Graphic Design in Philadelphia

Welcome Adventure Motorcycle Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Skidmutro) — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 18:31:00 +0000

Skidmutro Creative + Layout is now providing creative services for Adventure Motorcycle magazine. AdvMoto magazine is produced six times per year in both print and digital versions. We are finessing the design and working closely with the Publisher to bring new readership and more exposure to the magazine.

Visit adventuremotorcycle.com to see past issue and keep your eye out for the first Skidmutro-designed issue coming out in mid-April.

Skidmutro's Year in Review

noreply@blogger.com (Skidmutro) — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 15:06:00 +0000

The beginning of 2010 was much like the end of 2009 – slow moving! But as the year progressed, we started receiving more and more inquiries from clients who realized that they must keep moving forward in order to keep their businesses going. We quoted a lot of projects -- some came to fruition, some did not -- but it gave me hope that the industry was starting to pick up.

Clockwise from top left 2010 US Open Tournament Review book, Lincoln Financial Distributors 2011 exhibit wall, Lenovo trade show booth panel, Modernism magazine, Search for Common Ground Awards logo, Panasonic Enterprise Solutions brochure cover and logo, Style 1900 magazine.

In May 2010, we acquired a new client – Panasonic Enterprise Solutions. This was a huge boost for us. Panasonic Enterprise Solutions commissioned us to rebrand their division with a new logo, an updated and more robust look and apply that across the board on materials such as Brochures, Signage, Presentations and more. We are excited to continue our relationship with them in 2011.

We also saw a rev-up in the Event industry which led us to a jam packed end-of-year work load. We collaborated on projects for Lenovo, Lincoln Financial Group and Serena in the last few months, as well as working with the United States Tennis Association on their annual US Open Tournament Review.

The magazine industry is still struggling, and in 2010 we saw a lot of magazines turn out the lights, but we were fortunate enough that the two magazines we work with, Style 1900 and Modernism, had enough loyal readers and advertisers to make it through. We are seeing a rise in advertising and newsstand sales and have high hopes that this year will bring even more success to these niche magazines.

We hope to keep the forward momentum going in 2011 with renewed relationships, new clients and a resurgence for our existing clients.

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About Skidmutro Creative + Layout: Founded in 2004 by Sierra Skidmore and located in Philadelphia, PA, Skidmutro is a graphic design studio specializing in publication design and event design. We provide full-services graphic design solutions for both local and national clients. Skidmutro is a certified Woman Owned (WBENC) enterprise and has made a commitment to being environmentally sustainable. To download our certificate, click here.

Skidmutro Creative + Layout Receives WBENC Certification as a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise

noreply@blogger.com (Skidmutro) — Fri, 21 May 2010 19:13:00 +0000

May 21, 2010 Skidmutro Creative + Layout, a full-service graphic design studio serving local and national clients alike, today announced that it has received the national certification from the Woman's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). Skidmutro’s WBENC certification was issued by by Women’s Business Enterprise Council PA-DE-sNJ, a regional certifying partner of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).

The WBENC certification for women-owned businesses is one of the most widely recognized and respected certifications in the nation. WBENC’s national standard of certification implemented by the Women’s Business Enterprise Council PA-DE-sNJ is a meticulous process including an in-depth review of the business as well as an on-site inspection conducted by the regional committee. The certification process is designed to confirm that the business is at least 51% owned, operated and controlled by one or more women.

“We are thrilled to become a certified Women’s Business Enterprise,” said Sierra Skidmore, Founder and Creative Director of Skidmutro. “We consider this certification an important validation of our business model and know the WBENC will complement our hard work, creative strategies and talent when competing for new business. We look forward to the new opportunities that our WBENC certification will bring.”

By including women-owned businesses among their vendors, corporations and government agencies demonstrate their commitment to fostering diversity and the continued development of their supplier/vendor diversity programs.

For additional information on Skidmutro Creative + Layout call 215-627-4945 ext. 11 or visit www.skidmutro.com.

About Skidmutro Creative + Layout: Founded in 2004 by Sierra Skidmore and located in Philadelphia, PA, Skidmutro is a graphic design studio specializing in publication design and event design. We provide full-services graphic design solutions for both local and national clients. Skidmutro is a certified Woman Owned (WBENC) enterprise and has made a commitement to being environmentally sustainable. To download our certificate, click here.

About Women’s Business Enterise Council PA-DE-sNJ & WBENC : The Women's Business Enterprise Council (WBEC) is a purchasing council for nationally certified women's business enterprises (WBEs). The Council provides women business enterprise certification, educational, networking, procurement-related, and informational programs and services that foster growth and business opportunities between WBEs and purchasing entities including major corporations and government agencies in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Southern New Jersey. WBEC also assists corporations in creating and building world class supplier diversity programs. For more information about WBEC visit www.wbecouncil.org.
As a partner with the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), WBEC certifies women owned businesses in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Southern New Jersey. For more information about WBEC visit www.wbenc.org.

