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READ THE LATEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK
How To Create a Brochure in Photoshop
Designing a brochure is not the easiest task that you may undertake, but it is possible if you follow some design guidelines. Although InDesign is a better program for creating multi-page brochures and booklets, a simple folded brochure can be designed in Photoshop if you are more comfortable with this program. The following tutorial will take you through the necessary steps for setting up a trifold brochure design in Photoshop and preparing it for your brochure printing company. (read more)
How To Create a Basic Poster in Photoshop
If you would like to try your hand at designing a poster in Photoshop, this tutorial will help you learn how to do just this while following the right guidelines. All poster printers require designers to follow certain guidelines to prepare a design for print, so make sure you set yours up correctly to avoid costly setbacks. The steps below will help you create a poster that is print ready, but do be sure to contact your printer if you have any questions regarding their requirements. (read more)
How To Add Stone Texture to an Image in Photoshop
Using a stone texture for the background of a business card or to enhance text on a brochure printing design is actually very simple with Photoshop. The best part about creating your own texture is you get to create a completely unique look tailored to your overall design. Below are 9 steps (or less, depending on your goals) to quickly make a stone texture, and a few extra steps on how to add it to a photo. (read more)
More Inspiring Brochure and Catalog Examples Part 2
Craving for more creativity when it comes to brochures and catalogs? You have come to the right place. Here in our second installment we offer more designs and more creativity to inspire you in your design projects. Sit back relax and enjoy this even longer list of brochure printing and catalog printing eye-candy. (read more)
Inspiring Brochure and Catalog Examples Part I
These eye-catching designs illustrate how creativity and ingenuity is now a vital part of any business' marketing strategy. Hand in hand with top of the line brochure printing and catalog printing quality, these designs are brought into completion reflecting an idea that everybody can certainly learn a lesson from. We hope you enjoy our first installment of brochure and catalog designs gathered from all over the worldwide web. (read more)
Photoshop Your Postcard Design
In this tutorial, you will learn how to correctly create a postcard using Photoshop. Once you get to the design step in this tutorial, you can create your own or look up some nice graphic effects and other postcard tutorials online to get a unique look that matches your message and brand. (read more)
Make a Butterfly with Overlapping Wings in Illustrator
Butterfly illustrations can be used to create wallpapers, logo designs, or even to incorporate nature into a brochure printing design. The following tutorial will show you how to create a unique butterfly with overlapping wings. (read more)
Design a 3D Butterfly Using Illustrator
A 3D illustration can really add a lot of depth to a design. Liven up your poster printing projects or website designs with a butterfly that jumps off the page using this 3D butterfly tutorial. Creating your butterfly in Illustrator is not only easy but also will give you a vector design that you can resize without losing any quality. Simply follow the 14 steps below and you'll have a beautiful butterfly that will look good on any design! (read more)
How To Add Streaks of Light
A stunning photo combined with light streaks can make for a very appealing ad for poster printing, brochures, and more. And the good news is that anyone can add streaks of light to images with Photoshop. The steps are fairly simple and do not require much time. (read more)
Glowing Trees Tutorial
Composition in Photoshop can be a challenge when you need to create images that look like objects in nature. Trees are a great example. Most of us have to reach for a brush or do a lot of work on an existing image to get what we’re looking for. The problem with a brush or pre-existing image is that you’re stuck with what’ve got and can’t typically get the exact look or shape you want for your flyer or brochure printing project. (read more)
Lighting Effect Tutorial
We’ve all had to add lighting effects to a photo, whether it’s creating a new light source or tweaking shadows. With lots of options, sometimes we just need a stylized, off-the-chart effect that grabs attention for a brochure printing or poster printing ad. This tutorial walks you through how to add a classy lighting effect that’s sure to make your work jump off the screen or page. (read more)
Tips for Merging Print and Online Marketing
Online marketing is quickly reducing the use of printed marketing. Danny Outlaw from Outlaw Design Blog holds the opinion that print will indeed have a place in the future. In fact ,he says “it will actually become more of a novelty and thus attract more attention when used.” (read more)
Brilliant Typographic Poster Designs
Typography was often overlooked as a major component of design by designers years ago and was considered only secondary to images or illustrations. In this decade, however, typography is slowly getting the spotlight it deserves. Even sometimes replacing images and illustrations altogether, typography can now be seen as the only element present in a print poster, brochure printing piece or web design. In our hopes to get you inspired to design your own typographic poster, presented below are over 20 fabulous examples of typographic poster design. (read more)
Photoshop CS4 Layers Tutorial for Beginners
