Studio Notes
Why Hire a Designer in the Age of AI?
Why should you hire somebody to help you with your branding or your website or create a content calendar or a brand strategy when you can just turn to AI? I’m going to give you a couple of reasons, and explain just what exactly the role of a designer actually is, because I think it’s kind of gotten lost in this age of AI. And I think that there’s maybe a misconceived notion of what designers actually do.
How Three Pool Balls Inspired Our Website Overhaul
For two years, I knew our website wasn’t quite right—it was fine, but fine isn’t good enough for a design studio. Then one night at a local pool hall, inspiration struck in the most unexpected way. Here’s the story behind our complete website overhaul, from vibrant pool balls to strategic colors to service pillars to finding the perfect typeface.
How to Get Started with Social Media: A Practical Guide for B2B Businesses
As a business owner or manager, you know social media should be part of your strategy, but knowing you should be on social media and actually knowing where to start are two very different things. If you’re not a regular social media user yourself—or if you’re someone who prefers to scroll rather than post—the prospect…
Why Our New Office Space Changes Everything
After eight years of working from home as an independent designer, I finally took the leap. This past April, Zykin Design moved into our first dedicated office space here in Houston, and I can honestly say it’s been pretty transformative. The Journey from Freelancer to Studio For nearly a decade, I maintained dedicated office spaces…
Rethinking SEO: Strategies for AI-Powered Search Engines
SEO (search engine optimization) is the practice of improving your website’s visibility in search engines like Google. For years, businesses have competed for top rankings in the search results pages to drive traffic and generate leads. Strategies like keyword stuffing, backlink building, and paid ads have all been pillars of strong SEO, but with the…
7 Tips for Better Construction Photos & Videos
Strong visuals are one of the most powerful ways to tell the story of your work and company culture. High-quality imagery is essential for any brand—but you don’t necessarily need a professional photographer on-site every day to build a strong visual library. Hiring a pro can deliver a batch of polished content captured with professional…
Why Construction Companies Should Invest in Photo & Video Content
We use infrastructure every day without giving much thought to how it comes to life. The roads we drive on, the buildings we work in, the systems that deliver power and water—they all begin as complex, collaborative construction efforts. But for most people, this process remains out of sight and out of mind. Construction is…
A Strategic Approach to Construction Photography
Great on-site construction photography isn’t just about snapping pictures—it’s about capturing a company’s story with strategy and intent. From hero images to supplementary visuals for websites, we compose every shot with purpose. Whether it’s a branded hard hat, a team member walking toward a company truck, or a drone’s-eye view of the job site, every…
Working On the Business, Not Just In the Business – Q1 Retreat, 2025
Now that Zykin Design has been up and running for a few months, we’re taking time to be more intentional with how we grow—not just externally through client work, but internally through processes, systems, and strategy. We kicked off Q2 by holding our very first quarterly retreat, which gave us space to hit pause, take…
What is Audience Research and How Does it Impact Strategy?
As media continues to change, channels and spheres of influence become more fragmented, and the way that people consume content continues to evolve, understanding your audience is more important than ever. Audience research allows a marketing specialist to create strategies that truly resonate with who they want to connect with, leading to more effective engagement…
