Monday 22 October 2012

Areas of Focus in Business Stationery Design

Letterhead of an established firm is certainly worth admiration for its appeal, elegance and quality. Despite being just a piece of paper, it tells a lot about the company, its professionalism and stature. To make sure that business stationery makes a strong mark, reputed designers focus on certain critical areas. Let’s gain insights on some of them to learn what should be considered while thinking about stationery design.

Quality of paper

Even a layman can tell the difference between a thick high quality paper and standard paper. Thus, there is no way a business can get away by using cheap paper for stationery. Established firms and even corporate world knows the importance of personalized stationery and especially quality of paper. Perhaps, that is why they don’t compromise at it. Though the detail may seem as a small one but it makes the very base of stationery design. Established firms offering stationery design Singapore consider paper quality as something that needs to be discussed in the very beginning.

Information inclusion

A reader should gain knowledge about the important details of the company through stationery. Thus, while assigning stationery designing work, a client needs to discuss what all needs to be included. Company name, physical address, phone number, email address, fax number and other crucial details needs to be highlighted. Stationery focusing just on visual appeal fails to leave a lasting impact and also doesn’t aid communication with clients. No stationery and creative brochure design company would disagree on this.

Font and color selection

There is no dearth of font for designers to choose from but when it comes to stationery usage, one has to be very careful. Choosing a wrong font can ruin brand communication and confuse the reader. Font has to be at peace with the company image and should accentuate it. Readability is also a factor that requires careful attention. If the font hinders the reader in gaining knowledge about the company, then, its purpose is defeated. Likewise, choosing color for the font is also very crucial. Using too many colors also looks odd.

Imagery usage

As compared to words, images are more communicative. Hence, using images in the stationery could be a wise choice. To make the most of the image on the stationery, the designer needs to determine its appropriateness. Image of company’s official building, logo or anything that signifies the firm can serve the purpose well. For business card design, Singapore based firms suggest that using a professional picture of yourself is also something worth considering. The word of caution for imagery usage is to stay away from clip art.

White space

Just like websites, white space also holds importance in stationery designing. Objective is to attract reader’s attention to certain elements and, thus, keeping plenty of white space is suggested. Clutter is certainly not something that impresses people.

These are the areas that stationery designers focus on to make sure that their clients communicate effectively. If stationery doesn’t impresses, then, perhaps, it is not doing what it is supposed to.

Ethan Design is a dynamic company that helps global brands in client and customer communication. It offers logo, Facebook cover and numerous other related designing services. It is also known for its team of 3D animation designers.

Monday 15 October 2012

Color and Type Considerations When Designing Business Cards

With its small size and simplicity, business card attracts little attention, and perhaps, that is why businesses as well as marketers forget to pay much attention to it. But this doesn’t mean it is not worth consideration. Business card is a very powerful tool to leave a lasting impression as it goes on to occupy wallets and business address files. Color and type are two of the most frequently simple yet mistaken elements in business card designing. So, let’s get a better understanding of color and type while business cards designing; 

Colors

Colors are eye catchers and can make anything look beautiful. So, keeping in out of your business design is not going to benefit in any way. Colors can be used to achieve different objectives. Besides adding to the appeal of the card, they are also often used for emphasis. So, there is no plausible reason to not use such a powerful feature. 

Using colors 

Logo considerations- If you represent a company, then, business card should bear the logo of the organization in a clear manner. Others colors in the card can be inspired from the logo as well. From background elements to the type, logo can greatly help the designer in making color choices. Also, limiting the usage of colors to four is usually suggested. Seasoned design firms offering business card design Singapore also go with the same rule.

Color tone considerations- Getting the color tones right is very important. If the logo boasts bright colors, then, usage of other colors need to be made considering the same fact. Specialists also keep the business card color tone in alignment with other materials used for branding purposes. If business card design as well as color scheme are in harmony with the elements in your website, then, it is an additional advantage.
Type

It is through type that reader or cardholder will acquire information about you. So, ignore type at your own risk. With so many typeface and font, designer often get wrong, and also boring, with type. But if one keeps a positive approach, type can be the biggest impression maker.

Choosing font- There was no dearth of fonts and web has only added more to it. Hence, a designer has to be very wise at making the choice. Using too fancy or decorative for name and contact information gives away unprofessionalism. Readability also needs to be kept at the heart of choosing font. Be it business card design from London or stationery design Singapore, readability and alignment are given prime importance.

