Metrodesigns's Blog

SAVE THE INTERNET!!!! Please sign this petition!

Metro-Designs — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:19:23 +0000

http://sopa.boldprogressives.org/survey/survey_sopa_reddit/?source=craigslist

Holiday Card, Cartoon Characters

Metro-Designs — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:44:08 +0000

I just created this Holiday Postcard for one of my fantastic clients Sirens Salon. My client came to be with 12 photos of the stylist in her salon wanting them to be cartoons. This was a fun project so I wanted to share it!

Sirens Salon Holiday Greeting Card

Circus, Carnival Theme Party Packs for Boys or Girls

Metro-Designs — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 05:31:04 +0000

Circus/Carnival Theme Customized Party Pack For Girls
http://www.etsy.com/listing/86844385/circus-carnival-theme-party-package

Circus/Carnival Banner For Girls
http://www.etsy.com/listing/86520014/circus-carnival-printable-diy-custom

Circus/Carnival Cupcake Toppers For Girls
http://www.etsy.com/listing/86520242/circus-carnival-theme-party-cupcake?ref=v1_other_2

Circus/Carnival Custom Invitations For Girls
http://www.etsy.com/listing/86520053/circus-carnival-theme-party-invitations

Circus/Carnival Theme Customized Party Pack For Boys
http://www.etsy.com/listing/86520283/circus-carnival-theme-party-package?ref=af_shop_favitem

Circus/Carnival Banner For Boys
http://www.etsy.com/listing/86520320/circus-carnival-printable-diy-custom?ref=v1_other_1

Circus/Carnival Cupcake Toppers For Boys
http://www.etsy.com/listing/86524402/circus-carnival-theme-party-cupcake

Circus/Carnival Custom Invitations For Boys
http://www.etsy.com/listing/86524413/circus-carnival-theme-party-invitations?ref=v1_other_2

Branding

Metro-Designs — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 16:14:57 +0000

This is a good article about branding and why it’s important.

http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2011/11/branding-and-the-importance-of-consistent-design/

Please sign this Petition – Internet Billing

Metro-Designs — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 18:48:56 +0000

http://www.change.org/petitions/internet-website-subscriptions-stop-internet-websites-from-automatic-reoccurring-billing

Why This Is Important

We have all gone to websites and signed up for a month or a trial period then suddenly after the 3 day or week trial has ended we receive a charge on our card for $29.99! This was stated as an automatic reoccurring billing for our convenience! No this is not a convenience this is a ripe-off.
We need to put a stop to the reoccurring billing for internet websites!

Sure there is a note in the terms and conditions but it’s difficult to find the place to cancel and/or you have a time limit set for when you can cancel without getting billed.

My proposition is this:
Internet website should be obligated by law to provide a radio button on the subscribe page stating the following:

Click this box if you would like to have automatic reoccurring billing applied to this account.

This will end all the secret unwanted and unexpected transactions at the same time it will provide a automatic billing option for those that wish for there subscription to continue with a charge.

Masquerade Theme Party

Metro-Designs — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 18:59:59 +0000

Unique and Beautiful Masquerade Party Printable Party Kit

Masquerade Party Signs

Custom Wine Labels

Purchase this Masquerade complete party kit:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/86192021/masquerade-theme-party-package-digital
This Masquerade Party Kit Includes:
1 – 7″ Party Sign
2 – 2 Sheets of Patterned Paper
3 – Beverage wraps
4 – 4”x 6” Invitation (fits A6 envelopes)
5 – Cupcake Toppers
6 – Favor Tags
7 – Cupcake Wrappers
8 – Food Labels
9 – Napkin Wraps
10 – Cup Labels
11 – Snack Cone
12 – Wine Labels
13 – 4.5″ Round Labels

Also Available:

Printed Masquerade Party Invitations:

Masquerade Party Invitations

Purchase Masquerade Party Invitations:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/86191939/masquerade-theme-party-invitation-25qty

Surprise Party

Metro-Designs — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 23:34:26 +0000

Surprise Party Package – Digital File, PRINTABLE, D.I.Y – by Metro Events/Metro-Designs

