Vale Design : Freelance Package Design & Branding

Logo Lounge

If you are a graphic designer, than you are probably familiar with LogoLounge. This site is a great way to stay current with what your peers have been working on, research for new logo projects and to showcase your own logos. I have always flirted with the idea of joining, but for some reason I never have. Recently, a respected designer mentioned to me that she has been very happy with her membership. Then, someone else mentioned to me on Twitter that I should submit the finch&hawk logo for their book, "The Best of LogoLounge 6." Ok, twice in one week. I did some research. 

It is only $100 for an annual membership and all logos submitted before February 15, 2010 are automatically considered for Book 6. I joined and I will be uploading all of my freelance logos very soon.

{image credit LogoLounge}  

Guest post on Inspired Bride

Hello everyone. Today you can find my guest post over on Inspired Bride. Maddy asked a couple of us to help out this week while she and Kristen of Paper Crave wrap up final details for the launch of Nonpareil. I wish Maddy's site was around when I got married nine years ago. So much great information!

I want to thank Jill at Westwood Paper for agreeing to let me interview her. Thanks lady! Much love!

{image credit Inspired Bride}

Bakery online business course

One of my goals of 2010 was to focus more on the "business" side of my companies, Vale Design and finch&hawk. The creative side comes easily and I am always interested in learning and educating myself more on the business aspects. As a result, you will be seeing more design business oriented posts this year. What I learn, I will be happy to pass on. Give and give back!

I recently signed up for Bakery's Half Dozen online business course. This is a 6 week online course provided by the company Bakery {run by the Erin and Jaime, the geniuses behind Design for Mankind and Design Milk}. The seats are limited and a bit pricey, but I am guessing it is going to be well worth it. You can sign up online and pay via PayPal. The course runs from February 1st through March 12th. Topics included are: Business Plans, Marketing Plans, Media and Press Kits, Public Relations, Advertising and Social Networking. They will be providing multiple template downloads, tips, media etiquette and interviews with top bloggers. By the end, they state you should have enough information for your own Bakery Half Dozen course binder. I am really looking forward to utilizing all their knowledge and experience. Thanks ladies. This is perfect timing!

{image credit Bakery}

New product: VALEntine Heart Favor Box printable

  
Introducing the Printable DIY Favor Box - VALEntineHeart. {Get it?! VALEntine?!} Available in light and dark pink as shown above. Please indicate color choice in MESSAGE TO SENDER section. These would be perfect as gifts to your kids, gifts for your kids to bring to school for the class or just for that special someone in your life. My husband will definitely be getting one filled with his favorite candy treats.

 **UPDATE** We just had our THIRD print run of the FreakinToDo list notepads. Definitely our best seller. Thank you everyone for making them a success! Looks like you all are very busy! :)

Vale Design Work: Logstar Logistics

I am very excited to share some of my latest freelance work with you. Logstar is a Chicago based logistics and transportation company. I worked on logo development and business card layouts for them. The cards were press printed double-sided on 110lb Solar White. Logstar was a great client to work with and I wish them all the best! 

Sorry about no post yesterday. I was feeling a bit under the weather. I am feeling much better today. Thank you to everyone for your well wishes. To everyone at Alt, have fun! See you all back here on Monday!

DigginFood featuring Vale Design DIY seed packets

One of the Vale Design DIY seed packet projects was featured on DigginFood yesterday! DigginFood is a gardening, food and DIY project blog run by Willi Galloway, West Coast Editor of Organic Gardening magazine and Garden Expert on eHow.com. You can also catch Willi on Twitter.

This is definitely one of my favorite DIY projects that I have created so far. The possibilities are endless. This would also be a great project for Valentine's Day. There are so many beautiful themed patterned papers out there. I have to schedule a Hobby Lobby trip very soon!

Please visit the original post for seed packet downloads. Thanks Willi!

Introducing finch&hawk paper goods

  
I am so excited to announce that the Vale Design Paper Goods shop is now finch&hawk paper goods! Same great unique packaging printables, paper goods and customer service as before!

Ever since I decided to open an online shop, I have been searching for that perfect name, something that would reflect me in just a couple of words and stand out in the stationery field. One day while driving, looking for hawks up in the trees, {a favorite past time of mine} it came to me! Why not combine my two favorite birds?! These two birds hold a special place in my heart and family and friends always associate them with me. It just made sense.

