Your business card printing piece is an extension of your workplace. Your business card tells the people you hand it to about the kind of office or company you work for. Or if you are a business owner, it tells your contacts about the kind of business you operate and how you operate it. It may even offer a glimpse of who you are. In short, a business card is not just a piece of paper that you hand out, but this piece of paper tells so much about you.

Grab a card now from your wallet or your business card holder and just look at it while I list down some of the things that you might want to know or consider about this important piece of paper.

What is the first thing that you noticed with your card? What is the most prominent feature? Chances are, if you are employed in a reputable company or a company which values its brand, the most prominent thing in your card would probably be the company logo. Hey, it is free advertisement!

If you are someone who is building a name for yourself or creating a niche for yourself, your name would probably be the most recognizable feature in your card.

Here are a few more things about your card that would tell you its value:

Size. How big or how small? Does it conform to the traditional size of 3.5″ by 2″? I have been a recipient of ‘unprofessionally’ cut cards and if they do not fit in my wallet or card holders, I simply put them in the trash. So stick to the traditional size – do not try to be
different in size because if you do then you would not make any difference at all.

Paper Quality. Someone handed me a bond paper cut into business card size and the first thing that came to my mind is the word ‘cheap.’ Would I buy something from this person? Would I get his services? Your answer is as good as mine.

Color. Color business cards appear to be more professional and they are probably more expensive than black and white. Too much color however, can be distracting and may have the opposite effect.

Photograph. I guess the ultimate question is whether to include your photograph or not. The answer is it depends on the image you want to project or the type of business you have. I sometimes appreciate photos on cards especially when I could not remember who gave it to me. It may come out as too narcissistic to some though.

If you think your business card is not what you want based on these then do not have second thoughts. Trash it.

Author Bio: For more information, you can visit this page on business card printing

Tags: business greeting cards, layouts, designer business cards, company calling cards, pre made templates, conceptions, ready-made themes

by: Angelina OConnor

I recently had my website designed, and my new logo created for my company. I would like to use it, but my printer can’t use the file he gave me! I just got business cards printed from it, but they didn’t look good. I don’t know what to do.

A frustrated business owner recently came to me with this problem. I told him to calm down, I can redraw the logo in a program where he can use it, and it will always look professional. He was relieved, but didn’t like the idea of having to pay for the logo - AGAIN. It has been my personal experience that it is easy to get the wrong type of art when you purchase a logo design. IThis was not the first business owner that came to me with this exact problem. Beware - the Internet Designer!! They design for the web. This is not a bad thing, they have some really cool programs and will build you an awesome website. But when it comes to your logo, you may want to create a brochure, or business cards, or a banner for a show. You will either have to live with a pixilated and unprofessional logo, or pay someone else to fix it for you. (You know when you look at a printed piece and the edges should be clean lines but come out fuzzy, or jagged - that is pixilated)

~Don’t be afraid to ask questions~

What I aim to do is arm you with basic knowledge about graphic lingo, files types and what you should ask for from your designer.

~It is always a good idea to get multiple formats on disk from your designer~

This allows you the freedom to use your logo in different software and applications. It also allows you to give printers the format that they need. This will save you time, and above all, setup charges when you go to utilize your logo for print.

Raster vs. Vector

When your logois initially designed it may have lots of flare, and be visually stimulating; eyecatching. Your logo can have fancy drop shadows (a shadow of the image projected on the page behind it to add depth) and pretty gradients (gradual fade from one color to another) and look amazing. But, this logo may not be useful for every project.

Example: Your company wants to use the logo for a brochure, but the budget only allows for a one color print. When the brochure is printed your company’s logo looks jagged and spotty.

Example 2: Your company wants to take out a telephone directory ad and the colors are red and black. You do not have the option to add red to your logo, and when it prints it looks fuzzy.

You need to begin with clean lines and no frills! So, when you hire your designer, be sure to tell them that you need the logo initially designed in a VECTOR based program.

