Graphic Design + Green Topics

Have you ever started a project with a graphic designer, then stalled because you’re not sure about the design option(s) you’re evaluating? Here are 10 ways to avoid analysis paralysis:

6. Solicit opinions carefully.
You want to make an informed decision, so it’s likely that you’ll ask other people for their opinions. Small business owners generally ask family members and friends; employees of large businesses consult with their co-workers or conduct focus groups. These are perfectly legitimate ways to collect data, but it’s important to ask the right questions and it’s important to filter the data.

The way you ask for input affects the quality of the feedback you receive. Let’s say you’re in the marketing department of a mid-sized or large company. You send the design options to the sales manager via email without any information about the design development (your homework from item #1). Or perhaps you march into the next-level-up VP’s office with a hangdog look on your face and meekly ask, “Do you think it’s OK?” These methods will start an almost endless loop of indecision and/or refinements. Communicate what led up to the proposed design options and request specific feedback relative to the project’s objectives and parameters.

In focus groups, remove “Opinionated Oliver” who talks so much the other participants don’t have the opportunity to voice their ideas. Ollie might have some perfectly good information, but you can ask him individually instead of allowing him to monopolize the group. Listen to what the participants have to say about what the design options tell them about the product, service, etc. Don’t get caught up in their opinions about specific design choices.

If you go the F&F (family and friends) route, be careful to not get overwhelmed by their “helpful” suggestions of what else you can do. Listen, but filter. They may not realize that you already decided that your website is going to be only three pages with no fancy bells and whistles. Or that your print ad will be 2×3 inches, not a full page. You have your reasons — budget, time, etc. If you did your homework (#1) and need the project (#5), don’t allow their brainstorming to divert you from completing it.

7. Trust your decision-making skills.
You did your homework and solicited feedback. Your co-workers and superiors have all submitted their feedback or approvals in writing or trackable emails. In short you have all the information you need to make a decision. Now you need to trust yourself (or your decision-making group) and move forward with the decision. Yes, it’s scary if it’s your first time spearheading a project of a large magnitude, but if you need to have the project completed (#5), there’s no point in procrastinating.

8. Banish your fear.
Eliminate your fears of doing the wrong thing by understanding what’s important. Don’t worry “What if…” Have a sense for what kinds of design and marketing decisions will have an incrementally positive effect on the outcome. Understand that some errors, omissions, or poor design decisions won’t hurt the bottom line. Allay your fears further by careful proofreading. If it’s a critically important project, use at least two proofreaders — one who is familiar with the project and one who can give it a “cold read”.

9. Put it in perspective.
The only true emergencies are heart attacks and house fires. Sure, your project is important, but it’s not THE most important thing ever. Make a decision, stick to it, and move on to the next thing.

10. Pay ahead of time.
Need some extra motivation? Give your designer an up-front deposit. Membership based health clubs operate this way. They understand motivation wanes over time, so they assess a membership fee. Similarly, graphic designers understand that projects can stall mid-way and request money up front to give the client an “equity interest” and to ensure that they get compensated.

Have you ever started a project with a graphic designer, then stalled because you’re not sure about the design option(s) you’re evaluating? Here are 10 ways to avoid analysis paralysis:

1. Do your homework.
What’s the objective of the project? Maybe you want sell a product. Maybe you’re trying to effect social change with your message of public safety. Know to whom your message is directed. Learn what motivates this audience to perform the desired action. Decide in what media your project will be used; it could affect the design. Give your graphic designer the benefit of your knowledge — tell him or her what you need and you’ll give yourself the advantage of evaluating appropriate designs.

2. Use objective criteria.
It’s said that people will make emotional decisions, then justify them rationally. You’re going to do it anyway, so make sure your rationalizations are solidly grounded. Articulate why a particular design choice works. It’s not good enough to “like it” or “not like it”. Will it be appealing to the target market? Does it communicate effectively? Does it position your product or service correctly vs. your competitors? These questions will be easier to answer if you know ahead of time (and communicate to the designer) the criteria against which the design(s) will be judged.

3. Limit your options.
Imagine you’re handed a menu in a restaurant that serves meat, shellfish, and vegetarian dinners. Now imagine that you have a severe allergy to shellfish. Since you’ve already eliminated a third of the choices on the menu, you’re the first one at the table to make a selection.

Designers will usually limit your choices to no more than five, sometimes even three options. They’re certainly capable of a wider array of options, but too many choices actually inhibit the decision-making process. If your designer offers too many choices, narrow the field immediately to the best 3–5 candidates, and only select from those.

