At TriLeaf Designs, we do a wide variety of different things. Two of which are Print Design and Web Design but what is the difference?

While both fall under the category of graphic design, they are both very different! Print Designers are people who work on hard copied pieces. Some examples of print design are magazine advertisements, product design, packaging, business cards and logos. Web Designers on the other hand, obviously work on web based pieces. Those are HTML websites, Flash websites, Email newsletters and banner advertisements. This is just a short list of what Print Designers or Web Designers, the list is actually quite huge for what we can accomplish.

When working in these fields, you are more than likely helping your client out by advertising their product or service. In print design, you want your target audience to stay on the page long enough to get the point or service across. In Web Design, you want the audience to stay on the page as long as possible. The amount of web pages for a certain website is unlimited.

Everything in this world normally has a layout to which it was made and the same goes for print and web design. It is equally important in both categories to have a clear and effective layout. In print design, the document is measured in inches. Web on the other hand is measured in pixels. When working with print, it is important to have bleeds and safety areas while with web it is important to be consistent.

Overall, there is big difference between the different types of graphic design. Do not underestimate your graphic designer, he or she is capable of a lot!

Written By: Lauren Schaefer

You want your color to represent what your trying to say. Here are some things to think about when choosing colors for your design. If you still aren’t sure about what color to use, tell your designer what your trying to convey.

 As described in more detail in Smashing Magazine here is the major breakdown of color feelings.

• Red: Passion, Love, Anger

• Orange: Energy, Happiness, Vitality

• Yellow: Happiness, Hope, Deceit

• Green: New Beginnings, Abundance, Nature

• Blue: Calm, Responsible, Sadness

• Purple: Creativity, Royalty, Wealth

• Black: Mystery, Elegance, Evil

• Gray: Moody, Conservative, Formality

• White: Purity, Cleanliness, Virtue

• Brown: Nature, Wholesomeness, Dependability

• Tan or Beige: Conservative, Piety, Dull

• Cream or Ivory: Calm, Elegant, Purity

 It’s just some food for thought the next time your working with your graphic designer. 

Written by: Kim Tomiser

In todayʼs world, the graphic design field is very competitive. A key to being a good designer is having clients.. all the time. A lot of businesses tend to fall off the face of the earth after opening because they are not receiving enough business. Here are a few helpful tips for finding new clients.

1. Having family and friends spread the news about your company 2. Send out an email or a letter to everyone you know 3. Ask customers for referrals 4. Always keep in touch with previous clients, especially when you have a new service

to offer 5. Star some kind of newsletter that can be sent out to customers. 6. Send promotions with all invoices. 7. Go to events that focus around your industry 8. Sponsor events for your clients 9. Socialize with everybody and have your business card handy 10. List yourself in the yellow pages 11. Place an ad in the local newspaper 12. Promote a free first consultation service 13. Get your portfolio listed 14. Design a website 15. Start a blog

Overall, the key to a successful business is really your clients. Keep those clients happy and in return they will give you their business.

Written by: Lauren Schaefer

Sustainable Graphic Design means to think about the environment and the effects your design might have on it. This includes using non-toxic recyclable materials and saving on energy and resources. The ultimate aim of practicing sustainable design, is to reduce waste, use as little resources as possible, and the resources that are used, should be safe for our environment and re-usable.

As a graphic designer, your job is to produce creative ideas to promote your client’s message effectively. By promoting a greener image, you are adding value to your client’s relationship with consumers. Consumers have never decided against a product because it is green, but they have and will decide not to buy it if it isn’t. In fact, 82% of consumers are focused on buying green products and services. Customers are becoming more drawn to going paperless, recycled products, bio-degradable products and low emission products.

When Designing:

When you receive a project, how it may affect the environment should be something considered at every step of the planning.

Factors to consider include:

Are the materials you’re using recyclable? What will happen when the user no longer needs this piece?

– Are they designed for re-use?
- What is the maximum shelf-life of your design?

– Can it be turned into something else?

– Is it something that people would want to hang on to?

– Can it be recycled?

