25K pageweight PagePipe.com -- it can be done!
Sunday, July 21, 2013
#70 Solving a color match problem
I and the client company's marketing manager had
to solve a color problem. The company logo was two colors: red and an
orangish-yellow with black type set in Franklin Gothic Extrabold.
The company built industrial aluminum molds for casting and forming products or packaging from foam, plastic, and other materials.
1. The company logo was originally designed by the owner's now ex-wife. No records existed of what colors were used.
2. After that time, the logo was printed on letterhead by a subcontract designer, Melisa. She was available by phone. She had no written record of what the colors were but had a good guess.
3. A third designer (an IT guy) put together the website and used what he thought were the right colors in hex code. They didn't match the print version.
So we had three sets of colors. In addition to this, when I pointed out the inconsistencies, The marketing manager said,
4. "All I really want is the color to match our business card." That introduced a fourth color combination.
So I dove into analyzing the colors and comparing them. I then made three visual charts to demonstrate to them the results. In the end, I made recommendation of what we should specify for print and web media. I thought I'd share how that "looked" and also a couple of pages of the resulting website style guide.
It was necessary to coach the client and his boss about the differences in RGB, CMYK, and Pantone color gamuts. They actually enjoyed learning this stuff.
Doing this analysis and presentation earned me some extra money and brought in not only the website rework but also a print presentation portfolio for tradeshows. Around $4,900 in time. The moral of this story: Presentation makes a difference. Don't just tell them. Show them and document your work. It makes you more professional.
Websafe colors were specified but not necessary. I chose those to keep things simple and memorable when designing. Websafe is not a necessary feature.
The story doesn't have a happy ending. In recent years, after over 25 years in business, the company was forced to close it's doors permanently because of offshore competition. Sad day in Mudville to see a company die. I still wear my D8 T-shirt they gave me --in their memory.
The company built industrial aluminum molds for casting and forming products or packaging from foam, plastic, and other materials.
1. The company logo was originally designed by the owner's now ex-wife. No records existed of what colors were used.
2. After that time, the logo was printed on letterhead by a subcontract designer, Melisa. She was available by phone. She had no written record of what the colors were but had a good guess.
3. A third designer (an IT guy) put together the website and used what he thought were the right colors in hex code. They didn't match the print version.
So we had three sets of colors. In addition to this, when I pointed out the inconsistencies, The marketing manager said,
4. "All I really want is the color to match our business card." That introduced a fourth color combination.
So I dove into analyzing the colors and comparing them. I then made three visual charts to demonstrate to them the results. In the end, I made recommendation of what we should specify for print and web media. I thought I'd share how that "looked" and also a couple of pages of the resulting website style guide.
It was necessary to coach the client and his boss about the differences in RGB, CMYK, and Pantone color gamuts. They actually enjoyed learning this stuff.
Doing this analysis and presentation earned me some extra money and brought in not only the website rework but also a print presentation portfolio for tradeshows. Around $4,900 in time. The moral of this story: Presentation makes a difference. Don't just tell them. Show them and document your work. It makes you more professional.
Websafe colors were specified but not necessary. I chose those to keep things simple and memorable when designing. Websafe is not a necessary feature.
The story doesn't have a happy ending. In recent years, after over 25 years in business, the company was forced to close it's doors permanently because of offshore competition. Sad day in Mudville to see a company die. I still wear my D8 T-shirt they gave me --in their memory.
Those
RGB references were either supplied by the previous designer's
"guesses" or from flatbed scans. Neither were super reliable but it was
all we had. They were inconsistent. The client was paranoid about
color consistency being fixed. But they never realized how all of their
colors really were all over the map. This was mainly a method of
"opening their eyes". They thought they had a standard. They didn't.
Like most machine shops, they were very big into standards. So I was helping them develop those for each medium-- web and print. They saw how they couldn't get exactly the same rendering in each environment but they could get things a lot closer with some adjustment and coaching.
Mainly, this diminished their anxiety of appearing foolish (the owner actually had a 4-year degree in graphic design!). To me, all I wanted was a decision. This presentation made that decision easier for them.
Grayscale differential (contrast) was important in making things work online. It also helped them see why yellow type on white wouldn't work. :)
All that mattered was the client get over their stress so we could move on and finish projects.
Like most machine shops, they were very big into standards. So I was helping them develop those for each medium-- web and print. They saw how they couldn't get exactly the same rendering in each environment but they could get things a lot closer with some adjustment and coaching.
Mainly, this diminished their anxiety of appearing foolish (the owner actually had a 4-year degree in graphic design!). To me, all I wanted was a decision. This presentation made that decision easier for them.
Grayscale differential (contrast) was important in making things work online. It also helped them see why yellow type on white wouldn't work. :)
All that mattered was the client get over their stress so we could move on and finish projects.
#69 Calibrating color --don't even try
I use 4 LCD screens and none
of them are calibrated. They all render color differently. Two of them I
bought used and bruised --on purpose. The other two on Cyber-Monday
sale. I like it that way because it allows me to see the range of
aberation the client may see --wether it's for print or web projects.
And as you know, I'm a cheapskate. Creativity is the inverse of dollars.
C=1/$
I only have a letter-size b/w laser printer for business correspondence (as I said "invoices"). I don't proof in my studio any more. If I want to see it, for safety sake (rarely), I have it output on a weekly-calibrated digital printer at my favorite shop. I'm comfortable with my methods and know what to expect. Printing is not just an act of faith any more. :)
Most of the color problem is with the client and not your equipment. It's cheaper to "fix" the client. It can be as easy as buying and gifting them a Pantone fan for reference. I've done that. They love it. It works great for communications.
I see all screen calibration gadgetry as preying on the anxieties of designers. It's a human problem not a machine problem.
If you are going to spec Pantone and print it in 4-color CMYK then I recommend buying a conversion-shift swatch book (Pantone process color simulator $239 -color bridge). I bought mine used on Ebay. It was missing a few swatches but it only cost me $20. I then, in advance, show the client how the color will change when printed. They are shown side by side for comparison. see image below.
I only have a letter-size b/w laser printer for business correspondence (as I said "invoices"). I don't proof in my studio any more. If I want to see it, for safety sake (rarely), I have it output on a weekly-calibrated digital printer at my favorite shop. I'm comfortable with my methods and know what to expect. Printing is not just an act of faith any more. :)
Most of the color problem is with the client and not your equipment. It's cheaper to "fix" the client. It can be as easy as buying and gifting them a Pantone fan for reference. I've done that. They love it. It works great for communications.
I see all screen calibration gadgetry as preying on the anxieties of designers. It's a human problem not a machine problem.
If you are going to spec Pantone and print it in 4-color CMYK then I recommend buying a conversion-shift swatch book (Pantone process color simulator $239 -color bridge). I bought mine used on Ebay. It was missing a few swatches but it only cost me $20. I then, in advance, show the client how the color will change when printed. They are shown side by side for comparison. see image below.
#68 Rude client techniques
We
all have different styles. Yesterday, a potential client come over to
discuss what she "needed" for a website. She was very bossy, couldn't
careless about my ideas, and kept steamrollering me when I tried to
speak. Eventually, I recommended using CMS and put her onto a website called Virb.com. She asked me if I'd do the CMS for her
because she didn't have the time. I said, "No." She said, "Why not?" I
replied, "It's against my religion." :)
I recently had another woman come for some business advice. When she heard me talking computerese, she asked if I could fix her computer. I asked, "What operating system are you using?" She said she didn't know. So we checked and it was a bootleg copy of Microsoft Windows. I told her, "I can't help you." She looked at me and asked, "Why?" I told her. "I'm too extremely prejudiced to work with that particular system." She said, "Oh." and didn't ask any more about computer favors.
Now you know I've offered several times to help people. What do you think the difference is between them and these two women? Can you see it? I won't make you wait for the answer.
Some are givers and others are takers. Big difference. If you've willingly helped me, it's easy to be loyal to you.
I recently had another woman come for some business advice. When she heard me talking computerese, she asked if I could fix her computer. I asked, "What operating system are you using?" She said she didn't know. So we checked and it was a bootleg copy of Microsoft Windows. I told her, "I can't help you." She looked at me and asked, "Why?" I told her. "I'm too extremely prejudiced to work with that particular system." She said, "Oh." and didn't ask any more about computer favors.
Now you know I've offered several times to help people. What do you think the difference is between them and these two women? Can you see it? I won't make you wait for the answer.
Some are givers and others are takers. Big difference. If you've willingly helped me, it's easy to be loyal to you.
#67 Naming makes a difference
I actually am more diplomatic than I let on. I'm just trying to intimidate with my pretend vastness. But, yes, I do ruffle some feathers. Those are non-clients who I don't work with. Not everyone who walks in the door is a qualified lead.
But I'm not done yet. Here is an example of where I recommended a name change that made the startup company bucks. I merely told them their company name was boring.
The original name of the company (I can't even remember now) but it was two multisyllabic words that sounded very academic, presumptuous, and meant nothing to me or their audience. In fact, the goal was to make math exciting. It did the opposite, scary sounding. After my usual lecture on naming, I had them read "Positioning: The battle for the mind." We then came to a consensus that a better name would be "MathFire."
They won $10,000 in a business plan competition shortly after where I served as their marketing coach. I didn't win. They did.
That's the goal: make the client a winner. If you take on clients who won't or can't win, you're rightly going to get some of the blame. It's bad for business. So be selective.
Friday, July 19, 2013
#67 Pricing your work
I always ask, "How much do you have budgeted for this project?"
I call this "looking in their wallet" before bidding. I also ask them, "When is your deadline for submission to a printer or web launch?"
Then I ask what they are looking for. If they have a low-budget, I steer them towards a low-budget solution or tell them how to do it themselves on-the-cheap. It never hurts to turn away cheap clients. It ruins future business opportunity.
While getting paid to build your portfolio is appealing (learn while you earn), it's even better for your business to build "example" pieces for your portfolio of the kind of stuff you really want to do.
Pricing is a statement of self-confidence and credibility. Clients almost always want design for less until you point out the quality just won't be there. They want speed of delivery, quality, and low price. They can chose any two but not all three.
Once you do something for "cheap" for a client who is cheap or broke --you have set a precedent and future expectation. Once the word gets out you're "cheap" that reputation can stick for a long time. Most of our new business is from referrals.
While working as a purchasing agent --many eons ago-- I negotiated prices on a daily basis.
Prices can go up slowly (resistance) and down fast (we're having a sale.) This interpreted means always start high. This may cause sticker shock with the client. It's sometimes called "the art of being unreasonable." If you set your price position high and theirs is low, you come out at a negotiated price that is much more to your advantage somewhere in the middle of those two points. This is commonly referred to as "not leaving money on the table."
