Seller Wednesday – How to use a Flash Panel to Promote Your Zazzle Store

It’s Seller Wednesday!

Sellers that have been at Zazzle for awhile probably already know about the flash panel, but for all the newbies out there (or sellers that are looking for new ways to promote their store), we’ll be going over the benefit of creating flash panels for additional store advertising.

There are two ways to go about create a flash panel, we’ll go over both.

Creating a Flash Panel After You Create a Product

The easiest way to get the code for a flash panel is after you create a product.  Once you make a product, you will find a flash panel on the “Congratulations” page with your newest products featured.  You can either copy and paste the code provided, or if you wanted to change it up a bit (changing the Title &/or Skin), you can click on the “Create a customized panel”, and it will take you into the Associates center in your account. The details on how to edit your flash panel are in the next section.

Creating a Flash Panel in Your Account

Step One – Login into your Zazzle account (if you’re coming from the “Congratulation” screen, you can continue to step 2).  Once you’re logged in, go to your “My Account” section, and click on the “Associates” tab.  In the left navigation, under “link building,” you will find the link for creating flash panels. Go ahead and click on that.

Step Two – At first, it’ll pop up with products from the marketplace. If you want to create a flash panel of your own products, put your handle in the Seller section, and click “Preview your feed”.

Step Three – Now that your feed is showing, hit the “Next” button to take you to a preview of your panel.   Feel free to change the Title and the Skin (which will change the background color) of your flash panel. Every time you make a change you’ll have to hit “Preview your panel” in order for it to update.

Once you have it looking the way you want, click “Save & Finish”. You can then copy and paste the provided code in your blog, on your webpage… pretty much anywhere you’d normally go to promote your store.

Share how you use your flash panel in the comments, on our Facebook wall, or on Twitter.

Sonya Paz celebrates 10 yrs of pop art

Sonya Paz (Zazzle store SonyaPaz) has a new exhibition at her gallery in downtown Campbell, called “Retrospectives and Revelations… a Decade of Design”, celebrating a decade of painting.

It’s great to see Zazzle Sellers spreading their art all over the world, so if you’re in the area, be sure to stop by and check out her gallery.   Also, be sure to check out all her colorful pop art products in her Zazzle Store, SonyaPaz!

Birthday Surprise for Zazzle CEO

Happy Birthday Robert!

Here’s a detailed picture (maybe too detailed…) of the banner:

Foto Friday – Earn $5 with your Zazzle photos!

Check out this week’s Foto Friday Fun!

What’s Foto Friday? It’s our weekly blog post of customers enjoying their Zazzle products. Want to join in the fun and earn $5 towards your next Zazzle order? Read below for details on how to participate in Foto Friday.

2010 Graduation Tassel Custom Announcement

Colorado School of Mimes Hoody

Want to join in? It’s easy and fun! For every photo you send us we’ll give you $5 to use on your next Zazzle order. So get started taking those pictures and join in on the Foto Friday fun!
Rules:

1. You must be in the photo holding, wearing, hugging, or otherwise enjoying your Zazzle product
2. If the product is available in the public Zazzle Marketplace, include the product link
3. Be creative and have fun!

You can tweet your photos to @zazzle or do it the old fashioned way by emailing them to community@zazzle.com.

Zazzle Featured Seller Interview with Lucia Salemi

Lucia, from the Zazzle stores Lucia_Salemi, sallylux, etc., was kind enough to sit down and talk with us about her inspirations, and her time at Zazzle. Check out the interview below and don’t forget to check out her stores Lucia_salemi, sallylux, and FunnyCuteMonsters

Zazzle: First off, tell us a little bit about yourself.

Lucia: I’m an Italian author/illustrator of children’s books. Two years ago I visited the website of a UK-based illustrator, and I noticed that she offered her prints on Zazzle. I’d never heard about Zazzle before, but I was building my own website and I wanted to offer my prints too! The Italian fans of my books often asked me where they could find my wall art for their children’s bedrooms. Weird that nearly all my customers are Americans now, and I’m so happy for it!

