Posts Tagged ‘Girly Design’
Don`t forget to visit my new site for more girly illustrations!! See the old portfolio here.
Any one with 10 fingers and a decent computer can create a graphic. (Have you seen the guy that can create the Mona Lisa in MS Paint?) Logos, however, are a bit more complicated. Even some of the most skilled designers will hit a dud. But more than skilled, they have vision, able to transcend the indecisiveness and confusion of the client.
Your Logo will represent YOUR perceived value and quality of your product or service and persuading the masses to buy, thus creating branding, a by-product of your logo. If a logo is not well designed, the opposite happens.
But before you fork out any cash to any designer, here are some things to keep in mind and questions to ask your chosen designer;
- Font sample anyone?- Just like the cheese sampler plate at the supermarket gets everyone`s hands in it, so will a free font. Whether you are paying $35 or $2500, if the font used was free, you might as well get that logo free too. Fonts alone can make the logo! They communicate feeling just like a picture can. Make sure that if anyone else wants to “borrow” inspiration from your branding, your designer has, at least made it hard enough for them to try. I have been known to splurge on fonts, but even before I spring the cash for fonts, I make sure no one is giving the chosen font away free.
- You got PMS?-Although most printing companies have accommodated digital printing, specialized type printing still go CMYK. Even more than CMYK, PMS, the Pantone Matching System is the leading color system for the printing industry. What does this mean to you? As long as your graphic designer used the proper software, this should not be a problem. Other wise, be prepared to pay someone else to decipher the colors.
- Vector, Pixels and you- The way your logo (or illustration) is made really does matter. Just like the difference between whole wheat and white bread, there is a difference between vector and pixel based graphics. Vector graphics can be resized without loss of resolution, whereas pixel(bitmap) base graphics will not resize as gracefully. 300 dpi is the norm for printing, 350 is better. Web resolution is best between 72 to 92 dpi. Once again, as long as your graphic designer used the proper software, this should not be a problem. If your logo is in bitmap format, it will have to be rasterized.
- License to what?- This one can be tricky, specially with illustrations. I rarely place restrictions on logos, and only do so if they have an elaborate graphic. Regardless of restrictions, the client must always be free to brand themselves with the logo. If your designer used a graphic from a stock company, you`ve got more than a trick to deal with. Most stock companies place costly printing and distribution restrictions on their graphics to be able to resell them. Branding yourself with them will be near impossible, not to mention your new look will be shared with a few hundred thousand people. So ALWAYS ask the designers, Do you draw your own graphics or use stock companies??
- Something borrowed, something stolen?-Michael de Meng has the following to say about creativity: “In my view, creativity is a rampant thievery mixed with reinterpretation . . . I see the act [of creativity] as being like a martini shaker, in which you add all those ingredients that you like or admire. Three parts Picasso, two parts Joseph Cornell, seven parts Mexican Folk Art, a splash of abstract expressionism, and garnish with a twist of Daidism.”[C1] I couldn`t agree more, and would like to add the following, “If you are not creative enough to reinterpret someone`s idea and make it your own, then perhaps you are in the wrong business.” Many have been the times I have found my designs mangled into someone`s idea of a site. Taking a bunch of ideas and creating your own design is a gift. Photoshopping someone else`s work and selling it as your own, it`s plagiarism in the new millennium.
- Research for Dummies- Before you go to a tattoo parlor, you know exactly what you want on your skin. After all tattoos are a lifetime commitment. Well, so it`s a logo. Very few companies change their logo radically, for fear they will lose their already established branding. So before you go to the designer, research what your target market is and start from there. Oh, and for those who after giving the designer all the information, still research more and hand that to the designer after they started drawing, that is equivalent to you saying, “hey wait, I think I want a red heart instead of a green dragon” after the tattoo guy has started inking you green.
- Will you Jump off the bridge, if everyone else does?- When following a trend, always ask yourself, is everyone doing it? If so, to what extent? I know that to some degree, in order to attract the masses you may have to accommodate a less-than-appealing-to-you design. Compromising your style for the sake of maintaining yourself in the competition, may mean you will be vying for attention in a already saturated market. What to do? If girly is what you like and it`s your style, go for it. If contemporary is more like it, knock yourself out. Make sure you are doing this and giving it your own flavor and communicating that to your designer. Being yourself may mean the difference between getting a beautiful logo or getting a copy of a better logo.
- Speak now or forever hold your peace- Always let the designer know whether they are on the right track or not. It`s a little like playing hot potato with the vision in your head. If you are not able to speak the picture, draw it, collage it, do anything you need to do to get the design out of your head and to your designer.
- Keep it simple- I love frill just as much as the next girl, but a logo that is more like an illustration will go out of style faster than one that is simple. Usually the rule is, if it can be sized up or down and still be identified and if it looks good in grayscale. I also like to see if taking out all color and just leaving it black and white will make it change in any way for me. It just my little quirk, I`m sure other designers have theirs.
