Manhasset Minuteman Press

Ready to launch out with a new ad campaign but nervous about keeping the project below budget? Not all projects are smooth sailing. Sometimes things go wrong, and your expenses can spiral out of control quickly. Here are five tips to keep your next project on track and on budget: 1. Ask Questions Upfront When partnering with a design professional, be sure to clarify the contract up front. Will you be paying a project fee or an hourly rate? What services are included in this fee? Clarify how long the project will take, how often you'll get to review the work, and how many revisions are allowed in this agreement. 2. Plot Your Course Early Involve your design professional in your brainstorming as early as possible. Designing one piece can have a quick turnaround, but re-branding or crafting large-scale exhibit pieces can take months, especially if there is confusion about the parameters or design presets for a particular project. One costly mistake ...

Millennials and their Gen Z siblings are the first truly digital generations, some learning to swipe a screen before they could wipe their own faces! Millennials are a particularly powerful bunch, currently holding more spending power than Baby Boomers. By 2020, this group will have a collective spending power of $1.4 trillion . What does this look like in a daily snapshot? More than nine in ten millennials own smartphones, and 90% of millennials have at least one social media profile. Of that majority, 52% are active on 5 or more social media sites Millennials make up 58% of mobile shoppers and are 2.5 times more likely than the average shopper to be influenced by a mobile app. 73% of online millennials believe that internet has been mostly a good thing for society, and they certainly believe their gadgets bring personal benefits: 53% of Millennials said they would rather give up their sense of smell than their technology!  While young people love being onli...

Work and sleep are two of the most time-consuming things we do. The average American will spend nearly 90,000 hours at work over a lifetime, so the way you approach your job can have a huge impact on your quality of being. As Annie Dillard famously said , "How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." Do you want your experience at work to be as happy and anxiety free as possible? If so, perhaps it's time to put the scalpel to some of your less-than-desirable work habits. Here are just a few ways bad choices might make your life more difficult at work. Habits that Hurt You Personally Skipping Breaks Sometimes we think we're too busy to take breaks or grab some fresh air. But this simply isn't true. Research shows productivity is highest when people work in "sprints" with frequent breaks (around 90 minutes with 15-minute rests). Winging it on Mondays Do you struggle to get down to business at the s...

Social media is an increasingly popular way for brands to connect with consumers. Almost 60% of Americans engage with brands on social media between 1 and 3 times daily . But pinpointing the right strategy for your business can be a challenge. Need inspiration? Here are three practical examples of entrepreneurs who are jumping off the screen to convert and keep customers through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Edge Body Boot Camp Edge Body Boot Camp (EBBC) uses both Instagram and Facebook to create a vibrant, friendly social media presence. EBBC uses social media to create a sense of community by incorporating members into their content. Using photos of individuals holding "I survived" chalkboards, personalized posts congratulate people for things like finishing their first workout, completing a 30-day fitness challenge, or achieving a specific goal over time (pounds lost, miles run, etc). Takeaways: EBBC uses social media to create brand loyalty...

Once there was a businessman on a routine domestic flight. Though a seasoned flyer, he felt tense when, shortly after takeoff, the pilot asked everyone to stay in their seats with belts fastened. Moments later the pilot announced there would be no beverage service due to unexpected turbulence. People looked worried, and soon some were shrieking with alarm as a storm bounced the plane erratically. Nearby, the man saw a little girl sitting all alone, but acting totally calm. When the plane jolted she closed her eyes briefly but eventually started reading, looking out the window, or fiddling with toys until the shaking subsided. After the flight, the girl waited quietly as others exited. When the man approached and asked how she could be so brave, she said: "My dad is the pilot, and he is taking me home." Weather the Storms Does your team trust that you are taking them home? When the clouds form and turbulence comes, do your people trust you to guid...

Nothing was going right at the plate for Dave Concepcion, the shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds. About a month into the 1976 season, he was suffering a hitting slump, a plague of physical and mental anguish that had frittered away his batting average to around .150. The Reds were in Chicago, where the Cubs had a large industrial gas-operated clothes dryer in the stadium. Feeling goofy, Concepcion hopped in the dryer and called to his teammates. "Hey! Maybe this will help me get hot." Going along with the gag, Pat Zachry, the pitcher, hit the side of the switch, pretending to turn on the machine. With a puff of smoke, sparks flew, the machine whirred and began to rotate with Concepcion inside. ''I'll never forget it,'' said Zachry. '' Davey started spinning , and I froze with my eyes bugging out. Oh, it was terrible. Then I banged the side of the switch again. And the machine stopped. ''Davey went out that day and got fou...

Fashionable. Admirable. Timeless. If you were to define cool, what words would you use? Cool is just . . . cool. In some sense, even describing what makes something cool can diminish its appeal. But in print and design, nothing is more appealing than cool. What Makes a Brand Cool? How do you add this edge to set your products apart? To find out, marketing scholars Caleb Warren and Margaret C. Campbell carried out six experiments comparing consumer products, coolness ratings, and participant reactions. In their research, Warren and Campbell discovered a relationship between the qualities of coolness and autonomy, finding designs perceived as cool were those that radiated autonomy in a socially acceptable way. Cool things tend to go a step beyond "stylish" things, so cool designs often push the boundaries of style. Think normative styles like jeans – but add excessive grunge rips. Or ordinary 1950s T-shirts – but add packs of cigarettes rolled i...