Inkable Australia

Grow Your Business: 2017 Small Business Trends and Strategies

2017-01-04T06:53:23Z

Lacking the clout and power of big businesses, most often it becomes extremely difficult to find specific people with the right expertise as well as getting enough capital to grow your small business. So, the important question right now is this: How do you successfully stay up-to-date and competitive to remain relevant and grow this 2017? This post will help you grow your business with the updated 2017 small business trends and strategies.

At the core of every successful business, whether big or small, is really in making the most out of the strategic and creative action points that need to be executed. Following trends as well as employing new strategies based on market research will help solidify your position in the market and even help you acquire new customers.

A REMINDER: Before delving into this, you should have accomplished your SWOT Analysis, as always, to correctly gauge where it is most cost-efficient and aligned with your goals and where you are right now in your small business. Properly managing the direction you’re going to take is key in ensuring that you are successful and your tactics or strategies are sustainable.

Make 2017 your best year to date with this report on 2017 Best Small Business Trends and…
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Time to roll up your sleeves up and dive back in for a productive 2017 where business is booming, customers are extremely satisfied, and opportunities are recognised and leveraged. Take a look at these actionable trends and strategies and make your own successful pipeline for driving both your brand and your business for your best year yet.

GROW YOUR BUSINESS: 2017 SMALL BUSINESS

TRENDS AND STRATEGIES

Filter and Deliver Your Best Content

Review all your collaterals and streamline, remove, or add content that inspires trust in your business and brand. It all boils down to writing, and writing your best pieces for marketing and selling your products and services.

FACT: Poor grammar, phrasing, and content organization will hurt your business. Take a look at this study and see how this factor damages trust in your brand.

STRATEGY: Convert more customers by having your customer service and marketing team undergo workshops or courses to strengthen writing and conversational skills—after all it is in excellent and clear communication that you are able to deliver a consistent brand experience. If you are hard-pressed for time to do this, invest in outsourcing reliable and qualified freelance writers to help you finalise your content.

Support Marketing with Data

Data-driven marketing is possible thanks to big data. Take a look at your inventory, customer feedback, and information platforms and make decisions based on these insights. Not only is this a smart thing to do, this also further intensifies and beefs up your existing plans based on the vision and goals of your company.

FACT: Using data is an important and effective way to stay competitive by being able to learn about areas of opportunity, identify gaps, improve customer service and support, and truly personalise service and product offerings based on each customer segment.

TREND: Discover relevant insights by researching, collecting, and organizing data and apply this to various marketing efforts to keep your brand top-of-mind this 2017. Use data to segment different types of customers and identify important touchpoints that need to be created, and tailor-fit different programs (incentives, retargeting, email, etc.) to help bolster your relationships with each type of customer.

Learn Hyper-Local Marketing

In this fast-paced world of online, out-of-home, and traditional communications and promotions methods, hyper-local marketing is your best friend. This goes beyond social media or SEO—this enables you to ultimately connect with your customer in the most easy and convenient way possible.

FACT: Mobile phones, social media channels, forums, and search engines are merely access points, and not the actual tools that comprise your local community. Think beyond geo-targeting and consider these points: are you visually available, is your business’ information easy to find, is your reputation quickly annexed, what do you offer, and how can you help with your offerings?

STRATEGY: Don’t overcomplicate things just because so many tools are available. Focus on the essentials to build your hyper-local strategy. Customers and prospective customers shouldn’t have a difficult time in looking for your business online—ensure you have your N.A.P. (Name, Address, Phone Number) that are listed, verified, and matched across as many services as possible (Google, Yelp, Yellow Pages, etc.) Work to be regarded as the local authority in your niche or industry—Develop and publish informative blog posts, do responsible blog commenting, and add value to local online groups, forums, and via social media accounts; Host or speak at local business events; Be a contributor in your community. Set aside enough of your budget to leverage paid social media to increase awareness of your business—Geo-target your local community and/or surrounding neighborhoods and encourage customers to submit positive reviews for your business.

Become Mobile-Centric

It’s time to switch mobile-friendly with mobile-centric. Why? Mobile users now easily outnumber desktop users, making this extremely important trend something to look at and establish this 2017. By making your marketing strategy mobile-centric, you identify mobile-centric searches in your niche or industry and you’ll certainly be in the best position to deliver content-based action points and solutions that get more customers through the door.

FACT: Eliminating barriers and unnecessary steps will always result to higher conversion rates, whether it be content engagement/downloads, social interaction, or product or service purchases. Add that to the fact that there are influential and extremely popular social platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram, and Periscope that you can only harness using mobile.

STRATEGY AND TREND: Invest in developing and testing mobile payment platforms to help make business transactions faster and more convenient for the multitude of users who now see this as their only mode of payment. Also, consider this: A recent poll states that of the 75% of consumers who check their mobile devices at least once per hour, 90% is spent on apps. Create mobile apps to boost your marketing efforts via engagement with push notifications, mobile coupons, and members-only alerts.

Bolster Social Media

Online social platforms are still seen as the most effective and cost-efficient B2C channel for discovering, engaging, and converting customers. How are you using each platform?

FACT: Social media marketing is still the most utilised tool by small businesses, and as much as 83% consistently use and consider Facebook to be the most hardworking in delivering results.

