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Why the Right Printer Makes All the Difference for Graphic Designers

December 6, 2019

There have been ageless arguments about paper vs digital productions in advertising and media. Many argue that there’s no use doing print advertising or using print products when the average smartphone user spends 9 hours a day looking at a screen. Others say that print will never fully disappear.

Regardless of your take on this argument, you must admit that print advertising and communication still has a place for the present. You’ll see amazing large-format print advertisements all over town and flyers handed out at every corner. And if you’re a graphic designer, you should pay a little more attention to the way your designs come out when they’re printed. Here’s why it’s essential that you only print at the highest quality.

Clients Expect It

Here’s the biggest reason that you need a good printer for all your graphic designs. A client expects the very best from you, especially if your services come at a premium. They will likely ask that you do all the printing for them, and they expect the print to come out looking exactly like the original.

Don’t let your clients down simply because you didn’t take care of their printing needs. Guarantee your prints in your client agreement, and always deliver. This will keep you in business for years to come.

Color Matching Makes a Difference

You might think that minor differences in color between the printed and digital versions won’t matter. But it matters, and sometimes the differences aren’t so little.

First of all, if you’ve shown your client the digital finished product and they’ve signed off on it, that’s what they’ve agreed to. They won’t be pleased to find that the colors are different when it’s been printed.

Additionally, color plays a huge role in presenting the right message, especially in artistic pieces and advertisements. You’d never want to work hard on a project only to discover that the printed piece doesn’t relay your vision.

Speed

Along with choosing a printer that will ensure your products are printed as closely to your digital colors as possible, you also need a highly reliable printer. You’ll find yourself chasing deadlines time and time again, and your printer needs to deliver quickly.

Choose a printer that will get you your products the same day if you’re working with a local printer and within two days if you’re having it shipped. They also shouldn’t charge you an arm and a leg for rush orders.

These printers do exist, although you may need to do a little digging. So, don’t settle for a printer that will bully you around and won’t get your products to you when you need them.

All in all, a great printer is all about branding. You need someone who can help you establish your brand and maintain your quality guarantee. Don’t settle for any less!

Important Things You Must Prepare for Your Construction Project

December 4, 2019

Working on a construction project is no simple feat. There are key stages you need to prepare for in order to minimise safety risks and ensure timely completion of your requests. Take a closer look at these basic stages to understand what you need to do. Regardless of the scale of your project, you will most likely observe the five key stages below.

Creating a construction plan

This stage involves conceptualizing your plans. Think about what you hope to achieve with your project. How many floors do you want for the building? Do you already have a location for your project? More importantly, what standards or regulations do you need to follow. As the project owner, you must identify all the key things you need to work on. Be as detailed as possible when you create your plan.

Finding the right people to help you

You will most definitely need to hire a few people to help you complete your project such as structural engineers, interior designers and electrical engineers. These folks will help you execute your plans. They will also come in handy for performing tasks that require experience and finesse such as checking the overall structure of the building and connecting the required utilities.

Looking for equipment rentals or acquiring required tools

Another key step in launching a successful construction project is looking for equipment rental companies or suppliers. You may need a few tools such as a hydraulic power pack and heavy equipment to perform various construction-related tasks. You must decide whether to buy or rent tools and equipment to complete a certain aspect of your project. If it’s a one-time gig, it’s highly recommended to lease the equipment. However, if you will most likely work on another project, then you should consider purchasing the essential equipment.

Working on the plans

After procuring the equipment, contacting suppliers, hiring a contractor and completing the construction plan, it will be easier to start working on the project. Be sure to brief everyone involved in the project about the time frame, budget and even your expectations. This way, everything will be in order. Continuous monitoring of the project will allow you to complete your project with fewer complications. This will also help you determine possible points for improvement.

Finalising the project

Once your team completes the project, there are a few things you need to attend to. Some of these tasks include having the building checked for structural issues and handing it over to the owner. See to it that you provide all the necessary documentation.

Examine the materials used and installed in the building a few times to know which ones need your immediate attention. At this point, your team also needs to review contracts and warranty certifications.

