If we weren't in the room when the decisions were made, if we don't know what the CEO's intentions were, how can we say one logo is "better" than another?
As in ice skating, technical merit can be judged independently of communications content, and we can all see the skater fall. The first five things that distinguish great marks from ordinary ones are technical; the last one addresses content. Great marks are always:
1. Distinctive. The design idea need not be unique in the world, just distinctive enough so you can "own" it in your particular marketplace.
2. Practical. Can be printed small, in ink or pixels; works in black on white as well as in colors; works in reverse too, white on black. (Faces, human or animal, usually flunk this last test; the eyes turn white.)
3. Graphic. Communicates purely in visual terms, to the right brain hemisphere; doesn't depend on verbal, intellectual interpretation. (Example: Tenneco seriously considered and rejected a "10ECO" logo design. Clever, but it's not a mark, it's a pun.) If a wordmark, it can be recognized by form alone (you don't have to "read" Coca-Cola's logo more than once or twice).
4. Simple in form. Contains only one graphic idea, one gimmick, one dingbat. Thus if there's a symbol, the accompanying name is plain and unadorned. And if it is a wordmark, one idea or device makes it special-like IBM's stripes. (The more unique the name, the simpler the graphics can be.)
5. One message. In content too, great designs try to express no more than one attribute (such as stature or speed or dynamism) and support a single aspect of positioning.
6. Appropriate. In the end, of course, the content's got to be right. An otherwise-great mark fails if the reputation, positioning, and personality expressed are at odds with management intentions. -T.S.
By: Tony Spaeth / www.identityworks.com
Source: www.logoorange.com
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
top 10 Tips to a Great Web Page
Make Your Site Valuable to Your Readers
There aren't any magic pills to create a great Web page that everyone will visit again and again, but if you follow these ten tips your site will be more popular and easier for people to read.
1) Know your audience, and keep them in mind when you write.
If your Web pages are frequented by people with slower modems then designing a page that looks best over a T1 is not a successful strategy.
2) Keep your pages short.
If you minimize the scrolling, chances are, your readers will get your message. A good screen size is 640 pixels wide by 480 tall.
3) Use tables of contents.
According to Jakob Nielsen only 10% of users will scroll beyond the first screen of text. If that first screen has a table of contents viewers will click on the links to the explanatory text.
4) Keep images small.
Large images annoy people. If it takes too long to download, many people will never see it, as they will have browsed somewhere.
5) Use Web colors.
The browser-safe color palette will ensure that most people will see your page and images in the colors you intended.
6) Avoid lots of text.
People don't read the Web, they skim it.
7) Check your spelling.
Use a spell checker, either in your editor or on-line.
8) Keep links current.
Check your links often to make sure they are still valid. Using a link checker speeds up pages with many links.
9) Annotate your links.
If a page is good enough to link to, then it's good enough to explain why you like it.
10) Put contact information on your pages.
The Web is interactive and dynamic, and you should welcome comments on your pages. Also, if there is a broken link or other problem, your readers can let you know, easily.
By: Jennifer Kyrnin / http://webdesign.about.com
There aren't any magic pills to create a great Web page that everyone will visit again and again, but if you follow these ten tips your site will be more popular and easier for people to read.
1) Know your audience, and keep them in mind when you write.
If your Web pages are frequented by people with slower modems then designing a page that looks best over a T1 is not a successful strategy.
2) Keep your pages short.
If you minimize the scrolling, chances are, your readers will get your message. A good screen size is 640 pixels wide by 480 tall.
3) Use tables of contents.
According to Jakob Nielsen only 10% of users will scroll beyond the first screen of text. If that first screen has a table of contents viewers will click on the links to the explanatory text.
4) Keep images small.
Large images annoy people. If it takes too long to download, many people will never see it, as they will have browsed somewhere.
5) Use Web colors.
The browser-safe color palette will ensure that most people will see your page and images in the colors you intended.
6) Avoid lots of text.
People don't read the Web, they skim it.
7) Check your spelling.
Use a spell checker, either in your editor or on-line.
8) Keep links current.
Check your links often to make sure they are still valid. Using a link checker speeds up pages with many links.
9) Annotate your links.
If a page is good enough to link to, then it's good enough to explain why you like it.
10) Put contact information on your pages.
The Web is interactive and dynamic, and you should welcome comments on your pages. Also, if there is a broken link or other problem, your readers can let you know, easily.
By: Jennifer Kyrnin / http://webdesign.about.com
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
the power of Graphic Design
Basically, we can find anything that has ‘graphic design’ (in term of composition on a surface) in our daily basis. For example, take a look at your shirt, you can see the composition on it (buttons, pocket(s), motifs, color(s)). Or try to find any other items, let say… your television, it consist of composition as well (the screen, the button(s), etc.).
It also happens to any other items (clocks/watches, magazines, signage, any apparel, households, etc.)When you buy something (well.., almost anything), what is the most get your attention? I bet it must be the design (in term of composition of any element on it). In the contrary, if you choose to buy specific items (cellular phone in this case) for certain features, would you buy it if that item has an ugly design?! Maybe you would, but at least you think twice before you make your decision. Things that might bother you could be: the color(s), how the way they composed the screen, keypads, buttons. It just not fit to your style.
Can you imagine how much Graphic Design affects in industrial field? No matter how sophisticated the device or how good the content of the magazine is, it won’t get a big market if it doesn’t supported by a good design.
That’s what I call “The Power of Graphic Design”. A good Graphic Design must be able to catch the viewers’ attention. How many magazines, logo, flyers, posters, newsletter, web, brochures out there?! The graphic designers are competing to produce the best design they can do. What they do would be the first impression of viewers, especially when it comes to advertise new products or publishing new magazines. The cover design (composition, colors, typo, images) would be the first thing that affects the viewers/readers.
Graphic Design becomes a promising career nowadays, because of the strength of they can do.
