Scene in Pulp Fiction represented with Typography. By Jarratt Moody. www.jarrattmoody.com www.jarratt.tv
how do you make graphics like this
http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg47/wolfgirl625/Spottedleaf.jpg
So you’re making your own web site. You’ve been working on it for a while, you have some good content, but something is still missing… cool graphics! Let’s face it: a web site without nice graphics is like a TV show without color. It’s boring and drab and won’t look very visually appealing. You want your site to catch people’s attention and make them say, “Hmm, this looks interesting, I think I’ll check it out”. One of the best ways to do this is to have a good header graphic at the top of the page.
What is a Header Graphic?
A header graphic is an image consisting of three parts: a background, a title, and a sub-heading. For example, let’s say you are building a web site about dogs. Your background might be a scenic view of a city park with a few dogs running around having a good time. Your title might be: “Dog Lovers Paradise”. For a sub-heading, you could either use the URL of your main web site (www.yourdomainname.com) or a line of descriptive text saying what your site is about: “all the info you need to be a good dog owner”, “buy discount dog food here”, “how to take care of your dog”, etc. If you are running on online business, you could put your business slogan here.
How do I get Header Graphics?
There are 3 main ways to get header graphics, depending on how much time and money you have available:
1. The expensive way – hire a professional graphic designer to make them for you
2. The cheap way – buy a customizable set of pre-made graphics from the Internet
3. The free way – make them yourself!
Option #1 may be great for big corporations that have a lot of money, but it’s not so practical for small businesses or individuals who make web pages as a hobby. Sure, you might be able to hire a freelance graphic designer who will charge $50 per graphic or something like that, but even that’s a lot of money for most people.
When I design web sites, I prefer option #2. This is a great balance between time and money. It’s easy to find header graphics packages that cost a lot less than hiring a professional. Such packages typically provide a number of different generic backgrounds and styles so you can pick one that fits the topic of your site. Graphics are given to you in a format that makes it easy to edit the individual elements of the image, such as the popular Adobe Photoshop .psd format.
In a .psd file, image elements are organized in layers that can be turned on and off, or changed as you see fit. So you could pick a header graphic that you like, change the title and sub-heading to be whatever you want, and then save the new image as a .jpg file for your web page and you’re done! It’s that easy! You can have a nice, professional looking header for your web site in as little as 2 or 3 minutes! All you have to do is spend a little bit of time and money finding a good graphics package to use.
If you have a little more time and want to make something truly original, then you can go with option #3: do it yourself. Making your own header graphics can take a lot of time, but the rewards are well worth it. If you are good at it, you could even go into business for yourself as a freelance graphic designer or make your own graphics package to sell!
How do I Make My Own Header Graphics?
First, you’ll need some good image editing software. I prefer Adobe Photoshop, but it’s kind of expensive. If you want free software, I suggest using Gimp, which can be downloaded from here:
http://gimp-win.sourceforge.net/stable.html
You need to download and install both the “Gimp” and “GTK+2″ packages to get Gimp working. I also recommend that you download the optional help files and animation packages. If you do a search for Gimp on Google, you’ll be able to find plenty of tutorials on how to use the program. But I like Photoshop, so for the sake of this article I will be talking only about Photoshop.
After you’ve got image editing software, you need to find a good background for your header. I find that the best backgrounds are scenic landscapes: mountain views, beaches, parks, cityscapes, urban vistas, forests, lakes, etc. To avoid copyright issues, you should grab a digital camera, go out and take a picture yourself from someplace near your house. Going back to my earlier example about a “Dog Lovers Paradise” web site, you might visit a city park and take a picture of some dogs running around the park.
Now put the background photo into Photoshop and crop the image (select the part of it that you want to use for your header graphic, and cut away the rest of the picture). I recommend using a rectangular 700×125 pixel chunk. Be sure to include a bit of open space that you can put your title and sub-heading on.
Many effective header graphics include pictures of people, animals, vehicles, or other objects in the right or left side of the graphic (obviously you should use something that is related to the topic of your web site). You can get people pictures by surfing the Internet for clip-art collections, or by taking photos of your friends and family. So let’s say you want your lovable pet dog to appear on the right side of your “Dog Lovers Paradise” header. Follow these steps:
1. Take a picture of your dog and open it with Photoshop.
2. Resize the picture so it’s small enough to fit into your header.
3. Use Photoshop’s lasso tool to outline the dog and copy & paste it into your header as a new layer.
4. Use the move tool to position the dog where you want it.
5. Zoom in and use the eraser tool to get rid of any messy edges around the dog. You want the dog to blend into the background so it’s not obvious that you copied & pasted from another image. For your eraser settings, I recommend using brush mode with a 5-pixel diameter and opacity of 100%. These settings will give you a nice fuzziness around the edges.
