If you’ve ever worked with a graphic/web designer, you may have heard the terms “vector” or “pixel” thrown around. Unless you’re a graphic designer yourself, it’s likely you won’t know what these mean. Not to worry though, I’ve got your back – I’ve explained them both below in layman’s terms! :)

Have you ever downloaded a photo off of your digital camera and zoomed in super far? If so, you probably noticed that your image is comprised of thousands of tiny, differently-colored blocks. These blocks are called “Pixels” (that’s why they call me The Pixelista!). Here’s an example of an image I zoomed in on so you can see what I mean:

Common pixel-based image files are GIF, JPEG, and PNG. Most of the time these types of graphics work great, but if you ever need to resize a graphic super huge (think T-shirts, vehicle wraps, billboards, etc), those pesky pixels start to show. That’s where vector graphics come in!

If you’ve been in school in the past 20 years or so, you’ve probably played with one of those fancy graphing calculators and learned to plot different shapes with them. Google will actually do it for you! To see what I mean, copy and paste the following into Google:

Pretty cool, huh? Special software like Adobe Illustrator exists that renders graphics based on mathematical formulas like that above. This allows the user to size a shape as big or small as necessary without compromising the quality of the image (no pixels here!). This is especially handy for images like logos that need to be frequently resized for different purposes.

If you’re hiring a graphic designer to create a logo for you, they should provide you with both a high resolution pixel-based graphic (usually PNG or JPEG) as well as a vector-based graphic (usually EPS, AI, or SVG). PNG or JPEG files will suffice for most of your needs.

You probably won’t be able to open the vector-based graphics on your home computer unless you have special software installed, but keep them tucked away safe on your computer, CD, or USB drive – if you ever work with another graphic designer in the future, it’s very likely that they’ll request one of your vector-based files.

Authored by: Jessica Barnard

The post What the heck is vector? appeared first on The Pixelista.

So you’ve decided to take the plunge and hire someone to create a custom blog design for you. First of all, congratulations! It’s a big step, which can be exciting but also very scary. If you’ve never worked with a graphic/web designer before, the whole process can seem overwhelming. But fear not! I have worked with hundreds of women like yourself through the years, and I have put together some easy guidelines that are sure to make working with your designer a breeze.

It can be hard know what you want for your design, but do the best you can to figure it out and communicate it to your designer. If you’re not even sure what you want, how can you expect your designer to know? Do the best you can to avoid being vague or obscure (we’re not mind readers, y’all!). Don’t be afraid to provide your designer with a few links to other websites you like the design of, and take the time to figure out exactly what it is you like about each site’s design.

On the flip side, don’t smother your designer’s creative mojo with too much direction. Your web designer likely has years of education and/or experience that makes her an expert and what she does. As a bit of a control freak myself, I know where you’re coming from. Take a deep breath and let up on the reigns a little!

If you know you’re picky or have a very specific vision for your project, let your designer know that up front (word it nicely – you don’t want to scare anybody away!). You may even want to ask if she would be willing to do a Skype conference where you can chat back and forth while watching your designer’s screen while she works. That way you can make decisions on what you do and don’t like right off the bat, and save yourself from a million back-and-forth emails with a million back-and-forth drafts – you can thank me later. ;)

See? That wasn’t so bad. :) By keeping these simple guidelines in mind, working with your designer should be smooth sailing.

Authored by: Jessica Barnard

The post How to Establish a Great Working Relationship with Your Blog Designer appeared first on The Pixelista.

Authored by: Jessica Barnard

The post The Moo Difference: Quality Business Card Printing appeared first on The Pixelista.

The Blissdom Conference is almost here! I am so excited to meet many of my online friends and clients face to face. :) At blogging conferences, it’s fairly common for roommates to give each other a small just-for-fun gift and I thought I’d join in on the fun! I packed my little gift baskets full of blogging conference essentials:

Keeping track of business cards at conferences can be a nightmare. I’ve come home from conferences with business cards all bent up and nasty because they were kicking around in my purse. They’re also really easy to lose that way, which is a bummer because that networking was so important! Here’s a great tip to keep that from happening: punch holes in top right corner of your business cards and keep on a key ring!