4. Adhere to a deadline.
Recalling the restaurant analogy, have you noticed that the presence of the waiter/waitress at your table is sometimes all it takes for you to (finally!) choose your meal? Have a deadline, even if it is somewhat arbitrary. It’ll help you focus.

5. Need the project.
Just as sticking to a schedule helps urge you into decision mode, needing a project will do likewise. As long as you perceive that you need the project to be completed, you’re more apt to take action to keep it on track.

to be continued…

You’ve heard the green mantra: REduce, REuse, REcycle. Implement all of those actions in the order listed and our landfills will get RElief. I’d always assumed that medical items follow a different set of rules; modern medical practices dictate use once, eliminate the possibility of infection.

There’s an exception to every rule, and it turns out that some kinds of medical items can and should be reused. Those crutches you used for three weeks? Someone else your height can use them. Canes, wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds, etc. are all candidates for recycling. A non-profit company called Home Cares in San Rafael, CA collects and redistributes medical equipment for free to people in need. They accept surplus medical equipment from both individuals and heath-care agencies. Their efforts keep reusable medical equipment out of the landfill while helping people with heath issues.

For more information about Home Cares, read the newspaper article here:
http://www.marinij.com/lifestyles/ci_8292384

To contact Home Cares, call 415.388-8198

Stick a piece of metal in a hot fire, then scorch something you own with the metal. You’ve just “branded” your property. If you want to distinguish your property from your neighbor’s, your brand has to be easily distinguished from others. This concept of branding has been around since the 1500s. In the early 1800s the meaning was expanded to be associated with products.

These days the concept of branding has been further expanded beyond just the visual element that symbolizes a product or company. Examples include customer service phone recordings or the manner in which an airline boards its passengers. For now I’m just looking at the visual aspects of a brand.

Since the idea of branding has been around for so long, it surprises me that some businesses don’t bother to distinguish themselves from their competition. It doesn’t take a multinational corporation’s budget to create a brand; it just takes consistency.

Think of the images you’ve seen in Westerns: big ranches, open space, cattle drives, cattle rustlers, and don’t forget, brands. The brands were seen on the flanks of the cattle, on the archway above the entrance to the big ranch, somewhere on the barn, and probably on the wax seal the ranchers used to close their envelopes. No huge marketing budget. Just consistency.

There’s a carpet store around here that I’ve driven past perhaps hundreds of times. I can’t mention the store name, not because I don’t want to embarrass them, I simply don’t know the store name. There’s a lot writing on the store window…something to do with remnants, I think. There’s usually a van parked out front. The van has a lot of writing on it too. Something to do with carpeting. If I wanted to look up the store in the phone book or online I wouldn’t know what to look for.

I’m not suggesting that the carpet store has to use a distinctive font with its company name (though that would be nice) or has to have an illustrated logo. The store name doesn’t have to be the largest visual element on the van or storefront. But at a minimum it should position the store’s name where one would expect to see it, with enough white space around it to discern what it is, and use the name in the same manner every time it’s used.

Maybe the van and store do have the company name on them, somewhere in the sea of words. I’ll look…again, the next time I drive by.

Links to Related topics:
Naming Your Business:
http://www.rengraphicdesign.com/pages/naming-your-business.html
Considerations in Logo Design:
http://rengraphicdesign.com/blog/2008/03/07/considerations-in-logo-design/

The Lesson of Kitty Litter

BUY IN BULK. I’ve seen that suggestion so many times in lists of how to live a green lifestyle. I just didn’t “get it” until recently. I tried (unsuccessfully) to imagine how buying large packages at the big box stores would reduce packaging waste. The only waste reduction I could think of is fewer lids to throw away. The problem isn’t that the suggestion is faulty; I had to adjust my thinking.

Here’s how the suggestion ought to be phrased:
Buy Products Using Refillable Containers

Now THAT is something I can understand.

Six years ago we adopted a kitten. Our local animal shelter is very protective of its charges, and instructs adoptive families to keep pink-nosed kitties indoors lest they develop skin cancer. So we promised to do so, not fully understanding that our kitten would grow into a cat who had no intention of being housebound. But during her period of incarceration, we tried several brands of kitty litter. We settled on the Petco brand because it works, smell-wise. The stores have big tubs of kitty litter and funnels, so if you bring in your container you can fill it up for a discount. I don’t know the relative “green” merits of different brands of kitty litter, but Petco’s bin makes sense from a reduced packaging waste perspective.

Recently I wanted to get some nuts and discovered that they’re cheapest at the local health food store (go figure!). They’re in bins; just scoop ’em into the provided bags. OR, as the sign suggests, bring in your own containers (which the store will weigh while still empty). They sell nuts, flour, rice, oatmeal, cereal, dried fruits, pancake mix, cookies…all sorts of things that one would ordinarily purchase in a disposable package.