STRATEGY: Get the most out of social media by researching, collecting, and analysing data to make campaigns more relevant and to maximise your ad spend. Be available and helpful, but most of all be consistent in delivering your own quality of service and establish your unique online presence on all your social media channels. If you haven’t yet, make sure to optimise these online interations by using analytics this 2017.

A caveat: Not all strategies will work for you—businesses and markets in different industries are unique, and it is up to you to correctly apply these based on your motivation, level of commitment, level of risk you are comfortable with, and how ready your small business really is to take on a larger market share. Coping is not enough; only change strategies when you are quite certain that you can take on greater responsibilities and will thrive in this new arena.

We truly hope this was helpful. If it was, please share–we’ve got more insightful posts in store for you. Hit subscribe for more small business advice, printing tips and free print consultations, and big discounts and exclusive specials delivered straight to your inbox.

Cheers to you, and to the new year ahead of us. Let’s make this the best year ever!

The post Grow Your Business: 2017 Small Business Trends and Strategies appeared first on Inkable Australia.

HOLIDAY SPECIAL: FREE HOLIDAY PRINTABLE STAR!

2016-12-20T09:31:19Z

MAKE THIS FREE HOLIDAY PRINTABLE STAR!

Time to bring holiday spirit to your family and friends! This free printable holiday star was designed by one of our artists to help spread the good cheer. This beautiful star is perfect in transforming any space into a warm and cozy abode in time for the holidays. The pattern is customisable, with different combinations giving different versions of the iconic Christmas star.

Whether you’re spending Christmas with family with a picnic on a beach, or having an ace time with friends at a Christmas BBQ dinner in the backyard, there is always time for putting up bright stars to set the backdrop for new, good memories this season. Continue reading to grab your Free Holiday Star and paper patterns!

PRINTABLE FESTIVE DECOR YOU CAN CREATE TO MAKE THE SEASON BRIGHTER, AND INK-ABLE!

CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE DIY HOLIDAY STAR:

YOU WILL ONLY NEED 2 THINGS:

1. A SQUARE SHEET OF PAPER.

NOTE: If you use paper that is 200 gsm and thicker, you’ll find that this will be a bit harder to work with because we will be creasing and folding paper and assembling each unit into a star shape. The finished Holiday Star will be around 60% of the size of the square you start with, so try using different sizes of paper to find what best fits your creative vision.

– Download the instructions sheet above so that you are able to assemble this easily. ☺

– You can use regular construction paper or thicker foil paper. Alternatively, you can choose from our free paper patterns below. Simply click to download your paper pattern of choice! We recommend printing this on regular copy paper, with high quality printer settings, for best results.

2. CRAFT SCISSORS AND RULER

Remember to supervise kiddos if you are making this a family project!

– Cut your paper (use scissors) into a square and fold on the dotted lines (score first using ruler so that it tucks in nicely) as per instructions. Follow instructions and assemble into any star shape—the fun is in experimentation!

OUR FREE PRINTABLE FILES ARE FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. BUT PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE THEM WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

Happy holidays from all of us at Inkable! Cheers to making good memories this season!

The post HOLIDAY SPECIAL: FREE HOLIDAY PRINTABLE STAR! appeared first on Inkable Australia.

Smart Strategies to Grow Your Small Business

2016-01-11T11:29:03Z

Ready for big changes for smallbiz success?

Expansion isn’t something that can be accomplished overnight, and is certainly a step that involves in-depth market research, a strong vision, a solid business operating system, and improved business capabilities and programs. Sustainability is key. Also think about your personal goals and motivations—will this expansion fit perfectly with what you have in mind?

Here are some strategies for your small business, to grow even more this coming year.

CHEAT SHEET

SMART STRATEGIES FOR YOUR SMALL BUSINESS

Diversify your portfolio.

This is especially great for spreading the risk as this strategy involves changing up existing services or products to gain more traction and earn more profit from a new group of consumers. Less risky than other strategies, you can play up your strengths and utilise current resources as diversification works well if your new portfolio complements your current roster of services or product inventory.

EXAMPLE

Backed by market research, you might have the data and insights that you need to confirm that your product or service can simply be sold as different iterations that can crack new markets. Consider BMW’s market segmentation and how each model caters to a different market’s psychographic.

If you’re set on using this strategy, find out where there is big market share opportunity and tweak your existing product or service to cater to that market. You could be selling 2-hour massage with fancy essential oil rubs at a premium and can simply introduce a less expensive 1-hour massage for those who have less time to spare or who would otherwise turn down your offer due to high price points.

Expand your product or service line.

Selling within your existing market meants being in tune with their wants and needs. If you’ve been successfully selling the same product or service and want to increase your profit margins, this is an excellent strategic avenue to take. Also vital is the consideration of the signs of the times, so to speak. Look at your current line up and innovate—small businesses that don’t follow trends or consistently review what their customers are looking for in details will get overtaken by newer, more dynamic competition who is able to keep up.

EXAMPLE

While you could be a strong leader in your industry, there will be signs and symptoms that your product or service isn’t working as well as it used to or needs supplemental products or services to make the experience more holistic. While a front camera used to be the end all and be all of taking selfies, the addition of the simple yet ingenious selfie stick product is a perfect example of problem solution innovation.

Lower customer satisfaction or early adopters quickly losing interest are some signs that will tell you when you should employ this strategy. If you find that this is the case with your own products or services, as with newer technology and changing customer behavior: You can either supplement as with the example above, or remove your older, outdated products or services and add new ones that will be more in sync with your market.

