Forty-six graphic designers, artists, and printers from around the world united to create a 2008 calendar to assist in raising funds needed by the family of Andriana Senarighi. Also known as Ana to her friends and family, the thirteen year-old is currently undergoing tests and treatments for an inoperable brain tumor. The medical diagnosis officially known as Brain Stem Gliomas translates into laymans terms as having a tumor that affects the nerves in the cranial area. It impairs vision, swallowing, and facial movements. Because the tumor is inoperable, Ana’s only viable treatment comes in the form of chemotherapy. Ana’s father Pete is a member of an online Graphic Design Forum and is a self-employed designer who lives and works in Minnesota. We encourage you to read more about Ana and her family at www.oneana.com



Upon hearing about Ana’s plight and surmounting bills, the members at www.GraphicDesignForum.com banded together to donate their skills and time to create Cause4Design and sell a 2008 calendar as a fundraising endeavor. The calendar displays a new design each week. Each is an original design ranging from whimsical to romantic and everything in between. Printing was generously donated by Magnum Graphix Marketing Company (www.magnumgraphix.com) of Rochester, Minnesota. The designersand artists who collaborated on this project represent countries from across the globe, all uniting for a wonderful cause.

Please join us in helping this brave girl and her family by ordering one or more of these unique calendars. All profits from the sale go directly to Ana’s family to help offset the mounting costs of fighting this terrible disease. The calendars are available for purchase at www.cause4design.com

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Logo designs have evolved with time. The concept of having a logo for any company has immensely been popularized and emphasized in the present days. It has been widely acknowledged that a logo is the visual media through which any common man can identify a company or its products. In a nutshell, logos have gained immense importance as a visual brand ambassador for the company or product it represents.

However, it is not that only the importance of logos has increased with time. The designing concepts, the look and feel and the entire structure of logos have undergone immense changes with the passing time. Nowadays, there are several unique and different styles of logos which further represent its company and products in a much more effective manner. So different are their variations that we now have trends of logo designs to follow which changes every year.

In 2007 many changes have taken place in the internet industry. The concept of web 2.0 has further matured and have proved that its here to stay. Many new concepts and usability, new technology and functions have been introduced. These new concepts have given a lot of power in the hands of the users. The users are not merely satisfied with anything placed before them. As a result, the trends in logo designs also needed to change. Everyone wanted to set the curve when it came to style.
Let's take a look at the most popular logo design trends of 2007.

Probably the hottest logo design trend of the recent times. Apple led the way when all their logos started to look as they were set on a shiny table. Reflections, often created with the help of drop shadow effects, have ever since emerged as one of the hottest logo design trends.

Clouds make very powerful logos. They tend to conjure imagery of dreams, creativity and playfulness. Sometimes combined with bubbles, 3D or plain, they tend to give effect of a new idea. Many "clouds" came from new businesses, certainly a place for dreamers. Some also include imagery of the sun, which evokes a feeling of a new dawn.

Yet another hot trend of the recent times, rounded 3D logos seem to have gone places. Even the desktop icons nowadays tend to have the rounded 3D feel. Now that the industry has overcome the production issues of gradients, logo designers seem to prefer 3D graphics to the flat drawings of yesterdays.

These boxes have been around for some time now. But with the evolution of user powered web and the rising importance of communication, more of these logos are finding their place as visual brand ambassadors. The talk boxes ideally reflect communication, either amongst the users of the company it stands for or between the company itself and its customers. As communication gains importance, so do the talk boxes.

Once again it's the growing importance of communication that has really helped logos with imagery of still or animated transmission beams to become widely popular. The emerging trends in technology that enables us to go wireless whenever possible, the rise of the syndication feeds and aggregators and similar things have, in a way, made these transmission beam logos symbolical to the advanced level of communication that we have nowadays.

Logos with people in them are visual indicators of company, product or service that brings people together. With the emerging trend of people powered services and websites, these little symbols of people help the consumers or users to connect themselves to the company in a great way.

Some more trends have been around lately like the use of transparency, outlines, punctuations and different forms of rectangular boxes. But whatever the style is, it effectively reveals that with the emergence of new ideas and technology and the growing importance of the visual branding, logo design too have undergone a great change in its trends.

