3plains.com

By Hand, The Old Fashioned Way

Tue, 2 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Almost all the custom logo work I do here at 3plains starts by hand the old fashioned way with a graphite pencil, and a non-descript piece of plain old white printer paper.

Look for 3plains at Pheasant Fest in Minneapolis

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The 2012 pheasant season may be over in Minnesota, however who says we can't be looking towards 2013? Look for us at Pheasant Fest Feb.15-17, Minneapolis Convention Center, Booth #522

2013 Success Tips from the 3plains Team

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Make your outfitting business a success in 2013 with tips from the 3plains team. Read what the 3plains professionals have to say...

Invest into your Website - Not Facebook

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Facebook is great for connecting with friends and family, however it is not necessarily a good tool for marketing your business.

Copyright or Trademark your Logo

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Copyrights and trademarks are used to protect your intellectual property against infringement. Copyrights protect works of authorship, such as written work, film, audio, digital files and logos. These usually apply to works you’ve created. Trademarks are used for words, phrases, and symbols that identify a company and distinguish it from others. Because our custom logos include original, and often times commissioned, artwork you may want both a copyright and trademark to protect your logo and your brand.

3plains 10 Years in Business

Sat, 27 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT

It's been 10 years since I first started 3plains. I wanted to highlight our first customer who has redone their website with us for the 3rd time now. Thank you to the Springer Family (Marshall, Colleen and Dillon Springer) for their business and friendship over the years.

Washington Albacore Tuna Fishing

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT

I headed out to Seattle with one of my good friends Andy who works for Kohler company and has been to Seattle on a consistent basis. He asked what I was doing for the 2nd week of October and I said nothing, so I decided to tag along since I had the Verizon Wireless Mi-Fi hotspot and Delta Air internet connection so I pretty much never lose touch with the internet world.

Early Season Hunting Fun at Buffalo Butte Ranch

Sun, 7 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Buffalo Butte Ranch hosts a annual Joe Sommers memorial hunt each year. This is the 6th annual hunt Buffalo Butte Ranch had the honor of hosting to celebrate Joe Sommers life and remember him through what he enjoyed doing. Buffalo Butte Ranch invited our partners Whiteout Media over the weekend to shoot a promo video for Buffalo Butte Ranch.

Fall 2012 - New 3plains Websites

Wed, 3 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT

View some of our new 3plains website designs launched in the last 2 months. Plenty more to come!

When Asking For A Custom Logo, Cite Specific Examples

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Recently we received one of the most helpful email messages we’ve ever gotten from a potential logo client. In it, he cites specific examples of our own previous work, as key reference points for the new logo he had in mind.

4 New Custom Hunting Logos

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT

We've had a lot in the works in the way of custom logos here at 3plains for some time, so we thought it might be a good time to let you take a look at a few of them. We're still working through our current backlog of custom logo requests, but with taking the time to do each and every logo right, the work can often be slower than anticipated. It's really great to be able to share some of these finished designs with you. We can't wait to see them being put to use in the field.

comScore May 2012 Search Engine Rankings

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

RESTON, Va., June 13, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, released its monthly comScore qSearch analysis of the U.S. search marketplace. Google Sites led the explicit core search market in May with 66.7 percent of search queries conducted.

comScore Releases April 2012 U.S. Search Rankings

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

comScore, Inc. has released it's April 2012 search engine results. What does this mean for us in the hunting industry and our outfitter websites? The dominance of being on the first page in Google.

SEO Pricing Apples to Apples

Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

We get a lot of phone calls about SEO and what things cost. I wanted to take the time to write a post for potential 3plains customers on what they should expect on SEO pricing from 3plains, how to compare other SEO companies and what questions to ask your potential SEO company.

Email: MyName@MyBusiness.com

Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

It's time to get professional email and drop the hotmail, yahoo or your ISP email address. Your choice of email address is a factor in how you are perceived whether you like it or not. In fact, you may be losing sales and potential bookings. Let's look at a few examples.

Your Client Login

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Did you know that if you've decided to work with 3plains, or if you've ever hired us in the past you have a client login on our website? You do! And it's the first place you should go, if you ever need anything at all from us.

