We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our customers who have made Austin Graphics a success in 2010. Instead of Christmas Cards, as in the past, Austin Graphics has made a donation to the Salvation Army Food Bank.

Remember those in need this season and give what you can to our local charities and food bank.

Our offices will be closed beginning December 24th at 12:00pm and we will re-open Monday January 3rd, 2011. We look forward to seeing you in the New Year!

Have a safe and happy holiday season from all of us at Austin Graphics to you and yours!!

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Crystal from our Port Elgin office welcomes home “Chase Ronald”.  Amy from our Owen Sound office can boast about “Arie Glen”.

These two beautiful boys have already visited us at Austin Graphics and we think they both have an eye for design!  We look forward to being part of their little worlds and wish Crystal and Amy the very best!

Congratulations ladies!

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A logo is the first thing that your clients associate with your company. What does yours say about you?

A solid logo design - like every other form of design, graphic or otherwise - needs to be based on a set of principles in order to be effective and memorable.

4) STYLE

The use of colour, typography and balance, when employed correctly, are vital to making your logo memorable (which is ultimately what you want).

The syle of design you or your designer chooses needs to be suite to reflect the essence of your organization (which is attained through research - see Part 1 of the article).

The importance of typography, or “font”, is often oversimplified. If your logo uses text - either as part of the design or tag line - you will probably find that you need to test dozens and dozen of different typefaces before you get it right. Custom fonts are always a good way to go, especially if you really want your logo to stand out.

The more original the font, the more easily recognizable and memorable your design will be.

Another element of style is balance. Our eyes and minds are naturally drawn to perceive balance as visually pleasing. Keep this in mind when considering the physical make-up of your logo and be conscious of the ratio your design holds with respect to horizontal and vertical scales. Your don’t want a logo which is disproportionately tall or wide as this will almost always become a problem when used in conjunction with other graphics or artwork.

5) CONSISTENCY

Don’t fiddle with your logo once you’ve got it right. It take a lot of time and work to develop a good design, so once you have it, be sure to use it in exactly the same manner everywhere associated with your company - from cards to price lists to websites to newsletters.

Consistency helps establish memorability so it is important to establish guidelines that outline specific rule for pantones, space allotment and size for your logo - and be sure to enforce these rules at all time.

If you have a third party who will be working with your logo, ALWAYS insist on final approvals prior to production of any media.

6) CREATIVITY

Combining all the principles into one visually pleasing design is easier said than done. Logo design can be done well and it can all too easily be done very poorly. There are numerous logo templates out there that you can copy or buy for next to nothing, however the finished product will almost always reflect the level of design work that went into it.

If you are thinking about a new logo for your company, don’t be scared to spend money on an experienced designer who is versed in corporate identity. The collaborative process that a good designer brings to the table will help you navigate the various concepts which need to be explored before narrowing down the right design for your company.

TIP: Your logo doesn’t need to show what product or service you provide. Need proof?

According to Business Week’s Top 100 Global Brand Scoreboard - which lists brands like Coca-Cola, IBM, Microsoft, Nike, Nokia and Sony - the following list identifies what these logo design hold in common:

94% the name does not describe the product sold

90% the by-line tag is not included in the logo

84% the font style is clean and clear

74% the logo design uses only one colour

74% the design uses letters only without the symbol

72% the design is a made-up name or Acronym

66% the design is rectangular in shape

62% the logo design is one word only

54% the logo design includes the trademark symbol

52% the name is 6 letters or less

52% the background is filled and solid

44% the predominant colour base is blue

Well there you have it - things to consider when designing a logo for your company. Hope you found this article helpful.

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logo: a graphical element (symbol, emblem, icon, sign) that is adopted by an organization to identify its products, uniform and/or services.

A logo is the first thing that your clients associate with your company. What does yours say about you?

A solid logo design - like every other form of design, graphic or otherwise - needs to be based on a set of principles in order to be effective and memorable.

1) RESEARCH

First and foremost comes research. This first principle is fairly straightforward and it remains the foundation for subsequent elements that into sound logo design. Without research, your company’s logo cannot be an accurate reflection or symbol of your organiztion.

Questions like - Who is your target market? What service or goods does your company provide? What is the organization’s culture? How is your company positioned in the industry versus the competition? How do your clients view your company? - need to be thoroughly examined and answered earnestly in order for your logo to be an accurate representation of your company.

As a side note: after you’ve done the research be sure your designer is also aware of this information.

2) SIMPLICITY

I’m sure you’ve heard the K.I.S.S. cliché before: Keep It Simple Stupid. Stray away from this notion and sadly you will never get it right.

A confusing or complicated logo is essentially worthless; trying to convey too much in a design will only confound your target audience and that is the exact opposite of your logo’s purpose.

Every effective, recognizable logo which represents a leading global brand (think Coca-Cola, Nike, Microsoft) shares this basic principle. Although your company may not be a global powerhouse, it’s never a bad idea to study what the “big boys” have done right.

3) FLEXIBILITY

An effective logo should easily transcend any media - whether it’s a business card, pen, t-shirt, billboard, or a catalogue. In order for this to happen, it is paramount that the design be legible and scalable which is why vector graphics are and absolute must.

