Graphic Design / Advertising and Design

My Porfolio

2010-06-13T18:12:00.000-07:00

Graphic Design / Advertising and Design: My Porfolio

2010-06-13T18:06:00.000-07:00

Graphic Design / Advertising and Design: My Porfolio

More about Graphic Design

2010-04-06T11:44:00.000-07:00

Applications
From road signs to technical schematics, from interoffice memorandums to reference manuals, graphic design enhances transfer of knowledge. Readability is enhanced by improving the visual presentation of text.

Design can also aid in selling a product or idea through effective visual communication. It is applied to products and elements of company identity like logos, colors, packaging, and text. Together these are defined as branding (see also advertising). Branding has increasingly become important in the range of services offered by many graphic designers, alongside corporate identity. Whilst the terms are often used interchangeably, branding is more strictly related to the identifying mark or trade name for a product or service, whereas corporate identity can have a broader meaning relating to the structure and ethos of a company, as well as to the company's external image. Graphic designers will often form part of a team working on corporate identity and branding projects. Other members of that team can include marketing professionals, communications consultants and commercial writers.

Textbooks are designed to present subjects such as geography, science, and math. These publications have layouts which illustrate theories and diagrams. A common example of graphics in use to educate is diagrams of human anatomy. Graphic design is also applied to layout and formatting of educational material to make the information more accessible and more readily understandable.

Graphic design is applied in the entertainment industry in decoration, scenery, and visual story telling. Other examples of design for entertainment purposes include novels, comic books, opening credits and closing credits in film, and programs and props on stage. This could also include artwork used for t-shirts and other items screenprinted for sale.

From scientific journals to news reporting, the presentation of opinion and facts is often improved with graphics and thoughtful compositions of visual information - known as information design. Newspapers, magazines, blogs, television and film documentaries may use graphic design to inform and entertain. With the advent of the web, information designers with experience in interactive tools such as Adobe Flash are increasingly being used to illustrate the background to news stories.

Skills
A graphic design project may involve the stylization and presentation of existing text and either preexisting imagery or images developed by the graphic designer. For example, a newspaper story begins with the journalists and photojournalists and then becomes the graphic designer's job to organize the page into a reasonable layout and determine if any other graphic elements should be required. In a magazine article or advertisement, often the graphic designer or art director will commission photographers or illustrators to create original pieces just to be incorporated into the design layout. Contemporary design practice has been extended to the modern computer, for example in the use of WYSIWYG user interfaces, often referred to as interactive design, or multimedia design.

Visual arts
Main article: Visual arts
Before any graphic elements may be applied to a design, the graphic elements must be originated by means of visual art skills. These graphics are often (but not always) developed by a graphic designer. Visual arts include works which are primarily visual in nature using anything from traditional media, to photography or computer generated art. Graphic design principles may be applied to each graphic art element individually as well as to the final composition.

Typography
Main article: Typography
Typography is the art, craft and techniques of type design, modifying type glyphs, and arranging type. Type glyphs (characters) are created and modified using a variety of illustration techniques. The arrangement of type is the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading (line spacing) and letter spacing.

Typography is performed by typesetters, compositors, typographers, graphic artists, art directors, and clerical workers. Until the Digital Age, typography was a specialized occupation. Digitization opened up typography to new generations of visual designers and lay users.

Page layout
Main article: Page layout
Page layout is the part of graphic design that deals in the arrangement and style treatment of elements (content) on a page. Beginning from early illuminated pages in hand-copied books of the Middle Ages and proceeding down to intricate modern magazine and catalog layouts, proper page design has long been a consideration in printed material. With print media, elements usually consist of type (text), images (pictures), and occasionally place-holder graphics for elements that are not printed with ink such as die/laser cutting, foil stamping or blind embossing.

Interface design
Main article: User interface design
Graphic designers are often involved in interface design, such as web design and software design when end user interactivity is a design consideration of the layout or interface. Combining visual communication skills with the interactive communication skills of user interaction and online branding, graphic designers often work with software developers and web developers to create both the look and feel of a web site or software application and enhance the interactive experience of the user or web site visitor. An important aspect of interface design is icon design.

