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- 3 Unconventional Tips to Scale Your Freelance Design Business
- May edition: Colours have feelings too
- 7 Ideas to Craft a Beautifully Designed and Informative College Presentation
- Best tips for getting celebrity hair style
- From a self-taught UX designer to a successful creative entrepreneur: interviewing Miruna Sfia
- Professional Showcase Of 25+ Web Development Tools and Resources
- Great Ways to Present Your Anniversary Gifts
- Comfy Sporty Outfit Ideas for Women
- Psychology of colour and it’s important in your website design
- Selection of Colors based on Page Layout
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It’s a tough world out there for freelance designers. You have to fight off agencies, other freelancers, and increasingly, design tools to get new clients.
Your skills and knowledge can only take you so far; to survive in this hostile, ultra-competitive environment, you need some business hustle and marketing chops.
This is where I come in. In this quick guide, I’ll share 3 tips and tactics you can use to explode your freelance career. Whether you’re a practicing freelancer or looking to start after getting inspired by ColourLovers, you’ll find these tactics more than handy:
*
* WHITE-LABEL YOUR SERVICES TO AGENCIES
Imagine that a client comes into an agency looking for a new website. Halfway through the project, he decides that the company’s current logo is too bland. So he asks the agency to design him a new one.
The trouble is, the agency has never offered logo design services before. But since it doesn’t want to turn away the client to a competitor, it happily agrees, even though it has no clue how it will actually deliver the logo.
This is where you can come in. As a freelance designer, you can “white label” your services to agencies.
White-labelling means that you’ll do the entire creative work, but the agency will take credit for it. In exchange, the agency will give you bulk work without having to deal with the problem of finding and serving clients.
For freelance designers, this is as good as it gets to a guaranteed income. If you can stick to the creative brief, agencies will love to offload their work to you. This is also a great way to build relationships and start creating your own agency.
*
* ‘PRODUCTIZE’ YOUR SERVICES
Pricing services by the hour is standard practice in the creative industry. For agencies, it has its advantages – they can calculate costs easily, distribute resources across projects, and bill clients quickly.
For freelance designers, however, hourly billing isn’t always the best way to go. By exchanging your time for cash, you essentially limit your income. After all, you can only bill for a maximum of 24 hours in a day.
The solution? _‘Productize’_ your services. This means moving away from hourly billing to a fixed-fee model.
In this model, you sell each service (such as logo design) for a fixed-fee. Clients also get a list of “features” with the service (such as 2 revisions or guaranteed 5-day deliver). This effectively turns your service into a ‘product’ that clients can purchase with the click of a button.
Productizing your services offers several benefits:
*
* You can scale easily since you’re not limited by the number of hours.
*
* Productizing can hide the actual effort involved in delivering a service, allowing you to charge more for less work.
*
* Products are easier to sell since there is no lengthy sales process or consultation call.
*
If you want to scale your income, productization should be high on your priority list.
*
* USE PROJECT MANAGEMENT BEST PRACTICES
Have you ever felt overwhelmed while running a project? Do you regularly lose track of key objectives? Do you struggle to juggle clients and change requests?
If yes, you might be suffering from _project mismanagement syndrom_e.
So many freelancers fall into the trap of focusing so much on their creative craft that they completely neglect the project and business side of things. They use ad-hoc processes to break down complex projects, eyeball project estimates, and use email to keep track of open issues.
This might be fine when you’re working on tiny projects and small clients. But as your practice grows, you’ll realize that neglecting managerial best practices makes it impossible to run complex projects. In fact, you’ll even find that larger clients _expect_ you to know the basics of project management.
While project management is a massive discipline in its own right (the PMP exam requires about 7,500+ hours of active project experience), here are a few things you should know:
*
* How to break down complex projects into their constituent deliverables
*
* How to develop communication and stakeholder management plans
*
* How to create a change management plan to track issues and requests
*
Refer to this guide to project management to get started. You don’t have to know everything in it (you can skip ‘project management methodologies’, for instance), but even understanding the basics will help you stand out.
CONCLUSION
Being a freelance designer is difficult in this day and age. As much as you’d want to focus on your craft alone, you can’t ignore the importance of knowing business and project management tactics. Follow these three tips to take your freelance design business further than it’s ever gone before. 
It’s a tough world out there for freelance designers. You have to fight off agencies, other freelancers, and increasingly, design tools to get new clients.
Your skills and knowledge can only take you so far; to survive in this hostile, ultra-competitive environment, you need some business hustle and marketing chops.
This is where I come in. In this quick guide, I’ll share 3 tips and tactics you can use to explode your freelance career. Whether you’re a practicing freelancer or looking to start after getting inspired by ColourLovers, you’ll find these tactics more than handy:
*
* WHITE-LABEL YOUR SERVICES TO AGENCIES
Imagine that a client comes into an agency looking for a new website. Halfway through the project, he decides that the company’s current logo is too bland. So he asks the agency to design him a new one.
The trouble is, the agency has never offered logo design services before. But since it doesn’t want to turn away the client to a competitor, it happily agrees, even though it has no clue how it will actually deliver the logo.
This is where you can come in. As a freelance designer, you can “white label” your services to agencies.
White-labelling means that you’ll do the entire creative work, but the agency will take credit for it. In exchange, the agency will give you bulk work without having to deal with the problem of finding and serving clients.
For freelance designers, this is as good as it gets to a guaranteed income. If you can stick to the creative brief, agencies will love to offload their work to you. This is also a great way to build relationships and start creating your own agency.
*
* ‘PRODUCTIZE’ YOUR SERVICES
Pricing services by the hour is standard practice in the creative industry. For agencies, it has its advantages – they can calculate costs easily, distribute resources across projects, and bill clients quickly.
For freelance designers, however, hourly billing isn’t always the best way to go. By exchanging your time for cash, you essentially limit your income. After all, you can only bill for a maximum of 24 hours in a day.
The solution? _‘Productize’_ your services. This means moving away from hourly billing to a fixed-fee model.
In this model, you sell each service (such as logo design) for a fixed-fee. Clients also get a list of “features” with the service (such as 2 revisions or guaranteed 5-day deliver). This effectively turns your service into a ‘product’ that clients can purchase with the click of a button.
Productizing your services offers several benefits:
*
* You can scale easily since you’re not limited by the number of hours.
*
* Productizing can hide the actual effort involved in delivering a service, allowing you to charge more for less work.
*
* Products are easier to sell since there is no lengthy sales process or consultation call.
*
If you want to scale your income, productization should be high on your priority list.
*
* USE PROJECT MANAGEMENT BEST PRACTICES
Have you ever felt overwhelmed while running a project? Do you regularly lose track of key objectives? Do you struggle to juggle clients and change requests?
If yes, you might be suffering from _project mismanagement syndrom_e.
So many freelancers fall into the trap of focusing so much on their creative craft that they completely neglect the project and business side of things. They use ad-hoc processes to break down complex projects, eyeball project estimates, and use email to keep track of open issues.
This might be fine when you’re working on tiny projects and small clients. But as your practice grows, you’ll realize that neglecting managerial best practices makes it impossible to run complex projects. In fact, you’ll even find that larger clients _expect_ you to know the basics of project management.
While project management is a massive discipline in its own right (the PMP exam requires about 7,500+ hours of active project experience), here are a few things you should know:
*
* How to break down complex projects into their constituent deliverables
*
* How to develop communication and stakeholder management plans
*
* How to create a change management plan to track issues and requests
*
Refer to this guide to project management to get started. You don’t have to know everything in it (you can skip ‘project management methodologies’, for instance), but even understanding the basics will help you stand out.
CONCLUSION
Being a freelance designer is difficult in this day and age. As much as you’d want to focus on your craft alone, you can’t ignore the importance of knowing business and project management tactics. Follow these three tips to take your freelance design business further than it’s ever gone before.
May was a month of many colors! We asked how palettes made you feel on our Twitter channel, and you answered. Thank you for being so active in voting Colourlovers. Lets review the questions that we asked and the winning palettes.
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* Which palette makes you feel #SAFE?
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* Which palette best represents #LOVE?
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* Which palette screams #ADVENTURE?
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* Which palette best describes #SOUL?
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* Which palette reminds you of #fairytales the most?
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* How would you describe #POWER?
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* The best palette to #ESCAPE!
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* Which #PURPLE inspired palette do you like the best?
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* What better describes your #MOOD today? (May 18)
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* What palette describes todays #MOOD the best? (May 23)
*
1. EMOTIONS - WHAT COLOR PALETTES MADE YOU FEEL
The palette that made you feel #SAFE: safe&sound *
bit.ly/2jnbH3Y
The palette that represented #LOVE the best: Lenas Love Letter
bit.ly/1NFamuV
The palette that said #ADVENTURE the best: a d v e n t u r e
bit.ly/2FNtMkB
The palette that represented #SOUL the best: emanated soul
bit.ly/2HZ1Z6K
The palette that reminded you of #fairytales the most: unicorn milk
bit.ly/2Gmwa1Y
The palette which screamed #POWER was: Powerful
bit.ly/2khBRWt
The best #ESCAPE palette: Sweet Escape •
bit.ly/2IJA0bA
2. BEST COLOR INSPIRED PALETTE - THE BEST PURPLE
And last but not least the best #PURPLE inspired palette: Influenza
bit.ly/2kvXXo3
3. THE MOOD OF THE DAY PALETTES
The palette which described the #MOOD of the day (18th May): Sunbleached
ttps://bit.ly/2wOtxq2
The palette that described the #MOOD of the day (May 23): i demand a pancake
bit.ly/2x4850r
So, Colourlovers, what do you think about the palettes? Do you see any pattern? :D
_Share which one is your favorite. We cant wait to hear from you!_
The palette that represented
The palette that said
The palette that represented
The palette that reminded you of #fairytales the most: unicorn milk
bit.ly/2Gmwa1Y
The palette which screamed
The best
2. BEST COLOR INSPIRED PALETTE - THE BEST PURPLE
And last but not least the best
3. THE MOOD OF THE DAY PALETTES
The palette which described the
The palette that described the
So, Colourlovers, what do you think about the palettes? Do you see any pattern? :D
_Share which one is your favorite. We cant wait to hear from you!_
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If there is anything most students dread even more than writing essays and term papers, its giving an oral presentation. Almost nobody likes it and it can be very nerve-racking. You are being judged and critiqued in real time by both your professors and your classmates. It can make you feel like youre in a pressure cooker thats just about to blow.
The good news is that the anxiety and fear associated with giving an oral presentation doesnt need to cripple your performance or your chance to get a good grade. If you take the advice ahead and implement these seven ideas into the writing and delivery of your presentation, youll do just fine.
