Understanding Your Basic Copyright Rights

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By Dana Sotoodeh

As professionals in a creative field, a lot of us have side jobs freelancing. Weather you’re a freelance writer, graphic designer, or you do both, it’s important to understand copyright rules so you don’t get caught in uncomfortable situations where you’re unsure about your rights.

 Team Snackbox presents you: How to understand and utilize copyright laws.

Situation: You are hired by a business to design a brochure. You create the product, print it, and get paid. A couple of months later the business asks you for the Photoshop and InDesign files you used.

Tip 1: Just because a business has paid you for the work that you have done for them, does not mean they are entitled to all of your files once the product is complete.

It’s important to realize that some businesses, believe it or not, want this information so they can use it as their own for future projects. With that being said, an important thing to remember is that when you work as a freelancer, you own the rights to your work.  This gives you the same rights that everyone has under basic copyright law such as the right to make and distribute copies, etc.   The only way the business you free lanced for can have copies of your work is if you signed a “buy- out” , in which you sign a written assignment of your copyright.  Be sure to read the fine, fine print if you sign any kind of written contract before signing on as a freelancer.

 

Tip 2: You get to decide what rights your client gets to your work

If you decide that you want to allow the business the right to your files and work, the ball is still in your court. You have the right to decide what media you want your work used on, during what time frame, and under what conditions they may use it. You also can specify if you want to give your client exclusive rights to your work. This simply means that only the client you free-lanced for gets to use it. It also ensures that they don’t sell your work to someone else.

 

Tip 3: Discuss terms and conditions before freelancing

The safest way to go about freelancing is to bring up your terms and conditions before you sign a contract, or verbally agree to one. A lot of times, businesses won’t be thinking about if they will need your work after you are finished, when they initially meet with you. It’s also fair to base your pricing on whether or not they will be using your work again in the future. In order to avoid conflicts and maintain good relationships with people you freelance for, lay out your terms and conditions from the beginning. It also speaks volumes about your professionalism.

 

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8 signs your website is majorly outdated

By Dana Sotoodeh

People can tell a lot about a person or a company by visiting their website. With technology being the most convenient way to research, people often visit your website to get a good idea of what you do before they trust you to do it. With that being said, outdated websites can be a major reason why businesses get less business than they potentially could.  These days it’s all about presentation, design, simplicity and accessibility when it comes to building a solid page.

Need help figuring out if your website is “so 2000?” Team Snackbox is here to give you 8 signs your website is majorly outdated.

1. Your website isn’t navigable for smart phones/ tablets/ etc: Gone are the days where people turn on their desktop computer to get the latest news and updates. If your website isn’t smart phone friendly, forget about getting views. With people constantly on the go, websites must be accessible to all mediums of technology, at all times.

2. There isn’t enough imagery to do your company any justice: If your website is primarily content based with no images, you have just lost a majority of your users. People are visual, and websites with no images give off a boring vibe to viewers. This is especially true if you are selling a product, brand, identity, etc. Are you a design firm? Show copy of things you have designed for clients. Are you selling jewelry? Have pages of jewelry for the viewer to scroll through.

3. There are no social media buttons: Linking your website to other forms of media is important when it comes to building a website. A lot of times, people will want to visit you via Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. Providing these people with social media widgets on your webpage is the easiest way for the user to flip back and forth between all of your social channels. Sources say using round widgets work best since they are smart phone friendly as well.

4. Old coding: Old coding makes a page look extremely dated. HTML tags for maps and tables also slows down the speed of your website, which results in a loss of users. Try rebuilding your website on a CMS (content managing system).

5. No contact page: If your website doesn’t contain a contact page, make it a point to get one as soon as possible. If your website is formatted correctly, by the end of the viewers visit, they will want to contact you. Make it a point to have an easily navigable contact page so viewers don’t have to waste time looking for it. The quicker they find it, the quicker they may contact you.

6. Blinking or scrolling text : Blinking and scrolling text is not a way to catch a viewers attention; it’s a way to distract them from the content of your site. A clean and simple webpage is key in getting users to focus on what you do and why you’re good at it.

7. Outdated information: It sounds pretty obvious, but if you’re website has outdated information, then your website is definitely outdated. Make it a point to update your webpage with the newest promotions, team members, clients, etc. This shows viewers that you value them enough to show them the latest things developing within your workplace.

8. Copyright date is outdated-The Copyright often found at the bottom of webpages, seems miniscule in the scheme of creating a legible website. However, this shows that your site may not have been updated in a while or that it may contain out-of-date information. Make sure it reflects the year you’re in currently.

