Branding

Mar

2025

Howzabluz cattery selects Jill B Gilbert for a brand refresh and a new website

Howzabluz LLC is a Houston-based cattery that shows and breeds Russian Blue cats. They had a new logo and needed a Website. They also wanted business cards to take to cat shows. Howzabluz liked the idea of a color scheme that represents the Russian Blue breed—a beautiful bluish gray.

Jill B Gilbert updated the brand colors and created a Website that gets hundreds of hits each month. That’s good for a small business!

Brand Refresh

The original brand used a bright blue and tinted black; the updated brand uses slate blue and a very dark marine blue.

Mar

2025

The top 15 branding, graphic design and web design blogs for inspiration in 2025

Design blogs provide creative inspiration, and more...

Most designers do not just wake up inspired each day; something they see or do gets their creative juices flowing. I often find inspiration in branding, graphic design and web design blogs.

These blogs are written by large companies and small; from giants in the design industry like Smashing Magazine and Creative Bloq to niche firms like TypeWolf. Some of these design blogs are general, while others are quite specific.

If you don’t know where to look, here is Inkbot Design’s compilation of The 15 Best Graphic Design Blogs to Follow in 2025. The list includes several blogs I have followed for years, plus some new ones I am eager to try… if only there were more hours in the day!

Whether you work in a corporate setting, design firm, marketing agency, or freelance setting, graphic design and Web design blogs offer many benefits. These blogs can

provide creative inspiration;
help you to stay current on industry trends;
help you improve skills; and
provide valuable resources like tutorials, templates, and graphic & web design assets.

"Remember, becoming a great designer isn't about knowing everything – it's about knowing where to find the answers."

Inkbot Design

Find a balance between finding inspiration and doing creative works

It is easy to subscribe to too many blogs, and to spend too much time reading, digesting and learning new things and/or getting way down the rabbit hole! The challenge is to achieve a balance between reading blogs and doing the work that you set out to do for in the first place.

With this in mind, Inkbot Design provides a few guidelines to follow. Perhaps the most important is to limit yourself to reading only three blogs regularly. That sounds like too few, but you should focus on quality over quantity. Though these blogs are legit, remember to “fact check” what you read. If you see something that resonates, feel free to link to the blog post on your own blog, and give credit to the author.

Read design blogs for new ideas, to keep up with industry trends, to find sources of design assets, and to up your creative and design skills. And remember to create something every day!

Jill B Gilbert Creative Director

Mar

2025

So, you think you need a new brand… eight tips for success

A brand is how your customer or audience views your business. A brand includes your organization’s brand identity—a logo and other assets used to convey your message; a brand strategy or blueprint; and brand marketing to spread your message via different digital, print, and word-of-mouth channels.

If you need a new logo, you can work with an in-house graphic designer or hire a freelancer. Follow the eight tips below for a greater chance of success.

1. Understand the "Why"

Why do you need a new brand? If you are just starting out, you may want to brand your products or services. Maybe you are launching a new product or service within an existing company. Perhaps you have a brand, but feel it is outdated, or it no longer reflects your organization’s mission, vision, and values. Do a majority of stakeholders share this need?

2. Understand the "What"

What do you want to accomplish with your new brand? What benefits do you expect, for example, the ability to reach larger audiences via new digital and print channels, greater market share, easier brand recognition, or other?

3. A brand is more than a logo

A brand is how your customer or audience views your business. It is the voice of your organization or company. A brand includes your organization’s brand identity—a logo and other assets used to convey your message; a brand strategy or blueprint; and brand marketing to spread your message via different digital, print, and word-of-mouth channels.

4. Do Your Homework

Do your homework before working with the graphic designer. With graphic design projects, it’s easy to express what you don’t like, but not always so easy to express what you do like, and what you really need. Identify your stakeholders, both internal and external to your organization. Talk with these stakeholders to get a feel for how they view the organization and its key message. Get consensus on stakeholder needs, wants, style, and color preferences. It is important to keep in mind that a consensus is something everyone can accept, versus “100% agreement.” Do research and find three to five examples of brands that inspire you; be prepared to talk with the designer about how similar aesthetics might work for your organization.

