Color Psychology – Forbidden Combos
Wednesday, 11 January 2023
I have personally come across lots and lots of advertising & marketing materials that has made use of wrong or shall I say “the forbidden combos”. As a powerful form of communication, colour is irreplaceable. The colours used for a product, web site, business card, or logo cause powerful reactions. I really cannot emphasize enough that Colour Matters!
As a graphic designer, we learn the science ad psychology behind the color combinations that we use to design your materials. Some of the colours may look good to your eyes or on screen but will not be possible to output on print media or vice versa. Colours are visual stimulus and they make a lasting impression on your consumers. Sometimes, its not about your “lucky” colour but more of what is going to actually work your company/product.
In order to avoid the colour effecting your decision, I usually design logo using only black & white combination. It has helped my clients to choose logo based on the actual design without the disturbance of the colour pallettes.
Have you come across any advertising that made you eyes go “ouch”?
Do get in touch with me for further discussion on your marketing material.
#colourpsychology #colorpsychology #colourmatters #creativerks #coloursingraphicdesigning #graphicdesignermalaysia #graphicdesign #logo #brandingdesign #logodesigns #brandingdesign
- Published in Branding
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Why Is Freelance Graphic Design So Expensive?
Tuesday, 27 December 2022
I am breaking down exactly what goes into a good design process & why that expense is something absolutely worthwhile when it comes to the success of your business.
As my past experience I have seen clients telling me that your charges are too high, and some guy/company is giving me the same service for half to half of your design rates, when I send them a design quotation. Some clients and people believe graphic design is just “Slapping text and image together” in order to make any print material or online graphics like flyer, poster, banner or even websites.
People think it’s just to set in front of the screen, open Adobe Photoshop/Adobe Illustrator and drag an image put some text and magic happen and work is done, so also believe that graphic design is not a real job! As a designer, I will say that it’s not just sitting in front of the screen but its blend of research, hard work, and creativity with lots of time spent. Freelancer designers are usually a one-man show, who look for new clients and act not only as a creative as own secretary, salesperson, research assistant, accountant and customer service representative. And that’s what I do, and it’s included my charges.
The price of each designer charge per hour also varies according to their skill level, education and professional experience. A freelance graphic designer will, therefore, estimate how many hours your project will take them to complete, including usually a few revisions and consultations, and will multiply it by their hourly rate.
Time Is Money
Good design takes time, always.
Here is a designer secret, we cannot design something, without spending hours, days, months designing things that don’t work. There is no magic wand for us designers to know what will or won’t work to solve a problem. Instead we’re masters of something called iteration.
We are constantly making changes, and little by little, and big bit by big bit, making adjustments to get something right. It’s not a mechanical, straight forward process. Instead it’s an exploration of ideas, constantly evolving, and stepping back and seeing where we’re at. There is no way around that, it just takes time. There’s no shortcut to good design.
Cost
As a service based business, my prices have to take into account how much money I need to live off of each month. Income Tax , Business Fees , Rents, Bills, Retirement Savings…Etc. Basically, I have the almost the same types monthly expenses as most of you out there.
Business Fees – This sounds a bit fancier than it is, but basically there are expenses I have each month that allow me to do my job. A big one is my Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, which gives me access to all of my design software. I’ve also got website hosting, my email account, any hardware that breaks or needs fixing like my computer, and other physical materials I use in my process like pens, paper, ect. When you work in an office printer paper just exists there, when you run your own business, you come to realise how much those little costs add up.
Rent & Bills – The largest sum from each fee needs to go go to pay my rent and bills, so I can live! That’s pretty self explanatory, I need to eat, I need to travel & I need meet clients.
Knowledge & Skill
There is no escaping it, you are surrounded by design everyday. From physical design like bus stops to the flyer you get handed when you walk into an event, design is everywhere. On the surface, design looks like taking information and making it looks pretty. But at the heart of design is problem solving. The first question I ask a client who comes to me is ‘what do you hope to get out of this?’ ‘What problem will this solve for you?’ This question sometimes trips people up, but it’s so important.
Whether a designer is self taught or went to design school, we spend our time studying the art of communication, and we’re constantly keeping up with the changes in our field.
Just as you are an expert at what you do, so are we. This has to affect price. A first year designer is going to charge a different amount to a 10 year designer, because the value they are bringing to you through their knowledge and skill is immensely more. Because with each project, a designer grows their skillset, hones their craft and then they bring that to the next project.
Not to mention, to continue growing we’re paying for conference fees, workshop fees, class fees, ect. We’ve got to keep growing our skills, so we can keep serving people better.
Creativity & Imagination
An good design packs a powerful punch of creativity that has been perfected and refined through a continuous improvement process. I think about all the ways that you would benefit with this design, how to keep it consistent with you branding, future designs etc. There is lots of trials & error before you even receive the 1st draft. For those clients that has worked with me, they know that sometimes before they reply to the 1st draft, they get another email from me about 1st Draft Version 1.1.. The brain never stops.
