Start of the Week Inspiration

K-Squared Designs knows Mondays can be hard, that's why we like to share this bit of inspiration from designtaxi.com, it helps us start the week and we hope it can help you too!

Monday means the start of the weekly work routine all over again: the early hours of getting out of bed, the dragging yourself to the office, maybe a stop for a good cup of coffee on the way, and the flood of emails and new list of things-to-do.

We know it’s especially hard to concentrate and muster all your energy for productivity on Mondays.

So once again, we’ve put together a collection of visual inspiration from The Creative Finder—on top of daily inspiration—to help energize that ingenious brain of yours.

Welcome back to the another work week! We hope you have a good one ahead.

 

 

K-Squared Designs can help you with all of your graphic design, web design or advertising needs. Visit us at www.k-squareddesigns.com or give us a call today at 270-761-5237.

5 Questions Brands Should Be Asking Fans

K-Squared Designs knows the importance of social media when it comes to your business. But maybe we have been overlooking just how helpful social media can be for a business. This article from designtaxi.com shows a different way to use Facebook to your advantage.

Facebook fans are more than customers; they’re passionate, creative, and insightful people interested in your brand. This makes Facebook a great place to tap into their thoughts and understand what they’re thinking.

Here’s a list of five questions that will help you collect valuable input from your fans, using a fictitious soft drink brand, ACME-Cola, to illustrate each point.
 
Would your rather drink ACME-Cola from a straw or straight from the can?
“Would you rather…” questions provide instant, succinct insight, which is great for when you need quick customer feedback to help you make a decision. Just think of how many decisions your brand makes in a day that could benefit from a little customer input! Your community of fans can provide instant feedback, so why not ask them!
 
How do you enjoy an ACME-Cola?
“How do you…” questions gives fans a chance to share how your brand fits into their lifestyle. The responses provided would give you an idea of how your fans experience your brand, which is important information if you want to continually develop products that fit into their lifestyle. Other versions of this question are “Where do you…” and “What time of day do you…”
 
What celebrity would you like to see sipping on ACME-Cola?
This question can be used in a number of different ways, but the idea is to ask fans what celebrity, brand, sports team, or other well-known entity they associate with your brand. This relation can provide interesting insight into your target consumers’ interests and preferences, plus is a great way to determine who you should partner with next.
 
What top three words come to mind when you think of ACME-Cola?
Word association questions help you learn what words your fans use to describe your brand. This is will give you an idea of the language your customers use, which can help when it comes to developing new brand messaging, plus can provide an indication of your fans’ feelings towards your brand.
 
What would you like to see ACME-Cola do differently?
Asking questions about how your brand can improve is the easiest, most direct way to find out what your fans really want. Remember, negative feedback isn’t bad! In fact, it’s super valuable if you use it steer your brand in the right direction. Plus, openly asking your fans for feedback is a great way to build a trusting relationship with your customers by showing them you care.

What other questions have you asked your community that have gotten you great results?

K-Squared Designs is your company for graphic, website and promotional design. We offer a variety of services and products. Visit www.k-squareddesigns.com or give us a call today at 270-761-K2DS!

Google Unveils Augmented-Reality Glasses

Have you been anxiously awaiting a Jetsons-like future that you were for sure would be here by now? Where are the flying cars?! Well Google is bringing you one step closer to your dream with this new product. At K-Squared Designs we work with new technologies all day and love hearing about new ideas. Check out this article from designtaxi.com about it:

Google has rolled out prototypes of its augmented-reality glasses.

Developed by the team within Google’s ‘Google X’ department, the prototype called ‘Project Glass’ (that looks like a device from Star Trek) is currently being tested out by its employees.

According to a video demonstration by Google, the technology could help users explore and share their world—through the lens of the glasses, text messages, maps, weather information, and locations can be streamed in real-time.

The glasses also records videos, take pictures, sends and receives messages, and makes video calls—all of which can be done through voice commands.

“We think technology should work for you—to be there when you need it and get out of your way when you don’t,” the company wrote about Project Glass.

Google is also encouraging people to share ideas and suggest inputs for the project: “We’re sharing this information now because we want to start a conversation and learn from your valuable input.”

Suggestions can be done on the project’s Google+ page, Project Glass.

K-Squared Designs is a leading innovator in website design, marketing and public relations. We love to help your business succeed. If you need design help or marketing ideas please visit www.k-squareddesigns.com or call us today at 270-761-5237.

Monday Morning Inspiration!

