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Newsflash: MacGraphics Services helps two more clients publish award winning books.

At Saturday night’s CIPA EVVY Awards Banquet it was announced that Elaine Dumler won 2nd Place for her 3rd Book The Road Home: Smoothing the Transition Back from Deployment in the Political/Social category. Reggie Rivers won a 3rd Place award for his 5th book, The Colony: A Political Tale in the Fiction category.

MacGraphics team graphic designer Kerrie Lian created the cover of Elaine’s book with our team photographer Joy Jay’s photo.

MacGraphics team illustrator Marty Petersen designed and illustrated the cover of Reggie’s book, and team graphic designer Lindsey Hurwitz designed the interior.

We all enjoyed working with Elaine and Reggie on their books, and I personally thank everyone for their outstanding contribution to the effort of producing the award winning books.

April 1, 2010 Issue

Take Your Newsletter to the Next Level: Tips on Graphic Design and Page Layout Part 1

If you’re one of those brave entrepreneurs who’s tried to embrace desktop publishing amid the already myriad requirements of sole proprietorship, you’ve no doubt discovered that the study of page layouts and the proper handling of images for your newsletter or company flyer entails challenges far greater than you’d originally thought.

Corporations have an undeniable edge over home-based businesses because they generally have an in-house department filled with skilled marketing experts and graphic designers. In your smaller business, that task usually falls to you or your administrative assistant, whose training in the graphic arts may be haphazard.

A discerning eye can easily spot the difference between a professionally-designed newsletter over an amateur desktop publisher design. The quality of a publication’s nameplate, headlines, kicker (secondary headline), overall composition, writing, photos, and artwork is what turns a reader into a customer. Experienced professional designers know and use many page layout techniques that amateurs just may not be aware of. Your newsletter is the face of your company and represents your brand, so of course you want it to be as professional as possible. Now, how do you bridge this gap?

If your budget is limited and you plan on doing most of the work yourself, I recommend hiring a designer to create your nameplate and template file. The nameplate is the identifying front page banner on a newsletter, displaying its name with some graphics or a logo, plus sometimes a subtitle, motto, or other information. A designer who specializes in logo design would be able to help you with this.

In addition, a professional designer can create a newsletter template for you that will have non-printing column guide lines in place, along with style sheets for all your written content. Style sheets are predefined characteristics (fonts, size, color, etc.) of your heads, subheads, text, captions, and pull quotes. They help you to maintain a consistent design and make quick changes to text throughout all pages in your newsletter.

Elements of Effective Design

• Choosing the Right Font. When you have a lot of text, it’s wisest to choose a serif font (like Times or New Century Schoolbook) for its greater readability. Use a bold sans serif font (like Arial or Trade Gothic) as a contrasting headline.
• Use Professional Illustrations. You can use professional-quality clip art or stock photo libraries. There are many free and fee sites on the Internet. It’s important to match the style of the photos or clip art with the overall style of your graphics, for design consistency.
• Employ Contrast. But within that consistency, dynamic contrast. Let there be clear differences among all the design elements you utilize. Include contrasting colors, shapes, fonts, and sizes of both text and graphics. Using white space effectively: don’t fill up every available inch of the page with text or graphics – space adds contrast.
• Repeat Key Elements. Recurring elements thread your newsletter together, for a feeling of wholeness. Headlines should look the same on every page. Bullets should be the same throughout the piece. It’s important in final review to check for consistency of all key elements.
• Magic When Using Grids. Non-printing grid lines will help you to position text, graphics, photos. This will give your newsletter or flyer a visual sense of order. “Sort-of aligning things” looks sloppy, lacking in professionalism.
• Spatial Relationships. Proximity, or spatial relationships, is another tool to draw positive attention to your marketing pieces: newsletters, flyers, brochures or direct mail pieces, like postcards. For example, you’d want to keep the caption of a photo close to it.
• Sprinkle Pull Quotes Throughout. A pull-quote is a small selection of text pulled out of the text and quoted in a larger typeface. These breakout items are used to focus attention, especially in long articles.
• NEVER Ever Use All Caps for body text in your newsletter — it is extremely difficult to read. In all but the shortest headlines, avoid using all caps.

Naturally you may have many creative ideas for your newletters, flyers and other marketing materials. Sketch them out. But then, let a master craftsperson take your ideas and give them the sparkle and snap that only professional skills can deliver. Your customers will be able to spot the difference immediately. If you don’t necessarily want them to know that you’re a home-based business, you’ve got to employ the talent the big corporations do.

