<![CDATA[Grafic Matter

<![CDATA[Grafic Matter - Art Blog]]>Thu, 25 Jul 2024 03:55:50 +0200Weebly<![CDATA[Design Brief]]>Mon, 06 Aug 2018 17:35:30 GMThttps://www.graficmatter.com/artblog/design-briefA design brief is there to assist the designer in creating artwork for a client or company. The more thorough you are in completing the brief, the better your chances are of creating a successful end product. Below is the design brief for Grafic Matter: completing the form should take around 30-45mins.

]]><![CDATA[How Brand Loyalty Impacts Sales]]>Fri, 30 Mar 2018 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.graficmatter.com/artblog/how-brand-loyalty-impacts-on-sales

The impact of brand loyalty in design generally comes down to personal taste. We can reflect on well-known brands like Mac vs PC, Coke vs Pepsi and iPhone vs Samsung to see how consumer behaviour can sometimes be fiercely loyal. Most customers have made their choice, regardless of whether they have tested, tasted, driven or used the specific products in question.

How can I get clients to remember my business? Should I have a logo? Most companies do not have Apple or Coca Cola’s marketing budget. Through smart and effective marketing and branding, any company can draw customers to its products. It is not the quantity of the products, but rather the overall appeal and design of the brand that draws the consumer.

Studies have found that it is the emotional connection to the brand that seals the deal. In order to achieve better leads and sales your promotional items should be branded. Uniformly designed and branded products will give your company a much stronger impact in the marketplace. Style and color lends the product a personality which the consumer can relate to, forming an emotional connection between brand and consumer. As the product matures and grows additional members are added to the product range, which develops a family narrative. The consumer relates to the growth, as they mature in their own lives.

A commonly followed law dictates that a client needs to see a brand design and its campaign 29 times before they will become a customer. Which is followed by the thought that it is best to launch a brand with publicity vs advertising. On a local scale you should let your neighbors see your logo design outbound through product branding, fliers, fridge magnets and lawn signs. One can expand to drip marketing, by using multiple outlets. Companies can also break down client bases, expand networking, or focus on word of mouth marketing. Creating strategies in specific markets which are related to your company can be a great asset. With the silver lining always being, meeting and exceeding client's expectations at all times.

An error that companies big and small make is thinking they can do everything themselves. It is important to know when to call in the professionals. Being involved in the personality of your brand is important but keep in mind that confusion created in your brand can damage public perception. This damage can be expensive to correct. Designers and marketers are specialized in their field with years of experience and training behind them, trust their guidance and direction.

When creating your own content always do your best to create content that others will want to share and so create brand advocates. Make sure that your branded content adds value, teaches, explains, entertains and informs.

Corlia van Tonder with Grafic Matter is an art whiz with 10+ years of design and brand development behind her. She has a unique understanding of the elements of design and what creates a visual voice, tone and aesthetically pleasing message unique to your business. Grafic Matter can help you stand out from the crowd. Request a consultation to compile your most important brand assets for promotion today.

Written by Corlia van Tonder

"I am a progressive Art Whiz who is open to new design and visual innovations.
We are a brain driven, dynamic, digital design agency, where we focus on translating your brand into a graphic language that Matters!

]]><![CDATA[Digital Image Resolution]]>Wed, 11 Oct 2017 14:54:26 GMThttps://www.graficmatter.com/artblog/digital-image-resolutionPRODUCT PHOTOSHOOT IMAGE REQUEST - LOW RES VS HIGH RES

We live in a world of selfies where taking a photo is as natural as breathing, but are we losing the art of a good photograph? Is there still a place in the world for the vintage photographer that uses words like DPI, resolution, aperture and has a camera with a lense that will never fit in their pocket?

The photographer is a mystical creative who lives in a world of light conditions, aperture speeds, and endless hours of editing. In this age of social media we take photos every day - surely we can all call ourselves photographers...right?

Ever taken a photo on your phone and then tried to create an A1 canvas size print of it? Let me save you some time - it comes out blurry and pixelated. That is because the photo that was taken on your phone is generally a low resolution image of 72DPI (dots per inch) by approx 3000 x 4000. A high res image shot by a professional photographer will be 3000 x 3000 pixel (before crop) jpeg image at 300 DPI

Let me show you what I mean. If you take a high res image at 300DPI (left) and scale a low res image of 72DPI (right) up to the same size the quality would reflect as below.

Right - High res 300DPI Left - Low res 72DPI

A professional photography studio will supply a client with high and low res photos of the shoot. There is a catch though; some studios will lower their shoot cost by only supplying the client with the low res options of the shoot. The client would then need to purchase the individual high res photos at an additional cost. Always be very aware about what you need to achieve from your shoot versus what that you are paying for and expecting to receive. Below is a handy explanation of the difference between low and high res photography, and what they can be used for.

