Online Promotion: Social Networking

When the world shifts gears and operates in a faster pace, we should follow its lead and take up the trend. Online promotion is the fastest promotion.
Modes of online promotion campaign:

• Social networking and blogging
• Promotional trailers
• Email

Social Networking and blogging

Twitter is a social networking site where all you see are status updates. Users are allowed 140 characters to provide an update.

• Today Twitter is part of every product/service/brand promotion campaign.
• Tweets reach people before newspaper, magazine, media stories do.
• It wouldn’t be wrong to say that if you’re not tweeting, you’re not promoting your product/service/brand.

How Twitter Helps in Promotion:

1. Branding: It is a social media platform you can use it to build your brand.
2. Notify Your Customers: Set up a Twitter feed for the specific purpose of notifying customers when new products come in.
3. Find Prospects. It can be used as a means to find potential customers or clients online. Do a search for keywords related to your product on Twitter Search and then follow users.
4. Direct traffic: It can be used to get traffic to your sales website and if you ask your contacts on Twitter to tweet about it, the message will spread faster and further as other active users pick it up.
5. Network for benefits: Twitter can be used as a socializing platform for you to interact with other like-minded people, especially those in the same industry. It can be used to establish consistent and deeper relationships with loyal customers.

• Facebook has more than 175 million active users worldwide.
• It is the 3rd most visited site in the world and sees over 20 billion page views every month.
• It can therefore be a powerful place to promote product/service/brand.

Using Facebook for Brand Exposure, Traffic and Sales

1. Create your profile page: The starting point for your presence on Facebook is your profile page. By connecting to customers, associates, and friends on Facebook, you can drive huge traffic to your Facebook profile as well as on main website page.
2. Facebook Groups: Groups are the simplest way to build community around your brand or company on Facebook. By starting a group, you create a central place for customers, partners, and friends to participate in conversations around your brand.
3. Facebook Events: It can be used to promote marketing events, sponsored parties, or even product launches, transactions, or company milestones.
4. Facebook Marketplace: It’s a classifieds listing service. You can post a for-sale ad or wanted ad in any of your networks for free.
5. Polls: Polls offer an easy way for marketers to quickly conduct research within their targeted audience.

• The promotional blog is an efficient platform for contests, book reviews, interviews, workshops and other creative methods for promoting books as well as driving sales.
• Blogs are viewed by thousands of visitors each and every day.
• In terms of practical applications, blogs are just like opt-in newsletters, where readers choose to receive information on a regular basis.

With an effective business blog, you can:

1. Humanize your business. Because a blog is much more informal than other websites, you can write posts in your own voice and give your business a more human face.
2. Improve your customer service. Your blog can act as an interactive FAQ, allowing your customers to submit questions and you to answer them. You can also provide product updates, how-to articles, and other information of relevance to your customers.
3. Drive traffic to your sales website. If you keep updating your blog, it can give your traffic levels a real boost.
4. Promote your products or services. You can actually sell products directly from a blog, or you can use your blog to mention new products and direct visitors to your sales website.
5. Give your target market the information they’re looking for. With its automatic archiving feature – by date and category – a blog is a fantastic content-management system.

Promoting your product trailers

YouTube is for posting videos and it can also be used as a highly effective business tool. It can be used to show off your expertise, share knowledge, market your products and connect with customers, colleagues and prospects.
Promote your business on YouTube:

1. Show your product in action using movie trailer-style: fast, creative and catchy.
2. Show the results of someone using your products/services.
3. Conduct an interview with an expert.
4. Post customer video testimonials to add to your credibility.
5. Post links to your videos on various social networks.
6. Post solutions to common product or service problems.
7. Embed videos on your web site, including customer support and product tours.

Email Campaign
E-mail is the most widely used Internet application. An email campaign can be a great way to generate extra income with very little cost and effort.
How email helps in promotion:

1. Allows you to personalize and target your communication to people.
2. Allows the recipient to easily reply, which is a source for valuable feedback.
3. Provides time-stamped proof of an interaction that helps in further correspondence.
4. Allows you to send a message to a large number of recipients for much less than traditional postal rates.
5. Borders are no obstacles in promotion through emails.
6. Allows for more frequent customer contact, which translates into higher revenues.

