Thoughts and resources

Bowl filled with acai, strawberries, blueberries, granola and coconut sitting on a marble countertop

Do clients really want choices?

Something I’ve been pondering in my business is how many choices to give clients. I ordered an açaí bowl at a café recently. I had no idea what toppings to add, because I didn’t even know what...
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list of example business names

How to choose a business name you love: a DIY guide to naming your brand

Sometimes you hear a business name that’s so good, it sticks with you. Years ago I stumbled on a small shop in Portland called Noun: A Person’s Place for Things. I don’t remember much about the nice...
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2023 oscar bingo card in an art deco style on table with gold Oscar statue

2023 Oscar bingo cards

2023 Oscar bingo cards are ready! Grab your free PDF download below, ahead of the show on Sunday, March 12 at 8 PM ET. This year’s design (my 15th annual, holy cow) is art deco-inspired. I like...
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A laptop screen showing a powerpoint slide

How to make Powerpoint slides look more professional: 16 design tips

Greetings, office peeps! When you’re designing a Powerpoint presentation or page layout, do you ever feel like something doesn’t look right? You can’t put your finger on it. Somehow the slide looks amateur instead of professional. Friends...
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oscars bingo cards for 2022 with ballot on pink background

Oscar bingo cards for 2022— A free printable + how to fix the Oscars

My Oscar bingo cards for 2022 are ready. This year the Oscars will be on Sunday, March 27, 2022 at 8 PM ET on ABC. It’s my 14th year in a row designing bingo cards. It’s tradition....
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PDF pages with the best google fonts of 2021

The best Google fonts in 2021— My favorites tested in an editable PDF

I’ve titled this blog post “best Google fonts in 2021,” which is shameless clickbait. What is “best”? Who made me the authority? Nobody, lol. What I really mean is my current favorites, which I’ve put into a...
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oscar bingo 2021 oscar ballot free pdf

Oscar bingo 2021: pandemic edition

(Looking for 2022 bingo? click here!) Well, friends, it’s Oscar bingo time again! This, my 13th year of making Oscar bingo, is a weird one. What kind of ceremony this 2021 pandemic edition will be, I have...
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lastname-logos-brands-that-use-founders-last-name

Logos that are someone’s last name

I had a branding project recently where a company was toying with the idea of using only their founder’s surname in their logo. We considered whittling their long company name down to just one word. Similar to...
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crumpled balls of orange paper

What does it mean to be creative?

A designer wrote this to me yesterday: “I don’t feel like I’m as creative as others are, and it holds me back from really pursuing design work.” I wrote back: “You mentioned not feeling as creative as...
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