The Layers feature in Adobe Photoshop CS4 is very addictive once learned. It will make files a bit larger, but it also allows for more freedom in editing different sections of your graphics. Layers also makes it much easier to revert to an earlier stage of editing if you do not like the changes you've made. Even if you have some experience with Layers, this tutorial covers the basic aspects of this handy tool, so you will probably find some tips and tricks to help improve your work flow. Let's get started! (read more)
How to Design a 3D Logo in Illustrator
Designing an eye-catching and memorable logo is as easy as choosing a font and adding a 3D effect. Illustrator is one of the best design programs for creating logos, since the final result will be in vector format, meaning the logo can be re-sized to fit any media from business cards to posters. The following tutorial has been done in Illustrator CS4, but you should be able to easily follow along in any CS version. (read more)
Creating a Logo Reflection Design
Adding a reflection to your logo design is a great way to display it on the web, in a brochure printing piece, or even on business cards. Illustrator makes it easy to create a professional and realistic reflection in vector format so that it can be re-sized to fit any promotional need. The following steps are done in Illustrator CS4, but can easily be translated to any other CS version. (read more)
Create a Vector Object in Illustrator Using Layers and the Pen Tool
An easy way to draw objects in Illustrator is to use an image, layers, and the pen tool. This way, you can create original illustrations for logos, brochure printing, web pages, or whatever project you are creating. (read more)
Creating a Grunge, Wooden Typography Effect in Photoshop CS4
Turning boring text into a point of interest can be easily done in Photoshop CS4 and can really add a lot to any poster, web page, or brochure printing design. In this tutorial, I will show you how to add wood texture with a grunge look to your text in 6 easy steps. (read more)
Awesome Logo Creations
Here is a collection of clever and effective logo designs from several sites showcasing logos online. (read more)
13 Creative Folded Brochure Designs (Part 2)
Check out our second installment of awesome brochure design ideas from the incredible talents of graphic designers online. (read more)
10 Creative Folded Brochure Designs
Brochures have so much room for you to flex your creativity such that not only do they tickle your left brain on what artwork and typography to work with, but they also allow you to make the most out of the folded nature of brochure printing. Most designers just go at it panel by panel but some actually leverage on this printed piece's shape giving it a different character when folded and a different one when unfolded. (read more)
Direct Mail Pitfalls and Benefits
You might be wondering if direct mail marketing is the way to go in the electronic age. Do people actually read any ad mail these days? Is it worth the cost? Should you just focus on internet advertising? While direct mail does have some drawbacks, there are reasons big companies continue to send out marketing mail. (read more)
What to Look for in a Logo Designer
Logo design is vital to the success of your business. Your logo appears on all of your ads, brochures, booklets, and business card printing. It is the foundation of your brand. Your logo will identify you as a quality business, or otherwise. Although it seems difficult, choosing a logo designer can be simple if you know what to look for. Here are some basic things to consider when searching for a logo designer. (read more)
Agency or Freelance Designer: Which is Right for Your Project?
When you are in the market for a designer, then this question will most likely come up: do you go with an agency or freelancer? The only way to answer this question is to evaluate your needs for each individual job. Let's take a look at the types of jobs that are right for agencies and those that are right for freelancers, using business card printing as an example. (read more)
Top 10 Graphic Design Sites For Creative Inspiration
As a graphic designer, you can never have enough design ideas. You are always wondering how to make the next poster, website, or brochure printing design stand out. Thankfully, the Internet is full of inspiration. Here are some awesome websites that can really get the creative motor going. (read more)
Typography Guidelines: Online vs. In Print
Typography is extremely important in marketing media, whether it is for a website or for brochure printing. The proper use of typography can help readers to understand and enjoy what they are reading. If readers do not get the message, then your creative efforts are wasted. Keep in mind, though, that the rules for typography contain a few differences from web to print design. If you will be switching between web design and print design, there are some differences in typography you should be aware of. (read more)
39 Free & Useful Web 2.0 Fonts
Finding the right web 2.0 font to use for your digital designs and poster or brochure printing can be a bit of a chore, especially if you are trying to get a precise look. It also can be hard to look through the thousands of websites that offer free web 2.0 fonts with the different styles that you might or might not like in your digital or color brochure designs. So, luckily for you, we are going to give you 40 of the most useful and free web 2.0 fonts that most of our designers love. If you are like most designers, you should also love this list as well. There should be something here that you will like. (read more)
How To Create Amazing Logos
Logos are the biggest little thing you will create as a designer. With one or two words or even just an icon, you have to design something that can represent a company's image. A great logo has to be eye-catching, easy-to-read, and compatible wih everything from business card printing design to printing brochures. The best way to get better at something is to practice and educate yourself. With this in mind, here are some tips for building your logo creating skills.(read more)
