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Getting or having great customers is important, no question about it. But what is often overlooked is the importance of the sales network. At the beginning of 2023, we conducted interviews with dozens of entrepreneurs. What was particularly striking was that important doors remained closed to many companies - regardless of the quality of the product or service (which even surprised us as a design agency). One of our interview partners, a software manufacturer from Israel, had excellent contacts with Microsoft regarding a strategic sales partnership. As you can imagine, such a partnership with Microsoft is an immense step forward for a software manufacturer. However, the interview revealed that despite the excellent and innovative software product, the Israeli software manufacturer is not taken seriously by Microsoft and is ridiculed as a "small fish". The company from Israel does not act professionally enough (direct quote from management). As a result, important doors remain firmly closed. BRANDING AS A DOOR OPENER The right sales network can be a real catalyst for achieving business goals. The basic requirement for this to work is trust. This is where a coherent company presence based on a branding system comes into play. We specialize in developing and implementing branding holistically to enable the transformation to a top brand in 90 days and to use branding as a targeted door opener for our customers. As a top brand, companies are proud to be on a par with the "big players". This enables important collaborations with business and sales partners. HOW OUR CLIENT USED BRANDING AS A DOOR OPENER TO INVESTORS An example from our practice is Senioren Matinee , founded by the Swiss Fredy Staudacher. The starting point was a self-made logo design and web design. Mr. Staudacher finally wanted to be taken seriously by investors and the "big players" in the industry in order to generate more reach and bookings. The result of our collaboration: The new branding enabled us to target sponsors and investors. In addition, there was an 80% increase in bookings very quickly after introducing our branding. One year after the rebranding, there were already 20 times as many bookings as at the beginning. CONCLUSION A good product and good contacts with the "right" people are good. However, this does not mean that you or your company will be taken seriously enough to attract investments and cooperation with the "big players". Professional branding has proven time and again to be a door opener to lucrative business partners.

Complete design freedom paired with the highest state-of-the-art technology is not only important to us as a branding and web design agency – no, it is more of a promise to our customers that we can implement top-quality branding in reality in order to establish ourselves as a top brand. From 13 years of experience, we know that design and technology from one provider offers unbeatable competitive advantages for our customers. How do we put this into practice? With Wix, Editor X and - now - WIX STUDIO. THE WEB DESIGN EVOLUTION FROM "WIX" TO "EDITOR X" TO "WIX STUDIO" It all started with the "classic" Wix Editor. Back when HCG corporate designs was founded in May 2010, the Wix Editor was still in its infancy. A lot has happened over the years - a lot! - and we quickly learned that it is extremely important not to outsource web design, but to offer design and IT from a single source in order to get the maximum quality for our customers . After all, it's no use if you have great branding but can't implement it on the website because the website CMS is rigid and inflexible. (We always think it's a shame when some companies shoot themselves in the foot here.) Shortly before the Corona pandemic, Editor X was launched – a completely new product from Wix, with full responsiveness and other features that we have already reported on in more detail . WIX STUDIO (also from Wix) has also been available since August 2023. As a 5-star Wix partner (“Wix Legend”), we were invited before many other agencies to put WIX STUDIO through its paces, learn about it and work with it. And after just one day of training, we have to say: Wow! Based on Editor X, but with even more power, WIX STUDIO is the best website platform we know to date. This allows us to make our customers' branding more visible and faster. OUR HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE WIX STUDIO TRAINING Our personal highlights of WIX STUDIO are so-called section grids, AB design patterns, the enrichment with AI (artificial intelligence) and a wide range of new animations, user interactions, micro-wow moments and scrolling functions that make visiting a website a completely new experience. Section grids provide even more modularity. We predicted the modular design approach back in 2016, when this trend was still very new and was called "card design". As one of the first design agencies in German-speaking countries, we deliberately used this card design. We simply knew that this would become the "new normal". And that's exactly what happened. A trend that became the standard. Today, it is impossible to imagine websites without card design or a modular card design approach. WIX STUDIO takes this topic to a whole new level. The new AB Design Patterns in WIX STUDIO provide better visual differentiation between individual card design elements – made for the ever-increasing amount of content and information that you want to present to website visitors. THE RESULT OF OUR TRAINING DAY You can see the results of our WIX STUDIO training day on this test website . You can also view the website on your tablet or smartphone. We are as proud as Oscar to be a Wix partner and absolutely thrilled with WIX STUDIO. A new era in web design has begun. We can hardly wait to create the first websites on WIX STUDIO for our customers. You can see how this works in practice and how we transform our customers into top brands here .

