Do you want to learn Graphic Design?

Although there are hundreds of YouTube Channels and its always difficult to pick which to follow.

People prefer to watch tutorials / animated explanations, instead of text descriptions. In today’s era, you don’t have to go to an institute to learn Graphic Design from masters. If you are starting into a design career and want to enhance your design skills, we have hand-picked top Graphic Design YouTube channels you can follow where you can spend your time learning all the tools and tricks.

Subscribe and follow these YouTube channels. You will find many design topics from basic to advanced levels. So, lets’ have a look at them.

YouTube Channels to Follow in 2020 to Learn Graphic Design

1. Spoon Graphics YouTube Channel

Photoshop & Illustrator design tutorials from Chris Spooner of Spoon Graphics. Subscribe to his YouTube channel to learn how to create stunning artwork as he shares his tips and tricks in video format. Check out his website, https://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk for loads of graphic design resources, inspiration, and guides.

2. Asm Arif

Arif has been passionate about photography since his teenage days. Exploring different segments of photography he falls in love with editing and designing. He was a student of Computer Science and Engineering, but couldn’t concentrate on that field because of his passion for this creative world. Today he is one of few you tubers in Bangladesh who have a subscriber of 2 lacs 18 thousand and it’s raising tremendously day by day. All this becomes possible because of his hard work and dedication toward things he loves. He’s also doing a job as the Content Development Senior Executive and exploring a new world of design every day.

3. Zimri Mayfield – Adobe Illustrator Tutorials

At Zimri’s YouTube Channel, you’ll find Adobe Illustrator tutorials, graphic design inspiration, and creative projects. However, we hope you learn from his design tutorials and get inspired to start making designs of your own.

4. Yes I’m a Designer

Martin Perhiniak is a Certified Adobe Design Master and Instructor. He was voted to be one of the top 10 Adobe instructors in the world by student feedback in 2015. In his online courses besides the technical knowledge you need, Martin will teach you a lot about design principles. Also, he teaches compositional techniques and plenty of best practices that he picked up and developed while working as a designer and retoucher on projects such as Pixar’s Cars and Toy Story, BBC’s Dr. Who, or Mattel’s Team Hot Wheels.

5. Envato Tuts+ – How to Tutorials

Build an app, create a website, or learn design with our free how-to tutorials and video courses. Learn how to use tools such as Adobe Photoshop, PowerPoint, Adobe XD, Illustrator, and Sketch. Also, learn how to use WordPress in our WordPress tutorials and create your first website. Master the fundamentals of web design and UX, or learn what you need to become a graphic designer.

6. Satori Graphic – Adobe Illustrator Tutorials

Welcome to Satori Graphics, the home of graphic design content right here on Youtube. His aim is to help you become the best designer that you can be, with comprehensive graphic design tutorials across the Adobe Creative Suite, as well as speed art videos and much more.

The main focus here is based on Adobe Illustrator tutorials. That being said, he does have Adobe InDesign tutorials and Photoshop graphic design tutorials as well. Just that he is a fond user and professional of Illustrator.

You can boost your skills within the graphic design by making great use of the great content here, for beginner designers, or the more seasoned graphic designer. There are awesome tutorials on graphic design theory, poster designing, logo designing, brand identity, and much much more. If you want to excel as a designer, subscribe to his YouTube channel for Illustrator and Adobe tutorials, as well as all of the graphic design content you can possibly need.

7. Create n Process

The design tutorial videos on this YouTube channel help in Building Brands by developing clean, solid, meaningful, unique, and adaptable Brand Identity & Print Designs.

Creatnprocess channel is the greatest source for high-quality training on Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects. Creative Training Resources includes Graphic Design, Print Design, Logo Design, Motion Design, Animation, and much more! No matter what type of lesson you are looking to learn, you will find it here! Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss any Episodes from this channel.

8. GFX Mentor – Graphic Design YouTube Channel in Urdu / Hindi

Do you want to learn Graphic Design in Urdu / Hindi?

Imran Ali Dina will teach you every detail you want to learn for FREE. Started with Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. He also has plans for other software tutorials in the future. He has 17 years of teaching experience in graphic design. And now he is teaching it to everyone who can’t afford expensive institutes of design.

9. Mohamed Achraf

Mohamed Achraf is a freelance Graphic Designer. He’s specialized in logo design and in his YouTube channel he shares what he knows about graphic design. So expect to see some sneak peeks of his client’s work and useful logo design tutorials using Adobe Illustrator.

