the beginning - what's in it for you - tools of the trade - why choose cbg

My name is Colleen and this is a quick story about how Cool Baby Graphics came to be. I started CBG January of 1999. Over the years prior to this I was creating web sites as a hobby. It's funny to look back at those very first web pages...gosh, they sure did look..um...interesting. I guess everyone has to start somewhere right?

As my interest grew I taught myself more and more about HTML and graphic design. I was spurred on by the positive comments I received for the website I created for my cat Molly. Then when the New York Times emailed me to do an interview about her site I was flabbergasted. They had commented that her site was original and the graphic content was fresh. It was just what I needed to give me that extra confidence boost to take it up a notch and seriously consider this a business.

So that's pretty much the simple and short version of the beginning..... Oh yeah, I bet you're wondering where the name Cool Baby Graphics came from? Well, in 1996 my daughter Emma was born and one day while she was hanging out in her car carrier waiting for us to go, I took a quick snapshot of her. When I was thinking of a catchy name for my business, that picture happened to be out .....so there you have it! If you'd like to see how she truly is a COOL BABY then click here. Cool Baby Number Two made her debut in September of 2002! Ellie's photo can be seen here.

Here are some little factoids about me

• I was born in mid August -1969
• I have been happily married to the cutest boy since 1992
• I have a BA in Communications
• I have a kind, generous and handsome husband
• I have 6 cats, 2 dogs, 1 hamster, a backyard full of birds and 2 kids
• Emma & Ellie are the lights of my life
• I have a major crush on David Duchovny (hubba hubba)
• I've partied in Times Square on New Years Eve
• I like sappy movies, Oprah, the X-Files and Chips Ahoys
• I enjoy the music of Sarah McLachlan, Annie Lennox,
  Some funky Hip Hop and Rick Springfield (yikes..dating myself there.)
• Tina Turner is one of my inspirations

Now that you know a little background information you're probably thinking "Ok that's a great little story, but what can you actually do for me and my company?" That's your call. I really prefer to do logos and as of recently, with the launch of Tickle Bellies, I have stopped doing websites.However, in addition to your logo,I can create brochures, business cards, newsletters and advertisements. I will assist my clients with registering domain names and selecting hosting companies to finding the right print shop online or one more local. Customer service is extremely important to me and I want to make sure you are 100% satisfied with my services.

I have a design style that allows me to create crisp, clear, high quality web and print graphics. I have fresh and creative ideas and I work well with my clients to ensure their satisfaction.

My services are very affordable in comparison to others that offer the same quality of work. I've checked out other designers who I feel offer similar quality and I usually find that my price quotes come in way under theirs. However, the best way to tell, is to find this out on your own. Visit several companies, whose work that you like, and then call or email for a price quote. That's the only real way to decide!

Sometimes it's helpful to know what programs and tools I use to help me out... so I am revealing my secrets... ssshhh don't tell anybody else...

• Adobe Illustrator 10.0 This is my favorite program! This is a vector based drawing program. I Just love it!
• Adobe Photoshop 6.0 This is often stated to be the best program ever (I still like lllustrator better ) and it can help you with any special effect you may need. You can clean up old photos, combine images into a collage, put your husbands head on Brad Pitt's body... you get the picture.
• Macromedia Dreamweaver A program that creates HTML and puts everything into a nice little website.
• Ulead Animation 4.0 This is a fun program that puts all the individual frames of an animation together.
• Swish - OK this program is so cool. You can be a total moron and use it. It's a jazzy little Flash program that has a ton of effects.
• WS_FTP - FTP program...it's the best!
  

Cool Baby Graphics is an established design house. Our clipart is licensed all across the US, Canada, South American and Europe. We are a small company so we have excellent customer service and we pay close attention to detail. We are affordable for today's small businesses and we love to help out companies that are just starting out. We will work with you until you are satisfied.

As I mentioned, we do not do too much custom work anymore but if you are interested and want to get on our list than I am sure you will be happy that you waited.

Please feel free to contact any of my clients that are in the portfolio. I have a testimonials page that you may want to peruse to see what they think of me. And of course, any questions you may have can be directed to me at any time. I thank you for listening and learning a little more about Cool Baby Graphics.