By: anton ardjanggi / www.anarddesign.com
It also happens to any other items (clocks/watches, magazines, signage, any apparel, households, etc.)When you buy something (well.., almost anything), what is the most get your attention? I bet it must be the design (in term of composition of any element on it). In the contrary, if you choose to buy specific items (cellular phone in this case) for certain features, would you buy it if that item has an ugly design?! Maybe you would, but at least you think twice before you make your decision. Things that might bother you could be: the color(s), how the way they composed the screen, keypads, buttons. It just not fit to your style.
Can you imagine how much Graphic Design affects in industrial field? No matter how sophisticated the device or how good the content of the magazine is, it won’t get a big market if it doesn’t supported by a good design.
That’s what I call “The Power of Graphic Design”. A good Graphic Design must be able to catch the viewers’ attention. How many magazines, logo, flyers, posters, newsletter, web, brochures out there?! The graphic designers are competing to produce the best design they can do. What they do would be the first impression of viewers, especially when it comes to advertise new products or publishing new magazines. The cover design (composition, colors, typo, images) would be the first thing that affects the viewers/readers.
Graphic Design becomes a promising career nowadays, because of the strength of they can do.
By: anton ardjanggi / www.anarddesign.com
Friday, February 16, 2007
graphic design principles - Basic
Graphic Design is a composition (lay out) of some elements which are shape, form, line, typography, color and image as well.
Graphic design communicates visually using text or images to present information, or deliver a message. The art of graphic design strives for a range of skills and crafts including typography, image development and page layout. Graphic design is applied in communication design. Like other forms of communication, graphic design often refers to both the process (designing) by which the communication is created, and the products (designs) such as creative solutions, imagery and multimedia compositions. Graphic design is basically applied to static media, such as posters, flyers, magazines and brochures.
Things to be considered when you do Graphic Design:
- Harmony
- Rhythm
- Balance
- Repetition
- Unity
- Color Scheme
There are varying degrees of graphic design. Graphic designer involvement may range from verbally communicated ideas, to visual rough drafts, to final production. In commercial art, client edits, technical preparation and mass production are usually required, but usually not considered to be within the scope of graphic design unless the client is also a graphic designer.
By: anton ardjanggi / www.anarddesign.com
Graphic design communicates visually using text or images to present information, or deliver a message. The art of graphic design strives for a range of skills and crafts including typography, image development and page layout. Graphic design is applied in communication design. Like other forms of communication, graphic design often refers to both the process (designing) by which the communication is created, and the products (designs) such as creative solutions, imagery and multimedia compositions. Graphic design is basically applied to static media, such as posters, flyers, magazines and brochures.
Things to be considered when you do Graphic Design:
- Harmony
- Rhythm
- Balance
- Repetition
- Unity
- Color Scheme
There are varying degrees of graphic design. Graphic designer involvement may range from verbally communicated ideas, to visual rough drafts, to final production. In commercial art, client edits, technical preparation and mass production are usually required, but usually not considered to be within the scope of graphic design unless the client is also a graphic designer.
By: anton ardjanggi / www.anarddesign.com
Thursday, February 15, 2007
5 ultimate graphic design mistakes- Things that graphic designers should avoid at all costs
1. Using web graphics on printed material.
With many young designers coming from a pre-dominantly web design background the transfer over from web design to traditional design for print can bring with it a multitude of design sins. Images supplied at 72dpi and crunched down to load fast on a website are going to reproduce very badly in print you can get away with small thumbnails but blowing things up to any appreciable size is going to be pushing your luck. There are a number of online sites offering free or very cheap quality hi resolution images which are a good source for suitable imagery.
2. Forgetting about or not allowing enough bleed.
A very common error is to send to print a document or flattened image that has no bleed at all. Generally speaking you should allow at least 3mm around every cut off edge. Failing to do so will give the printers no leeway and will either crop off the side of the page or give you a white border. It is always a good idea when supplying image files to save layered psd files then if things need extending or cropping you can do this on the background layer and hopefully cut down your work
3. Using obscure fonts and not embedding or outlining them for output.
We've all been guilty of this at some point and things are generally fine if you are going to be the only person accessing your artwork or documents. However if someone else needs to amend the files or use your vector logo on one of there publications. Unless you package up the used fonts, they are not going to be able to open the files correctly and some software programs may replace any unknown fonts with a default. This is a particular problem when you need to dig out stuff that was created several years previously and you no longer have your old fonts installed.
4. Supplying print ready artwork using spot colours or RGB
There are valid reasons for using spot colours in artwork, logos that need to reference particular pantone colours for example. In general design work however most print is sent through on 4 colour presses CMYK with occasional 5th colour for luminoius or metallic colour or for spot UV varnish. It is very common for lazy designers to just place rgb images into files and expect the vibrant colours seen on screen to reproduce in print.
5. Allowing design illiterate clients to lead you round the houses
The customer is always right, goes the old adage. However it is often said with gritted teeth and a sense of patience that recognizes that these morons will at some stage be handing over a fat cheque for your troubles. It is often a good idea when first submitting visuals to throw in a couple of stinkers to hopefully get them to appreciate the design you would like them to accept. There is the very real danger of course of them loving the piece of absolute arsewipe that you knocked up in five minutes to make them think you've been earning your money. Still it's a living.
Source: www.mindtap.co.uk
With many young designers coming from a pre-dominantly web design background the transfer over from web design to traditional design for print can bring with it a multitude of design sins. Images supplied at 72dpi and crunched down to load fast on a website are going to reproduce very badly in print you can get away with small thumbnails but blowing things up to any appreciable size is going to be pushing your luck. There are a number of online sites offering free or very cheap quality hi resolution images which are a good source for suitable imagery.
