The latest...

Announcing the grand opening of Sugarcoat Paperie, my newest freelance design venture. At this Etsy store, you can buy baby announcements, invitations, holiday cards, save-the-dates and more. Please take a look, make my shop a favorite, refer a friend, or even buy something ;)

[Pink Gardenia Announcement, Available Only at Sugarcoat Paperie; © Heather G. Young 2008]



Sugarcoat Paperie... where hand-drawn original artwork and skillful graphic design collide to provide you with the sweetest custom stationery around.

March Mark-Down!

I'm currently offering 50% OFF graphic design of the following items, for first-time clients (Salons/Spas) only:

Postcard Design
Magazine or Newspaper Advertisement Design
Tri-fold Salon Menu Design
Business Card Design

Discount ends April 4, 2008

All of my work is custom-designed just for your business. Allow me to enhance your brand identity with gorgeous graphics.

Leave a note for me through the form submission section of my website if you would like a price quote. I look forward to working with you!

On Fonts--Make or Break Your Design!

I know that some folks cannot afford a designer, or prefer to make their own marketing materials in Microsoft Word or PowerPoint or some other everyday program. That's OK. But, if you are one of these people, let me give you one piece of advice: do not use the following fonts. They're the telltale sign of a non-designer/rookie/newbie/person-with-no-taste. And they won't win you any points with customers either--they may just lose you a few or scare potential clients away. This is of utmost importance if you are a salon and spa owner. As a business that sells beauty, creativity, fashion, trends and of course, design, you must stray far from many of the fonts that came installed on your computer. The following fonts are the worst that you can use, for they are as cliched as they come:
Now that you've wiped them off your computer's hard drive, here are a few good replacements:

1. Myriad Pro: I use it as my backup any time a client does not already have a readable font for long chunks of text. Also, all of my personal promotional postcards use Myriad Pro for lists and paragraphs.

2. Swiss 721: A great modern alternative to Arial, shown here on one of my recent Valentine's Day Promos.




















3. Feel Script: A Veer exclusive, this font is unique and on top of 2008 trends. I just bought it as a birthday present for myself!















4. Hellenic Wide: Ooh, I'm in love with this one. Recently used (I think!) by Whole Foods' talented design team in their holiday promotional flyers and banners, this awesome font shows pizazz without even trying. (image from Veer)

5. Bouer Bodoni: Why use Times when you can be chic and classic with this much more clever serif font? Beautiful. (image from Veer)

the secrets to successful Spring Salon Marketing!

I know, it's only January and you've just finished recovering from Christmas, and you're scrambling to get Valentine's Day up and running. Because of the winter holiday rush, Spring somehow becomes the most underrated and forgotten marketing season. From what I've learned over the years working with my salon clients, though, is that Spring holds the most opportunities to attract new clients, increase retail sales and up the overall number of appointments made.

So, get out your to-do lists and add some of the following steps--and watch your salon have a growth spurt!

Mother's Day: Every mom--especially those with young kids at home--deserve pampering. Period. And husbands need hints. This is the holiday to 1. heavily advertise for gift cards in the newspaper, online, and local publications that men pick up and 2. give away free stuff. How about handing out mums (the flowers) on mother's day? Or a box of chocolates? Or better yet--in the weeks before Mother's Day, have every client enter a mother they know into a drawing for a high-value gift card. Market it with big signs and counter cards all over the salon.

Easter & Early Summer: Retail is the name of the game. Whether you're promoting shampoo as a basket-filler, or you're advertising deep conditioners as your "Get Fresh" spring campaign, don't forget a retail promotion this spring. Overwhelmingly successful time and again is the "Buy Two, Get One Free" deal. Make sure you're offering your BEST products with the deal. That means no "free hairbrush" or "free travel samples"--because your clients know when they're being duped! They want the best, so be sure to give it to them.

Wedding Season: This is a big one! Start thinking about it now. If you offer bridal party hairstyling and makeup, consider creating a special bridal services menu. Make it even more high quality than your basic salon services menu, and your brides will know you mean business. This is also when you should think about buying high-budget advertisements in the bigger magazines and newspapers. If there's a bridal edition/issue/insert in the local publications, make sure you know about them in advance! Brides must see your branding everywhere before they think you're a legitimate choice for their big day.

Prom & Graduation: They're the next generation to spend money in your salon, so it's best to lure teens in now! Their moms may not let them get elaborate highlights and edgy haircuts, but prom & graduation may be the first time they set foot in a salon. Advertise your prom & graduation services in every single local high school newspaper and yearbook. Consider creating a student discount, or a two-service prom package ("makeup and updo for 30% off") and put this in your ad!

By late summer, you should be selling hair removal, tanning and back-to-school haircuts. But we'll think about that later!