When you decide to start a business you don't always realise that you are beginning a story as well. Often you get started because you have a skill or something you love to do, and then it evolves. You are no longer starting a business, but instead you are building a brand. Laying the foundations of your brand is like writing the first chapter of your story. So, how did your brand come to be? Do you have a story behind it? I'd love to tell you my story... The Elephant In The Room You will probably notice that my elephant is a large part of my branding. He is actually where my story starts... Years ago when I was at school, I would often get overwhelmed by my workload. My dad is a very wise man and he used to say something back then that has stuck with me through the years. Probably because he still says it now! He said... ‘Helen, how do you eat an elephant? One Bite at a time.’ His wise approach allowed me to focus on one small task at a time and gradually work my way through my massive to do list. This is a motto that I live my life by now. Life has a habit of getting very busy, with a business to run, house to maintain, three amazing children to raise and an equally amazing husband. We get through the busy times One Bite at a time, often achieving more than we thought we could with this tactic! So when it came to choosing a name for my business, One Bite was the obvious option. I also knew that I had to have an elephant as part of my brand. Even my elephant is an embodiment of the motto. You will notice that it is sectioned into smaller pieces to symbolise the ‘bites’. What's In A Name? I suddenly realised that after 3 years working alongside my elephant, he didn't have a name! As soon as my realisation hit, I knew what his name had to be. So, I would like to introduce to you... Petros This name is perfect for 3 reasons...
I am really excited to be on this journey with Petros and I can't wait to see what the next chapters have in store for One Bite! Your Branding Story
So, what is your story? And is it embodied in your branding? People love to work with other people, which is why it is important to reflect your story and personality in your branding. If you feel you could be communicating your story better, then maybe it is time for a brand refresh. I would love to help you tell the story of your brand in your logo, business cards, marketing material, and social media templates. Basically any aspect of your branding. Get in touch with me now at One Bite to see I can help you tell your story with my professional graphic design services.
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I’ve been wondering about why personalised hoodies are so popular. Could it be because we love the power of designing our own clothing? Maybe it’s the fact they are so warm and cosy? Or perhaps it’s because they are so darn terrific at promoting our businesses? I think it’s a combination of all three! As a small business owner, I understand the difficulties of undertaking a successful marketing campaign on a super low budget. Not for me are the large digital billboards showcasing the city’s big firms. Nor can I afford to place a weekly ad in the local paper. While I could dabble in Facebook ads, they don’t really offer me a high rate of return for the dollar value I put in. So, what form of advertising could I use? Personalised hoodies! For less than $150, Helen designed and delivered me a personalised hoodie for my business Spotty Lizard. But why is it so great? Everywhere I go I wear it. The supermarket, dropping the kids at school, playing sport, walking the dog – I wear it everywhere. On the front is my main logo, with the back featuring one of my graphics and URL. The number of people I’ve had ask me what Spotty Lizard is, commented on the cute lizard and asked me what I do is amazing. I use it as a uniform when I am working, plus I wear it for all my social media videos and photos.
Ordering Personalised Hoodies for Your Business If you’re sitting on the fence about ordering a branded hoodie for your business, jump off it and here’s why:
The downside of having personalised hoodies for your business? Well, they’re mighty hot to wear in summer, but I’m certain Helen can arrange the design and delivery of a polo shirt for me by then. I suggest you get in touch with Helen now and start the process of getting yourself a hoodie with your business logo and graphics on it too. - Jackie Spotty Lizard 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? 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. Why You Need A Good Facebook Cover Image
As soon as a potential or current client navigates to your Facebook Page, they are going to be presented with your cover image. This is your chance to make an instant visual impact. If your image is boring, unrelated to your field, or jarring to look at then you have missed an opportunity to impress your page visitor. There are currently more than 2 billion active users on Facebook. That is a lot of people that can be unimpressed by your Facebook cover! Here is why you need an image that is eye-catching and appealing... Introduces Your Business If someone isn’t 100% certain about what you do, your cover image can introduce your business to them. Not only can it tell them about your products or services, but it can give them a feel for your business’ personality and values. Encourages Familiarity For those who do know your business, they will recognise they are in the right place when they see your cover image. That is why it is important to always keep your branding consistent by using the same colours, fonts and style. Makes Them Want To Know More A picture tells a thousand words, but it is still only an introduction. Make your cover image be the start of a long running conversation with potential clients. Draw them into your business with great visual elements and some carefully chosen text. Proves Your Professionalism Having a polished look on your Facebook page will encourage trust in your business. Clients will be able to see your professionalism and it will allow you to stand out amongst your competitors. This places you as an authority figure in your field and makes people want to work with your business. A lot goes into the design and execution of a professional looking image. Image placement, choice of font, inclusion of white space and many other design aspects that come as second nature to a graphic designer. So, instead of fiddling about on Canva for hours, let One Bite Design create a cover image for you instead. Why You Should Change It Up Your Facebook cover can be a key component in your marketing strategy. Because it does draw instant attention, you can use it to your advantage. That means changing your cover image to align with your current focus. These are just some of the things you could highlight...