2. Forgetting about or not allowing enough bleed.
A very common error is to send to print a document or flattened image that has no bleed at all. Generally speaking you should allow at least 3mm around every cut off edge. Failing to do so will give the printers no leeway and will either crop off the side of the page or give you a white border. It is always a good idea when supplying image files to save layered psd files then if things need extending or cropping you can do this on the background layer and hopefully cut down your work
3. Using obscure fonts and not embedding or outlining them for output.
We've all been guilty of this at some point and things are generally fine if you are going to be the only person accessing your artwork or documents. However if someone else needs to amend the files or use your vector logo on one of there publications. Unless you package up the used fonts, they are not going to be able to open the files correctly and some software programs may replace any unknown fonts with a default. This is a particular problem when you need to dig out stuff that was created several years previously and you no longer have your old fonts installed.
4. Supplying print ready artwork using spot colours or RGB
There are valid reasons for using spot colours in artwork, logos that need to reference particular pantone colours for example. In general design work however most print is sent through on 4 colour presses CMYK with occasional 5th colour for luminoius or metallic colour or for spot UV varnish. It is very common for lazy designers to just place rgb images into files and expect the vibrant colours seen on screen to reproduce in print.
5. Allowing design illiterate clients to lead you round the houses
The customer is always right, goes the old adage. However it is often said with gritted teeth and a sense of patience that recognizes that these morons will at some stage be handing over a fat cheque for your troubles. It is often a good idea when first submitting visuals to throw in a couple of stinkers to hopefully get them to appreciate the design you would like them to accept. There is the very real danger of course of them loving the piece of absolute arsewipe that you knocked up in five minutes to make them think you've been earning your money. Still it's a living.
Source: www.mindtap.co.uk
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
how to use White Space
The client asks you to “fill in that space” with a bigger headline. Critical defense of your use of white space will be one of the regular conversations you have as a designer. White space, also known as negative space, can be compared to the empty space on a living room wall or even an open field in a city park. Without these open areas life feels oppresive or cluttered. Use white space to allow the viewer's eye to rest or create tension between elements.
Use white space to create dynamic solutions.
Twentieth century artists and designers revolutionized our visual environment with asymmetry. Centered designs with equal amounts of white space surrounding your text and image elements rarely capture a viewer’s eye. Consider these examples:
- Paul Rand’s Art Institute of Chicago catalogue cover
- Gustavs Klucis’s posters
- Andrew Wyeth’s iconic painting
- Alexy Brodovitch's magazine layouts
Keep Text Cells or Columns Small
We've all come across Web sites that have text stretching across the entire length of the browser. While that might be readable on a small monitor, it's very difficult to read on a when the browser window is maximized on a large monitor. The alphabet-and-a-half rule is a handy way to make sure you are creating legible line lengths.
Avoid Trapped White Space
White space allows the viewer’s eye to rest so don’t give them an uncomfortable space to rest in. White space trapped inside a design will stop the flow of the design and feel awkward or static. Reposition or resize elements to rework the negative space. A simple exercise to learn about white space: Print out a design that you are stuck on. Cut the elements apart and play around. Consider asymmetry, scale, and contrast when rearranging.
Identifying Rivers
Beginners should take this quick exercise in identifying rivers. Take a freebie magazine you might find in the coffee shop. Turn the page upside down and let your eye wander through the columns of text. By turning the page upside down your eye will view the letters as abstract forms not as words. A long white area that forms between rows of text is a river. Look closely at the design and evaluate what you would do to fix it. Change the font size? Adjust kerning? Edit the text?
Avoid Rivers
A river is the trapped white space in the middle of a text column between words.
This happens most often when type is set justified as the words are pushed or pulled to fill the column width. Work closely with the editor to change the words as needed and then finesse the letter spacing. Rivers may be a symptom that your line length is too long or too short for the size of text you are using.
By: Mary Beth & Paul Trautwein / www.graphicdesign.about.com
Use white space to create dynamic solutions.
Twentieth century artists and designers revolutionized our visual environment with asymmetry. Centered designs with equal amounts of white space surrounding your text and image elements rarely capture a viewer’s eye. Consider these examples:
- Paul Rand’s Art Institute of Chicago catalogue cover
- Gustavs Klucis’s posters
- Andrew Wyeth’s iconic painting
- Alexy Brodovitch's magazine layouts
Keep Text Cells or Columns Small
We've all come across Web sites that have text stretching across the entire length of the browser. While that might be readable on a small monitor, it's very difficult to read on a when the browser window is maximized on a large monitor. The alphabet-and-a-half rule is a handy way to make sure you are creating legible line lengths.
Avoid Trapped White Space
White space allows the viewer’s eye to rest so don’t give them an uncomfortable space to rest in. White space trapped inside a design will stop the flow of the design and feel awkward or static. Reposition or resize elements to rework the negative space. A simple exercise to learn about white space: Print out a design that you are stuck on. Cut the elements apart and play around. Consider asymmetry, scale, and contrast when rearranging.
Identifying Rivers
Beginners should take this quick exercise in identifying rivers. Take a freebie magazine you might find in the coffee shop. Turn the page upside down and let your eye wander through the columns of text. By turning the page upside down your eye will view the letters as abstract forms not as words. A long white area that forms between rows of text is a river. Look closely at the design and evaluate what you would do to fix it. Change the font size? Adjust kerning? Edit the text?
Avoid Rivers
A river is the trapped white space in the middle of a text column between words.
This happens most often when type is set justified as the words are pushed or pulled to fill the column width. Work closely with the editor to change the words as needed and then finesse the letter spacing. Rivers may be a symptom that your line length is too long or too short for the size of text you are using.
By: Mary Beth & Paul Trautwein / www.graphicdesign.about.com
Monday, February 12, 2007
business card - Small Thing, Big Impact
Have you ever left your business card at home/office while you’re attending some occasion which you knew you would meet some people that have good prospect for your business? Or even worst, you left it while you’re about to see a new client?If you have, I’m sure it hurts you so bad…
Business Card is like a key to open the gateway for your business. It is a first impression for whatever business you are running. It is very important to have business card that represents your company in anyway.
