Design Blog
Design Blog
Thoughts and professional design and marketing advice from Resolution Creative.
Designing a Logo for a Church
A recent design project involved creating a logo for the Congregational Church of Batavia. The church did not have an existing logo, and there was a need for a logo that would tell the viewer who they represent.
My logo designs are usually not this detailed, but a minimalist logo would not be as effective in communicating the message the Congregational Church of Batavia needed to tell. The church thought it important to incorporate the colors of the Pride Flag. Although this meant using many more colors than I usually use in a logo design, it served a purpose. It immediately conveys this is an open and accepting church, an important message that the church wanted to tell.
The steeple was an important element as well. It is recognizable as the Congregational Church of Batavia, distinguishing them from other churches in the area. The pride colors are rendered in a style reminiscent of a stained glass window, further reinforcing the identity of a church.
Knowing that a logo sometimes needs the ability to be reproduced in one color, or a small size, I used color blocking with breaks in the colors and strong contrast in the steeple. The logo could then remain legible even when limited to single color printing or used at a small size.
After the design was approved, I provided versions that included the graphic element only, with the church name, the church name by itself and with the motto, and a version to use on a dark or busy background. I wanted to guarantee that no matter what the need, the logo would be usable.
Some of the other logos created by Resolution Creative may be viewed here.
What does Low Resolution Mean?
It’s been a while since a client has said “just grab my logo off my website” to use in a print project.
It may be a sign that most clients realize that an image used on a website will be too low resolution to use for print. Or at least the client will realize for some reason it doesn’t work. But if you’re still confused about resolution, perhaps we can help.
What is Print Resolution?
A digital image is made up of pixels, tiny squares of red, green and blue that combine to make different colors. Pixels per inch (ppi) is a measurement of the resolution of an image. A digital camera will take a photo that is 72 pixels per inch, and this is the resolution an image is displayed on your monitor. An image may look fine on your computer. However this same image might not print well.
Printing is made up of fine dots of cyan, magenta, yellow and black, using 300 dots per inch. Because of this requirement, printing requires a resolution of 300 ppi. You may have an image that 72 is ppi, and seems large at 20 x 16 inches. However, to print at 300 ppi, more pixels are needed to fill an inch and the dimensions reduce proportionally to 4.8 inches wide by 3.84 inches high.
How to Calculate Print Resolution
To calculate the size you can use an image, divide the pixel width and height each by 300. If you have Photoshop, you can look under Image / Image Size, with resample image UNCHECKED, and change the resolution to 300. The width and height measurements will display the maximum size you can use the image. If you use an image larger than the size indicated, it will be pixelated and not look good.
A professional graphic designer can advise you whether your image will work for your print project. Contact us if you’re interested in working with Resolution Creative.
Is Your Marketing a Stock Photo Cliché?
Stock photography is often a reasonably priced way to add images to your marketing communications. However there’s a falseness to the images. The models look a little too happy.
Have you heard of Women Laughing Alone With Salad? It is a blog devoted to many stock photographs of women laughing and eating salad. Why? Because this is a common stock photo, used all too often.
Your brand should not be represented by clichés. Do have the skills to edit a stock image, so that it resonates with your target audience and clearly conveys your message? A good graphic designer can take several images and combine them into one image that has a new meaning. In this cover for MidwestHeart shown below, I used a stock photo of an electrical current and another of the back of a man’s head and combined them to convey the impact of a stroke.
If you must use a stock photo, Hubspot has some good tips. Better yet, if the budget allows, work with a photographer or illustrator to create a custom image that will represent your brand, and ONLY your brand. You don’t want to see the same images you have used in your competitor’s marketing.
Keep It Simple
You’ve probably heard that phrase at some point in your life, but how many businesses apply this principle to their website? If a website has too much information, or unnecessary images, it may obstruct your message and drive your audience away. According to Manta, websites should be uncluttered and easy to navigate. Keep it simple: your copy should be concise, and use white space between your images and text to improve readability and create a pleasing online experience.
Your professionalism will be communicated through your copy and the visual appearance of your website. If you find the idea of creating a website daunting, Resolution Creative will work with you and suggest options which will fit your budget. Contact us for a free design consultation.
A good example of a small “brochure” website is the design created for KB Health Insurance Solutions by Resolution Creative. Potential clients may request information, access a location map, and download insurance applications. The graphics are kept to a minimum, but utilize colors and typestyles which reinforce KB Health Insurance Solutions branding. Fewer images are used in the mobile version, which helps in navigating the site on a smaller platform.