A construction project entails a lot of work. You may also need to face and resolve all kinds of issues that may arise during the project. Regular communication among your team members and solid planning will help you ensure smooth and timely completion of your project.

Factors to Consider When Hiring a Junk Removal Company

November 20, 2019

In earlier years, people simply had their trash burnt in their backyard after piling it up. Today, people handle their trash differently. They call in junk hauling companies to take charge of such a task. Property owners call professional services to get rid of various waste the right way, including commercial or demolition waste and hazardous materials.

Today, there are plenty of companies that offer such services. To find one which can best cater to your needs, you check some crucial factors.

Availability

Parties, social gatherings, revamp projects, and other similar things tend to generate large volumes of waste within a short time frame. Surely, you immediately want to get rid of the trash from your event or project. Hence, you should hire a company that can provide you the required service as soon as possible. A good junk hauler can respond to requests within 24 to 48 hours.

Resources

It’s also useful to ask about the available equipment, tools, and vehicles of your target hauling company. Knowing this will help you determine if they can dispose of your trash without any difficulty. You may need to throw out heavy and massive construction debris after working on a house renovation. Do they have large trucks that can transport your trash from your project site to the dumping area? Can they handle corrosive substances?

Outline any specific demands you have for your trash disposal needs and match these with the deliverables of your prospective hauling companies.

Certification and licensing

Aside from the key factors enumerated above, it’s also crucial to ask about their license and certification to operate. These documents will help you assess the credibility of a company. It will also help you determine if their staff has the necessary training and background to handle special types of waste, such as clinical and hazardous waste.

Policies concerning recycling

A lot of junk removal companies these days make use of eco-friendly processes in removing and recycling household junk and construction debris. Hence, you should consider hiring one that has clear and concise recycling policies. How do they handle recyclable waste? Do they have recycling centers? Read through their policies and ask questions when needed.

Quality of customer service

Make sure to hire a company that can provide a solid customer support service. Check out their website or social media pages and see if they have an active customer support number. You should also read through the customer reviews. Do they generally have positive or negative customer feedback? What do their customers say about their services? How fast do they respond to queries? How do they handle complaints posted online?

Handling trash correctly is no simple feat. It requires special skills, equipment, and industry experience. Hence, you should only entrust your trash removal needs to a professional service provider. There are hundreds of companies that offer garbage removal services in a city. Choose one that can best cater to your needs by using the factors enumerated above as your guide.

Image: https://pixabay.com/photos/plastic-cups-garbage-disposable-cups-973103/

The best call to action on a website

November 18, 2019

Have you battled with getting visitors to your website to do what you want? Perhaps you are wanting them to sign up for your newsletter or, alternatively, get a demo of your product however they never get to that page? It may be the right time to have another look at your call-to-action.

What is a call-to-action?

The term ‘call-to-action’ (CTA) is a statement which is designed to elicit an immediate response from the individual who is reading or, alternatively, hearing it. The CTA is used in business – as part of a digital marketing strategy – in order to get your target audience to respond to it by taking a certain action.

Before you put pen to paper and write down your call to action, decide what the goal is that you’re trying to reach:

Do you want to boost subscriptions?
Increase sales?
Move readers along to another content piece?

Once you have an idea of the action that you want performed, think about how best you can achieve this goal.

The best call-to-action phrases are short and use powerful verbs. In addition, they speak directly to the user. Rather than weaker call-to-action words – such as click here – an efficient call-to-action phrase will use more particular words that speak directly to the outcome that you want. Great calls-to-action include:

Discover your best life
Join our community
Book your next adventure.

Where should a call-to-action be?

The question “where should I place my CTA on my website?” is one that digital marketing experts attempt to tackle often. And it’s probably as it’s so frustrating. Currently, no one has decided on one clear solution such as, for example, “top-right corner of every web page” in order to solve the conundrum of where CTAs should belong for optimal engagement.

Before A/B testing and heat-mapping tools, web designers and digital marketers though that the best solutions was to put all the important information above the fold and then the secondary information below the fold.

