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March 16, 2021May 12, 2022

Post-Pandemic Plan: Is Now the Time to Rebrand?

Is now the time to rebrand? Sure looks that way if you judge by some of the big names taking the plunge (see below: from Burger King to Rolls Royce). And the reasons are fairly obvious. The upheaval in worldwide daily life due to the pandemic has wrought changes in individual and corporate buying patterns, needs, expenses, and supply sources at a level none of us have experienced before. Consumers shaken by economic and personal chaos in the past year will, we assume, have a pent-up demand for new products and new approaches when making purchasing decisions in the post-pandemic world. Perfect time for a rebrand, right?

Well, maybe. In the midst of turmoil, some consumers may be looking for stability and toward trusted brands that provide familiarity and dependability. A rebrand that goes too far may alienate a customer base looking for comfort and security in the familiar. Of course, this is the essential dilemma any time a rebrand is considered: how much change is too much?

We know rebranding is expensive and time-consuming. Often, the impetus to rebrand grows out of a need to make logos, brandmarks and overall marketing more “agile” and consistent across platforms — to develop a mark that displays well on screens large and small, as well as in print. Perhaps a time of historic change like now would be a good time to evaluate the pros and cons of changing up your look. (Fast Company has good advice on how to think about whether the time is right for you.)

Of course, rebranding includes MANY areas of marketing – signage, web design, social media, printwear, and on and on –but it’s true that folks look first and foremost at a logo redesign. So it’s always interesting to see how the big players are changing up their logos during this time. Below are some new looks from today’s digital marketplace (old on left, new on right):

PEUGEOT

Peugeot is seeking to bridge the divide between past and present on the eve of their big push toward manufacturing electric cars. Their latest rebrand draws on a previous lion logo – ensuring familiarity for a brand that has been around for 210 years!

BURGER KING

For the first time in more than 20 years, Burger King announced a brand-new logo, along with new packaging, uniforms, and signage. Described as “confident, simple, and fun,” the comprehensive overhaul again tries to benefit from both the familiarity of past logo designs and new simplified, digital-friendly changes.

GENERAL MOTORS

Another car manufacturer seeking to highlight its commitment to electric vehicles with a new brand is GM. Some critics think this rebrand is less than successful, but others give GM points for the “hidden” design element of an electric plug in the new shape of the lowercase “m” in the logo.

KIA

In a huge unveiling celebration in South Korea, Kia celebrated its best retail sales year ever in 2020—with a new logo for 2021. Kia also switched up for a new global tagline: “Movement that inspires.”

PFIZER

Fresh from developing one of the COVID-19 vaccines with BioNTech, Pfizer sought to rebrand with an emphasis on their switch from “commerce to science.” This is their most significant brand refresh in about 70 years. Did you recognize the DNA double-helix shape in the new brand?

ROLLS ROYCE

Rolls Royce premiered a new identity in a rebrand that seeks to move forward with digital-friendly marketing which remains true to the core identity of a luxury brand. They updated their typography and streamlined the iconic hood ornament design into the logo.

BUT CAN REBRANDING BACKFIRE?

Yes, it is a risk. When and how to rebrand — or not — is a tough call, with a lot at stake. Too much change at the wrong time can be disastrous. A slight modification may miss the mark. For example, in 2009, Tropicana removed the iconic Florida orange from their packaging for a more modern design… then reverted back after sales dropped by 20% in just one month!

Even if you decide a rebrand is not in your compnay’s best interest, the process of reaching that decision can be a great way to take stock of your image and your marketing needs. That clarity can go a long way in setting your marketing on the right track for what we hope will be post-pandemic prosperity.

Call us at 828.684.4512 for any marketing needs. As a printer, we understand communication, design, and teamwork. Your printer should be able to provide you with the latest information, inspiration, technical advice, and innovative ideas for communicating your message through print, design and typography, signage, apparel, variable data printing and direct mail, integrated marketing and environmentally responsible printing. If they can’t, you have the wrong printer! The best advice, always, is to ASK YOUR PRINTER!

ImageSmith is now partnered with Extreme Awards & Engraving – our in-house partner providing custom engraved trophies and awards for employee recognition programs, sporting events, and promotional needs. With our new sister company, we will be sharing space, resources and expertise in a collaboration designed to further provide you with one place to meet all of your marketing needs… Under One Roof! Visit them online at www.extremeae.com or call direct at 828.684.4538.

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

October 28, 2020May 12, 2022

Uplift and Empower with Promo Products for the Pandemic

We know promotional products are a powerful marketing tool. But during this pandemic, we really woke up to the powerful ways they can actually promote the physical and mental well-being of your customers. Cost-effective and easily distributed on-site or by mail, promo products generate good will by helping with many things from safety and sanitation, to distance learning, stress relief, or a much needed pampering. The huge range of choices to brand with your logo allow you to get creative with new, and most importantly, USEFUL ways to help your clients – while also achieving your marketing goals. If you are thinking hand sanitizer and face masks, those are only the beginning!