I’ve never tried this beer before, because the label uses Comic Sans.
(Or, don’t look like an amateur.)
During lunch at a local brew pub last week, my son Ben observed “I’ve never tried this beer before, because the label uses Comic Sans.” While Ben is an admitted beer snob, he is not a designer, so this piqued my curiosity. Designers are known to mock the use of the Comic Sans font. There’s even a group, “Ban Comic Sans.”
I asked why the use of Comic Cans bothered him. “It shows the company did not care enough to hire a professional designer. It’s looks amateurish. If the company is not professional in their presentation, how does the beer taste?”
Apply this anecdote to your business. Are your visual communications professional, or do they look amateurish? Using underlines for emphasis, poor quality photos and lack of consistency among the graphic elements are just a few of the tell tale signs of the amateur. Aesthetics are not the only consideration. Amateur mistakes in production can cost you when your marketing goes to print, or a website does not display correctly.
Being a designer is not only knowing how to use the tools of design, but how to achieve the desired results. Professional design will ensure the right message is delivered to your customers. Do you care how you appear to your audience? Contact Resolution Creative for a free design audit.
VNA Annual Report 2014
2014 was a busy year for VNA Health Care. VNA Navigators assisted 115,693 consumers during Open Enrollment under the Affordable Care Act, completing more applications per Navigator than all other Illinois grantees. Resolution Creative designed bilingual posters, fliers and brochures providing information during this process. Part of VNA’s mission is The Triple Aim:
- improved health
- improved patient experience
- reduced cost of care.
The 2014 Annual Report designed by Resolution Creative used triangle elements throughout as a motif recognizing the Triple Aim. With bold colors and a substantial uncoated paper stock, the information is organized to be pleasurable and easy to read for both the public they serve and their donors. Click here to flip through the annual report online.
Is Graphic Design Art?
From http://dezignvoices.wordpress.com/
My graphic design business is located within Water Street Studios in Batavia; I am a resident artist, nestled among photographers, jewelry designers, ceramicists, sculptors and painters. At a recent gallery opening, a visitor to my studio looking at some of the work on my walls commented “But this isn’t really art.” I will argue that “graphic design, with its own traditions and esthetic principles, deserves to be considered an art as much as architecture, photography and other functional forms of visual expression.”*
(more…)
Recent Project – Logo Design
Logo design for KB Health Insurance Solutions, Inc. The initials become a single unique graphic element, as the swash from the K becomes the bottom left serif on the B. The bottom swash on the B winds around entwining both letters.
The circle with the initials may be used separately as a social media avatar.
Bilingual Content Using the Principles of Design
Basic Design Principles Will Make Your Message Easier to Understand.
One of my clients has large Hispanic audience. Many of the print communications created for this client are bilingual, using both English and Spanish in a single document. Often this means the front and back are the same design, but printed in different languages. Sometimes both languages are printed on the same side of the paper, leaving it to the reader to find the content he can read.
How do you engage the reader, make the content comfortable to read, and still give equal weight to the different content areas? It’s all based upon good design. A well designed page organizes information so it is easy to understand. This poster, designed for a new diabetes program at VNA Health, presents a bilingual message while following the principles of design.
Establish a design hierarchy to determine an emphasis in the layout. The most important element in your communication may be emphasized by size, color, or isolated. In the poster, the name of the program and description are larger than the rest of the content, and centered on the poster. The Spanish program name is on the right, English on the left, both incorporating the large word “Diabetes” as part of the title.
Using a large single image has more impact than numerous small images. The English and Spanish descriptions are centered on either side of the graphic. The program name, image, and description are easy to see at a glance. (more…)
Why put a photo on your business card?
Do you ever wonder why certain professions feature a photograph of the business person on the card? I certainly have. Seeing someone’s face doesn’t make me want to buy insurance. But according to an article in online news source Patch, in some businesses your personality is your selling point. You should have a photo on your business card if you are in real estate, consulting, etc. Other tips offered include placing a special offer or coupon on the card, listing areas of expertise, and including your social media links.
However, the 5 for 5 Marketing and Branding Tips video series presents the argument that putting your personal photo on your business card is not an effective Brand Strategy. A photograph of yourself on a business card does not tell the consumer why what you offer is preferable to your competition. Better to use a logo or tagline that aligns with your business strategy.