Printmaking
Main article: Printmaking
Printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing on paper and other materials or surfaces. Except in the case of monotyping, the process is capable of producing multiples of the same piece, which is called a print. Each piece is not a copy but an original since it is not a reproduction of another work of art and is technically known as an impression. Painting or drawing, on the other hand, create a unique original piece of artwork. Prints are created from a single original surface, known technically as a matrix. Common types of matrices include: plates of metal, usually copper or zinc for engraving or etching; stone, used for lithography; blocks of wood for woodcuts, linoleum for linocuts and fabric plates for screen-printing. But there are many other kinds, discussed below. Works printed from a single plate create an edition, in modern times usually each signed and numbered to form a limited edition. Prints may also be published in book form, as artist's books. A single print could be the product of one or multiple techniques.

Chromatics
Chromatics is the field of how eyes perceive color and how to explain and organize those colors in the printer and on the monitor. The Retina in the eye is covered by two light-sensitive receptors that are named rods and cones. Rods are sensitive to light, but not sensitive to color. Cones are the opposite of rods. They are less sensitive to light, but color can be perceived

Graphic Design / Advertising and Design

2009-12-27T12:26:00.000-08:00

Graphic Design / Advertising and Design

Testimonials

2009-12-27T09:44:00.000-08:00

Realizationz Graphic Design: Reviews

Toast to the Troops‎ http://toasttothetroops.com/
By Todd Shepherd - Dec 6, 2009

Kim was great! Kim's high quality work, creativity and timely turn around greatly contributed to the success to the first ever "Toast to the Troops" event that provided FREE food, entertainment and a viewing of the hit movie Brothers at War to more than 400 active duty, reserve, and National Guard service members and their guests. In addition, the event raised money for the non-profit Operation Homefront - a 501 3 (c) that supports military families and wounded warriors in a time of need. On behalf of the men and women that proudly serve our nation, I thank you.

Todd US Navy Veteran‎
Spectacular Services‎

By Jane Smith ASU Graduate

May 18th 2011

This company is absolutely fantastic! The first time I went to Kim I was in awe about the finished product! I 1st went to her for college graduation announcements. These came out so special with a picture and information about my specific major and degree. There was way more information on these announcements than the ones you purchase from the school. I was thrilled! Not only that but people commented on them in their letters to me at the graduation and the party! It was very nice to have this especially for family back East who may not have known a lot about my specific studies! After this project I was very excited to use Kim's services again and refer friends! She made a beautiful baby shower invitation that was exquisitely unique and absolutely adorable. I don't think she has that up. …Anyone looking for that ..they are way cute and she completely customizes them to your needs and most of all WANTS! It is so neat that you actually can't wait for the invitations more than you can wait for the actual party. We went back to Kim for birthday invitations and yet again were so happy and surprised at how spectacular they came out! We put the posters up at the party and everyone loved them and asked for some! The children love her work as well…it is so exciting that they get to be in a picture with their favorite character or whatever they like. Our daughter loves her invitation and likes to keep it in her room, and show it to people. She always asks to go there (to the place on the invitation). We are just delighted with the work Kim has done for us and would recommend her to anyone for anything! She is so creative and really does make your dreams come true. You can picture your ideas in your head and when you see the result it is even better than you had imagined! Good luck with your projects! We always continue to use Kim's services for every little party or event in our lives!

Thank you Kim for everything your amazing!!

Jane Smith 2011 ASU Graduate

Recommendations From GCC Gaucho Mentoring...‎
By Trini Sandavol - Sep 21, 2009
July 1, 2004

This is a letter of recommendation for Kim Grantham. As the program coordinator for the “Gaucho Mentoring Program” at Glendale Community College, my professional obligation is assisting students to succeed within a college environment. Ms. Grantham volunteered to assist in the Gaucho Mentoring Program last academic year. Kim is highly skilled with many computer programs and I quickly utilized these skills to manage the program. I was more impressed with the enthusiasm and team spirit that she brought to our efforts. Kim single-handedly created our database for records, streamlined the clerical procedures, and created brochures, flyers and a website. All of these are to be found in her portfolio. I would like to address the characteristics that made her unique in our office. Kim brings with her an ability to assess a situation and develop a technical plan to guarantee efficiency and to save time for the personnel. She is not afraid to ask if she can help and by doing so, ...‎ More »
July 1, 2004 This is a letter of recommendation for Kim Grantham. As the program coordinator for the “Gaucho Mentoring Program” at Glendale Community College, my professional obligation is assisting students to succeed within a college environment. Ms. Grantham volunteered to assist in the Gaucho Mentoring Program last academic year. Kim is highly skilled with many computer programs and I quickly utilized these skills to manage the program. I was more impressed with the enthusiasm and team spirit that she brought to our efforts. Kim single-handedly created our database for records, streamlined the clerical procedures, and created brochures, flyers and a website. All of these are to be found in her portfolio. I would like to address the characteristics that made her unique in our office. Kim brings with her an ability to assess a situation and develop a technical plan to guarantee efficiency and to save time for the personnel. She is not afraid to ask if she can help and by doing so, probably created more work for herself. Much of which she has volunteered to do she has done at home where she had better equipment. Kim is an organizer, a mover of people, and a leader with a vision for whatever she takes on. She comes with a wealth of practical skills and great work ethic. Kim is a “breath of fresh air” that whips into a room and fills it with warmth and joy. Her smile and laughter are contagious! Above all, Kim brings a strength which allows to her to multi-task and yet remains focused on the task on hand. I can always count on her to complete the task and use whatever measures to gather the information necessary. I know that the success of the Gaucho Mentoring Program will be greatly due to Kim's dedication and foresight. I would strongly recommend Kim Grantham. I believe Ms. Grantham will be an asset to any organization.

