What Makes a Product Really Stand Out & Get Noticed??

Although I don't consider myself to be an expert of marketing or digital product branding, I do get asked this question quite a bit...

I really enjoy what I do and I thought I would share some of the tips and advice I have learned over the years. I often feel like I fall short when it comes to my own product brand and marketing, but I seem to excel when helping others.. go figure!!

I believe that there are three KEY ingredients to making sure your digital products really stand out...

#1 LAYOUT & DESCRIPTION

Your layout is not the actual colors or clipart you've included in your design, but how you have placed those items in a product preview to draw people in. I always work in grids.. I like to see that elements are placed evenly, proportionately, and balanced on a page - no matter what type of page you are creating. 

Now... I do have a Masters degree, but I did not earn my degree in art or design (maybe now I wish I had..lol). This is just my own "eye" and how I am able to creatively and objectively look at different designs elements. 

Think of it this way... the layout of your design tells a story... what story is your layout telling? 

Is your story random, messy and not well thought out? Or does  your story show you took great care and time to think about how to use the space you had?  Having white space is also not always a bad thing... especially in design. Just because there is space for more images, doesn't mean you need to fill it up with more.

Having too many elements in a layout will distract people from the visual story you are trying to convey. Keep the design and layout simple - I know you have all probably heard the saying, less is more.... but it's true... LESS is MORE.. in design. You want people seeing your product preview to know exactly what it is you have and to focus on the content. 

Leanring how to design an effective layout takes time, practice and many do-overs to get it right.. haha.. Just take a look at some of my old previews.... OR DON'T!!! There is always more to learn and I take pride in knowing that I am a life long learner of as many things as possible.. LOL

#2  FONTS HAVE FEELINGS TOO

Using clear and easy to read fonts on your product covers is VERY IMPORTANT!! If I can't read it, then I surely will not be buying what you are selling. Keep it simple, clean, and bold and people will be able to read the previews even when they are only 200 pixels wide on the web.

Every font has it's own "personality" and tone... Use fonts that reflect a "personality" that complements the purpose of the product. If you take a little peak at my PORTFOLIO, notice how the fonts I chose for each design takes on its own personality that complements the overall design and nae of each blog. Those choices didn't happen by accident, people. I often spend more time choosing fonts than doing anything else in a custom blog design. I can literally spend hours searching for just the right font that complements each design. It is a process, but it's an important process. 

Think of the fonts you choose as your online "body language".. what are your fonts relaying to those reading?  I recently read a great article about WHY FONTS MATTER that talks about how fonts can relay our emotions and what we are feeling... just like colors (but I'm not getting into colors today.. that could be an entirely other post). It might be a good idea NOT to create a product cover while you're mad.. haha

I love design messages that help us learn... like the design of this T-Shirt from Amazon

If you thought the shirt was funny, there is an entire Facebook Community dedicated to spotting reasons as to "Why Fonts Matter". Check out this Facebook page, WHY FONTS MATTER and be prepared to laugh, but also be prepared to start thinking about your own font choices and what messages your font choices are conveying... it's really important!!

Here is an example from this FB page:

I am pretty sure the person who chose this font was not thinking that the style would make this company look like it says KKK boxing!!! Font styles can play tricks on our eyes and on the way we feel about a company or product... start thinking about your fonts.

I have had clients in the past ask me to use specific fonts together that look terrible when paired. Even when I have literally begged that client to "trust" me, I end up having to appease the client and use the font combination requested... 99.99% of the time I do this, the client will ask me to change the fonts once they have seen their decision and how it looks in relation to the overall design - I kid you not!! 

Make sure if using more than one font, that those two fonts complement one another as well. test it out, print it or get some fresh opinions if you are unsure. There are so many of us Teacher or former teacher bloggers that would jump at the chance to help and share our knowledge and input with you. Don't end up sitting for hours by yourself feeling frustrated when you have a community of amazingly talented peeps to give you some tips.  

#3 EXCLUSIVE CLIP ART AND REAL PHOTOS

Do you want to really make your products stand out and get noticed?? Use real photos taken by YOU or create your own clip art that no one else has. There is nothing more appealing than a high quality image or unique clip art! In my Clip Art 101 Course, I am teaching teachers and bloggers- just like you- to create their own images! Come join us - I would love to teach you what I know... 

