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The Power of Design: the Madrid 2020 Olympic Logo Controversy

Good intentions – bad results. Olympic logos seem to keep going offtrack. Remember the London 2012 controversy? Well the latest logo disaster getting lots of attention online comes from Madrid’s bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games. An attempt to represent both the Olympic rings, an architectural landmark in Madrid and the mark “M20” somehow turned into a childish looking brand symbol that seems to move the games from 2020 to 20020! Disaster – but an eloquent lesson in the power of design, both good and not so good.

Logo of the Madrid 2020 Olympic aspirations
2020... or 20020?

Above is the controversial logo. To many people, that first, all-important impression is of a chopped off symbol that seems to be a typo, moving the 2020 games into the future by about 18,000 years! A look at the original design below will help illustrate where things went off track here.

Art student's original design, via www.elmundo.es

The original idea was created by a 22-year-old student named Luis Peiret. What came to appear as “20020” was originally “M20.” However the Madrid-based advertising agency Tapsa made some confusing changes which to many derailed their branding efforts. When the initial response to such a design is so clear, you have to wonder why the design firm did not see these problems in advance, or if seen why they decided they would not overshadow their purpose.

A logo that needs to come with an explanation defeats the purpose of good design. In this instance, the arches in the design represent a historical landmark in Madrid, the colors represent the Olympic colors – however black was exhanged for purple (?) A Spanish online poll found 81% of people said they did not like the logo. Pieret’s comment: “This is not my logo.” Ouch.

The old saying is that a camel is a horse designed by a committee. Perhaps this is a good example of how too many well-intentioned design authorities produced a confused, ineffective brand result. If you ever wonder about the power and importance of good design, this controversy over the logo could potentially hurt Madrid’s chances to host the Olympic Games – a high price to pay for a questionable design decision.

ImageSmith is a full-service print and marketing provider located in Arden, North Carolina. Contact us at ImageSmith for quotes on all your marketing projects, and more useful tips on how to create custom, effective, high impact marketing solutions.
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10 Tips for Designing Vehicle Wraps with Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator is a great tool for designing vehicle wraps, and with the help of Adobe PhotoShop you can achieve beautiful, high impact results. Perhaps the most important tip for the designer is to begin with an accurate template and work closely with your print provider to follow their required quidelines. Installation and print considerations can sometimes trump an interesting design idea when it comes down to the practicality of applying images on vinyl to metal. Below are 10 tips to bear in mind while working with wrap designs.

Vinyl Vehicle Wrap of Snake on a City Bus
Credit – Advertising Agency: Bates Y&R, Copenhagen, Denmark. Creative Director: Ib Borup. Art Director: Peder Schack. Agency Producers: Josephine Winther-Poupinel, Steen Nøhr. Other credit: Erich Karsholt

 

