Business

Learn how to run your design business, work with clients, manage expectations, and handle your finances.

How to Revamp Your Video Strategy for 2023

Business / 23 Jan 2023

How to Revamp Your Video Strategy for 2023

It can be hard to keep up with the latest trends in video marketing. Formats, apps, devices, platforms, and their features have moved lightyears ahead of where they were even a year or two ago.

Sometimes it feels like the one thing that’s remained constant is the fact that including video as part of your strategy to increase your audience is crucial for every marketer. Video on mobile, laptop, and tablet is only increasing year-on-year.

Video is the must-have marketing and design tool of the decade so far. Since almost the beginning of the 2020s, video has been the dominant element to many efforts – from websites to social media to apps.

If your video strategy is more than a year old or nonexistent, now is the time to take a hard look at what you are doing, and consider giving it a major reboot to ensure you’re getting the optimal chunk of viewers possible.

How to Be a Freelance Graphic Designer in 2023: A 10 Step Plan

Business / 16 Jan 2023

How to Be a Freelance Graphic Designer in 2023: A 10 Step Plan

Do you have dreams of ditching your day job and becoming a full-time freelance graphic designer? Start putting your plan in motion.

Most freelancers start with graphic design as a side hustle, but with determination, business planning, and a solid work ethic, you can build as much business as you want to create a sustainable career.

Here are 10 steps to help you get started. (Trust me, I’ve tested them all in my decade as a freelancer!)

How Much Does Logo Design Cost in 2023?

How to Design a Logo / 7 Jan 2023

How Much Does Logo Design Cost in 2023?

When considering how to design a logo, one of the most common questions has nothing to do with the creation of a brand element. It’s about pricing. How much does a logo design cost?

The answer is pretty complicated and depends on a lot of factors. Today, we’re going to look into logo design costs (and benefits of a professional design). Even if we can’t narrow down an exact price for you, this guide can serve as a starting point.

It should help you get a feel for the different price brackets of the options you could choose, and set off on the right path!

17 Tips for Speeding Up Your Website in 2023

Business / 16 Dec 2022

17 Tips for Speeding Up Your Website in 2023

It’s not a trick question: is your website fast enough? Page load times can impact everything from how long users stay on your site (or if they see the content), to search rank and overall conversions.

Speed matters on two fronts – for desktop and mobile devices – with mobile speed mattering more than ever. Not only does your website have to load fast; it needs to load fast everywhere.

So how do you do it? Start by running a Google PageSpeed test to see where your site ranks (you’ll get a few suggestions for speeding up your site there as well). Then, start making these tweaks to make your website lightning fast this year.

5 Tips for Online Security in 2023

Business / 14 Nov 2022

5 Tips for Online Security in 2023

It’s time to revisit your online security practices. Between remote workers logging into networks, to using public wi-fi or other online tools, you need to ensure that your data and information are safe.

This isn’t just a lesson for businesses either. While data integrity is vital for companies, it is just as important to keep your personal information safe.

Here are 5 tips for online security in the coming year.

And the good news is all of these things are relatively easy – and inexpensive – to do!

Everything a Web Designer Will Need to Know in 2023

Business / 27 Oct 2022

Everything a Web Designer Will Need to Know in 2023

The job title “web designer” keeps expanding. Depending on your role and how many people are on your team, the term “web designer” can mean a number of things, and the scope that it covers seems to keep growing with every year that passes.

It can be beneficial for you to be familiar with multiple roles to help be the best, most functional, web designer you can be in 2023.

Here’s everything you need to know. From having a grasp on your job description, to the visual elements of web design, to the functional elements of how a web project needs to work and perform.

30 Tips to Learn Web Design in 30 Days

Business / 21 Oct 2022

30 Tips to Learn Web Design in 30 Days

Is learning the basics of web design still on your “someday” list? Why haven’t you got started yet? We’ve put together 30 tips and resources to help you start learning web design this month (and maybe even find yourself a new career path!)

Graphic designers, print designers, and creatives looking to learn something new or break into website need to quit procrastinating. Every day that you don’t take that first step leaves you one day further behind everyone else!

Follow these steps to begin learning how to create your first website, industry best practices, and much more—all in 30 days!

8 Regular Maintenance Considerations for Your Website

Business / 20 Oct 2022

8 Regular Maintenance Considerations for Your Website

It might not be the most fun topic when it comes to your website, but it may be one of the most important: regular maintenance.

If you launch a website and then never go back and work on it, it will eventually stop working. The user experience will deteriorate over time and you won’t be able to maximize the impact of your site. As the first impression that many customers have with you, an up-to-date and well-functioning website is a must for any business.

Here are eight crucial regular maintenance considerations to help you keep your website in top condition.

10 Tips for Design That Puts Customers First

Business / 6 Oct 2022

10 Tips for Design That Puts Customers First

As an online shopper or buyer, you likely notice bad customer experiences before the good ones. A design that puts customers first feels seamless and intuitive and is pretty frictionless from the point of shopping to completing a transaction.

This kind of mindset is important in every project. A solid customer experience will keep users coming back for your product or service. You created a pleasant shopping destination that helped them find what they were looking for and buy it in a manner that felt safe, secure, and easy to manage.

The design can contribute to that quite a bit. Here are some tips to help you create a design that puts customers first.

How Often Do You Need to Redesign Your Website? (7 Ways to Know It Is Time)

Business / 27 Sep 2022

How Often Do You Need to Redesign Your Website? (7 Ways to Know It Is Time)

Does it seem like as soon as you finally get your website design right, it’s time for a change?

You are not alone. With the speed at which technology – and design trends – are changing, that’s a common feeling. But how often do you really need a redesign? When do you know that it is time?

It’s a balancing act. You don’t want to waste resources on an unnecessary redesign, but equally you don’t want to fall behind and risk a dated online presence.

Let’s walk through the answers to those questions with some website template examples from Envato Elements to help jumpstart your design thinking.

9 Tips for a Great Newsletter Signup Design

Business / 22 Sep 2022

9 Tips for a Great Newsletter Signup Design

If newsletter signups are one of the desired conversions on your website, a great design is vital to achieving success. A clear, well-designed newsletter signup form will help draw attention to the element on the page, and encourage people to use it.

This form is often see as a small element in the overall website design, but it can pack a big punch. So don’t overlook it in your design process!

Here are nine tips to help you make the most of your email newsletter signup design.

11 Places to Show Off Your Work (Portfolio Sites You’ll Love)

Business / 19 Sep 2022

11 Places to Show Off Your Work (Portfolio Sites You’ll Love)

Most designers probably have their own website, but do you share work on portfolio sites to help that work get even more attention?

There are a variety of sites that accept website designs for inspiration so you can get more eyeballs on your projects. These are sources of great inspiration, as well as solid backlinks for your website.

We’ve collected 11 options for you to share and show projects, from portfolio sites that allow for all general submissions to a few that are more niche-based (plus, a few that have really innovative ways of showcasing design projects!)