K-Squared Designs bringing you a little Monday Morning creative inspiration from designtaxi.com:

They say inspiration is all around us. What better place to start than The Creative Finder, where exceptional works are being uploaded every single minute.

This week, we have again carefully selected a series of inspirational and captivating images to start your creative juices flowing.

Who knows too, perhaps you might be featured the next time round, enjoy and have a great week ahead!

1.

Daniel Mackie

2.

Nico 189

3.

Robert Leon

4.

Robb Scharetg

5.

June Glasson

6.

Clive Arrowsmith

7.

Andrew Fairclough

8.

Fokko van der Woude

9.

Dero Sanford

10.

Alicia Cook
 
Wherever there are creatives, there will be finders.

For any design need visit www.k-squareddesigns.com or call 270-761-K2DS! Happy Monday!!

How To Reclaim Your Attention

K-Squared Designs bringing you a great article about...umm..what was it? Oh yeah! Attention! This article gives you some tips on how to regain your attention, it comes from designtaxi.com:

“The world wants that attention. Only you can decide where it goes… what you pay attention to becomes your reality.”

Awhile back, I (a bit ironically perhaps) tweeted this message:
“Consider what you give your attention to each day. It’s a precious resource, & determines the shape of your life.”

This seemed to strike a chord with many people, who I think are feeling overwhelmed these days. Our attention is being pulled in too many directions, leaving us feeling overloaded, distracted, chaotic, spread thinly, without focus.

There are a million blogs, people, services, media, competing for our attention. Our attention is limited, and valuable, making it one of the most precious resources we have.

The world wants that attention. Only you can decide where it goes.

And it does determine the shape of your life: what you pay attention to becomes your reality. If you watch and read the news all the time, you will become obsessed with the latest crises. If you watch and read about celebrities, your life will revolve around them. If you socialize on social networks all day long, this will become your world.

If instead, you choose to give your attention to work you’re passionate about, that you feel is important, that will change your life and the world in some small way… this will become your life.

If you choose to give your attention to your friends, family and other loved ones—really give your attention to them instead of only half-heartedly while also checking text messages and emails and other updates—your life will be rich in many ways.

And so I urge you to reclaim your attention.

Here’s how:

Limit your friends. Not real-life friends, but social network and blogging and forum friends. Not that these can’t be good relationships, but having too many makes them meaningless. And each friend will take up a little bit of your attention—when you read their updates, click on their links, reply to their messages, look at their photos, and so on. The more you have, the more attention they’ll require. Limit them to just the essential. Read more.

Limit your feeds. Blog subscriptions, newsletters, other updates and news subscriptions and so on. Limit them to a handful of essentials, and let the rest go. The more you have, the more attention they require.

Limit your communication time. Going into your email inbox? Just give yourself 10 minutes to read, reply, delete, and get out. Going to do Twitter? Give yourself 5 minutes. Seriously, set up a timer. Don’t let these things take up all your attention.

Give up on news. It’s a never-ending cycle. And if you’ve paid attention to the news as long as I have (I’m a former journalist), you know it’s all the same, year after year. Unless your job depends on it, the news is usually a waste of your attention. Let go of the need to stay updated. Even if your job does depend on it, keep it limited.

Be brief. Write brief emails, tweets, updates, blog posts. With some exceptions, of course. But make brief your de facto. Read more.

Give your attention to the important. This is the crucial part: choose what you give your attention to, and do this choosing carefully. What is important to you? Writing? Photography? Design? Coding? Creating a new business that helps others? Your kids? Figure this out, and give this the majority of your attention.

Become conscious of your distractions. Once you’ve decided to focus your attention on the important, become more aware of distractions as they come up. Make note of them, and as you get the urge to be distracted, learn to pause, breathe, and return to the important.

Surround yourself with the positive. If you want your life to be positive, let the positive have your attention. This applies to blogs, people, projects, and more.

For any design need visit www.k-squareddesigns.com or call 270-761-K2DS! AND PAY ATTENTION!

Dickie V is COMING TO MURRAY!!!!!

All of our petitions have been answered! Tomorrow night Dick Vitale will be here in MURRAY for the bracket buster game! Please come out and show your support for your Murray State Racers as they take on St. Mary's. It's going to be a great game. SEE YOU THERE!

5 Tips To Help You Maximize Your Business Profits

K-Squared Designs wants to share this article to other small business owners, this article comes from designtaxi.com:

Most small and solo business owners don't begin to see the profit potential in their business. If you own a small or solo business, I'm sure you had a big dream when you started. You may have seen a life of doing what you enjoy with no boss telling you what to do. You may have seen an opportunity to take a brilliant idea and turn it into an ideal lifestyle.

