Does Your Copy & Design Mesh Well Together?

Comparing apples and orangesTo make a truly effective printed piece your visuals must blend well with the copy. We've all seen advertisements with inappropriate illustrations, photography that was out of focus or images that were far too little, or that had far too much copy. But perhaps worse is when the message of the visuals does not quite match the copy content.

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Not Just a Designer

Often the work of a designer is that of a problem solver, not just a visual creator. Sometimes that includes organizing lots of information, but other times require challenging logistics.

A Case in Point

I had been referred to a new client by a photographer who did work for them. The company produced machinery from pretty small to very large (some stories high) that chopped varying materials into smaller pieces. There were numerous types of equipment, some related but different, and many had numerous models to choose from. Additionally, there were also two types of end users of the equipment — municipalities and industrial users.

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Unique Designs

I take great pride in designing uniques pieces. As most designers I'm sure, I have had clients ask me to reproduce a printed piece of another designer's work that they took a liking to. While certainly easier and less time consuming, I gently refuse. This has caused some consternation with some clients, but in the end I prevailed.

Here is a story you might find amusing.

A number of years ago, I produced a direct mail piece for a very well known New York City institution. This institution used different designers for a number of 

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Which Type of Client Are You?

There are usually 3 categories a designer's clients fall into.

  1. Those who know they need something designed but are completely in the dark of what they are looking for.  These are people who usually state one of the following or something in a similar vein:
    1. Show me some things and I will let you know what I like and don't like.
    2. I like red.
    3. I saw something I liked and can't describe it but it had shapes in it.
  2. Those who have some idea of what they are looking for and provide some initial feedback of likes and dislikes:
    1. I like colors in the blue family.  
    2. I definitely want an icon in the logo.  
    3. I like bold lettering without serifs.
    4. I want it to be feminine.
  3. Those who pretty much know what they want:
    1. I can draw what I have in mind but don't know how to produce it (for print or online).
    2. Has a very strong sense of the colors they would like used.
    3. Can name the typeface(s) they would like incorporated.

No matter whether you are a 1, 2 or 3, let's have a discussion about your project (initial conversations are no charge). Pick up the phone or fill out the contact form.

 

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