According to expert, where the CTA is placed should be influenced by the density of a page:

For a shorter page that has less information, it may make sense to put the CTA above the fold.
For a longer page that conveys that is more complex, the CTA may do better below the fold.

In a study, researchers compared the difference in conversion rates between:

A shorter home page design that had a distracting navigation bar, no value proposition in the content, and a call-to-action form in the top-right of the page, and
A longer home page design with content that delivered a stronger, clearer and more detailed value proposition.

The researchers also removed the distracting navigation and placed the call-to-action at the bottom of the page.

What was found that the simpler and longer layout of the page had a 220% higher conversion rate than that of the original control page. The basic assumption here is that because the web designers provided all the useful information which visitors required in a clean and simple manner; they didn’t mind waiting until the end of the page to engage with the CTA.

Your CTA is the opportunity to motivate your digital audience to take real steps in terms of becoming a customer or client. The CTA can be the deciding factor between a lead and a conversion. Many argue that the CTA is the most valuable part of your site or ad campaign. Skipping the CTA is a dangerous mistake that won’t bode well for your company.

If you utilise your CTA in order to create a sense of urgency – or to gently steer your users towards the checkout line – the important thing is that you use a strong CTA. Next time you’re creating site content or ad copy, let your call to action shine. The results will follow.

How to Make the Most of Your Honeymoon in Krabi, Thailand

November 11, 2019

Located on the glittering Andaman Sea in Southern Thailand, the province of Krabi is popular among newlyweds as a honeymoon destination, thanks to its pristine beaches and the plethora of exciting amusements that newly married couples can enjoy. Adventurous twosomes can go snorkeling and scuba diving in the dazzling blue waters of the ocean, indulge in any number of water-related sports and activities, or try their hand at rock climbing or sport climbing at the many limestone karst formations that can be found in the area. Read on for our guide on how to make this Krabi honeymoon an unforgettable one for you and your new spouse.

Head to Railay Beach for Rock Climbing 101

If you’ve never tried rock climbing before but have always wanted to give it a shot, head out to Railay Beach between the cities of Krabi and Ao Nang. Cut off from the mainland by the same limestone cliffs you’ll be tackling, the scenic peninsula is only accessible by boat.

The area called Railay Beach is actually three beaches all collectively known under the same name: Railay West is the most popular and commercialised zone, with plenty of resorts, beachfront bars and restaurants catering to foreign tourists. Up north is Ton Sai Bay, where you’ll find a good number of rock-climbing schools and spots that are ideal for beginners just starting out at the sport. There are over 700 different climbing trails in Railay, catering to enthusiasts of all skill levels. Finally, there’s Phra Nang Cave Beach, where the waters offer the best swimming in the entire area. It’s where you’ll find Phra Nang Cave, which is dedicated to the Princess Goddess it was named for. The cave itself is an amazing sight to behold. Locals faithful to the deity make pilgrimage here and leave offerings in the form of lingams, penis-shaped statues meant to represent the Hindu deity Shiva. They do this as a way to ingratiate the deity in return for safe passage at sea.

Follow in the Footsteps of the Original 007 at James Bond Island

The islands of Khao Phing Kan and Ko Ta Pu appeared in the 1974 classic James Bond film “The Man with the Golden Gun,” which starred Roger Moore as the titular character. Since then, they’ve become major tourist destinations for people who wish to follow in the iconic MI6 agent’s footsteps and have risen to become one of Krabi’s not-to-be-missed attractions.

Though fans may be disappointed to learn that there is in fact no secret lair hidden in one of the caves, James Bond Island still offers plenty of opportunities for great photos and recreations of scenes from the movie. A good Krabi tour package usually includes a stop on the island before heading out to other nearby attractions in the area. There are plenty of these to explore on a long-tail boat, including gorgeous Phang Nga Bay and the floating village of Koh Panyi.