Just imagine if you could create a quality product and then illustrate the entire thing using your own unique art!! You would certainly have something unique. I get asked all of the time why I do not sell the art I use in my Hello Business Planner or my End of the Year Memory Coloring Book.  The reason I do not sell the art I used to create these two products is because I wanted to create a product that was completely unique each time. 

I noticed the other day just how many product covers look exactly the same while scrolling through TeachersPayTeacher (Actually, Teachers Pun Teachers right now... hilarious!), so why not stand out with your own clip art OR photos. 

I like being different... I really do..  Try it... try it, Sam I am... (lol)

Last Thoughts/Tips

Staying consistent in your preview designs with branding will also benefit you in the long run. This is something I have a difficult time doing, because I like to change things up! It's hard to be consistent. Its NOT impossible, but it does take work to become recognizable and familiar. If you create a good brand identity or hire someone to do that for you, then you are on the right track already.

If you don't yet have a TpT shop and you are struggling to figure out how to begin, I always suggest starting out with a blog and begin connecting with people. Blogging was really my starting point and I had no idea how much it would positively impact my life. I have made incredible friendships, learned so much, and I have grown both as an artist and as a business owner through the relationships I made through blogging. 

If you need a little help, you can always hire me to create a custom blog or website design -that's right... I also design Weebly websites! You will have to email me for my website package pricing. Click HERE to hire me or email me at 3amteacher@gmail.com I am always ready to help create a unique design and get you started on your own blogging.business journey OR to help you get a fresh new look. Either way, I really do love what I do. 

(I do not design Wordpress blogs - email me about my Weebly package instead)

I certainly continue to grow and learn - and I am far from being an expert in design, but I do love sharing my knowledge - I hope this little bit was helpful.

Have some suggestions or tips on how to make a product really stand out and get noticed? Comment below with your tips! I would love to learn your secrets as well!!

Your friend,

Michelle

A Design Dream, New Holiday Clip Art, and a Free Resource!!

Feel free to grab the graphic above to use!! Just make sure to read my TOU. 

Happy Thursday Everyone!!!

I am writing to let you know that I finished quite a bit of work over the last couple of weeks and I have had the privilege of working with some amazing people!!! PLUS ALSO (in my BEST Junie B. Voice), there is a FREEBIE hiding somewhere within this post!!!

Winner of Mandy's Giveaway for a Mini Custom Blog Design is...

Rachael from Mindful Ramblings!!! Take some time to check out her current blog design, get a box of tissue and shed some tears if you may....BECAUSE.... the old design is getting a makeover with a new custom background, header, and button!!

I also want to send a special thanks to Mandy for hosting the giveaway and entrusting me with her blog design!!!

New Blog Designs:

I recently had the pleasure of working with Kathy Griffin from

who is just the sweetest gal EVER!!! How I came up with the design is actually quite funny.  I was originally going  to go with a clean, blue themed design when I had a dream one night that changed everything. Luckily, Kathy trusted my instinct and let me run with my idea....haha!! I worked endlessly for a week straight and when I was ready to show Kathy the test site, I was beyond nervous!! I actually told my husband that if she didn't like it, that I might use it for my own blog..hahaha... Well, I was so relieved when I got her email and she was just as in love with the paper cut-out design!!!! Kathy has such a soft and giving personality and I see so much of her in the design. If you have not had the pleasure of visiting her site, I highly suggest you do so!! Her blog is filled with so many amazing teaching resources & tips!!

New Sets: Christmas is Comin' I know that not all of you celebrate Christmas, but it is my absolute favorite holiday!! I LOVE the smell, feel, sounds, and sight of the Christmas season!! I get so excited to look at the lights and get a chance to listen to holiday music!! I have recently finished a few fun holiday graphics sets & I will also include some favorite oldies from last year's sets!! Introducing the G-Man, treats & Accents!!! This set is fun and features a realistic gingerbread effect with outlines in icing. Even the black and white versions have a black icing effect. 

