Top Ten Websites - Oh Yeah.

MORRIS was honored by HOW as one of the top ten design websites.
Check out the link... and our website!
http://www.howdesign.com/top10sitesfordesigners/
http://www.thinkmorris.com/

To Blue or Not to Blue? That is the Question!

Through adversity we become stronger… is that how it goes? I’m thinking perhaps that should be changed to “we become crazier,” because sometimes, I am completely blown away by Murphy’s Law. Just when you’ve moved over the threshold—BAM!—next!

At least it’s fodder for my blog. Here’s the story of our latest challenge.

We’re working on a business card for a relatively new client. It’s just a business card, right? Should be easy enough.

He’s looking for a very professional presentation, knowing that the business card is the first impression of his new brand (that we recently renamed and created a logo for). The typography on the card and his logo are white and yellow and the symbol has a little gradient in it that radiates out from the center.

Our designer came up with a great solution that looks beautiful, but producing this card, that’s another story, and as you’ll see, it’s complicated.

It’s not often that we are able to recommend printing on a specialty paper but for this project, it was certainly appropriate. Our paper selection was an uncoated linen 100# cover stock in navy blue. It’s a great sheet of paper, the perfect thickness, very high-end—blue on both sides.

I sent the request for an estimate to three separate vendors. Two of the three vendors replied with alternative solutions because printing white and yellow ink on blue paper, is a difficult—if not impossible—task that usually results in a negative outcome.

The first vendor recommended we go with a white paper, print blue and yellow on white, knocking out (aka reversing) the white type while printing. The second vendor recommended foil.

I went back to our designer with the first vendor’s recommendation. Nope. The original goal was to produce a card that would not get “white crusty edges.” The concern was that, once trimmed, the card would lose its verve, so to speak, and look less professional.

Alright, back to the drawing board. Vendor #3 offered to do some draw-downs of the yellow and white ink on the blue paper (samples of how the ink looks on the paper) so we could see what they looked like. When we got them back, we realized the Vendor #1 had a valid point. The yellow, ew!, it looked green! And the white didn’t really stand out.

Back to the drawing board. I got on the phone with Vendor #1. There were a couple additional concerns.

Another paper we specified was a linen blue and white duplex sheet—two 65# cover sheets essentially heat-glued together—with a 130# cover weight.

This brought up CONCERN #1) The limits of the press. For smaller runs with fewer colors, our print vendors typically use their smaller presses. It’s less expensive and opens space on their larger presses for bigger jobs. The issue with this is that many of those smaller presses can only handle papers up to 100# cover weight. Thus, the duplex sheet wouldn’t work on the more economical machine.

The benefit of the blue and white sheet was that if we chose to use it, we could easily print the inks on the white side and we could consider options for the blue side. Playing on the recommendation of Vendor #2, it was time to discuss foil.

Foil was a good option but, since the papers we chose were uncoated and **maybe** not thick enough, and because foiling requires you to essentially heat-set and press the design into the paper, this brought up CONCERN #2) USING FOIL ON AN UNCOATED SHEET WITH GRAPHIC ELEMENTS ON BOTH SIDES. It was likely that wherever the info was foiled, it would show through as a depression on the other side. Seriously? And, if we had chosen a coated stock, we’d have better luck because the coated stock is more compressed than an uncoated sheet and it would take the impression better. But the uncoated sheet speaks this brand! Alright, mental note, good to know.

Then, CONCERN #3) PRINTING A LIGHT GRADIENT ON A DARK SHEET OF PAPER. There is pretty much no way to print a white and yellow gradient on a blue piece of paper, unless you foil underneath it and then we’re back to problem #2.

I just want to see with my own eyes, what happens to this paper! Can I get a foil draw-down please? Oy. OK. The see-through is pretty apparent. Back to the drawing board.

What other options do we have if we want to avoid the tattered edges?

