Four seconds!
That’s the amount of time you have to engage a prospects attention as they approach your show display.
How do you stop people in their tracks?
Read more
That 3.5″ x 2″ card of yours may be small but it’s the most powerful, cost-effective marketing tool you have. Design it for quality, functionality and for the biggest impact.
Here’s how to pack power into your card:
- Boundaries. Keep all type .19″ from the trim edge so important information is not cut off.
- Quality. Work at 300dpi for best image reproduction.
- Size. Use the standard size card. Odd shapes, such as circular cards are different and may help people remember you on the first impression but these can be difficult to store so people rarely keep them.
- Readability. Is your type large enough? Use no smaller than 7 pt. for your typography. Remember your audience.
- Legibility. Fancy script fonts or distorted type may look nice to you but these can be difficult to read. They take up valuable real estate when you have to size them up for readability.
- Simplicity. Use no more than 2 typefaces.
- Visual Hierarchy. Lead users through your card using type size and weight. Draw their attention to the most important thing first.
- Prioritize. Use only your most important information.
- Color Contrast. A black or dark background with white or gray type will be difficult to read, especially in dimly lit rooms.
- Use a simple color scheme and stick with it on all your materials.
- Leave whitespace. Cluttering your card’s every available space makes it hard for the most important elements to stand out.
- Scan Test. Check that your card scans and reads correctly in phone apps and card readers. In the best case scenario, an app should be able to automatically recognize the text and add the contact to your address book.
- Use paper stock that people can write on. This way they are able to add a note on your card which helps them remember you.
- Print on a heavy-weight cover stock. You want to look your best. The feel of your card reflects on your brand.
Using these simple tips will help you make a powerful first impression. Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest impact!
It is important for us to consider that consumers place visual appearance and color above other factors when shopping. Buying habits are complex but here are some quick percentage points made in a kissmetrics study on the color of psychology. See the infographic here.
Read more
When I graduated college and was seeking a design job I had the critical design knowledge I needed but practical real world knowledge has come with experience. Newly minted designers might appreciate the real world wisdom in these simple life hacks.
Be confident.
Don’t take rejection personally. Your work will not be accepted by all. It doesn’t mean your work is not good design.
Be authentic.
You can’t be everything to everyone. Develop your YOU. Try different ways of presenting to discover a style that works best for you.
Be focused.
Follow your path and be open to where it leads. Focus on your design strengths and find a niche.
Be positive.
Keep the faith. A positive attitude will help you succeed.
Believe in yourself.
Continue to love what you do. Don’t lose the love of your craft or your ability to be great at it.
Be resilient.
Don’t give up. Revisions are a fact of life. For the mostpart, they are meant to make the end product as good as it can be.
Be social.
Be open to meeting new people in all walks of life. You never know where someone might lead.
Be easy to get along with.
Work well with people. It’s a fact… people will do business with people they like. It is the easiest way to keep a client or a co-worker happy. Getting along with those around you everyday is just about everything. It doesn’t matter how good a designer you are if you don’t play well with others!
Be timely.
Adhere to timelines. Hone the skill of managing your time well and you will be a far better worker than most. As Woody Allen is quoted as saying, “80 percent of success is showing up.”
Be reliable.
Do what you say you are going to do, when you say you are going do it. Don’t let people down.
Be honest.
Integrity is a highly regarded trait. Adhere to moral and ethical principles.
Be happy.
People enjoy being around and including others who are happy. This can also reflect in your design solutions.
Be curious.
Ask many questions about how others hone their design skills. Find out the best and most efficient way to do things and why.
Be inquisitive.
Great design begins with asking the right questions – getting at the heart of the problem you’re setting out to solve. The key to a successful design can be hidden in what a client, a user, a boss or a co-worker says. Learn to listen.
Be a student.
Keep learning. Set aside time for developing your skills and experimenting.
Be humble.
Know you are not the smartest person in the room, even if you are 😉
Be grateful.
Appreciate your gifts. Help others be good at what they do too.
Be the best you can be.
A Reading Guide For Designers Who Want To Write
What I Wish I Knew About My First Pay Check by Michael Grothaus, Fast Company
It’s a pretty lofty statement but design has come into its own in recent years. Embraced by everyone whether they are aware of it or not, great design makes the world easier to understand. It affects us all in more ways than we imagine. And we rarely give it much thought.
So here are my thoughts on how design makes the world a better place.
Read more
Effective book cover designs draw the reader in so they want to find out what your book is about. Most people DO judge a book by its cover. So how do you pull people in visually?
Your book cover needs to:
Read more
To be an effective designer, we have to be able to clearly communicate selected ideas to viewers or we lose their attention.
People see designs in terms of relationships. Seeing similarities and differences or just “seeing” is how we organize our world. Our brains synthesize information by grouping similar visual elements and organizing them into meaningful patterns. Information that is organized with a hierarchy in mind will always be more effective at communicating than information that is not organized.
Read more
An informative image is not only well designed; it captures both the feeling of the content and facilitates an understanding of it. You can increase a message’s impact, capture attention and create something memorable through visually communicating by using these 3 simples imagery techniques.
Read more
Designers make specific considerations for effective visual communication. It is not only an art, but a science.
What is the ‘above the fold’ concept?
The most eye-catching story or image in a newspaper lies on the most visible part of the paper when it is folded in half and set on a newstand. The obvious goal… to pull in readers quickly and get them to buy. Today, we also call this the ‘virtual fold’.
Where is the ‘virtual fold’?
This depends on:
• how a user is browsing the web;
• the physical size of the users screen;
• the resolution the users screen is set to;
• what device the user is viewing on.
Read more
COTTER VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS
610.274.0259
Enfold Construction
1818 N Vermont Ave
Los Angeles, CA, United States
(555) 774 433
hello@en-co.com