Etsy's Handmade Blog
Seller How-To: Top 10 Graphic Designs to Give Your Shop the Edge
Story by WinchesterLambourne
Published on July 23, 2009 in How-To 		Photo by

indiffident on Flickr

There is a proverb which says that experience is a formidable teacher — it hands the test first and the lesson afterward. Graphic design, the studiously crafted personality profile of an individual, is one of most formidable teachers of all. A graphic designer has to tread on speculation and potentiality, and there is a certain degree of risk involved in the creation of art that looks not inwardly to oneself, but to the customer.

However, good design does not simply "exist." It also "does," and it is most effective when communicating objectives close to our hearts. In my little sphere as a graphic artist, good design teaches that we are not here simply to make a living, but to bring back locality and handmade value in a world of increasing abstraction.

This is a list of 10 different (and progressively expansive) ways in which graphic design can give your shop the edge by building a professional, consistent image, while letting the world know you mean (handmade) business!


Custom Etsy Banner By jackandmolly, $30.

1. The banner. The first step of graphic design, and one's immediate identification for sellers and buyers alike, banners can be made using a wide range of graphic programs — from the free (but very good) GIMP to the more challenging Adobe Photoshop.



Custom LOGO DESIGN and BUSINESS CARD by ARTbyNIKA, $120.

2. The logo. More expansive than the banner (which can be changed as often as desired), the logo is a symbol of constancy and becomes one's business ID to the world. Consistent use of the logo is the key to clear communication and maximum visual impact. It acquaints others with your shop.  
 


Custom Character by McPrincessMaree, $50.

3. The custom-character. Similar to the logo in creating an identity, but far more detailed is the custom character. Its style can range from humorous and simple to high-fashion, and is an endearing, memorable component of branding. This is becoming more popular with online, socially-networked sites and may be used as an avatar.



preFAB Business Cards by nbcreative, $15.

4. The business card. This is by far the most efficient method of making oneself known to the world, and is therefore extremely important. Many people collect striking designs; to quote a fellow Etsian upon seeing some formidable business cards, "These will end up being retained by the recipients as art!"



Custom graphic design Twin Stylish Marketing Brochures by CraftyChefGraphics, $150.

5. The postcard or brochure. For those who wish to give product details and photographs that cannot fit within the storage-space of a single business card, the brochure is a very useful (and personal!) way of communicating with one's audience.



Darby Website Template - Complete 4 Page Site by byMasselyn, $100.

6. The website. When it comes to websites, as elsewhere, less is more: simple, easy-to-navigate and stylish designs inspire. If you have many photographs that you wish to showcase, a personal website is the ideal place to do so. Look for a web-designer who knows how to install a Coppermine photo system for easy uploading, clear layouts divided by category, and minimum maintenance work.

 


Dark Spark Hang Tags - Build Your Own - 2 Sided by lolaness, $30.

7. The product thingamabobs. This is a wide-ranging section which can include anything from product labels and stickers to ornamental gift tags. A stylish and eye-catching label exudes confidence, consistency and professionalism, encouraging the buyer that they have made an excellent selection.



Custom Rubber Stamp - Girl on Bike Bookplate by babyjewels, $21.

8. The vector. Vector graphics are two-dimensional, flat images — beautiful for their austere simplicity and limited number of colors. They are perfect for letterpress work, for the creation of stamps, and can be easily transferred onto the less conventional wood or acrylic gift-tags.



PREMADE graphic design personal chef or catering logo, business card, postcard, and letterhead for fliers  by CookingClipArt, $75.

9. The letterhead. These are slightly sneaky (yet very professional!) ways of influencing others to visit your shop without having to ask. A good letterhead design is thus a powerful marketing tool with many benefits.



Etsy Business Package by Thompsondesigns, $50.

10. ...and finally, the horn of plenty! To maintain consistency, it is important to use the same graphic designer throughout. For that reason, many graphic artists offer a cornucopia of selections in a single package.

Do you have any graphic design tips for sellers? Post in the comments below!

Seller Handbook | Shop Makeover Series
Tags advertising, appearance, design, graphic design, How-To, HOW-TO, marketing, promoting, Seller Handbook, selling, shop help, shop makeover
All articles in How-To
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This article was reported by:
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156 comments     Login to add your own!