Ah ha! Now I understand the exhortation of “BUY IN BULK”. It just took some kitty litter and nuts to figure it out.

When just about everyone has a point-and-shoot digital camera does it still make sense to hire a photographer? What’s stock photography and when should that be used?

1. Ownership
When someone else takes a photo you can’t legally use it without the photographer’s consent. Options include: get permission to use an existing photo without payment (not likely unless you personally know the photographer), license an existing photo from a photographer or photo agency (this kind of photo is a stock photo), or hire a photographer to take custom photos.

2. Communication
What is it that the photo needs to convey? If the purpose of the photo is for emotional appeal — joy, fear, satisfaction, etc. — stock photography databases are full of good candidates. If you’re working with an intangible concept, common phrase, or cliché, chances are there’s a corresponding stock photo. However, if you need to show something particular: a product, an event or point in time, or specific people and places, schedule a photo shoot.

3. Quality
If quality is important, you’ll want to either hire a professional for custom photography or use a high-quality stock photo. Expectations of quality vary from one industry to another, and vary by how the photo will be used. High quality images are most important when used large on-screen or reproduced at any size in print.

4. Quantity
Stock photography is licensed either royalty-free or rights managed. Royalty-free photography means you can use a photo many times, in multiple ways, for a small, set fee. The catch is there is a limit to the number of times you can reproduce the image. If the limit is 500,000 impressions and you plan to sell hundreds of thousands of products and run a national print ad, royalty-free photos aren’t an option.

Rights-managed photos are licensed with more stipulations than royalty-free: you need to specify the size(s) at which the photo will be used, how many times it’ll be used, and in what media (print ad, package, online, emarketing, etc.). The price is calculated based on the estimated use of the photo. If the photo is used more than estimated, you pay an incremental fee. Keeping track of the photo’s use over the lifespan of a campaign or product can be onerous. You can negotiate a price for unlimited use and compare that with what a photographer would charge for the same usage rights.

5. Use
Stock photos, both royalty-free and rights-managed, can be used for commercial purposes, but there are limitations. For example, you can’t use a stock photo on a product you intend to sell, such as a t-shirt or calendar. Read the license agreement; if you plan to use the photo in a manner not permitted, hire a photographer.

6. Exclusivity
Stock photos can be licensed repeatedly and used in many contexts. The same smiling child’s photo could just as easily be used to sell cookies as life insurance. If you don’t want to see your “hero shot” used anywhere other than your project, either hire a professional photographer to take a custom photo or get exclusive licensing rights to a never-been-used stock photo. In either case, you’ll likely pay a premium for exclusive usage rights.

The Prius has been on the market in the United States for about 8 years now. It wasn’t until this year that I saw someone smoking while driving a Prius — not just one person — but three different people!

WHAT?? Isn’t that kinda like ripping the seatbelts out of a Volvo? After all, isn’t the point of owning a Prius, a PZEV (partial zero emissions vehicle), to reduce air pollution as well as gas consumption?

On reflection, I realize that we’re all doing what we can in our own way to help the environment. Though these people create polluting cigarette smoke, perhaps they more than offset it by driving a vehicle with low tailpipe emissions. It’s probably most realistic to expect people to gradually adopt “green” habits. A hybrid vehicle on the way to a green lifestyle is a perfect metaphor — it’s about the journey.

Businesses often overlook the importance of good, well-written copy in a website. We’re conditioned to believe that a picture says a thousand words, so why bother with all that text. Who reads anyway? People read. Search engines read. Either reason alone is compelling enough. In combination, it’s clear text is crucial.

Sure, your customers might be able to see at a glance by looking at photos how talented you are, or what your inventory is, but that doesn’t give them a complete story. If you provide a service, how do you do it, and how well do you do it? What’s it like to work with you? If you’re a retailer, what is the customer’s shopping experience at your store, and how does that differ from your competitors?

Consider these excerpts from websites of two companies with “hardware” in their names:

Ace Hardware: Whether you’re cleaning out the garage, planting rows of vegetables, preening your yard or having parties on your deck or patio, it’s nice to be outside again… And while acehardware.com is a great place to shop, it’s no substitute for the helpful, expert advice you’ll get from our knowledgeable store associates at your local Ace Hardware store.

Restoration Hardware: At Restoration Hardware, you’ll explore an exceptionally well merchandised world of high quality textiles, furniture, lighting, bathware, hardware and amusements. These are products of lasting value, classic design and imbued all with a brand that speaks to superb taste and a free spirited individuality.