Pandemic Promos

Some products are specifically related to the Covid-19 pandemic, and can be essential items to your customers’ safety and preparedness. Masks, gaiters, face shields, gloves, hand sanitizers, no-touch door opening tools, antibacterial wipes and cleaners, eye protection, digital thermometers… and any of these will no doubt be appreciated. But the variety of promo products is so great that many other items can be a truly helpful gift as people go about their lives during this health emergency.

Staying Home

From lockdowns to quarrantines to general social distancing, one thing we all share is that we are spending much more time at home. With that in mind, many promo products are great assets to improving how we spend our time at home whether we are working, distance learning, or pursuing hobbies.

Gardening: ceramic pots, rain guages, gardening tools, seeds, grow kits, kneelers, sun hats, watering cans, and more.
Cooking: cutting boards, knife sets, mugs, glassware, coolers, utensils, etc.
Home Repair: measuring tape, work gloves, flashlights, safety glasses, and tools of every king.
Home Office/Home Learning Supplies: cell phone and laptop accessories, earbuds, headphones, mousepads, chargers, webcams and covers, paperweights, flash drives, powerbanks, adapters, cord organizers, speakers, and on and on!

Staying Healthy

Along with specific PPE products, people are looking for ways to stay healthy and fit while still maintaining social distance and coping with an unprecedented amount of time in the home. Self care promo products are always popular:

Working Out: branded sportswear, coolers, sunglasses, folding chairs, backpacks, golfballs, footballs, and any other kind of sports equipment and outdoor gear.
Stress Relief: stress balls, candles, cushions, massage pillows, aromatherapy, incense, adult coloring books, puzzles, humidifiers.
Diet: protein bars, mints, coffee and tea, trail mix, snacks, nuts, condiments, and many other edibles you might not immediately consider for promos.

Promo Pampering

Even high end designers and brands have been reacting to the pandemic with the creation of luxury PPE like “hazmat tuxedos,” Louis Vuitton face shields, and Burberry plaid facemasks. But there are many affordable promo gifts that will make your customers feel pampered and appreciated. Think chocolates, bath salts and body lotion, travel bags, stuffed animals, home decor, and more

Browsing the online catalog can give you many ideas and get your creativity flowing in planning your promo marketing. Branded promo products can be offered for sale on your website or in-store, but as gifts they have the added power of spreading good will in your name during a difficult time. All around, they are a great investment.

Call us at 828.684.4512 for any marketing needs. As a printer, we understand communication, design, and teamwork. Your printer should be able to provide you with the latest information, inspiration, technical advice, and innovative ideas for communicating your message through print, design and typography, signage, apparel, variable data printing and direct mail, integrated marketing and environmentally responsible printing. If they can’t, you have the wrong printer! The best advice, always, is to ASK YOUR PRINTER!

ImageSmith is now partnered with Extreme Awards & Engraving – our in-house partner providing custom engraved trophies and awards for employee recognition programs, sporting events, and promotional needs. With our new sister company, we will be sharing space, resources and expertise in a collaboration designed to further provide you with one place to meet all of your marketing needs… Under One Roof! Visit them online at www.extremeae.com or call direct at 828.684.4538.

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

August 26, 2020May 12, 2022

Does Your Logo Need a Digital Refresh? Rolls Royce Did.

Rolls Royce has premiered a new identity for its Motor Cars division, a successful and elegant rebrand that illustrates how to move forward with digital-friendly marketing that remains true to the core identity of a luxury brand. Marina Willer and her team at Pentagram retained the RR monogram we all know, but updated and elevated other elements in usage, mainly the “Spirit of Ecstasy” symbol you will recognize as the hood ornament on the classic automobiles.

The “Spirit of Ecstasy” figure has been flipped to be more “forward looking,” with a sleeker shape and less detail. It also has a base, highlighting its function as the car’s hood ornament. The RR monogram is unaltered.

The new typography (right) is a significant change in the new digital-friendly wordmark.

From small businesses to the big players, successful marketing is currently focused on making brands and logos “digital friendly.” Small screens and social media apps create visual perceptions differently than print. A great look in print can lose it’s vitality and impact within a smartphone app or digital ad. Designers are asked to solve this problem, yet retain continuity between the established look and style of the brand.

Below are several areas to consider when recharging a logo/brand to perform more powerfully on digital media.

COLOR: tweaking color for a more RGB-friendly environment can require one color for print, a slightly different one for digital. Some, like the PBS rebrand in 2019, went from black to a completely new electric “PBS Blue” in their digital overhaul.
SIMPLIFICATION: at small sizes or lower resolution, much detail or texture is either lost or unfortunately seems to “dirty” up the appearance onscreen.
FLATTENING: probably the most common current trend for “digitalizing” brands, removing shadows, bevels, embossing, and any 3D effects can provide a logo’s shape and color with more visual impact on digital screens. The goal here is, again, simplification for a stronger impact.
FONT CONSIDERATIONS: often typography on small screens calls out for changes in kerning, spacing and letter shapes both for readability and aesthetics. The challenge with an established brand is to remain true to the spirit of the historic typography but enhance it for greater success in digital channels. The great foundries are responding to this with the creation of multiple masters in typefaces to meet the needs of “microtype.”
OVERALL BALANCE: just like with typography concerns, the relationship of the logo, wordmark, tagline, images, copy, or any other branding elements can need to change and update for better functionality onscreen.