Especially for small and medium-sized companies in the service sector, the question arises as to how one can transform into a top brand (in view of the strong competition from the "big players" on the market). At HCG corporate designs, we have established a method that leads to the desired result in four steps and in just 90 days: From the swamp of mediocrity to a top brand that you can no longer ignore. WHAT LOGO AND WEBSITE CANNOT DO – BUT NOBODY TELLS YOU It is a mammoth task to become an absolute top brand – it is a marathon and not a sprint. The problem is that a new logo and a new website alone cannot handle this mammoth task, but they still cost a lot of money. "Run-of-the-mill" designers want to convey that a new logo and a new website are enough to make a brand a top brand. But that's not true. On the other hand, there are well-known advertising and design agencies that are extremely overpriced due to unnecessarily bloated organizational structures and expensive PR measures. Often you have to pay between 5,000 and 10,000 euros for a workshop, only to find out that you need a branding system. In addition, the problem of high employee turnover in the agency industry is also becoming more and more of a problem for customers, as a lot of valuable knowledge about projects is lost, thus causing unnecessary problems. OUR 4 STEP METHOD TO TRANSFORM INTO A TOP BRAND WITH A BRANDING SYSTEM STEP 1: ANALYZE STATUS QUO The first step is to ask yourself which values are actually being conveyed by the current company image. Are you really being perceived the way you want to be perceived? In addition, it's about crystal-clear fact checks on the functionality of your current logo, the design success of your current website and a striking comparison of how your current company presence actually works in comparison to the competition. STEP 2: DEVELOP BRANDING The second step begins with a psychologically sound development of your brand personality - without the need for a time-, personnel- and cost-intensive workshop. In this way, we determine how your future top brand must be positioned in order to emotionally "pick up" your target group and convert them into paying customers. This is followed by the core theme of the entire process – the development of a holistic branding system including practical documentation in a web-based corporate design manual. STEP 3: IMPLEMENT BRANDING After theory comes practice. In the third step, the branding system is transferred to various touchpoints (online and offline) and implemented where it is needed now and in the near future. These include websites, social media profiles, brochures, business cards, forms and so on. In addition, the success of the branding developed in step 2 is measured in this step. 30 days after the website goes live, it is also thoroughly tested again and examined for possible design optimizations. STEP 4: CONTINUOUS IMPLEMENTATION BRANDING It's great to transform into a top brand. However, it's also important to remain a top brand. This depends on the continuous use of the branding system at all touchpoints. Documenting the branding system in the corporate design manual is enormously helpful here and ensures the company's 100% independence. Using a convenient design flat fee, various communication media can be created with consistent quality. This ensures time and financial planning as well as consistently high quality across the entire, holistic external appearance. HOW YOU CAN TRANSFORM INTO A TOP BRAND For a detailed insight into our 4-step method of how we use a branding system to achieve transformation to a top brand in 90 days – specifically for small and medium-sized businesses in the service sector – watch the video at topmarke.hcg-corporate-designs.com

What do millennials want? What does Generation Z want? Often there is the prejudice that they are lazy and unwilling to work. But is that really true? Or is it simply a prejudice of the 40+ generation? Time to take stock. First of all: I am 40 years old , my circle of friends and acquaintances ranges from mid-20s to to mid-60s. A colorful mixture of all age groups. FROM THE MASTER PARTY WITH YOUNG PEOPLE TO INTERESTING INSIGHTS A few months ago my friend Pauline your master – congratulations again! As part of the master party in the evening, I had the opportunity to exchange ideas with the so-called millennials and representatives of Generation Z. As a 40-year-old, I broke the age limit and was otherwise mainly surrounded by mid-20-year-olds. I didn't want to miss the chance to get a deeper insight into the needs and views of the mid-20s. This resulted in some interesting discussions on the subject of work. This topic not only interests me personally, because I find it incredibly important to have an open, honest and appreciative communication between generations. No, it also affects me professionally, because we keep getting inquiries about employer branding . Plus: I keep hearing from friends, who are entrepreneurs themselves, that "young people just don't want to work hard anymore". But what is behind it? THE PROBLEM WITH THE EGO My generation (like I said, I'm 40) often makes the mistake of thinking "what are the young people supposed to tell me?". I think we don't listen to each other enough. There is a problem with ego and communication. The “older ones” are more experienced and mature, yes, of course that has advantages. Nevertheless, they are not omniscient and often run the risk of thinking too narrow-minded - true to the motto "it was always like that". I feel like Millennials and Gen Z question more than my generation or the older generation. Especially in conversations with friends who are 15 to 20 years younger than me, I notice how reflective the younger generation is - a quality that I often miss in my generation. So we can learn a lot from the younger generation. WHAT DO YOUNG PEOPLE REALLY WANT? The conversations at Pauline's master's party gave me an even better sense of what young people really want. They want meaning in their lives, including a job that they consider as meaningful. A big problem, I