Graphic Design Archives - Sagemont Inc.

Who needs a professional logo?

You need a professional logo if:

You want your logo to have a unique personality and get noticed.
You are a new business and don’t know where to place important information, or how to choose colors and fonts.
You are a new business and want to stand out from the crowd.
You have a typographical logo and want to add an illustrated “mark” or symbol.
Your current logo is inconsistent across stationary, business cards, and signage.
Your current logo colors or fonts do not harmonize with anything else in your business.
Your current logo does not reflect your current image or product.
Your current logo looks great in print but terrible on your website or outdoor signs.
Your current logo does not reflect your professional or corporate look.
You are introducing a new product or service and want to give it a competitive edge.

Why read graphic design books

Graphic design is a life long pursuit. Thankfully, I am a life long learner who enjoys experimenting with the latest techniques. My best ideas come from studying published designs and reading graphic design books and magazines. I especially like “Before & After” magazine. I just discovered several books by Robin Williams. Photoshop magazine is a constant source of new techniques and practice for everyday applications.

After reading and experimenting with these ideas, analyze what you like or dislike. Collect your favorite ideas in a folder or pin them on Pinterest. This is great preplanning for your client’s next big project.

Put graphic design books and magazines on your wish list. Happy reading!

10 tips for effective postcards!

A strong headline to grab your customer’s attention.
A compelling offer that clearly defines your marketing goal and motivates your customers to action.
Memorable photos or illustrations that support your text.
Good graphic design that moves your eye to all the key points.
Your company logo.
Your contact information clearly displayed, and a map if appropriate.
Readable type that is not too small.
Appropriate postal sizes for cost effective mailing.
Reserved spaces for postal addresses and barcodes if needed.
Method to track and measure for optimum results.

Can logo design affect trademarks?

A logo is a symbol adopted by an organization as a means of identification. It can be registered or not. More specifically, a trademark is a recognizable name, sign, symbol, sound or smell, which identifies the company and/or product that it represents. According to “Attorney, Linda Kattwinkel at the “Head, Heart, Hand: AIGA Design Conference”, to claim exclusive rights to a trademark it should be registered and renewed as necessary.

There are three types of strong trademarks. These designs are unique in some way and therefore easily designated as an original mark. Strong trademarks should be registered at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and are called Principal registrations.

Fanciful trademarks are the most protected. They are often made-up names, such as Xerox, Kodak, and Rolex.
Arbitrary trademarks are based on words or symbols that exist but their original meaning is not usually associated with the new use. Examples of these would include Yahoo, Target, and Apple.
Suggestive trademarks are associations between the trademark and it’s product but they are different enough not to be descriptive. One example is the Ford Mustang car, which suggests the Mustang car has the speed of a mustang horse. Other examples in this category are Coppertone and Microsoft.

Some weaker trademarks can also be registered, but they are considered Supplemental registrations.

Descriptive trademarks can be a family name or location, or they strongly describe the product in a literal way. Some examples of descriptive trademarks are Park N’ Fly, Shake N’ Bake, and Computerland.
Generic trademarks cannot be registered and have no protection. Consider the brand, Kettle Potato Chips. Since many potato chips are prepared in a kettle this logo was ruled too generic to trademark. Sometimes a fanciful name can become generic and loose it’s protection. This happened to cellophane, aspirin, and zipper, which all began as unique fanciful names. Over time, they became so commonplace that they were not associated with one particular product.

Take time to research your company or product name before you spend money on design. Your logo/trademark will hopefully be around for a long and prosperou

Is graphic design the same as art?

What came first: graphic design or art? Graphic design is the art of combining text and pictures… in advertising, magazines, books or even on cave walls. Art is the expression of human creative skill used to produce works for beauty or emotional power. Art can stand alone and uses the same principles of design to create an emotional piece of art, but without emotional power graphic design is ineffective.