How We Empower Your Business to Succeed.

At Monster Graphics Studio, we strive to be the best. We’ve set our core values to always be creative, to be young souled, and pursue growth. By doing this we are able to generate results and awareness of your brand by creating effective, legendary design and graphics.

Our brains are programmed to always be creative. We are innovative, passionate for what we do, and are open-minded to take on challenges. We do this by keeping up with  current design trends and bringing new ideas to the industry.

We pursue growth because we are innovative and passionate for marketing, graphics, and display. We strive to be hands-on, honestly follow our process, and be confident. We are brave and are constantly learning.

We can take a joke because we are young souled. It’s in our DNA to be motivated and hardworking individuals. Being technically skilled, we are problem solvers who are dedicated to be original.

We believe good design and good ideas come from collaboration. We passionate about empowering business to succeed. We utilize our unique and young skillset to create immediate results and are determined to produce great work for you. Through our passion and belief in our art, we are here to put you first.

Visit us at our website to see why we are worth giving a shot. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @monstergraphicstudio

 

The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones that do.

I wish I knew who wrote this quote, so I could give them credit, but I have no idea! But they have it right. If you are crazy enough to think you can change the world, then you can and will! I have plans to change the world, starting in Holland, MI and moving my way outward. I’ve heard my fair share of “you can’t do that” or “you don’t have the talent to go that far” or “that’s a stupid idea”. Those words stuck with me, but that’s why I am where I am today.

When people tell you that you can’t, it means they are projecting their own fears into the world, through you; because you are taking bigger steps than they are. It’s much easier to not do something rather than taking baby steps to further your future, business, and education. Quoted from a business seminar “we worship baby steps” is actually a powerful statement. Any step at all whether it is a baby step or a big step is proof that you are trying and that you are moving forward. There is always some fear of making a mistake, failure, change, or being embarrassed.

So take that step, whether it be a small or big step, take it. You and your business won’t grow to what you want it to be without taking steps. If opportunity doesn’t knock, build your own door!

Have a safe Thanksgiving! Thanks for being there for Monster’s first Thanksgiving!!

-From your local Graphic Monsters

“As long as you’re gonna be thinking anyway, think big.”

Really, though. As long as you are going to think, might as well think big. As humans we are always thinking, but not always thinking big. There a few steps to help achieve success and think big. The first, being okay with not being okay.

It is absolutely okay to not be okay, it’s okay to know that you are going to fall down. If you weren’t making mistakes, that would mean that you aren’t even trying! You didn’t just fail, you’ve simply found a few ways that did not work. So when you fall, you didn’t lose, you learned. You learned of a new way to NOT do something and what’s wrong with that? Nothing. You are great. You are powerful. You are successful.

The second, set your goals. You don’t need to dream big, just think it. You just need to set the right goals, at a steady pace that leads you to success. You can’t just look to be at such a high level that you end up miserable and unsatisfied. And that’s totally okay, set goals that benefit you in the most positive way. “Don’t set yourself up for disappointment by setting ambiguously huge goals” (Michael Port, author of The Think Big Manifesto).

Always find the right mentors and colleagues to surround you. The happier people are around you, the happier you will be, and the more successful. The best type of people to surround yourself with are the people who are honest with you. The more honest they are (and yourself), the better chances you have at seeking success. If you ask for advice or how something looks to a colleague, and they’re completely honest with you and tell you if its good or if it honestly sucks, good for them and good for you. Usually when we ask people to look at something with us, we are seeking approval from bigger company, so we have to be okay with hearing criticism.

And lastly, be easy to work with. Be someone that others want to be around, and who want to help you. Be pleasant, work hard, ambitious, and happy. Your attitude is everything here, success isn’t just all about you, it’s about others, too. Understand that you’re never alone in your journey, people will want to help and be around you, if you allow them.

“You don’t have to be a big company to compete with one”

“You don’t have to be a big company to compete with one”, words from one of Michigan’s most powerful and ambitious business owners. A military veteran, a politician, and a business owner of many years, Luciano Hernandez IV once said this about his company, Tiger Studio which is a small business in Michigan, but most definitely competes with BIG companies.

