CONTENTS Dealing with Printers Design Spotlight: Debi Bloomquist Product Feature: Business Cards Think about it

November 22, 2001 Welcome to Issue 002 of the Liz Roberts Design E-Newsletter! We hope you are enjoying our monthly articles and features, our goal is to inform you of the importance of design and imagery and hopefully get you thinking about how you get your business noticed! This month we focus on the topic of dealing with printers and what they need to give you the results your looking for. Our product spotlight is on what is probably the most important marketing tool for your business... the business card. Nothing leaves a last impression like your card... for good or bad. We are always willing to answer questions and welcome your enquiries, you can contact us through our website, via email at liz@lizrobertsdesign.com or by phone at 604-574-1271. Enjoy the newsletter! -

Printers Last month I mentioned that we would be talking a little more about the printing end of things. A lot of people find out the hard way that the printing process isn't always that simple. As most printers work with electronic files (CD's, ZIP disks, floppy disks, email attachments etc) it is important to determine what platform your printer is using (PC or MAC?) and in what format he would like to receive your files. You also have to make sure that all of your fonts are converted to curves, embedded or attached with your files. If the printer does not have the same fonts as you, they will default to whatever the printer has and this can cause all sorts of crazy things to happen to your text. If you know what you are doing, no problem....but if you don't, the terminology alone will scare you. You may find it easier to talk to a printer before you start your project and find out what he needs to put your job on the press. Another thing to consider is that a number of desktop publishing programs are not compatible with printer's software and cannot be converted into usable files. When this happens, it is best to print your file on your desktop printer and make high quality copies. If you are wanting to do a 2 colour print job, you will need to know how to do colour separations.....there is a lot more involved in the printing process than just designing something and asking your printer to print it. Costs vary from printer to printer so be sure to compare prices. Single colour printing is by far the cheapest way to go and black and white is the most common....you can choose a single colour ie: red, blue etc. but be careful if you have photographs on your document as most pictures do not look good when printed in anything other than full colour or black and white. Always check your prices before you produce your document, you may find that the full colour job you wanted is way out of your price range. Most printers will be happy to give you a quote. Quantity usually determines your cost per item so the more copies you order, the less your cost per item. Colour copiers are wonderful for doing small print runs, they are more costly per item but they allow you to print the small numbers and still have glorious colour! My experience has proven that these colour copies are far superior to desktop printers and pass for a very professional look. Having said all that, if you are looking to produce a professional product, whether it be a newsletter, flyer, business card etc. consider the following elements: design, paper quality and colour, print quality, finishing ie: cutting, scoring, folding etc ...they all combine to produce a piece you will be proud of. Remember, the cliche "you get what you pay for" is often all too true! Debi Bloomquist Our feature logo this month is Debi Bloomquist, a successful northwest Realtor who wanted an image that portrayed her attitude toward her clients. Debi is an individual who believes in going that "extra mile" for her clients . She not only finds them the type of house they want in the area they wish to be in, she also makes sure that "all the pieces fit" and they get the home they have dreamed of. A highly energetic and caring person, Debi needed an image that was friendly and approachable as well as business like and no-nonsense, because she is serious about the business of matching people to the right home. We shaped the puzzle pieces to look like a house with the final piece dropping into place, the pieces were then bevelled and a drop shadow applied to give a 3D look. We used a friendly script for the name "Debi" and an easily read block font for the surname so that it would be instantly recognized. Her 'ImagePack' was completed with business card, letterhead, envelope, power card and Just Listed/Just Sold cards to which we added a banner picture of Mt. Baker and a freestanding picture of Debi. Her new 'image' inspires confidence and trust...who wouldn't want to venture into real estate with this lady leading the way? Business Cards Business cards! one of your best and simplest forms of advertising, distribution is free and "shelf life" is usually excellent, most business people have a business card holder just to store them in. So what kind of impact does yours have? Take a look through your collection of cards, the contacts that you may need to call at some future date, your resources....do you have to read them to find the person you want or does their imagery stand out clearly in your mind so that you can spot their card right away? Your card is no longer just a means of leaving your name, number and email address for filing....the business world is so competitive now that your card has to say more than that. It has to say that you are serious about what you do, that you have a presence in your particular industry and that you stand out from the rest because you dare to be different. If your card is the same as all the rest, how will you get noticed? A business card is such a great way to leave a lasting impression and so inexpensive to produce. We have all seen cards that have a name and phone number but give no idea what the business is....David Smith, Acme Inc.....plain black type on a white background, the name doesn't ring a bell, may as well turf the card! We have also seen cards that are so busy with information that we can't find the phone number, and the impression of chaos and disorganization leaves us wondering why we would deal with such a company anyway...turf the card! Which are the cards that you do remember.....The ones that impressed you when you first saw them? The ones that stand out from the rest? The colour? The imagery? The logo? The ones that invoke some kind of emotion.... exciting.... dynamic..... powerful?? I don't know about you, but those kind of cards make me want to deal with those kind of people. So what's your card like? "I believe ..... that either you control your attitude or it controls you!"