think, is the question of perspective. What do I mean? The young generation only knows crises, they are in permanent crisis mode and know practically nothing else: climate crisis, financial crisis, economic crisis, corona crisis, energy crisis. This is exacerbated by the media's negative focus. In addition, there is high inflation and the realization that you probably can't build up anything anymore these days. “I will never be able to afford a home of my own. So why try at all? With my parents I saw how bad excessive stress is (work-life balance). But at least they still knew what they were working for - owning a home was still affordable (sometimes even with only one full earner in the family). And today that is no longer possible. So why make an effort?” In addition, climate change will change a lot in the future anyway. So why have children? "I will probably never be able to go on vacation with my children, because there will be a desert then." Here we come to an interesting point: Perspectives are the most important motivating factor of all. If someone has no perspectives, why make an effort? For what? Doesn't make any sense. Thinking about this, I can understand the often described "lack of work ethic" among young people. On the topic of money: Yes, salary is also a big topic. Many employers pay low salaries. Especially with the current inflation, there is a wide gap between salary and cost of living. Salary is also seen as a kind of appreciation. The topic that I perceived as the main problem, however, can be summarized under the term "old white man": disrespect, especially towards women, already at the job interview, a bad working atmosphere (caused by the boss) and bullying are the main factors, why many young people do not take a certain job. BUT THERE ARE SO MANY "LAZY" PEOPLE! Yes, there are "lazy ones" - but in every age group. In my experience, this is more due to the parental example that was set, the social environment with which one surrounds oneself and the level of education. This is fueled by excessive social benefit payments (at least in Austria and Germany). The difference between unemployment benefits and the minimum salary is just too small to accept a full-time job. Motivation to go to work? Nope. HOW GOOD EMPLOYER BRANDING CAN HELP A few years ago we developed the branding for Spedination . Recruitment of employees, lived values internally and externally as well as a strong, family-like team spirit were decisive factors for the managing director Thomas Kogler. But if you think good employer branding alone is enough, you think too short-sightedly. Values such as respect, meaningfulness at work, compatibility of private and professional life must also be lived - day after day. Especially from the management level. Employer branding conveys these values to the outside world. "The feedback on the website is so good that sometimes you might think people just want to say something nice for the sake of it. But what's nice about it is that emails come via the contact form from people who have nothing to do with transport , just to say that the homepage makes you want to work for us.” – Thomas Kogler, Spedination GmbH The entire interview with Thomas Kogler on the subject of employee search and employer branding can be found in our blog. CONCLUSION We don't listen to each other enough. As a result, there is often a lack of understanding of the needs of the other person. And no matter how young or old someone is, a respectful and polite tone is the basis for positive interaction.

It's summer. The holiday season is just around the corner. Where do you plan you go this year? If you choose the metal bird for your trip and book a flight, you will again see an interesting phenomenon: the chic shop windows of luxurious global brands such as Gucci, Versace, Rolex, Burberry and so on. The interesting thing about it: Airport shops of luxury brands are mostly deserted - there are often more staff than customers. Have you ever asked yourself this question: How many people actually shop there and how many people just browse and look around (or even stand outside the shop window)? The rents for premises at airports are extremely high. From a purely rational point of view, this is a financial disaster for a shop owner. Not so for a brand . EMOTIONAL CHARGING OF A BRAND The number of touchpoints with a brand is a decisive factor for the willingness to buy in the target group. The more points of contact, the more trust and emotional connection, the better. The airport shops mentioned are not about the sales in this one shop, because most people just look around . It's about the brand being seen and noticed (!) - in all its glory. There are hardly any more points of contact between a brand and the widest possible range of people (worldwide) than at a busy airport. Millions of passengers bustle at airports. The number of contact points with a brand is therefore extremely high - no matter how great an online marketing strategy can be. People are in a travel mood, see beautiful things and experience them right in front of their eyes. Special lighting design, suitable background music and special room fragrances tailored to the brand are used to stimulate several sensory organs at the same time. After all, it's about feeling a brand with all your senses . EMOTION BEATS MIND The more senses are addressed, the more likely it is that a brand will be perceived and charged with emotions. An impression that is anchored in the brain. Ultimately, it is not the rational decisions that make us buy (or not buy) something, but the unconscious, emotional decisions. With our mind we only try to rationally explain or justify our emotional decisions afterwards. So what could be better than perfectly designed stores that appeal to customers with all their senses? And that in an environment in which millions of different and always new people who have the money for a plane ticket (purchasing power). With this in mind, we wish you a great start to the holiday season. And maybe you now perceive brand shops at airports from a slightly different perspective.