#1 – START WITH GOOD WRITING
One of the advantages of presentations is that you dont have to be an expert essay writer or any kind of writing professional to stand out amongst your classmates. The language of a presentation is less formal, so you can write your script in a way that is more conversational than an academic paper. The freedom to do that should, in and of itself.
A well-drafted script, formatted like an essay or term paper, can help you get more comfortable with the information and its delivery. Start by drafting a comprehensive outline and build a script around that. It will help you organize your information and will decrease the likelihood of forgetting to include key details.
#2 – STUDY YOUR DRAFT
Once you have a solid draft written, read it over and over again. Resist the urge to make too many changes unless you spot some glaring errors or misinformation that needs to be revised. Getting familiar with the salient points in your script, along with the supporting details, will make it easier to transition to the next step.
#3 – USE ICONS TO FORTIFY KEY POINTS
Remember that you are giving this presentation to a largely millennial audience that grew up on visuals as part of their overall communication style. Graphic interpretations of key concepts or those that accentuate your description or explanation of them will get you far. Make good use of icons in your visuals. They are a popular addition to many written conversations, so leverage them as powerful visual aids. Some great examples can be found here.
#4 – MAKE GOOD USE OF COLOR IN YOUR VISUALS
Color is also a vital part of any visual presentation. Dont go the fast and easy route. Select templates and color schemes that accentuate the tone, mood, and feelings you are attempting to convey. Colorful visuals add an extra dimension to your presentation and can often go far toward clarifying key concepts or making your own thoughts and opinions clearer.
#5 – USE YOUR PERSONALITY TO YOUR ADVANTAGE
Now comes the part where you need to deliver your presentation and you want that delivery to be as strong as possible. Stiff, practiced, monotone presentations are boring. They become interesting when the presenter adds his or her own personality to the delivery. Walk around, use your hands, use appropriate facial expressions. All of these things will help accentuate your message and keep your audience engaged.
#6 – “UM...” DONT GET STUCK
The curse of “um...” has taken down many a presenter. This is why you want to be as familiar as possible with your material and the structure of the presentation ahead of time. Silent pauses are much preferred to a nervous “um” so work those pauses in ahead of time.
#7 – RELAX AND ENJOY
Try to approach your presentation from an angle that personally interests you and organize the information in a way that is easy for _you_ to understand. Doing so will boost your confidence along with the quality of your presentation. Dont try to impress with lofty details or ideas that are beyond the scope of the class. Stick with what you know and are being taught. It will earn huge points with your prof.
While we cant make the experience of giving a college presentation less scary, we hope that the above advice will help you at least feel more prepared when the time comes. Remember, out of all the things youll be asked to write during your college career, this is actually one of the easiest so dont be daunted by the task. Youve got this and weve got your back. 
If there is anything most students dread even more than writing essays and term papers, its giving an oral presentation. Almost nobody likes it and it can be very nerve-racking. You are being judged and critiqued in real time by both your professors and your classmates. It can make you feel like youre in a pressure cooker thats just about to blow.
The good news is that the anxiety and fear associated with giving an oral presentation doesnt need to cripple your performance or your chance to get a good grade. If you take the advice ahead and implement these seven ideas into the writing and delivery of your presentation, youll do just fine.
#1 – START WITH GOOD WRITING
One of the advantages of presentations is that you dont have to be an expert essay writer or any kind of writing professional to stand out amongst your classmates. The language of a presentation is less formal, so you can write your script in a way that is more conversational than an academic paper. The freedom to do that should, in and of itself.
A well-drafted script, formatted like an essay or term paper, can help you get more comfortable with the information and its delivery. Start by drafting a comprehensive outline and build a script around that. It will help you organize your information and will decrease the likelihood of forgetting to include key details.
#2 – STUDY YOUR DRAFT
Once you have a solid draft written, read it over and over again. Resist the urge to make too many changes unless you spot some glaring errors or misinformation that needs to be revised. Getting familiar with the salient points in your script, along with the supporting details, will make it easier to transition to the next step.
#3 – USE ICONS TO FORTIFY KEY POINTS
Remember that you are giving this presentation to a largely millennial audience that grew up on visuals as part of their overall communication style. Graphic interpretations of key concepts or those that accentuate your description or explanation of them will get you far. Make good use of icons in your visuals. They are a popular addition to many written conversations, so leverage them as powerful visual aids. Some great examples can be found here.
#4 – MAKE GOOD USE OF COLOR IN YOUR VISUALS
Color is also a vital part of any visual presentation. Dont go the fast and easy route. Select templates and color schemes that accentuate the tone, mood, and feelings you are attempting to convey. Colorful visuals add an extra dimension to your presentation and can often go far toward clarifying key concepts or making your own thoughts and opinions clearer.
#5 – USE YOUR PERSONALITY TO YOUR ADVANTAGE
Now comes the part where you need to deliver your presentation and you want that delivery to be as strong as possible. Stiff, practiced, monotone presentations are boring. They become interesting when the presenter adds his or her own personality to the delivery. Walk around, use your hands, use appropriate facial expressions. All of these things will help accentuate your message and keep your audience engaged.
#6 – “UM...” DONT GET STUCK
The curse of “um...” has taken down many a presenter. This is why you want to be as familiar as possible with your material and the structure of the presentation ahead of time. Silent pauses are much preferred to a nervous “um” so work those pauses in ahead of time.
#7 – RELAX AND ENJOY
Try to approach your presentation from an angle that personally interests you and organize the information in a way that is easy for _you_ to understand. Doing so will boost your confidence along with the quality of your presentation. Dont try to impress with lofty details or ideas that are beyond the scope of the class. Stick with what you know and are being taught. It will earn huge points with your prof.
While we cant make the experience of giving a college presentation less scary, we hope that the above advice will help you at least feel more prepared when the time comes. Remember, out of all the things youll be asked to write during your college career, this is actually one of the easiest so dont be daunted by the task. Youve got this and weve got your back.
.
You have probably experienced a time in your life where you have taken the plunge and decided to cut your hair short only to regret it instantly or even going to your hairdressers and asked for a trim only to walk out with a bit more than you anticipated. The 30 minutes you spent at your hairdressers might feel like it can take several years to fix.
If you would like your hair to grow it can feel like it is not getting any longer, even though the hair growth process is not something that’s easily noticeable, there are several tips for speeding up the process.
*
* Keep the Heat Styling to a Minimum
Heat styling is okay, but only in moderation. Excessive styling using heat products such as hair dryers, straighteners, and curling tongs definitely takes a toll on hair. Using extreme heat on your hair can damage it making it dry and brittle, which may result is hair breakage and shortening.
It is always advisable to keep heat styling to a minimum. Try washing your hair before you go to bed and allow it to dry naturally. If you have to use a curling tong or straightener, ensure that you only use it every other day. It is also advisable to apply some heat protecting spray before styling to help protect your hair.
*
* Getting Regular Haircuts
Regular haircuts are something that people looking to grow hair love to avoid. Most people avoid getting haircuts when they are trying to grow hair because they wrongly assume that their hair will simply end up getting shorter.
Getting regular haircuts especially after the ends have just been cut off really helps speed up the growth process. It is advisable to get your hair cut every 6 to 8 weeks. Regular trims help prevent hair from splitting. Hair becomes thin and breaks if it splits and goes up the hair shaft, which causes it to become damaged and shorter. If you get regular haircuts you can easily avoid such an unfortunate situation.
advisable not to have such treatments repeatedly since hair also needs to have a break.
*
* Choose a Celeb Style
There are numerous styles out there to suit your face and your own personal style and understanding the right one for you takes a little bit of thinking.
To make things a lot easier however, here is a great infographic that will give you an idea of not just celeb styles, but those that are also on trend.
*
* Eat a Balanced Diet
Eating right is one of the best ways to ensure that your hair stays healthy. Failing to eat a balanced diet can have quite an effect on the hair. Your scalp and hair can both experience problems because of a deficiency or excess of some nutrients in your diet. For instance, hair loss can be caused by an iron deficiency. Similarly, too much vitamin A can lead to hair loss in some people.
It is due to this reason that a balanced diet is critical to hair health. It is important to ensure that the body gets all the vitamins and nutrients that it needs to ensure that your hair and body stays healthy. It is very important to make sure that you get a mixture of complex carbohydrates and protein in your diet along with seeds and nuts that help keep hair healthy.
*
* Lifestyle Changes
Hair loss is sometimes due to one’s lifestyle. Traction alopecia is a type of hair loss that’s quite common in women and people that have tight hairstyles frequently such as braids.
Traction alopecia is a form of hair loss that happens over an extended period if the hair is under constant tension or strain. The hair loss is typically gradual caused by the pulling force applied to the hair. You might start noticing that your hair is thinning if you often have your hair in the same tight hairstyle.
It is always advisable to change your hairstyle regularly to avoid causing constant tension and strain on the hair. Avoiding tight hairstyles such as cornrows, high ponytails, and braids is also an excellent way to help prevent traction alopecia. Giving hair a complete break and leaving it unstyled and down also helps stop the risk of traction alopecia.
If you would like to learn more about how to keep hair healthy or information about any of the hair restoration treatments available, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today. We can arrange a no obligation consultation where one of our experts in hair loss can provide all the information that you need.
*
* Avoid Chemical Styling
Chemical styling refers to anything from drying the hair to chemical straightening to a classic perm. It is of great importance to understand exactly what you are actually putting on the hair with regards to chemical styling since overusing such treatments often leads to hair damage.
Chemical styling, just like heat damage can lead to hair becoming brittle and damaged, which results in the snapping of hair and hair never growing to its full potential. It is always advisable to only go for chemical treatments in salons where professionals can assess the current state of health of your hair and advise you whether the treatment is suitable for you. It is also
*
* Eat a Balanced Diet
Eating right is one of the best ways to ensure that your hair stays healthy. Failing to eat a balanced diet can have quite an effect on the hair. Your scalp and hair can both experience problems because of a deficiency or excess of some nutrients in your diet. For instance, hair loss can be caused by an iron deficiency. Similarly, too much vitamin A can lead to hair loss in some people.
It is due to this reason that a balanced diet is critical to hair health. It is important to ensure that the body gets all the vitamins and nutrients that it needs to ensure that your hair and body stays healthy. It is very important to make sure that you get a mixture of complex carbohydrates and protein in your diet along with seeds and nuts that help keep hair healthy.
*
* Lifestyle Changes
Hair loss is sometimes due to one’s lifestyle. Traction alopecia is a type of hair loss that’s quite common in women and people that have tight hairstyles frequently such as braids.
