I received an email from Google a few weeks ago saying I had reached my threshold of £60.00 so my first cheque would be released. Got it through the post last week!

For those of us who don’t know, Google Adsense is a revenue system for webmasters where Google places relevant ads on your site and you get paid every time someone clicks on the ad. You might get one visitor, out of hundreds who visit your site, who clicks an ad and you get paid (usually pennies per click) once the click is verified as genuine. The majority of people never make ANY money of it simply because the number of clicks required would in-turn require a huge number of visitors to your site. (You can see my ads on my homepage in the right-side grey sidebar, underneath ‘Related Ads’).

I can remember seeing pictures of the big-timers with their revenue cheques for hundreds of thousands of pounds and dollars. People who were getting 50K+ visitors to their blogs per month. Seemed like a ‘mission’, as they say in my hood. I was envious but understood the time and effort required, and the acute possibility that I would be another ‘one click wonder’ who tried Adsense and then gave it up after a couple of months of earning pennies.

Me, my blog and my cheque - 'just the three of us..' (shot is a re-enactment of my reaction at the moment of revelation)

I first set-up this site back in late-2009, when I was getting my feet wet with WordPress and it’s capabilities. In fact, ArtbyHerbie.com was my first EVER wordpress installation and I’ve never looked back. Since then I have had numerous other client sites and personal projects using WordPress. It’s simply too good. I installed the code and ads in mid-2010 once I had launched the site and was regularly sharing ideas and posts. Since then it became my personal beacon to the world in regards to my work, thoughts and ramblings. It took me six weeks to get my first click!

At first, I would religiously check my Adsense total every day, but I soon got sick of it after seeing no clicks and played around with ad sizes and placements. I then placed a single ad on my homepage to be visible site-wide, and then two ads on the top and bottom of my blog posts. I noticed a trickle of pennies come through but I knew I had to concentrate more on the content of my blog to draw more visitors in. So I did!

The cheque itself, although quite ‘boring’ in appearance, doesn’t even have the Google logo on it, just their addresses in Buffalo, New York and Dublin, Ireland. However, it’s something that most of us will never see, hence the big ‘hoo-haa’. For me, it’s value is close to £60K! If you’re thinking, ‘Why the fuck is he getting so excited over a cheque for £61.94?’, then you simply do not understand how the web and online marketing works. (no offence, but I’m relying more on the techies to relate to here).

The 'glory'..

My blog is nowhere near even the top 80%. I’m still small-time. My Alexa rating is (at time of press) 3,262,842 (hmmm). Dudes like John Chow, Darren Rowse of Problogger and Pat from The Smart Passive Income Blog are ‘big in the game’ and have done well through blogging. Pat even gives a detailed rundown of his monthly earnings! You’d be surprised.

However, most of these blogs blog about making money blogging(!) Making money online through internet marketing and various other means is one of the most searched for terms in the search engines. That’s a reason why these blogs are the most popular. Mine was never about money but my work and business, and everything else thrown in between. It’s a channel of expression and personal space where I can reach out and share shit. Ya know? I only added the most basic income streams and Google Adsense is THE first-stop for EVERYONE. That’s why any income from it is an added bonus, since that is not it’s primary aim. On the journey I’ve met cartloads of other bloggers who, like me, love blogging about what they do. Katana Barnett, an artist, author and illustrator from Los Angeles is one, she lives at Katanaville. Check her out.

I started writing from the heart and tried to convey my eccentric personality through my writing. Just being me, fuck it, be who you are, write the way you are and people will connect with you more. It worked! I stopped trying to write for the search engines (for SEO reasons) and adopted the attitude that I was me, and ArtbyHerbie.com was me, so my writing style reflected this. I also started regularly updating my portfolio which added more fresh content on a regular basis (to me it’s like a pet, gotta feed it).

I noticed a steady stream of people reading my posts and the Google Analytics traffic count went up too. This resulted in me earning a jaw-dropping £5.87 in my first month after this change.

Since then, a few clicks every month took me to £60.00 in just under 12 months! Woohoo! Google sent me an email telling me my first cheque was released once I had reached £60!! I nearly ejaculated upon reading it. I’ll leave to your imagination my knee-jerk reaction when i finally had it in my hand(!) (forgive the terrible pun).

Another shocking re-enactment..

I wish I had more time to blog as I love sharing my work, ideas, trials and tribulations with you great people, my fans and readers. This cheque just made it all worth it. No, it’s not gonna buy me a house on the hill, but it’s the principle that is worth more to me.

To the millions of amateur bloggers running Adsense out there still waiting for their first cheques, remember ‘Head up, chest out, eyes open – you’ll get there in the end!’ Stick to what you do and the web traffic will come.

I’ve always wanted to say this (c’mon, I gotta milk the situation right?) even though my blog posts and site have a good standing with Google already, but ‘You don’t know who I am? Google my name, soldier, GOOGLE my name!!!’

I’ll cash the cheque in this week. Any ideas on what I could spend the £61.94 on? Maybe buy myself a new hat? Your suggestions are welcome in the comments section below.

Salute! Here’s to the next one!

Related posts:

1. Web Design and SEO: Grade Your Website or Blog
2. WordPress and Contact Form 7: Blank Emails from WordPress Blog
3. Portfolio Update: June 2011 – Custom Clothing

Below are a couple of examples I have added to my portfolio. The first is a free standing mirror purchased separately by a client from a department store. Their logo, which I designed last year, isn’t the most ideal type for vinyl cutting simply because of the lettering’s intricacy (weeding this type of cut can really test your patience!). However, the intricacy really comes out when the job is done, so it’s worth it!

The second mirror was twice the size and was already installed on a barber shop’s wall. The logo and lettering for this one was a lot less detailed and simply consisted of a red font with a white contour around it. Remember, each colour is a separate layer of vinyl and it’s best to keep a maximum of three layers only, for clarity’s sake. Also, where you have any over-lapping layers, edges underneath can still be partially visible and can play havoc with your design if not kept to a minimum.

VERY intricate logo, weed this at your peril!

A more simpler logo..(yes, that's me taking the shot!)

The ‘Imran Khan Hairdressing’ job was a complete revamp of an old and tired barber shop in the hood, watch out for the full lowdown soon in the portfolio. The Beautiful Truth, as you all probably know, is one of my longer term clients for whom I have done a lot of wierd and wonderful work for.

Anyways, it’s ramadhan and my routine is playing havoc with my bowels. More to come soon.