Once you fill gaps, the added value of what you offer will be an efficient working model for small business success. Your customer base and sales margins will thank you for this.

Develop your market.

This growth strategy, AKA market expansion, is a good strategy for small businesses that are “root bound” and need more space to grow. If your current market is already saturated (both you and competition have already reached all possible customers that can be reached) this obviously means you cannot grow your profits considerably selling to the same market.

The next step would be either to:

– sell your current products or services to a new market—whether via a new store in a different location, or enabling this through your e-commerce platform;

– sell to a different market via a new presentation of your current products or services (finding new applications)

EXAMPLE

Diet Coke was launched in the 80’s, and it came to light that men shied away from this drink because more women were drinking it. The Coca Cola Company saw an opportunity to develop their market despite and because of this segmentation. Coke Zero, with its shiny black can and advertising campaigns that were the polar opposite of Diet Coke, has now successfully generated a more “masculine” appeal, growing its market with an existing product but with a different approach.

This goes to show how developing markets has a big multiplier effect on profit. This strategy carries considerable risk, especially if this will mean that you will need to open new physical stores, because this involves an large initial overhead and lots of resources spent before you see profit. Gauge your operational readiness and be smart about how to develop your market.

FOR PRODUCTS: If possible, keep your central operations and instead ship your products to your customers, or work with resellers to expand your reach.

REMINDER: Changing strategies is risky because this involves big and extremely stressful changes in how your business is structured. Evaluate your operational readiness before anything else, as applying new strategies can prove to hurt your small business if this isn’t sustainable.

A caveat: Not all strategies will work for you—businesses and markets in different industries are unique, and it is up to you to correctly apply these based on your motivation, level of commitment, level of risk you are comfortable with, and how ready your small business really is to take on a larger market share. Coping is not enough; only change strategies when you are quite certain that you can take on greater responsibilities and will thrive in this new arena.

FEEL LIKE YOUR SMALL BUSINESS REQUIRES LESS RISKY ALTERNATIVES? OUR CHEAT SHEET FOR SMART TACTICS TO GROW YOUR SMALL BUSINESS MIGHT BE A BETTER READ.

Thanks for dropping by, and hooroo for now!

Ink splat,

INKABLE

The post Smart Strategies to Grow Your Small Business appeared first on Inkable Australia.

2016 Small Business Best Practices

2016-04-05T05:18:07Z

In this cheat sheet for success, we’ll tackle both tactics (small tweaks and new programs) as well as strategies (big changes and new structures) to help you build your smallbiz this 2016.

Profit equals smart, not necessarily hard, work.

We’re sure you’re ready to explore and try new things to build your brand, for a more competitive and robust year. Let’s begin.

The big question: WHY AND HOW DO YOU WANT TO GROW YOUR SMALL BUSINESS?

Surely, the Why is the easier question. Some of you might simply answer, “It’s time!”, or “I want higher profitability and my business is ready for it.” Take a look at some hallmarks below, identifiers of growth opportunities:

Clamor from your customer base to cater to a different location, with an increase in referrals.
You’re getting tons of leads without an aggressive program
Your workload has doubled, tripled from when you started
You’ve been profitable for at least 4 years, with a strong staff of dedicated employees armed with tried-and-tested workflows
Your market is growing
Customers are requesting you to add supplemental products or services

Identifying your motivation for growth will help you naviagate this cheat sheet properly, to either scroll down to the TACTICS SECTION (small tweaks in your small business) or skip to the STRATEGY SECTION (bigger changes that cover your business structure and operations).

REMINDER: Before delving into this cheat sheet, you should have accomplished your SWOT, as always, to correctly gauge where it is most cost-efficient and aligned with your goals and where you are right now in your small business. Properly managing the direction you’re going to take is key in ensuring that you are successful and your tactics or strategies are sustainable. Strain is never good when implementing action points—learn how to differentiate strain with best efforts!

Thanks for dropping by, and hooroo for now!

Ink splat,

INKABLE

The post 2016 Small Business Best Practices appeared first on Inkable Australia.

Smart Tactics to Grow Your Small Business

2016-01-11T11:28:10Z

Growing your small business requires planning and investment. And while keeping your operations as is could be the smartest thing to do right now with regard to your capabilities and setup, expanding is a worthy goal once you’re ready for bigger returns and a stronger market presence.

Read on for smart tactics for your small business, to grow even more this coming year.

CHEAT SHEET

SMALL BUSINESS TACTICS

Innovate your service or product.

Depending on what your current offerings are, slight tweaks to your services or products can make a big difference in your customers’ reception of its benefits.

HOW TO START

Begin with a thorough examination and review of what you have right now, and think of ways to make this more exciting and beneficial for your customers. Glean extremely useful info from customers’ reviews, polls, surveys, and take note of the most popular sentiments—this is key in taking your innovations in the right direction. What are your fans clamoring for? If it’s feasible and won’t oblige you to go over your alloted spend, then develop it right away.

EXAMPLE (PRODUCT)

Sometimes it’s as simple as launching the same product in a more easy-to-use format (think spray disinfectants versus screw on capped bottles) or the same product in the amount that the customer thinks is most cost-efficient—therefore saleable—for them (perhaps you’re missing out by not creating a medium SKU between your 20ml product and 1000ml product which could have its own large customer base).