Every brand can benefit from a “logo review” as our online identities expand and grow. The example of Rolls Royce above shows a smooth transition that maintains the integrity of the original brand expression but allows it to function more fully in a digital environment. An example of a brand struggling with that transition is pointed out over on Creative Review in a great article about the BMW refresh.

The flat and digital-friendly BMW logo is on the right.

BMW’s well-known logo has a beveled appearance, matching the actual badge on the vehicles themselves. In trying to make a more digital-friendly logo, BMW tries to straddle both worlds by using a “flat” version for “communications” and retaining the other for use on vehicles and showrooms. Could be a confusing distraction. Both hold good inspirations for taking a new look at your current brand, logo, wordmark and marketing.

Call us at 828.684.4512 for any marketing needs. As a printer, we understand communication, design, and teamwork. Your printer should be able to provide you with the latest information, inspiration, technical advice, and innovative ideas for communicating your message through print, design and typography, signage, apparel, variable data printing and direct mail, integrated marketing and environmentally responsible printing. If they can’t, you have the wrong printer! The best advice, always, is to ASK YOUR PRINTER!

ImageSmith is now partnered with Extreme Awards & Engraving – our in-house partner providing custom engraved trophies and awards for employee recognition programs, sporting events, and promotional needs. With our new sister company, we will be sharing space, resources and expertise in a collaboration designed to further provide you with one place to meet all of your marketing needs… Under One Roof! Visit them online at www.extremeae.com or call direct at 828.684.4538.

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

August 18, 2020

Optical Corrections: Designing for the Eye, not the Grid

Recently we noticed a great blog post by Ian Paget over on LogoGeek about the importance of making Optical Corrections in logo design. As he points out, most designers are trained to work from a grid pattern, aiming to achieve perfect uniformity and balance in layout and design. But too strict an adherence to the mathematical perfection of following a grid can create shapes that visually appear to be imperfect. Paget uses the great example of the Google”G” icon: when the overall shape of the G is a perfect circle, the crossstroke section appears to jut out too far to the right. Optically, the shape appears more circular with that area slightly smashed back in!

Left: Actual Google icon. Right: With “G” in perfect circle shape, making it look somewhat distorted visually.

This post goes on to point out two important phenomenon that make optical correction more easy to understand: overshoot and irradiation. Overshoot involves slightly extending certain shapes past the height or width of others in order to make them appear equal in size or weight. To the eye, a black square appears larger than a black circle of the same height and weight. Much of the art of typography depends on these optical adjustments. Irradiation is the illusion that when a shape is reversed out on a black background it often appears thicker to the eye.

Top: Overshoot is adjusting the circle to be slightly larger in order to look the same size as the square. Bottom: Irradiation phenomenon

A previous ImageBlog post covers a couple of other similar optical illusions. A repeated curved pattern along a straight line can often make the line appear like it bends. Also, side-by-side gradients can trick the eye into seeing oneas darker than the other.

Left: repeating patterns can make a straight line appear to bend. Right: side-by-side gradients can make one side seem darker.

Ultimately, the eye rules. Great design is adjusted to satisfy visual perception, not mathematical specs. WAY back in 1987, Adobe came out with a great poster that really encapsulates the philosophy of “Bending Rules.” We’ve had this up on the wall throughout the years. Though in ’87, the poster dealt specifically with typography and typesetting, the same truth applies to all design. Rules are there for a reason, and are necessary for learning the basics, but perhaps the biggest rule of all is to design for the eye.

1987 Adobe poster on bending the rules of typography

“Perfect typography must be unorthodox typography. It may mean using wrong fonts, cutting hyphens in half, using smaller punctuation marks, in fact, doing anything that is needed to improve the appearance of typography…In short, there should be no rule except to make typography pleasing to the eye.” — Aaron Burns

Call us at 828.684.4512 for any marketing needs. As a printer, we understand communication, design, and teamwork. Your printer should be able to provide you with the latest information, inspiration, technical advice, and innovative ideas for communicating your message through print, design and typography, signage, apparel, variable data printing and direct mail, integrated marketing and environmentally responsible printing. If they can’t, you have the wrong printer! The best advice, always, is to ASK YOUR PRINTER!

ImageSmith is now partnered with Extreme Awards & Engraving – our in-house partner providing custom engraved trophies and awards for employee recognition programs, sporting events, and promotional needs. With our new sister company, we will be sharing space, resources and expertise in a collaboration designed to further provide you with one place to meet all of your marketing needs… Under One Roof! Visit them online at www.extremeae.com or call direct at 828.684.4538.

