What’s an Avatar? How Do I Get One? Why Do I Need One?

If you cruise around the web at all, you’ve been asked to add an avatar at almost every turn. Sometimes, it’s a simple request to upload a picture for your profile; sometimes you are asked for a logo or thumbnail; sometimes it’s specifically called an avatar. All it is is a small .jpg (picture file) that represents you.

HandmadeArtists.com Shops

On HandmadeArtists.com, you can have a shop in addition to participating in their wonderful array of forums and reading posts on their blog.  You can choose to upload an avatar/small picture/thumbnail.  Whenever you post in the Forum or comment on the Blog, your avatar will be on that post.  If you don’t upload one, there will simply be a generic avatar next to your name.  In the Forums and on the Blog, this is not a big deal.  But if you have a shop, it is a HUGE issue!

On the very front page, the landing page for absolutely every visitor to the site, there is a section right under the front-page products entitled Featured Artists.  This is a gold mine of an opportunity to advertise and promote your shop right on the front page!  There is no charge for this…  the only thing it will cost you is time.  Plus, this generic avatar will appear all over the pages of your shop until you take the time to upload your own, unique avatar.

How To Create an Avatar

Most of us are NOT marketing geniuses.  We’re artists and crafters who are muddling through the internet world.   How on earth do we come up with this?

Actually, it really isn’t too hard.  The first thing you need to consider is what your avatar will show.  Do you want a picture of yourself to put a person with your creations?  Do you want an item that you make because it is so unique?  Do you want just your shop name?  Or maybe your shop name with a creation as the background?

Most of all, you want something memorable as your avatar, after all, this little photo is going to follow you everywhere and represent you to the world.  Like the Amazon Smile, eventually it would be perfect if people see it and know exactly who/what it represents.  For this reason, it is important to stick with it for a while; it represents your brand.

 

The Nuts and Bolts of Creating an Avatar

Most everywhere wants your avatar to be exactly square.  When creating you avatar, don’t worry about what size it is…  you can always resize it to the correct dimensions.  All you need to do is make sure that it is exactly square.  At this point, bigger is better so that the details are sharp and crisp when the image is shrunk to the site-required size.

If you have a shop, you already know something about resizing, cropping and editing photos.  It’s now just a matter of deciding what unique attribute about you or your items are going to represent you.  Just remember that most sites, this one included, allow you a very small space for your avatar, so don’t get really intricate and detailed in the design.  You simply won’t be able to see what’s in it when it is shrunk.

If you decide on something that is already a photo, it’s simply a matter of cropping it to be square.  If you decide to have just your brand name as your logo (like mine), you’ll need to create it, print it, then scan it so that it is in .jpg format (a picture file; .jpg is the most common).

Whatever you decide, put this at the top of your things to do list so that people seeing it can begin to relate and eventually buy from you!

Written by I Knit Quilt Sew

Tags: avatar, branding, HandmadeArtists.com, logo, marketing, small business

Posted in Handmade, Handmade Artisans, Handmade Mode, Information, Promote Handmade, Selling Tips