Zazzle: What’s your inspiration for your designs?

Lucia: Kids and animals…I adore both. They are so funny, especially when they make a mess

Zazzle: What has been your favorite design you’ve created, and why?

Lucia: My Sleeping Bats! I love this design because it’s sweet, but also humorous. A bat’s way of sleeping looks so bizarre to us, but it’s absolutely natural to them. The message is “Be yourself and don’t imitate others – don’t try to wear a nightcap if you’re a bat!”

Zazzle: What is your favorite Zazzle feature? How do you use it?

Lucia: Customization! Customers can personalize text, change the backgrounds in my designs; this is just the greatest feature. Also, the design engine is so easy to use, everybody can have a store. If you have a problem, check out the Forums: Zazzle is by far the most supporting and encouraging community I’ve found. I always find my answer there.

Zazzle: What got you interested in selling your art on Zazzle?

Lucia: Freedom – I feel free to express myself here, and it’s so much fun. It’s great to be receiving such terrific exposure, and as the saying goes: making the art is the easy part, but making a living from art is the hard part.

Zazzle: What tips can you give someone who is just starting out on Zazzle?

Lucia: 1) When I was a newbie here, I used the delete button way too much. I later found out that some of my best sellers weren’t my favorite designs, or what I believed were my best artworks. You can have big surprises about your work. Just be patient and give it time for people to find your products.

2) If you’re eclectic and you love acrylic painting, but also digital design and photography, you can have several stores: I sell my graphic designs in sallylux store, and the designs created with my daughter in lucykitty. I have several stores, the newest of which is funnycutemonsters.

3) Beware, it’s addicting: I can’t stop Zazzling!

Thanks Lucia!

Seller Wednesday – Guest Blog by ProSeller KrispysKingdom

Kris, from the Zazzle store KrispysKingdom, wanted to share a great project that combines helping cancer patients and Zazzle in a new and unique way. Read Kris’s story below for another edition of “Guest Blog,” for Seller Wednesday!

Kris: It all started with my cousin, Kelli. At the age of 26 she was diagnosed with Lymphoma and fought for more than 4 years to battle this deadly disease. Kelli is now 32 and has just 4 more years to go without the cancer returning before she will be considered cancer-free.

During her first cancer treatment round, Kelli had a terrible time keeping the mass of paperwork organized. Necessity being the mother of invention, Kelli created a binder to organize her cancer treatment paperwork to make sure nothing was missed – the Feel Better Binder was born. After recovery (and a couple more years to feel like herself again) Kelli asked me to help develop the Feel Better Binder on Zazzle to help other cancer patients stay organized. Zazzle’s custom binders, combined with my design skills, became a way for Kelli to aid other cancer patients who were feeling the burden of treatment.

The Feel Better Binder along with the informational PDF available in my store is one way family and friends can help cancer patients in dealing with the incredible amount of work it takes to overcome the disease.

Do you have a unique story about using Zazzle products? Share them by emailing us!

Fun At Zazzle HQ – Desk Decorations

Here at Zazzle, we love it when people have birthday’s or go on vacation.  It’s not the just delicious cake, or the treats they bring back… it’s the fun we have decorating their desks.

Happy Birthday Wendy! Love, the Zazzle Team

There’s plenty more to come, so stay tuned. 🙂

ARTSPROJEKT and Adobe Team Up to Show Off CS5

Five ARTSPROJEKT artists (Amatic, Matthew Curry, McBess, Sauerkids, Luca Ionescu) got a chance to create unique designs using the new design tools in Adobe Creative Suite 5, and have their work premiered at the HOW Design Conference. Visitors to the Adobe booth had a chance to win a pair of shoes customized with one of the featured illustrations. Check out the 5 illustrations below.

Matthew Curry

McBess

Saucerkids

Luca Ionescu

Amatic

The entire Artsprojekt and Adobe Creative Suite 5 collection is available for viewing and purchase online at http://www.artsprojekt.com/adobecs5.

