Devreser Designs

Confusion and Boom

noreply@blogger.com (Alex) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:04:00 +0000

I love what people do with type and these are a really nice use of how type can be used as art.

Wine Labels pt 2

noreply@blogger.com (Alex) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 10:04:00 +0000

I'd like to extend a big thank you to Jens Göttert who e-mailed me the following wine labels after reading my first entry about wine labels. They are from his family's former wine company Dilthey, Sahl & Co. (1815-1969) from Rüdesheim am Rhein. It's interesting to see how things have changed over the years. Or didn't change.

Devil's Gold book cover

noreply@blogger.com (Alex) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 08:28:00 +0000

I went to the library Friday and while looking at the new books rack I found one called "Devil's Gold" by Julie Korzenko.

I'm pretty impressed with the graphic design for the book cover. The font is unique and I'm not sure who designed it. I love how the texture and colors are as well. The book is about an oil company wanting to drill more in the Niger Delta and they're evil enough to put a hit out on a woman who doesn't want to lie to OPEC about this oil company's practices not being up to code.

The textures and colors really fit in with what the book is about because it just looks toxic.

It's so much better than this book cover.

DKNY Pop Art

noreply@blogger.com (Alex) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:08:00 +0000

I was flipping through my August issue of Allure when I came across the new Donna Karan advertisement for her "Be Delicious" Big Apple fragrance. It's like a Roy Lichenstein painting. There are a series of print advertisements that look are pop art.

Here are just a couple samples.

The packaging is limited edition and is also pop art.

The old one is quite plain when compared to the limited edition pop art packaging. I'm glad that DKNY introduced the pop art because it's a breath of fresh air when compared to other perfume's packaging.

What's really cool is that the pop art packaging is extending to more than just the fragrance.

World Graphics Day

noreply@blogger.com (Alex) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 06:57:00 +0000

April 27th marked the 14th anniversary of World Graphics Day created by icograda to celebrate commercial design and its impact upon the word.

I'd like to write more about it, but I must confess to never hearing about this holiday until late tonight. Next year I'll be more diligent and create something nice to commemorate the holiday.

Top 10 Fonts of 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Alex) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 23:31:00 +0000

According to MyFonts.com, the top 10 fonts of 2008 are:

1. Metroscript
2. Museo and Museo Sans
3. Floralissimo
4. Breuer Text
5. Corinthia
6. Bree
7. Darling Monograms
8. Marat
9. HandMade
10. Aviano Serif

Holland Civic Theatre Logo Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Alex) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:33:00 +0000

Holland Civic Theatre, a non-profit business, has been in business for 50 years and is looking to the community to design a new logo to celebrate the anniversary (and future seasons). The logo will be used on programs, letterhead, brochures, and more for the theatre.

The first prize is a $250 in art supplies from Fris Office Outfitters and recognition throughout the theatre's 50th season as well as 2 passes to all shows during the 50th Anniversary Season.

The 2nd and 3rd prizes are not as yet named, but there will be prizes awarded.

All people who enter logo designs will receive a pair of tickets for use during their 50th season.

Either way, it's a win-win contest.

The entries are being judged on creativity, uniqueness, and will be evaluated by a professional graphic designer.

The rest of the details such as the due date (not until 2009), the entry form, and eligibility are posted on their website at Holland Civic Theatre.

If you'd like your logo posted on my blog, send me the file at devreser@yahoo.com.

Good luck to all who enter the contest.

Clean and Simple ad

noreply@blogger.com (Alex) — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 06:06:00 +0000

Many thanks to my friend Etain from Australia who scanned this advertisement for me.

I love the simplicity and the softness of this advertisement. It's uncluttered and does a fantastic job selling the mattress, thanks to the photography. The type is nice as well. It's clean and well placed.

Custom Textile Design

noreply@blogger.com (Alex) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 15:34:00 +0000

I'm sure you have already heard about printing on fabric which can then be used as an iron on transfer. The piece of fabric simply feeds through your printer and is ready to go.

This is great if you want to add designs to t-shirts, totebags, backpacks, or anything else you can think of. But what if you wanted an entire shirt made out of your own textile design?

In the past, it was quite expensive to do such a thing. You'd have to create the design and then find a printer who specializes in printing on fabrics. The cost would be astronomical.

There is now a website where you can upload your custom design and have fabric made with the tiled design on it. It is in its beta stage right now, but at $18/yd it looks to be the newest design sensation. Spoonflower: Print Custom Fabric offers you the ability to take your design and make it even more versatile outside paper and web sites.

What's nice is that you can show your clients that you are not limited when it comes to design. You can create functional works of art that go beyond the boundaries traditional design.

Right now it is only offered for cotton, but as the business grows I bet more fabrics will be added. If anyone takes advantage of this web site, please leave a comment showing what you created. I'd love to see what you created.

File Formats

noreply@blogger.com (Alex) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 19:41:00 +0000

I'm in the process of sending files to various people for my client. There is the web designer, signmaker, and various newspapers for advertisements.

If you plan on ever going into a digital business such as web design, I highly recommend you know the basics of the Adobe Creative Suite. Photoshop in particular. Being able to send large files to the web designer who can then change the size of the image on their own instead of having the graphic designer do it not only saves you time, but will save your client money as well.

Freelancing while in school is like teaching yourself the business aspect of self employment as well as learning that it is a lot of additional work when you start sending files to other companies. So far, the only places I haven't had a file issue with were newspapers who have the necessary software to open illustrator and indesign files. As a designer, I like to send the AI files when needed to newspapers and web designers, so they can easily scale the image without making it pixelated or blurry.

Having to resize images a variety of times and resend them as different files is an expensive lesson I have learned. Sometimes it can cost the client if you choose to bill for "file handling charges" and it's frustrating when you are baraged with e-mails from various places who are requesting different sizes and file extensions.

The lesson I've learned is to send not just the AI or INDD file, but to also include a pdf and jpeg. I always send large image files, so when they are scaled down it looks appropriate.

It'll save you time and your client will be happy that they don't have to pay extra for the file handling. You'll also have less of a headache.

Bumper Sticker

noreply@blogger.com (Alex) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:03:00 +0000

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.

Shiseido makeup ad

noreply@blogger.com (Alex) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 19:28:00 +0000

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?

Snazzy Wine Labels

noreply@blogger.com (Alex) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 00:56:00 +0000

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.

Copyright Issues

noreply@blogger.com (Alex) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:28:00 +0000

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.

Introduction

noreply@blogger.com (Alex) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 15:37:00 +0000

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.