I designed the logo about a month ago and have been waiting for the trademark and registration to go through. Thank you all for your previous support of the Vale Design shop and we look forward to seeing you over at finch&hawk! Here are a couple of new products and there will be more coming soon!

  
Introducing the Printable DIY Gable Box - Scroll - Customizable Colors

  
We will now be offering the PainInTheGroceries list notepad as a SINGLE offering as well as the 2 PACK. Please read the listings carefully! 

**ps I will be leaving the Vale Design shop on vacation mode so you will be able to read customer feedback.

Blog Love: Farm Fresh Creative

There are logos and then there are great logos. If you are a lover of design, logos and branding like myself, then you must check out Northern California designer Cathe Holden's Farm Fresh Creative. This site shows some of her latest work and work in progress. Her logos and typography are clean and clever. You can check out her full portfolio here. ps Somehow along with creating these stunning logos, she manages to be the wife of a fireman and a stay-at-home mother of three! {I am always in awe of women who can juggle being a mother, designer and business owner. I am not a mom and I can barely handle my husband, small dog and two businesses!} 

You may also be familiar with Cathe's other site, Just Something I Made. This site is a plethora of DIY tutorials, vintage design items, and design resources. You can also check out her new offering of custom vintage monograms.

{image credits Farm Fresh Creative and Just Something I Made} 

Nonpareil Online Magazine

I am so excited for this project to launch! Two of my friends, Maddy from Inspired Bride and Kristen from Paper Crave, are collaborating on an online wedding magazine titled Nonpareil. These two talented ladies/bloggers have beautiful and informative sites respectively and I can not wait to see what happens when the two of them put their heads together! 

From Paper Crave "As Maddy has said, “Nonpareil is not just another wedding magazine with pretty imagery.” Yes, there will be plenty of gorgeous pictures for you to pore over (yay!), but our goal is to be a trusted friend and advisor as you’re planning your wedding or special event. We’ll be focusing on inspirational craft and do it yourself projects and tips and tricks that you can translate and customize for your special day, regardless of your budget or skill level." 

Make sure you are first in the know by signing up for their mailing list here and follow them on Twitter. Good luck ladies!  Happy Friday everyone. See you back here on Monday!

{image credits Nonpareil}

Rifle Business Series

While wandering around the internet the other day, I was excited to read on designer Anna Bond's site Rifle, that she will be writing a series of posts entitled Business Series in January. I am interested to read her advice, tips and personal experiences, both positive and negative, in the design business field. Any helpful information from peers is always appreciated. Thanks Anna!

{image credits Rifle}

2010 Business Goals + DIY printable

This post is a bit overdue, but better late than never. I have some big goals for my freelance company as well as my online shop for 2010. Here goes: 

ETSY SHOP - 1. Big announcement soon. 2. Include new products, packaging printables, notepad designs plus a brand new product line, within the next couple of months. 3. Work toward having some of my products carried in online retail shops and maybe even brick n' mortar. 4. My products featured in a national magazine this year. {Last year I missed out on InStyle due to timing. Fingers crossed for this year! They were so nice!}

VALE DESIGN {freelance} - 1. I would love to pick up a couple of new freelance clients this year, packaging or print. I have been so fortunate to have worked with amazing clients the past four years and I am looking forward to meeting a couple more. 2. Continue with business organization, growth, new business plans, and streamlining. 3. Learn new techniques and push myself creatively for each client. 4. Network and meet new designers and clients via my site, Twitter or Linkedin. 5. Launch site re-design in the next couple of months.

IDEA FOLDER - I have this idea folder on my desk that is filled with post-its and shreds of paper with ideas on them that tend to pile up on my desk or in my car {where I get most of my ideas!}. There are some interesting ideas in there that I would like to work through.

SECRET PROJECT - This is the goal I am the most excited about. I have been taking my time with it due to massive amounts of research it requires and designing a new logo and website. This may sound crazy, but I have always wondered why I was given this creative gift and I finally think I may have found the reason.

Now, because I am a firm believer in letting others hear and help you toward your goals, I am also including a free DIY printable with this post! Just download the A6 fill-in invitation and rsvp card PDF, print onto cardstock, trim and have a party! Dream big and have a grand time while doing it. It is astounding to me what is possible when you step past fear and have the courage to vocalize your dreams and goals. I have also noticed how much sweeter it is to have a friend along for the ride!

Download RidiculousGoalInvitation here.