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What does the color of your logo say about your business?

By Dana Sotoodeh

Did you know 84.7% of consumers cite color as the primary reason they buy a product? Did you also know that 93% of people consider visual appearance when they purchase things? Now take these facts and apply them to your logo.

A logo is often the first thing people see when they surf a website or enter your office. From there, they draw automatic conclusions about you and what your company represents.

Let’s break it down even more—what does the color of your logo say about your business? Team Snackbox gives you a closer look at what colors evoke what emotions, and what to consider when choosing the logo that’s right for you.

 

Red– Nabisco, Smoothie King, Netflix, Pinterest, TIME, Coca Cola, Toyota

With each product listed you can envision the logos in your head. Red is often used to spike appetite, increase intensity, show aggressiveness, and heighten passion. Think of logos that primarily use red in their logo and what you associate these companies with.

 

Blue– Samsung, Facebook, Twitter, Oreo, Wal-Mart, Lowes, Ford.

Blue is often associated with water and peace. It’s gender neutral, which is why so many companies incorporate it into their logo. It’s said to increase productivity and bring a type of calmness or serenity.  Blue is said to be “non-evasive” and is often found in corporate settings.

 

Yellow- McDonalds, Wich Wich, Nikon, Sprint, Best Buy, Hertz.

Yellow has been proven to symbolize energy, warmth, and cheerfulness. It’s often associated with youthfulness and happiness. Although the color itself is known to strain the eyes, some of the largest companies out there continue to use it. Something must be working! 

 

Green- Starbucks, Whole Foods, Spotify, XBOX, bp, John Deere.

Green constitutes health and tranquility and is often nature related. It’s said to boost moods and represent growth and money which is extremely suitable for business owners.  

 

Orange– (Team Snackboxs’ favorite!) SNACKBOX, Nickelodeon, Blogger, Payless, Fanta, Discover.

 The color orange most often represents enthusiasm and excitement, (and we can testify to that here at Snackbox!) It’s said to represent a cheerful and confident brand and often reflects positive vibes when used within logos. 

 

Black- Adidas, Nike ,Blackberry,

Black is classic and luxurious at the same time. It represents sophistication and simplicity and is often incorporated into colored logos.

 

 

 

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The In’s and Out’s of a Successful eNewsletter Campaign

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By Dana Sotoodeh

We see it all the time especially around the holidays—our email is overflowing with messages about the same deals. Nordstrom’s Labor Day Sale, Dillard’s President’s Day Sale— what’s really the difference? Unfortunately, if you are scrolling past these frequent emails, the messages aren’t doing their job. They say a happy customer is an engaged one, so Team Snackbox is here to coach you on a few ways your email subscribers can gain interest in your e-newsletters and stop scrolling past your name.

1.)   Catchy Subject Line: Let’s start with the basics. The first thing your subscribers see when they open their inbox is your subject line. The key to getting your e-newsletter noticed begins with getting your subscriber to click it. Draw the reader in with creative and persuasive titles. The chances of keeping them entertained are much higher if they are genuinely interested in your subject line. 

2.)  Incorporate your personality- Subscribers want to feel like they can relate to you or your company. If you’ve been sending out the same e-newsletter and only changing the day of the sale or special, chances are, you’re getting overlooked. Incorporate a conversational tone into your e-newsletters. This makes the subscriber feel comfortable with you, and in result, boosts the chance of them opening and staying engaged in what you have to say. It’s important that your brand has it’s own unique voice.

3.)  Social Media Friendly: Let’s face it—if your e-newsletter isn’t social media friendly, it’s probably not going to go very far. In this day and age, information should be able to be shared quickly, and on various social media channels by the click of a button. Include Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook widgets within your e-newsletter. Not will your subscriber be happy about how easy it is to share your information—the more shares they do, the more popular you look. It’s a win-win.

4.)  Keep it Simple– Too many e-newsletters will overwhelm your subscribers, and none will make them lose interest. Keep your newsletters to the point by focusing on the quality of your product and offering small promotions or give-a-ways. This keeps subscribers engaged but not annoyed.

5.)  Update Content: Try and include at least one or two new pieces of content in each days e-newsletter. People don’t want to read the same thing day after day. It’s important that your content is constantly changing so that subscribers don’t lose interest and so that they understand what level of growth you and your company are on. The more new things going on, the busier you look—and busy is a good thing!