Dance the Night Away at Ao Nang

Though the lifestyle here is much more focused on outdoor activities, Krabi also has a vibrant nightlife scene that’s sure to electrify the evenings of any young couple out on the town. An assortment of dance clubs, bars, and watering holes can all be found within 500 meters of each other at Ao Nang Centerpoint, Krabi’s hub for after-hours entertainment.

Chang Bar Ao Nang is the most well-known name here, as it is where you’ll find backpackers and locals alike socialising over cheap beer and EDM. At the opulent Cairo Nights club, on the other hand, you and your partner can try shisha and hookah smoking along with well-made cocktails and the finest Middle Eastern cuisine on the islands. Some of the best nightlife happens on the beach, too. Make sure to check out Railay and Ton Sai during the full moon and new moon in the high seasons, and get ready to party all night right on the sand with your toes in the water.

Getting to Krabi is easy, with budget airlines offering direct flights from Kuala Lumpur landing at Krabi International Airport. To get around the islands, you’ll have to get by on long-tail boats, incredibly agile cruisers piloted by locals who know the ins and outs of these island coasts like the backs of their hands.

You can arrange for island-hopping tours with the local boatmen, or have them booked through your hotel or resort. Most well-regarded establishments are happy to offer suggestions on various activities, and you may be able to get insider discounts just by asking the right people.

We hope you found this guide helpful for planning your Krabi honeymoon!

How To Make Your Gloomy Day, Bright

November 2, 2019

There comes a day when you feel down and you do not know the exact reason why. This may be harder to solve since you do not know where to start and what to fix. But, just to make your day a little brighter, below are some of the things you can do to make a gloomy day, bright again.

How To Make Your Gloomy Day, Bright

Shop!

Shopping is a good way to distress, relax and feel happy, and this is not only limited to just girls but boys too. Going to a mall whether you are buying something or just window shopping can help you release stress. You can go to a shopping mall alone or with companions.

Apart from shopping, you can also go out with your friends and go to a bar to drink. Some use drinking as a way to loosen up. But, just a gentle reminder, too much drinking may not be the best solution as it may give you headaches and hangover the following day.

Eat

Buy your favorite food, bring it home or dine in to any restaurant of your choice. Food can give anyone a sensation no other thing in the world can give. If you love chocolates, go ahead and help yourself. Eating is a way for some to feel happy and satisfied.

Do not hold back and feast!

Sleep

Sometimes, the loneliness you feel is actually not loneliness but tiredness. Give yourself some good sleep and see the difference as you wake up. Do you feel happy? If not, go to a spa. Another way to relax and release the soreness of the body is getting a good massage.

Sleep, get a massage or do anything that can make your body pampered.

Go to a parlor

Seeing yourself beautiful is another way to feel happy. Go to a parlor, change the color of your hair, change your hairstyle, etc. looking and feeling beautiful gives one the joy he/she is looking for.

Exercise

Studies show that exercising can help someone release endorphins, a feel good hormone. Hence if you feel sad, go straight to the gym and perform your usual exercise routines.

Watch a movie

Bringing yourself to a different dimension is another way to feel good. There are good movies you can watch. If you do not have the time to go out and watch a movie, download movies online instead.

Do what you want to do

Enjoy life and do things that can make you happy, read J.K. Rowling book, play online casinos or their sister sites, listen to feel good music, paint, take photos, cook food, bake cakes and more! Do things that you know can give you so much pleasure.

Talk to a friend

Talking to a friend is also a good way to make yourself happy. Give your friend a call, invite him/her for a dinner or lunch date, spend time with him/her and see how it can help you.

If sadness is not going away even after trying so hard, consulting professional help may be required. Life is too short and loneliness must not be accommodated at all.

Things to Do Before Arriving Home to Avoid Bringing Work-Related Stress with You

October 22, 2019

The moment you reach home, you have to forget work. You can’t bring the stress obtained at work home. You still have to face your partner and kids. You don’t want them to feel the negative vibes you have because of your work. As such, these are the things to do to keep your positive spirit as you arrive home.

Plan how to bond with your kids

Each day, you need to have something different to do with your kids. You can spend Mondays cooking together. You can have a game night each Tuesday. You need to be creative so that you have something to look forward to each day. Even if you seem tired from work, you will forget it because you have lots of things to do with your kids.