One of the most intimidating things for young entrepreneurs and business owners is having to compete with large companies and corporations. Some competitors can be as big as multi-BILLION dollar corporations. This is a struggle for many small startups and small businesses. But luckily with the right resources, I know my business, Monster Graphics Studio, will soon take off. It is affiliated with West Michigan’s regional leader Tiger Studio, as quoted above, so we’ve got a good, strong vehicle behind us. Monster specializes in signage and decals, so we of course have many competitors nearly everywhere. We also offer graphic design services, t-shirt printing, banner print and design and so on. The thing is is that there are a lot of companies these days who hire in-house graphic designers now. “‘It’s bittersweet when the economy goes down because corporations often downsize. Meaning they let their in-house designers go, then they come to us which is the “sweet” in bittersweet. But the bitter part is that the economy is down.'”

Bigger companies, no matter the area of business, will have more resources, that’s just how it is. They have their own everything. But what I’ve come to discover is that the FASTER you work, the more people, such as big companies, will continue to be loyal to you. There are a lot of design and print service firms that will give you at least a two week wait before they even START your t-shirt print or vehicle decal. Monster Graphics Studio gets started the DAY an email is received from even a potential client. There’s no waiting list, it doesn’t take a month to get a t shirt or logo, it takes a couple days at most. That is exactly what any type of client wants: fast work.

People also like persistence, it’s okay to hear the word “no” a million times. That’s NORMAL. But what clients actually like is your personal loyalty and willingness to grab them and their attention. Of course, don’t spam people all day everyday, just be persistent. Give them something to remember you by.  Even if it is one simple client, such as one small decal that doesn’t even require installation, the project may be worth $20 but thats $20 that YOU made because you were persistent and interested in helping someone. That $20 soon turns into $40, and then $80 and so on all because you did not give up, go you!

My business might be a start up, but I am not. I’ve been doing this for years and I often don’t get nervous or scared to compete with large companies because I’ve watched my dad do it for literally as long as I’ve been alive. Clients don’t want to know you’re scared of them, they want to see confidence. Be a leader and be passionate about your work. Showing passion shows that you don’t just care about making money, it shows you care about your client. Build relationships with these soon to be long-term and loyal clients!

But don’t stress. Good things will happen and you WILL see a difference and your company WILL grow. But not overnight. I’m currently writing a simple book called “10 Things All Small Businesses Must Have” to hand out to my clients, future/potential clients, and clients who even told me no! I believe that if for example I handed out 100 of them, I could get maybe 15 clients from that, but that’s what I need to get started! Once those 15 clients realize they’re happy with Monster Graphics Studio’s work, and they each tell just 1 person, that turns into 30, then 60, then 120! You get the point.  Give them something to remember you by. As a small business, that’s a great way to start. Give them something useful so they come back to you.

10 Things A Small Business Must Have

As a small business owner, there are MANY different things my business should have marketing wise. Because I am a graphic designer and my new business Monster Graphics Studio is affiliated with West Michigan’s regional leader Tiger Studio, I am set and have everything I need when it comes to resources. As I’m booting up my business, I started researching ways to get more and more sales, as my Monster is hungry! As head Monster, it’s my job to feed it. So here are 10 things every small (and big) business should have.