5. Follow a Process

Creating a brand is a project that should follow a process. This process typically includes the following steps:

Study Client Brief
Research
Brainstorm
Sketch
Develop Concept
Revise
Deliver.

The designer should set expectations upfront regarding the project schedule and specific deliverables, such as the number of concepts and rounds of revisions.

6. Consistency Counts

You will use your brand in digital and print formats, maybe on signage, T-shirts, and more. Make sure that your brand looks great and reads well in different sizes, from an inch or two on a business card or letterhead, to a 12-foot banner at a trade show. You might need a horizontal layout on your web page or a large banner, a vertical layout on stationery and business cards, and an icon only for a website favicon.

7. Set Standards and Communicate Then

If you do not have Brand Guidelines or a Visual Standards Guide, this is a good time to create one. Such a guidelines describe your organization’s mission, vision, and voice, and how your brand communicates these. The Brand Guidelines should provide official colors for print and web materials; your official accepted logo/brand layouts and color combinations; logo/brand placement; and typography for web and other marketing communications. A brand–even when it consists only of letters or words– is artwork that must not be altered in any way, such as changing its aspect ratio, colors, or typography, or placing it within another shape. Make sure to communicate these standards and their use to your staff. Provide simple training materials.

"A brand is any distinctive feature like a name, term, design, or symbol that identifies goods or services."

—American Marketing Association

8. Protect Your Assets

A brand is one of your organization’s assets and becomes more valuable as it becomes widely used and recognized in the marketplace. Enforce the proper use of your brand assets to protect them. Protect your brand like the valuable asset it is—stick to your Brand Guidelines/Visual Standards Guide—always! Add a trademark (™) or service mark (SM) symbol to your brand, and apply for registered trademark status (®) as appropriate.

Nov

2024

Georgia Lawyers for the Arts 2024 Gala Invitation

Nonprofit organization Georgia Lawyers for the Arts (GLA) provides pro bono legal assistance to visual and performing artists and to arts organizations. Each fall, GLA holds a month-long fundraiser where they turn their Atlanta office into an art gallery and invite donors to private gallery viewings.

Last year, Jill B Gilbert created original artwork for the nonprofit’s 2023 Gala Invitation. GLA was so pleased with the graphic design work that they requested an encore performance—a new design for their 2024 Gala Invitation.

Gilbert chose a bright color palette and two contrasting typefaces for the Gala collateral—a bifold, two-sided invitation and a two-sided reply card.

French artist Henri Matisse’s colorful floral cutouts inspired the invitation’s design.

"I can't thank you enough for creating our Gala collateral for the second year in a row! I am so very grateful that you chose to donate your time and share your expertise with our organization! Rest assured that everything we do goes back to the arts community."

Meredith Ragains, JD Executive Director, Georgia Lawyers for the Arts

Feb

2023

Cat breeder client gets cool new brand

Howzabluz breeds and shows Russian Blue cats. Jill B Gilbert took cues from the owners and ran with it… creating the Texas cattery’s brand as a “cool cat” that brings to mind the Blues Brothers.

The business name “Howzabluz” and the fedora are a rich azure blue; the sunglasses and tagline “Russian Blue Cats” a deep charcoal gray.

The design has made its way to cat shows a few times since its introduction. The brand adorns T-shirts, tote bags, and stickers.

Jan

2023

Jill B Gilbert reaches a milestone with pro bono projects impact

Volunteer work benefits a range of educational, environmental, professional development, and philanthropic non-profits in the U.S. and abroad

JIll B Gilbert recently reached a milestone: she has provided over 800 hours of volunteer work, saving non-profit organizations more than $USD 100,000. And she’s not slowing down—currently working on her next project!

Gilbert provided marketing communications, graphic design, and web design services on two dozen projects—many were multiple projects for the same client. The projects ranged from a highly-customized presentation for a sister organization to a U.S. National Park, to branding and logo design for childhood education and Head Start programs and a new high school, to custom presentations and brand guidelines for healthcare organizations.