We designed a neat and uncomplicated premium website template for the Business Design Boutique . It features a beautiful mix of imagery and videos, subtle animations on icons and buttons to support a great user experience and an overall clean and fresh design. Colours can contribute to distinguish a company’s product lines. In this professional website template, colours contribute to the user navigation, too. Mobile first! We make sure all our website designs come with a user-friendly mobile website. It’s all about the little details that turn a website into an experience. You can buy this professional website template in the Business Design Boutique .

Today’s marketplaces are more competitive than ever before - with and without all the crises we’re currently witnessing. But what is it that makes the difference between the businesses that do thrive and the ones that don’t? McKINSEY DESIGN STUDY The international consulting firm McKinsey took a deep look into this question and conducted a study among 300 publicly listed companies over a period of five years. According to McKinsey, it is „the most extensive and rigorous research undertaken anywhere to study the design actions that leaders can make to unlock business value“. And even though the study is dated October 25th, 2018, the outcome is just as relevant and accurate as today. "The companies in the top quartile of the McKinsey Design Index financially outperformed their peers in terms of revenue (+ 32 % higher revenue over 5 years) and shareholder return (+ 56 % higher). That's an extraordinary number in a short period of time.“ Benedict Sheppard | Partner in the London office, McKinsey Design Successful companies know how to differentiate themselves from their competitors by implementing good design in all aspects of their business: product design, service design, webdesign , brand design etc. A cross-functional branding approach is crucial and the only way to successfully master the huge challenge of offering a holistic brand experience for customers on every single touchpoint - may it be online or offline. As we know from many years of experience, a corporate design manual is an ideal way to achieve that. “Design is more than a feeling: it is a CEO-level priority for growth and long-term performance.” For more in-depth information, you can download the business value of design study on McKinsey’s website.

In this blog article, we proudly showcase a professional website template we created for the Business Design Boutique on Editor X: a 100% responsive web experience including mobile website, presenting inspiring interior design solutions combined with timeless elegance. Since the launch of Editor X a few years ago, we’ve been super-thrilled and excited about getting into this advanced website platform . Thanks to Editor X’s innovative flexbox technology we could perfectly adjust every design detail of this website design on every breakpoint for different devices. No matter the screen size - providing information in bite-sized portions makes this website very user-friendly. Take a look at this professional website template and enjoy the feeling of prime interior designs. Beautiful images are key to making a website look amazing and making your website visitors stay for longer. In addition to that, this beautiful website design features an innovative image revealing effect with salmon-pink coloured backgrounds, that we built from scratch in Editor X. For this professional website template we used a set of elegant serif fonts for headers, the main copy and buttons. A serif font comes with tiny extensions at the top and bottom of letters as if they were sitting on an invisible line. Serif fonts transport a feeling of rootedness, traditional values, calmness and stability. Simply perfect for interior designs what this website is all about. Naturally Urban - this is the idea behind one of the interior design projects on this professional website design. Living in a city does not necessarily mean a lack of plants. We find the minimalistic style of the main image in contrast with the opulent bathroom image very inspiring. How about getting some plants for your bathroom? We like that idea very much. What’s nicer than a beautiful hammock chair? Even more beautiful text boxes in your corporate colours responsively surrounding it. They are floating up and down as you scroll up and down on this website design. As you can see in the mobile phone version, the mobile layout looks slightly different and seamlessly adapts to any screen size. Some people still underestimate the power of white space . Used smartly, white space is a great design tool to put the website visitor’s focus on where it matters most. For this professional website template we used white space to transport a feeling of window-shopping luxury and to put the focus on the CTA (call to action) button to discover more. We make sure all our website designs work smoothly on desktop, tablet and phone. For better usability, we implemented a vertical side bar menu to create a more elegant look and feel to go nicely with the overall feel of premium interior design solutions. Speaking of responsiveness and mobile devices: Have you ever been on a mobile website on your phone trying to fill out a form? Yes, contact forms on a mobile website are a big pain point. This is why we make sure contact forms on every mobile website are big enough so your visitors can navigate, read and type with ease. This results in more contact form submissions. If you'd like to make this website yours, simply head over to the shop in the Business Design Boutique and purchase your favourite design.

