Welcome to my Blog.

Is It Worth Rebranding Absolute Services After 20 Years in Business?

Yes, it’s exciting, and a financial investment, but will it be worth it? Will rebranding attract new customers? Achieve new goals? Increase engagement? Streamline messaging? These are questions Jason Swanson, president of Absolute Services, had to ask himself when he hired Laura’s Design Studio to rebrand his logo, website, and other marketing materials. After being […]

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How a Book Can Define Your Brand

Recently, I was fortunate enough to become an author for The Best Business Minds in Tampa Bay, which went on to hit #1 in two categories on Amazon. While it’s been great to say that I’m an author, my choice to be a part of the book was all about building my brand. Let’s face […]

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5 Ways to Stay Top of Mind with Your Clients

The livelihood of your business consists of both the clients who already entrust you and your team as well as those future customers in your sales pipeline. For a majority of the super successful business owners that I work with here at Laura’s Design Studio, finding a balance between nurturing current customers while simultaneously interacting […]

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Website Designer or Developer: Which Should I Hire?

Learn the difference between a website designer and a website developer so you’ll know exactly who to hire for your next web project.  With the majority of consumers using the internet to research companies and/or products before making purchases, it’s safe to say your website is an essential element of your marketing strategy. Not only […]

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Choosing A Logo Style for Your Brand

When a client who is starting a new business venture contacts me for help with a logo and branding, one of the first things I ask is if they have an idea what logo style they’re looking for. Some clients reply with a pretty clear idea of what they envision, others haven’t given it any […]

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Rebranding Project: Solely Therapeutic Massage (formerly Cresent Heights Massage)

The Client Due to a change in location, massage therapist and business owner Kelley Henry was looking to rename and rebrand her company. She had originally launched her massage therapy business in the Crescent Heights area, but her business had grown and she had relocated to downtown St. Petersburg. With her downtown location flourishing, Kelley […]

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What Information Does Your Graphic Designer Need?

While it may seem at times like graphic designers have supernatural powers, the truth is, there’s no magic wand that can easily bring a client’s vision to life with the flick of a wrist. In truth, the design process is somewhat of a team effort. In order for the process to go as smoothly and efficiently […]

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A Brand New Brand: White Cap Coaching

Working on a new brand for a start-up client is always exciting. One of the best parts of my job is helping clients bring their dream business to life. As a business owner myself, I know how fulfilling it is when years of expertise and passion take shape to form a new brand. When we […]

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The True Cost of DIY Print Design

  With more than 20 years of design experience, I’ve seen it all when it comes to DIY print projects gone wrong. I often see business owners take on the task of designing and printing their own marketing materials, only to end up calling me for a redesign and reprint. Whether you’re creating business cards, […]

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Event Marketing: Make A Lasting Impression With These 6 Tips

Events are perfect for connecting with potential clients, vendors, and partners on a personal level. Whether you’re attending as a presenter or an exhibitor, events give you and your customers the opportunity to put faces to names, but they also give you the opportunity to establish the personality and values behind your brand. To truly […]

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Direct Mail – It’s Alive and Well in the Digital Age

Inbound digital marketing is the ticket to success and direct mail is dead and gone, right? Well, not so fast… Online we are bombarded with PPC ads, video and digital content at every click and search. We are literally buried in email. Remarketing or retargeting tools allow marketers to make their ads follow us around the […]

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I am so thankful for a thank you card

I was so happy to have received a thank you card from my client, Thrive! Chiropractic & Wellness. Although you hear compliments about your work you don’t usually expect to receive a thank you card as well. I really enjoyed working with Michael Mulhern and Dr. Kelly on their sales card. They knew what they […]

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PG Comedy & Magic Brochure/Sales Card Before and After

PG Comedy & Magic is great at entertaining their audience!  They just needed a sales card that would align with their professional act. Their agent, Mark Drucker enlisted Laura’s Design Studio to help redesign it. It’s great if you can design your materials yourself, but it can also hurt your image if  it’s not done […]

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Graphic Design for Start-ups and Re-Branding

Successfully launching and growing a business is the dream of millions of entrepreneurs all over the United States. A part of starting and evolving a business is creating a memorable brand that connects with your target market in a way that inspires them to buy the products and services offered by your company, instead of […]

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Graphic Design for a Start-Up Company – A Case Study

If you are a start-up business owner trying to decide how to build your visual brand or if you have a mature business that is looking for a fresh-new look, this case study will walk you through the process and show you samples of our work. In late 2016, Captain Jason Tiller, launched his new […]

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Business Cards Are an Essential Part of Networking

By Richard G Lowe Jr, https://www.thewritingking.com Business cards are an essential component of networking, marketing and establishing relationships with people. A well-designed business card boldly conveys your brand and image, and puts your message out there for people to see. Your card should demand a look followed by a response and a connection. Unfortunately, some […]

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American Construction Logo and Business Card – Before and After

American Construction and Painting came to Laura’s Design Studio for a new logo and business card. Not knowing where to go to originally, they used an online site to get their business card designed and printed. When using an online site, you pick and choose from an array of designs that anyone can use. So […]

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Logo and Business Card – Before and After