The last step is to add your title and sub-heading text. Obviously the title should be larger than the sub-heading. You might also want to use different colors to differentiate the sub-heading from the title. Pick an empty area in the middle of your header for the title text. The sub-heading usually goes at the bottom below the title. I like to use Arial or Impact for the font. Impact makes a good impression for the title and Arial is good for the sub-heading.
Adding special effects to your text is a nice finishing touch. Right click on the name of the text layer and select Blending Options from the menu. You’ll have to experiment with the different styles to see what works best for you, but I recommend using a combination of Drop Shadow and Outer Glow. The Stroke style can also produce nice results.
And that’s it! You’re done! Don’t forget to save the final image as both a .psd file and a .jpg. You want the .psd so you can easily make changes if necessary. Here’s a summary of the steps to make your own header graphic:
1. Start with a background graphic.
2. Copy & paste clip-art (people, animals, etc.) onto the background.
3. Add title and sub-heading text.
4. Add special effects such as a Drop Shadow and/or Outer Glow.
5. Save as a .psd and .jpg file.
It sounds complicated but it’s really not that hard. Once you are familiar with the process, it should only take you 2 or 3 hours to make a professional looking header graphic from scratch!
Wow, this is Great! Now What?
You should put a header graphic on every major page of your site, especially your main home page. If you like making headers, you could consider going into business for yourself as a freelance graphic designer or start selling your headers and open on online store! Even if you’re just making a personal home page as a hobby, you’ll be able to impress all your friends and make them say, “ooohh, look at that!”
Regardless of whether you choose the do-it-yourself approach or decide to be lazy and use customizable pre-made graphics, you can have really nice professional header graphics for your web site with very little time and effort, at very little or no cost. Header graphics will make your site look more attractive and will entice more people to read your content. And that’s never a bad thing!
Have fun building your web site, and you can always contact me if you have any questions or need help with something related to this article. Good luck!
Vinyl Car Graphics, Vinyl Lettering & Vehicle Wraps Create Individuality
Nothing can beat vinyl car graphics or custom stickers to embellish your dream car, truck or SUV. There are a great variety vehicle graphics available in the market place and you can easily choose the one that captures your personality and creativity. From different vinyl colors to graphic styles and designs, there are almost endless possibilities when it comes to vinyl car graphics.
The designs of car graphics can range from simple vinyl stripes, vinyl lettering to complete digitally printed vehicle wraps. Most women like beautiful shapes such as flower decals, insect stickers, animals, scenery, and tapestry patterns while Men like to deck up their car with more extreme designs, hunting decals, flame decals and racing themed decals. Teenagers like a flashier look that can be achieved with complete vehicle wraps. These vinyl wraps can be of any custom design or even photographs. The image is digitally printed on large sheets on exterior vinyl then applied to the cars surface, trimming off the excess around the doors and windows. This process transforms the vehicle to an almost life like or living vehicle. As long as you have a high quality, high resolution image that can be enlarged to fit your car without distortion, the end results are breathtaking.
Most car graphics that you find in the market usually come with messages and not images. Truck lettering and car lettering are very popular for small business to economically advertise their business. These more commercial applications primarily use vinyl lettering and simple logos. Since these graphics are more affordable, people like to use them on boats, bicycles, truck, helmets, windows, mirrors and many other smooth surfaces.
Vinyl car graphics and vinyl lettering are considered to be the best quality car stickers, and very easy to apply. Thus making vinyl lettering and graphics a smart choice for do-it-yourself applications. The vinyl graphics come pre-spaced with transfer tape over the graphics to keep the letters aligned, aiding in the application. Once the transfer tape is removed, the letters or graphics appear to be painted on. These Vinyl Graphics are extreemly durable and car wash safe. Most vinyl decals last for 5-10 years or longer. Vinyl decals may also be reverse cut and applied to the inside of windows, thus eliminating any chance if weather damage.
Modern technique has also come up with car graphics that are UV and weather resistant. Special films and inks now make your graphics last even longer outdoors. These add to the initial cost of the decal or sticker but if you plan on a more permanent location for your vinyl graphics they are well worth it. Many online sign shops offer online design tools that allows you to design, preview and purchase the vinyl lettering and graphics without ever leaving your home or office.