10. Will Paterson

Youtube Channel on Will Paterson! He’ll take you through his walk in the Graphic Design Career, giving you an in-depth and personal perspective of working within Graphic Design. He’s a freelance graphic designer specializing in Logo Design and Brand Identity.

11. Graphic Design How-To

Anne is a graphic designer with a passion for design and training. Her goal is to help those interested in learning more about a career in design, or helping those who have been in the design industry for a while!  She plans to talk about the industry itself, and also give tutorials on how to use Adobe products. So if you have questions or comments, feel free to add them in the comments section of a video, and she’ll try her best to respond.

12. Teela Cunningham

Every-Tuesday is a weekly how-to channel for hand lettering, Adobe Illustrator, and the Procreate app. Tutorials range for all skill levels, providing quick tips and tricks to give you confidence for whatever you make.

13. Pixel and Bracket – Graphic Design

Spencer, a multimedia designer from Indianapolis, Indiana. Pixel & Bracket is his creative outlet to help educate and inspire others. Every week he posts tutorials, creative videos, and more. If you like his content be sure to subscribe and contact him with any questions or comments!

14. Dansky YouTube Channel

Daniel White is a designer who loves to share his experience and help aspiring creatives to develop their skills. So do subscribe to this YouTube channel if you want to advance your career in graphic design.

15. Nobu Design – Tutorials on Graphic Design

This channel is dedicated to sharing ideas, inspiration, and tutorials on Graphic Design, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Photoshop.

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In this post, we showcase 38 mind-blowing storm pictures you might have never seen before by storm chaser, Mike Olbinski.

Mike, an Emmy Award winner, is an extremely talented storm chasing photographer. He lives in Phoenix Arizona. Since a very young age, he is been obsessed with extreme weather.

Mike is a professional photographer. He chased storms throughout his native Arizona, as well as even further afield, including Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Colorado.

Storms can be most dangerous. It’s not easy to dive into bad weather rather run away from it. This photographer has captured incredibly amazing storm photos to date. He is also one of the many favorite storms chasing photographers among the photographers’ community.

Mike has documented powerful lightning strikes, haboobs, thunderstorms, tornadoes, and mind-blowing cloud formations. His time-lapses are worth appraising. You can watch his videos on his Vimeo channel. You can also visit his website to see more of this work.

Now, let’s jump to the inspiring storm images. If you like these pictures, don’t forget to share them with your friends.

Storm Pictures by Mike Olbinski

#1 Storm of Dreams – Mike Olbinksi

#2 Storm of the Apocalypse

#3 Rapid City Supercell – Thunderstorm

#4 Green Monster – Storm Photo

#5 Another World by Mike – Thunderstorm

#6 Roots

#7 Cinnamon Bun

#8 Waves – Storm Pictures by Mike

#9 Farewell – Extreme Weather (Thunderstorm)

#10 Spinner – Storm Chasing

#11 Tulia Supercell

#12 Waddell – Thunder Storm

#13 Monster Imperial – Cloud Formation

#14 Fingers – Storm Photo

#15 Lightning Strike in the Middle of the Road

#16 The Dancers – Lightning Bolts

#17 Extreme Weather in the Hills

#18 Near Brownsfield – Lightning

#19 Denver City

#20 Imperial Tornado

#21 Eruption

#22 Seminole

#23 Rapid City – Extreme Weather

#24 Lightning over Eloy

#25 Aurora Lightning

#26 Lightning over Casa Grande

#27 Lightstorm

#28 Barrage – Lightning Strikes

#29 Rapid City Supercell

#30 Milburn

#31 Colorado Orange

#32 Haboob

#33 A Haboob Rolls through Phoenix

#34 Phoenix Haboob by Mike Olbinski

#35 The Approach

#36 Ahead of the Haboob

#37 Aglow

#38 Eruption

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There are hundreds of designer tools these days. Although starting a new business is easy but making it successful is very competitive.

Either you are a freelancer or a small business owner, designing and marketing both are the most important elements to your business. Therefore, we saved you the time researching and testing the best design tools for your business. Also, you can promote your brand with a good image using these online tools.

As working remotely continues to evolve, small business tools can empower your business to get results faster.

We handpicked these top web design tools for you to use and stand out from the crowd. No matter what problem you are facing in your web design workflow, the possibility is there’s an online tool to solve your problem.

While many large businesses can hire professional designers, but a small and newly formed brand doesn’t have this luxury. That’s why in this article, we listed 26 best designer tools freelancers and small business owners must use in 2020.

