design | Digrafika Graphic Design

New Website Launched for Fleming Garage Door Company

Digrafika enjoyed the opportunity to work with Joanne Randall of Leap Year Marketing on the design and launch of the new site for Fleming Garage Door Company. Design, layout, functionality, and content were brainstormed with Joanne Randall.

One requirement was a focus for each of their two primary business areas:

Residential Garage Door Installation, Replacement, and Repair
Commercial Garage Door Installation, Replacement, and Repair

Additional required features:

Build-Your-Own Portal – Custom designed graphics that lead to a page for customers to create their own door prior to ordering from Fleming
Media Pages – Photo gallery of “before and after” images taken from actual installations
Links and Videos – Links to Apps, Suppliers and Vendors, as well as Videos highlighting popular products

Thank you Joanne Randall for the opportunity.

New Website Launched for Buying a Business in Atlanta

Digrafika enjoyed the opportunity to work with Tom Burdick and Roger Parker on the design and launch of the new site Buying a Business in Atlanta. Design, layout, functionality, and content were brainstormed with Roger Parker.

One requirement was a portal for each of their three primary business areas:

Buying a business in Atlanta
Selling a business in Atlanta
Marketing to enhance the value

Additional required features:

Branded Header – Custom designed header would also be used on newsletter, reports, and worksheets
Portal Pages – Provide an easy place for the user to find exactly what they need right from the homepage
Blog – Tom wanted to be able to share his expertise through writing articles
Resources/Links/Opt In – Users can download worksheets, and eventually opt in for emailed weekly tips

Thank you Tom Burdick and Roger Parker for the opportunity.

New Website Launched for NHWWA

Digrafika enjoyed the opportunity to work with New Hampshire Water Works Association in Concord, NH on the design and launch of their new website. Design, layout, functionality, and content were brainstormed with Joanne Randall of Leap Year Marketing.

It is a completely new look, design and feel – a big update from their previous website. It was a big step for NHWWA to make the investment in a new site, and they are eager to learn all its new features and functions. Their members and associates will find the site easily navigable and will now have access to much more information.

NHWWA’s goal is to bring content to their members in a professional and efficient manner. Navigation controls are on the top and expand when hovered over to bring additional detailed information. The ability to register for events, and apply for membership are streamlined by new forms and online payment options.

Additional new features:

Newsletter/Announcement subscription – members can sign up for newsletters and have them delivered to their inbox via add-on marketing software.
Membership Registration – application and payment can be done directly through the website, eliminating the need to send paperwork via mail.
Events Registration – members and associations can view, register and pay for events right on the website.
Members Only area – members can create an account on the site that allows them access to newsletters, journals, resources and links.

Thank you Leap Year Marketing and NHWWA for the opportunity.

Streamline Your Marketing in 2013

When it comes to marketing your business or organization, you’ll want to maintain a streamlined image. A common theme should flow from your stationery, to your direct mail, to your website and beyond. Create a recognizable image for yourself, an image that customers will always know is yours.

We create eye-catching, professional designs that will proudly display the focus of your business. Digrafika will take your basic ideas to a higher level by creating and delivering professional designs, while allowing you full control over the design process from proof to printing.

Digrafika wants to help your business to shine in 2013. Close communication between customer and designer make it easy to get exactly what you want in a design. What if you don’t know what you want? Digrafika will take your basic ideas to a higher level by creating and delivering professional designs, while allowing you full control over the design process from proof to printing.

When you hand a prospective client your business card, brochure, or other marketing piece, is it really a reflection of the service you’ll be offering them? Does your printed piece reflect the same quality of work that you’ll be offering your new client? Professionally printed products show that you are serious about your business. While photocopying and printing on the office laser printer may save money, it sacrifices quality. We partner with several professional printing companies who offer a variety of packages to meet your needs.

Digrafika Works with Rochester Chamber on Business Guide

It was our pleasure to work with Laura Ring and Caitlin Marble at the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce on the 2012/2013 Business Guide. And thank you to Shane Caplette at C & K Printing for superior pre-press support.

Digrafika provided a fresh look for the cover and divider pages that are easy to read and highlight some of past year’s Chamber events. Inner directory listings are printed in a clean, contemporary font accompanied by strategic ad and artwork placement on many of the pages.