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

March 12, 2020March 18, 2020

Promotional Products: When Customers Thank YOU for Marketing

Promo products are powerful tools that you need in your marketing arsenal right alongside print, web, and social media. The options available today really are phenomenal – and go way beyond tote bags and ink pens. Think USB drives, sunglasses, snacks, sports equipment, tools, watches…. finding ones that are a unique fit with your service, product, or campaign can be fun and creative. But what makes promotional products stand out as a marketing winner? Putting a physical gift that is both useful and attractive into someone’s hands can go a long way in keeping your brand recognized and relevant in their mind. Digital marketing can’t do that. The more useful or desirable the items are, the longer they stick around – much longer than standard print or direct mail. Consider all these characteristics that make your logo and contact info on a useful item so effective:

People Like Gifts: Wouldn’t you be happy to have your customers actually thank you for your marketing? Unlike a flyer, banner ad on a website or mobile message, branded merchandise has a physical presence and value. Promotional items are not thrown away, but often regarded as a gift. Their value and usefulness will keep them on your customers desk, in their purse, on their keychain… and that keeps your brand refreshed in their mind each time they see it. When you become part of a person’s daily life in that small way, you are more connected to them than a competitor.
Brand, Brand, Brand: promotional products generate brand awareness and exposure. When you choose a relevant and useful product that ties in with your marketing campaign, you reinforce your message in a way that a throwaway ad message never can. Whether the item is used at home, at work, or kept in the car, your recognizable name and message stay there as well. No website or ad message can match that.
Low Cost: when you order promotional products, you receive a price per piece far lower than the usual retail cost. Some items are very inexpensive, and others more high end. Test the waters with a low cost item, or reward valuable customers with a keepsake item for the holidays… all branded with your logo, contact information and message. When the product is something that will be used in public – such as an umbrella, sports equipment or iPad case– you get even more value for your marketing dollar as your logo is seen by others on a product they would also use.
Distribute by Mail, Trade Shows, In-House, on Sales Calls… : the options for making a good impression by gifting promotional products are many! Keep them at point of purchase location, or arm your sales force with more specialized products for prospects. The ubiquity of promo products at each and every booth in trade shows speaks loudly of their success. And don’t forget direct mail – many lightweight and flat items (think magnets, screen protectors, seed packets, calendars ) are easy inserts into bulk mail, and your printer can work with you to find the most cost effective way to distribute other items safely to the hands of your targeted clients.
Get Creative with Campaigns: with such a diverse selection of products to choose from, you have a great oppportunity to get creative. Work out a tagline that makes sense with the product and work it into your larger marketing campaign. A quick example: if you run an insurance business, you could give away branded rain ponchos or umbrellas with the tagline: “We’ve got you covered.” If you want to emphasize the your company’s environmental commitment, think about seed packets, herb garden starter kits, or products made from recyclable materials. You get the idea… get creative.

Check out the diversity of items you can incorporate into your marketing plan: frisbees to hot sauce, yo yo’s to surgery scrubs. The variety is really eye-opening. Browse the promotional products catalog – you’ll get inspired with products that can get your business noticed and remembered.

Call us at 828.684.4512 for any marketing needs. As a printer, we understand communication, design, and teamwork. Your printer should be able to provide you with the latest information, inspiration, technical advice, and innovative ideas for communicating your message through print, design and typography, signage, apparel, variable data printing and direct mail, integrated marketing and environmentally responsible printing. If they can’t, you have the wrong printer! The best advice, always, is to ASK YOUR PRINTER!

ImageSmith is now partnered with Extreme Awards & Engraving – our in-house partner providing custom engraved trophies and awards for employee recognition programs, sporting events, and promotional needs. With our new sister company, we will be sharing space, resources and expertise in a collaboration designed to further provide you with one place to meet all of your marketing needs… Under One Roof! Visit them online at www.extremeae.com or call direct at 828.684.4538.

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

December 18, 2018

Pantone’s 2019 Color of theYear and the Color Shift from Spot to CMYK

Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2019 is Living Coral. Pantone selects their Color of the Year based on fashion and design trends, with an eye toward representing the current mood and culture of the creative market. While the color is receiving a lot of attention in the design world, be aware that it – like many colors – also comes with a fairly significant “color shift” when printed in CMYK. Here’s a brief explanation as to why:

Color Gamut Comparison

The human eye sees MANY more colors than are reproducible in print. Your computer monitor (which is RGB) also displays a different set of colors than either of those print processes. And the Pantone color libraries include many more colors than offset or digital CMYK print processes can recreate. Check out this blog for a more detailed explanation of color gamuts – but this chart is a pretty clear explanation of how a color you select out of a Pantone library may or may not fall within the ability of CMYK printing to create.