Surprise Party Sign

Surprise Party Kit

Files included are…
1 – Beverage wraps
2 – Cupcake wraps
3 – Food labels
4 – 4”x 6” Invitation (fits A6 envelopes)
5 – 7”x 6.5” PARTY SIGN
6 – Straw Flags
7 – 2″ Favor Tags
8 – 3″ Cup Labels
9 – Surprise Flag Banner
10 – Napkin Wraps
11 – Snack Cone
12 – Doodle and Stripe Pattern Paper

Purchase the Surprise party kit
http://www.etsy.com/listing/85753733/surprise-party-package-digital-file

Picasa color issues

Metro-Designs — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 18:27:51 +0000

I have had problems with clients viewing colors incorrectly on a number of occasions so I think it is important to address this issue.

There is a known issue with photos being viewed wrong in Picasa it is not only me and my clients that are having these problems if you search “picasa viewer colors wrong” there are a number of threads that show other users having this problem.

How to fix it… don’t view files that are sent to you from metro-designs in Picasa, I am not sure how or why this problem occurs and Picasa has not yet fixed the error. I have written google on a number of occasions letting them know that this issue is happening, but the change to the program has yet to be done. I am sure that at some point this will be corrected by google but until it’s been correct I suggest saving the files sent in windows photo gallery or another photo program until it is corrected.

Here is the error that I am referring to:

These colors are incorrect they are being viewed in Picasa

These are the actual colors that were created, it's a pretty huge difference.

10 Common Mistakes In Logo Design

Metro-Designs — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 19:02:50 +0000

This is an article that was released by Smashing Magazine, I find it to be good sound advice. I agree with this article… Have I made some of these mistakes? I will be the first to admit, yes I have. Why?

1. I have gotten a client that is totally set with the vision that they have and no matter how hard I tried to talk them out of it they insist that it needs to be done that way. Yes I am a professional designer and I will always do my best to a client on what is going to be best, however I am still paid to do what the client is asking of my and the client always has the final say that’s just the way that it goes. The number one and most important part of what I do as a graphic designer is provide paying clients with the services that they are paying for.

2. I too was once an amateur graphic designer, I haven’t always had the extensive knowledge that I have gained throughout the 11 years that I have been designing. The number two most important part of what I do is continue my education so that I may grow as a designer. I will never have all of the knowledge that there is and as long as I remember that I will continue to learn and grow!

1. Designed By An Amateur

A professional business should look professional. New business owners often invest a lot of time and money in property and equipment, but do not often match it by investing suitably in their logo.

Here are the most common reasons why many logos look amateurish:

The business owner wanted to save money by designing the logo quickly themselves.
A friend or relative who claims to know a little about graphic design does it as a favor.
The wrong people are commissioned. (Local printers are not likely proficient in logo design.)
The business outsourced the job via one of several design competition websites, which are mostly populated by amateur designers.
The job was given to an online company that offers really cheap logos.

All of the above can result in disastrous outcomes. If your logo looks amateurish, then so will your business. A business should know where to look when it wants a new logo.

Here are the advantages of hiring an established and professional logo designer:

Your logo will be unique and memorable.
You won’t run into any problems down the line with reproducing it.
Your logo will have a longer lifespan and won’t need to be redesigned in a couple of years.
Your logo will look professional.

2. Relies On Trends

Trends (whether swooshes, glows or bevels) come and go and ultimately turn into cliches. A well-designed logo should be timeless, and this can be achieved by ignoring the latest design tricks and gimmicks. The biggest cliche in logo design is the dreaded “corporate swoosh,” which is the ultimate way to play it safe. As a logo designer, your job is to create a unique identity for your client, so completely ignoring logo design trends is best.

3. Uses Raster Images

Standard practice when designing a logo is to use vector graphics software, such as Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw. A vector graphic is made up of mathematically precise points, which ensures visual consistency across multiple sizes. The alternative, of course, is use to raster graphics software, such as Adobe Photoshop. A raster graphic — or bitmap, as it’s commonly called — consists of pixels.

Using raster images for logos is not advisable because it can cause problems with reproduction. While Photoshop is capable of creating very large logos, you never know for sure how large you will have to reproduce your logo at some point. If you zoom in enough on a raster graphic, it will appear pixelated, making it unusable. Maintaining visual consistency by making sure the logo looks the same in all sizes is essential.

