#there's a recognizable and consistent color palette for every place and person!

[indelen]

Can we just appreciate how most of this show took place at night and yet somehow we could see everything and there was still color? A modern miracle in today's filmmaking let's have honest.

✨ masterpiece in lockwood and co ✨

[analyzingadventure]

[Ni/digitalgate02 here] See, this is what i've been thinking for ages and i don't like to limit myself into what is stated on wikimon and other fansites' databases to make lines... They're not a mandatory rule, and with things like the new TCG DigiCa they just embraced the wild combos you can make and evolution rules are by card color and not by specific lines (tho they do have some... suggestions now on the cards, i think?)

i also like the wild combos like Tailmon's OG Adv/02 line?? Which is slime → cat blob → puppy → cat → angel woman → PINK FLUFFY DRAGON

I wish we had more things like these... At least consistent theme, but not like Agu → Grey → MetalGrey → WarGrey sort of line... (and look, i love this line, it just... I love the design + shapes to change a little... ya got me?)

i love most of the main kid/protag mons and their forms, tho...

Like to be fair to Toei/Bandai, there is partially a reason to why the main partners especially tend to have such linear, specific evolution trees; not only because it makes the Digimon easier to sell, but also because the characters need to be easily recognizable to small children. Like the main character(s) having really bizarre evolutions could make it hard for a child to keep up with who's who (especially if they missed an episode), while having very consistent and strong thematic and color coding (etc) will make it always super easy for kids to keep up with. So I understand WHY the main partners tend to be the way they are, it just is the way it is. (It's also why I really loved the evolutions in Survive because aside from Agumon's Vaccine-line, that shit was WILD and I was LIVING for it, Dracumon alone had me losing my fucking shit, Floramon too)

Also I do feel like the emphasis on evolution lines is something the fandom tends to enforce more than Bandai/Toei. And, much to my shock and horror, a lot of people do kind of dislike wild evolutions, some people prefer the Pokémon-esque strict evolution lines. (See: every person who has ever made fun of Tailmon's evolution line for "not making sense") So often I see people share their Tamer OCs and their partner Digimon with full evolution lines and more often than not it's just a known partner Digimon with their default evolution line. Everybody has their own comfort food, and strict evolution lines are just that for some people. Which is fine, I'm just a little 🔪 if anybody tries to enforce strict evolution lines in places they don't belong (aka any space for creativity)

But indeed, I wish we could see more Wild Evolutions in canon more often, or at least have the main partner's evolutions change things up a little more than they tend to (honestly probably the best protag evolution is Gumdramon -> Arresterdramon, like despite the mostly identical color palette and many key visual elements, they really do look nothing alike and yet the evolution feels like a natural progression and is still easily recognizable, really love that.)

[brainvative]

How to Build a Brand from Scratch: A Step-by-Step Guide

Creating a brand from the ground up is a powerful way to establish a unique identity in the market, foster customer loyalty, and drive business success. Whether you’re a startup or launching a new product, this guide will walk you through building a memorable and impactful brand from scratch.

Step 1: Define Your Brand Purpose and Mission

Every brand needs a clear purpose. Ask yourself why your business exists and what value it aims to deliver. Answering these questions will help define the foundation of your brand.

Purpose: Why does your brand exist? What problem does it solve?

Mission: What are your brand’s long-term goals? What impact do you want to make?

For example, a skincare brand might have a mission to "make skincare accessible and affordable while using eco-friendly ingredients."

Step 2: Research Your Target Audience

Understanding your audience is essential to create a brand that resonates with them. Conduct market research to gather insights on demographics, preferences, needs, and challenges your target audience faces.

Demographics: Age, gender, income level, location, etc.

Psychographics: Lifestyle, values, interests, buying behaviors.

Pain Points: Identify their challenges and how your brand can address them.

This research will guide your brand’s tone, messaging, and product or service development.

Step 3: Analyze Your Competitors

Performing a competitive analysis allows you to see what other brands in your niche are doing well and where there might be gaps in the market. Look at factors such as:

Brand Positioning: How do they position themselves in the market?

Visual Identity: Analyze their logos, colors, fonts, and overall design style.

Messaging: How do they communicate their value proposition?

Unique Selling Points (USPs): Identify what makes your competitors stand out and how you can differentiate.

Understanding the competition can help you identify opportunities to make your brand stand out.

Step 4: Craft Your Brand Positioning and Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

Brand positioning is how your brand is perceived in the minds of your target audience. It answers why a customer should choose your brand over others.

Positioning Statement: Write a one or two-sentence statement that captures your brand's unique place in the market.

USP: What unique value does your brand offer that competitors don’t?

Example: “Our brand offers eco-friendly products designed for busy professionals, making sustainable living easy and accessible.”

Step 5: Develop Your Brand’s Personality and Voice

Your brand's personality is a set of human characteristics associated with it, such as friendly, professional, playful, or trustworthy. This personality should guide your brand's tone and voice, which should remain consistent across all channels.

Voice: Formal, friendly, humorous, or authoritative?

Tone: Adjust based on context but stay true to your brand’s personality.

For instance, if your brand is targeting young professionals, a conversational, slightly playful tone might be appropriate.

Step 6: Choose Your Brand’s Name and Tagline

Your brand name is the first impression customers will have. Choose a name that is unique, memorable, and aligns with your brand’s mission and values.

Simplicity: Keep it short and easy to pronounce.

Uniqueness: Make sure it’s distinctive and not similar to competitors.

Tagline: A tagline should be a brief, catchy statement that reinforces your brand’s essence.

Examples: Nike’s "Just Do It" or Apple’s "Think Different."

Step 7: Design Your Brand’s Visual Identity

The visual elements of your brand help create a cohesive and recognizable look across all platforms.

Logo: A logo should be versatile, simple, and reflective of your brand’s personality.

Color Palette: Choose colors that evoke the right emotions. For example, blue conveys trust, while green is associated with sustainability.

Typography: Select fonts that complement your brand’s tone. Clean, modern fonts convey professionalism, while playful fonts feel casual and friendly.

Imagery Style: Decide on a style for images and illustrations to maintain visual consistency.

All these elements together make up your brand’s visual identity and should be documented in a brand style guide for consistent use.

Step 8: Craft Your Brand Messaging

Your messaging communicates your brand's story, values, and benefits. It should be tailored to your audience's needs and touchpoints. Key messaging includes:

Value Proposition: Clearly communicate the unique value your brand offers.

Brand Story: Share why your brand was founded, its journey, and the passion behind it.

Core Messages: Define the primary messages that should consistently come across in your content, advertising, and communication.

Consistent messaging helps build familiarity and trust with your audience.

Step 9: Develop a Content Strategy

Content plays a significant role in building a brand. By consistently sharing valuable, relevant information, you position yourself as an authority in your field and stay top-of-mind with your audience.

Content Types: Blogs, social media posts, videos, email newsletters, and case studies.

Content Pillars: Identify main topics aligned with your brand’s mission. For a wellness brand, these might include health tips, product education, and lifestyle advice.

Distribution: Plan which channels to use for reaching your audience effectively.

Step 10: Launch and Promote Your Brand

Once your brand is established, it’s time to go public. Create a launch plan that leverages various channels to generate excitement and awareness.

Website: Your website serves as your brand’s home. Make sure it reflects your brand identity and is optimized for a smooth user experience.

Social Media: Use social media to build connections and engage with your audience. Tailor content to each platform, focusing on platforms where your audience is most active.

Advertising: Consider running ads to generate initial interest and reach a broader audience. Google Ads, Facebook, and Instagram ads are great options depending on your target demographic.

Step 11: Collect Feedback and Adjust

After launch, gather feedback from customers, track engagement on social media, and monitor sales. Use analytics to understand what’s working and where you can improve.

Customer Feedback: Gather reviews and surveys to understand customer satisfaction.

Performance Metrics: Use tools like Google Analytics, social media insights, and conversion tracking to monitor the performance of your brand strategy.

Iterate and Adjust: Brand-building is an ongoing process. Refine your approach based on feedback and performance.

Conclusion

Building a brand from scratch is both an art and a science. By following this step-by-step guide, you’ll be equipped to create a strong foundation for your brand, effectively connect with your target audience, and establish a lasting presence in the market. Remember, brand-building is a continuous journey. Stay true to your mission, listen to your audience, and be open to evolving over time as your brand grows.

[johnseckelofficial]

John Seckel Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Strong Brand Identity

Creating a powerful brand identity is essential for any business looking to make a mark in today’s competitive market. Entrepreneur John Seckel believes that a strong brand is more than just logos and taglines—it’s about crafting a lasting impression that resonates with customers and communicates a brand's core values. In this guide, John Seckel walks through the key steps to building a brand identity that attracts attention and fosters long-term loyalty.

1. Define Your Brand’s Core Purpose

John Seckel emphasizes starting with a clear purpose. The first question to ask yourself is, “What does my brand stand for?” Defining a core purpose helps lay a strong foundation and drives every branding decision that follows. For example, a wellness brand may aim to promote holistic health, while a tech brand might strive to make innovation accessible. According to Seckel, this clarity of purpose not only guides the brand’s direction but also helps customers understand the “why” behind your brand.

2. Understand Your Target Audience

Knowing your audience is a crucial part of creating a brand identity that genuinely resonates. John Seckel advises conducting in-depth market research to identify your audience’s preferences, needs, and challenges. With this insight, you can shape your brand’s messaging, tone, and visuals in a way that speaks directly to them.

A younger audience may respond well to bold, trendy designs, while a more mature audience might appreciate a polished, professional look. John emphasizes that understanding your audience helps you make better branding decisions that align with their expectations and interests.

3. Develop a Unique Brand Voice and Messaging

A distinctive brand voice sets you apart from competitors. According to John Seckel, a brand’s voice should reflect its core purpose and resonate with its audience. This could mean a professional, serious tone for a financial brand, or a friendly, casual voice for a lifestyle brand. Consistency in tone helps build recognition and trust, as customers get a clear sense of your brand personality across all channels.

Messaging is equally important, as it conveys your brand’s values and unique benefits. John John advises crafting key messages that consistently communicate what makes your brand special, helping potential customers see why they should choose you over the competition.

4. Create Visual Elements That Represent Your Brand

With your brand’s purpose, voice, and audience in place, it’s time to create visual elements. This includes a memorable logo, color palette, typography, and imagery style. John stresses that these elements should reflect the essence of your brand and make an immediate impact on customers.

If your brand is eco-conscious, consider earthy tones and organic shapes. For tech-oriented brands, sleek, modern lines may be more fitting. John Seckel believes that well-crafted visuals help your brand stand out and create a lasting impression, making it easily recognizable at a glance.

5. Craft a Compelling Brand Story

John Seckel encourages sharing an authentic brand story to connect with customers emotionally. This story could focus on why you started the business, your journey, or even the obstacles you’ve overcome. An engaging brand story humanizes your business and gives customers a reason to support you beyond just your products.

An effective story brings depth to your brand, showing customers that there’s a real passion and purpose behind what you do. John believes that a memorable story can turn casual customers into loyal supporters who feel personally connected to your mission.

6. Maintain Consistency Across All Platforms

John Seckel emphasizes the importance of consistency, which he sees as essential to a strong brand identity. Your brand’s look, tone, and messaging should be uniform across all touchpoints—from your website and social media to product packaging and customer service interactions. John Seckel highlights that this consistency builds trust and familiarity, which are vital for brand loyalty.

