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August 30, 2010

Eye Contact in Graphic Design

Category: Design, Marketing — Tags: , , — Sarah @ 10:31 am

Let’s say you’re sitting on the subway one day and you get that strange feeling that someone is staring at you. What’s your first reaction?

Our guess is that approximately 98% of people will naturally look in the direction of the stare-er and, even for just a moment, make eye contact. (We also guess that approximately 1% will pull out their phones and nervously send themselves a text message to make themselves look busy. And the other 1% are probably split between diving under the seat in fear and making obscene gestures.)

The point is, when people look at us, it gets our attention. Regardless of whether we’re receiving a friendly look or a scary stalkerish look, the overwhelming inclination is to look back.

Ads That Make You Want to Look

This explains the huge number of advertisements that include pictures of people. One of the main reasons people are so central to many designs is that they can do something that words can’t – make eye contact.

That’s right – models on the covers of brochures and viewbooks and pamphlets are staring at you – and inviting you to stare back. And even though a picture of a person may not be quite as effective as an actual person, it still works very well…and is a lot easier to mail.

Start a Staring Contest

So during your next marketing campaign, including photos of some friendly, happy people in your marketing materials can be a good way to catch your targets’ eyes. And getting their attention is the first step to getting their business.

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August 2, 2010

We’re Direct Mail Pros

Category: Design, Marketing — Tags: , , , , — Sarah @ 5:33 am

Everybody has a thing.

A butcher’s thing might be preparing a delectable cut of meat. A baker’s thing might be baking the perfect cupcake. A candlestick maker’s thing is, well, fantastic candlestick making. (Quick side note – although we’ve got a handle on the essence of each of their professions, we’ve never been quite sure why these men were caught rub a dub dubbing in a tub together.)

Anyway, what we’re getting at is this – things work out best when the right person does the right job. When the butcher needs a cupcake, he should consult the baker. When the baker needs a candle, he should leave it to the candlestick dude. And when that candlestick maker is hungry for a steak, he should pay the butcher a visit. And if they do, all three will find themselves satisfied and free to devote more time to their own businesses.

Our Thing? Marketing Materials

We love designing marketing materials. From promotional items to brochures to postcards, we’ve got our clients covered when they want to get their messages out there.

One thing we’re particularly fond of is writing copy for direct mail. Writing direct mail is an art that definitely benefits from the skills of a professional. For a direct mail letter to do its job, the tone, format, and content need to be just right – and we know just how to make that happen.

What a Professional Can Do

At imPress, we have a keen awareness of the audience for a direct mail piece and take these readers into consideration as we write. Through years of experience with this medium, we’ve picked up on a lot of tricks of the trade that increase the odds that our clients’ direct mail pieces will make an impact.

For instance, a strongly written “P.S.” can be hugely persuasive. While a reader might skim the body text of a letter, a “P.S” section that is succinct and packs a lot of punch is likely to be read in its entirety. So adding a good one can make your letter much stronger.

There Are More Writing Tricks Where That Came From

From your salutation all the way down to that all-important “P.S.”, we know the powerful, subtle cues to include that will increase the success of your piece. We know what to say and how and when to say it to maximize the effectiveness of your marketing materials.

The butcher certainly could pop some Betty Crocker cake batter into a muffin tin and buy a make-your-own candles kit from Michael’s, but he’s going to end up with stronger results if he leaves the cupcake and candle production to his friends. And when he needs to develop a great direct mail campaign with a high response rate, he’ll get the results he’s looking for if he leaves the writing and designing to us.

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July 26, 2010

World Cup Logos of Years Past

Category: Design — Tags: , — Sarah @ 6:18 am

Are you bummed out that the World Cup is over?

 

In addition to sweat, action, a groovy buzzing sound, and an excuse to skip work to go out for drinks, the World Cup also offers something else we love – logos.

 

Each World Cup tournament boasts its own logo. And each of these logos incorporate elements of the time period and location of the particular World Cup. We’ll guide you through a handful of neat ones.

A Walk Down Logo Lane

 

If you take a gander at the 1994 logo, for example, you’ll recognize the red, white, and blue color scheme that is a shout out to the good old USA, the host country that year. The red stripes are even drawn to look like the American flag and the blue soccer ball is strategically placed where the blue part of our flag would be. Crisp, bright, and very American looking. Nicely done.

 

Or check out the logo from the 2002 World Cup held in Korea and Japan. The contoured shapes in the logo remind us of similar shapes in the South Korean flag, and the logo includes plenty of red, which is found in the flags of both nations. The flavor of the whole logo is similar to that of traditional Asian art. And the feeling of divided pieces making up a whole works well for the first World Cup hosted by two nations. All in all, a sweet logo.

 

But our personal favorite? Mexico ‘86. The Mexican flag colors are in full effect, but the reason we like to look back at it is that it’s so scrumptiously 80’s. The stripey font makes us think of the 80’s Pepsi logo, which in turn makes us think of the Pepsi ads starring Billy Crystal. And then we get that happy little piano tune from the jingle stuck in our heads, and then we start thinking about Saturday Night Live from days of old…all of which is just marvelous.

 

Yes, it’s true…if we can’t be watching the World Cup, checking out former World Cup logos really is the next best thing. (Well, that, and devouring nachos like the ones we would have ordered if we were out watching a game.)

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July 22, 2010

Our Award-Winning Work

Category: Creativity, Design, News — Tags: , , , — Sarah @ 1:39 pm

There’s a little-known adage that we’re sure you’ve never ever heard before that goes something like this: “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

Since our blog posts are usually like 400 words tops, we figured we’d give you more bang for your buck today by keeping the text short but including a few pictures.

As we mentioned a couple of posts ago, two imPress team members recently won NORI awards for some print pieces they designed.  Check out some pics of their award-winning designs.

Michele designed this NORI-winning brochure for NYSID

Michele designed this NORI-winning brochure for NYSID

Erin designed this NORI winner to promote Burst Marketing

Erin designed this NORI winner to promote Burst Marketing

Thirsty for more?  You can check out more of our creations in our portfolio online.  Or come visit us in person if you want to see, touch, and smell the real things.

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June 16, 2010

Our Nori-Award Winning Staff

Category: Design, News — Tags: , , , , , , — Jay @ 7:03 am

imPress is proud to announce that we recently won two Nori awards! Woo Hoo!

Michele, our Art Director, won for her Green Brochure produced for NYSID, the New York State Industries for the disabled. Her design incorporated recycled stock and an earthy color scheme, bringing the message through every facet of the design.

One of our favorite designers, Erin, also won for her work on the Burst Marketing Brochure, a print piece designed to promote imPress’ new strategic marketing business.

Congrats to our winners!

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