July 23, 2009 at 10:21 a.m. jenniferladd

These are all great ideas! I think I improved my shop 100% when I had a wonderful Etsy seller (StudioChicDesign) make me a new banner ... I love it!

July 23, 2009 at 10:25 a.m. shopgoodgrace

FanTAStic article!! Great idea's! :)

July 23, 2009 at 10:25 a.m. SusanFaye

Excellent advice, and I believe in the "KISS" principle with internet graphics: Keep It Simple Sweetheart"!

July 23, 2009 at 10:25 a.m. Morado

Thanks for sharing! :o)

http://twitter.com/MoradoShop

July 23, 2009 at 10:28 a.m. Tina669

Great idea's! :)

July 23, 2009 at 10:29 a.m. tinahdee

All beautiful and great ideas, and your shop is great too, WinchesterLambourne. :)

July 23, 2009 at 10:32 a.m. 4TheSparrowsNest

I agree, one of the most important things about a shop is its presentation. If the seller has bothered with these details, I know they really care about what they make. I agree with SusanFaye..graphics should enhance our shops, not detract from what we sell. It's tempting to go overboard though! Great article.

July 23, 2009 at 10:32 a.m. ParadiseBodyShop

It is super tough trying to find the right design for yourself as a starting Etsian - thanks for the advice and direction!

July 23, 2009 at 10:33 a.m. florigander

While reading this article, I kept thinking to myself "why in the world would they leave Winch out of this article?!" Then I realized that you wrote it. :) Silly me. Nice article - I love the custom characters.

July 23, 2009 at 10:35 a.m. VixVintage

Thanks for sharing!

July 23, 2009 at 10:37 a.m. AlchemicMuse

Awesome info! Thanks! :)

July 23, 2009 at 10:37 a.m. thestapeliacompany

Wonderful ideas! I'm doing most of these already since I'm a designer, but there were several tips even veterans can use to their benefit! Thanks.

July 23, 2009 at 10:39 a.m. aPotteryPear

This takes the shop up a level thanks.

July 23, 2009 at 10:40 a.m. aBreathofFrenchair

Perfect timing as I need to order more business cards!

July 23, 2009 at 10:45 a.m. CecilandCo

Thank you so much for sharing this great information!

July 23, 2009 at 10:46 a.m. spacejam

great ideas and information!

July 23, 2009 at 10:47 a.m. NinaReneeDesigns

Good to see the graphic designers getting some well deserved love...nice! :-)

July 23, 2009 at 10:48 a.m. BululuStudio

<--- Love my banner...Wow beautiful desings

July 23, 2009 at 10:50 a.m. mythunderstood

Well written and compelling - the photo alone drew me in!

July 23, 2009 at 10:51 a.m. SimpleJoysPaperie

Wonderful advice ~ super selections from which to choose!

July 23, 2009 at 10:55 a.m. WinchesterLambourne

Thank you so much admin - I am literally dancing!

I thought it was about time graphic design got a bit of front page recognition, so I was happy to do it. :D

July 23, 2009 at 10:55 a.m. JewelsofSaraswati

Love this! I also do some graphic design work and know how important it can be. And how painstaking- but worth it!

July 23, 2009 at 10:58 a.m. RareGemstoneJewelry

very well written and informative, win!

July 23, 2009 at 11:02 a.m. girltuesdayjewelry

What a wealth of information! I learned a lot and plan on implementing many of these ideas. I definitely have to check out website templates from etsy designers. I could really use one of those! Thank you, WL!

July 23, 2009 at 11:03 a.m. juicychristians

I really liked this article! Really really enjoyed it!!!Thanks for the info!

July 23, 2009 at 11:06 a.m. angelune

I love using picnik.com for all sorts of graphic design needs - you can upload photos and choose from lots of cool free fonts.

July 23, 2009 at 11:06 a.m. missevilkitty2

buying a pre made package is the way to go if your a new seller on etsy!!

~Gabbie

July 23, 2009 at 11:10 a.m. onepixel

This is a GREAT post! As a graphic designer, I can't even STRESS what a difference having a cohesive business design does for your sales!

Thank you for sharing this awesome post!