Whether it’s the colors on your website or the language you use in emails, every aspect of your brand should look and feel cohesive, giving customers a clear sense of what your brand represents.

7. Engage with Your Audience Regularly

For John Seckel, engagement is a critical part of any brand’s identity. Building a relationship with your customers not only helps create a loyal community but also allows you to gain insights into their needs and preferences. Responding to comments on social media, sharing user-generated content, and asking for feedback are all ways to strengthen your connection with customers.

Regular engagement shows that you value your customers, which can turn one-time buyers into brand advocates. According to John, active engagement helps reinforce your brand’s identity and makes customers feel like they’re part of a community.

8. Adapt and Evolve Your Brand

The market changes rapidly, and brands need to stay relevant. John Seckel suggests periodically evaluating your brand identity to ensure it aligns with industry trends and customer expectations. Adapting doesn’t mean abandoning your brand’s core; it simply means refining elements to keep your brand fresh and relatable.

Whether it’s updating your website’s look or exploring new social media channels, staying agile allows your brand to evolve alongside your audience. John believes that flexibility is key to remaining competitive in today’s fast-paced market.

9. Measure Your Brand’s Success

Finally, John Seckel highlights the importance of measuring your brand’s performance. Using analytics tools to monitor website traffic, social media engagement, and customer feedback can provide insights into how well your brand identity resonates with your audience. This data helps you identify areas for improvement and ensures your brand remains effective and impactful.

If you notice that certain messaging or visuals aren’t working, don’t be afraid to make adjustments. Continuous measurement and refinement can lead to a more successful, resilient brand.

Conclusion

Building a strong brand identity requires a thoughtful approach and a commitment to authenticity. By following John Seckel’s step-by-step guide, you can create a brand that not only captures attention but also builds lasting relationships with your customers. From defining your purpose to engaging with your audience, each step contributes to a memorable, cohesive brand that stands out in the marketplace.

With John’s guidance, any entrepreneur can craft a brand identity that resonates, grows, and sets the stage for long-term success. A powerful brand identity isn’t built overnight, but with consistency, engagement, and an authentic story, your brand can make a lasting impact.

[hiregraphicdesigner]

Creating a Cohesive Instagram Feed: Post Design Strategies

Designing an Instagram Feed Just Like A Story: The Strategies of Posting Equals Outing

Base on visuals as opposed to captions only, Instagram is one of the best platforms for expressing one’s brand. A strategically planned Instagram feed posting will enable its users effectively place and arrange their Instagram posts. It doesn’t matter whether you are an entrepreneur, a social media influencer or an artist - having a well-structured and great looking feed is vital for building an audience base. In this article, we’ll focus on how to interweave glimpses of Instagram post design into any business feed. Such feeds will not only be visually pleasing but there will be a clear unfolding of events. Also, we will see how these design aspects can be incorporated in other things like in the case of designing a restaurant men.

The Importance of Instagram Post Design

The social media profiles you create serve as the brand's mouth. Each post plays its role in the overall content and story you are attempting to communicate to your audience. At Språk Design, we appreciate the importance of having an engaging Instagram page. And if you require help from professionals in that regard, you can always avail yourself of our Contact Us page.

First Impressions Matter

In the event that any potential followers land on your profile, the very first thing to draw their attention will be the way the images in your feed are arranged in a visually pleasing manner. An appealing Instagram feed will definitely keep admirers interested and turn them into followers. This is where the secret ingredients of how to make this all work are proper and regular Instagram post design.

Establishing a Brand

Your Instagram feed needs to also represent your brand's identity. This entails, the colors used, the fonts used, and the overall look of the design adopted. This is important as it enables the viewer to build a strong brand which ensures that the images they post are the same always recognizable.

Increasing Interaction

The kind of content that is visual or non-visual, but is interactive in a positive way, and is also directed to a target audience is more beneficial in attracting and retaining the target audience. A uniform Instagram page also makes the users more likely to stay on the profile and look through the posts and interact with the content more.

Approaches Towards Designing and Posting on Instagram Effectively

Characterize Your Visual Style

The very first thing to do while designing an Instagram feed, which is the jigsaw puzzle of completed images, is to characterize one’s own visual style. In particular, the venue consists of deciding on a number of visual components such as color scheme, typeface, and general imagery which corresponds each brand’s personality. It is also essential to think about the feeling and message you want to send out through your posts.

Color Palette

Determine a color palette that embodies the spirit of the brand. Use a narrow spectrum of colors so as not to look erratic. Therefore, this will be the standard for most of your post designs, which will help them look they all belong together regardless of the feed.

Actionable Strategies for Effective Social Media Management

Every aspect of your project must flow from one to the other. This means, effective communication, consistency in approach, visual elements including posts, fonts used among others. It is important to ask potential customers about their needs in the beginning stage in order to understand what innovative ideas one needs to implement in order to win them as clientele.

Visual Coherence

It is advisable to maintain visual coherence by employing the same filters, photo enhancement processes, and graphic designs. This makes it easier to achieve a consistent appearance in all your posts enhancing the aesthetic value of the feed.

Use of Grid Layouts

The grid arrangement of your Instagram account plays a key role as far as the beauty of your feed is concerned. Strategically create your grid so that every particular row and every column add up to the overall image. Below are some examples of grid layout design:

Colorblock Layout

A colorblock layout consists of two alternating types of posts for example images and captions. This in turn provides a distinctive layout to the entire feed with a good blend of contents.

Row by row layout

In this particular arrangement, all the components of a particular row carry a theme and/or style coherently. For example, the first row may contain product pictures, the second may carry lifestyle photographs, while the third one may carry visuals contributed by users. This type of approach provides order to your feed.

Diagonal Layout

In the diagonal layout, similar kind of posts are arranged in a diagonal line in the grid. This makes the design more interesting and appealing to the eyes.

Employ High-Definition Images or Graphics

When it comes to ensuring the feed created looks professional ladies and gentlemen, items such as high-quality images should be incorporated. Please put some good money on the photography and graphics used in making your images because they will be appealing. Pictures that are blurry or are of low resolutions will not enhance the grim beauty of your instapage or web page.

Commercial Photography

If budget permits, consider engaging a commercial photographer in order to have quality images taken for your feed. This step can definitely improve the quality of images in your posts, making the brand appear more sophisticated.

Graphic Design Software

Employ graphic design applications such as Adobe Photoshop, Canva or Adobe Spark to produce beautiful images. Such tools have a number of ready-made designs and other elements which help you create an even more uniform style.

Craft A Narrative

Each post has its purpose and place and works towards a greater good. Use the brand's Instagram account not only to post images but also to present the ethos and mythology behind the brand, as well as its target audience. Storytelling adds background and depth and makes posts more interesting.

Fascinating Captions

Use interesting captions that will go well with your images and are relevant to the audience. Tell individuals about events, experiences of clients, or information concerning the brand in question. Interesting titles with motivational calls to action always induce user activity against the post.

User Interest Section

The implementation of user-generated content (UGC) not only breaks the monotony of the content posted but also infuses the feelings of collectiveness. Request the audience to post about their interaction with your brand and include these posts in your go to feed.

Oversee and Take Action

From time to time, look at the metrics of your Insta account, especially focusing on the so-called feed, in order to determine the most successful strategy for your audience. Make use of the insights and analytics to assess levels of engagement, reach, and other essential indicators. Modify your approach concerning the design of your feed and its other aspects to engender better synergy and performance of the feed, depending on the findings from the analysis.

Engagement Evaluation

Focus on the audience interactions on each post, and in particular, which post seems to attract the most. Find the successful post elements and features and apply them to the next posts, if any, to be made.

Conclusion: Many Factors Determine the Success of Instagram Marketing

In addition to this, focus on Instagram post design by all means. It is apparent that other types of design can also incorporate these post design principles. Restaurant menus can also be to these Instagram post designs. With a great menu, one elevates the overall dining experience as well as strengthening one’s brand.

Visual Apathy

Your restaurant's menu unity is just like your Instagram feed. Select a stylistic shape that employs all the components of your brand’s color palette and typography. Such a visual harmony makes the menu not only visually pleasing but also contributes to its clarity for the reader.

Appealing Pictures

Add appealing pictures of your dishes to attract customers. A good food design can be enhanced with the use of skilled food photography that persuades consumers to order even unfamiliar dishes.

Simple to Use Design

A simple and easy to use design is one of the features of a good menu. Arrange all the menu items in a principled manner with adequate headings and subdivisions. This alleviates the customers’ searching and consequently improves the overall satisfaction with the eating out experience.

Emphasizing Special Features. The effective use of design tools can help in drawing attention to specials, promotions, and even seasonal offers. This helps to focus on certain products and can also help in enhancing sales.

Final Thoughts

It takes time and meticulous attention to detail in the design of Instagram posts in order to achieve an interesting Instagram feed. Based on the personal experience, crafting a specific visual aesthetic, content strategy, working with the grids, the level of the photographs/illustrations, the narrative, the analysis of the audience and the feedback, keeps the profile nice and interesting. These guidelines on design can also be extended on other aspects like designing of a restaurant menu in order to improve their brand identity. 

In case you are in search of an amazing Instagram post design services, you may turn to Språk Design which is a company that understands the importance of having a brilliantly designed Instagram page. The last several years have been devoted for creative designs in our company and we can easily say that we have experienced the change of the trends. Therefore, we provide clients with distinctiveness as we alter our stories and working approaches according to the market conditions. For further details, feel free to visit our Contact Us page. It is assured that while in the hands of Språk Design, all your Instagram and other design works will be undertaken in a very artistic and professional way creating a beautiful and attractive design with all the different elements. For more information, feel free to contact us.

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[rk21]

How does an office room designer incorporate branding into the design?

In today’s competitive business landscape, your office space is more than just a place where work gets done—it’s an extension of your brand. An office room designer plays a crucial role in incorporating your brand identity into the physical environment, creating a workspace that reflects your company’s values, culture, and vision. But how exactly does an office room designer integrate branding into the design? Here’s a closer look at the strategies they use to ensure your office is a true representation of your brand.

1. Understanding the Brand Identity

The first step an office room designer takes in incorporating branding into the design is gaining a deep understanding of the company’s brand identity. This involves exploring the company’s mission, values, target audience, and industry positioning. An office room designer might collaborate closely with the marketing team to gather insights into the brand’s personality and the message it wants to convey. This understanding serves as the foundation for the entire design process, ensuring that every element of the office reflects the brand’s core identity.

2. Using Brand Colors and Themes

One of the most direct ways an office room designer incorporates branding into the design is through the use of brand colors and themes. The colors associated with your brand can be strategically used throughout the office to create a cohesive and recognizable environment. This could be through accent walls, furniture, artwork, or even the choice of materials. For example, if your brand colors are blue and white, the office room designer might use these colors in the wall paint, upholstery, and decor to create a consistent look that immediately reminds anyone in the space of your brand.

3. Incorporating Logos and Visual Elements

Logos and other visual elements are powerful tools for reinforcing brand identity in an office space. Office room designers find creative ways to incorporate the company logo into the design without making it feel overwhelming. This could involve subtle placements, such as embossed logos on glass partitions, custom-designed rugs featuring the logo, or branded artwork that incorporates the logo into a larger design. Additionally, office room designers might use patterns, shapes, or textures that are associated with the brand to create a sense of unity throughout the office.

