Business, Blogging
Lauren Hooker
40 Ways to Use Adobe Illustrator to Improve ...

Adobe Illustrator is my go-to software for anything and everything design-related. It's the one program I truly couldn't work without.

And while it's easy to assume that the program's primary focus is illustration based on the name, there is so much more to this design software. 

With tools for type, color, photo cropping, image tracing, drawing, and much more, it has innumerable benefits for bloggers and business owners, alike.

To get your creative gears turning, here's a look at 40 ways Adobe Illustrator can take your blog and/or business to the next level.

40 Ways to Use Adobe Illustrator to Improve Your Blog and Business
Blogging, Business, Branding, Design
Lauren Hooker
How to Create Eye-Catching Blog Post Graphics

First impressions are crucial, especially in business.

Potential customers and clients make judgments about your business within the first few seconds of coming into contact with it, whether it’s through your website, your social media accounts, or a simple blog post graphic.

And those initial thoughts - whether they’re spot on or far off from what you want them to be - are within your control. You have the opportunity to make a killer first impression through high-quality, branded visuals.

If your blog is a large part of your business or you’re hoping to drive more traffic back to your site through your blog, you have to have eye-catching blog graphics to not only generate a positive first impression, but to encourage readers to share your posts on sites like Pinterest and be seen by an even wider audience.

So how do you create eye-catching blog post graphics? And better yet, how can you set them apart so they’ll stand out from the rest and be recognized time and time again?

How to Create Eye-Catching Blog Post Graphics
Business, Visual Marketing
Lauren Hooker
40 Easy, Engaging Video Content Ideas for Your ...

“When I discovered YouTube, I didn’t work for 5 days.” - Michael Scott

Video platforms like YouTube (and more recently, Periscope) are easily the world’s greatest time-wasters. We’ve all been guilty of losing track of time on YouTube at least once, because videos are easily consumable, very addicting, and highly entertaining.

As a matter of fact, studies show that a whopping 78% of us watch videos online every week and 55% watch videos online every day.

Which is why Youtube is also the world’s greatest overnight-success-maker. If you’re on the production-side of a video and you’ve come up with a clever idea, you might just have a viral hit on your hands.

Video holds a lot of potential for interaction, engagement, and shares for creative businesses. And for that reason, it’s one of the best visual marketing tools you can use.

But it producing videos can be a little overwhelming, can’t it? Even with helpful video tools out there like Animoto, many of us struggle to come up with simple ideas for video content that would appeal to our audience. 

And that’s where this post comes in. I’ve rounded up 40 easy, engaging video content ideas to help get your creative gears turning. My hope is that you’ll find a few ideas to implement and as a result, bring your business more exposure.

40 Easy, Engaging Video Content Ideas for Your Creative Business
Business, Visual Marketing
Lauren Hooker
Why You Should Be Using Infographics for Your ...

If you’re looking for a good way to kill at least an hour of your time, type in the word “infographic” in the Pinterest search bar.

Thousands of clever graphics will pop up on everything from “how to make a salad taste awesome” to a baby’s first year in a review. There’s even an infographic that answers the pressing question, “Is your dog sleeping a little too much?”

Then, after you’ve admired the genius creativity behind them, take a gander at how many repins and likes each of those infographics receives. Thousands upon thousands.

In fact, infographic volumes have increased by over 800% in 2 years. Publishers who use infographics grow in traffic an average of 12% more than those who don’t. 

What is it about infographics that makes them so appealing? And better yet, how can you come up with some clever infographics for your business so it gains more exposure through likes and shares?

I have all the answers for you in this post.

Why You Should Be Using Infographics for Your Business (And How to Create Them)
Blogging
Lauren Hooker
How to Create Catchy Headlines

Is your headline the first thing you consider when you sit down to write a post?

Probably not, but creating a catchy blog post title is one of the most important aspects of each blog post. It's the gateway to your content; it convinces people to click or scroll right past your latest post'. 

In fact, studies show that 8 out of 10 people will read your headline but only 2 out of 10 will read your entire post. 