Top 10 Sources For Inspiring Photoshop Brushes
Keeping your designs fresh can sometimes be a challenge, especially when your clients want their designs for poster or brochure printing to look like the next guy's. Using unique Photoshop brushes is one of the many ways to keep your projects alive and add a unique touch to that knock-off poster your client so strongly insists upon. Don't waste your time searching for that perfect site for Photoshop brushes, though. Here we've compiled a list of 10 of the best sources for Photoshop brushes, and the best news is that most of them are free (read more)
What Print Copywriters Can Learn from the Web
So much of today's reading is done online that the way people read has begun to change. This does not mean that people are not reading printed materials, but only that they read print in a different way. Print copywriters would do well to adjust their styles of writing to accommodate the recent changes. Let's take a look at how web chat, blogs, and articles have affected the way people read so your next booklet, poster or even postcard printing piece actually gets read. (read more)
Checklist for Print Marketing Materials
The effectiveness of your print marketing materials lies heavily on their design and layout. The following checklist contains a few of the important items that you won't want to forget when you are creating print materials. (read more)
How to Draw Flowers in Illustrator
Drawing graphics in Illustrator can be a lot of fun, if you know which tools to use and how to correctly operate them. If flowers are what you need for your design, you can choose from a few looks and techniques. Try each one out and choose the one that provides the unique flower look you need for posters, web pages, brochure printing, and more. (read more)
Do Not Fall into These Logo Design Traps
Logos can be tricky to create because they must represent a company and look good on everything from business card printing to billboards. To create logos that will look good for a long time, avoid the following design traps. (read more)
28 Amazing Grunge Fonts
If you would like to add a grunge look to your designs, then this list is perfect for you. Grunge fonts complement a hip background creating an altogether impressive design that's targeted to young audiences. Perfect for use on brochure printing, poster printing as well as web design, here is a list of 28 dynamic grunge fonts. (read more)
The Complete Brochure Design List for Beginners
Brochures can be great persuasive instruments, especially since they have adequate space to convince the reader of what you are selling. As someone new to brochure printing, do not make the mistake of creating a brochure that is purely informational. Here are some steps to help guide you through the process of creating a great brochure. (read more)
Bring The Focus On Your Company Image with Business Cards
One thing that small and large businesses have in common is the necessity of having a business card. While the obvious reason for business card printing is to have your contact information ready to give, do not let the simplicity of business cards make you lazy. This is the most valuable tool you have to show off your company image, since your business card will be in the hand, or files, of every business associate you meet.(read more)
What NOT To Do in Business Card Printing
Using business card printing to present a good image of your business sounds simple, right? It can be, but only if you are careful not to do the following: (read more)
15 Impressive Grunge Backgrounds For Free Use
Do you have a taste for grungy designs? While it is easy to actually do your own backgrounds, sometimes it is great to use professionally made grunge backgrounds to add that impressive quality to your design. Luckily for you, there are a lot of free professionally made grunge backgrounds that you can use on the Internet. Here's a couple you can use for brochure printing, poster printing or postcard printing. You should be able to develop great grunge designs in many levels with these backgrounds. Enjoy! (read more)
Using Synchronized Text in QuarkXPress
Synchronized text in QuarkXPress works hand in hand with the multiple layouts function built into newer versions of the software, beginning with QuarkXPress 6. Multiple layouts allows you to save all related projects along with links and various files in one place. The disadvantage of this is that if the file gets corrupted, it could mess up lots of work. But this can be avoided by saving it in more than one place. If you have regular clients who ask you to design all their marketing materials from business cards to catalogs to brochure printing designs, then it is handy to be able to pull up all their material for reference. (read more)
Studying Symmetry in Nature for Better Designs
When we observe nature closely, we can begin to see the magnificent order of it. Each piece of nature holds a type of symmetry. Even when we do not focus our attention on symmetry, we depend on it. In fact, we notice the odd, off-balanced aspects of nature because they don't fit with our well-trained minds. Being aware of symmetry in design can help you to accomplish depth and fluidity that we could not otherwise reach. (read more)
18 Excellent Collections of Free Photoshop Brushes
As many designers should know, brushes are an integral part of adding details, textures and minor embellishments that complete an otherwise bare and simple design for website designs, postcards, posters or brochure printing. If you are a budding designer, you should know that there are more brushes out there than the standard built-in Photoshop brushes and a lot of them can be acquired for free. (read more)
Some Handy Hints for Custom-sized Brochure
