the Bb blog.

If you have been waiting for Oakwood Industries Annual Seconds Sale you don’t have much longer…and if you plan on going to their sale you might want to get their early.

Check out the postcard Bb had the opportunity to design for them announcing it this Saturday! And once again we got to use the amazing pics from photographer extraordinaire, vagabond.

If you need to announce an event, sale etc. a custom postcard is a cost effective way to do that. Call or email to get started… 660.883.5523 design@brittaburrus.com

Recently I had the opportunity to work with Dayna, she was interested in an ad design for a newsletter put out in their community in Austin, TX. Cool beans! I love that technology allows me to have clients all over. And of course I always wonder ‘how did you hear about me?’… well she is a friend of vagabond {www.vagabondstyle.com}. Word of mouth is still one of the best ways to grow a business.

Anyway… she is a realtor in Austin and wanted her ad to stand out from the crowd, but provide enough info for those looking to buy, sell or lease homes. She provided info that she wanted to include and an amazing pic of a home she has sold. I had the pleasure to design & layout and I found this cool pic of an old-time fireman’s hat to use in a section to highlight an incentive for firemen only.

If you are looking to buy, sell or lease a home in the Austin area… I would say Dayna is the lady to contact. Check out the ad below. And if you are in need of ad design {print or web} I would love to hear from you. design@brittaburrus.com or 509.429.1989

Thanks for stopping by!

Bb design had the privilege to work with rebecca michaels of violet love. We worked on past business cards and a label for her trendy, chic legwear. This was a while ago and as all designers know… sometimes you don’t always get to see the finished, printed project. Well, recently rebecca sent me some samplings of her headbands & legwear. Thank you, rebecca!!

What fun… if you are wanting to jazz up your wardrobe a bit with comfortable, yet oh so cool headbands and legwear, check out her site www.violetloveheadbands.com

It is finally here! The Memphis {Missouri} Area Chamber of Commerce (MACC) website! I met with the chamber in the spring to talk about what they need in a website. We kept it simple to start out with and can add more later as they grow and see what is needed. That is a good thing about website design, as long as you have a good foundation it is easy to add more later–whether it is more pages or a special feature (i.e. blog, photo gallery, calendar etc.). I also designed the logo used in the website. It will be a fun one to use on other promotional materials too.

If you are a small business owner and in the Memphis, Missouri area you should consider becoming a member. MACC encourages economical growth in the area and is a big supporter of small business. There are some great benefits as well… not only will you have an online presence, but if you already have a website you receive a link from MACCs site to yours.

{Bb secret: links coming into your site are a great way to promote search engine rank. How to get links into your site: join your local chamber , trade links with other local businesses, use google to find other places that pertain to your biz that you can join and get a listing, these are just a few ways…}

Check out the site {www.memphismochamber.com} to see how you can become a member and to see all the good things going on.  MACC not only encourages local business, but they do a lot to reach out and offer ‘family friendly’ events in the community.  Don’t tell too many people, but Memphis, Missouri is a great place to live. And keep checking back for new additions… this is only the beginning!

This guy can build some amazing cabinets. It was so much fun to design a site to show off Bob Gibson’s (my dad!) amazing cabinets. He has the creativity that makes your kitchen (or whatever project) stand out from the crowd & gives you the kitchen of your dreams. He uses all wood construction and the best hardware, so that your drawers & doors not only work well, pull out smoothly, but last! And really! Do you understand that this is art?! Wow… check out some of DMC’s kitchens. I would think that you might just want to live in the kitchen Dove Mountain Cabinetry designs & builds for you!

I am so excited to say that I will be having DMC build my kitchen cabinets very soon! Check out their site to see some of the kitchens DMC has gotten to design & build! {www.dovemountaincabinetry.com} And don’t hesitate to call (509-923-2949) or email to get the kitchen, bathroom, entertainment center … that you have only been able to imagine til now!

This was an easy one. Not only did i have one of the cutest babies ever but i also had vagabond (mom) taking the pics. All this made my job pretty easy. I got to do the shower invites as well and pulled some of the theme – zoo animals – into the announcement, notice the giraffe on the vellum overlay. Check out these custom baby announcements below. And if you (or someone you know) is interested in custom baby announcements give me a jingle (660) 883-5523 or email and i would love to discuss your ideas and give you a FREE estimate.

