Each month, Elevation 7 creative director Matt Tarr offers a roundup of his favorite design resources available from the web’s top websites. Click on any of the images or descriptions to visit February’s collection — fonts, freebies, tutorials, inspiration and more!:

High Quality Vintage Web Design Textures | Cookie Labs

A Collection and Resource Motherload of Textures and Patterns | Design Cubicle

20 Classy Free Serif Fonts | D-Lists

Design a Grungy Minimalistic Poster in Photoshop | Circlebox Blog

40 Black and White Stylish Websites | 10 Steps

65+ Smashing PSD Files on DeviantArt | Metamags

115 Creative Advertisements That Feed Your Inspiration | Desigg

60 Awe-Inspiring 60’s Movie Posters | Digital Art Empire

35+ Stunning Photoshop Smoke Effect Tutorials and Brushes | Tripwire

18 Outstanding Typography Photoshop Tutorials Of 2010 | Designussion

23 Professional Facial Photoshop Retouching Tutorials | Web Design Booth

35 Photoshop Tutorials for Creating Web Design Layouts | Blue Blots

40 Beautiful Corporate Websites | Vandelay Design

70 Fairly Creative Fresh Logo Designs for Design Inspiration | Instant Shift

11 Most Popular Blog Design Styles | Hongkiat

Textures In Web Design: Examples And Best Practices | Spyre Studios

50 Packaging Designs That Pack A Punch | Pelfusion

Newsletter Design: 50+ Great Examples | Designer Fix

“The Page Can’t Be Found” Coolest Error 404 Pages In Web Design | Smashing Apps

Massive Collection of Over 1,000 Floral Photoshop Brushes | PSD Tuts

Elevation 7 creative director Matt Tarr offers a roundup of his favorite free design resources available from the web’s top websites. Click on any of the images or descriptions to download any of the freebies from January’s collection — fonts, Photoshop brushes, vectors, textures, patterns and more!:

Tuesday Total Textures #2 | Abudeezo

BK Ink Strokes Brushes | Brush King

33 Absolutely Free E-Commerce Icon Sets | Naldz

Grungy Green Tileable Photoshop Patterns | Web Treats Etc.

25 New High Quality Free Fonts | Smashing Magazine

Freebie: Distressed Bark Texture Pack | Design M.ag

Free High Res Wood Carvings Brush Pack: SR Carved | Six Revisions

500+ Free Exquisite Vintage Textures and Backgrounds | Graphic Design Free Resources

Beautiful Free Vector Downloads Roundup | 2 Experts Design

Each month, Elevation 7 creative director Matt Tarr shares some of his favorite links from the world of design, advertising and marketing. Click on any of the images or descriptions to visit links from January’s collection:

50 Best Free Tools To Create Perfect Color Combinations | Smashing Apps

CSS Techniques I Wish I Knew When I Started Designing Websites | Noupe

45+ Free Retro Wallpapers for your Desktop | Naldz

30 Examples Of Well Designed Ecommerce Websites | Spyre

24 Clever Websites Combining jQuery & Illustration | Web Designer Depot

50+ Useful Mac Applications for Designers | Instant Shift

40 Beautiful Minimalist Websites | Vandelay Design

Inspiration: 60+ Vintage Automobile Ads | PsdTuts+

Logo Design Inspiration: 70 Creative Fresh Designs | Instant Shift

20 Amazing Photoshop Tutorials in Digital Painting | Design Freebies

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The challenge: Yoga Lounge celebrated a strong debut in mid-2006 and posted impressive revenue numbers through its first nine months of operation. The company’s concept (part yoga studio/part spa/part organic refreshment bar) was a hit with first-time clients, and the store’s future seemed bright. But by late 2007 the store’s revenues had dwindled, and the company limped through a disastrous tourist offseason. The store’s management team ponders wholesale changes to the company’s concept and business model before turning to Elevation 7.

The solution: Utilizing the store’s client contact list, Elevation 7 conducts a study via e-mail and phone to analyze the reasons behind the company’s inability to retain customers. The results (124 respondents) revealed that while clients enjoyed the store’s services and concept, the company’s prices seemed out of line with other competitors in the market. Considering the overall fragility of the local economy, it becomes readily apparent why the store has lost traction. The task is clear — develop a concept that positions Yoga Lounge as therapeutic, inviting AND affordable. Elevation 7 proposes a targeted e-mail marketing campaign to the store’s client list, along with additional contacts compiled through a data analysis of year-round residents by income and location. The campaign will offer time-sensitive discounts on bundled service packages that can be booked via click-through to the company’s website. Additional support will be provided by modifying the company’s existing print buys in area lifestyle publications. The look and feel of the campaign should convey the store’s warm, organic feel rather than scream “discount!”. Image and ambience remain vital components to the store’s long-term business model.

