Brands
A brand is an idea, not a physical object. It is a set of perceptions and associations that have a strong idenfifiable approach, they can be influenced but not controlled.

Branding
Branding allows a company to differentiate themselves from the competition and, in the process, bond with their customers, create loyalty and establish a position in the marketplace. A satisfied customer may leave. But a loyal one is much less likely to.

Logo Design
What is a logo and why is it so important?
A logo is the mark that visually represents a company or organization, this forms the foundation of the corporate identity. It is a name, symbol, emblem or other graphic that is designed for easy and definitive recognition by a targeted market.

A company logo is the way that the world sees your company. People are very responsive to identifying logos and their meaning. With this said, it is very important to the success of the company that the logo is well thought out and reflects the image of the brand.

A solid logo is a simple and direct way to represent and describe your company. The most successful companies have an estabilished identity consisting of a strong logo. A strong logo will create an increase in visibility and will result in sales.

What makes a strong logo?
Simplicity is a very important aspect to a successful logo. Too many graphics, images and shapes can clutter the logo and result in a negative impact. The logo should be recognizable and have a strong impact at multiple sizes. Thinking about the applications of the logo is pertinent, how do you plan to use your logo?

Flexibility is very important when thinking about the various applications of the logo. Using multiple colors, gradients, photographs, etc. may make it difficult to use. There are times when options are created for the logo to fit these applications.

Uniqueness might be the most important aspect, this will visually separate a company from others. It is important to research the trends of a specific industry but using common colors or shapes can distract from the purpose of the logo.

Our design process
We will meet with the client to discuss the objectives and purpose of the logo, this is the creative brief. We will discuss the target market and how we will use the design to communicate to the audience. A common mistake is to let our own visual preferences affect the design of the logo, the goal is to make sure that the logo speaks to the targeted audience and not the client or the designer.

Next, we will begin the concept development where we will design a variety of concepts based on the creative brief, typically these will be in black & white. These concepts will be presented to the client, at which point a direction is chosen for the next round of concepts. Once the second round of concepts are presented the logo begins to take shape.

Based on the process of conceptual development we have a finished logo. We now explore logotypes, a color palette and various layouts of the logo. Also, a secondary logo may be created if necessary.

Once the client has approved the final logo design, we compile a disk containing an assortment of logo files for different applications and a corporate identity manual outlining how the logo should be applied and used. This disk is on file for the client to reference as well as any outside vendors/companies that may use the logo. Following the guidelines in the manual is crucial to the success of a logo.

PrePress
The steps required to turn a design into final form, ready for final printing on a printing press. May include preflight, color correction, color trapping, imposition, color separation, proofing, and imagesetting.

