First impressions matter!
​A prospective customer or client will decide whether to use your business or not within the first two seconds, based upon what your business looks like. But why do people make that decision based upon what your business ‘looks like’ and not what it can do? Because our brains analyse visual information much easily than any other type. In fact, we process visual information 60,000 times faster than written text and around 90% of the communication within our brains is through visual impulses. This makes having great visual content for our businesses vital to achieve success.

​Getting Your Business Noticed Visually
 
To get your business noticed, it needs to present an attractive appearance to the world. The best way to do this is to utilise the skills of a professional graphic designer. They will ensure all your design work is:

• Branded for your business – a business name without a graphic is simply a piece of easily forgotten text. It is when you turn your business name into a logo that it becomes far more memorable. A graphic designer will work with you to create a visual marketing package for your brand which incorporates the colours and images which both of you feel represents your business. The branding created for your business must be unique, clearly identifiable and professional in appearance to make that vital positive first impression.
• Uniform – all your business marketing resources needs to be uniform, regardless of where they are found. That means the fonts, colours, logo and graphics used on these materials need to remain the same. Customers and clients are more likely to recognise your brand over another if you keep all the visual aspects the same. It may sound strange, but when things remain constant over a variety of mediums, customer loyalty is also increased.
• Professional – your business’ credibility is essential for you to gain more customers and grow. Therefore, all your graphic work must look professional and the best way to achieve that is by hiring a graphic designer. Research has shown that of the ten most critical factors people use when determining the perceived credibility of a business is, the sixth most important was a professional looking and well-presented website. A graphic designer can help you achieve this by creating headers or banners, suggesting which text type, colour and size to use, as well as creating a logo which personifies your business.

​How One Bite Graphic Design Can Help You Get Noticed
 
Helen can help you with creating professionally designed logos, business cards, Facebook covers, social media graphics and website graphics for your business. She will work with you to alter your existing branding or create new from scratch. Having had over two decades of experience in the graphic design industry, Helen knows exactly how to create memorable and attention grabbing visual content so important to get noticed and grow your business.
 
Contact Helen today to discuss the ways she can help improve the visual appearance of your business and get it noticed! 

When you come across a new business, what is one of the first things you look at? Yes thats right, its their business logo.

Your logo not only sets you apart from other businesses, it can help give clients an idea of who you are, what you do and what they can expect from your business.

While logo design is a science in itself, once you have the perfect logo, how and where can you best use it to promote your business?

Let’s look at some of the options for where you can use your business logo...

Traditional Business Logo Placement
First up, your logo should be added to some of the, physical components of your business. That means your business cards, letterheads, invoices, email footers, and other routine aspects of your day to day business.

Once you have the paper options covered off, it is time to look at the fabric options. Of course you want to have your logo appear on company uniforms. But even if you don’t necessarily have a uniform for your business, a branded shirt or hoody can do wonders to drum up interest in your brand.
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Lucky for you, we design and print custom apparel here at One Bite Design. So whether you are manning a market stall, doing a Facebook live, or simply getting your groceries, you can get your logo and branding out there!

Have a look at how well Sharon from Totally Balmy uses her logo and branding to promote her business! This brand is one of my favourites! Love seeing it in so many places!

Packaging
If packaging is part of your company’s operation, you have a big opportunity to showcase your logo. You can print it on tissue paper or other packaging materials, boxes, address labels and printed inclusions.

Get creative - restaurants can present burgers in logo-printed wrappers, fruit sellers can pop stickers onto their produce - when it comes to packaging, think outside the box, as it were!

Social Media
Your online presence is just as important as your offline one. Your business logo should feature heavily on your website and the various social media platforms you choose to use.

From your Facebook cover image, to branded social media templates, to your YouTube profile pic, each appearance of your logo needs to fit the right dimensions and format for the platform.
For decades, businesses have been printing their logos on “freebies” - notepads, fridge magnets, pens, desk calendars, mousepads and other rather mundane office supplies. While this is still a great idea in the right framework, there are almost unlimited options available to get your name on any number of products relevant to your business.

Got a business with a tech slant? Print your logo onto flash drives. Own a sporting goods store? Get some Frisbees branded. Have a café in your workplace for clients, with a barista (lucky you) - impress potential customers by having your logo created in coffee art on top of their cups of joe!
You can even be environmentally friendly and help save the planet by printing your logo on reusable straws, shopping bags, water bottles or travel mugs.