A Fresh Look for Style 1900 Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Skidmutro) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 21:56:00 +0000

Skidmutro Creative + Layout worked closely with new Editor in Chief, Fred Albert, and Co-publisher, Jennifer Strauss, to redesign Style 1900 magazine, the national quarterly celebrating Arts and Crafts antiques and interiors.

The Summer issue debuts May 1, offering readers a new look and a more reader-friendly editorial approach that doubles the magazine’s home design coverage and emphasizes the people and personalities of the Arts and Crafts movement. New departments includes “Mission Accomplished,” a before-and-after home makeover column and “Consummate Collector,” in which Arts and Crafts enthusiasts share their knowledge and passion for a particular collectible. “By telling the story of decorative arts through the experiences of a collector, we make the topic more personal and engaging, while providing valuable firsthand advice for our readers,” Albert says.

Working with Skidmutro Creative + Layout, the magazine features a fresh, bold design concept aimed at reaching a broader demographic and giving the magazine a more contemporary look. “With the new Editor, came a renewed excitement about the magazine. We really wanted to reflect that excitement in the redesign with bold colors, large photographs, new typefaces and a fluid layout,” says Sierra Skidmore, founder of Skidmutro Creative + Layout.

The magazine’s cover has been updated for greater visual clarity and newsstand appeal. According to Strauss, “Readers can still savor historical features, event listings, and the return of columns about travel, shopping, historic preservation and restoration, but told with pithier writing and an energetic visual style that promises to make the past more engaging for the readers of today.”

In addition to the print redesign, Style1900.com has also been revamped and now offers an editor’s blog, frequently updated event listings and other online-only content, all aimed at enticing visitors to subscribe to the print publication.

Style 1900 magazine is published quarterly and is available by subscription and at newsstands, galleries and museum gift shops, as well as at bookstores such as Borders, Barnes & Noble and B. Dalton. For more information, visit www.style1900.com.

About Style 1900 Magazine

The Arts and Crafts style (also known as the Mission, Craftsman or bungalow style) was part of a reform movement that began in England around 1860 and subsequently spread throughout the globe, revolutionizing the world of architecture and decorative arts. One hundred and fifty years later, its emphasis on craftsmanship, harmony with nature and use of natural materials feels as fresh and relevant as ever.

Whether you’re a collector, home decorator, history buff, gardener or traveler, we look forward to sharing the artistic heritage of the Arts and Crafts movement with you and hope you will visit www.style1900.com often.

Autumn Romance: Stories and Portraits of Love After 50 by Carol Denker wins Gold Medal

noreply@blogger.com (Skidmutro) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 14:30:00 +0000

Autumn Romance: Stories and Portraits of Love After 50 was awarded the Living Now Book Awards Gold Medal by Independent Publisher. The award is designed to honor the year’s best new books that help readers attain healthier, more fulfilling and productive lives.

Skidmutro Creative + Layout worked closely with author Carol Denker to create a beautifully designed, ground-breaking book about relationships, love and sex beyond age 50. The Living Now Awards judges noted how Denker’s vision was honored and strengthened by the book’s design.

Autumn Romance: Stories and Portraits of Love After 50 was published by A-Shirley Publishing in hardcover in December 2009. Denker, a true believer in second chances and the rewards they bring, offers a bold and insightful view of life, love and romance in the second half of life.

For more information about the book, visit www.AutumnRomance.org.

For more information about Skidmutro’s book design services and other services, go to www.skidmutro.com.

Box.net: A great resource for working in a virtual office

noreply@blogger.com (Skidmutro) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:18:00 +0000

In the past few years, it's been getting easier and easier to work in a virtual office setting. First, email revolutionized communications. Then, PDFs made the proofing process faster by cutting out the delivery time.

Now we have box.net. Box allows us to organize and view all of our content online in a familiar file and folder structure. It's easy to share content with a click of a button. We can add comments, edit files online and organize our workflow.

Box.net has been a valuable resource for us and our clients.

Here's a tip: Check your website, then check it again

noreply@blogger.com (Skidmutro) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:25:00 +0000

So, you hired a web developer to create a dynamic and beautiful website… but that was a few years ago. At that time, you went over each page carefully at least a dozen times. Made sure that all your links worked, that all your text showed up and your images looked great.

When was the last time you did that? A few weeks ago? A few months ago? That was the only time!! Well, since then browsers have been changing, software has been updated, but NOT on your website!

If you are not keeping up with your site, you may be in for a big surprise. Some software, PHP for example, is no longer supported and that means your site may not be compatible with the new browsers.

We recently came across a site that the shopping cart was no longer supported by the current browsers. The client isn't sure how long its been down, but 1 day is too long for most companies.

So make sure that you browse your website often to make sure you aren't loosing any sales due to an "old" site.

New Year, New Design - Skidmutro Unveils a New Website

noreply@blogger.com (Skidmutro) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:52:00 +0000

Skidmutro Creative + Layout unveiled its redesigned website today at Skidmutro.com.

In addition to a fresh, colorful appearance, Skidmutro's new design offers better organization of content and a much cleaner, easier navigation, including:

• Portfolio by client.
• Spotlight on… Now we are promoting recent projects and clients right on our homepage.
• New Affiliations. Skidmutro is now a member of the Sustainable Business Network of Philadelphia and the National Association of Professional Women.