The Chamber’s Business Referral Directory is produced annually and supports the products and services from businesses listed within. The Directory also provides community information including local, state and federal business resources and information on the numerous benefits and services available through Chamber membership.

We appreciate the opportunity to provide design and layout for this year’s directory, and to participate in Operation Thank You and distribute the freshly printed directories to Chamber members.

Custom Note Pads

Custom designed and printed note pads or scratch pads are a great giveaway or promotional item, and are also perfect for corporate gifts and employee recognition. Give them away at trade shows or events. Or leave behind for a top client. This product is packed with value. They are a useful item that keeps your name in front of clients for a long time. The pad will sit on your client’s desktop where they will be reminded of your company daily as they write a to-do list or memo. Or your client will carry it with them to meetings, showing it to potential referrals for your business. This product is suitable for nearly every business. For an add-on to corporate gift baskets or employee holiday gifts, go beyond cheap custom notepads and toss a customized personalized note pad in the package.

Note pads come in a variety of sizes, colors, and paper. Note pads can be printed with as many pages per pad as you’d like, though we usually recommend 50 or 100 sheets per pad. The pads can be printed in one, or multiple ink colors. Nearly any paper type can be used in the pad, from bright colors, to recycled or eco-conscious paper. Based on a standard sheet of paper, we suggest quarter page, half page, or full page note pads.

The best promotional item to be passed around is the one that will get used repeatedly. A note pad is a great investment for your marketing dollars.

Call us today at 603-534-2040 to find out more about custom designed and printed note pads for your company.

Logo Design for Cash Coalition of Southeastern NH

I was recently approached by Laconia Savings Bank to design a logo for the CA$H Coalition. Digrafika provided the logo design as a donation. I appreciate the opportunity to work with local organizations like this.

The CA$H Coalition of Southeastern NH exists to provide opportunities for low and moderate income individuals and families to strengthen their financial well-being. CA$H participating organizations include: United Way of the Greater Seacoast, Laconia Savings Bank, Northeast Credit Union, Waddell & Reed, Rockingham Community Action, NH Catholic Charities, More Than Wheels, Strafford Network, Great Bay Community College, The Workforce Housing Coalition of the Greater Seacoast, Internal Revenue Service and more.

Tradeshow Display for U-Gro Hydroponic Garden Systems

This tradeshow display for U-Gro Hydroponic Garden Systems was developed for the client to display at New England area flower and garden shows. The product is a new invention, and the purpose of the display was to coincide with the introduction of the new product to potential buyers.

The display design was based on existing marketing materials designed by Digrafika, including logo design, brochures, flyers, website graphics, and additional collateral.

Graphics and display assembly were printed and shipped from Affordable Exhibits Displays in Maine.

Frequently Asked Questions About Printing and Design

The following are some common design and printing terms. If you require further explanation of these, or other terms, please feel free to contact us at 603-534-2040 or graphics@digrafika.com

My printer asked for a vector logo; what does vector mean?

Vector-based art is art calculated and drawn mathematically in your computer and printer. This means art can be reduced or enlarged without any loss in definition or resolution. Type and lines remain crisp at any scale, not bitmapped. Usually the file type is smaller than bitmapped art. Drawing programs used to create vector art include Adobe Illustrator (ai) and CorelDraw (cdr).

What is raster or bitmapped art?

Raster or bitmap art is composed of individual elements called pixels, similar to a real photo. One may use a paint or photo program to compose a bitmapped image, or scan art in from a printed original. The resolution of the art determines the size of the file and the quality of the reproduction. Bitmapped art cannot be reduced or enlarged without losing detail, definition and resolution. Ideally a resolution of 300 dpi for is used for print reproduction. Files of this type are generally larger than vector images, and can contain a great amount of data per pixel. Adobe Photoshop is a paint program used to create raster/bitmap images.

What does dpi mean?

Dpi is the abbreviation of “dots per inch”, and is a measure of resolution in a printer, scanner or monitor. The higher the number, the better the print quality. A minimum of 300 dpi is usually recommended for best quality printed results. Newer printers usually have about 600 dpi, and monitors have 72 ppi (pixels per inch). The dpi of the original art cannot be increased or decreased without some loss of quality and data.

What is CMYK?

