Graphic D-Signs, Inc. - Small Business Advertising Agency® - NJ Advertising Agency

Retro Themed Vehicle Wraps for HVAC and Service Contractors

2012-01-21T19:30:00.000-08:00

By Dan Antonelli / President & Creative Director, NJ Advertising Advertising Agency Graphic D-Signs, Inc.

Make the most of your serivce vehicles with better, more effective vehicle wraps.

Retro themed vehicle wrap for NJ based HVAC and Duct Cleaning Contractor.

We’ve been fortunate to have established a nice niche with the retro branding work we do for clients all over the country(and globe!). The work is fun, yet extremely challenging and labor intensive. It requires a lot of research. You really have to think outside the box and imagine you’re a designer from decades past, and consider how brands were done back then.

I often wonder if perhaps I was born a few decades too late—because I’m fascinated by the genre. To me, the design work is very well-suited to the design philosophy we espouse in our work.

Retro wrap example for a HVAC client of ours in Palm Springs.
The vehicle was featured on the cover of SignCraft Magazine in Jan, 2012.

Much of the branding work from the period, especially the ’40s through the early ’70s, had characteristics that made them usually ideal for outdoor use. Outdoor was typically an important medium for many of these businesses. Outside of superior distance legibility, many brands from the period used characters, mascots or other unique symbols to enhance memorability.

"Traditional values and old-fashioned customer service is what sets our business apart from our competitors,” says Joe Timo of Timo's Air. “We found it extremely important to convey this message through our branding. In only two short years, our retro logo and vehicle advertising has made a profound impact in our local community. Prospective clients, who have yet to use our services, perceive our image as honest and trustworthy. For that reason alone, 'going retro' is one of the best decisions we ever made.”

These characteristics, ironically, are rarely employed on most vehicle wraps we see on the road today. This explains why most wraps on the road today are failures from an advertising standpoint, and sadly a wasted opportunity for the business deploying them. You can attribute this primarily to a lack of education and understanding about the actual medium. While the prerequisites for billboard painters and truck lettering artists from years past were countless years of study and apprenticeship, today’s prerequisites for wrap designers are simple: you need the cash to buy a large format digital printer - so often the designer is inexperienced in the study of effective advertising in an outdoor realm.

Award winning HVAC truck wrap example for a contractor in Illinois.

Sadly, most small businesses do not know enough about what to look for when choosing a company to design their wrap. Many get caught up in the “look cool” factor of another vehicle they’ve seen—even if they can’t name the business or brand represented on the wrap. Fortunately, many businesses, after having wasted their money on an effective wrap design, have smartened up. We’re having many people seek us out specifically because our philosophy is different. And the more
different it is, the more it stands out.

What would this truck look like if it were done 75 years ago?

Retro vehicle wrap example for HVAC contractor in Georgia.

Designing a proper retro-themed layout for a truck has to begin with a strong brand. For us, that’s the starting point. And usually, we know in advance when we’re designing the branding that it’s also going to be used on a vehicle, so we’re planning for it. Plan on doing a lot of study of the fonts, color schemes and graphic styles characteristic of the era you’re simulating. We use a lot of sources to study up on this era.

Employing the fundamentals
What makes these wraps effective is their ability to stand out among the clutter people are accustomed to seeing. As we design, we’re always considering what message we are trying to communicate to the audience, and how we can make that message easy to understand, and more importantly, easy to remember. So we use bold lettering and memorable characters, and we design an image that connects with them on an emotional level.

Retro wrap example for a cleaning company in Texas.

These retro images harken back to a time when there was a more positive image of a business owner and the work they did. There was more trust in the contractor. So we’re simply designing an image that takes them back to a different, much simpler time. And people do find that to be memorable,
because it’s something they haven’t seen predominantly used for a small business brand
for quite a while.

Finally, this branding approach helps instill confidence with the target audience simply because the business looks like it has been in business a while. Sometimes this is ironic for me, because sometimes the business is brand new or only a few years old. Yet, by the look of the graphics, it seems like they’ve been around forever.

Characters and mascots

Retro themed truck example for an electrician in Michigan.

Many product advertisements from years past employed cute characters and mascots designed to associate their product with a memorable image. We’ve definitely taken a cue from this approach. We design many branding schemes around that cute character. When used on vehicles, we often make the character the most dominant element or the “supergraphic.” These characters are hard to ignore. Because they aren’t cluttered with confusing backgrounds and assorted Photoshop fills, they stand out and make a big impact.

An effective truck wrap: The 'Best Investment Ever'

“It is incredible how much this artwork has changed my business,” says owner Nate Anderson from The Neighborhood Electrician. “I get one or two calls a week just from driving around in my van. No other advertising has had a better return on investment. It’s the best investment I have ever made in my business.”

Memorable truck wrap and retro brand for the dairy company.

The clients who have had their vehicles done using this approach have reported spectacular
results. Some of them have had wraps for years prior with marginal results, and can’t believe the difference. Whether it’s people stopping them at traffic lights, asking for a card, or the amount of
phone calls they are getting, all agree that it was the best investment they’ve ever made.

This style really isn’t right for every business, but it definitely does work well for service businesses like electricians, contractors, HVAC companies. And it can easily be overdone—so it’s important to not throw every retro trick in the book at each design.

