Calculating the price before HST is added

I've always sold my photo calendars with "taxes in" to make it easy for my customers. However, when doing the invoices/receipts, I need to calculate the price before HST (Ontario/Canada tax), so that when the HST is added, the final price is what the customer paid.

I found this website that makes it easy and I thought I'd share.

http://hstcalculator.ca/ontario

Learning and networking

I joined my local chamber of commerce with the goal of gaining access to local networking and educational opportunities. Today's business breakfast shared information about accounting. Many designers I know, have challenges with managing their bookkeeping when they'd rather be designing and working with clients. That's all good stuff but in the end, the books must be done!

Do you belong to your local chamber? What's the main benefit that you've had from participating?

What kind of feeling should a new logo design have? List to give a client.

I'm sure all designers and account reps have a list of questions they ask a client who needs a new logo/website/marketing design. In addition to the questions I ask, I find it's helpful to ask a client to pick words that describe their company from this list.

What kind of feeling should the logo design have? I ask a client to pick three words that would describe their business... or if there are other words not on this list, they can suggest others. 

What words would you add to the list?

• Bold
• Bright
• Busy
• Cheerful
• Childish
• Classy
• Close Fitting
• Complex
• Complicated
• Contemporary
• Cool
• Detailed
• Dirty
• Dramatic
• Edgy
• Elaborate
• Elegant
• Executive
• Extreme
• Family Friendly
• Fresh
• Fun
• Functional
• Funky
• Graceful
• Grungy
• Italicized
• Jumbled
• Luxurious
• Melting
• Messy
• Modern
• Muted
• Neutral
• Nostalgic
• Old-fashioned
• Orderly
• Practical
• Romantic
• Scratched
• Simple
• Smart
• Sophisticated
• Space Aged
• Spaced Out
• Subdued
• Tall And Slender
• Technical
• Thin
• Timeless
• Unorganized
• Upscale
• Urban
• Vibrant
• Warm
• Warn/Weathered

Peony in June

Copyright birdseed for marketing materials

When designing marketing materials, I like to add this text on the Table of Contents page, or somewhere on a print ad. Perhaps in the footer, or up the side.

Sometimes, I add a docket/job number or even the date as a code at the end so that I know which file to pull when somebody refers to a hard copy.

Copyright © <insert year> <insert company name>. All rights reserved. All logos, products, and company names are trademarks of their respective owners and subject to their own copyright laws. <insert docket number or date code>

Make your own handwritten font

Have you ever searched for a handwritten font? Why not make a font from your own writing? You can generate your own font file --> http://www.myscriptfont.com/ 

I followed the steps (except I don't own a scanner so I used my iPad to take a picture and then reworked the image in Adobe Photoshop)... and voilà -- an OTF or TTF font file that I made!

I need to tweak a few things because I went over the lines, but I'm impressed!

Bubbles trapped in ice

Misty morning during a winter thaw

On the Elora Cataract Trail

Wild cucumber in winter

Winter sky contrasted with a hydro line.

Morning drifts along the Elora Cataract Trailway

Calendar - designed in Adobe InDesign featuring photos of nature

My annual calendar is custom-made. What started off as a Christmas gift for grandparents, now is enjoyed by friends and family.