By Kate Garvey
Branding is the creation of a name, name layout and symbols or designs working together to represent a company. Good branding creates a lasting first impression that is unique and easily identifies your company. Ideally, branding should catch the consumer’s eye, make a good impression and provide potential consumers information about the services offered. A couple of well known corporations that effectively use branding are McDonalds--think golden arches and Macintosh--an apple with a missing bite. Even if your company is small or just forming, you still want to begin name recognition by incorporating branding during the early stages of business. When working with a graphic designer to create effective company branding, be sure to think about the whole picture. Please consider the following:
1. Your company name should inform the general public about your business. If you haven’t decided on a company name, take some time to think about all the services or products you sell or will be selling, and brainstorm names that will clearly identify what you do. Some good examples are Petsmart, Rooms to Go, Famous Footwear, and Carnival Cruises, etc. All of these companies use names that clearly identify what they do. They also provide a theme on the business. For example, smart consumers shop for pet needs at PetSmart, people in a hurry wanting a put-together look in furniture are drawn to Rooms to Go, when you need shoes buy the best at Famous Footwear, if you want to have a whole lot of fun, don’t just go on a cruise, go on a Carnival Cruise.
2. Keep your name and company design simple. Your company name should always be easy to read. Any symbols or logos, should support the name and not detract from it. Increase your awareness of how major corporations make it easy to read their company name and how the symbols used support the name. You can use the name to evoke a feeling, but it needs to be legible. For example Ashley Furniture uses an elegant style in their branding, whereas, Re/Max Real Estate uses an exciting bold look.
3. If you add a logo, symbol or picture, use something that will support your theme. If you run a catering business, it’s appropriate to have pictures of food or people celebrating with food. If own a fencing company, you may want to have part of your name appear with a fence-like texture. I realize this sounds obvious, but many times new business owners incorporate pictures that are personal and do not support their business. Don’t include your child’s picture, a pet photo, or family pictures, unless you own a business that services these areas. Try to be very objective about your logo or symbol. Does it really portray your business in the best possible way?
It may be helpful to consult with a graphic designer at the preliminary stage of your business development. They may be able to show samples that will help feed your creative juices.
Kate Garvey is a professional, freelance writer and may be reached at www.kategarvey.net . This article was courtesy of an interview with Graphic Designer, Jessica Dockter of L.E.E. Designs. For more information on graphic design please visit http://yvonneperry.net/Meet-the-Writers.htm#Jessica_Dockter .
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kate_Garvey
http://EzineArticles.com/?Graphic-Design-and-Branding---3-Marketing-Tips-From-a-Pro&id=574751
Lonnie has been a Graphic Designer since 1998. In 2003 he started his own business in graphic/web design. Visit Paragon Grafix to see his work.
At the end of 2006 Lonnie started a Home Based Business that has been growing very rapidly. To get more information on his home based business go to www.lonnieniver.ws
Big Stock Photo.com
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Digital Camera Scene Modes - The 5 Modes You'll Use the Most
By Karl Peschel
Technology is a beautiful thing. Every year hundreds of new or enhanced products are produced. Digital camera manufacturers come out with new models a couple times a year, each company trying to outdo the other. They've gone crazy with the variety of scene modes that are being added to new cameras.
Digital camera scene modes are a simple way for you to "tell" the camera what type of picture you are taking. The camera will then optimize the settings for that particular shot. Some modes change how colors are recorded, others change whether or not the flash fires. The trend now is to add special effects and things that you'll probably never use.
How often will you use a Starburst effect? Do you take a lot of photos that require a Pastel Color effect? Even the semi-popular Sepia mode is not needed, as far as I'm concerned. One click in your editing software and you've got Sepia.
If you're like most people, you'll only use a few of the scene modes on your camera. Here's details on the 5 modes you're most likely to use.
Portrait Mode
Portrait mode is for taking people pictures. Whether it's a single person or a group of people, you should use the Portrait mode. Your digital camera will select an appropriate shutter speed and aperture combination to capture your subject and blur the background. The idea here is to make the background less distracting.
Newer digital cameras incorporate autofocus technology that actually scans the picture looking for faces. It's usually called Face Priority or Face Detection. It especially helps when your subject is not dead center in the picture or when you have a group of people. Nikon, Fuji, Sony and others manufacturers are putting this technology in many cameras.
Check your owners manual to see if your digital camera uses this technology and whether it's automatic or you have to enable it manually.
Landscape Mode
Landscape mode should be your choice for all of those breathtaking views you want to shoot. Scenic vistas of the beach, the mountains, a field of flowers or a city skyline are all prime uses for Landscape mode. Your digital camera selects an exposure combination to maximize what's in focus from front to back.
Although it's not absolutely necessary, using a tripod or some other sort of support will help. Walk around a bit to find the best vantage point. Sometimes a small shift to the left or right (or up or down) will make the difference between a snapshot and a photograph.