  1. Your design starts with an accurate template of your vehicle — they are available from the manufacturer or online and are essential for creation of your design at the correct size. Most templates come drawn at a scale of 1:20. Change the scale from 1:20 to 1:10 by selecting all and increasing the size by 200%. Now the scale is 1:10, where 1 inch onscreen equals 10 inches in real life. When the files are output, they are scaled at 1000%. It keeps the math simple.
  2. Begin by setting up your template with the correct layers. One layer will need to include all the bumpers, windows and elements that allow you to view the design in a realistic way, but are really not needed for printing. This layer should be at the top of the Layers palette. You can keep it locked while you work. Create separate layers for each of the different views that will be printed out: passenger side, drivers side, front, back and top. On each layer you will need to place a copy of the vehicle outline of that view to clip the images/artwork placed there. Create a Clipping Layer (not just a clipping path). That way, all art placed on that layer will be clipped, regardless of its order in the palette. When it comes time for output the clipping mask can be turned off. Also, name each layer clearly. Keeping all of this organized is the key to creating usable files that your printer can use for output.
  3. Keep in perspective how your wrapped vehicle will be seen – usually while in motion, or from a driver’s level view while sitting in traffic. Bolder colors and one main point of focus might work best to make your design eye-catching. Extensive text will probably not be very useful. By the way, if your vehicle has a sliding door, be sure any text or images don’t create an unexpected result when the door is open… you don’t want to be surprised by what might inadvertently be created!
  4. Be careful of the corners! Bear in mind that your design has to be tiled into panels which are generally 52 inches wide, and your print provider or installer will need to discuss with you any concerns they have about how difficult the crossovers on these panels will be to line up during application. When you design a side view, it will have to connect with the front and back view. These “corners” will have to either match or have some allowance made for one image ending and the other beginning. If you can work in a solid color in these areas, or white space, it may prevent an awkward crossover in the finished product.
  5. If you work with Photoshop to bring in image or pixel-based artwork for your wrap, be sure you are using a high resolution image. The preferred resolution for an image placed at 100% in this 1:10 scale is 720dpi – much higher than what is preferred for standard offset printing. The reason is that these files will be output at 1000%. File sizes will be large. Green gar with vinyl car wrap
  6. Some parts of your vehicle cannot be wrapped: state laws effect which windows can be covered with 50/50 window graphic material, and some plastic components will not allow the vinyl material to properly adhere. Consult the installer to find out these limitations, and to determine whether handles, chrome, and other decorative pieces can be removed, covered, or cut around.
  7. Keep it simple. Overly complex designs will often defeat your purpose, both in being visually confusing and difficult to install. Car wraps have great proven recall rates, but too much information will work against a good impression.
  8. Allow for at least 3 inches of bleed area outside the outline of the vehicle – that translates to .3 inches at the 1:10 scale you are working with. When in doubt, leave even more.
  9. Avoid use of spot colors – go ahead and convert them to CMYK or RGB (whichever mode in which your provider suggests you work). The use of spot colors where any transparency is involved can result in some strange and unexpected results when printed.
  10. Save a copy of your file to keep. Then turn all your fonts to outlines, save it as an eps and turn that in, along with ALL linked or placed image files, to your print provider.

Expect your printer to make some adjustments, with your approval, to your files in order to achieve the best results. It is also a good idea to doublecheck measurements between your digital template and the actual vehicle to avoid any costly mistakes. Designing “flat” artwork to fit over an irregular three dimensional object can be tricky, so work closely with your printer and installer to achieve the best possible outcome.

Contact us at ImageSmith for quotes on all your marketing projects, and more useful tips on how to create custom, effective, high impact marketing solutions.
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Think Big, Print Big: Wide Format Banners, Posters & More

Think Big Wide Format Full Color Printing

Big ideas, big dreams, big plans? Then you need big printing. Large, glossy, full-color wide format is increasingly a smart marketing choice for making a bold, clear statement. Think about the visual impact you could make in your business with banners, adhesive wall clings, car wraps, event signage, posters, window graphics, floor graphics. High quality design and signage is now affordable for every budget and versatile for every structure or medium. It is also easy to change up to reflect new information and stayfresh in the public eye.

Take a moment to look around at any of your large blank walls, windows or spaces in any public area of your business and you begin to realize how that visual canvas is not being utilized to represent your brand, your message, your mission. It is being seen… it should be getting noticed and remembered! And not all wall coverings need to be advertising copy or photography. Perhaps you can simply use shape and color to “brand” your walls or windows for visual interest, keeping them in accordance with your brand’s palette.

Consider what might very well be your most valuable advertising real estate: storefront windows, waiting room and lobby walls, even shop floors. They are encountered by every customer or client, and even others just passing by – you should be using that marketing opportunity to relay your message and reinforce your brand. When you start looking around you will discover many creative ways to use large-format printing:

  • banners
  • removable vinyl wall graphics & murals
  • car wraps
  • event signage
  • posters
  • floor graphics
  • window clings
  • mounted trade show displays
  • sale announcements or information
  • directional signage
  • product exhibits
  • decorative designs and murals to compliment your brand

Thinking big will grow your business and sales in the new year, and wide format printing is a versatile, affordable and smart component of that winning marketing strategy. It allows you to see your your business with an artist’s or architect’s eye. Enjoy being creative with your marketing.