Traditional ways of promotion are proving less effective in today’s world.
Promotion through social networking communities is really easy, cost effective and fast.
You can now network with anyone anywhere in the world easily online.

Folding

In designing a brochure folding is a major part. You have to keep the area and different folds in mind while designing. There are so many folding possibilities and it is difficult to mention all of them here but I am sharing details of some commonly folding techniques you can use.

Types of Folds:

Barrel Panels

Barrel Folds

Barrel Fold: It is in form of two or more parallel folds. Each fold turns in the same direction. The most common example of Barrel Fold is an letter folded into a mailing envelope. It is also called Roll Fold, Spiral Fold or Tri-Fold. This folding pattern usually have six panels. Three on one side and three on another. One panel on each side is always smaller than the other two and the smaller panel is folded inside the other two. This type of folding is most useful when you have to give varied arrays of information.

 

Double Parallel Panels

Double Parallel Folds

Double Parallel Fold: In this folding pattern the paper is folded in half and then folded in half again with a fold parallel to the first fold creating four panels on each side. In this folding the last two panels need to be slightly narrower than the outer panels so that they fit inside when folded. Double Parallel Fold is also known as Parallel Center Fold or Double Fold. A large amount of information can be given using this form of folding. Front page is usually used for cover and back page for company information. Other six pages can be used for contents and other things.

 

Cross Fold Panels

Cross Folds

Cross Folds: A cross fold brochure is made by folding a page in half in one direction and then folding the folded page in half again in the right direction. After folding it consists of eight panels, four on the front and four on the back. Crossfold pattern is also known as French Fold, Eight Page Right Angle Fold, Quarter-Folds or 8-Panel French Folds

 

Half Fold Panels

Half Fold

Half Fold: A single fold, vertical or horizontal, along the center of the printed piece, such as a greeting card, creating two panels per side. This is the most cost effective form of folding and printing.

 

Z Fold Panels

Z Folds

Z-Folds: Contains two or more parallel folds, each folding in opposite directions. Z-fold is also known as Accordion Fold, or Zigzag. After folding it consists of six panels, three on the front and three on the back

 

Gate Fold Panels

Gate Folds

Gate Folds: In a gatefold the left and right edges fold inward with parallel folds and meet in the middle of the page without overlapping. The paper might be folded again down the middle so that the folded edges meet and a fold is created in center panel of the paper - also known as a double gatefold.

CMYK for Printing

There is a rule in graphic and web designing: RGB for Web and CMYK for Print

There are a few color models used to define colors. The two most important ones here are: RGB and CMY. The RGB color model is an additive model, which means that we can achieve white color by increasing the values of its three "ingredients" (Red, Green and Blue)

On the other hand, the CMY (or CMYK) model is a subtractive one. In this case going towards white color means decreasing values of each color and we achieve black color by increasing the values of its three “ingredients” (Cyan, Magenta and Yellow)

CMYK is a color mode used in color printing. CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key (black). In CMYK mode magenta + yellow produces red, cyan + yellow makes green, magenta + cyan generates blue and magenta, cyan and yellow on a white background produces black.

CMYK vs. RGB

CMYK, or four-color printing, generates a good final printout with excellent contrast. But the color seen on the screen may be different from the one that comes in the final print. This is because the computer screen follows a RGB system, and printers follow a CMYK system.

Why we can not use same coloring system for computer screen and printing? On one hand where computer screen release the light, a paper absorbs the light. A computer screen and a paper reflects colors on different wavelengths of light and that is why sometimes colors in same artwork displayed on a screen may not match with the colors in printouts. Even if we change the color mode of any artwork from RGB to CMYK using some software we can notice the differences in colors.

RGB to CMYK (for Printing)

Mostly scanners, digital cameras, and video capture systems save files as RGB and we work on artwork to correct levels or balancing or anything else before giving it for printing.  Do you work on RGB and after you modify it, you switch to CMYK to print?; or you switch to CMYK directly and you modify it later?

