FAQs and You

What does high-res mean? PMS, EPS, CMYK, RGB, PDF? With all the acronyms flying around how can we make it easier to understand these design terms? At least twice a week, we have to explain that a photo or logo just pulled from a website isn't usable in a printed piece. 72 vs 300 dpi is hard to grasp for more. What about domain names versus hosting accounts? This is another common one. Or EPS files versus jpegs?

Here are basic answers to some of these frequently asked questions:

High-Res or High-Resolution is required for anything printed. Any image needs to be 300dpi or dots per inch. Most images used on the web or on screen are 72 dpi, which will result in a low quality print (even though it looks fine on screen!). If you don’t have Photoshop to check the resolution, here is a quick way to tell if the image is print quality. Check the file size. A print-ready file is usually 1 megabyte or more, while a low-res image is usually under 1MB.

EPS or Encapsulated PostScript is a file format used for illustrations and vector-based graphics. What does vector mean? Vector is an image or graphic that is made up of points and lines. This is how a designer creates shapes and fonts. The difference between vector and raster is that the shapes can still be manipulated when they are vector through a program like Adobe Illustrator. Raster is more like a Photoshop image. EPS files are preferred for working with logo files because they can be placed over a background color or image and are already ‘outlined’. A rasterized logo as a default would be on a white background. An EPS image can also be blown up to whatever size necessary – like for a large sign on a building, without losing resolution because the file is all based on vector points and not pixels.

CMYK/RGB/PMS are all color terms. CMYK refers to cyan, magenta, yellow and black which is how most printers output color. RGB refers to red, green and blue – these colors are used to make up a digital display. When working with images for print, they should be switched to a CMYK file format for accurate printing but web images should stay at RGB. PMS refers to the Pantone Matching System. This color system is widely used as the standard for printing colors. Each color can be ordered as straight ink but formulas are also provided to make the same color using CMYK inks. Graphic programs use the Pantone library of colors so the print outputs already have the color break formulas in them.

Domain Names vs. Hosting are both web-related terms. In order to have a website, a domain name or URL is needed. Domain names can be purchased through companies like GoDaddy, Network Solutions and myriad of others for 1 year or more. But purchasing a domain name is just the first step. A hosting account is still needed. Hosting is usually charged monthly. This charge is for the server space the website files will reside on. Web hosting can be purchased through numerous companies and often web developers prefer to host the sites they work on. After hosting is set-up, the domain name can be pointed to the hosting company so the web files show up on the right web address.

Most people don’t need to know all these terms which is why they choose to work with a professional designer or web developer. But it seems like more and more people are taking things into their own hands. Many people have Photoshop now and have company logos or product images that need to be managed. Websites are not just for business anymore as many people have personal sites, side projects, hobby or family sites. With the world becoming more and more digital everyday, some basic knowledge of color, resolution and file formats is necessary. This is just the tip of the iceberg!

Monogramming Madness

From iPad covers to dishes, everything has a monogram lately. Pottery Barn features a whole online monogram shop with towels, table linens, glasses, picture frames and jewelry boxes. Etsy.com features baby clothes, linens, wall art, hats, soaps and even decorative pillows. Home décor catalogs are showing headboards, lampshades and bedspreads with monograms.

Giving newly married couple monogrammed gifts isn’t a new idea, but decorating our homes and offices with our initials is a current trend. Since when do we need to have our initials on everything we own? I doubt it is because we think we might lose our belongings. In this mass-produced world we live in, it just might give us a sense of having something uniquely hand-made and exclusively “ours” as it incorporates our own personal flair.

Monogrammed or personalized stationery has been popular for a while, but using an initial as a personal trademark is a trend that looks like is here to stay. It gives something a personal touch – a kind of human ‘territory marking’.

Back in the Victorian era, monograms symbolized the upper class. Those in higher classes adapted the monogram as a symbol of their place in society. Today, corporations often shorten their names to initials and then use the monogram as a design element. Law, engineering, consulting and architecture firms often go for this approach as their firm names are commonly made up of three last names and one is sure to be too many syllables!

For instance, it is much easier to use the shortened ‘PWC’ instead of ‘Price Waterhouse Coopers’. The space that the full three-word name takes up for a logo or design element is quiet long. But do big scrolling initial letters as a design element really say anything about what service or product a company offers? An embroidered ‘LK’ on a golf shirt doesn’t immediately read top-rated law firm or a brochure with a BKV doesn’t necessarily say ‘award-winning architecture firm’. Just like an appliquéd pink “M” on my briefcase doesn’t mean anything if you don’t know my name. But people are drawn to monograms because they give a sense of personal pride. My briefcase screams, “I am ‘M’!” A monogram then becomes a personal logo of sorts.