Here are a few pointers for drawing in potential readers and a couple "templates" to help you create a catchy headline for your upcoming posts. 

How to Create Catchy Headlines

Jun 2014

Tips for a Well-Designed Resume

Good design can set you apart from competitors, especially when you're applying for a job. 

Interviews are all about first impressions. In a short window of time, you're expected to put your best foot forward and prove to the person behind the desk that you're the best candidate for the job. You've probably put a lot of thought into what you're wearing, you've rehearsed common interview questions in your head over and over again, you've researched the company and have questions at the ready. You may have even fine-tuned the content of your resume. 

But how much thought did you put into the design of your resume?

According to studies, hiring recruiters only look at an individual resume between 6-15 seconds. A well-organized, visually pleasing resume is a great way to make a strong first impression. Everyone appreciates good design, including your interviewer.

The good news is that you don't have to be a graphic designer to have a well-designed resume. Here are some easy tips to help your resume stand apart from the rest!

Disregard the silly filler text. This post is about resume design. Resume content is a whole different blog post!

Disregard the silly filler text. This post is about resume design. Resume content is a whole different blog post!

Use simple fonts

There are two categories for fonts: serif and sans-serif. Times New Roman and Cambria are serif fonts; they have a small line on the end of each point in a letter. Arial and Calibri are sans-serif fonts; they are usually rounder and do not contain serifs (like the font for this blog post). 

Why is this important? Serif fonts look fine at larger point sizes, but as you reduce the size, they become harder to read. Serifs are not good to use in the body text of your resume. Use a sans-serif instead to attract a reader's eye to the content.

It's also wise to abstain from using several different fonts when designing your resume. The more fonts you use, the more cluttered it will become. You want the design to add to your resume, not distract an interviewer from the important information on the page. As a rule of thumb, use no more than two fonts - one for headers, one for body text.

White space is a great thing

Spacing is an important visual cue, as well as a resting place for the eyes. It separates sections, creates hierarchy, and directs our eyes around the page. 

There are a few important things to keep in mind when you're spacing out your resume:

  • Keep the header and its content grouped together. Anyone should be able to glance at a section header and understand it belongs with the bullets below.
  • Don't use uniform spacing throughout the entire document. Instead, create visual hierarchy by using less space between section title and content and more space between individual sections.
  • Use discernment on how much content you're adding to your resume. Remember when I said that too many fonts can make your resume look cluttered? Too much information can make your resume look cluttered, too. While I'm no expert in telling you which details you should include on the document, I can tell you that cramming as much text as possible onto a page is never visually appealing. 

Write in bullet points, not paragraphs

The point of your resume is to give your interviewer a brief overview of your qualifications and experience. If the average time an hiring recruiter spends looking at a resume is 5-16 seconds, chances are that they will glaze right over large chunks of text because they don't stand out. Catch their eye by listing your accomplishments in bullet points.

Don't skimp on the paper

After putting so much effort into the design of your resume, the last thing you want to do is print it out on thin, boring copy paper. Help your resume stand out from other interviewees by using heavier stock paper (personally, I love the texture and quality of linen paper). Good materials are just as important as the designs themselves.

Resume4.jpg

If you're going to put time and effort into your appearance for an interview, shouldn't you invest some time into the appearance of your resume? Depending on the position you're applying for, your interviewer may even see your resume before they have the chance to meet you. It's important that your resume is a good reflection of who you are, both in content and design.

And good news for Library Subscribers! I've added 3 new editable resume templates to your collection of printables:

Are you an Elle & Company Library member? Subscribe today!

How to Start a Blog: My Story

I've been sweetly surprised by the number of inquiries I've received from other ladies about how to start a blog. And while I certainly don't have all the answers, I do have some tips and advice to share from my own blogging experience. It's no secret that I'm passionate about blogging, and if it's something you're interested in, too, then this new series is for you!

But before I dig in to all of the good stuff - purpose, content, platforms, design - I'm giving you a little background on how I got here. 