The options are endless - from cellphone cases and tote bags to lip balms and umbrellas, you can make your mark on a wide range of swag.

Signage
Get creative with your signage. Whether it’s a physical business, trade show or other event you don’t need to rely on one store-front sign. Technology provides you with so many more cool solutions like wall or window decals, A-frame chalk boards, ceiling or floor tiles, or digital display boards.

How about a “gobo”? This is a stencil cut out of glass or metal which is slotted in front of a spotlight - the shape can be projected onto any backdrop - tables, floors, ceilings or feature walls.
Don’t forget your vehicles - branding your company car, truck or van with your logo can be invaluable for drawing in new customers.

Go Viral
Social media is an integral part of your marketing strategy. But it can be hard to get traction on many of the platforms. A great way to get exposure for your business is to go viral!
Everybody loves a good meme, so if you come up with any for your business, make sure that your logo appears on them. That way when they get liked, loved, and shared, your branding will be in front of lots of interested eyes.
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When it comes to where you use your business logo, you are only limited by your creativity and budget. Regardless of where you are going to put your logo, you need to make sure you have an attractive and professional design to begin with. Here at One Bite Graphic Design we specialise in logos and can provide you with the perfect design and format to ensure your logo really makes its mark. 

Get in touch with Helen today and start the amazing journey of branding your business. If you already have your logo designed but want to further enhance your brand awareness get in touch today as well. There are infinite places you can use your logo and branding! Get stuck in to it!

Colour - Glorious Colour! Colour can make or break the visual impact of your brand.

Do you like to create your own social media graphics but don’t know where to start? Do you have images and photos that you would like to choose your colours from but are unsure which colours to pick.

While doing this yourself can be cost effective, you can waste a lot of time if you do not know what you are doing. It can also result in graphics that look unprofessional. Graphic designers, like One Bite Graphic Design, have an expert eye for what looks good and understand how colours work alone and together. This is something that may not come naturally to everyone or maybe something that people haven’t been taught. Did you know that not all reds ‘go together’ - not all blues ‘are created equal’. Base colours are important.

So let’s look into some reasons and tips why selecting colours from your images / photos to use for your business is important.

3 Important Things To Note When Creating A Graphic 

1. Choose the right colours
   The first thing you want to consider is the target audience you are wanting to reach with the graphic? Are you a building company where it is predominantly male oriented. Are you marketing to mothers of young children? Your colour choices are likely to be quite different. Also have a think about how you want people to feel when they see your image. Do you want them to be excited and happy? Or perhaps you want them to feel calm and peaceful? You may want to convey solidarity and trust. Colours are capable of creating emotions. Have a look at this website to find some of the emotions related to different colours. 
   
   
2. Colours can create a strong unity within the graphic 
   Having all the colours you use tie in with the chosen image creates unity. The brain is then able to process what it sees easily making the impact of the graphic more beneficial. There isn’t a minimum of colours to select from an image but I advise having no more than 4 colours in the designed graphic. You can either use contrasting colours or you can chose colours that complement each other.  I have found this website helpful for looking at colour combinations.
   
   
3. Be sure to include your logo on your design
   Having your logo somewhere on your design is so important, it keeps your branding consistent and obvious for the world to see the business behind the graphic. The logo you use doesn’t always need to be a full colour / full text version. A watermark version of your logo works just as well. Having multiple versions of your logo is so beneficial when you are designing your own graphics. Check out one of my most popular blogs regarding logo design versions.

So… how do I select a colour from an image?
There are a few good websites that can do this for you but Image Color Picker comes highly recommended. You can upload your own image, use the online colour code from a website, or get the online colour code from a picture via the website link.  You use the online image colour picker to select a colour and get the online Colour Code of the selected pixel. You also get the multiple websafe colour information.