~Be strong! This is important!~

What that means is that your logo or artwork is made up of mathematical lines and points that tell the computer where to draw the lines.

What that means to you is that your logo can be resized, re-colored, and changed to fit any project at any time without compromising the integrity of the art. You will have those clean lines at any size!

If it is not vector, it is considered a raster image. Those gradients and drop shadows mentioned , they are usually created in a RASTER based program. Raster images are photos.

What that means is that pixels and dots make up these images.

What that means to you is that you cannot go as big as you want with it, and you cannot have your graphics person or printer change the colors on a whim.

Vector Programs and file extensions:

Adobe Illustrator .ai

Macromedia Freehand .fh? (7,8,9,10… version number)

Corel Draw .cdr

.eps – (encapsulated postscript) virtually any artist, or print shop can open and save this kind of file with any of the programs listed. This is usually a sign that you are getting VECTOR art. However, raster images can also be saved with this extension. That does not make them Vector!!

.pdf – (portable document format) not all that portable. Not even a little bit changeable to the common printer. Can be vector – but usually not. (it is all in how they created and saved the file.)

Only after the initial design phase, if you want gradients, drop shadows, or a beveled edge (a way to give a shape three dimensional depth) have the artist add these elements. If they say they design in PhotoShop, be wary. This is a raster based program, and the artwork can only scale so large before it begins to look bad (pixilated).

Computer formats for the final design

Vector: (necessary)

.eps – Have them save this to an older version, to be sure more printers can use the file.

Parent Program – whatever program the vector art was initially designed in.

Raster: (totally optional)

.jpg (.jpeg may not work on your computer) Get a one color and a full color jpg in two sizes, a large and a small one.

.bmp (bitmap) Ask for a black and white bitmap at a high resolution (1800 dpi). There is no white background – so it is more versatile than a jpeg. This is created from your one color logo Vector art.

.gif (optional) with transparent background for web use

.tif (tagged image format) This can be the full color logo. Ask for this in CMYK for printing projects.

.psd (PhotoShop Document, they may use Corel Photo-Paint) This is the program most widely used for the fancy FILTERS, (gradients, bevels, drop shadows…) If they use this program, get an UN-FLATTENED file. It will take up tons of memory, so just get it on disk. This is also for printing projects. It is especially useful if your printer needs to change something.

If you bought a car and the salesman offered to install a CD player for $200, or you could go to a store, buy the same stereo, and pay another company to install it for $500 – what would you do? Everyone wants to save money and hassle down the road. Ask for the logo in vector first and have an open discussion about your options.

About The Author
Angie O’Connor is owner and operator of Writing On the Wall Grafix. WoW Grafix is committed to bringing high quality artwork and printed materials to smaller businesses. If you have any stories that you would like to share, questions or comments about this article contact Angie @ 913.206.6997 or email wowgrafix@kc.rr.com

Tags: graphic designer, graphic, design, design logo design, cool logo designer, graphic fashion, logos

Kids organization top logos

Logotype, commonly know as a logo, is a design, a graphic representation/image/trademark symbolizing one’s organization. Designed for instant identification, a logo can appear on company letterhead, advertising material and signs as an emblem by way of which the organization can easily be recognized.

Originating in the 19th century, after a surge in industrial manufacturing that led to an increase in output, global distribution, and the commencement of competition, logos were created to differentiate between products within the same industry. Emblems or symbols were included on products, packages and labels so buyers could easily recognize the product they preferred. Logos revolutionized the advertising world.

There was a time when only affluent organizations could afford their own crest, emblem or logo. They were, in some cases, a very detailed drawing with many objects. Cost was not an issue and more was considered better. Then, flags were used due to their larger format. They were visible from the craft fields and from long distances.

Today, successful companies continue to say that “simpler is better”. Especially when the world is advancing so rapidly, you have less and less time to impress your customers. Logo designs, now, are very stylish yet remain conservative, which makes them eye-catching and easier for the brain to memorize.