Related posts:

1. Portfolio Update: July 2011 – Vehicle Graphics
2. Vehicle Graphics – Back Screens are Back!
3. Portfolio Update: December 2010

Effects...

Novelists and publishers get ‘writer’s block’, as do others, so it’s common amongst the human species as the time when our ‘batteries need re-charging’(!)

Robots can build cars, but they can’t design an A5 flyer. This is because any design is an expression of a human soul presented using elements such as fonts, colours, images and media. Any limitations that exist are in the form of a brief or specification. ‘Designer’s Block’ is kinda ironic in the sense that it defines the moment when we are struggling to do what what we are meant to excel at. It could be a design-concept for a website, logo, poster or sign, but you can either be struggling to make a start, or whatever you crank out is shit and you think you’re crap designer(!)

It happens to us all and it always strikes with little or no warning. Many factors can contribute to it such as stress-level, workload and deadlines, and I’ve tried to cover these within this post as best I can. For me, it generally hits when I have to name new businesses, organisations etc. I HATE doing it because it’s the complete starting point and everything is dependant on a unique solution NOW! Saying that, I always get there in the end, so keep that in mind when stressing yourself out.

Everything has to be UNIQUE! If I had a penny for every time people ask for something ‘unique’, I’d have a lot of pennies(!) However, as a designer, I agree every idea/design/concept has to be ‘unique’, but we just call it ‘creative’ instead. Doing this on a regular basis sometimes results in our mental mechanisms grinding to a halt or needing more of a push-start than usual aka ‘the block’. When you’re doing this day-in day-out, you have to reach some sort of compromise with your life-style to ensure you’re at your best when creating that shit-hot artwork(!)

‘Perfectionism’ is another cause. Go easy on yourself and trust your capabilities in designing something till its complete.

I’ve split my methods to avoid and/or combat ‘designer’s block’ into two types. The first, ‘real-time’, are ideas you can use there and then when you’re sat at your desk with your chin in your hand thinking you’re a loser(!) The second, ‘Long-Term Remedies’ are really required of you on a more routine basis to keep your mind sharp.

Real-Time Remedies

1. Take a Break, Outdoors(!)

Oxygen - proven health benefits(!)

2. Use a Thesaurus

I usually experience ‘the block’ when creating logos and names for clients. A quick remedy to this I found was to use an online thesaurus to generate new words, names and mottos to be used as part of the design. The sounds of the words can play a big part in the success of a logo or business so this method gives me further options to present to the client.

For example, if someone wanted to name a new restaurant ‘Bob’s Fast Food’, i’d further try different words like ‘Bob’s Eatery/Buffet/Pizzeria/Cafe’ and so on. Each different word offers a different out-look on the same thing. You get the point.

3. Research on the Net

This might sound obvious, but it’s all too easy to copy something that someone else has done. The internet provides us this opportunity in abundance. However, ‘designer’s block’ wouldn’t exist if this was the case, the whole point of being a creative designer is to use what we see to create something new. Therefore, the point is that we use the internet to research anything which can initiate that creative-flair and use it to create something..err..unique!

4. Music

To creative minds, music is a great source of inspiration and ideas. The term ‘music is what feelings sound like’ can be applied, in my opinion, to 90′s (and beyond) progressive trance and electronic music, of which I am STILL a flag-waver. On the flip-side, Hip-Hop as a genre is a favourite of mine too. Whatever you’re into, use it to stimulate your mind either as background music or a more concentrated dose of decibels, dancing and/or head-bopping(!)

5. Try a New Tool or Technique

It could be a new tool in your graphics software you haven’t used yet, or a new online tutorial teaching you a new technique, go-ahead, try it! I can remember learning about various techniques such as contouring elements and text, the shadow and mould tools and so on. They tend to open up new possibilities to your design work which you may not have tried before.

Long-Term Remedies

1. Sleep / ‘Power-Nap’(!)

(..already disturbed.)

2. ‘Zone-Time’

You might call it something else, but ‘the zone’ is that time, and mental state, when you are concentrating on your artwork and physically sat at your computer. It helps to allocate a few hours each day to this activity because it prepares your mind and body to get into ‘the zone’. It’s better to have a few hours each day rather than splitting your work into a more hap-hazard, or ‘as and when’, routine because you may actually concentrate more knowing this is the only time you have, on a given day, to develop your ideas. Switch off your phone, log out of Facebook, lock your doors, heck – even take your clothes off and sit there naked – whatever, only YOU can define ‘your zone’ and what helps you to concentrate better. Discipline yourself, and stick to your allocated ‘zone hours’ and the results will speak for themselves.

3. Eat Properly

Ever heard of ‘brain-food’? A healthy nutritional intake can boost your cognitive thought processes, short and long-term memory, mood and also logical thinking. Just make sure you eat regularly and vary your foods to keep the nutritional equilibrium. Blueberries and nuts are good for your short-term memory and salmon is great for your brain matter, mood and susceptibility of developing alzheimers or a stroke (also whilst offering the all-important Omega-3). Anti-oxidants are important to maintain a healthy immune system so go ahead, munch on that fruit and veg like you’re getting paid for it(!)

4. Get More Time and/or Money

If you’re feeling stressed or under-pressure because of a deadline, it’s simple – get it extended. Although some people may excel when under pressure, if it turns you into a shivering bone-sack, you may have to reach a compromise with your client. Same goes with money constraints, if you feel the money isn’t fair, your sub-conscious may steer you to create ‘average’, instead of ‘amazing’, design-work. Communicate with your client, don’t worry, most WON’T bite your head off(!)

5. Trust Yourself!

It’s easy to treat each design as the ONLY ever design designed by a designer(!) You want each and every one to be the best and so amazing that your client asks for your hand in marriage when he/she views it. Learn to trust your abilities and look at your past-work as examples of your fine craftsmanship. All of it started as a blank canvas and you got there in the end with a fine design everyone loved, so what the hell are you worried about THIS time around?

With athletes and sports-people, ‘routine training’ is more concentrated towards the physical condition of the body. Us designers, however, are the opposite. Our routine ‘training schedule’ should be to keep our brains in tip-top condition to offer us the mental state to create awesome artwork. We can use the gym to keep our bodies looking good!

Anyways, I’m off to the shops, I read somewhere that blueberries are good for your short-term memory, but can’t remember where.. ;)

Salute!