There have been times where I didn't want to do a project very much because I was busy. So I deliberately bid double my regular fees (they don't know that because my price list is private and mine alone.) Surprisingly, they said, "Excellent." That reply told me I could have gotten even more because of their perceived value of how difficult the project was in their mind.
If clients don't complain or whine a little about your fees then the price is too low. You cannot please all of your clients all of the time. You know you really blew a bid when they want to pay you in cash on the spot. That's an indicator of too much cheapness and you have probably accepted a bad deal.
Generally, we as designers like making people happy. We'll work very hard for little pay and no "thank-you" to build something beautiful. This makes us susceptible to being bullied on prices. We feel bad when we don't get a job. We are too hungry. We have to compensate for that weakness with good pricing strategy. Never discount your work if it isn't asked for. Keep your prices up. You can work half as hard and have some time for other activities.
I call this "looking in their wallet" before bidding. I also ask them, "When is your deadline for submission to a printer or web launch?"
Then I ask what they are looking for. If they have a low-budget, I steer them towards a low-budget solution or tell them how to do it themselves on-the-cheap. It never hurts to turn away cheap clients. It ruins future business opportunity.
While getting paid to build your portfolio is appealing (learn while you earn), it's even better for your business to build "example" pieces for your portfolio of the kind of stuff you really want to do.
Pricing is a statement of self-confidence and credibility. Clients almost always want design for less until you point out the quality just won't be there. They want speed of delivery, quality, and low price. They can chose any two but not all three.
Once you do something for "cheap" for a client who is cheap or broke --you have set a precedent and future expectation. Once the word gets out you're "cheap" that reputation can stick for a long time. Most of our new business is from referrals.
While working as a purchasing agent --many eons ago-- I negotiated prices on a daily basis.
Prices can go up slowly (resistance) and down fast (we're having a sale.) This interpreted means always start high. This may cause sticker shock with the client. It's sometimes called "the art of being unreasonable." If you set your price position high and theirs is low, you come out at a negotiated price that is much more to your advantage somewhere in the middle of those two points. This is commonly referred to as "not leaving money on the table."
There have been times where I didn't want to do a project very much because I was busy. So I deliberately bid double my regular fees (they don't know that because my price list is private and mine alone.) Surprisingly, they said, "Excellent." That reply told me I could have gotten even more because of their perceived value of how difficult the project was in their mind.
If clients don't complain or whine a little about your fees then the price is too low. You cannot please all of your clients all of the time. You know you really blew a bid when they want to pay you in cash on the spot. That's an indicator of too much cheapness and you have probably accepted a bad deal.
Generally, we as designers like making people happy. We'll work very hard for little pay and no "thank-you" to build something beautiful. This makes us susceptible to being bullied on prices. We feel bad when we don't get a job. We are too hungry. We have to compensate for that weakness with good pricing strategy. Never discount your work if it isn't asked for. Keep your prices up. You can work half as hard and have some time for other activities.
#66 Does social media really sell design work?
A
thought provoking Wired magazine entry makes me wonder about all that
link clutter from social media. Check it out >
I don't think committing web page real-estate is worth the distraction and visual noise. I haven't met anyone who's had personal phenomenal success from social links (jobs, money.)
I don't think committing web page real-estate is worth the distraction and visual noise. I haven't met anyone who's had personal phenomenal success from social links (jobs, money.)
#65 Thinking backwards
I've been an advocate of author Marty Neumeier's thinking --but his
day in the sun has probably past, I think. You can read about him here. And one of his books I'm going to quote from at slideshare. As with all
author's, I do NOT agree with everything he says. But I'm still a
fan-boy. He was the publisher of CRITIQUE magazine.
Anyway. he said in The Brand Gap people need to know three things: "who you are," "what you do," and "why I should care." That's the basis for a logo, a business card, a trade show booth, or a website home page. You have to answer those questions fast. Pretty simple. The "why I should care" question is the one business people agonize over.
I've learned Neumeier has the emphasis backwards. "Why?" is most important, not last in the hierarchy of thinking. You have to start there and work outwards.
Apple may "think different" --but I think backwards or opposite. Thinking of new ways to do things is a crucial part of who I am. I'm never content with doing something the conventional way if a better way is possible. Unconventional. That is why I put up resistance to ideological fads and trends. They're suspicious to me. Fast buck shortcuts are usually fairytale.
Trivial note: Apple's annual R&D expenditure is much lower than industry standards: 2%. That's what a low-tech company usually spends --not a high-tech one (more like 4% or more.)
The truth be known, I only ask clients "what they want" to be polite. I usually then show them they're chasing the wrong butterfly. I'm more diplomatic than that. Sort of. :) My point was their perspective usually has nothing to do with emotion.
I focus a lot on subconscious cuing. This is called "transparent features" in web speak.
Using fear as a motivator with people's "lizard brain" doesn't feel right to me. It's not life-oriented but death.
Anyway. he said in The Brand Gap people need to know three things: "who you are," "what you do," and "why I should care." That's the basis for a logo, a business card, a trade show booth, or a website home page. You have to answer those questions fast. Pretty simple. The "why I should care" question is the one business people agonize over.
I've learned Neumeier has the emphasis backwards. "Why?" is most important, not last in the hierarchy of thinking. You have to start there and work outwards.
Apple may "think different" --but I think backwards or opposite. Thinking of new ways to do things is a crucial part of who I am. I'm never content with doing something the conventional way if a better way is possible. Unconventional. That is why I put up resistance to ideological fads and trends. They're suspicious to me. Fast buck shortcuts are usually fairytale.
Trivial note: Apple's annual R&D expenditure is much lower than industry standards: 2%. That's what a low-tech company usually spends --not a high-tech one (more like 4% or more.)
The truth be known, I only ask clients "what they want" to be polite. I usually then show them they're chasing the wrong butterfly. I'm more diplomatic than that. Sort of. :) My point was their perspective usually has nothing to do with emotion.
I focus a lot on subconscious cuing. This is called "transparent features" in web speak.
Using fear as a motivator with people's "lizard brain" doesn't feel right to me. It's not life-oriented but death.
#64 Business owners don't get it
I read an article last
night that "advertising" is dead. We have to
use new labels to let people know we are in this present time and not
the past --but the goal is still the same. Increase sales or promote an
idea.
Advertising is Dead >
I do not agree with everything in this article. No big surprise, eh?
But I do agree times and methods have changed and we must adapt. The cycles for adaptation seem to come faster. But I suspect this is a matter of perception than actual evidence. Many methods and processes used to be more complex. They have gotten simpler and easier to understand.
So it's not that problems have gotten harder. My willingness to adapt has shrunk. This is attrition or atrophy of my brain. "I don't wanna" keeps me from embracing the next idea. Is it possible we're weary of change and we can't get off the ride?
When we talk about the client or customer "pain," we're exploring positioning strategy. Positioning is the shortcut to the buyer's motive. Motive is based upon anxiety or pain. Same thing, new label.
I communicate in terms of profit and ROI to my clients. Business owners don't get the touchy-feely design world I live in (INFP Meyers-Briggs profile.) My whole client presentation is couched in terms of profit and ROI (unless they're an artist, of course.)
My goal is to convert their goals into a strategy of feeling and emotion --but if I told them that upfront-- I'd never get hired. So I secretly work in reverse (backwards again.) Then make my presentation to logic and reason. I attempt justifying why orchestrating design choices --type, colors, symbols, etc-- will help them achieve their goals. If I can speak in prejudiced, us-vs-them language, they're left-brainers --like 51% of the U.S. population. They're "Guardian" managerial-types (aka suits.)
Emotion (and thus design quality) as a strategy has risen in the awareness of modern businesses --especially based on Google and Apple's success with user experience. UX is about how people feel when using a product or service. It's become a way to differentiate a product from the herd (especially when all products look the same when they're turned off.)
This primal emotional stuff is voodoo to most business men. When I ask them what they'd like me to do for them, the first thing out of their mouth is either "More profit or More sales." They don't realize that connecting emotionally is an important part of the solution to that problem. I'm sure you acknowledge the resistance to exploring "feelings" with business owners.
Seth Godin said in a talk earlier this year that Apple's mission is teaching the world what is "good taste." This claim about Apple's "good taste" as a differentiator is mythical or bragging at best. You'll NOT find that idea mentioned in any of Apple's annual reports. They're about profitability and return on investment.
Seth Godin video link >
20 minutes viewing time.
"Rebuttal" by Larry Wall, in 2011. Wall is the creator of the Python computing language:
Apple Tries to Be the Arbiter of Good Taste >
5 minutes viewing time.
Good user experience is just good manners and proper etiquette. Politeness and hospitality (aka common sense.)
Advertising is Dead >
I do not agree with everything in this article. No big surprise, eh?
But I do agree times and methods have changed and we must adapt. The cycles for adaptation seem to come faster. But I suspect this is a matter of perception than actual evidence. Many methods and processes used to be more complex. They have gotten simpler and easier to understand.
So it's not that problems have gotten harder. My willingness to adapt has shrunk. This is attrition or atrophy of my brain. "I don't wanna" keeps me from embracing the next idea. Is it possible we're weary of change and we can't get off the ride?
When we talk about the client or customer "pain," we're exploring positioning strategy. Positioning is the shortcut to the buyer's motive. Motive is based upon anxiety or pain. Same thing, new label.
I communicate in terms of profit and ROI to my clients. Business owners don't get the touchy-feely design world I live in (INFP Meyers-Briggs profile.) My whole client presentation is couched in terms of profit and ROI (unless they're an artist, of course.)
My goal is to convert their goals into a strategy of feeling and emotion --but if I told them that upfront-- I'd never get hired. So I secretly work in reverse (backwards again.) Then make my presentation to logic and reason. I attempt justifying why orchestrating design choices --type, colors, symbols, etc-- will help them achieve their goals. If I can speak in prejudiced, us-vs-them language, they're left-brainers --like 51% of the U.S. population. They're "Guardian" managerial-types (aka suits.)
Emotion (and thus design quality) as a strategy has risen in the awareness of modern businesses --especially based on Google and Apple's success with user experience. UX is about how people feel when using a product or service. It's become a way to differentiate a product from the herd (especially when all products look the same when they're turned off.)
This primal emotional stuff is voodoo to most business men. When I ask them what they'd like me to do for them, the first thing out of their mouth is either "More profit or More sales." They don't realize that connecting emotionally is an important part of the solution to that problem. I'm sure you acknowledge the resistance to exploring "feelings" with business owners.
Seth Godin said in a talk earlier this year that Apple's mission is teaching the world what is "good taste." This claim about Apple's "good taste" as a differentiator is mythical or bragging at best. You'll NOT find that idea mentioned in any of Apple's annual reports. They're about profitability and return on investment.
Seth Godin video link >
20 minutes viewing time.
"Rebuttal" by Larry Wall, in 2011. Wall is the creator of the Python computing language:
Apple Tries to Be the Arbiter of Good Taste >
5 minutes viewing time.
