Ads Vs. Brochures Online

I make it a habit to check out the listings on Craig's List at least a couple of times each week. Even though I've been doing this for about a year, I'm still amazed at the amount of print shops or graphic designers posting the equivalent of a brochure online. This is not a good idea for four reasons:

1. Smaller is better. I do agree with the philosophy of a visual on Craig's List. This removes all doubt of what services your company provides. However, be realistic; if the potential client wanted to see your entire portfolio or line-listing of services, they would have clicked through the ad to your website. Most people are impatient by nature, and will merely skim the rest of the ad or not scroll down at all, equating a large waste of space.

2. The ad doesn't really go anywhere. Put yourself in the customer's shoes: if the customer decided to buy your service and they click through the ad, the last thing they want to see is your "about me" page. The ad should click through to an action, or in the case of the client, to an order page. When it comes to online activity, assuming the sale isn't always a bad idea.

3. KEEP IT SIMPLE. I see ads that have a lot of text on them, all competing for the same amount of attention. All this gains the designer is frustration on the part of the client. If you're advertising a hot price on business cards, chances are pretty good the customer doesn't care about the new quad-fold brochure you're selling; the customer just wants to see (and order) what brought the client to their site: the advertisement for business cards.

4. Size does matter. Keep the ad to no more than 350px x 400px (this is my personal preference). One rule I try to keep in mind, but isn't always possible to do, is to advertise in the size you are selling. For example, if you're advertising bookmarks, make your ad approx. the size of a bookmark. This will give potential customers a visual idea of the size of the product while they read about your special price. It's better to put out several ads about different products than only one ad (usually too long) talking about all your products.

Visual advertising does work, even on Craig's List. Just try not to overdo it.

Happy designing!

Cheers,
Lisa

Samples First, Please

I recently read part of a Tweet coming through my TweetDeck that had to do with pay rates and "seeing a sample". Curious, I followed the link back to the author, Matt Harrelson, asking this: "How do you negotiate graphic design rates when potential employers want you to do a sample first?"

I'm not intending to slam Craig's List, but my observation of the majority of people posting or answering on Craig's List are looking for the lowest price possible, period. Knowing you're walking into that arena, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the end user wants to see samples first. This is a large no-no for a couple of reasons.

First, because people are only willing to pay the lowest possible price for that service or product, their perception of the value of that product is tied to the value of the dollars in their pocket. This decreases the value you, as a designer, bring to the table. I completely understand not wanting to turn away work, and I myself landed my first paying client from a Craig's List post. Having said that, state your prices up front but remove "you" from the discussion: "This service will cost $xx", rather than "I charge $xx for this service". Don't personalize cost.

Second, if someone isn't happy with the style of work you've posted on your portfolio, don't offer to do a sample of what it is they're looking for. It is possible they're looking for a different style and you may be able to accommodate. Under no circumstances should a designer, be it seasoned or new, do a sample for the client to look at. In Mr. Harrelson's case, he was asked to do a photo retouch sample to see if the client liked it before paying for it. agreeing doing this, you're giving away free work, and that also devalues the industry and your skill set.

I compare this tactic to some of the contest sites that are highly visible. They want everyone and anyone to send in a sample or two of the project in the contest, but only one winner is awarded, and all the work is kept by the contest originator. This scenario is no different; if someone asks you to "do a sample", they're really telling you they want it done for free. Politely decline and move on.

Happy designing!

Cheers,
Lisa

Your Back Should Be Naked

Business cards tell a certain story about your business. Let's face it -- it's all about presence. The thickness of the card, the typography, whether or not you use a clipart, glossy or nay -- all are important and are vital to the success of a business card.

One aspect people sometimes forget about is the back of the business card. You can usually tell if someone had their cards printed at VistaPrint (forgetting to take off the logo on the back before ordering), but in some cases -- and I'm just as guilty -- the back has text, or text and photo, all over it! Worse yet, there may be a UV coating to protect the ink (yep, guilty as charged!). This causes many networkers distress, which I'll explain.

Networkers are very habitual, almost to the point of insanity. Many like to make notes on the back of a business card. These notes can include but are not limited to: day and time they met you, where they met you, what the function was, the name of your children, your favorite color/food/pet, and so forth. In a few countries, you must not write on the back of a business card, for fear of penalty of death! However, in the good 'ol U.S. of A., networkers like to, and mostly likely will, write on the back of a business card.

Here's a hint: one networker I met a few weeks ago had a system for their business cards. If this networker met you and you basically shook his hand with your business card, he would put it in one pocket with no notes. In the other pocket were the business cards of those who had given him their card only BECAUSE HE ASKED THEM FOR IT. These cards had several notes scrawled on the back. When I asked him why the difference, he told me the pocket with cards and no notes reminded him these cards were thoughtlessly pushed in his direction, like spam, and treated them accordingly; the other cards he came by through making a connection and conversation, and these were people he genuinely wanted to stay in touch with.

Keep your back naked -- you never know when it'll be needed! As for me, time to go undress my back (of my business card - gotcha!).

Happy designing!

Cheers,
Lisa

Document Design 101: Text Boxes #2

When working with Adobe InDesign, you can manipulate the text boxes to virtually any shape needed. Suppose you have a strange shape to wrap text around; you can either put a text wrap around the form, or you can add points to the text box and, using the Direct Select tool, shape it to fit around the form.

As stated previously, make sure to keep some space between the edges of the text box and the text, especially if you've decided to put an outline around the text box. The reader's eyes tend to stop when they reach the end of a sentence, and the outline of the box can simulate the end of a sentence as much as a period.