And to any commenters that are interested...
I will do custom designs for a really affordable price! Anything from business cards to reserve listing graphics to website templates and twitter backgrounds.

Here's an example listing to get you inspired:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?...

And why not, I'll add another awesome piece to this! If you want a custom design, start a convo with me, and I'll give you 20% if you mention this post in the Storque!

July 23, 2009 at 11:11 a.m. cloverandviolet

Great article and info, loved how a wide variety of styles and ideas were presented (and we have to say McPrincessMaree did a fabulous job on all the graphics for our shop, so talented). Branding your shop is really a great way to present your products.

July 23, 2009 at 11:14 a.m. aroldblanchet

Thanks for the inspiration! I need to order business cards :)

July 23, 2009 at 11:15 a.m. kikasfancy

Good job, Win :) Great selections, and I like the way you write!

July 23, 2009 at 11:15 a.m. DuBuhDuDesigns

I think you covered it all~visual consistency from your blog to shipping/prduct labels just gives your work that professional touch:)

July 23, 2009 at 11:18 a.m. Thompsondesigns

Wow!! What a honored to be named along these great artists. So excited and what great info! :)

July 23, 2009 at 11:20 a.m. jillian1984

Oh so helpful! It can be very hard to sift through the plethora of designers to find great ones.

July 23, 2009 at 11:20 a.m. ModernMetalJewelry

Love this article! Great Etsy sources to help make your shop and business your own!

July 23, 2009 at 11:22 a.m. beachhouseblues

Great tips!

July 23, 2009 at 11:22 a.m. HazelnutDesigns

Great article! I love my business cards and banner designed by amber84.etsy.com!

July 23, 2009 at 11:24 a.m. baconsquarefarm

Great info here, off to peek at these shops and ponder new directions. Thanks

July 23, 2009 at 11:25 a.m. study

some really great info, thanks!

July 23, 2009 at 11:26 a.m. 10eisha

Good article. My husband is a graphic designer and I can't wait for him to "brand" me! I have been doing little things here and there like postcards and such but I'm no pro graphics gal.

Thanks for the links!

July 23, 2009 at 11:27 a.m. instantcrimson

great stuff!! Thanks etsy

July 23, 2009 at 11:28 a.m. bonbiforest

A great article. It looks so much more professional when effort has gone into keeping up consistency in branding and graphics :)

July 23, 2009 at 11:29 a.m. steinschmuckdesign

The graphic can do so much out of a Shop!
Thank you!

July 23, 2009 at 11:30 a.m. purplelemondesigns

Thanks so much for the lesson on branding...It is SO important! Great work by these graphic designers.

July 23, 2009 at 11:30 a.m. belovedbaglady

Great stuff! Thanks for all the good ideas : )

July 23, 2009 at 11:36 a.m. itsalljustmenagerie

Interesting article! This really makes me want to open up Photoshop and try to come up with something. Though, I usually get tired of my own designs very quickly, so maybe I should get a Pro here on Etsy to do it.

July 23, 2009 at 11:41 a.m. auryndesign

Nice read, thanks!

July 23, 2009 at 11:42 a.m. popdogpress

Great article!! I try to tell people this all the time (me being a designer) and they underestimate the power of a good brand for small businesses!!

July 23, 2009 at 11:44 a.m. vivikas

awesome!

July 23, 2009 at 11:47 a.m. twistedlolly

This is a great article!

July 23, 2009 at 11:49 a.m. ajoyfulstudio

Thank you so much for bringing more information to light about graphic designers on Etsy. Such a wonderful read! I create everything from banners, to business cards, to blog headers, and on and on. It's such a creative release and it is always wonderful to hear when the customer says they ABSOLUTELY LOVE their shop items. It's a great way to meet people on Etsy too - graphic design rocks!!! =)

July 23, 2009 at 11:51 a.m. amber84

this is SO true. ALL businesses need to establish their brand. A logo is the best way to build that recognition.

the logo in 'related items' with the green "j" and the dinosaur is one I created for a fellow etsy seller! If anyone needs branding or a logo check out my shop. :)

July 23, 2009 at 11:53 a.m. McPrincessMaree

Fantastic article Winchester! Thank you so much for including me! It's an honor! :)

July 23, 2009 at 11:53 a.m. amoronia

Fabulous!!! My friend just opened her shop on Etsy, LaSousourella... Without her I wouldn't realise the importance of this... Thanks for the great article!

