Follow the Leader was a kid’s game from my past. Wikipedia explains how it worked: Players first chose a leader or “head of the line,” and the remaining players (the followers) all lined up behind the leader. Then, as the leader moved around, all the players mimicked the leader’s actions. These days, I follow the leaders in book marketing. These are experts…
Do your homework before you meet with a book designer!Recently, I met with an author at a local coffee shop. Dave started the conversation by giving me a detailed description of his book—very detailed. I interrupted him by asking my standard first question: Can you tell me what your book is about in two or…
It was Back to the Future when I found this list of ideas from 2004 on an old CD while I was looking for something else. Remember when Marty McFly travels back to 1955? Well, this blog post isn’t a flux capacitor, but the advice still holds true ten-plus years later. I bet you’re familiar…
Beware of these mistakes on your marketing materials. You might think nothing is wrong until you get feedback from a “fresh set of eyes.” Here are a few examples of poor-quality marketing materials that we saw at a small local trade show. #1) Vendor A handed us her business card. The type was miniscule, and…
How do color and typefaces affect your website rankings? The short answer is emotion. People respond to color and design with feelings. If they resonate to the colors on your site, the fonts that tell your story, and the way elements are arranged on the screen, they are likely to linger a little longer. They…
In April 2013, I attended IBPA Publishing University in Chicago. I had heard good things about this event from members of St. Louis Publishers Association and decided to go with my SLPA friend, Kim Wolterman. Kim said, “There’s always something to learn.” She was right! Some take away lessons and ideas worth sharing: A. Publishing…
Situation: Mike originally came to us for help in updating his flyer and marketing materials, but our conversation took another path. Mike wanted to know how to reach a larger audience. “What should I do?” he asked. The answer was social media, but that is a complex issue. Solution: I wrote a guide to online…
How often do you reevaluate your marketing materials? Are they dated or no longer even accurate? Are you using typefaces that are not part of your graphic standards? Does your logo represent your product or service? Does it resonate with your target audience? If you don’t feel you have “the eye” to make such judgments,…
What is your key message? Susan contacted me the other day via ichat. She was holding a small brochure in her hands and wanted to know if we should re-design it or create something fresh. We talked about this brochure project several weeks ago. Now it had re-surfaced. First, we discussed the details of the…
This project began as a request to recreate a series of nostalgic redbirds in action. Illustrations from various eras of St. Louis Cardinals history were rediscovered on popcorn boxes, promotional pieces, scorecards, and yearbooks. Each redbird looked different because they were drawn by a variety of artists across a broad time span, from 1920 through…