EXAMPLE (SERVICE)

Are you a designer charging per hour and having difficulty securing clients? Calculate your margins and innovate by grouping related services. Why not offer a packaged price to make your services more comprehensive and less costly for them, while keeping a price premium for you?

The bottom line is, innovation doesn’t even require you to modify your services or products. Often it is the discovery and focused promotions of new applications for your products and services to hook more customers in… A good example are popular content focused on a hundred ways to use petroleum jelly, a single product sold simply by focusing on the different beneficial applications, without the product ever changing its formulation!

What’s crucial is creatively answering the needs of your customers and potential customers with your clear perspective of the most viable action points that will help your business flourish.

Cut cost in areas that aren’t performing well and develop those that have greater potential.

Learning how to differentiate between an investment and a cost is a vital skill that takes business acumen through experience and sound judgment. When in doubt, ideate with your team or department heads. Different takes on how your small business is running right now helps you gain razor sharp focus by taking into consideration all the working parts of your service or product.

HOW TO START

Review your financials—the main goal is to grow your bottom line. Reviewing operational efficiency to help you do this might not be applicable to all small businesses, especially if your team is super lean or if you’re a solo entrepreneur. Go on an compare pre-tax and post-tax money—this is why your bottom line matters!

EXAMPLE (PRODUCT)

An effective tactic to apply to help grow your small business is by improving your inventory turnover. How efficient you are at managing and selling your products largely dictates sales and profits. A low inventory turnover means you’re holding products that aren’t selling as fast as they should (consider expiry dates, if your product follows trends, and the like) and could be rendered obsolete. With a high inventory turnover, you’ve got less funds tied up, a more liquid business, and more profits that aren’t being eaten up since you’ve got inventory control. Look at your inventory turnover ratio right now: Take your net sales (from your income statement) and divide this by your inventory (from your balance sheet).

EXAMPLE (SERVICE)

Take your roster of services and identify the highest and lowest performing on your list. Are your weakest services better off as future developments with your current business setup coupled with customers’ feedback? If yes, liquidate by appropriating the weak services’ R&D, marketing and promotions budget to support your stronger services. You’ll be better off doing one thing perfectly compared to doing many things poorly just so you can cover “everything”. If your skill sets aren’t strong enough, then don’t do it.

Staunch bleeding and cut cost after an in-depth review of what isn’t working right now.

The freed funds can do so much better on different areas, and you’ll have that extra budget for marketing and promotions of your tried-and-tested services and products.

Invest in lead management.

There isn’t that one perfect way to cultivate leads. If you’ve invested in lead generation tactics, another tactic to add to this is lead management.

REMINDER:

Don’t let your morale be dampened if you lose a deal or prospect. This is not the final step in the process. The goal here is to keep improving lead management by sharing insights with your team and continually developing a workflow that nurtures the leads that you have right now. Ask the important questions: Why was our lead hesitant to purchase from us? How will we get them to the tipping point after overcoming hesitations? How many steps or action points on average do we need to accomplish before converting a lead into a paying customer?

Focusing on lead management as a tactic isn’t rocket science, but it does involve patience and dedication. Think like your customer and forget about selling for a moment—what are your concerns, biggest problems and needs, where and who you are in the buying process. Would successful selling require a specific mode of communication? How long does a customer need to deliberate (buying insurance and buying a picture frame are certainly opposite ends of the length of time deliberation spectrum)?

Define what a qualified lead is so that you can fine tune your targeting.

TIP:

Get a CRM application that is easy to use for all members of your team. All information about your leads should be properly organized and in one place for quick access and reference. We cannot stress enough the importance of updating the system rather than keeping details on emails or handwritten notes that can get lost in the clutter. A good CRM platform means all your data about where your leads are in the sales process is accurate, consistent, and actionable.

A caveat: Remember that not all tactics will work for you—businesses and markets in different industries are unique, and it is up to you to correctly apply these based on what your own small business’ demands.

LOOKING FOR A BIG CHANGE THIS YEAR? OUR CHEAT SHEET FOR SMART STRATEGIES TO GROW YOUR SMALL BUSINESS MIGHT BE A BETTER READ.

Thanks for dropping by, and hooroo for now!

Ink splat,

INKABLE

The post Smart Tactics to Grow Your Small Business appeared first on Inkable Australia.

Print Freebies for the Month of December

2015-12-09T17:02:22Z

Hello, Inkable mates!

This month, we’re sharing bonzer free script fonts that you can apply to your own print designs. Script fonts are awesome because they mimic the warmth and fluidity of real handwriting. You get a beautiful handwritten detail, but with the evenness (kerning and length of letters) required to give that professional look.

We’ve had a lot of customers come to us recently for design; and while we are always rapt to accommodate new design requests, we know how tedious the process can be, especially getting all your artwork elements together, for an ace layout.

CLICK ON EACH LINK TO DOWNLOAD, AND DON’T FORGET TO GIVE THE DESIGNER SOME LOVE!

Our team is always willing to lend a hand, and so we’ve come up with a nifty list of 15 free script fonts from the web. These are all free to use for personal or commercial projects, and we share this with you in the hopes that you can use this to help make your designing life easier (especially if you’re designing your collaterals yourself), cutting down on time and effort, with these professional free font sets.

SIMPLY CLICK ON EACH TITLE AND ADD TO YOUR FONT COLLECTION!

You can use these for business cards, flyers, brochures, posters, presentation folders, envelopes, booklets, catalogues, or even invoice books.