Pantone tries to prepare us for these facts of life. In their Color Bridge swatch book, you can see the difference in the spot color swatch and its CMYK equivalent. They include the following disclaimers on their “Tools for Designers” portion of the Color of the Year webpage:

*CMYK values are approximate and were established under specific criteria. To be used as a starting point only. When reproducing these colors in CMYK, please have the printer adjust them visually on the specific substrate and within your printing parameters so that the best possible simulation to the color is achieved.

+Please note: The color may appear different under various light sources due to metamerism. This metamerism is to be expected between multiple substrates due to varying methods of product manufacturing. (link)

About Metamerism

Colors that appear to “match” or look the same to the human eye under some lighting conditions but not others are called metamers. The colors are actually different in that they reflect different wavelengths of light, but can appear the same under some conditions of light or the substrates on which they are printed due to the limitations of human sight.

Pantone strives to supply us with a common language to share and interpret colors in our work. That’s a large job. The science of mixing ink for print is different than for dyeing fabric or mixing wall paint. You can imagine the complexity behind maintaining a consistent color definition when the substrates include silk, cotton, wool, polyester, plastic, glass, wood, paper, adhesives, drywall, plaster, and on and on.

Rely on your printer for advice and direction with color and consistency in branding. They should be able to answer any questions ahead of printing, and provide you with everything from initial inspiration to complete design, layout, copywriting, production, multi-purposing, online implmentation and distribution of your marketing outreach. If they can’t, you have the wrong printer! The best advice, always, is to ASK YOUR PRINTER!

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.

January 27, 2017May 12, 2022

Transparency & PMS Spot Colors – How to Solve the Conflict for Print

We discussed the conflict between transparency and spot colors, and the ensuing print problems, in a previous blog post. That content is included below, but in addition we added some more information on how to resolve this conflict if you have already created your files in InDesign or Illustrator and either been contacted by your printer for file revisions, or worse, received a print job with “unexpected results.”

Using a spot or PMS color in a layout often makes sense to the designer – after all, we all want to ensure correct color output across our brand. But when you place a spot color logo, for example, in a project bound for CMYK process printing, you may be setting up a conflict that can ruin your print output. When you go to save or output your file to pdf, you may see the above warning – and it is an important one! If you have used a spot or PMS color in your InDesign, Quark or Illustrator layout and then applied some type of transparency effect — drop shadows, blending modes, gradients, feathering, etc — then this warning is telling you that your file will NOT print correctly. Your file will look fine on screen, and often even when printed from a desktop printer, but high quality print output will be compromised. Controlling your Swatches palette and color usage, and understanding color definitions, can prevent this problem. First a little background…

With the release of InDesign 2.0 back in 2001, Adobe integrated transparency effects directly into its layout program. New tools allowed us to apply editable transparency effects to text, graphics, and images, the result being a greatly enhanced set of design tools. PDF 1.4 debuted in Acrobat 5 at this time as the first version of PDF that supported transparency. The only catch was that most printer’s RIPs at the time were not ready to handle the transparency effects. Havoc ensued.

Times have changed since then and Postscript level 3 processors and pdf workflows effectively manage the flattening of transparent files at the correct time to produce accurate output. But the conflict between spot or PMS colors and transparency lives on. Saving your file as a PDF/X-1a doesn’t prevent the problem either as the X-1a definition allows for both spot and cmyk color definitions.

If your InDesign or Illustrator color palette is using nothing but CMYK (or RGB and LAB) colors, you can use transparency with no problems. If you place, for example, your logo or a piece of art with a predefined PMS or spot color into your layout, then you have imported that color into your Swatches palette. In turn, if you apply that swatch to color text or graphics and use a transparency effect on them, a high resolution output from offset or digital printing will result in the object printing as a blank or with an unintended color. Your print provider will most likely NOT be able to convert the spot color to process and retain the correct transparency effect. You must convert the spot color to process in your native file(s) and re-export to pdf.

The PMS Green with a transparency effect added will appear correctly on screen (left), but print as a solid (right).

The Fix: Keep Strict Control Over the Colors & Color Definitions in Your Swatches Palette

If you place your Spot Color logo into InDesign, that PMS color shows up in your Swatches palette and can not be removed or edited. (Deleting the logo will allow you to remove the swatch or change it.) So the simplest way to avoid any problems – and save time and prepress charges – is to create a CMYK version of your Spot Color logo for use in all projects bound for CMYK output, and to keep a close eye on all the colors that show up in your palette.

If you have already designed your project with spot colors brought in from placed artwork, getting rid of or redefining all those colors can be difficult. Replacing the artwork with CMYK versions is the first step. Once you have done that, the palette will allow you to delete and replace any UNUSED PMS swatches, or to redefine them to CMYK. This weeding out process can be complex, depending on how many colors have been created. In InDesign, you can delete color swatches tied only to native InDesign elements (i.e., not originating in any placed artwork) and be prompted to choose another color for all those elements currently using the one you are deleting. The final test is to choose “Remove all Unused Colors” from the pop-out menu on the Swatches Palette. If any PMS color swatches still remain, that color is being used somewhere in your layout. If it doesn’t interact in any way with a transparency effect, that will be fine. But if it does, you will get those dreaded “unexpected results.”

