Why Does Custom Work Cost So Much? Part 1

I want to share a brief story about a recent conversation I had with a fellow consultant. One of the topics we discussed was the labor of logo creation. It was pointed out to me that you could purchase a custom logo for as little as $6 online. Basically, what happens is that an overseas company will produce a logo somewhat to your specs using their basic formulae. The very thought struck fear into my heart–we are trusting our American branding to overseas agents. The very thought made me both ill and disturbed. Does anyone else see anything wrong with that? In America, you should expect to pay between $65 to as much as $1000+ for a logo to be created and honed to perfection in a format that can be used across all print and web media. Why? Basically, it boils down to time, quality, service, and the way you want your company to be perceived.

A logo should be looked at as an investment in the quality, sanctity, and integrity of your brand. To purchase a brand for $6 or for any ridiculously low price commodifies an art and finely honed craft. Even with a fair logo, it cheapens the overall product. Perception is reality, and most times you will get what you pay for, and it will show. I encourage anyone to shop–competition is healthy. However, consider what you get–you should demand high quality, support, and expertise when getting graphics… none of which, I assure you, you will get with the thrift stores and sweatshops in overseas design mills. They churn out quantity instead of quality, and typically don’t spend the time to get to know you, nor to they spend the time to have you know, like, and trust them.

I liken this to much of what you find at the larger hobby and craft stores today–shoddily-made art reproductions from overseas. The quality control is virtually non-existent. You may find in testing high concentrations of lead, or you may find that the employees work in hazardous (but cheap to maintain) conditions. Moreover, there are imperfections, fragile and sub-par materials, and sometimes even fungi and dirt on these imports.

With your logo, you’ll find that, lead content aside, the products you find in overseas design mills are done with little quality control. While you may not find rot or fungus, you can be sure that (having learned from personal experience) oftentimes what you receive may be at some point contaminated with a virus. You may spend more money sending something you purchased for $6 when a pre-press or design professional has to recreate the logo to make it cut or RIP properly, or when the colors used are not separated properly or using print-ready swatches.

In the States, you certainly will find people who will do “cheap” work as well–sometimes even free design if you utilize a college intern, for instance. Keep in mind, however, that there has been a tremendous investment made in the Swoosh and the Golden Arches–unmistakable icons in today’s commercial environment. If you want to stand out, brand yourself on the minds of your clients and customers, consider looking to your domestic design professionals for assistance. Moreover, when shopping for your strategic partner in creating your corporate identity, don’t be afraid to ask how they create the logo. Be wary of anyone who subcontracts their logo design to overseas design houses–it’s, as Ben Franklin state, being “a penny wise and a dollar foolish.”

Symbols and the Great Power They Wield

While at a seminar recently in a school library, I just happened to glance around the room and noticed a poster on the wall entitled, “The Symbols of Illinois.”

Of course, there was a cardinal, Abraham Lincoln, the Capitol building, a Monarch butterfly, and a violet. It so happened that the topic of discussion was some of the symbolism used by the Catholic Church regarding the Liturgy of the Eucharist. I began to think of the other ways in which symbols were used:

* In religion
* In fraternal organizations
* In everyday life

Why are symbols so powerful?

Well, folks, we all know this: people think in pictures. This is the great gift of our mind – the gift of abstract thought. We can imagine and picture even the intangible through pictures in our minds. When you can create an image that people can glom onto and make their own in their mind, they are more apt to remember that which the symbol represents. Moreover, if you can take that symbol and pair it with an extreme emotion, that symbol takes on an even greater power.

For instance, we know that a red octagon, whether stating the words or not, means “STOP.” We know the implications of not stopping from a young age. The shape itself becomes a symbol that is instantly recognizable and serves as a powerful remind as to what to do in its presence.

I guess that’s one of the reasons why I love the sign industry… as designers we were always trying to find a way to say what we meant with as few words as possible, and as stylized as possible while being instantly recognizable.

When creating a logo, always strive for the same. With colors, shapes, and graphic elements, try to not only create something that translates across a variety of different media, but also make something that instantly creates an image which with the onlooker can identify–not only by sight, but within the core of that person’s psyche.

In closing this brief article, consider carefully the perception your brand creates. Remember, as we’ve stated before in prior posts, “Perception is reality.” Make your logo an extension of your overall brand. Choose your symbols wisely.