Gilbert began working with volunteer matching organization Catchafire in 2021, during the height of the pandemic. Technology advances in the past 5 years made it possible to complete all of this volunteer work remotely—even for clients in the Houston area—with client meetings via Zoom or Google Meetings. She provided project deliverables in electronic format, using Adobe Creative Cloud apps like Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Acrobat; Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Apple’s Keynote slide software.

Gilbert remarked, “I have enjoyed working on projects with these non-profits. I am open to paid commissions and plan to continue volunteering marketing, graphic design, and web design services to worthy non-profits so they can spend their budgets to further their missions.”

You can read more about several of the pro bono projects in our blog.

"Jill is extremely organized and creative. Her commitment to advancing causes is genuine and inspiring. Jill goes above and beyond! It was a pleasure working with her."

Rosa

Bridges to Science

"I highly recommend anyone to work with Jill. She has a wealth of knowledge, is very kind, responsive, and did a wonderful job on our visual brand guide."

Heather

Wisconsin Association of Free & Charitable Clinics

"Jill knows design! She understands principles of good design and has in-depth knowledge of professional tools to make your designs look great!"

Kerry

Many Hands

Dec

2022

Case study: social media ad campaign for children’s book “P is for Pterodactyl

P IS FOR PTERODACTYL is the perfect product for a social media ad campaign. The English language is difficult to learn because of the many exceptions to spelling, grammar and pronunciation rules. This silly, fun read-aloud book by Rapper Lushlife (Raj Haldar) and Chris Carpenter teaches kids the ins and outs of spelling and phonetics. Adults love it, too!

Buyer demographics

Who would buy this book? P IS FOR PTERODACTYL is attractive to parents with young children, parents with school-age children learning to read, and to grandparents, aunts, and uncles. More females than males would buy the book. Relatives would buy this book as a gift. Buyers are more likely to be college-educated, often with advanced degrees.

Buyer persona

Digital marketing technology lets us target specific buyers, or personas. My marketing campaign targets a buyer called “90th Percentile Nana.” She is 55-65 years old, married or widowed, with two or more grandchildren. Her household income is in the 90th percentile of U.S. Households. She has an Amazon Prime account, a college degree, drives a luxury SUV, and has a designer Doodle dog. 90th Percentile Nana is in a book club and is tech-savvy, but prefers physical books to Kindle books. She is a foodie and an amateur chef who walks or exercises to stay fit.

Buyer's goals and challenges

Buyer’s goals:

Entertain grandchildren
Visually appealing book
Durable book, can be read over and over
Teach grandchildren the alphabet
Teach grandchildren to read
A New York Times Bestseller and/or award-winning book.

Buyer’s challenges:

Tired of the standard bedtime books
Finding a unique and interesting book
Finding a funny book with educational value.

Social Media Marketing Strategy

Goals and social media platform

The ad campaign goals are to create product awareness through advertising and generate sales leads. Facebook is a good fit for these goals, as it is the leading social platform with 2.7 billion monthly users; 54% Female, 46% Male. Facebook hits the sweet spot for 90th Percentile Nana’s demographics. Facebook has more users, and a greater percentage of users, in the target age and income groups than TikTok, Pinterest, Instagram, or YouTube.

Social media scheduling

A key element of a social media campaign is timing. SproutSocial shows the highest Facebook engagement times are Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. (Figure 1). The American Marketing Association recommends skipping Saturday posts.

I developed a two-week schedule for Facebook posts and News Feed Ads (ads that pop up on your Facebook feed) targeted at peak engagement times. Content and design strategies include:

Each Facebook Post will be a Sponsored News Feed with one or more images plus text.
Many of the posts will be educational and informative versus “hard sell.”
Each Facebook Ad will appear in the user’s News Feed and will use images or graphics and limited text.
Using images of the book itself will help to build product awareness.
The ads will offer 10% to 15% discounts or free shipping and will ask users to sign up for emails and/or texts.