Related posts:

1. Design and Print: How To ‘Christmasize’ a Takeaway Menu
2. Digital Posters – My Design and Print Service
3. Poster Design: Movie Themed Poster Design For Senior Citizen’s RailCard

I just can’t understand why people use FREE web services such as Vistaprint who send you 250 ‘free’ cards printed on shit paper with artwork that consists of selecting elements such as text, colours and images from a drop-down menu on-screen (no offence VP). Why would you want to hand these out to prospective customers with ‘Printed FREE at Vistaprint’ plastered on the back? What’s wrong with you?

Then there’s them cheap cardboard cards available to purchase from a big red machine in shopping centres. These should be illegal as the laughable fonts, 90s’ clip-arts and ‘border-designs’ can really cause damage to your business rep(!)

My new ones arrived this morning printed on 400gsm matt-laminated paper. I think I deserve a bucketload of gold nuggets for cramming the most info onto a business card CREATIVELY, but even then it’s only one-half of one side used. I went for a landscape design on one side and a portrait design with my ‘face’ logo on the other, just to keep things spicy(!)

Front and back

Did I leave anything out?

Quality business cards can get costly, but keeping everything in mind, I recommend 400gsm matt/gloss-laminated. Quality feel, finish and functionality at an affordable price. That’s it, you won’t have to contemplate a re-mortgage and/or bank robbery(!) Matt lamination is a thin film added to the card which protects the card from wear and tear, spillages and lasts a lot longer. Gloss-lamination achieves the same purpose but has a shinier ‘sheen’ to the finish.

In my opinion, the ONLY way to go is get your cards designed full-colour, professionally. Either do it yourself or get someone with sick skills like me to do it, and printed on a thick card with a smooth finish. OK, the actual cost of the artwork/print is higher initially, but the image you will portray for yourself is surely priceless, right? Your new business cards should last you months, even years, so you’ll have to live with your shit design if you choose that road(!)

Prices are as follows:

400gsm Matt/Gloss-Laminated Business Cards

Quantity	250	500	1,000	2,000	5,000	10,000
	150	165	190	250	370	520

PS: Facebook fans who have ‘liked’ my page get a further discount, enough to buy you a drink on me, or a sandwich on me, whatever tickles yer pickle. Click ‘Like’ in the right side-bar >>.

PPS: More portfolio updates soon.

As Delboy Trotter would say, ‘Bonjour!’.

Related posts:

1. Digital and Litho Printing – My Version Of A Paper Size Chart
2. Design and Print: How To ‘Christmasize’ a Takeaway Menu
3. Digital Posters – My Design and Print Service

The subject of the painting was Muhammad Hisham Kabbani or (‘Sheikh Hisham’ as he is also known by his legions of followers all over the world), an Islamic spiritual leader/scholar and ‘pir’ of the Naqshbandi/Haqqani Sunni Sufi Order. Born in Lebanon in 1945, the Sheikh is an advocate for peace and tolerance, which he promotes in his many international projects.

Working from a photograph, I tried to keep it life-like yet abstract to give it a unique appearance, something on the border of realism and surrealism. Therefore, a seamless blended background was air-brushed to represent a white shadow or ‘emmitting light’ from the figure, so to speak. The turban, clothing, face and beard was all hand-painted. A black and gold frame to compliment the bright colours within the painting was added. I seem to have an obsession with black frames, trimmed with metallic finishes, but they always add an uber-classy touch to the paintings.

Sheikh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani - ready for framing!

Sheikh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani - framed and finished!

The brother who commissioned the portrait hand-delivered it to the Sheikh a month later and reported back to me that him and his close associates had approved of the painting. Smiles all round then!

What do you think? Would love to get some feedback from any followers of the Sheikh, please comment below!

Related posts:

1. Case Study: Mansha Sweet Centre, Nelson
2. Poster Design: Movie Themed Poster Design For Senior Citizen’s RailCard
3. Portfolio Update: December 2010

Facebook allowed integration and development of applications using it’s own version of HTML called FBML. It was great for a time and developers flocked to understanding and mastering it, only to find out early 2011 that Facebook had decided to pull the plug on it and that all webmasters and Page Admins should revert their FBML tags and code BACK to HTML. Bit of a silly merry-go-round but, ya know, it’s not as if we have a say in what Zuckers and Co decides to do. This resulted in a cartload of information on the internet referring to FBML which is now defunct, useless, space-sucking, call it what-you-want. So, I’ll reveal the most up-to-date way of achieving it, using an iframe tab and HTML.

Dedicated landing pages are used to steer your page visitors to a single image or page. This page can be used to further promote your brand, product or service, remind your visitors to ‘Like’ your page and anything and including therafter, dependent on your coding skills. Most pages go straight to the wall or photo albums, which is boring because it’s the default view, so this little tweak will make your page shine out amongst the cannon-fodder(!)

I just changed mine, here’s what all non-fans and first-time visitors see:

A little reminder for all non-fans and new visitors...

Then, to all the wonderful homies who ‘Like’ my page:

...then a little 'Thanks!' for all those who 'liked' my page.

Yeah, yeah, I know. You may be thinking ‘that design is f****ing awesome, ha ha ha, Herbie you are just too sick!’, but ya know, don’t wanna blow my own trumpet and all that but, yeah, I knocked the images up in a few minutes whilst juggling eight tennis balls, lickin’ a Cornetto ice-cream and balancing on my head – all at the same time. Who says it’s only women who can multi-task?

See, Dick? It’s pretty simple but a very slick trick(!) Here’s how you do it:

1) Install ‘Static HTML’ App on Your Page

You need the ‘Static HTML: iFrame Tabs’ app for your page. Go to https://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=190322544333196 and click the ‘Add to my page’ link which can be found on the bottom left of the application’s page.

2) Create and Upload Images

This is important. The width of your images can only be 520px. This will ensure you use all the allocated space whilst keeping everything flush and neatly positioned. The height can be anything you want. My images above are 739px in height. Export your images as gifs, pngs or jpegs. Use 96dpi pngs for optimum web performance and appearance.

Save your image(s) in your own web directories or by using the many free image-hosting services available such as Flickr and Photobucket. Make sure you know the full directory paths to your image(s).

3) Enter App Code

Click the new ‘Welcome’ tab you see on your page after you have installed the app. You can decide here if you just want one image to show everyone, or two images to show non-fans and fans alike. Be slick like me and go for the double-combo meat-fist sandwich (ie. two images). Enter the following code into the boxes:

<style type='text/css'>
#wrapper {
width:520px;
height:739px;
margin:0 auto; border:0; padding:0;
position:relative;
}
</style>
<div id="wrapper">
<div style='width:520px;'>
<img src='YOUR IMAGE URL HERE' /> <!-- This image will be displayed to non-fans -->
<!-- You can also add any HTML that you want displayed to non-fans -->
</div>
</div>

Make sure you enter the correct image dimensions in the code and also the url to where you saved your images. Repeat this step in the second box if you wish to show a different image for users who have already ‘liked’ your page. Click ‘Save and view tab’ at the top right corner and view your new welcome page in both forms, as a non-fan and also as a fan.