For more insight on symbolism in signs, graphics and logos, please visit http://ping.fm/Uk1N3

Getting a Great Picture, Part 2: Photography Tips

Okay, now you have the tools you need to take a great photo. You’ve picked out a great digital camera that is over 6 megapixels (likely even over 10 with the new cameras released in 2010) with a nice visual zoom. Whether it’s a point-and-click or a fancy digital SLR, you’re ready to start snapping shots, picking through them, and deciding which one you are going to order as a canvas print over your mantle or on your wall.

You went on a nice outing to the zoo, but there was not ONE picture that turned out nicely. What’s wrong?

Likely, my friend, its not necessarily the camera’s fault. Oftentimes it is simple human ignorance that botched the pic. Here are just a few tips to take a better photo:

Read the manual

So many people take the camera out of the box. and stant snapping photos with blatant disregard for the proper use of the camera as intended by the manufacturer. Take the time to familiarize yourself with your camera. Many packages have quick-start guides that walk you through the set-up and picture-taking process. This alone can help you to tweak things so that your photos are taken right the first time and every time.

Choose the right settings

Some cameras are set up right away for the best-possible photo quality. However, you’ll never know until you check things out. I once had a digital camera that took thousands of pictures. We were SO excited. However, the resolution of these photos was absolutely terrible, and they were only fit to be viewed on the web and very small.

Choose the right mode

Whether your still-camera is a point-and-click or an SLR, you likely have several options for modes including an automatic, a portrait, a landscape, a still-life, and an action mode. Again, read your manual to learn more about these modes, but you will find a WORLD of difference when you take, for instance, a portrait of your favorite pet on Auto, than if you were to take it with, say, the portrait mode. Advanced users, of course, can learn how to further tweak and hone their photos to perfection.

Further resources

Check out these resources as well to help you make your art glorious:

Wikihow article

Great eHow post-simple and to the point

PC Magazine article

A wealth of information from HP

Keep us in mind when you take that “perfect” picture. We’ll make it look absolutely amazing on stretched canvas so you have that showpiece and conversation starter you’ve been wanting for your home or office. Remember, these prints also make great gifts–show off to your friends, families, and even clients what you can do and how much you love and appreciate them with a gift of your own eye and mind!

For more information, please visit http://ping.fm/Cw5JR

Getting A Great Picture, Part 1: Choosing Your Camera

Getting a picture-perfect photo for your canvas print starts with the very thing with which you take the picture… a digital camera. Today, you will be hard-pressed to find someone without a digital camera. In addition to cameras being installed in some of our favorite everyday devices such as our cell phones, MP3 players, and laptops, pro-quality pictures are being taken by everyday people with “consumer-level” cameras.

Your cell phone camera likely will not take that masterpiece you want to share. Most web-cams and cell-phones take photos which are intended to be shared electronically and, therefore, do not need high resolution. What you need for suitable wall art on canvas, paper, vinyl, or even t-shirts is a camera which is dedicated to taking great photos.

Some considerations when purchasing a digital camera

Most people are interested solely in megapixels. However, I’ve seen some absolutely stunning photos taken with a 6 megapixel camera. The most important factor in digital photography (arguably) is the size and quality of the sensor. Consumer Reports put out a rather nice article on how to best choose your digital camera. Check out their article here:

* Digital Camera Buying Guide

Best Digital Cameras

Okay, now you’ve learned the difference between a point-and-shoot camera and a digital SLR, what brand, make, and model should I look at. Here are a few resources for what cameras are hot in 2010:

* CNET Best Cameras Review
* Digital Camera Review
* DPhoto Journal Review
* PC Magazine Review

Remember, when you send us a file to be placed on canvas, the bigger the better. Oftentimes, it’s best to just send us your “raw” file directly from the camera. Your images should be as large as possible with high resolutions (300 dpi and better is preferred). Your canvas prints will look absolutely wonderful, we promise!

For more information, please visit http://ping.fm/FoEG3

The Power of Prayer and Iconography

As I help my son prepare for receiving the Catholic Sacraments of Reconciliation (Confession) and Eucharist (Communion), I am taken back to my own experiences, questions, and awe during my faith formation. One of the major aspects that worries my son (as it has worried me and many a young persons during this time of self discovery) is learning the prayers. To help him, we printed “The Lord’s Prayer” and “The Hail Mary” and hung them on his wall.

Why on earth is a guy who owns a printing business talking about prayer? Answer: first, prayer is changing my life for the better each day. Secondly, we’ve recently discovered a way to keep prayer in our hearts and in our minds each day through that most sacred and traditional method of remembering who we are and who He is–through art!