Artificial intelligence ("AI" for short) is a technology that has become increasingly important in recent years and is currently the subject of heated debate. AI offers incredible opportunities for developers, designers, copywriters and any other kind of creative activity - but also incredible pitfalls and dangers - even for the peaceful coexistence of humanity. WHAT ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ITSELF SAYS ABOUT THIS Creative production processes can be simplified with AI. In addition, artificial intelligence is able to use methods that go far beyond what conventional software can do. Through the use of machine learning and neural networks, it is possible to generate unique designs and texts and make them accessible to the end user. AI designers not only help create designs, but can also help streamline a project. Using their algorithms, AI designers can analyze and automatically monitor visual elements. If parts of the design need to be changed to achieve better visual results or to improve the user interface (UI) or user experience (UX), AI designers can refer to relevant data sets to make relevant changes. AI also offers promising potential in other areas of design: by searching for specific patterns or identifying new trends. AI is being used more and more because of its ability to efficiently evaluate existing data sets and provide immediate insights for decision makers. In addition, modern AI/ML tools incorporate functional techniques such as Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Deep Learning (DL), thanks to which designers can create interfaces that offer a smoother dialogue with their users. AI-based design systems have proven to be robust enough to allow for customisation; for example, it will be possible to provide customised interfaces taking into account different contextual factors - such as the user's age or gender - as well as automatically taking into account certain colour or font preferences - without the designer having to develop each variation manually. AI-based designers not only help people to create more efficient designs with more flexibility and customisation - they also revolutionise the way the design process is executed: In the future, artificial intelligence will make it possible to create different UI/UX scenarios in minutes instead of days. The paragraphs stated above were pre-generated by artificial intelligence. However, the text had to be adapted manually in order to correct grammatical errors, increase the meaningfulness, correct false statements and make it easier to read. In this way, humankind helps the machine. WHAT A HUMAN BEING SAYS ABOUT THIS The advantage of artificial intelligence is obvious: Maximum increase in productivity and (as a result) cost savings. Cost savings on the one hand means layoffs and higher unemployment in various industries on the other hand (the qualitative output is another issue, too). In a design context, however, artificial intelligence also means more comparable mass-produced "goods". One thing is becoming very clear: the need for design excellence, uniqueness and recognizability increases enormously through the use of AI. AI does generate new things, but based on existing images and existing design styles from the Internet. In addition, the spirit of a brand that needs to be injected into a branding cannot simply be transferred from artificial intelligence to visual language. The need for uniqueness for brands is increasing all the more as a result. "The need for design excellence, uniqueness, and recognizability increases enormously through the use of AI." Another major danger in a media context: Facts are presented in a professional-looking jargon. Whether these facts are true or fictitious, is not the point here. So AI has the ability to take the manipulation of people to a whole new level. Therefore, the fundamental question arises: How much are well researched facts worth to us as a society? HOW ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TAKES ADVANTAGE OF YOUR DATA Artificial intelligence is constantly learning. The fodder of the AI is the Internet and everything that can be found on it. Aspects such as copyright, data theft and the seemingly self-evident use of one's own identity as learning material for the AI will keep us busy for a while - as will courts. Regarding the automatic use of one's own identity and one's own copyright-protected objects, it is fair to say that some AI providers offer an opt-out option. That means: If I don't want my copyrighted objects and my identity to be fed into the artificial identity, I have to proactively contact the manufacturers of the AI myself and ask to be left out. CONCLUSION There is a variety of legal topics, all of which must first be dealt with in court. But: Artificial intelligence will most likely have an extreme impact on all of our lives - how this looks in everyday life (both positive and negative) remains to be seen.

Getting inspiration, fresh energy and regularly changing my perspective are extremely important to me - especially as a brand designer . So I decided to spend the time around NYE 2022/23 in Cuba, more precisely in its capital city Havana (or “La Habana” as the locals call it). I went to the Caribbean for the second time within a year , because: you just can't get enough of the Caribbean joy of life! I was also able to expand my dance skills in Salsa and Rueda de Casino accordingly. Follow me to exciting Cuba in this blog article. COLOURFUL ARCHITECTURE AND DEADLY PAVEMENTS IN HAVANA Communism and dictatorship have left their mark on Cuba - also in terms of architecture. An adventurous mixture can be seen in its capital: ramshackle houses that collapse here and there, and some (though few) beautifully preserved buildings. In Havana, it is actually safer to walk on the street than on the sidewalk, because it is quite possible that balconies on dilapidated buildings simply fall down and bury the sidewalk (including pedestrians) alive underneath. A sidewalk in Havana can become a death trap. The wonderful, bright colours in the "graffiti" are far less dangerous. Look at those beautiful gradients! The street signs are also a real feast for the eyes and remind me of the street signs I discovered on my trip through Colombia in 2018. As a brand designer , this UN1CO logo caught my attention, too. A clever mix of letters and numbers. What a