Td Blog

Are you a Facebook junkie? Are you a Tweeter? Can you even think of a time when you're not 100% connected to the virtual world  and sharing the things you do on a social and business level at least 1-2+ hours a day? Well, greetings to you all who answered YES to this growing phenomenon! You should be connected, at the very least from a business perspective to one if not two social media venues, and TD is going to tell you why!

Here are some stunning facts about how we spend our time online, and most importantly - the fact that people are searching for products and services your business has to offer RIGHT NOW on Facebook, Twitter & other popular Social Media sites as you read this article.

1. Females are some of the most active Social Networkers - It's true! Donan Research & Nielson released it's 2011 4th quarter report! 62% of all pageviews are women at the keyboard and mouse! Whethere it's a watch, interact or BUY, Social Media sites are the current most populated channels in which this information is gathered.
2. 23% of all time spent online is on Social Networks and Blogs - scary and true, and only 9% is dedicated toward gaming nowadays. Can you afford to not have a Business page on Facebook, Manta, Thumbtack, Twitter, LinkedIN and many others where people are looking for the information, products or services you have to offer?
3. Internet users spend more time on Facebook alone than any other website or Social Media Site. PERIOD. - I'd say that's a compelling enough reason to take the time to develop your own presence online or work with a company like TD to get your presence created online so you can market yourselves appropriately!
4. Active social media users are the most influential online - We see this all the time at TD; clients come to us and are already informed of much of what we do, due to our Facebook Business page, or our Twitter feed, or one of our many other sites we actively update with client testimonials, projects and more! Those potential clients found us online, and in the spirit of true guerilla warfare marketing, we were successful in being reached out to/ contacted by doing no more than what we do everyday - expand our influence online.

Hopefully this is some compelling information as to why your company should develop it's presence online with Social Networking sites. TD offers a number of packages where we can help you achieve just that too! We can setup your pages on your preferred social media sites, & even recommend ones that are more likely beneficial to your market & vertical. We can also add graphics, fitting to your company's look & feel, as well as do daily, weekly or even monthly updates as you see fit! Contact us today for a consultation and proposal to fit your Social Networking Media needs!

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Trendesigns is located in Bothell, Washington and has been in business for 3 years as a full-time graphic design, web design, branding, marketing & promotional sales company. We proudly serve clients throughout the country but specifically focus on the Eastside areas such as Bothell, Mill Creek, Kirkland, Redmond, & Bellevue areas.

This interview was from back in September, but frankly we think it's well worth the read. Amy Lauria is not only a client, but a friend with the same rabid, entrepreneurial fanaticism I suffer from as owner of TD. Amy approached me due to some of my recent support of some of her endeavors in the mid-west. Read on, and tell us what you think! (actual link to article can be seen here)

Written by, Amy Lauria, Owner, Spotlight Business Solutions

My good friend Brian Trendler owns and operates his own Design for print company called Trendesigns, located in Bothell, Washington. Trendesigns can do brochures (which are amazing, I speak from personal experience), websites, logo designs, and so much more! They really have a great handle on all things related to marketing and design for small to medium sized businesses. The great thing about the age of technology is that his reach is far beyond Bothell and the Seattle area. Their clients range in location from Washington State to New York. Their philosophy is that they can work anywhere in the world as long as there is an internet connection.

Aside from great graphic design skills, Brian has a personality that make you feel at ease. I asked him questions to better define the company in his own words.
What key words describe yourself and your business? "Dependable, professional, fun, caring, and thorough."

What inspired you to start your own company?  "I began my business the slow and tiresome way, freelancing for business for over 15 years, while maintaining day jobs to support my design habit. It was rewarding and non-stressful to merely build my portfolio and trust/word-of-mouth by clients. When a particular day job laid me off 3 years ago, I was able to never look back and simply go full-time as Trendesigns. (TD)

My inspiration has always been to help others where they can't. In this case, it's with a delivery... a look, a feel, a direction that best suits and represents the client from a logo all the way down to the type of branded pen they carry. With the advent of social media - it's also become more of a personal vehicle for folks, since it's so INSTANT and current; this allows us to quickly drive results for them. Their success is ours, 'nuff said."

