There are a lot of elements that need to be considered when creating and designing a logo. Can someone identify what your company provides just by looking at or reading the name or tag line associated with the logo? Does the color fit your business? Do you want to print the logo in full (4 color) or do you want a PANTONE color logo (2 or 3 color). These factors can highly effect your pricing when you are printing materials for your business. You should originally have a logo for all the separate elements needed for your business. You will need an RGB logo that is low resolution for the web and a PANTONE or 4 color version for press. You may even benefit from a black and white version for plain forms and internal business items. There is a lot to creating a logo...many can design them, but are they done to help or hurt you in the long run. So be careful if your cousins friend (who is a "designer") designs you a logo for free or cheap. Doing it correctly and eye appealing needs to be considered to create a good image of your company. view samples
(Search Engine Optimization) In my experience, this is one of the most important things to do for your company...if not THEE most important thing! Say you have a website and everything you need to have a successful company, now how do you get the customers? Well I am here to teach you where to register your company online to start getting you online customers. It takes a lot of work and time to get your company listed towards the top of Google and other search engines, so instead of paying an SEO/Marketing company a fortune to optimize your site and do the work for you, I can teach you to do it and help you along the way. It is never ending and the possibilities are nearly endless.
Ha, I laugh every time I hear those words. Not too long ago I saw a T.V. Commercial that had a typo. Not even kidding!!! Luckily it was just for a T.V. show on that particular station, so no major harm done. But still, how did that get aired??? WOW! Now everyone can make mistakes, but I have seen some copy that my little nieces and nephews could have written better. Let's face it, typo's and confusing writing will instantly deter people from buying a product or even finish reading your advertisement. So before you go printing a thousand flyers or posting an important blog online, have it PROOF READ and spell checked. It can be costly not too! I find typo's online every single day and there are probably even some on her. ;) LOL
In conclusion, if you are not a good speller or writer, I can help. I've taken several extra writing classes to avoid taking math classes! I'm pretty good at math, just don't like it... snore!
Reach, Target Market, Pogonotrophy??? What the frig you talkin' bout? These are terms relating to marketing and how to "Reach" potential customers... a.k.a. "Target Market". It is important to plan and schedule your media events and budget. Set a side a time to plan your advertising budget quarterly and annually. This helps you to manage and PLAN AHEAD for events and campaigns to help build your client base. If you forget about a major trade show and it's this weekend...now what? Rush rush, I don't have any money, I need lions, flyers and brochures oh my!!!
Planning and setting up a plan is a must when starting a new business or growing an existing one! Oh and Pogonotrophy means cultivation of the beard. Totally unrelated, but hey we learned something new today.
In today's market, training and processes are usually the last thing a company looks at or implements. As a company grows this can become an issue and a must to help keep the organization and work-flow of the company efficient and spoilage free. By creating step by step manuals and training materials I have made it easier for companies to train their employees and keep everyone on the same page. It also takes a huge burden off of the managers and department heads so they don't have to spend all their time training and helping others. With that said, I can teach you, make templates for you to follow or create the entire training manual for you and get your employees on the right track. view samples
I offer one on one or group training via web, phone or in person. I can help teach you the fundamentals of design using what you have at your own home or office. This can help you become a better designer. I can teach you what type of files are best to use when going to print and what is best for the web. Learning important things like imposition (stepping your print files to run multiples up on one sheet of paper), web hosting and do it yourself website building, can save you a fortune and help to better create product image and company recognition. As an experienced Prepress/Printing Specialist, I can help take the frustration out of printing and extra costs at the printer. (Training in "Acrobat PDF, InDesign, Quark, Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Flash, MS Office/Word, Publisher and much more...) view samples
So you have your basics, business cards, a website and of course goods or services; everything you need to have a successful company. Now how do you get the customers? Well I am here to help you figure out where to register your company online and what type of media and marketing works best for your company. Emailing, direct mail, online advertising, etc. I can teach you SEO and other ways to promote your services and help your business grow along the way. You know what they say, teach a man to fish, keep him busy and out of your hair for a whole weekend!