1. An established brand. Every business in general NEEDS to have an established brand. If your logo is gray and pink, those are the main colors that your entire brand needs to reflect off of. Of course there are accent colors, but those are your main colors. No my business is not named after a monster because I just like monsters and silly legends like them. I decided to name it Monster because after growing up in a creative world at my father’s design studio, all I’ve ever known was art and design. I spent quite a large part of my life learning design and participating in art classes and so on. Years later I became such a strong designer that my father, owner of Tiger Studio, called me a graphics monster and right then I knew I was going to be something. That’s when it clicked and I thought, that’s my business name. Monster Graphics Studio. See my brand has an entire story behind it, Monster means the absolute world to me because it is tied so closely to my dad and his business.
2. You need a STRONG logo that is easy recognized, like Apple or Coca-Cola. These logos are simple and memorable and completely appropriate. Coca-Cola is a great example of a timeless logo, it hasn’t changed! It was well designed because it has never changed, it’s iconic and has no need for updating (as of right now!). Your logo should be versatile and functional. An appropriate and self explanatory logo will take you and your business a long way. That’s one of the first things you as a business are recognized by, so it reflects who you are.
3. You need a strong tagline that tells the customer exactly what they are looking for from your business. Monster Graphics Studio’s tagline was originally “Real Ideas, Legendary Results”. I wanted to use the word “legendary” only because I thought it fit well with my brand considering it’s called “monster”. Later it was brought to my attention that my clients want REAL results. Although legendary sounded pretty cool to me, I changed my tagline to a more fitting and professional one. “Real Ideas, Real Results”. I couldn’t be more happy with it. My tagline lets my clients know that they can either come to me with a real idea, or I will come up with a real idea, then I transform it to real results! That’s what a strong graphics studio must tell as a business.
4. A website for easy navigation of course. A website is where clients go to get to know you better. A strong landing page is critical for your business, it’s the very first thing someone sees when they “land” on your website. If you took one look at Monster’s website, the landing page tells people exactly what they are looking for. It has my logo, my tagline, what I offer, a LARGE photo of a graphics work station, and a call to action button. A CTA button can be to lead them to your work, or to contact you, but either way you must have a CTA in order to draw your audience in. My CTA says “see our work” and it takes you straight to our partial online portfolio. Your website should be mobile friendly, because people are always on their phones, so why wouldn’t it be mobile friendly! Don’t worry, I am of course guilty of this as well. A user-friendly navigation is essential, it must apply to your audience. Your website should have meaningful content and big pictures to answer questions.
5. A brochure about your business for immediate attention. A brochure is a great way to be remembered by and should be attention grabbing. It should have compelling, meaningful content letting consumers know how you are there to help them. A CTA (call to action) is important to guide them to the next step. Now, it’s not like a website where it takes you there right away of course. But a CTA that states “visit us here at…” works the same way.
6. Stationary for something to be remembered by. Leave behind something memorable. My business card for Monster is a square, it is 2.5 x 2.5 so it is taller than all other business cards. On the back, it is pure pink with my tagline and a little monster peaking from the corner. You don’t see a lot of those elements around as much these days. Stationary is more than a business card. It is also letterhead used for proposals and letters, envelopes for cards, greeting cards for holiday greetings and thank you’s, storyboards for project presentations and proposals, and presentations for internal and external use.
7. Social media accounts to spread your name. It is 2017 and if your business is not on social media, let us work on that! Social media is one of the strongest ways to spread your business name and retrieve sales. It’s a great way to express your brand colors to convey the mood and meaning of your posts and your business. Consistent layouts should be used so they will look familiar to your audience. People love pictures and bright colors, infographics are a great way to use text, icons and images all together to spread a message.
8. A customer profile so you have a set target audience. A target audience is important so that you can easily figure out how to approach this audience. It’s easier to find where your audience might be, such as networking events or coffee shops. Monster’s current target audience are small business owners. Now, just because they are my target audience absolutely does not mean they are the only ones I want to work with. Your target audience is simply a guideline for who your business can best fit to. Other small businesses like to work with businesses like mine because it is small and local, it makes it easier.
9. A plan on who, what, where, when and how you plan to run your business and get clients. Your business should know who they are targeting, how they get their attention, when they approach clients, and how much it will be costing you each week to approach potential clients. So give out brochures, business cards and lead them to your website after you set a target date. Host weekly budget meetings with your team so you can better serve yourself and your (potential) clients.
10. A process! Connect, research, explore, present and deliver! A process is critical to your business as you work with clients. Without a process, it just gets messy. So learn to first connect with your client, define the problem and figure out what needs to be done. After a detailed meeting with your client, research the competition and customer profile, what could I do to help them SPECIFICALLY? Move on to the explore phase, so explore ideas based on your research and the meeting you had. Then present your ideas and explain why you offered the ideas that you did, let them know the research you found lead you to these conclusions. Then you may simply deliver your completed “real results”.

Monster Graphics Studio is located in Holland, MI. It is affiliated with West Michigan’s regional leader Tiger Studio. Tiger studio is a veteran owned company and has been well established for 17 years. Follow Monster Graphics Studio and Tiger Studio on Facebook and Instagram! monstergraphicstudio.com