Blog

Author: Brooke Roche
  • Sep26
    Brooke Roche

    The Importance of Taste

    by Brooke Roche in Business, Design 4 comments

    We’ve all been there.

    You need to save a few bucks so you turn to the big box grocery store with their fluorescent lighting and closeout prices. You know they may not have exactly what you need, but hey – how bad could it be?

    When you arrive, your worst fears are realized. The place is full of rude people; ridiculously long lines and they don’t even have the unsalted butter you need to make cookies that evening. (Really, who doesn’t carry unsalted butter?!) It is at this point you decide – I’m never coming here again.

    This same theory can be applied when it comes to printers. Sure,... read on

  • Jun24
    Brooke Roche

    Breakin’ the Rules

    by Brooke Roche in Design 0 comments

    A brochure is a tri-folded 8.5” x 11” sheet of paper.
    Website logins are in the upper right hand corner.
    Business cards are 3.5” x 2”.
    A coffee mug is the perfect give-away.

    Right? Wrong!

    Once the “norm” has been planted in your head, it’s easy to forget that things can be done differently. And most importantly, doing things differently gets attention!

    We use to think churches had to be used for worshiping. But more and more people are turning them into homes – beautiful homes that are featured on HGTV and in architecture magazines. Everywhere you look, ordinary things are being... read on

  • Apr19
    Brooke Roche

    Hawaiian Shirt Friday

    by Brooke Roche in Branding, Social Media 1 comment

    Social media for some businesses is a little like participating in Hawaiian Shirt Friday at the office. The company can kickback and relax, showing a bit more personality, but it certainly shouldn’t walk around the office barefoot while talking inappropriately to co-workers. The same principle should be applied when managing a business account on Twitter.

    1. Use Your Company Name and Logo.
      It’s important to use the brand’s name and logo mark as the handle and avatar. That sounds so obvious, right? It should be. However, with the popularity of social media, brands become butchered and... read on
  • Dec01
    Brooke Roche

    Use, don’t abuse, stock photography

    by Brooke Roche in Branding, Design 0 comments

    Every year that a business remains open is truly a blessing. Remaining alive, vibrant and growing for 15 years is an amazing accomplishment. We have been very fortunate to reach this milestone, and we’re extremely grateful to all of our current and past clients, partners, team members and friends that have helped us along throughout the years. Without all of you, we would not be where we are today.

    As with any 15 year old, we are still pretty young and plan to do even bigger things as we grow older. However, we have picked up a few pointers along our journey to "adulthood." Here are our... read on

  • Feb11
    Brooke Roche

    Honesty is the Best Policy

    by Brooke Roche in Interactive Services 1 comment

    Stock photography is awesome! For the price of a mere dollar you can have a professional photo for your website without even leaving your desk! A website full of these images looks pretty sharp, but does it really look like you? Will users be disappointed when they arrive at your business and feel differently than they did when visiting your site? Will they lose trust in you because you "lied?"

    If our interactive clients don't already have professional photos or don't have the budget for them, I often take our camera to their location to get some shots of my own. If that isn't possible... read on

  • Jan20
    Brooke Roche

    Offset, Digital or Online… OH MY!

    by Brooke Roche in Miscellaneous, Technology 0 comments

    Printing is kind of like the English language -- very confusing with rules that change under different circumstances. I'm constantly being asked what the difference is and why the costs are so vastly different so I thought I'd write a post to clear it all up.

    OFFSET

    You can never go wrong printing with offset... unless you have a tight budget. Offset is the most pricey because it's such an extensive process. The press is enormous -- imagine a machine (much like the illustration) that is so big it only fits in a large warehouse. Each different station prints a different color. The colors... read on

  • Dec01
    Brooke Roche

    Breakin’ the Rules

    by Brooke Roche in Branding, Design 2 comments

    I recently saw a tweet about Google's latest logo design.  Before even clicking the link, I was excited to see it. Based on other clever Google logo alterations I'd seen, I knew I wasn't going to be disappointed.  When the feet of my favorite childhood character, Big Bird, popped up on my screen, a huge smile flooded my face.  I was so happy that I made the visit.  Since then, I've been loading the <a href="http://www.google.com" title="Google page" target="blank">Google page</a> to search instead of using the form in the upper right hand corner just to see if there is a new design that... read on

  • Oct02
    Brooke Roche

    Oh, the Pressure!

    by Brooke Roche in Branding, Design 0 comments

    On a quick weekend trip to Chicago last summer, I noticed signage promoting Chicago for the 2016 Olympic games. Since Chicago is a mere 3-4 hours away, I thought this was super exciting and I was dying to know more!  The Olympic Committee is set to pick the winner today. Currently, there are only four cities left in the running; Rio, Tokyo, Madrid and Chicago.  Above are all of their "bidding logos." As I was first viewing them, I remembered the controversial London 2012 logo.  Have you seen it?

    According to ABC News, Jonathan Ellis generated more than 28,000 electronic signatures from ... read on