Traction alopecia is a form of hair loss that happens over an extended period if the hair is under constant tension or strain. The hair loss is typically gradual caused by the pulling force applied to the hair. You might start noticing that your hair is thinning if you often have your hair in the same tight hairstyle.
It is always advisable to change your hairstyle regularly to avoid causing constant tension and strain on the hair. Avoiding tight hairstyles such as cornrows, high ponytails, and braids is also an excellent way to help prevent traction alopecia. Giving hair a complete break and leaving it unstyled and down also helps stop the risk of traction alopecia.
If you would like to learn more about how to keep hair healthy or information about any of the hair restoration treatments available, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today. We can arrange a no obligation consultation where one of our experts in hair loss can provide all the information that you need.
*
* Avoid Chemical Styling
Chemical styling refers to anything from drying the hair to chemical straightening to a classic perm. It is of great importance to understand exactly what you are actually putting on the hair with regards to chemical styling since overusing such treatments often leads to hair damage.
Chemical styling, just like heat damage can lead to hair becoming brittle and damaged, which results in the snapping of hair and hair never growing to its full potential. It is always advisable to only go for chemical treatments in salons where professionals can assess the current state of health of your hair and advise you whether the treatment is suitable for you. It is also
I’ve been working as a self-employed creative person for about 6 years. I say "creative person” because, even though for most of the time I worked as a graphic designer and illustrator - I had about 2-3 years when I also worked as a UI/UX designer for mobile apps and websites, which at the time seemed like a dream job for me. I know, you’re probably thinking it’s a big gap between designing apps and drawing things for a living, and you’re right, but I was always attracted to exploring different visual creative fields and I like how they can co-exist.
In all this time I’ve been working as a freelancer, which involves the whole package of finding clients, doing a briefing, planning a project, doing research and finally starting work on the actual designs. The process is pretty much the same for every new project I take, but of course it wasn’t always like this. Since I’m self taught, I didn’t always have a structure and I used to play it by the ear a lot back when I started, so I made many mistakes that in time helped me optimize the process I have now.
First of all, a little background. When I started, I had no experience as a designer, my background was in communication and a little marketing, so I had to learn Photoshop and Illustrator from scratch. It helped that I was always passionate about drawing, but not by much, since graphic design is pretty technical and I was very new to all of that. I also had to learn to find my first clients, deliver the work and get paid, even if I had no portfolio and nothing to show for my work. So I did the easiest thing at the time: started by using freelance platforms like Fiverr or Elance (now Upwork), asking for very little money (yes, I did logos for $5) and pitching my design skills to clients who had no idea who I was. It was hard work and the satisfaction of earning the first money on my own was incredible.
FINDING CLIENTS
It took me a few months to become a decent designer and increase my fees, after which I started to find clients on my own, among my network. Ever since then, I never actively searched for design jobs, because I would always have people recommend me to other people or, once I got a little exposure on social media, I started receiving many emails from people who just happened to see my work and had a design proposal for me.
I would sometimes become so overwhelmed with the amount of work that came my way, that I would have to say no. That’s also when I learned another thing: as long as the demand for what you do is high, you can raise your prices and filter the projects you decide to take. I realized its better for me to work on one big project that pays well, instead of working on 4-5 small projects that pay little money and take the same amount of energy as a big project, if not more.
So, after the first year in the business or so, I never had trouble finding clients. But I would say that I did two things from the very beginning, that I think helped me get clients in the long run:
*
* I took _time for personal work_, which meant experimenting, playing around with ideas, techniques, styles etc, which is _very important_ because it allows you to play freely and unlock new ideas which you can later use in your paid work.
*
* I _shared everything I did online_. When I was starting out I had this blog called Friday Illustrated, where I would interview artists and designers in order to learn from them (and this was a huge resource for me, in terms of learning). And almost every artist I looked up to said the same thing: _always put your work out there_, either through a blog or on social media or whatever, but just finish a piece, share it with people and move on to the next. And I started doing that, which helped a lot with getting exposure, over time. People get used to what you do and to your style and they always recommend you to others, or want to work with you when they need something designed - and that’s how I got my first big clients. They were people from my community, from my network, who were starting a business or wanted to redesign their brand and approached me, because they’d been seeing my work on Facebook for years and loved my style.
*
BRIEFING
Once a client approaches me for a job I’m interested in, the process usually goes like this: we have a first meeting where we both determine whether or not we can work together, and if everything goes well we exchange a few emails where I ask many questions, in order to create a brief and see what exactly my job will be. Based on that, I estimate the budget and I send them a quote. I usually like to work with project based fees as opposed to hourly rate, because I feel like the value of what I’m offering isn’t always about the hours I put in. Sometimes I might spend 3 hours to reach a concept, sometimes it might take me 20 hours, depending on the project. But the value for the client is always about the end results; and the amount of time I spend getting there isn’t always a good indicator of that value.
If the client is ok with the price, we sign the contract, I usually get an advance of 25% (or 50%, if it’s a smaller project) and I start working.
My favorite part, the creative one, usually starts later in the process. I first need to dig deeper into what the client needs. In my experience, there’s almost always a difference between what the client says they need and what they actually need. So it’s my job as a designer to do my homework and make sure I ask as many questions as possible in order to get the bigger picture.
If it’s a visual identity project, for example, there is a lot to figure out before I start to design. I usually start by doing research about the brand, get as much info as possible on their core values, their goals, how their customers perceive them vs. how they want to be perceived (many times there are surprises here), I do research on the competition etc. This is very useful in order to offer the client a real solution, other than just execute what they say they need.
Once I have everything clear, I usually start by defining the brand’s personality, along with the client, and creating a tone of voice for the brand, which are the base for everything that follows. All the designs, communication, vibe of the brand, everything relies on these things we define. Ideally, these should be done by an agency, if the client has one, but if they don’t, these are steps you shouldn’t skip, if you want to offer quality work that will last in time. Your client will appreciate you more for it.
CREATIVE PROCESS
Once we have this structure, it’s a lot easier coming up with a concept and creating the graphic standards around it. Because once you can define “who is the brand?”, “what is it like?”, “what adjectives you can attribute to it?” and other such questions often used in branding, it’s easy to come up with fonts, the color palette and so on. If the brand is formal and conservative, you go with a certain font and choice of colors (taking into account what services they offer, also). If the brand is playful, innovative and cheeky, you might choose a friendly font, you might use hand lettering, playful illustrations and so on.
So design has very much to do with context. This is why it’s always a red flag for me when a client says they want their logo in blue because its their wifes favorite color. Or that they want something similar to someone else’s design (and send me a picture). I can always do that, it’s the easiest thing for me to execute and take the money, but I never do it, because: 1. they probably won’t be happy and will keep coming back for revisions, since that wasn’t what they “really” wanted; 2. because I love what I do and a big part of that is knowing that my work has real purpose.
Here’s a story on that subject. I once had a client who hired me to design his upcoming online teaching platform. When I asked him what kind of logo he wants, he told me he loves the Apple logo and wants something like that. Of course, my designer mind immediately went to the bitten apple symbol, used mainly on grey or black, with a super simple font assigned to the brand. I could do that. But was that what he really wanted? So I started asking question after question, trying to understand what exactly about the Apple logo he liked. Ten minutes later, I got to the conclusion that what he actually wanted was a brand that was "as respected and desired as Apple is". So what he wanted was not the logo, but rather the character of the brand, and he subconsciously associated that with the logo ?
This is why you need to ask questions beyond what the client claims they want.
Creating the logo and everything else involved usually starts once all this is made clear. And I usually put all this in a document and send it to the client to confirm.
Back when I started out, I would usually create 3-4 concepts of a logo and send them to the client to choose which one he liked best. Now, I prefer to work on just one concept, which I consider to be the best solution, and work from there. I always explain my point to the client and I always have objective arguments, so that they can make a decision taking into account my expertise. Many times, the client doesn’t agree with you, but when you explain it to them, they might change their mind and trust you more because of that.
When I pick a color palette, I start from all the above, but once I have it narrowed down to a few color ideas, I start looking for inspiration. I like using color palette websites (colourlovers.com has been my go to for years), but also Pinterest or Instagram accounts like @designseeds. Another favorite is Dribbble, where you can enter a color code and see all the combinations of colors used containing that one color (you can even filter according to the percentage of color present in each composition). It’s an amazing tool when you’re in search of ideas.
In this stage, I always like to create a moodboard of imagery that speaks to me, like a collage of color palettes, fonts, patterns, illustration styles and so on. They can be images I find on Pinterest, Instagram, photos I take on the street, images of other work I might have done before, anything that catches my eye. The purpose of this is to immerse myself in the atmosphere of the project and get a better idea of what I want to create. This moodboard, along with a list of keywords that are assigned to the brand, are the starting point to my design process.
Once I have the visual style ready and approved, I create a visual identity manual where I write down how everything should be used. Things like versions of the logo, dont’s of the logo with examples like: never stretch the logo, never place X version on a black background, never use the typeface without the symbol or whatever etc, so basically graphic rules. I state what the main font is, what the secondary font is (for both digital and print), what the color palette is (with all color codes), what is the minimum size for the logo in print and you should never make it smaller than that, what kind of imagery is associated with the brand (you might notice there are brands that always use sepia or black and white photos, or brands that always use photos from an up close angle, very detail focused) - all of this is stated in the brand manual.
You usually learn all these specifics over time and after doing many such projects, but it doesn’t hurt to take a look at other brands’ manuals and study how they do it (you can usually find them to download online, or if you have friends who work in advertising or print, they have easy access).
This is pretty much the whole creative process. Once all these rules are set (and verified, because you must be sure it all works together the way you designed it), I design all the materials needed. That’s usually divided in two: digital materials (website, social media etc) and print materials (which can vary from stationery to promotional materials or packaging). When I do print I always use a Pantone color code in order to check that the colors I pick are true (and even then, it depends on the type of paper they print it on, but that’s a long discussion). The deliverables can include editable files or not (depending on what we previously agreed on) and I like to use Dropbox to share them.
WHAT IS SOMETHING I KNOW NOW AND WISHED ID KNOWN BEFORE?
That the more time I put in improving the brief and narrowing down all the info, the more chances are that I will come up with a design that my client is happy with from the start - and therefore they won’t ask for many revisions, which I know is a nightmare for designers in the early stages of their careers. This is something that used to frustrate me a lot too, and sometimes I felt like the client is capricious and can’t make up his mind.
The truth is, if you communicate well and you spend time listening and asking questions, you will more likely be on the same page with your client. I used to be afraid to do that, because I thought if I asked too many questions they will lose patience and become annoyed. But on the contrary, they will end up trusting you more, because you help them define what they want. And right there is why they pay you their money, that’s the value you provide for them.