In last, go through these tools and establish your brand identity. The list includes paid and free tools.

Top Designer Tools for Freelancers & Businesses

#1 Banner Snack

Banner Stack is a revolutionary online banner maker tool for designers. Start from a custom size or grab a standard-size layout. Add a background, animate your text and shapes. Experiment with different colors, and push banner creator to the limits. Choose from over 1000+ banner designs and build your advertising campaigns. Make banner ads with stunning designs.

#2 Pikto Chart

Are you looking for beautiful design? With Piktochart, you can now easily create captivating infographics, printables, and presentations in no time. Piktochart has democratized design so that anyone can do it. Also, you can create amazing flyers, infographics, posters, presentations, and reports easily with absolutely no design experience.

#3 Canva

Canva makes design and editing very easy for designers and small businesses to boost their flow. Create beautiful designs with your team. In addition, you can use Canva’s drag-and-drop feature and layouts to design, share and print business cards, logos, presentations and more

#4 Crello

Anyone is a designer with Crello. It’s the simplest online image edit tool and you can create your own designs, posts, cover, and animations. Use the best online design software. Above all, it’s easy and free!

#5 Invision

Screen design, redesigned. Invision Studio is a new platform inspired by the world’s best design teams. You can design, prototype, and animate – all in one place

#6 Stencil

You can create beautiful social media graphics on the fly. The Stencil is an easy-to-use image editor and online design tool.  for social media marketers, and bloggers.

#7 Sketch

The best products start with Sketch. Create, prototype, collaborate and bring your ideas to life with the design platform used by over one million people – from freelancers to the world’s largest teams.

#8 Adobe XD

Adobe XD is a powerful, collaborative, easy-to-use platform that helps you and your team create designs for websites, mobile apps, voice interfaces, games, and more.

#9 Fluid

With FluidUI you can create web and mobile prototypes. Free lifetime account. Simple to learn, quick to master. You can design interactive prototypes for Android, iOS, web, and desktop in minutes.

#10 UX Pin

If you can imagine it, you can design it. UX Pin is another amazing tool for freelancers and businesses. Design, prototype, collaborate all in one place.

#11 Anima App

Using Anima App, you can create prototypes and export code right inside Sketch or XD. Add videos, real input fields, hover effects and even embed custom code. Design rich user experience and build consensus among stakeholders.

#12 Just In Mind

From clickable wireframes to completely interactive prototypes. This designer tool provides a full range of web interactions and mobile gestures. so that you can focus on creating delightful user experiences. Above all, Just In Mind is a great fully-interactive prototypes design tool.

#13 Affinity Photo

Affinity Photo is a fully loaded photo editor integrated across Mac, Windows, and iOS. It has a complete set of retouching tools. Also, it has other dedicated features for photography and creative professionals. Therefore Affinity Photo is a highly trusted app around the world.

#14 Axure

Axure RP 9 is a powerful way to plan, prototype, and handoff to developers, all without code. Therefore download a free trial and see why professionals choose Axure RP.

#15 Figma

Figma is a perfect tool where teams can design together. Similarly, it helps teams create, test, and ship better designs from start to finish.

#16 Orion Icon Library

Orion Icon Library is the best Icon Tool. It has 8000+ Free SVG & PNG Icons. In addition, you can search, organize, edit, and download Icons.

#17 Design Bold

DesignBold is one of the best online photo editor design studio. In short, it can make amazing professional designs that include presentations, posters, flyers, and many more.

#18 Zeplin

Zeplin, another wonderful collaboration tool for small businesses and freelancers. Handoff designs and style guides with accurate specs, assets, code. In conclusion, the better way to share and organize on designs – built with developers in mind.

#19 Squoosh

Squoosh is an experimental, open-source development project run by the GoogleChromeLabs team. It is a web-based app that not only reduces the file size of images but also main the image quality. In other words, squoosh compress and compare images with different codecs, right in your browser. Therefore it is an amazingly handy tool for businesses.

#20 Marvel App

Marvel has everything you need to bring ideas to life. Transform how you create digital products. Also, you can wireframe, design, and prototype fast with design tools. In addition, placing the power of design in everyone’s hands.

#21 Vaunt

Vaunt is a free app for designers and extracts dominant colors from any image. It is a very simple app. For example, you can extract the hex values from any image for your web design projects. So save your time and create more.

#22 Sizzy

Sizzy, an online tool made for designers and developers. Make your life easier. Preview your website across multiple devices.