If you have any questions, please contact me at (623) 845-3069.

Sincerely,
Trini C. Sandoval
Gaucho Mentoring Program Coordinator

Tammy Ruiz‎
By Tammy - Sep 20, 2009
Kim has done many projects for me. Her Art work and creativity are wonderful, She goes above and beyond to do her best to make us happy her work is awesome!!!I will continue to use her in the future for all my graphic needs.‎

Freelance designer vs Design agency

2009-12-26T22:11:00.000-08:00

Independent freelancers often outperform agencies in quality, price and timeliness.

To some the word “freelancer” may have a certain stigma of a maverick who ignores rules and misses deadlines. In reality freelancers have usually been around the agency block already and know their stuff. Nobody starts work as a freelancer.

There used to be advantages in employing large agencies for big jobs. Economies of scale, strength in numbers, experience and access to resources were benefits of the big boys over a lone ranger. Nowadays, this isn’t true. All a freelancer needs is a computer and broadband.

Now large files can be moved around quickly, huge jobs – series of billboards, brochures, books, presentations, videos, websites – can sit on secure servers anywhere in the world. The designer has the work on his computer at home so in the unlikely event of data loss there is always a copy. Viruses are unheard of as
well – it’s a Mac thing.

If the scale of the job is too much for one freelancer they can simply call on someone else to help. Files can be downloaded from the freelancer’s FTP site and uploaded when finished. Every freelancer has a network of contacts each with their specialities.

So what of using an agency? Well, the design agency or consultancy have their premises to pay for and add to the bill. They also have directors, account managers, senior creatives and junior designers each with their own ideas, spins and interpretations to confuse the message. They also have attitude, and can be full of precious personalities with an “us and them” relationship with the client.

When a client enlists the help of a creative freelancer they are creating a one-to-one relationship with a professional. They now know who to phone or email about the project and will get a quick answer without getting stuck in the corporate maze of finding the right department. Last minute changes to a job before it prints or goes live are quicker and cheaper with the freelancer.

Also the freelancer has his reputation on the line with the job and it means so much more to him than to individuals in an agency.

I’m doing a colour 120 page A5 booklet for my client, Accenture, at the moment and they are very happy. But when they asked the previous agency to amend things slightly they were met with tuts! Incredible! In my opinion, the client is always right. It has to be that way.

Freelancer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A freelancer, freelance worker, or freelance is a self-employed person who pursues a profession without a long-term commitment to any particular employer.

The term was first used by Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832) in Ivanhoe to describe a "medieval mercenary warrior" or "free-lance". It changed to a figurative noun around the 1860s and was recognized as a verb in 1903 by authorities in etymology such as the Oxford English Dictionary. Only in modern times has the term morphed from a noun (a freelance) into an adjective (a freelance journalist), a verb (a journalist who freelances) and an adverb (she worked freelance), and then the noun "freelancer."

The author and poet Ernest William Hornung (1866–1921) used the term in "The Gift of the Emperor" to describe something of poor quality: "I warmed to my woes. It was no easy matter to keep your end up as a raw freelance of letters; for my part, I was afraid I wrote neither well enough nor ill enough for success."

Fields where freelancing is common include journalism, book publishing, journal publishing, and other forms of writing, editing, copyediting, proofreading, indexing, copywriting, computer programming and graphic design, consulting and translating.

Freelance practice varies greatly. Some require clients to sign written contracts, while others may perform work based on verbal agreements, perhaps enforceable through the very nature of the work. Some freelancers may provide written estimates of work and request deposits from clients.