Grab my FREE G-Man Writing Flap-Book Template from my TpT Shop!!!

Looks YUMMY enough to eat!!!  AND these cookies won't make you feel guilty!!!

And who doesn't love more FRAMES & BORDERS!!!

I will be adding about 4 more skinny frames to this set....hopefully by the end of the week, but the price will remain the same!!

This next set is my pride and joy!! The frames took a lot of hard work and sore, swollen fingers to complete, but I am in LOVE!! Be nice to my Henna Doodles Frames!! I have a variety of colors in the works to come out soon!! I discounted this set when I first put it up, but I have not changed the price. I want to give you all some deals for the Holiday season, but I still need to make sure I put food on the table. Times are tight right now....

Holiday Bundled Deals & Favorites!!

       

Last, I want to give a special shout out to a deer & lovely friend, Katie Knight from

for coming up with such a creative and helpful series to offer new sellers on TpT some help with creating products!! You are amazing, my friend!!! Thank you for including me and putting so much work into all of it!!

If you are NEW to selling on TpT, click the cute image Katie created below to get some helpful tips and learn some new tricks!!

Have a Happy Thursday Everyone!!! You are so close to Friday!!!

Thank you for visiting!!

What Every Blogger Needs to Know about their PC: FREE TIPS

Colors of success... These are the colors I am TOTALLY into right now for the holidays...I thought I would spread the cheer. If these don't make you smile, then you might definitely be a GRUNCH!! hahaha The G-word that has an "I" where I have a "U" is trademarked, so I made up my own version. You are more than welcome to adopt this cutie...we will start a Frindle trend...with the word, GRUNCH...

Over the next few weeks, I will be completing a series of posts dedicated to helping you keep your computers running strong. 

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As I continue to learn more about the structure, components and quirks of PC's, I learn even more from helping fellow bloggers with simple computer problems. I am completely self-taught and built the computer I use now (which is friggin amazing by the way). Before that, I was a big believer in HP products. Hp was GREAT for the simple computing tasks needed for completing my masters and teaching; however, none could handle the wrath of my excessive use of the graphics card. It would freeze, hang, shut down, stomp its "feet", throw itself on the floor in a complete tantrum, and I even experienced a moment with the BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH. 

If you have not heard of this before, this is technically referred to as a "stop error" code  and happens when Windows suffers a SERIOUS malfunction and completely shuts down.Stop errors are actually Windows way of "protecting the hardware and drivers from serious damage; however, the crash itself can put your computer to "sleep" for good.  Sometimes, this can even be caused from driver updates (experienced that as well) and other times, it is just from the hardware and/or drivers over-working or over-heating. It is VITAL to anyone doing digital design or gaming, to have a SUPREME cooling system within the computer itself. HP computers do NOT have these liquid cooling systems and the HP cases are IMPOSSIBLE to work on. They are so compact that I would have had to build the belly of the beast outside of the case..hahaha. It would be like trying to fix something within the engine of a Toyota. 

These companies compact their products to the point of suffocation at times. My Hp was not only suffocating, it was claustrophobic in that it would begin having "panic attacks" every time I worked for more than 5 hours at a time. If you know me, this kind of slacking off is just not acceptable at all. Since I received my computer, I have added some pretty cool new additions, and drooled over others that I hope to add in the future. The most difficult part of adding more to the computer is having to organize and zip-tie the wires!!! I was so excited about getting my new PC in May that I even wrote a poem about it...

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TWAS THE DAY BEFORE MY COMPUTER ARRIVED

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I am a PC girl all the way to the bone!! I have fixed the blue screens of death many times. It is actually a very simple process if it weren't for the location of the battery on the motherboard that must be removed for 5 minutes. It can be a tedious and pain-staking task, which is why a tech will charge you $75 an hour or more to fix. 

Removing the battery resets the NetBIOS and allows your computer a fresh boot. It is funny in the sense that it really does feel like I was kickin' my HP with a boot each time I had that crash!! In worse cases, the motherboard or processor will fry and everything on the computer will be a lost cause.