You can follow Mirunas work on Instagram and Behance.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT MIRUNAS STORY? DID YOU LEARN SOMETHING FROM HER EXPERIENCE? DID SHE INSPIRE YOU? LET US KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW. 
In all this time I’ve been working as a freelancer, which involves the whole package of finding clients, doing a briefing, planning a project, doing research and finally starting work on the actual designs. The process is pretty much the same for every new project I take, but of course it wasn’t always like this. Since I’m self taught, I didn’t always have a structure and I used to play it by the ear a lot back when I started, so I made many mistakes that in time helped me optimize the process I have now.
First of all, a little background. When I started, I had no experience as a designer, my background was in communication and a little marketing, so I had to learn Photoshop and Illustrator from scratch. It helped that I was always passionate about drawing, but not by much, since graphic design is pretty technical and I was very new to all of that. I also had to learn to find my first clients, deliver the work and get paid, even if I had no portfolio and nothing to show for my work. So I did the easiest thing at the time: started by using freelance platforms like Fiverr or Elance (now Upwork), asking for very little money (yes, I did logos for $5) and pitching my design skills to clients who had no idea who I was. It was hard work and the satisfaction of earning the first money on my own was incredible.
FINDING CLIENTS
It took me a few months to become a decent designer and increase my fees, after which I started to find clients on my own, among my network. Ever since then, I never actively searched for design jobs, because I would always have people recommend me to other people or, once I got a little exposure on social media, I started receiving many emails from people who just happened to see my work and had a design proposal for me.
I would sometimes become so overwhelmed with the amount of work that came my way, that I would have to say no. That’s also when I learned another thing: as long as the demand for what you do is high, you can raise your prices and filter the projects you decide to take. I realized its better for me to work on one big project that pays well, instead of working on 4-5 small projects that pay little money and take the same amount of energy as a big project, if not more.
So, after the first year in the business or so, I never had trouble finding clients. But I would say that I did two things from the very beginning, that I think helped me get clients in the long run:
*
* I took _time for personal work_, which meant experimenting, playing around with ideas, techniques, styles etc, which is _very important_ because it allows you to play freely and unlock new ideas which you can later use in your paid work.
*
* I _shared everything I did online_. When I was starting out I had this blog called Friday Illustrated, where I would interview artists and designers in order to learn from them (and this was a huge resource for me, in terms of learning). And almost every artist I looked up to said the same thing: _always put your work out there_, either through a blog or on social media or whatever, but just finish a piece, share it with people and move on to the next. And I started doing that, which helped a lot with getting exposure, over time. People get used to what you do and to your style and they always recommend you to others, or want to work with you when they need something designed - and that’s how I got my first big clients. They were people from my community, from my network, who were starting a business or wanted to redesign their brand and approached me, because they’d been seeing my work on Facebook for years and loved my style.
*
BRIEFING
Once a client approaches me for a job I’m interested in, the process usually goes like this: we have a first meeting where we both determine whether or not we can work together, and if everything goes well we exchange a few emails where I ask many questions, in order to create a brief and see what exactly my job will be. Based on that, I estimate the budget and I send them a quote. I usually like to work with project based fees as opposed to hourly rate, because I feel like the value of what I’m offering isn’t always about the hours I put in. Sometimes I might spend 3 hours to reach a concept, sometimes it might take me 20 hours, depending on the project. But the value for the client is always about the end results; and the amount of time I spend getting there isn’t always a good indicator of that value.
If the client is ok with the price, we sign the contract, I usually get an advance of 25% (or 50%, if it’s a smaller project) and I start working.
My favorite part, the creative one, usually starts later in the process. I first need to dig deeper into what the client needs. In my experience, there’s almost always a difference between what the client says they need and what they actually need. So it’s my job as a designer to do my homework and make sure I ask as many questions as possible in order to get the bigger picture.
If it’s a visual identity project, for example, there is a lot to figure out before I start to design. I usually start by doing research about the brand, get as much info as possible on their core values, their goals, how their customers perceive them vs. how they want to be perceived (many times there are surprises here), I do research on the competition etc. This is very useful in order to offer the client a real solution, other than just execute what they say they need.
Once I have everything clear, I usually start by defining the brand’s personality, along with the client, and creating a tone of voice for the brand, which are the base for everything that follows. All the designs, communication, vibe of the brand, everything relies on these things we define. Ideally, these should be done by an agency, if the client has one, but if they don’t, these are steps you shouldn’t skip, if you want to offer quality work that will last in time. Your client will appreciate you more for it.
CREATIVE PROCESS
Once we have this structure, it’s a lot easier coming up with a concept and creating the graphic standards around it. Because once you can define “who is the brand?”, “what is it like?”, “what adjectives you can attribute to it?” and other such questions often used in branding, it’s easy to come up with fonts, the color palette and so on. If the brand is formal and conservative, you go with a certain font and choice of colors (taking into account what services they offer, also). If the brand is playful, innovative and cheeky, you might choose a friendly font, you might use hand lettering, playful illustrations and so on.
So design has very much to do with context. This is why it’s always a red flag for me when a client says they want their logo in blue because its their wifes favorite color. Or that they want something similar to someone else’s design (and send me a picture). I can always do that, it’s the easiest thing for me to execute and take the money, but I never do it, because: 1. they probably won’t be happy and will keep coming back for revisions, since that wasn’t what they “really” wanted; 2. because I love what I do and a big part of that is knowing that my work has real purpose.
Here’s a story on that subject. I once had a client who hired me to design his upcoming online teaching platform. When I asked him what kind of logo he wants, he told me he loves the Apple logo and wants something like that. Of course, my designer mind immediately went to the bitten apple symbol, used mainly on grey or black, with a super simple font assigned to the brand. I could do that. But was that what he really wanted? So I started asking question after question, trying to understand what exactly about the Apple logo he liked. Ten minutes later, I got to the conclusion that what he actually wanted was a brand that was "as respected and desired as Apple is". So what he wanted was not the logo, but rather the character of the brand, and he subconsciously associated that with the logo ?
This is why you need to ask questions beyond what the client claims they want.
Creating the logo and everything else involved usually starts once all this is made clear. And I usually put all this in a document and send it to the client to confirm.
Back when I started out, I would usually create 3-4 concepts of a logo and send them to the client to choose which one he liked best. Now, I prefer to work on just one concept, which I consider to be the best solution, and work from there. I always explain my point to the client and I always have objective arguments, so that they can make a decision taking into account my expertise. Many times, the client doesn’t agree with you, but when you explain it to them, they might change their mind and trust you more because of that.
When I pick a color palette, I start from all the above, but once I have it narrowed down to a few color ideas, I start looking for inspiration. I like using color palette websites (colourlovers.com has been my go to for years), but also Pinterest or Instagram accounts like @designseeds. Another favorite is Dribbble, where you can enter a color code and see all the combinations of colors used containing that one color (you can even filter according to the percentage of color present in each composition). It’s an amazing tool when you’re in search of ideas.
In this stage, I always like to create a moodboard of imagery that speaks to me, like a collage of color palettes, fonts, patterns, illustration styles and so on. They can be images I find on Pinterest, Instagram, photos I take on the street, images of other work I might have done before, anything that catches my eye. The purpose of this is to immerse myself in the atmosphere of the project and get a better idea of what I want to create. This moodboard, along with a list of keywords that are assigned to the brand, are the starting point to my design process.
Once I have the visual style ready and approved, I create a visual identity manual where I write down how everything should be used. Things like versions of the logo, dont’s of the logo with examples like: never stretch the logo, never place X version on a black background, never use the typeface without the symbol or whatever etc, so basically graphic rules. I state what the main font is, what the secondary font is (for both digital and print), what the color palette is (with all color codes), what is the minimum size for the logo in print and you should never make it smaller than that, what kind of imagery is associated with the brand (you might notice there are brands that always use sepia or black and white photos, or brands that always use photos from an up close angle, very detail focused) - all of this is stated in the brand manual.
You usually learn all these specifics over time and after doing many such projects, but it doesn’t hurt to take a look at other brands’ manuals and study how they do it (you can usually find them to download online, or if you have friends who work in advertising or print, they have easy access).
This is pretty much the whole creative process. Once all these rules are set (and verified, because you must be sure it all works together the way you designed it), I design all the materials needed. That’s usually divided in two: digital materials (website, social media etc) and print materials (which can vary from stationery to promotional materials or packaging). When I do print I always use a Pantone color code in order to check that the colors I pick are true (and even then, it depends on the type of paper they print it on, but that’s a long discussion). The deliverables can include editable files or not (depending on what we previously agreed on) and I like to use Dropbox to share them.
WHAT IS SOMETHING I KNOW NOW AND WISHED ID KNOWN BEFORE?
That the more time I put in improving the brief and narrowing down all the info, the more chances are that I will come up with a design that my client is happy with from the start - and therefore they won’t ask for many revisions, which I know is a nightmare for designers in the early stages of their careers. This is something that used to frustrate me a lot too, and sometimes I felt like the client is capricious and can’t make up his mind.
The truth is, if you communicate well and you spend time listening and asking questions, you will more likely be on the same page with your client. I used to be afraid to do that, because I thought if I asked too many questions they will lose patience and become annoyed. But on the contrary, they will end up trusting you more, because you help them define what they want. And right there is why they pay you their money, that’s the value you provide for them.
You can follow Mirunas work on Instagram and Behance.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT MIRUNAS STORY? DID YOU LEARN SOMETHING FROM HER EXPERIENCE? DID SHE INSPIRE YOU? LET US KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.
It is very popular these days to use web resources and services to deliver better quality and save time or even money. I dare to say that it is a damn fine idea. Why build from scratch rather than let the web tools or services do their magic?
You can focus on delivering quality and increasing the user engagement, while the web tools and services can help you with your daily tasks. Below there are many WordPress professional plugins, themes and a managed hosting solution; website builders, a fmarketplace with thousands of digital products and many useful services.
Check the reviews below and share your thoughts.
1. TICKERA - WORDPRESS EVENT TICKETING SYSTEM
Selling and sending tickets online is now easier than ever. Tickera is a highly appreciated WordPress plugin which will help you have your own online ticketing system. It is fully compatible with all WordPress themes which respect the standard and will blend perfectly into your new or existing designs.
Everything you need can be done with Tickera, it is packed with tons of features and options. You can use their ticket builder to fully customize and differentiate your VIP and standard tickets. You can put barcodes, use discounts to boost sales and much more. Much more can be done, check their website.