4. Customizing Furniture and Fixtures

Custom furniture and fixtures are another effective way an office room designer can incorporate branding into the office design. This can range from custom-made desks and chairs that feature the brand’s color palette to bespoke lighting fixtures that echo the brand’s aesthetic. By choosing furniture and fixtures that align with the brand’s image, an office room designer ensures that the office not only looks stylish but also stays true to the brand’s identity. This customization adds a unique touch to the workspace, making it feel distinctively yours.

5. Creating Branded Work Zones

An office room designer can also create branded work zones that reflect different aspects of the company’s culture or values. For instance, a company that values innovation might have a dedicated brainstorming area with dynamic, creative decor that inspires out-of-the-box thinking. Similarly, a company focused on sustainability might incorporate eco-friendly materials and greenery throughout the office, aligning with its brand’s commitment to the environment. By designing these branded zones, the office room designer creates spaces that not only support specific work activities but also reinforce the company’s brand message.

6. Enhancing the Customer Experience

For businesses that regularly host clients or customers, branding the office space is essential for making a strong impression. An office room designer ensures that the branding is visible and impactful in areas where visitors are likely to spend time, such as the reception area, conference rooms, and waiting lounges. This might include branded signage, promotional materials, or even interactive displays that tell the story of the brand. By thoughtfully designing these areas, the office room designer helps create a memorable experience for visitors that aligns with the company’s brand.

Conclusion

Incorporating branding into office design is a sophisticated process that requires a deep understanding of the brand and a strategic approach to design. An office room designer plays a key role in translating a company’s brand identity into a physical space that reflects its values, culture, and vision. By using brand colors, logos, custom furniture, and creating branded work zones, office room designers ensure that the workspace is not only functional and aesthetically pleasing but also a powerful tool for reinforcing the brand.

Working with an office room designer to incorporate branding into your office design can significantly enhance your company’s image, both internally among employees and externally with clients and visitors. A well-branded office not only boosts employee morale but also leaves a lasting impression, helping to strengthen your brand’s presence in the market. One can achieve these by getting in touch with the renowned design and build such as Flipspaces, who can help you with the same.

[onrepeatnet7]

Premier Brand Strategy and Brand Identity Agency

In the bustling heart of London, our award-winning global design studio, OnRepeat, stands as a beacon of creativity and strategic brilliance. As a premier brand identity agency, we are dedicated to sculpting brands that resonate with authenticity, clarity, and versatility. Our mission is to build brands on solid strategic foundations, ensuring they tell compelling stories that propel them forward in an ever-evolving marketplace.

Understanding Brand Identity

Before delving into the role of a brand identity agency, it’s crucial to understand what brand identity entails. Brand identity is the visible elements of a brand, such as color, design, and logo, that distinguish and identify the brand in consumers’ minds. It is the outward expression of a brand, including its name, trademark, communications, and visual appearance. But more than just aesthetics, brand identity encapsulates the essence of the brand’s promise to its customers, reflecting its values, mission, and personality.

The Role of a Brand Identity Agency

A brand identity agency, like OnRepeat, specializes in creating and managing these elements to ensure they align with the brand’s strategic goals and resonate with its target audience. Here’s how we do it:

# 1. Strategic Foundation

The cornerstone of any robust brand identity is a well-defined strategy. This involves extensive market research, competitor analysis, and understanding the target audience. At OnRepeat, we delve deep into these areas to unearth insights that inform the brand’s positioning, value proposition, and messaging.

# 2. Creative Development

Once the strategy is in place, our creative team takes over to develop the visual and verbal identity. This includes designing logos, selecting color palettes, creating taglines, and crafting brand narratives. Our design philosophy is rooted in authenticity, ensuring that every element we create is true to the brand’s core values and mission.

# 3. Consistent Implementation

A brand identity must be consistently applied across all touchpoints to maintain a cohesive image. We provide comprehensive brand guidelines that detail how the brand should be presented in various contexts, from digital platforms to physical materials. This ensures that the brand’s identity remains consistent and recognizable.

# 4. Adaptability and Evolution

In a dynamic market, brands must evolve while staying true to their core identity. We help brands navigate this balance, ensuring they adapt to changing trends and consumer preferences without losing their essence. This involves periodic brand audits and refreshes to keep the brand relevant and engaging.

A compelling brand identity tells a story that engages and resonates with the audience. We believe in the power of storytelling to humanize brands and build emotional connections. Our team crafts narratives that convey the brand’s journey, values, and vision, making the brand relatable and memorable.

The OnRepeat Difference

What sets OnRepeat apart as a leading brand identity agency is our holistic approach and unwavering commitment to excellence. Our process is collaborative, involving close partnership with our clients to understand their unique challenges and aspirations. We pride ourselves on our ability to create identities that are not only visually stunning but also strategically sound.

# Award-Winning Excellence

Our work has been recognized with numerous awards, a testament to our dedication to quality and innovation. We constantly push the boundaries of creativity, ensuring our clients stand out in a crowded marketplace.

# Client-Centric Approach

We place our clients at the heart of everything we do. Our process is transparent and inclusive, ensuring our clients are involved and informed at every stage. We believe that the best results come from a true partnership.

Conclusion

In a world where brands are vying for attention, a strong brand identity is crucial. It’s what sets a brand apart, makes it recognizable, and builds loyalty. At OnRepeat, we are passionate about crafting identities that are authentic, clear, outspoken, and versatile. Our strategic approach ensures that every brand we create has a compelling story that propels it forward. If you’re looking to elevate your brand, let’s create something extraordinary together.

FAQ 1: What services does OnRepeat offer as a brand identity agency?

Answer: At OnRepeat, we offer a comprehensive range of services to build and enhance your brand identity. Our services include:

Brand Strategy: In-depth market research, competitor analysis, and audience insights to inform your brand’s positioning and messaging.

Visual Identity Development: Designing logos, selecting color palettes, typography, and other visual elements that define your brand’s look and feel.

Verbal Identity: Crafting taglines, brand narratives, and messaging that communicate your brand’s story and values.

Brand Guidelines: Creating detailed guidelines to ensure consistent application of your brand across all touchpoints.

Brand Audits and Refreshes: Periodically assessing and updating your brand to keep it relevant and engaging.

FAQ 2: How does OnRepeat ensure that the brand identity is authentic and aligned with our company values?

Answer: At OnRepeat, authenticity is at the core of our design philosophy. We begin each project with a deep dive into your company’s mission, values, and vision. Through collaborative workshops and extensive research, we gain a thorough understanding of what makes your brand unique. This insight informs every element of the brand identity we create, ensuring it genuinely reflects your brand’s essence. We also involve you in the process, seeking your feedback and approval at each stage to ensure alignment with your company values.

FAQ 3: What makes OnRepeat different from other brand identity agencies?

Answer: OnRepeat stands out due to our holistic approach, award-winning creativity, and client-centric philosophy. Here’s what makes us unique:

Holistic Approach: We integrate strategy, creativity, and implementation to create cohesive and compelling brand identities.

Award-Winning Excellence: Our work has been recognized with multiple awards, highlighting our commitment to quality and innovation.

Global Perspective: Based in London with a global outlook, we bring diverse insights and cultural sensitivity to our projects.

Client-Centric Approach: We prioritize transparency and collaboration, ensuring our clients are involved and informed throughout the process. This partnership approach leads to results that truly resonate with your audience.

[creatyfit]

Unveiling the Artistry: The Impact of Illustration Design in Branding with Creatyfit

In the dynamic world of visual communication, businesses strive to make a lasting impression on their audience, and one powerful tool that achieves this is illustration design. At the forefront of innovative design solutions is Creatyfit, a distinguished company based in India that excels in the art of illustration. In this blog post, we delve into the profound impact of illustration design and explore how Creatyfit's expertise is reshaping branding landscapes.

The Essence of Illustration Design

Illustration design is an art form that transcends mere aesthetics; it communicates narratives, evokes emotions, and establishes a unique identity for brands. In a digital age dominated by visual content, illustrations play a pivotal role in capturing attention and fostering brand recall.

1. Storytelling Through Images

Illustrations are visual stories that go beyond words. Creatyfit understands the narrative potential of illustrations, crafting designs that narrate a brand's journey, values, and offerings. By weaving compelling stories through visuals, brands can connect with their audience on a deeper, more emotional level.

2. Versatility in Expression

Unlike stock images, illustrations offer a level of customization that is unparalleled. Creatyfit leverages this versatility to create tailor-made designs that resonate with the unique essence of each brand. From whimsical and playful to sophisticated and corporate, illustrations can embody diverse moods and styles, making them a versatile asset in brand communication.

Creatyfit's Mastery in Illustration Design

Creatyfit emerges as a beacon of creativity and proficiency in the realm of illustration design. Let's explore the key strengths that set Creatyfit apart in the competitive landscape.

1. Creative Brilliance

Creatyfit boasts a team of exceptionally creative professionals who breathe life into ideas through their illustrations. Each design reflects a harmonious blend of innovation and artistic brilliance, ensuring that the visual representation aligns seamlessly with the brand's identity.

2. Brand-Centric Approach

Understanding that illustrations are not just about aesthetics but also about brand representation, Creatyfit takes a brand-centric approach. Every stroke, color, and element is carefully chosen to reinforce the brand's values and personality, contributing to a cohesive and memorable brand image.

3. Diverse Style Palette

One of Creatyfit's standout features is its ability to adapt and innovate across a diverse range of illustration styles. Whether it's minimalist, abstract, cartoonish, or detailed realism, Creatyfit crafts designs that suit the unique needs and preferences of each client, ensuring that the visual language resonates with the target audience.

The Role of Illustration in Web Design

In the digital landscape, a website serves as the virtual storefront for a brand. Illustrations, when seamlessly integrated into web design, enhance the overall user experience and contribute to the website's visual appeal.

1. Captivating First Impressions

Creatyfit understands the significance of first impressions. By incorporating striking illustrations on websites, they create an immediate visual impact, enticing visitors to explore further. This captivating first impression sets the tone for a positive and memorable user experience.

2. Visual Hierarchy and Navigation

Illustrations are powerful tools for guiding users through a website. Creatyfit strategically places illustrations to direct attention, highlight key information, and simplify complex concepts. This enhances the overall navigation experience, ensuring that visitors can easily find what they are looking for.

3. Brand Consistency

Consistency is key in brand building, and Creatyfit recognizes this. The illustrations seamlessly align with other brand elements, such as logos and color schemes, ensuring a cohesive and recognizable brand presence across various touchpoints.

Illustration Design and Social Media Marketing

In the fast-paced world of social media, grabbing and holding attention is a constant challenge. Illustration design emerges as a secret weapon in creating thumb-stopping content that not only stands out but also effectively communicates messages.

1. Scroll-Stopping Visuals

Creatyfit's mastery in illustration design is evident in its ability to create scroll-stopping visuals for social media. Whether it's an Instagram post, Facebook cover, or a tweet, their designs are crafted to interrupt the scrolling pattern and compel users to engage.

2. Brand Storytelling in Bite-Sized Formats

Social media demands concise yet impactful communication. Creatyfit's illustrations distill brand stories into bite-sized formats, making them ideal for sharing on platforms with character or time constraints. These visuals serve as memorable snippets that leave a lasting impression on the audience.

