Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Build a Positive Outlook with Non-Traditional Resolutions



Ready for some resolutions?

(Or are you still reeling from roadblocks that wrecked 2020’s good intentions?)

Don’t get discouraged! We all hit speed bumps from time to time. And honestly, that’s ok. That’s real life.

Even if 2020 derailed your best-laid plans, it’s important to look ahead with hope. You only have one life to live, and time slips away faster each year. Having goals is essential to living intentionally, and this is even more crucial when routines are disrupted, and life gets messy.

So why not give that drawing board another go?

 

Exchanging Materialism for Practicality

2021 is definitely not business as usual.

Seven in 10 Americans say they are tossing their materialistic goals for resolutions that focus more on life skills or practical habits.

A recent survey found that 62 percent of people plan to save money for the future, and 50 percent want to learn a new skill. The survey also revealed 68 percent wanted to focus more on experiences, like spending more time with their family and traveling more. Nearly 6 in 10 respondents also said their 2021 resolution is to have a more positive outlook on life.

But the road to destruction is paved with good intentions. And a resolution without a plan is just wishful thinking! So, as you vision and dream for the next 365 days, it’s important to attach questions like these to your ideas:

--Who does my goal involve?

--What am I trying to accomplish (and why)?

--What deadline or mini-milestones can I employ, and how will these be part of my calendar and weekly routines?

--Who will help hold me accountable? Who can I partner with to make this dream a reality?

As you put pen to the page, brainstorm ways you would like to see progress in areas like:

  • Career and Business
  • Family and Relationships
  • Finances
  • Health and Fitness
  • Spiritual Well-being
  • Educational or Recreational
  • Travel and Adventure
 

Get Specific 

Goals that are measurable, timebound, and targeted are the most motivating, so build specifics into your ideas to transform possibilities into REALITY. Here are a few examples to get you started:

--Stretch my capabilities through joining a professional network

--Deposit $500 a month into my child’s college savings account

--Follow up with six leads per month and book four new subscribers per quarter

--Book a summer vacation with my brother by February 1

--Volunteer once a month at the Emergency Food Pantry

--Subscribe to a local food co-op to include more healthy sides in our diet

--Sign up for a 5K in March and a 10K in October

--Sign up to speak at our entrepreneurs’ network by June 1

--Write in a gratitude journal every Sunday

 

Know Your “Why”

Finally, if you want to remain motivated as you work towards your goals, it’s essential to think about the “why.”

Why do you want to achieve that goal?

Self-growth experts explain that having a concrete reason for working on a specific goal allows you to remain motivated despite challenges and setbacks.

 

To contact Chuck Gherman for more information about how Printing Arts Press powered by PROforma can help organizations with their Marketing and Human Resource needs through promotion and print communications please visit www.printingartspress.com.


#print #directmail #marketing #mail #banners #publications #postcards #brochures #PromotionalMerchandise  #FaceMasks   #BrandedApparel

 

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Color Outside the Margins with Gorgeous Full Bleed Printing

 


When you want your color print project to dazzle and delight, you may want to use a bleed technique in your printing.

Sound strange? Well, the result is beautiful! Here’s what you need to know about this option.

 

What is a Bleed?

A bleed is a printing technique where your design is printed bigger than the final product’s finished size and then cut down to size, eliminating any unwanted white space or borders around the edge of your design.

Typically, bleeds refer to the extra 1/8” (.125 in) of an image or background color that extends beyond the trim area you’d like to feature. A bleed project is printed on an oversized sheet that is then cut down to size, giving the impression that the image is “bleeding” off the paper’s edge.

 

When Can a Bleed be Used?

Bleeds work well if your design has a full-colored background and can be used for any project where you want your design to extend to the edge of the sheet.

Bleeds can improve the precision of any print project. Why? Because without a bleed, you'll see a tiny bit of white on even the most carefully arranged and cropped document. When you print “outside the margins” with a document bleed, then there’s no room for error. The final product will be perfectly cut with a crisp, immaculate appearance.

When you are printing a booklet or something that will be folded, you’ll probably want to use bleeds on the interior borders so it doesn’t look as though the project is unfinished. Work to have colors meet in the middle, so your design flows effortlessly from one page to the next.

 

Where or How Can I Add Bleeds to My Design?

Each design program addresses bleeds differently, but here are some basics to get you started:

InDesign: InDesign is best suited for print. You can set up both bleed and margins in the “Document Setup” box when creating a new document. Simply bring your bleeds and margins up to 0.125 inches for the top, bottom, inside, and outside. Your document will have visible lines for you upon creation.

