RSD Advertising http://www.rsdadvertising.com Just another WordPress site Tue, 20 Mar 2012 22:26:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Designing for the web vs. print http://www.rsdadvertising.com/designing-for-the-web-vs-print/ http://www.rsdadvertising.com/designing-for-the-web-vs-print/#comments Tue, 20 Mar 2012 22:26:00 +0000 rsd http://www.rsdadvertising.com/?p=287 The continued growth and evolution of the web and social media puts a greater focus on good design. When clients first started moving to the web, sites tended to be online versions of organization brochures. Content was static and not interactive, and web developers often ended up doing web design. Today, with web 2.0 and beyond, sites are filled with dynamic content and interactive elements. The focus is no longer on just “what do you want to convey to the reader” but also “what does the reader want to do with this site”.  Print design continues to be a necessary element, but can be limited by the size of the page. The web offers unlimited space to convey as much information as necessary. We like to work together with our web designers and developers to create complementary looks for all media.  Often, the print piece will be the foot in the door to pique interest and drive traffic to the web where the whole story can unfold. Our sister company, Upstream Communications, continues to develop highly interactive and customizable websites for organizations of all sizes and in all industries. For our clients we will establish the creative direction and look, then let Upstream make it work. We still love designing print work, but we are always excited about the possibilities of email and the web.  Let us know next time you have an online project and we will get to work.

 

]]> http://www.rsdadvertising.com/designing-for-the-web-vs-print/feed/ 0 Backup…Backup…Backup http://www.rsdadvertising.com/backup-backup-backup/ http://www.rsdadvertising.com/backup-backup-backup/#comments Thu, 12 May 2011 14:56:12 +0000 rsd http://leebillington.com/rsd/?p=25 As they say, time is money. I say a lost drive with hundreds of hours of work on it is like burning money. Our files are some of the biggest assets we own. We have been designing on computers for over 15 years and have produced more than 9000 completed projects which are on our server or archived on DVDs. Keeping these files avalible when a client is ready to make updates and reprint is a giant task and takes thousands of dollars to do, but is critical to our success. If you don’t have a strategy for backing up your work, I say stop what you’re doing and make a plan. If you put it off until tomorrow you could come to work as if it is just another day and turn on your computer just to find it’s all gone.

]]> http://www.rsdadvertising.com/backup-backup-backup/feed/ 0 Going Green http://www.rsdadvertising.com/going-green/ http://www.rsdadvertising.com/going-green/#comments Wed, 11 May 2011 21:18:33 +0000 rsd http://leebillington.com/rsd/?p=21 There are a lot of ways to “Go Green” these days, and the design business is no different. While there has been a push to move materials to the web as either PDF or web items, the need for printed collateral continues. Paper companies started marketing papers in different ways, and clients found ways to emphasize the fact that they are being “green.” FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification is applied to both paper companies and printers. According to the FSC site: “Products carrying the FSC label are independently certified to assure consumers that they come from forests that are managed to meet the social, economic and ecological needs of present and future generations.” Moving beyond the source of the paper, producers also designate papers based on their use of recycled paper and post-consumer content, or even deeper into what types of chemicals are used to produce the stock. One of the strangest things of all? Paper companies have been reusing materials for years, but now they have an excuse to charge a little more for it.

Bottom line is that using FSC certified products and printers (like we do) is a great way to go green, but you have to be prepared to spend a little extra. And while you are at it, might as well include the logos and blurbs somewhere on the design to advertise that you are doing your part.

]]> http://www.rsdadvertising.com/going-green/feed/ 0 The Power of Good Photography http://www.rsdadvertising.com/hello-world-2/ http://www.rsdadvertising.com/hello-world-2/#comments Tue, 10 May 2011 10:11:11 +0000 rsd http://leebillington.com/rsd/?p=1 Sometimes nothing’s better at grabbing your audience’s attention and illustrating your message than a photograph. So where do we get that perfect image for your piece? We have three options, and each has its place depending on the job.

  1. Stock Photography

    When time is money and budget matters, we often opt for stock photography. These are ever growing collections of existing images for sale. More often than not we can find an image to compliment a design.

  2. Professional Photographer
    Sometimes a generic image just won’t cut it. When you need a particular person, place, thing or concept to speak your message, we use a professional photographer for complete creative control. In the interest of time and money, we have a photographer on staff to quickly fulfill the needs of a design. See samples here.
  3. Client Files
    Yes, you just might have the images we need. No, not one your sales rep took with his digital point and shoot. Quality is critical to the impact an image makes. If you are unsure of the quality/resolution of an image, see this article, “Why web images don’t work/file resolution.”
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