The Swatches Palette can quickly become a swamp of colors with conflicting names and definitions.

Obviously, the easiest fix is to be aware as you build your file of the colors in your palette, and notice how they change with each piece of artwork you place. If you see a PMS color show up, you know that last placed logo or element is bringing in that color. If you then use that color for a drop shadow, gradient, or transparent effect, it will not output correctly. Learn to control your swatches by experimenting with editing, changing and deleting them – getting an understanding of the differences in CMYK, LAB, RGB and spot color modes.

Why is “Transparency” Creating Trouble?

Before being “flattened”, transparency is considered “live” and exists as an optical effect onscreen and in video. It must be flattened in order to print. At this stage, the tranparent region is broken up into smaller non-transparent sections that can then be translated by the RIP (raster image processor) into a printable image. It is, however, a complex process and trouble spots arise from the use of spot colors as discussed above, where text or vector objects overlap pixel-based objects, and possibly with the overlapping of RGB and CMYK images. You can read Adobe’s Designers Guide for Transparency and Print at this link for further reference.

Rely on your printer for advice and direction with any questions you have when designing files that use transparency. They should be able to provide you with the time and money saving technical advice, and work with you on file preparation and submission. If they can’t, you have the wrong printer. The best advice, always, is to ASK YOUR PRINTER!

Shop our full ImageSmith catalog online here. We can work with you to find the best option to suit your needs. Please note, prices in online catalog do not include decoration, but call us for a quote at 828.684.4512. 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.

November 1, 2016

Big Dog Love: the Canine as Logo and Brand Mascot

Brands make lucrative use of the visual and emotional appeal of animals in their design strategies – perhaps the epitome of the brand “mascot” is man’s best friend himself: the lovable dog. Remember the terrier on RCA Victor‘s record labels with the title “His Master’s Voice”? Dogs are a natural fit for a surprisingly wide range of enterprises, from beer to high finance – and the reason is pretty clear. Dogs have an almost universal appeal as faithful companions, loyal and fierce protectors, and they share a nature that is intelligent, calming, comforting, and speaks of home and hearth.

Those warm and fuzzy canine qualities are a valuable fit in the branding strategy of many businesses, and not just for vet clinics, pet shops or animal services. This blogpost looks at a few local Asheville and western NC ventures that make creative use of canine appeal extending beyond the field of animal care.

Beer

Probably the only thing more popular than our beloved pets in WNC is beer. The business of craft brewing has boomed internationally over recent years, and the dog makes frequent appearances in both the names and logos of breweries and of their specific beers. Red Dog, Blue Dog, Mad Dog, Flying Dog… its a long list. Just Google “beer, logo, dog” to get a feel for the popularity of this trend. Locally, canine-friendly Asheville Brewing Company has a great offering in their Lemon Space Dog Wheat, a wheat ale with lemondrop hops.

Sanctuary Brewing Company in Hendersonville, NC is ” a nano brewery and tap room committed to enriching the lives of humans through our excellent craft beer, and benefiting animals through local advocacy.” The owners work with local shelters and animal advocacy groups as part of their mission to rescue and benefit animals in the area. A great combo!

Pink Dog Creative

Art studios and retail space in Asheville’s booming River Arts District, Pink Dog Creative uses just that – the shape of a large, tooth-baring pink dog as it’s logo. The huge pink dog on the buildings wall mural has become symbolic of the resurgence of the River Arts District and of the role the arts have played in Asheville’s success.

Plum Dog Financial

A dog represents trust and dependability, as well as the idea of home. That is why you see a dog in the logo and marketing of Plum Dog Financial, mortgage brokers and financial experts located in the Montford neighborhood downtown. Creatively, its a natural fit and definitely works to bring the potentially distant and unfriendly world of finance down to a personal, approachable level. Smart marketing!

The Park on Main Hotel

A 24-suite luxury hotel in Highlands, NC, The Park on Main Hotel cleverly uses the image of a scottish terrier in their print and social media branding. And what a perfect fit – the hotel is a pet-friendly business marketing specifically to pet owners. The idea of the loyal family dog emphasizes a comfortable, home-away-from-home atmosphere that all hotels desire. The terrier, Mr. Pickles, even has his own Twitter feed and proves to be the ideal mascot.

Is your own pet primed to be your small business mascot? If you had to choose an animal to represent your business, which would be the best fit? Perhaps there is a creative connection there that would work well for your marketing strategy. If that brings up any ideas for you, talk to your printer about where that could lead: anything from a seasonal promo idea to a brand refresh or redesign. Remember, if you have the right printer they are your marketing consultant and specialist as well!

Call us at 828.684.4512 for any marketing needs. As a printer, we understand communication and design. Your printer should be able to provide you with the latest information, inspiration, technical advice, and innovative ideas for communicating your message through print, design and typography, signage, apparel, variable data printing and direct mail, integrated marketing and environmentally responsible printing. If they can’t, you have the wrong printer! The best advice, always, is to ASK YOUR PRINTER!