Illustrator: In the initial “Document Setup” window, set your bleeds to 0.125 inches for both top, bottom, inside, and outside. You cannot set up margins in Illustrator, so you will have to use guides once your document is open.

Photoshop: This one is a bit complex. In Photoshop, you will have to add ¼ inch (.25) to your final document size to account for the bleed margin you need. For example, if your document is 8.5” x 11”, you will need to set the document up in Photoshop to be 8.75” x 11.25”. Extend all bleeding images and graphics to the edge of your page and then use the design rulers to create guides for your trim and safety margins.

Publisher: Publisher is similar to Photoshop. To set your document up to bleed, simply add .25” to your document size in the Page Setup window and use design rulers accordingly.

Word: Unfortunately, you cannot set up a full bleeding document in Word. 

Still feeling uncertain? There are many online helps (like this quick InDesign bleed tutorial) that can get you started. Or leave the heavy lifting to our creative design team! We’ve got you covered.

Whether you’re creating a template or need start-to-finish graphic design, we’re here to consult, create, and bring your best ideas to life. Give us a call!

 

To contact Chuck Gherman for more information about how Printing Arts Press powered by PROforma can help organizations with their Marketing and Human Resource needs through promotion and print communications please visit www.printingartspress.com.


#print #directmail #marketing #mail #banners #publications #postcards #brochures    #PromotionalMerchandise  #FaceMasks   #BrandedApparel

 

Sunday, January 10, 2021

4 Design Trends to Watch for in 2021

 


2020 was a year we had to go with the flow in many ways.

In design trends, creativity flowed in liquid patterns, 3D realism, funky geometric shapes, innovative typography, and more. But while these concepts borrowed from sci-fi and futuristic tech, new styles may pivot toward bringing reality back in focus.

Here’s a sneak peek of four graphic design trends to watch for in 2021:

Back to Nature

One well-documented side effect of the coronavirus pandemic was a thirst for nature.

Creatives can capitalize on this by bringing the outdoors inside, highlighting gorgeous natural ambiance. Expect 2021 designs to mimic nature, natural lights, softer earthy colors and tones, natural gradients in color schemes, flowing lines, and more. Want to try it yourself? Use color filters to create natural ambiance in your images, or grab textures featuring wood, stone, waves, and more.

If you can’t go to the forest, let the forest come to you!

 

Simple Data Visualizations

When you’ve done your homework, you want to make this information matter.

Complex data is hard to understand, and simple data visualizations (like graphs, charts, educational posters, or infographics) make communication much more effective. Stats show that visual content is processed 60,000 times faster than text, and 72% percent of marketers agree that visual content is more effective than text.

Seek to transform great ideas into powerful images through creative alternatives like custom symbols, photo manipulation progressions, educational posters, animated gifs, personified maps, and more.

 

Non-Conformity

After 2020 limited our freedom in so many ways, many will be looking to push back by breaking the rules.

Watch for this in design as trends teeter toward more rebellious features that create a feeling of brazen defiance.

 “What we were first taught not to do, we now do by intention,” explains graphic designer Michal Sloboda, who’s also the founder of graphic design aggregator Trend List. “There are many more rules to be broken, and by doing so, we can come across something seemingly bizarre, but also unique or beautiful.”

What might this look like in your designs? The more imperfect, the better. Use clashing font, psychedelic photos, irreverent characters, chaos typography, surreal imagery, and wild colors like lush lava, phantom blue, and aqua menthe.

 

Blurred Backgrounds

Gradients and color transitions have been a popular trend for a few years now.

In 2021, many designers will look to add another layer, blending gradient hues with blurry and blended background images. Grainy filters can bring a sense of grunge and grime or rustic and vintage. And a blurred image can evoke emotions of what hides beneath the exterior.

Whether it’s a grayscale cityscape layer or a forlorn silhouette background, combining textured photos with blended gradients can bring a transitory -- yet authentic -- contrast to your design.

 

Stay Ahead of the Curve

2021 will be nothing if not interesting, so kickstart the new year with a style all your own.

To get started, it’s helpful to reflect on the past and decide what you’ll do differently in the future. Stay ahead of the curve with these design trends, and let us know if we can help infuse your designs with a fresh look in the months to come!

 

To contact Chuck Gherman for more information about how Printing Arts Press powered by PROforma can help organizations with their Marketing and Human Resource needs through promotion and print communications please visit www.printingartspress.com.


#print #directmail #marketing #mail #banners #publications #postcards #brochures   #PromotionalMerchandise  #FaceMasks   #BrandedApparel