Will you be at Blissdom this week? If so, I’d love to meet you. Come say hello! :)

Authored by: Jessica Barnard

The post Blog Conference Roommate Gift Idea appeared first on The Pixelista.

I know many of you would love to start out the year with a new blog or website, but I understand that funds are tight for many families right now – especially after the holiday. You may not have a thousand dollars to invest in a website, but if you are a blogger with a large & engaged readership, I may be interested in bartering for your services! You can earn a huge discount on a custom blog design by reviewing and promoting The Pixelista.

Here is what one blogger has to say about her experience:

Crystal Faulkner – Mrs. Happy Homemaker

“It was a dream of mine to have my website designed by The Pixelista, but with the current state of the economy, there was no way I could swing $1,500+ for the services I was looking for. Jessica and I were able to work out a huge discount in exchange for me advertising her services, and I couldn’t be happier! My new website is generating more income than ever for my family. I highly recommend any blogger take advantage of this amazing opportunity!”

If this sounds like something that would be a good fit for you, please submit your proposal below and we’ll discuss the details!

Authored by: Jessica Barnard

The post Earn a Discount on a Custom Blog Design appeared first on The Pixelista.

Before we get started, this article assumes you have the following:

Now onto the Authorship process:

When setting up your profile, be sure to include your custom domain email address in your contact information. Your profile should look similar to mine below. Click the “verify” button next to your email – all you have to do is click the confirmation link it sends to your email address. Once you’ve successfully verified your email, a small checkmark will appear next to it where the “Verify” link was.

When setting up your business page, include your email address and website. I recommend using the same email address on both your personal profile and your business page. Your page should look similar to mine below.

Verify your email address using the same method as your personal profile, then click the “link website” button. The following popup will appear:

As you can see, there are two methods of verification. My preference is the second, which is “link your website directly.” Once you click the link, it will give you a line of code that looks something like this:

<a href="https://plus.google.com/123456789123456789123" rel="publisher">Google+</a>

It instructs you to insert the code on your website’s home page. I added mine to a widget in my header (for my G+ social media icon). If you are unsure how to incorporate the link into your website, contact your web hosting provider and they’ll be able to help you.

Once you’ve successfully verified your email address and domain, a checkmark will appear next to each on your business page.

The next step is to add bylines to the articles you’ve published on your website using the code below (it doesn’t matter where you put it in your article – at the beginning or end both work great).

I prefer to manually insert the code at the very bottom of my articles when publishing, but there are ways to automatically insert it into each of your articles if you have a self-hosted WordPress blog (contact your hosting provider for assistance).

Make sure your name in the byline is identical to the name on your personal Google+ profile. For example, I would NOT want to put my name as “Jessie B” in the byline on my article, when my name on Google+ is “Jessica Barnard.”

Authored by: <a href="https://plus.google.com/[YOUR PROFILE ID]?rel=author">YOUR NAME</a>

Mine looks like this:
Authored by: <a href="https://plus.google.com/109337249833712908074?rel=author">Jessica Barnard</a>

The last step is to formally sign up for the Google Authorship program. Simply enter your email address and press the “Sign Up for Authorship” button.

Don’t panic if your profile image doesn’t start appearing in search results right away. Google has to recrawl your articles before it will appear, which took several days in my case. You can ensure you followed the steps correctly by entering the URL of one of your articles into Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool.

You should see something similar to mine below, with a green “verified” box under “Author” and “Publisher.” If it asks you to verify the authorship if your article, don’t panic – that doesn’t necessarily mean you did anything wrong. The same thing happened to me. I am unsure if it affects the Authorship process or not, but I went through and verified the authorship for each of my articles one by one just to be safe.