For effective brochure printing, you may need to use a brochure size that is not standard. Luckily, there are some printers out there that will work with you and your custom needs. Most brochures are 8.5" x 11" or 17" folded in thirds or fourths, but the reality is that there are a variety of sizes and folds that work well for different types of brochures. (read more)
Helpful Tricks for Writing a Business Card Tagline
Want to know how to increase the survival of your business card? It's as easy as including a tagline on your business card to help recipients remember what your business does and why they kept the card. And a really good tagline will help convince people to do business with you. Here are some tips for writing a successful tagline for business card printing. (read more)
Choosing Appropriate Fonts for Brochure Body Copy
Choosing the right font for brochure printing can make a big difference in success. The temptation is to choose a strange and unusual font to add interest to your brochure. However, many fonts styles are not appropriate for body copy. Since body copy contains the bulk of the words in your brochure, it must be easy to read. Here are a few guidelines to consider when you are choosing the body type for your brochure printing project. (read more)
Stickers and Street Teams
Many artists and musicians fail to use one of the most powerful advertising methods available: street teams. Additionally, sticker printing is one of the most potent and price effective methods of marketing. Believe it or not, you can combine these two advertising and marketing systems to be an incredibly powerful tool for you. (read more)
Stickers and Marketing Ideas
The key to successful marketing is exposure and re-exposure of your brand to consumers. Sticker printing is a clever method of putting your brand in front of the customer. Stickers can be funny, used as labels, only have your contact info, or simply display your logo. But you have to be careful with stickers, too. There is only so much room for information, so take these ideas and run with them for your next sticker printing campaign. (read more)
Tricks for Making Booklet Images Look Outstanding
The world of digital photography has made editing your own images much more common. You don't just have to settle for the first picture you take for booklet printing. Photoshop and other image enhancing software have now made it easy and fun to alter your photographs. And while you could spend hours learning about photo enhancement, I have narrowed it down to a few well-tested tricks for editing and preparing images for booklet printing. (read more)
Ideas for Marketing Your Business with Booklets
Booklets have a staying power that other promotional materials do not. The solid appearance and fancy images make booklets hard to throw away. For this reason, booklet printing should be considered for your more permanent marketing message. Here are a few ideas for using booklets to market your business. (read more)
Postcard Printing like a Professional
Postcards are a versatile and effective marketing tool. Use them to announce a big sale, invite people to an open house, or offer discounts. The key to great postcard marketing is to grab attention and tell people what is in it for them to take action. Here are some tips for creating postcards like a pro. (read more)
Tips for Designing a Personal Business Card
Personal business cards are a very convenient way to give out your contact information. In addition to letting others know a little bit about your style, you will be easy to contact if your information is all on an easy-to-read 2"x3.5" card. Here a some tips for designing your own personal business card with flair. (read more)
Brand Reinforcement through Brochures
One trick to successful marketing is repetition. If consumers see your brand featured in magazines, newspapers, brochures, on billboards, and business cards they will start to trust your brand as an established entity that is successful for a reason. You will no longer be a company no one has heard of. The other part of marketing effectively is to emphasize what you can do for your customers.(read more)
Business Card Design Tips for the Consultant
Before you begin designing a business card for a consultant client, knowing what field of consulting they are in will better help you create a look that works for them. Consulting is a field of business in which professionals work with other professionals to solve problems. For instance, if you were starting a restaurant with no knowledge of interior design, you would hire a design consultant. If you are an engineering office in need of advice about 3-D programs, then you would hire a consultant proficient in that area. Business card printing for consultants should reflect their hard work and professionalism, so here are some great tips for creating an effective business card for consultants. (read more)
Advertising Your Sports Events with Posters
Poster advertising campaigns are a major expense for businesses. Unfortunately, many businesses use bad ad campaign practices resulting in wasted advertising budgets with no discernible increase in business. The only way to avoid wasting the money you spend on a poster printing campaign or a radio ad campaign is to be aware of good and bad ad campaign practices. Here are a few tips for planning a successful ad campaign. (read more)
Typography and Brochures: Choosing the Right Fonts
When brochure printing, you have to be careful which font you select. A typeface that works well on a huge billboard will not necessarily work for your brochure. Brochures have a medium amount of print, more than a print ad and less than a book, so legibility is important, but so are aesthetics. Make sure that the fonts you use are easy to read, but also select a font that looks attractive and fits the personality of your brochure. Here are some tips on how to do just that. (read more)
Improving Your Printing Projects