Getting back to the point of this post...
I have allowed many fellow bloggers/artists to call me personally after finding out that they are shaking their fists at the "gods" of slow technology, hang ups, and what the hay-barrels! What I find occurring most often is that many of YOU...

YEAH, I AM TALKING TO YOU!! You KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!

do not keep up with the simple upkeep and maintenance of your PC's. Proper maintenance on your computer will help keep it running super fast, and keep your hardware healthy. There have been many times that I have chatted with people who have panicked during a hang-up, freeze, or a s-l-o-w computer and have Googled a fix and ended up making everything worse. Downloading more stuff onto a suffocating computer will cause it to die. It would be like sitting on someone's chest who has a really bad cold. The best thing to do is STOP & re-boot - But that is not the topic of my post...maybe another time for that one..hahaha

I have created and compiled a list of vital weekly and/or monthly things you can do to speed up your computer and keep it running.

Time for the nitty-gritty fun - put on your big-girl (or boy) panties and start takin' notes people!! For those of you with MAC computers, you can keep your pull-ups on for now...hahaha..just kidding. I have nothing against MAC, except everything really..hahaha. I know nothing about the MAC computers, but I do have that on my life's bucket list - right after the one on my list labeled, "Have sex with an 800 lb man". As you might as well guessed, I don't think I will be getting around to that in this life-time. hahaha 

Another ADD moment before the list:
The very first computers available to mankind were IBM personal computers (okay, I think there was something before that in around 1977...gosh...), but IBM was MY very first computer. No ONE and I mean NO ONE had computers when I was growing up and I am not ancient- people!! Computers have really only been on the market since the early 1980's!! My family was given this clunky, grandma bathroom beige IBM computer (I can't even remember from who) when I was in about 5th grade. My parents had no clue what to do with the thing and none of my sisters or brothers were interested, but I was FASCINATED!! I taught myself how to use it, play Oregon Trail, write short stories and save them on my floppy disks...Not only did I teach myself, but I bought a set of MULTI-COLORED floppy's in sea green, pink, and that grandma beige. I was a floppy rock star I tell you!! I even got to put it in my room!! I have been a committed PC girl since. For those of you nerds out there, I am fully aware that after Apple was released in 1984, IBM also adopted Apple's more advanced GUI (Graphic User Interface)...but never mind that bit of information - it's irrelevant. haha!

Now that you know when my love for computers began, you might now understand how my love for art and technology would someday intertwine.

End of ADD side-track

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Ways to keep your computer healthy and running at top speed:

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Tip # 1. CLEAN UP YOUR HARD DRIVE!!
 I can't stress this enough!! It is the simplest of tasks and so many of you neglect it. We own a HVAC company and people are just as careless when it comes to changing out your filters! Dirty filters raise your monthly heating and A/C up to 60%!! Just imagine what those same skin cells and dust particles do to your computer?? Betcha didn't think of that, did you?

Here is how:
I have Windows 7, but other windows platforms should be fairly simple and not too different from the directions below.

  Go to START>ACCESSORIES>SYSTEM TOOLS and go to DISK CLEAN UP.

*You can take a little short cut and just go straight to the START menu and type: "Disk Clean up" in the search bar on the start tab. You should see the option in your list now. Click on it. 

*Choose your drive and allow the disk clean-up tool to generate the list of items that can be cleaned from your computer.

Once a list is generated, make sure ALL of the boxes are checked and click on OKAY (OK). 
*NOTE: You will want to make sure to save any files you have in your downloads folder before running this, because this will clear everything in the downloads file. 

When you download something from the internet, your computer will automatically place this file in your downloads folder. This is good to know and might come in handy in emergencies...

You will get a pop-up window asking if you whether or not you are sure with this...click YES, don't even begin to analyze this.

AND - Voila!!

I recommend that you re-boot your system to rid the computer of any broken registry keys and anything else that might linger.

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Print PDF

If however, you need some heavy-duty clean-up, because you have been terribly neglectful, read on...OR, if you are like me, you may want to read on because you do not want ANY clutter slowing down your system.

Go to: www.piriform.com and click on the download tab in the TOP navigation of the webpage. See below:

Once there, choose to download and install the CCleaner...