But when good taste becomes mandatory, then it's not really good taste any more—it's just manners," says Wall.
Good user experience is just good manners and proper etiquette. Politeness and hospitality (aka common sense.)
#63 Controversy as a strategy
Positioning
and differentiation are tried-and-true CREATIVE advertising strategies. I can tell you how changing positioning strategies meant
making millions for many clients I've served. It changed them from
confusing to understandable. Positioning is an idea that's been in
existence since 1980 and now taught in every business course in the
world.
That doesn't mean getting noticed and being remarkable isn't important. Some authors attempt controversy and argument about semantics for the sake of it.
There is an observation about "controversy" as a strategy. It's endorsed by many professional copywriters. The idea is if you choose to do safe, no-risk advertising you will never upset anyone and you might get the attention of a small fraction of the market.
But if you choose to cause a ruckus and be controversial, you'll probably alienate 50% of the audience. The other 50% will likely become avid fans. Instead of a mere 5% noticing you, you get 50% followers and 50% haters. That is a risk, of course, since you could alienate 100% of your audience. :)
Authors try to get us riled up by discrediting "the old way" of thinking. Really it's the same old stuff. But 50% will be hard-core fans. Positioning is in the "mind" of the buyer. Remarkable is the "eye" of the buyer. Aren't these both intangible or abstractions?
The real proof is how people vote with their dollars.
That doesn't mean getting noticed and being remarkable isn't important. Some authors attempt controversy and argument about semantics for the sake of it.
There is an observation about "controversy" as a strategy. It's endorsed by many professional copywriters. The idea is if you choose to do safe, no-risk advertising you will never upset anyone and you might get the attention of a small fraction of the market.
But if you choose to cause a ruckus and be controversial, you'll probably alienate 50% of the audience. The other 50% will likely become avid fans. Instead of a mere 5% noticing you, you get 50% followers and 50% haters. That is a risk, of course, since you could alienate 100% of your audience. :)
Authors try to get us riled up by discrediting "the old way" of thinking. Really it's the same old stuff. But 50% will be hard-core fans. Positioning is in the "mind" of the buyer. Remarkable is the "eye" of the buyer. Aren't these both intangible or abstractions?
The real proof is how people vote with their dollars.
#62 Handling client delays
The way I've handled this "delay problem" --in my fixed-bid agreement--
is instead of a "penalty," I say the agreement is valid for 90-days. If
the project isn't completed by then, the terms are renegotiated. While this isn't actually
used as a "threat", it's a nice incentive or motivator for them to keep
the energy on high.
Typically, I've found unmonitored client delays increase the project time-to-completion by double or worse. If clients had the foresight of compiling and proofing the photos and copy before beginning the project, it'd be completed in short order. This is pretty common so I frequently have to use good old "patience" to finish and get paid. Since I've accepted that tolerating and quelling client panic and crisis are part of my job description --and what I get paid for handling, it helps reduce the ulcer. The unpredictable is pretty predictable.
So there are internal and external things we can do to maintain our sanity.
Typically, I've found unmonitored client delays increase the project time-to-completion by double or worse. If clients had the foresight of compiling and proofing the photos and copy before beginning the project, it'd be completed in short order. This is pretty common so I frequently have to use good old "patience" to finish and get paid. Since I've accepted that tolerating and quelling client panic and crisis are part of my job description --and what I get paid for handling, it helps reduce the ulcer. The unpredictable is pretty predictable.
So there are internal and external things we can do to maintain our sanity.
#61 Design Therapy
The upfront expenditure to wheedle out of a client what they really need I call "Design Therapy."
More than normal questionnaires, it takes unconventional "tricks" to get this information out of them. You have to analyze them and also the motivation of their audience --quickly. It's a journey into psychology. They frequently suffer from Cognitive Dissonance.
Cognitive Dissonance wiki ref >
It's so common to be approached by a potential client and have them say, "Can you build us a web site or brochure by next Wednesday?" I answer, "Sure. Do you have images and ad copy ready?" "Uh. No. We don't know what content to put in yet." "Sorry. Then I can't deliver by next Wednesday." -End of Story- Common sense did not prevail. :)
A creative brief needs to be written. In most cases, this is the first time the client has sat down to write a plan of any sort. They want some "thing" but they don't know what they need. Suddenly, you're not just a designer but a business consultant, shrink, cop, and cheerleader.
As you mentioned, asking "why?" is a big part of mucking through clients imaginations and dreams to achieve what's REALLY important. This sometimes involves teaching them the difference between good design and bad. And why it makes a difference and matters. Establishing boundaries or limits of budget, delivery, and measure of "how good is good enough" should be set right away. That let's us know what we're up against and how to use creativity to make it happen.
There also are times when you should NOT work with someone. Design Therapy helps you screen out the losers. Only 50% of the people who approach me become real clients. You have to know how to qualify your leads.
One of my favorite but frustrating questions that a business partner asks me regularly, after I explain what I think is a wonderful idea, is: "Why should I care?" That's when I consider strangling him. But actually, he has my best interest at heart and knows if I can't explain my business idea so he "gets it", it needs further thought for reduction and clarity. So asking clients, "Why should I care?" takes several attempts before you'll get to the meat of what problem they really solve for people.
More than normal questionnaires, it takes unconventional "tricks" to get this information out of them. You have to analyze them and also the motivation of their audience --quickly. It's a journey into psychology. They frequently suffer from Cognitive Dissonance.
It's the distressing mental state that people feel when they "find themselves doing things that don't fit with what they know, or having opinions that do not fit with other opinions they hold." ... This bias sheds light on otherwise puzzling, irrational, and even destructive behavior.
Cognitive Dissonance wiki ref >
It's so common to be approached by a potential client and have them say, "Can you build us a web site or brochure by next Wednesday?" I answer, "Sure. Do you have images and ad copy ready?" "Uh. No. We don't know what content to put in yet." "Sorry. Then I can't deliver by next Wednesday." -End of Story- Common sense did not prevail. :)
A creative brief needs to be written. In most cases, this is the first time the client has sat down to write a plan of any sort. They want some "thing" but they don't know what they need. Suddenly, you're not just a designer but a business consultant, shrink, cop, and cheerleader.
As you mentioned, asking "why?" is a big part of mucking through clients imaginations and dreams to achieve what's REALLY important. This sometimes involves teaching them the difference between good design and bad. And why it makes a difference and matters. Establishing boundaries or limits of budget, delivery, and measure of "how good is good enough" should be set right away. That let's us know what we're up against and how to use creativity to make it happen.
There also are times when you should NOT work with someone. Design Therapy helps you screen out the losers. Only 50% of the people who approach me become real clients. You have to know how to qualify your leads.
One of my favorite but frustrating questions that a business partner asks me regularly, after I explain what I think is a wonderful idea, is: "Why should I care?" That's when I consider strangling him. But actually, he has my best interest at heart and knows if I can't explain my business idea so he "gets it", it needs further thought for reduction and clarity. So asking clients, "Why should I care?" takes several attempts before you'll get to the meat of what problem they really solve for people.
#60 Building separate websites for different services
Here's something I've
advocated for a long time and that's building separate websites for different services.
Every good product or service deserves it's own website. The "business herd" tends to think a "big authority website" is best. They are not. They are bloated and easy to get lost in. Telling people you can do everything is the same as telling them you do nothing. It all becomes noise.
By "specializing" and not selling "generic", you increase the perception of your expertise. Expertise is a component in credibility. It has value.
Building two sites is good creative positioning strategy. If I want to buy a logo, I'm going to feel better buying from someone who is "fascinated" with logos.
PS: Logos are not an isolated deliverable.
Every good product or service deserves it's own website. The "business herd" tends to think a "big authority website" is best. They are not. They are bloated and easy to get lost in. Telling people you can do everything is the same as telling them you do nothing. It all becomes noise.
By "specializing" and not selling "generic", you increase the perception of your expertise. Expertise is a component in credibility. It has value.
Building two sites is good creative positioning strategy. If I want to buy a logo, I'm going to feel better buying from someone who is "fascinated" with logos.
PS: Logos are not an isolated deliverable.
#59 Advertising weasel words
HERE ARE 53 PHRASES TO AVOID IN YOUR WEB COPYWRITING
Buzzwords, marketing tripe, and meaningless hype.
These most notoriously appear in the ABOUT US section of websites. I've collected them from many sources. While appending my latest additions, I realized I've been violating a bunch. So it's a good review. For a long time I've called myself a "creative strategist," according to my list that means I'm "nobody." :) Too funny. So I've changed my title to "Supreme Commander." That's much more meaningful and less pretentious.
Link to Weasel Words >
The list is mostly for my entertainment as you said. But it can serve as a reality check, too. I've heard them so much in the business world I've grown weary.
I didn't share the list to evaluate your own design claims --but rather the claims of clients. In the course of getting this list modified and ready, I realized I've many offenses to correct in my own stuff. I'm willing to admit that and fix it. That means thinking instead of regurgitating.
Here's a client example: A client kept repeatedly insisting the main benefit of their product was "it's state-of-the-art." My question that disturbed her was, "What does that mean in plain English?" In fact, she couldn't tell me. It wasn't real. Just smoke. The product technical specifications or measurements had no edge over other similar techniques. She just wanted to say it did. In other words, lie or deceive. The products real benefits were it's lower price tag and ruggedness. But that didn't sound as sexy.
As a designer, I try not to publish client created lies or exaggerations about their products or services. This has not made me popular with product managers (pretend copywriters) --but popular with business owners (at-risk.) Lying or boasting can get a company into trouble. It sets up possible customer disappointment (buyer's remorse) and is potentially false advertising.
This list is mainly to keep clients from overselling, exaggerating, or flat out lying about their products and services. A client saying something is state-of-the-art doesn't make it so. In 15 minutes, I may no longer possess the highest level of development. Things change fast. It's a presumptuous term overused by marketing people (tech people and politicians alike.)
My father was a PhD. I observed it didn't endow him with common-sense. So I'm generally unimpressed with titles, diplomas, awards, and acronyms.
Now to your question, ABOUT pages:
http://www.steveteare.com/foliosites/ has a section labeled "Word Content" for portfolio websites.
Here's what I recommend from that site:
I call this a "refrigerator statement." It could apply to many home appliances. I'm just as guilty and need to revisit and clean up several of my websites. But the opening line is too generic. There's no hook and this is the most important sentence on your website. It doesn't reflect why I should care about your work. Everyone is special in some way. Especially, you. Tell your story.
On another site, http://www.steveteare.com/nichetrafik/, I say:
Exploring who we are as "artists and designers" can be and usually is an agonizing process. One reason is we change or our environment changes. Then we have to adapt with a new definition of ourselves. I learned from a friend, "an organism cannot evaluate itself." In other words, there are strengths and weaknesses others see that I don't.