Owning your own business, it can be hard to have down time, how do you balance work with relaxation? How do you keep motivated to try new things?  "Owning a business is hard, pure and simple. It's also the most rewarding experience I've ever taken on. The biggest issue IS downtime! Working from home is great to have a tax write-off for workspace, and to NOT have overhead costs that in turn get passed on to clients. Knowing when to say "enough" is most difficult. The key thing is, balance. I schedule time to make sure my family gets to see me, especially now that we have a 1-year old that demands attention! Weekends can be tough because sometimes clients are demanding, but overall, balance and workload/distribution comes in time (I'll get there some time). Motivation for me IS my family. I want them to have a good life, not one of excess, but just comfort. It's what I aspire to as well and that will be achieved by hard work, taking care of my clients and the rest will fall into place."

How would you pitch your business to a potential client looking for your services? "People appreciate being able to reach out to me and get ME on the phone and email. People appreciate our responsiveness via emails, our ability to furnish entire solutions from A to Z, instead of just giving a thumbdrive to a client, collecting money and walking away. The biggest thing I tell people is to look at and read our Testimonials page online FIRST. Anyone can create a shiny portfolio online... it's what people SAY about working with TD that earns us the business."

What makes you different from your competitors? "What sets TD aside from our competitors is our ability to provide total solutions. From Design4Print, Web, Branding, Promotional products, Marketing and more..., We PRIDE ourselves in either being able to furnish a solution to our clients or bringing resources to the table who can."

What is your favorite fortune cookie wisdom you can share with the readers? "I got a fortune cookie one time that said " look behind you " - after a full body shudder, I chose to take it as a reminder to always remember where I came from, what I've accomplished, and where I want to go..."

To find out more information about Trendesigns and their services go to:

www.trendesigns.com
www.CornMug.com
Facebook.com/trendesigns
Facebook.com/TDpromoproducts
Facebook.com/CornMug

Last Thursday, our phone rang. This, in itself isn't unusual, but the person on other end of the phone and his reason for calling was. Craig Hawkins, owner of EnviroShield, took the time to call us and let know that he was having difficulty setting up their Trade Show display at an event they were rushing to finish. I was puzzled, because I designed the display myself, knew how easy it was to setup and dismantle in under 20 minutes with just one person, so I couldn't figure out what was happening!

Craig's reason for the setting up issue was caused by so many OTHER VENDORS stopping by and asking him where he got his amazing display from! They were literally preventing him from finishing his limited window timeframe to get the entire booth put together. In my opinion, after designing, building & even helping set up over 200 trade show booths in my time, that's the BEST problem a company can have!

EnviroShield came to TD just over a year ago with a need to rebrand their company from the marketing and advertising perspective. We cleaned up their existing logo, enhanced the color, the background, and provided new and refreshed file formats friendly with any print-production house. We also took a look at their advertising trade-rag subscriptions and made sure all of those advertisements fit their new look, feel and direction. Their website had been up and running for a few years, but was difficult to access and had some compatiblity issues with browsers, etc., so we took it upon ourselves to bulid them a gorgeous Drupal-based CMS website, and trained them how to do all updates and edits when needed.

Most important to us was their presence out in public. Business cards, flyers, brochures, and soon; even their vehicles have the same consistent branded look that in every way possible leaves the impression that EnviroShield has been there! Their Trade Show booth, the mobile mounts for their Television & laptop, all the marketing materials were envisioned by TD, then produced & delivered to make sure they shine!

We're VERY thankful and incredibly happy to receive phone calls from excited clients over reactions they get when just setting up a booth, for what we're sure was a successful event for them. If YOUR company needs to stand out from its competition during events, trade shows or just everyday marketing & advertising, please consider giving TD an opportunity to serve!

