Today I came across a really great article titled “SEO Guide for Designers” and even though the article is written for designers it has a ton of really useful information for non-designer types as well. In my opinion, this article lays out some of the most basic do’s and don’ts when it comes to getting high rankings for your website. But the article goes much deeper into understanding the basics of good SEO. So check out the article and let’s get some higher rankings starting today!

YSPN members…If you haven’t heard we are taking a road trip to St. Louis this weekend to watch the Cubs take on the Cardinals. Here is the Flyer (which Brian Petty Design created of course). If you are not a member yet this is the time to sign up for this great group and come with us to see the game this weekend. There is only a few tickets left so today is the day!

For more information visit www.ypspringfield.org

Click here to sign up for tickets to the game.

Click here to sign up for YSPN.

Late last week I went for a quick walk in the park. Partly to get out of the office and partly because it was just so nice out that I just had to go. I took the camera with me and found this great tree. I find that nature is a huge inspirational tool that I sometimes overlook when I need a creative boost. Here are a few pics from my walk.

As we announced last week we have launched a new look for our website. It’s been up for a week or so now and although we still have a few pages to go we would love to hear your feed back.

Take a look….www.brianpettydesign.com

Big Dam Film Fest: Tickets on Sale Now

Friday, April 25, 2008
7:00 p.m.
Hoogland Center for the Arts - Theatre 3

TICKETS ON SALE: CLICK HERE TO ORDER

In partnership with the Young Professionals of Quincy, YSPN is hosting a showing of “The Big Dam Film Fest” (as the event has been titled due to its namesake’s proximity to Quincy). The film fest will be a showcase of films not usually seen at local movie theaters. Instead, the films will encompass a sample of the myriad styles and genres that the ambiguous term “independent film” represents.

YP Quincy developed this event with the hope that it will spur an interest in and appreciation for independent filmmaking while presenting the works in a fun and lighthearted setting for all to enjoy. YSPN members so enjoyed themselves at the fest that they wanted to share the fun with the young professionals in Springfield!

The Big Dam Film Fest will be shown in Theatre 3 of the Hoogland Center for the Arts located at 420 S. 6th Street, Springfield, Illinois. A full cash bar with drink specials will be provided along with complimentary snacks donated by Arena Food Service.

But, the fun doesn’t stop after the films are shown! Join us for an after-fest party at Floyd’s Thirst Parlor located at 212 South 5th Street, downtown Springfield, IL. Floyd’s will offer drink specials to all the Big Dam Film Fest-goers!

We hope you will join us for this entertaining evenin g downtown!

Check out last year’s winner “Garpenfargle” by clicking here.

Tickets are $10 each. CLICK HERE TO ORDER TICKETS

We are so proud to announce our new look coming Monday! It’s been kind of a long process because I am my own worst client. For some reason working on a clients website is so much easier for me than doing my own.

So keep an eye out Monday and I will give you the info to check out Brian Petty Design’s new look!

Here is a little snapshot of what is to come!

We were lucky enough to work with the Young Springfield Professional Network yet again to create marketing material for an upcoming event in the Springfield, Illinois area. The event is the Big Dam Film Festival. Here is the flyer that we designed for the event.

Please visit www.ypspringfield.org to sign up for the fun event. Read the official information about this event… Read More »

I try to keep this blog for professional topics like design and marketing…However today is the start of baseball season. Ever since I was little this has been like a holiday to me. Opening Day means several things to me. First of all, as many of you know, I can’t stand cold weather. So to me this starts the unofficial start to warmer weather. Second of all, It’s baseball! I can’t tell you the hours of my life spent in front of the television living and dying with my team.

So tomorrow back to business…Today is baseball season!

It’s time for another Just For Fun Friday. Since March is finally ending I figured that I would create a calendar desktop for next month. It’s time for spring and I wanted to match whats going on outside on my desktop inside. So here is something to brighten up your desktop.

Time to get outside and enjoy.

April 2008 free desktop calendar

If your monitor is 1024 x 768 click here then right click on the image and choose save as desktop.

If your monitor is 800 x 600 click here and right click on the image and choose save as desktop.

Making Contact. Encounters of the Third Kind.

The final category in our search for the perfect designer involves looking outside your current contacts. There are many ways to find a designer online. From the simple Google search to portfolio sites to just looking at the bottom of a website that you frequent.

This category is wide open. Much of it depends on what you want and when you want it. Most designers have a simple form to fill out right on their websites and most are more than happy to give you a quote without any kind of obligation. Making contact by filling out a quote form online you can find out many things about how that design firm works. For example, how fast do they get back with you. This is important because it shows how well a firm communicates. If it takes a week to get a quote back it might be an indicator that communication is not their strong suit. Is the quote personalized? If you get a price back in the form of a price sheet or a generic answer it might be an indicator of how the the project might be handled.

To receive a timely and personalized quote from Brian Petty Design click Here.

Hopefully you now feel informed enough to make contact and start that next great project.