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It's amazing to me to think that this month represents the third year since I first set out on the scary journey offering my services to the public and launching One Bite Graphic Design. It's been a 'one bite' at a time learning process with some things certainly learnt the hard way. Not everything has been plain sailing but important lessons have certainly been learnt and both myself and One Bite Graphic Design are in a much better position now than what we were those three short years ago. With three years under the belt I thought it would only be fitting to share three things that I have learnt.  There Will Always Be Something To Do On Your Business:
I’ve heard it said that a business is like a new born child, you need to constantly care for it and feed it and the work you put in over the early years will shape the business well into the future. The thing is, there is always something to do. This is especially true in the first few years as you develop your systems and find your own feet and direction. It's in these first years where passion can meet head first with the annoying reality of tax and accounts and invoicing. It’s easy to get consumed by all the things to do. What I’ve learnt is that you need to be intentional about taking a break and stepping outside of your business from time to time. Whether that is turning your phone and computer off and going for a walk or an actual holiday, taking time out to recharge your own batteries is an important way of ensuring that you keep that passion which got you going in the first place burning bright. Comparing Yourself To Others: Starting out in a new business is a scary and at times nerve wracking thing to do. It's only natural to want to know what other people in your industry are doing. The problem is that it becomes very difficult to not compare your fledgling business with those potentially more established operations already out there doing it. What’s worse is that if you're not careful you may even start to copy what these other guys are doing whether consciously or not. Then there’s the pressure of trying to match the offerings of others! That’s not what you started your business to do. Like me you most probably started your own business because there was something special that you love to do, something that you’re passionate about. Stick to it. Perfect your passion and don’t be swayed by others! Accept The Appreciation: Having happy clients is what's really rewarding and provides the energy which enables us to continue to do this thing that we love. Learn to enjoy the appreciation of a job well done. You can see some of my testimonials here. This is something that I’ve learnt slowly, not being a person who naturally accepts compliments well. A big turning point for me was learning to not be ashamed or embarrassed to ask my clients for a review of One Bite Graphic Design after completing a job. Getting these positive reviews not only helps in business promotion, but more importantly they help to reinforce to ourselves that yes, we are doing a good job. Yes people do see the value in what we do, and yes, our efforts are making a difference! Have you recently started your own business? Are you passionate about your business succeeding? Does your business need a fresh, inspiring and professional new look? Let One Bite Graphic Design assist you in developing a brand that you are proud of and that does it’s job in attracting people to do business with you. Get in touch TODAY!
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A picture tells a thousand words. We have all heard this saying hundreds of times. But when it comes to social media, it is so on point. We live in a very visual world. There are images and messaging everywhere around us. To ensure that your business does not get lost in the newsfeed, you need to have a solid plan to make a visual impact. Why is that? Let One Bite Graphic Design tell you...  Get Noticed People spend hours every week scrolling through their social media feeds. They are so accustomed to trawling through screeds of information, that they only pause when something catches their eye. If you don’t utilise this visual space to your advantage, people will keep on scrolling right past your content. You need something that is going to stop their scroll immediately. Words alone will not do this, but an eye catching image, designed by One Bite can. Be Memorable Have you ever struggled to recall a written quote that you’ve read? Yea, me too. But, it is so much easier to remember a striking image. That is because your brain actually processes images better than it can process words. If you consistently produce great visual content then people will engage with it. When they engage with your content, there is more chance that your other posts will pop up in their newsfeeds. Suddenly, they are being exposed to your brand on a regular basis. This helps them to remember who you are and what you do. When they have need for your services, you will be the first business they contact. Convey Your Message It can be hard to get your point across in a concise, digestible way when you only use words. But an image personally created by One Bite Graphic Design can instantly convey a message and spark a reaction. It can get your viewers thinking about your content straight away. You can use this to your advantage by asking for them to comment, or engage with your post. Let Others Promote Your Business If you produce great content that resonates with your viewers, then they are going to share on their newsfeeds. If your content is branded, (check out One Bite’s total branding package) then that sharing is a great opportunity to get your business in front of a whole new audience. This increases your organic reach and automatically shows these new viewers that your business is worth following. The best part is, it is completely free advertising! Consistent Branding If you take a look at the visual marketing of the