Handyman service with retro vehicle wrap design.

Wrap design for mechanical contractor (HVAC) in Florida.

Dan Antonelli is the President and Creative Director of Graphic D-Signs, Inc, a NJ Advertising Agency specializing in small business advertising, marketing, and brand development, including HVAC logo design, and HVAC web design services.

Character Logo Design & Mascot Logo Design Examples: Inspiration for Your Small Business

2011-11-29T18:47:00.001-08:00

By Dan Antonelli / President & Creative Director, NJ Advertising Advertising Agency Graphic D-Signs, Inc.

Why Character Based Logos Work for Small Business Brands

Character logos and mascots from the 1930s through the 1940s, and even those used later in the 1950s and 1960's we're often employed in the marketing of different brands and their products. From the Michelin Man to Tony the Tiger, these characters helped build brand recognition, and were images that served to evoke emotions for the viewer, and connect in a more meaningful way than simple typography or photography ever could. While this technique was heavily favored during these periods, it started to lose popularity in the 1970s, and up until a more recent resurgence in retro and nostalgic branding, has been a relatively unpopular branding technique employed by small businesses.

Retro Branding is Back

We've certainly seen a huge resurgence in demand for retro branding, and especially retro branding employing characters and mascots for small businesses at our small business advertising agency. We firmly believe in this style of branding and vintage logo design - especially branding that employs characters - which are used to serve as the foundation for a small business brand campaign. The feeling these characters help evoke, and the sense of nostalgia they connote is one that resonates with many viewers across a broad demographic spectrum. These logos instill trust in the brand, they portray longevity - even if the brand is new. And they make the business appear reputable. But more importantly - they create memorable brands.

Making a memorable brand for a small business is challenging. They don't have the money that large businesses have to invest in creating brand awareness. So, the small business needs to make sure their image stands out in a meaningful way, and leaves a lasting impression. Character based logos tend to do that - because the viewer connects to the brand in a more meaningful way than other branding techniques. And the fact that this type of branding and vintage logo design is still relatively unpopular is all the more reason why it works so well; it's unexpected, it appears fresh - and the viewer probably hasn't seen it before.

Below are a few examples of some of our favorite character logo design samples, and mascot logo design samples.

Character Logo Design Samples

Here's a cute little character logo that helps brand this HVAC company in Illinois.

The character in this logo promises "Your clothes, delivered with Courtesy' which is their tagline. A memorable character logo which has helped make them the leader in their Rhode Island market.

This cute duct mascot logo design really evokes a playful, yet memorable brand image for this duct cleaning business.

We're friendly, and we're here to help. This unique character logo design is memorable and easily understood, especially from a distance when employed on company vehicles.

Notice this outlet in this character based logo design example? A nice retro-themed design that speaks to the company's longevity, and service.

The mascot logo design was a creative way to distinguish this brand from larger, national franchises.

Need something fixed around the house? This character based logo design speaks of honesty, trustworthiness, and professionalism.

The cute nerd in the character logo design is going to fix your computer, fast.

A bug mascot for this pest control business is still friendly, thus avoiding the usual scare tactic approach that most pest control businesses employ in their branding.

A chocolate store with a cute character logo design.

This fun character logo design is simple, easy to understand and works well with the company name.

Here's a playful character based logo and illustration for this established sign company.

This mascot logo design makes it clear who is this boss for this hockey retail store.

Definitely inspired by the advertising characters of yesteryear, this character logo design stands out among all the usual approaches employed by landscape contractors.

Need some one to fix your plants? The illustration for this mascot and character logo design can do it.

The mascot in this mascot logo design is really a smart ass. Good luck trying to catch him!

Designing Effective Truck Wraps for Small Businesses

2011-08-23T06:59:00.000-07:00

By Dan Antonelli / President & Creative Director, NJ Advertising Advertising Agency Graphic D-Signs, Inc.

Making the Most of Your Company's Vehicle Advertising and Truck Wraps

Vehicle advertising for Rhode Island-Based dry cleaner.We've all seen the truck and vehicle wrap advertising on the road whose design makes us believe - if we knew nothing else about the company - that it was part of this company's fleet of vehicles. And we've also seen the flip side of vehicle advertising - when, because of the design of the vehicle's graphics, it's clear that the company has only one or two trucks - or worse yet - you can't even read the message or know who it was for.

Most clients really don't give this a lot of thought. As designers, our job to find out what image they are trying to portray, who their audience is, and design accordingly - while designing for the medium as well.

Not all vehicles need a full wrap.

Advertising is about perception. What we do is build a perception of our client’s business for the public to see and hopefully buy into. We make the client look the part, by carefully considering how that each element of their branding is integrated into their vehicle advertising and the perception it will ultimately portray - especially this very public medium.

Start with a solid brand, then build around the brand and integrate on the vehicles.

Along with branding and logo development, most of the clients who come to us are looking for a more professional and unified presentation of brand identity. One component of the implementation of their brand is obviously how it is portrayed on their vehicles.Without a good brand, vehicle advertising is almost certain to fail, or be ineffective.

Truck wraps need to stand out - not fit in.

Many of these clients are very small businesses, sometimes with only one or two service vans. They are hoping we can help with them present their business as a larger, more professional and reputable firm. They want to look like the bigger firms--even if, in reality, they aren't.