The pricing starts from $49 per year and there is a one-time installment fee of $70. Keep in mind that Tickera does not take a cut of your profit, they have fixed, transparent costs. It is probably the most affordable and professional solution on the market.
See Tickera in action! Here are some examples of the most used scenarios for ticket selling. Whether you are hosting single event or having website with multiple events or decided to harness the power of Tickera and WooCommerce fusion via Tickera Bridge for WooCommerce - it is all there for you to try out in "real life" examples! If you need a demo account go here.
2. LAYERSLIDER - RESPONSIVE WORDPRESS SLIDER PLUGIN
With more than 1.5 million active sites daily, LayerSlider is probably the best premium multi-purpose animation platform which will help you build sliders, gorgeous image galleries, animated landing pages and even full websites in record-time.
LayerSlider is the complete solution, being packed with tons of features and options. It has versatile layouts where you can select a full screen, full width, full size or hero scene display mode. It is fully responsive, looking great on any device: smartphones, tablets and desktop computers. LayerSlider is having the best drag and drop editor on the market. It is super simple to use, you don’t need to have coding skills or previous experience and it has everything included to help you: live preview, undo-redo, keyboard shortcuts, Photoshop-like image editor which works excellent and much more.
The version for WordPress costs $24 and for jQuery is just $15, both having lifetime updates with regular new great things included and 6 months support. On their website you will find all the documentation you may need and a dedicated support team to help you.
3. PAGELY - MANAGED WORDPRESS HOSTING
Beyond being the first Managed WordPress hosting solution, Pagely is committed to creating a company that values employees and customers first. They work hard, are kind to everyone, and act with a conscience. Its these values with which they’ve built a best-in-class service with the industrys top engineers who care about the communities they serve on a human level. This, along with an innovative and proprietary tech stack built on Amazon Web Services makes them the market leader in managed WordPress hosting for enterprise.
Pagely utilizes a partnership with Amazon to deliver the best-Managed WordPress hosting services on the market with the most experienced technical staff in the industry. They are focused on enterprise and the public sector but any WordPress website which needs speed and availability will benefit from having Pagely on their side.
Check Pagely and pick the plan you need, if you don’t know what fits best you can discuss with their friendly and professional support team.
4. GOODIE - WEB DEVELOPMENT SERVICE
Goodie is a professional but with a different approach web development service which will build you the website you dream for. The price is starting from $999 and if you need more features, Goodie will send you an affordable quote for the additional options. If your website is super-simple, they will add value, so your website will worth the money you have paid.
Upload your projects details and get in touch with Goodie.
5. ULTRA – THE MOST POWERFUL WORDPRESS THEME
Ultra is a powerful WordPress theme made by the well-respected developer Themify. It includes a brilliant and easy to use drag and drop builder, 11 bonus add-ons and the possibility to create unlimited websites with the license.
6. WPKUBE
WPKube has a small, yet a premium collection of WordPress themes which you will find very interesting. All their themes are pixel-perfect, multipurpose, load extremely fast and are SEO friendly. Check their portfolio.
7. COLORLIB – APPLY
Apply is a gorgeous, free one-page theme which is having a modern and clean design. It can be used showcase your mobile app, but also for other scopes. The free themes are having lots of features and options which normally can be found in the premium templates.
8. POSTCARDS
Postcards can be quickly used to create professional emails without writing a single line of code. The powerful drag and drop builder and the 70+ elements will make your life easy. Keep in mind that the elements are retina-ready, you can choose from 800 Google Fonts and more customizations can be further made.
9. SLIDES
Slides is a premium website builder which will help you have your own gorgeous website in minutes, without having any previous experience or coding skills. You can choose from 180+ beautifully designed and fully functional elements that in combination with the drag and drop builder will create you a gorgeous websitE.
10. CODESTER
Codester is an excellent marketplace which is quickly growing from one month to another. Web designers, developers and everyone looking to buy PHP scripts, app templates, website themes and much more. If you are looking for an additional income, you can sell your products on Codester, they are not requesting your products.
11. MERIDIANTHEMES
MeridianThemes is a powerful WordPress theme developer which is creating pixel-perfect, free and premium templates. All of their products are having gorgeous designs, load extremely fast and look great on any device your website visitors may have.
12. UICOOKIES – FRAME
uiCookies is popular for delivering awesome free themes which can be easily fully customized to fit any project. Frame is a free one-page theme with a modern and clean design, fully packed with features and options that are giving this theme a premium touch.
13. FREELANCELOGODESIGN
FreelanceLogoDesign is a platform which lets graphic designers compete to send their best logo design. Enter a simple logo design brief and pay $19, the platform will assign 3 designers which will be creating 6 custom logo concepts for you. You will receive the logos in less than 6o minutes and after you pick the one you like, you will pay $49 for the copyright.
14. MAILMUNCH
Working on all websites and all e-Commerce platforms, MailMunch is a popular way to increase conversions on your website. Create beautiful opt-in forms without writing a single line of code, starting from the professional included themes.
15. WHATFONTIS
WhatFontIs will quickly identify the fonts you are looking for from any URL or image which you will upload. What is even greater to this platform is the fact that you will receive free and premium alternatives, most of the times saving you money. Start using it, you will find it very useful.
16. PIXPA
Pixpa is a powerful and popular portfolio website builder, packed with an excellent drag and drop builder, beautifully designed themes and much more. You don’t need any coding experience or previous experience, anybody will obtain great results.
Try it for free for 15 days.
17. SUPERBWEBSITEBUILDERS
SuperbWebsiteBuilders is a decent choice for users, who intend to find the best website builder to complete particular tasks. The website provides the reviews of the top rated website builders, their characteristics, and list of pros and cons users should know when selecting the best platform. Due to the professional approach of Howard Steele, the owner and the chief editor of the website, it has become a decent information source for professional web designers and newbies.
18. UKIT
uKit is a robust website builder for business owners that have an edge over other site-building solutions due to its solid functionality and easy to use interface. The brings over 350 designer-made themes encompassing 38 business categories to suit just any kind of website. The platform offers everything you might require to set up your own professional digital presence and go online in a matter of minutes.
19. UCALC
uCalc.pro is a free online service that lets you create a custom embeddable calculator in a matter of minutes. Start by choosing a template (there’s a good collection of modern, designer made layouts), add the input fields you want and you’re all set to go live. Your visitors will be able to calculate mortgage, loan payments, interest rates and much more directly on your website.
20 .IM XPRS
IM XPRS is a decent choice when it comes to selecting a functional and affordable website builder. This cloud-based system is free, yet it offers a broad spectrum of web design options and tools needed to create websites of diverse specialization and complexity level. The service comes with the Polydoms technology, responsive templates subdivided into thematic categories, design customization tools, White Label solution and WYSIWYG visual editor that ensures intuitive, quick and safe web building process.
21. INVOICEBERRY
Looking for a complete, simple to use and budget-friendly invoicing platform? InvoiceBerry is what you are looking for, is a perfect fit for small companies and freelancers. Sending fully customized invoices takes less than 60 seconds and the platform can also help you track expenses and payments, create reports and much more.
InvoiceBerry is having a free forever plan, start with that one and you can upgrade anytime.
22. SALESMATE
Being used by more than 1,500 companies, SalesMate is a smart and powerful CRM software that will help you better organize your work, have a clear pipeline, increase email productivity and much more. Try it for free for a period of 15 days and check all the features and options that SalesMate is having.
23. UCRAFT WEBSITE BUILDER
Ucraft is a cloud website builder, which is in demand with experienced web developers and newbies, who are just making their first steps in the web design niche. The system allows creating and customizing websites of different types. There is even a Free Landing Page Creator, which makes to possible to build landing pages in minutes and connect them to any domains you wish or get the new one from the system in no time. It’s also possible to launch a functional web store here due to the integrated eCommerce engine the system can boast.
24. CONTROLIO
Controlio is a professional computer and internet monitoring software which is loaded with tens of great features and options. You can have live surveillance, continuous screen recording and much more. Prices start from $7.99 per user per month.
25. EVERGREENFEED
EvergreenFeed is a great way to put on autopilot your social media channels. This way you will save a couple of hours every week, hours which may bring you money by taking new projects. They are having a free plan which you should start with.
26. UNCODE
With Uncode you can take the building of an website using WordPress to the next level. It has a tailored version of the popular Visual Composer with advanced techniques, massive features and options. Everything you can thing for is included in Uncode.
27. RUMBLETALK - WORDPRESS SOCIAL CHAT
RumbleTalk is a popular choice to implement a web chat to any website. Using this webchat you can discuss with your website visitors but many other things can also be achieved. Audio and video calls can be made, image, video and youtube sharing and even more.
Up to 5 seats and 1 room is free. Try it.
CONCLUSION
Whenever you are looking to get things done quick while having excellent results, any of the above web resources are great options. Some of them are having free trials or even free forever plans, testing them is easy and free of cost.
As a final note, these web tools and services were manually selected and represent the best 26 web resources in the first quarter of 2018.
Please share your opinions and tell us what web tools you are using. 
Selling and sending tickets online is now easier than ever. Tickera is a highly appreciated WordPress plugin which will help you have your own online ticketing system. It is fully compatible with all WordPress themes which respect the standard and will blend perfectly into your new or existing designs.
Everything you need can be done with Tickera, it is packed with tons of features and options. You can use their ticket builder to fully customize and differentiate your VIP and standard tickets. You can put barcodes, use discounts to boost sales and much more. Much more can be done, check their website.
The pricing starts from $49 per year and there is a one-time installment fee of $70. Keep in mind that Tickera does not take a cut of your profit, they have fixed, transparent costs. It is probably the most affordable and professional solution on the market.
See Tickera in action! Here are some examples of the most used scenarios for ticket selling. Whether you are hosting single event or having website with multiple events or decided to harness the power of Tickera and WooCommerce fusion via Tickera Bridge for WooCommerce - it is all there for you to try out in "real life" examples! If you need a demo account go here.
2. LAYERSLIDER - RESPONSIVE WORDPRESS SLIDER PLUGIN
With more than 1.5 million active sites daily, LayerSlider is probably the best premium multi-purpose animation platform which will help you build sliders, gorgeous image galleries, animated landing pages and even full websites in record-time.
LayerSlider is the complete solution, being packed with tons of features and options. It has versatile layouts where you can select a full screen, full width, full size or hero scene display mode. It is fully responsive, looking great on any device: smartphones, tablets and desktop computers. LayerSlider is having the best drag and drop editor on the market. It is super simple to use, you don’t need to have coding skills or previous experience and it has everything included to help you: live preview, undo-redo, keyboard shortcuts, Photoshop-like image editor which works excellent and much more.