Font size- Size of the type is another important consideration. Text that is too small is real pain for the reader. Speaking from the angle of printing too, the same is not suggested. Besides that, mixing different font sizes is also not advisable.

Business card, as aforementioned, is a powerful way to market self or a service. It always pays to hire a business card and creative brochure design company for a design that promises professionalism and authority.

So, these were the color and type considerations for business card designing. 

Ethan Design is a company of graphic designers Singapore that helps businesses in branding through its Facebook cover and logo design services. It is known for its creativity as well as affordable packages.To Know more visit here http://www.ethandesign.com/ .
 

Monday 1 October 2012

The Basics of Logo Design

Logos are nothing less than identity of the company. While making logos seems a simple task with the easy availability of Photoshop and other web tools, it certainly is not effortless if one takes into consideration the minute details. In the hurry to get started, startups don’t bother to get professional assistance for logo design. This leads to identity issues in the long run. Getting the basics right is very important and this is what logo experts do for their clients. Following are the points that they keep in mind;

Starting from scratch

A professional logo designer never starts a project directly on computer screen. The very first step is jotting down the ideas, requirements and starting to doodle. Flow of ideas is faster when one is working on paper. This stage is very crucial in case of logo designing and if a designer get this one right, implementation on computer is effortless. Celebrated logo designers also hold logo sketching in high esteem and there are strong reasons behind it.

Forget color

It is better to forget that a world of color exist when one is designing a logo. Client may use the logo in any form and if depriving the color elements takes away the charm of the logo, then, it is not worth it. So, after forgetting the gradient part, all the focus should be on the contours of the logo in the initial process. Your logo should be powerful with color as well in black & white. Professionals offering logo and brochure design services Singapore are particularly famous for following the rule.

Shape considerations

Some logos are very bold and reflect authority while others are more subtle and fun. Such strong identities are defined through the shape and aesthetics of the logo. One can use smooth edges and pointy corners to give entirely different personality to the logo. Decision on this is usually made during initial discussions with the designer and the same lead the design process. If you didn’t have any such discussion with your designer while getting the logo work done, perhaps it’s time to ask a designer specializing in logo and business card design Singapore for his opinion about your logo.
Font decisions

There is an army of fonts out there but this doesn’t mean logo designer can go ahead to use a variety of them if the logo is type based. Font has to be chosen very wisely as every font has a personality and feel. Amalgamation of two widely different fonts in a logo design would look very conflicting and would confuse the responses of a person. Hence, one has to use a font just the way a Graphic Designers Singapore does; subtly yet professionally.

Feedback

Feedback is as crucial as the design itself. Every person has a different way of looking at things and it is important to gather multiple feedbacks to make sure that the logo work is reflecting the desired message. Asking questions and exchanging ideas helps a lot.

So, these are basics of logo design that shouldn’t be forgotten at any cost if one wants to come up with a brand rather than just another logo.

Ethan Design is an affordable web design company Singapore that offers logo and Facebook cover design services to its global clients. It also has specialization in animation and brand communication on social media.

Monday 17 September 2012

What Happens in Logo Designing?

A logo seems simple and people usually assume making them is an easy task. That is why businesses often haggle with designers on service charges when it comes to logo designing. But the fact is that logo designing is not as simple as it is assumed and involves processes that are demanding. Let’s underline the processes that Indian, American and even seasoned Singapore web design & development companies follow;

Stage 1- Design brief and questionnaire

A logo is an identity of a company, firm or organization. It is an icon through which products on offer will be identified. Hence, it is important for the logo to be recognizable, inspiring trust, admiration and loyalty. During this stage, designer comes to know about the client and the firm he is representing. This stage is critical because if the designer wouldn’t know what logo has to reflect, the message wouldn’t come across correctly. Questionnaires and sometimes even interviews are used to get to know client in a better way.

Stage 2- Research

A logo reflects what the company is all about and what it deals in along with asserting the image company wants to establish. This is not possible till designer comes to know about the company through his share of research. Of course company representative has told what they deal in but to delve further and bring out other critical elements, history and competitors are also required to be studied. Companies offering services of business logo design Singapore have a reputation for thorough research.

