Category Archives: Creativity

The Road to Becoming a Creative Entrepreneur

If you consider yourself a creative in a field such as writing, photography, music, design, etc. – you may have asked yourself: “How can I make money doing this?” Continue reading →

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Posted in About Tingalls, Creativity

Why Infographics Work So Well as Marketing Tools

Looking for a new way to get your marketing message out there or highlight a case study? Your best bet might be to put together an infographic. Continue reading →

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Posted in Creativity, Illustration, Infographic Design

Get Better Clarity and Focus with a Vision Board

Now that we’re well into 2018, it’s a good time to check in to see where we’re at with our goals for the year. Although it’s no longer January, there’s still plenty of time to accomplish great things! Our team here at Tingalls recently created our annual vision boards to help us clarify, and be mindful of our goals. It was a lot of fun, and we created some truly inspiring stuff. What exactly is a Vision Board? More than a simple craft project, vision boarding is a tool that helps us craft the life and business we want. “A vision board is a tool used to help clarify, concentrate … Continue reading →

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Posted in Corporate Culture, Creativity, Goals, Tips

10 Tradeshow Tips for Success

1. Listen! My most important tip is to listen to your booth visitors. Ask open-ended questions like, “Tell me about your business” or “What do you like best about what you do?” Find out first if they have a need your company can fill before trying to sell them. 2. Keep it Simple. Think of your booth as a billboard. Too many graphics or text blocks can be distracting to people walking by that just “need the facts” quickly. Enlisting the tradeshow design experience of firms like Tingalls Graphic Design can be a valuable step in your tradeshow preparation. Graphics should be professional yet eye-catching to spark the interest of … Continue reading →

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Posted in Best Practices, Creativity, Tips, Tradeshow Marketing

7 Ways to Stay Healthy and Energized at your Desk Job

Do you work in an office? If so, then you already know it can be great for your paycheck, but not as great for your health. In fact, sitting at a desk can make you lethargic and lead to weight gain and other health problems if you let it. The key to that statement, though, is “if you let it.” As it turns out, there are a number of ways you can stay healthy and active, even if your job has you sitting still from 9 to 5 (or longer). Here are a few things you can try starting today… #1 Exercise before you get to work – You’ll be … Continue reading →

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Posted in Corporate Culture, Creativity, Tips

How to Stay Creative and Inspired at Work

In our line of work, inspiring creativity is a must. Generating new ideas and staying motivated on a tight deadline is the lifeblood of our business, and something we spend a lot of time thinking about. Regardless of your profession, being creative and inspired is a good way to keep your edge and separate yourself from your competitors. Here are a few ways you can stay at your sharpest, mentally and emotionally: Try to take on projects you enjoy – It’s always easier to be creative when you’re having fun. So, as much as possible, take on jobs and projects you enjoy working on. Be sure to share this with … Continue reading →

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Posted in Corporate Culture, Creativity

What Cats Know About Social Media Marketing

Forget ad agencies, YouTube Stars, and reality television personalities – the real winners of the social media revolution have been ordinary house cats. No matter where you look, they are chasing yarn, being “jerks,” and launching new memes. Cats probably collectively generate billions of likes and shares every week. And best of all, they do it without even trying. Regardless of whether you’re a devoted cat fan, or more of a dog person, you’d have to admit that felines get their fair share of attention on Facebook and Twitter. And for that reason, they are the true masters of the medium. It’s often been said that even if cats could … Continue reading →

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Posted in Best Practices, Creativity, Social Media Marketing, Tips

What the Spec?

Why You Don’t Want Unpaid Design Submissions Should you ever ask a graphic designer or creative agency for spec work? Although it used to be a fairly normal way to do business, we don’t think so. In fact, we’ve made it a Tingalls Graphic Design policy to politely turn down any requests for on spec proposals relating to websites, logos, or print projects. Before we explain why, let’s take a moment to explain what “spec” or “on spec” work actually is. It basically means that a potential client comes to an artist or agency and asks for a sample. That sample could be a logo, a mockup of a web … Continue reading →

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Posted in Best Practices, Creativity, Graphic Design

Walk this way; talk this way (matey)!