When it comes to this monogramming madness craze, less is more. One article of clothing or an accessory works but embracing this trend throughout our home décor becomes overkill. Linens are one thing but soaps, pillows, lamps AND a bathmat? What’s happens when you want to donate that “W” pillow to Goodwill? These items become harder to reuse for sure. Using company monograms as a design element can work too but used in the right instance. A simple watermark on a letterhead done correctly can be beautiful but using initials in a direct mail piece probably isn’t the best marketing idea. Let’s remember that not everyone always knows what those letters stand for!

Long Live Handwriting!

What will happen when the world no longer knows how to sign their names? Will everyone use printed block letters to sign legal forms or checks or even credit card receipts at a restaurant?


There is a great debate going around not teaching cursive in schools. Many schools have already shifted from less penmanship to more keyboarding. Supposedly, there is not enough time in the day for all the subjects kids must learn today and handwriting is one of those getting cut.

While keyboarding is ever important in our digital world, what will happen to the lost art of cursive? And if script writing it isn’t taught, will our children know how to read it? Many historical documents are in cursive including The Declaration of Independence. Formal wedding invitations with lots of loops and curls could be a thing of the past. Script fonts could go away entirely. Those fonts designed to look like handwriting will lose their relevancy for sure.

What happens to our personal brands if we no longer have signatures? A signature is a direct link into a person’s identity. The long curves of our capital letters and way we scribble our middle initial is unique. A slanted signature can show that the signer is left or right-handed. Handwriting experts have said that Barack Obama’s signature shows “intelligence, fluidity and fast thinking.”

No one will collect souvenirs with famous people’s autographs anymore without unique signatures. Trying to sell that foul ball you got signed by the baseball star on eBay won’t be worth as much when the name is spelled out in 3^rd grade all caps letters. Will there be such a thing as ‘book signings’? I can’t imagine authors sitting at a table printing their names.

When future generations grow up to sign away their life on their student loan forms, they will block print their names. When they write a thank you note it will be in print – WAIT – they will never send a handwritten thank you note. They will type it or just send a text, right? Maybe this is why children don’t need to learn how to write in cursive because everything is being done electronically. Some students can even use computers for standardized tests now.

A signature is something that is supposed to be ‘one of a kind,’ similar to our fingerprints. Used on everything from mortgage papers to driver’s licenses, our signatures are even used by banks it to verify deposits. Forgery would be more common if everyone printed his or her names. In the future, will our signatures become some form of electronic signature using fingerprints or microchips?

Formal letters from CEOs and Presidents are signed to show importance as well as give a personal touch. It looks like they took the time to sign that formal letter. Our signatures say something about each of us. It’s sad to think that a ‘#’ or ‘@ ‘before our name will be the new signature. The “new handwriting” will be designated by the font style in our emails. Is script doomed to be forever dead?

It is Just too Easy to Share...

It can make us all squirm – thinking about the threat of a colleague or employee crossing the line with your corporate brand via social media. Social media is difficult to ignore for its power to communicate. But what if it’s not always positive? An American Red Cross employee accidentally tweeted a beer-related post to the charity's Twitter account, rather than to her personal account. Not long after that came the Chrysler Corporation that tweeted about the bad driving habits of people in Detroit.


Freedom of expression and ease of use makes everyone a ‘publisher’ nowadays. Companies have been afraid to open the floodgates on social media in case people say bad things about them because online opinions can spread far and wide – and quickly. But ‘word of mouth’ has always been around – these technologies are just new ways of spreading it. These conversations would be going on anyway, so businesses might as well figure out a way to join in and effectively manage their message.

Whether it’s a disgruntled employee or an unhappy customer, negative posts can be damaging to a brand and business. Here are some tips to prevent an errant ‘post’ and manage your online reputation:

1. Develop an internal social media policy including who posts for company. It should include guidelines for response comments and privacy rules.
2. Carry your brand voice and common sense to social media. It’s public!
3. Know the legal issues around identity disclosure on comments. No ‘fake’ reviews!
4. Review posts frequently and quickly remove any out of bounds posts. Use online tools to monitor your brand and all activity.
5. Take a deep breath before responding to comments. If you’re unsure, have someone review your post for tone.

But mistakes happen, even on large companies’ sites, but monitoring often lets you catch mistakes faster and minimize the damage. There are all sorts of new social media tools out there that can automate this process and allow you to respond quickly to negative discussions.

If there is unfavorable chatter, here are some ways to put out the flames. Always own up and admit the mistake. Make sure to apologize publicly and personally to any one harmed by the mistake. The Red Cross has been praised for using humor in response to their employee’s beer-talking tweet and turned it into a way to gather donations.