CMYK stands for the ink colors Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black, used in process color printing. CMYK is the standard color model used in offset printing full-color documents. When using the inks of these four basic colors, certain percentages of these colors can be added and subtracted to yield a variety of new colors. Combining 100% of all four colors together will yield black, while subtracting all the colors will yield white, or the color of the paper stock.

What is a spot color?

A spot color is a special premixed ink that is used in printing in addition to CMYK process inks, and requires its own plate on a printing press. Spot colors are used when only a few colors are necessary in a design and can accurately reproduce colors that are outside the gamut of process colors. They are not determined by altered color values or by color management, and follow a spot color matching system such as Pantone. Each spot color used will generate an additional spot color printing plate for a printing press, increasing printing costs. If you think your design may require more than four colors, consider printing the document using process colors (CMYK).

What is a PMS or Pantone® color?

Pantone®, Pantone Matching System and PMS are Pantone Inc’s standard trademarks for color standards, color data, color reproduction and color reproduction materials, and other color related products and services, meeting its specifications, control and quality requirements. Using Pantone colors will produce consistent color from more than one printer/supplier. Colors are normally referred to by a corresponding number on the Pantone palette.

What is RGB?

RGB stands for Red, Green, Blue – the colors of light emitted as on a video monitor, rather than by absorbed, as with ink on paper. On a computer monitor all colors are made using the RGB system. Color matching becomes most difficult when properly converting RGB colors into CMYK colors, so that what gets printed looks the same as what appears on the monitor.

Why does it cost more to print process colors than spot colors?

Process or CMYK printing requires the use of 4 plates on the press. If your design uses only a few spot colors, then less ink and plates/setups will be needed on the printing press, and therefore costs will be slightly lower. One plate is used per ink color on the press. If you think your product may use several colors, you may want to consider process or full-color printing. Additionally, if your product requires foil stamping, or a varnish, extra production costs are also incurred.

What is a proof?

Proofing is a method of checking for errors prior to printing an order. The customer may check the final copy of the design before it gets sent to the printer and make changes if necessary. A press proof is often used by the printing press operator to ensure the the colors are registered (aligned properly), and the components of the design match a dummy provided by the artist, before printing the final product in the production of the order.

What is a dummy?

A dummy models the finished piece, can be marked with color breaks and folds, and can be made with the paper selected for the job.

What is offset printing?

Offset printing is a common printing process, where ink is transferred to paper stock by a blanket carrying the impression from the printing plate, rather than directly from the plate itself.

What is a bleed?

A bleed means the image extends beyond one or more sides of the page. A bleed ensures that after a page has been printed and trimmed, the image will still continue to the edge.
A full bleed requires the printer to use a sheet of paper larger than the desired end result. For instance, an 8.5″ x 11” full bleed page would be printed on 9” x 12” paper (or larger) before it is trimmed. Many office laser and inkjet printers cannot print a bleed.

4 Easy Ways to Tie Your Marketing Materials Together

To successfully brand your business, you should project an image of strength and stability. Customers need to trust that you can and will deliver on your promises. They have to feel comfortable with you.

Simply telling your customers you stand behind your products and services may not always be enough. When your marketing materials scream “amateur” it becomes difficult to convince prospects that you’re different from their serious about offering a quality service for them.

The cardinal rule to looking professional is to coordinate your promotional materials–from your business cards to your website and everything in between. If your marketing materials don’t match, potential customers may believe they’re looking at different companies. Here are four easy ways to tie your marketing materials together:

1. Create a clean and uncomplicated logo.
Your logo should be easy to remember, be resized without losing detail, and work in one color (such as in a fax or on a pen). The logo should be unique and meaningful and appear on all your marketing materials.

2. Make one color yours.
Choose a color–preferably one from your logo–and use it throughout your marketing materials. Color plays a huge role in memory recall.

3. Work with only one or two fonts.
Fonts, like colors and graphics, project different images.

4. Stay the course.
Just about the time you’re getting sick of your brand standards, your brand starts resonating with your customers. Don’t be tempted to introduce a new color or unusual font selection. Remind yourself that while consistency isn’t always fun, it’s the proven path to branding success.

Nowadays, your company’s actual size may not matter, but its perceived size does. And looking big will pay off big-time.