 COMMON SENSE RULE: For personal use only. Not for commercial use.   ©erinvaledesign.com

Blog Love: Esty Storque

In early 2009, I opened an Etsy shop, Vale Design Paper Goods. I currently offer packaging and paper good printables and two notepads designs. I walked the brick n' mortar and online retail markets to research similar offerings and product pricing before I opened my shop. I wanted to have fair prices, be competitive and offer unique products that I am passionate about.

It has been a bit of an adjustment to switch from my "service" based freelance design business to a "product" based business. So many new things to take into consideration, taxes, wholesale certificates, etc. I was very happy to stumble onto the Etsy Storque site. It is a plethora of information for online retail business owners and definitely worth a bookmark. 

I focus mainly on the How-To section, subcategory, Selling. There are helpful tips from selling 101, packaging suggestions, pricing and advertising. I really like the Quit Your Day Job section which is focused on owners who have been successful with their Etsy stores and have been able to translate that into a steady income. I love to read their different approaches and techniques.

I have some big goals for my Etsy shop and products in 2010 which I will share tomorrow {along with a free printable} in my business goals post. Thank you to everyone who has purchased one of my products or has sent me a lovely email or convo. I appreciate it very much!

{image credits Etsy}

**UPDATE*** A must read how Etsy will make changes this year. Thank you to Julie at Up Up Creative and Smidgebox. Found via Twitter.

2010 - Take Two

Wow. Had anyone told me that last Monday, 2 hours after my first post of 2010, that all hell would break loose, I never would have believed them. But through all of my tears this week, I read somewhere that "obstacles are opportunities in disguise" and that is exactly how the rest of the week played out! 

Monday was rough. MAJOR computer issue, but I was directed toward an apple tech company that has impressed me {so far} and will probably be working with Vale Design for a long time. This new alliance has already resulted in fixing my laptop, working on an external hard drive and helping me figure out the necessary specs for my new computer, which I finally purchased and which they will be setting up for me later this week.

All of that panic, unwanted energy and creative hiatus has led to some new products that will be going into the Vale Design Paper Goods shop later this week. I am so excited to share them with you!

On a personal note, my husband and I have been procrastinating buying a new car for a LONG time, but this weekend, the stars aligned, and there it was waiting for us. The entire purchasing process was time consuming, but painless. {I think my husband was trying to remove some of the sting of the beginning of the week for me.} So to all of our family and friends - we finally did it and you may see her soon!

To recap, beginning of the week, massive chaos, the end of the week, new computer, new tech company alliance, new car and we even snuck in a nice swanky dinner with a good friend. Not too shabby! I am humbled by my life every day and blessed that a higher power thinks I deserve any of this. Thank you to everyone who sent me good vibes and well wishes. I appreciate it so much and here is to a quieter, now even more amazing 2010! ~ erin

good morning monday, january, & 2010

Good morning everyone! Happy Monday, January and 2010! I had a whole big post planned for this morning, but when I sat down at my computer, well, I felt more like a chat over coffee with friends.

I hope you all had lovely holiday vacations and time spent with family. I definitely did! Picture a small house built probably in the 40's {postage stamp size} and then put 19 very loud Italians in there and lock the doors! Ahh, Christmas at my grandparents. I would not trade those memories for the world. Ate some amazing food, caught up with family and sat alone in a quiet corner with my dog watching the giant snowflakes fall past the street lights at night. Heaven.

I am very excited for the new year. They usher in a clean slate, amazing opportunities and the fear and excitement of the unknown. As a rule, I do not make personal new year's resolutions, but I do make a list of business goals which I will share with you Wednesday along with a printable. I have some lofty goals this year, but I am a firm believer that you must dream big.

New in 2010 for Vale Design: New freelance projects to share, a new site design, a Vale Design shop announcement along with new products, and a secret project that I am very excited about and taking my time with to make sure it is handled correctly.

Thank you all for such a lovely year. I am truly humbled. This quiet little site celebrated its one year anniversary in December. I never would have guessed that I would have made so many new friends. Thank you to all of my readers for your comments. If someone told me anyone other than my husband would read this site, I would have laughed in their face. Thank you to all the design/craft blogs. There are so many talented people who have inspired me creatively in new directions. Thank you for sharing your gifts with all of us!

I am looking forward to 2010 both personally and professionally. I wish all of you the best and here's to a wonderful year!

~ erin

{image credit Kathy}