Which colours should I pick out?
Check out the 2 samples (below) of colours picked from the same image. Shout out to Nikki at AmbiDexi for letting me use her product and photo for this example. I am sure that from the first glance you can see which image is more appealing. The product used in this image is bright, fun, young and happy. In the first image that One Bite designed, the colours selected are vibrant and used from the girls tutus. The second image shows colours also picked from the same image but they are far less inviting. The colours in this graphic appear dull and dreary, they do not evoke a happy, exciting time for children. From this example you can clearly see which would be the right colours to use for this design. The distinctions are not always that clear and you may require some professional help. With each design you put out for your business make sure that you are designing it targeted at the right people. This does not only come down to the colours you use but also the image and even the relating text. 

​“Help!' I hear you say, 'I’m overwhelmed!'

Never fear! Help is at hand.  Helen, at One Bite Graphic Design, with 20 years experience, knows very well what colours work best to bring out of images. If you do not have either the time or desire to pick colours from your images for your design work, get in touch with One Bite Graphic Design today and I’ll apply my creative eye and understanding of how colours work to bring out the very best with your images, logo and over all branding.

Everyone tells you how important it is to have a social media presence for your business. People make a habit of hunting for businesses that interest them on Facebook.

What are they going to find when they get to your Facebook Page?

Is it a perfectly curated cover image that reflects your current marketing focus, or is it more ‘higgledy piggledy whatever image I can find to chuck up there’ kind of look?
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Your Facebook cover image is an incredibly important part of building your brand, showcasing what your business is about and supporting your online marketing strategy. Let’s look at it in a bit more detail now.

I bet, just like me, your Facebook feed is full of visual marketing designs which all look the same. The same font, colours, images and even words. It’s incredibly boring and off putting to look at the same graphic designs again and again. So rather than copying what has worked for others, it’s time to make people stop and notice your business through awesome visual marketing designs!

Using Unique Visual Marketing to Get Your Business Noticed
As a graphic designer, it makes sense that I notice the logos, colours, fonts and images owners use to brand their business. Of course, everyone else notices them too. But there is one big difference: I don’t copy them. I can understand why owners think, “Hey, I like this logo, this colour and these images. Come to think of it, I love the design they used too. I think I’ll use them for my business.” The problem is, if they are not 100% unique, your business ends up looking like someone else’s. That’s incredibly bad for your business branding. Not only do people confuse your business with another, they can also become bored with seeing the same thing. This leads to a quick scroll onto the next image and the next business!

The key to getting your business’ visual marketing noticed is to be 100% unique when it comes to design. This just isn’t possible when using in the box predesigned graphic design templates. You may have changed the colours, tweaked the font and used a different image, but if the design is the same, it’s an automatic fail in my book. I’m never going to remember it as being unique to your business and most probably see you as being a copycat.

Visual content is processed by our brains 60,000 times faster than words.
Having unique professionally designed visual content to market your business helps you:

• Get more engagement from those who matter, in some case 120% -180% more!
• Get more social sharing. People like creative and new ways of looking at something and are more likely to stop, read and share your content
• Be remembered. 65% of visual information is remembered, compared with 10% when hearing it
• Build trust. Trust is one of the most valuable assets a business can have. Strong, unique visual images help build trust with your followers, leading to more sales and more attention
  
  

Now is the time to organise your visual branding using professionally designed Social Media Templates. I can create for you 100% unique, attention grabbing and highly sharable templates for your business. Head over to book your spot now and start enjoying getting noticed by those who matter!

Would you hire a chef to lay your carpet? How about a plumber to install your oven? No, of course you wouldn’t, you’d hire the right professional to do the job for you. When it comes to your businesses graphic design work, the best person is a professional graphic designer, like me. That means, forget doing it yourself!

Problems with DIY Graphic Design
I will say that sometimes (and only sometimes) when a business owner does some DIY graphic design, they create a graphic which looks fine. The clear majority though, create a design which not only looks unprofessional, but can quickly send their customers running in the other direction. Why? Because graphic design represents your business visually. It is often the first thing people see when visiting your website or picking up your flyer. If it looks bad or the same as what everyone else is using, your clients will automatically assume your business is just as bad as your design work and that you don’t take pride in advertising your business.

5 Reasons Why You Must Hire a Graphic Designer
I love my vacuum cleaner. Silly thing to say, but it picks up the dog hair from my puppy Max so well and leaves my floors dust and pet hair free. I tried using my kettle one time, but it just wasn’t the same …. Okay, so that’s not true, but it is kind of the same thinking people have when using online design software. They have a great idea, but can’t get it to work properly. Unsure about the right fonts, colours and styles to use, they end up with a mashed-up collection of bad graphics. Or they can see how to do it but the end result is something that a lot of other people are using for their design work, meaning people scroll past because they have ‘seen it’ before.