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5 Famous Ad Men

By Caitlin Cunningham

 

Prior to the 1960’s Creative Revolution in Advertising, print and television advertisements were generally stagnant, boring, and explanatory. Print solely consisted of a feature of the product and long blocks of text explaining its offering. But then the Ad Men of Madison Avenue started thinking about advertising in a different way, and they discovered that it was much more persuasive to capture the audience’s attention by utilizing a unique approach.

Bill Bernbach

Bernbach’s legacy contributes to probably the most well known original stride in executing the Creative Revolution. He led the team into conjuring the “Think Small” campaign for Volkswagen. This campaign was original because it utilized white space, which shifted the reader’s focus to the vehicle immediately. The campaign was so successful that it not only boosted sales, but built lifetime brand loyalty.

“Let us prove to the world that good taste, good art, and good writing can be good selling.”

 

Leo Burnett

Burnett utilized dramatic realism and the soft sell approach in his campaigns. He believed in the inherent drama of the product offering and wanted to convey the emotional connection the intended audience would have with it. Some notable creations include the Jolly Green Giant, Tony the Tiger, and Pillsbury Doughboy.

“When you reach for the stars you may not quite get one, but you won’t come up with a handful of mud either.”

 

David Ogilvy

Ogilvy’s main contribution was his emphasis on the “big idea” of each creative execution. This means that showing the product simply wouldn’t work anymore. The creative needed to contain a “wow” factor. His philosophy followed the basic principles of creative brilliance, research, measurable results and professional discipline. His most famous campaign was for Rolls-Royce, which featured the tagline that read, “At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock.”

“In the modern world of business, it is useless to be a creative, original thinker unless you can also sell what you create.”

 

George Lois

In 1968, Lois obtained Braniff International Airways as a client. With this new account, he conjured the revolutionary “When You Got It, Flaunt It” Campaign for the airline that increased business about 80% as a result of the new advertising. Like Ogilvy, Lois also believed in the “big idea.”

“If you do something and you get it, the rest of the world will get it too. Trust your own instincts, your own intellect, and your own sense of humor.”

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Elements of a Strong Brand

By Yahaira Hernandez

What does having a “brand” mean? Some may think about a company’s image, or a company’s logo, or perhaps their motto. These concepts are mostly true, however, to be more specific, a brand is basically the expression of a company’s values, services, and characteristics. Branding can help motivate people into becoming loyal customers that are supporters of a product or service.

Just think, how many people do you know are die-hard Apple product owners? Companies like Nike, McDonalds, and Apple have iconic logos, memorable mottos, and genius marketing strategies that have evolved and attracted customers for generations. These companies could not be more different, but they all have one thing in common: a strong brand.

First, let’s discuss what makes a weak brand. A weak brand lacks consumer awareness; this could be due to low publicity or confusion over what the company does. A weak brand may also lack innovation, many brands come and go but that could be because companies fail to adapt new ideas and avoid taking risks. Also, setting unrealistic expectations can put a strain on the company and its employees. Weak brands may also focus too much on what competitors are doing, rather than focusing on what consumers want and how to make them loyal to your brand.

Now, what exactly makes a brand strong and recognizable? Branding is strategic; a brand must be meaningful, you want your brand to represent your company’s story, goals, mission, and values to attract customers and stakeholders. A strong brand is also unique, not all companies are the same, so letting people know what makes your company different and perhaps better than others can certainly make your brand more important to a customer. A strong brand must also have a lot of exposure, having a brand that can be consistently seen on various products and services can help customers become familiar with your company and seek it. Another important factor in creating a strong brand is making it sustainable, you want your brand to be a lasting one, so improvement and innovation is key to an enduring brand.

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Responsive Design

By Jack Keller, Senior Interactive Developer

What is it? Why does it matter?

It’s no secret that our culture consumes more information on the go, and what was once considered a secondary design concern should now become the front runner when designing your website. Responsive design principles allow both developers and content managers to lighten their workload in the long term and this can equate to a higher ROI.

From the design and development side of things, there is no longer a need to manage a “desktop” and “mobile” site, providing less maintenance costs as features or products are added down the road. And, of course, there is less of a need for Content Managers to update multiple documents for the same set of features between different sites.

So you may have a traditional layout for your desktop site that has multiple columns, but your mobile audience will have difficulty reading the information so we restructure how the layout will look based on device and screen resolutions providing the best overall user experience.

Sounds Great! Any drawbacks?

Certainly, like any new technology this can be utilized incorrectly leaving a noticeable performance impact for your end user. Proper planning and execution is crucial; this is where you want to pick an agency that has the experience and is willing to help out during the early planning and architecture phase of your project.