The main advantages of vector graphics for logo design are:

The logo can be scaled to any size without losing quality.
Editing the logo later on is much easier.
It can be adapted to other media more easily than a raster image.

4. Contains Stock Art

This mistake is often made by business owners who design their own logo or by amateur designers who are not clued in to the laws on copyright. Downloading stock vector imagery from websites such asVectorStock is not a crime, but it could possibly get you in trouble if you incorporate it in a logo.

A logo should be unique and original, and the licensing agreement should be exclusive to the client: using stock art breaks both of these rules. Chances are, if you are using a stock vector image, it is also being used by someone somewhere else in the world, so yours is no longer unique. You can pretty easily spot stock vectors in logos because they are usually familiar shapes, such as globes and silhouettes.

5. Designing For Yourself Rather Than The Client

You can often spot this logo design sin a mile away; the cause is usually a designer’s enormous ego. If you have found a cool new font that you can’t wait to use in a design, well… don’t. Ask yourself if that font is truly appropriate for the business you’re designing for? For example, a great modern typographic font that you just love is not likely suited to a serious business such as a lawyer’s office.

Some designers also make the mistake of including a “trademark” in their work. While you should be proud of your work, imposing your personality onto a logo is wrong. Stay focused on the client’s requirements by sticking to the brief.

6. Overly Complex

What better analogy for thumbnail images than fingerprints? You’ll notice the intricacies of your fingerprints only when looking at them really close up. As soon as you move away, those details are lost. The same holds true for highly detailed logo designs.

When printed in small sizes, a complex design will lose detail and in some cases will look like a smudge or, worse, a mistake. The more detail a logo has, the more information the viewer has to process. A logo should be memorable, and one of the best ways to make it memorable is to keep things simple. Look at the corporate identities of Nike, McDonald’s and Apple. Each company has a very simple icon that can easily be reproduced at any size.

7. Relies On Color For Its Effect

This is a very common mistake. Some designers cannot wait to add color to a design, and some rely on it completely. Choosing color should be your last decision, so starting your work in black and white is best.

Every business owner will need to display their logo in only one color at one time or another, so the designer should test to see whether this would affect the logo’s identity. If you use color to help distinguish certain elements in the design, then the logo will look completely different in one tone.

8. Poor Choice Of Font

When it comes to executing a logo, choosing the right font is the most important decision a designer can make. More often than not, a logo fails because of a poor font choice (our example shows the infamous Comic Sans).

Finding the perfect font for your design is all about matching the font to the style of the icon. But this can be tricky. If the match is too close, the icon and font will compete with each other for attention; if the complete opposite, then the viewer won’t know where to focus. The key is finding the right balance, somewhere in the middle. Every typeface has a personality. If the font you have chosen does not reflect the icon’s characteristics, then the whole message of the brand will misfire.

Bad fonts are often chosen simply because the decision isn’t taken seriously enough. Some designers simply throw in type as an afterthought. Professional font foundries, such as MyFonts and FontFont, offer much better typeface options than those over-used websites that offer free downloads.

9. Has Too Many Fonts

Using too many fonts is like trying to show someone a whole photo album at once. Each typeface is different, and the viewer needs time to recognize it. Seeing too many at once causes confusion.

Using a maximum of two fonts of different weights is standard practice. Restricting the number of fonts to this number greatly improves the legibility of a logo design and improves brand recognition.

10. Copies Others

This is the biggest logo design mistake of all and, unfortunately, is becoming more and more common. As mentioned, the purpose of a logo is to represent a business. If it looks the same as someone else’s, it has failed in that regard. Copying others does no one any favors, neither the client nor the designer.

If you would like to see the full article with sample images here is the link!
Enjoy!

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/06/25/10-common-mistakes-in-logo-design/

Metro-Designs

Metro-Designs — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 06:00:09 +0000

Metro-Designs specializes in creating & printing visually distinctive marketing materials that increase brand awareness and generate sales for your business.

We provide a full range of services including: graphic design, high quality printing, web design, digital photography, photo-restoration, vectorization services, branding solutions and more!