Tips, Tricks and Graphics Gwen B. Hensley

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Tips, Tricks and Graphics Gwen B. Hensley"

Lorraine Howard
5 years ago
Views:

1 Tips, Tricks and Graphics Gwen B. Hensley

Facts about Gwen Visual Information Specialist for 21 years Fire prevention since 1998 3

2 Facts about Gwen Visual Information Specialist for 21 years Fire prevention since advertising agencies 5 newspapers 3 Print Shops Photography Studio Other places I can t talk about.

3 What this means I have made every mistake possible.

relates to FOUR of the topics I am covering.

4 Contest to win USB with graphics you can use! Attached to the back of some chairs you will find an object that relates to FOUR of the topics I am covering. The first person to hold the right object up and be recognized gets a prize a usb with lots of graphics.

5 Don t mess with the logo. Walters Art Museum Musée du Louvre The concept of logo arose out of the seal or signet ring on ancient documents. Seals were used to Communicate Authenticate documents Establish authority

6 Guess which logo is the right one We ve come a long way from the gold ring on a king s hand. Now we can steal logos from the internet, giving a legitimate look to any document. A B C

7 My embarassing mistakes 1. I used the wrong Bureau of Land Management logo. 2. I used a logo without permission. 3. I put an upside-down cow on a slaughter house ad.

8 Get the right version of the logo. Follow agency style guides. These change, so look for the latest version.

9 Check with agency public affairs or spokesperson before beginning your project.

10 Use Images Human communication has existed for over 30,000 years, but text-based communication has only been around for 3,700 years. We understand images instantly. We have to work to process text. Paintings in the Cova dels Cavalls cave in Valltorta. Reproducció del museu de la Valltorta.

11 Use Images Use images right for the area. Local homes, right vegetation. Resonates with locals. My confrontational mistake: I wanted to use a pretty California house. I argued with the boss. I thought I knew better. Do not argue with Texas. Ever.

12 My botanical mistake I used a photo from Australia. Wrong vegetation in the background, thanks to sharp-eyed botanist. So I cropped it. Purchased license from Istock.com

13 Adding graphics will help draw people in to read. whether it is on a tiny cell phone or a cluttered board.

14 Harper s Young People, 1882 (ages 6-16) Seventeen Magazine, 2016 (ages 10-21) Edit and shorten your text for clarity. Our taste for reading long blocks of text has lessened.

15 If English is their second language, then graphics can help make the message clearer.

16 Make It Readable Pick a readable font that contrasts against the background. No weird fonts. Stick to the classics. Avoid ALL CAPS when over 5 words.

17 A bolder font will help this stand out when seen on a billboard at 65 mph. This light serif font looks good when seen on your computer screen.

18 The black text does not have enough contrast with the red background University of Cambridge, Engineering Design Centre.

19 Use sufficient contrast between the text and background.

20 Black type on red is hard to read and uses a lot of copier toner.

21 Many of us have vision difficulties. Some agencies have accessibility requirements that we should follow.

22 Why make it readable? We are reading it on a cell phone or tablet. It s on a billboard and we are going 55 mph. Other messages distract us. We are colorblind or dyslexic. We are required to by law.

Image Resolution http://www.cwdmedia.co.uk/ Lower resolution (72 DPI) is ok for web.

23 Image Resolution Lower resolution (72 DPI) is ok for web. Medium resolution (150 DPI) can work for digital printing or color copying. Highest resolution (300 DPI) for offset printing.

Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci, Musée du Louvre.

24 It is probably low resolution if You right-clicked on a website image and saved it. You copied and pasted from a document. You used Snippet or a screen shot. Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci, Musée du Louvre. Just because it looks good on your computer and prints OK on copier does not mean it will print well on a press.

25 My fiery mistake. I made a quicky logo for the web using a low resolution image (the fire). They needed it for a huge banner. At the sign shop, they found out the resolution was too low. I had to re-create from scratch.

26 Do not stretch or distort to make something fit. People will notice that it is out of proportion. Avoid Word Art type effects if it reduces readability.

27 Do not steal images. Image courtesy of GCFLearnFree.org Assume every image you find online is copyrighted. Create it yourself or use public domain images.

28 But you can borrow from the federal government. If the image was made by a government employee on government time, you can use it. Give credit if you can.

29 Know where the image came from before distributing it. Understand the Creative Commons License or any other license you use.

30 if you bought or downloaded an image, read the fine print before use or distribution.

Get a signed model release. http://blogs.usda.

31 Get a signed model release. My dangerous mistake: I endangered a child s safety by using a photo I did not have permission to use.

32 How will the location change your design? Indoors Brochure rack Airport concourse Offices Social media Print ad

33 Outdoors: Bulletin boards Electronic signs Store windows Billboards Road signs Banners

34 Use a testing tool to see how your billboard will look in context. Knowing the billboard location will change how you need to design.

35 Always check to see what it looks like in context. Is it bright enough? Big enough? Do other messages compete? US Forest Service photo Will it stand up in court? I didn t see the sign. US Forest Service photo

36 Pick right tool for the job Web, copier, digital printing: Publisher, PowerPoint, Word. Offset print shop, sign company: Illustrator, PhotoShop, InDesign

37 Get input from frontliners. Proof with someone who has never seen it before. 90% of mistakes are made during the last-minute edits. National Park Service photo US Forest Service photo US Forest Service photo US Forest Service photo

38 Getting started: 1. Craft your message. 2. Edit and get approval. 3. Layout/design. 4. Produce. Edit here. Not here.

39 Goal: reach folks at their decision point. Right message to the right person at the right time. WTVQ ABC 36 Lexington KY Richie Diesterheft US Forest Service photo US Forest Service photo

40 Wikipedia; flickr.com/photos/glasgows/ US Forest Service photo By Mike Cline via Wikimedia Commons US Forest Service photo

Digital Specs Atomic Enterprises, LLC. All rights reserved.

Digital Specs Atomic Enterprises, LLC o: 316.351.8228 f: 316.854.8630 Email: sales@atomicbillboards.com www.atomicbillboards.com 216 North Mosley, Suite 200 Wichita, Kansas 67202 2014 Atomic Enterprises,