Sports Mode
Whether it's kids soccer or baseball, or an NFL game, Sports mode is designed to help you stop the action. Your digital camera will set the shutter speed as high as possible for the lighting conditions in order to stop action. Sports mode also puts your camera in Continuous shooting mode (hold the button down and shoot 3-4 pictures in a row) and forces the flash off. If you can, setting the ISO to 400 or 800 will also help. A few cameras do this for you.
You'll want to get as close as you can for great Sports and action pictures. First get physically close, right on the sidelines if possible. Move up and down the field with the action. (Not so easy at hockey games.) Then use your zoom lens to get the shot you want. Take some wide shots to show all the action, along with tight shots of one or two players. This will help tell the story much better.
Be sure to pay attention to what's going on in the game. You may have to jump out of the way of the players!
Beach/Snow Mode
Having been a longtime resident of Florida, and as a current resident of Colorado, I can attest to the real benefit of the Beach/Snow scene mode. Both film and digital camera light meters are calibrated to a medium tone. Overly bright or dark scenes are not recorded properly. Beach/Snow scene mode is for all those bright scenes.
Big open areas of water on a sunny day. Long stretches of white sandy beaches. Snow covered mountains on your next ski vacation. These are all perfect times to use Beach/Snow mode. You are telling the camera that your subject matter is quite bright and it will compensate accordingly. Instead of muddy grey snow it will be recorded bright and white as it should be.
Sunrise/Sunset Mode
While most Scene modes change the aperture or shutter speed used, Sunrise/Sunset mode changes how the colors of the scene are recorded. The goal is to record the beautiful quality of light at these times of day.
Sunrise and sunset are times when the world is bathed in beautiful warm light. You'll hear photographers refer to this as Golden Light or the Golden Hours. By using these settings instead of Auto mode you'll capture that beautiful light and the dramatic colors. Try it for yourself next time you photograph a sunset and you'll see the difference.
The next time you read your manual (You do know where it is, right?) check out all the scene modes your digital camera has. Perhaps there are a few that you would find useful for your style of shooting. Try them out, along with the 5 listed here, to improve the pictures you take.
Copyright © 2007 Karl Peschel
Karl Peschel runs TeachMeToShoot.com, a website for people who want to learn about digital photography techniques. Karl loves to teach people about photography and strives to explain things in plain English instead of techno babble. Check out the website at http://TeachMeToShoot.com and see for yourself. Sign up for the ShootLikeAPro Newsletter and get the free mini-report Top 10 Tips for Better Digital Pictures!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karl_Peschel
http://EzineArticles.com/?Digital-Camera-Scene-Modes---The-5-Modes-Youll-Use-the-Most&id=580982
Lonnie has been a Graphic Designer since 1998. In 2003 he started his own business in graphic/web design. Visit Paragon Grafix to see his work.
At the end of 2006 Lonnie started a Home Based Business that has been growing very rapidly. To get more information on his home based business go to www.lonnieniver.ws
Technology is a beautiful thing. Every year hundreds of new or enhanced products are produced. Digital camera manufacturers come out with new models a couple times a year, each company trying to outdo the other. They've gone crazy with the variety of scene modes that are being added to new cameras.
Digital camera scene modes are a simple way for you to "tell" the camera what type of picture you are taking. The camera will then optimize the settings for that particular shot. Some modes change how colors are recorded, others change whether or not the flash fires. The trend now is to add special effects and things that you'll probably never use.
How often will you use a Starburst effect? Do you take a lot of photos that require a Pastel Color effect? Even the semi-popular Sepia mode is not needed, as far as I'm concerned. One click in your editing software and you've got Sepia.
If you're like most people, you'll only use a few of the scene modes on your camera. Here's details on the 5 modes you're most likely to use.
Portrait Mode
Portrait mode is for taking people pictures. Whether it's a single person or a group of people, you should use the Portrait mode. Your digital camera will select an appropriate shutter speed and aperture combination to capture your subject and blur the background. The idea here is to make the background less distracting.
Newer digital cameras incorporate autofocus technology that actually scans the picture looking for faces. It's usually called Face Priority or Face Detection. It especially helps when your subject is not dead center in the picture or when you have a group of people. Nikon, Fuji, Sony and others manufacturers are putting this technology in many cameras.
Check your owners manual to see if your digital camera uses this technology and whether it's automatic or you have to enable it manually.
Landscape Mode
Landscape mode should be your choice for all of those breathtaking views you want to shoot. Scenic vistas of the beach, the mountains, a field of flowers or a city skyline are all prime uses for Landscape mode. Your digital camera selects an exposure combination to maximize what's in focus from front to back.
Although it's not absolutely necessary, using a tripod or some other sort of support will help. Walk around a bit to find the best vantage point. Sometimes a small shift to the left or right (or up or down) will make the difference between a snapshot and a photograph.