Selecting the Logo Concept

The most crucial aspect of logo selection is the logo concept. You must first determine what your logo should say about your company. You may come up with an image related to a business like a house for real estate or a car for a car dealer, or your logo could be just an abstract image representing the company’s philosophy, for example, a pyramid or a blocky image for a stable, trustworthy company. A very dynamic image with orbits and swooshes, sparks, or particles might be suitable for a very young, modern, high tech company.

Not all businesses, though, can be easily associated with any particular image. For example, a programming company doesn’t have many images to associate with (except a computer). In this situation, it would be recommended to concentrate on an abstract image and to represent the feel of the company’s business rather than coming up with a specific image. Companies that deal with more than one business should have a more generic image, but the logo can still be made to look technological by implementing some straight lines in combination with curves, or more corporate with more proportional, symmetrical, geometrical shapes.

As a result of the expense involved in changing a logo, a “good” logo shouldn’t be too trendy, but ideally last many years before needing a redesign. You need to ask yourself if the design will be relevant in 5 or 10 years.

Once a company has established itself with a specific look, feel and image, it becomes more and more difficult to change as time goes by. Some companies have enjoyed success without ever having to change their logo design. Kentucky Fried Chicken has used Colonel Sanders in their logo since the company was founded in 1952. Aside from some updates on their marketing front, Nike would be another good example (the Nike swoosh). Pepsi took a risk in the mid 1990s by drastically changing their image and logo but did so with success. However, it could have resulted in commercial suicide. If you’ll remember, in the 1980s Coca-cola changed their brand image to Coke. Pepsi then took over top seat in the market shortly thereafter. Creating a logo that can appeal to customers and consumers throughout the ages is important, considering that there will always be a risk involved with change.

If, however, you decide that your logo is in need of a face life, here are some points to take into consideration:

Does your current logo represent 3 of the key elements that make up a credible and high quality logo design?

If you answered ‘yes’ to all of these questions, then why change your logo? By revamping your company image, you may risk losing your supporters, clients that are already familiar with your products and services, your popularity, respect, as well as your market share. You can, however, clean-up your logo or update it with a lot less risk.

Tagline

Kids organization corporate logo

When creating a tagline for your company, it is important to consider whether or not you are going to, eventually, go global. If so, create a tagline that gets your point across when translated into different languages. Here are some examples of successful companies that did not take this into consideration:

1. Kentucky Fried Chicken’s tagline “finger-lickin’ good” translates in Chinese as “eat your fingers off”.
2. General Motors introduced the Chevy Nova in South America, and the company was apparently unaware that “no va,” translated in Spanish meant “it won’t go,” or “it doesn’t run.”
3. In Taiwan, Pepsi introduced its tagline “Come alive with the Pepsi Generation”. In Chinese, the slogan translated as “Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead.”

Shapes, Sizes and Types

Iconic logos: Iconic logos, one of the most common types, are represented by a single graphical element, icon or design which usually includes the company name below or to the side of the icon, for example: Nike, AOL, Micheline. When considering iconic logos, it is important to make the symbol fit any of the geometrical shapes. The best shapes to use are symmetrical geometrical shapes. They can be placed almost anywhere and still show balance and are very easy to handle.

There is no obligation, though, as to the kind of shape used, you can use any free form shape you want, but you have to be very careful with the placement, so the logo doesn’t look like it is falling apart.

When selecting the shape, you should consider how conservative and stable your company wishes to appear.

Logo Type: Logo types consist only of the company name. A unique font or unique layout style can make a great logo, for example: Sony, Kellogg’s, Coca-Cola, IBM.

Illustrative: An illustrative logo consists of a unique design; usually representing the company’s field of business. These logos are often very eye-catching, detailed and impressive. As a result of their detail and colors, illustrative logos are difficult to reproduce and therefore expensive.

Integrated: An integrated logo is the combination of a logo type and illustrative logo. These logos are even more rare than the illustrative logos because of their expense.

Less is More!