I looked into gilding the edges (coating the edges with gold/silver), even taking a sharpie to them (not really) but alas, ultimately, this project could not be completed as specified—at least not successfully, and we didn’t want to take that risk.

So, we’re back to the original recommendation—printing these on white paper, with reversed out type, 2-color job (blue and yellow). Looks like flaking edges are unavoidable but it’s a small price to pay for the peace of mind that the printed graphics will look great.

Note to self: Do not specify light colored inks on dark colored papers, especially if you have a two-sided design, it’s impossible to pull off from a production standpoint.

Sweet Projects and Effects—Our most recent accomplishments!

I have been absolutely SWAMPED! It would be ridiculous to complain in these economic times but I must apologize because my blog has definitely taken a hit! Thanks for hanging in there with me!!

I truly feel honored to collaborate with our clients and design team on such amazing projects. Most recently, we turned out:

1. An AMAZING flip book for the updated line of Sony Cyber-shot cameras
2. Various trade show items and a folder with a strand of spot gloss varnish DNA for Pathway Genomics
3. Updates to two 2010 versions of Medill @ Northwestern Graduate and Integrated Marketing Communication View Books (and spent a day and a half at the printer press checking them).
4. Finessed new specs and a new relationship with a vendor in Chicago to produce Medill’s alumni magazine.
5. And, we worked on a super-secret project for a high-profile client, which I cannot divulge just yet!

It is always so rewarding when these projects come to fruition and our samples arrive. I am so amazed by printing technology and everything our vendors can accomplish in such a short period of time. Here’s a shout out to our vendors—Rush Press, EarthColor, Skyline San Diego, and Schneider Graphics, for doing such a tremendous job on all of these projects!

Take a gander:

One of the printing methods we often use is called strikethrough. You can see on both the Sony flip book and the Pathway folder, how the method is used to create a result. You can use either gloss UV’s or gloss varnishes to create these effects. The gloss varnish is more economical and is typically the quicker route but the gloss UV really makes the images or typography pop off the page, especially when you are using dull UV varnishes in conjunction.

Essentially, your printer will lay down the ink and then, a full layer of gloss. The key to making the gloss “pop” is the juxtaposition of the shiny gloss and the dull varnish working side by side. Your vendor will create a separate plate for the dull varnish, which, based on the way the file is designed, omits certain areas. Our designers create clipping paths (or masks) of the items they want to highlight and save them on a separate layer (or separate file) indicating the gloss UV/varnish area. The areas highlighted in white (or, often times, in magenta) are the areas that will pop when printed. For the Sony flip book, in addition to hitting the product shots, we highlighted this technique by setting up a “blind” varnish (i.e. a varnish effect with no actual printed imagery or typography below it). This method is most effective on dark backgrounds, however, as seen in the Pathway folder example, it can also be used subtly, to create interest.

Here’s an example of how the file is set up:

The first image is the final, print-ready file. The second image is the varnish file.

And... here's the final outcome:

Pretty groovy, eh?

Check with your print vendor regarding their methodology. Each facility has a unique procedure for attaining this result. For example, the same outcome can be achieved by printing a full layer of dull varnish first, then imprinting a spot gloss varnish on top (as in the Pathway folder example). In this case, if you are working with photographic images or large areas of solid color, please keep in mind that the dull varnish tends to tone down their overall impact, so make sure you understand your printer’s process, when choosing to incorporate this effect.

Utilizing specialized printing techniques can really give your projects and your Client’s products/brand the POP! they need to make them stand out. This technique is one of many. MORRIS—making cameras and DNA sexy. ;~)

Is Social Media Just a Fad?

Great video! Well designed and effectively communicates the pros of social media.

Is it a HORROR FLICK with a TWIST of ROMANCE??? Nope, it's just design & printing terminology.

• BLEED • DIE • SCORE • KISS CUT • SPREAD • TRIM • TIP IN • LIVE AREA •

Visions of a slasher movie with a romantic twist come to mind... but alas, it's just design and printing terminology.

