I love Google Fonts! Not only do they have a huge selection, but there is also integration with many other applications like Web Flow. The con is the filtering system is no where granular as I would like it to be.
The clipping mask in Adobe Illustrator is a bit finicky. Here’s how to do it:
I’m starting with two shapes.
Select both objects. Then go to Object > Clipping Mask > Make or hold Ctrl+7 on your keyboard.
This is the result, the object on front is the shape it will take. The one beneath is what will show up.
Note: Clipping Mask works best with simple shapes. If you have a complicated design or pattern, you will have to group it first together before clipping.
If you need to make changes to the position of the clipping mask objects, you will need to go into the layers panel. Click the arrow next to the layer to expand it. Then you can see the components, you would have to double click on the layer you want to change.
First, ensure the fill and line colors is transparent. This can be found at the bottom of the tool panel or at the top. You have to select this square cross out with a red line.
Then select the pen tool, and create the curve that you want. If you want to do it on a circle, you can use the shape tool path.
Then select the text tool and hover over the line, till you see the cursor change to a T and Squiggle Symbol. You can’t see it in the image below because my computer couldn’t screen shot it.
Click on the path and the curve text should appear.
You can also shift the text along the curve by selecting the ‘move’ option. You should see a line and a white square at the beginning of the curve text.
Click on that, and while holding, drag the text along the curved path.
And that’s it! Hope that helps and happy creating.
PageSpeed Insights is a valuable tool that enhances your website’s speed by analyzing and identifying specific areas for improvement. While some optimizations may require programming expertise, many issues can be easily addressed without extensive technical know-how.
Among the plethora of useful tools they offer, my personal favorite is the Site Audit, which is specifically designed to enhance SEO performance. This feature provides actionable recommendations, including insights on keywords, backlinks, and more! Although there is a usage limit, it still provides a wealth of valuable information to optimize your website effectively.
This tool is a no-brainer when it comes to gaining valuable data insights. With its ability to reveal trends and provide a deep understanding of your page’s performance, Analytics is a must-have. Once you become proficient with Analytics, you can explore two other highly recommended Google products: Google Tag Manager and Google Search Console. The amount of functionality and potential here is immense; some professionals even have dedicated jobs focused solely on SEO, with Google as their primary tool.
Let me know if there are any sites I’m missing. I’m constantly look for new tools and learn.
There are a lot of online sites where you can create scannable tickets, but often it is “freemium”. Meaning there are features that are free and there are other features that will cost money.
To make a scannable ticket yourself and manage it would require some knowledge of coding.
A low-tech way is to generate numbers and use an Excel sheet, then have someone (like a bouncer) check the ticket number code. A word of advice don’t use 001, 002, 003, etc. Like a strong password, use a combination of numbers and letters. That way it’s harder to counterfeit.
Introduction: In the world of marketing and sales, HubSpot has emerged as one of the most widely recognized and utilized platforms. With its suite of tools and features aimed at streamlining inbound marketing processes, HubSpot has garnered a large user base. However, like any software or service, HubSpot is not without its shortcomings. In this article, we will delve into some of the limitations and areas where HubSpot falls short, providing a balanced perspective for those considering the platform.
Costly Pricing Structure: One of the significant drawbacks of HubSpot is its pricing structure. While it offers a free version with limited features, the full suite of tools can be quite expensive for small businesses or startups. The cost increases significantly as you add more contacts and require access to advanced features. This can make it challenging for companies with tight budgets to fully leverage the platform’s capabilities.
Steep Learning Curve: HubSpot’s extensive feature set and complex interface can lead to a steep learning curve for users who are new to the platform. While HubSpot provides training resources and certifications, mastering all the tools and functionalities can take a significant amount of time and effort. This learning curve can be a hurdle for businesses looking to quickly implement and integrate the platform into their existing workflows.
Limited Customization Options: Despite offering various templates and design options, HubSpot’s customization capabilities are somewhat limited compared to other marketing platforms. Users may find themselves restricted when it comes to customizing landing pages, email templates, or even the overall look and feel of their website. This lack of flexibility can be frustrating for businesses with specific branding requirements or those looking to create a unique user experience.
Integration Challenges: While HubSpot integrates well with many popular CRM systems, such as Salesforce, there can still be challenges when integrating with other third-party tools. HubSpot’s ecosystem may not support certain niche or industry-specific software, forcing businesses to rely on workarounds or manual data transfer. Limited integration options can hinder the seamless flow of data and reduce the overall efficiency of marketing and sales operations.
Reporting and Analytics Limitations: HubSpot provides basic reporting and analytics capabilities, but it falls short in delivering advanced insights and data visualization. Users often find themselves needing to export data to external tools or resort to creating custom reports to gain a deeper understanding of their marketing efforts. This additional step adds complexity and can lead to delays in accessing actionable insights for making informed decisions.
