Design Blog
Design Blog
Thoughts and professional design and marketing advice from Resolution Creative.
Image Awards Logo Design
The new logo for Image Awards Engraving and Creative Keepsakes
Client: Image Awards Engraving and Creative Keepsakes, Inc.
Industry: Retail
Project: Logo Design
Image Awards Engraving and Creative Keepsakes, Inc. is a retail business based in Geneva, Illinois. A successful business, providing trophies, corporate awards, and personalized gifts. All engraving and color imprinting is done onsite. The successful business is owned by Patty Donohue who was recently featured in “Building Your Business the Right Brain Way” by Jennifer Lee.
As the twentieth anniversary for the business approached, Patty decided it was time to reinvigorate her logo. She did some tweaking to her existing logo, and asked for opinions on Facebook. Most of the opinions posted were actually recommendations for different designers she could use, The logo contained a photo of a trophy. Using a photograph violates one of the requirements of a logo design; it needs to be scalable at any size. Patty decided that it was time to hire a professional, and contacted Resolution Creative. (more…)
Use Door Hangers in your Marketing
Marketing with Door Hangers
Have you thought about going old school with your marketing and adding door hangers to the mix? A door hanger guarantees interaction with your audience; it has to be noticed if it’s hanging from your doorknob.
Resolution Creative recently created a series of door hangers for VNA Health Care.
Amy Downing, VNA’s director of Marketing, uses door hangers because “door hangers are a cost effective alternative to direct mail. I like that I have more control over when the door hangers deliver and I can cover a larger area for my budget. I targeted our door hangers based on geography close to the clinics.” There was increased volume at the different VNA clinics in March, and she attributes that to the marketing efforts.
Intuit Small Business blog has tips for the effective use of door hangers. It is important to keep the design simple, so it can be easily read. This means a simple message and big headlines with a strong call to action, and the contact information should be prominently featured.
Contact Resolution Creative for a custom design solution for your marketing.
Should you use Stock Photos or Custom Photography?
Photo from Motherboard blog
When I first began working as a designer, I’d often work with photographers to create a specific image or photograph a product or display for use in advertising or packaging. I would sketch out my concept, and the photographer would create an image to meet my specifications, often improving my original concept with his or her own artistry. Occasionally I would purchase stock photos, usually for something not easily accessible, such as the flag waving over the Capitol. Stock images were selected by looking through print catalogs of images, or viewed on cd. Priced according to usage, the price of these rights-managed photos could be quite expensive.
These days, it’s easy to browse stock photography online, and there are many inexpensive stock photography websites. Professional and amateur photographers sell their photos online and at an affordable cost. iStockPhoto.com is one of the most well known sites, selling royalty free images. Royalty free means you pay for rights to use the image, not the distribution of the image.
Getty Images recently made 35 million of their images available at no charge for web use, providing an embed code is used that will link the image to Getty’s website. It’s now easy and common practice to purchase inexpensive stock photos and add visual interest to your website or print collateral.
(Click here to read a blog post I wrote about rights-managed, royalty free, and free images)
There are some disadvantages to using stock photos. Many stock images look clichéd or dated. These often laughable images have become fodder for blog content, such as “Stock Photo Cliches To Make You Laugh Alone With Salad. There has even been a song created. “The Clichéd Stock Photo Song.”
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Marketing Resolutions
It’s the end of January. Have you already failed at your resolutions, or did you even make any? It’s still early in the year, it’s not too late to get started. How about some marketing resolutions that will help grow your business? Keep in mind it is easier to keep resolutions if the goals are specific.
Last year I wrote about 13 Marketing Musts for 2013 from Small Business Trends. This list may help you get started in making improvements to your 2014 marketing. Remember to keep your goals specific. Instead of making a vague promise to “improve my website”, develop a plan of what needs to be changed on your website and how you will accomplish this. Does accomplishing these goals seem overwhelming? Delegating some of these tasks might help fulfill your goals.
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Using the Correct Color Mode and Resolution for Print
Click on image to view a guide to preparing files for print, provided by our print vendor.
I recently explained the need for correct image resolution and color mode in response to a friend’s Facebook post. My friend works for a major metropolitan newspaper, and was frustrated by the continual submission of low resolution images that were not usable for print. Are you making the same mistakes? Do you know how to set up an image properly for print? For images, two of the main requirements are using the correct color mode and resolution.
Here is a brief explanation. Print uses pigment inks and the web uses light colors. Think back to your high school science class, and it may be easier to understand. For print, the correct color mode is CMYK, which is comprised of separate channels for each of the process color inks used, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. Images to be used online has a color mode of RGB, with channels for Red, Green and Blue. If an image is the wrong color mode, it may not reproduce correctly since it can not be separated into the correct channels.
