One Big Elevated Poster: Stage Design Tips

Its been a while I wrote something graphic design related. Currently majority of my work consists of designing structural stuff like an event stage. One of the most important factor of an event is where the host will do the emcee work, particularly a stage. Even if it is just a little raised area in the middle of the venue it is still considered as a stage. Here are some tips, rules and ideas before designing the stage, both simple and complex ones.

1. Initially, you should already have the idea of the area where the stage stands. A stage always consist of the backdrop (main background) and the platform (where the hosts and the event itself placed).
2. Get the width size of the area and importantly the size of the “floor to ceiling height”. The height will be your basis of the backdrop area of the stage. In all, the backdrop size consists of width and height.
3. The  height of the backdrop should not reach the ceiling. Try using at least 2 feet down from the floor to ceiling height. For example if you have 10 feet floor to ceiling height of the area, you may consider a 7-8 feet (height) backdrop size.
4. The platform’s width is the same with the width size of the backdrop unless the client wants a longer platform.
5. If necessary, work with stage and floorplan layout back to back at the same time for consistency of the size.
6. Once you got the basic sizes (Platform: Width, Depth, Height and backdrop: Width, Height) you may start designing the design itself.
7. Lastly, always check on the limits (like will the backdrop be using tarpaulin or bunch of die cutting all over the stage) before engaging on the real design.

Thats it, some tips before submerging yourself to the stage design. Design it with a mindset of thinking you are just creating a poster. Now go create that one big elevated poster.

Real Super Final Artwork: The FA tips

You have done the graphic design job, you got the approval both internally and from the client itself, time to do the Final Artwork.

A Final Artwork or commonly referred as FAs is the last set of ready-to-print files that will be send over the printer. Here are some tips you can use while fabricating your FA file.

1. Have a separate folder for your FA within the project folder. For example, inside the folder JOB, will have a folder labeled as FA. Here you will place your FA file.
2. Since you have a separate file for FA and the original one, you can backtrack to the previous original file if a major revision is needed.
3. Convert your text with fancy fonts to curves. Converting text with commonly used fonts (Arial, Helvetica, Times New Romance and Verdana) to curves is optional.
4. Make sure the real size of your FA is as the same as you quoted with the supplier. If the file is a scale down version of the design, just make it the actual size.
5. If you are still not sure on what the supplier needs, inside the FA folder, create a folder for vector, JPEG and TIFF. Place the FA vector file to the folder vector. Save a high-resolution JPEG and TIFF of the file and place them in respective folders. This way, the supplier can choose on which file to print.
6. Include the fonts in the FA folder as a separate folder if only needed.
7. Add .125 inches on each side of the file for bleeding.When a page or a cover design extends to and off the edge of the paper it is called a “bleed”. In print design, the artwork or block of color must extend off the edge of the page. The artwork or block of color is then printed on larger-size paper. Then the printed page is trimmed to the desired size. (http://www.allgraphicdesign.com/bleedingedges.html)
8. Make sure the images has appropriate resolutions. It may look good in the screen but doesn’t mean it looked good in the actual print. Check your images on Photoshop and view it in actual size, if the image has a pixelated look, do a quick remedy on it immediately.
9. Inside the FA folder, have a separate folder for linked images. This way, if the printer knows where to find the images of the file.
10. Always give a sample printout to the supplier.
11. When you received the proof (a printed file from the supplier to have you checked and approved for the first print run) and in need a revision, like I mentioned in number 2, you can go back to the original file. Save it and create the updated FA file on the FA folder.
12. If the supplier want the files be send through email. Zip the FA file (you can use this free zip management tool called 7-Zip http://www.7-zip.org/ ) and send it through the email. If the file is too big for the email, you can use this site (http://www.yousendit.com ) to send big files.
13. After burning the FA folder in a DVD or CD, labeled it immediately with the file name and the current date or version. The printer sometimes mistakenly reused the old files for the secondary proofing. At least this way, the printer knows that he has the updated file due to the updated  date or version.

Basically that’s it and I hope it helped you in some way even though most of them were already taught to you back in your design school. Unfortunately, I learned most of them after college. Thanks!

Floor it: A Floorplan Creation Tips

A good graphic designer is ready for anything. Since an artist has tools that involves creation of shapes, lines and colors, there is a possibility that you will create a floorplan, something an interior designer or an architect is proficient with.

What is a floorplan? a floorplan is the scaled down  layout of a venue with essential items plotted in their proper places. Remember when we were kids and making a treasure map, with those trees, boats and the huge star illustrated, its kind of like that.

Since I work mostly with clients and their constant pour of events, I constantly create floorplans and learned a lot of things from it. Here are some basic tips and ideas on how to create a floorplan.

1. Always ask the venue for the measurements of the area. Ask for the width, length and the floor to ceiling height.
2. If possible, ask the venue for a copy of the floor specifications. Better if it is well detailed.
3. Venue people usually give the measurements in meters and feet.
4. Once you start creating the floor,If the area is not big, you can use centimeters while creating the layout. Likewise if it is a big one, you can use millimeters. For example, if the width is 45 ft, use 45cm or 45mm on the vector program.
5. Start with the outer area, the wall area. It will be the basic guide for everything you will place inside the venue.
6. Ask the venue for the item sizes. A long table is usually 6 X 1 ft and a chair is 1X1 ft.  Ask the suppliers for other items like the screen size and its projection distance.
7. Just plot everything inside the venue. Make sure note the door placement and distance of each item. It is very important to make it not clutter and the items are clearly labeled..

