Design for multiple devices – Responsive designs

Smart phones and tablets are more and more popular. Slowly there will be more touch screen devices in use than desktops or laptops. This somehow triggers the need to optimise the websites for multiple devices. Mobile/ tablet websites or applications can take advantage of a full set of new interactivity.  In 2012, launch your mobile website to increase conversion rates from users on the go.

Minimalist designs with something extra

The new websites are moving away from cluttered designs, focusing on main messages and leading the user directly to some sort of conversion forms. Minimalist designs are still a strong trend, but I believe adding something extra would could be a great challenge for this year. Custom, hand-made illustrations, full screen backgrounds would be the way to go.

Hand-drawn Illustrations

As I look around I can see more and more original art integrated into multimedia projects. It makes the website / presentation / brochure / poster  somehow more unique and personal. Moving away from stock graphics it’s a great idea to include hand-drawn unique sketches into the designs this year.

Bold Colours

Attention grabbing bold colours are great to emphasise the main parts of the site (e.g. your product). Of course it doesn’t have to be flat, it could contain shading, overlay patterns but overall it should be simple, brave and of course BOLD! Read about the Pantone Colours of the Year.

Info-graphic style

Compress and visualise the details of your project or services with an info-graphic and  make it the main part of the design. If it’s a multimedia project, it can be even enhanced with animation and interactivity. Informative illustrations will grab attention and engage customers longer than a simple stock image and also provide a memorable experience.

Transparency, Animations, Layers

With HTML5 and CSS3 it’s possible to create stunning websites with animating different layers of the designs. This trend will grow further as soon as more tags/elements are supported cross-browser. Until then you can just take advantage of the new techniques and have a fall back design for the old browsers. Take advantage of CSS3 animations, transitions or include parallax animation to make your website more visually engaging.

So, all in all we will see what 2012 brings in graphic and web design – all these seems pretty exciting. If you have ideas about the subject, I would love to hear what you think, send a tweet or drop a line.

Infographics are freat tools to increase awareness of your business and drive traffic to your website by using viral and social media marketing. A quality infographic can increase the incoming links to your website which leads to higher ranking in search engines.

DesignPINK focuses on creating beautiful information conversions and creative visualisations of your data.

Benefits of Infographics

• Custom designs tailored to your brand
• Optimized typography and graphical elements
• Freehand drawings, custom shapes
• Deliverables for different media (online and print use)
• No hidden costs (no editing costs)
• No minimum orders / retainers

Process of creating Infographic

• Brainstorming – based on your research and raw data we will present you with various ideas suggestion the best ways to visualize the data.
• Providing wireframes you can review the concept and ask for changes before the production starts
• Once the first draft is ready you can ask for amendments, changes.
• Delivery – after all of the above finished you can choose from different file formats you prefer and we send it to you. (We are happy to provide source files as well.)

Send us the details to receive your quote within 24 hours.

Read the press release from Pantone

Easy-to-read web copy

The text on your website should be easy to read – at all times. If you have more copy than the designed area would accommodate you should consider optimize your website design for the quantity of the copy . To accomplish an easy-to-read content there are some basic rules so consider:

• Use short headings – your headline shouldn’t be longer than 8 words
• Avoid extra-long sentences – try to keep it under 20 words. Overcomplicated sentences might confuse or mislead your readers or simply be boring.
• Break your content into paragraphs – built up your content logically and make sure it’s broken into paragraphs not more than 80 words.
• Optimize the length of your pages – don’t try to stuff all the content into one subpage,  don’t make your visitors to scroll for hours to get to the good part. Unless your are publishing your memoir, try to keep the length around 250 words per page.
• Additional formatting options – optimal use of white space, readable font type and font size.

Keep the content simple and friendly

Keep it simple - unless it’s relevant to your business you shouldn’t show off how extensive your vocabulary is or how many slang you speak – your future clients might not be on your level and simply won’t understand it.
Make it personal - if you know your target audience, their age, education, interest etc. you have a clear vision who you are writing for. While creating your content, consider to write in. After all a huge component of any purchase decision is emotional, not rational.

Writing for the Search Engines

Alright, I guess we all have seen websites stuffed full of keywords an in many cases the sentences don’t even make much sense… Try to find the balance between a keyword driven content and a perfect description of your products services. To include relevant keywords on your pages are truly important, but if that means that you have to sacrifice the meaning of your copy you will definitely will drive more clients off then you catch. Select your keywords wisely, build it into your content logically without overusing them and without getting an impression that you targeted the search engines instead of the human beings.