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What if YOU could know more secrets from an award-winning graphic designer that would help you create amazing marketing materials in a few hours, would you want to know how? Find out now at www.BuyAppealMarketing.com

Karen Saunders is the author of Turn Eye Appeal into Buy Appeal: How to easily transform your marketing pieces into dazzling, persuasive sales tools! Hundreds of business owners have used her simple do-it-yourself design system to create stunning marketing materials that really SELL their products and services! To learn about this indispensable book, click here:www.BuyAppealMarketing.com

March 1, 2010

This month I have something very special for you.

You are invited to hear my presentation at the Virtual Women’s Economic Summit. It is entitled: “Branding, Logo, and Website, Oh My!” The Yellow Brick Roadmap to Develop Your Brand, Website and Marketing Materials.

This is a FREE 60-minute audio recording in Q&A format.

First I will describe how a branding assessment clarifies the fundamentals of your business. Then I’ll show you the most important key elements and why you definitely need a brand. Finally, I’ll explain how to leverage your time, effort and dollars by creating a solid brand foundation for your “brand volcano.” Sound intriguing? You’ll also receive a 16-page color handout with lots of graphic samples. How cool is that?

But you’ll have to hurry, the Virtual Women’s Economic Summit 2010 will take place next week!

That’s March 1-5, 2010. Here’s the link to register:

http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=3548045

Do you every wonder why a competitor’s business get more attention than yours? Why do they sell more than you do? Convert more traffic?

The answer may have to do with the elements that go into how memorable the business is, defining your target market, and clarifying the key benefits your clients receive. And that has to do with branding.

But exactly what is branding, anyway? And how do you take your business through the branding process? What comes first, the brand, logo or your website? Do you need really need a logo? Are you totally confused and don’t know where to turn or invest your marketing dollars? Are you about ready to say . . .

“Branding, Logo, and Website, Oh My!?”

Here’s my presentation outline:

A. Definitions

• What is a Brand?
• What is a Logo?
• What is a Branding Assessment?
• What is a Business/Corporate Identity Package?

B. What are the Key Elements of Your Brand?

C. Why Do You Need a Brand? What are the Benefits?

D. The Yellow Brick Roadmap

E. The Brand Volcano: A visual image of the process

F. Why Use a Team?

You really owe it to yourself to register for this event.

Although the content is directed to businesswomen, they tell me no one will be checking ID’s at the (virtual) door, so the men out there can listen in on the strategies that will be shared.

http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=3548045

Here is a partial list of the other fantastic speakers and their topics:

Patricia Drain: “Monetize Your Gifts!” . . . and begin creating multiple streams of income today!

Margie Zable Fisher: “Get National Publicity - Quickly and Easily”

Katie Gutierrez: “Secrets to Increasing Your Productivity & Income”

Denise Hedges: “Market Like a Pro” . . . The Secrets You Don’t Know!

Janet Macdaniel: “Keeping You on the Right Path” . . . Avoiding 7 Deadly Mistakes in Internet Marketing

Lynn Pierce: “Blueprint for Success” . . .Live Your True Passion and Wealth

http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=3548045

If you have all the business you want, no need for you to register. If you don’t, you’ll want to register to find better ways to market, sell and propel your business to where you’d like to be.

By attending this virtual tele-summit, you’ll get loads of innovative ideas and strategies for generating new business –  all from the comfort of your home or office.

Check it out for yourself. I know you’ll agree with me.

This is a not-to-miss event!

http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=3548045

See you there,

Warmly,

MacGraphics Services

“Where your ideas become distinctive designs”

Website: http://www.macgraphics.net

http://www.BuyAppealMarketing.com

Toll-free: 888-796-7300

MacGraphics Services

February 2010 Issue

It takes just a few vital seconds for an editor or reader to decide about whether your self-published book is worth reading or not, so the design of the book cover is incredibly important. If the key opportunity for selling your book exists in one tiny glance, that glance had better be optimized by excellent design elements, wouldn’t you agree?

Publishers want their books to appear unique so that the book is hard to forget. An excellent cover helps to make that happen. An excellent book cover is like the striking pose of a model – stunning and creative. Shown below are 3 sample covers designed by our award-winning teammate and graphic designer, Kerrie Lian.

Finding the Right Graphic Designer

Professionalism and experience as well as expertise are the main qualities you should look for when finding the right graphic designer to do an important task like the one-glimpse-and-it-sells-or-not test cover of your book. You don’t want your self-published book to appear amateurish or homemade. Your graphic designer should have a high level of creativity, skills, the right software, access to stock photography and be knowledgeable about the book printing process to make your book stand out from all the rest.

What Are the Key Elements in Cover Design?

The cover of a book must include all the elements in our list that are applicable. Not all book covers will have flaps.