Diane Kutz of Modern Concept Media came to Laura’s Design Studio requesting a new logo and business card. There was nothing wrong with her old logo and business card but she wanted a logo that represented the way she produces video for her small business clients. Diane shoots video with an iPhone. Other video companies […]

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Amateur Versus Professional

By Richard G Lowe Jr, https://www.thewritingking.com “If you think it is expensive to hire a graphic design professional, wait until you hire amateur.”   One of the primary skills of a professional graphic designer is the ability to listen and understand the needs of their customer, the message that is to be delivered, and the […]

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Info Graphic – Before and After

Here’s a before and after example of an info graphic that Laura’s Design Studio created for the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg. They needed it cleaned up and branded for their Website and PowerPoint. Instead of combining a mixture of photos and icons in different styles, we cleaned it up using only icons and […]

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Marketing’s Power Couple: Design and Copy

Every year companies and advertising agencies spend billions of dollars trying to create the perfect ad, whether it’s TV, print, or online marketing. Just imagine the pressure felt by advertisers when creating heavily anticipated Super Bowl commercials. Even if you are not a football fan, it’s hard to avoid the next-day analysis of which ads […]

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Business Card Design – Before and After

Carol Raymond is a successful Personal Coach and Business Consultant. She came to Laura’s Design Studio to help rebrand her business and her business card. As you see in the sample below, her old card on the left had the correct contact information, but it lacked the visual and written personality that Carol’s business brings […]

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Menu Design – Before and After

Tikanis Restaurant always served great food, but now their menu reflects a professional look with more appealing photos and graphics to entice the customer’s food selection. Before and after images are a great way to compare what you used to show your customers, to what you have now. If you want your brand to evolve, […]

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Graphic Design Mistake #10 – Your website is not responsive (mobile ready)

This is 10 of 10 graphic design mistakes business owners make and how to fix them. Why it’s bad: More and more customers are viewing your website on some type of mobile device. If you are not sure if this is happening with your website, ask your web designer or web master to pull the […]

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Graphic Design Mistake #9 – Marketing materials, sales collateral, website do not match

This is 9 of 10 graphic design mistakes business owners make and how to fix them. Why it’s bad: Your logo, sales collateral, and your website should all have the same look and feel. If they do not, it can look sloppy and may confuse your customers. It also erodes your credibility in the market […]

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Graphic Design Mistake #8 – Not listing your location if you have a “brick and mortar” business

This is 8 of 10 graphic design mistakes business owners make and how to fix them. Why it’s bad: If your business is a place that customers must visit to buy your products or services, then your location address needs to be on all of your marketing materials, including your business card. If buyers cannot […]

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Graphic Design Mistake #7 – Not listing your services or what you do on your business card

This is 7 of 10 graphic design mistakes business owners make and how to fix them. Why it’s bad: Not every business name explains what the company does. Plus, companies tend to offer far more services that can be explained in a name. If you don’t list your services on your business card and other […]

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Graphic Design Mistake #6 – Using small fonts on your business card

This is 6 of 10 graphic design mistakes business owners make and how to fix them. Why it’s bad: There’s a reason disclaimers are in 6pt type. No one reads them! If you want people to read your business card, then make sure your content is big enough to be clearly legible. How to fix […]

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Graphic Design Mistake #5 – Not having a brand guide for your business

This is 5 of 10 graphic design mistakes business owners make and how to fix them. Why it’s bad: Not having a brand guide is often the reason that business owners don’t know their colors, fonts, and other details that represent their image to their target market. Imagine you want to place an ad in […]

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Graphic Design Mistake #4 – Not knowing the colors of your business

This is 4 of 10 graphic design mistakes business owners make and how to fix them. Why it’s bad: Colors are also part of your visual branding. You need to be consistent with your color usage. Use a couple of main colors. You may also have a few other secondary colors. Like your font, these […]

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Graphic Design Mistake #3 – Not knowing what fonts your business uses

This is 3 of 10 graphic design mistakes business owners make and how to fix them. Why it’s bad: Your fonts are a part of your brand and they should be consistent throughout all of your marketing materials. Think of Bright House Networks, wouldn’t it look weird if suddenly they stopped using their san serif […]

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Graphic Design Mistake #2 – Choosing your logo from an online logo store or using clip-art

This is 2 of 10 graphic design mistakes business owners make and how to fix them. Why it’s bad:  These sites use their standard clip art logos and sell it to several companies. That’s why it’s so inexpensive. They may have sold those same icon to many real estate companies so now your brand is […]

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Graphic Design Mistake #1 – Having Your Logo in a .jpg Format Only

This is 1 of 10 graphic design mistakes business owners make and how to fix them. Why it’s bad:  It’s not scalable, meaning it will become distorted when you try to change the size to make it work on different media and online platforms. We all seen blurry and distorted images on print items and […]

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What The HEC! How We Designed a New Brand

In May 2015, a new client approached us with an ambitious project.  He had just put together a business plan to launch a new networking organization geared towards the Hospitality, Entertainment, and Cuisine industries.  All he had was the concept and the name HEC. Our initial consultation delved into his vision for the organization, his […]

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