Compare the impacts of each concept you develop.

– Scrutinize the efficiency of your selected method.
- Do your proofing on-screen.
- Eliminate blank pages in your booklets and brochures.
- Are the materials coming from somewhere nearby?

– Are the materials non-toxic?

– Can you use fewer materials?

– Can scrap materials be used?

– If printing, are the inks vegetable-based or soy-based?

Around the studio:

Start by evaluating how much paper you use and how you could reduce.

– Send your proofs via pdf in an email.
- Use office scrap paper or a tablet for sketching and brainstorming.

– Print on both sides of pieces of paper.

Recycle all of your computer equipment and ink cartridges
Arrange your desk to maximize natural light.

– Turn off the lights on sunny days.

Change some of your eating and drinking habits.

– Bring reusable dishes.
- Go vegetarian at lunch.
- Get a filter and drink water from the tap

Reduce your dependency on motor vehicles.

– Walk to meetings, ride a bike or take public transit.
- Limit your use of motorized couriers.

Tells us about some great sustainable design you have seen recently.

 Written by: Erica Schramek

]]> http://trileafdesigns.com/blog/1-picture_perfect/3-green_design/sustainable-graphic-design/feed 0 http://trileafdesigns.com/blog/uncategorized/lindenwood-university-student-mixer-event http://trileafdesigns.com/blog/uncategorized/lindenwood-university-student-mixer-event#comments Tue, 05 Mar 2013 16:09:40 +0000 KellyTodd http://trileafdesigns.com/blog/?p=10475 After I graduate from Lewis and Clark Community College this spring, I will be attending Lindenwood University for my Bachelors Degree in Graphic Design. Back in January, I attended a new student mixer because honestly, I am a little nervous about attending Lindenwood. Who would not be nervous? The event itself was not what I [...]]]>

After I graduate from Lewis and Clark Community College this spring, I will be attending Lindenwood University for my Bachelors Degree in Graphic Design. Back in January, I attended a new student mixer because honestly, I am a little nervous about attending Lindenwood. Who would not be nervous? The event itself was not what I expected. I expected the event to be something along the lines of being able to talk to people from your department, getting a tour of the campus, and meeting new people of the same major. When my mom and I arrived at Lindenwood, we signed in and got placed into a room overlooking the girls’ basketball game. Next, I expected to have someone give a talk, a tour or something along those lines. My mom and I sat in the room with the other new/possible students and nothing ever happened. There was no one that gave a speech about coming to Lindenwood, there was no tour, or anything along those lines! Furthermore, after my mom and I sat and watched the game for awhile, we decided to tour the campus ourselves (since it did not look like anything else was suppose to happen). Overall, I am glad I went to the event even though it was not what I expected it did give me a chance to get on campus and explore. I am looking forward to going to Lindenwood University next fall for Graphic Design!

Written By: Lauren Schaefer

Business cards can serve as a new contact or client’s first look at a company, as well as a reminder that stays with them long after their first meeting. A business card’s primary function is for new contacts or clients to be able to access the company’s contact information. What information is chosen to be included on a business card depends on the design and how the company is most-often contacted.

Basic information to include on a business card includes the person’s name, their company name, their title, and their basic contact information (phone, email and website address). Other information that might be included includes street address,Twitter username, professional certifications or memberships, and a tagline or slogan. You might also opt to include a logo, background image, or some other complementary graphic. Look at their other marketing materials and website and emulate their look and feel when it comes to graphics.

A recent addition to business cards you might consider are QR codes. A QR code allows the viewer to take a picture of the code on the business card with a smartphone. They are then redirected to the person’s website, online portfolio, or resume. It’s a perfect way to bridge the gap between a business card and a person’s online presence.

There are also some design guidelines to keep in mind when designing a business card.

Color and Image Choices

• Use color to create interest and emphasis. Try to match color tones. Identify what color palettes are used for their logo and other images. Are the colors bright, muted, earthy, or pastel? Stick with similar colors for other background elements and type colors.
• Include a photo if it is a great picture and is appropriate. Photos are most useful in service type businesses where an ongoing relationship is a critical factor.
• Don’t veer away from the company’s other branded materials. Keep the business card design consistent with the general color and design scheme on their website, in their store, and with their other marketing materials.