The version for WordPress costs $24 and for jQuery is just $15, both having lifetime updates with regular new great things included and 6 months support. On their website you will find all the documentation you may need and a dedicated support team to help you.
3. PAGELY - MANAGED WORDPRESS HOSTING
Beyond being the first Managed WordPress hosting solution, Pagely is committed to creating a company that values employees and customers first. They work hard, are kind to everyone, and act with a conscience. Its these values with which they’ve built a best-in-class service with the industrys top engineers who care about the communities they serve on a human level. This, along with an innovative and proprietary tech stack built on Amazon Web Services makes them the market leader in managed WordPress hosting for enterprise.
Pagely utilizes a partnership with Amazon to deliver the best-Managed WordPress hosting services on the market with the most experienced technical staff in the industry. They are focused on enterprise and the public sector but any WordPress website which needs speed and availability will benefit from having Pagely on their side.
Check Pagely and pick the plan you need, if you don’t know what fits best you can discuss with their friendly and professional support team.
4. GOODIE - WEB DEVELOPMENT SERVICE
Goodie is a professional but with a different approach web development service which will build you the website you dream for. The price is starting from $999 and if you need more features, Goodie will send you an affordable quote for the additional options. If your website is super-simple, they will add value, so your website will worth the money you have paid.
Upload your projects details and get in touch with Goodie.
5. ULTRA – THE MOST POWERFUL WORDPRESS THEME
Ultra is a powerful WordPress theme made by the well-respected developer Themify. It includes a brilliant and easy to use drag and drop builder, 11 bonus add-ons and the possibility to create unlimited websites with the license.
6. WPKUBE
WPKube has a small, yet a premium collection of WordPress themes which you will find very interesting. All their themes are pixel-perfect, multipurpose, load extremely fast and are SEO friendly. Check their portfolio.
7. COLORLIB – APPLY
Apply is a gorgeous, free one-page theme which is having a modern and clean design. It can be used showcase your mobile app, but also for other scopes. The free themes are having lots of features and options which normally can be found in the premium templates.
8. POSTCARDS
Postcards can be quickly used to create professional emails without writing a single line of code. The powerful drag and drop builder and the 70+ elements will make your life easy. Keep in mind that the elements are retina-ready, you can choose from 800 Google Fonts and more customizations can be further made.
9. SLIDES
Slides is a premium website builder which will help you have your own gorgeous website in minutes, without having any previous experience or coding skills. You can choose from 180+ beautifully designed and fully functional elements that in combination with the drag and drop builder will create you a gorgeous websitE.
10. CODESTER
Codester is an excellent marketplace which is quickly growing from one month to another. Web designers, developers and everyone looking to buy PHP scripts, app templates, website themes and much more. If you are looking for an additional income, you can sell your products on Codester, they are not requesting your products.
11. MERIDIANTHEMES
MeridianThemes is a powerful WordPress theme developer which is creating pixel-perfect, free and premium templates. All of their products are having gorgeous designs, load extremely fast and look great on any device your website visitors may have.
12. UICOOKIES – FRAME
uiCookies is popular for delivering awesome free themes which can be easily fully customized to fit any project. Frame is a free one-page theme with a modern and clean design, fully packed with features and options that are giving this theme a premium touch.
13. FREELANCELOGODESIGN
FreelanceLogoDesign is a platform which lets graphic designers compete to send their best logo design. Enter a simple logo design brief and pay $19, the platform will assign 3 designers which will be creating 6 custom logo concepts for you. You will receive the logos in less than 6o minutes and after you pick the one you like, you will pay $49 for the copyright.
14. MAILMUNCH
Working on all websites and all e-Commerce platforms, MailMunch is a popular way to increase conversions on your website. Create beautiful opt-in forms without writing a single line of code, starting from the professional included themes.
15. WHATFONTIS
WhatFontIs will quickly identify the fonts you are looking for from any URL or image which you will upload. What is even greater to this platform is the fact that you will receive free and premium alternatives, most of the times saving you money. Start using it, you will find it very useful.
16. PIXPA
Pixpa is a powerful and popular portfolio website builder, packed with an excellent drag and drop builder, beautifully designed themes and much more. You don’t need any coding experience or previous experience, anybody will obtain great results.
Try it for free for 15 days.
17. SUPERBWEBSITEBUILDERS
SuperbWebsiteBuilders is a decent choice for users, who intend to find the best website builder to complete particular tasks. The website provides the reviews of the top rated website builders, their characteristics, and list of pros and cons users should know when selecting the best platform. Due to the professional approach of Howard Steele, the owner and the chief editor of the website, it has become a decent information source for professional web designers and newbies.
18. UKIT
uKit is a robust website builder for business owners that have an edge over other site-building solutions due to its solid functionality and easy to use interface. The brings over 350 designer-made themes encompassing 38 business categories to suit just any kind of website. The platform offers everything you might require to set up your own professional digital presence and go online in a matter of minutes.
19. UCALC
uCalc.pro is a free online service that lets you create a custom embeddable calculator in a matter of minutes. Start by choosing a template (there’s a good collection of modern, designer made layouts), add the input fields you want and you’re all set to go live. Your visitors will be able to calculate mortgage, loan payments, interest rates and much more directly on your website.
20 .IM XPRS
IM XPRS is a decent choice when it comes to selecting a functional and affordable website builder. This cloud-based system is free, yet it offers a broad spectrum of web design options and tools needed to create websites of diverse specialization and complexity level. The service comes with the Polydoms technology, responsive templates subdivided into thematic categories, design customization tools, White Label solution and WYSIWYG visual editor that ensures intuitive, quick and safe web building process.
21. INVOICEBERRY
Looking for a complete, simple to use and budget-friendly invoicing platform? InvoiceBerry is what you are looking for, is a perfect fit for small companies and freelancers. Sending fully customized invoices takes less than 60 seconds and the platform can also help you track expenses and payments, create reports and much more.
InvoiceBerry is having a free forever plan, start with that one and you can upgrade anytime.
22. SALESMATE
Being used by more than 1,500 companies, SalesMate is a smart and powerful CRM software that will help you better organize your work, have a clear pipeline, increase email productivity and much more. Try it for free for a period of 15 days and check all the features and options that SalesMate is having.
23. UCRAFT WEBSITE BUILDER
Ucraft is a cloud website builder, which is in demand with experienced web developers and newbies, who are just making their first steps in the web design niche. The system allows creating and customizing websites of different types. There is even a Free Landing Page Creator, which makes to possible to build landing pages in minutes and connect them to any domains you wish or get the new one from the system in no time. It’s also possible to launch a functional web store here due to the integrated eCommerce engine the system can boast.
24. CONTROLIO
Controlio is a professional computer and internet monitoring software which is loaded with tens of great features and options. You can have live surveillance, continuous screen recording and much more. Prices start from $7.99 per user per month.
25. EVERGREENFEED
EvergreenFeed is a great way to put on autopilot your social media channels. This way you will save a couple of hours every week, hours which may bring you money by taking new projects. They are having a free plan which you should start with.
26. UNCODE
With Uncode you can take the building of an website using WordPress to the next level. It has a tailored version of the popular Visual Composer with advanced techniques, massive features and options. Everything you can thing for is included in Uncode.
27. RUMBLETALK - WORDPRESS SOCIAL CHAT
RumbleTalk is a popular choice to implement a web chat to any website. Using this webchat you can discuss with your website visitors but many other things can also be achieved. Audio and video calls can be made, image, video and youtube sharing and even more.
Up to 5 seats and 1 room is free. Try it.
CONCLUSION
Whenever you are looking to get things done quick while having excellent results, any of the above web resources are great options. Some of them are having free trials or even free forever plans, testing them is easy and free of cost.
As a final note, these web tools and services were manually selected and represent the best 26 web resources in the first quarter of 2018.
Please share your opinions and tell us what web tools you are using.
.
Are you going to make a romantic surprise for your boyfriend or girlfriend? Don’t miss the opportunity to please your beloved one. When it comes to your anniversary, each detail should be taken into account. Having romantic ideas of an anniversary gift is good, but it’s not enough to make the day unforgettable. The way you present a romantic surprise for your sweetheart also plays a great role.
_Do you know that feeling of continued concern every time you think about the upcoming anniversary date?_
If your answer is “yes”, don’t worry, ‘cause it’s natural to feel nervous about making this event special, no matter if it’s your 1st, 2nd or 10th anniversary. However , in all cases, there shouldn’t be any mistakes, especially with romantic anniversary ideas, so look out!
If you already have a few romantic ideas of an anniversary present, it’s time to think of some steps how to present your anniversary gift to derive more benefits from this event. 10 th anniversary gifts ideas for him along with 1 stanniversary surprise ideas for her will not come in handy without really substantial preparation.
along with 1st anniversary surprise ideas for her will not come in handy without really substantial preparation.
*
* DAZZLE YOUR PARTNER WITH THE FIRST LOOK!
*
Wrapping supplies are the first thing, which attracts the attention of the gift receiver! Increase the anticipation of getting a romantic anniversary surprise with the help of nice wrapping paper, decorated with a pretty bow.
You probably know what a great feeling it is to open a wrapped gift while trying to guess which one of the popular romantic anniversary ideas your partner has prepared for you! Moreover, what girl will refuse to post some spectacular photos with a secret present, wrapped in a colorful paper?
*
* ADD A PIECE OF TRIVIAL ROMANTIC!
*
Accompanying elements are as essential as the main present! In anticipation of getting one of the romantic anniversary presents, both men and women will be glad to get something additional, even trivial, but still romantic.
It’s about his/her inherent preferences. If you’re preparing a gift for a girlfriend, don’t forget about flowers and sweets! While ladies prefer magnificent bouquets and candies, a romantic surprise for a boyfriend may include balloons in the form of heart and his favorite fruits. 
Are you going to make a romantic surprise for your boyfriend or girlfriend? Don’t miss the opportunity to please your beloved one. When it comes to your anniversary, each detail should be taken into account. Having romantic ideas of an anniversary gift is good, but it’s not enough to make the day unforgettable. The way you present a romantic surprise for your sweetheart also plays a great role.
_Do you know that feeling of continued concern every time you think about the upcoming anniversary date?_
If your answer is “yes”, don’t worry, ‘cause it’s natural to feel nervous about making this event special, no matter if it’s your 1st, 2nd or 10th anniversary. However , in all cases, there shouldn’t be any mistakes, especially with romantic anniversary ideas, so look out!
If you already have a few romantic ideas of an anniversary present, it’s time to think of some steps how to present your anniversary gift to derive more benefits from this event. 10 th anniversary gifts ideas for him along with 1 stanniversary surprise ideas for her will not come in handy without really substantial preparation.
along with 1st anniversary surprise ideas for her will not come in handy without really substantial preparation.
