Stephanie Fizer Illustration

Branding Your Business: Creating Packaging

It's been ever so long since I added a new post to the Business of Art section, but as I've been slowly working on additional branding for my little shop I thought I would share a few pointers. 

After a few months of working fulltime at my little business, it has occurred to me that branding isn't just a certain art style or technique-- it also includes the presentation of your work so in the case of my Etsy shop this includes shop banners, business cards, packaging and freebies.  

So here are a few tips on using those things to brand your business, these speak mostly to artist's but can easily be altered to fit most circumstances:  

-I personally find it difficult to stick with one design for more than a few months at a time so I've discovered that making some seasonal change works out for me.  Right now my banners, business cards and package enclosures feature my Snow Bunny illustration which ties in with our current wintery circumstances.  In a few months, I will switch to something with a springy theme instead.  

-Even if you don't maintain consistent imagery across all of your banners, cards and etc, at least keep a consistent font that is easily identifable as your own.  

-My initial concerns with branding were banners and business cards but I've discovered many other ways to present my name on items, these include:  

-address labels featuring my illustrations

-stickers of my illustration on all of my packages

-packaging cards for small items like keychains and sticker packs that have my name and url on them

-round stickers with my url to include on the cello bags that house my prints

-bookmarks with a sample of my illustrations and my urls, to be included with orders and given out in the place of business cards

-my signature block on my email which now contains both my shop address and my blog address for easy reference.  

Speaking of business cards, try to do something a little different with yours.  Most boring rectangle business cards have two fates:  1-the trash can or 2-the junk drawer, either way they probably aren't doing you much good.  But if you make them a tiny bit interesting they are bound to stick around with your customers.  Here are a few small, easy ideas that you can even print up from home:  

-Moo cards or a similar smallish type profile card, these are very cute and in my opinion more likely to be tacked up on the corkboard or stuck on the fridge for later reference.  Mine received a fantastic response.   

-Postcards with an illustration on one side and your shop information on the other.  Print these at home on a basic matte finish stock and they will still be lovely enough to frame, leaving a constant reminder of your work

-Bookmarks can also be printed on matte finish stock with an illustration on one side and your info on the other. Then every time your buyers open a book, they are reminded of you.  

-Or just stick with a basic business card add some pizazz by rounding the corners, adding scalloped edges.  Or just use a round punch and your printer to create sweet little 2 inch round business cards with your info on them.  

And finally, I know a lot of new sellers are curious about free items that other sellers include in their packages.  Let's face it, it is more fun to open a package with a bit extra, no matter how small it is so here are a few affordable ideas that I've had luck with:  

-stickers (check out a site like onlinelabels.com where you can purchase all sizes and shapes of labels to be printed into your very own sticker designs)

-bookmarks

-postcards

-mini prints, think 2.5 x 3.5 or smaller

-matchbook notepads with your illustrations on them

-tiny coupons for future discounts

Well that does it for me, do you have any additional branding or promotions ideas to share?  

Framing Tips

Over the last several months, as my little shop has grown, I've often been asked for framing tips and ideas.  Of course I'm always happy to share individual advice but I thought it might also be nice to include a few bits on framing here on the blog as well. 

First, in the New Year there will be a couple of different framing and mounting options available in the shop, mostly for the smaller prints and pieces.  I've been having a bit of a brainstorm over the small holiday break and have design some lovely mounting options.  

Until then here are a few of my basic tips and preferences for framing artwork and prints:  

-In most cases, simple is better so I tend to stick with white or black frames although sometimes a dark-stained wood is appropriate.  I also find that simply constructed frames show off the work itself a bit better.  

-That said, you can't beat a beauty vintage style frame so snatch them up if you see them.  Even if they are the wrong size, you can always have a custom mat cut at your local arts and crafts store.  

-If the work has dark tones in it, I usually choose a black or dark brown frame with a matching mat.  And if the work has light tones in it, I go with a white frame and mat.

-Most prints look best framed with a mat.  