Research
Design works because it’s got reasons. Otherwise it’d be art. Nothing wrong with art for art’s sake, but adding a little reason and strategy to the mix is why people pay for the work I do. Every font, pixel, size, and color are all based on things like the golden ratio, grid systems, color theory, layout principles, and even marketing strategies. Those don’t come in a single font or template you buy.
Value
When someone invests in a logo, they are investing in a symbol that is going to be used to identify and promote their business across all mediums, for years to come. That is huge, that one logo is going to go EVERYWHERE. It’s going to be a beacon, calling people in, helping them to recognise your business. That is a highly valuable thing to invest in.
**Disclaimer: Instead of writing my own articles, I would be sourcing out articles or explanations from worldwide experts that best explains the particular concept.
(Some Parts of the Article are taken from https://www.laikinstudio.com/…/why-is-graphic-design-so…)
#creativerks #whypaymore #graphicdesignermalaysia #graphicdesigner #whyinvestinaGraphicDesigner #brandingdesign #marketingstrategy #printmedia #digitalmediamarketing
- Published in Design
Why do you need a LOGO?
Saturday, 05 November 2022
1. Logo help you create brand loyalty
Whether you have a new business or an established one, brand loyalty is always a concern. Brand loyalty is associated with many elements; however, the logo is an essential factor which can impact your brand identity. Whenever a user visits your website, then the first thing that would be visible is your logo. If you succeed to impress the customer at the first attempt, then your half job is done to make them regular customers.
It’s the best tool to win the trust of people that assist in making a high profit in your business. It’s a human propensity that once they have a positive connection with any company, then they will surely in future buy more products from there. Note that a custom logo alone can’t establish your brand. There are many other factors that play a role in establishing brand loyalty:
- The commitment of quality work
- Customer service
- Fulfil every expectation
- Community outreach
2. Logo helps you stand out from others
In this competitive world, you need to be unique from others in order to attract customers. And a nicely-designed logo can help you to beat the competitors with ease in that regard.
A logo crafted from the professional designer of a logo design company can give your company a unique identity as they can combine the shapes, fonts, colours in a manner that is unique to your business. For example, if a company has a logo design which is unique and creative then surely they will be highlighted in the market and get special attention from the people, and that is what the ultimate goal of the business branding is. Without getting attraction from the customers, you can’t boost your business further. Having something extraordinary than the competitors gives you a unique stand and shows that you’re one step ahead of them. That will resultantly give you more opportunities to grow your business.
3. Logo can be used as a marketing tool
Whether you’re running an online or offline business, a strong marketing strategy is a must. You must present your product and service in the right way to attract people.
In this digital world, people are highly active in online platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and many more. In this case, if you’re targeting these platforms, then custom logo design plays a vital role in the marketing of your company.Anywhere the name of your brand appears, the logo will also place next to it. A logo design that you use for the marketing purpose should be memorable for a longer time. Customers can recall a uniquely designed logo even after years. Every successful business has invested a lot of money in marketing since it’s the most effective way to grow sales. Emblem from the logo design company is the perfect option to impress the customer with creative designs. Therefore, you can use your logo as your marketing tool to get the best online presence.
4. Logo creates a great first impression
As we all know, people would judge your company the first time they visit. So you need to make sure that they find your brand personality exciting and better than others.
The right impression is worth the money, and when it comes to business, then you should not compromise with it. Customers would like to engage with the brand that has a well-crafted custom logo design representing their products or services.
The first impression can really make a high impact. If your logo is impressive, then a customer may decide to avail of the service or the product you sell.
For instance, if you have an ecommerce business, then your website or application is the medium from where you make a profit. And in both those cases, logo design would play a significant role in distinguishing others and making a positive first impression.
Hence, never make the mistake of having an average logo.
5. Logo expresses your brand message
The logo is not just a design by adding colours, fonts, and other elements; it must portray some meaningful message as well.
You must design a logo which pauses the customer for a few seconds and make them think about the logo. They must find something meaningful from the design. This way, you can show them business value or mission in a pictorial form without saying a word.
That means you have a chance to show the professionalism of your company from a nicely-designed logo. Even if you can show them a business background or story of it. This is also a great way to encourage them in engaging with your band.
Any business should keep in mind this point while crafting a custom logo design. A logo is the quickest way to introduce the business to the customers and deliver a message from your company to them.
The points mentioned above show why custom logo it’s essential for any business and how it can help to generate more revenue. There are many applications of logos, and if it’s appropriately created, it can make a huge impact.
* Article is from https://www.webalive.com.au/logo-design-importance/)
#logo #logodesigner #logodesigns #creativerks #logoreveal