Click image to download as your desktop wallpaper. Enjoy!

WARNING: Very sappy, but very heartfelt post ahead.

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it at least hundreds of times: we, here at Visage, are privileged to know and work with the best people out there. It’s true. Not a day goes by that I don’t thank my lucky stars for you. Yes, YOU — clients, friends, vendors and Visage team members. As we close out this year and embark on a new one, I can’t help but be grateful for these relationships and excited for the year ahead. With that, I introduce our newest desktop wallpaper. It was inspired by you and I dedicate it to you. I hope you’ll take its message to heart and put it on your desktop as a daily reminder of your amazing-ness. Thank you, from me and the entire Visage team, for a wonderful 2011 and wishing you a new year that totally shines!

Warmly,
Lori

Launched this new website over the holidays for one of our clients. “Thank you sooo much — I think it’s the best website I’ve ever seen!” says Pete of St. Pete’s Dancing Marlin in Dallas, TX.

Thank YOU, Pete! And, thanks to Marketing & Media Partners for bringing us in as designers for the site.

Can’t wait to get back out to Texas for a visit to Pete’s place.

Christine has a BA from Seattle Pacific University in Literature and Creative Non-Fiction Writing, is a former Editor-in-Chief of Lingua Arts Journal, former PR and Business Manager of Second Essence Arts Journal, and worked for two years in the non-profit sector in Seattle after college. She moved to Phoenix in 2009 where she resides with her husband Ian, their brand new baby girl Charlotte, and their felines Townes and Nori.

Christine’s experience, talents, enthusiasm and can-do, let’s-get-’er-done attitude make her a perfect fit for our company. “I’m excited and proud to be a part of Visage Creative and its beloved network of clients and friends,” Christine says. I say, “We’re excited and proud to have you on our team, Christine! Welcome aboard!”

Click image to download as your desktop wallpaper. Enjoy!

Well, March definitely blew right past me…so fast that it’s already mid-April and I’m just now getting you some new eye-candy for your desktop. The theme for this wallpaper is “creativity.” In our world here, at Visage Creative, a creative block is a definite hindrance, to say the least. I admit, I have those moments when I wonder if I’m all tapped out. But, really, is that truly possible? I don’t think so. Creativity is a constant part of all of us, I believe. Sometimes it seems to be eluding us, but it’s there. I tend to become unstuck, creatively, just as soon as I relax my mind. A walk, a shower, a nap – it’s during those activities (funny to call a “nap” an “activity”) that the creativity really starts flowing through me. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of believing in and honoring that part of yourself. And, then, as Bernice Fitz-Gibbon put it, it’s “… merely turning up what is already there.” Here’s to adjusting that dial!

Well, the same is true – and perhaps even more so – when it comes to our personal image. For so many of us, we are our front-line marketing department; we are our own “spokes-model”; we are the literal “face” of our business. If we, ourselves, are not “presentable”, well, even the most fantastic business card or brochure may fall flat.

Enter Jackie Wheeler aka JackieStyle.

Jackie Wheeler aka JackieStyle, Image Consultant

Jackie is a friend and long-time business associate of mine who is also passionate about image. And, she shares that passion as a personal image consultant. Considering that, as far as your business goes, you yourself are a marketing piece, Jackie specializes in visual marketing, just as we do. But, with Jackie, we’re talking visually marketing you – yourself – your person. And, she’s an expert at helping you do that with the right clothing, make-up, accessories, etc. that suit your style and your life.

I recently had the opportunity to work with Jackie on my own wardrobe as I was looking for fresh ideas for my own personal presentation “palette” (so to speak). I put Jackie to the test. And, while I certainly wasn’t surprised, I was absolutely thrilled with her results!

At Visage, we’re always preaching about keeping your website and social media and printed materials fresh and relevant. Well, just as in business visual marketing, your personal visual marketing can sometimes get “stuck in a rut.” And, Jackie is a genius at helping you get unstuck and re-look, re-think and re-deploy your wardrobe in ways that you may have never considered before.

So give some thought to the personal, visual “face” of your business. Does your wardrobe and presentation really reflect who you are, what your business is about, how you want to be perceived? Is that image confident? Successful? Professional? Or are you cultivating (and re-cultivating) the same old, same old… because that’s what you’re used to?

If you live and/or work in the Phoenix metro area, I encourage you to give Jackie a shout. She’s professional, perceptive, has the style know-how and intuition – and she’s fun! Whether you just want to work on your existing wardrobe, or have a special event coming up or planning a business trip, Jackie is the go-to gal. Give her a shot!

You can contact Jackie at 602-980-4545 and you can find her on Facebook by clicking here.

Click image to download as your desktop wallpaper. Enjoy!

