Author: CG Design

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Payment Method Changes in 2023

January 16, 2023

At CG Design as we try to continue to provide effective and economical solutions to your print, design and web needs we also have to be aware of the rising cost in vendor provided services. Most of the times and for years we have absorbed the additional costs without the customer seeing any changes in their billing or services. However, as of recent, Paypal® has decide to increase their merchant service fees for Credit/Debit Card transactions.

For years it remained 2.9% + $.30 per transaction, but has now increased to 3.49% + $.49 per transaction. This is a fee that CG Design absorbs and is seen as a cost of doing business, but these are significant fees (and increases) when invoices are in the hundreds of dollars or even more. If you provide a tip/gratuity, these fees take away most of that due to the fee being applied to the gross transaction. We do not want to have to charge the customer for these fees (which some services and business do), but at times we have charged a fixed rate or a partial fee on large electronic transactions to help offset the cost.

So moving forward, we have elected to stop using Paypal® as a payment method. We use Square for all electronic payments not currently a part of our website hosting platform which uses Stripe. Both of these platforms are very secure and do not require an account. They also allow ACH which has less fees and auto-payments can also be setup on Stripe for recurring transactionsMost of you are already using these methods, but a few still use Paypal®.

As of now, they both still charge the same fees that Paypal® use to charge. We only offered the multiple options to allow customers more flexibility when paying. We appreciate your understanding and if you have any questions, please reach out to us.

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Mobilegeddon: What You Need to Know To Pass the Mobile Friendly Ranking Algorithm Update by Google

March 28, 2015
mobilegeddon google mobile friendly update

Utilize the Free Analyzer at the end of this article to see if your website if mobile ready.

By now, you’ve probably heard about Google’s plans to favor mobile-friendly websites in the near future. In fact, the deadline is April 21, 2015 – if your site isn’t optimized for mobile devices by this point, then you’re likely going to experience a drop in organic search results for the vast majority of your currently ranked search keywords. Some folks are up in arms about this harsh penalty, but Google’s decision to implement this new ranking factor is merely a reflection of a changing technology landscape – that is, the shift in Internet usage from desktop computers to mobile devices.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

If your website is already optimized for mobile devices via a responsive design or mobile-specific sub domain, then congratulations: You have nothing to worry about. If, however, your website is impossible to read or slow to load on a smartphone, then you’re definitely going to want to invest some time investing in a mobile website design. It may just make the difference in the coming weeks, and you’ll be giving all of your users – not just your desktop ones – a great experience, thereby leading to higher conversions and more revenue.

Be sure to receive your free website analysis to determine if it is mobile friendly. Just fill out the brief form at the end of this article.

Don’t Delay: The Mobilegeddon Is Almost Here!

The time has nearly come for Google to weight heavily those sites which take into account the mobile experience. If you need to convert your website to mobile or if you just want to make sure that what you’re currently doing will meet Google’s new guidelines, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us today. We help businesses like yours to succeed on the web.

Let’s work together to navigate the coming mobile apocalypse. We look forward to helping your business succeed in this brave new world!

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What Type of Logo Design Are You Getting for Five Bucks on Fiverr?

February 27, 2015

 

Well, it goes without saying that sites like Elance, 99Designs, and Envato Studio have established themselves as the go to for contracted projects of any type and size. Now, a whole new, super-cheap, high-volume, not entirely ethical or legitimate site has arrived. Fiverr has broken the mold in economical contracted services of any type. Ranging from graphics & design and online marketing to audio/music and programming. But what are you actually getting for your starting price of $5 (plus $.50 processing fee)? Likely, an international funds transfer fee.

Let’s take a look at what one company, The Logo Factory, had to deal with. Read their full story.

No doubt Fiverr is heavily inundated with accounts from outside the US and for good reason. As far as I can tell they are not state side at all. No address, phone support, nothing. Any site that says ‘International Limited’ with no way to contact them is a huge red flag. At least in my book.

