the Bb blog.

So, I received some VLove today! I was so pleased with the presentation… felt like I was receiving a gift and yep, made me feel special. It got me to thinking… {uh oh!} my husband and I also own & run Red Rooster Trading Company together. We wrap our products in hand.stamped burlap bags then nestle them in a bed of shredded newspaper {recycled from our local newspaper} and put them in a sealed gift box. To top it off we thank each of our customers using a Bb card and yes, actually writing each one by hand.

This is important to us because we appreciate our customers so much, without them we wouldn’t have a business! My mom told me that when I was little I always wanted to have my own retail shop so that I could say ‘Thank you & have a nice day!’ I may not have a ‘brick & mortar’ {yet, anyway}, but we do have our online shop, I just get to write it instead of say it. You see, dreams really do come true.

Ok, back on track… at Red Rooster we receive comments & reviews and practically every one of them says something about the packaging and hand.written note. They appreciate that there is a real live person handling & packaging their product that cares about the products they receive. And they appreciate being appreciated. So, if you own a business where you ship your products… it only takes a little effort to make a nice presentation, make someone feel special and show some pride in your product {Pride can be a good thing}. And a lot of times those people share their experience with others… word of mouth is one of the best marketing tools ever!

I took a few pics to inspire you… I had the privilege of working with each of these businesses on their identity & branding. I love having the opportunity to work with such a variety of companies. Each of my clients has an idea of how they want the world to see them and the best way to present that. It is my job to take their ideas and make them shine.

First up is how Rebecca Michaels shows her customer appreciation… don’t you feel the love? {I ordered a headband}

Next is a photog client of mine… vagabond def shows her appreciation with her packaging.

And last, but not least… Red Rooster’s packaging.

Thanks for stopping by, maybe you got a little inspiration. Now go and present your company well! If you need any design work or ideas feel free to shoot me an email for pricing.

I believe in ‘curb appeal’! Especially when it comes to your business. When you have a storefront it is important to show on the outside that you care about your customer and what you are offering them. A hand.painted business sign is one way {and not as expensive as you may think} to show that and draw your customers inside for more! The hand.painted part is not the only beautiful part of these signs… they also have logos & a color palette that make them stand out and allow the sign artist to shine! I have had the pleasure of working with Mike Meyer on a few different signs… he has been hand.painting signs for a long time and it definitely shows. Not only are these signs beautiful, but since Mike has the experience he knows how to make them so that they last for years to come. Check out the signs he hand.painted below using custom logos by Bb design… now don’t you just want to stop in and see what’s going on behind these doors. If you are in NE Missouri Area… you may have seen these signs… I am hoping to get a few more up in the area. Aren’t they beautiful! What a fabulous and cost effective way to show a little pride in our community & businesses.

First up is the Scotland County Pharmacy… I had the privilege of building their logo a while back and was so excited when they decided to get a sign made using their new logo. Mike is pictured with his wife, Aileen, in the first picture… it was so much fun to meet this couple. They love life & really enjoy what they do together!

Next up is Memphis Area Pregnancy Care Center. With the combination of the new sign & the vinyl decal in the window, this really makes their curb ‘appeal’ just that much more and makes people take notice. Mike graciously hung up the sign for us as we are not the experts in sign hanging.

And last but definitely not least… The Willows Lakehouse. I have been working with The Willows for several years on different projects, starting of course with their logo… if you have not discovered the Willows, you must check out their site and plan a visit. Especially if you are in NE Missouri area… this is the perfect getaway that is not too far away! {www.thewillowslakehouse.com} Mike took the Bb sign design & hand.painted it to make a sign that I would even love to decorate my home with!

OK, just one more… Red Rooster Trading Company… Mike took the logo I built for Red Rooster and knocked this one way way outta the park. I actually do have this one hanging in my living room cause we loved it so much! Mike sent me some behind the scenes pics of the Red Rooster sign which I will blog about soon! He really takes care in his work & it shows, what a gift!