Metrics

Of the hundreds of social media metrics available, I selected a few to gauge the success of the P IS FOR PTERODACTYL advertising campaign:

engagement
impressions
mentions
tags
reposts
shares.

Marketing Collateral

Marketing pieces for the social media ad campaign use images optimized for Facebook. Collateral includes ads for desktop and mobile views, considering most people interact with social media accounts on smartphones—though 90th Percentile Nana might be more comfortable using a desktop or laptop computer. Marketing collateral also includes an original Acme Books logo for the ad campaign.

For further information on this digital marketing case study or to hire Jill B Gilbert for marketing communications advice or to design social media graphics, illustrations and ads for your company, please contact us.

Dec

2022

New energy drink packaging crushes the competition

My challenge was to design the packaging for a new energy drink and then create social media ads to post via Google Ads. The result is packaging for three flavors of Speed Whiz Energy Drink, a (fictional) energy drink that provides “All the Sugar & Twice the Caffeine” of normal energy drinks. The 500 ml aluminum can might account for the beverage’s high energy levels–most energy drinks come in smaller cans.

The Google Ads focused on the tag line, “All the Sugar & Twice The Caffeine.” That should get someone’s attention!

Sep

2022

17 Amazing Benefits of Using Lip Balm to Restore Dry, Cracked Lips Today

Marketing in the Digital Age

You’re probably wondering why I am interested in lip balm. Since I live in Houston, I need it when the humidity drops below 70% or if I have spicy food for lunch and wipe my lips too often. But seriously… my challenge was to create two marketing pieces for Cheetos Lip Balm. Cheetos introduced the lip balm in 2005—I am not making this up—and it was a marketing flop. Today, I think that marketing such a product could be a success because of the prevalence of social media marketing channels. After all, pickle- and bacon-flavored lip balms are available, as well as dozens of other sweet, spicy, and savory flavors of lip balm.

You can see my Cheetos Lip Balm blog post below. It’s a bit tongue-in-cheek in places (pun intended). Enjoy!

Aug

2022

Clients clamoring for custom communication templates

The top three graphic design deliverables my clients request are new or updated brands, brand guidelines, and custom presentation templates.

PowerPoint has been around for more than 35 years. It still rules the roost as the leading slide presentation tool, despite the emergence of tools like Google Slides, Keynote, ZOHO Show, Canva, and Prezi. Organizations large, mid-sized and small use it to communicate all sorts of messages–sometimes well done, and other times not so well done.

With hundreds of free and paid templates available, many of my clients request custom, branded slide templates. Why? Because custom templates do a better job of communicating your brand.

Showcase your brand and ditch boring bullet slides

A custom template allows you to showcase your brand. Your brand is more than a logo; it is your company’s personality. Your brand is how others perceive, interact with, and build trust in your company.

Your organization’s personality really shines when you ditch a deck of boring “bullet” slides for a mix of text and graphics. Use a custom template to consistently communicate your brand. See the template above, created for The Venture Mentoring Team. This template fits the organization’s mission, vision, and values, and takes advantage of their logo style and colors. It is a complete package that truly changes how they can communicate from now on.

Primo presentation pointers

Use the template throughout your organization for a consistent message.
Provide guidance on usage of your logo, color palette, typefaces, and fonts (bold, italics, regular, etc.).
Find a style that works for your organization, whether playful or serious, bold or subdued, geometric, minimal or corporate.
Use a single style for graphics and illustrations; don’t use cheap clip art with a first-rate template.
Provide a variety of infographics, photo, and text layouts for different purposes.
Make it easy for others to use the template, providing instructions and training as needed.

If online presentation tools don’t meet your needs, if you want more than the built-in templates that come with your software, or have trouble finding a template you like, then a custom template may be for you.

I have designed dozens (hundreds?) of templates for PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Keynote (for Mac users). If you need a custom, branded presentation template and don’t have the know-how to do it yourself, then consult a pro!