Adrienne Turcotte

Most people would not dream of walking in to a restaurant and telling the owner that they wanted to have dinner there for free, and that if they liked the food he would be happy to recommend the place to others. You couldn't go to a different restaurant every night for a week and then only pay for the meal that you liked best. Why is it, then, that some people feel that creative services should operate this way?


When budgets are cut, the graphic designer is often one of the first casualties of corporate cutbacks, and the designer's duties are then foisted onto another employee.
Another belief is that since our work is 'enjoyable' that should be reward enough and we shouldn't need a financial incentive on top of that. Unfortunately, neither enjoyment of one's work, nor pride in a job well done will pay the bills.
Most people don't realize the amount of work that goes into any given project. They usually don't see the hours of research and brainstorming that take place before the design work can even begin. Likewise, they don't see the time spent exploring different options via sketching or storyboarding, or the actual work in executing the concept and adjusting kerning, leading, and color correction.
Careers in design are sometimes marketed as a "get rich quick" scheme on television and the internet. The ads are usually filled with inflated assertions like "you too can make $500,000 a year working from home with your computer! Call today for more information!" Graphic design is a career that we pursue because we love it, not because we believe that it will make us "rich". Those of us working in the industry know that these statements don't reflect the actuality of the job situation; just ask one of the many trained, qualified designers actively seeking work these days.
Many are willing to believe that ours is an unskilled profession, and our tools practically do our work for us. It is relatively simple for anyone with a computer to call themselves a graphic designer and to start selling their services. Some of these people have natural artistic talent and can produce nice-looking graphics, but a "nice looking" image is not the only measure of a design.
The true skill in graphic design is the ability to communicate ideas effectively and visually. Graphic design is about problem solving. It deals as much with the development of ideas as it does with actually making the graphics.

Upcoming articles will address the topic of spec work from both a designer's and client's perspective.

There are more ways than one that you can benefit from the help of professional postcard printing services. In the same manner, you can only get nothing but profit from postcards through direct mail advertising.

Postcards are the ideal medium for marketing or advertising. Almost all kinds of businesses - be it an individual entrepreneur, a multi-national corporation, or self-employed professionals - knows just how effective it is. It also has a great potential to give you immediate results.

Think of postcards as part of your marketing and advertising arsenal. Use these helpful ideas or pointers and wield the full potential of your postcards.

1. Businesses need to establish a relationship with their clients. Think of sending a post card as a gracious social call - it sends well wishes on special occasions, it is an invitation to events, or simply a means of reminding your customer how you can be of service to them.

2. At the very least, it lets your client know you exist and it makes your client feel that you think having a relationship with them is equally important and mutually beneficial.

3. And why shouldn't they feel that way? Unlike other forms of advertising that advertises indiscriminately, direct mail selects a special demographic. Each postcard can be sent out to a particular age group, a certain locality or state, and even those who pursue a particular hobby or passion.

4. Postcards can be targeted to the customers you think might benefit from your products or services. Multinational Companies can send thank you notes to their investors and assure them that they're money is in good hands. A dentist can send postcards every six months reminding their patients that their dental appointment is due.

5. Sending postcards is a cheap but very profitable investment. It has almost 100% readership, and since it is sent discriminately, postcards reach their target audience.

6. On the part of the audience, a pretty postcard can be quite intriguing and encouraging to read. It makes it worth reading especially because it was mailed specifically for his or her interests.

7. Postcard printing is cheap. The cost of postcard printing can go as low as less than $50 for 500 pieces. And the larger the volume, the cheaper your postcards will be. If you want to find a package that is perfect for your budget, look for a printing company that has online price quotations.

8. You can choose the size, the finish, or you can opt for back to back full color printing. You can choose to send regular postcards, or impress your clients with a high gloss finish.

9. Direct mail is also generally hassle-free. Postcard printers usually offer to take care of the mailing for you by making arrangement with the postal company. With an organized mailing list, you can give your database to your postcard printing company and they will individually print the recipients' name and address. And it's not at all expensive.

If word-of-mouth advertising is not working fast enough for you, then you should obtain the professional assistance of postcard printing services and visit an online postcard printer now.

by jennifer abejuela

A brochure is known as the advertising tool that carries eye catching designs and attractive language to attract people to get its proper meaning. Brochures are used to design for the promotion of locations, events, hotels, products and services. Usually, brochures are being distributed in trade shows and through direct mail and can be used for promoting a new product.