As a primary tool for starting your business, your business cards must contain all the significant details about your business. The following are the needs that your cards that must have.
- Design
Please consider the type of company you have. If it is a well established company, then you’re going to need design that not too fancy but not too dull either. In this case you have to choose a bit traditional and conservative kind of design. It gives a psychological affect to your client that your company is a reliable. With the reputation of your company, you don’t need to attract client with your business card design. On the other way, if you are just starting your business, you might need to use design that can grab your clients’ attention in order to keep on reminding them of what possible services you can provide.
Some designers would take this opportunity to design business card with uncommon size and shape. Well…, nothing’s wrong with that in term of creativity, but when we’re talking about function, it might have some disadvantages. For example, if the size is bigger than the regular size, then how it would be stored?! Or it wouldn’t be handy anymore, would it?! On the opposite, if it is smaller, it could be lost easily.
- Color
Please consider to use your corporate color as a color scheme on your business card. If the corporate color has very light brown color, you might use broken white paper in order to reduce the production cost by not using too many colors.
- Paper
Use a good quality paper. Your business cards are distributed by the hand. They reach for people of different places through one hand to the other. In order to keep your cards from being crumpled and torn, the paper must be durable enough. You have to consider the weight of the paper.
- Content
Put any information needed on your card such as company name/logo, your name and position, address, phone number and e-mail address (if any). Arrange all those information neatly in order to easy to read by your clients.
Now…, after you have your business card well designed and printed, don’t you dare leaving home without it… Because you never know who you’re going to meet!
By: anton ardjanggi / www.anarddesign.com
Sunday, February 11, 2007
how to Generate a Good Newsletter Design
A newsletter has been a great avenue for marketing a business. However, it should not be forgotten that the main purpose of the newsletter is to provide information that is indispensable to the readers.
When you make a newsletter, why not compare it with all the other newsletters that are available in the market. This is important to see if there's something bad with your newsletter design. Take a look at your design and match it up to the other newsletters. Does the design look disorganized? Is the page in a mess? Or does it appear dull?
When it comes to newsletter printing, you should take into consideration that the design of the newsletter is very crucial. It is necessary to come up with the best design and apply it to your newsletter print. Why is the newsletter design important? The design is important for it has a great effect on the impression of your readers about you. If the newsletter that you produce features a professional look and feel and is readable, then there's a great chance that it will receive the highest readership. But if the newsletter does not appear nice, then it will imply a bad image about your company.
In view of that, careful planning should be practiced in conceptualizing a design for your newsletter. Actually there are no standard rules in designing. It's just that it is best if you will observe the tried-and-tested practices of those who have already made newsletters and became successful with their goals.
There are elements that make up a good newsletter design. The most important element that should not be ignored is the content. A newsletter is considered to be good if its contents suits what the readers expect. The content should be something that stimulates the interest of the readers. It should be readable in the sense that is contains the there important qualities namely: consistent, readable and don't clutter. It is the content that serves as the meat of the newsletter.
In addition, the newsletter should not be dull and monotonous. Adding some spice to your publication can rouse the people to read. And the only thing that will stir up the reader's interest is consistency. It's important to sort out your words and get rid of the unnecessary details that may distract your readers. Consistency is of the essence for it puts all the other elements in order.
Make sure that the design of the newsletter will help you get noticed. It also helps if you will be creative in experimenting on a certain design concept that will match your publication. Overall, having a great design is needed to ensure that your newsletter printing job will turn out successful.
About the Author
Charmaine Joy Caro developed her passion for writing when she joined essay writing contests during her elementary years. Her writing skills were made even more improved when she took up the course Bachelor of Arts Major in English.
Source: www.getmyarticles.com
When you make a newsletter, why not compare it with all the other newsletters that are available in the market. This is important to see if there's something bad with your newsletter design. Take a look at your design and match it up to the other newsletters. Does the design look disorganized? Is the page in a mess? Or does it appear dull?
When it comes to newsletter printing, you should take into consideration that the design of the newsletter is very crucial. It is necessary to come up with the best design and apply it to your newsletter print. Why is the newsletter design important? The design is important for it has a great effect on the impression of your readers about you. If the newsletter that you produce features a professional look and feel and is readable, then there's a great chance that it will receive the highest readership. But if the newsletter does not appear nice, then it will imply a bad image about your company.
In view of that, careful planning should be practiced in conceptualizing a design for your newsletter. Actually there are no standard rules in designing. It's just that it is best if you will observe the tried-and-tested practices of those who have already made newsletters and became successful with their goals.
There are elements that make up a good newsletter design. The most important element that should not be ignored is the content. A newsletter is considered to be good if its contents suits what the readers expect. The content should be something that stimulates the interest of the readers. It should be readable in the sense that is contains the there important qualities namely: consistent, readable and don't clutter. It is the content that serves as the meat of the newsletter.
In addition, the newsletter should not be dull and monotonous. Adding some spice to your publication can rouse the people to read. And the only thing that will stir up the reader's interest is consistency. It's important to sort out your words and get rid of the unnecessary details that may distract your readers. Consistency is of the essence for it puts all the other elements in order.
Make sure that the design of the newsletter will help you get noticed. It also helps if you will be creative in experimenting on a certain design concept that will match your publication. Overall, having a great design is needed to ensure that your newsletter printing job will turn out successful.
About the Author
Charmaine Joy Caro developed her passion for writing when she joined essay writing contests during her elementary years. Her writing skills were made even more improved when she took up the course Bachelor of Arts Major in English.
Source: www.getmyarticles.com
graphic design niches - Finding a Narrow But Deep Client Base
With so many graphic designers, website designers and logo designers competing in the field, it is more important than ever to specialise in a particular area and be top rather than covering all bases and mastering none. Here's how to find your own graphic design niche.
