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Which Type of Website is Right for Your Business?

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So you want a website for your business. You want it to be gorgeous, functional, and to make your dream clients fall in love with your brand. And then go on to want to spend their money with you. Sounds pretty simple, right? But which Type of Website is Right for Your Business? If only it were that easy! As any developer or designer will tell you, there are tonnes of aesthetic options to choose from. Not to mention the fact that there are…
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Why You Shouldn’t Use Standard System Fonts

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You’re working on a dreamy brand design project, and are ready to add your amazing text – but wait! Don't use those boring old standard system fonts! (At least, not if you want your message to shine!) Standard system fonts are those that come pre-installed on your computer – for example, the ones that come up in Microsoft Word. I can hear you now…  “But it’s just text....system fonts must be good enough if everyone has them?" Sorry to say this, but it's the…
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Business Health Series – Eating Well, business owners?

Healthy detox juice
Please join me in welcoming our first guest contributor, Johanna Anning, for our new three part blog series  “Business Health”. Inspired by the work of some of my fellow small business friends, this series is all about keeping “healthy” in business and life. In it are the voices of great business people sharing their knowledge from various fields. We hope you enjoy the rich and diverse topics of keeping you and your business healthy.   STRUGGLING TO EAT WELL AND RUN A BUSINESS? As…
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Making Competition Irrelevant

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A few years ago I was holding interviews for a new position in our studio, and an interesting thing happened. One of the candidates I spoke with was very open about wanting to set up a business in direct competition with mine, should he not get the job. I was intrigued by this notion of competition. And quickly I laughed it off and said, “There’s no such thing as competition, because I’ll never be you, and you’ll never be me. I believe, competition is…
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Five Easy Ways to Make Your Website Great

I have a confession to make. When I was a child, I loved to rearrange my room. That doesn’t sound so strange, does it? Believe me, though: this went well beyond just tidying up! Instead, I redesigned the entire layout of my room, including changing the colours and deciding on the placement of all of my favourite things. It used to drive my parents crazy when they’d hear me dragging furniture across the floor and toppling over bookshelves! Now, as an adult, I realise…
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The Smiling Mind: Meditation’s Magic for Your Business

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A few years ago, before I owned a business, I thought the concept of meditation was a little woo-woo/hippy.  I didn’t imagine it being useful in my life. Even as I recommended meditation to an old boss as a way to calm some of the stress he was going through, I didn’t know how powerful it could be – I realise now how naively I suggested it, not truly understanding its transformative abilities! Once I became a business owner, I finally took my own…
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Values based branding – Connect with your customer

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The topic of values, and how they impact our lives, is a popular one today – and for good reason! Not only are our values a foundation for how we live, they also can do the same for how we work, and how we connect with customers. It’s pretty basic, really – incorporating your values into your branding, as well as the way you operate your business, will align your business with likeminded people. Likeminded people are more likely to buy from you, and…
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Running a creative business – my advice and tips

Verve staff
Almost five years ago I was living in Melbourne, Australia, working full time for a design studio and loving the creative energy of a big city career, when I got an email from a previous boss. She asked if I was interested in moving back to my hometown of Townsville in regional Queensland, and purchasing the studio I had worked in - Verve Design. I remember that day so clearly, reading the email with excitement and a little bit of fear. Could I really…
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Making Facebook Beautiful (Yes, It’s Possible!)

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Anyone who knows me well knows I go on (and on and on...) about "brand consistency at every touchpoint." And for good reason: every interaction with your customer should feel familiar with the last interaction they had with you. But what do you do when you have to represent your brand to your audience through a third party’s brand? So, there’s your beautiful brand, sitting on or alongside another logo and another brand – and in most ways it doesn’t feel like it matches…
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