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

Brand + Website Design for Jen Neal Photography

Brand + Website Design for Jen Neal Photography

With every client branding project, I make it my mission to not only create a distinct visual identity for each business but to develop a system for how all of the design elements work together.

Not only does it make for a more polished, professional brand in the long-run, but it makes it much easier to implement a brand into my client's website and collateral items like business cards, social media images, product packaging, etc. 

Jen Neal's new brand goes down as one of my favorite design projects because of the system we created with her vibrant colors, bold patterns, and classic typography. I'm excited to share the design process with you and offer a behind-the-scenes look at how I strategically incorporated each design element into her brand.

Clever Solutions to 4 of Your Biggest Blogging Hang-Ups

Clever Solutions to 4 of Your Biggest Blogging Hang-Ups

Blogging is a polarizing topic; it’s either one of those things business owners get really excited about or dread with a burning passion. 

Those with negative opinions of blogging usually dread it for the following reasons:

  • They don’t have the time
  • They don’t feel confident in their writing abilities
  • They don’t know what to blog about
  • Or they underestimate the amount of beneficial content they can share

Do you fall into the dread category? If you do, I bet you can relate to one (or all) of the reasons above. And if you don’t, you might reach a place someday where your excitement about blogging begins to fizzle and the dread starts to creep in.

Explaining the benefits of blogging can be motivation in and of themselves to overlook those reasons and get started, but today I’d rather tackle the dread head-on and provide some practical, helpful ways you can make blogging work for you.

Top 10 Tips for Aspiring Graphic Designers

Top 10 Tips for Aspiring Graphic Designers

While I love helping all creative business owners, I get especially excited when I receive emails from other graphic designers and aspiring graphic designers about my process, how I got started in the industry, and my advice for finding clients. 

I received one email last week from a design student asking me to share 10 insights on how to become a successful graphic designer. And as I was typing my response to her, I realized that many of you out there might be able to relate to many of these insights or glean something from them, too.

While these tips are geared toward designers, they can truly apply to any field. Here’s a look at 10 things I’ve learned from my 5+ years of freelance design experience.

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The Glaring Issue with Using Social Media for Business

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The Glaring Issue with Using Social Media for Business

The benefits of using social media for business are obvious. 

Social media platforms allow you to reach your target audience in the places where they hang out the most. They help you network with others in your industry (and stay up to date/keep an eye on what they’re up to). They give your audience the opportunity to follow along with you and it give you the opportunity to engage and communicate with them. 

And, oh yeah, social media accounts are free. 

But despite all of these excellent benefits, there’s one glaring issue with using social media for business. 

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How to Implement My 2-Week Design Process (Video!)

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How to Implement My 2-Week Design Process (Video!)

Ever since I shared my 2-week design process on the Elle & Company blog a few months ago, I've received a ton of comments and emails about the ins and outs of how it works.

So we decided to switch things up a bit from our normal blog content with a video explaining the benefits of the 2-week process as well as some tips for how you might be able to implement it for your service-based business.