world’s biggest businesses, you will notice it is always consistent. They don’t change the colours of their branding, distort their logo, or chop and change between styles. Their consistency helps you to recognise their brand. You want to do the same thing with your business. You want your followers to instantly recognise that a piece of content has come from your brand simply by the look and feel of it. Consistency helps to build memorability and trust for your business. Your social media pages are a great place to showcase your consistency to your audience. This is where One Bite’s 20 years of professional design experience is worth it’s weight in gold for you. How Can I Get Visual? One Bite Graphic Design is here to help business owners like you get their brand noticed on social media, we create branded social media templates. These are visual templates that you can add your messaging to, or use them exactly as they are. They are designed specifically to showcase your business. Get your followers to stop the scroll and take notice of what you have to say. If you are interested, you can check out more information on the social media templates here, or get in touch via email to order your templates now. Have a look at some templates One Bite has designed already! Business cards have been around in one form or another since at least the 17th century. Despite such a long period of use, in a world of increasing technology it’s easy to be left wondering if the humble business card still has a place in the modern world. A casual visit to any business gathering will quickly put that question to rest as you witness a plethora of business cards swapping hands along with the usual handshakes and smiles. There are a number of reasons why business cards remain an important part of your “business kit” and why having One Bite Graphic Design professionally design a well presented card is vital to business success. Brand Awareness and Brand Legitimacy A professionally designed business card by One Bite, in conjunction and in harmony with your One Bite Graphic Design logo immediately projects a sense of legitimacy. Let's be honest, first impressions really do count. Handing out your business card to potential customer or prospects is often the first time that people will personally be confronted by your brand, and the first opportunity they have to form an opinion on whether they will do business with you or not. Networking Tool The key to networking is not only making connections, but ensuring that those connections last, so that when it comes time to purchase your network is either seeking you out or referring your details on. Being able to leave your business card and have these spread out through your network is a proven method for generating ongoing business. There’s a reason why everyone does it, and that’s because it works. Tangible Representation While technology plays an ever increasing role in business, your client or potential client is most likely not a computer or a bunch of electrons. They’re way more likely to be an actual person. As a human we’re drawn to physical things. The very act of handing out a business card not only connects that person with a tangible representation of your brand, but it most likely also connects them to you as you look them in the eye and shake their hand. Vital Information A well laid out business card by One Bite Graphic Design is going to provide a touchstone to who you are, what you do, where you’re located and perhaps most importantly, how to contact you. For the tech savvy there are now specific apps that will scan and import this information from the card to your contacts on your smart phone. It’s the best of both worlds, but it starts with the card and it ensure that your client gets the information that you want them to get – spelt correctly, with no mistakes! What makes a good Business Card There are a number of specific tricks that One Bite Graphic Design will ensure are incorporated into your business card design. Firstly, we will make sure that the card is dimensionally designed to perfectly fit the requirements of your printer. That may seem obvious but is easily over looked! One Bite Graphic Design will make sure that the colour and typography stay consistent with your brand. This is key to ensuring the continued strength and growth of your brand. Combine this with a clear message, quality imagery and sufficient uniqueness and your One Bite designed business card will ensure you stand out from the crowd. Contact Helen from One Bite Graphic Design today to create or refresh a unique and purpose driven business card which will ensure your first impression is one that will last. You can find some more of the business cards we have designed so far HERE.       Clear consistent branding is something that we commonly see lacking with entrepreneurs or those of us with a small start up business. The temptation all too often is to get your amateur designer friend, or artistic brother / sister / husband / wife / second cousin twice removed on your fathers side … to put together a logo for you. Sometimes this temptation takes the form of using that “awesome” free site you found on the internet to generate the logo for your business. Regardless of the path, all too often as the business grows these decisions lead to frustration and costs because the logo you have is limited to the one version of it that you have. One of the important benefits about having One Bite Graphic Design professionally design your logo really comes to light as your business grows and you start to use your logo more to push your visual marketing, whether that be via print, the various forms of social media, promotional items or even the graphic to wrap your car. Let One Bite Graphic Design show you eight logo versions, where and how to use them:    
   
These are all versions of your logo that can be provided by One Bite Graphic Design, which will allow your business to expand and grow without compromising your hard fought for brand.
