At our latest Business Networking South Leicestershire meeting, Clare McCabe of Purple Star Design decided that a conventional 10-minute presentation simply wouldn’t do.
Instead, Clare got everyone out of their seats for a game of Graphic Design Bingo – a fun, interactive way of demonstrating just how many different things a professional graphic designer can create.
Visit Purple Star Design:
https://purplestardesign.co.uk/
Graphic Design Bingo!
Every member received a bingo card containing 24 different examples of graphic design work, plus the all-important free space in the middle.
The challenge was simple: members had to move around the room and find someone who had previously designed or been involved with each of the items on their card, writing that person’s name in the appropriate square.
The first person to complete their card and achieve a full house was the winner.
It quickly became a lively networking exercise, with everyone comparing experiences and discovering just how broad the world of graphic design really is.
Graphic Design Is Much More Than Logos
One of the clever things about Clare’s bingo game was the sheer variety of items included.
The cards featured:
- Gazebos
- Downloadable guides
- Office signs
- Building wraps
- Packaging
- Worksheets
- Logo design
- Student handbooks
- Letterheads
- Sleeves
- PVC banners
- Prospectuses
- Journals
- Manuals
- Invoice templates
- Lesson resources
- Gift vouchers
- Website illustrations
- Shelf strips
- Online course materials
- Newsletters
- Mouse mats
- Leaflets
- Statistical graphics
It was a great demonstration of something Clare regularly explains to the group: graphic design goes far beyond designing a logo or producing a business card.
Professional design can influence virtually every visual touchpoint between a business and its customers.
And the Winner Was…
Congratulations went to Simon Goodman of Beyond Beige, who was the first to successfully complete his Graphic Design Bingo card.
Simon looked understandably pleased with himself – although whether this demonstrates an exceptional knowledge of graphic design or simply a particularly competitive approach to networking is open to debate!
You can find Simon and the other businesses represented within BNSL in our member directory:
https://businessnetworkingleicestershire.co.uk/directory-of-members/
Decades of Graphic Design Experience
Behind the fun presentation is a huge amount of professional experience.
Clare has more than 30 years of experience in graphic design, working with businesses to create professional, consistent and memorable visual identities.
Through Purple Star Design, Clare can help with everything from branding and marketing materials to print, digital design, packaging and larger promotional projects.
The bingo card was therefore a particularly appropriate way of demonstrating the breadth of her work. A business may initially approach a designer because it needs a logo, but as it grows it can require dozens of different branded materials.
Having an experienced designer involved helps ensure all of those materials look like they belong to the same business and the same brand.
Find out more about Clare and Purple Star Design:
https://purplestardesign.co.uk/
Why Consistent Design Matters
Good graphic design isn’t simply about making something look attractive.
The way your business presents itself can influence how professional, established and trustworthy it appears.
Consistent use of colours, typography, imagery and visual style across your website, brochures, signage, social media, exhibition materials and printed literature helps customers recognise your business and builds familiarity with your brand.
That consistency becomes particularly important as a business grows and starts producing more marketing materials.
This is where working with an experienced graphic designer such as Clare can make a real difference.
Does Your Business Need a Design Refresh?
If your branding has evolved piecemeal over the years, your logo is beginning to look dated or your marketing materials no longer properly represent your business, it may be time to speak to Clare.
Whether you need a complete new visual identity or simply want your existing branding applied more consistently across your marketing, Purple Star Design can help.
Visit Clare’s website to find out more:
https://purplestardesign.co.uk/
Come Along to BNSL
Clare’s Graphic Design Bingo was another great example of why our BNSL meetings aren’t simply about sitting around a table exchanging business cards.
Our members find creative ways to explain what they do, we learn more about each other’s businesses and, importantly, we have plenty of fun along the way.
If you’re a business owner or professional in South Leicestershire or the surrounding area and would like to experience BNSL for yourself, we’d love to welcome you as a visitor.
Come along, have breakfast, meet the members and discover what a relaxed and supportive local business network can offer you.
Contact the BNSL Committee:
https://businessnetworkingleicestershire.co.uk/contact-us/
Local. Supportive. Affordable. Real.
— The BNSL Committee