Stage 3- Reference and Conceptualization

By this stage, designer is aware of what the company is all about, its history, standing in the market and also its competitors. Now, it is time to know what type of logo design works are already there that are celebrated and similar to the brief given. Purpose of this step is only to get a rough idea of what is acceptable nowadays. Designer’s work however shouldn’t be highly inspired from the reference part. Once done with that, pick up the pencil and get down to work; once you get the design right on a sheet of paper, it would come effortlessly on computer.

Stage 4- Reflection and Revisions

Getting right with the very first draft is very difficult. Hence, it is important for the designers to take some time off from work and coming back to it later with fresh viewpoints. It might happen that designer will come across an altogether new idea and start experimenting with it. In the same way, revisions are important. Be it a company professional or freelance graphic designer Singapore, revisions deserve a place in design processes.

Stage 5- Presentation

This marks the last stage of logo design process. In this stage, designer submits his work to the client for approval. While shortlisted logo designs are final, presenting them in a manner that client understands meaning of every element also holds importance.

Support is also equally important part to enhance client’s satisfaction. From big designing firm in USA to freelance graphic designer Singapore, logo design process remains more or less the same.

Ethan Design is a multimedia designing company Singapore that helps global businesses with brand positioning through its design services. It also provides animation and business Facebook cover designing services.

Monday 3 September 2012

4 Uncomplicated Design Tricks

Web designing is certainly not simple and requires a lot of technique and skill. While there are a number of designing elements that demand time and patience to master, some uncomplicated tricks could be used to include elements that could greatly enhance the appeal of the web platform. Consider the simple design tricks underlined below as additions that, if used effectively, can enhance the overall look of the website. So, here they are from a  multimedia designing company Singapore ;

Text Clubbing

While you may find it difficult to locate the term I have used, the practice is very much famous and you would surely recognize it. Text clubbing means bringing together words with different fonts and making the line widths equal. The words can come together to convey a single idea or different ones. The practice is quite celebrated amongst designers that dare to experiment for catching viewer’s attention. Font size of different words is often altered to attract readers’ attention towards a particular idea. A freelance web designer in Singapore would certainly be familiar with the practice as new designing talent is coming up from the city-state only.

Sticker Effect

No one needs to be design-master to pull off sticker effect. With thick white strokes around an element, one can give a sticker feel to it and also make it distinct. One can also employ the shadow feature to enhance the overall feel. In case of image or graphic elements, the effect can be easily made by using Photoshop. However, text might ask for a little manual work in the negative areas.

Dashed lines

Dashed lines are widely being used in different ways to increase the visual appeal of the website. In additional to segregating text elements, it brings a classical feel to the design. It can be used for underlining, vertical segregation and even creating rectangular frames. Such lines can be easily created by using properties of Illustrator or even through CSS. The result is simple yet engaging.

Use of Images in Text

Sometimes, clients wish to reflect the creativity of the organization through a web platform. In such cases, just simple text can seem boring and would certainly invite revisions. Hence, it is better to include something that makes the text appealing. Merging images with text if it is brief is a great idea and very simple to execute. Photoshop offers simple steps to accomplish the same and once it is done, there is every chance visitors being impressed. It can also be used for headlines.

Headline Banners

Headline banners are cool and a rage at present among web designers. Besides highlighting critical points, headlines look very appealing on banners. Speaking of designing part, designing banners is a simple process which could be mastered without breaking a sweat, including the 3d effects. Work of any freelance graphic designer Singapore can be gone through to come across captivating banner usages.

Not only are the above underlined tips easy to implement, they can also enhance the overall appearance of the website. So, these were the points that can help you in designing like any pro freelance graphic designer Singapore.

Ethan Design is a company composed of creative designers and offers services in animation, social media, cover and logo design. Clients often come across Ethan Design by making searches related to ‘business logo design Singapore’.

Wednesday 22 August 2012

Considerations for Facebook Cover Photo

With around 900 million users, Facebook is nothing less than a country in itself. People share and communicate through the popular social networking site. While individuals use it for personal communication, business are active to make their social presence felt. To do the same, cover photo is one of the most dominating tools. However, most businesses are often in dither about how to make use of cover photo to communicate with their followers, considering the terms and conditions (yes, there are many!). Well, to simplify your work, here are some of the points that could be kept in mind while experimenting with cover photo.