Brochure design is considered as a tough task for a designer. Due to its importance, brochure has to be designed really very carefully. The best brochure design is that which elaborates ideas perfectly and advocates people to use products or service in which favor a brochure has been formed. So, if you are planning to make a customized brochure design, make sure it reflects your mind clearly and reaches directly to your customers. You can your brochure by yourself or hire a professional brochure designer to make a really effective brochure for your purpose.

Once you decide to make a brochure, you need to select a good brochure design sample to look really difference from the rest. You may choose something classy and distinguish to attract customers never before. In a brochure, many things need to be kept in mind before designing its structure. First thing which needs to be taken care of is its structure. Structure means what size of brochure should be made, color combination, usually attractive colors are used to clinch peoples' interest. Second is the selection of words, which is really important. Words should be easy to understand, infuses a good meaning and represents your ideology. Third is the selection of graphic designing to be used in the brochure. Graphic design brochure should be carefully done and should look professional and infuse its deep meaning.

Normally, business people need corporate brochure design to promote their products and services. It is a unique way of attracting customers and retaining old ones to gain stability and raise profit. Brochures are considered as the campaign and marketing printed stuffs to help you to expand your business aspirations beyond the boundaries. Getting brochures fro products and services, a company can invite new customers, maintaining the current ones and earning more and more profit for the business. Brochures are taken as the evidences of the company's genuine offerings and trusted services which it promises. So, till now you haven't designed a good brochure yet, go and design a customized brochure design that says more about your style and above all your mind.

About the Author: Introduce myself, I am content writer for Web Design India. Synapse India is a Brochure Design and an eCommerce Website Development firm in India. For more information, please visit Brochure and Catalog Design

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Starting your own business can be exciting, rewarding and incredibly profitable but most aspiring entrepreneurs fail because they chase the wrong target. Starting a business is a common dream. Especially here in the United States, planning the launch of your own business has become a national pastime. This article encourages you to take action but gives you some important pointers before you head too far astray.

First things first. Everyone who wants to open a business is spending their time thinking of the next great new idea. They’re trying to brainstorm what everyone needs but no one is currently providing. It’s true. Some people have incredible ideas and introduce something no one ever thought of before, profiting handsomely in the process. But attempting to come up with the next great idea is a risky business and the vast majority of so-called great ideas go down in flames.

The easiest way to get into business is to do what everybody else is already doing but do it better. The fact that everybody is already doing it proves the market exists – a major risk averted. You also know exactly what your competition is doing because they’re all around you. Don’t try to discover the next great idea. Pick something that’s already woven into the fabric of our economy and find a way of improving on it.

Secondly, aspiring entrepreneurs spend far too much time thinking through the logistics but logistics are almost never the problem. Yes, they can represent a problem later on and as the business grows but logistics are a distant second place in the early stages of launching a new business. Your biggest problem is marketing and sales. If you have a business idea, you should be spending 90% of your time on generating revenue. Believe me; once you have revenue, you’ll find a way to deliver the product. The hard part is getting the revenue. Marketing is your number one priority.

Thirdly, don’t be too upset if someone else beats you to the punch when it comes to business. The trailblazers are the ones assuming all the risk. And if successful, they’re also the ones building a market for you to simply walk into. Let them carry the burden and spend your time improving on their mistakes and riding the wave they’re creating.

A client who is interested in the Law of Attraction was complaining that Rhonda Byrne beat her to the market with her wildly successful The Secret book. I totally disagree. My client should be thankful. Rhonda Byrne created a tidal wave of public interest. All my client needs to do is get onboard and ride the wave. If Rhonda Byrne hadn’t reached that critical mass and generated so much interest, my client would still be walking into an unknown market.

Starting your own business involves a lot of financial and emotional risk. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. So don’t look for even more risk. No. Find a market that’s already proven and then deliver the product better than anyone else. That will minimize risk and give you an opportunity to realize your dream.

Tactical Execution has made a business out of helping other people start businesses. There is a huge amount of free content on the website and I hope you take advantage of the resources available there. Being an entrepreneur is exciting. Don’t let another year go by before you start making your dream a reality. Start today.

About The Author:
Become a recognized expert. Optimize your website. Explode your business. Tactical Execution provides implementation strategies for immediate results. Claim your free website traffic hotsheet (http://www.tacticalexecution.com) today!

By Patrick Schwerdtfeger | On November 2, 2007

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