Archive for the ‘examples’ Category

This lesson in photo edits and creating custom graphics using Xara Xtreme includes a bonus item. First let me explain how the first photo below was created from two photographs. The zoom function and tracing allows graphic artists to create some pretty cool effects.

The wooden seagull in our front yard was purchased by my wife because it was on sale for $1.00, and once it was planted I took the photo shown minus the real seagull. Using the photograph closeup (below) that I took on the Maine coast several years ago, I clipped and resized just the gull.

Tutorial: I outlined the seagull with the pen tool by zooming in 5x and using a contrasting line before converting it to the dotted red line shown. Once outlined I clipped the gull from the original photo and resized it to fit the fake graphic version. The background has transparency added to better illustrate the cropped portion.

What’s the bonus? My wife wanted the top photo saying it would be a cool wallpaper for the computer desktop, so I created a high resolution version. The free wallpaper includes more of the foreground for better proportions to stretch on your desktop. You may download the free seagull wallpaper here (right click and save target) to add this to your collection. The wallpaper is in a zipped folder, 677Kb.

Experiment in Xara Xtreme with a free 30 day trial and try clipping portions of photos as shown in this lesson. The technique works great for business cards, and most other printed marketing material.

Here is a tutorial including my zoom test to determine if a photograph is suitable for print. To create a full color business card design with photographs, the final quality depends very much on the resolution of the photo you take. Keep in mind that what you see on your computer monitor is low resolution, and although it may look great the quality may not be appropriate for printed marketing materials.

To perform the zoom test double click on the file name of your photograph in My Documents to open it, and zoom in at 5 times normal size. If key lines or shapes like a person’s eyes or nose look blurry, you need a better photo. View the quality comparison of my white cat shown below.

Compare the left side which is perfectly clear at 5x normal size to the right side which is obviously blurry. Your computer screen is low resolution with 3-color images, and screen illumination enhances the look. Printing on paper requires high resolution and a 4-color process, and obviously cards are not illuminated. Test your photos with the zoom technique or you may face disappointment with the printed cards.

Bonus tip: Another test is file size. When creating a business card for print check the file size in My Documents and if it is less than 100KB under the “size” column, you need a better version. My advice is bigger is better and a minimum file size of 200KB and up is recommended. I prefer 1000KB which is 1 megabyte, or larger.

On a personal note, and not included in the About Me, the cat in the photo adopted me and incredibly likes to go for a daily walk. Yes, just like a dog this cat stays at my side without a leash for a mile or more and then back home. It was abandoned and living off garbage bins before adopting me. Neighbors are astonished. One asked if I ever worked as an animal trainer. This cat is absolutely gorgeous, so most people think it’s she, not he.

Finally, visit my directory of royalty free photographs to search more than 200,000 high resolution pix for your next project.

Recording artist Monk contacted me for a 4×6 flyer announcing the album debut and official release party of the Thugology MD All Black Album at Club51 in Rockville MD on April 20. It was a rush job and took less than a week from concept to finished print.

The specification for a 4×6 post card size design was black background and simple plain white text. The Club51 logo is red and white, so Monk agreed to allow red and some creativity. Here’s a look at the front artwork that I created shown smaller than actual size.

Official Thugology MD All Black Album Release Party Ad

The back (not shown) includes admission, contact phone information, and a list of performing artists: Lil Buck, Twisted Mindz, Mo. Co finest Monk & Tha Don. Keeping the original concept of white text, the illustration of this ad shows how white text on black can jump off the page with simple shading.

Do you have a challenging design or deadline? Let me know what you need and how quickly.

Here is an excerpt from a published article I wrote to help small business owners understand the strategy for printed marketing materials and your corporate image.

Understanding the purpose of your printed materials is the basis of my print strategy advice. The viewer’s reaction to your corporate image in print is like having a silent salesperson 24/7. Marketing materials are not intended to close orders. They should stimulate interest based on a professional image. Don’t overdo it or your efforts may backfire.

