We constantly tout how important it is to communicate from the first point of contact until a project wraps. We've heard enough client horror stories about their previous design firm and how they never can get a hold of them (which by the way we don't understand at all).

So making sure we're there always and attainable is huge for our design firm. Without strong communique a project never gets done (or at least on time to hit a deadline). If early stage interaction starts with unhealthy communication on either ... Continue Reading

About 36 hours before hosting a holiday party for almost 40 people from my business group Million Dollar Ladies, my hot water heater sprang a leak — of course, perfect timing right? When your hot water heater leaks there's no patching it up, you have to do a complete replacement.

Luckily, one of the members of the group is the owner of a plumbing company that does superior work and was someone I trusted. So I called them and they came to my rescue replacing the unit in a just a ... Continue Reading

There are many warning signs when it comes to spotting a rogue design firm.

We've heard of horror story after horror story and stepping back to take it all in there are a few commonalities that seem to come up more often than not.

Below are some key red flag indicators to help you realize if you've been or are in the process of being punk'd by your current design firm.

MIA

Your design firm all of the sudden has gone missing in action right in the middle or within the final stretch ... Continue Reading

Designing "just because" is no way to develop solid design. If you are a designer or someone in the business you already know this.

There are times though when clients are adamant about something that has to be in the design, not necessarily for a good reason, just because they like the "idea" of it, not because it has any real meaning or validity. This will often put a wrench in the creativity process but it's something everyone of us has had to deal with from time to time.

Consultation throughout the project ... Continue Reading

Ok so it's really called drip marketing, I also refer to it as "overtising." We've found that a lot of companies are actually overdoing eMarketing efforts to the point where it becomes annoying to the end user.

Personally, we believe once a week to your customer base is excessive (Godiva are you listening?), every two weeks is doible.

We like to send our eMarketing out quarterly or occasionally if we just want to put out an additional touch out to them we'll create a unique piece certain times throughout the year ... Continue Reading

So you did it, you thought by not marketing your company on the web or with traditional marketing collateral that you'd save huge bucks. You probably did. How much did you lose though because your name wasn't out there or you didn't polish your current marketing pieces up taking advantage of the economic situation? In most cases you'll have to work harder to get that same sale that was approved last year in a third of the time, fine.

Hitting the pavement to drum up business requires more than a ... Continue Reading

The short answer is no. No they can't. If they want something of yours they can get it or know someone that can.

This comes up quite often actually with our clients and we tell them the same thing. Sure there are deterrents which I'll describe below however that's all they are.

Here's a great story for you:

After a year or so telling our client that you can't lock down your photos so no one steals them, they came to me one day and said: "Rob, I know you said ... Continue Reading

We couldn't be more excited. Today we were contacted again by LogoLounge with some great news. Apparently LogoLounge is going to be publishing a series of niched Logo Master Library books in addition to their annual book of logo designs and their inaugural book is coming out Fall 2009. Two of our logos made the cut one for a custom jeans manufacturer called iD™ and the other called Cole Cober a luxury brand. You can view both winning logos below. You can also view our entire logo portfolio here.

There's ... Continue Reading

It’s fitting that this blog entry comes in December, the month when stores and homes are decorated with extra lights, garlands, and all kinds of shiny decorative objects. It’s a time when we put more glitter into our surroundings. Adding glitter in the form of great design is what Effusion Creative Solutions is all about. We call it making things look pretty with a purpose, and it’s a philosophy that started at an early age for our founder, Robert Pfeifer.

Apparently, when he was young he was in a boys group ... Continue Reading

If you knew me, you would know I’m a Food Network junkie. I also tend to collect cookbooks, which I often read like novels. My latest one is The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, one of Ina Garten’s from the late 1990’s. In it, she repeatedly advises to use the best ingredients you possibly can.

At Effusion we decided that the best way to provide the best services to our clients was to specialize in design (which is all done in-house) and partner with “specialists” in other areas on an as ... Continue Reading