Both companies have traditional bricks-and-mortars retail stores and offer online shopping. There is even some overlap in the products these stores carry (drawer pulls, for example) but they have distinctly different “personalities” that’s evident by the combination of graphics and text on their sites.

How do search engines analyze websites and determine how which sites to display in response to a particular keyword query? There are many factors that contribute to search engine algorithms, but one of the most important factors is copy — good copy. Humans have the ability to synthesize both images and text, but search engines aren’t impressed by images.

All other factors being equal, a site with good copy will be correlated to a keyword search over another site without such copy. So what’s good copy? Copy that’s informative and easy to read by humans also happens to work best for search engines. Focus on your human audience and the search engines will follow.

Links to related topics:

What to Include in a Website: http://rengraphicdesign.com/blog/2008/03/11/what-to-include-in-a-website/

Choosing a Domain Name: http://www.rengraphicdesign.com/pages/choosing-domain-name.html

Our grapevines produce amazingly delicious sweet table grapes. The thing is I can only eat so many grapes in a day, especially when other fruits are simultaneously at their peak of productivity. So we tried a few “alternative” ways to consume them.

We tried grape juice first, but it looked icky and nobody drank it. Then we tried jam, which was delicious, but it used up only a few of the grapes. This year, I tried raisins and from now on, that’s what I’ll do with the extra grapes.

It’s really easy to make homemade raisins and as my son said, “They taste like they’re supposed to.” High praise from a teen! Commercial grape growers put grapes on insecticide-permeated white paper between rows of vines and let the sun do its thing. I decided to “green-ify” their method. I put the grapes on white freezer paper and covered them with cheesecloth to keep the insects away. Both the freezer paper and cheesecloth are reusable. My only challenge was finding a suitable place for drying.

It turns out the roof is the ideal spot for grape drying — lots of sun, and away from foraging animals. Our dog loves both grapes and raisins, but they’re not good for him. The chickens adore grapes, but we don’t want to give them an unlimited supply. Sorry, animals, we like ’em too!

You could pay your bills on time and always say please and thank you, but as wonderful as those behaviors are in a client that’s not where I’m going with this. What you really need to do to be a good client is be selfish. That’s right, it’s all about you. Ask for what you want. Have high expectations. Oh, but there’s a catch, isn’t there always? In order to be selfish, you have to also be giving.

1. Give some thought to the project before you start
Before you even contact your designer, spend time planning the project. You’ll save time in the long run if you know — and can articulate — in advance why you’re doing the project, who the target market is, what your unique selling proposition is, when you need to have the project completed, etc. If you’re not sure what information your designer needs, ask.

2. Give the project your attention
Be organized. If you need to provide graphics and/or copy to your designer, do so. Consolidate your communications; summarize what you need into a single list to reduce the all-too-likely possibility of the designer overlooking something important.

3. Give your designer the time of day
Your designer puts time and effort into every phase — do likewise. Respond yes or no to estimates. Review projects and give well thought out feedback in a timely fashion. Your designer will sustain enthusiasm for your project better when you maintain the momentum.

4. Give one decision
Make a decision and stick with it, unless there are truly compelling reasons not to. If your boss or someone else in your organization has to approve the project, get feedback early enough in the process that your designer can make changes without jeopardizing the deadline, the budget, or the designer’s non-work relationships. Understand the criteria against which the project should be judged (see #1) and use that as your decision-making guidepost.

5. Give useful feedback
Give your designer reasons along with your feedback, such as: “We just landed co-sponsorships and need room for additional logos.” This is preferable to: “Move these graphics to the left 1.3 inches.” If your designer knows the purpose of your instructions s/he can make better design decisions. In some cases the designer’s decisions may not be what you anticipated, and that’s a good thing. Now you have more than one option.

6. Give the project a thorough review
Make sure the finer details are reviewed. Check spelling and grammar. Triple check prices, quantities, sizes, and item numbers. Ensure all mandatory elements — copyright notices, UPC codes, legal disclaimers, partner logos, etc. — are in place. Recruit as many proofreaders and you need to ensure accuracy.

Give, and you’ll get. Your designer will thank you, and you’ll thank yourself.

Links to Related Topics
The Design Process: http://www.rengraphicdesign.com/pages/design-process.html
Pros and Cons of Do-it-Yourself Design: http://rengraphicdesign.com/blog/2008/02/21/do-it-yourself-design/
How to Avoid Graphic Design Analysis Paralysis: http://rengraphicdesign.com/blog/2008/09/23/analysis-paralysis1/