Let me start off by saying that I’m a firm believer in shelling out the dough for a professional to design your logo and website – not because I’m a professional and I want you to give me your money (hehe), but because a professional designer is trained in the art of designing for business.

The key thing a designer can give you (that you can’t do on your own, unless you have design experience) is a true vector logo. A vector logo is created in such a way that you can use it for all kinds of applications, large or small. It can be scaled to any size without losing quality. A pro designer knows the computer programs to create this type of logo for you. If you’re thinking of throwing together a text logo in Photoshop, think again.

Your pro designer is experienced (hopefully!) and can guide you in creating something unique for your business. It takes time, and logos do not come cheap, but the money is well spent. Your designer should do research to make sure your design is unlike anything else out there, and should also make sure you aren’t violating any copyrights. Your logo is the face of your business and will be with you for many years. Don’t skimp.

Another thing your designer can give you is a professionally designed website with good search engine optimization built right in. Sure, lots of people can build a quick site in Dreamweaver, but it takes a pro to get the search engine particulars just right. A pro web designer can coach you on the proper way to write content for your site, how to structure pages so they make sense to the user, how to choose the proper keywords (It’s not as simple as you might think!) and a million other things that non-professionals don’t think about (because they aren’t aware!). Again, don’t skimp.

I said all that to say this – you want to start out on the right foot. Set yourself up for success. Hire a pro, save yourself a headache, and get it done right the first time around.

Your own computer and software:

I am seeking someone who can work virtually from their own office. Please be Mac-based and have at least Adobe CS2 at your disposal. You will not need to meet me in person, though we might have phone meetings from time to time. My clients are all over the globe, so it doesn’t matter where you are located. Preference is given to U.S. based candidates, however.

WordPress experience:

You don’t have to be an expert, but familiarity with what WordPress is and does and some experience using it as a content management system is important. Please do not respond to this ad unless you have used WordPress recently. Am willing to train the right person on the details, but you must have at least used the WordPress admin panel.

Web design experience:

Familiarity with CSS and HTML are a must. You don’t have to be an expert, but I will need you to make simple updates on websites that use CSS and HTML.

Graphics creation experience:

The ideal candidate is comfortable creating graphics for web and print in Adobe Photoshop. If you know Dreamweaver, InDesign, and Illustrator, that is a plus. The more you know, the more I’ll be able to use your skills…and the more money you’ll make with me.

You must also:

Be comfortable being paid hourly. Most of our projects will require you to track your time and send me a timesheet. We can start with a few small projects while we’re getting comfortable. I need you to trust me just like I need to trust you to complete projects for clients.

Must be comfortable performing web research tasks. (i.e. image sourcing, research for logo designs, competitive research.)

Must conduct yourself professionally and understand the importance of confidentiality when it comes to client projects.

Major pluses:

SEO experience
PHP coding experience
Advanced WordPress experience

The ideal candidate would be a student or novice designer looking to gain experience. Hours per week cannot be guaranteed, but it will be roughly 3-5 hours per week. Availability is flexible. As long as you complete projects by the due date, I don’t care when you work.

When you respond, please include the following:

• A link to your online portfolio or attach JPGs or PDFs of your work.
• A paragraph detailing your experience in the areas mentioned above.
• The version of Adobe products you have, and your experience with them. Please let me know which programs you know well, somewhat well, and not at all.
• Your preferred hourly rate.

Email info@madhatterdesigncompany.com. Thanks!

This private Seattle bed and breakfast had a website, but the Innkeeper wanted to increase search engine optimization efforts. To give Soundview Cottage an instant boost, we moved the site to WordPress, a content management system that includes wonderful SEO benefits right out of the box.

We designed the new Soundview Cottage website to look very similar in style to the old website and used WordPress’ capabilities to add a blog and photo gallery to the site.

In addition to designing a custom WordPress theme for Soundview Cottage, we used advanced SEO techniques to help Soundview rank for their most important search terms.

Working with Annie from Soundview Cottage is truly a pleasure. If you’re going to be in the Seattle area, I highly recommend inquiring about a reservation!