Then make sure to pull any damaging content offline– but don’t pretend ‘this never happened’. Use the mistake as a teachable moment and don’t stop the conversation or social media initiatives all together. Not everyone is going to love you, your business or your product so pessimism is inevitable. Hopefully any negativity can be easily downplayed and turned into a positive.

My Digital Wish List

From how far digital presses have come, they still have a ways to go to overcome some common challenges.

I wish digital presses could…


Print letterheads. 
For the small identity project, this would be ideal. For some reason the letterhead isn’t an option because the digital presses leave a slight coating on the paper that makes it hard to rerun it through a customer’s inkjet or laser printer afterwards.

Print envelopes. 
Envelopes, we all know this one. They just can’t line up right unless they are run flat and then converted which is too pricey for most jobs. #10s would complete the identity package or announcement envelopes would be great for party or wedding invitations. Think of the impact of 4-color printed envelopes in combination with variable data?

Print spot colors. 
Ever wish you could match something else that ran offset? Wouldn’t it be great if there were a way to run a spot color along with a digital job? HP just introduced white ink; maybe spot ink is next?

Print heavier stock/130#. 
In the design world, the thicker the better – that’s been the trend. Some business cards are now like chipboard they are so thick. Does heavier imply more expensive or important?

Increase the sheet size to accommodate folders. 
13x19 is a bit limiting right? Folders would be the ideal project to run digitally as many customers tend to not need very many. These are expensive projects as the converting and die costs add up. Many times folders are done with just 1 or 2-color printing to keep the costs down. This is a design challenge, especially for company that uses a 3 or 4-color logo.

Reproducing Consistent Color – Is it Possible?

How do we achieve the perfect PMS corporate blue across all mediums and keep it consistent? The blue on screen looks different than on a billboard, a printed ad or a tradeshow booth. The same blue on uncoated or coated paper printed at the same printer using the same ink will look different.

As designers, we do the best we can to know these tricks of the trade and create consistent color. But will the client notice or care that their PMS corporate blue can’t be replicated when printed digitally CMYK versus 1-color offset? Do they need to know the intricacies of the printing process – RGB, CMYK, PMS, different papers and substrates – it sounds like a foreign language to most.

Some clients don’t care. Some clients care too much. As much as we can explain the reasons for the slight differences, it will never make much sense to most people. Even though digital printing is not at all new now, it still needs explanation – the method, the outcome, the pricing: “The price per piece goes down with offset printing, its ideal for quantities of 500 or more. The price per piece stays about the same for digital printing no matter the quantity.”

Consistent color is so important to brands that it is necessary for designers and brand managers to police this and attempt to make the assigned PMS color appear to match throughout all of its uses. But what about when a client wants a specific color to match on an electronic letterhead on their screen and on their desktop inkjet print-out? And still match on their client’s screen and corporate laser printer – it’s just unattainable. We have to manage these expectations and explain that it is nearly impossible to control all of these printer outputs and monitor settings.

All these things considered, here are some tips to maintain color consistency:

• Ideally, choose a PMS color that has a good CMYK break
• When printing uncoated versus coated, adjust the PMS – usually just adjusting one up or down works
• Beware of colors with a lot of opaque white or reflux blue in their make-up, they never look right digitally printed or process offset
• Adding a 5^th color to a 4-color offset job isn’t that expensive and give you peace of mind that the corporate color will be printed accurately
• Most importantly, create a document with all the standard color variations including RGB breaks for Word, CMYK breaks, PMS coated versus uncoated, Hex colors for web – stick to it and pass it around for everyone to use as reference!

The Creative Process

Everyone’s creative process is different. Do you start with a blank sheet of paper, a white screen and stare at it until something pops into your head or jump right in and get going? I like to mull things over for a couple days and start with an idea or vision of what I am going to do.

Sometimes thoughts come to me while I am driving or sleeping and I wake up with a vision of how I am going to do something. My friend says her best creative comes to her in the shower. I also know people like to work in coffee shops with the buzz of people, music and caffeine all around them. I can’t disagree that a good cup of joe always helps get the mind moving. Another colleague likes to share all her ideas and talk through them.

What’s your creative process? Do you start with words, photos or maybe a sketch? If I don’t have a clear direction to begin with, I may need to get inspiration from surfing the web for either stock photos or fonts or just browse other web sites. Books are great, but sitting in front of the computer is just easier since we are all so programmed to multi-task anyway – God forbid we miss an email coming in.

I also have a collection of ‘cool samples’, that’s the label on my bin. I save direct mail pieces, invitations, magazine articles or anything I see that seems to have ‘done it right’ – whether it’s a great headline, a smart way to do a reply card or call to action, or something with fun colors or paper. It’s useful to look through these things periodically and see what others have done.