PRINT FREEBIES FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER

1. Lobster by Pablo Impallari

2. BlackJack by Typadelic

3. Billion Stars Font by Måns Grebäck

4. Euphoria Script by TypeSenses

5. Pacifico by Vernon Adams

6. DHF Broffont Script Font by Dexsar Harry Anugrah

7. Carolyna Words Font by Emily Lime Design

8. Windsong by Bright Ideas

9. Jenna Sue by Jenna Sue Design Co.

10. Echinos Park Script Font by Måns Grebäck

11. Allura by TypeSETit

12. Learning Curve BV by Blue Vinyl

13. Mutlu by Gazoz

14. Reklame Script by HVD Fonts

15. Grand Hotel by Astigmatic

We hope you find these useful, and don’t forget to subscribe for more freebies and product updates.

Hooroo for now!

Ink splat,

INKABLE

P.S.: If you need any help with Prepress checks and revisions, feel free to drop us a line. We’ll be happy to make your awesome artworks press-ready for you.

The post Print Freebies for the Month of December appeared first on Inkable Australia.

Inkable Spotlight: MARCUS VISIC PHOTOGRAPHY AND DESIGN

2015-11-10T02:48:00Z

We are honoured to have Marcus Visic for our Inkable Spotlight! He is a Perth-based photographer and designer who also works with print and digital marketing (including social media, email marketing, campaigns).

More than his diverse array of work, he is a true artist, capturing the vibrancy of life through his lens, focusing on different fascinating subjects, in different parts of the world.

We have been blessed enough to have printed his wedding cards for him, and are happy to feature his story and work today.

How did your professional journey start out, and what is your proudest moment so far?

I always feel like this career chose me as I never set out to be a photographer or designer. My particular journey in life just happened to lead me here. I always had an interest in science from a young age but at the same time I have always been quite creative. I started a Science degree thinking I would spend most of my time out in the field but instead found myself in lectures most of the time. The internet and Multimedia were still quite new and exciting so I decided to make a quite drastic switch to a Multimedia degree. This covered web & graphic design, photography, video and multimedia. This was back when everybody was making CD-ROMS, remember those?

I can’t single out one moment in my career that was my proudest, I have had many. I always feel proud when I have to pinch myself and remind myself that I am getting paid to experience some amazing places. This has included cave diving in Mexico, seeing a pride of lions hunting in Africa and diving with sharks. I am sure there will be many more exciting adventures to come!

When I finished my degree I found a video job on board cruise ships in the Caribbean. This was the start of my career and my travels where I visited ports throughout the U.S, Central America & the Caribbean. After 3 years I returned to Perth, Australia and returned to university to complete a Masters degree in Professional Communications. After completing my studies I moved to Melbourne where I worked for a travel company that specialised in high end wildlife safaris.

I designed the brochures and was also able to travel to Africa on a few occasions to photograph wildlife. After 7 years in Melbourne, my fiancee and I moved back to Perth and we married not long after (April this year!). I am still working in the travel industry here in Perth. Whilst print brochures are still an important part of my role I am also making the most of digital marketing, online advertising and marketing automation.

Could you quickly tell us about your work process?

Designing a travel brochure can be a quite mentally exhaustive process. It requires a great deal of attention to detail as well as creativity. On the detail side of things, the pricing needs to be 100% accurate. Quite often I am interpreting complex spreadsheets into a single price so I have to ensure this is correct and adheres to advertising regulations. When describing a place or property copy needs to be accurate and fact checked to ensure the information presented is correct.

In the case of wildlife safari brochures, the pictures need to be accurate in that I can not use a photo of a giraffe that is only found in parts of Zambia in the section of the brochure about Kruger in South Africa. So as well as being creative your mind is constantly working overtime making sure all other aspects are correct and work together.

Wildlife photography is as much about biology and animal behaviour as it is photography. It is important to understand how creatures behave to know where to find them and how to capture their image in the most natural way possible. In saying this, it is also fascinating as it is like a living breathing soap opera as the relationships between animals unravel.

We think you do an ace job at capturing the essence of each setting we see in your photos, most especially when the focal point is the beauty of the wild.

Could you tell us a story about one of your impressive wildlife shots?

On a morning game drive in South Africa we came across two male lions (brothers) with fresh battle scars. They were dozing off in the shade catching up on rest. My guide managed to drive quite close as I was hoping to get a full frame of just the lions eyes.

I was looking through my viewfinder directly into this lions eyes. Looking into a lions eyes is almost hypnotic and evokes a primordial sense of fear.

The lion did not like the sound of my camera shutter and without warning he lunged forward and let out an almighty roar.

It scared the daylights out of me as well as my guide so he started the vehicle and drove away. The lion really told me off and it took quite some time before my breathing and heart rate returned to normal! The experience really cemented my respect and admiration for these amazing creatures.

What is a favourite work piece you’ve created recently?

I have recently started experimenting more with macro photography. This has opened up a whole new world of exploration and learning. I am now noticing creatures that I would normally walk right past.

I am currently searching for a peacock spider to photograph, they are really amazing little spiders. The males put on a colourful little dance to attract females. At only about 3mm long it is quite challenging to find one. Unfortunately I haven’t found one yet, but hopefully I will have one to post on Instagram or my blog soon!

Copyright: Marcus Visic

I enjoy exploring around my home and seeing what I can find, it is amazing what you can find in suburban areas of Australia.

How does your workspace look like and what are your favourite tools to create your work?