As a final check, go to your page> Edit Info> Manage Permissions and ensure the ‘Default Landing Tab’ is selected to ‘Welcome’. Get your Facebook rudies to check your new welcome tab and report back. Everything should be working smooooth!

Here’s what mine looks like on my page:

'Live and kicking'

4) Become Overwhelmed With The Flood Of New Fans(!)

That’s it! Now your page stands out from everyone else’s and reaches a new-level in the ‘slickness chart’. Notice all the big boys and pros have already had this sussed. Welcome to the ‘Player’s Club’ homie! My page received a humongous SIX new likes within the 24 hours since I created my new Welcome tab, and I salute each one of my new fans. I have an earth-shattering 102 likes on my page now and I’m proud because each one of these people actually acknowledged my shizzle by clicking the ‘like’ button.

Now, to everyone else who HASN’T liked my page, what the f….??!! Us bloggers share secrets, tips and tricks for the benefit of others who may not have the skills we do. The LEAST you can do is ‘like’ my Facebook page here….jheeeeze!

Till the nex’ time, kids!

PS: You can comment using your FB profile below, without having to enter email address etc. Let me know what you think.

Related posts:

1. Facebook Display Picture – Introducing ‘Bookface’
2. How To Automatically Update Your Facebook, Twitter and Myspace Profiles via Your WordPress blog
3. Portfolio Update: July 2011 – Vehicle Graphics

'Longer than a conger'

It’s kinda wierd, both clients who’s vehicles are shown are named after my home-town, Nelson aka Pendle. Spooky. (Call them who buss’ ghosts!) Aaaanyway…

Pendle Property Maintenance wanted a fresh new look before applying it to their smaller Astra van. I used an outline of ‘Pendle Hill’ (which is a well-known hill and also region in my area) to relate it directly. The notorious slope can be easily identified as the hill and I used straight lines and lettering in the other parts of the logo to differentiate between the hill and the text.

small and pretty(!)

Simply, the logo went on both doors, bonnet (reversed) and back. The main panel area of the van was used to arrange text of different sizes to depict the various services offered. It took some arranging considering the limited area and text count, but I thought it was better than a boring bullet-pointed list. Simple, clean and creative. Just how we like it, yah?

Click here to view the complete portfolio. More to come soon.

PS: How does everyone find the new video chat on Facebook? It’s a BIG update, feel free to drop me a ‘like’ on my Facebook page. Muchos gracias!

Related posts:

1. Vehicle Graphics – Back Screens are Back!
2. Portfolio Update: June 2011 – Custom Clothing
3. Portfolio Update: December 2010

I’ve just added a couple of recent designs I did on the back screens of cars. If your budget doesn’t stretch to a full vehicle installation, or even if it’s your personal vehicle and you want a more subtle approach, then this may be the solution for you. If not done correctly, it can look naff and silly, but of course, there’s different ways to eat a sandwich(!)

Entirely covering the back screen with digitally-printed vinyl is illegal because it can obstruct your view and cause a hazard to other road users. So, the way to go is to use flat-coloured vinyl which will allow you to have gaps between your letters and shapes. Keeping it simple and clean is important as it will generally be seen on the road. The advertising potential is great and it’s free! Like Blue Peter stylee, ‘Here’s a couple I did earlier’:

Back screens = free advertising!

K.I.S.S. - 'Keep It Simple, Stupid'

This would be the ‘no-frills’ approach to vehicle graphics. The other end of the scale is a full custom wrap covering every inch of your vehicle’s panels, but everybody has their own individual tastes and budgets. Stay tuned for more vehicle graphics I have done including a full LWB Mercedes Sprinter van, which was daunting at first but we got there in the end.

Click here to view the complete portfolio. I’m back in the habit now so will be posting again very soon.

Muchos graciaaaas!

Related posts:

1. Portfolio Update: July 2011 – Vehicle Graphics
2. Signs and Vinyls: Spruce Up Your Mirrors With Cut Vinyl
3. Portfolio Update: December 2010

Yeah, yeah I know. I haven’t posted for nearly TWO whole months and the only excuse I can find is that age-old one ending in ‘..too busy’, but honestly, my workload has been intense and I’ve been busy being ‘TOO BUSY’ with it, but I’ve made adjustments now and it won’t happen again. Blogging aint easy, so I might as well do it properly after spending so much time creating and running this blog. Promise.

To all my RSS subscribers who unsubscribed because they weren’t being fed with their dosage of me more often, a heart-felt apology. Yeah, I noticed the numbers dwindle, but ya know, ‘Please come back!’. To everyone else who takes even the slightest interest in my stuff on this blog, Facebook and other online channels, thanks for the support, comrades! It seems everybody wants a piece of ‘the Hysterikal Kid’ at the moment, so I’m not complaining, because I shouldn’t, but..err.. I wish we didn’t have to sleep…(!)

Anyway, the up-side of all this is that I’ve been so busy being busy that I’ve got loads to show you. I’ve decided to start trickling out my recent work and not bombard you with it once in one whole lump sum. Think of it as a ‘drip’ rather than a ‘spill’(!)

Custom Clothing

I’ve just added six images to the Custom Clothing section of the portfolio, so we’re of to a good start. As y’all know, all the work is original and and comes guaranteed with the ‘Wow’ factor.

Cafe Express, Nelson - custom polos

Embroidery

Embroidery is the most expensive type of garment application but, boy, the results are worth it. In February, I designed and embroidered this satin kickboxing robe for UK and European champion Hassan Ali, who’s ‘lion’ logo I designed in mid-2010.

Hassan Ali 'The Lion' - custom embroidery

Click here to view the complete portfolio. I’m back now so will be posting again very soon! Peace.

Related posts:

1. Portfolio Update: December 2010
2. Portfolio Update: July 2011 – Vehicle Graphics
3. Fonts: Recent Discovery of the Horrific Use of Comic Sans in my Locality

We have the ‘ever-innocent’ Microsoft Corp to thank, for commissioning this monstrosity in 1994. ‘Thanks, Bill!’. It’s generally mis-used because of it’s ‘comical and informal’ appearance. ‘Yeah, right’. As it was a free inclusion in earlier versions of Microsoft Windows, it was used in all instances from large-scale signage to business documents such as Annual Reports and brochures. It’s STILL in use today! Every time I see it, I recognise it and wonder WHO chose that particular font and what they were thinking when committing such a sin. It’s got a cult-following for being the most annoying font in existence!