3. Enhanced Shareability

Compelling illustrations are inherently shareable. Creatyfit leverages this shareability factor to amplify brand reach on social media. Engaging visuals encourage users to share content, effectively turning the audience into brand advocates and expanding the brand's digital footprint.

Case Studies: Creatyfit's Illustration Magic

Let's explore a couple of case studies that highlight Creatyfit's prowess in illustration design and its transformative impact on brand identity.

1. XYZ Co.: Bringing Playfulness to a Corporate Image

XYZ Co., a corporate entity in the finance sector, approached Creatyfit to inject a sense of approachability into their brand. Creatyfit took the challenge head-on, introducing vibrant and friendly illustrations across their website and marketing collateral. The result? XYZ Co. experienced increased engagement, with users appreciating the refreshing departure from traditional corporate visuals.

2. ABC Cafe: Brewing Success with Quirky Social Media Illustrations

ABC Cafe wanted to elevate its social media presence and attract a younger audience. Creatyfit conceptualized a series of quirky and relatable illustrations showcasing the café's offerings. These illustrations not only garnered attention but also significantly increased social media interactions and footfall to the café.

Conclusion: Illustrating Success with Creatyfit

In a world saturated with visual content, illustration design emerges as a beacon of creativity and brand differentiation. Creatyfit's commitment to pushing the boundaries of design excellence positions it as the go-to destination for businesses seeking to elevate their brand through captivating visuals.

From web design that leaves a lasting impression to social media illustrations that spark engagement, Creatyfit seamlessly integrates the art of illustration into every facet of brand communication. As businesses continue to recognize the power of visuals in making an impact, Creatyfit stands poised to lead the way, illustrating success one stroke at a time.

[advancedigitalmarketing2023]

Logo Design Agency In Pune

Introduction:

In today's competitive business landscape, establishing a strong brand identity is crucial for success. A well-designed logo serves as the face of your brand, conveying your values, vision, and credibility to potential customers. If you're based in Pune and seeking a professional logo design agency to create a distinctive and memorable logo for your business, you're in the right place. In this article, we'll explore the benefits of collaborating with a logo design agency in Pune and how it can help elevate your brand to new heights.

Unleash Creativity and Professionalism:

A logo design agency in Pune brings together a team of talented graphic designers, artists, and branding experts who specialize in creating visually stunning and unique logos. They possess a deep understanding of design principles, color psychology, and the latest industry trends. By leveraging their creative prowess, they can transform your brand's essence into a compelling visual representation. Their expertise ensures that your logo stands out from the competition while maintaining professionalism and relevance to your industry.

Tailored Solutions for Your Brand:

Every brand is unique, and a reputable logo design agency in Pune recognizes this fact. They take the time to understand your business, target audience, and overall brand identity before embarking on the design process. By conducting in-depth research and analysis, they ensure that your logo accurately reflects your brand's personality, values, and goals. From selecting the appropriate font and color palette to incorporating relevant symbols or icons, they craft a logo that resonates with your target market and leaves a lasting impression.

Consistency Across Branding Collateral:

A logo design agency doesn't limit itself to creating a standalone logo; they also consider its application across various branding collateral. Whether it's your website, social media profiles, business cards, or marketing materials, they maintain consistency in design elements to reinforce your brand's visual identity. This cohesive approach ensures that your brand remains recognizable and leaves a consistent impression across different touchpoints, enhancing brand recall and customer trust.

Time and Cost Efficiency:

Hiring an in-house design team can be costly and time-consuming. On the other hand, collaborating with a logo design agency in Pune provides a cost-effective solution. They have the necessary resources, software, and industry expertise to deliver high-quality designs within the agreed timelines. This allows you to focus on other critical aspects of your business while leaving the logo design process in capable hands.

Continued Support and Adaptability:

A reputable logo design agency doesn't just stop at delivering the final logo files. They offer ongoing support and adaptability to meet your evolving business needs. Whether you require revisions, resizing for different platforms, or guidance on logo usage, they ensure your logo remains effective as your brand grows.

Conclusion:

In a visually-driven world, a well-crafted logo plays a pivotal role in capturing your audience's attention and conveying your brand's essence. By partnering with a logo design agency in Pune, you gain access to professional designers who can translate your brand identity into a visually appealing and meaningful logo. Their expertise, tailored solutions, and commitment to consistency across branding collateral enable you to stand out in a competitive marketplace. Invest in the expertise of a logo design agency today, and watch as your brand's visual identity reaches new heights in Pune and beyond.

Company Name: Call Digital Fire

Location: India (Kolkata)

Website: https://www.calldigitalfire.com/

Phone No: 8100103127/ 9529504139

Contact Us For More Details

[heisenbergchronicles]

APPRECIATION & INTERVIEW

Better Call Saul episode posters by Matt Talbot After 4 nearly years, I thought it was time to catch up with Matt Talbot about his Better Call Saul poster project. The last time we talked during Season 1, Matt was deep in the hustle of making his name as an illustrator: juggling a full-time job, freelance projects, as well as band. Finding time for personal projects like this one can be a significant challenge. (Not to mention surviving the death of your tools: During Season 1 his Mac laptop died, and this season, his Wacom tablet bit the bullet). But despite these challenges, the 43-year-old New Hampshire native has persevered to create a clever and thoughtful series of episode posters that has garnered considerable attention, and brought with it new high-profile clients and art exhibitions. 

First, congratulations on all of your success and recognition with this series of posters. It’s well-deserved. What’s been the most gratifying feedback you’ve received? Thank you! Every interaction I’ve had with anyone from the show has delighted me. I've been surprised by all of the cast and crew members who have said nice things – every note I’ve gotten has meant a lot to me. That being said, Michael McKean randomly tweeting at me that he has my poster for Chicanery hanging in his home blew my mind. I was eating dinner when my phone showed the notification and I literally jumped up from the table. I’ve been a fan of Michael’s since I saw Spinal Tap in the ‘80s and never in a million years would I have guessed I’d make something he valued enough to hang in his home.

Tell me about your contributions to Gallery1988 exhibitions. How does that process work? It's a pretty simple process. They invite me to be part of a show, and I make something to send them. I’m very excited for the opportunity to show there, and I feel like it’s a milestone in my art-making career.

Across the 4 seasons, which BCS posters are your favorites? Which one are you most proud of? I’m particularly fond of Rebecca, Rico, Marco, Switch, Sunk Costs and Something Beautiful. Oh man, it's hard for me to evaluate my own stuff. I tend to like the posters where I find a way to get a different take on something they did in the episode. I would say that “Sunk Costs” is also one of my favorites because I did something differently than how they shot it, and because Mike is so recognizable even from the back. I was also pleased with “Off Brand” because it was when I finally figured out how to draw Bob Odenkirk.

How has your process for creating these posters evolved over 4 seasons? When I started this project I had a vague idea that I would focus on scenes rather than portraits or likenesses, but that didn’t even last half a season! The characters were too good not to include. In that way, the posters have evolved in my willingness to draw characters, and also, hopefully, my ability to draw them. 

My process is now something like: Watch the show on Monday; think about it on Tuesday, figure out what stood out to me and do a thumbnail sketch or two; draw it on Wednesday night; post it Thursday afternoon. I’m a bit faster at drawing these now compared to when I started. And I’m a bit more decisive on choosing which subject matter to depict.

There have been quite a few changes on the visual side of Better Call Saul over the last 2 seasons. New directors (Minkie Spiro, Daniel Sackheim, and Andrew Stanton), a new cinematographer Marshall Adams, even new cameras. What are your thoughts on how the show’s visual grammar has evolved? Has any of this impacted your posters from Seasons 3 & 4? I try not to just redraw literal scenes from the show, and I don’t need to tell you that they shoot the show in an incredibly beautiful way. I mean, they always, always, pick the best angle, the best shot to capture something. For that reason, it’s sometimes hard to to come up with another take on a moment from the show.

That being said, the visual style hasn’t really impacted my posters as much as the evolving subject matter has. The show, I think, is substantially darker than it was in the early going. It was easier to depict Jimmy’s hi-jinx in the first couple seasons. But with Chuck’s deteriorating mental state, the cartel stuff, Mike going deeper into Fring’s world and of course, Jimmy’s loosening sense of morals, the funny moments are harder to spot. That’s lead me to some more somber layouts and color choices.

We didn’t discuss this in our first interview. Which typeface are you using in your posters, or is this custom typography? The main logo and episode titles are set in Sign Painter, from the excellent House Industries.

The Heisenverse is known for it’s color theory and use of color. How has that impacted your color choices in these posters? I’ve kind of adhered to their blue=good/red=bad symbolism, but I also try to balance out colors between episodes and not repeat myself in sequential posters.

Many of your posters (especially ones this season) use a monochromatic, or simple palette of 1-2 colors. Tell me more about why you chose that approach. Is this a signature of your style? I’ve seen this approach in a lot of your work. You know, in the early seasons, I was trying to use simpler color palettes, but I wasn’t very disciplined and I got away from that. I’m trying to stick to a more consistent style in season 4. It is a conscious decision. I also feel like with the week-to-week nature of this project, it helps quickly set apart each poster. And, I really do love limited color palettes. Giving myself color constraints helps me figure out different ways to solve layout problems.

I’ve heard other illustrators say that Bob Odenkirk’s facial features are tricky to capture. Do you share that sentiment? Which characters are more challenging to illustrate? I do agree with that. I had a really hard time with him at first. I kind of think I have a better handle on it now, but I’m always trying to get better. I feel like if you can get his mouth right, it goes a long way.

I found Hector hard to capture both times I drew him. Mike, on the other hand, is just pure fun to draw. Jonathan Banks is so distinctive and iconic.

What’s been the most difficult poster thus far? Why was it challenging? Maybe it’s because a lot of time has gone by, but I can't think of one that stands out as having been really difficult.

Francesco Francavilla did alternate posters for some of his Breaking Bad posters. Inevitably, when artists look back at their work, they consider revising or redoing it because of a variety of reasons – their point of view has changed, their skill/style has evolved, or maybe they were never truly content with the final product. Looking back at 4 seasons worth of posters, are there any that make you want to scratch the revision itch? Yeah, more than I would care to admit. I would really like another crack at Amarillo. I know I could do a better job and that drawing is just super flat. In season two, I decided to to experiment with style and I kind of wish I hadn't. I like Cobbler, but I wish I had drawn it in my normal style. I would redraw Nailed for sure. Oh man, if I start going down this road it's not going to end well, so I'll just stop.

You mentioned earlier this season you were excited to draw Track Suit Jimmy. Who or what haven’t you drawn, that you are eager to illustrate? Howard! It bums me out to no end that I haven't drawn him, but it just hasn't worked out. And I need to include Kim more. It's kind of criminal that her face only appeared for the first time in a poster this season.

What’s your opinion of Season 4? Tell me about your favorites – episode, scene, character. I think season 4 is brilliant so far. The Kim/Jimmy relationship has deepened so much this season, and feels so real, but full of inevitable heartache. Oh, the flash-forward to Breaking Bad’s timeline was amazing. Mike doing his audit in the Madrigal warehouse. Really, anything Michael Mando does on screen. It's hard to pick. I so enjoy the deliberate pace of this show.

Where’s your favorite place to discuss the show? I honestly don’t talk about it too much online, though I lurk in a few places and read a lot. I actually discuss it mostly with my wife!