Think of this – you’re at a client meeting outside your office. Your client expresses some ideas about their new branding. You whip out your iPad, open up Adobe Ideas 1.0, and start sketching out your client’s ideas. In vector format. With your finger. That’s right. Every motion you make with your finger renders into a smooth line with editable vector points. Drawing and photo layers are separate, like in Photoshop, and you can even sketch on top of photos from your photo library! Sketches can be duplicated easily so you can create multiple versions of the same idea.

But, you may ask, what shall I do with a vector graphic file on my iPad? Well, email it to yourself in PDF format, of course, so you can edit the file on your iMac in Illustrator or Photoshop when you get back to the office.

“Holy moly, are you serious?” you may ask. Yes. Yes I am. When I opened Adobe Ideas 1.0 on my iPad, I almost had a heart attack. I couldn’t believe how incredibly feature packed this little app is. This is what designers have been waiting for.

I couldn’t manage to get the color schemes working properly, but I have to say – for free, Adobe Ideas 1.0 is worth it. With a few more features, like a properly working color scheme generator, and the ability to import the swatches into CS4 on my iMac, I would pay good money for an app like this.

Good work, Adobe! You have a winning idea here!

When our parents were our age, there was no Internet. It’s hard to remember that sometimes. Starting up a website and making money online was not an option for our parents. They worked hard, and often one parent stayed home to take care of the kids. They often did jobs they hated just provide for their families. Some of them are still in jobs they hate because of poor planning, lack of education, or lack of concern for retirement.

These days, parents aren’t only staying home to care for kids, but they are building empires from their basement offices. They are creating a life for their kids that includes them – being there, being there, being there. Sometimes both parents are able to work from home. These parents are a new breed. We are saving money, planning for retirement, and being with our kids – all while doing something we truly love to do.

I think our parents look at us sometimes and think we’re crazy. Maybe we are a little nuts. After all, we rely on the power and connection of the Internet to supply our bacon! The Interwebs are the future of our workforce. It’s how we make connections and how we conduct business. Even as I write this, my computer is filled with tools to help me provide services to my clients hundreds of miles away. One of my dearest friends and business partners is in another country – and we’ve never met face-to-face! (Ok, it’s Canada, but still! Could our parents have done business in Toronto from the comfort of their sofa!?)

When the “Dot Com” boom came along, a lot of people began to think making money on the Internet meant you had to be a scammer, a blogger, or a software mogul. Not so anymore. Our generation is changing the face of business on the Web. We are creating real, tangible products and extremely valuable services that we can sell via the Web. Interneters are selling to Interneters. It’s an amazing circle of business that goes around and around.

So, I said all that to say this: if you have dreams of being with your kids and still contributing in a meaningful way to the family income, the Internet can make it possible. A website is the key to starting a successful online business. You can do more than sell scented candles – you can build an empire from your lawn chair.

People  are calling Starbucks new Via Instant Coffee a “down-market” drink. I think the drink and its rollout embody all that a company should in a time of recession – change and development. It may not be the same as a freshly brewed cup of Breakfast Blend, but it’s most certainly a step up from home- (or office-)brewed Folgers!

Those of you who know me, know that I preach renewal, change, adaptation, and perseverance during these hard times. Starbucks closed around 600 stores in 2008. They had to make changes to stay afloat. Tapping into a market that desires fast services for a smaller fee may help pull them through the recession.

The company hopes to tap into the huge market of instant coffee, while simultaneously boosting the not-so-popular beverage’s image. Their new product boasts a delicious cup of Joe for less than the cost of buying a brewed cup in-store. Buyers have been reportedly using the powder to bake with (I’d like to try this, as coffee greatly enhances the flavor of chocolate), as well as using it for its intended purpose – a fast cup of coffee during a busy work day.

I think they have a real shot at boosting sales and grabbing their share of the market. They’re providing a quality product that people can afford. I can’t wait to taste it!

Think they can pull this one off? I do. After all, they are the ‘Bucks!

Please share your thoughts on this!

I’ve read several articles that list phrases to avoid in business writing. I’m not trying to be a snob here, but with so many people spouting so many “catch phrases” on the Web, they’re starting to just blend into the sea of words. Here are a few phrases that drive me nuts. What are some that make you want to scream at your screen?

“Bang for my (or your) buck.” – This says “cheap” to me. Or in a designer’s world, it says I want you to work hard and I want to pay peanuts. It sounds like a used car salesman.

“I’m an (insert product here) evangelist.” – Again, it’s not unique anymore because everyone says it. Drop it and give yourself a meaningful title.

