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QM Design Group

Hillary Broadwater

Visual Impact: Be the Attention Getter

July 9, 2013 By Hillary Broadwater

Impact

A print design project communicates a message, but that message will go unnoticed unless your marketing project has the visual impact to get a reader’s attention.

Contrast in design is a great way to create noticeable design. Contrast can be size, color, direction, format or the expected verses the unexpected. Look at what is around you and do something different. If every postcard you get in the mail is 8.5 x 5.5 then change the size. Do something that will catch your viewers attention.

Size contrast can involve graphics or type. The greater the difference, the more impact the design will have. For instance, making type size in your headline a little bigger than the body text will not have the same impact as having a very large headline and very small text. I remember seeing a full-page advertisement with a bright background color. The only other item on the page was a very small line of type in a lighter shade of the same color. Since I can still recall the ad, it obviously made an impression.

Using color to impact your design works best when it involves the unexpected or extreme. This does not mean you have to use hot pink and lime green in your design (although this would get attention). Unexpected use of one color in an otherwise black and white layout can draw the eye. Moving one step away from the expected with graphics or photography can also create reader interest. Try using a conceptual image or photo to highlight your main message verses the first thing to come to mind when thinking about your product or service. While working at a past company I asked out top sales manager why she always put her memos out on hot pink paper. Her answer to me was, if it gets buried under something on someone’s desk the pink will always be seen.

Another form of contrast is in the actual design. An unusual fold in a brochure or direct mail piece can add excitement. Use of varnishes on a piece will create contrast in texture and look. Paper choices based on your industry can provoke interest as well. For example, a packaging company could use plain brown cardboard for their brochure cover. Add interesting color usage and the brochure makes a very individual statement about that particular company.

Use of contrast in a design project is virtually unlimited. With the help of a professional designer you can create strong, creative and effective looks for any marketing materials.

If  you are ready to make a change in your current marketing collateral then it’s time to get rolling. Please fill out our new client intake form and let’s get started!

Filed Under: Branding

Logos: A Look at the Meaning of Colors [Infographic]

July 8, 2013 By Hillary Broadwater

There are thousands of companies marketing themselves to consumers (both prospective and returning) several times per day, all of them with their own unique logo. Even the simplest company logos have a high amount of thought and time put into them, from logos representing small businesses all the way to logos for colossal corporations. One of the most important aspects in choosing the symbol that will define your company, and thus the self-image that your are presenting to your prospective consumer, is not necessarily the design itself but rather its color.

Today’s infographic comes to us from The Logo Company and gives us a look into the choice of colors worn by the logos that we see every day. Do you want your company to give off a sense of excitement or boldness? Red might be the color for you then. How about if you want your customers to feel like your company is trustworthy and dependable? You might want a nice, light shade of blue in that case.

There are several ways that companies present themselves and their image to customers, and logos (and their colors) are just one of them. For more information on logos and the meaning of their colors, refer to the infographic below. [Via]

Color_Emotion_Guide22-640x560

Filed Under: Branding

Logos and Your Identity

July 5, 2013 By Hillary Broadwater

Can you identify the following logos? click on the logo to see if you’re correct Having a distinct and consistent aesthetic is important for any company but essential for larger companies/brands who have a vast portfolio of products.

Read More

Screen Shot 2013-06-09 at 1.54.38 PM

Filed Under: Branding

The Importance of Photography in Design

June 25, 2013 By Hillary Broadwater

The importance of great photography can’t be overestimated within design. Whether it’s a glossy magazine cover, brochure design or selling an e-commerce product – beautiful photography simply sells to your audience.

At the first level the imagery used has to do the selling. We all want to be inspired and for most of us it’s not what we read that grabs the attention but the imagery presented to us that makes us drool. Grab them at the beginning with a beautiful visual.

What to look out for

I leave all the technical details to the professionals, what sells a product: clean, crisp, detailed, with good lighting and relevant to the subject. If you have the budget then hire a professional photographer; you’ll be amazed how they can make things look so much more appealing to your target audience. We had client whose main component to their product were industrial springs. I never thought that industrial springs could look sexy. Guess what. With the talent of an amazing photographer they can.

Sourcing the right imagery
If you don’t need product-specific photography then online image banks can be a great solution. We have access to a huge database of stock images to use when designing.

Some good online stock image suppliers include:

  • istockphoto
  • shutterstock
  • veer
  • Getty Images

Whether you are selling high quality products online or promoting the services of the people within your business remember one thing: your Visual Voice needs to be clear and loud in your photography.

Filed Under: Business

What’s Your Big Hairy Audacious Goal?

April 17, 2013 By Hillary Broadwater

GOALS BHAG stands for Big Hairy Audacious Goal, an idea conceptualized in the book, “Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies” by James Collins and Jerry Porras. According to Collins and Porras, a BHAG is a long-term goal that changes the very nature of a business’ existence.

BHAGs are meant to shift how we do business, the way we are perceived in the industry and possibly even the industry itself. Collins and Porras describe BHAGs on a corporate level as nearly impossible to achieve without consistently working outside of a comfort zone and displaying corporate commitment, confidence and even a bit of arrogance….

Read More

Filed Under: Business

Consistency, Consistency, Consistency

April 16, 2013 By Hillary Broadwater

ConsistencyTo build brand recognition you must be consistent with what you are doing. Don’t look at a style guide as limitations. A style guide or rules will set the tone. It is the building block for creativity. Any good designer will tell you that limits actually force you to be more creative. Your goal is to create a visual voice for customers to recognize & connect with you. Keep that voice the same so they recognize it. The number one way for them to make that association is by repeating it with everything you do. Here are some key tips to planning.

  • Put Your Logo on Everything If you don’t have a logo have one professionally designed. This is the first step in visually creating your companies “Visual Voice”
  • Include your Slogan If you have it then use it.
  • Be consistent with Color When you think McDonalds, you think Red & Yellow because they use it everywhere. Consistency in color use is a key ingredient to making yourself instantly recognizable.
  • Don’t use every font that you have Two at the most are good and they should look good with your logo. No more than three font sizes per project. A decorative font can be used when need but sparingly.
  • Repeat use of the same design elements Shapes, lines all of these need to be consistent through out your materials.

Filed Under: Branding

The Rationale for Professional Design

April 15, 2013 By Hillary Broadwater

Designer2-300x110

Graphic design is a business that often involves activities and results whose effectiveness can’t easily be quantified and measured. Yet, in today’s economy, every client must look for ways to economize. We are sometimes asked to examine our quality approach and the traditional ways we address our clients’ problems and opportunities. So let us share with you a few thoughts about what graphic design can accomplish and what its true value is….

Read More

Filed Under: Business

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Hillary Broadwater
President/Creative Director

Telephone: 661.250.9914
Fax: 661.449.3838

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