Brand Interview: Jodi Zulueta – Eldwenne’s Fantasy

February 28th, 2012 | Posted in art, Blog, Brand-Interviews | Comments Off
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Brand Interview: Jodi Zulueta – Eldwenne’s Fantasy

Jodi Zulueta - Eldwenne's Fantasy Jewelry & Artwork

How long has your company been in business? Please tell us a bit about your company, its mission, goals…
Eldwenne’s Fantasy, my online jewelry shop, has been in business since 2008. I’m in the process of creating my new online shop which will be called Ember Kay Dawn Studio – Original Artwork by Jodi Zulueta.

Eldwenne’s Fantasy is about creating moments with jewelry. Each piece is a part of me.  It’s a captured moment, a feeling. My Ember Kay Dawn Studio that I will be opening within the next couple of months is an extension of jewelry into painting.  My soul in acrylics, basically.

My jewelry is primarily made of silver, wire, natural stones, crystals, and shells. It’s a combination of earthiness and antique elegance. Making the jewelry is almost like a meditation for me. Very rarely do I plan out a piece in advance, unless it’s a custom piece someone has asked me to design. I design almost in a stream of consciousness method where I allow my subconscious to carry me thigh the piece.

Similarly, my paintings are mostly about introspection. But at the same time, providing the viewer with the opportunity to think, “YES, I can relate to this!” I learned reverse glass painting from two amazing hob’art colleagues of mine and I have been focusing on it more and more. I wanted to push the envelope a bit and honor my jewelry making by combining both jewelry design elements with the reverse glass painting creating the environment; the ambiance. I love the interplay between 2D and 3D.

Do you donate to charities? Tell us about that also and why.
I volunteer at the Hoboken (New Jersey) Shelter by teaching art workshops. I reached out to the director of the Shelter and she was very enthusiastic about it and it’s been an amazing experience. I even bring my 9 year old with me and he learns so much about life, as well as art, through the experience. I’m currently looking to enlist other artists, primarily in hob’art, to create a rotating roster of folks to come in and host workshops so that the guests can experience a wide variety of artistic expression. To see people who have very hard lives, crack a smile and see pride in their faces, at the artwork that they produced is indescribable.

How did you know what typeface (font) would be right for your company wordmark or logo? If your logo has an illustration, describe why that art was the right thing, animal, place, object, etc…
For Eldwenne’s Fantasy, I wanted a sense of airiness, elegance, and a touch of vintage. I explained that to my designer and she and I worked together to come up with what I currently have in my website header.  For my logo, I wanted something bold, simple, but elegant.  The gothic E said it all for me.

Jodi Zulueta - Eldwenne's Fantasy Logo

How did you decide on the right color palette to fit your company look and feel?
I wanted my website header to have an antique feel to it, so we stuck with muted gray, black and white. I’m in the process of rethinking this now, as I’ve had this for so long and I think it’s stale.

Jodi Zulueta - Eldwenne's Fantasy Header Design

How did you decide which type of designer to work with, or did you design your own identity and web presence?
I placed a request on Etsy and sifted through a bazillion responses (well, not exactly a bazillion, but definitely close to 50). I based my decision on examples of previous works and feedback.

Jodi Zulueta - Eldwenne's Fantasy Jewelry Necklace

In what order did you present your company to the world? Did you start with marketing and products, or website, blog and social media?
I definitely didn’t do it the right way. I built my shop and relied on word of mouth, business cards, and a prayer.

How long after the launch of your company did you start pitching in social media?
About 2 years. Way too long.

Jodi Zulueta - Eldwenne's Fantasy Jewelry Bracelet

Did you do research or study any software, take webinars, teleclasses, before approaching any area of your marketing or web presence?
No.

Do you advertise locally in newspapers and/or nationally in magazines? Are they effective?
I don’t advertise in print. I leave cards everywhere, tweet, and threaten family members.

Jodi Zulueta - Eldwenne's Fantasy Jewelry & Artwork

Jodi Zulueta - Eldwenne's Fantasy Jewelry & Artwork

Jodi Zulueta - Eldwenne's Fantasy Jewelry & Artwork

Do you advertise online using Google, Facebook or on other company sites? Are they effective?
No.

When you printed your products, packaging, business cards and other print marketing did you choose an online printer or visit a local vendor?
I used an online print vendor.

Did you know anything about different types of papers, when you wanted to print your marketing materials?
I knew matte vs gloss and different weights, but on a tight budget I had to settle for matte and not a sturdy stock.

Jodi Zulueta - Eldwenne's Fantasy Jewelry Ring

Have you ever used “green” technology in printing, using FSC certified papers or recycled paper and if not, how likely are you at trying this on a next project?
Never tried it. I’d need to learn more.