Contact us at ImageSmith for quotes on all your marketing projects, and more useful tips on how to create custom, effective, high impact marketing solutions.

 

 

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Why Your Business Card Still Matters

Business cards are just like a handshake. They are a form of greeting that makes an actual physical connection, and can be the most important part of establishing a positive “first impression” with a client. While there are many new ways to connect digitally, the printed business card still stands as the most useful and powerful tool of your initial marketing contact.

Why Your Business Card is Like a Handshake

Yes, there are cool, new digital ways to pass information. You can “bump” your iPhones to share contact data. The site IdentyMe seeks to unite all your online profiles and serve as your digital business card. Even social media sites liked LinkedIn serve some of the same purposes as the standard business card. All useful – and yet they don’t ever replace the experience of giving your printed card in a face-to-face meeting. It is, in essence, a gift (read about how Japanese business card etiquette and the respect and ceremony with which they view this formality) – so be sure you gift does three important things:

  • BE INFORMATIVE – After all, that is the purpose of this little piece of paper – to place in someone’s hand information about how you want them to connect with you. Today that info includes not only your phone and address, but potentially your email, website, blog address, Facebook or LinkedIn account, YouTube channel…. many more paths of connection than ever existed before. And all the more reason to have that information handy and easily transferable!
  • BE BRANDED – your card needs to clearly and powerfully represent your brand. As a physical card, it probably gets more actual viewing time than any of your other marketing efforts, so it needs to clearly depict you, your brand, your mission.
  • BE CREATIVE – you can relay across your information in plain, clear text. But unless “plain” is the image you want to implant in someone’s mind, use this opportunity to get noticed and remembered. Try a folded card, a die cut shape, thermography, foil stamps, non-standard sizes. What about a card that is plastic? or wood? or corrugated? Think about what represents you, and be open to more creative ways to get that across in a memorable way. After all, your potential client or customer will be holding the piece in their hand. That moment is something a website cannot duplicate. Make the most of it. It will represent you in their mind.

Check out this link for a really cool gallery of creative business card ideas to get you thinking. Then call us at 828-684-4512 to talk about how we can help!

Contact us at ImageSmith for quotes on all your marketing projects, and more useful tips on how to create custom, effective, high impact marketing solutions.

 

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Print: The Heart of Integrated Marketing Campaigns

Variable Data Printed and Integrated Marketing Campaigns

Tangible, portable, engaging, accessible, user-friendly, multiuse, renewable, versatile and creative… all great reasons to make print the foundation of your marketing campaign. Its very nature as a physical, rather than digital, object makes it effective and respected in the consumer’s mind. With advances in digital printing, the cost of print is even more affordable than ever for short or long runs. But by combining print with the new tools available online for personalized, trackable, interactive communication, you can boost your ROI with a truly integrated marketing campaign.

Print is user-friendly. All market segments feel comfortable viewing and reading information in print — therefore it can be used to lead those who are reticent about online purchasing or digital communications to check out your webpage, ‘click’ and follow a QR code, or visit their own personalized landing page (PURLs). Print is an easy stepping stone that works in coordination with online marketing to guide interested customers into a more interactive realm of communication and commerce. At the same time, print will reinforce your brand and online message in a concrete way.

With variable data printing (VDP), print is more user-friendly than ever. It speaks to each recipient in your database individually. From the printed contact, lead them to respond with more information about themselves and their interests, either online or by mail. With that information you have enriched your database and can target each customer in an even more personal way — trackable, multitouch, measurable results from your marketing dollars.

 

Contact us at ImageSmith for quotes on all your marketing projects, and more useful tips on how to create custom, effective, high impact marketing solutions.

