CREATING YOUR OWN CUSTOM FONT: PART 1 Ever wonder how designers make custom fonts, or ever dreamed of making your own font? You’ve come to the right place! Our tutorial is in-depth, so we’ve broken it into two separate blogs. 1.START ON PAPER Like any other creative project, it’s always best to generate ideas by starting from scratch with a pencil and a blank sheet of paper. Sketch out different variations of letters, see how letters look next [...]
NEWSPRINT DESIGN GUIDELINES As a designer, you have to be able to design for a variety of materials, one being newsprint. Though many newspapers are going digital, a lot of businesses continue to rely on ad space in printed newspapers. Newsprint paper is a tricky material to work with, and prints differently than regular copy paper. As a designer, there are certain specifications and limitations to what you should and should not do when designing for a newspaper ad. [...]
BRANDING – MORE THAN JUST A QUICK LOGO When your business is in its beginning stages, you immediately think about getting a logo ASAP. Sure, there are online sources that can make you a $20 logo, but at that price, you’re getting a single icon, not a brand. It is important to realize that there is a lot more than goes into the creation of a brand than meets the eye, and a logo is merely a stepping stone [...]
USE THE 5 SENSES WHEN PLANNING YOUR NEXT TRADE SHOW BOOTH There is a lot of planning that goes into trade shows and creating a captivating booth. What will make potential customers flock to your booth? Of course, there are numerous visual elements to take into consideration, but there is also a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to trade show strategy. Need some creative ideas to make your booth the most popular at your company’s [...]
A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO PRESS CHECKS Going to your first press check and don’t know what to expect? A press check is the final step before the project goes to print so you can make sure the files are going to print exactly as you (or your company) envisioned. It’s important to know how to conduct yourself heading in, since a press check is your last chance to alter aspects of the piece before dozens, hundreds, or maybe even [...]
START MAKING SNAPCHAT ADS Snapchat filters are a great tool for businesses to promote themselves, but now Snapchat has recently developed Snapchat Ad Manager, where businesses can create full advertisements that pop up while Snapchat users are viewing stories and subscriptions. Because this feature is relatively new, it is a great opportunity for your business to tap into early on and be one of the first to utilize Snapchat Ads. The Snapchat Ad Manager guides users through [...]
THE DO'S AND DON'TS OF EMAIL MARKETING Email is a tricky marketing tool, in the sense that every day, inboxes are flooded with emails – especially from large companies. However, many people are also overwhelmed on the daily by many other types of advertising (web, print, social media). With all of this in mind, how can you stand out from the crowd and get increased engagement from your subscribers? There is a lot of strategizing that goes into email marketing, [...]
STEER YOUR BUSINESS TO SUCCESS WITH VEHICLE WRAPS In need of a unique way to advertise your business? You may want to consider getting a vehicle wrap. Vehicle wraps are often created from large vinyl stickers that are applied to the vehicle. What a Designer Needs: A blueprint of the vehicle. Getting an official vehicle blueprint is crucial in beginning the design process for this type of project. It gives the designer(s) a better idea of the [...]
STAYING ORGANIZED IN A CREATIVE ENVIRONMENT Having a lot of projects at hand is not a bad problem to have. Having a lot of projects and being disorganized IS a bad problem to have, but is an easy problem to solve. At ocreations, we deal with many clients at once, and at times we have multiple people working on the same project. How do we stay organized? Here are some of our tips: Have a Place to Save [...]
GIFS – Where and How to Use Them Effectively in Marketing and Advertising The beloved GIF – whether you pronounce it like “gift” without the “t”, or like “jiff”, these little graphics are making a big impression in the world of marketing and advertising. GIFs are often created from movie clips or shows and used for casual texts or tweets. However, GIFs can be used for many other purposes in the professional realm. Here are some ideas to add [...]