When start with RGB image I prefer to do all or most of image editing in RGB itself as some editing procedures are not available in CMYK. Converting to CMYK is the last step only when file is being sent to a print house. Conversion of RGB files to CMYK can be done in many ways and the method is different from software to software.

Most of the printers prefer your files be delivered in CMYK format. Some may accept RGB with ICC profiles attached, as this allows the printer to use color management methods when converting to CMYK.

If you are printing from your home or office printer, you can use RGB or CMYK. Try both and see which you prefer.

 

Is converting images to CMYK important?

Yes! It's very important if you are working on a print document. Commercial printers mostly accept RGB images without question but using images with a RBG color space can seriously screw up your image. Printers who accept RBG images auto-convert images to CMYK without checking the outcome and they do not bother to adjust levels, balancing etc.

Make sure you convert images to CMYK yourself, so you can do adjustments on the CMYK outcome if needed and keep 100% control over image quality.

Always remember

RGB:  Good for computer/digital use. Bad and not usable for printing

CMYK:  Good for offset and digital printing. Bad and not interpreted correctly on the computer.

Convert Your Windows into a Mac

Many Window users want to switch to Mac. I am sharing here a easy method to convert your existing Window system into a Mac. This method is very cost effective and you don’t need to change your keyboard, mouse etc. for this. Even the commands will remain same but only the look will change. Just follow these simple steps and convert your Windows into a Mac

 

Step 1

Search for the “apple logo” in Google Image search and download one logo of your choice (one which you like the most)

 

Step 2

Take out some printouts of the Apple logo you downloaded.

 

Step 3

Cut the logo in proper shape.

 

Step 4

Take a thick plain white paper A-3 size (glossy is better). Leave apprx. 2 inch from all the side and cut the area in center. It will be like a paper frame as you can see in photograph.

 

Step 5

Keep the paper frame horizontally and paste the logo in the center of the frame.

Step 6

You are about to done. Take this frame and paste it on your Windows monitor. and congratulations you are succeed in converting your Windows into Mac. Here is a photograph how me and my friend converted all the Windows computer in our office into Mac.

Now its your turn.

Do not forget to give your comments.

Graphic Design Vs. Client

This is brilliant and as a Graphic Designer have encountered them all. This is a cool funny design-related video I have seen till date. Sometimes it helps to see the serious issues from a lighter angle like…..“Can you do it in Word” ha ha ha ha...

and it has a sequel too. . . worth to watch if you liked the first version.

LITERARY ORIENTALISM

The origin of Literary Orientalism is in the various military, religious, diplomatic, political and socio-cultural encounters between and Christian West and the Islamic East. Major works of Western literature and art contain references to Oriental cultures often emphasizing cultural differences in a hostile manner. Literary Orientalism: A Companion is a systematic compilation of the instances of Literary Orientalism in English literary and critical texts.

The cover I designed also has the influence of Islam in it. I used different colourful Islamic floral patterns for background and divide them with thick white straight lines. As am using different colour patterns in background I use a solid black box for all the text details to complete the cover design. The best thing is that the cover come out very well in printing and author also appreciated the design. A job well done. Let me have your comments on design.

PURPOSE OF A BOOK COVER

The purpose of a book cover (and I think it works for lots of Products)

I believe that the saying ‘Don't judge a book by its cover’ is no longer valid. In today's world of tough competition the First Impression is always the lasting one.

Just like any marketing tool, the book cover design is very Important. The design of the book cover plays a role, often a critical one in the sales of the book. It is the 1st thing what a buyer would see and catch their eye. I feel that a highly creative book cover design is more likely to be viewed by every customer rather than one without a book cover. You have less than 3 second to grab someone’s attention with a book cover in a sea of other books. That is the job of the book cover design, it needs to stand out, yet be relevant to the market, subject matter, and the content of the book. The main job of the cover is to get the customer to pick it up. It needs to present the title well and organize the other information so that it is clear to the customer if they decide to pick it up, and possibly inform the viewer of the content of the book.