*
* DAZZLE YOUR PARTNER WITH THE FIRST LOOK!
*
Wrapping supplies are the first thing, which attracts the attention of the gift receiver! Increase the anticipation of getting a romantic anniversary surprise with the help of nice wrapping paper, decorated with a pretty bow.
You probably know what a great feeling it is to open a wrapped gift while trying to guess which one of the popular romantic anniversary ideas your partner has prepared for you! Moreover, what girl will refuse to post some spectacular photos with a secret present, wrapped in a colorful paper?
*
* ADD A PIECE OF TRIVIAL ROMANTIC!
*
Accompanying elements are as essential as the main present! In anticipation of getting one of the romantic anniversary presents, both men and women will be glad to get something additional, even trivial, but still romantic.
It’s about his/her inherent preferences. If you’re preparing a gift for a girlfriend, don’t forget about flowers and sweets! While ladies prefer magnificent bouquets and candies, a romantic surprise for a boyfriend may include balloons in the form of heart and his favorite fruits. #GBK4199 #POSM2566 PBO GIM2992 #JUJUR020 wanita 2020 dotcom junita PBPA3344 #GPW4806 xoxo flora TBO1029 SA1035 . Selfpickup Available at Mutiara Complex Jln Ipoh (best price guaranteed) . Last minute order accepted **if we still have the available slot . . ** Flower bloom size and chocolates arrangement may be vary from picture shown. . ** Please DM/PM or Whatsapp us : 017-6183507. :: surprise delivery | room decor | table decor :: . . #fererobouquet #rosesbouquet #klflorist #surprisedeliverykl #surprisekl #kedaibungakl #pwtcflorist #surprisebirthdaykl #birthday #cikaylaprecious #bazaarpaknil #byrcw #kl #malaysia #love #valentinesday #surprisedeliveryplannerkl #giftboxkl #chocolatebouquetmurah #roomdecorkl #tabledecorkl #surprisedeliverypj #decorkl #anniversarygift A post shared by Cik Ayla Surprise (@cik_ayla_precious) on Apr 21, 2018 at 4:00am PDT
* * BE SINCERE AND DEEP! * Gift ideas for romantic anniversary shouldn’t be limited to material items. Don’t think that a romantic surprise will tell your partner about everything you feel instead of you. It’s a great pleasure to receive a present, but to hear such a desirable words about love is even much better! There are two variants to express your romantic feelings: tell by yourself or (if you’re too shy) put an anniversary card with a sincere poem in it.? Thank you for choosing us ? ? Do contact us ? ? https://www.wasap.my/60168385851 ? https://www.wasap.my/60109039189 (Tenom) ? Chocolate bouquet ? Pakej RM55 and above can request wrapping theme ? Kindly please place order 2-3 days earlier ? Delivery time: ➡ Mon-Fri (After 5.30) ➡ Sat-Sun (Anytime) #TheRebels #surprisedeliverylabuan #surpriselabuan #surprisetenom #surpriseputatan #surprisedeliveryputatan #surprisedeliverytenom #surprise #birthdaygift #anniversarygift #anniversary #chocolatebouquetfreshflower #chocolatebox #chocolatebouquet #surprisedelivery #brownieslabuan #brownies #graduationbouquet A post shared by TheRebels (@therebels17) on Apr 21, 2018 at 3:52am PDT
* * SET THE TONE OF AN ANNIVERSARY DATE! * No matter where you’re going to celebrate an anniversary – in public or in private – the atmosphere at the moment of presenting your anniversary gift should be appropriate. It’s easy to create a special anniversary atmosphere with the help of dim lightening, candles, light dishes, a bottle of wine (or another favorite drink of the person you love), and romantic music. These few things will help you to relax, create an intimate atmosphere and become a starting point for an ideal anniversary surprise.Love #goodluckflowers #flowers #card #parisjetaimecard #friendsandflowers #whiteandpeachroses #loveliveshere #flowersandcard #roses #parisjetaimemovie #parisjetaime #rosesandcard #iloveflowers A post shared by Buli G • ?? (@buli.g) on Aug 10, 2016 at 9:53pm PDT
And what about the moment of presenting romantic surprise for your boyfriend/girlfriend? How to hand over an anniversary gift to impress someone you love? Of course, you may do it yourself, without resorting to other measures. However, there are some hints not to be like others. A delivery service, a courier, or just a stranger. What a great surprise to get a gift from an unknown person at the most unexpected times. An anniversary is a great occasion to astonish your beloved person through somebody, he/she doesn’t know. An empty present box. This way to present a gift isn’t a perfect variant for those who don’t understand jokes. It’s interesting to watch how your partner becomes disappointed after opening a box without an anniversary present, and then again becomes happy after receiving a new “true” present. An adventure game. Are you and your partner admirers of secrets and research games? Then this variant is exactly for you! Create some tasks or puzzles, which your boyfriend/girlfriend has to complete to get a present. Fun and interesting! The suddenness is the best approach. Don’t present your anniversary gift, let it be discovered! Just imagine how your partner will be happy, getting a present when he/she doesn’t expect! Stay unpredictable to create an ideal romantic surprise. You also shouldn’t forget about an important fact that not the present is important, but your attention, care, and love. Following these simple steps, you’ll not only make the most romantic anniversary surprise for boyfriend/girlfriend, but also have a lot of fun!Romantic atmosphere ? #livingroom#romanticatmosphere#romanticroom#paris#toureiffel#home#design#romanticdecor#romanticdesign#lovers#romanticlovers#roses#candles#romanticvibes A post shared by Luxury Houses ideas ? (@luxuryhousesideas) on Apr 17, 2018 at 3:10am PDT
.
If you love comfortable clothes and feel most like yourself, you should focus your attention on cute sporty outfits. The athletic chic style is considered al trendy one that never goes out of fashion. Moreover, todays fashion commends the beauty of sporty garments and, therefore, you have the opportunity to wear something sexy and comfortable at the same time. Don`t think that sporty clothes are the appropriate attire only for the gym or yoga class. No, no, no! You can also feel comfortable and confident putting on athletic essentials on the streets as the casual clothes.
Sportswear is known as comfy and functional attire and thats probably why ladies like to experiment with their sporty outfits. There are really a lot of easy combos that you can mix up together and get a great look. Mostly, you can experiment with a bold color palette because a perfect sporty outfit is actually super formulaic. Just remember you need five things that help you make your look gorgeous (by the way, these five essentials are the useful pieces of clothing that every lady should have in her wardrobe):
*
* Sports Bra (its important to find the best sports bra for your size and, of course, color).
*
* T-shirt (experiment with size, color and style).
*
* Sweatshirt (if you want or need it).
*
* Leggings, sweatpants, cropped sweatpants or shorts (depending on the preferences).
*
* Sneakers (if you have some foot problems like the high-arched foot or peculiar feet like wide feet, you should be very careful choosing your sporty footwear. What are the best running shoes for wide feet? You have to figure it out before you buy the sneakers!).
Well, these basics make you sporty, but you also can add more colors and accessories to your looks like a lovely bracelet or a cute fitness tracker, sweaty headband or sunglasses can really make you look bright and eye-catching.
Look at the best examples of the stylish, sporty look in 2018 and think what ones will fit you.
If you love comfortable clothes and feel most like yourself, you should focus your attention on cute sporty outfits. The athletic chic style is considered al trendy one that never goes out of fashion. Moreover, todays fashion commends the beauty of sporty garments and, therefore, you have the opportunity to wear something sexy and comfortable at the same time. Don`t think that sporty clothes are the appropriate attire only for the gym or yoga class. No, no, no! You can also feel comfortable and confident putting on athletic essentials on the streets as the casual clothes.
Sportswear is known as comfy and functional attire and thats probably why ladies like to experiment with their sporty outfits. There are really a lot of easy combos that you can mix up together and get a great look. Mostly, you can experiment with a bold color palette because a perfect sporty outfit is actually super formulaic. Just remember you need five things that help you make your look gorgeous (by the way, these five essentials are the useful pieces of clothing that every lady should have in her wardrobe):
*
* Sports Bra (its important to find the best sports bra for your size and, of course, color).
*
* T-shirt (experiment with size, color and style).
*
* Sweatshirt (if you want or need it).
*
* Leggings, sweatpants, cropped sweatpants or shorts (depending on the preferences).
*
* Sneakers (if you have some foot problems like the high-arched foot or peculiar feet like wide feet, you should be very careful choosing your sporty footwear. What are the best running shoes for wide feet? You have to figure it out before you buy the sneakers!).
Well, these basics make you sporty, but you also can add more colors and accessories to your looks like a lovely bracelet or a cute fitness tracker, sweaty headband or sunglasses can really make you look bright and eye-catching.
Look at the best examples of the stylish, sporty look in 2018 and think what ones will fit you.
.
PSYCHOLOGY OF COLOUR
Psychology of colour relates to persuasion and so it can be a very important aspect of marketing.
Even though colour is dependent on personal experiences of people however, colour perceptions of people have rather messaging patterns. It is found that about 90% of snap judgements can be based on colour alone. Another study found that the relationship between brands and colour depends on the perceived appropriateness of the colour being used for the brand. The purchasing decision is greatly affected by colours because they affect how a brand is perceived. So, colour will play a very important role in deciding whether your product is liked and bought by your customers or not.
Different colours mean different things and they are generally associated with different meanings for different people. For example, red is often associated with your body and it means physical courage, strength, warmth, energy, basic survival, stimulation, masculinity and excitement. It may also mean some negative things like defiance, aggression, visual impact and strain for some other people. It is a powerful colour.
IMPORTANCE OF CHOOSING A GOOD WEBSITE BUILDER TEMPLATE
It is very important to choose the right website builder template because the template is the base of your entire site. Website builder templates are designed by keeping in mind the psychology of colour. Depending on your brand and the perceived image of your brand, it is important to keep the design and color choices in mind. The colours of the template should match with your brand. Making the right colour choices can help to convert more clients for you.
If you have tough competition and you want to differentiate from your competitors, your website can help you to do that. It is possible to use colour to achieve that goal. Colour appropriateness is far more important than the colour itself and you will need to remember that while creating your website. The colour should complement the image your brand has and what your clients and customers think about your brand. If there is a mismatch between the perceived image of your brand and the colour you use in your website, it can work against you and may shoo away customers from your product.
According to research done by different researchers there may be different dimensions of the brand personality and the colour will vary accordingly. For example, the blue colour may mean sincerity, down-to-earth, honest, wholesome and cheerful products whereas yellow and its shades may mean outdoorsy, masculine, western, tough, and rugged.
