Tips, tricks, and inspiration to support your marketing mission
Wonder why you haven’t seen a new post in a few months? We’re taking a break from the blog to better serve our existing clients — but we’re still here to answer your questions. Don’t hesitate to reach out if there’s something you want help troubleshooting!
“Its not easy taking your own advice, accepting what you don't like hearing, & seeing the grey amongst the black & white.”
― April Mae Monterrosa
During an especially busy week, it's important to remember that everything isn't black and white. This mood board is inspired by the idea that when it comes to a design problem there's no right or wrong answer -- only different potential solutions.
In North Carolina, December is kind of a transitional time.
It's not that it's still fall...but there are some leaves still on the trees, and the bite in the air is just starting to get intense.
Here's a mood board inspired by that move from the browns and taupes of fall to the cooler colors of winter.
Working for yourself is not the same as working by yourself -- it takes a ton of meaningful connections with smart, creative people to make it happen. I'm all about in-person connections, but blogging provides a powerful way to learn from people all over who are walking a road similar to yours.
With that in mind, today I wanted to share a few of my favorite design blogs! check these out if you're looking for new bloggers to follow. And, while you're at it, let's be blog friends. Follow Hue & Tone on Bloglovin'.
The ladies of Braid Creative -- who obviously nailed the search for a fabulous name -- share smart, easily applicable tips on branding, entrepreneurship, and all things creative.
Favorite Post: When Everyone is Doing the Same Thing
2. Paper & Oats
Kelsey of Paper & Oats puts a bold, personal spin on posts about productivity and entrepreneurship, and is unapologetic about finding and sticking to her own creative niche.
Favorite Post: Why I'm Scrapping All My Design Services
3. Elembee
When it comes to blogs about nitty-gritty topics like branding and design, there's fun and then there's comprehensive. Elembee is both. It's jam-packed with ideas but never a chore to read -- and the weekly emails are great, too!
Favorite Post: It Will Never Be Good Enough. Do it Anyway.
In addition to a clean, colorful blog design that makes my day every time I see it, Love Plus Color is a great stop for unique, easy-to-consume posts on all things visual.
Favorite Post: The Mood Board Monday series
What are your favorite blogs? Bonus points if they focus on design, branding, or entrepreneurship.
Since it's a holiday week, we'll be around a little less here on the blog...but I did want to share these Thanksgiving-themed color palettes with you. You really can do Thanksgiving without relying on a ton of oranges and browns. These palettes build in hints of turquoise, cranberry, and peach so they still look like the holiday, without blending in with every other Thanksgiving graphic out there.
Color Breakdowns:
Image One: #b95825 | #0a5946 | #2b8472 | #d1c863 | #745b47
Image Two: #5d1e4d | #960844 | #d8be8d | #be8335 | #b95825
Image Three: #d1a29c | #324e59 | #ded8c8 | #cc8664 | #644737
I've been so excited for this particular post! It was tough to wait until the work was complete and ready to share.
I could keep leading up to it forever, so I'll cut myself off. Here's a look at the website and comprehensive branding we created for CSDHH, a fantastic nonprofit that -- as the acronym suggests -- provides communication services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
CSDHH just celebrated its 40th anniversary, but had never been branded -- so this was a true start-from-scratch situation, which was a fun challenge to take on. They wanted natural, earth-toned branding that didn't go straight for the obvious -- things like hands or ears.
The solution: the repeating motif of keys, which represent with the right level of subtlety that this is an organization that's unlocking doors and breaking down barriers for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. CSDHH's new tagline -- Opening Doors, Connecting People -- brings that theme full-circle.
Now after 40 years of service to the community, CSDHH has clean, comprehensive branding that communicates, subtly but clearly, what they're about as an organization. That was a cool thing to be a part of -- and it was even better to get to know the people of CSDHH. My gratitude to them for allowing me to be a part of the process, and more than that, for all they do for this community!
If you have questions about your organization's branding, I'd love to talk. Email me at hannah@hueandtonecreative.com, or you can click the contact tab here.
One of my favorite parts of being a business owner is the opportunity to get involved in the community. Today, I want to share two upcoming community events I've gotten to take part in.
First is the Lead Your City Summit hosted by SynerG, an organization for Greensboro's young professionals. A little more information on the event, directly from the organizers:
Join the synerG Young Professionals for Lead Your City – a summit that will bring together Community Leaders & Activists to help young professionals GROW their leadership skills, BUILD on their ideas, SERVE the community and CONNECT their network.
Hue & Tone donated a custom-designed resume for one attendee! I'm excited to work with the winner and create a resume that helps them reach their goals.
The second event is the one-year anniversary of co//ab, a flexible coworking space in Greensboro. Again, here's a little more about the event directly from the folks at co//ab:
co//ab will have its one-year anniversary this November and we want YOU to help us celebrate. Join us on November 16th at 5:30pm (immediately following the monthly Idea Slam @ 4pm) for a night of food, drinks, and ping pong. Sign up to challenge local "celebrities" in a ping pong tournament you won't want to miss!
For co//ab, I designed event collateral that uses bright, clean colors and imagery to get the spirit of the event across (see the image above for an example).
If you're in Greensboro, come out to these two events! You can register for the Lead Your City Summit here, and the co//ab anniversary here.
At first glance, design seems expensive. You have to buy $300 fonts and high-end photography equipment and expensive suites of software if you're going to create anything attractive, right?
Actually, not really. I try to communicate to clients that there are plenty of free and cheap resources available to help them maintain a consistent brand, without pulling in a designer for every edit.
Here are a few of my favorites:
DaFont & Google Fonts | In almost every case, it's unnecessary to drop top dollar on type. These are two great sources for free fonts - DaFont is hugely varied and frequently updated, while Google Fonts is your best source for a clean, high-quality web font.
Canva | This web app bills itself as "the easiest design program in the world" -- and it's completely free. When I'm working with clients who don't have access to professional design software, I'll whip up a few Canva templates so they can update graphics easily.
Graphic Burger | Need a simple line icon (or a background texture, or even a logo template)? It's here, and it's free for personal and commercial use.
Creative Market | This site offers free or very cheap (in the $2 range) graphic assets -- think textures, brushes, presets, etc. Sign up for an account to receive regular emails with deals and free downloads.
Adobe Single-App Subscriptions | You can now purchase a single-app Adobe Creative Cloud membership for as little as $30 a month, giving you access to a professional-grade design application like Illustrator, InDesign, or Photoshop. If I had to pick one, I'd go with Illustrator, but it all depends on the type of work you're doing.
Again, design can seem like an expensive pursuit, but with a little creativity, you can find the tools you need without breaking the bank.
What are your favorite design tools? Let me know in the comments below.