Thanks for stopping by! And if you are interested in pricing for a hand.painted sign by Mike Meyer & Britta burrus design. give me a shout… call or email and I will be glad to discuss your needs/wants for your business. 509-429-1989 or design@brittaburrus.com

PS… I think a personal sign would also be wonderful… so if you are interested in one for your living room, kitchen, hanging outside somewhere {barn, garage, house} or bathroom… whatever your ideas, I know we can come up with something beautiful!

Spring is in the air and with that comes the need to reorganize, clean things up a bit and work on a little marketing for Bb. I have all these ideas in the back of my head for Bb & Red Rooster… it’s finding the time to work on them that’s the trick! Clients projects of course come first and with Spring on its way, the flower & veggie gardens are calling my name. Anywhooo… I am working on reorganizing the Bb blog. Don’t you love it when things are organized & all in their place! I reorganized the blog into the following categories…

Bb {Portfolio} : featuring Bb projects to give you ideas on what we can do for you
Design, Marketing, Social Tips : Everything from Marketing, Design, Brand, Social {e.g. facebook etc} and maybe even a garden & cooking tip or two thrown in.
Inspiration & Gift Ideas : What inspires me, what inspires you? and Gift Ideas
Quotables : inspiring, provoking, funny, clever quotes
Fabulous Freebies : Fonts, Textures, Software, Bb Notecards — who doesn’t love a good FREEBIE!
Behind the Biz : Featuring some of the businesses that I have the opportunity to work with and the who & inspiration behind them. My clients ROCK and I want to share a little more about them and how they got to where they are today.
DIY {Your Way} : Do it Yourself Projects
I {heart} cooking/baking : Recipes…
Red Rooster Trading Company : posts and pics about what Red Rooster is up to.
RiBbet : Most of you might know that I love to make cards, still do, just haven’t had a lot of time to spend here. RiBbet will be the place to find the Bb cards. Someday, I plan to have an online shop exclusively for them.

I went through all the previous posts and organized them according to category, so, you can start browsing. Hope you have some fun and get some ideas & tips along the way. Thanks for stopping by and hope to have you again! Look for Mondays post next!

~Britta

What is a gravatar you say… well, you know how you post a comment on a blog and everyone else has a snapshot pic of themselves except for you. All you have is a default {a.k.a. ugly} placeholder thumbnail. Well, that little image associated with a specific person is called an avatar. A gravatar is a globally recognized avatar, so if you get a gravatar for yourself that pic will show up whenever you comment on a blog. Check out this explanation on wikipedia. { http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravatar }

It’s really easy to create a gravatar, you just go to this website { http://www.gravatar.com }and click on ‘get your gravatar today’. Follow the steps… and choose an image that you want to use. Once this is done anytime you post a comment on a blog that is associated with the email address you used to set up your gravatar acct, your very own gravatar will appear.

Some people get creative and use art or a cool pic as their gravatar… what will you do? After you get your gravatar you can comment on this post to see how your gravatar looks!

Thanks for stopping by! –Britta

I have been in business for myself {Britta burrus design} for a little over 4 years. And Justin & I acquired Red Rooster Trading Company about 6 months ago. I don’t claim to know it all, my motto is ‘live & learn’ and I don’t think I will ever ‘arrive’. But if there is one thing that I have learned it is that people appreciate customer service and it is a must for any successful business. When people can see the care that you put into your product(s) and/or services, the time you take to just chat or explain things {sometimes the old-fashion way, telephone } & go the extra mile to make things right it really pays off in the end.

Three things I have learned along the way… There are a lot more than three, but thought I’d keep it short & sweet!
Communication is key… I think, for the most part, people understand if you make a mistake or can’t get it done quite as quickly as you had hoped. But keeping the lines of communication open is important. If things are taking a little longer than expected let them know. Some days I am pretty good at this… then there are those other days.