So where am I going with this?
Having friends to talk to can help you find the definition of who you are, what you do, and why others care about it. So pick someone to help you as a sounding board. Someone empathetic to your cause who isn't related to you. :) It can actually be an empowering experience to get a clear direction.
Buzzwords, marketing tripe, and meaningless hype.
These most notoriously appear in the ABOUT US section of websites. I've collected them from many sources. While appending my latest additions, I realized I've been violating a bunch. So it's a good review. For a long time I've called myself a "creative strategist," according to my list that means I'm "nobody." :) Too funny. So I've changed my title to "Supreme Commander." That's much more meaningful and less pretentious.
Link to Weasel Words >
The list is mostly for my entertainment as you said. But it can serve as a reality check, too. I've heard them so much in the business world I've grown weary.
I didn't share the list to evaluate your own design claims --but rather the claims of clients. In the course of getting this list modified and ready, I realized I've many offenses to correct in my own stuff. I'm willing to admit that and fix it. That means thinking instead of regurgitating.
Here's a client example: A client kept repeatedly insisting the main benefit of their product was "it's state-of-the-art." My question that disturbed her was, "What does that mean in plain English?" In fact, she couldn't tell me. It wasn't real. Just smoke. The product technical specifications or measurements had no edge over other similar techniques. She just wanted to say it did. In other words, lie or deceive. The products real benefits were it's lower price tag and ruggedness. But that didn't sound as sexy.
As a designer, I try not to publish client created lies or exaggerations about their products or services. This has not made me popular with product managers (pretend copywriters) --but popular with business owners (at-risk.) Lying or boasting can get a company into trouble. It sets up possible customer disappointment (buyer's remorse) and is potentially false advertising.
This list is mainly to keep clients from overselling, exaggerating, or flat out lying about their products and services. A client saying something is state-of-the-art doesn't make it so. In 15 minutes, I may no longer possess the highest level of development. Things change fast. It's a presumptuous term overused by marketing people (tech people and politicians alike.)
My father was a PhD. I observed it didn't endow him with common-sense. So I'm generally unimpressed with titles, diplomas, awards, and acronyms.
Now to your question, ABOUT pages:
http://www.steveteare.com/foliosites/ has a section labeled "Word Content" for portfolio websites.
Here's what I recommend from that site:
Your About page.
Who are you? What qualifications and experience do you have? Why should viewers care about your work?
Are you trustworthy and reliable?
You can answer the trustworthy and reliable question in two ways. You can include testimonials from previous clients, or you can emphasize the ways in which you're a decent, normal person: you have a family, hobbies and so on.
Client testimonials are effective for persuading those that visit your site that you will deliver on your promises. It increases the level of professionalism when tastefully incorporating testimonial into your portfolio. David Airey has an article titled "The Importance of Client Testimonials" that has useful information on this subject.
Resumé alternatives.
We can include a downloadable PDF resume.
But I don't recommend it. A resume is an excuse to reject you. Once you send your resume, a client can say, "Oh, they're missing this or they're missing that," and boom, you're out. How about instead—three letters of recommendation? Or a sophisticated project they can see or touch?
Hire Me page.
If your portfolio is a traditional showcase of your work, your 'About' page will suffice. Stick a 'Hire Me' button, link or section on your site.
That's when a 'Hire Me' page becomes important (though you'd probably call it 'Hire Jonathan', but using your name.) It should include all the information listed in the 'About' page section above.
Link to your hire page in a prominent way from your site's front page. If you want to get hired, be bold about it. Put a sign with the text: "For Hire" and a link to how to actually hire you. Describe yourself and your work in just a few words.
A designer says as an opening line on his website:
I create targeted, effective solutions to your problems.
I call this a "refrigerator statement." It could apply to many home appliances. I'm just as guilty and need to revisit and clean up several of my websites. But the opening line is too generic. There's no hook and this is the most important sentence on your website. It doesn't reflect why I should care about your work. Everyone is special in some way. Especially, you. Tell your story.
On another site, http://www.steveteare.com/nichetrafik/, I say:
It takes a lot of thought to tell people who you are, what you do, and why they should care.There is no such thing as a business being exactly the same as its competitor—you are one-of-a-kind. I can see your products and services in ways you cannot. Intuition and imagination are benefits you can't afford to ignore.
Exploring who we are as "artists and designers" can be and usually is an agonizing process. One reason is we change or our environment changes. Then we have to adapt with a new definition of ourselves. I learned from a friend, "an organism cannot evaluate itself." In other words, there are strengths and weaknesses others see that I don't.
So where am I going with this?
Having friends to talk to can help you find the definition of who you are, what you do, and why others care about it. So pick someone to help you as a sounding board. Someone empathetic to your cause who isn't related to you. :) It can actually be an empowering experience to get a clear direction.
#58 Never speculate on a portfolio
An adage I like when it comes to hiring a designer is:
"Never speculate on a portfolio."
What that means is, if you don't see something in the designer's portfolio that looks close or similar to what you want, you'd best not hire them. That advise will seem harsh counsel for the design community. Designer's frequently like to "earn while they learn." As a business person, I've found out the hard way it's good advice to avoid speculating even at a great price.
"Never speculate on a portfolio."
What that means is, if you don't see something in the designer's portfolio that looks close or similar to what you want, you'd best not hire them. That advise will seem harsh counsel for the design community. Designer's frequently like to "earn while they learn." As a business person, I've found out the hard way it's good advice to avoid speculating even at a great price.
#57 Caption writing guide for your images
The graphic metaphor's advantage is carried in the captions. Here is where words carry more meaning than pictures as the viewer relies on the caption for proper interpretation of the image's meaning. Without this caption, you might not interpret a photo properly.
Note: National Geographic has an entire department dedicated to "captions" because those are the only words in their magazine some people read. It important to them.
You can alter the meaning of an image with it's caption.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
#56 Authenticity
Authenticity indicates whether
or not some thing's "real". Low-bandwidth websites appear more authentic, and
current research shows that "authentic" ads and brand experiences are
what consumers crave. People don't trust most advertising. They trust
online advertising less, in particular, online video and online banner
ads.
We Rely on "Authenticity" to Trust a Website
Long ago, we trusted "the media" to give us the straight story, but trust in the press has been declining for years. The Web has further blurred the picture by creating a relatively level playing field for communicators, where scamming can appear just as well-produced as legitimate companies.
Not Slick or High-brow
Low-bandwidth websites are not "hip", they're not slick, and they're definitely not "high brow." But they work by being direct, memorable, and honest. They work because they feel down at our "level," connecting with us in a way flashy sites can't.
Low-bandwidth Websites are More Powerful
A personal touch generates response by triggering "reciprocity." We believe someone put personal effort into reaching us. These websites are simple. They work at a visceral level. They don't try to be more than they are. They're unpretentious.
"Glossier," "artier," or "more highly produced" websites are NOT more effective. They just cost more and take more time.
We Rely on "Authenticity" to Trust a Website
Long ago, we trusted "the media" to give us the straight story, but trust in the press has been declining for years. The Web has further blurred the picture by creating a relatively level playing field for communicators, where scamming can appear just as well-produced as legitimate companies.
Not Slick or High-brow
Low-bandwidth websites are not "hip", they're not slick, and they're definitely not "high brow." But they work by being direct, memorable, and honest. They work because they feel down at our "level," connecting with us in a way flashy sites can't.
Low-bandwidth Websites are More Powerful
A personal touch generates response by triggering "reciprocity." We believe someone put personal effort into reaching us. These websites are simple. They work at a visceral level. They don't try to be more than they are. They're unpretentious.
"Glossier," "artier," or "more highly produced" websites are NOT more effective. They just cost more and take more time.
#55 Why themes are important
It's important to understand what a theme is and why it is critical in design.
I present a quote by Johannes Itten (1888 – 1967)and then a quote by Hillman Curtis (1961 – 2012):
ITTEN Wrote:
"
Decorators
and designers sometimes tend to be guided by their own subjective color
propensities. This may lead to misunderstandings and disputes, where
one subjective judgment collides with another. For the solution of many
problems, however, there are objective considerations that outweigh
subjective preferences. Thus a meat market may be decorated in light
green and blue-green tones, so the various meats will appear fresher and
redder. Confectionery shows to advantage in light orange, pink, white,
and accents of black, stimulating an appetite for sweets. If a
commercial artist were to design a package of coffee bearing yellow and
white stripes, or one with blue polka-dots for spaghetti, he would be
wrong because these forms and color features are in conflict with the theme." (The Elements of Color by Johannes Itten. c1961)
COMMENTS ON THEMES FROM HILLMAN CURTIS
A
ccording to Hillman Curtis,
theme is central. Hillman draws three concentric circles on a piece of
paper in the very first client meeting. As he jots down keywords during
the meeting, he figures out how close to the center of the "target" each
one fits. The words in the center become the theme. Theme can be the
most difficult part of the creative process. An idea generated in
collaboration with the client is more likely to express their story than
one generated in isolation.
Hillman
Curtis says: "It's all about communicating the theme. You do it by
combining color, type, layout, and motion in a way that supports an
identified theme. You might not see the way these elements work to
communicate theme, but you "feel" it. As a designer, I try to justify
every element and to [consistently and clearly] support the theme."
"Every product or brand has a theme and these products and brands exist because of their ability to tap into recognizable themes...and make people feel something. So I focus on the theme...on telling a story. If you look at that title "Commercial Artist" and deconstruct it, you can look at it this way; you have a responsibility to your client and their brand...which is the "commercial" part of the title...but you also have a responsibility as an artist...and artists have always responded, reflected upon, and hopefully influenced the world."
"Our challenge as designers is to target a given project's theme and use it as a guide that will influence every design decision we make, from the initial concept to the final composition."
MY THOUGHTS: INFLUENCES ON THEME
Here's are my observations about web theming. A project outline or text leads to the exploration of storytelling possibilities, imagining picture-and-word sequences, making discoveries, and uncovering unforeseen problems. Out of this design puzzle, is then formulated a "theme." A theme grows out of the communication goal. It affects all design elements. It needs to be appropriate to the client and the audience. It's frequently a metaphor, a stereotype, or a cliche as these accelerate understanding. Memories alter perception. The reader/viewer's historical memory (emotions) helps them recognize and interpret "theme" (images, symbols, fonts, colors, etc). The theme alters their perception of reality.