Type

• Pay attention to alignment. Left aligned text is easiest to read.
• Limit yourself to one or two font types to create a cohesive look and avoid causing the business card to appear too cluttered.
• Don’t use decorative or unusual fonts for the name and contact info, unless it is right for the business. It is best to stick with easy to read but not too generic fonts.
• Make sure the font size isn’t too small, is printed in an easy to read color and isn’t printed on and excessively dark image that obscures the text.

Composition and Format

• Keep the design clean and simple. Avoid visual clutter. Consider using the back of the card or create a folded business card if you need more space for additional info.
• Match the tone of the card to its intended market. A more traditional card would work for professional services, while a more colorful card might work for a trendy restaurant.
• Use bleeds to extend colored backgrounds or images off the edge of the card, keep logos and text away from the edges of the card, and be careful with borders or thin lines around the sides, since slight variances in cutting could cut important information off the card or make the lines look crooked or uneven.

Try to do something different, even when it comes to business cards. There is just one chance to give a good first impression to potential customers. What is the most interesting business card you have seen recently?

Written By: Erica Schramek

Be Your Brand is an up-and-coming local company that specializes in promotional products for other businesses. It was very important that the logo reflect not just the business but also the team’s unique, fun and quirky attitude.

Since the company wanted an icon for their logo, we played around with the idea of using a bee to play off of the word “be” in the company’s name. We found a good balance of not too cutesy and cartoony and not too realistic for the bee and then incorporated its wings into the design to create the uppercase “B” at the beginning of the company’s name. To further the idea that the company was upbeat and playful, we added a dotted line to show a simple, fun path that the bee had flown.

The logo ended up working excellent as either a full color or a black and white logo. We were all very proud of the end product and feel as though it properly illustrates the company’s fun and unique sensibilities without distracting from the professionalism that they offer in their services.

Written by: Myranda Harnage

Ever wish you could get back to the good old days of graphic design where everything was done by hand? Well guess what… there’s a place for that! At The Firecracker Press, graphic designers work with old and new techniques to produce beautiful, vibrant art.

The Firecracker Press first opened in February of 2002 in St. Louis where it became the only graphic design studio and letterpress in the state of Missouri. The artists and crafters of Firecracker operate antique machinery to hand print anything from posters to business cards.

Anyone who has seen the inside workings of The Firecracker Press can easily see that this is truly a playground for artisans to dive in and literally get their hands dirty while creating their own work. It’s a very special feeling as an artist to be able to physically touch every process of your work from wood block to print press to final inked paper. I think we as designers place so much emphasis on the speedy ease of using a computer that we lose how lucky we are to be the creative geniuses of our generation.

If you feel this is true, you can find a time to get in on the action. The Firecracker Press sporadically offers instructional classes for the curious artist. They are currently in the middle of a five-week course teaching traditional methods of the printing press. If you would like to be kept up to date on what Firecracker is doing and when the next series of classes will be held, you can sign up for their newsletter here or if you are just a fan of art, you can visit their online store to purchase amazing hand-printed posters, stationary and other awesome pieces.

Remember – graphic design’s universe does not revolve around the computer. Go out there and get your hands dirty!

Written by: Myranda Harnage

Let’s face it. Nobody is perfect. As humans, we make mistakes all the time.  If you we didn’t make mistakes, life would be without surprises and new things to learn.  Designers of all backgrounds are bound to make not just one but many mistakes–both small and big – throughout their career.  However, there seems to be a pattern of mistakes that just don’t seem to be fixed.  Below are the most common mistakes made by designers and ways to solve them.