Everyone wants a cutting edge, high tech, ‘cool’ logo. Consider, however, that some of the most successful logos are simple, and most importantly, easy to remember. Think of Nike, McDonalds, Pepsi, Coca-Cola. These are all very successful images that are, at the same time, very simple. When creating your design, you can get into picky little details and it is important to take a step back, close your eyes and see if you can essentially sketch the image in your head. If it is that memorable, then you know you are on the right track. Remember that “less is more”.

Colors

Keep in mind, when selecting colors for your logo, that your color scheme should be appropriate for your company. It is also useful to use pantone colors -universal colors which are used by professional print shops.

Colors often have a profound impact on viewers. Red and orange are said to produce excitation, red also tends to signify danger. Dark blue portrays comfort and relaxation, and yellow tends to create a feeling of irritation. If you are creating a logo design for a nursing home or a hospital, it may be a good idea to stay away from reds and bright yellows. Exceptions are always made though, such as McDonalds (which has both red and yellow in its logo!).

When choosing your color scheme, keep in mind the personality you wish to express for your business. Do you want your company to portray a professional image? Try using black, silver, and other dark colors. Do you want your company to come across and fun, dynamic, and funky? If so, try using bright and vibrant colors. Be creative.

Important Points To Consider:

Logo design is believed to be one of the most difficult areas in graphic design. A logo is essentially at the heart of a corporate identity. It is the face of an organization! The right logo design can be one of your strongest marketing tools. It delivers the message to the public that a company is unique, credible and professional. Make it stylish. Make it elegant. Make it an impact.

About The Author
Colleen Ryan is the Art Director of Logobee Inc., a logo design firm that designs high quality logo design and corporate identity design for businesses worldwide. Logobee Inc. was founded in 2000 and since then the company has grown at an exponential rate.

http://www.logobee.com

Tags: timeline graphics, icon history, historical logos, symbol timeline, graphics, symbol, graphic history, timeline

Whatever industry you’re in, the very thing that is constant (in addition to change and financial loss) is competition. Let’s face it. We cannot discount that any form of competition is what makes retail business thrive.

They’re there whether you like it or not. The only way you can go around them is to actually rise above them. Competition brings the strength and aggression that makes retail businesses such as yours to remain standing.

It’s a doggy-dog world in any business industry. While you can’t direct what your competitors should do, you can nevertheless lessen the impact they’ll make on your retail business.

Here are more ideas to promote your brand, and hopefully, get you to stand out among the rest.

Reduce Expenses; Increase Advertising

Although you would want to lessen your expenses this year, it shouldn’t be that you have to cut back on your advertising campaign. In addition, the rest of your competition would be increasing their promotional campaign when you’re decreasing yours so you’d better step up especially during slower sales time.

Most of the time, your operating expenses alone can eat up much of your company’s budget. But if you could tweak it a bit further, you’ll realize that you can actually decrease on some of the expenses and add on your marketing campaign.

Think Out of the Box

In marketing, the most creative usually gets the most clients. For your marketing collaterals - be it flyers, brochures or postcards – using unconventional designs distinguish you from the rest of the competition.

In order for you to be recognized, you have to create your distinct brand of retail business that gets attention and generates more sales. Everyone has the capacity to create the standard look in their promotional ads. However, it is the unique few that can produce the most creative.

The Best Customer Service In Town

Nowadays, it’s not anymore customer satisfaction when it comes to providing the best customer service to your clients. Our goal should be customer delight.

By going the extra mile to offer great service that affects pleasure and enjoyment from your customer is the means to be successful in your chosen field.

Many small businesses are usually great when building relationships with clients. But often these businesses are wanting in the nurturing department. Nurturing is what helps you strengthen your retail business brand. It also generates client loyalty.

What makes customer service essential is that it provides the buffer during harsher struggles when competition is rife. People would go where they are most comfortable even if the price drops from one company to the next..

Adding some of these suggestions to your promotional campaign can help you add spice to your retail business. Don’t be satisfied with being standard. Be aggressive and strive to stand out from your competition. You’ll definitely see an increase in your income.