I can print or outsource nearly all of your printing materials. With relations to quality printing companies, I am able to print my own digital jobs, therefore allowing me to take the job all the way through to the end to help ensure the highest quality of successful.
Printing Items:
• Business Cards
• Letterheads
• Envelopes
• Postcards
• Invitations
• Brochures
• Flyers
• Newsletters
• Manuals
• Large Format Posters
• Presentation Folders
• Labels
• Carbonless Forms
• Presentation Boards
• Catalogs
• Sell Sheets
• Promotional Products (Pens, Mugs...)
• Apparel (Screen, Digital, Embroidery)
• And much more!
I currently have a PowerBook G4, which I use for nearly all of my daily tasks, an iBook and two old school iMac's. I also have 3 large capacity external hard drives for backup and storage. And yes, of course I have access to a PC running Vista too.
Current software includes; Quark XPress, Creative Suite Design Premium (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Flash, Acrobat & Fireworks) and Microsoft Office. I have access to Microsoft Office and Publisher on PC as well. I also have high quality audio/video recording and playback equipment.
Sometimes you simply have nothing else to use or no other options to get a better quality picture than you already have. Maybe you can't achieve a certain effect you want by taking a picture. That's where photoshop and other photo adjustment applications need to be utilized. I can turn your blue to the correct aqua, cut that ugly undesired background noise out or even combine two images to look like one. Or how about that old vintage picture you have from the early 1900's? Yellow, faded and maybe a little banged up... restoration isn't out of the question! These are often difficult, but also very necessary adjustments to make. The truth is that sometimes even professional photography needs some adjusting or correcting even beyond what the photographer may or may not done to it already. view samples
Ah yes, with over 9 years of prepress experience I have seen all the lovely files that "designers" and "marketing pro's" have submitted to be printed. I'd say close to 95%, no kidding, have had an issue with the files being incorrect or of low quality. From PrintShop to MS word, to experienced designers using Illustrator, there always seemed to be something I'd have to fix or overhaul before the files could go to print. Some people can make things look great, but with bleeds, accurate panels for folding and correct color setup, you're looking at a lot of hassle, more money at the printer and probably a poor quality finished product.
Another element that is extremely over-looked is marketing in your print design. I have seen several jobs over the years that failed to include contact information. Seriously!!! My main point is, does the piece have all the info necessary, is it eye catching and WILL it HELP YOU SELL?
With the experience I have, the files will be of the highest quality possible with all the correct elements implemented in the design to achieve maximum impact in the market and of course the files will be print ready. view samples
Well, we all know that you need to have one these days. An ever growing monster, the web is the best way for nearly every company to promote their business or sell their goods and services. You can reach so many more customers and usually make life a lot easier when it comes to orders and processing by utilizing what the web has to offer.
When it comes to design, there are many options available. From free templates and hosting down to custom Flash and Dreamweaver sites. Flash websites are the cool looking interactive, animated ones. These can be a great way to get extra attention online, but what most people don't take into consideration is that sites built completely in Flash can be hard on your business and make it more difficult for clients to find you online. SEO (search engine optimization) is best implemented through .html or .php style websites. Another problem is that some Flash websites are so complex it takes a while for them to load. The average client waits about 8 seconds before moving onto something else if the web page does not load. I personally hate waiting for a Flash website to load, so I just leave and find a better source. Implementing Flash with HTML/PHP pages can be an excellent way to achieve the best of both worlds. Just be aware that web design is very complex and there is a lot to consider besides looks.