Then there are those great resources that paper and print reps are always bringing in to inspire us. Some have lovely foil embossing techniques others have crazy one-of-a-kind die-cuts or 10+ color fluorescent UV printing. I love seeing all these fancy techniques and sometimes it sparks an idea. Often, clients can’t always afford these over-the-top extras, but sometimes there is a way to achieve a similar technique affordably too.

The best way to get inspired could be to just get out of your element. Stop in a gift shop, the grocery store or hop on the subway or a bus – just somewhere with a lot of sights and sounds. Just sitting in quiet place – a park or quiet café with just a notebook and your thoughts can be a nice way to clear your mind and allow creative ideas to stream in too.

To me the hardest part about the creative process is the idea. Once something is down on paper or started on the computer, editing it to be a solid final creative entity is easy. Figuring out how to turn on the creative juices is one thing but working on something in progress is another. So start thinking, get inspired and work ‘your process’. Once you’ve identified what your process is, it’s a lot easier to know how to work with it, not against it.

A Burst of Sunshine

Lemon, citrus, charteuse, goldenrod, mustard, solar. Whatever shade you call it – it’s yellow.

Yellow is everywhere right now. From wall colors to dishes to clothing, retailers have the trend pegged. Crate & Barrel’s new catalog features a ‘banana’ colored mixing bowl and J.Crew is promoting custom Sperry duck boots in ‘lemon twist’. Benjamin Moore is showing kitchen walls painted ‘grape green’ against dark chocolate cabinets. And Nordstrom’s features a pattern of yellow sun rings on their main Juniors’ webpage. Shop windows, catalogs, commercials, product packaging and websites are all featuring this peppy color. It must be because springtime is calling for a little bit of sunshine to brighten our dull and dark winter palettes.

It’s easy to follow this design trend. Pair a citrus yellow with charcoal gray or black to tone it down, or a complete a vibrant palette with a pool blue, grass green and tangerine orange. For a modern look, use lots of white and a splash of hot pink against big blocks of lemony yellow. Or mix a soft butter yellow with light teal, pale pink and brown for a vintage inspired design.

Printing on a yellow paper stock is also a way to get a richer hue instead of printing a process yellow on a white stock. Using yellow on the web is a bit trickier; it doesn’t always display accurately on monitors and can be hard to read as type. It makes a great background, though, and a variety of colors look great with it.

Does this yellow trend invoke happiness? It sure is cheerful. Picture a field of daffodils or sunflowers against a cloud-free blue sky. It can only make you smile.

Will the lean to yellow last? Unless you are planning to completely overhaul your brand look, corporate colors, wardrobe or living room, your splash with yellow doesn’t need to stand the test of time. Like the sun, you can just welcome its presence, especially after a dreary winter. Everyone seems hungry for this burst of color to brighten the more neutral hues around us. So go ahead, find a yellow hue that’s right for you. Feel the glow!

What’s Your Personal Brand?

I recently designed a program for my friend and former boss’ memorial service. The program was supposed to reflect him and his style. It got me thinking about everything that goes into a personal style or brand. How do we determine what someone else’s style is?

Maybe it’s in the clothes we wear, be it all black and grey or bright orange and red. Many friends reminisced about my boss’ bright pink shirts and bold purple ties. It could be reflected in the patterns we love – soft feminine florals, bold stripes or textured neutrals. Some choose to make a personal statement through how they decorate their houses or offices. I love sleek and modern interior décor but usually surround myself with a mix of modern and traditional pieces since all modern can be stark and cold.

All of us have a personal style, but not everyone is deliberate about translating that to our personal brand. I designed and digitally printed personalized thank you notes with hot pink, purple and spring green graphics on a softwhite paper for my daughter after she was born. Everyone said how cute they were and that they are “so her”. Did I start creating her brand already as an infant by the typeface, color and paper choices? I wonder if she’ll choose a completely different style and brand as she gets older – no doubt!

I designed an identity for a colleague a while ago who has bold, curly red hair. I created a twisty curly red graphic element that tied into the letters in her name. She continues to use this for her personal stationery and claims it “fits her perfectly”. This red curly-q is now part of her personal brand, a trademark of sorts.

In branding and design, we are taught to be consistent. It’s almost driven down our throats and in turn we teach our clients to be consistent. Use your logo in the same way every time, stick to the brand manual and use the same colors and fonts, pick a standard paper – all these choices create your brand.

Maybe our personal brand is just ingrained in who we are. It’s how we sign our name, the words we use, our speaking style and the colors we prefer. And while consistency can be a good thing, sometimes we all can become a bit stale even in our personal brand. Always wearing all black and white and pinstriped? Shake it up a bit – it’s a new year. Add a dash of citrus yellow or a pop of red, splurge on a new striped lunch bag, change your default email font to a serif instead of Arial, or spec a colored envelope for your next identity project instead of white. Come on, even corporate brands need a bit of refreshing now and then.