#23 Fotor

Fotor, an online photo editing tool. It has covered all your needs as a web designer. Thousands of beautiful and professionally-designed templates to meet any of your design needs.

#24 Tumult Hype

Tumult Hype Professional is the most advanced app for creating stunning animated and interactive HTML5 content. Documents made with Tumult Hype work on desktops, smartphones, and iPads. No coding required.

#25 Pagemodo

Pagemodo is a great tool for social media. It helps you edit Facebook cover photos. Make custom tabs. Schedule and design your social media posts. Create contests for your Facebook business page. In short, everything you need for a powerful social media presence.

#26 Ucraft Designer Tools

Create your website with design in mind using the Designer Tools by Ucraft. Similarly, add a unique designer touch to your website with this nifty set of web design tools.

We hope you liked these top designer tools:

If you like this article, you might be interested to see this list of web design tools for designers and developers.

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In this article, we are listing the top 10 remote work apps and tools you need in today’s time. The year 2020 with the coronavirus forced millions to work from home. Quarantine may end but the remote work might stay here for long. Many people may also recognize the value of working at home.

We know many individuals who’ve been working remotely for the last many years. What works best working remotely vary from person to person. The most important part is to have what helps you stay focused while keeping your work separate from the other daily life tasks.

Now, let’s jump to some of the tools and apps you definitely need in hand while you are working from home.

If you like this article, you might be interested to see Free Professional Resume Templates & Best Free Website Builders You Must Try.

01) Trello – Work from Home

Trello lets you work more collaboratively and get more done. Trello’s boards, lists, and cards enable you to organize and prioritize your projects in a fun, flexible, and rewarding way. Infinitely flexible. Incredibly easy to use. It’s free. Trello keeps track of everything, from the big picture to the minute details.

02) Zoom

Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Founded in 2011, this tool helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world on board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms.

03) Slack

Slack brings the team together, wherever you are. With all of your communication and tools in one place, remote teams will stay productive no matter where you’re working from. Slack is where workflows. It’s where the people you need, the information you share, and the tools you use come together to get things done.

04) Air Focus

Air Focus is a great tool prioritization and road mapping software for product managers, project managers, and marketing strategists managing to work from home. It integrates very well with Jira, Trello, Azure DevOps, Asana, and more. Air Focus track and evaluate progress on one platform.

05) InvisionApp

InVision is the digital product design platform used to make the world’s best customer experiences.

06) Abstract – Work from Home

Abstract is an amazing design collaboration tool without chaos. Scale your design workflow, as your team grows. Bring visibility into the design process. Bring git-inspired version control and collaboration to your design team. Centralize design decisions, feedback, and files. Integrates with Sketch and Adobe XD.

07) Noisli

Noisli, a digital place for focus. Mix different sounds and create your perfect sound environment to work, study, and relax. This app provides background sounds that help to mask annoying noises in order to keep you sane, improve your focus, and boost your productivity.

08) Figure It Out

Figure It Out is a chrome extension which will help you know all your team members location. It also shows you the time of your remote team members, so that you can easily schedule your meetings. It’s a visually stimulating chrome extension to solve your time zone pain.

09) I Done This – Working from Home

I Done This helps track your own progress, understand what your team is working on, and stay in sync. This tool also sends out performance reports to every team member’s inbox. A great work management tool for teams working from home.

10) To Do List

Organize it all with Todoist. This great handy tool can free up your mental space and you can achieve peace of mind. Regain clarity and calmness by getting all those tasks out of your head and onto your to-do list (no matter where you are or what device you use). A task manager you can trust for life.

We hope you liked this list of tools. You might be already using some of them. If you know other remote work tools, don’t forget to share them in the comment section below.

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Ramadan 2020: The month of kindness is here. The month of getting more closer to our Creator.

Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting.

Muslims are obliged to carry out several actions or practices as part of their religious commitment. All Muslim adults fasts from the sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan.

In today’s’ article, we will be sharing a few wallpapers for Ramadan 2020. We believe art is simply the best form of expression. Below you will find 5 Ramzan Mubarak pics from Waheed Akhtar. If you like these Ramadan wallpaper images, don’t forget to share them with your friends and family.

Off-Topic: Are you into photography? Do you want to get featured on this website? Kindly send your best 10 photos with two paragraphs of the introduction to “publish[@]boostinspiration.com“. We will be posting photography-related content more often now. You can also subscribe to the newsletter to stay updated.