 

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5 Reasons to Love the Vector Version of Your Logo

Yes… you need a vector version of your logo! You may not be able to place or use it in a Word document, but for any high quality printing or output (or for spot or “2-color” printing) you should insist your designer supply you with the vector logo. Preferably, it will be the way your logo was originally created, and you will not have to pay or struggle to convert it from a pixel-based image after it has already become an integral part of your brand. Here are the reasons why:

  • Vector artwork can be scaled to any size needed and maintain its perfect clarity. They have crisp edges at any size as they are based on mathematical formulas rather than a bed of pixels.
  • They maintain a clear, transparent background when placed over other artwork or elements in your design. PNG files also have this ability but are pixel based so… (see reason #1)
  • They can function either in RGB or CMYK color modes as well as carry spot color definitions. You can select exact PMS color matches so that your brand is always reproduced consistently. While there are methods to include spot color information in a pixel-based file (DCS files from PhotoShop with spot color channels) they are, again, not resizeable and do not include easy trap information for printing.
  • You can easily switch a vector logo to a pixel-based file (.TIF, .JPG, .PNG, etc.) for manipulation, web use or other instances… but it is difficult and sometimes impossible to travel from pixel to vector in a satisfactory manner.
  • This last reason can be debatable and I am sure there are exceptions to the rule, but: as most logos need to be clean, vivid and memorable, vector shapes readily lend themselves to these qualities. The logos you know and remember are almost always designed as vector shapes rather than fuzzy, artistic brushstrokes or photographic effects.

WARNING: pixel-based files can be saved as EPS files, but be aware that just because it has an EPS suffix it has not been magically converted to a vector file. Also, pixel images can be placed into vector draw programs like Illustrator and saved as .AI or .EPS files. Again, not vector!

Vector shapes can be resized
both of these images are .EPS files, but the one on the left is pixellated. The one on the right is a true vector logo.
Contact us at ImageSmith for quotes on all your marketing projects, and more useful tips on how to create custom, high impact graphics and marketing solutions.

 

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New to Twitter? Yes, its for marketing but ENJOY it!

Twitter for Social Media and up to the minute news I was skeptical about Twitter at first, having the impression which many do that it’s merely a repository for endless minutiae. How many times have you heard someone (and by someone, I mean one who hasn’t been won over by Twitter yet) say “I don’t understand why anyone would want to read or post online what they had for lunch.” I agree… there is a huge wasteland in the Twitter feed of teenage babble, angry grandstanding, timewasting and somehow an overall pathetic cry for relevance: “Look at me, please… I matter!!” Just like the noise of a crowd, it can seem overwhelming until you hone in on the areas of interest to yourself and your business.

Now as a marketing tool, businesses are increasingly coming to realize the gold mine they have FOR FREE in Twitter. Many businesses already operate solely to TEACH you how to increase your profits through Twitter. That, however, is not the subject of this blogpost. In the course of using Twitter to enhance your bottom line, remember that your Twitter account is a public representation of your self, your company, your brand… have fun and expand your knowledge and contacts. If you are enjoying the interaction, your followers will as well. Your online presence will be more fully rounded and attractive to your audience, and you will also discover a great deal that you would never have been privy to otherwise.

I have found Twitter to be the greatest tool for keeping me informed about up to the minute events. News flashes through the Twitter feed almost simultaneously with actual events… therefore it eclipses television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and even blogposts and websites. Of course the caveat to that is that just like a reporter with numerous incoming sources, some are valid and some are not! You are put in the position of either verifying the information you are seeing or choosing which to trust. One of the first times it dawned on me about the immediacy of the Twitter experience was during the Iran uprising in 2009. Live posts were coming through about events in Teheran long before any news outlet online or otherwise was able to cover them. I found myself wrapped up in the excitement of that upheaval in real time — from people actually experiencing it first hand. I was better informed than I could be from reading even the most current blogposts or network newsites.

On the flip side of this experience you will also discover, for instance, that Twitter is the world’s fastest obituary site… often spreading false news of someone’s demise long before they have left the building, so to speak! So beware.