… some new art for your computer desktop… for March. March! Can you believe it’s already March?! I continue to be amazed at how fast time flies. It seems I’m constantly remarking with genuine surprise, “I can’t believe it’s already 3 o’clock!” or, “I can’t believe it’s already Thursday!“, or “I can’t believe it’s already March!” But, it’s true. I can’t believe it’s already March. January and February have been a whirlwind for us here at Visage. We’ve been going non-stop, working on some great projects with our great clients. And, we’ve been lovin’ every very fast minute of it. I hope you’ve also got things in the works that you’re excited about and that March blows lots of good things your way.

Click image to download as your desktop wallpaper. Enjoy!

It’s February – a month that tends to conjure up images of hearts, cupids, candy and roses. And, it’s definitely matters of the heart that inspired our design for this month’s desktop wallpaper. But, we’re not talking purely romance here. We’re talking about life, in general. We’re talking about following your heart and putting all of your heart into whatever (or whomever) your passion may be. Embrace life, love it up, and – as Confucius says, “Wherever you go, go with all of your heart.”

It’s not enough to simply post or Tweet something, and it’s been documented that one of the major reasons that people “unfriend” others on Facebook or stop following on Twitter is because of a preponderance of uninteresting, irrelevant Tweets or posts. Our days are busy, and for most of us, we don’t have the time or inclination to learn that a potential vendor or client “just had a weak latte” or “is bored” or “is planning on watching CSI tonight.” We all have unique sets of experiences, interesting backgrounds, individual points of view and areas of expertise. Sharing thoughts, insights, lessons and inspirations drawn from our lives and learnings is a powerful, inclusive way of connecting with others in the social “blogosphere,” and of keeping your social media posts relevant and insightful.

To jump start your social media writing, I encourage you to peruse “50 Content Ideas that Create Buzz.“  It’s a valuable and extensive list that encourages you to draw on all the things that you know, that you see, that you do, that you hear, to provide a bona-fide buzz to your posts. It has some great food for thought, and lots of sources of inspiration as you look to provide fresh, interesting communications. The more relevant and useful your posts are, the more likely that others will read them. The more that others read them, the more they’ll come back, and the more likely that they’ll share them. The more sharing and reading, the more “eyes and ears” you get … and you get the picture. A nice, healthy buzz about your blog – and your website and your business – can be a powerful fuel for the growth of your business.

“Networking” has never been more important than it is today, and as the saying goes “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” Today, the power and reach of the internet allows you to “know” more people than were ever before possible – IF they want to connect and know you. So, Tweet away, post to your Facebook, Link on In – but take care to make your connections relevant, fresh and interesting.

Click image to download as your desktop wallpaper. Enjoy!

I love ringing in the new year. It’s time to celebrate the past year’s triumphs and the new year’s potential. For me, it’s also time for serious reflection and reassessment. What worked for me last year? What didn’t? What should I get rid of? What should I keep? (Literally and figuratively.) We’re stepping into a shiny new year, laden with opportunity and possibilities. What will it bring? What will I make of it? I truly get giddy just thinking about it.

At Visage, as we wrap up 2010 and anticipate 2011, we’re celebrating, with gratitude, another great year full of incredible relationships with the best friends and clients, old and new. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you and wish you a very wonderful and prosperous new year. Cheers!

~ Lori and Chris

(Looking for our cool, breezy March 2011 desktop wallpaper?…  Click right here!)

A Growing Business

Several months ago, we were approached by a potential client (recommended to us by another client, but that’s another story…) seeking assistance in launching and presenting her new business. Jen Kirkpatrick had decided to tap into her passion and years of experience in gardening and horticulture, an entrepreneurial drive, and a love of working with people, and create Green Thumb Gardening Coach – offering gardening and landscaping assistance, education, direction and motivation to others.

Tilling, Planting and Fertilizing

Jen had a great business idea and great skills and knowledge with which to work, but she was looking for a (literal) ground-up approach to get her business started and promoted. We worked with her to come up with a logo and overall branding and image style that reflected her business, and provided our custom photography services to visually capture Jen, her business and her passion.

From there we created her initial marketing pieces to allow her to approach potential clients, including a custom, easily-updated dynamic website, business cards and magnetic vehicle signage.

Finally, we helped Jen “fertilize” her marketing and promotional growth efforts by implementing an initial social media marketing strategy (including blogging, Twitter and an RSS feed) to help her publicize and grow her business.

Growth and Propagation

Properly prepared, planted and nurtured, Jen’s business has really started to grow. Her vehicle signage gets her name, number and message in front of hundreds (if not thousands) of potential customers each day. Through incidental contacts and networking during her normal daily activities, she’s promoting her business via word-of-mouth and with distribution of her business cards, and her website continues to enjoy increasing traffic. Most recently, one of our primary online sources for Web tools and technology selected GreenThumbGardeningCoach.com as one of their feature Showcase websites, putting Jen and her business in front of thousands of additional sets of eyes.

Congratulations, Jen! You’re off and running, and we’re thrilled and honored to be your partner in the process.