According to The Logo Factory post, violation of US Copyright Law is really no big deal to these sellers. I mean…why should it be? It only applies to the US anyways. Who has the money or time to chase down somebody across the other side of the world in India or Sri Lanka. Somebody that is probably using an internet cafe at that. Not to mention there’s no International Copyright Law, unless you are a mega billion dollar company like Wal-Mart, McDonald’s, Pepsi or Coke that may be able to do something legally…and that’s a big MAYBE.Logo Design Fiverr image

Voicing my personal frustrations as well as concerns for wanting to protect my own design business is really the motive behind this post. I just want to bring attention to this sort of thing and the frustrating and potentially harmful experience The Logo Factory had to endure. So, with that being said…be careful about hiring someone you don’t know via a site that may not host entirely reputable people…many are, but it only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch. Thinking you’re getting a cheap service may also come at the expense of others who have genuinely poured their time and effort into what some are exploiting (and possibly breaking federal law) to gain a quick buck.

In conclusion, it seems Fiverr has a lot of good to offer, but there are also wolves in sheep’s clothing looking to make a profit no matter what it takes, and perhaps at your expense. Beware of the otherwise known scam/con-artists, hustler’s, hackers, swindlers, cheats, etc. that may be offering services you know “too good to be true”. Do your background research and remember to be a savvy shopper. If you think it’s a great deal, you may want to think again!

Thank you Graphic Artist’s Guild for this sharing this post.

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Ecommerce Website Design for an Eclectic Artist with an Inspiring Journey: Lost Cottage Art

February 21, 2015
graphic design website design of Lost Cottage Art pic

CG Design, a graphic design company in Greenville, NC just completed it’s newest graphic design website for LostCottageArt.com. If you aren’t familiar with Lost Cottage Art, then you’ll want to know more of their story.

The website design project is about a Greenville, NC eclectic artist, Billy Stinson, and his historic 1903 family cottage on the Outer Banks of NC. The cottage was a second getaway home for their family and friends. Then 2011 everything changed as the cottage was destroyed by a hurricane. It was tragic for his family, but also turned into an inspiration to rebuild their cottage. Thus, a journey was embarked upon by Billy’s family to become creative in raising funds to establish their home once again. This is how the website, lostcottageart.com came about. The images above are screenshots from his website.

CG Design was instrumental in having Billy Stinson’s art displayed online. CG Design customized a professional looking ecommerce website design with utilization of a user-friendly CMS and plugins that allow for SEO, analytics, social media, and others options to increase site traffic and track Return On Investment with real-time numbers.

If you don’t have a place on the web, then you are getting left behind. We are in a digital age where potential consumers are looking for your business or organization on the web as their first go-to source.

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School Fundraiser Yielded 999% ROI from Graphic Design Marketing Campaign

January 16, 2015
graphic design marketing campaign school fundraiser 999 percent ROI pic

This simple print media marketing campaign designed by CG Design was instrumental in helping to generate a 999% return on investment (ROI). A local private Christian school, Christ Covenant in Winterville, NC initiated a fundraiser for it’s athletic program. This campaign was to kick start funding for the new sports complex that is a part of their plans for expanding grades K-12.

Their philosophy to sports follows the example established through the life of Jesus in the Bible.  Just as Jesus was a disciple-maker of those around him, coaches strive to train students and encourage them have a closer relationship with Christ. The goal of their sports program is to help students develop their athletic skills while building character and sportsmanship with Christian principles and self-discipline during practices as well as competitions. CG Design was honored to play a role in their marketing efforts.

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Print Media Marketing Campaign Aimed to Save Lives from Drug Overdose

December 15, 2014

Print Media Marketing Graphic Design - Save a Life

CG Design produced PORT Human Service’s print media marketing material to reach the local community of Greenville, NC.  During the month of November 2014, PORT distributed free Naxalone kits to save the lives of those who overdose on heroin and pain pills. With narcotic overdoses on the rise, these kits reverse the effect of opiates and adds precious time while emergency responders are dispatched. One community study showed a 40 percent reduction in overdose mortality when they provide overdose prevention education and naloxone access. The image of the flyers shown above was put in the hands of local community professionals who have access to individuals who may benefit from such a life saving kit.

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Today is the Day – NEW Site!

March 17, 2013

Welcome everyone to my new and improved site!  This has been a long time in the making….well at least in my head.  I wanted to create a site that has a very simple and affective feel to show off my portfolio and some of the services I offer.  I have uploaded quite a few of my designs from past and current clients.  There has also been a desire to create a Blog to post current projects as well as Tips & Tricks for utilizing design and marketing techniques.  I hope that this will be the beginning of bringing new and potential clients to my site.  If there is ever a question or something you may like to see as part of my Blog, please email me through my contact form.  If you see any area for improvement on the site, I am open to hearing your suggestions. Thank You!