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“Stay hungry, stay foolish.”

As you all know Steve Jobs passed away yesterday. His passing inspired me to write a few words about the effect he has had on my life, career and Snackbox.

It’s interesting that a man I’ve never met or spoken with has had such a profound impact on my life.  My first encounter with Apple was in the early 80’s with an Apple II. Before the Apple II existed, computers were great hulking things with an interface only an engineer could understand. Steve (and Woz) transformed computing as we know it, making computers more approachable, accessible and easier to understand. Whether you loved or hated Steve, you can’t escape the influence he has had over the way we create and consume digital media today. Even if you use a product from an Apple competitor, they only exist because Steve paved the way.

My career has been defined by Steve; his computers led to a seismic shift in the way advertising and design is created and produced. And because of his forward thinking, I had opportunity.

After college I had a film degree with no design experience and wanted desperately to get into advertising. I spent a year just looking for an internship… with no luck. Working on a Mac using Macpaint, I was able to create some simple illustrations I submitted to Portfolio Center, one of the best advertising schools in the country. They took a chance on me and accepted me into their program.  At school I cut amberlith for mechanicals and learned that producing advertising and design the old way was terribly limiting. Now, what we can produce is limited only by our imagination.

Going to Portfolio Center and Creative Circus transformed me into an art director that was able to find work at advertising agencies around the country. Along with the fundamental tools of pencil and paper I use a Mac every single day. Ultimately, this led to the launch of my own agency, Snackbox. Starting this business has only been possible because of Apple’s computers.

Steve’s and Apple’s influence cannot be overstated.  It’s easy to forget now, but 30 years ago there really was no such thing as a personal computer. Now, we can’t imagine a world without (and not just a personal computer, but smartphones, iPods and the like). His computers have helped ordinary people to create amazing works of art. His iPods have completely changed the way we interact with music. His phones have allowed people such as Jenna and I to be smarter and more effective with our customers, helping us be independent, competitive and responsive.

Without Steve Jobs, I can safely say: I wouldn’t be a designer today and Snackbox wouldn’t exist. For that I owe him my life’s work. He will be sorely missed.

“Stay hungry, stay foolish.”

-Eric-

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NomNomist Logo Unveiled

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It’s no secret that I love food … so it’s only natural that my love for food gets a home on Facebook and Twitter, and eventually on its own blog, too … it’s called NomNomist. My vision for NomNomist is that it becomes a community for food lovers who may not necessarily be gourmet chefs. Real people who like real food and who want to try new things and learn more about cooking. So without further delay, here is the newly unveiled NomNomist logo, created by our very own Eric Oltersdorf. It’s another home run IMHO. 🙂

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Email Campaign Timing

When is the best time to send an email campaign?

By guest blogger Matthew Parente, Aperio Marketing
www.AperioMarketing.net

People ask me all the time, “when should I send my email?” And usually, I have about as much information about that campaign as you do – which is not much. If you spend some time researching this question, you will find some good best practices and benchmark data. For example, if your list is mostly comprised of business email addresses, send your email during business hours. If your list is made up of mostly home addresses, then send it on weekends or after-hours. When people ask me this question, I feel they are usually looking for a direct, simple answer like this. But I generally don’t give these kinds of answers.

It is important to realize best-practices and industry benchmarks (while interesting) can be misleading. Why? Because your email list is unique. The people on your list, combined with the content you send, makes it so. (Or at least it ought to. If it doesn’t, you have other problems to address.) The only good way of knowing the best time to send an email to your list isn’t when everyone else is sending theirs, but at the time that is right for your list.

The Key is Testing
If you really want to know the best day (and the best time of day) to send your emails, conduct some tests. Split your list up into to two randomly assigned lists. Send the exact same email to half of your list on one day, and the other half gets it on another day. Keep everything else the same, including the time of day that you send it. Then see which email gets the better open and click-through rates.

These are called A/B tests, and can be done with virtually any part of your email campaigns, from the subject lines, the “From” line, the day, and time of day, the layout, content, and more. If you really want to get better with your email marketing campaigns, it will all come down to your ability and willingness to test.

Start Testing Today
Most marketers don’t test because they feel it will delay the justification for any of their activities – results. There’s an old saying about this: This best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time to plant a tree is today. More to the point, you aren’t delaying results, you are setting yourself up for better results. You will still get results during the testing phase – probably no worse than the results you have been getting. Half of the list will probably do even better than what you normally have been doing. So don’t be afraid to start testing – the only thing you have to lose is a better, more efficient marketing campaign.

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