We want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Check out this funny article!

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/design_hell

This entry is to inform the business owners who are seeking for a designer and the designers seeking clients.  With the exchange of files and creation of original artwork, both parties involved should be fully aware of the rights and terms of a contract and business relationship they commit to.  This is to avoid any legal issues that may come up down the road. Very important: Always have a contract! Do not ever go into an agreement on a handshake or verbal communication. You need EVERYTHING in writing to protect both parties.

According to Wikipedia’s definition, Intellectual Property is defined as “a number of distinct types of legal monopolies over creations of the mind, both artistic and commercial, and the corresponding fields of law.^[1] Under intellectual property law, owners are granted certain exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets, such as musical, literary, and artistic works; discoveries and inventions; and words, phrases, symbols, and designs. Common types of intellectual property include copyrights, trademarks, patents, industrial design rights and trade secrets in some jurisdictions.” Basically, unless you own the rights to something, you can’t use it. Any client can obtain the rights through a legal contract or agreement between the designer and himself/ herself. If there’s no contract or agreement signed stating transfer of rights, the designer is assumed all rights of the originals. You can find this information in the Graphic Artist Guild Handbook Pricing & Ethical Guidelines 12th Edition under the Legal Rights and Issues chapter.

Moving on, now that you generally understand what intellectual property is, let’s talk about the contract or agreement. Any professional designer should present one to his/her client. It shows credibility and it protects everyone’s interests. The agreement should focus on the transfer of rights for whatever service(s) is being provided. It should specifically state where it’s being transferred to, to whom, how long, when, etc. Make sure this section is very thorough to avoid any questions later on. There should also be a milestones section. What are the expectations of both parties. Are there any deposits? When can the client expect a final version? It’s basically a schedule of the whole project from beginning to end. Next, itemize every cost and billable expenses. This will avoid any questions pertaining to why it costs this amount. Finally, always make sure you have proper terms such as in the event of termination of the project, billable expenses schedule…cover all avenues just in case. If the client raises questions and is offended by all the legal terms, simply explain to him/ her that it’s to protect each others rights and that it is a standard business practice. Honestly, if anyone is questioning the purpose of a contract or agreement, this should send a red flag not to do business with them.

Lastly, remember to always settle any outstanding expenses before any files are exchanged. Simply put…you get what you pay for.

We are very excited about some of our new developments this month! Some of these developments include a new website redesign for KLS Controls LLC and a logo design for a new company called Expert Car Care, Inc. We were very fortunate to take such important roles in the marketing for both companies.

KLS Controls is a company that handles product lines for automation manufacturing. It’s based out of Menomonee Falls, WI and is run by Scott Shaw. KLS will be launching a brand new website in the first week of December 2009.  There were several challenges to implement into the new design. We wanted the website to be more user-friendly and updated with a sophisticated, clean style.  We also had to implement Search Engine Optimization and a Custom Blog Integration along with some database pages.

Expert Car Care, Inc. is a automotive repair shop located in West Allis, WI. The owner Ben Marjamaa needed a logo that stood out from the rest. We created the logo in Adobe Illustrator using the gradient mesh tool. We didn’t want the logo to look flat, but rather with a more 3-d style to it…something that you can almost touch and feel the chrome texture. We will also be looking forward to designing new business cards and a website coming soon in January 2009.

We will keep you posted on these developments and more in the next couple months! Stay Tuned!

12 Free and High-Res Grungy Wall Textures: http://digg.com/d316EAw?t

65+ Must See Resources Especially For Designers.. http://tinyurl.com/y9znvuw

65 Must See Resources Especially For Designers: http://digg.com/d316Cct?t

Free Fonts at http://typenow.net!

How to make Unforgettable Logos – Traits of logo designing: http://digg.com/d315sBF?t

A huge part of marketing your business is networking. It’s all about who you know. Sure ads, brochures, coupons, etc. are all good selling points, but they cost money…sometimes a lot of money. Networking can be little to no money. Tell everyone you know about your business. Sooner or later, this person you know will tell someone else and so forth. Don’t burn any bridges. Utilize that connection somehow. You never know when it will come in handy. Here are some tips about networking:

1. Get some business cards….hand them out to everybody, I mean everybody.

2. Maintain a good relationship with people.

3. Tell people about your business. Offer your services in the most discrete way. Make sure you don’t stalk them though.

4. Look to your family and friends for connections. Have them send an email to everyone they know about your business.

5. Get on the Social Media “train.” Use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. This is the easiest way to connect with a large amount of people without having to set up appointments.

6. Offer a good will gesture to someone. Who knows, someday he/she will return the favor.

7. Be genuine and down to earth when you do meet with people. Don’t come off as a salesman.

8. Tap into your community. Join a chamber of commerce. You can get yourself listed on their directory, receive area discounts and earn credibility.

9. Keep up with your current clients. Don’t let them think you forgot them. Drop them a line to just say hi and how are things going.

10. Follow-up on conversations with people. Let them know you are still there. Repetitiveness is the key to being remembered.