A web image is typically 72 ppi; this is referred to as resolution. That’s all that’s needed for a monitor, though this rule of thumb may be increasing to double that size with retina monitors. Print resolution needs to be much higher, at 300 pixels per inch. Images printed at a lower resolution will appear jaggy or fuzzy. Pixels per inch are sometimes referred to as dots per inch. You may see your resolution by looking at the Image Size in Adobe Photoshop. If you don’t have access to Photoshop, this link has a way to check an image resolution in Windows Explorer: http://www.ehow.com/how_6906723_determine-image-resolution.html
Pixels per inch are resized proportionally. If you have an image that’s 2″ x 2″ at 300 pixels per inch, and enlarge this image to 4″ x 4”, the resolution will drop to 150 pixels per inch. You can not enlarge an image beyond it’s original size, because the resolution will decrease proportionally. If you have a high resolution image, you can decrease the size, but not increase it. The only time you should use an image at a size larger than the original is if the resolution is greater than 300 ppi. If the 2″ x 2″ image has a resolution of 600 pixels, you can increase the size to 4″ x 4″ and it will be at 300 ppi.
Are you confused? Until you have worked with resolutions and color modes, and viewed the differences on press, it can be difficult to understand. Just keep in mind that for print, the color mode should be CMYK and the resolution should be 300 ppi at this size you intend to use the image. If you’re rather leave the design and pre-press work in the hands of a professional, contact Resolution Creative.
VNA Health Care Flyer redesign
Client: VNA Health Care – Aurora, IL
Industry: non-profit health care
Project: flyer redesign
Problem
VNA Health Care prints a series of flyers for each clinic location. The information provided includes the location, the staff, and the specializations provided at that clinic. Because of the turnover in staff, there is often a need for the flyers to be updated. The client was interested in an updated look, while still keeping within the brand standards.
Solution
The existing flyer had a lot of visual clutter in the dark background and repeating circles. Legibility is increased with tighter groupings of the provider images balanced with white space. Large subheads in different colors helped segment the specializations. The provider names in black on a white background are easier to read than the small reverse type used previously. The redesign resulted in a layout that can be easily updated, and modified for different locations.
Shop Local for Marketing
One of the phrases we’re hearing repeated throughout the holiday season is to “Shop Local,” along with the promotion of Small Business Saturday. Buying goods locally is an investment in your community, and strengthens the economic base.
However, buying local and supporting local businesses should not be limited to brick and mortar retailers. Do you know the vendors available to you locally for your graphic design and marketing? Working with an independent consultant will yield results targeted to your market, marketing created specifically for your products or services. (more…)
Brand Consistency
Are you annoyed by this logo?
There’s a logo that has bothered me for years. I have often driven by it, and it has never failed to annoy me.
As a graphic designer, I have certain expectations of a logo. A good logo design should be simple, legible, recognizable and and usable on a variety of media. I see many logos that don’t fit that criteria, but none of them annoy me as this one does. This has the potential to be an effective logo, but it is not being used with consistency.
A logo is part of your brand. To be effective, and build recognition and the brand, a logo needs to be presented in a consistent manner. This means always using the same color scheme, type styles, the way other elements are positioned with the logo.
What’s wrong with this logo? I suspect the smaller angled logo on the sides of the awning was how the designer originally intended the logo to be positioned. The larger logo over the door not only is not consistent, but sends a visual message at odds with the name of the business.
Do your business visuals send a confusing message about your business? If you need help in getting it right, Resolution Creative can help. Contact us for a free design audit of your marketing materials.
Designing for Print
A client called me last week. A special event was being hosted by this health care organization, and the client wanted more than a standard invitation. Something that would stand-out and be noticed. Perhaps a die-cut?
In this interactive age, the request was a designer’s dream. My project load has become increasingly digital. But there are just some things you can only do in print media. Die-cuts, folds, specialty papers, embossing, foils, letterpress are just some of the features print designers drool over. Print is tactile, and has a permanence that can not be achieved in digital design. (more…)
How to Choose a Graphic Designer
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PHOTO FROM GL DESIGN BLOG
It’s more than knowing the software.
What You Should Know to Choose a Graphic Designer.
I recently spent an enjoyable hour reminiscing about obsolete graphic design materials with former classmates on Facebook. Those who became designers after the birth of the Mac do not have the same memories of rapidograph pens, waxers, rubylith or kneaded erasers.
Does remembering the “good ol’ days” make us better designers? No, of course not. In the same sense, knowledge of graphic design software does not necessarily make one a designer either. Both the obsolete technology and the current software are only tools. The argument I always present is that owning a hammer does not make a master carpenter.
What does make one a good designer? Besides knowing the Adobe Creative Suite, what else does a designer need to know? (more…)