Whatever you choose to highlight, make sure you back it up with a relevant reason to click the Facebook Call to Action button. If you don’t utilise that button, your marketing efforts will not be as effective. How Often Should You Change Your Image? There isn't really a rule on how often you should change your image. Like anything, content can become stale if it stays the same for too long. We would recommend changing your image at least once a quarter to keep things fresh, or once a month to match your monthly marketing themes. Yep, it can be a lot of work creating 12 professional images every year. Who has time for that? We do at One Bite Design! In fact, creating amazing images for social media is just one of our specialities. Save yourself time and stress by letting us create individually curated Facebook Cover images for your business. We can work with you to showcase any aspect of your business. Get in touch with One Bite Design for a chat on how your Facebook page could be working for you with great visual content. Your logo is more than your business name. It’s your brand identity and without this, your business is likely to fall off your customer’s radar. A professionally designed logo gives your brand the credibility it needs to be successful. It’s a bit like a box of chocolates. All the pretty wrapped ones get picked first, with the dull and boring wrapped ones being left till last. If your business doesn’t look good from the outside, no one is going to take the time to find out more about it. If you haven’t already got a logo, check out my article Will Your Logo Help Your Business to Sink or Swim? If you haven't got a logo professionally designed by a graphic designer, then read on to find out more about creating your brand identity. What Makes a Great Visual Brand? Your logo is an integral part of your brand. Everything revolves around it. The colours, images, shapes and content all work together to put an image in people’s mind about your business. Think of your brand as a person. Whatever you do shows people the type of person you are. Here are six ways you can make your visual brand rock:
Your logo is the epicentre of your visual brand. All the decisions you make regarding the face of your business are made with your logo in mind. You need to have a graphic designer totally nail your logo for you to present an impressive visual brand. This means you need to consider:
For example, I created a logo for Becky from Keen Kitchen in both a landscape and square version. This has given her the ability to use her logo in many different types of situations. As well as her logo design, I also created business cards, gift vouchers and A5 & A4 flyers for Keen Kitchen too. Becky has since had her logo put onto t-shirts and aprons for her and others to wear. “Helen from One Bite is an absolute dream to work with. She is friendly, fast & professional as well as being fantastic at her craft. Since starting my business just over a year ago I have used her for all design work starting with our logo. Since then she has done multiple flyers, business cards, gift vouchers and I will use her for all design work in the future. I will always, and have frequently, recommended her to friends and a lot of them have also gone to her and loved the end product she has delivered. It's almost unfathomable how fast she works. Nothing is too much trouble to tweak and she strives for perfection!” – Becky from Keen Kitchen
I’d love to work with you to help create an amazing visual brand for your business. Contact me today and let’s get started! I’m all into making things easy. As a business owner, you’re very busy. You haven’t got time to spend hours perfecting your website banner. Nor can you afford to take time away from working on your business. I totally understand that. After all, I’m a business owner too. As a graphic designer, it’s my job to create graphics for your business. But I’m not here to make extra work for you. It’s the opposite in fact because my job is all about giving you back your most precious commodity; your time. I’ll take care of all your graphic design needs, big or small. Here’s how it works … Benefits of Using a Professional Graphic Designer You’ve decided you need some graphic designs created. It may be a logo, a Facebook cover page image, social media templates or a website header. You may know exactly what you want, or are not quite sure yet. You could go and spend five hours trying to create it using free software online. But chances are you are not going to be 100% happy with it. Nor will it look highly professional. Here’s what you should do instead Contact me. Send me any graphics you already have, such as your logo or product images. I then create exactly what you want to your specific size requirements. It’s delivered to you via email in a file which is all ready for you to upload to wherever you want it to go. Let’s nail down the exact benefits of having me do your graphic design work:
Another client I’ve helped is Zoe from Forget Me Not Photography. Zoe needed a complete overhaul with her branding. We started with creating a new logo and from there we moved onto business cards and flyers. Here is an example of her old branding verses the new branding and logo she now uses. “Helen was right there with my ideas. Everything I suggested Helen discussed with me and made sure that I was comfortable with. I can't recommend One Bite enough, you won't be dissatisfied if you contact Helen. Thank you for everything, I can't tell you how pleased I am” - Zoe
I’d love to help you raise the profile of your business too, so send me an email and let’s get started! So you run your own business, you want all your clients, new and old, to instantly know what is yours out there in the market place…. but how do you transfer styles from your business to accentuate your brand presence? What you need is a Brand Style Guide. You may be wondering some ‘what’ and ‘why’s’ about Brand Style Guides, let me see if I can put your mind at ease by providing you with some information about it.