great logo design! GETTING TO THE NYE PARTY IN A COCO TAXI The combination of communism and dictatorship makes the Cubans true improvisation artists. This was evident in many ways - fortunately also during our ride with the Coco Taxi from dinner to the Club Jardines del 1830, probably the most legendary club in Havana - located by the water, open air, simply beautiful. Unfortunately, after filming our ride with the Coco Taxi, the very vehicle broke down due to (probably) old age. After hearing a few sad, metallic noises, nothing worked anymore. “My brother will come with another Coco Taxi and take you to the club,” the Coco driver assured us. And that's exactly what happened just a few minutes later. INTENSE DANCE TRAINING IN CUBA During the day we went to dance trainings with Cuban professional dancers for about four hours a day. Salsa, Rueda de Casino, Rumba, Afro, Son and Cha Cha Cha were on the program - two weeks packed with training, which I had rarely experienced so intensively before, at the Mari Suri dance school . By the way, Salsa was not originally called Salsa , but Casino . The US-Americans simply made Salsa out of the term Casino . Oh well…. Besides all the dance training there was also a percussion workshop to get a better understanding of different rhythms and claves. A very nice and funny official from the Cuban Ministry of Culture showed us how different clave rhythms work. By the way, I thought it was wonderful to see how a Cuban official can look like. :-) My absolute favorite dance is Rueda de Casino. You dance in a circle as a couple, constantly changing partners, there are new commands and figures being announced and danced spontaneously. This creates a great group dynamic, which is just so much fun. I was particularly grateful and happy that I was able to meet Juanito in person, the inventor of Rueda de Casino. What a lovely man in a suit and hat! I just had to say "thank you" to him for inventing a dance that brings so much joy to me and so many other people around the world. "Muchas gracias de mi corazón, Juanito!" is all I can say. It was a great honour for me to dance in Ruedas in front of him. In addition to Latin American dance steps, there are also a lot of African influences in Cuba. Elements of Afro and Rumba are often incorporated into Salsa or Rueda. I was able to observe authentic Rumba and Afro dances in the Callejón de Hamel. An ecstatic mood that is second to none! EL DINERO Money is a special topic in Cuba. One particularly fun thing, but one that initially shocked me quite a bit, is the currency symbol. For example, the US dollar sign $ is also used for CUP (cuban pesos). So a cocktail doesn't cost 200 US dollars, but 200 Cuban pesos. Even if inflation in Cuba is extremely high, it's not that high. "BIG BRANDS" IN CUBA On my roundtrip through Colombia in 2018 , I had already experienced that big brands like to be copied (e.g. Starbucks in Medellín). Here in Cuba, too, I came across local brands reminiscent of Apple and Coca-Cola. How would my iPhone have felt if I had taken it to this Apple store for repairs? Hmm.... Let's take a look at the logo of the Cuban Fiesta Cola. The swirl of Coca-Cola is reflected in the F of Fiesta, the swirl of the L in in Coca-Cola is subtly copied over into the F letter of Fiesta Cola (marked red in the photo below). Or how about Pringles? The Caribbean version is called Mister Potato, produced in Southeast Asia, imported to Mexico and brought to Cuba by mule (completely legal, by the way), declared at high cost and sold in a living room shop. In the picture below you can see original goods in another living room shop - original goods are available, albeit very rare and outrageously expensive. VAMOS A LA PLAYA Besides all the physical exercise of the dance training, we also had to relax here and there - for example on the Caribbean beach or in a wonderfully refreshing river. MANGONAS TRAVELLING How did my trip to Cuba come about? I was in a dance class at home in Innsbruck (in the Salsa Advanced 2 course at Salsa Libre to be exact) and spotted a poster on the wall: New Year's Eve in Cuba with Mangonas Travelling . Even though I'm usually the most unspontaneous person ever, I took a picture of this poster and booked the trip the next day. Thanks to Maria and Nadine from Mangonas Traveling for this unforgettable journey! There are even more insights on Instagram . Copyright photos & videos: Helene Clara Gamper, Mangonas Travelling, Adrian Argudin Valdes

One of our side projects for the Business Design Boutique (to be launched in early 2023) features a stylish and modern website design for tech companies, inspired by the high-tech vibe of the CyberWeek in Tel Aviv which we attended in summer 2022 in Israel . IT companies in particular have a hard time to find great multimedia assets for their websites as their products and services cannot be seen or touched. We solved this problem by integrating abstract video loops and photos into this website design to make invisible services look fresh and stylish. Many people feel anxious or nervous when getting in touch with IT companies. We try to solve that problem by bridging the gap between IT and human beings by implementing smart design decisions. We believe, tech-heavy businesses don’t always have to look strict, straight and square. This is why we added round corners to different design elements and used a friendly looking sans-serif font with minimal round edges. This gives an abstract business selling IT services a human touch and makes it look friendly. It contributes to bridging the gap between high-tech business solutions and the human clients. The embedded Google Map on this website design perfectly blends into the website’s overall look and feel and is in line with the branding. Green as the focus colour is used for the pinned address. We decided to split up the copy in several, small bunches of text, added beautiful icons above them, used those icons as an anchor for a frame and implemented beautiful hover effects with an eye-catching call to action button - for an increased CTR (click-through-rate). Implementing a chat box is a nice way to interact with website visitors in real-time (or even as a chatbot if you lack the manpower). For this Wix website, we made sure that the chat is designed in line with the rest of the website design. How do you like this website design? Let us know in the comments below!

