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This is extremely useful. Allows you to easily view how a self-typed word appears in all the fonts on your computer.
Wordmark.it

via The Design Cubicle

yard-signs-250x250
Are you looking for a way to get more business with a small budget? Gorgeous and Stuff Yard signs are a great way to get more business with a minimal investment. Follow this steps to get started:

1. Determine your sign campaign

Yard signs aren’t just for contractors or home service providers. Any business can take advantage of yard signs when you properly plan your campaign.

2. Create a plan by answering these questions:

  • What’s your call to action? Do you want the audience to visit your store, your website, call a number or simply remember your company?
  • Who is your target audience, and where is the best place to reach them? A busy intersection, specific neighborhoods, business districts, or all of these?
  • Do you need permission to place yard signs where you want?
  • Will you give a special offer, discount, sale, freebie or other incentive to respond?
  • How many yard signs do you need, and who will distribute them?
  • What is the ultimate goal of your yard sign campaign? Can you track it?

Answering these questions will help you determine your yard sign design, printing and distribution. Put together a strategy now to yield excellent ROI from your yard sign campaign.

3. Design your yard signs

Yard sign design should be simple. If you are out to banners and flags, here are a few ideas to get you started:

  • Determine the overall size(s) and use plenty of white space.
  • Limit the amount of text and use plenty of white space.
  • Use large, easy-to-read typefaces and use plenty of white space.
  • Use contrasting colors so your yard signs stand out and use plenty of white space.
  • Photos and illustrations can help get attention, as long as they’re relevant and you use plenty of white space.
  • Use a call to action so customers know what to do next and leave plenty of white space around it.
  • Use plenty of white space.

4. Printing your yard signs

Once you’ve finalized the design, the next step is to print your yard signs. Here are a few things to consider when going to print:

  • The bigger your yard signs are, the easier they’ll be to see.
  • Will you print both sides of your yard signs, or just on one?
  • Corrugated white plastic will make your designs stand out and withstand most weather conditions.
  • The more yard signs you print at once, the lower your price per yard sign will be. It makes sense to print in bulk.

5. Distribute your yard signs

It’s best to get your yard signs into the following places depending on your target audience:

  • High-traffic intersections
  • Targeted neighborhoods
  • Businesses
  • Homes you’ve serviced (lawn care, painters, contractors)
  • Neighboring cities
  • Be sure get permission to place your yard signs on private property, and consult local ordinances.

Using this 5 steps will help you plan, design, print, and distribute yard signs that will promote your brand and help elevate your business.

plastic cards

Long lasting and durable. Affordable and useful for giveaways, trade shows, special events and gift cards. Available in white, frosted and clear stocks!

Order here!

The term Rich Black refers to a mixture of inks containing the four process colors: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK). It is necessary because no black ink is truly black, and the combination of the four inks will result in a denser black, or “rich black.” There are many recipes for rich black but after much testing and calibration, ProSource Printing has selected the CMYK breakdown that works best with our systems and presses:

Cyan: 30%, Magenta: 30%, Yellow: 30%, Black: 100%
CMYK
Here is a simulated comparison of what it would look like with just black, and ProSource Printing’s Rich Black recipe:

blacks
We do not recommend using CMYK values higher than these. Using too much ink will cause the final print to be muddy, and will have a higher chance of smearing.

 

Here are some basic items to consider when using QR codes.

1. Mobile-optimized. Don’t send users to an ordinary website. Create an experience that is based on portability, location, SMS, sharing, or instant fulfillment and feedback – anything but an ordinary website.

2. Audience awareness. Some still don’t know much about QR codes.  Do the obvious: include instructions to help new users engage.  Inform savvy users on what rewards to expect.

3. Usage patterns. If you plan to use QR codes multiple times for multiple campaigns, treat each as its own campaign – complete with strategy, goals, success measures, etc. Then, for each instance, caption each code with the URL, call to action and reward info. Set the stage for fulfillment by setting user expectations before they scan your code.

4. Size and placement. Make it big enough. Your QR code must be of sufficient size, placement and proximity to be easily scanned. This excludes TV (too fleeting), subway (no wireless signal means no way to access the online content) and Billboard (too distant; your own pulse will cause your handheld phone/camera to shake too much to reliably scan the code). Ideal: printed material or flat surface, within arm’s reach. Up close and personal.

5. Visual Appeal. You can dress up a QR code to make it look nicer. Contact us for detail on that.  It’s a nice touch, and we can expect this beautification trend to increase.  Whereas the lowly barcode has faded like a footnote into the borders of package labels, the comparatively prominent physical placement of a QR code could harm the beauty of your content or its location.

6. Convenience. Is a QR code the fastest, easiest and/or only way to access the content, share it, and/or fulfill some need?  If so, great; go for it.  If not, think about other ways to deliver content more effectively.  Again, an ordinary website, not mobile-optimized, is not a value-add experience and not a fulfilling one.

7. Reward. Make it memorable.  Reward users, rather than disappoint them. Give them a discount or special offer. Make your destination content instantly useful and satisfying.  Include share buttons so your audience can tweet, email, post and rave about the cool experience you provide.  Want viral?  Do that!

QR codes: end of a fad!  They are here to stay.  QR codes can help you create a delightful and amazing customer experience and you can track all of the results!