Ramadan 2020 Wallpapers:

#1. Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi UAE

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#2. Sheikh Zayed Mosque, Fujairah UAE

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#3. Al Noor Mosque, Sharjah UAE

Download Ramadan Wallpaper

#4. King Faisal Mosque, Sharjah UAE

Ramadan 2020 Wallpaper Download

#5. Amna bint Ahmad AlGhurair Mosque, Ajman UAE

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Ole Henrik Skjelstad is a Norwegian landscape photographer and a math teacher. It is the latter that pays his bills. He didn’t believe he had any talent when it came to photography.

He started taking images with the cell-phone and found the activity both fun and refreshing. This led to him receiving his first camera as a birthday present in January 2013. At first, he only shot jpg. He had no idea there existed such a thing as a raw file until one of his friends of his daughter told him that he should start shooting in the raw file format. The next step was thus to shoot bracketed with simple editing in HDR software.

It was at the end of September 2013 he set up an account on 500px. He remembers so vividly how blown away he was seeing the images on this platform. He just knew if he was ever to create images like the ones he saw on 500px, he had to practice a lot.

This passion grew with time. He mastered editing photos in Adobe Photoshop and today he’s been featured in many international publications. Don’t forget to check his website for more amazing photos.

Ancient Trail by Ole Henrik Skjelstad

4.15

Winter Peace

Coastline by Ole Henrik Skjelstad

Cold and Warm

Light Play

Moon Shine by Ole Henrik Skjelstad

Sign of Wind

Smoking Cabin

The Eagle has Landed

The Jetty by Ole Henrik Skjelstad

The New Heaven

Three Towers

Vengedalenn in Sunrise

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Dubai Expo 2020 will take place from October 20, 2020, to April 10, 2021. Its theme is “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”. Dubai expects to welcome 25 million visitors during the six months, 70% of which will be international visitors.

Expo 2010 in Shanghai had over 73 million visitors and had a huge impact on changing the city for the better. According to a Bloomberg report, the event generated tourism spending of more than $13 billion for Shanghai and neighbouring cities along the Yangtze River. The event has been cited as an inflexion point for the Shanghai business community by allowing entrepreneurs to showcase their products and services to a wider audience.

If you are thinking about starting a business, the critical question then becomes, what type of business you can launch now to take advantage of the growth associated with the upcoming Expo?

01. Recruitment Business

The Expo is expected to create 300,000 jobs according to Standard Chartered. John Bailey, the financial planner at Acuma Independent Financial Advice, said there will be a “massive competition from both global and local resourcing companies to put in place” the jobs needed for the expo. “In turn, recruiters and head-hunters from all over the world will start casting an eye on the region as top jobs, and associated salaries hit the construction, hospitality and financial sectors,” Bailey said.

Local companies will need candidates of every capacity. From the highly specialised to unskilled labour to make the most of Expo 2020. Find out how you can launch your recruitment business today.

02. Real Estate Business

Population growth, hand in hand with job creation, will mean that housing demand levels will continue to rise on the lead up to the Expo. The Expo will boost investor confidence and help lift values further as global investment flows into our city, a mini-surge is almost inevitable.

Even after the Expo, the added infrastructure such as the expansion of Dubai Metro, new roads and entirely new communities around the Expo site will expand the portfolio of attractive properties for many years to come. Stories abound about real estate companies making a fortune in the early 2000s during the first real estate boom, don’t let this once in a lifetime opportunity pass you. Learn more about the requirements to start a real estate business.

03. Handyman Business

With increased expenditure in infrastructure and commercial establishments, a likely surge in maintenance and repairs will follow. While Dubai has many established firms in the sector, the competition for fast and reliable handyman services is as fierce as ever. The start-up costs are relatively low, and you can begin by hiring a team of skilled labourers. Discover how you can accomplish your entrepreneurship goals by learning about kickstarting a handyman business.

04. Car Rental Business

In the past decade, there has been a stark rise in entrepreneurs setting up their own vehicle rental business in Dubai. Despite it being an incredibly competitive market, it can also be lucrative – and it presents an opportunity to make good returns. Even after the Expo, not every UAE resident can afford to buy a car. But many can certainly lease one when needed. Here how you can get in the fast lane to launching your car rental business.

05. Business Consultancy

Businessmen and businesswomen from all over the world will be descending on Dubai. Without a doubt, many of these visitors are exploring business opportunities in the United Arab Emirates well in advance of the Expo. Entrepreneurs may not be familiar with how business is done in Dubai and will seek professional advice. With minimal costs, you can start your consultancy business in a subject matter that you are an expert.

