I’m not exactly sure where mine is, but I’m sure it’s hiding somewhere.  Every time I receive a new phone book on my doorstep, I have a tough time deciding whether to keep it or throw it in the trash.  Most people I know throw it away.

Essentially, businesses listed in the yellow pages of the phone book are either hiding under my couch or waiting for the garbage truck to take them away.

When I’m looking for a specific service, instead of finding my phone book I head straight to Google.  The Internet has made searching for a local car wash or dry cleaner SO simple.  It seems like everyone else is right there with me, 79% of Americans online use the Internet to find a local business.*

Which leads me to my point, is your business online?

In the past year, the amount of small business’ with their own websites have increased by 46%.  However, there’s still a long way to go.

Before coming to MycroBurst, I worked with a variety of small businesses to help establish their online presence.

One of my clients didn’t really know where to start, but they knew they wanted to make the transition from the Coupon Clipper to online.  This owner previously established a Facebook page, which was a great start.  But when searching for their company online, all you saw was an arrow on Google Maps.  They had no other online presence.

One piece of advice I shared with my clients is:  Social Media is a great way to interact with your clients but it should never be used as your business’ main website.

Don’t get me wrong I’m well aware that social media is the future of the Internet and I’m a true believer in it.  But you have to be careful — as the rise and fall of AOL demonstrated, you cannot control the future of someone else’s domain.  You need to create your own.

In the end I was able to help my client establish their own, personalized website – for less than $900.  With their brand new website they are able to highlight each of their employees, show what services they offer, schedule appointments online and share their special promotions!

Their website is still in existence and is rising to the top of Google searches for their industry in their local area.  They now are able to share new products and sales with their customers and they couldn’t be more thrilled.

Between the always changing Internet and lack of phone books, a professional and custom website should be the next step in your business’ plan.  Get out of the dumpster and get online!

You’re lucky, I’ve found a great deal for you.  Don’t put off getting your business online any longer.  MycroBurst is offering $100 off any Complete Website Design Solution this month only.  Use code 4GETPHONEBOOK when placing your order.

The above coupon code is no longer valid, it has brought to my attention people were using it incorrectly!!   Unfortunately since some can’t play by the rules, you must call in to redeem the $100 deal.

Call our support team at (877) 525-5646 and let them know you want to redeem the January Complete Web Design Promotion today!  This coupon expires January 31st – call now to use for your new website!

We released the first part of our big announcement earlier in the week on our Designer Facebook page. Part one of the announcement was that designers will now be able to receive donations from project holders!

Project Holders can now give designers donations to show how much they appreciate their hard work.  We wanted to be sure even if you don’t win a project, there is away you can be awarded!

Please note:  Soliciting project holders for donations will result in losing any donation you may have received.

Part two of the announcement is a big part!  We are introducing the Super Designer program.

What is a Super Designer?

A Super Designer is a MycroBurst designer who wins 12 or more contests in a 3 month period.  To award them for their hard work and efforts, their payment processing fee will be cut in half!

Instead of the typical 10% fee, Super Designers will only be subject to a 5% payment processing fee of their winnings!

How can a designer become a Super Designer?

Participation in projects is the key!  Four times a year, MycroBurst will count how many wins each designer has.  To become a Super Designer, a designer must win a total of 12 contests in a designated 3 month period.  Their payment processing fee will be reduced to 5% for the next 3 months.  See below for an example.

To keep the Super Designer status, they must maintain 12 wins over the following 3 months.  Super Designers must have no copyright/trademark violations.  MycroBurst will evaluate each designer to see if they’ve made it into the Super Designer status.

.When will I see the 5% reduction?

After you’ve successfully won 12 projects in a 3 month period, during the following 3 months you will be a Super Designer.  This is when your payment processing fee will be reduced.

Here’s another example:
If from January through March a designer has won 12 projects, for April through June they will have the Super Designer status and have a reduced payment processing fee.  At the end of June, the last 3 months will be reviewed again.  If they have won another 12 projects, the cycle will continue.
.

We’re excited for this announcement and hope all of you are too!

MycroBurst will individually notify each designer that has reached Super Designer status.  They will enjoy the Super Designer status for the first quarter, which includes the months of January, February and March!  This will take effect for projects won in the month of January, 2012.  Thus, the first payment cycle that will be effected is that of January 20th.

Check out the Super Designer page at MycroBurst for more information!
.

Have questions?  Contact us!  You can reach us via phone at (877) 525-5646 or via email at support@MycroBurst.com.
As always, don’t forget to join on us Facebook & Twitter!  MycroBurst Facebook, MycroBurst Designer Facebook, MycroBurst Twitter!