July 23, 2009 at 11:54 a.m. IcingOnTheCupcake

EXCELLENT!!!

July 23, 2009 at 11:58 a.m. ChloesRuffleButt

I need to bookmark this page! Thank you!

July 23, 2009 at noon bylynnkrestel

love that we can find it all here on etsy!!
thanks!!

July 23, 2009 at 12:05 p.m. paramountvintage

great idea to sell handmade etsy banners!

July 23, 2009 at 12:08 p.m. pogoshop

Here at Etsy, the avatar is pretty important. I love the one that my daughter made for me. I think it's visually simple, but gives a lot of info, even in thumbnail size. This little guy is also the star of my banner, mini Moos, and Moo stickers. I agree with Mr. Lambourne about consistency making a memorable impact. Thanks,Jen!

July 23, 2009 at 12:09 p.m. ateliermaji

Thank you for the wonderful article! ...and of course, your personal graphics work is simply amazing.

July 23, 2009 at 12:13 p.m. JAdamsDesigns

very cool! Lots of great ideas!

July 23, 2009 at 12:13 p.m. WinchesterLambourne

I agree with you about the avatar - I probably should have included something about it here. It's certainly helpful in attracting attention in the forums for example.

(But Winchester Lambourne is a Miss. *giggle*)

July 23, 2009 at 12:21 p.m. pogoshop

Great name and great article, Ms. Lambourne.

July 23, 2009 at 12:28 p.m. slidesideways

Thank you for writing this article! As a graphic designer it is sometimes hard to tell people how much their logo and the design of their brand, is an important piece and investment of their business, just as much as a quality product is.

July 23, 2009 at 12:30 p.m. BabbidgePatch

great info ~ thank you!

my tip: my business card is designed so that I can fold it and use it as a hang tag ~ the front with my shop name and logo; the back has my name, web address & other info. I add product specific information to the inside.

July 23, 2009 at 12:32 p.m. seababejewelry

Win makes the best banners on Etsy! Thanks Win!

http://www.seababe.etst.com

July 23, 2009 at 12:35 p.m. Radness

Wow! So much detail!

July 23, 2009 at 12:39 p.m. blackbird72

great article! i too offer graphic design services:
http://www.deirdresgraphicdesigns.com
my design shoppe here on etsy is on "vacation"
http://deirdresdesigns.com

July 23, 2009 at 12:40 p.m. BlackStar

Great article Win!

July 23, 2009 at 12:52 p.m. EJPcreations

great article! A great list to work from!

July 23, 2009 at 12:53 p.m. ashjewels

great ideas!!

July 23, 2009 at 1:12 p.m. alexkeller

sweet! i've been wanting a logo...

July 23, 2009 at 1:12 p.m. patspottery

I love all the Seller How-To articles, but this one is special, I have bookmarked it:>)

July 23, 2009 at 1:15 p.m. TheCottageCheese

Great tips! My banner, avatar, and blog all need some work to customize my shop's look.

July 23, 2009 at 1:15 p.m. tinybirdarts

Great coverage of the major business graphics categories. The importance of a consistent image from online to mailed advertising to product packaging cannot be overstated.

July 23, 2009 at 1:17 p.m. nomivintage

this is so great!

July 23, 2009 at 1:25 p.m. MademoiselleG

Nice! Thank you :-)

July 23, 2009 at 1:25 p.m. RockPaperSilver

Very inspirational...I am always looking for ways to visually tweak my shop and increase the effectiveness of my brand! I have some new shops to heart and investigate.

July 23, 2009 at 1:26 p.m. antigoni

Thank you for the great article..
I am a graphic designer and I know by experience how important it is to build your Business "image" in a successful and attractive way..

July 23, 2009 at 1:27 p.m. workingforpeanuts

Thanks for the tips!

July 23, 2009 at 1:27 p.m. swiekysiggies

Great article! :)

July 23, 2009 at 1:28 p.m. SilverSmack

Awesome! I knew I picked the right person to make my banner and package!