Zazzle Dads Foto Friday!

On the eve of Father’s Day, I thought it would be fun to hijack today’s Foto Friday and turn it into Zazzle Dads Foto Friday! See below for pics of Zazzle Dads and Zazzle Kids in Zazzle gear! Happy Father’s Day! Share your own Father’s Day photos in the comments!

Want to join in? It’s easy and fun! For every photo you send us we’ll give you $5 to use on your next Zazzle order. So get started taking those pictures and join in on the Foto Friday fun!
Rules:

1. You must be in the photo holding, wearing, hugging, or otherwise enjoying your Zazzle product
2. If the product is available in the public Zazzle Marketplace, include the product link
3. Be creative and have fun!

You can tweet your photos to @zazzle or do it the old fashioned way by emailing them to community@zazzle.com.

Featured Seller Interview with FredzShop

Fred, from the Zazzle stores FredzShop, Fredml8, AfroHipo, Tipitaka, etc., was kind enough to sit down and talk with us about his art, and his time as a Zazzler. Check out the interview below and don’t forget to check out his stores Fredml8, AfroHipo, Tipitaka, HappyPanda, VouDou, FredzCards, FredzMugs, FredzTies, and FredzShop.

Zazzle: First off, tell us a little bit about yourself.

Fred: I’m a self-taught graphic artist with a passion for books and all things retro. From a young age I was always drawing, doodling or sketching. I remember learning how to draw by reproducing Marvel comic book covers (don’t tell Stan), especially Doctor Strange and Captain America.

Eventually life caught up and I worked in the engineering industry for 15 years. The company I worked for had me involved in design doing corporate brochures, catalogs, advertising etc., which introduced me to Photoshop and Illustrator (can you believe they used to fit on a floppy disk?). Tools I still use today to create my art.

Zazzle has given me the opportunity to share my art and designs as well as collaborate with people from around the globe. Zazzle has also helped me rediscover a much neglected skill and allowed me to express myself. Thanks Zaz!

Zazzle: What’s your inspiration for your designs?

Fred: Inspiration for my designs comes from many sources, my travels, the people I deal with on a daily basis as well personal experiences. I’m also a big fan of the 1960s and 1970s and draw a lot of inspiration from those periods, they were exciting decades with lots going on. A lot of it is random too, I sometimes start doodling away and end up with something totally unexpected that I think would look good on a t-shirt or something else.

Zazzle: What has been your favorite design you’ve created, and why?

Fred: I tend to be very critical of my work (something bad I’m told), and as such, hardly ever publish anything I think isn’t worthy. In that respect I have no favorites, but then again all my designs are favorites. Having said that, the shop I’m the most pleased with as a whole, would have to be my Buddha themed store, Tipitaka.

Zazzle: What is your favorite Zazzle feature? How do you use it?

Fred: For me Zazzle as a whole is an amazing feature and I’m always looking forward to the next tweak or new addition. If I had to pick one particular thing though, it would have to be “customization”. I think it’s great that clients can customize our products, adding their personal touch to the final product… it’s an option I always enable.

Zazzle: What got you interested in selling your art on Zazzle?

Fred: To be honest I first started on a couple of other sites but was always frustrated at how limiting they were, and how unnecessarily difficult it was to do the simplest things. I was about to throw in the towel when, by chance, I came across Zazzle and decided to give it all one last try. I guess third time’s the charm. I was instantly hooked and felt that out of all the other sites, Zazzle was the one with the most potential for the future. The complexity was kept to a minimum while offering so many features. As the saying goes, the rest is history.

Zazzle: What tips can you give someone who is just starting out on Zazzle?

Fred: Tips? Perseverance. Don’t give up just because things aren’t going as fast as you want them to. Keep at it and you’ll eventually get that first sale and be on top of the world. It’s a great feeling. Being unique (or at least trying to be) is also important, do your own art (stay away from commercial boxed sets) and express yourself in your own unique style.

Thanks Fred!