Full-Service Branding: Refresh vs. Rebrand
Clients often wonder what designers mean when we recommend a full-service branding refresh or a rebrand of their personal or corporate brand. It does get a little confusing even during the process of a rebrand or refresh, so this blog was created to clear up some of the confusion …
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10 Tips For Basic Photo Editing In Photoshop
As a part of projects, I am often tasked with editing photos. There are plenty of really silly and fun things you can do with Photoshop’s editing tools, but I thought a good old fashioned list of things that would actually improve the average photo might be helpful to share! Below is a list of my top ten tips for basic photo editing in Photoshop …
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How A Design Thinking Focus Group Will Fix Your Target-Market Woes
Not sure if design thinking focus groups are right for you? If you’re putting your heart and soul into your business, but your marketing is falling flat, you may need to reconsider. No one is hearing you. What makes you different from dozens of other businesses? Have you asked your audience? Maybe it’s time you …
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Google Grants Management For Nonprofits
Google Grants management is a powerful tool created to help nonprofits fundraise, market, and manage digital advertising goals. If you are interested in applying for Google Grants, then this is the blog for you. Reason for this blog post: Inform nonprofits how to be eligible for Google Grants and to successfully manage …
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Building an Accessible Digital Color Palette, Part 1
Start with Selecting your Greys from Dark to Light A good starting place to build an accessible digital color palette is to determine the shades of grey or neutrals for your palette. Select grey values that look different enough from one another to suggest primary, secondary, or tertiary status–and also pass accessibility guidelines.
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Building An Accessible Digital Color Palette, Part 2
The Color Factor Accessible digital color is a huge factor affecting how we interpret the world around us, and it’s especially true for websites and digital products here at Uptown Studios. As designers, color helps us make decisions and understand the meaning of the content. Ever since we were young, we have been trained to …
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The Pros and Cons of an Open Workspace
At Uptown Studios, we try to turn a lot of the common workplace organizational norms on its head. We don’t have bosses or titles. We don’t have time clocks. And we operate in an open workspace. Our office is a converted warehouse with one small conference room and no other “rooms.” Our desks have wheels …
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7 Tips for Auditing Your Social Media
There is no magic formula when it comes to social media; in fact, in this new frontier of marketing much of it started out as trial and error. While it can be impossible to know for sure exactly what will be the next BIG post to get thousands of followers, likes, and shares—it is easier …
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Improving UX Using Information Architecture
This past June, I celebrated my one year anniversary of working full-time at Uptown Studios (woo!). I initially started my Uptown journey as an intern, then working part-time, and finally into full-time work. In tandem with this gradual increase in time spent at the office, I have also experienced a gradual increase and shift of …
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Is Video for Marketing a Worthy Investment?
Is Video for Marketing a Worthy Investment for your business? I am a big fan of video on any marketing project – there are a few buts in there though: • It has to be short and sweet • You have to get your call to action in there early (like 35 seconds) and then …
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Be a Change Agent for Good
Our team is committed to building a world around us that is conscious and filled with positive intentions. We want to work with people who tear down silos. We love clients that have a propensity to create change. We are here to transform the way you think about marketing; how it should …
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Best E-blast Practices for Nonprofits
One of the best, but sometimes most labor-intensive, marketing tools a nonprofit can utilize to marketing their cause is an e-blast campaign. E-blasts can support your overall marketing goals by engaging audiences on a consistent basis and keeping them informed. When creating your e-blast, there are a few tips and tricks to keep in mind. …
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8 Ways to Improve Your Listening Skills
Listening is something I practice, and most of us need to practice listening, like an internal workout. I get better if I am listening with intention – leaning in and really focusing on what the person is saying. Not thinking of what I will say or how I will respond, which is what most of us want to …
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Designs for Social Change in the Public Sector
When creating graphic designs for municipalities and government agencies, reaching the most people with social change campaigns relies on the ability of people to see themselves in the materials. Most people are invested in any combination of social causes. If your design addresses that cause and looks like them, they are more likely to spend …
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Google Ad Grants Changes Help Nonprofits
In early 2018 nonprofits found their Google Ad Grants management strategy needed to dramatically change in order to stay compliant with Google. This change happened when Google updated their Google Ad Grants Management Policy and started pausing accounts that didn’t comply. These policy changes were created by Google as an effort to improve the quality …
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Video Production Lighting 2019 and Beyond
As I sit here contemplating my takeaways from the 2019 National Association of Broadcaster’s show in Las Vegas, a few things bubble to the surface, but one stands out the most for me; video production lighting. I’m the Director of Photography at Uptown Studios and am responsible for the camera and lighting crews on our …
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Growing a Business with Integrity and Fairness
Growing a business with integrity and fairness is something you have to plan for from the beginning, whether you own a start-up or a decades-old business like ours. It’s good to establish a company mission and vision that includes the community you serve. Your mission is a key to creating a brand that endures and …
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5 Marketing Fundamentals to Promote New Nonprofits
You are a new nonprofit and you have a working website with a blog, however you don’t know how to market your new website. This is a very common problem amongst nonprofits and every other industry on the world wide web. Indeed, if you are looking for a quick answer to your marketing problem, just …
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