I just ordered some custom bumper stickers from MakeStickers.com.

I simply used one of their templates for my design which is all lettering. They have many, many templates to choose from.

And talk about being quick!

I ordered them on 8/25 and later that afternoon they sent me an e-mail saying they were already being processed.

The next day I check my e-mail to see that they've been shipped. I received them two days later on 8/28. I originally ordered 5 for $18.95 with free shipping. I had an overrun of one. So now 3 people are sporting my bumper sticker and I'm going to give away the last 3 I have.

$18.95 for simple marketing!

If you don't like bumper stickers, they also offer pins and magnetic sheets of various sizes that you can put on your car.

I definitely recommend MakeStickers.com.

Labels: advertising

Have you ever come across an advertisement that reminded you of something else entirely? When you compare the two, the resemblance is uncanny. Right?

This is a quick scan (don't mind the dirty part, it's from my scanner) of the latest Shiseido makeup ad I saw in September's Allure magazine.




This is Slavitza Jordan who played "Gozer" in Ghostbusters.



Does anyone else see the resemblance?




Can you think of any ads you've seen recently that pay homage (not intentionally) to old movies or anything out of the ordinary?

Labels: movies, print ads

I love to drink wine over beer and liquor. I find myself absolutely fascinated by wine clubs, vineyards, and the history of winemaking. I also find myself idly walking through the wine aisle at Meijer trailing my fingers over every wine label at eye level.

Wine makers continue to make wine the good old fashioned way. However, wine labels have evolved into works of art and I tend to drink wine based solely on the label now. I have a small collection so far of wine bottles saved solely for the labels.

Old wine labels are collectible to certain people. I found a website that had a lot of 100 French wine labels starting at $50.

An example of old fashioned wine labels is something straight and to the point. There is nothing too fancy about them at all.



What I have noticed about labels that catch my attention is the overall simplicity of it. They are well thought out and the colors are pleasing to look at.

The wine I buy tends to be under $10 a bottle, so the labels are flashier. It's a marketing trick to appeal to the younger crowd. The wines that are quite expensive have labels that are not as flashy because the wine maker is already well established.

I bought a Falling Star (Argentina) brand wine at GB Russo's a couple months ago. The label was pretty and it tasted pretty good. Not that I'm an expert.



I recently bought another Falling Star brand wine. This time a Sauvignon Blanc. The label is the same only it's in a different color to compliment the wine.



I have yet to taste it, but I'm going to guess it'll be good. As good as the label. =)

I also bought a Gato Negro brand wine which is from Chile. The label caught my eye awhile back, but I didn't have the initiative to buy it. The cat logo is folksy, but is displayed in a streamlined fashion. Very cool.



The taste? Eh....Acidic and extremely sour. It makes your stomach fizz after one sip. I definitely don't recommend the wine, but I recommend the label. It was cheap, so I don't feel so bad dumping the bottle upside down in my kitchen sink.

Overall, I find it extremely amusing to notice changes in labels. Happy wine drinking and label gazing.

Labels: consumer marketing, wine label

When I took Graphic Design 101, my professor said one of her designs got stolen. The thief would not stop using the design, so through cease and desist orders my professor eventually got a few free computers, desks, and chairs. But it was a legal mess for a long time.

So how do you copyright your work?

As the artist and creator, your work is automatically copyrighted for 50 years without registering it. It doesn't even have to be published.

However, if your work will be displayed publicly, it's a good idea to copyright it. It costs $30 $45 for each piece you want copyrighted. http://www.copyright.gov/

It can also take 16 weeks or more for the copyright to become official.

If you want to not copyright every single thing you post online, add a copyright mark to it. I've found using something as simple as a flash gallery such as Simpleviewer helps deter people from stealing my images. You can set up the gallery to enable right clicking, but it's easier to present your work without giving anyone a chance to steal it.

I've only had one problem of a person stealing my work (some of my photography and photomanipulations) on DeviantArt (which is why I no longer post there). DA does not have anything to prevent hotlinking or right click deterrents. In fact, I run across a lot of images people have stolen from DA to make web templates for Myspace, Facebook, Blogger, Friendster, Livejournal, and more.

In order to protect your work from theft:

• Add a visible watermark (or electronic watermarking).
  
• Keep low resolution images on your webpage at small sizes.
• Add a copyright notice on your webpage. People may still disregard it and steal your images, but if you ever have to get the courts involved you are protected.
• Use a flash gallery that disables hotlinking and right clicking.
  

On a final note, the copyright office is a bit weird. According to the Graphic Artists Guild:

VA Copyright Registration Forms must be submitted as 2-sided on one page. When you print out the .pdf form on the Copyright Office web site, print it on both sides of one sheet of paper, not as two one-sided sheets. The Copyright Office has been rejecting VA Registration Forms printed on two sheets.

Labels: copyright issues

I made this blog to keep a record of things I find interesting. This includes designs I find that are interesting, equipment and software, paper information, and more. I will also be posting helpful tips for design such as the exact measurements for a tri-fold brochure, so you don't waste any space.

As time goes on, I hope this blog will grow and become helpful for anyone in the design world whether they're a student or professional.

Labels: introduction