- Hire a surgeon for surgery- Designers go to school and learn the art of communicating with graphics, just like any professional in their field. Better than education, experience based on that education will show in the quality of the work. So when choosing a designer, a) See how many companies are still in business and using their graphics, (here is one of my first logos) b)Who do they prefer to work with, sole proprietors, small businesses or corporations. This will give you an idea on how to create rapport with the designer. c)How accessible are they? Phone? Email? d) Above all, make sure you are given a contract you can understand. If you can`t understand it, ask for their short version! I have one!
A gorgeous logo achieved through simplicity.
Asking someone to respect your copyright is one thing, telling them not to be "inspired" by your work is ridiculous. There is a right and a wrong way to interpret ideas.
Regardless of what business you are in, giving your graphics that girly flavor brings a different spin to an old and tired concept. Girly design is always trendy and can revive your business.
Whether you are starting out from scratch, redesigning or creating your stationery, girly design lends itself to many options. You don`t have to paint everything Pink, color is just one of the many choices you have.
From elegant patterns to fun, colorful backgrounds, putting your girly design together can be your opportunity create something truly special.
The Process | Logo | Revisions | Illustration and Site | Stationery | Management
There are many good places where to go and print your design. You should always keep in mind that what you see in the computer monitor in RGB- or better known as red, green and blue- in not what you see on printed matter or in CMYK- cyan, magenta, yellow and key.
Paper also plays a big part on how those colors will look. Matte paper will down play vibrance and hue value. Glossy is perfect for vivid color and logos with patterns and the colors stay true to their values. Also the thicker your business card is, the less likely your client is to dispose of it. Please consult with me before choosing a printer.
The Process | Logo | Revisions | Illustration and Site | Stationery | Management
After finalizing your logo, I will work on your Girly Design illustration. If you have chosen not to have one, I will work on backgrounds and textures that will complement your logo. Your illustration has ten revisions. After the artwork is finalized and approved, I move on to layout on the site.
I have a very unique process which allows the client to have as much say on the graphics for this area as the want. We discuss in detail your favorite things and styles and I create the illustration. You may have an illustration of you done, as well as change the weather, clothing, scenery to suit any changes to your business and weather. After the site is rendered, a fee will apply to make those changes.
It is very important to me how fluid is the site, since paying attention to this will create a site that is easily accessed. Web art can be effectively used as markers and guides to cue your customer in to what should they click on. It`s a lot like supermarket isles with signs that tells you what is where. Buttons, rollovers, and graphics from your illustration will be put in to the template to make it lively and beautiful. On the site documents I will give you special images you can upload and decorate these pages.
Once you approve the layout, the coding is finalized and the template gets uploaded to the server.
The Process | Logo | Revisions | Illustration and Site | Stationery | Management
After receiving your logos, your natural response will be to show friends and family. Please be aware that every one has an opinion and unless you are set and finalized on your decision, you should know that showing off your logo is not a good idea.
Just as you would only discuss the purchase of a home or having a baby with your significant other and not cousin Emma or your best friend, your logo choices are a part your business. Although they may mean well, they may persuade you out of your decision. Show your logo only after you have made your final decision. A lot of research and planning goes into making a logo and if your well meaning cousin talked you out of your decision, you will be wasting time and money.
Also do not compare the artwork given to you to the logos/sites/illustrations in the site. The logos in my portfolio are considered finished and were fine tuned to the specifications of the client. Your initial logos are not considered not finished. Although I have had many customers like my logos at the initial stage, it is not rare to have them add or remove something later on. Utilize revisions to fine tune and explore options. All ideas will be considered, only those worth implementing will be rendered.
Certain things I will not budge
There are certain things I will not change when requested. I have enough websites under my belt to know better. If I know something will not be right, I will refuse the request. A prime example would be showing your work to another designer. There are certain rules in web design I like to follow and others I like to break. One rule I love to break is left align websites- I hate that rule! I like them center. If the designer likes to left align, he will tell you your site is wrong. If you create a request based on this, I will refuse the request and I will not make the changes. 90% of the time, you will see it my way. Unnecessary changes will make delays.
Business Partners
When there are two owners in a business, both of you must be in agreement and you both must converse first and then email me one email with all your thoughts for revisions. ONLY one of you should communicate with me rather than both of you. If this format is not followed I will not be able to finish the work, as I get as many as 1000 emails a day, and I will get confused.
In most cases, after choosing one of the logos, I can revise it to your liking. If that is not the case you have to choose from one of the three options;
* I can create 4 more logos for an extra fee more and after you choose one of those I will finish your logo package.
* I can make you one more logo and take away one of your revisions and radically change and revise it based on your specifications.
* Choose one of the logos I made you and I will change it to look the way you want it to look, without extra charge or taking a revision.
Please take a look at the services page on our new site at www.elainebiss.com
Please take a look at the services page on our new site at www.elainebiss.com
