Diana Walkosak

This will be my first Holiday/Winter Season in Hampton Roads and I am looking forward to it already. We have just had our first light snow flurries and cold weather and I'm amped up for the rest of it.

When we moved to Norfolk in April we were having a tough time figuring out where to live. Which area? How far is it to the base? What's a good or bad area? What we ended up with was an apartment that is a good size for us in an area that is easy access to everything. We are only about 5 minutes from the airport which also puts us that close to the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. Oh yes, I'm a nature lover and you bet I bought membership as soon as I could.

Membership is giving me a preview of the Garden of Lights this weekend and I'm sooooo excited. I walked around a few days ago when they were setting up and it just is going to be beautiful.

I'll blog afterwards but I'm sure it will be worth going if you have a chance in December. Admission is per car (cash only) so pile in and go check it out! Support the Gardens!

Flier Creation – Not As Easy As It Looks:

There are many things to take in to consideration:

Aesthetics – is it easy on the eyes?

Branding – can you tell right away who the company is and recognize their logo?

Space – is there too much information crammed into one small space?

Information – are you actually giving some valuable information on the flier?

Color Palette - does your color palette match your branding?

Continuity – do your fonts and sizes make sense? are your bullets and capitalizations continuous throughout?

Contact Information – is it correct and everything on the flier?

The Grab Factor – does the flier grab the viewer?

Graphics – are photos and clip art good quality that will print well or will the pixels show?

Spelling/Grammar Check – don’t miss those little oops! and over punctuating issues.

The Dealmaker – is there something on the flier that asks the viewer to call for more information, stop by, check out a web site, etc.?

Copywritten – do you have permission to use that picture/logo/graphic?

Distinction – does your flier look like anyone else’s?

Those are just a few of the things to consider, there is also corporate branding and making sure any disclosures are on the flier that are required. Some companies require their logo to be larger than your logo, there are ethics codes and other things to consider as well.

Some people seem to get frustrated with flier creation; it takes time, thought and focus. It is one of my favorite things to do in my business as a freelance assistant. Mostly because it takes a burden off of someone else and allows them to do what they do best, interact with people and gives me a creative outlet. The part I enjoy the most with creating a marketing flier is using my eye for detail and persistent perfectionism in a creative manner. Getting it right will keep me up late working on it but it’s worth it in the end.

My best suggestion for those who create their own fliers and get frustrated with it as well as those who put one together quickly: Step back, take a break for a while and come back later with fresh eyes. Also, pull someone else aside with what you have so far, put it up in front of them for only about 20 seconds, take it down and ask them what they noticed. You’d be surprised with what stands out to the person who is glancing at it. What do you want to stand out? Did they see what you hoped they would?

In the end, a bad flier will reflect on your business just as much, if not more, than a great flier.