Think about the good stories to share

You have to make it a habit to discuss your day with your family. You can do it during dinner time. Even if your day was terrible, you still need to find something good that you want to share with everyone. Your positive stories could also inspire your kids to share what they did during the day. It also helps keep the positive vibes at home.

Take a short walk

Don’t go straight to your home as soon as you finish your work. You still have many work-related thoughts with you. It helps if you take some time to walk around the office or a local park. You can also go to a gym and have an hour of exercise. You need to take your mind of everything that happened at work, so you will not bring these problems home.

Settle the problems at work

The reason why you end up with several negative thoughts from work is that you tend to sweep them under the rug. You pretend that everything is okay, and you can manage the problems yourself. You need to find a way to confront your boss if you have a bone to pick with them. You also have to talk to any colleagues you have a hard time working with. You don’t need to resolve your conflicts. You just need to say what’s inside your heart, so you don’t bring it home with you.

Find time to be alone at home

Apart from work, your family could also stress you out. You don’t seem excited to go home because you know you will face more problems. You need to find a way to be alone and stay away from the loud cries of your kids even for a while. It would be great if you invest in a whirlpool bath. You can spend more time enjoying your bath without anyone disturbing you. It’s not selfish for you to give yourself time free from stress.

You have to start these changes now so you can bring optimism to your entire family as soon as you arrive home.

Image: https://unsplash.com/photos/Uh0o94SKaYg

New Trends for Landscapers Perth

October 15, 2019

Have you ever wanted to have a garden oasis in your yard, or simply turn your yard into one? If so, there are numerous things you’ll want to consider, since it’s the modern age, when it comes to transforming your landscape to add not only visual appeal, but even curbside appeal. Homeowners can now choose a few things that are making their homes look convenient and beautiful, and in this guide, we’re going to show you some of the new trends given to you by one of the top landscapers Perth.

Easy Does It

When it comes to new gardening trends, many people are flocking to have special grass, and plants or flowers that can handle any type of water, including drought-friendly plants. This is not just for environmental reasons, but also because it’s very easy maintenance, and you don’t have to really do any work to keep them beautiful.

Edible Wonders

Having flower gardens that are a mix between special herbs planted along with other wonders. For example, if you walk into an area that has a beautifully trimmed berry bush, you’ll notice the flowers, as well as the bright colors of the berries. At the same time, people are even considering certain herbs as alternatives to actual turf grass.

Quality over Quantity

One thing people doing for their landscaping ideas are making things more simple with higher quality materials and natural items, such as sandstone blocks and bricks over the standard manufactured ones. This is both environmentally friendly, as well as more cost effective, and the final designs are often more sturdy. Gone are the days where it’s all about being super flashy.

Bubbling Brooks

Believe it or not, there are numerous people who have always loved the sounds of bubbling brooks and waterfall fountains. Today, rather than having a giant koi pond with a large stream or waterfall, people are opting for more self-contained options, such as small fountains of running water over a pot of beautiful pebbles. It still gives the same effect, while being budget friendly.

Bringing Home Outside

More people are incorporating things like patio fireplaces, wireframe chairs, and even special tables by purchasing furniture that could be used indoors, but having it made for the outside. The furniture overall is often made with weatherproof materials, but the style itself is similar to that of having your living room outdoors. There are people who have even incorporated weatherproof encasings for their television sets and more.

Conclusion

No matter what you’re doing with your back yard, it’s no surprise that with all of the green movement, much of these trends this year are still going to be around for a while, even if they’re not at the top of the list. Everyone is wanting to be more comfortable outside of their home, and have the luxury of bounty and comfort is essential for a relaxed environment. While in the past, it was more about outdoor extravagance in furniture and flowers, in today’s age, we’re seeing more green, and less expenses as people are going with more natural plants and flowers around their area.