Anyway, on a recent trip to see my dentist I discovered this font in large-scale plastered across the reception desk! It must have been at-least 12ft wide! I took a sneaky photo whilst I was waiting my turn:

Why? Comic Sans should be BANNED!

As you can see it’s a nice touch, with the reverse-cut frosted vinyl applied onto the glass facia. I’m sure the NHS didn’t employ any cowboy dogsbody to do the job, and it seems well-done. So, why the HELL have they chose Comic Sans in such a setting?. It’s then made worse that all the letters are lower-case and the tracking has been increased so there is more space between the letters. It looks naff!

A simple, smart and neutral font such as Lucida Sans or even Arial would have looked so much more professional. Why spread the letters out?

As a designer, I can’t help my beady eye critiquing every detail on my travels. This HAS to be one of the worst examples of design I’ve seen. There’s simply no excuse for the use of such a font in such a setting.

I know the NHS is facing cutbacks this year, seems like they’ve already sacked the graphic design department!

Related posts:

1. My Top Six Fonts I Am Sick To Death Of, And Will Be Deleting – NOW!
2. Xara Xtreme Pro: How To Make Fonts Look Embroidered or Stitched
3. Poster Design: Movie Themed Poster Design For Senior Citizen’s RailCard

One morning whilst checking my emails I noticed a ‘phantom’ email that had come from my blog which was just blank. Yep, as blank as plain paper. It just said ‘From: WordPress’ and ‘To: You’, which doesn’t really give that much away. I pondered a bit, and just proceeded to delete it and think nothing of it. I just put it down as a random harmless side-product of the various php-crunching algorithms, xhtml and css code whirring away under the bonnet of my blog.

The week after, I got another one. Again, I just deleted it and didn’t bother to investigate further. I usually get a daily email from the WP Database Backup Plugin I use, and even fobbed the anomally off as something to do with this plugin.

Enough Blanking, Already!

This carried on for about a month and on my sixth random email, I opted to open the bonnet and have a good poke around. What was causing these random gremlins to pop-up in my inbox every-so often? I try to keep my blog bullet-proof with all the security loopholes closed and all plugins and themes updated, but this was bugging me now.

I likened the situation to a pristinely-engineered and finely-tuned F1 car running good and working as it should, but spitting out a massive blob of oil from the back, once every forty-or-so miles. It HAD to be sorted.

Contact Form 7

F1 - highly engineered, but still precarious...

Voila! Literally seconds after I logged into my email client, I got a new message in my inbox. Yes, it was blank, my F1 car had just spat out a blob of oil and I had personally orchestrated it. I felt a sense of relief at diagnosing the problem but also a sense of curiousity as to the cause. I re-tested to be sure.

I headed into the settings for Contact Form 7 and viewed my form. Everything seemed fine, all the tags and code was correctly in place and the form worked on the site, but I noticed the ‘Message Body’ area of this particular form (I have a few!) was blank. I couldn’t remember changing anything myself so I just re-entered the tags in the ‘Message Body’ section, saved and re-tested the form. It worked fine, no more blank emails! :)

I put it down to maybe a plugin update somewhere had stripped the code from the section, but I can honestly not say what caused the data to be wiped from the ‘Message Body’ section of the form. I suppose I had become accustomed to the plugin working great in the background that I didn’t notice when the handful of enquiries I get through it every month dried up! The remedy was quick and painless, but what isn’t is that I will never know who them six blank emails were from, and what wierd and wonderful projects/work they required me for.

So…

To all others who use Contact Form 7, I recommend it’s worthwhile just giving it a quick check-up in the settings every week, because as like what happened with mine, the contact form itself could be working fine, except you’re not receiving the details when the moment comes!

To the potentially six ‘lost clients’ who filled and submitted the form and were excitedly expecting a reply from me, now you know why you didn’t get one. Please re-submit if this has jogged your memory. A deep and heartfelt ‘sorry’ from me. No matter how highly-engineered the technology, sometimes it spits out blobs of oil(!)

You can find the Contact Form 7 plugin here.

Salute.

Related posts:

1. Adding Meta Tags To A WordPress Blog
2. How To Automatically Update Your Facebook, Twitter and Myspace Profiles via Your WordPress blog
3. Web Design and SEO: Grade Your Website or Blog

A friend had a recent clear-out at a call-centre and I went along to help. Noticing a bunch of six aluminium A2-sized poster frames sat in a heap, I decided to salvage them from an ‘otherwise shit’ set of circumstances and bring them back with me to ‘my lab’ (amongst other great ‘finds’!!). I instantly had a visual concept of a design that could addorn a little hallway in my place that was otherwise blank with white walls. Here goes..

The design was such that four of the frames would be used and painted the four CMYK colours, namely cyan, magenta, yellow and key (black). The design of the posters inside would reflect this. I thought it would ‘brighten-up’ my hall-way whilst ‘keeping it kreative’.

Paint-Mask, Please

Each frame was dismantled and the surfaces roughened-up with three grades of sand-paper. They then got three coats each of gloss-spray paint. The magenta was a bugger to get hold of, but in the end I opted for ‘Belton Molotow Premium’ from an online retailer. Good job, too.

Frames Painted (this ugly pink was not the end magenta I found)

Posters - ready and waiting..

Poster Design

I went for an abstract vector graphic design which would be informative yet colourful. Check it out in the pictures below. My web -address at the bottom with a small logo in the middle completed it. The posters were A2 sized and printed full colour at 1200dpi, sharper than my tongue(!)

The poster design.

Voila-hoo-ha! The end-result, you know it's 'the shit'.

It’s brightened up my hallway and kinda reflects my personality sometimes.

Saving lost causes from ‘the chop’.
Salute.

Related posts:

1. Digital Posters – My Design and Print Service
2. Portfolio Update: December 2010
3. Ten Highly Creative and Detailed Vector Artworks

190gsm Digital Poster Printing

Digital printing, in general, is cheaper than lithographic. However, it’s limited quantity-wise, so it’s suited for short-run printing only. I thought I’d write an individual post about our digital poster service. The difference is that it’s ideal for a quick turnaround (up to 150 max) and the quality is the same compared to lithographic printing.

Posters are ideal for advertising your business, product or service. Get the word out, get your contact details out and get it all presented in a way that makes your customers want to contact you. It’s not rocket-science(!)