-There are some lovely anti-frame hanging options as well, including a set of magnets that allow you to hang prints to your wall with no frame and no holes in the artwork.  Again, it's a good idea to check your local arts/crafts store for different options.  

Here are three examples of artwork I framed for friends/family during the holidays:  

I did a little something special for the print on the right, a gift to my boyfriend's mother.  Instead of matting this print, I mounted it on a piece of scrapbook paper that coordinated perfectly with the print.  Before mounting, I also used a round corner punch on all for corners to soften the effect.  I mounted it very carefully with a Martha Stewart roll on gel adhesive--it's acid free, sticks well and is the least messy glue I've found to date.  

I will be presenting some additional framing projects soon and will have some lovely mounted prints to share in the very near future as well :) 

Enjoy!

January Blog Giveaway

To view the Paper Goods section of my shop click here.  

Please note:  This post will remain sticky at the top of the blog for the next two weeks so be sure to scroll down just a tad to check out the new posts :)  

Enjoy! 

The Blog Move

So I'm sure you might be a tiny bit curious about the blog relocation.  This little blog has lived on Wordpress for about a year now and although Wordpress has been great, there are some small limitations that just bugged me to death.  So I up and moved everything over here to Typepad where I have more control over the layout and I've now parked my blog at my own domain so it's easy to remember.  

You'll nice a couple of things not working right now, mainly the Sketchbook link under the banner, but these will be available soon.  I have added a little Portfolio link as well with a little visual summary of my work. 

You will also notice off to the right a bit of my Etsy shop is currently displayed so you can click directly on items to go to my shop.  And I've also got a little Etsy glimpse of my favorite items a bit further down.  These are things that I couldn't do on Wordpress, can you believe it?  

Anyways, I'll be tweaking a bit here and here but overall I'm much happier with the new blog home.  

enjoy!

ps-There will be a new blog giveaway posted on Monday!  

Hoping Your Holidays Were Lovely!

Hi all!  I hope your holidays were just the loveliest, I know mine were. I got some wonderful gifts and gave some wonderful gifts--I pride myself on being a master at gift-giving so holidays and birthdays always thrill me.  In the end, everyone was happy, stuffed and pretty tired so we are taking it easy today except for a few short errands.  

Honestly, I've had my nose glued to a new Mah Jong game the boyfriend got for my DS.  I'm a total puzzle addict: Mah Jong, suduko, crosswords, any sort of puzzle game and I'm in!  

I did add two new tiny prints to the shop today AND a new flat notecard set that I just adore: 

You can also take advantage of Free Shipping on everything in the shop through this weekend, so enjoy! 

  

 

 

Does it REALLY have to be this cold?

Last night, I sat up listening to the wind howling outside for quite awhile.  I'm one of those irritating people who needs complete silence to sleep, so the slightest changes in my night time sounds and it takes me hours to fall asleep.  I usually combat it by reading until I literally can't see the words anymore, but last night that technique failed me.  

Probably because I knew the icky winds were bringing so very cold weather, my arch nemesis.  And sure enough, I woke up at 7am this morning to discover that a) my welcome mat had been blown not just off my front steps, but off my block because it's no where to be seen and b) it was 10 degrees outside :( 

Lucky for me, I don't have to leave the house today so I'll be staying as warm as I possibly can in this beautiful but drafty apartment, working on some personal illustration projects and preparing a bit of new work for the shop.  

Indeed, it's so cold I considered spending the day like Snuggle Kitty here:  

But alas, the lure of chocolate pancakes, hot tea and several paintings to be given as Christmas gifts that have yet to be started dragged me out of bed today.  

In a fun sort of surprise, I got a tiny package from Momiji this morning that I had actually forgotten about.  Among other things it contained this super cute box o' stickers:  

The box contains 50 stickers of some of the Momiji dolls and other cute characters:  

There are also a few stickers with cute sayings and some hilarious English translations, but this one is my favorite by far:  

I'm not quite sure how pirates and koalas are related, but I do love this sticker, it just cracks me up!  Now I have to find the place of honor to stick it!  