There are many advantages to having a number of different logo versions which all retain the same shape feel and theme of your “master logo”. This creates a visual image that you can not only use and adapt over a number of different platforms and mediums but it also quickly becomes a logo that is distinct and therefore can be trademarked and protected. For a review of your logo, a refresh, or a completely new design for the new year contact Helen and One Bite Graphic Design. Even better, mention that you’ve seen this blog for 10% off any initial design work. Christmas has been and the New Year has just begun, now is the time to reflect, plan and get motivated for the rest of 2018. You would do well to quickly re-read my previous blog ‘Part1' before launching into the all important ‘Part 2’. This way you’ll make the most of the excellent business advice, encouragement and strategies as you prepare to have a successful and rewarding 2018.  Strategy:
“Sound strategy starts with having the right goal” – Michael Porter We have our goals now we can form our strategy. To often its tempting to just jump into the fray and start figuring out how to “do” the nitty gritty stuff. Working “in the business” is the term that gets thrown around, you’ve probably heard it before. Strategy is the working “on” the business part. We need to work out what actions we’re going to take now which will set us up for success when it comes to realising our goals. For example, maybe our goal is to increase our earnings before interest and tax (that holy grail of ever increasing EBIT). Are we going to do that by selling more widgets? If so where are we going to get the widgets from? Do we make them ourselves or do we need to source them from somewhere else? Can we extend our supplier terms and improve our use of money? Can we figure out ways to get paid faster and improve the velocity of money flowing into the business? Can we make our operating expenses more efficient and sell the same widgets more profitably? Are there new markets that we can enter or new opportunities that we can take advantage of? Maybe our goal is to increase gross revenue and sell more of our product or service. How do we going about doing this? What’s the best way to market ourselves in order to increase sales? There’s an often used quote that gets drummed into every marketing student and repeated through the corporate world: “In marketing I’ve seen only one strategy that can’t miss. That is to market to your best customers first, your best prospects second and the rest of the world last” – John Romero. This is a proven strategy which universally applies to all business. If our goal is increased sales then this well tested strategy is one that’s well worth borrowing. Tactics: “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat” – Sun Tzu We have our goals. We have our strategy. Now we need to figure out how to implement our strategy. This is the tactics, this is where we are specific about the actions that we will take to ensure that our strategy is successful. This is where we not only plan on which clients to market to, but how we will market to them and when. In planning out our strategy we may have decided that running specific campaigns has been a success in the past and something that we’ll do again in new year. What we need to do now is be intentional and specific about:
If it’s a new widget that we’re going to promote then the same questions apply. If it’s a new service then again we need to be specific and intentional about how we will launch the service what the measures of success look like. Take the time over the next couple of weeks to reflect, plan and set yourself up for a successful, happy and fulfilling 2018. “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I’ll spend the first four sharpening the axe” – Abraham Lincoln'' Get in touch with us today to discuss solutions for presenting your campaign. We have a number of branding packages and graphic design services we would love to work with you on. We look forward to working with you this year. In this two part blog we will look at some concrete steps you can take to guide your business into the new year. These steps to success will give you the tools that you need to make sure you and your business are learning from what has been, while moving forward.  Step One - Learn from the past: “What’s past is prologue” – William Shakespeare A whole year has come and gone, and with it lessons, some no doubt hard learnt. We want to take a moment to reflect on what we’ve done right over the year that’s been, but also what we’ve done wrong. Here are some questions to ask yourself of your business:
Step Two - What do you want the new year to hold? Define your goals: “Our goal can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success” – Pablo Picasso We need a plan, yes indeed, but first we need some goals. These goals can be broad, as we’ll get plenty specific shortly, but first of all we need to set up some goal posts and generally outline the field. Our goals may look something like:
Whatever the goal is, it will be specific to you and will be constant touchstone that you can go back to. Almost like a mission statement although goals can change whereas a mission statement sets out the overall purpose and tends to be more consistent year on year. Do any of your goals include having professional graphic design work done to make an impact and increase sales? Get in touch with us TODAY about getting started on introducing bright, new, attractive branding and a crisp, clear, unique logo that presents your business positively to everyone. Finally summer is underway. One last burst of effort, both in business and in family life and then the entire country takes a deep breath and pauses … ahhh … here at One Bite Graphic Design & Photography headquarters, we can hardly wait. A new year is knocking on the door, in 1-2 short weeks people from all walks of life all around the world will, at the very least, give some passing thought the year that’s been and to the year that’s coming. Some people out there will make lists of things to achieve, habits to form (or change) wrongs to right and people to meet. Resolutions will be made and when you take the time to write these down you are far more likely to stick to them. This applies to your business, perhaps even more, than it applies to your own life.  This time of year is the perfect time to reflect and make sure that the “look and feel” of your business as it's presented to the public, matches with the direction that you want to take and the plans that you now have. It’s important that your branding shows a true representation of you and your business.
