My Blog

Good text content and good photography are important foundations of a great website - but they’re not enough on their own. You need great design to polish and shine those individual elements and knock the final result out of the park. No matter how engaging your text content (aka 'copy') is [...]

I know how many things there are to keep track of when you’re starting or running a business. It’s easy for the items that aren’t in your wheelhouse, or elements you haven’t worked with before, to take a backseat to things like managing employees, overseeing day-to-day operations or simply [...]

Like everything else under the sun, design trends come and go. For this reason, I usually avoid things that feel “trendy,” in favor of a more nuanced design sensibility that is modern but individual, and with lasting appeal. But recently I’ve come across a few trends in web design that [...]

ads will always come and go. If you’re tempted to think otherwise, a quick flip through your high school yearbook will likely set you straight. As a designer, it’s a constant balancing act. I need to create fresh, compelling visuals that are modern and pleasing to current [...]

A striking, professionally designed logo should stand the test of time. And certainly, you wouldn't want to frequently or prematurely change up a logo that's working, because it could confuse or alienate your customers. But as styles and needs change, and as businesses evolve, there are a [...]

Good design, if backed up by a deep knowledge of effective design practices and solid experience in creating visuals that engage users, can actually promote the growth of your brand and your business. Creating a professional persona, showcasing your brand’s personality, and helping a brand [...]

Design is everywhere – and chances are if you’re not noticing it, it’s because it’s done really well. Good design – in all forms and fields – slips seamlessly into creating a great experience for you, whether you are browsing a website, navigating your doctor’s office, or taking in a rock [...]

In today’s episode of “what IS that website acronym?” we’ll be introducing you to your new best friend: the CTA. Short for “call to action,” a CTA is the clear, concise, direct invitation to your website visitors to do what you want them to do. Once you’ve given them just the right amount of [...]

Cheesy stock photography: You can spot it a mile away. That generic smile, the forced pose. A sense of disconnect, or a feeling that you just can’t relate. It might be technically pretty, but those negative feelings make it a poor choice for representing a brand that strives to be authentic, [...]

Being a small business owner undoubtedly means you have way more to keep up with than time allows. As a small business owner myself, I definitely get it! So. Many. Hats. But as a professional visual designer, I will continue to beat the drum: presentation and professionalism across your [...]

When people ask me what I do, I may answer that I’m a multimedia brand developer. But of course - like many of my clients - I’m also a small business owner. In this month’s post, we’re taking a bit of a break from design, and sharing some of my favorite small business tools and resources that [...]

DIY web design is intensely popular right now. Many companies advertise simple design and editing environments that “anyone” can use. And for some people with some design savvy, a bit of tech experience and additional time on their hands, it’s an option - the but the devil is in the details.

When building or updating your brand, hiring a web designer is likely to be on your to-do list. Your business’s website is its face to the world. Potential clients who search for you on the web will be forming an opinion - both conscious and unconscious - about your business’s level of [...]

Coming off the heels of logos I love, this month we make a quick stop at the Logo Hall of Shame, in which we find three poorly designed logos in the public space and pick them apart. Not, of course, to make fun of the companies, but to gain some more insight into logo design […]

I'd like to show you three sparkling, captivating logos that absolutely set the bar for me. These logos are attractive and intriguing, drawing me in. They encapsulate the brand, speaking to both the nature of the business and its style or personality. If you care deeply about your business, and [...]

When you’re developing cohesive, top-notch brand visuals, you want to make sure everything - down to the font - is exactly right for your business and brand. Now, most people don’t lie awake at night considering the finer points of fonts, but we love to geek out on this topic, so bear with us. [...]

My quick quiz tests your knowledge of common graphic design terms. If you’ve ever wondered what goes into designing the perfect logo for your brand, and ensuring that your visual message is represented professionally and consistently, take my quiz to test your savvy.

No matter how much inner beauty your business has going for it, you’re going to need some outer beauty - in the form of good website practices - to make sure all your potential customers stick around long enough to get to know you (and spend their money!). After you’ve worked so hard to craft [...]

Of course, anyone spending good money on a website wants it done well! But with good web design being more of an art than a science, it’s important to know what foundational elements to look for and build your site around. The “art” part of the equation should create desire, and build a web [...]

When your designer hands over the keys to your brand new website, it’s shiny, pretty, technologically cutting-edge, and you want to cruise around and share it with the whole world. Don’t forget that in order to keep it running well, you’ve got to learn where everything is and keep pace with [...]

Creating a website for your small business? As a novice, it’s easy to get overwhelmed picking a content management system (CMS) in which to create and edit your site. While many people are attracted to the simplicity of a CMS like Squarespace, Wordpress is a comprehensively more flexible [...]

Whether you’re creating a logo for the first time or considering a redesign, I want to help you think of your logo as so much more. It’s not just about pretty colors or a trendy piece of clipart related to what your business does. Think of it as a complete representation of your brand that [...]

When choosing a logo for your business, it’s tempting to go with a color scheme pleasing to your eye. But while the colors should be personal to you, it’s important to also consider basic color psychology and think about what the colors you choose will say about your business. You want your [...]

As a veteran graphic designer, it is disappointing how many companies opt for "fake" logos. Don't believe me? Below, you will see hundreds - yes hundreds! - of fake logos that have been used and reused with little variation. I call them fake because they fail every test of a good logo. Another [...]