Designer’s block is one of the most frustrating moments in a designer’s life.  Dreaded and feared, this may be a bad situation to be in but it’s not incurable. If you understand the symptoms then you should know when to step back and take a break.

There are many ways to overcome designer’s block, most of which includes learning to find inspiration again.  Some time back I posted a list of ways to get rid of designer’s block.  Today I am bringing you a list of books that can help you overcome designer’s block.

If you are currently suffering from designer’s block, these books will help you get inspired again.

1.  Recharge Your Design Batteries

Author: John O’Reilly, Tony Linkson

Category: Inspiration, Creativity

Tired of the same old boring routine? Can’t get inspired? Creativity seems like a lot of work? Read Recharge your Design Batteries and find much needed inspiration. This book helps you to get out of your monotonous routine and by providing a new creative approach, helps you to get inspired. There are a number of things that a designer can do to recharge their creativity.  This includes sketching, blogging, scrapbooking, experimenting with cameras and taking excursions.  This book makes for a complete guide to finding lost inspiration.

2.  Caffeine for the Creative Mind

Author: Stefan Mumaw, Wendy Lee Oldfield

Category: Inspiration, Creativity

Caffeine for the Creative Mind is a concise book offering readers a collection of energy boosting exercises to give creativity a push.  Do you need to give your mind the much needed jolt of inspiration? Read this book! It contains over 250 fun and thought provoking exercises for the creative brain.  It’s a must read for graphic designers suffering from designer’s block!

3.  A Smile in the Mind

Author: Beryl McAlhone

Category: Graphic Design, Creativity

A Smile in the Mind is a collection of works of over 300 international designers. Witty and fun to read, the book offers insight into how graphic design can be made memorable through the use of humor. The author finds links, then explains and assesses various design and corporate works with intellectual playfulness, making you look at graphic design as more than just decorative art. The book also covers various other categories like arts, law, leisure and manufacturing etc. It’s a great read and a highly recommended book.

4.  Creative Workshop: 80 Challenges to Sharpen Your Design Skills

Author: David Sherwin

Category: Graphic Design, Practice

True to its name, Creative Workshop offers 80 creative challenges that will help designers get a strong grip on various design solutions. Like exercises offered in a workshop, this book holds a collection of exercises, brainstorming techniques and innovative solutions by various graphic designers.  This will lead you to think and visualize – using your creative mind to the max.

5.  The Graphic Design Exercise Book

Author: Jessica Glaser, Carolyn Knight

Category: Graphic Design, Practice

Whether you are suffering from designer’s block or are just looking for inspiration and need a creative boost, The Graphic Design Exercise Book is one you need to read.  This book challenges designers with exercises that help them broaden their skills and explore their energies. What makes this book more intriguing are the illustrated references, the precise tips that help you interpret the process and the professional advice from big industry names. I personally found this book to be a teacher in disguise – guiding, advising and helping you gain a better understanding of the details of design.

There are plenty of good graphic design books for designers to read, however those of us suffering from designer’s block will be able to bring the creative genie out of their lamps with these 5 books for sure. So, go ahead and give these a read, you will not be disappointed!

For any work of art that is on public display, criticism is bound to arise.  If your art work is your only source of earning, then you definitely need to master the art of handling criticism positively.  Graphic designers are just as prone to criticism as any other creative artist. When you work for clients, you are destined to come across criticism that may target your artistic sense, creative originality and technical skills.

One way to help dealing with criticism is to be aware of your weaknesses. Here are a few more tips to help turn criticism into positive feedback:

1.  Never Lose Your Cool

If you have anger and ego issues, there’s a tough road ahead. Remember to never lose your cool, even if you think your client may be wrong.  Cool down first and send him a polite reply explaining why you did what you did and that you appreciate his feedback. Being calm, cool and collective will result in a better ending.

Your client might not understand certain issues as well as you do, but perhaps you need to reconsider his/her statements.  Ask yourself if you understand his/her views perfectly. Put yourself in their shoes and try to think from their perspective before you develop an opinion on their criticism.

2.  Don’t Take It Personally

Just because your work has faced criticism, doesn’t mean that you are a loser.  Relax.  Even the best of designers face the worst criticism and survive. This doesn’t stop them from being the best and it doesn’t stop them from trying harder. Everyone makes mistakes and as art is open to interpretation.  Try not to take a critic’s voice to heart.  Believe in your work and continue to improve your skills, but always be aware of what you’re creating to avoid making silly mistakes.  Sometimes it’s these mistakes that take away your excellent work credit.