The result: Response data shows the e-mail campaign compiles an astounding click-through rate of 34%. Of those respondents, 52% purchase a service package. The store extends the discount to the respondents as a repeat offer at the time of service, and over 60% book a second service. All told, the store estimates repeat business tripled over the next 60 days. The company’s management team has expressed interest in adding targeted e-mail promotions to its long-term marketing strategy.

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Business card, letterhead and envelope system designed for Mercer Green, an upscale residential community located in Jackson, Miss. The identity system was developed as part of a larger brand development project for the home builder.

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This versatile, retro-inspired logotype series was developed for Yesterday’s Clues, an advertising blog that focuses on industry history. Because of the site owners’ need to adapt the logo to different format for various promotional materials, the logo was designed in a broader variety of proportional specifications. Yesterday’s Clues can be viewed here.

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The challenge: Create an easy-to-manage website that can expand its content and scope as this start-up company expands its reach.

The solution: Matt develops a clean, sleek design for the site’s front end, and an administrator side that gives the company plenty of room to grow. Matt utilizes the Joomla content management system to develop a site that’s as expandable as it is easy to manage. After just one training session, the company’s site administrator is able to quickly add videos, news stories and company updates. Still in the final phase of development, the site can be viewed here.

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Advertising/brand revitalization program for Kansas City restaurant group. Developed with Steve Hicks.

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The challenge: Amid a tepid economy and a glut of competitors offering slashed prices and discount promotions, this women’s apparel retailer struggles to find a way to stay competitive while maintaining its edgy, upscale brand. The store’s priors are down almost 40%, and a sluggish summer season has left behind a mountain of inventory with three months still remaining until high tourist season. The company turns to Matt to create a cost-effective promotion to generate revenue and clear space for fall apparel arrivals.

The solution: Elevation 7 utilizes a method called Concept Clearancing to develop an inexpensive, energetic sale campaign for the retailer. The goal behind Concept Clearancing is to transform a “sale” into an “event.” By targeting a handful of key calendar dates in the year (as opposed to running endless promotions) with a concepted sale that works within the brand’s image, the retailer can make an impact with consumers amid the barrage of competitor promotions. In this instance, the campaign targets upscale lifestyle magazines as its primary media source, supported by newspaper, radio and e-mail marketing. The “Awesome 80s Sale” concept fits comfortably within the company’s irreverant brand, and serves as an effective hook for the store’s target demographic audience. Inexpensive design elements (stock photography, etc.) are used to keep the company’s expenses in line.

The branded promotion proved extremely effective for the company, as the weekend event generated a revenue increase of 41% over the store’s prior clearance sale, and almost 20% above projection. Residual
store traffic increased over 15% over the next 30 days, and sales were up 18% over priors during that same period. The store’s owners have expressed interest in making Concept Clearancing a permanent part of
their business model moving forward.

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The challenge: This regional chain of neighborhood fitness centers has a strong target database of potential customers, but lacks a focused system to take advantage of the opportunity.

The solution: Matt devises an informational newsletter program, along with a direct mail campaign that features a strong call to action. The newsletter program (which includes a handy coupon section) can be easily maintained and updated by the company’s corporate staff, and offers a colorful and cost-effective way to communicate the company’s commitment to a healthy lifestyle. The newsletter is complemented by an energetic direct mail postcard campaign that takes advantage of the company’s contact list of home addresses. Each postcard features an aggressive coupon offer, and both the postcards and newsletters prominently feature links to the company’s website and social networking sites. The company recorded over 125 membership sales directly attributable to the campaigns within 90 days of launch, and an overall revenue increase of almost 73%.

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Four-color concert poster for Band of Horses, designed in Adobe Photoshop to promote the band’s Dec. 30-31 appearance in Atlanta.

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Four-color concert poster for Wilco, designed in Adobe Illustrator to promote the band’s Feb. 16 appearance in Calgary.

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The challenge: This busy photographer needs a portfolio website that’s easy to maintain, loads fast, and looks sophisticated.

The solution: Utilizing a lightweight javascript gallery and Wordpress blog architecture, Matt designs a site that’s as user-friendly as it is elegant. Despite being a self-proclaimed “non-techie”, the photographer is able to manage and update her site after just one hour-long training session. The javascript gallery helps speed up the site’s loading time — a must given her target market’s unusually high number of slow dial-up connections. Matt’s usage of the Wordpress blog system also gives the photographer plenty of room to expand the site as her portfolio grows, along with superior search engine visibility. The site (which was recently given a new design facelift by Elevation 7) can be viewed live here.