And that’s it! :) Enjoy all the benefits of being an official Google Author.

Authored by: Jessica Barnard

The post Display Your Photo in Google Search Results appeared first on The Pixelista.

Some sort of title/graphic is usually included in the header of a website, so isn’t that the same thing as a logo? A logo can be used within a web design, but not all web designs include a logo. Clear as mud?

Here are two key differences between a web design and a logo:

The graphics for my web designs are created at a resolution ideal for viewing online. They are generally small, enabling them to load quickly on a web page.

When a file is submitted for printing (e.g. for a business card), the artwork needs to be designed at a much larger size/higher resolution than the graphics used on your web page.

When you purchase a logo design, I create the artwork in vector format. This means it can be re-sized as big or small as you like without compromising the quality of the image. This ensures your logo will always be the proper size and resolution for anything you might need.

When I create your blog or website, I retain the intellectual property rights (IPR) to the design. The graphics in your blog or web design may not be used in any fashion without my express permission.

When you pay for a logo design, you are paying for the intellectual property rights, meaning you own the artwork. You are welcome to register your logo as a trademark and use it freely for branding purposes, such as having it printed on business cards, letterhead, advertisements, etc.

If you only blog as a hobby and don’t intend to launch a full-blown business, you can probably get by without a logo when you have your site designed. If you are a business owner who needs to have full control over your branding materials, a logo is a smart and necessary investment!

Authored by: Jessica Barnard

The post Web Header vs. Logo: The Difference Explained appeared first on The Pixelista.

Authored by: Jessica Barnard

The post Trick to Declutter Your Gmail Inbox appeared first on The Pixelista.

Priced at only $500, this design can be purchased for $300 less than the starting price of my custom theme designs. This is a one-of-a-kind design and will only be sold once, ensuring your website is unique and original!

Don’t currently have a WordPress website? No problem – I can help you register a domain name, sign you up for a hosting account, and install the design for you. All you have to worry about is publishing your content.

For more information, please contact me.

The post Vintage Blog Design For Sale appeared first on The Pixelista.

In today’s economy, business owners are having to get creative and cut costs wherever possible. As a business owner myself, I totally get that every dollar saved is a dollar in your pocket at the end of the month. For example, you probably know you won’t see much of a return on investment (ROI) if you buy the new iPhone 5, when your iPhone 4s still works just fine.

However, the basic rule for entrepreneurial success still applies, and that is “you have to spend money to make money.” Purchasing a professionally-designed website is one of the few investments with virtually unlimited ROI potential, and here are the reasons why:

Printed business listings such as the Yellow Pages are becoming obsolete in lieu of web searches, and people expect to find your business in their search results. If people can’t find you online, they may assume you’re not in business, and click through to the website of your competitor instead.

Have you ever gotten to a website from a Google search and clicked right out because it looked unprofessional, or maybe just “off?” Think about it. We as humans are visual creatures, and a top-notch web design gives customers the impression that you are trustworthy and professional.

Let’s say you are in the business of selling hand-knitted hot pads. Instead of limiting yourself to selling locally, investing in a website allows you to market your product globally, which can exponentially increase your sales. With the right information on your website, you will start coming up in search engine results for phrases like “handmade hot pads” or “knitted hot pads.” This allows for an extremely targeted customer base (in this case, people interested in purchasing a handmade hot pad) to come right to you!

Your time is valuable, and having a well-crafted website can free up many tedious and unnecessary working hours. Here are a few of the many tasks that can be streamlined by your website:

1. Acquainting individuals with your business & services
2. Conveying important news & updates to customers
3. Providing answers to frequently asked questions
4. Showcasing testimonials & examples of your work
5. Giving customers a convenient way to contact you
6. Processing online orders from customers

Authored by: Jessica Barnard

The post Why Invest in a Professional Web Design appeared first on The Pixelista.