The Full Noise

Blenhiem Graphic Design and Website Designers

Karen

The Death of the Print industry?

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What is the future for magazines?Today I felt like a little online magazine research.

I was met with beautifully creative layouts and the option of flipping through the pages online or downloading (which was quick). What does this mean for the publishing industry as we know it? A slow and tragically unremarkable death as the masses all jump on the iPad bandwagon and plug themselves in?

Actually I hope not.

While browsing magazines online can make the pastime more accessible, for me, nothing can really beat the experience of turning the printed page. A print geek, I’ll admit, I love the smell, the paper (sorry trees) and the break from a computer screen.

That said… here’s one online magazine I rather liked. (PDF download)

Image by Fontshop

Brochure design for Khan Photography

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Khan Photography is a successful Christchurch based business run by talented husband and wife team Nazeef and Rachael Khan.

I had the privilege of being introduced to them as they were on the hunt for a Graphic Designer to improve on their previous wedding photography brochure.

This couple blew me away with their work. Still a young company, Khan Photography are steadily gaining a good reputation that is well deserved. Nazeef and Rachael carefully refine each image to achieve the best possible results for their clients.  Their attention to detail in this way is what I think makes them so good at what they do.

Nazeef and Rachael were keen to see the size of the existing brochure and it’s content reduced, so to create an attractive DLE card to replace it, became the brief.

Khan Photography - Brochure design
Khan Photography - Brochure design

What we came up with was a clean and simple design, which showcased their stunning work. The change in direction was subtle enough to support their current branding but offered a smart, fresh and contemporary result.

If you or anyone you know is getting married soon, we would defineately recomend checking out  more of Khan Photography’s beautiful images.  You won’t be disappointed!

Print Finishes

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Design in print is one thing. But the design OF YOUR PRINT is another thing altogether. AND well worth taking a look at exploring.

Within the realms of paper finishes and print finishes there is a whole new element to design and the influence it can have over the completed job.

 A designer can and should consider the end product when developing a concept. This means more than taking into account the most appropriate paper stock. It means thinking about how a myriad of other tricks and techniques (within the budget) can be used in tandem with the graphics to meet the brief.

Our son was given an organic cotton toy that was packaged in a special brown shoe box, printed in natural ink colours and die-cut at the side to expose the logo. Everything about the packaging screamed “natural!” to me and even though it had a matt finish and was predominately brown (think paper bag), the overall impression was one of absolute quality and that the product was worth treasuring.

A simple business card doesn’t have to be on clean white stock like everyone elses’ UNLESS this supports how your business is positioned. Sometimes a different finish, such as an emboss or metallic for example, can set your business apart from others as well as saying more about your brand.

 

 

When it comes to advertising

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It is helpful if your company has a strategy regarding advertising for the year, which relates to your company’s broader brand framework.

Regardless of whether you’re that organised, booking an ad last minute and giving your designer half a day to ‘come up with something’ is a waste of resources.  Even worse if it’s not your designer but someone else’s! My apologies if you’ve ever been forced to do this, but let me explain…

It goes back to the necessity of writing a brief and treating each ad as an investment which must bring back some ‘bikkies’ in return.  If an ad doesn’t do it’s job then it can be a glorious waste of money.

Last minute advertising opportunities are always out there.  Perhaps you have an ad you can rerun, which can fit the space, and you know gets you results.  Great!  But be wary of making a booking and handing your logo over to a publication which can ‘rustle’ something up.  This can weaken your brand and render the ad ineffective.

When it comes to advertising…  Have a plan.  Have an advertisment or better, an ad campaign ready to take advantage of advertising deals when they come up. 

I Love Apple

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Unpacking my Mac from it’s box almost brought tears to my eyes… ok a slight exaggeration, but it’s so extremely cool.

I love the way Apple do things. Right down to the slick packaging, every aspect is taken care of. Even the plug that fits into the back of the screen looks carefully thought out.

And you know what? It’s so simple. And they have us eating out of their hands because in terms of design and innovation they are always a step ahead. The consistency in the design style and it’s marriage with their equally clever ad campaigns, has the brand almost perfectly tuned. And by making their products so aestheticly pleasing the buying public are completely won over.  

The customer experience seems a major priority for Apple. They want you to COVET their products above all others (lets face it, often imitations, to varying degrees). Even the process of unpacking them feels special. It’s like coming home with a new baby. You’re super careful with it, gaze at it often, marvel at it’s beauty…

In casting such a spell it’s no wonder Apple can command higher prices from it’s devotees… not to mention, the newly converted.