Melodie Ross has been singing since she was just a small girl. She is ready to start marketing herself & contacted Bb design for help in designing a bio package to help promote her music.

With all the high gloss, mass produced marketing materials… it is fun to have the opportunity to get even more creative & help my clients stand out from the crowd. These are my favorite kinds of projects… not only do I get to design but I get to play with different kinds of packaging, paper, colors, labels…Fun times!  Check out the images below to see what we came up with… I know you want to hear her sing!

Not only does Melodie have an amazing voice, she also writes her own music. She describes her own style as a funky, jazzy, pop/soul/R&B sound. Fans enjoy her soulful voice that ranges from sweet to powerful. We will work on her website next, until then visit her on myspace to hear her music. {www.myspace.com/melodiedawnsmusic}

“Early on, she decided there was nothing sweeter—and that includes fresh fruit from the family orchard, double-dipped in raw honey, snuck from the 10 pound honey bucket. No, she was hooked on those sugary tones pouring off her parent’s vinyls.”  – Excerpt from Melodie’s bio.

Britta burrus design is working with Oakwood Industries, LLC on some of their marketing materials. They were in need of a fresh catalog and realized that with all their NEW furniture they would be needing images. Native to Memphis, MO, Amanda Pulley with vagabond photography was the photographer of choice. Not only does she have a great eye for detail and cool shots, she also has the skill set to work in different settings with a variety of lighting. What a fun & crazy week we had! It was our privilege to work with the Oakwood team.

Our mission: Stage 17 different sets {dining room, living room & office} and get that shot! for each furniture collection & take a single shot of each piece of furniture that Oakwood Industries offers to be used in their upcoming catalog, website & various marketing materials.

Day One: My house was the place to be on Monday of the photoshoot. The Oakwood truck showed up bright and early full of all the furniture to be staged & shot! My newly-remodeled living room was cleared out and ready to be set up! We staged a bedroom and 4 dining sets in this room. My main living room was used for an office & living room set. Each stage looked so amazing that I didn’t want them to take anything away! All day, the Oakwood guys moved furniture in and out & switched out rooms while Amanda & I staged each ‘room’.  I am sure my neighbors were wondering what I was going to do with all the furniture that was lined up on my front porch and in the driveway. It was a blast, but were we all worn out after that day only to start over the next morning.

Day Two: On Tuesday morning I met Amanda at the Dave & Melinda Burrus residence where we were quick to start moving things out of the way for the arrival of our next lineup. Once the truck arrived we were hustling through the day. We staged six dining rooms, a living room & two bedrooms in several of the Burrus rooms and even one outside using their beautiful view as a backdrop. We also had fun shooting some different ways of using their furniture. Look soon for their new catalog!

Day Three: With most of the staged shots out of the way we headed to the warehouse on day three where we went through about half of the pieces of furniture. The Oakwood team was there to move the furniture through as Amanda shot each piece. After we finished up at the warehouse we decided it was a perfect evening to set up one of Oakwood’s signature sets. Their reunion table looked beautiful in the setting sun as we staged it for a wedding dinner. What fun! I know those who drove by wondered why they weren’t invited. It was hard to put it all away after the photos were taken, seemed like we needed to have a party and enjoy the evening even more.

Day Four & Five: We finished up the single shots at the warehouse these last two days. As always the Oakwood team was there to move furniture through as we directed and took photos.

Details: A lot of prep work & thought had gone into the scheduling, gathering props & figuring out where each line would be shown off best before & during the shoot! Both Amanda & I had prayed that God would help us and take care of the details, as with such a huge project something is bound to be forgotten or overlooked. Let me tell you, He definitely did just that, we are so thankful! We were also blessed to have some great resources and generous people. A friend of Amanda’s shared his lighting for the warehouse shots, Aunt Vicky was excited to let us use some of her amazing ‘props’ & the Burrus’ were so kind to let us tear apart their house for a day! I cannot tell you how much fun it was to work with Oakwood. They are very gracious & such hard workers. Everyone thought it was perfect to have the designer working with the photographer, that way we could discuss what kind of shots were desired for each of the different projects! With all the preparation, prayers & such amazing people I would say our Photoshoot was a huge success! Whew! What a week! I think that each of us was worn out and Amanda did all this all the while being 8 months pregnant.