July 23, 2009 at 1:30 p.m. moonstr

yaaaaay! Win!

July 23, 2009 at 1:35 p.m. stitchknitsew

Excellent and beautiful article, graphic design always amazes me.

July 23, 2009 at 1:38 p.m. Iammie

Nice article!

July 23, 2009 at 1:47 p.m. Mymothersgarden

Great tips! Thank you! I like the hang tags, they'd be great for products at craft shows.

July 23, 2009 at 1:49 p.m. ElegantSnobbery

Fantastic! I'm a huge fan of McPrincess Maree... her custom characters are so adorable!

Great feature of such awesome designers!

July 23, 2009 at 1:55 p.m. stuffbykate

fabulous :)

July 23, 2009 at 1:55 p.m. SavageArtworks

Wow, a lot of very talented people here.

July 23, 2009 at 2:04 p.m. Lunatiger

Very cool graphics design! Trying to improve on my own graphic design skills! @_@

July 23, 2009 at 2:05 p.m. lolaness

Ohhhh I'm so *very* honored to be featured among such great artists - and thank you, Win, for helping bring some much deserved spotlight to the graphic designers on Etsy. I'm seriously giddy and hope that everyone gains some insight from your well-written article that they can use to really improve their sales :)

July 23, 2009 at 2:06 p.m. FunFobs

Great story! The graphic design talent on Etsy is amazing.

July 23, 2009 at 2:09 p.m. LoveForEarth

Awesome! I know Lolaness is insanely talented and has top notch customer service!! Congratulations to all!

July 23, 2009 at 2:17 p.m. jenharruff

Very good information! Thanks for posting this!

July 23, 2009 at 2:18 p.m. thebestvintage

Thanks for all of the great tips!

July 23, 2009 at 2:22 p.m. theDearestBird

Awesome tips! Thank you!!

July 23, 2009 at 2:48 p.m. WithLoveStudio

Awsome artical I am so honored to be on the list of all these talented graphic designers thank you!

July 23, 2009 at 2:55 p.m. babyjewels

I'm really thrilled to have one of my stamps mentioned...many thanks and great article.

July 23, 2009 at 3:07 p.m. AnniesWearableArt

SO many incredibly talented techy artists here!! Wowza...always amazing to see what they offer!

July 23, 2009 at 3:46 p.m. LiveFromPlanetB

Thanks for posting this. As a graphic designer, I always get very frustrated when I see lovely shops with bad design - it's a first impression thing. Thanks for bring branding/design to light!

July 23, 2009 at 3:47 p.m. lovelygifts

Great post! Thank's for sharing!

July 23, 2009 at 3:51 p.m. StormsHandicrafts

Very useful article! Thanks so much!

July 23, 2009 at 4:29 p.m. SmileMoon

What a cornucopia of useful information. I think I may need to revamp my visual identification here.

July 23, 2009 at 6:33 p.m. kimmiekuz12

Great article, Win! :o) So much great information ... well-written and dazzling images too! &hearts; you!

July 23, 2009 at 7:06 p.m. MinceCo

presentation ladies and gentlemen should never be overlooked ;)'

July 23, 2009 at 7:20 p.m. WinchesterLambourne

presentation ladies and gentlemen should never be overlooked ;)'
--------------------------------------------

I read that as 'presentation and gentlemen should never be overlooked.'

Which would also be true! ;)

July 23, 2009 at 7:25 p.m. AzitasSurprises

great ideas! i need to start searching for business cards.

July 23, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. gothicreations

Very good article, win.

July 23, 2009 at 7:41 p.m. patk860

informative article....i had wildmagic (featured above) do my banner and she was absolutely wonderful to work with and she did a great job!

July 23, 2009 at 8:45 p.m. YonderPrints

this is great advice and just the kick start i needed to get my overall graphics to the next level. thanks!

July 23, 2009 at 10:17 p.m. happyfamily

Beautiful!

July 24, 2009 at 12:24 a.m. mom2twogals

Fantastic article!! Very informative and helpful:) Thanks Winchester-for your time in preparing this and for the wonderful work you've done for me in the past:)

July 24, 2009 at 2:02 a.m. pastelpetals

Wonderful article and advises! Thank you, win! =)

July 24, 2009 at 3:15 a.m. evihan

wow what an useful article:-)

July 24, 2009 at 8:37 a.m. KendraRenee

Perfectly timed article! I am redoing my website and some of my printed materials, and this is so inspiring! Great lesson in branding.