The Power of Prayer

What is prayer? To many it’s a personal conversation with God. With others it’s a communal shared experience where the divine gift of our humanity and divinity are celebrated. Still others, frankly, hold it as a way to gripe.

To me, prayer means many things. Now that I’ve rediscovered it, I consider it a way to speak with my best friend, my Father, and my partner. More than that, though, when I do it correctly… focusing on God in praise and worship, prayer is that positive energy that I put out there in the world and makes things happen for others and myself whatever the intention.

Recently, I was introduced to the book “The Secret” and it’s companion DVD. At length, the mindset of positivity as it relates to the Law of Attraction was described as being the absolute secret to success–we must think it and believe it to achieve it! Prayer is a way to, through God’s will, positively focus and channel our thoughts to attract that which we need and desire while being humble and remembering where we come from.

It’s striking really that, even with the scandal and the crap that has happened in recent past–atrocities that shook my personal faith in the Church and Christianity altogether, I have found solace in the forgiveness process. I have personally found through this process that prayer is one of the most powerful tools we have to thrive and survive in today’s society.

Iconography

One of the things I love about the Catholic Church is its nature of being rooted in tradition and, through that tradition, its ability to unequivocally use icons and art to illustrate deep faith, hope, and love and its history and traditions. There are unmistakable symbols and artistic representations that make a piece stand out as being wholly Catholic.

However, this art does more than just brand the Church. This art inspires prayerfulness in the beholder. It moves us spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically to again reaffirm our relationship with God.

Going through this rediscovery of prayer, while taking the journey of faith with my eldest child, has truly inspired me to do something artistic and helpful to my fellow Christians. We are offering in our line of decor and apparel the opportunity for you to receive and give the gift of prayer and inspiration.

At no additional cost, we will place your favorite prayer, Psalm, Bible passage, or blessing on your inspirational canvas print. Your prayer can either be traditional, or it can be what the Holy Spirit moves your heart to say.

Keep Moving Forward, and God bless you!

Home or Office Decor For Less

Recently, highlighted on the Comcast.net homepage and several other internet home pages out there, you may have noticed a featured article entitled “Chic Decor On a Budget.”

Featured there were some framed art, scrolls, and various other wall hangings that averaged about $80 each.

Why is wall decor so popular and necessary?

Have you ever been in a living room and there is just something not right about it when it doesn’t have art hanging on the wall in certain areas?

I was just in a client’s office, and above the sofa in the waiting area there was absolutely NOTHING on the wall. It just seemed awkward, frankly, and certainly uninviting.

Wall decor, such as prints of your own photography and handiwork, give the space your own personal flavor and flair. It expresses your personality. More than that, when used in a business environment, it can serve to promote your vision and mission.

There is a certain energy that comes with wall art, and, once it’s there, you may find yourself wondering what you did without it.

How to best hang your wall decor?

This is one of the most frequently asked questions we encounter. Here are just a few tips:

1. When hanging posters and light artwork, 3M makes some great picture-hanging tabs with a hook-and-nub kind of almost Velcro application. The result is something that won’t mar the wall and will allow you to perfectly level your piece.

2. Most of our canvas prints when stretched has a wire across the back. With a hammer, simply drive a nail into your wall at a 45% angle. Better yet, there are ready-to-go hooks that drive into the wall with a hammer.

3. For heavier items and very secure installations, it is always best to get your trusty level, your stud finder, and your drill and screw your mounting screws into the studs. If studs are not present, use drywall anchors.

Consider, if you are looking for spruce up your home decor, the advantage of working with ImpresivoPrints. You can have a completely custom piece of wall art that you can call your own for under $100.

Our most popular model, 16″ X 20″ stretched artist canvas, retails for $75, and it is YOUR artwork. You can even add a personalization to your art to really make it your own–and you will STILL be under $100. With our design services, if you do have a business with a void begging to be filled, consider your logo, a picture of your best product, and your vision statement to dress that naked wall!

Please visit http://www.impresivoprints.com for more information.

#canvas #canvas prints #wall decor #framing

RT @hootsuite: RT @chrysb: Such a cool p

RT @hootsuite: RT @chrysb: Such a cool picture: owl in flight http://i.imgur.com/AF2Yg.jpg (via @hoisie) #HootHoot #photography #impresivoprints

The Key To Successful Leadership

Whether your company is great or small, a one-person shop or a major conglomerate, your business will thrive with strong leadership driven by a focused vision.