As a veteran graphic designer, I have a sharp eye for great design, as well as for bad, all-too-common design mistakes on business signage or billboard ads. There are a lot of them, my friends. But the happy news is that most of them are easy to fix. I know it's tempting to cram everything [...]

What's the difference between a well-designed business card that has good design and one with poor, ineffective design? Let’s play a fun game to answer this question! (The game starts with a lame business card and ends with a totally transformed business card.) Along the way, you’ll pick up [...]

Have you ever been in a relationship that was totally fine – and at the same time – not going anywhere? Breaking up with a ho-hum logo can be just as difficult as dumping that so-so “significant other.” Who am I going to watch TV with? What logo will I use if not this one? Will I be able to [...]

We've all been there. A massive document slams into your desk or inbox and rather than read it, you seriously consider poking your eye both your eyes out. Let's both promise to let this never happen again - by making our own content zip bang good-looking!

Sadistic or not, you’re invited to see me, Laura Sorensen, onstage in ‘Neighborhood Watch’ at 2nd Story Theatre in Warren, RI. For those of you who know him, the handsome Wayninator makes an appearance, too. This time it’s a black comedy (straight comedy’s mysterious, sexy cousin) detailing the [...]

When you start a company, the initial decision to name your entity and pick a logo is often done quickly. There is so much to do, after all! I've witnessed a preoccupation with jumping to branding conclusions early on, as eager entrepreneurs want/need to jump onto the next big thing. But [...]

The most important thing on your site is, perhaps surprisingly, not your logo. Wait a minute, don't I create logos for a living? Well, yes. I'm not trying to put myself out of business, scouts honor. But after years of creating websites for my clients, I've learned that dumping all your cash on [...]

I see it all the time. A thriving business sullied by an amateur logo design. When you’re just starting out, your cousin/nephew/savvy friend offers to help. Hey, a free logo. Great! You can always get a professional one later, you think. But then you get mad busy and years later, you’re still [...]

Your new website is finally up. Now you can sit back, relax, and wait for the leads to roll in. Right? Wrong. Learn how to make the most of your new website thru email, blogs and paid advertising.

Leave it up to Art Lebedev Studio to recast something as basic as the paint roller in an entirely new light. Their Valikus roller is made from silicon and embossed with a floral pattern. Behind it sits a second roller, which applies paint to the first roller. (Frankly speaking, I can’t [...]

Last year street artist Katsu caused a stir with his Drone Paintings. Last week he caused a stir by turning the technology against advertising with a public act of vandalism. exhibited by NYC-based gallery The Hole at the Silicon Valley Art Fair: Producing those was a lot more complicated than [...]

Unless you’ve developed the enviable skill of ignoring adverts on Twitter, you can’t have failed to notice The Grid, a new service promising “AI websites that design themselves.” The Grid “is not another do-it-yourself website builder,” the difference according their site, is that The Grid [...]

It always amazes me how colour can instantly make things clear. From a product on a grocery store shelf to a famous work of art, colour has a dominant role in translating the visuals the bombard us daily from “huh?” to “oh, I recognize that!” Such an ability is apparent in this clever “Lego [...]

Barbara Beskind, 90, is a designer at IDEO who works with engineers on products that improve the quality of life for older people. In Silicon Valley’s youth-obsessed culture, 40-year-olds get plastic surgery to fit in. But IDEO, the firm that famously developed the first mouse for Apple, [...]

During six days in October, iZettle helped six of Britain’s smallest businesses open their own flagship store on Britain’s greatest shopping street – for 12 hours each. This is what happened. Every night a tireless effort was made to transform the store space to match each business giving them [...]

Countless pixels were spilled during The Great UI Flattening of 2013–2014.It was a time of great change in the world of visual design: foreshadowed by Microsoft’s aggressively modernist Metro style, popularized and polarized by the release of iOS 7, and perhaps most fully realized in the form [...]

Art direction, illustration and body paint design by Janine Rewell for MINNA PARIKKA SS14. via GrainEdit

In Germany, an amputee tortoise by the name of Schildi has been given a LEGO wheel to replace his leg. Abandoned by his owners, the animal was “in pretty bad shape” as the lower part of his front leg was gone and maggots had eaten away the upper part. Dr Panagiotis had to amputate the leg and [...]

Sleep is your body’s most important program. Which is precisely why you should hack it. Breaking news: When you’re asleep you’re still alive–and you’ll probably be alive the next day. So it follows that your circadian style will dictate whether you greet the day [...]

The year is drawing to an end, so it’s time for my annual branding post. This year, I’m presenting the worst and best together, because that makes it easier to draw lessons from both. Needless to say, these rankings consist of my own opinion; I’m certain that other writers [...]

Execs and investors from Pandora, Ideo, Andreessen Horowitz, Soundcloud, and Kleiner Perkins, among other masters of disruption, share the wisdom they’ve gathered on the way to the top. Looking at the success trajectories of today’s disruptors–from Pandora cofounder Tim [...]

Founder of research consultancy and R&D lab Magenta Labs, Amrit Richmond has started a website that documents “original quotes from designers, managers, strategists, executives, and CEOs on how people can work more effectively with creative types”. Offering an insightful collection of [...]

Over the past few seasons in AMC’s hit television series ‘Mad Men’, a number of actual brands have appeared as clients of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. These clients include Playtex, Kodak, Lucky Strikes and Samsonite. The ads on the show look impressive, but have you ever wondered [...]