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Trendesigns is located in Bothell, Washington and has been in business for 3 years as a full-time graphic design, web design, branding, marketing & promotional sales company. We proudly serve clients throughout the country but specifically focus on the Eastside areas such as Bothell, Mill Creek, Kirkland, Redmond, & Bellevue areas.

At TD, we pride ourselves with having the flexibility to do everything we can to make our services more appealing to small businesses. When a brand new company starts it's marketing checklist, or an existing company chooses it's new marketing direction, that list of "needs" can grow pretty quick in order to accomplish what is required; and those "needs" add up.

Most often, Graphic & Web design companies require a 50% downpayment in order to begin work, then a final 50% payment once the project is completed. While we normally require this of our clients when budgeting concerns aren't there, we often offer a payment plan on a monthly scale in order to make it easier, especially for a beginning business who's finances are restricted, to work with an entire team of professionals who have their back!

Example:  A local bakery needs a logo design, business cards, a A-Board, flyers, and a coupon to hand out to their first time clients. These items alone add up to $1500+- dollars (see our Price Guide)

Solution:  TD will take that lump-sum dollar amount and split it over the period of (3) months after intiial down payment of $375 is made. Following payments would be due at the 1st of each month, until the money owed is paid in full. We are not in the business of making things difficult for folks either, regarding payments. We don't charge interest month to month, and only would instigate a fee structure if payments weren't made. (2% of total money owed)

This payment solution has caused many clients to choose TD over our competition. Why would I write about our big secret, you ask? The answer is simply because it's no secret. For us, it's a standard business practice and we're proud to be able to offer payments to our clients to ease the burden of design & marketing costs.

Some items or services that TD offers do not fall under the payment plan option:

• Promotional Items  (see Tdpromoproducts.com)
• Print Production Services
• Web Design Services (unless otherwise negotiated)

We'd love to hear from any of you if you have experiences you'd like to share about either working with the TD team, or if you'd like to! Wnat to learn more about what we have to offer?, call or email us today!

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Trendesigns is located in Bothell, Washington and has been in business for 3 years as a full-time graphic design, web design, branding, marketing & promotional sales company. We proudly serve clients throughout the country but specifically focus on the Eastside areas such as Bothell, Mill Creek, Kirkland, Redmond, & Bellevue areas.

One of the hardest things small businesses have to do each year is come up with inviting and inticing promotions to help generate business. We've found that it always helps to not "re-create" the wheel, but to simply stick with what we're good at, which is SAVING small businesses money.

With this being said, here's our promotion that should leave a little room for extra stocking stuffers this holiday season! For the month of December, if your company, (or others you know, since referrals are always appreciated!) place any Promotional Product order with Trendesigns will receive the following:

• Up to (1) free set-up fee, valued at up to $50
• "Next Best Pricing!" - which translates to: promotional products have minimum orders, such as our CornMug products which have a minimum of 72 items to place an order. Well, the next best price break occurs at quantity 144 or more.. You would save an additional $0.10 per unit, which adds up quick in the long run!

Our special pricing offer and discounts will be valid ONLY for orders placed during the month of December. Proposals received during December must be placed before December 31, 2011 to be honored. Special pricing is valid for any Promotional Product sold by Trendesigns, or it's promotional products division, TDPromoProducts.

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Trendesigns is located in Bothell, Washington and has been in business for 3 years as a full-time graphic design, web design, branding, marketing & promotional sales company. We proudly serve clients throughout the country but specifically focus on the Eastside areas such as Bothell, Mill Creek, Kirkland, Redmond, & Bellevue areas.

Consumers are smart. Consumers are savvy and they drive the needs and wants of the marketplace every day. So here's the big question: Is your business savvy enough to be aware of what consumers are looking out for?

Over the past year, Trendesigns has experienced some exciting growth. Changes such as opening our entire Promotional Products division in the form of two parts. TdPromoProducts  came to be, and TD also expand into an existing market for 100% biodegradable corn-based products with CornMug.com. While now part of TD, the domain had been around for 6+ years, but it never created the traction necessary to penetrate the Green Movement the way it really could! Creating these new divisions has allowed us to stay on target with what our consumer base is asking for: more conscienscious production of paper-based goods or alternative plastic products!