I present a quote by Johannes Itten (1888 – 1967)and then a quote by Hillman Curtis (1961 – 2012):
ITTEN Wrote:
"
Decorators
and designers sometimes tend to be guided by their own subjective color
propensities. This may lead to misunderstandings and disputes, where
one subjective judgment collides with another. For the solution of many
problems, however, there are objective considerations that outweigh
subjective preferences. Thus a meat market may be decorated in light
green and blue-green tones, so the various meats will appear fresher and
redder. Confectionery shows to advantage in light orange, pink, white,
and accents of black, stimulating an appetite for sweets. If a
commercial artist were to design a package of coffee bearing yellow and
white stripes, or one with blue polka-dots for spaghetti, he would be
wrong because these forms and color features are in conflict with the theme." (The Elements of Color by Johannes Itten. c1961)COMMENTS ON THEMES FROM HILLMAN CURTIS
A
ccording to Hillman Curtis,
theme is central. Hillman draws three concentric circles on a piece of
paper in the very first client meeting. As he jots down keywords during
the meeting, he figures out how close to the center of the "target" each
one fits. The words in the center become the theme. Theme can be the
most difficult part of the creative process. An idea generated in
collaboration with the client is more likely to express their story than
one generated in isolation.Hillman
Curtis says: "It's all about communicating the theme. You do it by
combining color, type, layout, and motion in a way that supports an
identified theme. You might not see the way these elements work to
communicate theme, but you "feel" it. As a designer, I try to justify
every element and to [consistently and clearly] support the theme.""Every product or brand has a theme and these products and brands exist because of their ability to tap into recognizable themes...and make people feel something. So I focus on the theme...on telling a story. If you look at that title "Commercial Artist" and deconstruct it, you can look at it this way; you have a responsibility to your client and their brand...which is the "commercial" part of the title...but you also have a responsibility as an artist...and artists have always responded, reflected upon, and hopefully influenced the world."
"Our challenge as designers is to target a given project's theme and use it as a guide that will influence every design decision we make, from the initial concept to the final composition."
MY THOUGHTS: INFLUENCES ON THEME
Here's are my observations about web theming. A project outline or text leads to the exploration of storytelling possibilities, imagining picture-and-word sequences, making discoveries, and uncovering unforeseen problems. Out of this design puzzle, is then formulated a "theme." A theme grows out of the communication goal. It affects all design elements. It needs to be appropriate to the client and the audience. It's frequently a metaphor, a stereotype, or a cliche as these accelerate understanding. Memories alter perception. The reader/viewer's historical memory (emotions) helps them recognize and interpret "theme" (images, symbols, fonts, colors, etc). The theme alters their perception of reality.
#54 Vintage Webpage Crafting: A Philosophy
The text of this webpage example is excerpted from an INFP writers emails to me. The site was built as an experiment of balancing speed and beauty. Her text is worth reading. Almost all links are disconnected for this demo. Once the text snippets were put together and edited it made a nice philosophy about her writing. Notice she is talking conversationally about "why she cares." Very important and great example.
Low-bandwidth websites are about the actual making of DIY websites, the joy of building (and owning) something unique. It's about crafting faster websites using free and lowtech resources. LoBand borrows from antiquated code recycling, scavenging, and reuse. It takes abandoned, throwaway code and plays with it. Especially code that is considered old-school, unfashionable, taboo, or forbidden by mainstream "web standards" programmers. These are "old code" like HTML Frames, Tables, single-pixel GIFs, marquees, and others.
Complex technology is an enslaving force.
LoBand are built from rediscovering "web artifacts" belonging to another time, primarily the 1990s. Modern websites are too complex today. LoBand sites are nostalgic and have the mark of a craftsperson burnished into them. Reusing old elements is classic craft like during shortages or rationing in a web cottage industry. This provides timelessness in a constantly changing modern technical culture. LoBand are a response to modern plastic-blob consumer technology. They are built with low-tech tables, CSS tiling background and HTML text.
Low-bandwidth sites aren't mass-produced; they're anti-slickness and unique.
They rely heavily on re-purposing vintage, legacy, low-technology code and software tools. Production requires learning low-tech and no-tech techniques to deliver project's faster with little budget. They're built with small or zero investment. There is nothing dogmatic or Utopian about them. This blog is about reducing production lead times and getting things done now —about things that work today. Results and workarounds.
Low-bandwidth sites are the answer.
Buyers of products and services have been tuning out traditional forms of marketing and advertising. At the same time, buyers are increasingly relying on search engines, blogs and social networks to research, form opinions and compare solutions. As a result, the effectiveness of traditional marketing services has been waning rapidly. However, despite this transformation, most marketing agencies and professionals have not adapted. Low-bandwidth sites are the answer for fast adaptation.
Simple and Fast Decision-making Process
To create this fast-loading, lo-band, single-page website, I decided to apply the "tradeshow booth" formula I've described elsewhere. The simple elements are:
1) color, 2) foliage, 3) lighting, and 4) legibility.
Color
The color theme was determined previously --and I wasn't going to change it but I did enhance the palette with a sampled yellow.
Foliage
I selected a shot by searching on "purple flower" at stock.xchng - free stock photo site. The original image is shown below and was 3.7MB. Very large!
I then cropped and optimized the image as a 30Q 17K JPEG.
This was then placed as a HTML Table cell background image with an inline CSS style. This allowed HTML type to float above the background without "baking-in" the text on the image which would have made the text "fuzzy." JPEGs frequently don't render text as well as GIF images.
Lighting (depth and shadow)
A 13K GIF 32-color gradiant "string tile" was created in Photoshop to use as a CSS background image. It repeats in the x-axis at the top of the page. Gradients and shadows create a feeling of light-depth to a page. The screen at the top was "harvested" from a larger image after searching for images that were "delicate."
Legibility
The HTML Times New Roman author's title was black and horsey. It was hard to read. Adding an inline Style "text highlight" with a yellow #FFCC33 sampled from the flower made it pop and allowed the type size to be reduced significantly.
The column width is set to 50% of the screen size.
The website now is attractive and weighs very little (36.6K) --a bonus. What needs changing now? The carrot image no longer seem to match the theme so I used a pencil sketch Photoshop filter to make it a little more artistic.
Stretchiness
The page is extremely liquid as shown in the image below. And the window can collapse even further and still not break. Try it live.
#53 The body language of business
LIKE HUMAN BODY LANGUAGE, graphic design expresses similar
implied non-verbal business attitudes or values. Graphic design is a
method of differentiating business or products in the market. Graphic
design is considered of equal value to other intangible assets like
special customer offerings or an in-house mailing list or goodwill.
Design builds a sense of community or habitat for customers and
employees. Graphic design really is the body language of business.
THERE ARE TRADITIONAL positions for elements for different format like newsletters, a letterhead, a business card, a catalog, etc. It's best not to deviate from tradition. People search the usual spot for information. If it is not there, it becomes a barrier to understanding. This is where creativity becomes a negative. Examples: Headlines should usually be below a photo not above it. On a brochure, ad, or slick, the logo and address should occupy the bottom right-hand corner. Place it anywhere else and people can't seem to find it. (In web page creation, this is called usability.) Are things where people expect them to be? Placement of design elements is also influenced by printability, mailability, and postal codes.
THEMES FOR A BROCHURE or website grows out of client communication goals. It affects all design elements. It needs to be appropriate to the audience. It may use a metaphor, a stereotype, or a cliché. These can accelerate understanding. A theme builds upon historical emotional cues to alter the buyers perception of companies and products. Words, color, fonts, images, and symbols all orchestrate to create a unified theme.
Color combinations remind customers of feelings, emotions, and memories they've had in the past. They powerfully reinforce a theme (but they are not the entire theme, just a component.) Instead of preoccupation about colors, it's best to focus on what your client wants their customer to feel when they see the literature or website. That feeling is easily translated into acceptable color palettes. Colors can also be sampled from photos or generated using Color Harmony Theory with software to select complementary and harmonic color schemes.
ALL WORDS AND SYMBOLS can be evaluated, ranked, or scored. There are 3 aspects to any word or symbol.
1. Evaluation is the degree of favorableness. How good-bad, fair-unfair, valuable-worthless, honest-dishonest does the word seem.
2. Activity is the degree of movement or activity in an object or event. How fast-slow, active-passive, varied-repetitive, vibrant-still, dynamic-static does the word seem.
3. Potency is the feeling of strength and weakness. How strong-weak, heavy-light, hard-soft, serious-humorous does the word seem. Sometimes an intensity (or potency) of certain words increases the connotation like the following: 1. confused > insane; 2. trusting > gullible; 3. thin > skinny; 4. unattractive > revolting; 5. sensitive > unpredictable. Can you feel the difference in these words?
Meaning may be derived from an elements position in relationship to other page elements. Two different symbols or images side-by-side can imply a third unspoken meaning. Or something on the page may imply something is happening off the page. The human imagination fills in the blanks. This is called implication. Our imagination is the great special effect method.
THE GRID CONCEPT is from the German Bauhaus design school (1919-1933) The Bauhaus believed industrial potentials were to be applied to satisfactory graphic design standards, regarding both functional and aesthetic aspects. The Grid concept affected all design fields from architecture to product packaging. This invisible grid is consistent from page to page and consists of rows and columns. It is the skeleton for the design. Breaking the grid causes tension in the viewer. Project limitations (time, budget, energy) define what page format will influence the invisible typographic grid. The grid is a structural layout tool. Some grid patterns work best for certain formats, like 12-columns on a newspaper. A grid produces beautiful books, brochures, magazines, and websites. Grids make it possible to bring all the elements of design typography, photography, and drawings into harmony with each other. When telling a story sequentially, over a series of pages, contrast is needed on the overall sequence as well as on the page. Two opposites: the need for order and the need for variety are needed. Without order, the reader is likely to become tired, frustrated, or bewildered by an overabundance of details. Yet without variety, the reader may become bored, overwhelmed, or numbed by too much repetition.
MARKETING ADAGE: e2 = 0 means Emphasizing Everything equals Emphasize Nothing. There is a hierarchy of page elements. This affects placement, size, visual weight, color density, and more. No emphasis creates confusion and visual noise. Obviously, two things cannot be dominant or emphasized at the same time. The page needs a hierarchy of dominant, subordinate, and accent ranking of colors, typography, and images. Without a hierarchy, there is no emphasis. Without emphasis, there is confusion or chaos. The idea is to communicate. Without emphasis, the viewer doesn't know what to focus on and gets overwhelmed and frustrated. Bad pages have weak focus and weak hierarchy. The central theme or idea would be muddled. Order is determined in the human mind, but there are visual cues that help direct our mind from most important to least. This is not always easy. Sometimes we have to discard something we really like to achieve the right emphasis.
PHOTOGRAPHY IS A PRINCIPLE communication device for design. Good photography generates interest and curiosity. It has energy. The most powerful or novel words in the body text, when converted to images, enable the viewer to quickly fill in the blanks. Photos frequently influence the theme color palette. If photography is beyond the budget, illustration sometimes works in its place but not necessarily for products. Products need the realism of photography even if it's only a dummy or mock up. The potential customer will generally not believe an illustration or drawing is a real product.