Sometimes there are very basic design traits that give the connotation of being part of a fleet. Generally, it's a simplified design element that remains consistent, or simple way in which the brand, or brand icon, is portrayed. Another technique we like to use is horizontal striping elements. Whether on a van, pickup or truck, it's a simple technique that works well to give the appearance of a fleet or franchised business.

We know when we've done our job

Competing with the big franchises requires a similar approach.

Our best compliment is when a client tells us a story of pulling up to their customers’ homes, and having the customer tell them that they “see their trucks all over.” We both share a good laugh especially if, in reality they have only one truck. That’s the power of good vehicle advertising.

So, while vehicle wraps with confusing pictures, competing graphics and non-existent branding seem to be all the rage these days, take a step back for a minute. Think long and hard about the message and how best to communicate it. So many wraps fail in basic design principles.

It seems to me that many wraps are designed for the sake of the designer’s ego, or what currently looks cool or trendy at the moment. Remember: as designers our job is communicate our client’s message as effectively as possible.

Here are a few examples of jobs we’ve designed for various clients who shared a similar request: Make us look bigger, more reputable, better established—and at the same time—reinforce our brand identity. Or for even more examples, check out our portfolio from our NJ advertising agency of some great vehicle wrap examples for other small businesses.

Graphic D-Signs, Inc - The Small Business Advertising Agency is a New Jersey based advertising agency serving the marketing needs of small business with logo and branding creation, web design and online marketing, print design and collateral development and traditional advertising and consultation services.

How Your Ego May Be Holding Back Your Small Business

2011-04-29T08:26:00.000-07:00

By Dan Antonelli / President & Creative Director, NJ Advertising Agency Graphic D-Signs, Inc.

“If each of us hires people who are smaller than we are, we shall become a company of dwarfs. But if each of us hires people who are bigger than we are, we shall become a company of giants.” — David Ogilvy

“Hire people who are better than you are, then leave them to get on with it. Look for people who will aim for the remarkable, who will not settle for the routine.” – David Ogilvy

Having worked with over 600 small businesses owners in the past 15 years on their small business marketing and advertising needs, I’ve learned a few common characteristics that extremely successful businesses owners share. And conversely, it becomes very clear what the characteristics of the mediocre businesses are.

My Own Path to Success

Having grown up lettering signs and vehicles, I had a passion for letters and sign design. After graduating from college with a degree in Communications & Advertising, I knew my life would revolve around type and design. But I had this notion that as long as I was doing what I loved, the money wasn’t that important.

Soon after launching my company, a few events transpired which changed my focus on my business, and caused me to rethink my priorities and direction. First, at a few industry conventions, I had the opportunity to meet some super-talented designers. While the awe of meeting some of these folks was inspiring, what stuck out to me were the financial difficulties that most were experiencing. That really hit home, and frankly, scared me. Because I thought to myself, “Man, I couldn’t hold a candle to these guys - how am I going to ever make it?”

The impending birth of my twins was the other event that caused me to rethink my focus. With a wife unable to work and a mortgage, health insurance and car payments to make, I knew I needed to make myself a businessman first—and an artist second.

I also didn’t like where I saw the sign and graphics industry heading. It seemed to be becoming much more commoditized, and I knew that I wanted to avoid that. So I slowly began to formulate my plan to offer our clients more—and to become more of a small business advertising agency.

Those events transpired over 13 years ago. Today, my NJ advertising agency is doing exactly what I set out to do. We stand as an 8-person advertising agency, focused on the marketing needs of small businesses.

While there are many factors that led to our growth, the two primary reasons were (1) putting my ego aside for the sake of the company, and (2) aggressively marketing the business to attract the type of clients I wanted to work with.

The First Step is Admitting You Have a Problem

What does ego have to do with success? For me, it has meant never being afraid to hire people who are better than myself. Like Ogilvy says, I’ve built my own version of a company of giants by surrounding myself with some very creative people who complement my own skill sets.

Take Jeffrey Devey, my Senior Illustrator, as a perfect example. Jeff is a brilliant illustrator and logo designer. While typography and brand implementation are my strengths, illustration is not my forte. Together, Jeff and I make a great team when it comes to building small business corporate identities. So instead of using my lack of illustrative ability as a crutch to explain mediocre work, Jeff has allowed us to produce great work together.

Each hire has been a methodical and conscience choice to bring another expert on staff. Whether it’s a writer, web designer, programmer, marketing strategist or SEO expert, each team member succeeds in making the company better. Had I chosen to be afraid of hiring people who were smarter than me, there’s no way I’d have built what I’ve built today. Instead I would have only had myself and my ego to blame for my lack of success.

Marketing Yourself to Build the Right Business

Over the years, I’ve invested a significant amount of resources into the marketing of our business. It’s one area we’ve been very aggressive with, whether in a good economy, or more recently, a bad one.

I’ve made it a priority for the company to reinvest in both online and print initiatives, both of which have brought back huge returns on investments. And it’s a constant, ongoing, aggressive strategy. Because no matter how successful our efforts are, they can always be improved upon.