• Front cover
• Spine
• Back Cover
• Inside Flaps
• ISBN and Bar Code

At a minimum, your front cover should contain the name of the book, its subtitle, and your name. Testimonials and endorsements can also be tastefully used on the front cover. Your front cover should be legible and easily read from a short distance. Use bold, contrasting lettering to make this element work right. On the spine, your name, title and publishing company name or logo should be listed and legible from a distance. On the back cover, you will want the book’s category in the upper left corner to help bookstores shelve it properly. The back cover should have a compelling headline directed to your target book buying audience, a brief description and a few bulleted benefits. Listing a few testimonials from recognized leaders in your field is very helpful. Your picture and bio may appear on the back cover, and these technical points need to appear as well:

• 13 digit ISBN number (buy from R. R. Bowker Co.)
• Price
• Bar code
• Credits for the cover designer and/or illustrator

What Other Important Elements Play a Role in Producing Excellent Book Covers?

Because your self-published book cover is critical for your marketing and branding, it will get you noticed either positively or negatively. Following are more elements that will help you catch the attention of your audience. A knowledgeable graphic designer knows all about these key elements and their proper usage.

• Chose the right font for the book and its audience
• Don’t use ALL CAPS for headings, subheadings or Table of Contents. They are too difficult to read.
• Eliminate ‘rivers of white’ with proper word spacing
• Be aware of ‘leading’ – the space between the lines. Font, type size, word spacing and length of line all come into play here.
• Line length should not exceed 65 characters for ease of reading
• Paper samples for your book cover are available from the printer. 10 point C1S is the standard for soft covers. Ask your book printer for house stock, as it is more affordable.

There is a precise science behind the creation of a successful book cover, as I’m confident you are now aware. Since the cover is such an important tool, being penny wise and pound foolish should be saved for other elements of your successful book publishing and marketing. Let an experienced, skillful graphic designer help you design your self-published book cover. You can use the key points in this article to check for his or her skill level. To your success!

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What if YOU could know more secrets from an award-winning graphic designer that would help you create amazing marketing materials in a few hours, would you want to know how? Find out now at www.BuyAppealMarketing.com

Karen Saunders is the author of Turn Eye Appeal into Buy Appeal: How to easily transform your marketing pieces into dazzling, persuasive sales tools! Hundreds of business owners have used her simple do-it-yourself design system to create stunning marketing materials that really SELL their products and services! To learn about this indispensable book, click here: www.BuyAppealMarketing.com

P.S. See that envelope icon below this posting? If you click on the envelope you can email this posting to a friend.

January 2010 Issue

Once you’ve done all the hard work of writing your book manuscript, you’ll need expert assistance in getting the right cover designed, and then, making sure the design of the pages inside the book marries well with the book’s purpose. I am a book lover in my heart and I have been since I was just learning how to read. I love to go into a book store. I love the first smell of the paper and glue that fills their air space. I love to see the variations of design on the sales tables, and then I love to go into my special places where the things I’m most interested in live and see all the new and wonderful inside pages designs that have been published since my last trip. I a continuously delighted with the cleverness used in book design, an area where you might think there’s not a lot of room for innovation.

In this post, I am going to address the inner appeal your self-published book should have. These technological elements and inner appeal go hand in hand. Next month I’ll address the key elements of book cover design for self-published authors. In that post, you will find the technological pieces that make your book work well and get sold.

Feelings

The artwork on the cover should induce a particular feeling that will match the message of the book. You wouldn’t use intense jewel tones, for example, on the cover of a book about meditation. You’d use subtle coloring. Once the cover is completed, you need to ask yourself what feeling you want to sustain on the inner pages as well. If your self-published book is more of a classical masterpiece around some deeply spiritual ideas, the inside pages might have higher quality paper stock.

It would be wise to go to a bookstore in the category your book will eventually appear and look at your competition solely for the purpose of how the book makes you feel. Hold it in your hands. See what kind of paper evokes the feeling you want your book to have. When you’ve chosen a printer, he/she can provide samples of the papers available.

Book Size

Sometimes a mighty message is contained in a very small, tastefully printed book. James Allen’s As a Man Thinketh and Don Miguel Ruiz’ The Four Agreements are two examples. These books have fairly wide margins; an extra blank page preceding each chapter and plenty of white space. Their fonts say “classical elegance” and their message is a classically spiritual message. Both books are in the general 5 x 7 size category.

You would be well served to think through the main impact you want to have on your readership. All of the key elements – cover, inside, color, paper, font, size – should portray that main message to your readers.

Readability

Who will be reading your self-published book? Choosing the right font style for your target audience is important for appearance, readability and for the requirements of your printer. Certain ages may have different requirements. If your book will appeal mainly to senior citizens, a larger font would be advisable. If it’s a children’s book, Oldstyle fonts are generally used. A slab serif font has very clean, easy to read lines and can help the eye move along the line easily. Again, a trip to your local bookstore to assess the competition for the ease of readability will help you make the right choice.