There are simple, inexpensive ways to improve any printing project, whether it's brochure printing, postcard printing, or newsletter printing. Using any of these tricks or a combination of them will help increase the appeal of your document and attract attention from your target audience. (read more)
Choosing a More Legible Font for Your Poster
Readability, which is how designers measure how easily blocks of text and words are read, is often discussed within graphic design articles, but legibility is a little less discussed. While the readability of your poster is important, legibility is just as necessary for text that can be understood quickly. Here are some of the aspects you need to take into consideration when choosing a legible typeface for poster printing. (read more)
Better Photography for Your Postcards
Even in this day of electronic mail, messaging, and texting, postcard printing is still a popular item for both advertising and keepsake purposes. No matter the purpose for your postcards, a photograph makes for an eye-catching background. Plus, with the use of a high resolution digital camera, you can easily take your own captivating photos for postcard printing. Just make sure to follow some handy tips to ensure the best results. (read more)
Writing a Marketing Booklet
Booklet printing layouts can hold a decent amount of information so are perfect when you need more space than a sales letter or postcard can hold. Use them for telling all about a product or service or to simply provide a high resolution image collection of your most desired products. Include booklets with a purchase to enhance the buyer’s experience with the product, or include booklets in a direct mail packet to entice people to buy. No matter their purpose or distribution, here are some ideas for what to include when writing an effective marketing booklet. (read more)
Typography and Contrast: Making Your Brochures Readable
Skilled typographers use type to guide the reader, creating a flow from section to section of a work of print. Using type, you create a design that can either help or hinder reading. The following information will help you to use type in a way that increases readability and helps readers to notice and remember the information you want them to. (read more)
Postcard Marketing Strategies
Postcards are an underused marketing tool that deserve more play time. Postcard printing is inexpensive, and postcards get more attention than other direct mail pieces. Without an envelope, postcards have a chance to instantly communicate your message, which means they are more likely to be read than other forms of direct mail. With these great benefits in mind, here are some ideas for maximizing postcard potential. (read more)
4 Graphic Design Secrets to Business Cards
Business cards can either make an amazing first impression on new contacts or they can turn people off. When designing cards for business card printing, here are some important guidelines to follow to ensure that your cards look professional. (read more)
How to Print a Cheap Booklet without Looking Cheap
Booklet printing can become costly if you are not aware of a few time and money saving techniques. But you also want to keep your booklet looking professional. The good news is that booklet printing does not have to take up your entire marketing budget to be high quality. Designing your booklet with tried and true methods will help to ensure that your booklet printing is attractive and effective. Here are some ways to do just this and save yourself a good deal of money. (read more)
Effective Headline Writing for Postcards
Most of the space on promotional postcards will be taken up with your headline. And as with any headline, a postcard headline should entice its reader to find out more or to act on your offer. You will need your very best headline writing for postcard printing because your reader will have to work a little harder to gather more information.
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Advertising Your Sports Events with Posters
Posters play several roles in advertising your sports event. You can excite people with large bold posters before the game and bolster player awareness with posters at the event. Posters can also notify people of concessions at the time of the game. No matter the purpose, your poster printing will be effective if you keep a few key design pointers in mind. (read more)
Better Type Layout for Your Booklet
When designing the type layout for booklet printing or catalog printing, you must consider both the overall look and readability. Booklets contain a fair amount of text, which can be a cause for worry if the type layout is poorly planned. Make reading easy on people by choosing appropriate fonts and laying out the type in a way that aids the reader’s eye. (read more)
Guide to Better Ad Copy From Typeface to Content
Advertising copy is more important than the overall design, the colors, or the pictures. Copy is what sells. Good copy takes the reader from interested, to desire, to action. To write good copy you have to speak to your audience in a way that is easy to read and communicates directly to the reader. (read more)
Steps to a Better Direct Mail Campaign
A direct mail campaign can result in new clients if you are deliberate with your mailing services. Most mailings result in a 1% response, but you can kick it up by a couple of percents if you mail to a target audience and write a bold message. Here are some easy steps you can follow for a better direct mail campaign. (read more)
Tips for a Better Outdoor Ad Campaign in 2010
Since advertisers must be wise about their ad dollars, more purposeful ads will come out of economic slump. Here are a few suggestions for printing posters and ads that are more purposeful to help keep your company at the forefront of the competition this year. (read more)
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