Getting all of these sweet little stickers just reminds of those awesome sticker books we used to keep in elementary school to show off our very best stickers, I wish I still had mine, but alas my minimalist philosophy always takes over and I end up throwing everything out if I don't "need" it.  Maybe I should revamp my definition of need, right? 

I will be absent from blogland for the rest of the week, visiting with family and working on new illustrations.  I will still be shipping orders this week though and I will be returning to the blog next week with a New Year's surprise--a free download even ;)  

So whatever you celebrate, Happy Holidays!

Favorite Things: Illustrations

I'm a bit short on time today because of last minute Christmas shipping wrap-ups but I've compiled a short list of new favorite illustrators that I've discovered:  

Bear.  It's Cold.  A 5 x 7 print from hamburgerpanda.  I discovered this lovely on the Decor8 blog a few weeks ago and have been dreaming of it ever since.    

The Snow Fairies postcard from ollerina.  I followed Ollerina for quite awhile on Flickr before I discovered her Etsy shop.  She somehow blends a vintage sensibility with a Manga style and it is just beautiful!  I can't wait to add these to my collection.  

Pip and Stanley, an original painting by ScarlettCat whose work I have adored for ages.  And what little water-dwelling girl wouldn't want such a cute octopus for a pet???

Striped Socks by jenoaks.   She's right, striped socks are just about the best thing ever!  

Hello Hello, a digital print from naokosstoop.  This is definitely on my post-holiday purchasing list!  

And now I'm off to finish the holiday wrap-up before a taking a couple of days off :)  

 

Lesson Learned :)

Wow, what a crazy whirlwind of a week it has been!  I sorely underestimated the last minute Christmas rush and found myself woefully unprepared for all the printing, packaging and shipping I did this week.  My fingers are absolutely sore from putting items in their little cello bags!  Next year I vow to be much more organized and prepared with stacks of prints, notecards and stickers at the ready.  

I can't even tell you how much my local postal works dislike me now.  I've been to the post office every day this week, each time bearing quite a load of packages to be shipped off to new homes before Christmas.  Oh well, I hope to surprise them next week and hopefully finally win them over with gifts of cookies and candy!  

And of course in the middle of all this Christmas ordering rush, my computer and printer both decided to behave very badly.  I actually spent a large part of Tuesday just fixing things and trying not to scream :)  

But it's mostly over now.  I did the last of my post officing this morning so any orders placed after today won't be arriving in time for Christmas unless you contact me first to arrange for expedited delivery.  Now I've just got to finish up some last minute gift shopping and wrapping for my family and it will be time for a few days respite from it all!  

Alice in Wonderland Notecards. . .

. . .are back in the shop:

They are now available in sets of 5.  Each card measures 3.5 x 5 inches and comes with Krafty brown envelopes.  Enjoy!

Not Leaving the House Today

Are you kidding?  The world outside is cold, windy and crusted with snow and ice so I certainly won't be venturing out today :)   I did have a tiny, cozy little breakfast first thing this a.m:  

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and Green Tea, breakfast of fantastic people ;)  I had a strange urge to bake yesterday--not real baking because although I'm a good cook, baking is not one of my talents, but I can bake up some frozen cookie dough like no one's business!  And that mug is a favorite thing of mine, it's a gift from my grandmother from a few years ago and I drink my tea out of it every morning.  

I did venture out in the cold for a few minutes to put a final layer of fixative on this new bit of cuteness:  

Cute right?  You can purchase her here.

And I've also added a new batch of Kokeshi Doll Stickers to the shop this morning.  

And the rest of the day will be spent working on new goodies for the shop:  

-a new version of Alice in Wonderland notecards

-Spring Owl, Summer Owl and Autumn Owl card packs

-a new Kokeshi Doll notecard design

-a sweet new square business card design that I'm working on for enclosing in packages

-and sweet new stickers with print care instructions to adorn the sleeves my prints go into.  

So many things, so little time ;)