Consider a second font for your headers and book chapter titles. It should compliment the main font. Your graphic designer can assist you with these choices, but it’s always wise to have some idea in mind before engaging her.

Your self-published masterpiece deserves to have all the key elements lined up appropriately as do the books published by the big publishing houses so that your message comes across. The appropriate inside page design is one of the elements toward that end. Although you may never have considered it before you wrote your book, the design inside the book is equally as important as its cover.

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What if YOU could know more secrets from an award-winning graphic designer that would help you create amazing marketing materials in a few hours, would you want to know how? Find out now at www.BuyAppealMarketing.com

Karen Saunders is the author of Turn Eye Appeal into Buy Appeal: How to easily transform your marketing pieces into dazzling, persuasive sales tools! Hundreds of business owners have used her simple do-it-yourself design system to create stunning marketing materials that really SELL their products and services! To learn about this indispensable book, click here: www.BuyAppealMarketing.com

P.S. See that envelope icon below this posting? If you click on the envelope you can email this posting to a friend.

December 2009 Issue

Hot Tips for Logo Design Excellence

In our marketplace today, we spend hours and hours on a computer surfing the internet. According to research, it is estimated that many of us are exposed to over 200 logo designs or branding marks per hour. Your logo will be used on your business cards, your website, outdoor designs, various spots on the Internet, and on promotional items like T-shirts, mugs, key chains, etc. At that rate, in order to be memorable to our clients, that logo had better pop out and stick in someone’s memory, wouldn’t you say? Sprinkled below are several sample logo designs from our team portfolio.

What Makes A Good Logo

Big business knows how important it is to have success in all the elements of their business, so they attach a high value to branding and logo design. Strive to achieve the following characteristics:

• Consistent with all the other elements of your marketing
• Graphically enticing and memorable
• Represent your company and products meaningfully
• Be as unique as possible
• Appear professional drafted
• Function beyond the limits of time
• Not melt into the background of your marketing pieces

When you employ a graphic designer to craft your logo, you want it to:

• Last for a long time
• Be distinctive from your competition
• Appealing to your target market
• Communicate the right image.
• Be legible and easily understood

Paul Rand was a superb innovator in the arena of logo design. IBM’s logo is attributed to him. Without it even being shown here, you can visualize those three letters in horizontal blue stripes, can’t you? That’s a logo with all the key elements listed above. Rand united letters and found unique graphical ways of utilizing the letters of a word or a persons name through typography or engravers design and he frequently wove modern art styles into his logo designs.

Eye Catching Design

It’s not an easy thing to make a simple graphical symbol to represent the entirety of a company’s Mission Statement, and yet a good graphic designer can do just that. The very best logos are quite sophisticated in their simplicity, because they combine and refine symbols, colors, and typography as well as space into one tight, concise unit.

A good logo has a strong, balanced image without clutter surrounding it that might distract one’s attention from the logo message. Bold graphics are easier to see at a glance and they work better than logos with thin, delicate lines. Your logo should avoid trendiness in order to achieve the element of timelessness. Trendy fonts or images will distract from your message.

Color and Black & White

Your logo will mainly be used in it’s colorized version, but it’s wise to check its appearance in black and white as well. Faxes, in particular, communicate mainly in black and white and you’ll want your logo to be easily recognized without color.

You should record somewhere you can easily retrieve the PMS ink formula of the spot color(s) in your logo. If you ever have to use a four color printing process, you’ll need this information. You can check a spot-color-to-process-color conversion swatch book for this information, and you’ll be glad you have it recorded.

Full color logos are wonderful to look at, but expensive to print on your marketing pieces. It’s much more economical to print your letterhead, envelopes, business cards and brochures in one, two or three colors.

Graphics for the Internet

Here is a check list for what you’ll need from your graphic artist so that you can use your logo on the internet:

• A jpg or gif file format
• Resolution at 72 pixels per inch
• In the RGB color space

Your successful logo design can make or break your business. I’d recommend having your graphic artist provide several samples. Let your friends see them and place a strong value on their input. Then, let several people see them who don’t know you or your business and listen attentively to their feedback. And then, for this key element in your business branding, the final choice is yours.

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What if YOU could know more secrets from an award-winning graphic designer that would help you create amazing marketing materials in a few hours, would you want to know how? Find out now at www.BuyAppealMarketing.com

Karen Saunders is the author of Turn Eye Appeal into Buy Appeal: How to easily transform your marketing pieces into dazzling, persuasive sales tools! Hundreds of business owners have used her simple do-it-yourself design system to create stunning marketing materials that really SELL their products and services! To learn about this indispensable book, click here: www.BuyAppealMarketing.com

P.S. See that envelope icon below this posting? If you click on the envelope you can email this posting to a friend.