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MarnieB.com - A blog about design and the everyday life of a small business owner.

A blog about design and the everyday life of a small business owner.

All I want for Christmas…December 11 2008

Thinking back, I was never big on Christmas wish lists, even as a child. I think there were one or two years there when I thought of a couple of things I really wanted, but for the most part I just had faith that I would get something awesome.

These days, I still struggle when someone asks me what I want for Christmas. I’ve decided to put my foot down and force myself to put into words what I really, really want for Christmas.

1. Great design books

‘Logo’ by Michael Evamy
It’s been called the bible of logo designs and I think that may just be an accurate description. Logo is a compilation of over a thousand well designed logos from around the globe. The designs are sorted into 75 categories such as crosses, stars, crowns, animals, people, handwritten, illustrative type and more, for easy reference and inspiration.

Other books I have my eye on:
Logolounge 4: 2000 International Identities by Leading Designers by Catharine Fishel & Bill Gardner
Hand Job: A Catalog of Type by Michael Perry

2. Subscription to Communication Arts Magazine

www.commarts.com
Hailed the largest creative magazine in the world, Comm Arts Magazine showcases the best work in graphic des

Marnie B contributes to book!December 9 2008

Marnie B (moi!) has been selected to contribute in an international compilation book featuring some of the most successful businesswomen, bestselling authors and designers from around the world.

SPROUT Publishing, has released the first title in the SPROUT the Life You Love series called Tales and Secrets from Female Entrepreneurs.

Celebrity authors include: Lipstick Queen, Poppy King; EMMY award winner, bestselling author and repeat OPRAH guest, Rhonda Britten; and the number #1 book publicist in the US, Arielle Ford – just to name a few!

It’s extremely flattering to be published alongside so many inspirational women. I have been given the opportunity the showcase my own personal journey to success.

SPROUT the Life You Love (Tales and Secrets from Female Entrepreneurs) is a valuable resource for women seeking motivation and inspiration to take their business ideas to the next level. Never before has there been such a great time to learn how to make money from home and from doing what you love.

The book contains 35 authors that are profiled and reveal their key secrets to personal and business success.

Check out Bergan Blue on page 106!

“The SPROUT concept is about empowering people to construct freedom in their lives by following their creative desires,” says SPROUT Publishing founder, Sarah Prout.

SPROUT the Life You Love (Tales and Secrets from Female Entre

30 gorgeous animal logosNovember 17 2008

Despite trawling through hundreds of logos, typing out this post, then doing one last quick Google for “logos with animals” and finding this post on FYC, I’ve decided to still post it. The more, the merrier, right?

It’s no secret I’m obsessed with birds in designs, as I’ve mentioned before, but over the last few months I’ve been noticing more and more animals in logos. Cute elephants, kitties, giraffes and fish are popping up everywhere and I’ve come to love them dearly.

Below are some of my favourite logos that include animals.

Do you have a favourite that I haven’t posted? Leave a comment!

Logos are thanks to Faveup, IncSpring, LogoPond, Five Little Ducks and Monkey Caboose.

7 big beefs with web designOctober 15 2008

Common Design Mistakes, Part 2

In Part 1 of my Common Design Mistakes series I talked about some basic mistakes amateur designers and small business owners sometimes make when designing their own flyers and promotional items. In Part 2, I’m going to talk about some common design mistakes made in that place that is either loved or feared: the world wide web.

I mentioned that small business owners can’t always afford to hire a professional to design their flyers, letters, posters, etc. It’s no wonder then that a website would be seen as even less affordable. They cost more, take longer and it can be hard to find the right designer to get the job done.

I would urge anyone thinking about doing their own website to stop and consider the benefits of having it done professionally, but for those who simply can’t or don’t want to pay a professional, here are a few tips to get you going and some pitfalls to avoid.

splash and intro pages

My biggest beef with websites these days is intro pages. Now, for the moment at least, I’m not talking about splash pages – a pretty page with your logo and a link that says ‘enter here’. No, not those. I’m talking about those pages that just keep scrolling and scrolling and trying to convince you that the product or service being offered is what you need and that you should enter your email address or cred

Marketing outside of the box with creative advertisingOctober 15 2008

Article written by Jon Bergan

As you slouch back into your favourite arm chair, flick on the television and immerse yourself into your regular sitcoms and other programs, you can’t help but feel the boredom settling in as the same old advertisements crop up on your screen during the ever so regular commercial breaks. Without fail, those same string of ads appear. Whether they’re the same old KFC ads or those commercials that look like they were made twenty years ago, its always the same old same boring commercials. You’ll find these culprits on all marketing platforms - radio, print and the web - and chances are you’re wearing a guilty grin right now!

With so many design trends already in place and well over used, businesses now need to visit more creative avenues of getting their message out there. No longer can a business rely solely on the old ‘tried and true’ techniques. Sure, you may get some exposure from your efforts but at the end of the day, there is still a large risk of you getting lost in all of the wish-wash of marketing materials going around. It’s time we all started thinking outside of the box, taking some risks and jumping outside of our comfort zone and the best way to achieve this is via creative advertising.

creative advertising?

To put it simply, creative advertising is the use of extremely unique or utterly obscure imagery to get your message across and combining th