What to Wear to Alt Summit

By Alt Channel teacher Nicole Balch. 

Are you one of the lucky ones going to Alt Summit this year? The conference has expanded, and more people means more newcomers. This also means more people wondering what to wear to this event that is known for bringing out the most stylish trends and fashions. I recently taught a class for Alt that was all about What to Wear to the conference ( it’s coming up again soon ). In this class I broke it all down everything you need to know. Follow these guiding principles, and you’ll be all set:

• Get colorful - Seriously, pick a color; any color! Throw on some bright pants, a colorful top, or vivid shoes. Be even more daring and pack a punch with all three.
• Be quirky - Like saddle shoes? Vintage bombshell style? Vintage grandma style? If it’s you, wear it and rock it!
• Channel your inner five-year-old - Do you have a little girl in your life? Think to yourself, "would she get a kick out of this?" If the answer is yes, go for it.
• The "design blogger" look - We’re a funny bunch, aren’t we? So different, yet so often drawn to the same things. Stripes, polka dots, and chambray, oh my! Throw in some red lipstick, braids, and top-knots… you get the picture.
• Be cool - If quirk and technicolor aren’t your thing, feel free to bring the black. Or leopard print. Meow.
• Get a "Clue" - People commit to the theme party, and you should too. Are you happiest in scarlet, plum, mustard, green, blue, or white? Think color, not costume.
• Sparkle - Sequins, glitter, or metallic? How about all three?
• Make a statement - Have a thing for crazy shoes or gigantic necklaces? Like to sport the kind of duds that get people talking? This is the place for you.

Friday Links to Make Your Blog Shine

By Alt Channel Teacher Melanie Burk. Photography by Roger Kirk Nelson.

Here are a few favorite links for making your blog shine in 2013!

• Tips for putting text over photos 
• A great place to buy Wordpress templates 
• Saying more, with less, on your blog 
• Beautiful Blogger templates 
• "How-to" tips for understanding the backend of your blog 
• A bunch of free script fonts

Tips For a Beautiful Online Portfolio

By Alt channel teacher Melanie Burk. Painting by Lisa Congdon.

Whether you are an illustrator, designer, or photographer, an online portfolio is an essential tool. I constantly get questions from students about how to set up their portfolio, and am asked for any tips to make one's portfolio shine. Since you never know who will be looking at it, you want to make the most of your website. Here are a few tips I have found over the years for making your portfolio shine:

1) Don't include all of your work
This can be really tempting when you are just starting out, and only have 20 pieces to show. But it is always better to have 8 of your best pieces, than 8 great and 12 mediocre pieces. Clients will hire you based on what they see, not from what they don't see. So edit, edit, edit! Think about what photos, designs, or illustrations really show off your talent. If you have portfolio pieces showing work you don't want to do (for example, wedding invitations), don't include them in your portfolio. If you show them online, people will assume that they can hire you for that. It goes the other way too–if you want to be hired for something you haven't done, do a personal piece and put it online.

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All Classes are Free This Month!

By Jenny Batt. Photography by To Love Lisa.

All of us at Alt Summit want to wish you a Happy New Year! Alt SLC is only a few days away, and to make sure we all start off the year right, Bing has sponsored the ENTIRE month of January classes. That’s right, they are all FREE! All the classes this month are designed to help you make this the best year ever. The Alt Channel wants to help you discover the best practices to grow your blog, your business, and your brand. Make 2013 the best year yet by taking some of these great new classes.

Need a little help preparing for Alt Summit? Every attendee is dressed to impress at Alt. What on earth will you wear? You may want to up your game from last year, or this may be your first year. Either way, make sure you check out What to Wear to Alt by Nicole Balch, of Making It Lovely, and figure out what to pack and when to wear stilettos.  

Don’t miss How to Organize Your Time at Alt with Kelly Beall, of Design Crush, and get the best tips on how to maximize your time at Alt. What can you do to prepare, and what to do while there to make the best and most meaningful connections.

Want to know how to take your blog from good to great? Chris Gardner, Editor of Curbly magazine, is ready to share his secrets about creating an editorial calendar. In his class Planning Your Editorial Calendar, Chris will teach you what you need to do to organize your content each month, and plan ahead for the seasons.

Check out the Alt Channel for more great classes to help make your blog amazing. Thank you Bing for helping make the Alt Channel January class line-up happen. Don’t forget to tweet about this with the hashtag #THANKSBING.

Branding: Should You Re-brand or Just Spruce Things Up?

By guest contributor Mariah Danielsen. Photography by Bhldn.

This time of year leaves us all reflecting on our brands and how we want to grow in the new year. One thing you may be contemplating is a whole new look for your brand - complete with a new logo, website, and new offerings.

Re-branding your business, even when you don’t have a ton of followers, can be overwhelming and costly. The price of a new logo, website, web copy, images, and business cards can add up quickly. It’s worth thinking about whether you want a whole new look, or if you should just spruce things up a bit.

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