If you sell products, are they produced in the USA or abroad?
Produced in my studio/dining room in Jersey City. Home of the spinoff of Jersey Shore, sadly.

Is there anything you haven’t yet tackled, but will want to do soon?
Open my own studio space so I can tackle more sophisticated jewelry making, such as metalsmithing.

To Learn more about Jodi Zulueta and Eldwenne’s Fantasy visit the links below:

Facebook: Eldwenne’s Fantasy
Twitter: @eldwenne
My Etsy shop: www.eldwenne.etsy.com
Hob’Art: hob-art.org/artists/Jodi-Zulueta

Are You Sick of the Spinning Wheel on Firefox Too?

February 22nd, 2012 | Posted in Blog, Branding Wars, marketing, Social Media | Comments Off
Tags: , , , , , ,

What’s up with Firefox and why can’t we get a browser to work without issues? or is it us and we need new computers every year? Well, that’s not going to happen so what to do?

It all started about a year or so ago when Safari on my Apple computers didn’t work properly. I can open them if I need to see a site and how it looks via that browser, but it cannot be my browser of choice anymore. This is because technology is rapidly advancing and faster than I can buy new computers. So, I downloaded Firefox and started using that browser on both Macs. But in the last few months, if I have more than a few windows open or are visiting sites that get a lot of traffic, I am looking at a spinning wheel or I get a pop up message telling the page has timed out.

I have also used both IE and Firefox on the Dell PC and have the same issues.

So, what to do?

I just came across a Troubleshooting article for those that might need help and will pass it along.

From the “HowToGeek” website.

How To Geek Logo

Maybe I’ll try Google Chrome next.

What do the Cake Boss and Snooki have in Common Other Than New Jersey?

February 19th, 2012 | Posted in art, Blog, Branding Wars, marketing, Social Media | 2 Comments
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

buddy valastro cake boss and snooki from new jerseyYesterday I was walking through Hoboken, NJ doing some weekly shopping and noticed the line outside Carlo’s Bakery (known for the Cake Boss TV show) is still just about as long as it was when he first became known. In the newspapers I learned about Hoboken turning down a Jersey Shore TV show spin-off with Snooki (Nicole Snooki Polizzi) and the entourage being filmed there and my own Jersey City welcomed it. I’ll be sure to watch that first episode and see what develops.

So what do these two “icons” and I use that term a bit loosely, have in common other than NJ? Very strong “branding!” Yes, you guessed where I was going with this.

They both seem like pretty regular people with regular businesses/careers, but what separated them from the pack was their originality. I remember when Buddy Valastro, the Cake Boss first started his TV show and there was a great bus stop poster advertisement in Hoboken, Buddy covered in flour and no copy at all except the name of the show. I thought this ad was marketing genius. The visual was so powerful I wasn’t surprised to later see it in Time’s Square.

Having an original idea, building a strong brand and marketing it in just the right way is what sells the public. But consistency is what keeps that line on the street forming everyday and people watching the shows. If Buddy or Snooki had only done one or a few shows and left the scene, the public would have forgotten them over time. But they keep those episodes coming and the networks knew that had something different and spent the money to sell them.

Most small businesses don’t have the budgets that these shows had, but it doesn’t mean you can’t do something unique to market your products and services. Think about what marketing concept you could do that would offer something new and if your brand isn’t memorable then start thinking about how you can rebrand or change your game. Be consistent, update your website often, add new videos, audio, blog posts and more.

I Will Always Miss You Whitney Houston

February 13th, 2012 | Posted in art, Blog, People I Admire, Uncategorized | 2 Comments
Tags: , , , ,
Belle, My Mom In her Prime!

Belle, My Mom In her Prime, a Gorgeous Woman!

Each Valentine’s Day we show our love for friends and family, but today I’d like to thank Whitney Houston who helped me through a difficult time in my life.

In 1993 my Mother was diagnosed with Pancreatic and Liver Cancer and was struggling for her life. She was 72 years old, and just getting started on enjoying her retirement. Each weekend I would drive down to the Jersey Shore from Hoboken to Point Pleasant. I wanted to be with them and help them in any way I could. I was very close with my parents, as the baby in the family and the last to leave, so we shared so much and I trusted them and their guidance.

As I would drive on the turnpike and Garden State, the flocks of birds would swirl and soar around and Whitney’s song, “I Will Always Love You” would play on the radio. The combination of the birds soaring and Whitney’s amazing and powerful voice would fill me up and I would cry as I was driving. She helped me release the frustration and it was a way to grieve before and after being with my parents.

This past weekend when I heard about Whitney’s passing, it brought me back to that song and that time, and all the memories came flooding back. (…of course all those 9″ LPs, which I still have and would sing along to, like most.)