Once in a Lifetime Opportunity

In conclusion, there are many other business opportunities that you can explore right now. If you would like to turn these dreams into reality, speak to one of the business consultants for a no-obligation meeting so that they can provide you with tools for success. Expo 2020 is a one in a lifetime opportunity that will not only redefine Dubai forever but can change your economic future. Don’t delay, act today!

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There are many reasons why you may want to set up a photography blog. For instance, you can become a professional photoblogger to make a living with affiliate marketing or digital advertisements. You can also set up a photoblog to create an online portfolio and attract clients for photography gigs.

If you have never launched a blog before, then there is no reason to worry. Just follow these steps:

1. Setting up the Website

The cheapest and simplest way to set up a photoblog is to launch it on a free platform like blogger.com or wordpress.com. However, these options are not recommended as you won’t get you a lot of flexibility in website management, and not to mention, you won’t get a proper website name like www.MyBlog.com which is really important if you want to appear professional.

To launch a proper photoblog, you need two things:

• Hosting Service
• Domain Name

The hosting service is a virtual space where you get to store your website online, and the domain name is the name of your website. Both of these can be easily arranged by using any popular provider like GoDaddy, Hostgator BlueHost, etc. Just make sure that you compare their prices and features before making any decision.

Choosing a good hosting service is actually easy. You just want to make sure that you are getting enough server space to hold the high-quality images that you will put on your blog and that the service offers an easy-to-use control panel or the cPanel for website management.

Choosing the domain name is also simple. However, you shouldn’t hurry and take the time to come up with the perfect name. This is because this name will decide how your customers/fans will find your blog on the Internet. So, it should be unique, catchy, and easy to remember. Some good examples include:

• shutterup.com
• lenswarrior.com
• samuelclicks.com

Also, try to use the .com extension against .org or .biz as the majority of websites use .com and it’s more of a norm really.

2. Setting up the Blog

Now that your website i.e. the foundation is ready, you can launch your blog. For that, it’s highly recommended that you use WordPress which is powering a whopping 32% of the web including authority websites like BBC America, TechCrunch, MTV News, Sony Music, and more.

WordPress is one of the best platforms for both beginners and professional bloggers. You can install it on your hosting account easily just like a typical software and get it up and running within seconds. Just follow these steps (using GoDaddy as reference):

• Log in to your web hosting account
• Click “web hosting” and then “manage”
• Click WordPress under the popular apps section and then the “install” button
• Enter the details as requested and the program will be installed automatically

3. Designing the Blog

Once WordPress is installed, you can start publishing blog posts. However, you need to make your blog look attractive first. For that, you can start by picking a good theme.

One of the best things about WordPress is that it has massive community support. So, you can find tons of premium WordPress blog themes on the Internet easily, many of which are completely free. However, make sure that your theme is apt for the brand that you want to go for as a photoblogger.

Picking the perfect theme will take care of most of the visuals. However, you should customize your blog further so that it has its own identity. So, you should pick a certain color theme, typography, and content format. You should also create your own photography logo design which is one of the most important aspects of a brand. Just use a good online logo maker that doesn’t cost a lot.

4. Getting Started

At this point, you are ready to launch the blog and get to work. The first thing you want to do now is uploading some of your best photos. These can be highlighted on the home page to attract the visitors and to show what they can look forward to in the blog.

While photos are obviously an important part of a photography blog, you need informative or interesting blog posts too which can be used for SEO purposes. For instance, you can write and share photography tutorials, equipment reviews, etc. These can help in attracting organic traffic.

Be sure to put important details like your contact information, a separate page for your top photos that can serve as a portfolio, and an “about me” page where you can tell some of the interesting details about yourself.

5. Keeping up the Momentum

Your photoblog, irrespective of how good it looks, won’t succeed if you fail to work on marketing. So, make sure that you optimize it for search engines by using appropriate keywords and following Google Search’s guidelines. You should also share your blog posts on your social media accounts, especially on Instagram which is mainly used by photographers and fashion enthusiasts.

Patience is Key

There was a time when blogging was a novel concept which is why most blogs were able to do well without any major problems. However, the blogosphere has become quite crowded today which is why you must work harder and have massive patience.

Once your blog is online, don’t expect a lot of traction for at least a few months. Popularity and success will come to you slowly. However, if you will continue to share some of your best works and treat your followers right, you will be able to make your blog go big eventually. Good luck!

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With the advent of modern technology, freelancing has taken the workplace by storm.

Workers can abandon the traditional nine to five and the daily commute, instead, they can take more control over how they work.