This year's birthday is something special - I turn 40. That's why I look back and reflect - publicly in our blog. Because: I see again and again how amazed people around me are when I tell them my story, how everything started with my entrepreneurship. This article is intended to inspire, show you some real-life moments and demonstrate: Yes, even potatoes in tomato water can grow to something that you never dared to dream of. MY SITUATION IN SPRING 2010 In May 2010, I started my adventure of "entrepreneurship" and founded HCG corporate designs. If you had asked me a few months earlier if I would ever start my own business, I would have said "never in my life" . After all, I wasn't a particularly risk-taking person - back then. However, over many months from 2009 to spring 2010, a situation came up that was fueled by several factors. At that time I was a full-time employee in the financial sector. The services of this company were (and still are) very good, but I didn't really like the job itself and it didn't keep me mentally busy. Even in the previous jobs in quality and process management, I was too often underchallenged. I was bored, I couldn't even begin to tap into my potential and nobody was interested in promoting my talents or using them for their businesses. However, in my last job (in the bespoke financial sector), there was an even bigger problem: bullying at work. In addition, some of my boss's business partners wanted to start a physical relationship with me, one even offered me money for it - I was shocked and disgusted. I was confronted with sexist sayings and actions and experienced the revenge of a business partner who was interested in a relationship with me by spreading rumours about me and defaming me. Fortunately, my boss recognised this and paid no attention to this defamation. Nevertheless, he was not shy himself when it came to bullying either: on my last day at work he grabbed and shook my nose so hard that I could still feel my nose hours later, he even pulled the secretary's hair. What I really enjoyed during this time, however, was my part-time DJ job on the weekends. I had to express my creativity, and I did so behind the DJ booth. Music, vinyls, dancing people - I liked that. Understandably, it had become more and more difficult over time to follow both my office job in the financial sector and my DJ job. As long as I was DJing in Europe, everything was fine. A performance here, a performance there, Europe is a small continent. At the weekend I was the celebrated DJ, during the week I was in the office. Somehow I always found this contrast very amusing. Over the years, my DJ career went through the roof more and more - especially from around 2009. My DJ agency at the time gave me a choice: I either quit my secure office job and am available as a DJ for much larger and longer tours; or I'll keep my secure office job and my DJ career can't grow any further. This was a very difficult situation for me. There was another aspect, too: In the spring of 2010 I decided to buy an apartment. I went from bank to bank to apply for the loan. What I heard from most of the banks left me speechless: "Ms. Gamper, get married and then come back to apply for the loan again." I was single at the time and didn't earn too bad (mainly thanks to my DJ part-time job). About ten years later I applied for another loan - this time for a flat as an investment. Since the sayings of the bankers from back then were still ringing in my ears, I brought in a financial advisor who arranged everything for me. The day of signing the loan contract came, I was about to sign it and couldn't resist confronting the banker with what the bankers had said back then. I wanted to hear his opinion before signing the contract. He was taken aback and confirmed that such comments from his colleagues were inappropriate and apologised on behalf of his colleagues. I signed and bought and invested in an apartment. A RADICAL NEW BEGINNING My situation in spring 2010 brought me to my knees mentally and I decided to make a radical new start. I quit my job, started my own business (as a career changer - which hardly anyone believes me to this day, if you look at my work ) and founded HCG corporate designs. I consumed just about everything there was in terms of education, courses (both paid and free) and learning materials on the internet and educational institutions and stuffed my brain so full of knowledge that I barely had time to sleep. I knew: I had to get on my feet quickly and accelerate. Fortunately, it was always easy for me to learn independently and on my own. I also taught myself how to mix music on the DJ booth and how to skilfully mix records. Yes, I DJed with vinyls and it took me almost three months until I finally managed to mix two records perfectly. In my DJ job, a big challenge came up: My agent at the time, who arranged (or was supposed to arrange) gigs for me and gave me the choice of “either an office job or a DJ job”, cancelled all previously confirmed DJ gigs after I quit my secure office job. I was shocked and personally very disappointed - after all, we had known each other for a few years and were friends. I was now financially in a dead end. I still don't know with 100% certainty why my agent at the time acted like that. However, there was a suspicion that he wanted to make me financially dependent on him. He could have lowered my DJ fee to whatever he wanted and it would have been easier to “sell” me as a female DJ to male club owners and promoters. You have to know that some female DJs don't earn most of their money with their performances, but with sexual services. I don't know how it is nowadays, but it was like that then, primarily on an international level and especially in Muslim countries (UAE, Indonesia, etc.). A club promoter in Dubai also offered me a four-figure sum for 20 minutes... This kind of "deal" was always a thorn in my side, which is why I always tried to ignore it (looking