Text placed over photos usually ruins the type and the photo simultaneously. About 30% of space in a publication is allocated to photos, as a rule of thumb. Besides photography as rectangular boxes on the page, it adds interest when we include a cutout photo object or two. A cutout is a photograph from which the background is removed to produce an organic edge. This image breaks the grid. Word wrap can be used around the edge. It's a visual break from monotony and gives more life and freshens a page.
Photography helps the customer visualize what a product will be like in their possession after delivery. This should give a feeling of empowerment to the customer (not for the product or company.) The customer gets to be the hero, not us.
THERE ARE TRADITIONAL positions for elements for different format like newsletters, a letterhead, a business card, a catalog, etc. It's best not to deviate from tradition. People search the usual spot for information. If it is not there, it becomes a barrier to understanding. This is where creativity becomes a negative. Examples: Headlines should usually be below a photo not above it. On a brochure, ad, or slick, the logo and address should occupy the bottom right-hand corner. Place it anywhere else and people can't seem to find it. (In web page creation, this is called usability.) Are things where people expect them to be? Placement of design elements is also influenced by printability, mailability, and postal codes.
THEMES FOR A BROCHURE or website grows out of client communication goals. It affects all design elements. It needs to be appropriate to the audience. It may use a metaphor, a stereotype, or a cliché. These can accelerate understanding. A theme builds upon historical emotional cues to alter the buyers perception of companies and products. Words, color, fonts, images, and symbols all orchestrate to create a unified theme.
Color combinations remind customers of feelings, emotions, and memories they've had in the past. They powerfully reinforce a theme (but they are not the entire theme, just a component.) Instead of preoccupation about colors, it's best to focus on what your client wants their customer to feel when they see the literature or website. That feeling is easily translated into acceptable color palettes. Colors can also be sampled from photos or generated using Color Harmony Theory with software to select complementary and harmonic color schemes.
ALL WORDS AND SYMBOLS can be evaluated, ranked, or scored. There are 3 aspects to any word or symbol.
1. Evaluation is the degree of favorableness. How good-bad, fair-unfair, valuable-worthless, honest-dishonest does the word seem.
2. Activity is the degree of movement or activity in an object or event. How fast-slow, active-passive, varied-repetitive, vibrant-still, dynamic-static does the word seem.
3. Potency is the feeling of strength and weakness. How strong-weak, heavy-light, hard-soft, serious-humorous does the word seem. Sometimes an intensity (or potency) of certain words increases the connotation like the following: 1. confused > insane; 2. trusting > gullible; 3. thin > skinny; 4. unattractive > revolting; 5. sensitive > unpredictable. Can you feel the difference in these words?
Meaning may be derived from an elements position in relationship to other page elements. Two different symbols or images side-by-side can imply a third unspoken meaning. Or something on the page may imply something is happening off the page. The human imagination fills in the blanks. This is called implication. Our imagination is the great special effect method.
THE GRID CONCEPT is from the German Bauhaus design school (1919-1933) The Bauhaus believed industrial potentials were to be applied to satisfactory graphic design standards, regarding both functional and aesthetic aspects. The Grid concept affected all design fields from architecture to product packaging. This invisible grid is consistent from page to page and consists of rows and columns. It is the skeleton for the design. Breaking the grid causes tension in the viewer. Project limitations (time, budget, energy) define what page format will influence the invisible typographic grid. The grid is a structural layout tool. Some grid patterns work best for certain formats, like 12-columns on a newspaper. A grid produces beautiful books, brochures, magazines, and websites. Grids make it possible to bring all the elements of design typography, photography, and drawings into harmony with each other. When telling a story sequentially, over a series of pages, contrast is needed on the overall sequence as well as on the page. Two opposites: the need for order and the need for variety are needed. Without order, the reader is likely to become tired, frustrated, or bewildered by an overabundance of details. Yet without variety, the reader may become bored, overwhelmed, or numbed by too much repetition.
MARKETING ADAGE: e2 = 0 means Emphasizing Everything equals Emphasize Nothing. There is a hierarchy of page elements. This affects placement, size, visual weight, color density, and more. No emphasis creates confusion and visual noise. Obviously, two things cannot be dominant or emphasized at the same time. The page needs a hierarchy of dominant, subordinate, and accent ranking of colors, typography, and images. Without a hierarchy, there is no emphasis. Without emphasis, there is confusion or chaos. The idea is to communicate. Without emphasis, the viewer doesn't know what to focus on and gets overwhelmed and frustrated. Bad pages have weak focus and weak hierarchy. The central theme or idea would be muddled. Order is determined in the human mind, but there are visual cues that help direct our mind from most important to least. This is not always easy. Sometimes we have to discard something we really like to achieve the right emphasis.
PHOTOGRAPHY IS A PRINCIPLE communication device for design. Good photography generates interest and curiosity. It has energy. The most powerful or novel words in the body text, when converted to images, enable the viewer to quickly fill in the blanks. Photos frequently influence the theme color palette. If photography is beyond the budget, illustration sometimes works in its place but not necessarily for products. Products need the realism of photography even if it's only a dummy or mock up. The potential customer will generally not believe an illustration or drawing is a real product.
Text placed over photos usually ruins the type and the photo simultaneously. About 30% of space in a publication is allocated to photos, as a rule of thumb. Besides photography as rectangular boxes on the page, it adds interest when we include a cutout photo object or two. A cutout is a photograph from which the background is removed to produce an organic edge. This image breaks the grid. Word wrap can be used around the edge. It's a visual break from monotony and gives more life and freshens a page.
Photography helps the customer visualize what a product will be like in their possession after delivery. This should give a feeling of empowerment to the customer (not for the product or company.) The customer gets to be the hero, not us.
#52 "Award-winning design" is a hollow credential.
Awards from other design committees are usually pretty meaningless to
most clients. Designers awarding designers certificates and trophies
sounds sort of silly. What matters most to clients is if you have a
success story of your own where your design made someone money or helped
them achieve a goal.
I was once in a designer's studio and saw all of the awards hanging on the wall (art directors club in a big city.) I said, "Wow. You guys have won a lot of awards." He sort of snorted and said, "Those aren't really significant." He knew that happy clients vote with their dollars. That's the most significant award of all. It's the applause.
"Award-winning design" is slick design-speak and a cliché hollow credential.
A wall of design awards from other designers is like a plaque on the wall in a doctor's office saying he's one of the top doctor's in America and it was given to him by an organization to whom he pays membership fees. I've challenged doctors on this smoke screen and they usually blush.
Awards are not 3rd party endorsements. We pay dues to belong to the club. Or a fee to enter. I've seen contests where everybody gets at least an "honorable mention."
Definition third-party endorsement:
Solicited or unsolicited recommendation or testimonial from a customer other than the seller of a service.
An award from a contest of peers is not a recommendation or testimonial. It's an unaccredited decision by trial. The judges may be biased or opinionated experts. They could be your relatives --or worse design celebrities. They may choose a ten-year-old's color crayon of a kitten over my entry because it's so "cute."
Real client success is a better and safer story to tell.
If our clientèle is not "design literate," it's our job to educate them and not leave them in ignorance. They become better clients that way. If they ever do read a design book, they may wake up and realize awards are frequently a sham of designer reciprocity or money-making ventures.
The "halo effect" is a true principle. There are various ways to generate this "feeling" for first impressions. It's about client experience. It happens in the first 50 milliseconds they step into your site, your brochure, or your studio entry. It bypasses all of the logical parts of our brain. It's visceral or subconscious.
But yeah. Passionate is the word about me being anti-awards. Using "awards" as evidence brings out my monster. Even Hollywood academy awards. Actor's presenting actors awards? It goes against my idealist grain.
I've paid to go to "laser engineering seminars," "graphic design seminars," and other such "accredited" stuff. Some guys sleep through the sessions and at the end everyone gets a certificate that they attended the course. They then take that to their office and hang it on the wall. Thus they are now pronounced an "expert."
Are awards a "credibility enhancer" for your clientèle?
What do those awards prove? That you met some minimum standard, that other designer's like your novel work, or how much profit you made your client? I don't know if it really indicates any of these things.
Credibility is built from three components: trustworthiness, expertise, and enthusiasm. You can't hold any of those in your hand. They're intangibles and compelling stories get those messages across. Usually, honest tales about success and failure (warts and all) demonstrate these components.
If you show me a well-designed portfolio piece, I may like the eye candy, but when it really comes alive is when you tell me what it did for your client. Then I want to buy what that client bought: success.
I've seen award-winning designs that only designers could love. They were impractical for the business needs of clients. In other words, designed without limitations of time or money. Most clients do not have those deep pockets to produce "portfolio pieces." They need to achieve some kind of measurable goal for less.
I'm pushing back on the idea "awards are proof of goodness." Omitting that claim (brag) and finding a better story to tell will enhance your credibility more.
We all need to improve. Me especially. I don't claim to be an "award-winning" designer or even a mediocre designer. Be passionate about excellence. You'll make my world a better place.
I was once in a designer's studio and saw all of the awards hanging on the wall (art directors club in a big city.) I said, "Wow. You guys have won a lot of awards." He sort of snorted and said, "Those aren't really significant." He knew that happy clients vote with their dollars. That's the most significant award of all. It's the applause.
"Award-winning design" is slick design-speak and a cliché hollow credential.
A wall of design awards from other designers is like a plaque on the wall in a doctor's office saying he's one of the top doctor's in America and it was given to him by an organization to whom he pays membership fees. I've challenged doctors on this smoke screen and they usually blush.
Awards are not 3rd party endorsements. We pay dues to belong to the club. Or a fee to enter. I've seen contests where everybody gets at least an "honorable mention."
Definition third-party endorsement:
Solicited or unsolicited recommendation or testimonial from a customer other than the seller of a service.
An award from a contest of peers is not a recommendation or testimonial. It's an unaccredited decision by trial. The judges may be biased or opinionated experts. They could be your relatives --or worse design celebrities. They may choose a ten-year-old's color crayon of a kitten over my entry because it's so "cute."
Real client success is a better and safer story to tell.
If our clientèle is not "design literate," it's our job to educate them and not leave them in ignorance. They become better clients that way. If they ever do read a design book, they may wake up and realize awards are frequently a sham of designer reciprocity or money-making ventures.
The "halo effect" is a true principle. There are various ways to generate this "feeling" for first impressions. It's about client experience. It happens in the first 50 milliseconds they step into your site, your brochure, or your studio entry. It bypasses all of the logical parts of our brain. It's visceral or subconscious.
But yeah. Passionate is the word about me being anti-awards. Using "awards" as evidence brings out my monster. Even Hollywood academy awards. Actor's presenting actors awards? It goes against my idealist grain.
I've paid to go to "laser engineering seminars," "graphic design seminars," and other such "accredited" stuff. Some guys sleep through the sessions and at the end everyone gets a certificate that they attended the course. They then take that to their office and hang it on the wall. Thus they are now pronounced an "expert."