The motivations are many, but they usually stem from a need for autonomy and financial independence.

Traditionally the freelance space has been dominated by men, but women are a growing segment of the market.

Henri Hazougi, the founder of Business Setup Consultants based in DMCC, states

about three years ago, I would say maybe 10 to 15 percent of our clients that were seeking opportunities as freelancers were female, now the figure is close to 45 percent.

The factors that drive many women to become freelancers include spending more time with children, desire to have a secondary income source, as well as having a more diversified portfolio and set of experiences.

Sandy, 38, a freelance brand consultant who lives in Dubai, described freelancing as

a way to achieve a happy medium between work and family life. I can revolve my day around the needs of my son instead of always struggling to find enough time to do it all. Best of all, I earn more now than I did while having a full-time job.

There is also a trend among recent graduates who opt to take the freelancer path. Sonia, 24, a marketing graduate struggled to find a job after completing her bachelor’s degree.

I was stuck in a scenario that many recent graduates face, companies didn’t want to hire me because I didn’t have work experience in the sector, but I couldn’t get experience until someone would hire me.

Freelancing gave Sonia the opportunity to gain experience and develop a portfolio, she initially thought she would only do it until she could land a full-time job, but after enjoying the freedoms that freelancing provides, she realized that she was quite happy with her status quo.

To top it all, being a freelancer meant that she didn’t have to worry about being fired or laid off. Due to her specific field, she could seek work online across the globe.

Sonia also feels that there has been a growth in the network of freelancing women in UAE.

A few of us ladies working in the social media field have developed groups where we share information and tips. Sometimes the projects I am tasked with require collaboration with other freelancers such as designers and photographers, so in a way, we have developed our network where everyone benefits.

Others use freelancing as a means to supplement their income from their full-time job. Urooj, 31, works as an accountant, however, she has always had a passion for photography. She requested a no objection certificate from her employer and managed to obtain a freelance permit. With her freelance permit, she can legally pursue her passion while still retaining her job.

Henri from BSC believes that

employers understand that they need to have a flexible attitude towards letting their staff pursue their passions. If it doesn’t interfere with their performance, responsibilities and business interests, many firms are happy to provide the necessary no objection certificate for sponsored staff.

UAE’s Online Freelance Communities

Bawabba and Nabbesh are some of the well-known online communities which help freelancers find jobs in a variety of industries.

They give freelancers a platform to list their services and receive transparent customer reviews.

Companies can get in touch with a freelancer directly via the platform.

Firms increasingly turn to freelancers to fill roles and gain a competitive edge.

A small firm might not have the budget to have a full-time web designer, but through the freelance online communities, they can find someone to fulfill their needs affordably.

Freelancers work across a variety of sectors and can often bring new ideas to a business that they might not have thought of otherwise. This cross-pollination of ideas can potentially give a business a competitive edge.

How to Become a Freelancer?

The most common way to become a freelancer is to get a freelance work permit and residence visa (if not currently sponsored by a family member or employer) from a free zone. The free zones that currently offer a freelance permit include Fujairah Creative City, UAQ Free Trade Zone, TECOM, and twofour54. Each free zone specializes in a specific field, therefore, it’s important to find one that closes matches your desired field of occupation.

TECOM’s new freelance package has created a great buzz in the freelance community. One can get a permit for an annual fee of only Dh7,500. If you require a visa to go along with it, you can obtain a 3-year residence visa for an additional Dh3,250. This along with similar packages in other jurisdictions reduces the barrier for people to start legally engaging in commerce. Keep in mind that as a freelancer, you will be trading under your name and cannot opt to the bill as a brand. If you decide to engage in freelance work without the requisite permit, you could face legal action which may jeopardize your status.

While freelancing has become easier than ever, it may not be the right choice for everyone, therefore, it is recommended that you fully investigate the pros and cons that come with it. Freelancing requires a lot of self-discipline as you must proactively seek new assignments. In some sectors, the work can greatly fluctuate by seasons therefore proper financial planning may be required.

Henri, whose firm has helped hundreds of freelancers, says that with the right planning and research, freelancing changes the lives of women entrepreneurs in many positive ways providing them with the confidence to launch businesses and beyond. It is not unusual for freelancers to come for permit renewal after a year and ask about launching a business where they can hire a few employees. It can be a roller coaster ride for many, but those that stick through with determination and perseverance often see their hard work pay off.

