By MacNessa, on May 26th, 2009%
1. Recycle Paper
Yes, you heard right! You can recycle paper RIGHT there in your office.
It doesn’t matter whether it is your home office or a large corporate environment, there is always a way to reuse paper.
No, I am not suggesting that you load up all the shredded bits of paper and invest in paper presses for the basement (although there is a large market for fancy recycled paper – and you could probably EARN some money from doing that, and employ a few more people in the process), but I am talking about reusing accidental printouts, or achive stuff that can be ‘thrown out’ otherwise.
How many times haven’t you printed something out, only to discover that you either forgot to proof read properly, or run spell check, or it printed out only in 2 colors instead of 4 because some idiot did not replace the toner properly – anyway – instead of just throwing it away (and yes if I ever see you simply crumple that sucker up and toss it in the trash, I WILL be having words with you). You can easily take this paper and use the other side of it for the following:
- scrap paper for your desk (your choice whether you cut it down into neat squares or not)
- paper for making notes in meetings
- if you use a plain paper fax machine – you can load it so that the blank side receives the fax (although environmentally speaking you *should* be using an electronic fax solution)
- donate it to a playschool/nursery/pre-school or elementary school providing it does not have confidential or financial information on the back, because to a child a blank piece of paper is a WORLD of possibility
2. Insurance Is Mostly, Money for Nothing, Until you Need it.
Please do not go and get rid of your insurance just because I said that. You ALWAYS need insurance. However, in the current economic times (more so than ever before) we need to be saving our pennies. Make a note in your diary to phone around for a new insurance quote every month.
Insurance companies are keen to keep their clients, just as other insurance companies want to get as many new clients as possible. Most insurance companies will offer you some sort of no-claim bonus as well. However, I would rather pay less insurance to begin with, than rather hold out for 4 years for some bonus that may never arrive.
You can easily switch insurance companies and reduce your premiums as many times as you can get a reduction in tariff.
Please take note of:
- The fine print, make sure that they are not increasing your excess in order to reduce your monthly premium
- Make sure your coverage is the same as before, it is YOUR responsibility to check the fine print of the contract (no matter how boring and long winded it may seem) before accepting it.
3. Volume Licensing
This relates to software, and more for a corporate environment with more than one employee/computer.
If your company owns several computers, it may be possible to negotiate a volume licensing deal with whoever created the software you’re running (providing of course that the software you’re using requires a license to operate commercially).
4. Better Yet, Go Open Source
A prime example is to ditch Microsoft Office (I just heard a collective gasp from the corporate world in general), in favour of an Open Source product like Open Office or Neo Office. You will save THOUSANDS of dollars.
5. Even Better: Switch To Mac
It is a known fact.
Macs ARE better.
They cost less in the long run if you look at total cost of ownership, follow up training and software required to make it useable.
 I still don’t understand why more companies aren’t making the switch. If I hear one more person say, Oh but Macs aren’t very good at running spreadsheets I may just have to slap them around the head.
Macs are better at everything since I last looked, and if you’re that much of a technophobe that you don’t want to switch because you’re afraid of learning a new operating system (you’re probably one of those people that still uses Internet Explorer ((shudder)), then buy a Mac. Because they can run Windows. Better than a PC.
Although be warned, a lot of PC users will try to tell you that “Macs are getting viruses now too” and then laugh in a stupid, neanderthal way, and you can laugh right back at them and say, “Yeah, that’s really only affecting the Macs that are running Windows.” I have yet to meet ONE SINGLE PERSON that has made the switch to Mac, and then run Windows on that Mac exclusively, because that would be like walking into a Michelin Starred restaurant and ordering a Big Mac and fries.
Plus, Macs are SO PRETTY!
By MacNessa, on May 12th, 2009%
Do you know what the File Extension MOFF is used for? I didn’t until I did some digging to find out!
The File Extension MOFF is classified as the following: Movie, Video, Multimedia File Type.
So where is this file type used? This picture motion browser file is found on Sony Camera Hard Drives. At this stage, I’m unable to find any information on formatting or converting MOFF file types, or how to open it, whilst not using the Motion Picture Browser on the camera itself.