July 24, 2009 at 9:45 a.m. Furiousdreams

Great article. Design is crucial to our everyday experiences- everything in our lives is designed!
The better designed objects, information messaging, and even landscapes - offer us an informed and aesthetically rewarding functionality.

Support your local graphic designer!

July 24, 2009 at 10:11 a.m. Wearekindredspirits

We just started our shop so these articles are very helpful! Thanks for all the great ideas!

July 24, 2009 at 10:35 a.m. tldgrainwear

Useful article! As a graphic designer, I consider this as one of the keys to build a consistent image around one self bussiness. Cheers!

July 24, 2009 at 11:53 a.m. linziloop

Interesting read, i gotta say, as a graphic designer myself it frustrates me how people seem to think they can do without the professionals - yes, some people do have a natural flare for design and can do without the professionals, but please, have the common sense to know if you're one of those people.

There's a saying "Good design goes to heaven, bad design goes everywhere"

It's sadly often so true!

July 24, 2009 at 12:09 p.m. koodelah

just what the doctor ordered! THANK YOU!

July 24, 2009 at 2:03 p.m. babook

This cooooool i like it !! Graphic design IT`S almost do the amaze things on the flat : )

July 24, 2009 at 2:06 p.m. LittleWhiteDresser

great tips, specially for a newbie, thanks!

July 24, 2009 at 4:02 p.m. voleurdebijoux

Lovely and fresh designs! love it!

July 24, 2009 at 11:33 p.m. AWEshop

I completely agree that visual impact and consistency is sooo important.

FYI-- For all you Mac people, the new iWeb (on iLife) is absolutely excellent for making your own website and super easy... really, SUPER easy! :D I just did mine and am loving it, you'd never know it was a drag and drop type program (it's basically Pages that allows you to post to the web)!!!

July 25, 2009 at 3:38 a.m. therebirthofnyela

I think I'm going to start over with mine...there are some very useful ideas here. The main thing I need to do is tie everything (Twitter, FB fan page, blog) together.

July 25, 2009 at 10:07 p.m. jackandmolly

Being featured here seriously made me do a little dance!

What an honor to be included in this post. THANK YOU!!

Creating banners (like the ones listed here) is such a fun, rewarding experience. I absolutely love gathering all of the bits of information and then creating something totally unique that reflects their business.

It's wonderful to see the graphic designers of etsy getting some exposure.

THANKS!!
xoxo
Meredith (of jack and molly.)

July 26, 2009 at 12:47 a.m. pomegranateink

I have to say it's been an honor to do so many wonderful design projects for etsy sellers. It is definately some of my favorite work. I also feel a sense of pride helping people realize their dreams by helping them define their story.
thanks,
Samantha

July 26, 2009 at 2:16 a.m. riorita


Oh so many lovely ideas! I loved the custom bycicle stamp!
Will bookmark this article for future reference!

July 26, 2009 at 7:37 p.m. HandCarvedSigns

So many great designers out there. Who to choose?!

July 27, 2009 at 1:07 p.m. ToteworthyDesigns

Thank you for all the great suggestions and ideas.

July 27, 2009 at 3:17 p.m. vintagebella

Thank you for featuring my Marie Antoinette business cards!

July 28, 2009 at 10:24 a.m. Art2ArtColorado

*wonderfully written and illustrated article about the great tried and true standards! well done!

July 28, 2009 at 4:37 p.m. byMasselyn

Wow...I had no idea one of my designs was featured here. Thank you so much, and I love being included with the other talented designers here on Etsy. Our canvas is the computer and our brush might be a mouse/tablet but the result is just as fantastic.

July 28, 2009 at 5:53 p.m. onegarnetgirl

I've used byMasselyn for over a year now and she is WELL worth the right up! Oh hey up there Tiffany! *wave*

July 28, 2009 at 10:02 p.m. insupport

You for got my services. :D

July 28, 2009 at 10:30 p.m. CaseysCozys

This was such a helpful article, it was exactly what I was looking for to help me get going. Thanks a lot!