Lastly, if you plan to use a background color for the text block, keep in mind that not all colors play well together. For example, if you decide to use a blue background, do not use red for the text. This will cause a visual distortion, making the text very hard for the eye to focus or read. Instead, choose a lighter color, such as yellow or white. Black backgrounds with white text are very effective when used to call attention to certain pieces of information, such as a call to action or a coupon with an expiration date.

Happy designing!

Cheers,
Lisa

Business Card Basics

Your business card is the receptionist of your business. After face-to-face networking, your business card is the key reminder of your new meeting. How then should your receptionist best represent your business?

Keep it simple. The design doesn't have to be boring, but if a potential customer has to look for your e-mail or phone number because it is too artsy-fartsy or too complicated, you probably have lost a customer. If you have too many competing elements or drop shadows on your text, it may cause your card to look too busy, thereby losing the message.

Keep it simple. Text should be no smaller than 8pt, and I recommend your company name (assuming there is no logo) should be no larger than 18pt. No drop shadows; keep in mind, if your company is advertising in a newspaper or needs to send a copy of the card over via fax, special effects won't pick up well through a fax or a flatbed scanner.

Keep it simple. No more than three different typefaces. Use color to point out the important pieces, such as your name and phone number. If you use your photo along with another (i.e., a realtor), you might ask your designer to watermark or fade one side of the other photo so your mug shot gets primary importance; better still, if you want to use your mug shot, leave any other photo out.

Keep it simple. Black is a color not many businesses can carry well; it also tends to carry a negative message, so try not using this color for your background unless it's the only color that works. If you decide to use black for your background color, be careful when selecting a secondary color to use (other than white). Try using a percentage of that color; remember, black will push lighter colors forward, making them more noticeable.

Keep it simple. Try not printing on the back side unless it is absolutely necessary. In many networking circles, it is nearly required to use the back side of a business card to write down where you met your contact, if you decide to offer a special price, scheduling a day/time for a meeting -- the list goes on.

Cheers,
Lisa

Now You See It...Or Do You?

When creating a design, be it for print or web, it's natural to try and fit an entire image so viewers don't miss a beat. Same goes for text when used as an image. You don't want people guessing at what you mean, so you show the entire image, maybe as a watermark. It's done tastefully, so why doesn't it work?

Sometimes good design calls for part of the image to remain hidden. It's okay when someone has to stop and stare, trying to put the pieces together. In the case of a word, the mind will usually auto-finish the word, so nothing is left behind. Take a photo of a house and a flyer. You can advertise the entire house and list your text beneath, or you can watermark the house and lay text over the top. You also can have the photo fill about 2/3 of the space on top, and list your text to the blank side. It's true that part of the house will be hidden, but depending on what is being advertised, it's either the main thought or a graphic element. The difference is the intent.

Basics of Business Card Design recap

I read this post from Brett Davis on designinformer.com's site. Here is the link before I continue:

http://designinformer.com/basics-business-card-design/

OK, now that you've had a chance to read it, let me share a few thoughts:

First, I agree completely with what Brett states on this posting. Never should you turn your business card into your brochure and clutter it with so much text its effectiveness is greatly lessened. You should set up your business cards with a bleed, if there is one, and definitely limit the number of fonts you use. Remember, it's not about showing off, it's about effective communication. That being said, I'd like to add a few points of my own to Brett's:

1. When you're setting up your business card template, remember three key points: First, check with the print shop for the margin bleed. Brett is correct that in the majority of instances the 1/8" bleed will be fine, but I have a printer I send work to fairly regularly that needs a 1/4" bleed - that was quite a surprise. Second, remember the majority of print shops do not like working with Microsoft anything. If you do not have industry-standard software (or at least one with a file format the print shop is comfortable working with) you are most likely looking at a reset of your work. Third, if you have to work with Microsoft, please save the file as a .pdf with fonts embedded, or have a professional help you do this. Microsoft Word does not always embed the fonts, and Microsoft Publisher's default mode is RGB -- great for the web, lousy for printing.

2. When using color, be very careful about the color choices made. If it hurts your eyes to look at it, chances are very good it will hurt the intended audience's eyes as well, sending a negative marketing image. Use color to highlight points on your card, such as your company name, phone number and e-mail address.

3. Know where your file will be printed and what options are offered for your printing job. A year ago a friend of mine bought her business card design from me, thanked me, and told me she would get it printed herself. A week later she told me she didn't understand everything being asked (the difference between matte, glossy and UV coating, for example). It took her and her husband about 1/2 to go through the printer's questions, whereas someone familiar with the industry would have spent maybe five minutes. Oh, and the printer? She took the job to OfficeMax, who in turn outsourced the project to another print shop, so she ended up paying more in the end.

4. When using fonts, make sure to limit the use of cursive fonts or thin fonts, such as Monotype Corsiva, Times or Century Gothic. What I usually do is use a sans-serif font for the body if I've used a serif for the company name, or vice-versa. If I do use a cursive font for the company name, I still use a sans-serif for the body. If you do use a cursive font, make sure it is legible; a too-fancy font might look impressive, but if the viewer can't read it you've lost a potential customer.

Along with everything Brett said, I would lastly state if you can't figure out how to give the print shop the files they need to print your project, or if you simply do not have time to set up your template and design your project, call a professional designer. It may cost a bit up front, but will save you time, money, and headaches in the long run.