Stick with a style and run with it
So many young designers coming out of the art colleges today have a style taken wholesale out of the fashion mags and club flyers. Granted there's nothing wrong with selected pilfering of ideas but to steal complete styles and typefaces means everything you see looking pretty similar. The more long sighted designers would do well to develop a style of there own and make this into a recognisable trait. Trying to ape the latest trend in clubland is going to see your designs rapidly losing favour once some bohemian brown hatter decides the current vogue for vector graphics and fonts on a 45 degree angle is yesterdays news.
Pick a particular industry and specialise
There are whole swathes of industry that are in dire need of a makeover, the building industry for example is populated by design illeterate seventies throwbacks, who couldn't recognise a good logo if it jumped off the page and took a bite out of their backsides. An entrepreneurial young designer could clean up by proffessing to be the building industry design specialists. Bare in mind builders like big fat typefaces in keeping with their big fat bellys.
Use an existing project as a springboard to greater things
So, you were approached by the Cumbrian Choral society to produce a flyer for their Christmas bazaar. It was a satisfactory if not exactly stimulating project. And that was the end of that. Or was it...hold on, how many other church based societys are out there looking for a similar flyer to advertise their own family fun days or church roof whip rounds? Could this be a deep furrow of design work ahead...who knows?
Local Jobs for local people
Britain is a hot bed of talent, many of it arriving from overseas, increasingly from the relaxed borders of the former Soviet Bloc countries. But I'll bet a dollar to a pound that the average little Englander would rather eat nails than go to a foreigner to place a design job. Providing you've been established for at least a couple of years in your locality there's no reason why you cannot stress the locally organically reared nature of your graphic design business e.g. Golden Plum Design - Serving the good local people of Midsommer Norton and Westfield since 2001. Whether the locals are inbred or not, and it would be beneficial if they were, the reassurance of a 'local' business to the area will keep them happy, while they munch on their cornish pasties.
Hopefully, that's given budding graphic designers some incentive to go out there and carve a hole for yourselves. Remember it's better to be big fish in small ponds than little fish in big ponds, or is it the other way around...whatever.
About the Author
Mindtap Graphic Design Resources is your single point entry into a UK web design company. A unique site where you can access information on UK graphic design, leaflet design, brochure design, catalog design, flyer design and web design
Source: Free Articles from www.articlesbase.com
Stick with a style and run with it
So many young designers coming out of the art colleges today have a style taken wholesale out of the fashion mags and club flyers. Granted there's nothing wrong with selected pilfering of ideas but to steal complete styles and typefaces means everything you see looking pretty similar. The more long sighted designers would do well to develop a style of there own and make this into a recognisable trait. Trying to ape the latest trend in clubland is going to see your designs rapidly losing favour once some bohemian brown hatter decides the current vogue for vector graphics and fonts on a 45 degree angle is yesterdays news.
Pick a particular industry and specialise
There are whole swathes of industry that are in dire need of a makeover, the building industry for example is populated by design illeterate seventies throwbacks, who couldn't recognise a good logo if it jumped off the page and took a bite out of their backsides. An entrepreneurial young designer could clean up by proffessing to be the building industry design specialists. Bare in mind builders like big fat typefaces in keeping with their big fat bellys.
Use an existing project as a springboard to greater things
So, you were approached by the Cumbrian Choral society to produce a flyer for their Christmas bazaar. It was a satisfactory if not exactly stimulating project. And that was the end of that. Or was it...hold on, how many other church based societys are out there looking for a similar flyer to advertise their own family fun days or church roof whip rounds? Could this be a deep furrow of design work ahead...who knows?
Local Jobs for local people
Britain is a hot bed of talent, many of it arriving from overseas, increasingly from the relaxed borders of the former Soviet Bloc countries. But I'll bet a dollar to a pound that the average little Englander would rather eat nails than go to a foreigner to place a design job. Providing you've been established for at least a couple of years in your locality there's no reason why you cannot stress the locally organically reared nature of your graphic design business e.g. Golden Plum Design - Serving the good local people of Midsommer Norton and Westfield since 2001. Whether the locals are inbred or not, and it would be beneficial if they were, the reassurance of a 'local' business to the area will keep them happy, while they munch on their cornish pasties.
Hopefully, that's given budding graphic designers some incentive to go out there and carve a hole for yourselves. Remember it's better to be big fish in small ponds than little fish in big ponds, or is it the other way around...whatever.
About the Author
Mindtap Graphic Design Resources is your single point entry into a UK web design company. A unique site where you can access information on UK graphic design, leaflet design, brochure design, catalog design, flyer design and web design
Source: Free Articles from www.articlesbase.com
Thursday, February 8, 2007
why to use PNG Images in your Web Design
The PNG image file format is not new to the web. It originally developed in the mid-90s as a solution to the shortcomings of the traditional GIF image file format. However, because early browser applications offered only spotty support for the PNG's advanced features, web designers, developers were limited in its use.
One large hurdle in particular faced by PNG's was Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE). Far and away the most popular browser, IE offered particularly poor support for the file format . However, with the release of IE 7 as well as several JavaScript hacks, this has all changed, and PNGs are more popular than ever.
But who cares!? And besides being one letter short of my favorite 1972 video game, what makes a PNG so great? Below, are three reasons why PNGs are the best image format since the Polaroid.
They’re See-Through! (Alpha Transparency):
As compared to the GIF, PNG offers a far less basic form of transparency. With GIFs, a particular color (or colors) is able to be saved as transparent, leaving colors either entirely opaque or transparent. There is no in-between.
PNGs have a distinct advantage in this area. The PNG file format supports "semi-transparent pixels," meaning a PNG can be saved with a soft drop shadow and floated over any background. It can be used as a watermark on a textured or gradiented background. It can even be smoothly faded from fully opaque to transparent, revealing the web page contents beneath.