Sports Mode
Whether it's kids soccer or baseball, or an NFL game, Sports mode is designed to help you stop the action. Your digital camera will set the shutter speed as high as possible for the lighting conditions in order to stop action. Sports mode also puts your camera in Continuous shooting mode (hold the button down and shoot 3-4 pictures in a row) and forces the flash off. If you can, setting the ISO to 400 or 800 will also help. A few cameras do this for you.
You'll want to get as close as you can for great Sports and action pictures. First get physically close, right on the sidelines if possible. Move up and down the field with the action. (Not so easy at hockey games.) Then use your zoom lens to get the shot you want. Take some wide shots to show all the action, along with tight shots of one or two players. This will help tell the story much better.
Be sure to pay attention to what's going on in the game. You may have to jump out of the way of the players!
Beach/Snow Mode
Having been a longtime resident of Florida, and as a current resident of Colorado, I can attest to the real benefit of the Beach/Snow scene mode. Both film and digital camera light meters are calibrated to a medium tone. Overly bright or dark scenes are not recorded properly. Beach/Snow scene mode is for all those bright scenes.
Big open areas of water on a sunny day. Long stretches of white sandy beaches. Snow covered mountains on your next ski vacation. These are all perfect times to use Beach/Snow mode. You are telling the camera that your subject matter is quite bright and it will compensate accordingly. Instead of muddy grey snow it will be recorded bright and white as it should be.
Sunrise/Sunset Mode
While most Scene modes change the aperture or shutter speed used, Sunrise/Sunset mode changes how the colors of the scene are recorded. The goal is to record the beautiful quality of light at these times of day.
Sunrise and sunset are times when the world is bathed in beautiful warm light. You'll hear photographers refer to this as Golden Light or the Golden Hours. By using these settings instead of Auto mode you'll capture that beautiful light and the dramatic colors. Try it for yourself next time you photograph a sunset and you'll see the difference.
The next time you read your manual (You do know where it is, right?) check out all the scene modes your digital camera has. Perhaps there are a few that you would find useful for your style of shooting. Try them out, along with the 5 listed here, to improve the pictures you take.
Copyright © 2007 Karl Peschel
Karl Peschel runs TeachMeToShoot.com, a website for people who want to learn about digital photography techniques. Karl loves to teach people about photography and strives to explain things in plain English instead of techno babble. Check out the website at http://TeachMeToShoot.com and see for yourself. Sign up for the ShootLikeAPro Newsletter and get the free mini-report Top 10 Tips for Better Digital Pictures!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karl_Peschel
http://EzineArticles.com/?Digital-Camera-Scene-Modes---The-5-Modes-Youll-Use-the-Most&id=580982
Lonnie has been a Graphic Designer since 1998. In 2003 he started his own business in graphic/web design. Visit Paragon Grafix to see his work.
At the end of 2006 Lonnie started a Home Based Business that has been growing very rapidly. To get more information on his home based business go to www.lonnieniver.ws
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Grainy Photograph Corrections
Image farms are becoming the thing of the future. But in order for you to start uploading photos to an image farm you have to follow their guidelines. Once you have uploaded your photos a professional will review the photograph and decide whether or not your photograph is of good quality. There has been a few times where I have had photos not approved because the images where too grainy. If you are not sure how to identify a grainy photograph then keep reading and I will show you how to identify a grainy photograph.
Open a photograph that has been taken at night or is of low quality in photoshop. If you zoom in on your photograph you will see speckles of colors within the image. If the image looks grainy it will give unwanted results when printed. If you are experiencing this problem then follow my technique below and your photograph should come clear.
Open the grainy photograph in photoshop and if you don't have photoshop don't panic just send me the image and I will help you for free. But, Take the photograph and select the filter tab. Now, select noise. Next, choose despeckle and that is it. You can choose despeckle as many times as needed. There are also times I will place a dust & scratches filter and set it as low as 1 to 6. This is a technique I use on all my photos that come out too grainy. Good luck everyone!
Lonnie has been a Graphic Designer since 1998. In 2003 he started his own business in graphic/web design. Visit Paragon Grafix to see his work.
Open a photograph that has been taken at night or is of low quality in photoshop. If you zoom in on your photograph you will see speckles of colors within the image. If the image looks grainy it will give unwanted results when printed. If you are experiencing this problem then follow my technique below and your photograph should come clear.
Open the grainy photograph in photoshop and if you don't have photoshop don't panic just send me the image and I will help you for free. But, Take the photograph and select the filter tab. Now, select noise. Next, choose despeckle and that is it. You can choose despeckle as many times as needed. There are also times I will place a dust & scratches filter and set it as low as 1 to 6. This is a technique I use on all my photos that come out too grainy. Good luck everyone!
Lonnie has been a Graphic Designer since 1998. In 2003 he started his own business in graphic/web design. Visit Paragon Grafix to see his work.
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