Use Design Thinking to Find the Solution
Work-a-round (noun) is defined by Webster as: “a method for overcoming a problem or limitation in a program or system”. It is further defined in Wikipedia as: …”a bypass of a recognized problem in a system”. A workaround is typically a temporary fix that implies that a genuine solution to the problem is needed. But workarounds …
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Good design is Invisible
Good design is challenging to define. Bad design is impossible to ignore. Good design is often invisible. Bad design often stands out. As renowned designer, Dieter Rams said: “Good design is as little design as possible. Less, but better.” I personally believe this is very well said and applies to all disciplines of design including …
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Doing Good is Good for the Soul
One of the things I like best about being a team member here at Uptown Studios is the opportunity to work with nonprofit organizations that are making our communities better every day. Last night my video team got to videotape an event at Mulvaney’s Building and Loan restaurant that benefitted Ronald McDonald House Charities. This …
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Leadership Sacramento Helps Team Set Goals
Leadership Sacramento is a program of the Metro Chamber that develops community-minded business and civic leaders of tomorrow through a year-long interactive program that provides a behind-the-scenes understanding of the issues that impact the region.
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5 Important Things On Your Website
We are always working with website owners to help them learn and understand some of the most important parts of their sites. We get similar questions pretty often and compiled a few important tips into this list.
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10 Point Strategy to Beef Up Security on your WordPress Site
Here at Uptown Studios, we host and manage close to 130 sites running on WordPress, so ensuring they are all in tip-top shape in the security department is one of my top priorities. To stay on top of it all, I have put together 10 Point Strategy to Beef Up Security on your WordPress Site.
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Get Into A Design Thinking State of Mind
Creating change is never easy. When looking to introduce new ideas or strategies to your team, it is important to not rush into it, or implement from the top down. Here at Uptown Studios, we practice and recommend the Human-Centered, also known as “Design Thinking,” method for creating change. Design Thinking starts by identifying the overarching challenge …
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5 Search Engine Optimization Tips
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can be a hard subject for businesses and organizations to grasp, but there are some definite dos and don’ts that can be applied in your everyday work on your website.
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Leading by Example
When I was younger in my career, I thought that leading meant telling people what to do and making decisions. Over time, I have come to understand that leading is more about “doing” than “telling.”
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Leadership – How Do You Get There?
I never started out to become a leader. The person that steps toward an issue and people follow. I didn’t even know that leadership was important when I was in my 30s. Hindsight is such a great teacher, it presents processes that become apparent when you look back, but when you are in the middle of …
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The Amazing Power of Delegation
Early in my career as a designer and principal of a visual communications firm, I was a “I’ll do it all myself” kind of manager. I thought that if I handled everything myself, it would get done better, on time, every time. I perceived delegation to others as a sign of failure. As you can imagine, …
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It Takes a Team to Create a Website
I’m a planner. On everything I do, I map out every step and explore every possibility before I get started. Now, as a project manager, this can come in handy and helps me guide the team and clients on jobs and ensure we meet deliverables. However, as part of the creative world, it is important …
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Having a Print Manager Saves Time and Money
If you haven’t worked with a full-service design firm or marketing agency, you might not know what a print manager is or what they can do for you. As the print industry has changed over the last 15 years, online printers have become more available, providing the consumer with more options and more knowledge of …
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Five Tips to Get Your Marketing Off the Back Burner
It’s easy to put our own marketing efforts to the back burner when we’re busy focusing on our daily tasks. For many of the nonprofits we’ve spoken with, this feeling is even more intensified as they feel that they are too busy “out in the trenches” fighting the good fight to take a step back and …
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Create a Video for Your Nonprofit
Whether you are shooting a video for your website, social media or a broadcast commercial, there are a few things you must decide before you can create one that works for your nonprofit organization. Decide what is the goal of the video? To raise awareness or inspire donations? Who is the target audience of the …
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Motivated to Give to Local Nonprofits
What motivates you? At Uptown Studios, we thrive on knowing that what we give to local nonprofits helps others accomplish their goals. In particular, we dedicate time to give back to the community and helping local nonprofits. A large percentage of the clients we serve are nonprofits and we have a standing commitment to donate $5,000 …
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Human-Centered Design – We Dig to Create Solutions
Uptown Studios is the perfect partner for your branding and design needs. Because we love what we do so much we have immersed our entire team into Human-Centered Design processes and training. This a way for us to dive deeply into situations and come out with creative solutions to the issues at hand. Whether it …
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