There are many type styles and color choices available to match anyone’s taste and vinyl decal requirements. If you want to make your message really clear, you can opt for reflective car graphics and lettering. These are the perfect way to make your message loud and clear because they stand out at night as well as add sparkle to day time applications. The latest ones are equipped with full color digital printing technology to suit your specific requirements. These will provide the liveliness to your vehicles during the day as well as in the night. This is really beneficial when it comes to promotional purposes. Reflective vinyl graphics will help reduce the collision during night time by up to forty percent.
There are several benefits of applying vinyl car graphics and vinyl lettering to your vehicle. Here are some of the benefits you can enjoy via applying car graphics on your vehicles:
Decoration – Simply just to decorate your vehicle to make it more unique and stand out. Add or show off your personality to passer bys. Attractive vinyl car graphic will surely make heads turn.
Accident Prevention – Add Safety with the use of reflective vinyl letters and reflective graphics. Use reflective vinyl car graphics and you would be reducing the chances of collision during night time.
Promotion – You can promote your company via using vinyl lettering and car graphics on your car, truck or SUV. These graphics may be applied to the body of the vehicle or just on the windows. Window decals are the most common form of car decals and vinyl car graphics.
With so many benefits, easy availability and ease of application, consider purchasing car graphics & custom decals for your vehicle today! It’s very easy and kind of fun designing your graphics online and then applying them yourself. The best website I found for ease of Design and very quick delivery was http://www.customsignsnow.com The package arrived in just a few days, and came with installation instructions, for a flawless application. I am very proud of myself!
This is alert for all the MySpace members. Now you can send all your friends. The MySpace auxiliary web sites have launched a variety of different web MySpace Graphics for the users to use.
Universally Compatible MySpace Graphics
The amazing thing about these graphics is that you can paste these graphics on any web page or even send them to your friends in any other social networking websites. The MySpace graphics are available in many different topics that many of your different friends will surely love. The MySpace Graphics can be pasted or used on your personal profile or it can be sent to your friends. These new MySpace graphics can be also used in other social networking sites like Orkut, Firendster, hi5, blogger, Xanga, Tagworld, Fubar, Tagged and any other social networking site for that matter.
Categories of the Most Popular MySpace Graphics
The Auxiliary web sites offer a variety of Category specific MySpace web sites. Some of the category specific MySpace graphics are exceedingly popular among the users. One of the popular MySpace Graphic is the set of “Tuesday” graphics. The awesome “Tuesday” comment the day to be an “awesome Tuesday” or a “happy Tuesday”. Using some of the other MySpace Graphics you can wish your friend a “good morning” or you can also tell your friend to keep in touch. Using the daily fun MySpace Graphics you can also comment about your friends or also say congratulations. One can also encourage your friend with the help of these MySpace Graphics. You can also paste your zodiac MySpace Graphic on your personal profile to identify your zodiac among your friends. By spending one of these MySpace Graphics, you can also wish your friend a happy birthday. You will also fiend the MySpace Graphics are also made for special occasions like Christmas, Thanksgiving or Easter.
How do you get the MySpace Graphic?
It is very simple to get these universally compatible MySpace Graphics. All you have to do is visit a MySpace auxiliary website. There you will find a variety of graphics. Just get the MySpace Graphics and also remember to get the code.
Comment MySpace Graphics
Many websites are also comment graphics among the MySpace Graphics. Some of the most fascinating ones include the angles MySpace Graphics or the cool MySpace Graphics. Some of the Comment MySpace Graphics is also used to display some of the emotions like, anger, sadness, depression, love etc. Another category among the comment MySpace Graphics is the picture captions or the most fantastic of the graphics like the Poems graphics, religion graphics etc.
Quote MySpace Graphics
Some of the most exiting quotes that the sites offer are the Bible Quotes, Inspirational Quotes, Life quotes or the love quotes. On special occasions you ca also send your friends MySpace Graphics like the Halloween Quotes, Christmas Quotes and the Thanksgiving Quotes.
General and miscellaneous categories of the MySpace Graphics
You can also find for yourself some of the interesting and irregular graphics like wildlife graphics or Super bowl graphics.