The rule is simple: include your selected keywords into without sacrificing the quality.

Guide your audience

Besides breaking the copy into parts (headlines / lists / paragraphs) and using the formatting options a website has to offer ( bold / italic / underline etc.) you could think about what happens if your reader finished the page. Give some options to them where to go next – you could include related articles, call-to-action buttons, links, galleries or anything you think it will fit.

Use SpellCheck

Built in spelling check, your own head or professional help – up to you -just make sure your website doesn’t have spelling mistakes, grammatical errors. Mistyping happens to all of us and I’m not saying it’s unforgivable, but you should put some effort if you wish to convey a professional image.

“The paper density of a type of paper or cardboard is the mass of the product per unit of area. The term density here is used somewhat incorrectly as density is mass by volume. “Paper density” is more precisely a measure of the area density. Paper products that let little or no light pass through (e.g. poster board) are considered dense or heavy. Paper products that allow some light to pass through (e.g. tissue paper) are considered lightweight.” – from Wikipedia

When it comes to printing one of the first thing you need to decide is which paper you choose. The thickness of the paper is quite important. Thicker paper is more durable, conveys different message and of course in most cases more expensive. To find an optimum solution look at the list of the general usage of different paper density:

• 90 – 100 gsm – used for stationery, text for magazines and booklets, flyers and brochures.
• 120 -170 gsm – used for text for booklets, flyers and brochures. The heavier the weight, the more “upmarket” the feel.
• 200 – 250 gsm – ideal for magazine and booklet covers
• 280 – 420 gsm – used for cards of all sorts and book and booklet covers.

Lamination / Celloglazing

Lamination offers a substantial protection to your printed materials.  It’s waterproof and makes the paper more durable. As a finishing option you can choose from matt or gloss celloglazing to give your designed cards or brochures something extra.

Raised Printing / Embossed Printing / Foil Stamping

The raised print is a specialised process which involves applying a fine  powder to the wet ink and passing it through a heat tunnel which instantly creates the raised effect. Yyou can feel the text on the card, rather than just see it. Raised print can only be applied to one side of the card or paper.

Embossed printing will add elegance to fine patterns you want to  integrate into your corporate image. By adding an extra dimensions to your imagery it will change the nature of the material you present to your viewers. By giving it a quaint look your image is enhanced by a blank impression onto paper.

Foil stamping uses heat and metallic foils to create a shiny metallic eye catching finish on goods such as packaging, wedding stationery, invitations, personalised stationery, corporate stationery, gift cards, brochures and presentation folders. You can choose from different foils including black, gold, hologram and silver foils.

Premium Textured and Metallic Papers

For your printing products you can choose from a wide selection of specialty papers to give that extra something to your printed collaterals. Take a look at some of the specialty papers we recommend:

Linen paper stock - This is a sensible paper characterized by a subtle, calm grid woven fabric pattern, and the material has a sturdy surface with a soft color.

Tant paper stock - Unevenly embossed – only front side

Nouveau paper stock – Neat, warm, and simple looking

Silky Matte paper stock - bright white surface,  excellent color results,  excellent text legibility

Particles paper stock - Natural heavy environmental friendly paper, antique and lightly textured

Vintage Craft paper stock - Natural heavy environmental friendly paper, antique and lightly textured

Star Dream paper stock - Metallic glitter two-sided coating, elegant and luxurious look.

Star Gold paper stock - Gold glitter pattern with metallic and pearlescent two-sided coating.

Light Gold paper stock - balance of soft gold and pearl. Metallic light gold with gold shimmer.

Light Silver paper stock - Quality smooth uncoated with subtle silver glitter.

Chameleon paper stock – The sublte metallic color changes depending on the angle of the light.

Concept paper stock - Mystic metallic feel.

If you have any questions, enquiries about printing, available papers or the different techniques, just contact us.

Our Printing Solutions include…

Printed materials are important parts of your brand’s representation. If you want to have a unique solution, a custom made design with exceptional outcome we are here to assist you. You can pick your preferred size, different paper types (even specialty paper), laminated, matt or gloss cello-glazing, plastic materials, 1sided or 2 sided, raised, embossed and even foil solutions with square or rounded corners in some cases.