Conclusion: HubSpot undoubtedly offers a comprehensive set of tools for inbound marketing and sales automation. However, it is essential to consider the platform’s limitations and shortcomings before committing to it fully. The cost, steep learning curve, limited customization options, integration challenges, and reporting limitations are factors that businesses need to weigh against the benefits. By thoroughly evaluating their specific needs and conducting a comparative analysis of alternative solutions, businesses can make an informed decision about whether HubSpot is the right fit for their marketing strategy and operational requirements.
You may have downloaded and update Adobe Photoshop but haven’t seen the new AI tool. That’s because you have to download an entirely different program: Adobe Photoshop (Beta).
You will have two Adobe photoshop on your computer, one that’s the latest and another that’s experimental. The Beta version is where they test all the new tool tools. This goes for all of Adobe programs.
To get it, you have to have Adobe Creative Cloud. On the left size, choose “Beta Apps” under the categories section.
Then download the Photoshop beta verison.
And that’s it!
How to best use it
As an artist or designer, imagine having a tool at your disposal that could take your creative process to new heights by generating original content using advanced machine learning. Well, you don’t have to imagine anymore because that’s exactly what Adobe’s new generative AI tool offers. In this blog post, we’ll guide you through the steps to utilize this tool to its fullest.
Understand the Basics
The first step in any new tool is understanding what it is and how it works. Adobe’s new generative AI tool is an innovative machine learning application that’s designed to generate creative content. It can create images, designs, graphics, and more based on input parameters, helping to speed up the design process and inspire new ideas.
Familiarize Yourself with the User Interface
Adobe’s generative AI tool comes with a user-friendly interface that’s designed to make it easy for you to generate and modify content. Spend time getting to know the layout, the different settings and sliders, and the various options available. Understanding how to navigate the interface is key to efficient use of the tool.
Start with Templates
Adobe’s new tool comes with several templates for different kinds of content. Using these templates as a starting point is a great way to familiarize yourself with the tool’s capabilities. Pick a template that closely matches what you want to create, and then modify it to fit your vision.
Experiment with Parameters
One of the key features of the tool is the ability to adjust various parameters to change the output. The parameters might include color schemes, patterns, shapes, styles, and more. Play around with these settings to see how they affect the final result. Remember, the tool is built to learn from your inputs, so the more you experiment, the more you’ll understand what each parameter does.
Leverage the ‘Randomize’ Feature
Don’t underestimate the power of the ‘randomize’ feature. This can be a great way to generate fresh ideas and to discover combinations of parameters that you might not have thought of yourself. Just click the ‘randomize’ button and see what the AI comes up with.
Train the Tool with Your Style
Adobe’s generative AI tool can learn your style over time. By feeding it examples of your work or your preferences, you can train the tool to generate content that’s more in line with your aesthetic. The more you use it, the better it gets at anticipating your design choices.
Using AI for Feedback and Improvement
One of the most innovative features of Adobe’s new tool is its ability to provide constructive feedback on your designs. By analyzing your work against a database of professional designs, it can suggest areas of improvement and offer tips for enhancement.
Iterating and Refining
Remember, the tool is not intended to replace the creative process but to augment it. Take what it generates as a starting point and refine it using your own artistic judgment and design skills. The goal is to use the tool as a partner in the creative process, combining the efficiency and novelty of AI with the nuance and expertise of human creativity.
In conclusion, Adobe’s new generative AI tool is a powerful addition to any artist or designer’s toolkit. It offers a unique blend of efficiency and creativity, helping to spark new ideas, speed up the design process, and provide constructive feedback. By familiarizing yourself with the tool, experimenting with parameters, and using it to supplement your own creative process, you can harness the power of AI to take your designs to the next level.
With Adobe’s generative AI, the possibilities for creation are limited only by your imagination. So dive in, explore, experiment, and most importantly, have fun!
Upgrade your PDF and wow your clients. Ideally, you will have Adobe Indesign and Adobe Acrobat to make most of the suggestions here, but I have some alternative ways to do them too. Here are five ways to make your PDF more professional without further ado.
Make your PDF fillable.
If your PDF has fields to fill in, make it interactive and allow them to be fillable. Oftentimes, and usually in the past, people would print the form, fill it by hand, scan it, and then send it. Making a PDF fillable makes it easier to type and save information. Here is an example of a fillable PDF.
Here is a youtube tutorial to make a fillable PDF in Adobe Indesign and how to add checkmarks.
If you have a long PDF and include a table of contents, you can make it clickable and add bookmarks to decrease scrolling.
How to add bookmarks in Adobe Indesign
How to add bookmarks in Adobe Acrobat
Add Videos
You can add embedded videos in PDFs, it does make the file bigger. However, if it’s relevant and enriches your content, go for it! There is a cavet you have to direct or point out that the video is playable. There is not stop or play options.
There is an alternate way here:
Add GIFS
GIFs are a fun way to add dynamic elements to your PDF.