If you do not know colour psychology and do not know how to match the colour which your brand, it is always better to buy a good website builder template which is designed keeping in mind the colour psychology. If you are not doing that, it means you’re not only losing possible clients and customers which you could have achieved without doing anything else, but you are also forcing your prospects away from your products. Just find out the right website builder template for you from popular and trustworthy sources like Best10WebsiteBuilders and others and see how the psychology of colour can help you to get more business. 
PSYCHOLOGY OF COLOUR
Psychology of colour relates to persuasion and so it can be a very important aspect of marketing.
Even though colour is dependent on personal experiences of people however, colour perceptions of people have rather messaging patterns. It is found that about 90% of snap judgements can be based on colour alone. Another study found that the relationship between brands and colour depends on the perceived appropriateness of the colour being used for the brand. The purchasing decision is greatly affected by colours because they affect how a brand is perceived. So, colour will play a very important role in deciding whether your product is liked and bought by your customers or not.
Different colours mean different things and they are generally associated with different meanings for different people. For example, red is often associated with your body and it means physical courage, strength, warmth, energy, basic survival, stimulation, masculinity and excitement. It may also mean some negative things like defiance, aggression, visual impact and strain for some other people. It is a powerful colour.
IMPORTANCE OF CHOOSING A GOOD WEBSITE BUILDER TEMPLATE
It is very important to choose the right website builder template because the template is the base of your entire site. Website builder templates are designed by keeping in mind the psychology of colour. Depending on your brand and the perceived image of your brand, it is important to keep the design and color choices in mind. The colours of the template should match with your brand. Making the right colour choices can help to convert more clients for you.
If you have tough competition and you want to differentiate from your competitors, your website can help you to do that. It is possible to use colour to achieve that goal. Colour appropriateness is far more important than the colour itself and you will need to remember that while creating your website. The colour should complement the image your brand has and what your clients and customers think about your brand. If there is a mismatch between the perceived image of your brand and the colour you use in your website, it can work against you and may shoo away customers from your product.
According to research done by different researchers there may be different dimensions of the brand personality and the colour will vary accordingly. For example, the blue colour may mean sincerity, down-to-earth, honest, wholesome and cheerful products whereas yellow and its shades may mean outdoorsy, masculine, western, tough, and rugged.
If you do not know colour psychology and do not know how to match the colour which your brand, it is always better to buy a good website builder template which is designed keeping in mind the colour psychology. If you are not doing that, it means you’re not only losing possible clients and customers which you could have achieved without doing anything else, but you are also forcing your prospects away from your products. Just find out the right website builder template for you from popular and trustworthy sources like Best10WebsiteBuilders and others and see how the psychology of colour can help you to get more business.
.
There are different principles when choosing a color scheme. Based on these you can put together color combination for any type of website. It is essential to know the purpose of the website right at the start. It’s obvious that you would pick different colors for outpatient clinic, for a restaurant etc.
PROVEN COLOR COMBINATIONS
The basic know-how of every designer is the ability to sense which color scale to apply when creating a website. There is a large number of variables involved in the website building process which can limit the designer’s creativity. One of the factors mentioned previously is the purpose of the website. There exist PROVEN COLOR COMBINATIONS in this regard. What does it mean?
That they simply fit together.
On the one hand THE INDIVIDUAL COLORS AND SHADES BLEND IN. They may be monochromatic or complementary; or opposite. Simply these are any colors which fit into standardized color schemes.
On the other hand there are color combinations that users subconsciously ASSOCIATE WITH CERTAIN TYPE OF INDUSTRY. Furthermore, the right selection of colors INCREASES THE CLICK RATE AND PAGE CONVERSION.
As such color combinations are universal for certain website types, they became a guide or an aid for designers. Why to think of something that has already been invented and already brings the results?
WHY ALL MEDICAL WEBSITES ARE WHITE
Proven color schemes become a must-have for specific types of WordPress templates and websites. The associations these colors invoke for the users are the reason why these color scales can be recycled and repeatedly used for the given industry. And these color combinations will never go out of fashion.
White color will always be the designer’s first choice for creating medical websites, websites for doctors or dentists; because it is associated with the cleanliness, airiness and sterile environment (which is characteristic for hospitals etc.).
In addition, WHITE COLOR IS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT FOR ANY MINIMALIST BUSINESS WEBPAGE.
Also, it is not accidental that you come across a blue color whenever you open a bank or insurance website. Blue color (especially in dark shades) combines respectability, reliability and strength - the attributes that clients expect from financial institutions. But also from companies. Blue color will therefore always be a good choice for corporate websites and for Directory portals.
Analogous to white or blue color, there are also other colors that call up certain associations. Green color is related to environment or healthy lifestyle websites, black color to luxury product pages and so on.
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT COLOR FOR THE LAYOUT
Another factor that affects the use of a particular color scheme is the template layout itself. Not all the color schemes can be used universally for each layout type - THE ARRANGEMENT OF INDIVIDUAL ELEMENTS CAN LIMIT THE COLOR SELECTION.
There are 2 completely different approaches to layout creation - GRID LAYOUT (or Card design layout) and BROKEN GRID LAYOUT.
GRID LAYOUT ALLOWS YOU TO EXPERIMENT WITH IMAGES
When working with Grid layout, you can choose from several color scales depending on the website type. For the presentation and business websites you can use more bold color combinations and shinier shades.
Apart from presentations, Grid Layout is often applied for websites with large amount of photos and content, such as portfolios, blogs and case studies.
If the Grid layout is used for portfolio, website color scheme should be simpler. Images in portfolio are highly colorful. NEUTRAL COLORS should be used as a base, so that PORTFOLIO ITEMS CAN STAND OUT. Thanks to simple colors it is possible to add and combine different photos - both color and type. Beware, however, of their composition.
YOU HAVE TO ANTICIPATE WHEN USING BROKEN GRID LAYOUT
BROKEN GRID LAYOUT is a new approach that violates the rules of organized boxy layout design. Since the main principle of Broken Grid layout is seemingly random placement of elements on the website and their overlapping, the selection of right colors is essential.
Therefore we recommend to sensitively consider color scale and ask yourself if it is suitable for this layout type. Will it visually fit together with other graphic elements, embedded pictures or typography?
Source: Multimedia Guides in Culture.pl
WHERE TO FIND INSPIRATION FOR YOUR NEXT WEBSITE?
Even though design blogs and portals can be a good source of inspiration for color scale selection, WordPress themes as such often use proven color combinations therefore can provide useful guidance too. It requires some sense for colors, but remember that sometimes less is more, especially if you’re a beginner.
You will certainly pick your design WordPress template from 70 unique business and directory templates made by Ait Themes. 
There are different principles when choosing a color scheme. Based on these you can put together color combination for any type of website. It is essential to know the purpose of the website right at the start. It’s obvious that you would pick different colors for outpatient clinic, for a restaurant etc.
PROVEN COLOR COMBINATIONS
The basic know-how of every designer is the ability to sense which color scale to apply when creating a website. There is a large number of variables involved in the website building process which can limit the designer’s creativity. One of the factors mentioned previously is the purpose of the website. There exist PROVEN COLOR COMBINATIONS in this regard. What does it mean?
That they simply fit together.
On the one hand THE INDIVIDUAL COLORS AND SHADES BLEND IN. They may be monochromatic or complementary; or opposite. Simply these are any colors which fit into standardized color schemes.
On the other hand there are color combinations that users subconsciously ASSOCIATE WITH CERTAIN TYPE OF INDUSTRY. Furthermore, the right selection of colors INCREASES THE CLICK RATE AND PAGE CONVERSION.
As such color combinations are universal for certain website types, they became a guide or an aid for designers. Why to think of something that has already been invented and already brings the results?
WHY ALL MEDICAL WEBSITES ARE WHITE
Proven color schemes become a must-have for specific types of WordPress templates and websites. The associations these colors invoke for the users are the reason why these color scales can be recycled and repeatedly used for the given industry. And these color combinations will never go out of fashion.
White color will always be the designer’s first choice for creating medical websites, websites for doctors or dentists; because it is associated with the cleanliness, airiness and sterile environment (which is characteristic for hospitals etc.).
In addition, WHITE COLOR IS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT FOR ANY MINIMALIST BUSINESS WEBPAGE.
Also, it is not accidental that you come across a blue color whenever you open a bank or insurance website. Blue color (especially in dark shades) combines respectability, reliability and strength - the attributes that clients expect from financial institutions. But also from companies. Blue color will therefore always be a good choice for corporate websites and for Directory portals.
Analogous to white or blue color, there are also other colors that call up certain associations. Green color is related to environment or healthy lifestyle websites, black color to luxury product pages and so on.
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT COLOR FOR THE LAYOUT
Another factor that affects the use of a particular color scheme is the template layout itself. Not all the color schemes can be used universally for each layout type - THE ARRANGEMENT OF INDIVIDUAL ELEMENTS CAN LIMIT THE COLOR SELECTION.
There are 2 completely different approaches to layout creation - GRID LAYOUT (or Card design layout) and BROKEN GRID LAYOUT.
GRID LAYOUT ALLOWS YOU TO EXPERIMENT WITH IMAGES
When working with Grid layout, you can choose from several color scales depending on the website type. For the presentation and business websites you can use more bold color combinations and shinier shades.
Apart from presentations, Grid Layout is often applied for websites with large amount of photos and content, such as portfolios, blogs and case studies.
If the Grid layout is used for portfolio, website color scheme should be simpler. Images in portfolio are highly colorful. NEUTRAL COLORS should be used as a base, so that PORTFOLIO ITEMS CAN STAND OUT. Thanks to simple colors it is possible to add and combine different photos - both color and type. Beware, however, of their composition.
YOU HAVE TO ANTICIPATE WHEN USING BROKEN GRID LAYOUT
BROKEN GRID LAYOUT is a new approach that violates the rules of organized boxy layout design. Since the main principle of Broken Grid layout is seemingly random placement of elements on the website and their overlapping, the selection of right colors is essential.
Therefore we recommend to sensitively consider color scale and ask yourself if it is suitable for this layout type. Will it visually fit together with other graphic elements, embedded pictures or typography?
Source: Multimedia Guides in Culture.pl
WHERE TO FIND INSPIRATION FOR YOUR NEXT WEBSITE?
Even though design blogs and portals can be a good source of inspiration for color scale selection, WordPress themes as such often use proven color combinations therefore can provide useful guidance too. It requires some sense for colors, but remember that sometimes less is more, especially if you’re a beginner.
You will certainly pick your design WordPress template from 70 unique business and directory templates made by Ait Themes.