Most of the time while people browsing in a bookstore mainly look at the book covers and titles. If the cover doesn’t interest them they almost never pick up the book and have a second glance at it. For example If you are a boy/girl of age 15, what grabs your attention would be very different from a man/woman who is 40. So, once the book is published, the only thing that will get it to sell, is its cover. This is because if you write a brilliant book for a 40 year old man/woman, but the cover is designed to attract a 15 year old boy/girl, there is a very slim chance that any man/woman of 40 will pick it up thinking that the book is for him/her and that is how a book cover helps in selling and marketing as well, as the cover must be designed to attract the target audience of the writer.

At the end of the day,  I feel that a cover design is a important feature of a book. The main features a book cover should have to grab the attention are:

1. Catch the book reader's eye while on the shelves or displayed and attract them to pick it up.
2. Main bold title, graphic and color are important.
3. While in hand - Provide first glance insight into the content.
4. Sub title, fly-leaf and back cover content is important.

If you got the book reader interested at this point they will probably look at the table of contents to view the chapter headings to see if the content is interesting. If that all goes well they buy it

So you can say that the purpose of a book cover is:

• Attract the reader
• To accurately describe what's in the book
• To sell book
  

I don't know about you, but I judge books by their cover every day.

Displaying here some of my designed covers. Would like to know your views on the post and my cover designs both.

How to get an idea?

There seems to be a common myth that one day you’ll just sit under a tree and get a good idea.

I read somewhere that an idea is nothing more nor less than a new combination of old elements.

Archimedes, the greet Greek mathematician got an idea in the bathtub. Sir Isaac Newton got an idea observing an apple fall from a tree. Percy Lebaron Spencer, an American engineer got the idea of Microwave Oven, when the chocolate bar in his pocket had melted while standing by a magnetron.  By his death in 1931 Thomas Edison had gathered over a 1000 patents. Sure, today we may not remember many of them but among were also a handful of world-changing ideas such as the light bulb, the phonograph and the Kinescope.

As you are involved in your work, you keep thinking how to improve your work. This often results in ideas. When you are discussing something with friends, you may have just got an idea. Your necessity may bring out an idea as Necessity is the mother of all invention and then one idea may lead to another. 

I agree that most ideas are just new combinations of old elements but you can not get an idea just because you want to get an idea. It just happens... like accidents. You don’t plan accidents.. do we? I think ideas are certainly new combinations of old elements but they're also more than that in that they take on a life of their own once created and can be enduring and influential. Big or small I believe we only generate ideas when we break old patterns and in that sense the new combination of old elements is absolutely right. To get an idea you should

• Expose your mind to others who are more creative than you. Not necessary in your own field, though that's helpful, of course. But acquainting yourself with the work of great painters, great musicians, great writers will provide fodder in your mind for your own creativity.
• Get together with another creative person and brainstorm solutions to your particular project. Often, bringing two or more people together will generate ideas that no one of them would have alone.
• Play, the creative part of the mind often works "behind the scenes". Carve out time in your schedule for fun, non-work activities and relationships and rest.
• Carry around a journal and sketchbook all the time.
• Mind mapping is a useful way to come up with new ideas or concepts. This involves writing various words that are associated with your subject and finding other words or phrases (idioms) that relate.
• Use the pen and a piece of paper try to come up with 20 ideas to improve something. This something can be you business, health, the amount of money you earn, your life in general or just another idea that you want to improve. The interesting thing about sitting down and starting to consciously generating ideas is that once you get them to start trickling into your mind they often develop into a small stream or sometimes even a river. Before you begin it may seem difficult to gather 20 or 40 new ideas but soon after you get started it seems, at least for a while, like you’re plucking them out of the air as easy as picking a basket of apples.

Everyone has his own way to create an idea but as there is a saying that "No great thing is created suddenly." and one should take time to develop and implement a good idea. Hope you like the idea of this post and would comment your views on it. 

Designing-Marketing-Branding

"Designing" play a supportive role in marketing and branding of a product or service. Granted, the marketing of a company and their brand needs to begin with a solid foundation. The marketing and branding is all about creating "differentiators", drawing a line between the competitors and you, a line which is clearly visible and is usually drawn by great designs and creative ideas. It can be normally termed as "Visual Salability" of any product or service. For example Apple ipod is "APPLE IPOD" because of its design and visual appeal.