Summerour.net features a logo which demonstrates this function. The homepage layout called for a logo with a soft drop shadow over a textured background of architectural sketches that regularly change. Using a GIF or JPG would be highly impractical, because every time the image changed, the logo’s background would need to be edited. A PNG, however, is floated over the image with a faded drop shadow, making the task quick, simple and dynamic. PNGs make the look and feel of your page flexible.
They Look Great! (Lossless Compression ):
Every time a JPEG is saved and compressed, it loses some of the original file's information and the image quality degrades. The GIF file format offers lossless compression (so the file can be saved and resaved without losing image quality ), but it only supports a limited 256 color palette, making it useless for full-color photography and other such complex images.
PNG offers the best of both worlds. It displays full color photographic images, like the JPEG, but it also supports a managed color palette, like the GIF format. While the PNG will typically have a larger file size than the JPEG for photographic images, it does have a distinct advantage: its compression is lossless, meaning images never degrade in quality or suffer from "compression artifacting" which affects many JPEG images.
The results are crisper, brighter images that will “pop” on your pages unlike ever before.
They’re Self Optimizing! (Gamma Correction ):
Adjusting the brightness and contrast of images to look correct on a wide variety of monitors and operating systems is a common problem facing web designers. This problem is primarily related to different monitor Gamma settings.
Gamma is a method monitors use to distribute their luminance evenly across the display. Unfortunately, different operating systems (in particular the Mac and Windows ) use different Gamma settings. So an image that is color-corrected for the Macintosh operating system may look too dark on the Windows operating system and vice-versa.
The PNG file format offers a solution for this problem. The image can be saved with built-in Gamma correction, enabling it to anticipate the operating system's Gamma settings and automatically adjust its brightness and contrast. By using a PNG, designers can simply color-correct the image for their personal operating systems and let the PNG do the rest.
About the Author:
This article was co-authored by Mike Bradbury and Mike Harvey. Both are employees of Objectware, Inc, an Atlanta web development and Atlanta web design company with an active branch in Washington DC. Mike Harvey is a graphic designer, with expert knowledge of web design and usability.
Source: Free Articles from www.articlesbase.com
One large hurdle in particular faced by PNG's was Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE). Far and away the most popular browser, IE offered particularly poor support for the file format . However, with the release of IE 7 as well as several JavaScript hacks, this has all changed, and PNGs are more popular than ever.
But who cares!? And besides being one letter short of my favorite 1972 video game, what makes a PNG so great? Below, are three reasons why PNGs are the best image format since the Polaroid.
They’re See-Through! (Alpha Transparency):
As compared to the GIF, PNG offers a far less basic form of transparency. With GIFs, a particular color (or colors) is able to be saved as transparent, leaving colors either entirely opaque or transparent. There is no in-between.
PNGs have a distinct advantage in this area. The PNG file format supports "semi-transparent pixels," meaning a PNG can be saved with a soft drop shadow and floated over any background. It can be used as a watermark on a textured or gradiented background. It can even be smoothly faded from fully opaque to transparent, revealing the web page contents beneath.
Summerour.net features a logo which demonstrates this function. The homepage layout called for a logo with a soft drop shadow over a textured background of architectural sketches that regularly change. Using a GIF or JPG would be highly impractical, because every time the image changed, the logo’s background would need to be edited. A PNG, however, is floated over the image with a faded drop shadow, making the task quick, simple and dynamic. PNGs make the look and feel of your page flexible.
They Look Great! (Lossless Compression ):
Every time a JPEG is saved and compressed, it loses some of the original file's information and the image quality degrades. The GIF file format offers lossless compression (so the file can be saved and resaved without losing image quality ), but it only supports a limited 256 color palette, making it useless for full-color photography and other such complex images.
PNG offers the best of both worlds. It displays full color photographic images, like the JPEG, but it also supports a managed color palette, like the GIF format. While the PNG will typically have a larger file size than the JPEG for photographic images, it does have a distinct advantage: its compression is lossless, meaning images never degrade in quality or suffer from "compression artifacting" which affects many JPEG images.
The results are crisper, brighter images that will “pop” on your pages unlike ever before.
They’re Self Optimizing! (Gamma Correction ):
Adjusting the brightness and contrast of images to look correct on a wide variety of monitors and operating systems is a common problem facing web designers. This problem is primarily related to different monitor Gamma settings.
Gamma is a method monitors use to distribute their luminance evenly across the display. Unfortunately, different operating systems (in particular the Mac and Windows ) use different Gamma settings. So an image that is color-corrected for the Macintosh operating system may look too dark on the Windows operating system and vice-versa.
The PNG file format offers a solution for this problem. The image can be saved with built-in Gamma correction, enabling it to anticipate the operating system's Gamma settings and automatically adjust its brightness and contrast. By using a PNG, designers can simply color-correct the image for their personal operating systems and let the PNG do the rest.
About the Author:
This article was co-authored by Mike Bradbury and Mike Harvey. Both are employees of Objectware, Inc, an Atlanta web development and Atlanta web design company with an active branch in Washington DC. Mike Harvey is a graphic designer, with expert knowledge of web design and usability.
Source: Free Articles from www.articlesbase.com
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
wanna be Freelance Graphic Designer? (English)
* For Bahasa Indonesia Version click here
Things to be considered before you decide to become Freelance Graphic Designer
- Place to work
First thing first, you are going to need place to work so you can work efficiently and effectively. If you work at home, a separate room would be nice in order to avoid any other home activities. Having a room to place a set of computer is good enough, even better if you have more space to any supporting activity such as writing, drawing, printing, set up final artwork (mock up), because as a freelancer you have to do all work which is supposed to be done by more than one person. Place your telephone or fax machine near you, so you don’t have to get up to receive or make a call. It would be better if you have filling cabinet to store all your paper-works.