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The challenge: Marketing/publishing company features a business name that’s more ominous than alluring.

The solution: Blackdoor Ventures’ new logo utilizes a retro type treatment and a finish that says “moonlit drives and starry nights” to soften the hard edges of the company’s name.

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The challenge: Create brand identity, website and SEO/traffic campaign for irreverent sports news/opinion blog.

The solution: Don’t let the campy design fool you — a focused and aggressive traffic campaign was devised for this start-up site. And it’s worked. Unique visitors averaged over 1,000 per day within three months of the site’s official launch. With competition fierce for market share within the crowded sports blogosphere, Matt Tarr formulated a detailed traffic strategy for the fledgling site. While the site’s Wordpress architecture makes it easy for editors to manage and maintain, Matt formulated a series of training/practice sessions to implement the site’s web marketing campaign. Social networking and bookmarking sites were utilized to build a foundation of readers, and editors learned how to analyze trend and search data to maximize their traffic and revenue potential. The site can be viewed live here.

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The challenge: Apparel retailer wants to open their own wholesale division, but lacks a clear visual direction for branding of its fledgling women’s and children’s lines.

The solution: Matt works closely with the company’s executive team to develop a look and message that fits with the company’s spirit and energy. The resulting campaign combines a pastel color scheme with en energetic type treatment and the whimsical “Good, clean fun” slogan. The two-year-old wholesale division easily surpassed its first-year revenue projection, and second-year sales were 27% higher than projected goal.

::: First off, our apologies for the delay between updates. It’s been a busy few months around here, so we’ve obviously been taking our own advice when it comes to finding opportunities in a sluggish market. Today’s tip — Get Focused — centers around the importance of efficiency when it comes to delivering results for clients.

::: In tough times, clients demand even more results for their marketing dollar. So while it can be tempting to load up a website project, for instance, with every bell and whistle in the book, it’s more important than ever NOT to stray from the primary function of a commercial site — to deliver a highly visible product that generates captive eyeballs and revenue opportunities. Without getting into a semantic argument over the value of Flash animation and other browser-intensive doohickeys, the bottom line is that functionality and clarity play a critical role in giving your client’s website an edge over the competition. So keep it simple, keep it navigable and keep the message powerful. A site that generates traffic rather than frustration is the best way we’ve found to generate client satisfaction.

::: When economic times are tough, it can be tempting for designers and creative folk to boo-hoo over the work that they’re missing out on. But in Part Two of our five-part series dedicated to shaking the doldrums of our dismal economy, we’ll show you instead how enterprising designers have found the proverbial silver lining in this financial free-for-all.

First off, there are two universal truths we should all keep in mind about any recession: 1) when you’re in the middle of one, you’re convinced it will never come to an end; and 2) it will come to an end. And while the economy likely won’t recover as quickly as we’d like, it’s because of Reason No. 2 that we should all look at this recession as something other than an opportunity to brush up on our Tetris skills. Look at this downtime as an opportunity — an opportunity to get smarter, and to get prepared for the day when the phones start ringing off the hook again. Even the best designers have gaps in their skill set; pick an area where you’re deficient and vow to become proficient by the time things perk up again. If you’re web-challenged, learn a development application. If you’re web-savvy but print-phobic, try your hand at package design. In other words, embrace this time as a chance to become better at what you do. Considering the current state of your 401K, an investment in broadening your creative skills is the best long-term investment you can make right now.

::: Anyone else find it curious that the only people left out there who seem to be debating whether or not the U.S. economy is “officially” in a recession are the talking heads on the TV networks? For the rest of us working stiffs, it’s pretty much a no-brainer. But it’s time to stop crying in your latte, stand up, do some jumping jacks, and read the first installment in our five-part series of business tips guaranteed to pump (clap) you up.

Tip No. 1: Get personal – Tough economic times can bring out the worst in your competitors. Paranoia, intimidation, savage business tactics – you name it. Case in point, one of our competitors recently chastised our company and some other local agencies publicly for having the audacity to (gasp) give our cell numbers to clients. On the contrary, we were dumbstruck that in this age of instant communication a business partner wouldn’t want his/her client to be able to reach them at a moment’s notice. Our advice? In good times or bad times, it’s time to be accessible. Our clients can reach us 24/7/365, whenever and however it’s convenient for them. Remember, it’s not about you – it’s about your customer.

::: Elevation 7 recently unveiled a new logo identity for Yesterday’s Clues, a fascinating weblog that showcases the history of advertising. A must-see for creative types, the site illustrates the value of core fundamentals in visual design. The products change, the technology changes, but the basic concepts endure: the importance of typography, the value of simplicity, and the significance of communicating your message clearly.