Payment for freelance work also varies greatly. Freelancers may charge by the day, hour, or page or on a per-project basis. Instead of a flat rate or fee, some freelancers have adopted a value-based pricing method based on the perceived value of the results to the client. By custom, payment arrangements may be upfront, percentage upfront, or upon completion. For more complex projects, a contract may set a payment schedule based on milestones or outcomes.

In most professions involving creation of intellectual property, "freelance" and its derivative terms are often reserved for workers who create works on their own initiative, then look for someone to publish them. They typically keep the copyright to their works and sell the rights to publishers in time-limited contracts.

In contrast, workers who are hired to create a work according to the publishers' or other customers' specifications are referred to as "independent contractors" and similar terms. They have no copyright to the works, which are written as works made for hire, a category of intellectual property defined in US copyright law — Section 101, Copyright Act of 1976 (USC 17 §101).

Where is Graphic Design?

2009-12-26T22:08:00.000-08:00

Graphic design is all around us. It is in our morning paper, on our commute to work, and on the cover of our favorite books.

The most common forms include:

• Logos
• Websites
• Business Cards
• Advertisements
• Book Design
• Brochures
• Billboards
• Product Packaging
• Posters
• Magazine Layout
• Newspaper Layout
• Greeting Cards

This list barely cracks the surface…ticket stubs, skateboards, matchbooks, train schedules, credit cards and countless other products and everyday items all utilize graphic design.

What Is Graphic Design?

2009-12-26T22:00:00.000-08:00

from AIGA Career Guide

Suppose you want to announce or sell something, amuse or persuade someone, explain a complicated system or demonstrate a process. In other words, you have a message you want to communicate. How do you “send” it? You could tell people one by one or broadcast by radio or loudspeaker. That’s verbal communication. But if you use any visual medium at all—if you make a poster; type a letter; create a business logo, a magazine ad, or an album cover; even make a computer printout—you are using a form of visual communication called graphic design.

Graphic designers work with drawn, painted, photographed, or computer-generated images (pictures), but they also design the letterforms that make up various typefaces found in movie credits and TV ads; in books, magazines, and menus; and even on computer screens. Designers create, choose, and organize these elements—typography, images, and the so-called “white space” around them—to communicate a message. Graphic design is a part of your daily life. From humble things like gum wrappers to huge things like billboards to the T-shirt you’re wearing, graphic design informs, persuades, organizes, stimulates, locates, identifies, attracts attention and provides pleasure.

Graphic design is a creative process that combines art and technology to communicate ideas. The designer works with a variety of communication tools in order to convey a message from a client to a particular audience. The main tools are image and typography.

Image-based design

Designers develop images to represent the ideas their clients want to communicate. Images can be incredibly powerful and compelling tools of communication, conveying not only information but also moods and emotions. People respond to images instinctively based on their personalities, associations, and previous experience. For example, you know that a chili pepper is hot, and this knowledge in combination with the image creates a visual pun.

In the case of image-based design, the images must carry the entire message; there are few if any words to help. These images may be photographic, painted, drawn, or graphically rendered in many different ways. Image-based design is employed when the designer determines that, in a particular case, a picture is indeed worth a thousand words.

Type-based design
In some cases, designers rely on words to convey a message, but they use words differently from the ways writers do. To designers, what the words look like is as important as their meaning. The visual forms, whether typography (communication designed by means of the printed word) or handmade lettering, perform many communication functions. They can arrest your attention on a poster, identify the product name on a package or a truck, and present running text as the typography in a book does. Designers are experts at presenting information in a visual form in print or on film, packaging, or signs.

Why Advertise?

2009-12-26T21:53:00.000-08:00

A lot of businesses advertise, but I often wonder if some of them know why they are doing it. Take the time to look around this week, as you do your grocery shopping, run the kids to hockey practice, and whatever else you do.

Who is advertising in your area, and how? If you really pay attention, you'll see some advertising done so badly it may as well not even be there at all. If you had to look to find it, or force yourself to read it, it's probably ineffective.
Here are the top 3 reasons to advertise

• Awareness

• Differentiation

• Image

Awareness: is probably the most important reason to advertise. If people don't know who you are, what you do, or what your services are, then you aren't going to have very many customers. You have to let people know that you are out there.

Differentiation: What makes you different from the guy down the street providing similar services or selling the same product? You have to work at motivating people to come to you, do business with you, rather than the competition. Show people the difference between your product/service and what the competition has on offer; give them a reason to come to you and to return later on.