I know you get this question a lot, so let’s cover it here so folks understand: Do you have plans to sell any of this work online? I really appreciate that people like it enough to want to buy it or hang it, but I don't plan to sell the Better Call Saul posters online. I’m doing this for fun, not to make a buck off the show, and I don’t own the rights to sell it anyway.

What’s next for Matt? Do you have any other poster or illustration projects in the works? Is you band performing soon? I have several more pieces for Gallery1988 shows coming up. I’m pulling together an art show at a local brewery for whom I design all of their labels and stuff. I’m patiently waiting for a t-shirt I designed for one of my all-time favorite movies to be announced. And for the past several Octobers, I spent the month drawing a horror poster per day. I’m not sure if logistically I can do that again this year, but I’ll probably fit at least a few in. We’ll see how it goes. Sadly, with all of my illustration work, I haven’t had any time for music making, but someday I hope to get back to that!

Follow Matt: Web site / Tumblr / Twitter / Dribbble / Instagram / PosterSpy

– Interview by Shayne Bowman, Heisenberg Chronicles

[degavara]

Essential GRAPHIC DESIGN Ways for Beginners

Graphic design can appear like a daunting task considering the sheer volume of techniques and software to use. Concerning professional software such as Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop, which seemed like a fun creative project can quickly turn into a dreaded task that needs to be done. Luckily, with the evergrowing use of technology, increasingly more software is released to assist with graphical design from experienced designers to inexperienced. Listed below are 11 essential graphical design tips to truly get you through the next design task.

1. Choose contrasting colors.

Color can be difficult. The purpose of your design is to fully capture the interest of your market and evoke a particular feeling. The colors you select will have a solid impact on your audience’s reaction to your design. Remember your brand identification, consider choosing high contrasting color palettes to make it pop. High contrast colors are located directly across from one another on the color wheel, such as green and red.

Consider matching the color of your font or other image elements with your history image to make a cohesive look.

Adobe Color CC is a superb online source to help create cohesive color techniques with a large number of color options and can offer you hex codes, which defines the degrees of the element colors. You will want to make note of these to ensure your colors are constant across designs.

2. Keep it simple with the font.

About design, readability is vital. There is no need to restrict you to ultimately an individual font, but do not use more than two and keep them in the same font family. If you opt for two fonts, use one for header text message and one for the body text message.

Test out different fonts preloaded in your design software or consider downloading free fonts from online language resources. The greater stylized font is the harder it'll be to read. The fundamental reason for text message in design is to connect information so using hard to learn fonts could bargain the message you want to send.

Take into account that not absolutely all fonts are for sale to commercial use so be sure to check the permit before with them at work.

3. Use white space.

Keeping with the color theme, utilizing white space is a superb graphic design hint, specifically for people that have less experience. This helps display simplicity by concentrating on a single component with nothing at all to distract from it. You won’t have to be concerned about a lot of other elements as well.

Apple is well-known for its use of white space and the simpleness it inspires.

4. Consistent elements are fundamental.

Whenever choosing design elements such as background images, retain in brain the product quality and style. Images, diagrams, images, and illustrations should all have an objective in your design and stay consistent in conditions of quality, framing, style, percentage, and lighting.

5. Scan and sketch.

If you're sketching your design the old fashion way, be sure you check out it to your personal computer. You can simply use your smartphone camera to have a picture and import the scan straight into Illustrator or Photoshop. Use your check as a history guide to developing your design digitally.

6. Utilize the smooth design technique.

The smooth design is your friend! This design style has become increasingly popular over the years which is great for both beginners and experienced designers. Having relocated to a far more elegant look, flat design allows a much better sense of alignment and spacing for a great design outcome with a simple process!

7. Structure your text message.

Keep in mind the alignment and structure of each component throughout your project. Adobe has built-in tools to ensure regularity throughout and never have to proceed through and by hand-inspect each component. Proceed through and apply header style to each header and you’ll be all set!

If you're including a body of the text message (i.e. a paragraph) each collection should have only 30-40 character types, including areas. Anything much longer than this might end up being hard for visitors to complete. Remaining constant with your line characters will help to avoid a paragraph that looks like a game of Tetris.

8. Use icons.

Symbols can help pull attention to a specific part of the design. If you’re looking to get visitors to follow you on the interpersonal press, add the instantly recognizable symbols for each system which means that your audience can immediately identify your username. Symbols can be considered a great component to spice things up without adding too much if your design is on the easier side.

Look for a great free collection of icons at icons8!

9. Typography effects.

An extremely popular typography effect is the knockout effect. This impact works especially well with logos but can be applied in virtually any design.

Another great typography effect is putting it over a graphic. Simply putting text over a background image does not always work and often results in hard to read the text. This can certainly be fixed through the use of a dark color coating straight above your image. Arranged the blending setting of this level to “multiply” as well as your text message will pop as well as your image will never be compromised.

10. Align, align, align.

Keeping your elements aligned will create a presentable design with a professional and advanced look. Utilize manuals in your software to ensure the right placement for every element. Adobe has both positioning options and manuals you may use to assist with this aspect.

11. Lines create impact and style.

Using lines to separate sections can simply complete a minimalist design. Consider utilizing a 3-pixel range right below the header to make a sense of order or place lines around a body of text message to produce an anchor to them.

In case your design carries a short amount of text that you’d prefer to draw concentrate on, consider developing a white border around it. A solid white boundary around text message will generate a comparison between your text message and the backdrop.

Graphic design may become quite complicated concerning the techniques you want to hire. Keep these graphical design tips at heart for all tasks to help streamline the procedure.

Check out more help in Toronto graphic designers  Thought Media is a leading graphic design company in Toronto and one of the top graphic designers in Canada, working with hundreds of clients all over the world! Creating impactful graphic designs, high converting website designs, and successful Search Engine Optimization Marketing campaigns!

[ramajmedia]

5 Reasons Why Frasier Is Better (& 5 Why Cheers Is Superior)

Cheers has long been considered one of the greatest sit-coms of all time. With its clever writing, large ensemble cast, and relatable characters, it brought warmth and camaraderie into American living rooms. Audiences forgot their woes watching the misadventures of baseball player-turned-bar owner Sam Malone and the workers and patrons of the bar.

When it ended in 1993, one of its most unlikely characters received a spin-off; Dr. Frasier Krane. He had left his life in Boston to become a radio psychiatrist in Seattle. In Frasier, he juggled his work life and romantic life with a rowdy home life, often crowded with his roommates, an ex-cop father and his caregiver, as well as his pretentious younger brother. Where Cheers was working class, Frasier was upper class, but both had their distinct appeal. Both lasted eleven seasons and are considered masterworks. Below you'll find five reasons why each is the superior program.

10 FRASIER: IT WAS RIDICULOUSLY CLEVER

Frasier is known and respected for its complex storylines and farcical tone.  Because of its deft amalgamation of intellectual jokes with slapstick gags, it can expand on the physical comedy of Cheers and take it to a new height of hilarity.

RELATED: Frasier: 10 Season 1 Jokes Everyone Completely Missed

While it helped to have an understanding of opera, theater, wine, and 18th-century Dutch antiques to appreciate the humorous banter between Frasier and Niles, a non-insignificant amount of clever humor could be derived from their father making fun of them for it.

9 CHEERS: IT DIDN'T TAKE ITSELF TOO SERIOUSLY

One of the reasons why Cheers saw an uptick in audience numbers after a less-than-stellar first season was because viewers realized the show didn't take itself too seriously. There was one stuff-shirt in the cast (Frasier) but the rest of them were blue-collar stiffs.

It was the plight of the working man and woman that Cheers focused on, not the malaise of the upper class. The sort of humor thrown around the bar was smart, but bawdy, and could appeal to a much wider audience than Frasier's nuanced pattern of jocularity.

8 FRASIER: CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

An area where Frasier really excelled was character development. Throughout the series, all the main cast went through real changes, with each of their choices significantly impacting their trajectory on the series. Niles went from being meek and timid with his abominable wife to having the courage to divorce her and pursue his true love, Daphne.

Roz, long-considered the office tart, ended up deciding to have a baby on her own as a single mother. Frasier's father Martin Crane remarried and found a new lease on life when it was thought his hip would prevent it. The cast of Cheers essentially remained the same in their attitudes from the first season to the last.

7 CHEERS: THEME SONG

One of the most instantly recognizable theme songs in television history, the Cheers song (and title credits) is one of the most well-known of any other sit-coms. Like the theme song to Happy Days, it put audiences in a good mood. It was written by a pair of musical theater composers who gained notoriety for the song "People Like Us" from Preppies.

The theme song to Frasier oddly plays at the end of every episode, and rather than be written and sung by a composer of musical theater (which would be far more logical), it features Kelsey Grammar singing "Tossed Salad and Scrambled Eggs" like a bluesy musician who belongs at Cheers.

6 FRASIER: HOLDS UP TODAY

One of the biggest differences between the series is the time periods in which they're set. Cheers takes place mostly in the 80s, and by the time it ended in '93, it didn't make use of technological advancements like cellphones or email. Even the film quality, color palette, and lighting of the series make it seem dated now.

RELATED: 10 Things From Cheers That Have Not Aged Well

Frasier on the other hand, marched steadily towards the new millennium, embracing the rapidly changing technology, and even witnessed a change in fashion that made the wardrobes of the main characters seem almost trendy today. It's emphasis on mental health also seems pertinent in today's more conscientious world.

5 CHEERS: NORM

Though Cheers featured a lot of great personalities, none of them were as terrific as Norm Peterson. From the moment Norm walks in the door to the accustomed, "Norm" everyone unanimously greets him with, he dishes out one-liners throughout every episode that have become "Normisms" in pop culture.

For instance, Coach once asked if he could draw Norm a beer. Norm responded with, "No thanks, I already know what they look like. Just pour me a beer." Carla's sarcasm was amusing, Woody's ditziness was endearing, Cliff's know-it-all charm was good for laughs, but Norm was by far the best representation of a classic barfly.

4 FRASIER: NILES

Who could have ever thought that the younger brother no one knew Frasier had would outshine him? It couldn't be helped, because Niles was every neurosis Frasier had turned up to eleven. He was the 1812 Overture to Frasier's Jazz Suite Waltz No. 2.

RELATED: Frasier: 10 Best Niles Crane Quotes

From his obsession with wiping off furniture, to his endless collection of Hugo Boss ties, and excitement about themed charity functions, he got all of the best eccentricities and much of the best dialogue. When Frasier told him he would shave his head for him, Niles coolly responded, "A gesture which becomes less significant with each passing year."

3 CHEERS: SOLID THE ENTIRE SERIES

Aside from a slightly rough first season (though few first seasons are perfect), Cheers had a solid run for all eleven of its seasons. Even through Sam's on-again-off-again relationship with Diane, and then his on-again-off-again relationship with Rebecca, the show swirled about the love story at the heart of it without impediment.

Frasier had a strong first season and had a winning streak until about it's seventh when it hit the skids and didn't seem to know what to do in season 8, when it was approaching a decade on the air. It finally rallied in its final eleventh season, finishing strong.

2 FRASIER: MORE SETS

Though the two main sets in Frasier consisted of the interior of his apartment and the KACL station, it incorporated other settings to keep the series seem like it was part of a bustling metropolis. One of the other main sets used was Cafe Nervosa, a frequent coffee shop for the characters, as well as a litany of restaurants, theaters, and the like.