As much as I try to keep my workplace tidy, it is almost always messy. Quite often I have pricing documents for travel brochures, proofs everywhere as well as camera batteries and cables… oh and coffee.

How has print media figured into your work? What for you is the appeal of print, in our digital-driven time?

Print media still has a very important place, particularly with travel brochures. Although people may find travel inspiration through social media like instagram, brochures are still relevant. This is particularly true for once in a lifetime holidays such as an African safari or a train journey across Australia. People like to still hold a travel brochure in their hands to plan big trips like these. I try to design travel brochures like coffee table books so that people leave them out, enjoy the photography and maybe pass them on to others.

Being an artist and small business owner, what are the challenges for you at present?

Image theft is a big concern for me, it is difficult to see my images pop up on blogs and social media without even a credit. People may think it is harmless to use my images as there is this notion that photography is free once it is on the internet. It is far from free, there is a huge cost involved in purchasing camera gear and computer equipment, maintaining it, updating it and insuring it. Then there is the cost of travel itself and the hours of practice and learning it takes to be able to take a nail the perfect photograph. The challenge is for people to realize this and place more value on what makes a good photograph and its value.

Our customers are small businesses and creatives who’ve had their share of tough challenges.

Can you impart some advice to those just starting out in their own endeavours?

Be guided by your passions and enjoy what you do. There are so many interesting opportunities out there to explore, finding your dream job is possible!

Where else can we find you?

Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.marcusvisic.com/
Behance profile: https://www.behance.net/marcusvisic
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/marcusvisicphoto

Instagram: https://instagram.com/marcusv/
500px: www.500px.com/mvisic

We have been fortunate to have met awesome people through our work, and learning about them and their challenges and triumphs is always humbling and inspiring. Thanks heaps for your time, Marcus! As print advocates, we truly enjoy talking with artists and small businesses who inspire us everyday.

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Marcus is a photographer and designer based in Perth, Australia. Inspired by National Geographic, David Attenborough and his Great-Grandfather’s photos and tales from the Amazon, Marcus has always had a passion for travel, culture, and nature. His career has allowed him to travel extensively in North, Central & South America, the Pacific, Australia, Asia, and Africa.

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Inkable Spotlight: TRUFFLE TRADERS

2015-10-15T10:08:25Z

We are honoured to have Truffle Traders on the Inkable Spotlight this month! From fine cuisine to home-cooked meals, they are a heritage brand that delights everyone with premium rare truffles, underground treasures highly prized and sought after.

They have been in the business since the ’30s, and we are rapt to learn about their special offerings and how they keep delighting customers throughout Australia and around the world.

What is the Truffle Traders story?

Truffle Traders is the result of passion, tradition and experience developed throughout a lifetime.

Since I was a child I have always been surrounded by truffles, thanks to my father, a well known truffle merchant in Milan, in the north of Italy. My father took over what my uncle and before him, his father, started nearly a century ago, in 1930.

I consider myself really lucky to have had the privilege of growing up within a “truffle family”.

I remember the unmistakable smell of truffle going through my nose every day on the way to school as our family car had a portable fridge in the boot which was used by my dad for truffle deliveries. The afternoons passed carefully brushing and trimming these incredibly aromatic tubers, and the countless times I got caught secretly eating bits of it.

I lived in Australia for nearly ten years and truffles have always been a big passion of mine. Then few years ago I tried the Australian truffles for the first time and I was again enchanted. That’s when I decided to open up my own truffle company, Truffle Traders, following my family steps, right on the other side of the world.

Coincidence or faith wanted that soon after my decision I met my life and business partner, a beautiful French woman with also a very good knowledge and passion for truffles. We both believe that this is a perfect match that combines love for food, experience and knowledge and can help us contribute to the truffle culture in Australia.

For our readers who aren’t quite acquainted with your product,

could you kindly give us an overview of your offerings?

Truffles are very precious and delicious tubers (subterranean fungus), which grow in symbiosis with tree roots under special environmental and climate conditions. Truffles can only be found with the help of trained dogs which, with their accurate sense of smell, can pinpoint these underground delicacies.

We specialize in supplying restaurants, deli, and food lovers all year round with fresh truffles and premium truffle products. Our product range includes pure truffle paste, truffle oil, honey, salt, pesto, balsamic vinegar with truffle, and many more.

We are one of the very few if not the only importer in Australia of the real Italian “White truffle of Alba” or Tuber Magnatum, considered by many the best in the world. Black Perigord truffle or Tuber Melanosporum as well as Summer and Autumn truffles. During the southern hemisphere’s winter we supply and export a wide range of fresh Australian truffles, too.

The famed “White truffle of Alba”

Black Perigold Truffles

Summer Truffles

What inspires you most about your work, especially as a specialised provider of this delicacy?

As an Italian and French, we have been growing up with a rich food culture. We believe that having a good and healthy meal is one of the best things in life. The idea of refining the food culture in Australia with our products is something that really inspires and motivates us every single day.

What is Truffle Trader’s proudest moment to date? And can you give us a sense as to why it’s such a key milestone?

In July 2015 we attended a big truffle event showcasing our products and what we do.

It has been a really amazing experience where we received great feedback and true appreciation for the quality products we have brought to Australia. That has been a really proud moment!

would you mind sharing a favourite recipe with us?

The key for getting the best out of truffles is to keep your dish as simple as possible.