Building a relationship takes time…It takes time to build a good relationship and sometimes the road is a bit bumpy, everyone has a different idea of what will work or communicates in different ways. But if you take the time to build relationships it is a win win for everyone. I have had several clients where the initial start wasn’t the easiest, but by being persistent, keeping the lines of communication open, being honest & listening to their needs/wants has given me some of my most favorite clients & projects!

Pricing… This is always the hardest part for me… I just want to help everyone, but I am in business and this is how I make a living. So I have had to learn {probably still learning, if I am being honest } how to price things. Know your product or service, be confident in your abilities, do a little research and see what others are charging in your field and when you set a price stick to it. But do be flexible… if it is not working you might want to take a step back and reevaluate.

I have thought about this a lot… with every new project I learn something new. One day I think I have been through it all and surprise!

Below are some pics of business cards I did for a client. The end product turned out beautifully… but it took a bit to get there. We used her amazing artwork for her logo, since she hand drew it I thought it would be so cool to have it printed on textured paper. So, that is what we initially did, well they turned out horribly. They looked like the printer was running out of ink. I ended up getting them reprinted on a different stock with a matte/dull finish. The turned out perfectly, showed off her artwork beautifully and most important, my client was happy. I am working on her website right now. She, her daughter & daughter in law have a part in the business. They make & sell jewelry, purses & clothing… they take vintage items and reinvent a piece whether it is a beautiful dress, throw or necklace. You will have to keep an eye on their site {www.shopagirlthing.com}as they will be selling their creations online soon! These girls have talent & an eye for fashion.

Thanks for stopping by!
–Britta

Today I took a little time to do some updating/marketing for my biz. Since I get to do all this for my clients my biz updates are somewhat lacking… I have a list of things I would love to do for Bb, but they get pushed to the bottom of the list… as my clients projects move to the top! I am so thankful for my awesome clients!

Anyway… I did get a few checked off the list this a.m….

ADD A FACEBOOK WELCOME PAGE:
I added a welcome page to the Bb facebook page… check it out here… {www.facebook.com/brittaburrusdesign} then just click on the ‘Welcome to…’ tab at the top of the Britta burrus design wall. You can find instructions on how to add your own business welcome page by clicking here…

ADD A FACEBOOK LIKE BUTTON TO THE Bb WEBSITE:
I added a facebook like button to the Bb website, check it out here… {www.brittaburrusdesign.com}. I put it under my coffee cup and Let’s get social links… All you have to do is click like to get social with Bb. You can find instructions on how to add a facebook like button to your site by clicking here…

FIND COOL SOCIAL ICONS TO ADD TO THE Bb WEBSITE : I have been on a continual search for cool social icons… and one day I stumbled, guess I should say googled, upon these, which I absolutely love!

You can find these cool icons by clicking here. Jan @ Dawghouse graphics built these and so generously shared them. You can try your hand at googling for cool social icons to find some that are right for you or You could even design or draw your own to be a custom fit.

Now off to work on my clients’ projects… thanks so much for stopping by. Hope your week goes well and you get some projects checked off on your to do list.
–Britta

I love hand.painted, hand.made signs! I found a treasure when I found Mike who still hand.paints & builds his signs. He was able to take a Bb design for The Willows Lakehouse in Downing, Missouri and create a work of art that will last for years to come. When I met Mike he told me that the majority of his customers will make many times more than what they will put into one of his signs. Sometimes we look at the initial cost and forget how long the sign {logo, website, business card design etc} will actually last. Especially if you hire someone who cares just as much about your business as you do and puts that into their work.

Signage is just as important as your logo, business card, website etc… when someone walks or drives by your shop you want that sign to reach out and grab them, draw them in. “Ohhh… that is a beautiful, cool, amazing sign, I need to see what else is inside.” Some of the shows on HGTV might call it curb appeal… if we don’t put much into the outside why would someone want to come in and check out the inside. Anyway… you get the idea.

