Marketing & Design Tips

Save Money at the Printer Here are a few money saving tips the next time you need something printed: 1. Save $20-$50 in plate wash charges when printing a 2nd color by being flexible and allowing the printer to run your job on the same day another job is being run with a color you can live with.... Since the color is already on the press, you should not have to pay for the plate wash after your job has been printed. 2. Upgrade your paper selection and actually SAVE MONEY! If running a small job, ask the printer if they have any left over stock from other jobs they would like to sell you at a discount... If doing a flier, you can even combine odd amounts of various left over stock to meet your printing needs. Basic Font Usage Avoid using too many typefaces in your layout. The general rule of thumb is to use no more than 2 different fonts... Use one serif font (such as Times Roman - the letters have little feet and tails) and one san-serif font (like Helvetica or Arial - the letters are more block-like). If you can not control yourself and have to use a 3rd font, use a display font (usually heavier and more frilly) and use it very sparingly for headlines only. Some experts will argue that serif fonts are easier to read because the little feet and tails lead the eye to the next letter and word. Based on that theory (which some do not agree with), large blocks of text should use serif font and headings/subheads use san-serif font. As a rule, do not use underline - use bold and/or italic instead. Size your type so you have no more than 60 characters per line. The eye has trouble if your lines are too long or type too small. Choose a font that is appropriate for your audience - not just because you like it or it is different. Use short paragraphs and short sentences. Black on white is easier to read than reversed type (white on black). REMEMBER, for web use, stick to the basic fonts. You may design a page with a really cool font but when that page is viewed on another system that does not have that font, it will default to Arial or Veranda or Times Roman which could change the entire feel of your web page. If you want to use a unique font on the web, it is best to create your text, then convert it to a GIF image and place on your web page as an image file (picture). Logo Designs: A few years ago, Schechter Group of New York found that consumers can more easily relate to trademarks & logos that use a character than those that are geometric abstracts. Of 900 consumers polled, Quaker Oats, KFC, Planters and NBC scored highest out of 22 national logos. U.S. Sprint, Infinity and Minolta scored the lowest. Interestingly, today it seems as if more companies are going for the abstract, simplified logo. Another survey showed that logos should be updated every 6 to 10 years. When updating, try and keep some elements of the original logo to avoid confusion.

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