Reasons Why Some Customers Pay Attention to Product Labels

October 2, 2019

Some customers don’t care much about product labels. They already know which specific items to buy the moment they enter the department store or grocery store. However, not everyone shops that way. Others prefer to look at the details of the product labels before they decide which one to buy. These are the reasons why you need to give importance to product labels.

Health concerns

There are certain ingredients in food and other products that the government allows since they’re generally safe. Others are okay when used only up to a certain percentage for every serving or container. However, for some people, these ingredients or contents could cause an adverse impact on their health. They could get allergic reactions. Others might have specific illnesses that prevent them from consuming or using certain products. Therefore, you need to be clear about product contents on the label to ensure the safety of your customers.

Use of chemicals

Some customers might not have health issues, but they care a lot about the environment. They want to ensure that whatever they buy won’t negatively impact the environment. The use of certain chemicals could harm the environment. Other products use ingredients or contents coming from endangered species or protected organisms. They don’t want to be a part of the problem and avoiding certain brands is their way of doing it.

Quality of the products

You won’t know if the product is of top quality unless you use it. However, for some products, it’s easy to determine quality based on the content. For instance, if you’re selling a variety of food, but the main ingredients are only a small percentage of the entire serving, it means that the item isn’t worth buying. For instance, when you’re selling potato chips and the label says that potato is only 10% of the entire serving, people will stay away from them. They’re not consuming their money’s worth in that case.

Product origin

The label also states where the product came from. Some brands might be popular as a product of a specific country, but the item sold is manufactured elsewhere. It doesn’t automatically mean the product is of poor quality. It might just affect how consumers see the product. It’s their right to know where the items were made.

Provide the necessary information and more

Depending on the nature of the product sold, you have to disclose specific information on the label as required by the government; otherwise, you could be in violation of the law. You’ll get penalized for such a violation. Worse, it could even lead to the closure of your business. If you don’t want it to happen, you need to stick to the rules. You can even go beyond and provide further information not required, for transparency reasons. As long as there’s enough space on the label, it’s okay.

After designing the label, you can find quality printers and labelling machines if you want top quality for the product labels.

Don’t Set Expectations When Giving Promotional Merchandise

September 27, 2019

The problem with some companies giving out promotional merchandise is that they expect something in return. In a way, it’s understandable. You spend money on the promotional campaign, so you expect something in return. Besides, any other marketing campaign would need a target result; otherwise, you can’t determine if the strategy is effective.

However, you need to understand that promotional merchandise is different. It’s not the usual advertising strategy where your primary goal is to convince people to buy. It’s different because your goal is to win people’s hearts. You want to create an image that you’re not only after people’s money. You want to give them something without expecting anything in exchange.

People will feel used

If you’re too obvious that you’re only giving out items because you want something in return, your target audience will sense it. They will feel that you don’t really care about them. Accepting the free stuff would mean they eventually have to spend more. Whether you’re advertising to existing customers or you want to expand your target audience, you want them to feel that you’re sincere in your efforts; otherwise, your strategy could backfire and make people move away from you.

It puts pressure on the marketing team

Your marketing team can come up with creative ways to advertise. They can also think of ways to boost your company using promotional merchandise. However, if you set expectations for them when they decide to use this strategy, they might feel under immense pressure. They can’t think of the best way to give people what they deserve since their minds will focus on how to increase sales. You need to give them freedom in deciding how to warm people’s hearts.

People will buy if they feel like doing it

When you want to give out free items, just give them. If people buy something later, they will do so. Besides, they have other factors to consider in their decision-making process. You can’t dictate to them what they need to do and how they should feel towards your brand. If they see the sincerity of your company and you show it in various ways, you can win them over.

Don’t forget that the quality of your products also matters a lot. You can’t expect people to change their decision if they see no reason for doing it.

Think about the best strategy

The use of promotional merchandise is effective, and it’s been around for years. You need to determine the right strategy to ensure that you can give to the people who deserve the items most. You also need to check how you can partner this strategy with other ways to boost your brand.

Again, it’s only one of the many marketing plans you can use to improve your popularity. If you feel like you did the right thing, you have to wait for the results. Be patient since it takes time for some people to decide which items to buy.