See a couple pics of The Willows sign below… now, you cannot tell me that this sign does not make you want to know more about The Willows. And it definitely gives the feel of a Lakehouse Retreat. The secret is getting out about the Willows… your own private lake and lakehouse with a full kitchen all to yourselves… you gotta check it out. {www.thewillowslakehouse.com} For those of you that live in NEMO… it is perfect for a weekend getaway, think ‘save on gas’, amazing sunsets & rises, fishing on the lake and for those of you who need it they also offer a bigscreen with satellite, there really is something for everyone.

We also had Mike build a sign for the Red Rooster, all I can say about that one is WOW! … so come back soon for that post. And if you are interested in getting a quote for a hand.built, hand.painted sign give Bb a jingle {509.429.1989} or shoot me an email {design@brittaburrus.com}

Thanks for stopping by…
–Britta

You might imagine that Bb goes through a ton of ink and you would be right. I have two printers that I use, both HP. I have used a few different types of printers through the years and have been really happy with my hp printers. I use an all in one for copy, fax & standard printing… though it also prints my cards great, so I use it as a backup. Then for my main card printing I use a large format HP. For ink I go to hp.com … they reward loyal customers and shipping is FREE. On top of this I learned something new today… I googled ‘hp ink coupon code’ and found a coupon for $25 off of $125. I was so excited and just wanted to pass this Bb tip along. Keep checking back, cause I might just learn something else that I will be able to pass along.

Have a great week! — Britta

Get creative this year when you are thinking of Dad!! Check out these cool gift ideas and Happy Father’s Day!

As a designer when I look at a logo I always wonder how many steps it took them to get to the final. I am sure that others go about getting there in a different way than Bb design, but this is how it works around here. {As all designers will know, not every story goes quite this smoothly… sometimes it might take a few or several more steps to get to the end.}

Step 1. Initial meeting with client — in real life or virtual — get any ideas client might have, colors, style, what they want their logo to say about their business etc.
Step 2. Dream, pray & think about ideas. Seriously, praying for me is a big part of the story. After all God is so big and look at His creation… talk about a creative! His supply of creativity is limitless and He knows my client even better than I do! Ideas and concepts sometimes come at funny times, while I am supposed to be sleeping or while I am out on a run. I love this part of it!
Step 3. Research — see what’s out there for the client’s profession or business. How can we stand out from the crowd? Get outta the box, yet still remain professional & true to their profession or business.
Step 4. Concepts — Depending on the package we come up with 2-3 concepts for the client to choose from. This is always fun, cause I get to work with fonts, colors and the mark.
Step 5. Client chooses one or a mix of all the concepts and it is revision time.
Step 6. Present final logo to client & it’s time to use the new logo in all promotional materials!

Benefits of a custom Bb logo: a.} You will get what you want. b.} Each logo is a custom design. NO clip art here. c.} You are part of the team, it is important for Bb to get to know each client and from there build the logo they want & need. d.} Each logo is built as a vector-based file, so you will get all the file formats you need whether for a website, billboard, tshirt, business card, signage etc.

The latest logo project Bb got to work on was for the Scotland County Pharmacy. This is the story…

Client said he likes old time apothecary, blue, and mortar and pestle, but maybe the mortar and pestle was used too much? { Do you know how excited I was when I heard old time apothecary?? }

After the initial dreaming, praying & researching Bb presented 3 concepts to SC Pharmacy… and we mixed a couple of them to come up with the final logo. Even if other pharmacies are using a mortar & pestle as part of their logo I haven’t seen it used quite like this and we added an old time apothecary bottle to make it stand out that much more. One of the fun parts of building a custom logo is reinventing an idea. After all … there isn’t anything new under the sun, but it sure is fun trying to present it in a different way!

Check out the images of the initial concepts, final logo & business cards below… we were all very happy with the end result! What do you think?