The secret to working with a graphic designer (how to get the results you need without any headaches)

greenwalddesign — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:32:55 +0000

I recently spoke to a room full of women much like myself, members of The Enterprising Moms. We are all mothers who have launched our own businesses, in a broad range of professions – there are marketing professionals, make-up artists, authors and jewelry designers, to name a few. I was asked to offer tips for hiring and working with a designer. Preparing this information reminded me that graphic design is as much about providing a service as it is as delivering a product. Portfolio and price are actually secondary when it comes to selecting the right designer for the job. The RELATIONSHIP between the client and the designer can be the most important element that guarantees the success of a your project.

Below are the the three things that I believe to be the keys to a great relationship and the secret to getting the result you need:

Comprehension

This can be the most important quality in a designer. Make sure that the designer is willing to understand your business and it’s unique challenges. Give your designer everything they need to know: mission, company background, purpose of project, budget limitations.

Communication

For a successful relationship, have an open dialogue about everything from budget to timeline, initial designs to review processes. Review the designer’s proposal carefully, ask questions and revise if needed.

Collaboration

To get great results, be involved right from the beginning of the design process. Start talking while the work is in progress. The final design should not be a surprise. Be comfortable stating what works and what does not. Speak in terms of business objectives, rather than colors and imagery. A skilled designer can translate your goals into a visual format, giving you the result you need.

The secret to any successful business relationship is communication. If the line of communication is open between you and your designer, the end product will speak to your audience without saying a word.

Case Study: NVCF Gala Branding

greenwalddesign — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 18:05:19 +0000

We are working on the materials for the 2009 Northern Virginia Community Foundation annual gala, and can’t wait to show off the new look. While we wait for final approval, take a look at last’s year’s logo and materials. The bold graphics were a big hit, helping sell more tables than any previous year.

save the date card

logo

invitation

PowerPoint title slide, volunteer badge & sponsorship poster

New Study about Self-Employed Women

greenwalddesign — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:43:52 +0000

I have see a growing trend of women becoming self-employed over the past several years. It seems that a common reason for this new wave of entrepreneurship has to do with the whole work/life balance problem that a lot of us struggle with (especially for us parents). Here’s a link to an interesting new report about the way in which self-employed women balance work and family life.

Press Release: http://www.sba.gov/advo/press/09-06.html
Research Summary: http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/rs341.pdf
Full report: http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/rs341tot.pdf

A New Look

greenwalddesign — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 16:50:55 +0000

Let’s face it – it’s a time for Change. And Greenwald Design was in need of a facelift. The old look was always well received by clients and potential customers, so it was hard to let go. But Greenwald Design is no longer the one-woman design shop it used to be. We are now a collaboration of marketing, web and production professionals that can custom tailor services to meet a a variety of clients and their needs. And who can forget the addition of Jennifer Groben in 2006, our brilliant senior designer that makes all of our clients gush.

So, we took the emphasis off of the name Greenwald and instead made the company name the focus in our new brand. The large blocks of green are also gone. Instead, we have adopted a bold black and white color scheme that is accented by our signature green. The large leaf and apple graphic is fresh and confident, giving a traditional symbol a modern twist.

See below for how we have applied or new look.

Our new business card design:

The old look:

Welcome to Greenwald Design

greenwalddesign — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 21:42:37 +0000

Hello and welcome to Greenwald Design’s first blog entry! After hearing fellow members of The Enterprising Moms (TEM) talk at length about their blogs and search engine optimization (which, honestly made my eyes gloss over), it finally dawned on me that perhaps a blog could help my business and clients. Here, I can easily show clients and colleagues what we are working on, explain the design process, share new design trends and help others find similar marketing and business resources. In the past, I have left all web and techie stuff to my trusted business partners, but now thanks to the founder of TEM, Carolyn Semedo Strauss, Jennifer Folsom at Momentum Resources, Kiban Turner of Turner McNabb Consulting, LLC and Jessica of Jessica Photo, I am finally braving the world of the blog (all in the time it takes for my son to watch one episode of Pinky Dinky Doo!).

Stay tuned to see how we’ve updated Greenwald Design’s brand, view the process of designing a logo for a local elementary school and celebrate Greenwald Design’s 7th year in business!