We have found that people who are proud of their branding have so much more confidence in not only their business but in themselves than those who do not have design work done by a professional. You can read about Sharon’s success here. Right, let’s get some insight in to how you feel about your brand with some questions:
Is it beginning to feel a lot Christmas at your house? Is the weather warming up and are Christmas products and Christmas music filling your local shops? Maybe it’s not in full swing yet, but now is a great time to plan ahead so that at least your valued client base hear from you as you add your personal touch to your business relationship. Christmas is an amazing time where you can tell people that you are thinking of them, that you are grateful for them and that you wish them a happy and safe holiday season. I have a great offer which I will tell you about later on in this blog, but for now lets talk about the importance of ongoing client relationships.  The Benefits of Valuing Your Business Clients & Colleagues
As a small business owner I know how valuable my clients and colleagues are to the success of my business and to the process of moving forward. I would not be where I am today in my business and personally without the amazing people in my life including clients and colleagues. Owning your own business is not for the faint hearted and support is crucial, so it is equally important to support and encourage those who stand by you. There are many ways to do this. Let’s take a look at a few ways you can foster these relationships and I’ve added one special, meaningful thing you can do as we approach the holiday season. Read on…. Connecting Personally when making a Phone call or Email: Be personable and friendly in your contact. It takes no extra effort to ask how someone is, if they had a good weekend, what their plans / hopes are for their business futures. Make a brief note if relevant information is given. For example if they respond “Had a great weekend thanks, went fishing and caught plenty.’ Next time there’s contact ask if they’ve been fishing again. This demonstrates personal interest and your recall of the conversation. Maintain the Connection even when there is no ongoing business happening: Check in on your clients briefly, but again in a friendly and personable way. “Is there anything I can help you with?” “Thought of you as I launching this new product and I feel it would really benefit your business. Have you got a few moments to hear about it?” This reinforces a 'caring connection' which follows through into helping them achieve their business aspirations by their connection to you and your business. Follow your clients on social media: We all know how great it is to get a reaction and/or comment on our social media posts so why not do that for your clients. For example follow them on Facebook and interact with what is going on in their business, such a quick simple thing to do but could mean a lot for a small business. Make sure that when people respond to something of yours on social media that you reply to it. It is not only polite but it also puts your business name and brand in front of them again. Randomly send cards and/or gifts: I love receiving things in the mail or by courier do you? How about sending something special to those that you do business with and for? You could even go a step further and purchase gifts to send from other small businesses. How impacting it is when your gifts are branded in your colours, with your website and logo? Now let’s talk about this offer I have for you! I am getting all organised and sorted for Christmas and I can help you get ready too! One Bite Graphic Design has a range of Christmas card designs pre-formatted for Vista Print. I will include your unique business logo, brand colours and website to enable you to not only thank your clients and impress your prospects, but also ensure that your brand remains top of their mind during this busy season. Vista print has a 50% off greeting cards at the moment! Get your personalised branded holiday cards ordered NOW in time for Christmas! Remember that a personal, friendly connection is always appreciated. There’s an old saying “A smile is a curve that puts a lot of things straight!’ so send a smile to your clients this Christmas season. Email helen@onebitedesign.co.nz and view the card options at www.onebitedesign.co.nz NOW! Are you overwhelmed by the graphic design terms you see around? Trying to get a file ready for print but don’t know what is required? What is a ‘print safe zone’ or ‘bleed’? For this months One Bite Graphic Design blog I thought I would take the time to clarify a few commonly used graphic design terms and explain them for you. Buckle in… I hope you find this helpful!  5 Commonly Used Graphic Design Terms Explained:
 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:
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