(616) 356-2545 15 Ionia Ave. SW, Suite 220 - Grand Rapids, MI 49503

What If?

September 27th, 2021 by Ima Admin

Many of America’s greatest innovations began with the big question, “What if…?” and the solutions were even bigger. Virtually every business, large and small started with the question, “What if…?” Often one ‘what if’ leads to other ‘what ifs’.

Let’s assume that your ‘what if’ has lead you to develop a business, but your current ‘what if’ has you on the fence about the need for a website. Let me save you some time – you need one. A good one. Professionally designed to catch leads, increase sales, tell your story, differentiate you from the others – regardless of your industry. Want to know why?
Read the rest of this entry »


Is it Time for a Redesign?

September 17th, 2021 by Ima Admin

word graphic relating to design conceptsLike all of us, our pets, our cars & homes, websites age – some better than others. A website may become outdated, non-functional or you may have new needs/goals. Web technologies evolve, coding languages change, and site visitors expectations will increase as they become more sophisticated. Web design is a cyclic and regular process as companies change, new technologies develop and new fashions come along.

Its a smart plan to consider re-designing a site once a year, but at least once every few years. Cyber years, like dog years, are not the same as human years. An older, outdated site can look neglected and can imply poor customer service. However, the frequency of redesign depends on many site, company internal and external factors.

So, what are some common reasons for a site redesign?
Read the rest of this entry »


What Makes a Great Site?

June 22nd, 2018 by Ima Admin

In 2016 mobile internet use had surpassed desktop use. Sometime in 2019, people that forecast this stuff expect that time spent on mobile will exceed time spent on TV (which is today just under 4hrs/day).

With that in mind, several designers/marketers were asked to comment on a question in Alignable, “What makes a great website for today’s time (ie what are the top 5 things for a great design)?”

It’s a good question, and there were a number of varied answers, with many suggesting mobile-responsiveness and fast loading as two of the five criteria. The most liked answer was ‘animated dancing penguins’.

However, the question is too ambiguous to answer. Here’s why…
Read the rest of this entry »


Does Color Matter?

November 15th, 2017 by Ima Admin

Of course color matters! But I’m not talking about polarizing protest slogans. I’m talking about color and design.

Back in the day, designing in color was simpler – from 1905 to 1935 Crayola only gave us eight (8) colors. Now just look at all the choices in your crayon box. Lawrence Herbert saw how difficult it was for designers to communicate the language of color, so he bought the printing company, Pantone, and set things in motion to change that. Even Pantone started with just 10 colors in the early 60’s, but today has just short of 1,900 colors defined. X-Rite bought Pantone in 2007 for $180 million, so I’m safe to say that color is important!

Dorothy opened her eyes and followed a Yellow Brick Road to arrive at the Emerald City, then clicked her Ruby Red slippers to go home. Color can be used to create a sense of urgency, move us along in a direction, and provide us with information.

Read the rest of this entry »


Site Redesign: Imagination Factory

January 30th, 2017 by Ima Admin

jugglingIt’s finally here! The new IFI site. During 2016, Team IFI launched ~20 new client sites (several quite large with an extensive list of features); We ghost blogged through the year for six clients; We managed SOCS, our Suite Online Catering System, for a dozen minor league baseball ballclubs around the country; We handled the tradeshow support needs (design of trinkets, handouts, posters, banners, A/V shows, even tailgate flags) for several clients; We designed / produced numerous direct mail campaigns for several clients totaling over 200,000 postcards (mail merged and EDDM); we handled Adwords campaigns for a couple retained clients; we designed a variety of new logos, business cards, and newsletters for several clients; and we managed site (and server) updates/upgrades for over 50 managed client sites.

Whew!
Read the rest of this entry »


Tradeshows: Brides and Tattoos

September 30th, 2016 by Ima Admin

One of our clients, CTMAX, has been expanding their practice to include non-invasive cosmetics. After much research, CTMAX acquired a highly specific (pico-second) laser for reducing blemishes, scars and spots in a shorter time with less pain. They also discovered that the same device excelled at also removing tattoos with the same benefits.

As a result, they have found themselves taking booth space at bridal shows and tattoo conventions such as Tommy’s with the need for various tradeshow and promotional item materials.

Naturally they called on their long-time designer, IFI (since ’95). We rose to the challenge by designing/producing these large scale posters and banners for their shows along with promotional items including engraved bottle openers, can koozies, etc.


Marketing: Keeping the USPS Busy

June 20th, 2016 by Ima Admin

IFIblog_FMB_PCs-282x300Another of our long-time web clients in a different part of the country, has over the years, been very successful with an old school method of marketing. Florida has different plumbing and backflow requirements than many of the other US States. Many of the properties that they service have owners that reside in other states.

While email marketing might be quicker, they’re more easily missed and are harder to pin to your cork board or refrigerator than a 4-color printed postcard. We designed these four postcards, one for each primary service Flamingo Plumbing and Backflow offers – general plumbing, drain & sewer cleaning, grease trap cleaning & lift station / backflow service.

Approximately each quarter, we have up to 40,000 postcards printed, address-merged, pre-sorted and drop shipped to our client for sending out.


Branding: Athletic Mentors

May 11th, 2016 by Ima Admin

AMM_SIGN-300x225As you may have noticed, many of these blogs are a mix of new client projects and those from long-time clients that trust us with numerous opportunities to assist them with their continuing marketing needs as they grow.

One such client is Athletic Mentors, for whom we’ve designed & developed their brand logo, several concurrent mobile responsive & ecommerce websites as well as many tradeshow collateral pieces, event banners, sales brochures & flyers, and stationery and business cards.

In addition to banners, posters and tent cards, we recently designed this backlit sign for their new coaching facility. The fabrication, municipal permits and zoning issues and installation were all handled by our good friends at Sign-a-rama which allowed us to provide a total solution to the client alleviating many of the headaches associated in getting this accomplished.


Branding: Premier Exteriors

December 14th, 2015 by Ima Admin

Premier_Brochure-181x300Earlier this year the team at the Imagination Factory had designed and launched a mobile-responsive site for Premier Roofing and Exteriors. It was now time for this family-owned West Michigan roofing company to get a revamped brochure for use at tradeshows and as handouts that tied into their online marketing efforts.

Because the Imagination Factory spends a lot of time with its clients learning about their business, their unique selling points and amassing image assets to tell their story online, it allows us to be very productive in developing and re-purposing that information into other forms of media like the four-page printed piece to the left.

The Imagination Factory has been developing printed marketing materials for its clients since 1985. Give us a call if you need something similar.


Sounds grand. Tell me more.

Talk to Us
  • Where is IFI?
  • PageRank