Print Beautiful Catalogs Using These Color Tips

Color catalogs look far more attractive than black and white ones, and so are more effective marketing tools. Just adding color will increase the appeal of your print catalog, but if you want to take your catalog to the next level, there are a few color guidelines that will help.

Be Consistent With All Publications
To reinforce product branding when printing catalogs, use the same color scheme in every publication and on all your signage and marketing materials. This is not to say all your photos in the catalog should have the same colors in them, but your cover page, logo, and order form pages should have the same color scheme.

Use Color for Impact
On each page of your print catalog, there should be one product that stands out. You can do this by having a monochromatic background that contrasts with the product you want to emphasize. For instance, you can emphasize a bright red coat by using a picture of a model wearing it on a gray city street. Using only a few colors per page also makes the spread look more attractive. If you were to use lots of colors inconsistently on the page, it would just look busy, and nothing would really stand out.

Use Colored Text Sparingly
Black text on a white background is the easiest to read. In your efforts to be creative, you must keep in mind whether or not your words are readable, because if people have to struggle to read your catalog, they are less likely to order from it. On the other hand, if you want to emphasize only a few words, this is one instance in which colored text is acceptable. For instance, you could put the word “sale” in red. If only a few words are in color, then they stand out much more than if the entire page is full of colored words.

Use Background Bleeds
Using background bleeds in your print catalog makes it look more attractive and professional. When bleeds are used in printing, the background color extends a little beyond the edge of the page. That way, the color extends all the way across the page and there are no white edges showing in the final printed product. Just remember that when you use this technique you need to keep your text and important images within your printer’s safety guidelines so they don’t accidentally get cut off during the trimming process.

Advertising 101

There are a lot of words thrown around that have similar meanings to advertising, so you might be wondering what advertising really is and if a specific definition really matters. Advertising is basically anything a business does to try to get consumers to have a positive view of their company or to get consumers to purchase their goods or services. There are four basic purposes for advertising.

Creating Demand
The objective for advertising is sometimes to create a demand for product or service. There are two types of demand: primary and selective. 

• Primary demand is the demand for a type of product. The Got Milk? ad campaign is an example of this type. The advertisers are merely promoting the consumption of milk in general, not a specific brand of milk. Unlike the milk example, primary advertising is usually done to promote a new product; in this case the marketer tries to create a demand for something the public doesn’t currently use.
• Selective demand is the demand for a specific brand of the product. Selective demand advertising kicks in once the new product has competition.

Promoting a Brand or Company
Another purpose for advertising is to shape the public impression of a brand or company. An advertisement might try to make a company seem reliable, cutting edge, or customer-oriented. The hope is that if people think the company is a good one, they will be more likely to use it rather than the competition. For instance, a printing company might have a commercial showing the bands it has helped make famous by completing quality poster printing projects.

Causing Action by Consumers
The desired action by consumers might be direct or indirect.

• Direct action advertisements call for consumers to buy this product or service soon. The ads do this by having limited time offers of special prices or packages. For example, a print company might offer poster printing at a reduced rate until a specific date.
• Indirect action advertisement is a lot like promoting a company. The purpose is to get consumers to have a positive view of the brand or the product a company makes. This type of advertising is aimed at building a customer base over the long run. 
   

Benefiting the Public
The purpose of some advertising campaigns is to promote public safety or well being. Campaigns that encourage people to wear seat belts are an example of this.  Another example is when regional forest reserves do a poster printing campaign to promote fire safety.

Now that you have a basic knowledge of advertising, you can better know where you should start with your advertising campaign. Your next step is to research specific advertising campaigns and hire professionals so that your advertisements can be as effective as possible.

Common Booklet Printing Mistakes

Booklet printing is a great marketing resource when you need more space to properly showcase your product than a brochure allows. There are a few design notes you should keep in mind when planning a booklet. Here is a list of some of the most common booklet printing mistakes to avoid.
 
#1 Too Much Text

All of that extra room can make your copywriters go a little crazy! You will need to watch for too much text added to use up all of the extra space. If you find this to be the case, edit the text and then, if there is too much white space, try enlarging the headlines and subheadings. Limit your text to what is needed.
 
#2 Page Malfunction

Missing pages or pages that are out of order are another unfortunate mistake of booklet printing. Be sure that you have a copy of the finished product to scrutinize specifically for consecutive page order.

Improving the Content and Images of Your Brochures

Improving a brochure is a great way to increase revenue and retain existing clients, and images and content are one of the most important aspects when improving the memory retention of your brochures. So if your brochure printing pieces need an overhaul, try the following suggestions to turn your design into an easy sales tool.

Images    
Paint the perfect picture with images. Here’s how:

1. Images are a great enhancement to any brochure. They are often used to suggestively sell the product or service in the brochure. So, how does a suggestive sell create desire for a product? 
2. Show the value of the product with images. Inform the consumer of the utility that will be gained. A pain relieving patch will often show an individual before and after the use of the pain reliever.
3. But show more than proof of the product working. Show a dancer performing in a dance after using the pain relieving patch or grandpa playing catch with the grand kids. The utility gained here is much more than just pain relief. 