Cheers mainly consisted of the bar set. The series was named after a bar, so no one left it. There was little need to take it anywhere else considering the characters came to the bar to escape the trials and tribulations of their work lives, home lives, and romantic lives (although those sometimes followed them in).

1 CHEERS: LARGE ENSEMBLE CAST

One of the things that endeared audiences to Cheers from the beginning was its large ensemble cast. It included bar staff and bar patrons, with every character presenting a distinct personality, backstory, and sense of humor. Even the two barflies Norm and Cliff were completely different from one another in their humor and personal perspective.

On Frasier, the cast was smaller and more close-knit, with certain characters overlapping. The strongest difference in character archetypes was between Frasier and his father, with variations of their personalities found in Niles and Roz.

NEXT: 10 Things Frasier Did Better Than Cheers

source https://screenrant.com/5-reasons-frasier-better-5-cheers-superior/

[pixelproductions]

How to Make It on Instagram as a Makeup Artist

If you want to make it on Instagram as a makeup artist stick to what you do well; keep your pics engaging, relevant and hashtag the hell out of them.

The road to becoming a famous Instagram makeup artist isn’t easy.

Instagram has gotten pretty crowded, especially for the makeup industry. And even when new artists fight their way to a place under the limelight, it might not be that easy to monetize it successfully or benefit from it in other tangible ways.

But there’s still a way newcomers can achieve success with their makeup chops on Instagram, and it just might be worth the effort.

The ingredients:

• A dash of audience understanding • Great visuals of your craft • Bringing personality to your visual identity • The Insta-marketing ecosystem.

Here’s some advice on how to bring it all together to make it on Instagram as a makeup artist.

Be Ready to Hook Your Audience Quickly

The average human attention span is so short that six-second content and six-second ads are now a thing. The good news is that you can use that to your advantage on Instagram. That’s the kind of an ecosystem where you, the Instafamous makeup artist in the making, is trying to build a presence.

It’s obvious that, whatever the plans with all that social capital might be, you will have to accrue it in spite of the competition for the scarce resource that is human attention. To that end, your presence on Instagram will have to communicate well.

What are the three most important things your Instagram feed needs to convey in the first couple of seconds?

What You Do – Your audience needs to immediately understand what your Instagram Page is about.

Provide Value – How is your audience going to benefit from your content?

Unique Value Proposition – This is all you… the unique value you bring that makes your audience care.

There are a billion useful tools and templates an Instagram makeup artist can use to grow an audience, but it’s your job to create a feed that will be instantly recognizable for its full worth.

It takes commitment to catch and keep an audience by giving them quality they cannot deny.

Figure Out What Kind of a Makeup Artist You Are

It helps a lot to know what kind of a makeup artist you want to become. Being a generalist might sound fun. But when it comes to being successful on Instagram and reaping the benefits of it, a jack of all trades is really a master of none.

You probably already know there are several different types of career paths makeup artists can follow. Ideally, it would be best to end up in the one you have the most affinity for. When using Instagram to launch a career, people should always do something they like because they’ll be doing it a lot.

Deciding what type of makeup to work with will give you a niche to operate in. Having a niche will, in turn, help with recognizability, and that kind of help is always welcome. But it will also help you understand and focus on what type of content your audience really wants.

Develop a Consistent Presence

Finding a niche; which in this case means figuring out what kind of an artist you want to be, will go a long way in establishing a consistent Instagram presence. At the very least, it will give the Instagram posts a common theme to bind them together. But that’s only the beginning.

The content on your Instagram feed needs to have a certain recognizability ie: your brand.

Using a color palette consistently will help. Using a filter is also a very important thing on Instagram. Remember, however, that makeup tutorials benefit from displaying colors as truthfully as possible, so make sure that the filter you use doesn’t cover what the content is trying to do.

The timing of the posts is another thing that requires consistency. Analytics tools will show what’s the time of the day when your followers are the most active. You’ll be able to figure out the best time to post based on that.

Take Advantage of Helpful Practices and Tools

The best thing about trying to build a following as an Instagram makeup artist is that you don’t have to do it without help.

There are plenty of analytics tools that will provide useful information to help an Instagram presence grow. And there are also a lot of tools that will help you automate some of the more tedious self-promotion tasks.

Knowing who to follow and whose content to like plays an important part in growing an Instagram following. You don’t want to follow everyone whose content looks good. It pays off to like as much content as possible because that will bring eyeballs to your content.

But because it takes a long time to look through all that content, it might be better to simply use Likegrowers Instagram auto liker tool.

It will like other people’s content based on the parameters you set. It will even help zero in on the competitor’s followers and go after them. Using so called, Instagram automation tools can really help you to grow your Instagram account and reach those wanted followers. But not every Instagram automation tool is the same, beware of tools that promise to give you hundreds of instant followers, make sure to choose a so called organic Instagram auto liker such as Likegrowers.

You should also learn about the industry hashtags and their meanings.

They will need changing after a while though, and there will always be new trendy hashtags to use. Just remember that using a hashtag that has nothing to do with your content isn’t necessarily a good thing.

The real key to becoming a successful Instagram makeup artist is, of course, persistence. You have to keep going at it even in those periods when it seems that no one is noticing your work. And don’t be afraid to experiment with your art and look for your genuine expression — your handiwork just might take the whole industry by storm.

[themoderndesignstudent]

MDM650 Multi Platform Delivery

Overview and Acquiring Competencies

Multi-platform Delivery was a continuation of the previous two courses and associated work. With this class, our three primary objectives included: designing an official logo, producing high quality campaign assets, and designing an extensive brand style guide (guidelines). Several concepts touched upon were both new and repeating but built upon each other to produce our finalized campaign assets and supporting documentation. Logo development refreshed our understanding of the relationship formed between an icon and chosen typography and how the two are combined to appropriately convey the intended brand messaging. Through rapid prototyping and iterative testing, a finalized logo will be chosen as a proper reflection of the brand.

Asset production provided new opportunity to understand the formation of campaign assets while researching potential solutions to communicate our brand campaign. With asset production, it is imperative to focus on the appropriate brand filters to determine how the identity will be reflected, through the designs, while factoring in the brand’s personality. As mentioned in week two lecture, “Finding the brand personality will prevent the limitation of visual identity and media choice to just graphic ‘good looks.’” As we create our production plan and begin developing assets, it is imperative to always refer back to the proposed values and characteristics for guidance. Lastly, designing a brand guideline was a new experience and highly enjoyable. From this experience, I understand how a proper balance of front-end and back-end information is needed to successfully communicate to both clients and designers. When developing the brand guide, the primary focus should be the integration of the desired voice, tone, and brand personality to construct the proper emotional appeal. Every reader will possess a strong-er understanding and clear vision, of the established brand, through strategic placement and balance of background information, key metric data, and technical design specifications. In addition, the use of supporting references and in-text citations can be removed given the high degree of research and rationalization implemented, during the development phase of the pro-posed brand identity.

Click the below link to access my brand guideline document for McDonough, Georgia.

ISSUU Link - McDonough Brand Guidelines

Connecting, Synthesizing, and Transforming

Research conducted, throughout this course, was an integral part of the successful design and development of each campaign asset. These assets include billboards, pole banners, vinyl decals, and exterior wayfinding signage.

Billboards

Billboard designs will garner the attention of any audience through the use of impactful imagery conveying the involved, desirable, welcoming, and charming nature of the McDonough community. Every billboard will visually communicate the small-town atmosphere and Southern hospitality portrayed through inviting color schemes and curated imagery featuring a blend of vivid colors and authentic, candid reactions, from all age-segments. Billboards are effectively used to convey targeted messaging for surrounding communities and businesses based on location. “One of the biggest advantages of billboard marketing is its visibility. When placed in high-traffic areas such as busy highways or streets, you are guaranteed to get a high level of exposure to broad demographic of people” (Ad Impact, 2014, Advantages section, para. 1). Billboards are currently leveraged by the City of McDonough on major expressways and will received updated designs. Furthermore, smaller billboards will be placed at entry points, of city limits, and strategically positioned in backroad commuting areas.

Pole Banners

Pole banners are a cost-efficient solution to promote the city, through seasonal and on-demand rotation. “Pole banners have the ability to decorate and educate while speaking directly to the community. With high visibility locations, pole banners demonstrate pride by promoting the causes and upcoming events that are important to a community’s image” (Howe, 2017). McDonough currently leverages pole banners and will receive updates featuring new branding and design. Designs will feature imagery with similar styling treatments, of other proposed assets, to maintain proper brand cohesion and unify all relevant assets. The geranium icon is integrated into design, with distinguishable coloring indicating the specified community classification. The icon is differentiated, from other printed collateral, given the implied bleed at the bottom left corner, of the composition. The overall designs will focus on imagery content with emphasized height and associated appeal to capture viewer’s attention while walking or driving through the area.

Vinyl Decal

The vinyl decal is a direct adaptation of the official logo evoking the charming and welcoming characteristics, of the community. Each color choice alludes to a generalized community sector and showcases the owner’s support when proudly displayed on their personal assets. These decals offer clear representation of the communal value to “be proud” while sharing personal enthusiasm and passion for the city. The asset is visually identifiable as part of the overarching brand strategy and used as a focal point to generate and strengthen brand recognition and retention. Custom vinyl stickers provide a tactile medium to engage with community members, visitors, and patrons. “Whether handed out or mailed, quality stickers have a higher perceived value than other promotional mediums” (Nicholson, n.d., para. 6). Elevated designs and high-quality material increase positive brand association as individuals see the attention to detail and quality of work put into this asset. Furthermore, “Stickers can strengthen communities and awareness of a particular message” (Nicholson, n.d., para. 9). This small yet impactful sticker will serve as an extension to the McDonough brand identity and will be applied to high-exposure items such as vehicles, laptops, phone cases, and notebook covers.

Vehicle Wraps

The City of McDonough utilizes minimal branding on all non-emergency vehicles, within the city’s fleet. The current small, circular logo is adhered to each cabin door panel and is the only identifiable feature for these vehicles. The application of vinyl car wrapping will provide an additional medium, for brand identity transference, while making all associated vehicles recognizable throughout the community. “Vehicle wraps attract attention without disturbance. Potential customers can easily spot your message without significant distraction from what they’re doing” (Design Office UK ltd, 2016, para. 4). This unique design application will display the city’s new brand identity and will increase brand recognition. The proposed designs exude McDonough’s charming appeal as displayed through the proposed color palette and expressive use of the geranium icon. The vehicle wraps feature two oversized geranium icons alluding to McDonough’s charming and desirable characteristics and playful nature while sparking interest to further explore and identify. The placement of each wrap is custom tailored to the aesthetic features of each vehicle model.

Exterior Wayfinding Signage

The exterior wayfinding design offers a modern twist to the proposed brand identity. The color scheme is chosen to alleviate legibility issues for community members with visual impairments by offering contrasting font colors and larger font sizes. The wayfinding sign promotes a desirable and involved community through clean, organic shapes while individualized locations are called out, for a specific point-of-interest. The geranium icon is strategically placed within the darker material to emphasize the flower shape and maintain a strong connection, to the overall brand identity. The darker area, of the sign, will feature LED lights to provide illumination to the location name and geranium icon, for those travelling at night. The implementation of a wayfinding system will alleviate resident and visitor challenges when exploring McDonough. As an added benefit, “Visitors will thus have numerous “contact points” with the company’s brand, strengthening their experience with it and reinforcing their overall impression of their visit” (ASI Signage, 2017, p. 6). This creative asset proposition will enhance the physical user experience and add cohesive branding to existing and future community locations and benefits.