Choose the FREE option from PIRIFORM...

Follow the steps to download and install.

IT IS FREE!!

Once downloaded and installed, click ANALYZE to see how much clutter can be removed from your system...you might be in for a shocker here!! When ready, choose to RUN the cleaner and I am sure you will be feeling lighter already!! You should run this about once a month. Make sure to ALWAYS check for updates before you run the next time.

Next Week: How to Deep Clean your Computer using compressed air and a Phillips screwdriver. Check back in next week for more helpful tips on this series to help keep your computer healthy!!

Print PDF

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As always, thank you for stopping by my blog!!

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Techy Tuesday on Thursday: How to Flatten Images & Secure Your PDF files

UPDATE FOR MAC USERS: 11/17/2012 Scroll to the bottom of the tutorial where I have placed a link for all of you. Sorry this was not in the tutorial before (-;
Hi everyone!  There have been many inquiries on Facebook and in the TPT forums regarding the best way to secure images and content within a PDF file. You might be surprised, but many people were NOT aware that converting a document to a PDF does not automatically secure the content in the file...WOAH!!! There are extra steps you need to follow to make sure your files are secure. This tutorial also includes directions for taking a few EXTRA steps to make sure the images (clip art, borders, graphics) are secure in your files. 
Many artists require that the images are "flattened" in a SECURED PDF file. However, most do not explain what it means to "flatten" the images or offer directions as to how to do this....but today.....you will become an expert....hahahaha..
Actually, I am just hoping you can understand my directions..hehehehe
You can view the images below and/or download the PDF file to save directly from my blog...WOWEE!!

Here we go:

Programs I used in this tutorial:

Adobe Acrobat X Pro

Windows OS (Operating System): Win 7

Microsoft Office (PowerPoint) 2010

  

This tutorial will help you learn how to add the most efficient security to your published files. More specifically, I will show you how to "flatten" images to prevent people from extracting (copying & pasting) images from the digital files you create.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions regarding this tutorial or you would like to offer suggestions to improve this tutorial.

3amteacher@gmail.com

Step One:

Launch Microsoft PowerPoint and start a NEW project.

For this tutorial I created a simple cover page with text and images. If you have already created a PowerPoint document, you can skip to the step that applies to you.

Here is the finished slide BEFORE saving. None of the images have been flattened and nothing is secure……yet.

Step 2: Saving the finished PowerPoint

Save your document as you normally would; creating a PPT version of your original file.

You want to save the original as a PPT in case you need to make changes to your file in the future.

Many of you might be used to saving your file and then immediately converting the file to a PDF. If I convert my PPT file to a PDF without taking any other steps (as I did in the picture to the right), you will see that I am still able to highlight, copy, and paste the individual images within the file. You might be shocked to discover that saving your document as a PDF does NOT secure the content. You must take extra steps to secure the content in your file.

Step 3: Saving Your PPT as an Image

Before converting your saved PPT to a PDF, we are going to “flatten” the images by saving each slide as an individual PNG or JPEG image. You cannot edit the flattened image files. I choose to save as a PNG, but you can choose to save your file as a JPEG.

Save PPT as an Image:

Go to FILE>SAVE AS

Once the window pops up, you will use the drop down menu at the bottom labeled: SAVE AS TYPE, and choose to save the file as a PNG (Portable Network Graphic) or JPEG.

Once you have chosen the file type, click save. You might be prompted to choose to save the current slide or all of the slides in the file. If you want to use all of the slides, then choose to save each slide as an individual PNG image. The images will now be saved in the place you designated on your computer or flash drive.

Step 4: Creating a Secure PDF from your flattened image files

Now that you have saved each slide as an individual image file, I will show you how to convert the images to a single PDF file.

Open the file on your computer or flash drive that contains the image files you just created. As you can see (to the top right), I have only one image saved, since I only had one slide in my file.

To create a PDF using the image, I am going to RIGHT CLICK on the file and choose to

CONVERT IMAGE TO A PDF

If you have more than one image to convert, highlight (IN ORDER) the needed files, RIGHT CLICK and choose to COMBINE SUPPORTED FILES IN ACROBAT (See bottom right picture)

In this window, you can add more files or remove files you do not want in the PDF. Choose to COMBINE FILES and your images will be converted to a PDF.