How to Design Product and Packaging Labels

When trying to create product/packaging labels for your business, the process can become quite complicated and frustrating. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be such a hassle to get your labels designed and printed. Here are a few steps to simplify the process and give you label printing designs that will reinforce your company image. 

First, list the required information and choose a paper. The paper used for label printing depends upon the product, company, and type of distribution. The packaging label for a piece of furniture is often cheaper and less essential than the label on a box of toothpaste. The same goes for the required information on a label — it depends upon the product. There are legal requirements for food and other products. There are also courtesy requirements due to industry standards. Just try to find a bar of soap without the amount in ounces on the label. Even the handmade craft or specialty soaps include the ounces on the labels.       

Build Your Customer Base with Flyer Advertising

Flyer advertising is a great way to build your customer base without breaking your advertising budget. Just make sure that when designing flyers to promote your brand and image, to be clear with your message, and to then be prepared for responses. With these few techniques, your flyers will take your brand even further and increase revenue for your business.

Use Images
Images are great branding techniques, even if the only image you can afford to use is your logo. Photographs and graphic designs used are usually related to the product or service to build credibility. And never forget your logo and any graphic designs you use to reinforce your brand.  

Be Ethical
Be creative and outgoing when advertising with flyers, but never mislead the customer. Unethical behavior must be hidden and covered up, and a cover up is a distraction from the real service or product. Be ethical and build up your business, don’t tear it down. One of the most important aspects of being ethical is to provide amazing customer service. Always follow through with what you promise in your flyer printing message.

Be Assertive
Create desire and include a call to action with your advertising. Show how your product or service makes life better and more enjoyable — how it works better than your competitors’ products or saves time. Action phrases are the best way to motivate your customer. Don’t sell your message short by being too modest. Most ads use “Call Now!” or “Purchase Today” to motivate the customer. Whatever call to action you use, make sure it specifically states what you want a customer to do and keep your contact information handy.
             

Follow Up

A well-designed flyer will get the attention of the consumer and cause action. Unlike brochures, the purpose of a flyer printing message is primarily to cause viewers to contact you. It is the responsibility of the staff to follow up and close the deal. Be prepared for increase in business and inform the staff of the advertising. Make sure your staff is knowledgeable and can answer any detailed questions that consumers will have. You may even need to be prepared to hire temporary staff to handle to influx of new customers. You never know to what new heights an effective advertisment will take your company.

Custom Envelopes: A Necessity for Any Business

Custom envelopes are an important part of any business’s identity package. They impart importance to the items contained within while enhancing the professional image of your business. Here are a few reasons why you should include custom envelopes in your corporate identity printing package.

1. Professional Image
Custom envelopes maintain the professional image of your company and simplify the mailing process. Adding a window will eliminate the need to do any kind of addressing: simply place the correctly folded invoice or other correspondence inside the envelope, add the correct postage, and mail. And lining up the address with the window is a breeze with any desktop publishing software, including Microsoft Word. Plus, with custom envelopes, only one window is necessary, since your return address is already printed on the envelope. This eliminates the need to line up two addresses for two windows, rather than just one.
 
2. No Experience Necessary
Custom envelopes are easy to design. Make use of your logo on the front left, and print your billing address across the back. Photos and graphics are some more ways to add interest and impact to your custom envelopes, but you’ll want to be careful to not overcrowd the envelope. Too much clutter will not only put you at risk of violating mailing guidelines but also annoy recipients.  

The Different Ways Your Business Cards Can Stand Out

Protect your investment in creating a business card by making your card memorable. You don’t want it to just get lost under piles of paper or thrown away. Make your color business cards a true promotional tool that sends customers your way by using one of the tricks below.

Use Colored Card Stock or a Colored Background

Most business cards are white, so if yours is in color, you are already one giant step ahead in standing out. Make sure your color fits your company; rich shades of grey and brown add sophistication, and bright colors are energetic and fun. Some printing companies offer colored card stock, and almost all printers provide the option of full bleed, often for free, which gives you more options for background colors.

Choose an Unusual Material

Rather than use paper, you can choose one of a variety of materials for your business card printing. You could use metal, plastic, wood or laminated materials. Magnets are a great way to make your business cards easily accessible to clients, and business cards covered in fabric provide texture.

Use Colored Ink

If you want to stick with white, beige, or pale grey card stock, you can still add color by using a colored ink. Don’t get too off the wall in your color choices, though, and make sure there is enough contrast between the lettering and the background to read the type.

Response to Shanghai Experience – Digital Challenge

Learning about cultural differences in relations to marketing and advertising is important in our current market that is ever-expanding via the World Wide Web. The ability to move your product or service into foreign markets with ease is a great advantage. The ease with which this can be accomplished involves several influential factors including the cultural differences and similarities between the current market and the market being entered, and the need for the product or service in the new market.