Vector graphics ensure that no degradation in image occurs regardless of the size of the design being used. (Side note: this is why we steer clear of using photographs in logo design, and do not use Word to design your logo)

A flexible logo will work well at any size it is reproduced as well as across both vertical and horizontal scales. A couple of good ways to determine if your logo design is versatile is to see if it looks good in black and white, when inverted, and when outputted as a mirror-image of itself.

TIP: Colour is secondary. Any good designer will tell you that if you are considering a logo redesign, it should first be created in black and white so that you can clearly focus on the concept, shape and focus of the design itself without being distracted by the emotional nature of colour. Your mind can easily be drawn away from the effectiveness of a design if a colour used in the design is conveying another message.

More to come… Style, Consistency and Creativity of Good Design.

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Harold Taylor, president of Harold Taylor Time Consultants Inc.
www.taylorintime.com

as printed in Graphic Arts Magazine, July/August 2009

It’s the long awaited, much anticipated second part to the article on Time Saving Tips

Don’t procrastinate. Procrastination is putting off until later what is best done now. If it’s too large a task to complete in one sitting, break it into chunks and do a little at a time. if it’s distasteful, do it now and get it over with. Putting things off wastes time, causes stress and helps make life unpleasant for yourself and others.

Say “no” more often. Some people say “yes” to others simply because they’re available or don’t want to offend. make sure the request is compatible with you goals before you agree. Have as much respect for your time as you have for other peoples’ time. Remember, every time you say “yes” to something, you are saying “no” to something else that could be done instead.

Record your telephone calls. Don’t rely on your memory. Jot down notes while you’re on the line. Indicate any action required on your part by jotting a note on the right hand side of the page. Cross it off when it’s completed. You are less likely to be interrupted if you’re writing, your concentration will improve and you won’t forget to follow up. You will also have an accurate record of what was discussed.

Delegate more. This is the greatest time-saver of all because it frees up time for more important tasks. If you have no one to delegate to, ask your suppliers to help. Or delegate to a computer. It can retrieve information for you, fax, dial the telephone or send email. Be on the lookout for time-saving equipment and supplies that will help free up your time. Don’t delegate anything that can be eliminated.

Avoid stress. Recognize you can’t do everything or be all things to all people. Be organized, effective and efficient, but don’t go on a guilt trip just because you can’t do the impossible. It’s not the stressful environment, but your reaction to it that does the damage. Your health should be your number one priority. Without it you’re of little use to anyone.

Practice Pareto’s Principle. This 80-20 rule rule suggests that 80% of your results are achieved by 20% of the things youdo. Focus on the priorites, and if everything doesn’t get done, let it be the less important tasks.

Put your goals in writing. Time is life. Don’t leave it to chance. Determine where you would like to be in five years and put those goals in writing. Then, schedule time for yourself to work in that direction. Where you will be in five years is determined by what you are doing today, tomorrow and next week.

Fore more information, or to purchase time management products, visit: http://www.taylorintime.com/print.

Click on the link to get your own subscription to Graphic Arts Magazine.

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Check out my new favourite blog (besides ours of course). If you’re a blogger… particularly of graphic design blogs… I was surfing again and came across a blog called Creative Opera. It has a plethera of information and inspiration for graphic designers young and old. I’ve been feeling a bit stagnate lately and Creative Opera was a caffeine injection to my creativity. So, if your looking for some eye candy, bookmark it!

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Harold Taylor, president of Harold Taylor Time Consultants Inc.
www.taylorintime.com

as printed in Graphic Arts Magazine, July/August 2009

Time seems to be in such short supply that many people don’t even have an extra few hours to attend a seminar or read a book on time management. For those people looking for some quick suggestions on making the most of their time, here are [some] effective time management rules.

Organize your desk. A neat desk helps a mind stay organized. People do better on exams when neatly dressed, excel in sales when well-prepared and are more productive at work when their materials are arranged in an orderly way. Keep your in-basket off your desk to minimize interruptions and distractions. If possible, have you desk face the wall.

Plan your day. If you have no objectives for the day, you will likely have a matching set of results. Plans are the handrails that guide you though the day’s distrations and keep you on course. Plan what you do at the start, evaluate progress during the day and measure results at the finish.

Schedule your tasks. Listing jobs on a “to do” list shows your intention to work on them, but scheduling important tasks in your planner reveals a commitment to get them done. Make appointments with yourself at specific times to work on your priority tasks – and try to keep those appointments.

Don’t be a perfectionist. If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well. But “well” does not mean perfectly; it means it is sufficient to fulfill the purpose intended. Don’t spend inappropriate amount of time on tasks that don’t require that degree of accuracy or completeness.

Handle paper only once. When possible don’t even look at your mail until you 30-60 minutes to review it. As you pick up each piece of paper, either scrap it, delgte it, do it, file it or schedule a time to do it later. The same thing applies to email.

Stay tuned for more time-saving tips in an upcoming blog or get a hold of a copy of the July/August 2009 Graphic Arts Magazine.

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A lot of people ask me “what is graphic design? what do you do exactly?” I, of course, answer with the simplest explanation I can, “Well, I create business cards and letterhead, posters, flyers, websites… blah, blah, blah.” But graphic design is actually a bit more involved than that and I found this neat video on YouTube that describes graphic design in a little more detailed and interesting way.

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