Other elements are important to consider when designing... contact forms, servers to hold customers data, and MUCH MORE. Designing and web developing kind of go hand in hand these days, so make sure you don't just get a design, but you get functionality and a complete website. Those are the advanced skills I bring to each and every site I create. view samples
Site Renderings are a great way to promote and sell lots, developments, commercial properties and residential properties. Exact lot lines, roads, water locations, trees, landscaping and 2D buildings are added (if desired) to create a great eye pleasing rendering to give potential clients a kick-start to buying developing, construction and real estate services.
Renderings are digitally generated using multiple layers allowing me the ability to adjust colors and details to achieve the desired look and feel of the finished project. The renderings can be used to promote sites and properties.
I can then design, brochures, posters, direct mail pieces, logos, ads, flyers and anything else you need to promote your project. What’s better yet, is that I can print your promotional items, which means convenience and ease for you! view samples
A great way to grab some extra attention to potential buyer is via website and web banners. You can also use basic animations to show consumers how to use the product that you are trying to sell or maybe the assembly of the product. I can create basic comic style animations, short, fun or instructional. view samples
Jingles, Jangles, Jingles...they are still around and can work great to attract attention to your company. F.R.E.E. that spells free, credit report.com baby! Haha, that is a great example!
I offer voice-over's for training materials or in-house tv/projector shows. I can also create radio commercials (scripts - voice-over's - jingles). samples
Drawing and art creation has always been a hobby of mine. As long as I can remember I have been drawing and doodling. I prefer the pop/cartoon style of art, but can create a lot of tradition Illustration as well. I took additional art school training and schooling to advance my professional/creative talents. view samples
If you like comedy, I'm your man. Anytime it is possible, I like to incorporate at least a little comedy into everything I do. I believe it feeds the soul and can relieve stress and tension! I love to make people smile :) If I could sit and create comics and jokes all day, I'd be a very happy man!!! view samples
At this point in time, I am only educated in using SketchUp to create 3D designs and simple 3D animations using Flash. I am pursuing more advanced programs and education. view samples
With over 1400 designs under my belt, I am confident to design what you need and have the knowledge and experience to set the files up for screen printing or digital printing. I have even digitized a couple of files for embroidery.
Screen printing, so what? When you want to screen print a t-shirt, colors need to be broken out much like offset printing (brochures, business cards, etc.). A series of colors are used to create a full color image. So it is important that files are designed and setup correctly from the start, so there aren't huge costs to correct these files before they get printed.
Digital apparel printing, really? Yes! It is now possible to print t-shirts much like you would print a file on your own inkjet printer at home. A shirt is simply laid out on a platform and the printer shoots ink right onto the garment. This is a great alternative to screen printing because you can print nearly any image as is onto a shirt! Plus with low quantities it is a much cheaper alternative to screen printing.
Digitizing? What does that mean? When files are embroidered they need to be digitized. That means that the embroidery machines need to be told how many stitches, in what pattern, in what color and in what location the stitches go on a garment. Also in order for the embroiderer to be efficient in producing large quantities, the machines need to be told how to make the transition from one color thread to another without the machine stopping or slowing down dramatically. view samples
Ah yes, the old type-a-roni. Honestly, the best thing you can do is have an office person or data entry person type up the info you need. Generally they are much faster and cheaper than paying a designer to do it. At least for the bulk of it (especially with large books or catalogs). Once it is typed up (unformatted is the best ...meaning no forced returns or tabs, just chunks of text) then the designer can take and format the text to fit the design. view samples
Electronic forms/templates such as Invoices and Statements can be made much simpler and neater via computer. I can create PDF forms that have fields that you can type in so you can keep the form electronically and quickly and easily email to your clients and vice versa. The same goes for word files and just about any other program that you may use for your forms. I can also create templates that you can modify and add elements to, then send the files electronically or simply print them out. Stationary is a great example of this... type in your letter content and print or email it. view samples
Logo Design
SEO
Copy Writing
Training Materials
Print/Design Training
Marketing Training
Digital & Offset Printing
Web Design
Renderings
Animations
Illustrations
Game Creation
3D
Electronic Forms