3.  Avoid Being Egocentric

Yes, we all have an ego that prevents us from taking criticism positively.  But, while it’s good to be proud of your work, it’s unhelpful to be egotistic about it.  Most of us develop a defense mechanism the moment someone comments on our work.  Don’t be like that. Curb your ego, develop a listening ear and understand what your client is trying to say.

Contrary to belief, a client will not be unreasonable on purpose. There is typically logical thinking behind the criticism. Perhaps you don’t understand your client’s services or your research is lacking. Do your best to understand what the client wants and ask him/her to be more specific.  If needed, modify your work and send a professional response. Before you let your ego get the best of you, remember that you are at the receiving end. Whatever you say or do will influence your earnings. Do you want to give up just because your ego didn’t allow you to take criticism positively?

4.  Never Argue With a Client

Even if you believe you’re 100% right, never argue with a client. Communicate instead. Ask what s/he expects from the design and what improvements s/he requires. Arguing will make a situation such as this more dramatic.  If you think the client is still being unfair even, present facts politely with proof and reason with him in a very professional manner.

5.  Avoid a Careless Attitude

Some designers tend to have an “I don’t care” attitude, which is not good. When you are careless and don’t care about your client’s requirement, it shows in your work. Bad attitude is likely to hurt your career as much as bad work would. Be professional in your approach, your client might forgive your mistakes and be willing to give you another chance at making up.

At the end of the day, it depends on how confident, smart and professional you are. Develop these qualities and deal with clients in a positive and polite manner. It’s not just about the money but also about your reputation, this is harder to earn back if lost.

Did you receive many quality and intriguing design concepts at your MycroBurst design project?  Not sure which to choose?  Could you use more than one of the designs?  Do you know that you’re going to need more than just one design?  We’ve got a solution for you!

Back in October we posted that Project Holders at MycroBurst can select additional winners to their project, once it commences. We’ve brought that to the next level.

Project Holders can now notate that they will be picking more than one winner, before their project is over!

As you may have seen on our site, here are a few brief guidelines for selecting additional winners:
- Notating early that you will be selecting more than one design will save you time during the finalization process and motivate designers!
- We recommend that you pay the same prize amount (or higher) as your project’s prize amount to additional winners.
- After you’ve finalized your project, you will select the additional designs you want.  Each additional designer will be contacted.  The designers must consent to releasing the designs at the prize amount offered.  Once they do, the file sending process will begin.

Let’s take a closer look at what each step will look like.

Here’s how it works:

When a project holder logs in to their account and is goes to their “My Projects” section.  They’ll notice the new addition of the “Add Winner(s)” to the right of each active project.

Once a Project Holder decides that they want more than one winner for their active project, they will click “Add Winner(s).”  It will bring them to the “Winners Information” area.  This is the area that Project Holders will tell MycroBurst how many additional winners they want and how much they will be awarding each.  This is also the billing area.

Once at the project page, you’ll notice the “Winners?” field number has changed.  This shows designers how many winners (including the project winner) the particular Project Holder will be choosing!

If one was to click on the “Winners?” field, it will bring up the pop-up below.  This will show what a Project Holder will be paying to each additional winner chosen.  Please note, this includes all winners.  Winner #1 will be the winner of the entire project, the rest will be the additional winners.

Once a Project Holder is ready to finalize their project, the process is simple.  After going finalizing the winner of the contest, the Project Holder will be brought to the screen below.  To choose additional winners, there are two links to follow to do so.

The Project Holder will then see the remaining designs and get to choose which they want to award as their additional winners.

Project Holders please note:  The order in which you choose your additional winners, is the same as the order in which you awarded additional prize money.  For example, when you click on the “Winners?” and see the order – The first design you select as a winner here will receive the award for Winner #2 shown in the previous pop-up.

Every time you check a box, you will receive a pop-up confirming the prize amount that the designer will receive.  If you wish to not award that designer, simply uncheck the check box.  You will also be brought to the Winners Information screen to finalize the additional winners.
This is the last time you can change your winning drafts.

And that’s it!  The Project Holder has now finalized 4 designs!

A brief note about the file transfer process:
- Designers will be notated through our messaging system and email that a Project Holder has indicated they want to choose them as an additional winner.  The designer has the right to decline or accept this offer.  If they choose to decline, the Project Holder can choose another winner or get a refund.
Attention Designers:  If you decide you do not want to accept an additional winning offer, you must contact support via email, live chat or phone asap.
- Final transfer process for the ultimate contest winner will begin immediately.  Once MycroBurst receives confirmation from the additional winning designers that they accept the Project Holder’s offer, then file transfer will begin.

At times, this can get confusing and we understand.  Feel free to give us a call at (877) 525-5646 or send us an email at support@mycroburst.com with any questions or concerns!