- You are the company (…and the company is You)
As a freelancer, you’re not only responsible for your creative-works, but you’re responsible for your marketing, briefing, presentation, accounting and filling system matters as well. You are also responsible for all incoming calls, make appointment and take any complain (if any). Being a freelance graphic designer is not only about creativity and design, but it needs strong commitment and takes a big responsibility.
- It needs a lot of patient
All the activity mentioned above needs a lot of patient. It happen so often, when you are so busy designing and need very good mood, at the same time you have to take the incoming calls from your clients who’s complaining your recent work (bad service, bad quality, etc.). Not to mentioned technical problems which occur at the bad time such as problems with your computer, paper-jammed printer, run out of paper, ink and the list goes on. Those problems will hamper your on-going project, and you have to tell your client about the delay.
- Be a professional
As a freelancer you have to be professional. You might be stressed with your on-going project, but at the same time you have to do presentation in front of your client. In this kind of situation you have to be able to get your stress out of your head and leave it at home, on the other way you need to get your concentration on your presentation. Do not let your problems home ruin your presentation. Keep your performance at the highest level, don’t forget… as a freelance graphic designer, you’re not just an artist, but you’re a businessman as well! Your performance affects how the way your client evaluate youself and how the way you run your business.
- Well organized
To run business by your self, you have to be a ‘well organized –person’. Well organized for your filing system on your computer, filing system for your paper work, graphic tools, the preparation for your presentation, etc.
- Supporting facilities
It would be the best if you have telephone, facsimile and e-mail with high speed internet connection. Set your e-mail program to receive all mails at least 15-30 minutes automatically, so you won’t miss any important mails.
- Discipline
The key of success for being freelancer is DISCIPLINE. Trust me… it’s not an easy thing to do, because you have to discipline yourself! No one would warn you but yourself! Discipline in this case consists of:
a. Discipline with your time, although you work by yourself at home, you have to work at office hours. You can’t wake up late and start working at 10-11. What would happen if your clients try to reach you at 9.00 while you’re still sleeping?! In this situation, your clients don’t care about your condition (whatsoever). He has right to call you at the office hours, on the opposite you have responsibility to serve them during that time.
b. Discipline with your money, as a freelancer you have right to own all the profit you get! But it would be wise, if you pay yourself on a salary basis. That way you will save few bucks each month, because who knows you don’t get any job later on… That happens if you don’t have strong or big market.
c. Discipline with YOUR OWN DECISION, being a freelancer is not an easy thing to do! It needs a strong commitment that you have to respect and do it consistently. You better think twice (or maybe more) before you make decision to be a freelancer, because once you jump in this industry as a freelancer, than you risk your own life and your own credibility!
By: anton ardjanggi / www.anarddesign.com
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
the 3 Golden Rules professional Graphic Designers don't want you to know about
Ever wondered how some graphic designers always manage to produce beautiful looking designs for their brochures, website designs, logo designs? Talent...yes, it helps but there are a handful of more important things you can do that will have even complete beginners producing award winning design.
Forget everything you've ever been told about Graphic Design. There are some hard and fast things that graphic designers will insist are to be obeyed. Only use limited fonts on a design for example or never use green on a magazine or book cover as people will not buy it. Stuff and nonsense. You can pretty much do whatever you like but you must apply these STRICT GRAPHIC DESIGN RULES and you will soon be walking away with graphic design silverware.
Somewhere on the page you MUST put in a subliminal message
This can be done in a multitude of ways for example if you are producing a brochure selling wellington boots then start every paragraph spelling out 'buy our wellington boots' or better still 'you have no choice but to buy our wellington boots now get out your cheque book and buy them - NOW!' Another crafty method is to doctor images in photoshop so that on an innocent picture of a tree for example carved into the bark is a message along the lines of 'U Luv Wellington boots' You get the idea. just make sure it's hidden away on a subliminal level and watch your sales go through the roof, quite literally
You MUST include a picture of a pretty girl smiling on your document or webpage
This works for 95% of products. Put simply would you rather read and look at pictures of industrial machinery or would you rather look at a pretty girl? It's a no brainer right? Research has proven that mens brains are wired up to focus on girls smiles and of course their breasts and backsides. If you can somehow convince your client to put a naked girl on there somewhere you can pretty much laugh yourself down to the bank. However, never ever put a muscle bound hunk on any design thinking it will work conversely for womens products. Research has shown that womens brains are only wired to think of shopping for clothes and chocolate, so putting a bare chested chippendale on the cover is going to see your business go down the dumper. Unless your product is for homosexual merchandise in which case go ahead.
Shock and Awe - the guaranteed way to get your design work noticed and talked about
Perhaps the best example of this trick can be found widely used in the modern art world. Sharks in formaldahyde, unmade beds and plastic dolls melted together to sodomise each other. All these pieces of art have been much talked about and whether you find them to your taste or not are widely percieved as being breath takingly original. The same principal can and should be applied to your graphic design work or website design. Add a blood splattered severed willy in the centre of the page for example or how about using an excrement smear as a backdrop. Remember the important thing is to get people talking about your design work. Bad taste soon becomes acceptable once commonplace so be the first to do something outrageous and reap the rewards.If you remember to apply at least one or two and ideally all 3 of these golden graphic design rules there's no reason why you shouldn't be a millionaire/billionaire within one or two months. Now get creative!
By: Horatio Farquaar / www.articlesphere.com
Forget everything you've ever been told about Graphic Design. There are some hard and fast things that graphic designers will insist are to be obeyed. Only use limited fonts on a design for example or never use green on a magazine or book cover as people will not buy it. Stuff and nonsense. You can pretty much do whatever you like but you must apply these STRICT GRAPHIC DESIGN RULES and you will soon be walking away with graphic design silverware.