Basis weight
The weight in pounds of a ream (500 sheets) of a specific paper grade that has been cut to its basic size.
Binding
The fastening of papers to create a brochure or book. The most common binding styles are saddle-stitch, perfectbound, side-stitched, case or edition, and mechanical.
Bleed
A printed color or image that extends past the trimmed edges of a page, usually an 1/8th inch.
Blueline
Prepress photographic proof made from stripped negatives where all colors show as blue images on white paper. Color digital proofs are beginning to replace bluelines.
Clipping path
A vector-based outline used to “clip” or silhouette an image from its surroundings so only the desired part will print.
Color separation
A laser scanning method used to separate full-color artwork or transparencies into the four primary printing ink colors of cyan, magenta, yellow and black.
Computer-to-Plate (CTP)
A technology that allows for the delivery of digital data directly to a plate for printing. CTP efficiency eliminates conventional films and stripping to significantly reduce prepress materials and costs, and allow for significant productivity benefits over other commercial printing solutions.
Creep
The phenomenon of the middle pages of a folded signature extending slightly beyond the outside pages.
Crop
The blocking out of unwanted parts of an image to fit a layout space or deleting portions that aren’t relevant.
Crossover
An image or type that continues across a spread of a brochure, book or magazine to another page.
CMYK
Acronym for the ink colors used in four-color process printing. The letters stand for cyan, magenta, yellow and key (black). Also called process colors.
Direct Digital Printing
Commercial-quality printing in which electronic source files are processed directly on the printing press or printing system, rather than through analog steps such as film imagesetting and platemaking. Direct digital printing systems may be based on lithographic offset technology or laser/toner technology. Front-end RIPs and servers are integrated components of these printing systems.
Direct-to-Plate Printing
Imaging directly to the plate material used in offset lithographic printing. The traditional offset printing process includes generating film (typically from an imagesetter today), “burning plates” by exposing the aluminum or poly printing plates with the film, and mounting the resulting plates on offset presses. Direct-to-plate printing eliminates the film imaging step by imaging directly on the plate material.
DPI (Dots-per-inch)
In offset printing, the number of dots that fit horizontally and vertically into a one-inch measure. Generally, the higher the dpi, the sharper the printed image.
Drawdown
A test of the ink color on the actual paper stock that will be used to evaluate how it looks.
Dry trap
Printing over dry ink, which, unlike a wet trap, requires a separate pass through the press.
EPS (Encapsulated PostScript)
File format for images or graphics.
Finish
The surface characteristics of paper – such as gloss, matte, silk, velvet, satin, and dull.
Finishing
Post-press operations, including trimming, scoring, folding and binding.
Font
A typeface family that includes all letters and numbers in the same style.
Form
Pages of a book or brochure that are printed on the same sheet of paper as it passes through the press. Once the sheet is folded and trimmed, the form becomes a “signature.”
Four-color process
Method of printing using cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK) inks to simulate full-color images. Also called full-color printing and process printing.
FPO (For position only)
Usually a low-resolution image (72 or 100 dpi) file used only to indicate placement and size. It is meant to be replaced by a high-resolution image before printing.
Grindoff
The 1/8th inch along the spine that is ground off of gathered signatures before perfect binding.
Hard copy
A paper printout at 100% size of digital files. It is usually output on a desktop laser or inkjet printer.
Hi-res
High-resolution image, usually 300 to 350 dpi.
Knockout
An area of background color that has been masked out (knocked out) by a foreground object and therefore does not print.
Loose color
Proof of a halftone or color separation that is not assembled with other elements on a page. Also, known as loose or scatter proof.
Low-res
Low-resolution image, such as 72 or 100 dpi.
Mark-up
Instructions written on a hard-copy printout.
Match color
A custom-blended ink color that matches a specified color in a color system such as Pantone®, Toyo® or TruMatch®. It is not built from a combination of CMYK.
Offset Printing
The most common commercial printing technology in use today. Offset printing applies layers of ink on the page. For each layer, a reverse image of the page is placed on a roller in the printing press. Ink is applied to the non-image areas on the roller, so that as the roller presses against paper moving through the press, the proper image is left on the paper.
Overprint
Printing one ink over another, such as printing type over a screen tint.
PDF (Portable Document Format)
Adobe® Systems file format to facilitate cross-platform viewing of documents in their original form.
Pixel
The smallest dot that can be produced on a computer screen.
Prepress
RIPing files, platemaking, and other work performed by the printer, separator or service bureau in preparation for printing.
Process colors
See CMYK.
Proof
Print made from negatives or plates to check for errors and flaws, predict results on press and record how a printing job is intended to appear when finished.
Raster graphics
Computer image made up of pixels. Photoshop® is the most common raster program.
Resolution
The sharpness of text and graphics provided by any printer or output device, measured in dots per inch.
RGB
Red, green and blue – the additive primaries used in monitors. They are not printing colors.
RIP (Raster Image Processor)
This device is designed to interpret PostScript files and create a document suitable for printing.
Service Bureau
Typically an independent business that specializes in preparing digital files for print.
Source File
The original graphic file.
Spot Color or Varnish
Specific color or varnish that is applied only to portions of a sheet.
TIF or TIFF (Tagged Image File format)
Raster file format used for image placement in page layout programs. TIFs can sometimes be tinted and modified in a page layout program where EPS images cannot.
Trim size
The size of the printed piece in its finished form.
TrueType Fonts
Scalable typefaces for Windows and Macintosh software.
Type 1 Fonts
Adobe’s industry-standard outline font technology that enables type to be scaled to any size while staying sharp and clear. More than 20,000 Type 1 typefaces are available from vendors worldwide.
UV coating
Liquid applied to a coated sheet, then bonded and cured with ultraviolet light.
Vector graphics
Graphics that use mathematical calculations to describe lines and curves. Illustrator® is the most common vector program.

Smart Design involves connecting people with products and services through design that is hard-working, strategic and focused.

Sustainability is a systemic concept. It relates to the relationships between economic, social, institutional and environmental aspects of human existence. It organizes decisions to allow for current economic needs to be met while preserving biodiversities and ecosystems to maintain the same quality of life for future generations.