Laura Smith, Author at ocreations A Pittsburgh Design Firm

SINCERELY, YOUR EMAIL SIGNATURE

SINCERELY, YOUR EMAIL SIGNATURE

SINCERELY, YOUR EMAIL SIGNATURE If there’s one thing you shouldn’t be doing in your emails, it’s re-typing your name/contact info at the end of every message. Many corporations already have templates for their employees and have their IT department create a signature for them. However, if you’re an entrepreneur, student, or small business owner, you might be feeling a little lost as to where to begin. That’s what we’re here for! Here’s what to consider when creating an email [...]

By Laura Smith|2019-03-15T06:11:18-04:00January 18th, 2019|

FDA COMPLIANCE: A NEW YEARS RESOLUTION

FDA COMPLIANCE: A NEW YEARS RESOLUTION

FDA COMPLIANCE: A New Years Resolution It’s not too late to start on a New Years Resolution! Do you work with package design and/or Nutrition Facts labels? Now is the time to learn about the new FDA regulations. These new parameters go into effect sooner than you think. Don’t worry, we’ve got all the information you need to make sure your package designs comply with the new rules. What is the reason for the change? The current Nutrition Facts label [...]

By Laura Smith|2019-03-15T06:11:18-04:00January 10th, 2019|

TIPS FOR TAKING MOUTHWATERING PHOTOS

TIPS FOR TAKING MOUTHWATERING PHOTOS

TIPS FOR TAKING MOUTHWATERING PHOTOS Getting this reaction from your food photography? Here are some tips to add some flavor and spice into your food photography style, and get more reactions like THIS! Angles, angles, angles. In general, finding interesting angles makes for better photography. Try overhead, straight on, an angle that emphasizes your subject, or any other interesting angle you can think of. Make sure you understand where the photo is going to be used, and if [...]

By Laura Smith|2019-03-15T06:11:18-04:00December 28th, 2018|

EMAIL ETIQUETTE FOR CREATIVES

EMAIL ETIQUETTE FOR CREATIVES

EMAIL ETIQUETTE FOR CREATIVES Texting, Snapchatting, and Facetiming – these all make emails seem like a blast from the past. However, in the professional realm, emails are still one of the top forms of communication. Because we’ve generally become more casual with our methods of communication, it’s important to take a step back and make sure our messages stay professional in a professional setting. It is definitely challenging to switch gears from texting friends and family, to writing out [...]

By Laura Smith|2019-03-15T06:11:18-04:00December 21st, 2018|

THE 411 ON INSTAGRAM STORIES & HIGHLIGHTS

THE 411 ON INSTAGRAM STORIES & HIGHLIGHTS

THE 411 ON INSTAGRAM STORIES & HIGHLIGHTS New to the Instagram world and need to catch up? We’ve got you covered. New features like Instagram stories and highlights may seem daunting, but can actually be a lot of fun, and ultimately attract more followers. So, what are Instagram Stories? Instagram stories are a relatively new feature for Instagram users, and have come a long way since their entry to the platform in 2016. Stories are a great way [...]

By Laura Smith|2019-03-15T06:11:18-04:00December 13th, 2018|

MARKETING IDEAS FOR THE HOLIDAYS

MARKETING IDEAS FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Marketing Ideas for the Holidays 'Tis the season to do some holiday marketing for your company! Here are some seasonal marketing ideas show that your brand is happy to be a part of the holiday cheer: Advent Calendar An advent calendar is a great starting point for marketing ideas. For example, a cosmetics company could mail out a scratch-off advent calendar. Each day, customers could scratch off to reveal beauty tips, hacks, etc. On the last day, there would [...]

By Laura Smith|2019-03-15T06:11:19-04:00December 7th, 2018|

DO’S AND DON’TS OF YOUR FIRST TRADE SHOW

DO’S AND DON’TS OF YOUR FIRST TRADE SHOW

DO’S AND DON’TS OF YOUR FIRST TRADE SHOW First time running your own trade show booth, and don’t know where to begin? Here are the do’s and don’ts to follow – paralleled with some recent ocreations examples. ocreations recently developed trade show items for a new client, Brainy Ball, who premiered their game at the Chicago Toy and Game Week. ocreations even attended the show as part of the client’s team. Let’s get your (trade) show on the road! [...]

By Laura Smith|2019-03-15T06:11:19-04:00November 30th, 2018|

12 THINGS GRAPHIC DESIGNERS CAN BE THANKFUL FOR THIS THANKSGIVING

12 THINGS GRAPHIC DESIGNERS CAN BE THANKFUL FOR THIS THANKSGIVING

12 Things Graphic Designers Can Be Thankful For This Thanksgiving With Thanksgiving being just a couple days away, we'd like to share what we're thankful for this year. Here's our list: 1. All of the tools and resources we use on a daily basis. Before computers, graphic design was done all by hand. In the twenty-first century, we can now be more productive than ever with all of the possibilities technology has given us. Tools like the Adobe Creative Cloud, [...]

By Laura Smith|2019-03-15T06:11:19-04:00November 20th, 2018|

LAST-MINUTE BLACK FRIDAY QUICK MARKETING TIPS

LAST-MINUTE BLACK FRIDAY QUICK MARKETING TIPS

Last-Minute Planning Your Black Friday Deals? Black Friday will be here before we all know it – it’s only one week away! If you have good deals, you’ll need to get the word out, and a way that will grab your audience’s attention. Here are some tips for marketing your 2018 Black Friday (and even Cyber Monday) deals. Figure Out Your Deal & Who You’re Targeting Black Friday is one of the biggest spending days of the year. [...]

By Laura Smith|2019-03-15T06:11:19-04:00November 16th, 2018|

THE 411 ON WIREFRAMES

THE 411 ON WIREFRAMES

THE 411 ON WIREFRAMES Comparable to the blueprint of a home, wireframes are the foundation of building a website. Wireframes should be the first step in the process of designing and developing a new website, and are important for numerous reasons. So, what’s the 411 on wireframes? WHAT IS A WIREFRAME? A wireframe is the blueprint, outline, or rough draft of a web page. Here are some characteristics of wireframes: Typically in black and white, or grayscale. [...]

By Laura Smith|2019-03-15T06:11:19-04:00November 2nd, 2018|

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About Laura Smith