Here at Magnets USA, it's football season.

For the past three months, graphic designers Brian and Ray have been brainstorming, designing and perfecting our best-selling magnetic football schedules. Hear from them about what makes the 2016 lineup such a touchdown:

Brian has designed for a range of audiences, including an architecture firm and a software company. He approaches each project with multiple viewpoints, which helps him avoid creating something one-dimensional.

What’s the most important thing to consider when designing a football schedule?
The excitement of the sport. We try to reflect that in the design of each schedule.

What’s your favorite aspect about this year’s lineup?
We tried to approach the design process a little differently this year, and I think our designs will be appealing to both new and returning customers.

What’s your favorite song to listen to while you’re designing football schedules?
Something up-tempo to get into the right mindset.

Ray studied graphic design at Virginia Tech and has been designing for almost 16 years, mostly in print and web.

How do you get the creativity flowing?
Design ideas are brewing on the back of my head all through out the year, just waiting for the green light to start creating.

How does this lineup differ from years past?
This year's football lineup is pretty unique. We have the new middle personalization, so our clients' business information is more a part of the schedule — rather than just a football schedule with a business information attached to it. We also made it easier for our clients to pick and choose which teams they want featured on a larger schedule (available online soon). Lastly, eye-catching designs on most of our formats.

Who are you cheering for this football season?
It's way past due. This year is the year the Redskins reach the Superbowl. I love the time that leads to the beginning of football season because that's when every football fan is full of hope.

Our schedules feature eye-catching, die-cut shapes like house and bump. (Psst, We're offering shaped schedules at no additional cost right now. Hooray!)

Measuring 5.5 inches x 8.5 inches, our new Massive Make-Your-Own schedule can feature up to 14 teams of your choice.

Lucky for you, a lot of attention-grabbing features come naturally with our popular Festival & Event Schedules, like exclusive die-cut shapes, full-color printing and the best personalization around.

But here are some tips on getting the most out of your fun — and helpful — magnetic marketing piece:

1. Fine-tune your list of events.

Featuring great events will show you're a community expert. This is why we strongly encourage you to compile your own list — after all, you know your neighborhood and clients much better than we do! With the right tools, you can easily find the best, most interesting events in your area.

A great place to begin your search is your local Chamber of Commerce. They often offer visitor guides that are chock-full of popular festivals, fairs and shows. Other resources include civic center websites, local lifestyle magazines and the events section of your town's newspaper.

Remember, your schedule has room for 25 events, so make 'em count!

2. Make your schedule unique with a stellar photo.

While all of our festival schedules feature a gorgeous, high-resolution photo, you do have the option to provide your own. This is a creative way to showcase your town and make your schedule even more personal.

For best results, our graphic designers recommend  sending an image that's at least 3.75 inches x 2.3 inches with a resolution of 300.

3. Choose Billboard Personalization.

Billboard Personalization is our modern, clutter-free way to feature your contact information and portrait. By only highlighting the essentials, your business has room to breath — and shine.

4. Mail smarter.

The very best schedule is one you don't have to mail yourself. With our comprehensive mailing services, we take care of everything — stuffing, sealing, addressing and delivering. We can even prepare a targeted mailing list for you.

Have more questions on creating a Festival & Event Schedule? Check out our 101 Guide.

So you just received your festival or baseball schedules. Now what? Sharing them with the masses! If you're up for a little legwork and a lot of fun, we can help you get them to the right people — because we understand that distributing is just as important as design. Here's what our marketing consultants suggest:

1. Your go-to businesses. Coffee shops, your doctor's office, a favorite sports bar — you're probably going here anyway, so why not leave behind some awesome marketing pieces?

2. Your friends and family. Give a stack of schedules to your biggest supporters, so they can distribute them while they're out and about.

3. Hair salons and barber shops. The latter is especially great for distributing sports schedules. Also, a useful schedule is the perfect pick-me-up for a bad haircut, right?

4. Elementary schools. By sending schedules home with students, their parents become your new prospective clients!

5. Chambers of Commerce. Leaving a stack of festival schedules at your local chamber is an easy and effective way to get your name out there to everyone who visits.

6. On your Facebook page. Post a photo of your schedules to your social media accounts, and ask followers to contact you if they'd like one. Don't underestimate the power of a post!

7. Minor League Baseball teams. Since these teams usually have very tight budgets, most are happy to partner with you to distribute their schedules.

8. Old-fashioned canvassing. As spring makes its way to your town, going door-to-door with your festival schedules is a tried-and-true way to interact with potential clients.

9. Convenience stores. Next time you fill up, leave a stack of baseball or festival schedules by the register.

10. Our full mailing services. No time to distribute schedules yourself? We completely understand. From stuffing and sealing to addressing and shipping your envelopes, we'll mail your pieces to your mailing list. Don't have a mailing list, or just want some fresh contacts? We can help with that, too.

Last week, our team rocked our biggest trade show ever.

Like every show, we revel in the opportunity to meet customers from all over the U.S. and Canada, shake their hand, look them in the eye and witness their reaction to our lineup of cutlery, calendars, sports schedules and more. Moments like these power us through those 10-hour days on our feet.

But what made this show — Keller Williams Family Reunion in New Orleans — so special? First, our booth. A Keller Williams Approved Vendor for nearly 19 years, we were very honored and excited to have eight tables for our Magnets USA and LifeLong Cutlery products. Not only did this gave us more opportunities to speak with agents one-on-one, but it also allowed us to introduce some fun new items from our LifeLong Cutlery Infinity Collection.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the booth! We're happy to have you on board.

Time flies when you team up with great people.

This week, we're celebrating 20 years as a RE/MAX Approved Supplier. As a result of this long-standing partnership — which began Jan. 30, 1996 — RE/MAX agents receive the very best that Magnets USA has to offer, including discounted pricing, company-approved designs, a tailored webpage and a dedicated team of personal representatives.

One of those representatives is Alan Dever, who's been working with RE/MAX agents since 2008.

"I'm privileged to get to work with them." Alan said. "I've learned so much about the industry, the brand and have not only made long-lasting business relationships, but actual friendships with many RE/MAX agents. RE/MAX is a unique real estate company — and No. 1 in the world for a reason."

Like the rest of our RE/MAX team, Alan travels to several conferences a year, meeting customers face-to-face and absorbing the company culture.

One of his most memorable moments occurred at the 2013 R4 Conference Opening Session, where co-founder Dave Liniger shared his story about battling MRSA.

"The audience hung onto every word," Alan said. "It was a moving message about not giving up, which he correlated with then then-struggling real estate market. He ended his speech with powerful words of encouragement, advice and stood up out of his wheelchair and walked off the stage. It was amazing, and I was honored to be there that evening."

It's moments like these — and countless others — that make our jobs and these partnerships so worthwhile.

Cheers to 20 more years, RE/MAX!