ImageSmith is now partnered with Extreme Awards & Personalization – our in-house partner providing custom engraved trophies and awards for employee recognition programs, sporting events, and promotional needs. With our new sister company, we will be sharing space, resources and expertise in a collaboration designed to further provide you with one place to meet all of your marketing needs… Under One Roof! Visit them online at www.extremeae.com or call direct at 828.684.4538.

Call us at 828.684.4512. ImageSmith is a full-service print and marketing provider located in Arden, North Carolina. Contact us at ImageSmith for quotes on all your print and marketing projects, and more useful tips on how to create custom, effective, high impact marketing solutions.

July 27, 2016

Branding with a Personal Approach: Extreme Awards & Personalization

Our sister company has a brand new name and website – with an expanded business focus on the power of personalization! Extreme Awards & Personalization continues to “Make it Personal” by creating one-of-a-kind award and recognition products for your staff, donors or clients that represent your unique brand and strengthen a personal connection with your business.

Extreme Awards & Personalization, located side-by-side with ImageSmith, works individually with each client to create custom awards, trophies, plaques, personalized corporate merchandise, signage and much more. Visit them at www.extremeap.com and be sure to read the following announcement for more in-depth info about their newly expanded production capabilities and product offerings.

We’re excited by the continued growth of our partnership! Together, we are committed to helping you craft and promote your brand, and to meet all your evolving marketing needs in one place.

Extreme Awards & Personalization Announces Strategic Investment and Partnership to Serve Southeast Customers

July 2016

ARDEN, NC – Almost two years into its business transformation, Extreme Awards & Personalization is pleased to announce a strategic investment and partnership to enhance its products and services. The company serves corporate, competition, and charity customers in the southeast who use custom awards, personalized corporate merchandise and signage to create brand fans and ambassadors.

Organizations today are working harder than ever to win and keep customers, employees, and donors. Personalized awards and recognition programs are a simple, low-cost way to honor or reward high achievers and increase their engagement. Consider the following:

Corporate: Spending just one minute recognizing an employee drives 100 minutes of extra initiative. In addition, four out of five engaged employees are willing to serve as brand ambassadors, recommending their corporation’s products and services to others. Source: Accumulate.
Competition: Sports trophies justly honor exceptional athletes, and participation trophies can encourage younger athletes to stay the game and develop skills, teamwork, and problem solving.
Charity: Recognizing donors can decrease industry-average attrition rates of 57%, significantly impacting the bottom line. Source: CauseVox.

Extreme Awards & Personalization recently invested in a GoVivid Breeze™ UV LED printer to expand its production capabilities and support its customers in their efforts to run and grow their businesses. The new printer enables customers to move beyond plastic and metal to produce full-color products on innovative materials.

The company also announces a strategic partnership with regional powerhouse, ImageSmith, a full-service printing and marketing services firm. The two sister companies are located side-by-side in Arden, North Carolina, providing customers with easy access to one-stop shopping for all their printing, marketing, and awards needs.

Extreme Awards & Personalization was formed in 2014, when Patricia Lahepelto, the former marketing communication head of a global manufacturer, purchased engraving technology assets to build a new company. The company’s full product offering is available online at www.extremeap.com.

“Our goal is to serve the southeast market with a broader range of recognition and awards products and a more consultative approach than traditional awards & engraving companies,” says Lahepelto. The daughter of ImageSmith CEO Mary Smith, Lahepelto is a life-long Asheville resident with a strong commitment to the community. She personally works with customers to design awards that meet their brand requirements and budget and oversees the team that manufactures them onsite.

About Extreme Awards & Personalization

Extreme Awards & Personalization empowers corporate, competition, and charity customers to create brand fans and ambassadors through the power of recognition. The company offers a full product line of customizable, personalized awards, trophies, plaques, name badges, plates, signs, engraved products, and more.

Extreme Awards & Personalization is the sister company of ImageSmith, Western North Carolina’s premier printing and marketing firm. The two companies are co-located in a 21,000-foot production space in Arden, NC. Extreme Awards & Personalization is a woman-owned local manufacturing company serving customers in the southeast U.S.

For more information, please contact:

Extreme Awards & Personalization: Jorja Smith, Operations Manager, 828-684-5348 or jorja.smith@extremeap.com. Website: www.extremeap.com

Extreme Awards & Personalization: Patricia Lahepelto, General Manager, 828-279-6340 or patricia.lahepelto@extremeap.com. Website: www.extremap.com

GoVivid ™ www.govividusa.com

-END OF RELEASE-

Call ImageSmith at 828.684.4512 for any marketing needs. As a printer, we understand communication and design. Your printer should be able to provide you with the latest information, inspiration, technical advice, and innovative ideas for communicating your message through print, design and typography, signage, apparel, variable data printing and direct mail, integrated marketing and environmentally responsible printing. If they can’t, you have the wrong printer! The best advice, always, is to ASK YOUR PRINTER!