“Going forward…” – Of course we’re going forward, and of course I will implement your changes in the future. It’s understood. It doesn’t need to be said.

“It is what it is.” – No, it is not. If I’m not happy, it’s not. Make it right.

“Flesh this out.” – It sounds gross and means “Explain something more completely.” It’s more of a literary term and doesn’t have a place in the design world, in my book. I prefer, “Add detail to this,” or “Polish this with…”

“Twit (something).” – Makes us all sound like a bunch of twits. I hate that word and refuse to use it. “Tweet” sounds better.

And some common mistakes that just make you look igorant:

Typing in all caps. – This is rough on the eyes and it should be well known by now that it is the equivalent of shouting on the Internet. Please use caps sparingly. Caps for design purposes are generally ok. I use them in my titles because of the look. But Whole sentences and paragraphs in caps? No way.

Capitalizing the first letter of every word in a sentence. – Didn’t They Teach You That Only Proper Nouns Need To Be Capitalized In a Sentence?

“Should of, could of, would of” – Should be, “Should have, could have, would have.” Grammar, peeps.

Using excessive abbreviations, even on Twitter – “U R 2 cool!” You are an idiot. Spell things out. It’s just unprofessional. If you have to abbreviate things like that for Twitter, then you shouldn’t be Tweeting about it. If it’s longer than 140 characters, its not a micro-blog. It’s a blog. Blog about it.

The mistake I’m probably making on a daily basis is that I very rarely use proper capitalization during instant messaging chats. I don’t abbreviate, but I do type things like this: “i just wanted to ask a questions about project one. more information is needed.” I do use LOL as well. But that’s about as unprofessional as I get. And I only do those two things with clients that know me well enough to understand my writing style.

Do you have any phrases or habits that make you cringe? Any tips for writing conversational emails that still communicate clearly?

Personally, I like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers logo. I have a thing for skulls, though, so that might be why I favor it. It looks fierce and challenging, which I think is important for a football team to portray.

I also really like the Atlanta Falcons logo. The way it forms an “F” is clever and works well. It also has the fierceness factor, with it’s sharp beak and claws.

My least favorite is probably the Washington Redskins. It feels dated to me, even throughout its years of updates.

So, what is your favorite NFL logo? What is your least favorite? Why do you feel this way?

I should also add that I don’t follow football except for what I watch with my husband. I like watching the Colts and Dallas. My husband is a big Dallas fan, and I like watching him get into it.

Obama speaks constantly about personal responsibility. When he was elected President, he spoke about that very subject. He urged Americans to understand that he alone could not make progress. He wanted to make sure we all knew why he was elected – to lead us to greatness. But what good is a leader if his team does not follow directions? People are still doing the same crap they were doing a year ago. Asking for government money to dig themselves out of holes does not solve the problem. Businesses are going to have to fail! That’s right. Big time fail. People will lose their jobs and things will suck for a little while. However, this can easily be turned around. If business owners start planning now to make changes to their products and services, they’ll be prepared for the failing of their current businesses. They’ll have a plan in place with new products and technology that will drive business, create more jobs, and make money. Yes, some people may be out of work for a little bit, but soon enough, if these business owners smarten up, things will turn around.

So, I say let’s stop blaming the Prez and putting everything on his shoulders. Let’s take responsibility and buy local, buy American, and change our mindset. Let’s start new, sustainable businesses that are good for our planet and humanity. Let’s discourage the production and purchase of plastic crap from China and focus on playing with our children and teaching them how to be tomorrow’s citizens. Let’s adapt to the times, people! We did make quite a jump from caveman status over the centuries, am I right? There’s a reason we’re the dominant species. If we continue this stupidity, we’ll be nothing more than ants.

Change keeps us afloat. We aren’t riding horses to work anymore. We aren’t still using the USPS to send a letter to grandma. If not for change, I’d be writing this rant via candlelight on parchment with a quill and ink. I love change! It’s the only thing that’s certain, and it most certainly will be in our future. If we don’t change, we perish.

I challenge you to embrace change and adaptation. If you are failing at what you do, it is time to try something new. Go back to school; find a new product; support research and technology. You can even do something as simple as help someone who needs help. Step out of your little box and see what humanity is all about.

I’m done now. Thanks for reading.