But perhaps the best and most useful insight that Twitter provides is into your own local community or your own particular interest niche. Following people and businesses in your own town, or even neighborhood, will keep you better informed than any news outlet or nosy neighbor ever could. Being better informed makes you better equipped to effectively market your business.

But don’t forget to share your contribution to this never-ending news stream:  real time information that is relevant to your industry along with interesting daily occurrences, thoughts, observations – whether in a tweet or through linked content in photos, video or other posts. It won’t take you long to figure out the hashtags and Retweets, or discover the many related applications and sites that expand the Twitter experience. Using social media, and specifically Twitter, as a marketing tool may be the goal of course, but in the process I believe you will find it’s benefits extend far beyond a frustratingly hard to define profit bottom line.

Follow us! @maryimagesmith (Print, Design, Technology, Sustainability – Asheville & Western North Carolina)

Contact us at ImageSmith for quotes on all your marketing projects, and more useful tips on how to create custom, high impact graphics and marketing solutions.
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8 Good Reasons to Use FSC Certified Paper

FSC – Forest Stewardship Council. This is a global, non-governmental organization that was established in 1993 to oversee responsible forest management to protect both the world’s forests and its forest-dependent communities.

Forest Stewardship Council
Forest Stewardship Council Logo

You see their logo on many products, from paper to building supplies, and there are many good reasons to both look for it on the forest products you purchase and insist on the logo on products you or your company use.

  • It protects the ENVIRONMENT. Forest products coming from FSC certified forests must be grown, managed and harvested in a way that is good for the habitat and the future growth of the forest.
  • It helps indigenous PEOPLE. All local, regional and global laws must be followed in harvesting and transporting FSC products, respecting the health and environment of indigenous people.
  • You are helping EMPLOY local workers. FSC forests must employ a local workforce at a decent salary to run their operations.
  • You are helping EDUCATE. FSC forest owners must support their local communities in many ways, especially in the development of schools.
  • Its for the FUTURE. Forests will be here for generations to come for others to enjoy and use.
  • FSC is the only paper certification ENDORSED by most major environmental groups. These groups include World Wildlife Fund, Greenpeace and The Woodland Trust.
  • It helps YOU, your business and your bottom line as consumers appreciate a commmitment to green practices and being able to participate in supporting sustainability through their purchases. It is a competitive advantage for you.
  • You can show your own commitment to SUSTAINABILITY. The FSC logo is widely respected and increasingly recognized as the standard in responsible forest management. That reflects on your brand.

ImageSmith is proud to offer FSC papers with Chain of Custody certification. You can use, at no extra cost, these on-product labels on your printed material — a globally trusted mark for businesses and consumers looking for sustainable solutions. Become a part of the chain. Forests, managed correctly, are a truly renewable resource.Sustainability at ImageSmith

 

 

Contact us at ImageSmith for quotes on all your marketing projects, and more useful tips on how to create custom, high impact graphics and marketing solutions.

 

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Innovative Marketing with Pre-Loaded Flash Drives

A great idea to get your own custom marketing information or presentations into the hands of your customers: pre-load flash drives (also called jump drives, USB drives, memory sticks) with your information, imprint your logo onto the drive, and mail them out to your customer base.

Preloaded Jump Drives
Customized USB jump drives carry up to 16GB of information

The drives can carry your digital catalog, detailed product information, marketing videos, instructions on ordering, virtual tours, music, or even other freebies that you might use to entice a new digital-savvy consumer. Whereas in the past you may have invested in the printing of catalogs, and the high cost of mailing these bulky items out to potential customers — now you can brand an attractive jump drive with your logo or message and put it right into the hands of your target consumer through a presorted mailing. These high speed drives maintain a minimum of 10 year data retention and memory capacity goes up to 2GB, 4GB, 8GB and 16GB.

ImageSmith can handle every step of this project for you. We enjoy discovering new innovative ways to integrate technology into the business of making your marketing plans successful.

Contact us at ImageSmith for quotes on all your marketing projects, and more useful tips on how to create custom, effective, high impact marketing solutions.