Problem Solving

As previously mentioned in other posts, the problem statement for McDonough explains how “the citizens of McDonough need a way to identify the benefits of their community, because a lack of unity and excitement is felt by those living in the area.” This eventually led to the derived solution statement to “Identify the City of McDonough as a family/friendly community focused on promoting higher engagement and morale, among members, through the use of  identifiable benefits while leveraging community core values.”

With this being said, McDonough’s new brand campaign will leverage categorical indicators derived from the proposed color palettes. Each indicator will be translated throughout various marketing collateral and communication. The four indicators will reflect the following: • Red – Official City Branding • Green – Parks and Recreation • Blue – Auxiliary Services (Fire, Police, Water, Schools, etc.) • Purple – Shopping, Dining, and Entertainment

Innovative Thinking

The pre-existing brand identity contributes very little to the added value of perception and appeal and lacks consistency and harmony. The proposed brand identity evokes a charming, welcoming community filled with vibrancy, involvement, and passion for the community. With every brand identity, there must be a deeper connection to overall design aesthetic and individual components. The tagline, “Community at Heart” alludes to both the mission statement and tone sample embodying a community-centric environment, with emphasis placed on citizens themselves. Community support and engagement serve as quintessential factors in producing the necessary family/friendly environments needed to attract visitors and future residences alike. But what makes McDonough stand out? Having a charming town to explore and call home, welcoming members inviting you to join our McDonough family, involved citizens wanting to promote change and continual growth, and a desirable environment for business establishment and visitor attraction are all prime examples for what makes McDonough unique.

Reflection

Throughout this course, there were several key experiences gained, experiences tested, and an overall satisfaction for the final asset and brand guideline production. The logo development process tested my ability as a designer to defend my work, in our live lecture environment, while gaining a better understanding how other’s may perceive designs. Asset production provided a challenging yet exciting avenue to research and explore new mediums, prototype layouts, experiment with photoshop mockups and 3D modeling, and understand the impact selected assets would have in the real-world environment. The brand guideline process fostered a deeper level of creativity as photoshop mockups are used in tandem with technical and rationalized information to communicate new branding standards. Iterative testing of page layouts was leveraged again to achieve compositional balance while successfully communicating key information.

The methodologies and design thinking used to construct and implement effective designs will be applicable to all future coursework and transposed immediately into my current role. By working in a creative department and creating page layouts on a daily basis, the work utilized in the brand guideline process provides a greater understanding of the work my team produces and implements on a global scale.

References

Ad Impact. (2014, June 9). The Benefits of Billboards. Retrieved from https://www.adimpact.com.au/blog/the-benefits-of-billboards

ASI Signage. (2017, January). Pathways to Success - The Benefits of Wayfinding Signage. Retrieved from https://asisignage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/White-paper_wayfinding1.pdf

Design Office UK Ltd. (2016, May 20). 7 Benefits of Using Vehicle Graphics to Advertise Your Business. Retrieved from http://www.sccci.co.uk/portal/blog/1026/7-benefits-of-using-vehicle-graphics-to-advertise-your-business/

Howe, M. (2014, May 30). OAI Pole Banner Program. Retrieved from https://www.oaicorp.com/polebanners/

Nicholson, J. (n.d.). 9 Reasons Businesses Can Not Ignore Sticker Marketing. Retrieved from https://ducttapemarketing.com/sticker-marketing/

[cloakedsparrow]

Before Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Daredevil and Iron Fist take on Netflix as the “Defenders” this August, the team will unite at Marvel Comics in June, with a new ongoing “Defenders” series courtesy of frequent collaborators Brian Michael Bendis and David Marquez; in their “Civil War II” follow-up.

Bendis, Marquez and Marvel Senior Vice President of Pubishing Tom Brevoort gathered for Marvel’s latest “Next Big Thing” call with the comics press, to talk all things “Defenders” with the comic book press on Tuesday afternoon.

First question from Marvel went to Marquez, who talked about the tone of the series. Marquez said it’s comparatively more “noir” than “Civil War II,” and named “Blade Runner” and “John Wick” as visual inspirations. “Certainly in terms of color palette, use in terms of contrast and shadow,” Marquez said. “I’m also using texture a lot.”

Brevoort said he’s deferred to the creative team to define the book’s visual style. “It’s a series that demands a slightly different approach, visually,” Brevoort said, especially compared to “Civil War II” or “Invincible Iron Man,” which Bendis and Marquez also worked on. Brevoort added that “Defenders” has a little bit more of a Bill Sienkiewicz style than readers may be used to from Marquez.

Marquez added that along with Sienkiewicz, the work of past “Daredevil” artists like Alex Maleev and Chris Samnee has influenced him on the series.

Brevoort spoke of Punisher’s arrival in “Defenders” #3, and how he fits in with the team. “I think the core Defenders are all moving in general the same direction; they’ve got a unity of purpose, a commonality of goals,” Brevoort said, mentioning that Blade and “a couple other surprises” will appear early in the series.

Brevoort added that thinking about “Defenders” similarly to “New Avengers” is apt, as a character like Doctor Strange — even though he’s not “ground level” — could very well show up, since it’s a team of New York City heroes.

Next question was for Bendis, if this was “who he wanted” for the book’s main cast, despite the fact that it’s also the cast of the upcoming TV series. “I literally pitched this to the public on my last page of New Avengers’ — a page of Luke and Jessica talking about this book,” Bendis answered. “It was always on my list of, ‘This is what I want to do if I return to these characters.” Bendis said the only thing that changed for him was calling the book “Defenders,” as he didn’t have a great name for the series he wanted to do before.

“This idea, and these characters, and how they’re going to interact and what they’re going to do, was always the plan, way before the Netflix deal,” Bendis said.

Where are the characters when “Defenders” #1 picks up? Bendis said readers need to first check out the Free Comic Book Day story, available this Saturday. “The characters are all at sort of their base status quo,” Bendis said, with the FCBD story revealing the villain of the initial storyline of the series. “Then we dive right into ‘Defenders’ #1, and we hit the ground running,” Bendis said.

“I try to bring as much humanity and realism to [‘Defenders’] as possible,” Bendis said, adding that it dates back to his early, pre-Marvel crime stories. “The escapism is much more visceral, because you feel like this is a bar you could walk into — not a crazy space station or Avengers Tower. These feel like real places, and sometimes they are real places. The characters are really reacting to each other, they’re reacting to the world around them. David and I spend a great deal of time talking about the city as a character, and making sure they react to the city in a human way.”

Next question from Marvel asked if New York City is a “partner” to the Defenders or an antagonist. “Like any character in any story, you don’t know,” Bendis said. “Sometimes the city is going to be a gigantic help to them. At the same time, there are people in the city who will react very negatively to what they’re doing.”

“You’ve got two characters — you’ve got the real New York City, the New York City that we all know and I love to visit,” Bendis said. “And then you’ve got the Marvel New York City, which is a New York City with Doctor Strange, and Elektra, and Blade running around in it.”

How personal of a series will “Defenders” be for its cast? “The villain is connected very personally to one of the four,” Bendis replied. “So personally, that it affects all of them.” This threat will prompt the character to “reevaluate” the way the book’s heroes do things, thus leading to the Defenders becoming an official team.

“It’s been a very fun week of readers emailing or Tumbling questions at me, at one of the best questions was, ‘I’m so confused about Luke Cage, because according to everything, he’s one of the most powerful superheroes in the world, but they keep referring to him as street-level,'” Bendis continued. “I wrote back saying, ‘Street-level is not a power set. It’s an address.'”

“There are so many places to take these characters within the context of a street-level hero,” Bendis said. “This is one of the great joys of staying at the company — you can leave Jessica for a few years, come back, and the character is still reacting to the world around her, and the Marvel Universe has shifted so much. It’s all worth exploring. I’m writing all-new material about these characters that I love so much. Because they’re in a different place in their lives, it feels brand new to me.”

Is a leadership role established in “Defenders”? “It’s kind of like what I liked in ‘New Avengers,'” Bendis answered. “Everyone steps up when it’s their turn. They’re not like membership ID kind of people. It’s a handshake — there’s no contract. They’re in together. It speaks more to the fact that they really are a family. They love each other… with that comes all the positives and negativity of family.”

Every issue of “Defenders” will have back-up material — the first will feature an interview with Luke Cage. Future issues will have installments of the Marvel Universe publication “The Pulse,” and material similar to the Avengers oral histories.

More from Bendis on Punisher in “Defenders”: “What happens in the first couple issues of ‘Defenders’ is so loud, that it can’t help but bring the Punishers of the world towards it.” Bendis said that the Punisher’s role will surprise readers.

“Certain spider-people will show up,” Bendis added. “Doctor Strange shows up. Blade shows up. A couple mutants show up. Night Nurse will be back — that of course hints that a lot of people will get hurt, but that’s what she’s for. We’re going to really open up the streets and have a lot of people come in. The four are the base, but there will be members that come in and out, hopefully in an organic way.”

“This is not a group that’s worried about bylaws or who’s a member and not a member,” Brevoort added. “There will be characters that come in and out as the situation demands it.”

Also coming up down the line — members of Marvel’s original Defenders team (which consisted of members including Doctor Strange, Hulk, Silver Surfer and Valkyrie) getting involved with the new squad. “They may not be thrilled that their name is being poached,” Bendis said. “Look for some Defender-on-Defender action down the line. Not in the first storyline. Look for the long-overdue Jessica Jones vs. Silver Surfer, the Hulk and Valkyrie fight.”

First question from press, from CBR: What’s it like for Bendis to return to Daredevil, who he had a famous run on years ago, along with Alex Maleev? “It’s one of the most exciting and scariest things,” Bendis answered. “And this is as high-class of a problem a creator can have,” adding that sometimes prior work of creators is viewed with “rose-colored” glasses by fans over time. “I decided to forget about all that, forget about my first run — it’s all in the past — and just come at this character like it’s the first time I’ve ever written him.” Bendis complicated the work of current “Daredevil” writer Charles Soule, saying he’s “created an amazing platform” — and that he wants to avoid the feeling of when writers return to a character, and show they haven’t read comics featuring that character since they worked on it.

Next question, from Adventures in Poor Taste: How does Bendis plan on writing a contemporary take on the mob in “Defenders”? Bendis said that for years, organized crime in “Daredevil” was still in the Frank Miller mold, and hadn’t evolved with the times. “All of this is worth re-examining, and almost laying down tracks from scratch,” Bendis said. Though it’s going to be different than the New York City of Marvel’s Netflix shows, it’ll be something inviting to new comics readers familiar with those shows.

Marquez added that Bendis had him do the same “homework” on organized crime.

Next question, from Word Balloon: What do “Defenders” represent the other Marvel team books don’t? “It’s scope is smaller, because it’s more focused on the neighborhood, even if the neighborhood is as big as the whole of Manhattan island,” Brevoort answered. “I think the core of this book will have a different tone than any group book that exists in the Marvel Universe. It’s a very tight-knit group of people with a common cause, who are operating down on the ground, and on the same level as the people that they’re working to help and protect. There’s a little more of a ‘Zorro’ aspect of it, where these are really the heroes of the community, rather than the heroes of the planet.” Brevoort said the book has a “community flavor.” “They’re people of the people.”