There are plenty of benefits to hiring a professional graphic designer. You not only get access to their design tools, but also to their experience, training, knowledge and understanding about creating graphics which give the right impression and are true to you and your business. Still need convincing? Here are five reasons why graphic designers do it better:

• Looks professional
• Conveys your message or/and brand accurately and consistently
• Saves you time and money
• Gains you customers
• Gets you noticed
  
  

A professional image always wins over a poorly created one. A professional graphic designer will nail that essential professional image for you. They will also ensure your brand is consistent, which is so important to building client loyalty. Graphic design represents your brand visually … many of the DIY designs that I see appear to be clearly that, DIY. Is this how you want your business portrayed? If people view an inconsistent brand and design layout then they will often infer the same about the business generally.

Being a business owner, things that take you away from your core business of selling your products or services, cost you both time and money. A graphic designer can create you a masterpiece in a fraction of the time, saving you a lot of cash and hassle. Finally, we know what looks great and what doesn’t. Our work gets you noticed and remembered by your target market and that is fabulous ongoing advertising.

If you’d like to know more about how I can help you with your graphic design needs, check out my portfolio. Or if you are ready to book your spot, send me a message today!  

​Like them or not, words are an essential part of every business website. After all, they are as equally important as your visual brand. Unfortunately, many business owners value how their brand looks visually as being more of a priority and their words end up taking a back seat. So today, we’re going to look at how you can use words to compliment your visual brand and create an awesome branding strategy.

​Words and Graphics – We Go Together
Words. More words. Unexciting and as boring as they may seem, the words your business uses will either make or break you. Choosing the right words to match your visual brand is important to demonstrate consistency and help build a rapport with your target audience.
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There is no denying it. Our world makes instant decisions about your business based on how it looks. Often this is in the form of instant reactions to your logo, colour choices, font and business name. That’s why it’s important to hire a graphic designer like Helen to create you a top notch visual brand right from the start. But what many fail to remember, is that after making a decision about the way your business looks visually, customers and clients look next to your words to see if they want to do business with you.

How to Brand with Words
Everyone instantly recognises the visual brands of businesses such as McDonalds and Pak n Save because of their logos and colours. But even these businesses know that in our digital world, their visual brand is not enough to hook in and engage their customers. That’s why they use a combination of words and graphics to create a thorough branding strategy.

You can brand your business with words by:

• Creating a style guide for your written content. Just like your branding guide, think about the words, tone of language and technical jargon your business will use. What will your audience respond to and instantly recognise as being from your business?
• Crafting your story – what messages are you going to share with your audience? Are your messages going to be in paragraphs, bullet points, headings or single sentences? Stick with the same story telling technique across all of your mediums – website, social media, business cards, emails and brochures.
• Keeping it real. Research has shown that in just 90 minutes, a customer can be exposed to over 100 brands and 250 marketing messages. The words you use need reflect your brand’s personality. Consistently being real or naked is vital for your business to be remembered.

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​If you haven’t already, now is a good time to sit down and plan the type of written content you want your brand to be known for. If it mirrors your visual identity, cool. If not, chat with Helen about how she can help.

Written by Jackie Procter | www.jackieprocter.co.nz

Many business owners are hesitant to hire a professional graphic designer. Not because they doubt the quality of the work, but because of the cost and the belief that they can do the same level of work themselves. Unfortunately, the result is logos and other graphic images which portray their business in a negative light, losing them money and customers.

Recently I created a new logo for Sharon from Totally Balmy. She was clearly unhappy with her old logo, with feedback from her clients that her logo just didn’t really match the image she was trying to portray. Sharon focuses on selling natural products, yet her old logo had dark and bold colours, totally counteracting what she wanted clients to feel about her business.

Making Contact with A Graphic Designer
Sharon and I are members of Network NZ, a business networking group. Sharon had seen the design work I had done for other businesses within the group and liked what she saw. She contacted me to engage my graphic design services to create her a new logo. As she was still in the start-up phase of her business, keeping her costs down was important.