Our recently redesigned site is a perfect example. Our last site, which was previously redesigned 4 years ago was generating about 20-25 leads per week. So why would you change it? First, it didn’t represent our best work and abilities. Second, it didn’t represent the image I wanted to portray, or a medium that I felt would carry us for the next 3 or 4 years. It didn’t communicate who we were, and more importantly, where I wanted us to go. I also wanted to be prepared when the economy really gets going. So I made a tremendous investment in time and money to redo it - to the tune of over 300 man hours. To do the math on that—at our hourly creative rate of $125/hr—it amounted to nearly $40,000 in billable time that I put back into the company. And the results have been what I expected: better-qualified leads and an improved ability to attract the right type of clients.

The Successful Business Owners Mentality

I’ve witnessed firsthand the common characteristics of Successful Business Owners because I’ve had the pleasure of working with them on building their businesses and helping them become even more successful. Much of their success goes back to ego. They’re not afraid to work with other professionals who are experts in their chosen fields—and who allow business owners to focus on what they do best: running their business.

Successful Business Owners are also not content or complacent, because they realize that staying on top means constantly reinvesting in their business and anticipating the future. That means surveying the lay of the land, and taking concrete steps to work toward specific goals. They’re forward thinking, constantly staying on top of trends in their industry. They’re also constantly educating themselves about their clients and market conditions. They work on their business, not in their business—and they’re graet at planning and executing strategies for the future instead of being reactionary. They know where they want to go, and they’re focused on putting together the team to help them get there.

Successful Business Owners also keep company with others who are successful, sharing that can-do mentality while purposely avoiding those who instead insist ‘you can’t’. And they hire people to support their mission to build a great company.

The Mediocre Business Owners Mentality

While it’s very easy to blame the economy for many businesses failing (and surely that may be the primary reason for many), smart business owners took steps to prepare themselves for a rainy day. It’s easy for people to make a living in a good economy, but when that fails, you quickly see which businesses continue to survive—and even thrive—because of their planning.

What happened to these businesses that are hurting today? For many, they let their own ‘success’ blind them to the realities on the horizon. I call this the ‘complacency syndrome.’ This concept runs through an owner’s psyche, impacting nearly every decision they make. One classic example we see frequently involves poor branding and logo design. Countless small businesses have poor logos and brands, and have for years, underestimated its importance and how it impacts their business. The Successful Business Owner grasps the importance, and is ready to take their business to the next level and invest in better marketing tools, starting with the basic foundation: their brand. The Mediocre Business Owner is blind to how their branding is hurting them because their own ‘success,’ in their mind, validates their poor brand identity.

One of my favorite quotes around the office is ‘success in spite of a poor identity is not a valid reason to perpetuate it.’

The Mediocre Business Owner generally refuses to pay anyone for services they think they can do themselves. They instead waste valuable time doing things that they don’t do well, and at the same time, they fail to understand how that mentality is poor use of their time. It also usually reflects poorly on their business, especially when it involves marketing.

Take web design for example. It’s the storefront of your business, and should be the primary way you advertise your business (via effective search engine marketing). So instead of working on income-generating tasks, many attempt to build their own site. But just because you theoretically can build a web site, it does not make you a web designer. Again, their ego has gotten in the way of a rationale business decision. And while I applaud their interest in learning new skills, it sometimes comes at the expense of their own business.

Think of the irony of a contractor paying $40,000 for a new van, thousands of dollars for tools, and then failing to properly invest in marketing that line of business. That Mediocre Business Owner instead sees spending $5000 or so on a site that represents his business well—and generates leads—as something he doesn’t need. Where’s the logic in such thinking?

And when it comes to employees, the mediocre business owner usually can’t see hiring anyone who is better at tasks than they are, because doing so would only serve to remind them of their own shortcomings. And no one likes a daily reminder of their own shortcomings, so it’s much easier to surround yourself with mediocrity. After all, it’s better to feel superior around people whose skills aren’t up to par with your own. And this only reinforces their ego. They know everything, and everyone else knows nothing. After all, they’re the boss, right?

Ready to Grow Your Business and Become a Smart Business Owner?

Are you prepared to help your business grow? You’ll need to ask yourself the hard questions and answer honestly about yourself and your own skills. Create a checklist of critical business tasks, and rate your abilities. Maybe you won’t like what you hear. The real question is: What do you with your newfound wisdom, and can your ego handle the obvious solutions? Consider checking yours at the door, and maybe you’ll start down the path of building a company of giants.

At Graphic D-Signs, we’re proud of our history and success stories in working with Smart Business Owners. We share the passion they feel about their business, and we live for their successes. We’re about building their businesses cost-effectively, and at the same time, having fun doing it.

Graphic D-Signs, Inc - The Small Business Advertising Agency is a New Jersey based advertising agency serving the marketing needs of small business with logo and branding creation, web design and online marketing, print design and collateral development and traditional advertising and consultation services.

Laying the Groundwork for a Better Brand

2010-12-22T08:33:00.000-08:00

By Danielle Avenoso / Senior Brand Strategist & Account Manager, NJ Advertising Agency Graphic D-Signs

The Realities of the Competitive Landscape
Fortune 500 companies have the luxury of multi-million dollar advertising budgets. They are able to invest dedicated manpower and finances into creating brands on a national level—where the scope of work is nearly limitless and the target market spans from coast to coast. They have dedicated, renowned agencies and marketing departments who coordinate, manage and create their brands. So how can small-sized companies possibly compete with these well-known brands and steal a share of the market to call their own? How can small companies get a big bang for their buck and ensure that their budget stretches as far as possible? How? Well, that's simple… the answer lies in the foundation.