Paper – Weight, Thickness and Finish

We use 190gsm ‘gloss’. This will take you ‘one-level up’ from 90% of posters and flyers out there, which use the standard 130gsm-160gsm ‘silk’ paper-weights. Gloss is a shinier finish which ‘captures light’ as opposed to ‘silk’ which is flatter and not as absorbing. We think 190gsm is a great balance between strength and quality.

Print Quality

Full-colour digital printing at 1200dpi will ensure crispy-sharp images with vivid colours and high-res detailing. We always use eco-friendly inks where possible, the planet isn’t a car, that you can trade-in or replace(!)

Lamination

Laminating posters with plastic envelopes will preserve the life of the poster by making it tear-proof, water-proof, crease-proof, age-proof and easier to handle (a lot of ‘proofs’ there..).

Print Prices

190gsm Digital Posters

	1-50	50-100	100-150
	£2(5)	£1.80 (£4.50)	£1.50 (£4.00)
	£6(10)	£5.50 (£9.50)	£5.00 (£9.00)
	£15(24)	£14.50 (£23.00)	£14.00 (£23.00)
	£20(40)	£19.00 (£38.00)	£19.00 (£38.00)

Turnaround

This is the biggest advantage digital printing has over lithographic. Quicker turnaround times means less waiting about twiddling your thumbs for you(!) Around the ‘neighbourhood’ (Nelson, Burnley, Colne etc etc), we can deliver next-day, or within one-working day if they are posted first-class within mainland UK.

Poster Artwork Service

Our artwork service is £70 per poster. For this fee, you receive a complete professional experience. This includes original creative design and conceptual advice, efficient communication, great people, unlimited edits, and high-resolution pdf artwork. What more do you need?

Recent Samples

Below are a few recent examples of our beloved clients’ work. All have been designed, printed, delivered and installed (of course) by Herbie Hysteria and Friends. All the following examples are laminated, for that great finish and enhancement!

Stylz Hairdressing A2 Posters

Muscle Factory A3 Poster (modelled by Mojo the Menace)

Tulip Takeaway Re-branding and A2 Posters

Get In Touch!

Every poster design is an individual concept, so I love creating them. Get in touch today, there’s many ways to do it, so we can start on your masterpiece!

Related posts:

1. Bespoke Framed Posters – Something For ‘The Lab’
2. Digital and Litho Printing – My Version Of A Paper Size Chart
3. Poster Design: Movie Themed Poster Design For Senior Citizen’s RailCard

I came into work a couple of days ago and went to switch my main PC on. Nothing. No life at all. Unfortunately, between the night before and this morning, my PC had died(!) It was an emotional moment for me because it had been a reliable companion since 2006! A true work-horse, modified and improved as and when required during my ownership. I quickly did a mental ‘trial and eliminate’ sypnosis and concluded all may not be lost…

You see, the symptoms were err… absolutely nothing. When I pressed the power button, there were no lights or whirring noises or any kind of output on the monitor. It just stared back at me in complete silence. The light on the monitor was still amber coloured, which told me there was no power going to it from the PC.

It seemed totally dead to the world. I booted up the ‘reserve-’chute’ (my laptop, actually) and set about doing some primary research online on the subject. It didn’t take long for a ‘plan of action’ to firmly register itself in my wayward head.

The Diagnosis

Usually, PCs have a power switch on the back of the actual power supply itself. Mine didn’t but your best-bet is to check this isn’t accidentally switched off before switching your PC on! It could be something as simple as this, give yourself a ‘kick in the shin’ if it applies to you.

The first thing I tested was the power cable. I replaced it and tried the switch-on, but nothing happened. This was the ‘best-case’ scenario because a power-cable is easy to replace. I double-checked all the various USB/peripherals connections and even tried the PC with only the power cable attached – again, nothing.

Next, I used a multimeter to see if there was any voltage coming out of the 3-pin power connection on the back of the PC. Nothing registered. I was onto something, now…

I rang one of the homies who’s an ‘expert’ in I.T., and he advised me that the most likely component to have failed was the power supply itself. If other things such as the motherboard, RAM or CPU had failed, the computer would have shown at least SOME signs of life, ie: lights flashing, errors shown on the monitor etc.

I learned that the first thing to fail on older PCs is the power supply and the symptoms matched to a T. The multi-meter test registered no voltage, which meant the power supply was dead. Bingo!

The Doctor

I opened the PC’s cover and peered inside. The power supply is usually towards the top of the unit if it’s a tower, or towards the back if it’s a ‘proper’ desktop. I noted down the manufacturer and model numbers of the power supply and other details such as wattage etc. Armed with this, I went to my trusty ‘PC-man’ in my local town-centre. (I totally rejected the idea of buying it online because of the delivery delays due to Christmas). I needed my PC back ‘firing-on-all-cylinders’ NOW!

The engine-bay..

The good news was that there are now available generic power supplies that would replace my original perfectly. Mine was a 300W unit and my-man opted to sell me a 400W one, telling me it’d be better performance-wise. A quick performance-boost whilst we’re at it was certainly welcome!

The new unit cost me £24 which I thought was a great price, since this was me losing my ‘power-supply-virginity’. I had never in my life had to do this before, so I was kinda excited but anticipated a straight-forward replacement job.(!)

The ‘Triple Heart-Bypass’ Surgery

Back in the office, with everything disconnected from the PC and myself ‘earthed’ to prevent electric shock (touch the PC metal cover, work barefoot or wear a special, I dunno, however you do it), I set upon the ‘operation’.

The first thing I did was to note down all the various wires and connections coming from the power supply to the different areas in the computer. If you forget ‘what goes where’, you’ll be ‘up shit’s creek without a paddle’. There’s a main 24-pin connector which you can’t really miss(!) Then there were about six other smaller 4-pin connections including the optical drives, hard drive and so-on.

The old power supply (RIP)

I made sure all the connections were properly seated, and routed the wire-loom neatly around the other components. If you’ve got fingers like sausages, and you’re the type who has difficulty pressing a single button on a mobile phone, get your homie to do it(!) I also took this chance to give the whole inside a good dusting.

The Re-Birth

The moment of truth came and I connected everything back up and pressed the power button. Everything lit up like Las Vegas (well, it did to me…) and the machine whirred and buzzed back into life and booted first time. The fan in the new power supply gave off a deeper humming ‘tone’ which sounded fresher than the tone I was accustomed to. Kinda like comparing the different sounds of a V6 and V8 engine on a car. Bravo! The problem was sorted within TWO days and I gained some new learnings. Can’t complain.