Call us at 828.684.4512. ImageSmith is a full-service print and marketing provider located in Arden, North Carolina. Contact us at ImageSmith for quotes on all your print and marketing projects, and more useful tips on how to create custom, effective, high impact marketing solutions.

July 11, 2016October 14, 2021

Asheville Blues: Color Choice in Local Branding

Color is one of the foundational elements of graphic design and visual marketing both in print or online. Pondering color choice in the brands that surround us and the possible reasons behind those choices can be enlightening – so over a few occasional blog posts we will take a quick look at the local Asheville area and check out who feels blue, wants you to see red, and so on. Now about blue…

Blue is a winner worldwide in the “what is your favorite color” category. And while colors can shift meanings across cultures (blue in America can mean sad, while in Germany, drunk and in Russia, gay), the color of the sky and the sea is so integral to life on earth that it’s popularity in logo design is no surprise. Generally speaking, dark blue can represent trust, authority, stability, intelligence – while lighter shades evoke feelings of peace, spirituality, infinity and calm.

Whose brand invests in blue on an international scale? Well the tech world certainly embraced this color: Twitter, Facebook, Pandora, Skype, LinkedIn, Google Earth, intel, IBM, HewlettPackard, Samsung… whew! The list goes on. AT&T, WalMart, Ford, and Boeing are also a few traditional powerhouses who have dressed in blue for many years.

As we discussed in our quick look at the color red in Part 1: the challenge for marketers is to choose appropriate colors to work within the context of the larger message they hope to create and the product or service that represents. It is never as simple as “blue = trust.” Blue doesn’t draw more customers then red to trust one company over another. But blue, when used in the appropriate context, can help successfully attach specific feelings and energy to the experience of a brand. (For a clearer, more thorough discussion on that, here’s a great article about the importance and complexity of color in marketing.)

All this can begin to sound like a lot of psychological hoo-ha (a technical term) except for the fact that as humans we react emotionally to color, and we recall a set of connoted meanings attached to that visual experience. Smart marketing uses this to advantage through consistent branding, establishing a positive connection and memory through color.

So who chose blue in the Asheville area to speak for their business or organization? A lot of successful folks rely on the cleanliness, coolness and dignity of beautiful blue:

It’s no secret that Asheville itself has been a desirable destination both for tourists and new residents, and the city itself is branded with blue. In print media, PMS 661 is Asheville’s color – a dark, rich blue that leans toward the royal side. Blue is an obvious fit for an area nicknamed “Land of the Sky” and located at the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Two things that definitely say “Asheville” are beer and Tourists’ baseball. Both brand with blue. The Asheville Brewers Alliance promotes craft beer and breweries in Western North Carolina, representing by my count 36 local breweries! The Asheville Tourists are the local minor league baseball team, a farm team of the Colorado Rockies. They’ve been a part of Asheville as far back as 1897.

Education in our local area thrives on the blues! The Bulldogs of UNC Asheville brand with PMS 654. But other shades are also used for the Asheville School, Montreat College, Warren Wilson in Swannanoa, Mars Hill in nearby Madison County and South College Asheville. Blue clearly must stand for fine education and a commitment to scholarship.

When blue is part of your name, it’s pretty obvious that blue stands a good chance of being in some, if not all, of your logo and branding. The Blue Ridge Mountains themselves lend both their name and color to local professional enterprises like Blue Ridge Orthodontics, Blue Ridge Bone & Joint, and many other medical and dental practices. Another example, the Blue Dream Curry House is a natural for blue. The downtown high-rise Hotel Indigo uses a whole palette of colors in their stylish branding, but with a name like Indigo, it includes a deep blue as well.

Blue works across the gamut of businesses in successful branding: from the popular eatery Sunny Point Cafe in West Asheville to the pro bono legal experts at Pisgah Legal Services. Asheville Savings Bank, first chartered in 1936, uses trustworthy blue as well.

And of course, we’re a fan of blue around here, too – specifically PMS 549.

Call us at 828.684.4512 for any marketing needs. As a printer, we understand communication and design. Your printer should be able to provide you with the latest information, inspiration, technical advice, and innovative ideas for communicating your message through print, design and typography, signage, apparel, variable data printing and direct mail, integrated marketing and environmentally responsible printing. If they can’t, you have the wrong printer! The best advice, always, is to ASK YOUR PRINTER!

ImageSmith is now partnered with Extreme Awards & Personalization – our in-house partner providing custom engraved trophies and awards for employee recognition programs, sporting events, and promotional needs. With our new sister company, we will be sharing space, resources and expertise in a collaboration designed to further provide you with one place to meet all of your marketing needs… Under One Roof! Visit them online at www.extremeap.com or call direct at 828.684.4538.

Call us at 828.684.4512. ImageSmith is a full-service print and marketing provider located in Arden, North Carolina. Contact us at ImageSmith for quotes on all your print and marketing projects, and more useful tips on how to create custom, effective, high impact marketing solutions.