Marketing makes the market aware of your product or service and make them want to buy it. How marketing do this is the creative part. On the other hand Branding is about making the target want to buy your product over your competitor's by giving your company a "personality" that the audience will relate to.

In these troubling times due to the economy, proper "branding" and "marketing" is critical for companies to position themselves to remain ahead once the economy rebounds. Good design can assist with establishing a unique positioning message for a company. It's important for companies to re-evaluate their message to determine which key word they want to "own" which separates them from others and describes their "brand".

Design is a process for solving or addressing a business challenge in the market. The marketing plan is the guideline that informs the design direction. Ideally, marketing (or more precisely marketing research) provides you with an idea of your target group/market, what they value and what they relate to, what's important to them. The marketer's job with maybe the help of a designer is then to create a marketing message, product design or packaging design that fits the target group so that they can relate to the product, service, or even to the whole brand. So the point is clear that designing play a supportive role in developing brands and marketing of a product or service in a better and creative way.

Sharing here few example of creative marketing. Hope you like it. Enjoy and share your views.

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Photography Album

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Photograph to Vector

This time I did experiment with my photograph and try to convert it in a vector image. I did it using Photoshop and CorelDraw both. Though you can also do it only in photoshop or corel but I used both the software. Also sharing processing steps below. hope you like it.
 

Why graphic designing is important?

First of all let's look at what graphic designing is. There are different sites explain it differently. According to Wikipedia

"The term graphic design can refer to a number of artistic and professional disciplines which focus on visual communication and presentation."

What I think that it is difficult to define the term Graphic Design as it cover a number of areas. It is used in making websites, posters, brochures, book covers, billboards, logo, business cards, product designing, branding, marketing, vector art, wallpapers, page layouts, newspapers, magazines, electronic ads, and many many more. Although each of these area in GD need specialization but most graphic designers are capable of doing almost all types of graphic design, but nearly all of them have a preference or specialty they focus on. Each specialist will no doubt have an individual answer to the question of “what is graphic design” as well, but the overall answers will be the same.

Designing is everywhere in different ways. Most of people think that a design should always be decorative but as most of people think design is not always decorative. As a form of self-expression it can convey a specific feeling, emotion, mood, or impression. A design can communicate a message when it incorporates words, symbols, or representational shapes that are readily understood by the viewer. So you see that a design is much more than just combining some photographs, illustrations and text together. It require skills, artistic attitude, a lot of practice and of course experience.

Now the technology is reached to a level where basic qualities, features, usages etc. of most of the products are like same. On the other hand most of the businesses are using same kind of strategies and modes for advertising, promotion and marketing. The competition is very tough and everyone want to gain the maximum profit. Now one thing which make the products different is their look and design. Of course the technology, price and usage does matter but that comes later. The first thing a customer notice is the design of any product. The better look means better chances of sale. That means a design play a major role in sale of any product. This is the direct approach of a design to the customer but except this any business need a design for their website, logo, business card, branding, advertisement, or many other projects also. Graphic designers are very much in demand in businesses. Almost all advertising includes graphic design, as do websites and the other items.

I think any design must start with an understanding of what is required by a given problem, and end with a valid and creative solution to the problem. When I deal with visual forms of communication, my concern includes conveying messages, explaining ideas and thoughts, providing guidance and direction, persuasion, and stimulation of emotions; all of these constitute the functional aspect of design.

Hopefully, this post has given you an idea that why a graphic designing is important. Your comments and suggestions are most invited.

My Painting: Dawn Time Bird

Another painting using tube colours. I named it "Dawn time bird" There are few things which you can directly associate with dawn time and one of them is chirping of birds. Birds are nature's alarm to tell us that its morning and the Sun is rising so get up and start your day. Your comments on the painting are most invited.

Warrior Mickey

Mickey Mouse is one of my favourite cartoon character. Mickey Mouse was created in 1928 by Walt Disney and still making everybody smile and laugh. I create it long time back in my teenage. Mickey's image I copied from a stamp of Republic of Bhutan. The background is my imagination. Your comments are most invited on Warrior Mickey.