Author Bio: For more information, visit www.printplace.com to learn more about flyers, postcards and brochures

Tags: promotions your brand, promoting your brand, branding your, brand development, brand promotion, designer, your brand\'s, importance of branding, branding and design

Which ones did an effective job of convincing you? Which did you find useful and unique, enough to make you want to keep them? Which ones did a great job of saying their message? Of all popular marketing collateral in the industry today, which one is more effective and appropriate for your business - color flyers, custom postcards, color posters? And of course, business cards are absolutely mandatory.

These are some of the questions you need to answer if you want to have promotional giveaways for your business. Even outside trade shows, effective giveaways are very useful in making a good impression to your target clients.

So before you spend your entire budget on items that will be used, kept, remembered and appreciated, here are some of the things you need to consider to have yourself an effective trove of giveaways:

Your goal for making your giveaways. – Giveaways are basically made to promote your business to your target audience. They’re made to increase recognition and get your clients to retain your message.

So what is your purpose for having giveaways? Do you use them as advertising materials? Are you trying to get new clients or refresh your business relationships with the old ones?

Whatever your purpose, the bottom line is to have giveaways that effectively convey your message, as well as become attractive items that produce huge impact.

Giveaways that best suit your goal.- There are a lot of giveaways to choose from. Nevertheless, not all can best suit your purpose.

Depending on your goals, you have to choose the item that conveys your ideas clearly. A clear and concise purpose should make it easy for you to select the most appropriate giveaway for your business.

Your target audience.- Just like any other marketing campaign material, your giveaway should also be focused on your target audience. Knowing your purpose for your gifts would help you decide on who should receive them.

Your marketing theme.- Your giveaway is part of a marketing campaign that has one theme. Consistency is again important if you want to have an effective giveaway item for your business. You should choose an item that complements not only your marketing message but your image as well. Always remember that your goal is to have your target audience remember you even after your item have reached its expiration date.

Your budget.- As always, one of the main considerations is your budget. It is a fact that giveaways can be expensive especially if they’re premium items. The quality, quantity and special orders can make a huge difference in your overall price. So establish a budget that you can live with and work according to what you can afford.

Don’t blow your budget on your giveaways, only to find out later on that they are inappropriate. Consider all your options and decide on the most effective giveaway item that is suited for your purpose and image.

For comments and inquiries about the article visit:
Custom Postcards, Business Cards, Online Printing Company
Author Bio: Lynne Saarte is a writer that hails from Texas. She has been in the Internet business for some years now, specializing in Internet marketing and other online business strategies.

Tags: cards business, custom printed postcards, custom printing postcards, businesses, business greetings

Don’t be fooled. The Internet Gold Rush wasn’t in the 1990s. Sure there were a lot of corporations getting millions of investor funding for little more than a promise, but it turned out to be a flash in the pan.

Today, even with the recession bottoming out, the amount of REAL money being earned on the Internet is far beyond anything even a year ago. Start your online web site today and you reach vastly more people while enduring far less competition.

It has never been truer than it is now:

You can create your Internet empire with little more than a good logo. Here’s how to impliment good logo strategies.

• I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the broadband promise of fast Internet service bottomed out. A full ninety percent of people surf the Net with a slow dial-up modem. Suddenly plain, fast- loading web pages are back in consumer favor good logo strategies.
• Stick your eye-catching, image-creating logo at the top of a plain white page, then let your copy flow below it. That’s really all you need to get a first class start. It gives you image. It gives you message.
• Use your graphics logo to make your name memorable. A good logo design creates a feel, an image, and a brand for your site. It can also lend an air of professionalism to your online creation. First impressions count. When prospects see an impressive logo, it gives the other aspects of your site a head start.

You will want to use logo strategies that can serve as your long term brand. It should communicate its message clearly. Rather than trading your mark in for a new one a year from now, make your graphics logo a classic by having a designer rework it after a period. Just like Coca Cola, General Motors, and now Amazon.com, your logo can carry on year after year making your name household memorable and worldwide.