Hopefully, as you’ll see, some things in life are more simple than they seem. So, the next time your computer ‘dies’, it just might not be dead.

Salute!

Related posts:

1. Ten Highly Creative and Detailed Vector Artworks
2. Vehicle Graphics – Back Screens are Back!
3. Case Study: Hassan Ali ‘The Lion’ Re-branding and Team Apparel

A few months ago, I designed and printed the folded-A4 menus for a local takeaway in my neighbourhood. Back then, it was a completely fresh design and branding for the new owners of the business, who loved it and gave me a cart-load of ‘pats on the back’ as a result (I still have a sore back!). Anyways, during the run-up to Christmas 2010, they re-approached me to update the menu, this time making it ‘Christmassy’ (if that’s a word).

The basic design (fonts, imagery, positioning, colours etc) was to remain the same, whilst the design-concept required a re-fresh to bring it up-to-date. Also, a few other little changes were done at the same time such as additional menu items and minor-tweaks here and there.

The Original Design

The design was originally a totally new design for the business, which served traditional Asian food as well as fast-food such as burgers and pizzas. The design was kept ‘light-hearted’ and ‘informal’ and their new logo consisted of a cartoon mascot on a branded-moped travelling at speed (to convey the idea of a quick delivery service).

Al-Taj Original Menu - Front and Back

Al-Taj Original Menu - Middle

The name itself, ‘Al-Taj’ sends sub-conscious depictions of the sub-continent and ethnic culture. So, in making the design more ‘cartoonish’ and informal, it was definately a thought ‘outside-of-the-box’ for me(!)

The Christmas Re-Design

Their 2010 christmas re-design also gave me an opportunity to position things more efficiently and better-fit elements such as opening times and the map of the premises. Alterations included included:

Al-Taj Christmas Menu - Front and Back

Al-Taj Christmas Menu - Middle

The vector ribbons and christmas-tree bobbles I added were positioned so they crossed the entire width of the menus, so they had to go over the ‘bleed area’ of the document at design-stage. However, it wasn’t just a case of stretching the vector shapes and being done with it, each and every ribbon and bobble/element is strategically positioned so that they do not interfere with the menu items and the prices. Design is everything, yes, but it’s not everything when it’s covering the prices of your food items on your menu! So, you’ll notice the paths the ribbons take are very specific, sometimes even BETWEEN letters and words!

I also took this opportunity to increase the size of the ‘Just-Eat’ logo, at the request of the management. Apparently, more and more people are ordering their food from the online service.

A few other things got moved around and the menu’s ‘Free Chicken Burger’ voucher was re-designed so that customers could tear it off from the corner whilst not destroying the menu(!) As usual, the customers and the management loved the results and at the moment, it is THE best Christmas menu doing the rounds in my neighbourhood. Yee-ha!

Anyways, there’s a seat with my name on it for a big feast today (Christmas Day), better not let that seat get stolen!

Christmas Mubarak everyone!

Related posts:

1. Portfolio Update: December 2010
2. Business Cards: My new business cards just arrived!
3. Digital Posters – My Design and Print Service

Optimize!

Also, SEO can be rather expensive if it’s outsourced, for the ‘average-Joe-dude’, so doing it yourself can pay big dividends if you’re not a complete moron by way of intelligence(!) Web-based software can allow you to have control of your SEO like you do, say, your hosting account.

There’s also a paid-for version of it’s service that gives you a ‘live-panel’ including tools for search engine optimization, business blogging, website content publishing, lead tracking and intelligence, marketing analytics, and competitor analysis. However, for the majority of us, the free report available can be enough to point out to us things/bugs/errors we may have missed otherwise.

Compare it to your usual Google Analytics or subscription-based traffic data. It also points out useful tid-bits like any alt-text you may have missed from your images or even some meta-data.

Check out Website Grader and Blog Grader.

Let me know if you found it useful!

Related posts:

1. Cool Web Apps – Create An Oil Spill On Any Website!
2. View Your Website or Blog on the Apple iPad, Without an Apple iPad(!)
3. WordPress and Contact Form 7: Blank Emails from WordPress Blog

Graphic Design

A few logo concepts have been worked on for a couple of larger projects. Logos – forever the starting point of massive organisations. You’ll hear more about them in due time. Meanwhile, I’ve added five new original logos I have designed and used this month.

Logo design for PAST Parents Group

Logo design for Heavenly Perfumes.

Design and Print

Getting a full cafe/takeaway menu onto two sides of A5 isn’t easy, but I’ve had to do it three times this month, of which two are included in this update. A couple of great poster jobs got dealt with too, amongst varied other stuff.

A5 Menu for Spice Of Asia

Signs and Vinyls

I also completed a digitally-printed UV sign for Madni Channel, the Islamic TV Channel on SKY 838 (tune in!). A new Islamic bookshop funded by them opened locally. The sign-board was designed, printed and installed in November. Also, a banner for a school-fayre kept me busy.

UV Design and Print Sign for 'Madina Bookshop'

Custom Requests

One custom request was a set of ID cards for a school parents’ group. These came out great and the ladies loved ‘em. Other stuff included a family portrait printed and laminated to A1 size.

People and Places

I met a brother who is the owner of a new busines called Heavenly Perfumes. Heavenly Perfumes, a new retailer based in my hometown approached me for logo and poster design. The job was completed on time, within budget and the results were definately the design-highlight of the month!

A very clever poster-design concept to bring the name ‘Heavenly’ into some associated imagery. However, you’re going to have to go to my Facebook page to see it because I have included it in the portfolio there under ‘Graphic Design’ and ‘Design and Print’. Also, more design-work for the ever-presents such as Stylz Hairdressing!

Site Tweaks

Beyond this, you will have noticed a few subtle changes around the site. I’m a tweaker, I just can’t help it and a major addition has been a little widget in the right-sidebar called ‘Latest Thoughts’. Think of it as a ‘status update’, it’s just somewhere I can quickly add my thoughts at a particular time, usually updated daily!

Also, you’ll notice some changes to the header links up ^^ there! I’ve added the ‘Latest Articles’ in chronological order as ‘The Blog’. Yes, ‘The Shop’ is there too and I’ve started incorporating it (nothing exciting to be viewed just yet) into the site, so hang on to your hats.

Anyways, view the complete additions to the portfolio here. The snowfall this month has left me and my homies quite numb, so I’m off to sit on a radiator(!) Don’t forget to leave your feedback!

Anyways, it’s been a good year, 2011 better be ready for me. To you and your family, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May God bless you all.