We know you’re planning to celebrate Talk Like A Pirate Day with some timber shivering jargon – but at Tingalls Graphic Design, we’re taking it to the next level. On Friday the 18th, before Talk Like A Pirate Day, we’re hosting a 5K Pirate Run! Avast, it’s true, and we’d love you to join us! The suiting up for the run starts at 2:00PM. Here are some tips for the Tingall’s 5K Pirate Run: Costumes You don’t have to have one, but when a crew of pirates gets going, you’ll feel kind of left out. An eye patch, bandanna or parrot will work fine. A warning about the parrot – … Continue reading →

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Posted in Corporate Culture, Creativity

Tingalls Culture

At Tingalls Graphic Design, we work really hard. Taking ideas from our clients’ minds and turning them into a visual reality is challenging at times. We work just as hard to keep our creative work fresh and innovative. To do this, we embrace some non-traditional methods. Spoons By now, if you’re a client or a fan, you’ve heard about our Spoons competitions. We value the importance of working with a clear mind and sometimes a little game of competitive Spoons at the pub table in our office does the trick. Work Environment Tara Ingalls, the owner and creative director of Tingalls Graphic Design has taken major steps to make sure … Continue reading →

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Posted in Color in Marketing, Creativity, Graphic Design, Website Design

March Spoons Update!

March Madness indeed! The Spoons games at Tingalls Graphic Design have reached critical mass. In a close run game, JoAnna, the January Champion reclaimed her bejeweled Spoon Scepter from upstart Alyssa. The final game was filled with tears of joy and anguish as the winners were sorted from the losers, the women from the girls.

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Posted in Corporate Culture, Creativity, Spoons

Branding Trends

Tingalls Graphic Design is super-excited to be the first agency in Madison to offer to latest in branding trends – The Rock. Continue reading →

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Posted in Advertising, Branding, Creativity, Tips, Tradeshow Marketing

February Spoons League – The results are in!

The mighty upset! Epic highs and perilous lows at the Tingalls Graphic Design office last Friday as the February Spoons Championship battle was decided. Continue reading →

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Posted in Corporate Culture, Creativity, Spoons

Social Media Marketing Part 1 – Who Tube?

Everyone knows about Google – but did you know that YouTube is the second most used search engine? Read some more and learn how to take advantage of this fun and exciting tool. Continue reading →

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Posted in Advertising, Creativity, Social Media Marketing, Tips

The Creative Hurricane – Our Logo Design Process

When you think brainstorming, you probably think of a stuffy room, some paper, a handful of people and maybe some Mountain Dew. That’s cool. Maybe it’s not your specialty. But here at Tingalls, creative is our bread and butter. Continue reading →

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Posted in About Tingalls, Branding, Corporate Culture, Creativity, Logo Design, Tips

The January Spoons Showdown!

The competition is really heating up at Tingalls Graphic Design, the national headquarters of the Tingalls Spoons League. At this point in the season, the championship is really still up in the air. There is a clear rivalry between Project Manager JoAnna, and Tingalls founder, Tara. Both are expert players with little mercy for the less experienced. Continue reading →

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Posted in Corporate Culture, Creativity, Spoons

Creative Corner: How to Draw Custom Letters in Illustrator

Our talented designers here at Tingalls Graphic Design are always making something creative. Whether it’s on their Mac, a sketchpad or the back of a napkin, their ability to create beautiful art is astounding. One theme that often gets discussed is fonts and custom letters. One issue with custom, hand-drawn letters is that there can be inconsistencies in a family of letters. But a super-cool technique that we found at Lynda.com eradicates this problem, while offering an interesting marriage of tech and old-school lettering. Here’s a link to a video by a gentleman named Deke McClelland, who details how the technique works. He details work originally drafted out with a … Continue reading →

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Posted in Branding, Creativity, Graphic Design, Logo Design