Laura Smith, Author at ocreations A Pittsburgh Design Firm

The Importance of Illustrations in Design

The Importance of Illustrations in Design

THE IMPORTANCE OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN DESIGN “A picture is worth a thousand words” is a phrase that applies to the design world. Designers create and utilize visual representations on a daily basis. Sometimes designers use photographs in their design, whereas other times, designers incorporate custom illustrations into their design. Custom illustrations can be extremely beneficial in a variety of scenarios. Graphic Design vs. Illustration Though graphic designers and illustrators are technically two different job titles, they tend to overlap. [...]

By Laura Smith|2019-06-20T11:48:45-04:00June 20th, 2019|

How to Spot a Fake Instagram Influencer

How to Spot a Fake Instagram Influencer

How to Spot Fake Instagram Influencers If your brand is searching for an Instagram influencer to work with, it’s important to get the right person to work with. Instagram influencers can benefit your brand in a multitude of ways. One of the most important benefits is that they build your brand's credibility. This is why it is so important to find the right person. With the increasing number of influencers, there is also an increase in the possibility of coming [...]

By Laura Smith|2019-06-14T09:57:49-04:00June 14th, 2019|

Landing Page Optimization

Landing Page Optimization

Optimize Your Landing Page Though landing pages may seem simple, they need just as much attention to detail as multi-page websites do. Before you publish your next landing page, make sure you can say "yes" to all of these items in the list below! Basics My landing page… is fully responsive It looks great on desktops and mobile devices (phones, tablets, etc.) is quick to load It doesn’t lag, and grabs my attention quickly. has images that have proper alt [...]

By Laura Smith|2019-06-06T15:35:01-04:00June 6th, 2019|

Social Media Quick Maintenance

Social Media Quick Maintenance

Perform a Quick Maintenance on Your Social Media Regularly scheduled maintenance is important in a variety of facets of life – car maintenance, health check-ups, home maintenance, etc. Though these things can be cumbersome sometimes, it’s important to keep things regularly maintained. If things are left untouched for too long, it can cause larger problems than anticipated. Just like your regular car maintenance, it’s important to keep up with your social media. Haven’t looked at it in a while? Now’s [...]

By Laura Smith|2019-05-31T17:16:58-04:00May 31st, 2019|

5 Challenges Designers Face

5 Challenges Designers Face

5 Challenges Designers Face The design world is based around finding solutions to challenges. Graphic designers face challenges everyday, not only in their specific projects and working with clients, but they also face challenges with the industry and with themselves. Here are 5 major challenges every designer faces on a daily basis, and tips on how to approach these challenges head on. 1. Working With Tight Deadlines Some people work well under pressure, while others struggle. If you’re a [...]

By Laura Smith|2019-05-24T16:29:52-04:00May 24th, 2019|

ocreations Recipes for Great Food Design

ocreations Recipes for Great Food Design

ocreations Recipes for Great Food Design As graphic designers, we get to work with clients in all different types of industries - healthcare, automotive, entertainment, and even the food and beverage industry! Each industry often requires different mindsets, different projects, and different design styles. In the food and beverage industry, there are a few projects that are common. Here’s our own ocreations recipes for great food design for package design, menu design, and website design. Package Design Ingredients: Package [...]

By Laura Smith|2019-05-17T18:46:36-04:00May 17th, 2019|

Modern Search Engine Optimization that works for Local Business

Modern Search Engine Optimization that works for Local Business

Search Engine Optimization is not just Google SEO is not just "Google Optimization" because social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn are also search engines. Review sites like Yelp, Better Business Bureau and mega eCommerce giants like Amazon and eBay are search engines. QnA sites like Quora and mega media sites like Vimeo and YouTube are all search engines! The days of "Google only Optimization" are over, SEO now requires very specific strategies tailored to your companies specific [...]

By Laura Smith|2019-06-21T17:22:06-04:00January 21st, 2019|

Upcoming Photo or Video Shoot? Ironing Out the Details

Upcoming Photo or Video Shoot? Ironing Out the Details

Upcoming Photo or Video Shoot? Ironing Out the Details Heading to your next photo or video shoot? Whether you’re the director of the shoot, a model, an assistant, the client, or even the photographer/videographer, paying attention to detail is so important. Video and photo shoots can be expensive, so you need to make sure everything turns out exactly how you planned or envisioned. Your eyes need to be on their a-game on shoot day, and we’ve come up with a [...]

By Laura Smith|2019-04-26T18:40:28-04:00April 26th, 2019|

How to Design Custom Eye-Catching Icons

How to Design Custom Eye-Catching Icons

HOW TO DESIGN CUSTOM EYE-CATCHING ICONS Originating in the 1500s from the Latin word ‘eikon,’ the word icon means likeness, or image. Every day, we come across all sorts of icons – whether it’s on a website, the apps on our mobile devices, or messaging with emojis. Icons can convey an expression, thought or idea through a simple visual depiction. Sure, there are stock icons you can purchase for a design project – but why buy stock when you could [...]

By Laura Smith|2019-04-18T13:29:17-04:00April 18th, 2019|

Best Formats to Save a Logo File for a Client

Best Formats to Save a Logo File for a Client

Best Formats to Save a Logo File for a Client So, you’ve designed a logo with a client and got final approval - congrats! But… now what? At ocreations, we love working with new brands and save out logo formats on a consistent basis. Needless to say, we’ve got a pretty good process down over the years. Here’s our guide for both designers and clients, to understand how to save out file types, what they mean, and how they should [...]

By Laura Smith|2019-04-12T16:45:07-04:00April 12th, 2019|

LauraOcreations

About Laura Smith