Mind the guidelines

When Timeline became a reality, Facebook also made changes in its Pages Terms to underline some guidelines regarding cover photos. While normal users don’t think twice before agreeing to terms and conditions, such commitments have importance for businesses that wish to accomplish some specific goals from their profiles. Hence, Facebook states that cover photos couldn’t be used to display discounts, contact information, insisting users for shares and many other practices. Because of the complexities of terms, services of Facebook timeline design Singapore are in great demand.

Technical considerations

Space for cover photo in Facebook is also something that a business needs to give a thought. Without thinking about technicalities like size and shape provided for the cover photo, utilizing the full potential of the tool is impossible. If an image is smaller than the minimum image dimension, then Facebook automatically stretches it to fit in the space. This could rain havoc on the quality of the picture as it might look blurred or grainy. Singapore animation companies also specializing Facebook cover designing are widely sought-after to make sure the perfect image is put in front of followers. 

Text Matters

From the guidelines regarding cover photo, it is not difficult to decipher that Facebook doesn’t have a liking for content in the photo, be it of promotional or informative nature. However, there are some areas in which Facebook gives some consideration to text, and if the person acts smart, one can achieve the purpose without disturbing terms & conditions. Company tagline, inspirational quote, photo credits, copyrights info and a handful of other liberties are provided. Specialists from design firms have time and again come up with creative solutions in this field. Hiring best web design company Singapore could bring the same benefits.
Image

Enough said about cover size, conditions and text. Now, let’s focus on the element that is at the very centre of it all; yes, I mean the image itself. Image has to be high on quality taken in good lighting. It can be a single picture or collection of different pictures. Here too, one needs to think out-of-the-box to come out with the perfect photograph. Company or product logo can also play a crucial role in profile icon. Now, if one has a number of products and has difficulty in choosing the best, business logo design Singapore can certainly come handy.

So, by keeping the above points in mind, there is no chance of getting wrong with the cover photo.
Ethan Design is a group of designers known for their work in the field of business logo and Facebook cover designing. While looking for freelance graphic designer Singapore, clients often settle for Ethan Design as it offers the same flexibilities and creative work.

Monday 13 August 2012

Think Social Media When Designing

Designers attend to a number of details when they undertake a new work. Typography, navigation structure, fonts, usability, images, layout and content are some of the most common elements that catch a professional’s attention when he occupies the designer’s chair. While mentioned elements have been around for quite some time, social media integration is the new kid in the block. However, being new doesn’t mean that its prowess could be questioned. If used wisely, social media elements could become the most rewarding element on the platform. Designers pay heed to following points while integrating social media;

Placement of Buttons

Placement of social media buttons is one of the first considerations that a designer has to think about. Placement is very critical because if readers like what is on offer and are also willing to share with friends but cannot because buttons are nowhere to be found, the loss would be a great one. Usually, social media buttons find a place on top, bottom or alongside the webpage. If the website is information and content based, then, they could be used at the end of every work.

Choosing Social Media Platforms

Be it web design company Singapore, US or Japan, everyone would agree to the point that choosing social media platforms is as critical as their placement. While Facebook and Twitter have been dominating the field for quite some time, a number of other websites like Delicious have also gained lightening popularity only to soon fall from the sky. Pinterest, Reddit and Tumbler are the other names that are going strong. So, one need to decide which platform is going to stay and which evaporate.

Social Media Presence of Business

Even in today’s world of likes, comments and recommendations, some businesses don’t have an active presence on social media platforms. This is particular of small and medium businesses. Hence, it is important to discuss social presence of the business with client before starting the work. Once it is confirmed that there is an active Twitter account with good following and Facebook fan page with thousands of LIKES, then, a number of extra opportunities open up for best web design company Singapore or any professional business hires.

Wise Use

Veteran designers remember the golden rule that web users come for information or products on offer and not with the sole purpose of sharing content. Hence, using social media share buttons too liberally is only going to look out of place and awkward. Good designers know where to draw the line with social media. Also, using gigantic buttons and forcing them on users is also a big turnoff. Go through works of different designers to see how much of social media is good. And while at it, also scan through web design portfolio Singapore.

These are the crucial points that designers consider while working on social media. While the discussed social aspect is important, it doesn’t mean that skill of designer in other designing areas can be compromised. Remember, a designer needs to be a whole package for your design job.

There is quite a demand of South Asian design talent on web. So, outsourcing work to a freelance web designer in Singapore could be a good move.

Ethan Design has been active in the field of designing and development for a long time. It is an established group of web designers in Singapore and helps businesses as well as professionals in branding activities.