Are awards a "credibility enhancer" for your clientèle?
What do those awards prove? That you met some minimum standard, that other designer's like your novel work, or how much profit you made your client? I don't know if it really indicates any of these things.
Credibility is built from three components: trustworthiness, expertise, and enthusiasm. You can't hold any of those in your hand. They're intangibles and compelling stories get those messages across. Usually, honest tales about success and failure (warts and all) demonstrate these components.
If you show me a well-designed portfolio piece, I may like the eye candy, but when it really comes alive is when you tell me what it did for your client. Then I want to buy what that client bought: success.
I've seen award-winning designs that only designers could love. They were impractical for the business needs of clients. In other words, designed without limitations of time or money. Most clients do not have those deep pockets to produce "portfolio pieces." They need to achieve some kind of measurable goal for less.
I'm pushing back on the idea "awards are proof of goodness." Omitting that claim (brag) and finding a better story to tell will enhance your credibility more.
We all need to improve. Me especially. I don't claim to be an "award-winning" designer or even a mediocre designer. Be passionate about excellence. You'll make my world a better place.
#51 Photography versus illustration
I've worked for a lot of tech businesses. I insisted on photography
and not illustrations of products. Subconsciously, engineers and
scientists wonder if the product is "vapor-ware" or a pseudo product if
there aren't photographs.
In one case, my client felt intimidated by a new competitor. They asked me to analyze the newcomers strengths and weaknesses. I saw that the "product shots" were only realistic-looking Photoshop illustrations. I told them they were probably several years away from introducing the product. They were relieved. And the product never did come to market. The company was just fishing.
That is characteristic of the tech market.
In one case, my client felt intimidated by a new competitor. They asked me to analyze the newcomers strengths and weaknesses. I saw that the "product shots" were only realistic-looking Photoshop illustrations. I told them they were probably several years away from introducing the product. They were relieved. And the product never did come to market. The company was just fishing.
That is characteristic of the tech market.
#50 Cliché logos
Clichés actually are very "good" when it come to
logos. Why? Because of fast recognition, memorability, and meaning. We
know instantly the connection. It isn't "distinctive" necessarily but
human beings succumb to clichés all of the time. It's a subconscious
"mental shortcut."
#49 Have their best interest at heart.
This is going to sound completely crazy but I have done it and won more work and client loyalty.
When I can't stand a site I built because it has aged. I either redo part of the site (on my test site --sandbox) or work up wireframes and demonstrate them to the client. This I do for free and is speculative. I've never had them not WANT the new design. They see that you have their best interest at heart. It becomes an easy sale. You'll have to evaluate the personalities of the decision-makers and go with your instincts. I have to be prepared for disappointment but rarely have I been turned down when I produce a "free gift."
This is a psychological principle of influence called reciprocity. When you do something nice for someone, they naturally want to do something nice for you. Use it to your advantage.
When I can't stand a site I built because it has aged. I either redo part of the site (on my test site --sandbox) or work up wireframes and demonstrate them to the client. This I do for free and is speculative. I've never had them not WANT the new design. They see that you have their best interest at heart. It becomes an easy sale. You'll have to evaluate the personalities of the decision-makers and go with your instincts. I have to be prepared for disappointment but rarely have I been turned down when I produce a "free gift."
This is a psychological principle of influence called reciprocity. When you do something nice for someone, they naturally want to do something nice for you. Use it to your advantage.
#48 Good naming attributes
1. Good names have few syllables.
2. If you have two English words. Those are probably not very legally defensible. A fusion noun like "ValuedExpert" is better.
3. Good names grow out of positioning statements.
4. Good fusion noun names need two parts. One part denotative (dictionary meaning) and one part connotative (implied intangibles.) Potentially two connotative word parts become poetic. Poetry is symbolic and becomes harder to understand.
5. Then we start testing names with the positioning statement and see if there is any consistency. If not, it's thrown out.
2. If you have two English words. Those are probably not very legally defensible. A fusion noun like "ValuedExpert" is better.
3. Good names grow out of positioning statements.
4. Good fusion noun names need two parts. One part denotative (dictionary meaning) and one part connotative (implied intangibles.) Potentially two connotative word parts become poetic. Poetry is symbolic and becomes harder to understand.
5. Then we start testing names with the positioning statement and see if there is any consistency. If not, it's thrown out.
#47 Experimenting with mezzotint overlays
Original JPEG digital photo
Mezzotints are a method of converting black and white continuous tone images without using hatching, cross-hatching, or stipple. To reduce file size, but add coarseness, a mezzotint can be converted to a bitmap image (in Photoshop or GIMP and probably other image processors.) A bitmap image consists of only black and clear pixels. This makes it possible to do some interesting stuff as overlays in page layout programs or Photoshop.
To demonstrate this, I took a self-portrait photo (yes, that's me 10-years ago. My beard is white now.) And put it through two processes. One is making a mezzotint from the black plate (K channel) and the other a mezzotint produced from a grayscale conversion (#2.)
Both of these "bitmap layers" are placed over a CMYK image with the "K channel erased" or as I call it "CMYN." N meaning none.
These make for an interesting aging effect but still colorized (not a duotone or Sepia tone.)
Now you can take perfectly good, crisp photos and make them look "old and ugly." :)
Below are the finals:
- < Light photo aging effect
- Below: Dark photo aging effect
#46 Free Upsize PS action comparison
This Proportion200 Photoshop action will enlarge your images by 200%. I've tested it against all of the PAID competitors on the download page
(links included) and found it to give equal or superior results.
The method uses Staircase Interpolation. We do a small amount of sharpening between each 10% incremental step to keep things crisp. If you are using an old version (legacy) of Photoshop, the action will work but calls for JPEG noise reduction to eliminate artifacting. Just skip that step or do it in advance of the action with a standalone filter --or not at all. Depends upon the quality of the original image.
Free Upsize PS action download page
No signup or registration is required. This is a great way to get low-cost 72dpi images suitable for 300dpi print. The higher the dpi resolution of the original the better the results. I don't recommend passing the image through Proportion200 more than three times --but you can be the judge of when to stop. An ugly image is still going to be ugly when it's enlarged --even more so. :)
My hat is off to my brother Brad Teare who built this action to my specification and then agreed to generously donate it to anyone who might benefit from it. Try it out!
Janice Campbell, of The Grid, collaborated with me to produce a comparison of commercial Blowup 3 Photoshop Plugin ($149 US) against Proportion200 (the freebie digital PS action enlarger).
Janice supplied a digital camera photo of a perched butterfly. It's size is 1497 w x 1500 h pixels @300dpi. Janice said it was straight out of the camera and just cropped to a square. No resizing, downsizing, or filters were applied. She also provided a doubled image (200%) that had been increased in Blowup (5.1MB JPEG). The final Proportion200 resize ended up being 2.8MB file size JPEG.
I show the original here at 720 pixels wide so it fits on this page.
I sampled the exact same area from The Blowup enlargement and a Proportion200 enlargement (single-pass, no doctoring).
After examining the results, Janice did the experiment again but ran the image through "Dfine 2" from Google part of a $149 filter plug-in package. Dfine 2 is a noise reduction filter. Final image weight is 3.4MB JPEG. That sample is also included for comparison. Read the captions, please, since they ended up in an odd order.
Here are the results:
VISUALLY, I FIND the smoother gradient of Proportion200
more appealing on screen. From experience, I know that smooth gradients
show the artifacts of JPG compression in print. Also, smooth gradients
tend to band on digital presses. For that reason, I thought I'd like the
sharper, yet noisier Blowup 3 version. But upon printing, I found:
The Blowup 3 version on the left also blew up the noise in the original photo, which looks distracting in print. Though the Proportion200 version on the right did print the JPG artifacts like I thought, the banding wasn't so great as I thought.
Therefore, I recommend using the Proportion 200 and adding noise afterwards in Photoshop. And who can beat that at that price?
The method uses Staircase Interpolation. We do a small amount of sharpening between each 10% incremental step to keep things crisp. If you are using an old version (legacy) of Photoshop, the action will work but calls for JPEG noise reduction to eliminate artifacting. Just skip that step or do it in advance of the action with a standalone filter --or not at all. Depends upon the quality of the original image.
Free Upsize PS action download page
No signup or registration is required. This is a great way to get low-cost 72dpi images suitable for 300dpi print. The higher the dpi resolution of the original the better the results. I don't recommend passing the image through Proportion200 more than three times --but you can be the judge of when to stop. An ugly image is still going to be ugly when it's enlarged --even more so. :)
My hat is off to my brother Brad Teare who built this action to my specification and then agreed to generously donate it to anyone who might benefit from it. Try it out!
Janice Campbell, of The Grid, collaborated with me to produce a comparison of commercial Blowup 3 Photoshop Plugin ($149 US) against Proportion200 (the freebie digital PS action enlarger).
Janice supplied a digital camera photo of a perched butterfly. It's size is 1497 w x 1500 h pixels @300dpi. Janice said it was straight out of the camera and just cropped to a square. No resizing, downsizing, or filters were applied. She also provided a doubled image (200%) that had been increased in Blowup (5.1MB JPEG). The final Proportion200 resize ended up being 2.8MB file size JPEG.
I show the original here at 720 pixels wide so it fits on this page.
I sampled the exact same area from The Blowup enlargement and a Proportion200 enlargement (single-pass, no doctoring).
After examining the results, Janice did the experiment again but ran the image through "Dfine 2" from Google part of a $149 filter plug-in package. Dfine 2 is a noise reduction filter. Final image weight is 3.4MB JPEG. That sample is also included for comparison. Read the captions, please, since they ended up in an odd order.
Here are the results:
Blowup combined with Dfine noise reduction -sample. $149 Blowup + Dfine $149 = $298
-
Blowup plugin 200% comparison $149
-
Proportion200 action freeware $0
The Blowup 3 version on the left also blew up the noise in the original photo, which looks distracting in print. Though the Proportion200 version on the right did print the JPG artifacts like I thought, the banding wasn't so great as I thought.
Therefore, I recommend using the Proportion 200 and adding noise afterwards in Photoshop. And who can beat that at that price?
#45 Demystifying the Logo
I've
been anti-logo for --well, a long time-- I used to pay for them
regularly. Usually $200 to $1,800 range. I thought they had some kind of
magic. Like Dumbo's magic feather. They were a flag for the company
troops to rally around. I called them "morale builders." It took time
but eventually I woke up and realized logos made little difference in
the outcome of client profitability. They have other benefits but it's
not money.
Now, I'm not talking multinational conglomerates here. I'm talking about businesses that sell between $500K to $15M per year in sales. These are called medium to small size businesses. Do they really need a symbol?
I did see frequently where a product name and consistency of colors and typeface made a difference --a big difference. Continuity generates credibility. But that is not something a symbol or icon can do without investing a lot of money to give it meaning. Symbols usually just muddied up the situation and confused the buyers. There are just too many logos in the world that look exactly the same. Millions. Design clients buy them because designers tell them they need one.