Also available on the website above, is a utility called “Driver Cure”. It’s available for free download, and will update your outdated drivers automatically. A useful little tool.
By MacNessa, on May 9th, 2009%
Finally, a return to my ‘Ultimate (mac) Home Office’ series, I’ve missed it! For those of you who don’t know, I often showcase products that I myself would like to use in my future radically awesome home studio/design space/home office/zen den!
So for today’s showcase, let’s talk tv stands. Why, you ask? Why would a photographer/graphic designer need a tv stand? Elementary my dear Watson…
Every photographer needs an area with a plush, stylish sofa for her clients to sit on, with a whopping great LCD screen in front of them, so that they can view a professionally edited slidehow of their wedding/portrait sessions once they’re ready, so that they can fully appreciate what they have purchased, and to help them make buying decisions when it comes to prints/posters/canvas prints they want etc. The perfect time to do this of course is once the couple is back from their honeymoon, and really still in the glow from after the wedding, providing of course that the honeymoon went well.
They can also invite moms/dads/friends with to relieve their special day, and *those* folks might even purchase their own copies of the Wedding Photo Slideshow DVD. If you can showcase your work like this it not only looks professional, but also enables you to keep an eye on the news, or fashion trends or whatever you need to keep your eye on at work.
By MacNessa, on May 8th, 2009%
Yes, it’s all about the branding these days!
I saw two atrocious examples of branding today, while I was in the car, on the hour long school run in the morning. The first was sign writing on a car, which read, “Personal Branding Specialists” and the letters were all squonky (“Squonky” of course is a word specific to the graphic design world, meaning something akin to, say, Craptastic, or the opposite of ‘straight’), and the squonky lettering was followed by a random logo, which was completely indiscernable, and worse, repeated three times, in various hues. It was totally an advert, which said, Whatever you do, don’t waste your money on these people!
The second example of bad branding, was an banner advertisement, at a traffic light, for a printing shop. One of the first things on their poster that they were advertising, was banners. This may have been the worst banner I’ve seen in months. The text, logo, and image were *all* over the place, and then some random graphic, of a cat, with enlarged eyeballs bang in the middle of the banner.
What the *heck* for? What does the cat have to do with anything? It’s not even as though they were offering some kind of special, which would go a small way towards explaining the cats enlarged eyeballs. But nothing. Yikes. Remind me to not use their services. Ever.
So what do you do, when it comes to branding?
You use your brain.
You consult with a professional.
When you need graphic design, you hire a graphic designer, you don’t hire a plumber. Of course if you need a plumber, don’t go hiring a lawyer. Use-your-brain.
Here’s an example of super cute, and functional branding.
Yes I’m talking about custom tote bags! These should be on every corporate and small business shopping list. They can be used as give aways to clients, gifts for staff, but either way, *everybody* can use one. With the war on plastic shopping bags being won, and the environment standing to benefit from this everybody should be toting around their gear in these.
That makes good branding sense.
By MacNessa, on May 8th, 2009%
So you’re a stay at home mom.
Why shouldn’t you have a business card? Even if you don’t join the legions of Home Sellers in the Tupperware, Avon, Creative Memories vein, there’s still plenty of good reason for you to have your own business card.
Haven’t you ever tried to swop numbers with someone, to organise a playdate and been unable to find a pen/put the baby down etc?
Here’s a sample of one that I just whipped up, all of 10 minutes ago…
Anybody recognise *that* address? I’m guessing if you’re a mom, you already have that particular address drilled into your brain. I do! That’s why I used it on my sample.
So you see, you simply replace your ‘job title’ with your kids names, and your title. Other moms will instantly know that ‘Mom’ stands for ‘chief cook and bottle washer’ ’24 hr on call person’ ‘specialist fever reducer’ ‘chauffer’ ‘amateur sports coach’ and of course ‘She who cleaneth up all manner of bodily projections without fainting, gagging, running away screaming’.
So – who wants to order some? I will design them to your specifications 
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