Importance of a Foundation

Vehicle Graphics for Tim's Air Conditioning & Heating
located in San Diego, CA

The foundation of your home is quite literally the base of the house and is the most important structural part. Since it provides the fundamental stability for the future of the house, it is pertinent to lay the foundation correctly or it can be the demise of the house in years to come. The cornerstones behind the foundation are simple—make it sturdy and make it strong. Otherwise, if not properly laid, the entire house structure will be unstable and can collapse.

Similar to a well-built house, the foundation of a company is essential to its longevity and success. This foundation takes on the form of branding through an image or identity, which helps manage the perception of a company and differentiate it from its competitors. Powerful and captivating brands create an instantly recognizable, unique, professional image that can help catapult the company to success.

Essentially, strong branding can create the perception that the company employs hundreds of workers and has a net worth nearing ten million dollars; when in actuality, the company only employs ten workers and has a net worth just nearing one million dollars. Still, the consumer doesn’t know this reality and thinks the company is large, credible and professional because of the image it portrays through branding.

Investing in a Foundation

As indicated, a well-laid foundation is unquestionably essential for a house. As such, experts suggest hiring an engineer or a general contractor for this purpose. Though it will cost a little more money upfront, it will be well worth it in the long run. A strong and well-laid foundation is the best investment you can make, and in this case, quality, attention to detail and experience make all the difference.

Likewise, quality, attention to detail and experience also play critical roles in creating a brand. Strong brand identity stimulates recognition, intensifies differentiation and creates value so it is essential to invest intelligently in the creation of a brand. Don’t rely on your average Joe Schmoe or nephew to strategically develop your brand—as I can promise that your company’s success will be directly impacted. And by no means for the better. Instead, invest in an agency that specializes in this line of advertising. After all, would you entrust your 14-year-old nephew to lay the foundation for your home? I certainly don’t think so.

“Image and perception help drive value; without an image there is no perception.”
--Scott M. Davis, Brand Asset Management

Sustaining a Foundation

Branding for Aspire IRB

Once the foundation of your home is laid, it is still necessary and important to routinely check it, as small cracks can cause major problems in the future. Likewise, every so often your brand may need a facelift to remain relevant in the minds of your consumers. Perhaps, the brand is looking a bit antiquated and needs to be revitalized; or the marketplace has become saturated and you are no longer positioned in the white space; or you are losing relevancy with your niche market. Whatever the reason, preservation is a must. Time can be detrimental not only to a brand image, but also to the house foundation.

And while success in spite of a poor brand is admirable, it also has a tendency to lull the business owner into a false sense of security. Past success is not a valid reason to perpetuate a poor brand. Imagine an even greater success for your business in the future, with the proper branding in place.

The Realities of Budget Constraints

Given these economic times and struggles, we understand the importance of a budget and making that budget work hard for you, and not vice versa. And we understand the need for a website and collateral pieces to support your communication strategy. However, we don’t understand why so many clients want to put the cart before the horse and do the website and collateral pieces prior to creating the brand/logo. If you don’t have a strong brand, why invest in other advertising elements? Would you put up the slabs and framing prior to laying the foundation of a home?

To Flash or Not to Flash

2010-09-29T10:45:00.000-07:00

What is Flash Anyway?

First off... let's cover what flash actually is. According to Wikipedia - "Adobe Flash (formerly Macromedia Flash) is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to Web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements and games. More recently, it has been positioned as a tool for "Rich Internet Applications" ("RIAs")." If you're still not sure check out a few of our sites where we use it. Insectropolis, Gonzalez Insurance and Green Meadows all use Adobe Flash technology to add sound, movement and interactivity.

Why Flash is Good

There is no doubt that this technology adds beauty and appeal to a website. It can be pre-loaded so that you're not waiting on multiple images to appear thus giving it a clean seamless delivery. One can insert music and sound, video, animation within one compact swf file - all things that users have come to expect from leading edge sites.

The other great advantage of flash is using your prime space on a website more effectively. We have traditionally always tried to use the area below the nav on our client's site to communicate all the high points of their company. Without scrolling, a user should get the gyst of what the company does in a few frames of the flash and be able to navigate to relevant information from within the animation.

Why Flash is Bad

The main complaint about flash used to be it's reliance on higher bandwidth connections. Now that the number of people with access to high speed internet connections has increased it's not much of an issue anymore. The larger point to consider is that people are also moving toward viewing websites on mobile devices more. Apple's "iphone" seems to dominate the market especially with users who are intent on viewing lots of rich online material. The problem? Iphones don't "see" flash. They completely ignore it. We need not elaborate on the ways this could be bad for you if your website has crucial information embedded into the flash.

The Solution?

It's really a question of the typical user your website draws. For some, 95% of your clientel will be looking at your site from their office desk or at night on their home computers. Others may be businesses who rely on last minute inquiries and a site compatible with iphones could make or break the person's connection with you. The good news is it isn't ALL or NOTHING. There currently is one way to have your cake and eat it too.

Enter "Jquery". J query is a programming language which in tandem with css can be used to creative simple animations and can do a fairly good job of mimicking fades and slide transitions in graphics. When we launched our brand new site we opted to go with this method below our navbar as opposed to flash. Although we sacrificed some of the more complex animations we've had in previous versions it means we'll be viewable to all devices - and to us that was important.

