The Šek Blog
With You, Every Step of the Way
Outsourcing work to a third party firm can be daunting. While it’s a great way to effectively get work expertly done, there can be a lot of unknowns. How will the agency or freelancer spend their time? What exactly will I get in the end? Am I getting a fair price? At Šek, we’ve intentionally…
Wait, We Didn't Cover This
With school back in session — in all sorts of forms these days — we’ve been picking, Šek designer and current University of Minnesota Duluth student, Kasey’s mind about all sorts of things. We won’t share her thoughts and challenges with an ever changing high ed landscape due to Covid-19, but we did ask her…
Why Invest in Branding
Before we get into the impact an investment in branding can have, let’s start at the beginning… What is branding? Branding is the process of giving meaning to a company, product or individuals by creating, and shaping, how a brand is perceived by consumers. Branding is a strategy designed by organizations to help people quickly…
Your Website May Not Be The Problem
Why is my business not growing? I bet it’s my website. If only it looked like company X’s site, I’m sure I could get more sales. Sound familiar? Businesses often think that just a few changes to their website will be the elixir to their bottom line troubles. Websites are commonly seen as a business’…
Informing Safely and Intentionally
Over the past several weeks, many businesses have been able to turn their closed signs to open; DLH Clothing being one of them. With the reopening, came the addition of various procedures to safely welcome back both customers and staff. One of the ways to do that? You probably guessed it because you’ve seen it…
Designed to Help
Designers are problem solvers by nature. We can help simplify a message, visually communicate a feeling, or inspire an action. While we can’t, however, solve the number of larger, more devastating problems we’re facing right now, we’d like to at least help in some way. That’s why we created the Šek Design Grant. We’re offering…
Frenchie Cocktail | Behind The Design
INTRODUCTION It’s 5:20 on a Wednesday afternoon, Thunderstruck is blaring over the speakers inside the gym, and I’m just about to start my second set of dead-lifts when I have to stop myself from laughing out loud. Here’s what happened. I just imagined what all of these mostly macho classmates would think if they knew…
You Serve People, Not Potatoes
You serve people, not potatoes. Your clients and partners know how hard you work and how much you do for the community but what does the general public see? How will a potential partner view your organization or business if they don’t know you? They’re likely not looking for a ‘dive’ adventure. I love a…
Buy The Sharper Knives
It’s 5:45 on a Friday night, we have company coming over in 15 minutes and I still have to prepare food for our guests. Luckily, we’ve got beautiful farm-share veggies and greens for the salad and it’ll only take me five minutes to chop the ingredients. I reach for the Epicurean cutting board with my…
Selective Focus: Perfect Duluth Day
We were very excited to be approached by Brian Barber of Perfect Duluth Day, who wanted to learn a little bit more about our background in a regular segment called ‘Selective Focus’. Click here to view the full segment. Mike Smíšek: I primarily work as a graphic designer but my background is in drawing and…
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