back, I think how naive I was). Every time I got such a "request" I was completely shocked. Interestingly I was mainly confronted with it in connection with my DJ agency. Before and after working with this DJ agency, this topic hardly ever came up. And so it happened that my well-paid DJ gigs were all cancelled after I quit my secure office job. A financial fiasco for me. I really felt cheated. POTATOES IN TOMATO WATER It is always said that all beginnings are difficult. Starting your own business is particularly difficult. HCG corporate designs was still in its infancy. I remember one Friday when I only had 16 Euros and 23 cents in my bank account. I had to buy groceries from it. Neither a new design job nor a new DJ gig was in sight at that time. I was financially drained. So it happened that I bought the cheapest groceries I could find at the discount store: potatoes and mashed tomatoes. I bought a lot of the potatoes, after all they are the ones that fill you up. I stretched the mashed tomatoes with water and seasoned them with salt and pepper. So I had very cheap food for about two or three weeks: potatoes in tomato water. After the bitter disappointment with my DJ agency, I left the agency and managed myself from then on. So it happened that after a while I went on tour as a DJ again - for example through India three times in one year. One tour was still in the accounts of my "old" DJ agency, the other two tours I arranged myself - including threats from the agency and fears about physical wellbeing. I was very grateful to my Indian tour manager for ensuring my safety through security and bodyguard. The five-figure fees for such a DJ tour were a blessing for me and my bank account. The time with potatoes in tomato water was over - but I haven't forgotten it to this day (and probably never will). THINGS STARTED TO CHANGE For my last performance as a DJ, I flew to São Paulo in Brazil for two days. I was booked as the headliner of an open air. I knew this would be my last gig - after 7 years of DJing. However, I didn't tell anyone about my plan to give up my DJ career. I just wanted to save myself from a lot of drama. For any music artist, the moment they leave the stage and return to their hotel room is their worst moment. This sudden 180 degree turn from stage, adrenaline and a great audience to silence and solitude in a hotel room in a country you don't even know is simply horrible. After this last booking in São Paulo, however, this moment was particularly bad for me - because I had decided: I put down the headphones and end my DJ career. Something that I had built up over many years with a lot of effort was now over. That night I cried many tears on the other side of the Atlantic. But even today I still believe that it was the right decision at the right time. Slowly but surely things went uphill with HCG corporate designs. Of course I had to reconsider the positioning and the target group here and there and adjust it accordingly. But this fine tuning paid off. Over the years, the high standards I set for myself, my quality awareness and my striving for excellence have paid off in every respect. Over the years things went steadily uphill and I understood more and more that quality always prevails in the long run. MY LIFE TODAY Today I look back on twelve years of HCG corporate designs and am happy about my business, the quality seal of the initiative corporate design from designaustria , the status as a WIX partner , happy clients from 25 industries from eight countries on four continents, a great team and regular 6-figure annual sales. Today I am thankful for the bad situation in spring 2010, because it forced me to do everything humanly possible to escape from this situation. It was an enormous effort, but my life today is the complete opposite of my life back then. Today I live a life that I would never have dreamed of: my own business, in which I can perfectly combine creativity and business administration, great clients, exciting projects, 100% self-determination, travelling thanks to remote work and financial independence. However, this life today is also hard. Really hard - but in a positive way. It takes a lot: 80-hour work weeks were not uncommon for me. Today, however, it's not quite as "bad" anymore, because I know how productivity works . In addition, I now work with a small team that supports me. We all work remotely and I fulfill my big dream of travelling the world - even if unfortunately there is often far too little free time to see as much as I would like to. A problem I'm still struggling with but I'm working on a solution (whatever that might look like). Nevertheless: Most of the people in my private environment are shocked when they see what it takes to work out the life I live today. I pay a high price for this life - primarily in terms of time, personal life, energy and strength. But I'm willing to pay that price. Not everyone is willing to go down this path and I can totally understand it. For me , however, it was the right path. WHAT I REALLY CARE ABOUT Because of my story, which you now know a little, it is very important to me to inspire people to live a self-determined life. I know so many people who procrastinate their dreams and therefore miss a lot in life. Life is short and you should always make the best of it. As you can see, my potatoe-in-tomato-water dilemma has grown into a fine, small company with regular six-figure annual sales. I hope this blog article has inspired you and shown you what is possible if you consistently pursue your dreams and remain true to yourself, always and without exception. If entrepreneurship is also your big goal, we will be happy to support you with a first-class brand design and web design . With this, you set the course for a serious and professional image that will convince your customers right from the start. You are also welcome to purchase our website webinar or book a Pick my Brain session with me personally.