A logo for many businesses has become reduced to a decorative element. When is the last time you paid for a solitary dingbat?
Later, when I began selling "design and marketing" as a package, logos were always fraught with emotional upheaval for the owners and caused unneeded, repeated presentations. "Does it really represent me?" Uh. It's not supposed to represent that deep of a psychological burden. Arguments and doubt could go on forever.
So my solution was: NEVER CHARGE FOR A LOGO. It wasn't on my price list. It then became completely disposable and they didn't put so much angst into it. If they saw one like it, no big deal. They never paid anything for theirs in the first place. I just said it was part of the project and never a project of it's own. A "logotype" was included with a website or brochure. I did not want to make logos for a living. If someone asked me to do a logo, the answer was "no." But if they wanted a brochure, I'd throw it in for free.
The presentation of the logo was never a solo event. It was presented on the brochure or website in it's natural environment. This is not to say, I didn't produce "brand manuals" for money. But that was after the fact, the logo had already been adopted. After that unspoken approval, I just showed how NOT to use it and different options for packaging and such.
This strategy made my life more pleasant. This doesn't mean I can't appreciate a beautiful logo. But I sometimes wonder if we know what we as designers are really selling. Is it fluffy stuff?
Now, I'm not talking multinational conglomerates here. I'm talking about businesses that sell between $500K to $15M per year in sales. These are called medium to small size businesses. Do they really need a symbol?
I did see frequently where a product name and consistency of colors and typeface made a difference --a big difference. Continuity generates credibility. But that is not something a symbol or icon can do without investing a lot of money to give it meaning. Symbols usually just muddied up the situation and confused the buyers. There are just too many logos in the world that look exactly the same. Millions. Design clients buy them because designers tell them they need one.
A logo for many businesses has become reduced to a decorative element. When is the last time you paid for a solitary dingbat?
Later, when I began selling "design and marketing" as a package, logos were always fraught with emotional upheaval for the owners and caused unneeded, repeated presentations. "Does it really represent me?" Uh. It's not supposed to represent that deep of a psychological burden. Arguments and doubt could go on forever.
So my solution was: NEVER CHARGE FOR A LOGO. It wasn't on my price list. It then became completely disposable and they didn't put so much angst into it. If they saw one like it, no big deal. They never paid anything for theirs in the first place. I just said it was part of the project and never a project of it's own. A "logotype" was included with a website or brochure. I did not want to make logos for a living. If someone asked me to do a logo, the answer was "no." But if they wanted a brochure, I'd throw it in for free.
The presentation of the logo was never a solo event. It was presented on the brochure or website in it's natural environment. This is not to say, I didn't produce "brand manuals" for money. But that was after the fact, the logo had already been adopted. After that unspoken approval, I just showed how NOT to use it and different options for packaging and such.
This strategy made my life more pleasant. This doesn't mean I can't appreciate a beautiful logo. But I sometimes wonder if we know what we as designers are really selling. Is it fluffy stuff?
#44 Great logo. Bad name.
The above logo is by my designer friend Karen. I said to her,
"The final art is beautiful. Thanks for showing it to us. You're a great designer. Now with that compliment said, I will now insult you. :)
The clients business name is a marketing positioning statement --not a name at all. "Customized Wellness and Nutrition." That is a mouthful to say on the phone. Her poor receptionist. I'd have corrected this flaw first. Too late now. Let sleeping dogs lie."
I use a vintage piece of obscure software (naturally) that combines word parts to create fusion nouns. It's called "NameMax" and runs on legacy Mac OS 9.1 operating system, circa 2001. Using "Wholesome" and "Health" categories, it just cranked out 2,940 name candidates. I'd guess about 1 percent will be relevant to this business. That's 29 names.
Here's some samples: TrimFresh, SunZeal, SoundPure, ProGood, PepIdeal, NaturPure, Naturance, FineClar, BodyPure, Naturia, etc, etc.
These neologisms (new words) are easier to remember and to speak. That doesn't mean they are legally eligible names. That would have to be checked next.
Karen did great with a client who was very unsure of herself. So my observation is mainly an "in-retrospect" "wouldn't it have been nice if ..." scenario. Hindsight.
I love the aesthetics of the piece.
#43 Portfolio website tips 2
- Studio Hinrichs_2013-05-18.jpg
Robert, a designer friend, asked me some entertaining web questions that are near-and-dear to my designer heart. :) You'll find varying opinions, of course, from others. So realize what I'm sharing is based on my experience, experiments, and reading. I assume you've already been to http://www.steveteare.com/foliosites/ where I explain some online portfolio strategy.
Whenever possible, I use old, vintage, legacy stuff that I repurpose in some strange way. This is low-tech. It's low-cost and low-risk. When you want to do the latest "online fad", it'll usually cost you in time, money, or frustration. Redefining what is good enough is part of the creative solution.
I've built portfolio sites. Almost always in-trade for creative services. Generally, artists, illustrators, and photographers are on severe budgets. I've been encouraging my clientèle to move along with the mainstream herd and use CMS. (I did this again just yesterday but mainly because the potential client was bossy. Not a qualified lead.)
Clients care (are anxious) about making portfolio changes more than they care about loadtime. This is an unwarranted "want" --not need. They generally think their latest work is their best. That isn't necessarily true. My experience is portfolio sites rarely change even if the owner has that CMS flexibility and capability. It takes discipline.
In 3 years, sites are obsolete and need a rebuild anyway. That is the shelf-life of a site. So build a disposable website and leave it alone.
CMS is not the solution I'd take for myself. They're clunky and slow. So what is the right answer depends upon your skill level, audience, and objectives.
I'm going to give an example of keeping the pageweight down with strategy:
PROJECT ONE: Photography
Here's one I built last year and the strategy is not for everyone.
Link MiningShots.com >
First, I asked the photographer to supply as few horizontal images needed to do the job (12 per section, 4 sections) cropped to 1024 x 768 pixel dimension. Vertical images that resize just aren't as impressive. That is not very many images for a photographer but more is counterproductive (9 per section is optimum.) He couldn't choose that few. More repels visitors (boredom.) I have tested this.
I used a "widget" called SimpleViewer, which is free, for the main screens. This is a Framed Hybrid website which I do not recommend except for non-conformists like myself. If you don't care if others make fun of you as a programmer, it's a great trick. :) SimpleViewer is a dynamic image resizing slideshow. It's free and extremely lightweight. It uses a Flash file and XML file in the big frame.
I optimized all the images using an old-school Photoshop compression plugin called "Boxtop Pro JPEG" but "save for web" in GIMP or Photoshop gives fine results, too. The JPEG images are saved at a 70% level and sharpened. The human eye cannot distinguish any difference from the original onscreen. That puts the large images in the 70K to 100K pageweight range (sometimes less --like 50K.) This is acceptable.
Notice how you drop right into the portfolio and not an introductory page or splash screen.
NOTE: Viewers do NOT care as much about image quality as the "artist" does. Always push hard to reduce image file size. Here's a nice link on optimizing image files:
http://doteduguru.com/id42-optimizing-web-graphics.html
People have a lower expectation of page load time with portfolio websites. But this shouldn't be abused. Keeping one large image per page is ideal. Loading up a page with many images does two things: it dilutes the emphasis (visual noise) and bogs the download. In this case, we're relying on "perceived load time" and not real load time. A preloader is working in the background for subsequent images.
The page that absolutely has to be the fastest is the home / landing page. All that matters is that it answer 3 questions: who you are, what you do, and why I should care. Anything else is a distraction.
I use a custom-built Photoshop action to generate the thumbs which are under 2K each.
Now some would say, "This is a foolish solution because Flash is doomed and Frames don't work on mobile." All true. But here's the strategy: the audience is not mobile active. They are all upper-level advertising and marketing executives sitting at desks with a huge screen.
Flash is stagnant but will be supported with upgrades --but not new versions --and Adobe claims this is true. Millions of sites still use Flash --even YouTube and Hulu. You don't just pull the plug in one night. The only platform Adobe has said they will not support is Linux. But they will continue to support it for 3 more years. How many executives at mining companies are using Linux? :) Uh? No big deal. Using Flash and frames is not a problem either. There are a bunch of tricks to make it all work but you get the idea.
The Teare-ism (rule of thumb): One big image (1024 x 768 px) per screen and optimize the image. This distributes the load over many pages.
This is the solution I'd still take today. Portfolio sites should NOT be viewed on small screens. Whoever reviews artwork on mobile is not a qualified lead. I promise.
Lastly, here's other strategy for multiple images on a single page and still keeping the pageweight down. They both are works in progress. The secret: limited color palette.
Experimental site
http://www.pagepipe.com/
20K to 25K page weights.
New business
http://www.sprintgauge.com/
All images are two or three color GIFs.
Generally, 50K pageweights for this site.
Also look at this example of Kit Hinrichs website >
The home page loads in under a second (34K pageweight.) He then starts heavy-ing up the pages as you go deeper and are more and more "hooked." Great portfolio strategy.
I classify the whole pageweight-vs.-aesthetics philosophy as "Judicious Beauty."
#42 Page load time expectations
At least blame the machine, technophobes blame themselves for every flaw. "I must have done something wrong!"
Attached is a little graphic that explains human expectation of page load times.
Attached is a little graphic that explains human expectation of page load times.
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- Jakob-Nielsen-response-time-infographic.jpg
#41 How much to charge for your design work
I always ask straight-forward and bluntly, "How much do you have
budgeted for this project?" I then try and find a solution that will
fit. I do fixed-bid contract work. Never bill by time. As said earlier
in a post "time" doesn't reflect the projects true market value.
If the client is asking for the impossible, I show them how being creative and taking another approach will solve their problem. Just because the client thinks they need a brochure or logo doesn't mean that will necessarily solve the real problem. Get back to goals and objectives first.
What you're worth is in the mind of the client. Not what you think. Get into their head. They might have a higher opinion of your value than you do.
If the client is asking for the impossible, I show them how being creative and taking another approach will solve their problem. Just because the client thinks they need a brochure or logo doesn't mean that will necessarily solve the real problem. Get back to goals and objectives first.
What you're worth is in the mind of the client. Not what you think. Get into their head. They might have a higher opinion of your value than you do.
#40 Free newsletters about product and company naming
Below links to my free newsletter PDFs about product and company naming: 64K to 92K downloads (small).
http://www.steveteare.com/PDF/10-reviews.pdf
http://www.steveteare.com/PDF/naming.pdf
http://www.steveteare.com/PDF/linguistics.pdf
http://www.steveteare.com/PDF/10-reviews.pdf
http://www.steveteare.com/PDF/naming.pdf
http://www.steveteare.com/PDF/linguistics.pdf
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