When it comes to the decision we will help you to choose the perfect option for your brand , provide you with a quote for different solutions and quantity options.

We provide printing solutions for the followings:

• Magazines & Booklets
• Folded Brochures
• Flyers
• Postcards
• Business Cards
• Letterheads
• Posters
• Stickers
• Invoice  Books
• Note Pads
• Envelopes
• Fridge Magnets
• Post-It Notes
• Presentation Folders
• Calendars
• Bookmarks
• Plastic Cards & PVC Cards

Read more about the available paper types, paper stocks

What is QR Code?

“A QR code (short for Quick Response) is a specific matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code), readable by dedicated QR barcode readers and camera phones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data.” – Wikipedia

Who Can Use QR Codes?

Basically anyone, who has a mobile phone with camera. By scanning the codes you can access, images websites and text, code and much more. You just need to install a code reader on your mobile and you are ready to take advantage of QR Codes.

Add them to any print advertising, flyers, posters, invites, TV ads to use it for promotions, vouchers, registration, advertising simply providing additional information  for example:

• Product details
• Contact details
• Offer details
• Event details
• Competition details
• A coupon
• Twitter, Facebook, MySpace IDs
• A link to your YouTube video
• A link to you website

Can it be customised?

Yes! It can be easily customised to match your branding colours. You can even include your logo or other symbols. Of course, more information it contains more complex the QR code becomes and you have less freedom for customisation. But changing the colours to match your corporate branding is the easiest way to make them unique. The recommended minimum size is 32mm x 32mm although you could make it smaller, just don’t forget to test it before you launch your campaign.

If you need assistance with customising your QR Codes, we are happy to help, just send us an email. 

Free Online QR Code Generators and what they can do

Google QR Code Api – With the help of Google’s Api you can integrate easily to your web applications e.g. online proposals, invoices

ZXing Project - Calendar event, Contact information, Email address, Geo location, Phone number, SMS, Text, URL, WiFi network.

BeQRious - URL, Email address, Phone number, Text, Contact information, SMS, YouTube, Services, Graphical (to put an image into your QR code for a URL),Google Maps.

Delivr - URL, Services (such as Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, etc.), Google Maps, Contact information, Email address, Phone number, SMS to phone number, SMS to short code, Text, RSS feed

Azonmedia - Text, URL, Phone number, SMS, Email address, Email message, Contact details (vCard & meCard), Google Maps( location search is available), Social networks (such as Facebook, Twitter, Delicious and some other services).

Maestro - Phone number, SMS, Google Maps （location search is available, URL, Contact information (MeCard, BlackBerry Pin and BlackBerry vCard), Text (RAW), App Store (for Apple, BlackBerry, Android or customized), Calendar event (vCal).

goQR.me - Text, URL, Phone number, SMS, vCard.

Mobile-Barcodes - URL, vCard, Text, Phone number, SMS, Email address

KAYWA - URL, Text, Phone number, SMS.

SEO Friendly website design

DesignPINK not just gives you a unique design, we incorporate the different SEO factors to deliver a design which would be successful for your business.

• We pay attention on the download speed, offering you a perfect solution how to make your website loading faster;
• We create websites with clear navigation and good architecture;
• Maximize the readable content by search engines – which boosts your ranking
• Compatible with all the modern browsers

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Services

In general SEO would be the essential tool to improve your website in the search engine ranking. SEO is all about understanding how the search engines work and maximize your site’s performance.  Recent research shows that more than 80% of Internet users find products and services using their favorite search engines. If you prefer to have the chance to be part of these results your need to consider optimizing your website.

The optimization won’t happen overnight. You need to patient, it could takes months until you achieve the desired results. We can give you the initial tools to get started and have the best chance to boost your website’s online performance.

• website evaluation – FREE (just send us your website address and contact details though our contact form and we will send you the evaluation of your site for free)
• website update to make it more SEO friendly
• keyword analysis
• advice on how to optimize your content to achieve higher SEO results

Online Marketing Services

Our Online Marketing Service offers Website Analysis, Keyword Research, SEO (search engine optimization), social media marketing, email marketing, PPC (pa per click) campaigns and many more techniques and tools to increase traffic to your website.