Success with Text Logos

Mon, 2 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

We generally get a lot of phone calls for custom logo designs. Frequently our potential clients approach us thinking that absolutely everything related to their service or business should be pictured next to their name... and haven't even considered something simpler.

2012 Friends & Family Hunt Gregory, South Dakota

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

In the last 4 years, I have had the privilege of hunting with my very first client acquired over 10 long years ago. Wow, has it been that long? It only feels like yesterday when I was kicking back with a 6 pack of Bud Light in Sioux Falls, South Dakota home staring at a Dell computer in my basement, with the movie Dumb & Dumber blaring in the background.

Do we just build outdoor websites?

Fri, 9 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

We get asked a lot if we "just build outdoor websites", so we thought it would be nice to show a highlighted project from a landscaping company in Minneapolis Minnesota.

Put it on a Napkin (if you have to)

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

No matter how crude or rudimentary you think your drawings might be, they are a gold mine to designers like us. Getting you're great ideas out of your head and onto something we can look at it can often be the hardest part.

Have you sent out postcards to your clients lately?

Tue, 6 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

It's always fun to see one of our clients take advantage of our 3plains print design. Our website customers get the advantage of our 3plains print design at our members only pricing.

Domain name acquisition

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Someone else owns the .com name I want. Can I acquire the .com name and if so, how do I buy it?

Stumped for logo ideas?

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Maybe the answer lies in the one of your favorite buck photos.

Five-year-old Analyzes Logos

Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

We work on, design, redraw, and consult about Logos an awful lot around here. An outside opinion is always a good thing. And like this post says, "This is both adorable and some of the best and most authentic field research out there."

Wikipedia blackout to protest web piracy bills

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Although no action is imminent, the Stop Online Piracy Act (H.R.3261), known as SOPA, and the Protect IP Act (S.968), known as PIPA, remain a priority for many in Congress. Both SOPA and PIPA purport to stop the theft of intellectual property from foreign-based websites. While well-intentioned, the manner in which these bills attempt to achieve those goals is unworkable and includes a host of unintended and dangerous consequences.

How Do I Come Up With A Logo Concept?

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Coming up with a logo for your business can be difficult, especially if creativity isn't one of the tools in your wheelhouse. Here's an example of how we created a logo based on a concept that capture the essence of the client's business.

The Logo Building Process

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

We get quite a few inquiry's asking us how we build out our custom logos, how the process works and what a custom logo costs.

Trade Show Season is Near

Thu, 1 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Trade show season is right around the corner, so we decided to show a example of a booth we designed this summer for a South Dakota pheasant hunting client.

New Custom Logos Designed by 3plains

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

We haven't had a blog update in a while showcasing our newest custom designed logos. Were always designing a few custom logos each month, so here's a sampling of our latest designs...

Do You Forget Your Password Often?

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Think about all the different online accounts you have. How do you manage all the usernames and passwords for these accounts? Do you have the sheet of paper, a excel file saved on your computer with all your passwords on it or do you just remember them all? If you said yes to any of the last three questions, the product called LastPass might be worth a look.

9th Annual South Dakota Firefighters/PVA Fishing Trip

Sat, 25 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

In our 2nd year sponsoring a NCPVA boat, two of us were able to make it out fishing this year. This is a walleye fishing tournament in Chamberlain South Dakota put on by the Sioux Falls Firefighters and the Paralyzed Veterans of America, South Central Chapter. We limited out in around 4 hours both days.

Custom Charter Fishing Logo Design

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Just like my computer is an extension of my creative arm, and my single most used tool here at 3plains, John's fishing boat is at the center of Between the Lines.

2011 Friends & Family Pheasant Fun Hunt

Tue, 8 Feb 2011 00:00:00 GMT

I haven't had the opportunity to write about being out in the field since my last blog post about fall South Dakota antelope hunting, so here's my hunting update for Q1. For the third consecutive year, I was cordially invited by owners Marshall and Colleen Springer to the Buffalo Butte Ranch Friends and Family Fun Hunt. The Buffalo Butte Ranch is located in Gregory, South Dakota which is noted for it's fantastic wild pheasant populations.