Do Your Research and Discuss it With Us

There is no automatically "right" answer when it comes to this issue. When large fortune500 websites have opted to keep flash technology on their sites. When you get ready to do your website with us, talk to your typical clientele. Find out how likely someone looking for you on the web would be to find you on an i phone. Tell us your findings and we'll help you decide which technology would suit you better.

Do your reading. Articles on Wired like this do a great job of explaining Apple's motives behind excluding flash and you come to your own conclusions about whether they will change strategies and allow it on their devices in the future.

7 Tips to Taking Better Photos of Landscaping Jobs

2010-06-07T06:50:00.001-07:00

By Sarah Neal / Senior Web Designer & Professional Photographer

Graphic D-Signs Inc. is famous for our landscaping marketing. Over the years we've had thousands of photos submitted to us of landscape jobs to use in websites and brochures. Most of the photos are of stunning water features, rolling grass and carefully designed stonework... but the photos clearly don't do justice to the work a lot of the time. Since we see the same simple correctable errors in many of the photos, we thought we'd show you how we can take better photos of landscaping jobs when you don't have money for a pro. With a few simple adjustments in how you take photos, you can be taking magazine worthy photos in no time!

Number 1: Tidy up and Clear the Clutter
This rule is the most simple but most often overlooked. The very first thing you should do when you arrive to photograph a job is ensure that there are no visible bags of trash, exposed bright orange extension cords, hose pipes, trash containers, yard debris... etc. laying in sight of your photo. Also if possible have owners move vehicles into the street and close all the garage doors. Also if you're shooting a deck or patio with chairs make sure they're set up nicely around the tables and that there aren't pool toys visible unless you've specifically placed them in the pool for color.

Number 2: Choose Good Lighting
There are three hospitable lighting situations. Very early morning, late afternoon/evening or overcast days. Midday sunny pictures never turn out well. Overhead sun casts lots of ugly shadows and washes colors out. You want those warm rays that are only available in the late afternoon or early morning or the soft even light that is there throughout an overcast day. If you have no choice BUT to use midday light, it's often good to turn on your flash which will fill in the shadows. Taking photos just before dark is also an excellent idea. Turn your camera to it's landscape setting and it'll automatically forfit using the flash. The photo will have a long shutter speed so USE a tripod. Turn the houses lights on for this effect. This is probably the best way to shoot water features as you'll get that long water streaming effect.

Above: Warm late afternoon sun is flattering to landscapes

Above: Overcast days provide nice even light and eliminate
long distracting shadows from structures. Clouds provide a bit of drama too!

Number 3: Straighten the Horizon
Professional photographers always look for the structural lines or horizon line to be parallel with the top/bottom edge of the photos. Especially when you're photographing the house itself it's important to obey this rule.

Number 4: Choose Creative Angles
When you're shooting your landscape it's good to figure out what features you most want to highlight and find the best way to get that into the picture. When I shoot landscapes I often get down on my belly (that's right... I look ridiculous) and shoot with the ground filling the bottom two thirds of my frame. Sometimes it's worth asking the client if you can get up to their second story window to photograph your landscape from above. There is always more than one way of looking at the same scene and it's worth experimenting to find what works best.

Taking photos from ground level can highlight features like rock work
and flowers that would otherwise get lost in the image.

Number 5: Finishing Touches
Rake leaves. Mow the lawn. Seriously... I can't tell you how many people have photos on their websites of yards that have great features but the maintenance is not done. Even if owners don't opt to pay for maintenance it's well worth your while to send a crew out prior to doing photos to get things cleaned up. Your average consumer totally doesn't "get" that you only did that retaining wall and you're not responsible for yard maintenance. They think you did the whole landscape and it's maintenance and when IT looks shabby, YOU look shabby. Another trip I've passed on is to hose down stones and brick work. It brings out colors and gives it a wet slick look that really compliments the landscape. This includes water features and the edge of pools!

Above: Wetting down stone work brings out vibrant colors

Number 6: In Camera Settings and Post Production
It's worth reading your camera manual on how to adjust white balance settings. Putting your camera on "cloudy" or "sunny" will achieve MUCH better color and results. If you don't feel like messing with it, you can buy cost effective photo editing software like Photoshop Elements which you can use to increase saturation or contrast. WARNING: Don't overdo it. Over saturation or cheesy boxed photo effects like spot color or Gaussian blurs DO NOT improve photos. Though there are limited occasions where they work, they usually just make your photos look cheap and not credible. If you can manage the highlights/shadows with your software it's always a good idea to slightly lighten shadows to bright out the details lost in dark parts of your photo. If you're not sure how to do post-processing, ask us - we're able to do limited digital improvements to your photos when we're posting them to your gallery.

Number 7: If You Can Afford it, Hire a Pro
I think really great results are achievable if you follow these steps. The fact of the matter is though, you're an amazing landscaper - and 9 times out of 10 - not an amazing photographer. It's worth it IF you can afford it to hire someone to do things right. You can expect to pay anywhere from $300 to $3000 to get it done right depending on how many sites you're having photographed. Shop around and make sure you see lots of samples of other photos you LOVE by the photographer you pick. AND REMEMBER: just because they take spectacular portraits doesn't mean they know how to shoot landscapes. You need to see samples of their architecture or landscape photography. Here are a few links to sites we've designed that hired a pro... we think the results were worth the investment! True North Landscaping, Green Meadows Landscaping, Let It Grow Inc., G.A. Landscaping Design, Terracare Landscaping

So there you have it! Happy Clicking people!