In every industry, there exists terminology specific to that business. In design and production, there’s no exception. I thought it would be helpful to share some of the basic definitions here, for designers who are just getting started. Not a terribly exciting topic but relevant nonetheless. Bookmark this page for reference, and refer to it as these familiar terms cross your plate in the future.

SPECS—LIVE AREA—BLEED—TRIM
Typically, creative directors, publishers, and sometimes printers (depending on the project), provide designers with specifications for their projects. These SPECS (for short) typically include what are referred to as the LIVE AREA and the BLEED. The LIVE AREA refers to the space the design must be contained in. The BLEED is the intentional continuance of the design beyond the live area (usually about .125” on all sides). Bleed is an important element of designs that go all the way to the edge of the paper. It is incorporated because the printer TRIMS (aka cuts) the design to the desired size (live area) once the item is reproduced, removing the extra .125" of bleed for a clean and gorgeous end product.

SPREAD
A SPREAD consists of two pages that face each other and are designed as one visual or production unit.

The following items refer primarily to finishing techniques or items you might specify when estimating a print job.

4 COLOR PROCESS or PROCESS COLORS vs. PANTONE or SPOT COLORS
See my blog entry from May 18, 2009 for the differences between specifying 4CP/CMYK vs. Spot Color/PMS. http://concoctionconspirator.blogspot.com/2009/05/cmyk-vs-pms.html

AQUEOUS vs. VARNISH COATINGS
I couldn’t have said it better myself. For more information on these items, please refer to this link, with an article on the pros and cons/differences. http://www.printindustry.com/newsletter_18.htm

SCORE/SCORING
Scoring simply refers to paper or card stock that has been compressed along a straight line (either by a machine or by hand) so it folds easily and accurately.

DIE/DIE CUTTING
Think of custom packaging, jigsaw puzzles, and stickers—anything with a customized shape. A DIE cuts, scores, stamps, embosses and debosses printed items. DIE CUTTING occurs when the die is utilized to cut or impress irregular shapes in paper, stickers, labels, or paperboard.

KISS CUTTING
KISS CUTTING is when you die cut through a peel n' stick sheet, applying just enough pressure so the die slices through the adhesive, but not through the back of the sheet. This enables the user to pull stickers off one at a time from the larger intact sheet.

TIP IN
A TIP IN is an extra page or design feature that is added to a printed piece beyond the normal process. It can be applied as a novel design adaptation and may be created using the same or different paper than the original printed design. In one of the pieces we’re currently working on, we are tipping in actual photographs to show the range of a particular product.

SADDLE STITCH
SADDLE STITCHING is a binding technique for multi-page printed pieces. Essentially, it means that the item is bound using staples (typically 3). For smaller creations, this is a cost-effective means of binding. Designs must be created in 4-page increments (8, 12, 16, 20, 24, etc…) up to a certain maximum size—dependent upon your paper choice.

PERFECT BOUND
PERFECT BINDING is also a binding technique for multi-page printed pieces. When requesting perfect binding, please note that your design must be a minimum number of pages (approximately 24+, depending on the weight of the paper). One of the benefits of perfect binding is that you do not have to create your document in 4-page increments. The pages are glued on the edge and can accommodate odd numbered pieces. Books are typically perfect bound.

For today, I’ll stop here. The world of print production is filled with nomenclature that, I admit, can become overwhelming at times. This basic list will have you sounding like a pro in no time flat. ;~)

Color Inspired Typography

One of my co-workers sent me the link to this amazing website where you can search typography by color. It's pretty cool—anyone can upload a photo if you have an online link to it. The site reminded him of our Urban Inspiration project. I was inspired to submit my "PLEASE LET DOWN EASY" shot. Here are some screen grabs to inspire you too!


http://welovetypography.com

URBAN INSPIRATION GRIDS

Here are a few of the images that were created by our multi-talented employees!