Trade Show Tips

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT

How to have a successful trade show weekend; from sales, to lead tracking, to your booth.

Websites On A Budget

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT

View a few of our recent cost effective websites we have built on a budget. 3plains has design solutions for customers that need a simple cost effective website, but still with that high quality custom look.

Custom Waterfowl Graphic

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT

When I came across the photo of Reno, Greg's lab, I just knew I had to use it. What a great image of Reno retrieving that beautiful drake!

New Custom Websites

Thu, 7 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Here are a few of our latest custom website designs. Black Mountain Outfitters, Honey Creek Outfitters, Kashin' In, Pheasant City Lodge are just a few we have recently worked on.

Analog Sunday

Wed, 6 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT

"Analog Sunday is an informal idea to encourage people to take a day off away from all things digital. Any or every Sunday can be an opportunity to unplug, get off the computer, relax, recharge the batteries and take a break from usual computer based routines by engaging with the world in a different way."

South Dakota Antelope Hunt

Tue, 5 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT

I recently had the privilege of hunting antelope out in the barren land of Bison, South Dakota. I was hosted by Mike Pankratz of Dakota Hotspots which is a guide service in Kennebec, SD specializing in South Dakota pheasant hunting. We arrived in Bison on a Friday night around 10pm after stopping in Presho South Dakota to put up a billboard for Mike's father Duane. I was told it'd be a 30-45 minute job, and of course we had it wrapped up 3 hours later with Mike hitting his thumb twice with a hammer.

New Brand Identity: Canada Waterfowl Outfitter

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Recently launched for Prairies Edge Outfitting, a semi-custom web design package with custom logo design & print design additions.

New Hunting and Fishing Logos

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

View a few of our latest custom logo creations. Stay tuned at our blog, we have several more logos we are currently working on.

Google Instant

Sun, 12 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Google instant is out. What is Google instant? Predictive Search. Should you activate Google Instant Search, you'll start seeing search results as soon as you start typing. You'll also be shown a range of possible queries in grey to refine your options, all before you ever hit the "Search" button.

SEO 101

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT

We build a lot of websites and after we launch the website, typically the next questions are: I couldn't find us in the search engines?, I couldn't find our website searching our name?, I couldn't find us searching "XYZ Keywords" or "XYZ Phrase"?, Why are we not on the first page for "XYZ Phrase"?, Can you get us on the first page in the search engines?

SEO vs. Print Ads

Mon, 2 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT

How much potential business is out there searching for you and CAN'T find you because you haven't setup a budget for search engine marketing and SEO?

Logo Design Prices

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT

I wanted to take a few minutes and attempt to shed some light on the confusion surrounding logo design, what the costs are, and why the prices you've been searching for online vary so greatly. That is if you can even find prices posted at all.

Web Design Building Process

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT

A lot of our customers have asked us how we build out our custom websites and how the process works. Either our customers provide a sketch or we will sketch out ideas. Here's how the web design build process works.

Hosting Comparison

Sat, 5 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT

3plains offers content management (software to update your website) and hosting packages for all the websites we build. We realize that an ongoing monthly fee can be a surprise to clients who are new to the web. So what are the differences between a content management package with 3plains and the latest hosting deal online somewhere else?

8th Annual South Dakota Firefighters/PVA Fishing Trip

Wed, 19 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT

3plains is sponsoring a boat for the North Central Chapter Paralyzed Veterans of America located in Sioux Falls South Dakota. This is our first year sponsoring a boat for this event, so we jumped at the opportunity and look forward to working with the North Central Chapter for years to come.

Starting A Successful Website

Tue, 8 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

How much does a good website cost? What's a good website?

Website Address on Vehicles

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Living in the Twin Citiesinvolves driving a lot of driving with the poor transportation system. A person usually spends between an average of 20-50 minutes in their vehicle typically. Since I can get quite bored, obviously I end up looking at vehicle decals, advertisements or business signage on the roads. It never ceases to amaze me how many vehicles have logo'ed trucks, banners, stickers, and so forth with a phone number, but zero indication of a web address.