Even a fried egg with truffle sliced on top is a true winner.

Coming from an Italian heritage, my favorite recipe is risotto with white truffle. It really reminds me of my childhood and it is an incredible way to taste the truffle.

As food lovers we try to create new recipes and combinations every time we cook. For those who are interested, we share new recipes every couple of weeks on our blog.

It’s been a pleasure being part of your journey, albeit and even if only through printing some of your collaterals.

How has print helped your efforts?

Printing our brochures and business cards was a great way for us to promote our big range of truffle products and to make an impact.

It is essential for us to sustain our brand with quality marketing materials that go along with our products. Inkable really made this possible.

What are the three adjectives that best describe Truffle Traders, and why those three?

PASSION: is what drives us every day in doing what we love.

QUALITY: We carefully choose our suppliers to always get the best quality product.

SERVICE: We are customers-oriented, which means we always aim at providing our clientele the best experience possible.

Many of our customers are small businesses who’ve had their share of tough challenges.

Can you impart some words of wisdom for people who are just starting out with their own endeavours?

Starting a new business it isn’t easy at all, yet, it can be very rewarding. Be prepared to do a lot of hard work and lots of sacrifices, especially at the beginning. Don’t give up through tough time, passion and love for what you are doing will make you succeed, eventually.

Any upcoming events where people can connect with you and try fresh truffles? 🙂

We just attended Truffle Melbourne 2015, the biggest industry event in Australia. We are currently offering tasting in different delicatessen shop in Melbourne.

To get the chance to meet us and try our product you can get updates HERE.

Where else can we find you?

Official Website: www.truffletraders.com.au/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/truffletraders
Twitter: twitter.com/truffletraders
Google Plus: plus.google.com/+TruffletradersAu

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We have been fortunate to have met awesome people through our work, and learning about them and their challenges and triumphs is always humbling and inspiring. As print advocates, we truly enjoy talking with artists and small businesses who inspire us everyday.

~Check out Truffle Traders’ shop at www.truffletraders.com.au/shop

The post Inkable Spotlight: TRUFFLE TRADERS appeared first on Inkable Australia.

Inkable Spotlight: ALDOUS MASSIE

2015-10-05T10:20:29Z

We are honoured to have Aldous Massie for our Customer Spotlight! Aldous is a Sydney-based illustrator and graphic designer who works with pen and ink, watercolour, and digital media. His unique and diverse art narratives and his evident dedication to his craft make him a true inspiration; and we have been lucky enough to have printed various projects for him.

He has done commissioned work for Parisian fashion-house Hermes, Melbourne-based fashion label SHAYLI, and Chambord Liqueur, to name a few. Aldous’ eclectic signature pieces range from book covers, posters, striking art illustrations, to identity kits, and branding campaigns.

ALDOUS MASSIE

How did your artistic journey start out, and what is your proudest moment so far?

I started drawing when I was very young – the first thing I remember strategically drawing is a dragon from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty; I say ‘strategically’ because before this point I’d just been drawing symbolism unconsciously (like most children), rather than ‘line drawing’ (being aware of the imaginary line-boundaries that segment an object) which can be called the foundations of beginner drawing. This was a revelation at the time, and something I still remember even though I was maybe two or three years old.

aldousmassie.com:wonderland

Now I feel that a lot of the drawing I do is very tactics-based; configuring and reconfiguring a puzzle in order to create an image. The goal is to attempt to travel back to the unconscious symbolism.

Could you quickly tell us about your design process?

I work on a variety of projects, so the details of individual processes vary, but generally I start by pinpointing an overall mood or atmosphere. Then I try my hardest to focus deeply on individual steps in order to get closer and closer to the goal. Looking past the current step creates anxiety and stops any progress, but focusing on an individual element gives you quick rewards which build inertia/addiction. That’s the trick, I think. If you’ve got the momentum, you won’t run out of energy.

aldousmassie.com:laura:

From your published works, your focus seems to be on surrealism. One of our favourite books is of M.C. Escher’s tessellations, and we absolutely love your The Tick of Approval. You have a very clean and distinct style, and a keen eye for detail…

What inspires you and your style of drawing?

Emmie Rae, Moebius (Jean Giraud), Yoshitaka Amano, Miyazaki, Kilian Eng, James Jean, Escher, Ayahuasca, videogames, skateboarding, chess.

What is a favourite design piece you’ve created recently?

I did a drawing for Modular Recordings for the new Tame Impala album, Currents. Unfortunately it wasn’t used, but I really like the image.

How does your workspace look like and what are your favourite tools to create your designs?

I’m using an old Dell laptop that’s loaded with extra RAM and an SSD for Adobe software. It acts as a second monitor, and it’s connected to my main display which is a Wacom Cintiq 24HD. So there’s this huge robotic looking screen that I can draw onto, and it sits in the corner of my bedroom.

aldousmassie.com:knock-knock-magazine:

Outside this room is a regular desk, and there’s a lightbox, drafting board, and some other tools. I think my favourite tool, after a regular pencil, would have to be Photoshop coupled with Wacom software.

What are your favourite subjects and art media to use, and what makes it fascinating to you?

Lately I’ve been drawing directly into Photoshop because of the ease of manipulation, but earlier in this interview I mentioned the need to support more innate expression which I think can be done more easily with traditional tools. The replication of traditional media through various combinations of hardware/software always falls short, though the gaps can be very subtle – even unconscious.

fashion illustration_aldous massie

How has print media figured into your work? What for you is the appeal of printing art, in our time?