Related posts:

1. Portfolio Update: July 2011 – Vehicle Graphics
2. Portfolio Update: June 2011 – Custom Clothing
3. Bespoke Framed Posters – Something For ‘The Lab’

See, there ARE the usual cynical air-heads who choose to whinge and whine about it with statuses such as ‘Instead of changing a picture, go and donate’. I believe it’s about raising awareness, which it obviously has, which would then result in increased donations ANYWAY. Also, if the LEAST we can do is acknowledge such a campaign by changing our display pictures, then so be it. Some people are ‘fucked-in-the-head’, as they say in my neighbourhood.

Anyway, my mind floated towards ‘facebook display pics’ and a little concept just ‘came’ to me last night and envisioned itself within my head, plain and simple, creative and clear. I did a little ‘research’ to see if the concept had been used already, but nothing significant came up. I created it and exported it as a png, had a little laugh whilst doing so. So ladies and gentlemen, I present to you my latest ‘one minute wonder’ – ‘Bookface’:

Your new Facebook default display picture..

Related posts:

1. Facebook Pages – My New Welcome Tab and How You Can Get Yours
2. How To Automatically Update Your Facebook, Twitter and Myspace Profiles via Your WordPress blog
3. Design and Print: How To ‘Christmasize’ a Takeaway Menu

Banner Design

Just recently, a client who’s branding I had done earlier in the year returned to order some printed PVC banners measuring 4ft x 2ft. The branding was such that the imagery and fonts were always backed-up by a black background, to give that ‘dark and sophisticated’ look (get what I mean?). Not much of my large-format artwork consists of flat black backgrounds, but I still thought it was straightforward, to my surprise.

The banners were for an overseas charity project, for which my client is a supporter. The graphic design for the banner simply consisted of the black background, the logo and one line of white text reading ‘Supported and funded by’.

Large Format UV-LED Printing

CMYK cartridges on a Mimaki

The Problem – When ‘Black’ Isn’t Really ‘Black’(!)

I exported the design as a pdf at 300dpi resolution, and viewed it in Adobe Reader 9.3, it looked fine and the black background seemed really err…black? It looked good. PDF documents are an industry standard type of print-ready file because they hold their resolution and also use the CMYK colour model, which is a popular commercial printing colour model. CMYK is what most printers and commercial-printing set-ups use, which consists of four inks, cyan, magenta, yellow and key (black), which are used in various techniques, to generate millions of other colours and print the artwork.

When the artwork was printed onto the PVC banner material, the print came out such that the flat black background didn’t look black, but more of a ‘dark grey’ or ‘anthracite’ colour. I initially thought it was the printer that fucked up, but these things rarely go wrong so i suspected it was an artwork issue. Photos don’t differentiate in much detail, view the photo below to get my shizzle(!)

Black or Dark Grey? (FYI this is the first 'nearly black' effort)

The Solution – CMYK vs HSV/RGB

I researched around some online forums and blogs, and found the solution to my problem. The problem existed because different colour models interpret flat colours in varying ways. Let me explain. When designing using my vector graphics software, all colours on the screen are viewed and represented using the HSV colour model, which allocates a six-digit code to each colour/shade such as #FF80FE (a glorious shade of pink!). This colour model uses light to generate the different colours on your monitor’s screen, and so are great for web-design and web-graphics.

However, the standard black in the HSV model is represented by #000000, but it’s CMYK equivalent is the ‘dark grey’ black. Yes, it looks fine on the screen, but when converted to CMYK for printing, the various ink mixtures result in the ‘not-so-black’ black(!) #000000 actually converts to C-0% M-0% Y-0% K-100%, which is also referred to as ’100% black’ because it is 100% of the ‘Key’ black ink which is used.

I was advised to increase the percentages a little on the other three inks. The reasoning behind this is far too complex for a short-ish post on my blog, but it’s related to the way the inks are mixed to generate other colours. I increased the percentages of the other three inks, to create a ‘new colour’ in my graphics software. I opted for C-25% M-25% Y-25% K-100% and used this black instead of the standard black. It still looked the same on my screen, but when printed it was a beautiful, rich ‘darker-than-dark’ black. A huge improvement, and a lesson learned for me. (I don’t have a photo of the improved print because I had to post it out same-day, but it was blacker than black and made the text and font stand out even better). Whooppee!

If you’re a designer, printer or related professional, let me know of any similar problems you’ve had and how you rectified them. If you’re a potential customer, don’t worry, not all my jobs are fuck-ups, this was just a little ‘grey area’ in my skills-set(!)

Related posts:

1. Digital and Litho Printing – My Version Of A Paper Size Chart
2. Bespoke Framed Posters – Something For ‘The Lab’
3. Digital Posters – My Design and Print Service

Having a handy paper-size chart is..err..’handy’ when you offer a design and print service. It’s a good reference tool and you can quickly answer your client’s questions about size and dimensions by glancing at it. From the standard 55mm x 88mm business card size, to the largest A0 sized poster, all the widths and heights vary and are also proportionate to each other (eg. A4 is twice the size of A5 and so on).

I would normally ‘make do’ with a standard size chart sourced online or from one of my suppliers. However, one lazy weekend, I ‘accidentally’ went into ‘design-mode’ whilst sitting at my PC and ended up creating my own version of a printing paper size-chart. That weekend’s social activities kinda incorporated themselves into the design..

I had visited a friend the day before, who had just purchased a two-month-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppy – excitable little animal that it was. He had also been having trouble with his laptop and was clearly at the end of his tether with it, which had stopped charging from it’s DC charger plug. So, I kinda used these two ‘highlights of the weekend’ as inspirations for my paper size-chart design.

Voila!

The design had to be ‘to-scale’ so all the paper sizes and elements are correctly sized against each-other.

Paper size chart for design and printers, by Herbie Hysteria.

Free Downloads

You’re welcome to save the image above and use it how you like. There’s also a few full colour high-res downloadable jpegs (with 3mm bleeds and 300dpi resolutions) in A4, A3 and A2 size, in case you REALLY love it and just can’t bear NOT having it stuck to your wall(!) The download links can be found below:

'Paper-Size Chart by HH' - A4 / 300dpi (112)
'Paper-Size Chart by HH' - A3 / 300dpi (95)
'Paper-Size Chart by HH' - A2 / 300dpi (85)

Enjoy!

Related posts:

1. Digital Posters – My Design and Print Service
2. Large Format Printing – The CMYK Black Problem
3. Business Cards: My new business cards just arrived!