Salt Blog

When looking to expand your presence in the online world, hiring a great Graphic Designer is a must. But what makes a Graphic Designer great, and how do we know that they’re an expert? Here, we’ll outline a few things that you need to know to sift through and find that gem you’re looking for. Education. You might think that a certificate is just a piece of paper, but that piece of paper shows that they are dedicated and took the time to learn about it from a professional standpoint. Experience. The more that an artist practices, the better they become. Think of the artist’s brain as a muscle that grows with more exercise! Portfolio. With experience comes a portfolio. A Graphic Designer’s portfolio not only shows you the volume of their work, but also the quality. By looking at their past work, you can see just what they have...

Ever wondered how seeing a large yellow “M” redirects your brain directly to think of McDonald's? Or how a partially bit apple makes you think of “Apple Inc.”? That is exactly how powerful professionally made logos can be. They are the first thing customers notice about you. They become an integral part of your brand image, and every time a customer sees something vaguely related to your logo, the first thing they will think of is your brand. They are your brand’s identity and make sure your identity is powerful enough that people associate nothing but your brand to anything even vaguely related to it. And to have something this powerful created you should be ready to spend money. The money spent on a logo is not to be considered an expense that you might have avoided, instead consider it an investment that will bring in returns in the future....

For businesses of every size and in every industry, branding is vital to success on and offline. I know, you're probably sick to death of hearing about branding. We all are, but I'm going to flog this dead horse one more time because branding does matter. Scratch that, it doesn't just matter, the quality of a brand is what gives you an edge over the competition and allows you to continue to be the company people turn to when they need or want whatever it is that you're offering. The catch is that you can't just create a brand and call it a day. Branding consistency is key and, today, I'm going to tell you why. Branding, at a Glance A business' brand is made up of a combination of many different factors: Logo People all over the world, from young children to seniors, know the Coke logo, for example...

"I don't like to save money" -- said by no one, nowhere. It's true, everyone loves a deal because the thought of getting more for your money is pretty gratifying. That said, there are instances where an opportunity to save isn't always the sweet deal you thought it was. When it comes to graphic design, and especially logos, it always pays to spend a little more upfront and to have it done right. I know you're probably thinking, 'of course a graphic designer would say a graphic design company is best,' but it's the truth. You see, like most things in life, when you pay rock bottom prices for a logo, you're going to get, well, the rock bottom in terms of design quality and service. Today, there are loads of companies advertising cut rate logo design services, but what companies like Vistaprint, Fiverr or Squarespace can't offer is the...

You wouldn't be the first person to admit that they have absolutely no idea what it is that a graphic designer does beyond creating business logos. The graphic design field is actually pretty vast, and while the quality of your logo and its overall design are really important, there are so many other ways a graphic designer can help further your brand's reach through graphics. The Power of Graphic Design Think of a graphic designer as a visual communicator. You know the saying, 'a picture is worth a 1000 words?' Well, graphic designers know how to say the right things about your business through images. Believe it or not, the font, colour, layout, imagery and other components used in a logo or a piece of marketing material can all work together to communicate specific ideas to customers. While the right graphic designer can help you create materials that evoke particular...

This time of year, I can't help but reflect on all the new people we met over the last 12 months, the exciting projects we were and are lucky enough to be a part of, and to wonder what's in store for 2016. We created Saltmedia to help businesses and other organizations achieve success online, through cutting-edge website development, graphic design and internet marketing, and one of the biggest perks of our job has been getting to know fellow business owners and to learn about what it is that they do. Taking the time to build lasting relationships with people who have come to us in need of a new website, graphics or many of the other elements of a successful online presence has been an enriching and highly enjoyable bonus to our job as web designers (because you're AWESOME!), but more importantly, it's also helped to cement our clients'...

During the holidays, when everyone is checking off their Christmas lists, it's a great time to step up your marketing efforts and to reel in as much business as possible before the year's end. Whether a successful holiday season is crucial to your business' bottom line, or your company could use a little boost during the weeks and months after Christmas, when things tend to quiet down, promotional graphics are awesome ways to attract the attention of new customers, to remind existing customers of your brand and to convert more leads into sales. What better way to drive home your message than with quality graphics created by a graphic design company that also knows a thing or two about branding and how to build powerful web presences? Taking Your Promos to New Heights with Graphic Design Like the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, but when...

Over the last few weeks, we have been talking at length about branding - and for good reason. It's one thing to have a great product or service, but ensuring your business continues to grow, year after year, takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and last but not least, rock-solid branding. Think of your brand as your corporate image; it's what your company does, what you produce or provide, and it reflects your business' overall values and goals. When just a glimpse of your logo can bring to mind not only what your business sells but also what you represent or strive to achieve, you've built the type of brand that's capable of keeping your company at the forefront of the industry, well into the future. Just think of all the business logos that you've known and seen for as long as you can remember. You only need a...

When you open a business, any business, creating a branding strategy should be among the very first items on your to-do list. Contacting website designers, a graphic design company, or better yet one company that can do it all, is a good place to start. But to really give branding the attention it deserves, you've got to understand the power that a brand can have over a business - good branding sets the stage for long-term business success and bad branding sinks ships faster than  Burger King when that creepy plastic-faced king started appearing in their advertisements.      Now, lots of people will try to claim that they are in no way affected by branding. Ah, right, as you stand there holding your Starbucks coffee in one hand and iPhone in the other, wearing your Nike sneakers! Despite our best efforts to resist, everything from our preferences in clothing, cars...

Bad logos stick out like sore thumbs. I know you've seen them. All too often, logos are designed without any thought given to how they portray a business' image, or the concept behind the logo is so complicated that only the graphic design company or business owner knows what the heck they were thinking when they created them. Then, there are logos that are so poorly designed or such poor quality that they're quickly forgotten, the business card tossed out or the ad skipped over. Worst yet, there are logos that make people stop and stare (or point and laugh) for all the wrong reasons. This is often the case when graphic designers get a little too 'creative' or nobody stops to consider how the general public might perceive or interpret the logo. For a good laugh, just do a quick search in Google for examples of bad logos. Grab...

"A brand is the most valuable fixed asset of a corporation" according to Wikipedia , and I agree!  Who do you know who isn’t happy with their visual trademark or logo.  Perhaps their graphics, colours, shapes, and online identity do not represent their goods or services as well as they would like them to.  Saltmedia will help build brand awareness with a logo or logo facelift, matching print media designs, signage designs, vehicle decals, online media and most importantly website design.  We help ensure online and offline media exclusively identifies the brand owner. 

  Saltmedia is very proud to be a sponsor for Canadian Mental Health Association Masquerade Ball Event.  If you are local, and want to have a fantastic night out please come and show your support!  Check out Masquerade Ball GP for more info.