Cas

July 30, 2009 at 3:02 a.m. idozvia

Thanks a lot!

July 30, 2009 at 5:36 a.m. jetflair

Great article! If you haven't already, please do take a look at the author's shop. She did a great job of spotlighting the work of other designers, but she is an incredible designer herself. She has made most of my graphics on and off etsy and I couldn't be happier!

July 30, 2009 at 7:13 p.m. MetroGypsy

4TheSparrowsNest hit the nail on the head!

Aug. 3, 2009 at 7:56 a.m. Luncheonettevintage

Great to be reminded -- thanks so much. And I agree with jetflair -- nice work!

Aug. 5, 2009 at 6:42 a.m. justlikeyouimagined

Great advice, something that i'll defiantly think more about. Such beautiful designs as-well!*

Aug. 19, 2009 at 1:25 p.m. CarolinaTopet

Very interesting !!!

Aug. 20, 2009 at 10:39 a.m. gifteddesigns

Though I LOVE the article because it shows people just how important this aspect of their business is, I could wish that the COST of it all were also discussed.

Graphic Artists put so much of themselves into their designs and yet the price they charge is pennies for the overall work load.

The prices give the impression that graphic design is the dregs of art. It's not WORTH anything. People pay thousands of dollars a year to re-brand themselves. Shop owners should be looking at these banners as investments, not as something they should be getting for pennies. Whether the shop is a hobby or professional doesn't matter because they have the potential to make money.

Think about it. A banner will take about an hour to plan and execute if it is simple. That's not counting whatever correspondence with the customer happened before and also doesn't count revisions. Does that sound like it's worth 5$? People who flip burgers earn more than that.

I think that's the only reason I do not offer my graphic services on Etsy. I don't want to be known because I'm CHEAP...I want to be known because I'm GOOD. I don't want to contribute to the idea that my craft is worth less than flipping burgers.

Aug. 25, 2009 at 8:51 a.m. rufflemedia

I agree with gifteddesigns. Designing banners is an art in itself. It takes time to create each design as would a piece of art onto canvas.
Good article too!
:-)

Aug. 25, 2009 at 8:57 a.m. littletank

Great ideas, I love the dinosaur within the "J". very clever

Aug. 27, 2009 at 6:51 p.m. littleredwagonkids

This has been sooooo helpful. Thanks so much for the tips. As someone new to etsy and the world of the internet (we just connected to the internet for the first time 3 months ago!) I'm learning everyday. Everyone's shop's look fantastic, so hopefully now I can try and put some of these tips to good use.

Sept. 1, 2009 at 9:16 p.m. darlingrose

great info....

Sept. 2, 2009 at 12:13 p.m. dixieanna

Thanks!!!!!

Sept. 5, 2009 at 1:28 a.m. PoshPursesBoutique

Thanks for the great tips and ideas! It's important to have your own style for your brand that's all you....

Sept. 14, 2009 at 6:07 p.m. pclinejo

very helpfull as I'm just getting started on details of my shop image, thanks!

Oct. 3, 2009 at 3:23 p.m. vintagegirldezigns

Thanks for the advice ~ very informative. I had an etsy graphic designer do my banner and I love it:)

Oct. 7, 2009 at 12:21 a.m. LavenderField

All these components definitely give the feel and look of professionalism to your shop and thereby aspire confidence in the buyer. Thanks for sharing!

Oct. 8, 2009 at 12:11 p.m. JunkHunkandGypsyChic

Very helpful.

Oct. 12, 2009 at 3:52 p.m. CleanRinse

Thank you so much! Great advice

Nov. 1, 2009 at 3:33 p.m. bauerlaken

I do have a graphic design tip- If you come across a seller with Sea Dream in her name DONT USE HER! Getting her to respond takes months. I placed a custom order back in July and it's Nov 1st and she refuses to respond to me. I have tried going through ETSY Abuse, and hopefully they can see why she takes orders and refuses to honor her word. I have a holiday boutique soon and the show sponsor needs my banners and she knows this. What a terrible experience with the entire thing.

Nov. 21, 2009 at 8:40 a.m. dntdynamite

Thank you for such a informative post. I feel appreciated now!

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