Quick Note:  

Sometimes, the images that you saved as a PDF will not convert in the correct order. Do NOT panic. All you need to do is open the bookmark preview in Adobe (right panel). Once opened, you will see thumbnails of each page in your pdf. Just select and drag the thumbnails and drop them in the correct order. The page number will change automatically once it is dropped in another position.

Step 5: Securing the PDF

You have not added security yet….

Open the PDF if it is not already.

Now that you have your PDF open, you can click on any area and notice that the entire page will be highlighted, rather than any one image. You now have “flattened” the images within a PDF file; however, you have not secured your PDF. If we leave the file as is, the buyer will still be able to copy and paste the entire page.

The only way one could “steal” images after flattening would be to take a screenshot of the image; however, the quality will be terrible and the image will not be by itself (see bottom right picture). The thief will have to do quite a lot of editing in a design program to get the image by itself.

Next, I will show you how to add security to your PDF to prevent anyone from copying the pages.

Step 5 Continued

Adding Security Options to your PDF

Click on the TOOLS tab located on the top right menu bar of your Adobe file.

Select and click the PROTECTION tab, ENCRYPT, & choose to Encrypt with a password.

Choose YES to change the security setting if prompted with this question

You will get a pop-up window with options for securing your file.

Choose your encryption settings: Add a Password

Make sure to UN-CHECK the first box to enter a password. This option prevents anyone from opening the file.

Step 5 Continued

Adding Security Options to your PDF

Check the box to restrict editing and then customize your settings.

Create a PASSWORD. 

To get a strong password setting make sure your password includes an uppercase letter and a number.

Choose OKAY once you have finished creating your password. 

You will be prompted to enter the password a second time before the window closes. Now, save your PDF and you have created a secured PDF file!

Congratulations!!! You did it!!!

I really do hope this helps some of you out and helps to secure your digital files! Click the download button save/print a copy of this tutorial.
Thank you for visiting! Come back and check out my post tomorrow to see what I post for FREEBIE Friday!! I was determined to be prepared this time and participate in the fun!!
The GOLDEN ticket for Mac users:
I noticed that many of you who read my blog are actually Mac users and I always feel so bad that I can't offer you the same help...so....as usual, I don't give up until I learn..HA!!
I found a helpful tutorial and had a friend "test" it out before sharing with all of you. For those of you using PAGES in Mac, there is a way to save your pages as a "grouped" JPEG image. 
Here is the Tutorial I found CLICK HERE Save this site in a reference journal, so that you can refer back to this site when you need help. I can tell you that YOU DO NOT WANT to use the help forums on the APPLE site!!!! They are filled with tons of information from many people that have NO CLUE what they are talking about. There may be forums in there that are helpful, but I did not even see one. In fact, I was so irritated about some of the advice people were giving that I had to sign in and comment - I couldn't resist!! I left the link to the correct tutorial in that forum because the people who actually needed help were being prompted to do things that caused more frustration! People REALLY should not comment in forums like that UNLESS they do know what they are doing and they are actually prepared to provide a step by step solution. It drives me bonkers when people just decide to continually add their 2 cents, because it causes far more harm than good. 
I also received some input from a friend - Tracee Orman, who  is just some small time blogger and seller on TPT...bwahahahaha - yeah right!...
Here is what she had to say...(referring to using Pages on a MAC) You can group every object & text box as a single item, then do the "Arrange" > "Lock" to completely secure it. Just remember when grouping objects, you can't make changes (like adding a drop shadow) after it is grouped together.

Thank you for the info Tracee!! Please check out her blog (if you haven't already); however, please refer to the tutorial that I listed above if you have questions. I would hate to have her get a ton of emails from people saying, "The 3AM Teacher sent me to you to get help with using Pages"...I would feel horrible....truly.... However, I did make sure it was okay for me to include her knowledge before posting this...(-;

For you MAC users, please go through the tutorial and let me know what you think and if it was helpful or not...(-;