Basically the main point is to scale down the real floor venue. Your creativity will be the main fuel to place the items correctly. Talk with your accounts person and even the venue representatives for more correct and consistent layout.

Who knows, maybe floorplan lay-outing is your new calling, an interior designer of some sort. Just make sure the client can easily understand on what is this and that on your floorplan.

Essential & Very, Very, Very Basic Graphic Design Tips

I am doing graphic design work, professionally of course, since 2004. Still, like what I always say, there are a lot of things I need to learn, like feeding myself some new awesome stuff from newly updated design software to improving our manual skills like cutting a clean curvy shape from a paper, which I still have problem doing it because my hands can’t stay still.

Here are some basic and essential graphic design tips I learned both the hard way, which being verbally spanked by my superiors and the easy way, through the power of self-learning.

Logos and icons creation

1. Always create your logo using vector software (Adobe Illustrator, etc/) for easy manipulation of size and color.
2. In designing the real logo, listen to your client demands, and extract all the keywords from the demands. Write the logo name in a piece of paper and put all the keywords beside it. This way, you can visualize easily what he wants based from the keywords. Try blending the keywords with the logo name for the design.
3. Consider the target market of your client, write it also next to the keywords and try blending it
4. Learn from your client on what he or the company itself doesn’t want. Some clients are anally strict with designs.
5. Use 1 to 3 basic colors for the logo for easy brand identification. Take a look at McDonalds, it’s always yellow and red, and we know they are McDonalds due to their color scheme.
6. Be strict and consistent with the color Pantone.
7. 100% of time we create logos in white background, but you must also create the logo placed in a dark background. There is a possibility the logo you create be placed in a black background, like in a dark shirt or a leather bag.
8. Make more than 1 logo studies, make sure the design is different and not a simple font change.
9. If you have time or budget, try simulating the logo by placing it in other related collaterals, like in a shirt or in a book cover for presentation purposes.

General layout design

1. Have your computer color calibrated with the supplier for consistent color output.
2. Be strict with the measurements and margins in your documents.
3. Speaking of measurements, if you have history of short-term memory loss, especially with numbers, always write down in a notebook or a notepad all the important measurements of your document. One mistake of measurement with the supplier can cost a lot of money.
4. Always set your document mode in CMYK unless the bosses want RGB color.
5. Probably my preference but always uses Photoshop for images and photos, not as the main layout-authoring tool.
6. Make sure the image resolution is right for the print output. If viewed closer, like a booklet, the resolution is at least 220 – 300 dpi above. If seen afar, like a big billboard, 72-75 dpi will do.
7. Speaking of resolutions, the original photo should have a very high-resolution; raw format is highly encouraged for easy DPI manipulation.
8. Always use common fonts for the main copy, like Arial, Times New Roman, Verdana and Helvetica. This way, if there a quick correction, the supplier can do the editing for you, unless they are assholes and wants you to send them new files with 1 correction.
9. Proofread the document thoroughly; let your copywriter help with your proofreading.
10. Always give the supplier a printout of the document aside from the FA (Final Artwork – the file you give to the suppliers for printing) for comparison purposes.
11. Convert to curves all the text with fancy fonts. The supplier sometimes has problems reading special fonts even if it is part of the FA file.
12. Organize the FA files  properly, have separate folders for linked images and fonts. The last working file or PDF is alone in the main directory.

Basically that’s it, some tips you can adapt in your creative mindset. Good luck on your next design.

I am a Graphic Design Guy

Random fact, did you know that I am doing something with my life? Rather just lazing around in the house, wearing a wife-beater shirt, looking more disgusting than ever, scratching my own tummy and asking my mother what’s for dinner, I am actually doing some professional work as a Graphic Designer.

First, my passion for this chosen career is always been visual arts, particularly graphic design. I always want to impart my creativity in assisting with other people with their marketing needs. My specialty is more on with graphic design in print, from design conceptualization up to the final production monitoring. I experienced producing print projects such as magazines, posters, forms, flyers, product samplers, brochures, booklets banners, tarpaulin, t-shirt designs, logos, tickets and invitations. Having experienced working with a design house, a publication company, Marketing – Publications and Promotions department from a food/cosmetics manufacturing company of food and a below the line events/advertising agency enriched my graphic designing skills and at the same time learning a number of technical aspects in print production. I also have a basic knowledge in HTML language for web design. I can only do web layouts and not with the complex flash action scripting, but I can do basic flash animations. And lastly, I can offer basic non-linear digital video editing skills for audio-visual presentations like event recaps and product promotions.

You can see some of my works at http://manueve.multiply.com. By the way, I am also accepting quick freelance print and video so drop an email if you are interested and I will do my best to facilitate you with your requirements. But then there are weekends…. and weekends are another story.