TIME magazine has just published a story “Think Ink: Why Print is Being Embraced By Designers” in which the web, sometimes painted as print’s enemy is introducing new opportunties for designers.
Technology is giving anyone the tools to be a professional designer and have their work displayed on the world stage, but that doesn’t mean that they have the skills to be a world class designer.
Crowdsourcing design is also pushing the limits for many designers, sites like 99designs have sometimes been criticised for devaluing the design industry with Australian Creative publishing a piece last month “Creative crowdsourcing under fire“.
One thing that is overlooked in the whole web vs print debate is that a key part of design is building a relationship with the customer both before and after a job. Design, and particularly print design, is a partnership a fresh set of creative eyes and someone to manage the print process even when things go wrong. DIY and crowdsourced design miss this key element.
Sean has been involved in marketing and printing industries since the early 1990s and since 1998 has had a focus on web design and development working with one of Australia's most experience web development firms.
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A fascinating new field is emerging in print – 3D printing.
Basically using digital files and an expensive piece of equipment known as a materials printer, three dimensional objects can be created in a manner similar to printing images on paper.
The technology introduces new possibililties for rapid prototyping and also mass production of complex designs. Much like the way that foundries were able to meticulously produce moulds for cast iron in the 19th Century that were used on thousands of Victorian buildings. Its kind of like cloning for designers. Designers have been using Computer Aided Design to create 3d objects in the virtual world for many years, but this now crosses the boundary to physical print.
Anyway, here are some nice videos demonstrating the potential of a technology which could present many new opportunities for print designers. Enjoy !
Sean has been involved in marketing and printing industries since the early 1990s and since 1998 has had a focus on web design and development working with one of Australia's most experience web development firms.
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A new visual identity marketplace has been launched - bestlookinglogos.com
What makes this site different is that the logos are professional pre-designed, and offer exclusive and original logos for a fraction of the cost of a new custom design. All of the site’s logos are all designed by professional graphic designers and once purchased, are supplied in vector format for print and signage as well as standard formats for website usage.
As the designs are exclusive, they are unavailable to be used by another business once purchased so that your unique logo design will remain one of a kind.
Simply supply your company name as you wish it to appear on your new logo, and bestlookinglogos.com customize the design with your company name inserted and send it to you by email. The website states that this will be done within 1-2 business days.
Be sure to check out the start up designs and bookmark the site.
BestLookingLogos.com are also looking for graphic designers to submit their logo designs for a 65% commission on any sale. See the submitting logo designs section of the website on more information on how to go about it.
Sean has been involved in marketing and printing industries since the early 1990s and since 1998 has had a focus on web design and development working with one of Australia's most experience web development firms.
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A new client called me a couple of weeks ago saying he had his logo and all of his stationery designed by two different designers and just still wasn’t happy with any of it. What did I think of the work they had done and more importantly, could I help?
Most recently he had tried out a new designer who had approached him several times for a chance to do some work for him, so he thought he’d give the guy a try. He charged by the hour and spent 20 hours to get to a stage where he had one logo design they were willing to accept. It didn’t sound like he’d offered them other options either, just the one design. The designer then set up some business cards and letterheads etc with the new logo. But ultimately my client wasn’t happy with any of it.
I had a look at the designs that had been completed and while I thought they were passable they certainly weren’t outstandingly good. I definitely knew I could do better and there wasn’t much point in trying to salvage what he had done so far. It really called for a re-design.
I offered the client a set price for a new logo design rather than charging by the hour and said that I would give him at least 3 logo design options up front to choose from and would allow him to make as many modifications as he liked without any additional cost. Once he was happy with the logo design I would then proceed to design all his stationery to suit.
I needed to ascertain what sort of logo he was after. He was pleased to discover I had a questionnaire designed to gain a much better understanding of the type of logo design the client would find suitable for his business.
Based on his directions and the type of feel he was after I created 3 different options and sent them through to him. Waiting for the response can often make you a little anxious after all the hard work you put in to a design. You never know for sure how a client might respond. Design is such a personal thing.
“They are fantastic! Very hard to choose between them.” was my emailed response.
He did choose his favourite and I set up some business cards using the new logo next.
“We love it, and we are not that easy to please.”
So a successful business image was achieved for his company, one that he and his partner were much happier with. I suppose the moral of the story has to be that you need to ask the right questions to find out what a client really wants. After a while as a designer you start to get a feel about the right direction to go in after talking to a client. It becomes instinctive.
Lisa is a graphical and pre-press designer with more than 15 years experience. She runs her own agency Twilight Emerald from Ballarat, Victoria Australia.
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