Igloo is a Melbourne-based web, interactive and brand agency. Here is our 2008 reel featuring web, motion, graphic design www.igloo.com.au This is our 2008 reel featuring graphic design, brand development, motion work, typography and web and interactive design and development. Client work featured – Village Roadshow, Sea World, Movie World, Jasper Hotel, Youth Rail,Mercer Wealth Solutions. Music – Igloo Theme (Tim Watson ex. Taxiride)
Can you imagine life without graphic designs? Today’s world is full of designs which you might not aware of it. In every aspects of our lives from the moment we wake up till the time we goes home, we see graphics everywhere. It has became a part of our lives and businesses too.
Businesses use Graphic Design in a various of ways for their products and services promotion such as poster, newsletter design, banners, flyers, logos, brochure design, business cards, letterheads, websites and etc.
What is Graphic Design Anyway?
Graphic design is the use of graphic elements and text to communicate ideas or information to specific audiences. It refers to a numer of artistic and professional disciplines which focus on visual communication and presentation. Various methods are used to create and combine symbols, images or words to create a visual presentation. Typically, graphic design is most commonly-used to create marketing materials in businesses such as magazines, advertisements, logo, web design and more so.
Graphic designers or graphic artist as sometimes called are the one resposible in creating unique and amazing graphic designs. They mainly plan, analyze and create visual solutions to communicate people. I would say that they are the one mostly needed in most businesses today because they find effective ways to get messages across in print, electronic and film media using a variety of methods they know. It may be through photography, animation, color, illustration and other various techniques.
Graphic design when done successfully by graphic designers, it attracts attention, enhances the message you are sending and adds credibility to your business.
Characteristics of a Good Graphic Designers?
A good graphic designers can communicate a message through design.
A good graphic designers build trust and confidence in companies and helps in brand development..
A good graphic designers can enhance the image of advertising.
A good graphic designer welds artistic concepts.
A good graphic designer is legible.
A good graphic designer creates appealing and attractive design.
A good graphic designer is unique.
A good Graphic designers consider cognitive, cultural, physical, and social factors in planning and executing designs for the target audience
A good Graphic Designers gather relevant information by meeting with clients, creative or art directors, and by performing their own research.
Communications done by visual effect is far more effective than written communication; even the unspoken significance of emotion and importance are conveyed. Is the topic serious or playful? Has the viewer to be soothed, stimulated, and urged to action? Graphic Designers control the message and so there cannot be any compromise in the world of graphic designs. Graphic Design is important wether like it or not, it simply create balance between design and technology.
Though this is the age of computers, even prior to this computer revolutionized production designing was a part of everyone’s life. Graphic Design has always kept a position of cutting edge. Communications done by visual effect is far more effective than written communication; even the unspoken nuances of emotion and importance are conveyed. Is the topic serious or playful? Has the viewer to be soothed, stimulated, and urged to action? Graphic Designers control the message and so there cannot be any compromise in the world of graphic designs.
Graphics are one of the most important elements of any tradeshow exhibit. They set the tone of your exhibit, and determine how your company will be perceived. You want to select graphics that will not only reinforce your company’s brand image, but effectively communicate to your audience what your company or product can do for them as well.
One of the best ways to captivate your audience’s attention is to use appealing graphics. You can use graphics to create interest and depth within your exhibit, which makes it more visually stimulating. To really amplify your message your tradeshow graphics should have excellent color, clarity, and detail. These three crucial elements are easily achieved when high-end quality graphics are used.
Innovations in tradeshow graphics continue to provide better mediums for displaying quality graphics. Fabric has been introduced as a great alternative to traditional exhibit graphics. For instance, today the older styles of inkjet-laminated panels are being replaced with more durable fabric graphics. Many exhibitors are making the switch to fabric graphics because they offer a number of benefits to the user, and they eliminate the possibility of glare or scratched finishes. A softer more elegant look can be achieved with fabric graphics, which makes them more appealing for interior displays.
Although the practice of using fabric graphics is still relatively new, there are a couple of ways to have your images printed. Images can be created through a dye sublimation process or a direct printing process.
With a dye sublimation process, the ink is permanently bonded to polyester fibers with a heat transfer. Photographic images look more realistic with this form of printing because the colors are not laid down as individual dots as they are with inkjet printers. However, there is a downside to this process since it can only be used on polyester fabrics.
Direct printing should be used if sharper brilliant images are desired because dye sublimation creates softer muted images. Direct printing use a steam process to embed the ink into the fabric, and can be used on fabrics like silk and cotton. Because this process prints the image directly onto the substrate it is highly recommended for durability.