Here are some tips that will allow you as a business owner, a professional, a doctor, or an independent agent to achieve cosmic success in your business endeavors:

1. Realize and Accept Reality—To get to where you’re heading, just like using a GPS or MapQuest.com, you need to know where you’re starting from. Take an inventory of your current assets and liabilities using a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats).

2. Define Your Purpose—Assert your goals based on your values. When determining your purpose, ponder this from the Dalai Lama: “Our prime purpose in life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.”

3. Recruit Your Team—The best of leaders realize that the true asset of their company lies in a company’s people. Your team can consist of mentors, coaches, “business buddies,” strategic partners, employees, clients, family, friends, and people who are further down the path than you are. The important aspect of your team is that they share your values.

4. Develop Your Vision Statement— “Vision is a picture of the future that produces passion.”—Bill Hybels. Your vision should be something that you can easily, eloquently, and succinctly state from your heart. It evokes a clear picture about where you are heading and how you will get there.

5. Share Your Inspired Vision—It has been said that, “A goal not written is only a wish.” Take that vision that you’ve created and publish it everywhere! Create a sign or a plaque for your office or lobby. Create a banner to share with your staff. We like to say that, “A Vision With No Sign Is A Sign Of No Vision.” Put it first and foremost on your website and include it on your marketing collateral including business cards, etc. This statement is not your elevator speech or your catch phrase. It is your mantra!

6. Chart the Course—As a leader, it is your job to strategize, map out the action plan, and align your team to the goals, while setting benchmarks of progress. You now know where you are and where you want to be. Work with your newly inspired team to develop the steps to get from point A to point B.

7. Lead By Example—The formula for Level 5 leadership according to Jim Collins is “Humility + Will = Level5” Lead with humility—connect with your team on the level of humanity, and they will follow you without hesitation. With your goals and dreams now visualized clearly, have the will to follow your plan without wavering. Never give up, and don’t let fear govern your actions or lack of action. Mark Twain stated, “Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain.” Your demonstrated courage will infectiously affect the actions of your team and will provide to you the results you seek to achieve!

By the way, when you document your vision to share, consider displaying it on an inspirational canvas print from ImpresivoPrints.com! Putting an actual visual image of a goal or a picture that evokes strong emotions coupled with your inspired vision will help you to spread your message to your staff, clients, and the world!

For more information on making your goals visual, please visit http://ping.fm/wYV5B

Blogging Means Business–If Done Right

Check out this blog from one of my recently-made friends, Jay Rodriquez at JayRodChicago.com.

http://ping.fm/c9qE1

ImpresivoPrints has been sharing our updates and news with our valued friends and clients through blogging and social networking. To learn more about us, visit our Links page and pick your favorite social network!

http://ping.fm/z2ZYX

Canvas Prints Make Great Signs!

As many of you readers may know, I come from a sign-making background. I absolutely believe that signs can be the number-one friend to many businesses, especially those in storefront offices.

While traditionally, prints on canvas, are looked at as art objects, their vivid color, exquisite detail, and dimensionality also lend them to be fantastic signs.

I’ve written about Panera Bread in the past and my experience with their signs and banners. Long story short, they are masters at inspiring sales and promotions through effective signage.

What’s more, if you look about their decor, each wall is adorned with canvas prints, framed posters, and matted photographs of bread and people enjoying eating.

Not just restaurants can benefit from using canvas prints as affordable and attractive signage. Recently we were asked to place an image of a proprietary product on canvas for a manufacturer’s meeting room. Photo prints on canvas can evoke powerful emotions, and a personalized print of a happy person using your product or service or a distraught person who isn’t using your product can easily sway your clients to do more business with you. After all, much of the part of sales is to find a client’s pain, and, to use a cliche, a picture is worth a thousand words!

But what about cost? When we were in the sign industry, our absolutely most popular items were full-color prints on PVC and on foamboard as well as banners. With a canvas print, you get the great look of a foamboard print, the indoor longevity of PVC, and the attractiveness of our favorite sign type, banners. The price point for most of these types of signs are under $200, and many are under $100.

Should you require more than one sign, our company, ImpresivoPrints, offers quantity discounts. Contact us directly for more information regarding pricing.

In summary, remember that in marketing our objective is to get noticed, stay remembered, and be profitable. You will certainly make a long-lasting impression, fellow business person, by using personalized prints on canvas as a wonderful alternative to conventional sign types. Please visit http://ping.fm/tbMUp