Nowadays, it's becoming more important to make sure that your company chooses wisely it's materials from what a business card is printed on, to the materials used behind it's promotonal products! You can't be a green company and not use recycled paper, for instance! Nor would you want to use a promo item that didn't utilize at least a % of post-consumer waste as part of it's production!

Let's talk GREEN for a moment. Our CornMug line offers products that are available Wholesale, custom printed, 100% corn plastic, sustainable, biodegradable & petroleum free. What's so cool about Corn? Well, the planet will thank you, for one thing! Corn Mugs are made from an annually renewable resource using no petroleum as a raw material. A corn mug’s manufacturing process uses 68% less energy, produces 65% fewer carbon emissions and conserves water, making the Corn Mug a substantially greener option than a traditional plastic mug. Plus Corn Mugs are re-usable, which saves disposable coffee cups from their short and wasteful trip from production to disposal!

Promote your event, business, or organization with custom printed corn mugs made from 100% corn plastic. Corn Mugs are also a top selling green retail item in coffee shops, restaurants and school bookstores. The mugs are microwave safe and non-toxic and last for many years under normal use. In a composting facility however, a corn mug can completely degrade in as little as 90 days!

Minimum order for custom printed corn mugs are 72 or 144, depending on the style, and take an estimated 3 – 4 weeks to produce.

For more information on ordering, contact us here at TD today!

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN HIRING A GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Too often we spend our time initially with clients petting them and assuring them that we're not going to be like everyone else who has damaged them. Scarred their "once fun" marketing ideas, or worse, destroyed their website. It's time we tossed out a few facts that you can arm yourself with when approaching TD for your design, web, SEO or promotional products needs. (they're facts because we believe in them and make every effort to follow them!)

STATEMENT: You need to know what you want to accomplish with your project.

FACT: A good graphic designer takes the time to get information this important from a client. It’s vital to know who your audience is and what are the things that you want to accomplish with your completed project. Whether that is a logo, a brochure, website or Search Engine Marketing project - they all require these important questions to be addressed.

STATEMENT: You have to take the time to view a designer’s portfolio.

FACT: Anyone can upload some samples of work, but consider the diversity of a porfolio; are there logo designs, brochure designs, postcards, tri-folds and a wide range of samples that show the designer’s skill sets Also be wary of a web designer who simply does an occasional design4print... these are two different worlds and mediums completely! Verify that your choice in a designer can handle your needs.

Clients ask us almost every day, "My goodness, I don't know what I would like to stick my logo on!" When it comes to this dilemma, we've often thought at TD, (& TDPromoProducts, our promotional products division) that it's not just about what you're going to brand, but more how do you want to be seen and remembered by who receives the item.

Anyone can give pens away, or branded bags and post it pads; but if you're really looking for a way to maximize your investment in a promotional product for giveaways, occasional "leave behinds," or gift giving, then think about the meaning behind what you're having branded. Does it fit your marketing direction? Is it tied into a product or service you offer? Does it directly reflect your motto, quality of service or even vision?

This is where the fun begins! Our motto at TDpromoproducts is "If you can dream it, we can brand it," and with over 750,000 different products at our fingertips, we'll be happy to work with you to get the appropriate promotional product to fit your business in every way possible!

Some examples we've run across over the past few weeks in our business:

• A financial advisor looking for small kaleidoscopes for a gift - because he specializes in ways to get his clients to "look at their finances" differently!
• An architect firm purchased a series of high quality & robust 25' tape measurers to REALLY leave behind an impression that measures up!
• A carpet cleaner who's clientele is primarily female, so as an innovative reminder, we created & branded magnets with measurement conversions & safe cooking times on them!
• An environmentally conscious coffee house that's looking for not just cups for "in store" patrons, but 100% recyclable, 100% corn-based mugs to really leave an imprint! (or less of one, if you want to be literal about it!)

There are many exciting ways we can bring your business to market with promotional products, advertising & design. Contact us today if we can be of service!