Retro Logos Are In!

2009-11-10T10:03:00.000-08:00

Your logo is going to stick with you for a while. Presumably as long as you're in business. Assuming you're as successful as you hope to be - that could last your lifetime. You don't want a logo that becomes stale. Sometimes taking on trends means a logo that you'll get sick of quickly. Solution? Use time tested styles that keep giving... and giving. Everyone connects to the homey warmth of the 50's, the freedoms of the 60's etc. That's why we thing retro logos are an effective and fun way to go.

Graphic D-Signs can create stunning retro-styled logo designs for your business. A quality retro logo design can say a lot about your business - and give the viewer a unique appreciation for the quality known of businesses from the mid-century. Retro logos are wholesome, they instill confidence - and the designs resonate well with the viewer. The sense of nostalgia in retro logo design is comforting. Not only that, but retro logo design and art deco logo design can communicate longevity - the feeling that the business has been around for a very long time. As a logo design genre, retro logos is probably our most favorite type of logo design for small businesses. It takes a lot of research - but retro logo design is very rewarding.

Our retro logo design and art deco logo design work begins with a conversation with the client, and research into their market, and core client base. We then craft several retro logo design concepts, all hand rendered. We never use clip art.

Once the retro logo is designed, you can feel confident that our crew can than also build the rest of your marketing in a similar style - whether it be a web site, brochure, or stationery.

Graphic D-Signs President and Creative Director, Dan Antonelli, personally oversees the retro logo design process. With a unique background in traditional sign painting, coupled with a BA Degree in Advertising, Dan is an expert on logo design for small businesses. Dan Antonelli, is also the author of Logo Design for Small Business, and Logo Design for Small Business 2, which contains over 175 logos he created at the Graphic D-Signs studio, as well as tips and strategy for effective and striking small business logo design. Dan also gives lectures and workshops on logo design and branding, and is a frequent feature writer for several trade magazines.

Check out some our great examples of retro logos that we have created recently:

Check out more awesome retro logos and details on how they were made at our website by clicking here
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Creating Websites with Atmosphere

2009-08-07T09:06:00.001-07:00

Those who follow our work know that our sites are just a little more "rich" than the average webpage. We love combining sound, texture and movement to create an "atmosphere". We understand if we make people fall in love with your presence that they'll be more drawn to you than the competition and more likely to return. For aspiring designers and clients alike - we can teach you the rules about what is effective when attemping to design an "environment" where people not only learn about a business or organization - but FEEL it's essence. Our sites have been known to create "emotional" connections. Here are some of our more memorable challenges and the techniques we used for overcoming them:

Challenge # 1 : Make Creepy Crawlies Look Good!

One way to effectively create an atmosphere is to add realistic movement. This bug museum wanted both children and adults alike to become completely infatuated with the idea of visiting a bug zoo - and what better way than to actually put "live bugs" all over their site. You'll notice lady bugs flying through the navbar, ants crawling around the bottom of the page and butterflies swarming through the main intro. This is a fairly simple method using stock photo clippings along with randomized movement controlled by action scripts in flash. It is one way to make the experience of visiting a website feel more "tangible". Click to visit this site.

Challenge # 2 : Establish Trust Without Establishing Boredom

Although we've become famous for our highly textured interfaces - there are times where "grunging it up" is simply not appropriate. Creating appropriate graphics is crucial in conveying the right message. MBK is a human resources firm that wanted to look sophisticated and professional without looking boring. To do so we incorporated really sleak imagery into a clean "shiny" interface and along with some looped cloud video we added some high-pace music. Music is a really effective way of setting an atmosphere. Be careful though. People should easily be able to turn it off - as many people prefer silence and would be driven away quickly by sound they can't control. Notice the whites and blues too. Color is also a great way to change the atmosphere (and blue is an age old standard for corporate establishments) Click to visit this site.

Challenge # 3 : Make Dirty Garage Look Dapper

People love using all five senses. We know they can see and hear a screen. But how about touching it, tasting it and smelling it? Well... technology isn't QUITE there yet (although it's probably not far off). In the meanwhile though an excellent method for making a site seem "Real" is to incorporate texture that is so enticing that people's imaginations almost virtually CAN feel, taste and smell it. With a little help from affordably priced stock photography - you can incorporate tons of layering into sites. Rod and Racecraft is an example of site where we did just that. Click here to visit this site

Challenge # 4 : Entice People to Experience Grand Canyon "Properly"

Sometimes music isn't the way to go on sites. Sometimes soundscapes are far more effective. This Grand Canyon Tour company wanted to convey a more relaxing, isolated and wilderness experience for those visiting the area and what better way to do it than to add the actual soundtrack from the rim of Grand Canyon. Birds, animals and a gentle breeze. Click to see this site

Challenge # 5 : Make People's Hearts Set Sail

This site is an "old" creation of ours but we couldn't leave it out when it came to talking about "atmospheric" sites. We used a lot of movement and light and came up with a really neat interface that sells people on a "romantic boat experience in NYC". Click here to visit the site

