The ARC team just returned from the unveiling of the Fayetteville Cumberland County Chamber of Commerce new identity. Excitement is around the corner as the Chamber helps the local community by bringing in new businesses and aiding existing businesses.
ARC Design was proud to be a part of the event by building their website and doing some other identity work.
You can view their new website at http://www.fayettevillencchamber.org/
A trend that has lasted as long as companies have been in business is attracting new clients/customers by giving something away for free. It can be seen in any sector where a sale needs to be met, whether it be department stores, design agencies, lawyers or restaurants.
Examples of freebies are:
While these giveaways are nice, wouldn’t it better to get a quality product?
Once these companies get you in the door, do they wow you with their customer service or work? Do they try to intimidate you by reminding you of the free item you received?
As far as design agencies go, I can say the best way to find out if you are at the right place isn’t based upon the number of clients or the number of giveaways. You should base it on their work and the work ethic of their people. Look around you, if someone is offering you something free and not offering you something they have done, shouldn’t you be a little curious.
The creative team of ARC welcomes you to stop by and see samples of our work and meet the designers.
You may not leave with a free set of ARC pom poms, but you will leave knowing you made the right decision.
There has been thinking in the office about how to gain new ideas.
Today, Adam, recommended weekly chats about design. The idea is simply for everyone to come together with an idea and then discuss it. Our initial chat will be about Magazine Ads so all of us are bringing a magazine ad we like and then after a few days of having them in a public area (near the water cooler) we will discuss them. A good way to learn about why certain advertising works for different demographics.
This is not only a good team building activity where we can learn more about one another, it is also a chance for us to broaden our design eyes, get motivation and learn more about graphic design as a whole.
Perhaps your business could use a Water Cooler Chat.
ARC Design was part of a feature story about Smart News on NBC-17.
You can read the article or watch the video at NBC 17’s website.
Today I am at Showbiz, it is an expo for Cumberland County Businesses to show off their services.
We obtained the both closest to the front door so when people enter, we are the first thing they see. We have set up a 36in. Vizio flat screen tv running a slideshow of the various websites and identities we have done. We also have 2 laptops, one is for showing visitors possible improvements they can make to their websites and the other is for showing our promotional video.
We have met a ton of people and have set up a few appointments and have several promising leads.
One thing I have heard a lot today is “I already have a website”.
You may have a working website, but who is it working for. Are you paying for a site that does nothing for you or is your site driving customers to you on a daily basis.
One of our greatest success stories is Cape Fear Staffing. They are set up here at the expo as well and have done an excellent job both in their own promotion and promoting us. They have saved time and money by having a website to automate their job listings and have a consistent stream of visitors. Deservedly so, they are a great advantage for those in the community looking for a job and are highly recommended.
We soon hope we can offer glowing reviews for all the businesses we have met here.
Stay Tuned!
Last night, my boss Ryan joined in my weekly Soccer game and am pleased to announce showed great natural ability.
While most of us play a tentative defense, he went at it with reckless abandonment, perfect for a good defender.
Next week, Adam, the other boss will possibly be joining in.
Here at ARC we aren’t just about design, we are also about staying healthy through good excercise.
This is also the reason we go up and down the stairs to move our cars every 2 hours.
On a side note, the Gas house aka Festival Park Place burned the other day. Unfortunately, a local free daily newspaper, Smart News, was working out of offices in that building. So ARC is lending some of our office space to them so they can get back on their feet.
If you are looking for the next big thing in news, Keep your eye out for these fledgling news services that are giving the news without the fluff.
Also if you would like to help them out, they always have advertising space available. You can get more information on their Advertising Rate Card (PDF).
While reading a post on client answers at fadastic, I came across the question/answer:
The simple answer is yes you can. When asked this question, I always think to myself, “Yes, I could could get you to #1 in Google for the phrase “yellow pyjamas for cats” - but sarcasm probably won’t win over the client.
Although I would like to think sarcasm answers everything, it doesn’t help reach an end point to the discussion. It will either infuriate your client or give them the impression you don’t take them serious. It is important to handle clients as if they were porcelain. One mistake and you have a shattered relationship, but be careful with the relationship and you may have a lifetime client.
Not a Bush or Good Charlotte, although the former is a great song.
Today we had an interoffice email pointing out some details we needed to touch up on a recently released site.
With a company our size doing the amount of work we do, it is easy to lose sight of producing the absolute best work as opposed to getting it out the door. A lesson that can be simply ignored on some days.
Wake up calls don’t make you feel good, but eventually you realize they might just be right.
In a comparison no one asked for I am gonna compare businesses to football players.
Microsoft is Ray Lewis - The big bully who is slowly getting past up by younger players
Google is Vince Young - Still in its infancy, but adapts quickly
Enron is Michael Vick - An utter collapse
Yahoo is Peyton Manning - Still has the big gun and the fundamentals but moves slowly
Myspace is the entire New England Patriots - You recognize some faces, but there are plenty you don’t know. Even though some claim to hate them, no one can deny their power.
What comparison can be made for ARC Design?
I would compare ARC Design to Brian Westbrook, Small, yet versatile.
Brian Westbrook is 5′ 8″ and 203lbs, a small number compared to the NFL’s bigger players. Yet he possesses an uncanny ability to move the ball with his feet and with his hands. He can defend his QB and block receivers down field.
He has all the skills needed to succeed and is still moving forward in his talent level. A veteran mindset in a young body.
ARC Design is similar, there are only 11 of us, yet we can take on any clients need. You name it and we can handle it, from Web and Print design to video, copy-writing, 3d rendering to Multimedia DVDs. We may not be as big as some of the larger design agencies, but when it comes down to it, we can hang with the big boys.
While the company is still in its infancy, the talent has been honing its craft for years.
When Brian Westbrook came into the NFL, scouts and players alike said he was too small to play and was just going to get hurt. They were right, he did get hurt, but the old adage “What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.” is what has driven him to be the top talent he is now.
The same can be said for ARC, we may be trying to grow out of what is deemed a minor city by America’s standards and we may be hurt by the slow months more than a large agency would. As you can see, ARC Design has survived through it all and is growing stronger by the day.
The dream is always to be the leader, but sometimes it’s better just being the best.
Westbrook’s supporting cast of players, coaches and trainers have brought him to that point, the same way our clients have brought us.
There is no substitute for good skills just there is no substitute for good design. That’s why we are building you design solutions for a better business image.
As a smaller design company with big ambitions, the challenge of never making a spelling error can prove to be daunting. With tons of pages of web sites and loads of printed material going out of our office every week, it would be hard to never have an error, although it is what we strive for. We acknowledge the problem and have taken measures to avoid the problem.
As a smaller company (11 strong!), I am constantly annoyed by bigger companies when they make spelling errors.
Take for example an email I received from Good Charlotte:
I would not even have noticed the word payed was spelled wrong if I didn’t have such disdain for Subway (Thanks Jared), but an error is an error. Payed should be spelled paid. Payed is a term associated with ropes. This isn’t the first time I have seen this from a corporate office. Worktriangle.com spelled Durham as Duram during their commercial campaign advertising a job fair. I have seen ESPN misspell words in its descriptions of interviewees and in the ticker on various occasions. I have also seen spelling injustices in magazines, other commercials and on the summary on the back of movie cases.
So pay attention big boys, these things will bring you down and ARC Design is aiming for you.