“Helen's prices are incredibly reasonable, and her service is impeccable. She ensures you receive the best service, and keeps you informed along the way.” Sharon, Totally Balmy

Once Sharon made contact, I emailed her a list of questions. This small questionnaire is a great tool for both my clients and myself, helping me create the specific designs they require. By giving me a detailed explanation and examples of the type of image you want to portray, it helps me create the exact type of images you require. From here, I shared with Sharon a range of ideas and together we worked on perfecting the best choice for her and her business.

“The end result? Fabulous. I'm so incredibly happy with it. So much so, I got Helen to design me a business card too!” Sharon, Totally Balmy

Life After a New Logo
Sharon absolutely loved her new logo. So much so that she said, “I'm now proud to have my logo out there! I wear it on t-shirts, have it on the side of both our cars, and am delighted to be recognized in our community. People now spot me everywhere, so there's no hiding!”

I am so thankful that Sharon gave me the opportunity to revitalise her brand. It is an exciting part of my work that I can change how clients and customers see your business for the better. My work has given Sharon the confidence to place her business amongst others and actively compete with other small businesses.

“The new logo makes me feel more professional, more trustworthy and it just fits my business so well. People can now look at my logo, and have a good idea about what I do. I don't worry about my image at all now.” Sharon, Totally Balmy

Sharon’s new logo has completely transformed the way her business is seen by her clients. Her old logo did nothing to demonstrate her passion for creating natural merchandise. 

Hello! I recently decided to interview one of my lovely clients. I wanted to see how professional graphic design work has impacted her and her business. This is a great read! Grab a cuppa and biscuit and settle down to read Danni’s experience. This could be what you and your business needs to get an extra lift, taking your from ho-hum to amazing!

What made you decide to get your logo designed by a professional graphic designer?
It honestly had not been on my radar in the beginning. I put something together in Photoshop that I thought would do and forgot about it. I love to research things, for example the best ways I can improve my business on a budget since I’m still in the start-up phase. After a tonne of research I could see my whole web presence didn’t cut it. It didn’t look professional, it didn’t feel professional. I was overwhelmed with the best place to invest for the best results. Having my website professionally designed was out of the question.

As I was looking for the best first step to take, I noticed Helen from One Bite posting examples of logos she had just wrapped-up designing. I loved the style and colours, they felt well-matched with my business. Her rates were amazing, definitely manageable for my little start up as the best first step into a more professional image. The final straw to making the decision was this post on Helens new blog written about logos (click here to read the blog). I was sold. A logo definitely seemed like the best place to start and the place from which all the rest of my branding would flow.
 
How did you find the logo process?
I contacted Helen and she sent through a questionnaire to fill. Some of the questions were a bit tricky as I hadn’t thought about some of them before. I got my research hat on and started checking through the list. It’s not as scary as it sounds. You know the saying “You only get out what you put it”? I live by that philosophy. So when I commissioned Helen for my logo, I made sure to give her the most useful info I could to help the design process flow smoothly. I was blown away by the variety of the first round of designs. Helen took my feedback and came back with designs that were so incredibly close. Just a few tweaks and I had my logo. The whole process was so quick, friendly and easy. It was exciting to see the logo come together; when I saw the finished product it felt amazing! I then realised just how much my old one did not do my business justice at all. I swapped it out across all online platforms and the desktop on my computer immediately and I felt so much better.
 
How has having a professionally design logo & business card altered the way you advertise your business?
I feel confident putting my business out there now that I have a professional logo.I still have a way to go before I’m totally happy with my online presence, but Rome wasn’t built in a day and it will happen. I’ll be asking for Helens help at each new stage of development of my brand and online presence.
 
How has having a professional designer work for you impacted how you feel about the professionalism of your business?  
Massively! I feel far more professional and like I’m taken more seriously for it. If you’re serious about your business, a logo is definitely the best first step and money well spent. Has it also impacted any other area of your business? I get more work because I’m out there - looking professional!

Here are Danni’s logos - before and after...

Danni from Winmill Creative is the most talented product photographer I have seen... check out her own before and after pics. Before - taken by her client, after - taken by Danni. You can find Winmill Creative by clicking this link: www.winmillcreative.co.nz