Other Useful Resources:

• Entrepreneur – Business Opportunities
  Looking to buy a business? Check this link to go through the collection of franchise opportunities. You might find a business that produces quality products and services for consumers. Don’t forget to look out for the main factors when choosing a franchise like initial investment, capital requirements, business financing, current trends and the amount of time it will take to get your business up and running.
• How to Start a Business in Dubai
  Looking at how to start your new business in Dubai? This is quite a new website but we love how they started putting the information together with related to different business setups.
• Wamda Capital
  An entrepreneurship empowering platform for entrepreneurs in the Middle East and North Africa.

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Building a successful business requires a lot of forethought, time and luck. And even with success, you’re never really finished building a business. From scaling to meet growth and figuring out new ways to acquire customers, a business’ brand is the light that guides the way.

However, you can’t achieve megabrand status like Virgin, Apple, Coca-Cola, Google, Starbucks, McDonalds and Nike without an initial branding strategy to evolve.

As you gear up to launch your company, ask yourself these five questions to gauge your brand’s strength.

What Is Our Unique Selling Proposition?

Whether you’re dealing with a crowded niche or one ripe for the taking, you’ll need to differentiate your brand from current and future competitors. You might sell your furniture in an online store, but how will your brand stand out from Wayfair or Hayneedle? Will your furniture be at a different price point? Will you carry styles suited toward a particular stage of life or a certain living style?

Ikea has grown into a giant by developing a unique selling proposition of selling super affordable, self-assembled furniture. The brand is popular with all sorts of shoppers these days but still skews toward younger people, transients and those living in cities who might have space issues moving bulky furniture in and out of their apartments.

What Is Our Mantra?

Mantras are helpful for individuals striving toward a concise vision for what they want to accomplish mentally or physically, spiritually or professionally. In the business realm, a mantra instils a core belief that gives your business credibility. The right brand mantras also increase brand equity through heightening brand awareness, brand resonance, perceived quality and loyalty.

But is a mantra a slogan or tagline? No. A mantra is similar in that it’s a handful of small words making a short phrase, however instead of being a catchy way, to sum up, your product or service, it communicates the essence of your brand and what it represents.

Think Betty Crocker’s “Homemade Made Easy,” Disney’s “Fun Family Entertainment,” or “Authentic Athletic Performance.” All three communicate the essence and livelihood of why each brand exists, but not primarily for the public to see and adore. Mantras aim to serve businesses internally and fuel the often-asked “why?”

What Character Does Our Brand Embody?

Every great brand gives off a vibe, a character. While you have your brand embody whatever personality and character you desire, it’ll probably fall within one of 12 brand archetypes. Uber is the sleek, possibly-villainous-but-not-enough-to-alarm-you private driver whereas Lyft is the silly outgoing friend who rings the doorbell unannounced asking if you can hang out.

According to brand archetypes, Uber falls into the ‘ruler’ category. Lyft is more of a ‘jester.’ While there’s no right or wrong archetype to strive toward, your brand character and personality should speak to your target persona. After all, it wouldn’t make any sense for an artisan tequila company to take on the ‘innocent’ archetype, or for a baby supplies company to adopt the ‘explorer’ archetype.

How Will Your Brand Express Itself?

Think about some of the most trusted companies. They have established a reputation for delivering quality content on specific mediums. The SEO firm, Moz, is known for its in-depth, research-heavy blog posts and helpful user forums. Skateboard shoe company Vans is known for its stylish, engaging Instagram account that showcases skateboarding content, but also zoomed-out messaging tailored to anyone interested in the lifestyle and fashion of skate threads. After all, Vans is selling shoes to a much wider net than skateboarders these days.

Ideally, your brand’s place of expression will be the convergence of where your customers already hang out, the medium you’re best at creating on, and where your brand naturally likes to be.

What Outcome Are We Providing?

If you think your company will flourish because you provide a product or service, you’re mistaken. These things matter, but more importantly, the outcome that your product or service yields will be the ultimate driver of your brand and ability to resonate in customers’ minds.

For example, HotelsByDay offers day rooms, but the outcome they provide is convenience and relaxation for travellers dealing with stress and fatigue. A refuelled mental state is the company’s outcome, not their service of being able to book a day room at a hotel.

Ask yourself these five questions to gauge your brand’s strength, and then make the necessary adjustments in the areas you’re lacking flavor. Honing a brand strategy takes time, but it’s also important to remember that a good brand is never done being built. You could create a buzz upon launching, but without continually investing time to make sure your brand voice, goals, and follow-through align, it’s easy to return to irrelevance. And in some ways, that’s the exciting part.

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