Underestimating the Value of Your Work

With the economy what it is today, it’s hard to find to think of a good price that doesn’t undermine you as a designer but still helps pay the rent- especially for someone just starting off as a freelancer.  For example, a friend of mine of approached by a woman looking to redesign a pamphlet (with a fairly large amount of pages) for her company.  It was my friend’s first time being asked to a very time-consuming (and expensive) project and he didn’t know how much to charge for his work.  So, on-the-spot (without consulting an advisor) he came up with a price that was ¼ of what he should have actually charged her.  Thankfully, the woman decided to use someone else for the project and sparred my friend the toil of creating a pamphlet that was considerably cheap!  The bottom line is… don’t be afraid to validate the pricing of your work and look up research before coming up with a price that might undermine your potential.

Having Trouble Saying “N-O”

“No” is a relatively simple word comprised of two simple little letters.  So, why is it so hard for some designers to say it?  We have a harder time saying “no” than we do saying “yes.”  We are a nation comprised of many people-pleasers, the type of people that find it hard to draw the line between mild tasks to just plain crazy requests.  The same goes for designers and freelancers.  The word “no” can be a very powerful tool in a world where clients have the idea that anything and everything can be done in the world of design for a cheap price and in a speedy time.  We all, of course, know that this just simply isn’t true.  Don’t be afraid to say “no” to Annie when she asks if you could handle doing an additional project due by the end of the week when you are juggling five other assignments.  Or to say “no” to your client Matt who wants you to create a logo design with all the works at a 50% discount.  This is the one time that saying “no” can be a blessing.

Not Making a Contract

Oh contracts.  How we love to love and hate them.  They can be sometimes overwhelming/confusing but in the end they save us from the most threatening of challenges- a lawsuit.  I know about a friend that worked for a insurance company (I know, I know this is unrelated to a design company, but the idea is still the same) and was approached by a man that promised to offer not only the same amount of money she made every month but better coverage on her insurance and many other little novelties.  She promptly quit her previous job and began working for the gentleman.  However, things began to go downhill when she found out that after a major surgery she could not afford her medicine because she didn’t have any insurance.  Not only that, but her pay checks were coming in at 2/5 of what she should have been making.  What did she do that could have helped her in the long run? Getting everything the man said in writing.  Without this little contract, she doesn’t have a sustainable amount of proof to point the blame at the gentlemen for lying to her and turning this problem into a  “he said/she said” situation.  Don’t be afraid to seek out a contract.  Although they can be intimidating, look up information about where to find local lawyers that will help you down the right path of making a contract will save you from mishaps.

Taking the time to prepare yourself for mistakes like the ones above will be sure to put you ahead of the pack and is one less stressful thing to worry about one your long list of “to-dos.”

If you have any comments or suggestions, send a message below on what you think is another common mistake designers make.

Written by: Katherine Harding

The saying “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” doesn’t necessarily work with the graphic design field.  As a designer, you have to be up to date with the latest technology and trends so that you don’t become “an old dog.” A good place to start is on the web by searching articles in the design field, but for anyone that enjoys the more scenic route a book is an “old dogs” best friend.  Below is a list of some best (and most influential) books that any graphic designer should have in their library.

1. Graphic Design: A New History by Stephen J. Eskilson
This book is a given of course.  In order to have a better understanding of graphic design, you need to go back into the past.  This book is a collective history of how graphic design began, who influenced it, and why we still use it today.

2. Thinking with Type: A Primer for Designers by Ellen Lupton

A book about the study of type, Thinking with Type has been a blessing for students and designers alike.  Not only does this book help you have a better understanding of type and how to successfully display it, but it also has little examples/lessons for you to practice with.

3. Creative Workshop: 80 Challenges to Sharpen Your Design Skills by David Sherwin-

Within this book, you’ll find 80 creative challenges that will help designers have a better understanding on how to solve design problems in all media forms within a good time frame. The exercises range from typefaces to wed design. Also, there are solutions that other designers have come up with for these challenges for designers to compare with.

4. Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines

This is the 13^th Edition of the so-called “bible” for graphic artists.  This book has information that artists (and their clients) can utilize to help keep their business booming.

Do you have any books that should be suggested for graphic designers? Leave a comment below along with the title of the book!

Written by: Katherine Harding