The Final Step in Creating Your Brand Style Guide
First up, do some research and find examples of brands you like. What does their styling tell you about their brand? What is it that you like about it? Next think about your brand. What colours and images does your brand suit? What do you want your brand to make your customer think about when they see it? Once you have answered these questions, the next step is to contact a professional graphic designer. They will take your information, ask a few questions of their own and begin the creative process! If you are looking for a branding solution, get in touch with Helen today! 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 recognised 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. Here is her old logo next to her new logo... Check out the difference!! I would love to bring the life back into or back into your business, helping your brand to create a favourable image for the world to see!
Flick me a email today and together we’ll create magic! It’s a new year and you want your business to start off with a bang! You’ve created a business plan, identified which products and services you’re going to sell this year, organised your blogs, worked out your social media posts and are ready for a fresh new start, right? Wrong. You’ve forgotten to revisit one of the most important aspects of your business, which is your brand. Your Brand Needs Professional Graphic Design Work Your brand is your face to the world. It is what people use to decide whether to purchase your products or services. It is a way of creating customer loyalty and growing the instant recognition of your brand. As your brand contains a lot of visual information, it is important that it looks fantastic. That means creating a DIY logo, Facebook cover, social media template or website banner is not a good decision. Unless you have a background in graphic design, you are unlikely to understand about colour matching, pixel sizes, fonts and using images correctly. Sure, if you create your graphics yourself you will initially save money, but have you considered the big picture? A poorly designed brand or business image results in fewer customers, which means less income in the long run. 4 Reasons Why Businesses Should Prioritise & Outsource Graphic Design
Outsourcing your design work to a graphic designer is a smart move. Not only can they create from scratch a unique and attractive brand image, but they are also experienced at refreshing old ones too. Here are my top four reasons why you should hire a graphic designer like me:
Now is the time to act and create your brand image or revitalise your existing one. Look through my design portfolio to see some of the work I have done to create amazing looking brand images. Now send me an email and let’s arrange a time to chat about how I can help improve your business image this year! 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 So, if you would like your logo, business image, media impact, overhauled or started off on a strong foundation the you’d better get in touch with me TODAY! [email protected]
In my 20 years experience as a graphic designer I find that getting your logo right is one of the biggest decisions you will have to make regarding your business and branding. So much goes in to a logo design; fonts, colours, imagery overall style etc. As a graphic designer, in essence, I am trying to figure out what is going through your head. Some clients have no idea of what they would like in a logo and give the designer ‘free-range’. Other clients are a bit more specific in what they want. Either way there are a few things to think about when you are considering getting a logo designed by a professional graphic designer. 5 Points to Think About Regarding a Logo Design:
When you hire a professional graphic designer, like One Bite Design, to work on a logo design for you, you will have a huge head start. Having information under your belt with make the logo design process easier for you and me as your designer. Logo designs are so much fun and are so fulfilling. At the end of the process the main thing is that you, the client, is 100% happy with your logo. Careful planning and thought goes a long way in the success of the logo design process. Have a look at the before and after of this logo design and check out this review from Zoe... ![]() "Well, what can I say? I came across Helen on a NZ Business page and she has turned my company branding around. First I needed my logo updating which Helen did in under a week, even after a couple of changes; then I asked for business cards, which again were designed and presented to me really quickly and all my changes were taken on board. Helen even arranged for these to be printed for me from an NZ company. Next came the flyers and hey presto, Helen was right there with my ideas. Everything I suggested Helen discussed with me and made sure that I was comfortable with. I can't recommend One Bite enough, you won't be dissatisfied if you contact Helen. Thank you for everything, I can't tell you how pleased I am!" Your logo is more than your business name. It’s your brand identity and without this, your business is likely to fall off your customer’s radar. A professionally designed logo gives your brand the credibility it needs to be successful. It’s a bit like a box of chocolates. All the pretty wrapped ones get picked first, with the dull and boring wrapped ones being left till last. If your business doesn’t look good from the outside, no one is going to take the time to find out more about it. If you haven’t already got a logo already or you are after a re-brand get in touch with me today! |
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