Check out some of the sneak peeks and look soon for Oakwood Industries new catalog. If you haven’t already, stop by their showroom on HWY 36 in Memphis, Missouri. They have come out with some new collections that you are sure to fall in love with. And don’t let their name fool you, they are much more than oak… now offering Cherry, Maple and more with a variety of modern finishes and lines! The quality, new & classic finishes & their amazing customer service is a mix that will keep you coming back & spreading the word.

This past weekend I had the pleasure of throwing a baby shower for my sister-in-law at the Willows Lakehouse. It was the perfect location. Not only did it accomodate all the adults, there was plenty of room indoors & out to entertain the children that attended. Check out their website, it may be the perfect spot for your next family reunion, vacation, business event, wedding &/or reception. We live about a half hour from the Willows & it is a perfect weekend getaway… Not too far away, yet you have the entire lakehouse, not to mention the lake to yourselves! It is a steal of a deal!
{www.willowslakehouse.com}

View from the Willows Lakehouse at sunset! Amazing!

Back to the baby shower! Amanda decided on a ‘zoo’ theme…
I found some great images of a giraffe, hippo & elephant. I stylized the images then used them as inspiration for all the details. I designed the invite to be flat & fit in a #10 biz envelope using a cool giraffe for the main focus. I also designed labels for the kraft brown envelopes & a registry card featuring a handsome blue hippo. The registry card was wrapped nicely in a tiny vellum envelope using a spiral paperclip to attach it. See pics below…

Baby Shower Tips…
1. Use a piece of string as a clothesline and hang up your ‘gifts’ for fun decor. (i.e. onesie, socks, stuffed animals etc)
2. I searched the internet for baby shower mad libs and found a great one that we just modified to fit our mommy to be. It was great fun!
3. Save your address list for the Mommy to be to have for her Thank yous.
4. Thank you notecards make a great gift!

If you are interested in the baby zoo! theme by Britta burrus design for your next baby shower feel free to call (509) 429-1989 or email for pricing.

zoo baby invites! by Britta burrus design.

drink table

details... i designed labels for tiny water bottles

details... i also had favor bags for each guest with goodies inside.

Mmm... finger foods & a delicious cheesecake made by Jamie.

baby clothes on a line... doubles as decor & perfect little gifts!

zoo baby thank yous! by Britta burrus design.

Beautiful & Delicious Chocolate Cake by Gabbitas Gourmet

Happy mommy to be (far right) & friends!

Do your website visitors STAY or CLICK AWAY? One of the most important pieces of your marketing package is the website. This is where most of the world will go to find out more about your business. Who you are, what you do, references & how seriously you take your business. You can use your print materials to give a taste of what your business is about and entice the potential client to check out your website where they will get the full meal deal.

Even though you want to give more details about your business through your website you don’t want to bore your visitors with too much. Keep it short, sweet and to the point. And always remember that a picture really does say a thousand words. (I may have to dedicate an entire blog about the importance of imagery. It is great to meet a client who realizes the importance of their images and who is willing to invest in that part of their package. )

The initial cost of a website is what catches people off guard. But keep in mind that once the professional, branded website for most businesses is up it will last quite a while with only minor updates to think about. Your business website is not the area to cut your marketing cost. The whole world has the potential to see it and you want them to know how seriously you take your business & that you will also take their potential business seriously.  I have heard over and over again from different folks that if they come across a site that is mostly text and not just that, but very ‘homemade’ they just leave right away, thinking that whoever put the site up is not trustworthy & they don’t take their business seriously.

That being said… I would love to hear your comments or experiences with different websites. What do you appreciate in a business website you are visiting and what makes you  STAY and want more or CLICK AWAY to a different site?

Check out the Bb portfolio {www.brittaburrus.com/port.html} of websites & more.  The goal of Britta burrus design is for their clients’ sites  to stand out from the crowd, be user-friendly, easy to find what the visitors are looking for and brand! brand! brand! their business. 

If you (or someone you know) are in need of a website, whether for your business or even a personal site, feel free to call (509) 429-1989 or email with questions or to get started!

Come back soon & I will share some secrets on how to tell if the visitors of your website STAY or CLICK AWAY!

MORE blogs about the importance of each marketing piece…
{the logo} {the business card} {the letterhead}