HIGH RES imagery
- the image size of the individual photos will be 3000 x 3000 pixel at 300 DPI JPEG
- You'll be able to use these for banners, large format printing, vehicle branding, bill boards, and printed adverts.

LOW RES imagery
- the image size of the individual photos will be 3000 x 3000 pixel at 72/150DPI JPEG
- Ideal for digital media (website/ social media)

That's pretty much the long and the short of it. Grafic Matter specializes in all parts related to your visual representation online. We can help with Social Media, Website and other promotional designs and artwork. Contact Us for a free quote.

Sources:
Low Resolution vs High Resolution - by Kaizen Prints
The difference between Low and High res Images on Consolidated Label Co
Product Photos by Product Photography

Written by Corlia van Tonder
"I am a progressive Art Whiz who is open to new design and visual innovations.
We are a brain driven, dynamic, digital design agency, where we focus on translating your brand into a graphic language that Matters!

]]><![CDATA[Design shortcuts that save YOU Time & Money]]>Tue, 09 May 2017 14:40:05 GMThttps://www.graficmatter.com/artblog/design-that-saves-time

Design and visual communication has always been a complex dance between the graphic artist and client requirements. Using your elements of design, we convert our hand-crafted artwork into computer-generated designs using expensive, complex and specialized design software, such as Adobe Master Suite. In the 21st century I foresee another drastic shift as technology grows in leaps and bounds, and programs become easier and more accessible via mobile applications.

My sister, Melien Lavoie - Plugin Muse who is a trained graphic designer doing research on making marketing easier - introduced me to a 'different way' about a year ago. As a freelance artist myself this process is nothing but conventional thinking threatening the continued existence of the design industry, but it has become clear that this route is unavoidable.

This route does indeed benefit the client more than the designer as it takes work from the designer and empowers the entrepreneur to be able to reuse old designs for new promotions. I do think that a designer willing to collaborate with clients might find that the process saves them time, thereby enabling them to produce three times more artwork than when using the traditional method. So as you can see, this does not necessarily mean that designers will become obsolete, only that we must become adaptable in the changing times.

A visual artist has a unique set of skills aimed at finding harmony and aesthetic quality through the placement of elements. Replacing your designer with an unskilled intern would definitely not be a sound decision, and the quality of the work will prove my point. Using this process a designer would, however, be able to work not only faster but smarter, as elements can easily be copied between branded flyers in drawings, visual elements in presentations and other branded items. If anything you would be able to build a more detailed portfolio for your client.

We have custom designed templates that we use for all our clients. If you would like us to set up your Brand Management (BM) folder, we offer the following high resolution templates for $200/R2000:

Business Card
A4 Flyer
A5 Flyer
Postcard
Rack Card
Brochure
Banner
Poster
Table Banner
Social Media Banners - Fb, Ln, Tw, G+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumbler
Social Media Logos - Fb, Ln, Tw, G+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumbler

Our Grafic Matter team can help you to set up your Google Drive Brand Management folder. We can also help you to prepare your existing elements used in designs such as textures, logo options, banners and other visual elements. When using the correct resolutions in Google Drive these are easy to assemble in our Drive drawing templates.

Written by Corlia van Tonder

"I am a progressive Art Whiz who is open to new design and visual innovations.
We are a brain driven, dynamic, digital design agency, where we focus on translating your brand into a graphic language that Matters!

]]><![CDATA[Logo Design: key elements and principles]]>Wed, 15 Mar 2017 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.graficmatter.com/artblog/logo-design-key-elements-and-principles

When starting a company or giving an existing brand a 'facelift', the starting point should always be the logo. As a design professional I would strongly advise against designing your own logo. Your unique logo is the foundation on which your entire company's corporate identity and brand style is built. Where can you get a logo? The best advice would be to hire a graphic designer to create one for you.

When creating a logo the designer needs to make sure they have a good understanding of what the competition is doing in your industry. This will give them a better understanding of what the logo needs to represent. At this point the discussion will start with the desired color pallette, line quality, shapes, sizes, textures, masculine or feminine feel, and how these elements relate to one another in the context of your brand. You will also choose the font/s that will become your company's own trademark style.

Looking for a fast and cheap design solution will almost never work in this regard. You risk misrepresenting and even creating a negative brand image that could destroy your entire business if the work is sub-standard. The logo will represent your company, so you need to ask a few questions when settling on the final design. What does your company stand for? What are the emotions you want to create for your customer when they see your logo for the first time? Then, in what format or type do you require the final artwork be supplied? Your designer will also be able to give you advice on this. Pro-tip: Vector-based logos are what you should be requesting vs image-based logos.