Finally, find ways to flex your logo strategies on ALL your sites and printed media. As your empire grows, it can create a family connection between your varying domains. Your empire will be plainly evident, known to all by the sign of your logo.

Nik Efay is a professional logo designer and founder of Logo Design Logo Design. See his tips for getting design that produces results at http://www.logo-design-logo-design.com Get an expertly created custom logo at an extraordinarily affordable price. Reach Nik at mailto:support@logo-design-logo-design.com or in the UK at: Tel: +44 07985-372-109

Tags: best logo designs, logo design, company logo design service, graphic logo design, business logo design service, logo design studio, premium logo designs, affordable logo design service

What is Professional Logo Designing?

There certain distinguished elements that can be thought of when you get logo design services. Good logos are made from a fine, scientific blend of the right colors, curves, outlines and clear space. You may find a brand mark you look at that just catches your eye. That is true artistry at work. Study and examine exactly what it is about the identity that caught your eye.

Get Your Customized Logo Design Done by Experts

Among all the significant areas in graphic designing, corporate identity is considered to be the part of your company that must be professionally prepared. There are numerous graphic design agencies that can help create your iconic representation. But you don’t want to just throw it out there with no forethought! Even the best logos design companies know the most successful logos are progressions of your company persona, mission statement, market you serve and brand support.

How to Find a Designer

The more your business logo design talks, the better because this input should help you assess how practical the graphic design services you hired are working for you. Today we are blessed with an amazing communication tool known as the internet. There is nothing you cannot find including the finest designing services in the world.

Let’s slow down a bit and take a look at the most famous logos that exist today.

Adidas	Adobe	American Express
Apple	BMW	Burger King
Coca Cola	Denver Broncos	FedEx
Ferrari	General Electric	Google
Harley Davidson	Honda	Intel
McDonalds	Mercedes Benz	Microsoft
NASA	NBA	Nike
Nokia	Pepsi	Peugeot
Spiderman-ps2	Superman	Rolls Royce
Starbucks	Toyota	UPS
Wal-Mart	Walt Disney	Yahoo

An illustrative icon is very impressive in the long run.

As you can see above they are well-defined, simple, memorable and a true corporate signature scribed in the minds of all viewers. A major component of logo designing and corporate identity is best described as a living design. An icon that lives, breaths and grows but always looks the same. You can have a company graphic design service intentionally create prominent junctures in building brand personality. When you get into the more elite levels of concept development you will find that corporate identity designing services are more specific to encompassing a larger picture in the depiction of the best accepted logos.

Finding Affordable Graphic Design Services

With the internet as your partner just Google phrases like:

• Logo design help- read a few articles from the professionals.
• Affordable logos designed- see who is offering the best deal for you.

You know yourself better than anyone else. Some folks are easy to please while others require much more visual referencing. I have learned that the finest logo designers have a magic way of cutting through the mustard. In the long run that matters! To find a company that can provide unique logo designs to your satisfaction will be an easy task when you research properly. I also found this site helpful for getting good designed logo ideas.

A Few Pointers Before You get Started

1. Consider website logo designing as well as printing.
2. Ease of Scalability.
3. Select the best graphic design service base on your needs
4. What moods do colors convey?
5. What colors do you like?
6. Are their certain type (font) styles that catch your eye?
7. How many Men, Woman and children make-up your market?
8. What is the culture of your demographic market?

In order for your business to soar like an eagle, you will definitely want to add the treasured find of a talented web and print logo developer to your corporate imaging team. Your own personal idea maker that gets in your head should be able to guide you in the right direction when it comes to finding the best company ID package for your business.

Here’s a couple of free vector based logos you can download and do as you like with.

Free Snail Logo	Free Snail House Logo
Download PDF - Download .ai	Download PDF - Download .ai

Tags: logo design corporate, corporate logos designed, custom logos, company logo design, logo designing corporate, business logo design service, logo designs, professional graphic design service