Cultural differences between markets
Whether you are vacationing in a foreign country, taking in the unknown experience, or have gone as part of a foreign studies group, it is difficult not to notice the cultural differences. As we observe these differences and learn the motivations and reasons behind them, we learn to understand the culture, learn to understand that people have life-shaping forces that are very different than the forces that shaped our lives in many cases. This is a great experience for personal growth but also for anyone who is working with foreign business markets.

Cultural similarities between markets
In addition to our differences, however, there are many ways that humans are the same the world over. These similarities are also important to note and may simplify some aspects of foreign marketing. There is a balance that must be achieved between a standardized marketing campaign for use in all markets and customizing the marketing efforts for certain markets. This depends on the product and how its performance may differ in varying market locations.

Easy transitions between markets
There are some products and services currently offered online that do not require much alteration between markets. One of those is printed materials. An online printing company is able to serve customers where ever they are located through the use of digitally transmitted designs. The customer will dictate the needed cultural variance in their marketing material when it is submitted. The online printing company’s capacity to communicate with the foreign market makes doing business there more easily accomplished than through using other products or services.

25 Design Magazines

Every designer, whether a professional or someone who likes to design their own corporate literature, needs to be surrounded by inspiration to keep the ideas fresh. Keeping new tips and tricks of the trade handy is also important, which is why graphic design magazines are such a necessary part of any designer’s library. Print magazines are especially nice to keep around for flipping through during down time at the office, but online magazines also carry lots of ideas for graphic design, both for print materials and web design. Here are 25 of the best graphic design magazines available. Most are printed magazines, while others have both print and online versions, and still others are only found on the web. Browse through them at your leisure and decide which ones are the most necessary for your niche of design. There are so many golden nuggets in this list that you’ll be tempted to order a yearly subscription to most of them, but remember that you can only read so many magazines at once.

Print Magazines

1. The International Design Magazine
This magazine provides lots of articles, inspiration, contests, and more for design in the broad sense of the word and the business world of design.

2. Before & After Magazine
Perfect for inspiration, this is the “how to” magazine for graphic designers with the latest design tutorials and tricks available.

3. Layers Magazine
Another wonderful “how to” magazine, you’ll find everything you need to know about designing with Adobe in issues available on CD and in print.

4. HOW Magazine
Amazing career and design advice are available both online and in print through HOW; as well as contests, inspiration, forums, and events.

5. PRINT Magazine
A commentary on design culture, this bimonthly magazine provides valuable insight into environmental, social, and commercial design.

6. Communication Arts Magazine
Both online and in print, Communication Arts provides plenty of helpful information for designers, such as job postings, competitions, news articles, and design tips.

7. Beautiful/Decay Magazine
This is the ultimate in inspiration and current trends as a magazine designed to showcase established artists from all over the world.

8. Wallpaper Magazine
Find excellent advice and trends for graphic design, fashion, interiors, and lifestyle in each issue as well as online.

9. Juxtapose Art & Culture Magazine
Both available online and in print, Juxtapose provides a wide variety of artistic inspiration.

10. Applied Arts Magazine
This Canadian visual arts magazine provides industry information, ideas, tips, and beautiful inspiration for designers.

11. Design Edge Canada Magazine
Another Canadian magazine, both available in print and online, offers valuable resources for designers, such as job offers and news and trends.

12. Graphic Design USA Magazine
A news magazine for designers, Graphic Design USA will help any artist keep up with what’s happening in the design world.

13. CMYK Magazine
Available both online and in print, CMYK provides some of the best, most creative current designs; perfect when needing some fresh inspiration.

14. Computer Arts Magazine
One of the most popular design resources available, this UK magazine provides tutorials and new design ideas in every issue.

15. Eye Magazine
This international magazine provides reviews of popular graphic design and other areas of visual culture.

16. Creative Review Magazine
This British magazine reviews the best in the field of visual communications, from graphic design to architecture to advertising.

Online Magazines

17. Smashing Magazine
One of the most thorough ezines available, Smashing Magazine offers design inspiration, articles, tutorials, free downloads, CSS info, and more.

18. Dynamic Graphics Magazine
The perfect online magazine for graphic design professionals, each issue provides powerful career, project, and software tips and tidbits.

19. PDF Magazines
Over 200 free pdf magazines are available on this site, and most are focused on design, art, and illustration, as well as culture.

20. Design and Publishing Ezine
Each issue of DTG contains valuable information on everything design related, including type and graphics.

21. Tutorial Magazine
Find the latest and greatest design tutorials on this site, from Photoshop to Flash, updated with new content every week day.

22. GoMediaZine
Freebies, success stories, tutorials, industry insights, and more are what you will find in this magazine designed by real world designers.National Association of

23. Photoshop Professionals
Join the NAPP and receive incredible benefits, including the Photoshop User Magazine, discounts, tech support, and more.

24. Designer Today Graphic Design Magazine
With product reviews, premium tutorials, services, jobs, and articles, just to name a few, this online magazine is a very well-rounded resource for graphic designers.

25. Speckyboy Design Magazine
With tutorials and inspiration for everything from Photoshop to typography to WordPress to logos, web designers especially will find this online magazine to be full of helpful information.