Business Card
Your business card is the introduction. That’s all. A professional look and positive first impression may get you to the next step. If you attempt to sell your product or service on your card, it will most likely be too crowded and ruin the purpose. The back of your card should be used and include a small ad that goes beyond who you are, and briefly presents the benefits of what you do. Keep the design simple. Violate what I call My 5 Second Rule for Small Business Owners, and the card will be tossed.

Post Card or Flyer
A 4×6 or 5×7 flyer or post card is an introduction, also. However, with more space for creating a favorable first impression a design with less content is still more effective, and preferred. The purpose here is to impress the viewer and include a call to action which may be as simple as call us or visit our website. For example, I created full color artwork for a real estate post card that tells how effective the “less equals more” worked. The message was simply “If you are looking to sell, buy, or rent, please give me a call”, and it worked wonders. The stunning graphics included a gorgeous background photo of Orlando and the real estate broker in the foreground. Again, you have 5 seconds to impress the viewer.

Trifold Brochure
Your 8-1/2 x 11 full color trifold brochure is the first opportunity to go overboard with photos and a more direct sales pitch with benefit statements and color photographs. The key turning point in the buyer-salesperson relationship is when the prospect reaches out and they contact YOU. Your trifold brochure’s purpose is to go beyond the call to action as mentioned for your post card or flyer, and it needs to convince the buyer to make contact by presenting realistic benefits for what you offer. Brochures still cannot close orders. If there is a remote possibility that the viewer has a need, the positive first impression and list of benefit statements may make the difference between the brochure being saved or tossed. The lifespan is still 5 seconds if your printed piece is unprofessional.

You may be like many small business owners, and learning to type was not a priority in high school. I’m glad I did, and often see others struggle with email because typing wasn’t an important part of their education. Invest in a typing course. It will be worth your time.

Here’s a free typing test online that you may want to try. I clocked in just under 70 words per minute.

There are great software programs available now, and taking daily lessons for 15-30 minutes could enhance your skills in a surprisingly short time. Experienced typists could benefit as well.

Learn at a steady pace in your spare time. Email, reports, and just taking notes will be so much easier. Comments or questions are welcome.

Consider the value of adding a free business card calendar to your printed marketing materials. Part of my business model includes ways to lower operating costs for small business clients. As a result, I’m offering 300 dpi original artwork for a 2007 business card calendar at no charge.

This $25 value is my way of contributing to the small business community. Here’s a jpg graphic in low resolution. The top and bottom text lines (in red) are not in the final art and the business card background will be white, not grey.

What’s the catch? There is none. Simply right click the following link and “save target as” to get your high resolution free 2007 calendar artwork.

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For this set of tips, our subject is an imaginary realtor with a new www domain, and they need a custom website design plus full color real estate business cards for their agents. A logo and card design are the first priority.

However, plan your website content first to allow a consistent presentation on your real estate business card. A summary of the site text content can be emailed to the designer along with graphics. With your logo and market identity established in print, you have the basics for your website design later. The look on your card should match your website when prospects begin to visit your site.

Photo business cards for real estate are very popular. A successful image for your company often depends on making a favorable first impression in print and online. Cards limit the amount you can say, so using a photograph of the realtor and perhaps a nice new home helps tell your story without much text.

As you gather text and graphic content for your website and card, consider the following advice:

1. Website real estate photos can be low resolution, so most photos are okay (20K to 50K).
2. Printed realtor business cards need high resolution photos (200K or more).
3. Text content should be typed in a word processor which may be copied into an email using CTRL-C (copy) and then CTRL-V (paste).

Note: It is always better to provide high resolution versions of your logo and photographs when available. Your designer can create 96 dpi graphics for your website, and use the originals at 300 dpi for printed materials like your card.

Finally, once you have the first card approved, new cards should be less expensive as you add realtors because the basic artwork is done. My real estate clients save 33% to 50% on subsequent designs for multiple agents. Most graphic artists will discount future orders, also. Visit my business card gallery and custom website design gallery to see examples of my work.

Comments and questions about websites, graphic art, or small business advice are welcome.