is it too big to fit in a standard card case? Or is it so small that it’ll easily got lost in the shuffle?
And I am making a desperate plea to everyone: Please, please, please do not use regular printer paper for your card. It makes us all a little embarrassed for you. Please pay the few dollars to get a sheet printed on cardstock at Kinkos. You’ll thank us in the long run.
We think the business card is so important, we created a Monthly Business Card Makeover Contest to build awareness of the differences between good and bad design. Here is the winner of the May Business Card Makeover.
I think Taylor has done a terrific job with the redesign. The final cards are being printed on 14 PT Cover Stock, with a UV Coating to make the color side pop. They will be strong enough to handle the abuse, attractive enough to be memorable, and functional, because you can write a note on the white side when Christian gives you one at a Rainmaker event.
Did you miss the May contest? Do you have an ugly business card or know someone who does? We will be running the contest again in June and July, so it is not too late to apply now. Simply fill out the form below and send us a copy of your business card!
Who Will Win the May Business Card Makeover?
In the course of our Business Card Makeover contest, we’ve found some business cards which were in serious need of a makeover. Most of the business cards we received were not hideous, but simply not functional.
Take a look at your business card. Can you read everything easily, or do you have to squint past ornate fonts and tiny sizes, or sort through cluttered lines of text ? Remember: the primary purpose of a business card is give your contact information. If your card makes it difficult to find that, you’re in trouble. Think of your business card like a tiny billboard. Can you read the informatoin zooming by at 60 miles an hour.
Help Us Select This Month’s Winner
Check out these examples of business cards in we have selected as finalists, by clicking the link to the right. Select the card you believe should receive a FREE makeover. Be sure to remember the number, return to this screen and enter the number in the form below.
Only votes submitted with a valid email will be counted. And if your card is one of the finalists, be sure to encourage your friends to come and vote!!
We will be accepting votes until Midnight on Sunday May, 23.
Business Card Makeover Contest
I’ve been attending networking events on a regular basis since I started working at Roundpeg almost two years ago. At each event, I am surprised by how many people starting businesses are not using professional looking business cards.
We like to have fun here at Roundpeg especially as the days become brighter so after a conversation with Lorraine, we have decided to offer a creative solution for some of these Ugly Business Cards. This summer we will be running a Business Card Makeover Contest.
You might qualify for this contest if your business card
- is ugly
- was created using a Vistaprint – Extra points if it has the Vistaprint logo on the back
- was created using Word or Publisher
- uses clip art as pat of the design.
To enter our Makeover Contest you must complete the form below and do one of the following:
- mail us a copy of your card – Roundpeg 1003 East 106th, Indianapolis, IN 46280
- fax a copy of your card – 317-569-1389
- Send a copy of your card to me via email Taylor @roundpeg. biz
- drop off your business card at any Rainmaker event where you see the business card makeover bucket
Be aware that by submitting your business card, you agree to allow us to feature your card in Roundpeg’s marketing and promotions.
There will be three lucky winners ( one each month May, June and July) All cards will be evaluated by the team at Roundpeg, and then finalists will be evaluated by members of the community. The winner will be chosen by the 20th of each month, so we have time to redesign the cards before the Rainmaker Main Event each month.
OK, so now you want to know what the prize is? The winner of the “Ugliest Business Card” will win a Business Card Makeover. We will create 2 designs for you to choose from and we will then supply you with 500 “made-over” cards! – This is easily a $500/value.
Winners will be announced each month at the Rainmaker Main Event. They will also be listed here on roundpeg.biz and let’s make it rain
And for those of you who don’t win? We will be running a special promotion this summer, offering you a biz card makeover for $300 including the printing of 500 cards.
We do it INTENTIONally
Great looking brands grow over time, when they are consistently executed in web and print. Even small business owners can build a strong brand if they work at it!
Several years ago Roundpeg designed a logo and color pallette for Living with Intention. From time to time they come back for a new brochure, flyer or postcard.
They always been a fun client to work with because owners Dr. Stephen and Linda Elliott have a clear idea of what they want. As we have worked together, I have figured out their style and can anticipate what they will like. 
The LWI logo is fun to work with because of the different pieces, which give it depth, and can stand on their own as individual graphic elements. The dark blue and brown also work well as half tones, so a lighter version of the blue can be used for the background without changing the colors.
The newest piece we designed was a 6 x 9 information card. Since Living with Intention is about “wellness” I wanted a calm soothing feel to the piece, even thought we were printing it on a heavy card stock. The rounded corners, soft colors and “cloud background” were used to create the emotion I was looking for.
The piece is being printed at UN Printing this week. ( We love their pricing, but love their service even more). I am ready to see the final product, because this piece is something different than the usual work I produce. What do you think about the size and shape?
Good Design Helps Customers See You Better
Revolution-Eyes – POP Program -
We have worked with RevolutionEYES since before they opened 2 1/2 years ago. Every month we get together and kick around new ideas. One of the projects we have discussed for monts is a POP (Preferred Optical Program) which would offer vision benefits to employees in companies without a vision insurance program.
I am excited we stopped talking about it, and started designing it! The program includes savings on :
- Eye Exams
- Frames
- Lenses
- Contacts
- Kids Package
From a marketing perspective there were three distinct tpieces which made the project come together. The first piece was the folder. I designed this pocketless folder with the RevolutionEYES brand and “style” and also inserted the important information about the program. The folder was designed so the “membership card” could be glued in place in each folder.
The second part of the process was designing the POP card. We wanted it to have an official “feel” so we had the artwork printed on a plastic card, about the size and weight of a typical credit card. In additoin to contact information, the card has a unique code for each patient which is used to access program informatio non the RevolutionEYES website.
The website was the third part of the process. We created a series of pages, incuding several which are password protected containing member informaton. The log in screen will give Dr. Ciano real time feedback on the effectiveness of the program, becuase he will be able to compare card distributoin to registations.
While we enjoy every project, larger or small, it is always fun to have something a little more complex to work on which really challenges our design skills a little. We just deliverd all the pieces last week, and we are looking forward to hearing about how it is working the next time we get together at Bar Louis to discuss his business.
Episode # 26 Meet Taylor Brough
This week I interviewed our graphic designer Taylor Brough. A graduate of The Henry Radford Hope School of Fine Art at Indiana University, Taylor brings a unique artistic style to our design projects.
In the last 18 months, he has truly masted the art of the WebBanner and the effective 6 x 9 postcard, but his favorite projects are definitely his logo designs:
Click here to listen to the interview