I love this and I want to be able to take advantage of it more. Just keeping it here for reference. I’m still learning and I hope to one day say that I am a expert in content marketing.
AI is progressing at a scary rate. I’ve never thought it would reach to the level it is now, but we may not be far from having an AI that can interact with us on a Human level or even better.
Here are the current hottest AI Programs to use right now by category:
This company has blown up due to how good it is. Companies right now are following them in their footsteps. Simply write a prompt and then it generates a response. You can refine through further prompting. It is predicted future job is writing prompts, who knows where we’ll go. Right now it is free, but there is a waitlist. There is also a premium option.
Personally, I love ChatGPT. It helps me save mental anguish, pain, frustration and road blocks when it comes to writing.
It is not easy to use, you will have to sign up for Discord, and everyone can see what you are promoting. That is a two edge sword. There may be things you don’t want others to see. However, seeing what people are creating helps you become a better creator.
Much easier to use than Midjourney. You can prompt the AI to create images. You have to be very specific in your prompts. There is a waitlist, but I prefer this over Midjourney for ease of use.
They do have an AI component that is pretty great but is kind of buried. Canva, though, I think is great to have in your toolbox. They have so many templates, images, etc., that have made me much more efficient.
I like this as it immediately allows you to play with it intuitively. Also, if you have a screen recording program like OBS, you can rip the audio without creating an account.
Think of those training videos where a person talks to you on the screen. This is what they specialize in. It is very corporate but very good. It’s not free, but it does save money for companies who are looking for this type of style.
If you are on social media, especially TikTok, you have run into this program. They have so many templates to create different styles and types of videos it amazes me how good it looks.
I look forward to seeing how AI grows and how I can incorporate them into my life.
You have to decide what is important to your company or you. Common ones are:
Open email
# of times they open in an email
Click on the link in the email
Specific contact characteristics:
Company size
Company Revenue
Title
Website visits
Etc.
There is also a persona tool you can use in HubSpot to use as a guide for onboarding.
Customized your Dashboard on what matters the most
Their predetermined boards are good and are one of the things I enjoyed about HubSpot. Specifically for Marketing, I would suggest a Lead Gen Dashboard. Business is all about how much money you can generate. The marketing part of that is generating Leads/MQLs.
HubSpot offers predefined dashboards which you can explore. It gives you a good baseline to start.
Customized the View
You can choose what view to show for email and contacts. Choose what is best for you. For emails generally have:
Open Rate
Click through rate
Numer sent
Unsubscribe
Clean up your Properties
I guess this is the nature of the beast, but this kind of grinds my gears. When you create a form for a specific event, you have unique fields that you may only use once. Like “What’s your favourite drink” or something similar. HubSpot will create a unique contact property and attach it to the contact. You only need it for a specific amount of time. What are the chances of you using it again? Perhaps you would like to keep it, but this can become a little unmanageable.
When you are exporting the list, all of the fields you have ever created will show up. You can unclick these options when exporting or deleting them, but it gets a little annoying. So, do a routine cleanup of your contact proprieties.
Of course, that’s not to say you want to keep items for historical data like previous landing pages or emails.
Automate cleaning your list
When people unsubscribe, have them automatically removed from your main marketing list and move to a do not email list or similar. The toughest part of email marketing, I find, is maintaining your list from getting too messy.
That’s it for now, and I am still learning the monster that is HubSpot. They are constantly improving, growing and changing things. That’s one of the reasons I like using HubSpot.
WordPress has grown over the years, and I even use it for this page. However, over the years, I have had some gripes with the platform. Here are some of them below.
Incompatibility with Themes and Plugins
I will say this gripe is the nature of the beast. When you have so many creators making Plugins and Themes, this was destined to happen. There are incompatibilities with plugins and themes when you install them. Often, you don’t know they will break something until you install them. That’s the risk you take. This sucks because I find a cool plugin to use it, and it doesn’t work with a theme or vice versa. Even extensions will slow down Word Press. This is the major gripe I have.
Too Reliant on Plugins
If you are looking for extra functionality, forget it with Word Press. The company is reliant heavily on its Plugin Creators to create it. This creates an ecosystem where there a pressure from creators not to add any native functionality because they will lose out on revenue. I get these are businesses that rely on Word Press users for a living. This is a foregone conclusion. You will have add a bunch of plugins if you are looking to level up your site. Once you are in it, it’s hard to move away from it.
Security
I had my Word Press hacked twice. I have never experienced this with other platforms, such as WebFlow, and Site Infinity, and that’s just to name a few. WordPress seems to attract the worse and the best. Being hacked was an unpleasant experience, and I lost one of my sites’ data. You have to have a security plugin and make backups if you can. That’s the only advice I can give you.
I’m not knocking on WordPress; it is super easy to use. That’s why I continue to use it. I also have a soft spot for it. However, for future client projects, I recommend another web site builder.