Part 1: This Sweet Season

Calling my last semester of college "chaotic" is an understatement. I had 20+ projects to design for my senior portfolio, 18 credit hours to complete before graduation, a part-time job at State Farm, 5 aerobics classes to teach each week, babysitting jobs each weekend, and oh yeah! a ring on my left hand and a fall wedding to plan. What in the world was I thinking? Pure craziness. 

When I had some spare moments, I started reading blogs of all kinds - lifestyle blogs, food blogs, fitness blogs, design blogs. Their stories, advice, and how-to's drew me in, and I enjoyed getting to know the ladies behind the blogs. As I followed along with their posts, I considered starting my own blog. Between all of the activities that were filling up my planner, I certainly had a lot to write about. So I started a little blog called This Sweet Season to document college graduation and all of the fun events leading up to our wedding. 

I formed an account on Blogger, prettied up a basic template with fun fonts and colors, and began writing. I remember feeling so nervous hitting "publish" on those first posts and even more nervous to advertise my new blog on social media. But the response was pleasantly surprising - a handful of people were actually following along with me!

I would blog a couple times a week, adding photos and recaps of fun events - bridal showers, moving into our Cottage, starting my first "big girl" job. I didn't really have a long-term goal at the time, and I was clueless to what blogging would become. It was purely just for fun (which is how I wish every blog would start!)

Part 2: Sharing my designs 

I never shared much of my design work in those early posts. After 4 years of art projects and class critiques in college, I took a much needed vacation from anything design-related. But inevitably, I picked up my sketchbook again and began sharing designs and doodles on the blog. Even then, I didn't consider that my blog would ever become design focused; it was just another facet of my life that I wanted to share. 

My readers (still mostly friends and family) were positive and encouraging about the design work that I posted, so I started designing free monthly printables to share with them. Around Christmastime I designed a couple monogram art prints as gifts and that's when I had an idea to open up a print shop on Etsy. I used the blog to promote the shop, which I also named This Sweet Season.

Before I knew it, blog followers were asking me to design custom projects - wedding invitations, custom art prints, shower invitations, birth announcements. The blog evolved from a place for me to recap life events to a place where I could share about my life and my latest design work. My readership grew, and for the first time I was able to envision what my blog could look like long-term. 

Part 3: A clean slate and a fresh start

Fast forward one year to last October. Jake and I knew that we would be moving to Charlotte in January so he could pursue seminary. The blog was doing well but I felt like I had hit a wall. The name This Sweet Season didn't feel fitting for what I was trying to achieve with my blog any longer, and while I enjoyed the print shop on Etsy, I had an itch to switch things up a little. Sometimes you just need a clean slate and a fresh start.

The type-A in me has always longed to combine my design eye with my love of organization, so I decided to design a planner. And not just any planner, but a planner that could be tailored to all kinds of ladies - students, professionals, and mamas alike. So I switched the name to Elle & Company (the meaning behind that name is explained in an upcoming post), created the Daybook Planner and all of the inserts, invested in headshots and product photography, and spent a couple months designing the new branding and a website. I launched Elle & Company five days after we moved to Charlotte. 

I wanted to continue to showcase my design work on the blog and share about my life, but I also wanted it to be a place that encouraged community. I began networking with other ladies in similar fields and featuring them on the blog for Coffee Dates. I carried over successful blog series from This Sweet Season, the most popular one being Monday's Letters. And I began to blog on a consistent basis - one post each weekday. 

Part 4: Continuing to grow

And that brings us to the present. Since the launch of this new space 5 months ago, the blog has continued to grow and change. My readership has increased over time, I've begun to find my niche and my audience, and I've learned a lot about blogging in the process (both what to do and maybe even more importantly, what not to do). 

What started out as a fun way to record life events has evolved into a space that's allowed me to get passionate about design again, showcase my design work, share snapshots of my life, meet new friends, and (hopefully) inspire others in the process.

Although I'm by no means a "blogging expert," I'm excited to share with you the things that I do know about this ever-changing blog world. And I'm even more excited to see how this series will help you along the way!

I want to hear your story! Do you have a blog that you would like to grow or are you considering starting a blog? What topics would be most helpful for you in this new series?