Somewhere on the page you MUST put in a subliminal message
This can be done in a multitude of ways for example if you are producing a brochure selling wellington boots then start every paragraph spelling out 'buy our wellington boots' or better still 'you have no choice but to buy our wellington boots now get out your cheque book and buy them - NOW!' Another crafty method is to doctor images in photoshop so that on an innocent picture of a tree for example carved into the bark is a message along the lines of 'U Luv Wellington boots' You get the idea. just make sure it's hidden away on a subliminal level and watch your sales go through the roof, quite literally
You MUST include a picture of a pretty girl smiling on your document or webpage
This works for 95% of products. Put simply would you rather read and look at pictures of industrial machinery or would you rather look at a pretty girl? It's a no brainer right? Research has proven that mens brains are wired up to focus on girls smiles and of course their breasts and backsides. If you can somehow convince your client to put a naked girl on there somewhere you can pretty much laugh yourself down to the bank. However, never ever put a muscle bound hunk on any design thinking it will work conversely for womens products. Research has shown that womens brains are only wired to think of shopping for clothes and chocolate, so putting a bare chested chippendale on the cover is going to see your business go down the dumper. Unless your product is for homosexual merchandise in which case go ahead.
Shock and Awe - the guaranteed way to get your design work noticed and talked about
Perhaps the best example of this trick can be found widely used in the modern art world. Sharks in formaldahyde, unmade beds and plastic dolls melted together to sodomise each other. All these pieces of art have been much talked about and whether you find them to your taste or not are widely percieved as being breath takingly original. The same principal can and should be applied to your graphic design work or website design. Add a blood splattered severed willy in the centre of the page for example or how about using an excrement smear as a backdrop. Remember the important thing is to get people talking about your design work. Bad taste soon becomes acceptable once commonplace so be the first to do something outrageous and reap the rewards.If you remember to apply at least one or two and ideally all 3 of these golden graphic design rules there's no reason why you shouldn't be a millionaire/billionaire within one or two months. Now get creative!
By: Horatio Farquaar / www.articlesphere.com
Monday, February 5, 2007
3 steps to creating a Knockout Corporate Logo
A corporate looking logo can effectively make you look far more important than you actually are. By adopting this simple 1,2,3 step guide we can turn your existing crummy logo into a world beating effort - garaunteed to impress the ladieees.
Step 1 - Choose a dull font such as helvetica
In the world of high flying executives and corporate back slapping deals done upon yachts etc. the one thing almost all self-made millionaires will agree on is that you must give the impression that your company is a straightlaced solemn outfit. Standard fontfaces such as helvetica or times will signify your ability to fit in with suits without ruffling too many feathers and will be looked favourably upon by those all important investors looking to harvest some of their cash in your business.
Step 2 - Choose a dull colour such as grey
Battleship grey - has there ever been a colour more appropriate for the deadening nature of high corporate investiture? No, not by my reckoning at any rate. But surely a grey logo among a sea of other bland logos is just going to get lost isn't it? Hmmm, I've got to hand it to you, you're right but do you know what - if we add a smidgin of royal blue somewhere within our hypothetical logo we achieve the type of chin stroking brilliance that committee members and associate directors can spend literally minutes debating before abstaining to the golf course and soho massage parlours.
Step 3 - Choose a dull symbol such as a circle
Right, this is where our creative minds get to have some fun. Do we put the grey/blue circle before the words or after? Above or below? Whatever you choose to do make sure it doesn't involve anything too clever or inspiring. Remember our aim here is to look 'corporate' and sensible not like some kind of fun loving chimps, you gets me. Right the logo should be just about complete and ready to enter the exhilarating world of corporate high life. To celebrate why not throw a lavish party inviting your corporate buddies like Dave and Steve from down the pub?To summarise, what we want to achieve is an air of 'dullness' yet reliability. Choose a dull font, keep the colour palette strictly dull- nothing too interesting and if you must add a quirky symbol of some sort make sure it keeps well within the dull spectrum of ideas i.e. a circle or square. Corporate Logo Design is not rocket science but if you want to give off the right impression you've got to go with the flow. Right now where did I leave that bowl of cocaine I'm off to a corporate party. Toodle pip.
By: Horatio Farquaar / www.articlesphere.com
Step 1 - Choose a dull font such as helvetica
In the world of high flying executives and corporate back slapping deals done upon yachts etc. the one thing almost all self-made millionaires will agree on is that you must give the impression that your company is a straightlaced solemn outfit. Standard fontfaces such as helvetica or times will signify your ability to fit in with suits without ruffling too many feathers and will be looked favourably upon by those all important investors looking to harvest some of their cash in your business.
Step 2 - Choose a dull colour such as grey
Battleship grey - has there ever been a colour more appropriate for the deadening nature of high corporate investiture? No, not by my reckoning at any rate. But surely a grey logo among a sea of other bland logos is just going to get lost isn't it? Hmmm, I've got to hand it to you, you're right but do you know what - if we add a smidgin of royal blue somewhere within our hypothetical logo we achieve the type of chin stroking brilliance that committee members and associate directors can spend literally minutes debating before abstaining to the golf course and soho massage parlours.
Step 3 - Choose a dull symbol such as a circle
Right, this is where our creative minds get to have some fun. Do we put the grey/blue circle before the words or after? Above or below? Whatever you choose to do make sure it doesn't involve anything too clever or inspiring. Remember our aim here is to look 'corporate' and sensible not like some kind of fun loving chimps, you gets me. Right the logo should be just about complete and ready to enter the exhilarating world of corporate high life. To celebrate why not throw a lavish party inviting your corporate buddies like Dave and Steve from down the pub?To summarise, what we want to achieve is an air of 'dullness' yet reliability. Choose a dull font, keep the colour palette strictly dull- nothing too interesting and if you must add a quirky symbol of some sort make sure it keeps well within the dull spectrum of ideas i.e. a circle or square. Corporate Logo Design is not rocket science but if you want to give off the right impression you've got to go with the flow. Right now where did I leave that bowl of cocaine I'm off to a corporate party. Toodle pip.
By: Horatio Farquaar / www.articlesphere.com
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)