I have been a design slob in the past. Call me a little bit sloppy, but I have often just not got around to putting the final polish on things, and my projects sometimes have that half done look about them.
The worst example of this has been when I have spent hours knitting a jersey, then never gotten around to sewing it up! That's just wrong!
It is also the case for my marketing material with my practice. Not so much that I don't finish things, but I have compromised on the quality, and used the various (and ridiculously cheap) online services like Fiverr to pretty up my stuff.
Getting mentoring from the uber design friendly Dr Jason Fox changed all that for me! Under his guidance, I engaged the brilliant Jaxzyn from Gold Coast to create my lead generation machine (you can see it on my book cover below). This machine has been responsible for taking my practice to another level, and is a key piece of my intellectual property.
I have continued to opt for Fiverr on an ad hoc basis, but it has always felt a little like I am copping out. So when I wanted to spruce up my book cover, I engaged the services of the delightful and local Chris Washer. He has immediately understood who I am, and created what I think is some amazing work for me; I have included two examples below;
Exhibit A - book cover before
Now I must confess when I got this completed by Fiverr in a rush to meet my self imposed deadline for having a copy of my book in my hand, I was quite excited!
But seriously, brown? Like someone commented, it looks more like 19th Century Lead Generation!
Exhibit B- book cover after
Look at the difference! Bright, fun and eye catching. I think the best thing about this is that I feel really proud of it.
This I think exudes quality, and brings some beautiful design elements into a topic, which let's face it, can sometimes be a bit dry.
Exhibit C - postcard before
The thing the really intrigues me about this version is the bubbles; what's going on with them?? This never saw the light of day, but maybe in the past I would have settled....
Exhibit D - postcard after
Voila! Look at this; professional, slick, and again something I will be proud to distribute.
Postcards are great; you can send them with say your book or white paper, but you can also use them instead of a business card.
I am very excited about how my branding is being positioned more powerfully now, and particularly of my book, which will be published in the next couple of weeks! Have a think about where design fits in your business or practice; I promise there is magic in it. And let me know if you want Chris' details!