• Help you to set up an email campaign
• Design your newsletter
• Advice on Social Media marketing
• Google Adwords Campaigns
• Detailed advices on DO IT YOURSELF solutions
• Free evaluation (contact us with your website details and preferred goals and we will get back to you with a detailed report how can you achieve it!

Common folding type for 4 pages documents 

Single fold  or half fold or book fold

This type of fold is mainly used for brochures, postcards and I actually saw some creative business cards with half fold as well.It is usually constructed by folding an 8.5″ x 11″, 8.5″ x 14″, 11″ x 17″ or 11″ x 25.5″ sheet of paper once, creating 2 equal halves. The inner pages are usually used for the content, while the front and the back page presents some company information.

Common folding types for 6 pages documents

C-Fold or Letter Fold or Tri-Fold

This common fold, used for mailings and brochures, is much like a letter folded by hand for inserting in an envelope. Basically folding an 8.5″ x 11″,8.5″ x 14″, 11″x 17″ or 11″ x 25.5″ sheet of paper twice. The inside right panel folds to the left and the inside left panel folds to the right on the top, forming the cover page.

Double Fold or Gate Fold or Window Fold

The gate fold is very attractive as the succession of message presentation is dramatic. It requires either handwork or specialized equipment. Lining up images that cross over the inside flaps can be very difficult. The left and right edges fold inward with parallel folds and meet in the middle of the page without overlapping.

Z-Fold or Fan Fold or Zig-Zag Fold

The “Z” style offers an advantage for multi-page letters to be collated and hand inserted for mailing. Because the pages nest together, the letter is opened with the pages in sequence. Folding the sheet of paper twice (the outside left panel folds to the left and the inside right panel folds to the left, forming the brochure cover)as a result it shapes as the letter “Z”.

Common folding types for 8 pages documents 

Parallel Map Fold / Double Parallel Fold

The Double Parallel Fold & Parallel Map Folds require a four panel design (8 pages). An 11″ x8.5″ sheet is folded into a 2.75″ x 8.5″ brochure. This fold is commonly used for larger sheet sizes such as 14″ x 8.5″ which yields a 3.5″ x 8.5″ brochure and 17″ x 11″ sheet which yields a 4.25″ x 11″ brochure. The two inside panels are slightly narrower than the two outside panels. This fold is popular for programs and promotional pieces.

Parallel Roll Fold / Barrel Fold

Popular, although sometimes tricky, the barrel fold “rolls up” a multi-panel brochure. Each panel must be slightly longer than the preceding one. It may or may not be a good design for a given brochure as the message tends to unroll rather than open up to the reader. Consists of 4 panels: two panels that are the largest size, a short panel, and an even shorter panel.

Accordion Fold / Triple Fold

This is the four panel version of the previously mentioned “Z” fold. It makes a nice presentation. Zigzag type of fold, opens in the manner of an accordion, permitting the paper to be extended to its full size with a single pull. Used for travel brochures,  direct-mails.

French Fold orquarter-fold or 8-panel right angle fold

A french fold brochure is made by folding a page in half in one direction and then folding the folded page in half again in the opposite dimension. After folding it consists of eight panels, four on the front and four on the back. Eight-panel french folds with even panels are commonly used for greeting cards and wedding invitations.

Common folding type for 10 pages documents

Double Accordion Fold

This is the five panel version of the previously mentioned “Z” fold. It makes a nice presentation. Zigzag type of fold, opens in the manner of an accordion, permitting the paper to be extended to its full size with a single pull. Used for travel brochures,  direct-mails.

Common folding type for 16 pages documents

Parallel Booklet

This is the eight  panel version of the previously mentioned parallel map fold.

If you would like to have your own branded wallpapers created, we would love to help you. Send us your details, let’s create your branded wallpapers today!

Small(er) Screen Sizes file

Includes the following sizes: 320×480 / 480×800 / 640×480 / 640×960 / 768×1024 / 800×600 / 1024×768 / 1024×1024

Medium Screen Sizes file

Includes the following sizes: 1152×864 / 1280×720 / 1280×800 / 1280×960 / 1280×1024 / 1400×1050 / 1440×900

Large Screen Sizes file

Includes the following sizes: 1600×1200 / 1680×1050 / 1680×1200 / 1920×1080 / 1920×1200 / 1920×1440 / 2560×1440