The final reason is image: People want to do business with companies that they know and trust. Image is how others see your company, its products and/or services. Without a positive image, the previous two reasons to advertise don't matter all that much.

Keep these reasons in mind when creating copy for your business and get the most for your advertising dollar. Better yet, hire a professional. They can get you noticed, and get you the results you want.

10 Reasons to Advertise

2009-06-08T09:04:00.000-07:00

1- Advertise to Reach New Customers.Your market changes constantly. New families in the area mean new customers to reach. People earn more money, which means changes in lifestyles and buying habits. The shopper who wouldn't consider your business a few years ago may be a prime customer now. Remember20% of families will move this year, 5 million people will be married and 4 million babies will be born*.

2- Advertise Continuously.Shoppers don't have the store loyalty they once did. You must advertise to keep pace with your competition. The National Retail Merchants Association states: "Mobility and non-loyalty are rampant. Stores must promote to get former customers to return and to seek new ones.

3- Advertise to Remain With Shoppers Through the Buying Process.Many people postpone buying decisions. They often go from store to store comparing prices, quality and service. Advertising must reach them steadily through the entire decision-making process. Your name must be fresh in their minds when they ultimately decide to buy.

4- Advertise Because Your Competition is Advertising.There are only so many consumers in the market who are ready to buy at any one time. You'll need to advertise to keep regular customers and to counterbalance the advertising of your competition. You must advertise to keep your share of customers or you will lose them to the more aggressive competitors.

5- Advertise Because it Pays Off Over a Long Period.Advertising gives you a long-term advantage over competitors who cut back or cancel advertising. A five year survey of more than 3,000 companies foundAdvertisers who maintain or expand advertising over a five year period see their sales increase an average of 100%. Companies, which cut advertising, averaged sales decreases of 45%.

6- Advertise to Generate Store Traffic.Continuous store traffic is the first step toward sales increases and expanding your base of shoppers. The more people who come into the store, the more possibilities you have to make sales and sell additional merchandise. For every 100 items that shoppers plan to buy, they make 30 unanticipated "in the store" purchases, an NRMA survey shows.

7- Advertise to Make More Sales.Advertising works! Businesses that succeed are usually strong, steady advertisers. Look around. You'll find the most aggressive and consistent advertisers are almost invariably the most successful.

8- Advertise Because There is Always Business to Generate.Your doors are open. Salespeople are on the payroll. Even the slowest days produce sales. As long as you're in business, you've got overhead to meet and new people to reach. Advertising can generate customers now.and in the future.

9- Advertise to Keep a Healthy Positive Image.In a competitive market, rumors and bad news travel fast. Advertising corrects misleading gossip, punctures "overstated" bad news. Advertising that is vigorous and positive can bring shoppers into the marketplace, regardless of the economy.

10- Advertise to Maintain Employee Morale.When advertising and promotion are suddenly cut or canceled, salespeople may become alarmed and demoralized. They may start false rumors in an honest belief that your business is in trouble. Positive advertising boosts morale. It gives your staff strong additional support.

Advertisement and/or Advertising

2009-05-10T20:27:00.000-07:00

Advertising is a form of communication that typically attempts to persuade potential customers to purchase or to consume more of a particular brand of product or service. “While now central to the contemporary global economy and the reproduction of global production networks, it is only quite recently that advertising has been more than a marginal influence on patterns of sales and production. The formation of modern advertising was intimately bound up with the emergence of new forms of monopoly capitalism around the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century as one element in corporate strategies to create, organize and where possible control markets, especially for mass produced consumer goods. Mass production necessitated mass consumption, and this in turn required a certain homogenization of consumer tastes for final products. At its limit, this involved seeking to create ‘world cultural convergence’, to homogenize consumer tastes and engineer a ‘convergence of lifestyle, culture and behaviors among consumer segments across the world’.”

Many advertisements are designed to generate increased consumption of those products and services through the creation and reinvention of the "brand image" . For these purposes, advertisements sometimes embed their persuasive message with factual information. Every major medium is used to deliver these messages, including television, radio, cinema, magazines, newspapers, video games, the Internet, carrier bags and billboards. Advertising is often placed by an advertising agency on behalf of a company or other organization.[citation needed]
Organizations that frequently spend large sums of money on advertising that sells what is not, strictly speaking, a product or service include political parties, interest groups, religious organizations, and military recruiters. Non-profit organizations are not typical advertising clients, and may rely on free modes of persuasion, such as public service announcements.