The appeal is the tangibility. It’s always a surprise to see a graphic that in your mind is isolated to your small bedroom/workspace, suddenly appear in the outside world. It’s weird to think that almost every printed graphic you’re bombarded with every time you leave your home was at one point living in a computer.

ALDOUS’ HULA GIRLS for Parisian fashion–house Hermes. Displayed in Sydney Hermes store.

ALDOUS’ SHAYLI CARDS: Inkable’s 350gsm Ivory uncoated stock with white foil stamping

Being an illustrator and small business owner, what are the challenges for you at present?

Time management, money management – maybe just ‘management’.

Our customers are small businesses and creatives who’ve had their share of tough challenges.

What’s your favourite way to de-stress and unwind after a long day of work?

I relax with my wife, Emmie. We’re avid golfers and we enjoy watching anime together.

I also really enjoy skateboarding and playing chess. I’m usually skating at Hyde Park in Sydney during the week, and you can find me on lichess.org as ‘aldous’.

Where else can we find you?

Website: http://aldousmassie.com
Instagram: http://instagram.com/aldousmassie (@aldousmassie)
Blog: http://aldousmassie.tumblr.com
Lichess: http://en.lichess.org/@/aldous
Hyde Park

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We have been fortunate to have met awesome people through our work, and learning about them and their challenges and triumphs is always humbling and inspiring. Thanks heaps for your time, Aldous! As print advocates, we truly enjoy talking with artists and small businesses who inspire us everyday.

~Aldous is a Sydney based designer, illustrator, and fine artist. Check out his portfolio at http://aldousmassie.com.

The post Inkable Spotlight: ALDOUS MASSIE appeared first on Inkable Australia.

Inkable Spotlight: CODA SOUTH ASSOCIATION INC.

2015-10-06T08:58:41Z

Inkable Spotlight: CODA South Association Inc.

We are honoured to have Coda South for our Inkable Spotlight this month! They are an organisation that provides respite and support for families caring for an adult with a disability in their own homes.

Their advocacy is passionate, and we are happy to feature them this month, and hope that they inspire you today and everyday with their work.

What is the Coda story? What are your flagship programs and services?

CODA is a non profit organisation established in 1989 founded by a group of concerned parents. Their primary focus was the welfare of their sons and daughters with a disability, when they were no longer able to provide the level of support needed to maintain them at home. After successfully lobbying the local and state government, CODA was born, and became an approved association in September 1991.

Since its conception CODA has extended beyond its in-home respite service into innovative services designed to suit the individual needs of the person with a disability and their carers such as Out of home respite, Plan Management, Supported Holidays and much more.

Could you please elaborate on the “Every Australian Counts” Campaign?

The NDIS is a national scheme to provide targeted support and better coordination and access to services for people with disabilities. The “Every Australian Counts” campaign was the initiative that banded together Australians to get behind the establishment of the NDIS.

CODA welcomes the changes to the industry under a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) as we fully support and recognise individual’s ability to make their own choices and decisions.

We absolutely agree with you when you say that the size of the organisation does not reflect the power and the passion of the people inside it.

Could you share with us one beautiful photo that speaks about the enormous passion of the team?

Never forget why you do what you do and the people that make it possible by supporting your products or services. You can be a small business or small organisation and still have a big heart.

What is Coda South’s proudest moment to date? And can you give us a sense as to why it’s such a key milestone?

CODA has been passionate for many years about setting up a respite house to offer individuals with a disability time away from home to give their carers a break from the caring role and for everyone to recharge their batteries. So it is exciting to say we have achieved just that! In July, CODA purchased and moved our office into our respite house. We aim to be offering respite support commencing in September/October in an inviting 4 bedroom, wheelchair accessible, open plan home.

We don’t want this to be just ordinary respite, but rather a ‘home away from home’, where guests that stay with us have the opportunity to continue to learn new skills and participate in the running of ‘a home’.

It’s been a pleasure being part of your journey, albeit and even if only through print. How has print helped your efforts?

It is more important than ever, as we move closer to the introduction of the NDIS that we promote ourselves and outline the services and support CODA offers. Individuals and families will receive greater freedom, choice and control over the support they receive and it’s important we can reach potential clients with relevant information via all media including print.

Having our printed material accessible at expos has been our most successful method of sharing printed information about CODA. Professional designs and quality print work are essential for CODA to convey the quality and pride we strive for in all aspects of our organisation.

What are the three adjectives that best describe Coda South, and why those three?

SUPPORT – RESPECT – PASSION.

The passion and unwavering support CODA has for its clients and their families exceed duty. It is with immense respect for the clients who choose to be supported by CODA that we determinedly advocate to develop supports focussed on the individual and strive to develop their confidence and independence.

Our customers are small businesses and designers who’ve had their share of tough challenges.

Can you impart some words of wisdom for people who are just starting out with their own endeavours?

Be passionate not only about what you do but for the people you are doing it for. Never forget why you do what you do and the people that make it possible by supporting your products or services. You can be a small business or small organisation and still have a big heart.

Where else can we find you?

Official Website: www.codasouth.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CODASouthAssoc.Inc
Twitter: twitter.com/CODASOUTH

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CODA South is a not-for-profit organisation operating since 1991. They provide individualised Personal Care, In Home Respite and Community Access supports to adults with a disability living in the community.

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