There are many benefits to using fabric graphics since they eliminate many of the traditional trade show graphics problems. They are a durable, lightweight, versatile, and affordable medium for displaying quality color graphics.
Fabric graphics are so durable that they can be stored easily and reused again and again. They can even be machine washed or dry cleaned depending on the fabric and printing process. These graphics are a great display investment because many are wrinkle, stain, and fade resistant. The usual concerns that are associated with vinyl graphics are no longer an issue when fabric is chosen. Wrinkles can easily be removed from fabrics with an iron, and there is no need to worry about the substrate cracking as vinyl does with repeated use. Choosing a heavy weight fabric will increase the lifespan of your graphics because a thicker fabric can be displayed more often without showing wear as easily.
Since fabric graphics are so lightweight, they make transportation, drayage, and storage simple. These graphics can also be folded and packed into compact cases and stored in smaller spaces than those usually required by other types of graphic panels. Because they are lighter and take up much less space than other types of traditional tradeshow graphics fabric graphics are extremely portable. This makes them great for exhibiting anywhere.
Fabric graphics offer more versatility than laminated panels ever could. They allow you to capture different moods and looks by varying textures and opacities. Some fabrics have translucent properties, which provide the opportunity for backlighting as an extra element in design. There are also endless shape and size possibilities. They are more suitable for interior displays, whereas vinyl is better for exterior promotions. Vinyl can sometimes appear to look cheap when indoors, but fabric creates a more elegant appearance.
Since fabric graphics can be packed compactly, they can save you money on storage fees as well as transportation and drayage charges. This helps to make large-scale graphics more affordable for exhibitors with smaller budgets. The use of fabric graphics can also save your budget by extending the life of your tradeshow exhibit. Instead of buying a new exhibit, you can simply use fabric graphics to dress up or change the look of your current exhibit.
There is also an added element of safety to be aware of when you choose fabric graphics for your exhibit. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has certain regulation codes for the use of fabric structures at tradeshows and conventions so you want to be sure that your graphics comply with these regulations. Be sure that all fabric graphics that you use are made from flame retardant materials.
Fabric graphics have begun to make a place for themselves at exhibitions with the introduction of tension fabric displays. Fabric is a great medium to use for any type of tradeshow exhibit. Hanging signs made with fabric provide a lightweight piece that can help to extend the height of a display. Many popups are now made with multiple or single fabric panels which make set up and storage a snap because the graphics do not have to be removed and reattached for each use. Fabric graphics can also add movement and elegance to banners, and can even create unique structures with dramatic flair. Design possibilities for tradeshow exhibits are endless when fabric graphics are incorporated.
Although fabric graphics may initially be more expensive than other traditional tradeshow graphics, they are a great investment for exhibitors to make. The durability of these graphics alone makes them worth buying since they offer more repeat use. However, the limitless design possibilities of fabric graphics continues to increase their popularity because exhibitors are constantly trying to keep there image fresh and up to date. Consider using fabric graphics for your next tradeshow exhibit if you want a durable, lightweight, versatile, and affordable medium that you can count on to effectively portray your company’s image.
A thoroughly prepared client brief is half the success of a rebranding or design project. Attaining all the necessary and relevant information from the client and a comprehensive insight into the client’s brand provides you with a great foundation for the right brand identity and design solution.
As a designer or brand consultant, a properly prepared client brief gives multiple sources of ideas to work with. Unless you have a clear understanding of what the client wants and needs you waste your time trying to design something out of nothing and the client ends up spending more money than budgeted for as a result of the required modifications…which naturally makes both parties very happy….
Depending on the particular project you will need a specific design brief. That means if you are developing a website or creating a business card, the client design brief will be different. However, there is some general information about your company and what you want to achieve, which should give a good idea in any design situation. Here are some general questions that will help me and fellow designers and consultants:
1. Title 2. What is the nature of your business? What does your business do? 3. What is your target market? a. Age b. Sex c. Income d. Occupation e. Location 4. What is unique about your business or product? 5. Who is your competition? 6. What is your aim? What are your goals? 7. How do you want your clients to feel about the brand? What is the message you want to communicate? 8. What is your budget? Range? a. Providing a rough guide enables the consultant/designer with an idea of the type of marketing and design solution that can be provided to you. 9. What is your deadline? 10. Provide the designer with current and past design and marketing materials.
To see how you can improve the image of your brand click here: graphic design Melbourne