Next question, from Newsarama, concerns the team’s visual looks. Marquez said it’s a “living, breathing process,” and that it’s more than just what the characters wear — though there are recognizable fashion choices, like Luke Cage wearing a hoodie or Jessica Jones in a leather jacket.

Next question, from ComicsVerse: Will the comic deal with real-world issues, or metaphors for real-world issues? Bendis said he has plenty of metaphors in store, and touches on the real world will also play a part. “Crime is a real-world issue, in general,” Bendis added. “Let’s not forget that!”

Next question, from ComicBook.com: How will Daredevil’s secret identity affect his role on the series, with characters working with public identities? “You’ll find these characters are in such a dangerous position, that this guy in the devil mask might have to give a little more,” Bendis said. “What secrets they want to share with each other is going to be a part of that. Obviously I have a tendency to take those secret identities very seriously and dangerously — Daredevil being the most ballsy move we’ve ever made on something like tat. All I’m going to say is that we’re going to continue down that road, that a secret identity is not something to take lightly. It’s going to be something that’s very difficult to maintain, and difficult to maintain with friends.”

Next question, from IGN: Is anything specific from the Netflix shows being incorporated in the series? Bendis said he’s been on record of how much a fan he is of those shows, and immensely flattered that his work has inspired them. “It’s kind of the best version of Marvel becoming this multimedia empire,” Bendis said. “It flowed out of the comics and into the TV shows.” Bendis said Marquez will employ a more noir style in the series, similar to some of the sequences back in “Ultimate Spider-Man.”

“If they do things well, it’s good to learn from them,” Marquez said of the Netflix shows. “It’s good to have elements of it being recognizable, but also to be additive, and not repetitive. We’re taking some of the things that were done well on the show — they shoot the city beautifully, they have amazing use of color — and we’re adding those things if they improve the quality of the book. We’re also making sure we’re adding, and not repeating.”

Bendis added “Drive” and “The Wire” as further visual inspirations.

Next question, from ICv2: Will the inciting event of the series spill out to other books? Yes. “It’s a game-changer for everyone involved,” Bendis said, adding that the “Jessica Jones” series he writes will certainly be affected, and likely “Daredevil” and “Luke Cage,” as well.

The call ended with some final thoughts. Bendis said he’s excited for exiting readers and new fans coming to the series from the Netflix shows to see the book. Marquez said he wants people to know how the creative team is respecting the long histories of these characters. Brevoort reiterated that the Free Comic Book Story does not wait to “dive into the meat” of “Defenders.”

“Defenders” #1 is scheduled for release on June 14. The Free Comic Book Day story, paired with a “Guardians of the Galaxy” story, is available at participating retailers this Saturday.

[maritzaerwin]

How to Earn a Living in Stock Photography?

In today’s current climate, interest in starting your own business has never been higher. For many of you, the dream is to be able to own and operate a company that’s based on your hobbies or interests. For others amongst you, the ability to work from anywhere in the world is the draw.

Regardless of your underlying reason, starting your own business – or even just making some extra money on the side – is something that is in reach more now than ever in this day and age of worldwide connectivity and online commerce.

Whatever your own reason is for starting a business, launching a stock photography business is a great way to both make money from an interest you love and work anywhere in the world. But what do we mean precisely when we say stock photography as opposed to regular photography?  

What, exactly, is stock photography? 

It might surprise you to find out that stock photography is everywhere. You just might not have noticed it. 

You may not be aware, but the concept of stock photography wasn’t born in the internet age – even though it did help to popularize the idea and allow for increasingly intuitive ways to keep track of photography copyrights and artist remuneration methods. The idea that having stock photos would be useful first came up in the 1880s, with the invention of the halftone and its use in the printing press industry. 

Retrofile — one of the first major stock photography libraries — was founded in the 1920s, primarily because photography production started to ramp up after the First World War. The availability of cameras had become more widespread, and they were no longer viewed as exotic or luxurious apparatus.

Stock photography was born out of the desire to gain access to beautiful, universally useful photos without the need to hire photographers for expensive photoshoots. Further down the road, it also started to help businesses of all kinds not to have to keep track of a number of pressing copyright issues. Nowadays, you can use a stock photo without restrictions by merely paying a one-time fee to a royalty-free stock image licensor such as Dreamstime.

Stock photos are photographs for which the artist has licensed their photo’s use to another party for commercial purposes. Publishers and advertisers began to consider using them during the 1920s, and now they represent an essential part of most businesses. Whether it’s journalists, advertisers, marketers, web designers, bloggers, influencers, or TV anchors, they all crave stock photographs for the low cost and how easy they are to acquire.

Why? Because stock photography is the art of taking high-quality shots that will endure the passing of time – as in, their innate value for all kinds of companies won’t diminish. Using them is also convenient and cost-effective for the businesses and individuals that need them. If that sounds like something you could produce in return for payment, then you’re probably wondering how or where to get started. 

How to Start a Stock Photography Business? 

Whether you’re a person with a greater or lesser level of photographic experience, if you call yourself a photographer, you undoubtedly have the passion for capturing what you see around you.

You’re continually striving to increase the quality of your shots – whether by using a better camera, learning advanced shooting techniques or by learning how to better post-produce the photos you’ve already taken. You’re posting them on all kinds of online social platforms, hundreds of people start to like them – and what’s not to like? You already know your photos are fantastic! 

Furthermore, a great deal of online content nowadays is strictly visual. It’s what catches your eye and makes you want to delve into more of the same. Perhaps you’ve even made some friends with the same passion already, and you’re all constantly evolving and adapting to new photography trends. So, is that all there is to the life of a photographer?

In short, no. If the above description sounds a lot like you, it’s time to take your passion for photography to a whole new, and profitable, level by launching your own career as a stock photographer.

By working diligently to produce jaw-dropping photos, you can net a consistent, and in some cases, considerable income by becoming a contributor to a stock photography platform. Those photos you’ve already been selling to your friends, family, and customers? Suddenly you can open them up to literally millions of potential customers who can access and purchase them with just a few clicks. Better yet, there’s no more underhanded theft of your hard work, with stringent copyright laws in place to protect what is rightfully yours. 

All you have to do is put in the necessary work to make sure that your photos reflect the high-quality standards of the thousands of stock photographers who’ve gone before you. The more images you produce, the better you will become, and the larger your catalog of images – your potential for income – will become as well.

What’s more, you have the flexibility to change the licensing rights for each photo, giving you better deals on what you feel is your best work. Lastly, you can continue to use or edit your photos since what you are selling is the license for their use, not the images themselves.  

How Does the Stock Photography Business Model Work?

While there is a multitude of different ways of running stock photography businesses, there are two primary models that dominate the market — macro stock and microstock. 

Macro stock photography is often referred to as the more traditional of the two models. Sites and agencies using this method will sell high-priced and exclusive images. These agencies license the individual images directly to the end customer, and prices range from as low as $30 to as high as $3,000 per year. Photographers choosing to work in this manner receive remuneration in the form of royalty payments. 

Microstock, on the other hand, focuses on selling images for as little as 20¢ per photo on a royalty-free basis. Instead of the photographer receiving royalties, they receive a direct share of the revenue of each image download. With this revenue-sharing model, photographers working with microstock sites usually receive one payment every month, which is based on the number of downloads their images have received. 

Although there are still several companies that focus exclusively on one model or the other, the vast majority of leading stock photography websites and agencies now use a mix of both.   

What About Photos of Other People? 

Most stock photos are meant to feel alive – and that goes beyond merely choosing the right color palette for your capture. For a great deal of your stock photographs, you will be working with real people in real situations. This involves getting your head wrapped around some legal aspects of stock photography, namely MRs, or “Model Releases.”

A model release (also known as a liability waiver) is a form of legal release that has to be signed by the human subject(s) of your photographs. It permits you to both use and publishes those photos. A model release is not necessary for most of the photographs due to legal protections under freedom of speech rights.

However, it is required to publish photos whereby personal or privacy rights could risk being infringed upon. In most instances, this is where someone is recognizable, and, therefore, you need their permission to use their appearance in your photo. 

No model release is required to publish a photo of an identifiable person if they are in a public space unless the intended image use is for trade or commercial purposes. In this case, without a signed model release, you can risk being held civilly liable. A model release is not necessary for the act of taking a photo itself. Instead, it’s required for when you’re thinking about using it to make yourself some money.

Every stock photography company has slight variations on their requirements, so you’ll have to look that up in the terms and conditions on each site. 

Here at Dreamstime, we usually require just one model release for each model, with the number of uploaded shooting sessions being irrelevant. The only time you need to pay attention is when the model you used for your shoot moves into a different age group. For example, our advanced search engine has an in-built age parameter.

If your model moves from the 21-30 years old category to the 31-45 years old category through the natural process of aging, you’ll be notified that you need to include a new model release to continue to earn money from that image legally.

Stock Photography Requires You to Understand E-commerce 

As a potential stock photographer, you’ll be well aware of what photography is. After all, you’re probably taking pictures every day. But how is your understanding of e-commerce? It’s something you’ll need to spend time studying up on because it’s what you’ll be relying on to earn revenue from your collection of photographs. 

Simply put, e-commerce is selling something (such as the right to sell your picture) through an online medium. Since the first-ever online sale that took place on August 11, 1994, companies have been offering a growing number of products and services online. The events of 2020 related to the COVID-19 pandemic have only accelerated that trend with more and more people having to endure restrictions and limitations on where they can physically go, and even traditional physical businesses such as gyms have had to offer their services online.    

As an increasing number of products and services start to shift towards online payment methods, the more your products and services need to stand out from the others. It’s imperative to find ways to attract and retain customers.

Since most of the online content nowadays is sustained by imagery, stock photography is the perfect solution for many businesses that need to stir emotion in people. Some even refer to it as generating micro-content, small individual pieces of content that can be consumed by users and monetized by those who produce it.

With that in mind, you need to be thinking about how you can tweak your photographic offering to meet the needs of growing businesses. Furthermore, you’ll need to decide if you want to set up your own e-commerce website, work with several stock photography websites, or if you’re going to dedicate yourself exclusively to one specific platform. The choice is yours, but the method you choose can have a significant impact on the earning potential of your new stock photography business.  

If you’re still sitting on the fence and don’t know whether launching a stock photography business is going to be for you or not, it can be helpful to read about the experiences of others. For example, reading this story about stock photographer Edi Swinford which details how she went from making just 25¢ to over $100,000 from stock photography, is sure to get you fired up and inspired.

Or Dreamstime user Wisconsinart’s similar tale of reaching a $60,000 milestone might encourage you to get started.  Better still, those stories aren’t anomalies. Plenty of stock photographers make more than $700 per month in predominantly passive income.    

Of course, there’s a ton of upfront work that goes into these success stories. You need to gradually build a portfolio of thousands of photos before you can even think about earning that kind of money, particularly if you opt for the microstock business model. Moreover, you need to continually evolve your technique and your subject matter to keep up with the ever-shifting demands of the industry. But while it may be challenging, it’s certainly rewarding when you start to see that money trickling in.

So, what are you waiting for?

Start going through the hundreds or thousands of photos you probably already have on your hard drive to see which ones might just be able to make you some money, grab your camera and start shooting, and start earning your slice of the stock photography pie!   

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