The Skidmutro.com homepage provides new company announcements and quick links to specific projects.

"Our goal is to give our visitors and clients a positive user experience and make doing business with us easy,” says Travis Skidmore, account manager. “We hope the new website design will help us achieve that goal.”

The Megapixel Question

noreply@blogger.com (Skidmutro) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 01:21:00 +0000

If you just can't seem to figure out how to translate Megapixels into something useful like print size, then this chart will be a big help.

Each colored box represents a certain number of megapixels. The numbers along the top and left side are print dimensions in inches at 300ppi (pixels per inch). Most books and magazines require 300ppi for photo quality. For example, the chart shows that you can make a 5" x 7" photo quality print from a 3 megapixel camera.

inches @ 300ppi (numbers inside colored boxes are megapixels)

Notice that as the print size doubles, the megapixels required increases geometrically. You can make nice 8" x 10" prints with a 6 or 8 megapixel camera, but to make a true photo quality 16" x 20" print, you need between 24 and 30 megapixels. Don't be fooled by manufacturers' claims that say you can make 16" x 20" prints from an 8 megapixel camera. While you certainly can make a print that size, it will not be true photo quality.

Information and chart provided by design215.com. For more information go to http://design215.com/toolbox/megapixels.php.

New company gets a jump start with Skidmutro

noreply@blogger.com (Skidmutro) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:15:00 +0000

Just last week, we helped launch a new company and website... www.LifeInHarmony.biz. Their mission is to help "parents, grandparents and caregivers give children the gift of positive self-esteem, hassle-free bedtimes and a harmonious home environment." Please check out their website www.lifeinharmony.biz to see how we designed a logo and created a site that provides a sense of harmony and peace.

We also designed a book and CD set called "Sleep Loved One Sleep." I have a 2-year-old son that loves their products. This book and CD provides a peaceful transition from the hectic day to the tranquility of bedtime.

We are very excited about the launch and wish them the best of luck with their business.

If you are looking for a book or website designer, check out www.skidmutro.com.

Optimized and loving it!

noreply@blogger.com (Skidmutro) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:26:00 +0000

For the past couple of months, we have been working hard to get our website Search Engine Optimized. Well, we've done it! Check out our ranking for the following key phrases…

Google's Search Results PAGE 1:
• Publication Design Philadelphia
• Digital Editions Philadelphia
• Newsletter Design Philadelphia
• Conference Identity Design Philadelphia

Google's Search Results PAGE 2:
• Event Design Philadelphia
• Magazine Design Philadelphia
• Book Design Philadelphia

Google's Search Results PAGE 3:
• Philadelphia Graphic Design
• Trade Show Graphics Philadelphia

Photography Enhancing Video

noreply@blogger.com (Skidmutro) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 01:06:00 +0000

It is amazing how quickly technology is changing. Take a look at this video about using photography to enhance video.

One of my clients always says how amazing it is that we can remove objects from photographs, but doing it in these videos is even more amazing.

Using Photographs to Enhance Videos of a Static Scene from pro on Vimeo.

SEO is more than just submitting my URL

noreply@blogger.com (Skidmutro) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:42:00 +0000

I recently went to a SEO seminar hosted by Network Solutions. I was shocked to find out that my own website, www.skidmutro.com, was not optimized for searches on Google, Yahoo, MSN etc. It was a big wake up call. It's true when they say that "you are your own worst client." I really had put off working on my own website in order to work on paying jobs. What I've come to realize is that my website IS a paying job. If I'm going to pull in new paying clients from web searches, then I need to put my own website on the top of the list.

I have to say that I was impressed with Network Solutions and their presentation. They didn't do the "big sell" during the seminar, but of course they did try to get your to buy their products. They offered a great line of solutions, but I found that doing it myself may be more cost effective at this time.

I started by introducing relevent keywords into my pages. I had been skipping this step, not realizing that I needed to add those into the meta tag in order for Google to see them. Google needs to be beat over the head with keywords in order for your ranking to get better.

I also rewrote all of my title tags to be unique on each page and relevant to the content on the page.

NS also suggested that content, content, and more content is the way to go. I had also steered away from too much content on my site, figuring that no one wanted to read a bunch of text. BUT Google is always searching for unique content and the more you have, the more you will be considered relevant for your topic. So I added some content.

I added a page about my new product – Digital Editions. We are now offering online solutions for publications and I really didn't have enough content about them to trigger any response in Google.

I added a News about Skidmutro page that will have unique content updated often to keep it fresh. Apparently the other thing about content is that it's fresh. You must update your website often, so that the "spiders" will keep coming back. If they don't see new content eventually, they will stop coming. They will think that the pages never change, so why bother.

AND, I added this blog. This is my first entry and I hope that it will encourage others to do the same. It's so important that you are seen online. You can have the best designed site, but if no one can find you, then you might as well have just flushed your money down the toilet.

Call Skidmutro today for a risk free quote on publication design, website design, search engine optimization or Digital Editions.

Sierra Skidmore, 215-627-4945 x11
or email me at sierra@skidmutro.com