Whatever your dream was, it certainly included making the most of your business. Here are just a few tips that can help you be more successful than 90% of your competitors:
 
1. Easily get referrals and testimonials from every client.
At the moment when your clients are happiest with your services, systematically ask them for referrals. One idea is to have them fill out a brief customer survey. On the survey, ask them to list other people they know who are facing similar challenges as they were, when they purchased from you. Ask them if you can turn their survey answers into a testimonial and use their name and website. Don't forget to also ask if there is anything you could have done better.

2. Increase the dollar value of every client.
Before you sell your main product or service, determine a strategy for getting your client to buy from you again. This could be a second-generation product, an add-on, an upgrade, a complimentary product, or an affiliate product.

3. Maximize your website.
Make your website more than a boring online brochure. Make it interactive with a mailing list sign-up form, testimonials on each page, giveaways, free information that establishes you as an expert, an active blog, audio and/or video. Once you've gotten a visitor there, you want to convert them to a hot lead and then into a paying client. Otherwise your website is just collecting ‘cyberdust’ out in cyberspace.

4. Create passive income streams through creative joint ventures.
Find new vertical industries where your ideas and knowledge are truly needed and would be of great value. Then form a joint venture with someone who has access to lots of people in that industry and who would endorse your offering for a percentage of the sales. There are so many other ways to form joint ventures that can generate a steady stream of passive income.

5. Maximize your time.
Calculate how many hours you work in a week. Then set a goal to use 80% of that time on lead generation and profit creating activities. You'll be amazed at the results. You'll outperform your competitors by a mile. Outsource the other stuff. You're worth it!

This gives you an overview of just a few of the proven profit creation strategies you can implement in your small, solo or home based business to create a solid 6 figure income.


For any design need visit www.k-squareddesigns.com or call 270-761-K2DS!

4 Simple Principles Of Getting To Completion

K-Squared Designs sharing an article from designtaxi.com about completion and how to make it happen:

 

“If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things, then this is the best season of your life.”—Wu-Men

When I hear about a great idea that a friend has, I get excited. I can’t wait to see that idea become reality.

Then I ask about the idea a few months later, and it often is not one bit closer to completion.

Ideas stop short of becoming reality, and projects seem to drag on endlessly, because of one thing: complexity.

A software programmer can allow the development of a new app he’s building to drag on and on for years (I know of cases where this happened), only to find Google release something that makes his app obsolete. The problem: the program grew and grew in complexity and features, but never shipped.

A web developer can work on a rad new website with killer features, but after months of work the website never launches. Problem: too complex, and too much of a perfectionist.

A writer can work on a novel, working in characters and plot lines, and then work on revision after revision, only to abandon it. The complexity of a book can become overwhelming.

If your project has been dragging on, or you’re having problems completing, try simplifying, and stop trying for perfection.

I’ve launched a number of projects over the last few years, and learned a thing or two about making ideas take life, and getting to done.

Here are some of those key principles:

1. Keep the scope as simple as possible. You don’t need to do everything with this project. In fact, if you can just do one thing, that’s perfect. As small a thing as possible. Don’t redesign an entire city—just work on one building. If the project starts to get complex or seem overwhelming, narrow the scope. Do less. It’ll help you get things done.
 
2. Practice ‘Good Enough’. Perfectionism is the enemy of completion. Nitpick and worry about getting it “just right”, and you’ll never get it done. Done is better than right. So if you start to nitpick and worry about perfect, say “screw it” and then just try for “good enough”. You can always make it better in the next version.
 
3. Kill extra features. Similar to simplifying the scope, you’ll want to try to make your creation do as little as possible. Want it to talk and walk and cook breakfast? Just try for talking. Want your website to publish great content and have social networking and podcasts and news and a newsletter and a membership area? Just shoot for great content. Whenever you find yourself adding new features, see if they can’t be killed.
 
4. Make it public, quick. Your goal should be to get your project in some working form out to your customers/readers/public as soon as possible. In as few steps, as quickly, as easily, as simply as possible. Remember: don’t worry about perfect, and don’t let this first public release be wide in scope or full of features. Release it with as few features as possible. Releasing it publicly will 1) get you to done faster and 2) put some pressure on you to make it better, quickly.

For any design need visit www.k-squareddesigns.com or call 270-761-K2DS!