A vector-based logo maintains the structural integrity of the artwork, keeping it crisp and clean. This makes it possible to give a correct rendering of the logo at any given size; be it engraved on the side of a pencil, used as the side of a building wrap, or for a billboard. The logo needs to always be crisp and clear, and that is why 99% of logos today are vector based. If you have a pixel-based logo you will always have limitations regarding size and quality.

Rather spend the time and money on commissioning your initial artwork, as this is the first introduction prospective clients will have to your business. Your logo will be your first ambassador into the marketplace. If it looks cheap and tacky then that is unfortunately the impression potential customers will have of your product and brand. If your business is in construction or medical health for example, your logo needs to be representative of that field. Regardless of whether you as the owner might be into MMA fighting, your personal taste shouldn’t affect your business personality. If you had to create a logo covered in skulls and bones for a construction company, you might be perceived as a dangerous site. Can you imagine the chaos? You would end up with a bad reputation and clients that constantly look for health or safety hazards on site.

In the busy noisy world of design that we live in, your brand needs to be as clean and efficient as the market demands. It is important to ensure that, as the owner and caretaker, you give your business the best chance you can to succeed. Let us help you to make sure your logo is packed with layers of meaning that connote all the things that represent your company well. In one glance your prospective client needs to be able to pick you out of a pile of business cards.

My name is Corlia van Tonder and I work with Grafic Matter as a resident designer. I have over 10 years of design and brand development experience behind me, and a passion for growing entrepreneurs and small businesses. I have a unique understanding of the elements of design that create a visual voice, tone and aesthetically pleasing message unique to your business. Grafic Matter can help you stand out from the crowd. Request a consultation to compile your most important brand assets for promotion today.

Written by Corlia van Tonder

"I am a progressive graphic designer who is open to new design and visual innovations.
We are a cerebral and dynamic digital design agency that focuses on translating your brand into a graphic language that matters!

]]><![CDATA[How Digital Branding Empowers your World]]>Wed, 09 Mar 2016 08:00:00 GMThttps://www.graficmatter.com/artblog/how-digital-branding-empowers-your-world

In the digital world of today most consumers are exposed to brands via the internet, making those brands accessible to millions of people at any given time. If you're wondering - "Should I brand my social media?" - the answer is a resounding YES, today more than ever before. How important is branding your business? Extremely, especially in the noisy digital world we live in today. In the past your product would only have been available in your town, city, province or state, depending on your consumers and trade agreements. Today a small start-up product with the right digital marketing strategy could be an international sensation in a matter of months, and that makes the creation of digital branding extremely exciting. It means that traditional strategies are becoming obsolete and unsustainable. Therefore, most marketing strategies should be newly developed and customised for your brand and company.

Consumers are developing brand design relationships via social media instead of actually going to the shop and viewing the product. This exciting change in behaviour is allowing the retailer, for the first time, to be in the driver’s seat. Controlling and feeding knowledge about the brand and portfolio to their consumers directly making their brand voice heard. This frees them from the shackles that used to hold them back It also allows the possibility of stronger relationships after the initial purchase, the consumer can remain engaged in ongoing promotions, that solidify the brand and opens the consumer to more design influences. This will build the brand recognition faster than ever before.

Clients need to embrace these new exciting brand changes and design developments. The train is traveling through the station. To be relevant and stay relevant you will have to put the past behind you and embrace the new. Duplication of artwork will not be tolerated as it will all be available on the web for everyone to view. Companies who choose to dilute their brand identity by lazy copying competitors artwork and style, will always be ‘like me’ products, sadly living in the shadow of the one that did it first. That is why it is vital to the survival and success of your brand to ensure that every design, concept and activation is customized to your brand. Your brand evolution is unique to your business, which takes a cue from your consumers and their market

Working out a brand style guide, with guidelines on your brand establishes and cements your voice, this is the way to go. This will ensure that everyone who uses your brand understands what you stand for and how to use it. According to Forbes, 71% of buyers who see personal value in a B2B purchase will end up buying the product or service. Confirming that personal connection from consumers to brand value has a monetary impact on your business. Your brand personality with the consumer connection, or lack thereof, drives purchase decisions. This is the most valuable asset on the balance sheet of a company.

My name is Corlia van Tonder and I work with Grafic Matter as an art whiz with 10+ years of design and brand development behind me. I have a unique understanding of the elements of design and what creates a visual voice, tone, and aesthetically pleasing message, unique to your business. Grafic Matter can help you stand out from the crowd. Request a consultation to compile your most important brand assets for promotion today.

Written by Corlia van Tonder

"I am a progressive Art Whiz who is open to new design and visual innovations.
We are a brain driven, dynamic, digital design agency, where we focus on translating your brand into a graphic language that Matters!

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