She had one of the most amazing voices of our time and I’m sorry she won’t be thrilling us all with what was coming next. I appreciate her gift to us all and especially for helping me when I needed it so badly.

My heartfelt condolences to her family and friends. May the outpouring of love from the world and gratitude help you through this very difficult time.

Skimping on Brand Packages Tells Us Something About Your Company

February 8th, 2012 | Posted in art, Blog, Branding Wars, marketing | 1 Comment
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

In the last few months I have been thinking quite a bit about the new Starbucks coffee bag packaging designs. When they first changed the designs, I couldn’t find the Sumatra bag and wondered if I was buying the right one. The more I looked at them over the weeks, the more it started to bother me that they had “dumbed down” the packaging.

Before, each type of roast had such a beautiful, interesting bag design, and they were quite unique. Even the Christmas blend was a welcome sight when it would appear at holiday time, or if they introduced a special roast from some exotic land. My favorite blend and packaging was Casi Cielo!

So these new bags have told me something about how Starbucks the company feels about their brand. Now that all the bags look the same except for the type of roast (the typographic part and perhaps a slight graphic that is almost invisible), that also tells me something about them. They changed their logo last year and perhaps chose not to spend the money to adjust all the different packages, and just went with the easier, cost effective way. Now, I can’t be sure that they didn’t want to spend the money, it’s just what I think when I see these new plain bags. With all the stores and all the traffic, they couldn’t afford to create new bags?

Another way of thinking might be that they wanted to solidify their brand even more and a way to do that is with repackaging all the coffee bags. But does Starbucks need a stronger brand? Who doesn’t know their brand and logo?

And yet a third option might be environmental. It’s possible that they close an environmentally friendly packaging choice? Less ink, better material?

I came across this article while looking for Starbucks packaging images for this post, and read what the Senior Designer at Starbucks says about the new packaging.

“The original coffee bag art lives on in updated icons that not only make it easy to navigate among the other bags, but are direct descendants of some of the original stamp art seen on our bags for many years. Yes, the Sumatra tiger is still a tiger and the smiling sun on Breakfast Blend is still the same. But if you look closely at these coffee icons, you see echoes of the past versions in each of them,” says Jeff Wilkson, Senior Designer at Starbucks Coffee, on the company’s blog.

Starbucks New Coffee Bag Packaging

____________

Dunkin Donuts, has always had their coffee bag packaging with the same designs, so I’m not expecting anything more than what I have already seen and purchased. Their coffee is just fine, but it just isn’t the flavor I like. Just not strong enough for my taste.

____________

The reason I bring this up is to emphasize that every step in branding and design a company takes, is noticed and commented on by customers and bloggers. Whatever your motive, be prepared for how it will be received.

 

The Don’t DIY Business Plan

February 5th, 2012 | Posted in art, Blog, marketing, Social Media | Comments Off
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Multi Ethnic Hands Making a CircleI work each day for my businesses, but I would never dream of doing everything myself.

I receive email after email telling me about a new webinar that’s going to teach me this or that and to Do It Myself, but really, who has the time? To watch all those webinars and to Do It Myself! Now, I will say that I’m totally for empowering business owners by giving them the knowledge so they know the possibilities, and I too watch as many webinars as I can fit in.

I love to learn and teach others also, which is why I create written and video tutorials, so those that want to gain more insight, can. But I also have set time frames and schedules each day for work, managing social media and marketing. Which doesn’t leave much extra time for DIY training, and just because I could, should I?… learn to build shelves, fix a sink, or should I hire an expert who surely would do a great job, since they know what they’re doing.

As much as I love to take photographs, I certainly wouldn’t showcase them in a gallery. When I step in front of a video camera, I’m still a beginner and just getting used to it and learning how the camera works. Even writing blog posts is something I have been playing with.

So why lately do I see Do It Yourself everywhere and why is everyone trying to teach us to do everything ourselves, from building our own website, publicity campaign, social media posts and more?

The answer is that everybody’s wallet is tight with the struggling economy and instead of hiring experts, everybody is learning to do it themselves. But how well? And isn’t it a poor reflection on a company and their “brand” when something is off or crudely done?

Instead of pitching for us all to learn everything, each small business owner needs to hire one professional and help that business grow. This is what would jump start the economy, because it builds confidence and spending and the circle continues to grow. We also need to face the reality that we each have our own gifts and talents and that’s what we should be doing. If we continue to focus on that we’ll be happier as well. I’ve seen so many businesses fail in the last few years and it’s for this very reason. We all think, I’ll just do-it-myself. Frame a picture, paint the house, cook gourmet food and yes learn to be a graphic or web designer overnight.

To run a business smartly and effectively is knowing what needs to be done and delegating the work to those that know what they are doing. If we all did that we’d get this economy moving forward in the right direction. Each business supporting another and then sharing that business with others.