CONCLUSION? People may have no intention of using your services when they run across your website. However, having had a memorable experience on your site their head might be a barrage of ideas that eventually they won't ignore. The result? Even if they don't act on contacting you now - when they are financially ready you'll be in the back of their heads. Why? Because you made them FEEL something that they won't forget. You weren't just another site among sites. Want a site like the above? Contact Us! We'd love to chat. :)

"Search engines aren't important in our business"

2007-02-27T18:38:00.000-08:00

You would think that nowadays, most busines owners understand the importance of search engines and the role that they should play in their marketing strategy. Yet, I frequently hear from potential clients that search engine optimization is not important to them, or their marketing strategy. Some comments I hear is "Oh, we don't get work that way", or "We get all our business via word of mouth".

All of that may be fine, but I must question the wisdom of building a site that ignores the fundamentals of search engine optimization, and ignoring the opportunity that lies in proper search engine marketing. We've taken so many clients online and marketed their site aggressively, and the results have completely changed the way in which their company does business.

Take for example, a recently redesigned site we just finished for a long time client, Suburban Seats (http://www.suburbanseats.com ) Their new site has been a lead-generating MACHINE! It's bringing in more leads than ever before. Why? Well #1 rankings for Truck Seats is surely one of the reasons.

So, when someone shows us a site with no search engine optimization - or a site built entirely in Flash - we question why a company would choose to purposely ignore the opportunity to generate business and leads online. We can only assume that they didn't know much about it, and trusted that their web designer would design a site to address those needs.

These same companies then become the ones spending thousands of dollars on paid Adwords campaign because their site won't ever rank high naturally, and their web designer doesn't know of any other way to actually get their site to rank naturally - for free. We we're recently hired to redesign a sign company's site who was spending $500 a month on Google Adwords. Why? Because their current site was built entirely in Flash. When we're done with it, we expect them to eventually rank naturally for most search terms. And when that happens - they save $500 a month. When you do the math, a properly optimized site will quickly pay for itself when comparing how much an Adwords campaign will cost.

Here's a sampling of some our search engine successes. http://graphicd-signs.com/html/port_seo_successes.htm

If you really want to know how ranking high on Google naturally has helped their business, just give them a call and ask them. You could also ask us too - we rank #1 for nearly every term related to our business. Google us for nj web design, nj logo design, nj graphic designer.

Marketing Strategy from Ad Salespeople?

2007-01-11T11:12:00.000-08:00

Recently, a new client of ours asked us to build a new web site and sales brochures for their New Jersey-based service business. We discussed their budget for the project and, as we normally do, inquired about their other supplemental advertising expenditures.

It's really our job to look at what a client is spending on their advertising, especially as it relates to a percentage of their yearly total revenue. When we analyzed their advertising budget, it was clear that they needed help. Nearly 90% of their total budget was being directed towards the various yellow page books. Worse, was the fact that the ratio of sales to advertising was way out of line. The percentage we normally like to see our small business clients is no more than 5% of total revenue going towards their advertising and market budget line.

So what happened to this client? How did he get in over his head with his budget on yellow pages (which unfortunately, have you locked in 12 months at a time).

In a nutshell, he took all his marketing advice from an ad salesman instead of an marketing professional. His business was slow, or experiencing a slowdown - so, the yellow page sales rep says 'Well, then you need a bigger ad'. And so the client put more money into a medium that less and less people actually bother to use - especially in their particular sector. Had we been consulted prior to committing these funds we would have devised some different, less costly - yet more effective means to promote and market their services.

As an agency, our goal is to have you spend the least amount of money on your marketing and advertising - with the maximum amount of return. Had this client consulted with us prior, we would have saved them literally tens of thousands of dollars. And got them better results from other mediums.

I'm happy to report that our client's business is slowly coming around - their new web site and brochures are really working well - but they are still saddled with these huge payments to the phone book companies. Until they get out of these agreements, their business will remain somewhat hampered.

Bottom line - be careful who you take marketing advice from.

BrooklynPorkStore.com -- Another success story

2007-01-08T12:02:00.000-08:00

What we really enjoy about our job is creating success stories for our clients with our work. Take BrooklynPorkStore.com as an example. Last year, we redesigned their web site and introduced a new brand identity for their online store. The results were astonishing. They went from about 40 order PER YEAR on their old site, to well over 4 THOUSAND orders last year. Even before they were featured on the Food Network - they we're averaging about 100 or more orders per month. Our email campaign for them has been hugely successful as well.

What's interesting, is that if it weren't for their new, redesigned site and brand identity - the Food Network wouldn't have even considered featuring them on their Road Tasted show. So, this is a great example of what it takes to propel your company to the next level - the vision to see the need for a company like us to help them, and the guts to put that plan into action.

Most business owners fail to ever take their businesses the next level. It's not that they don't want to - they just don't have the vision needed to make it happen - and don't know where to turn to to get them to the next level.

That's why our best clients are those who trust us, and our years of experience, to take them to next level. We're just as excited by their successes as they are. And that's usually when they realize that their marketing investment with us has paid for itself many of times over. Or in the case of BrooklynPorkStore, it actually paid for itself about 45 times over.

That's powerful stuff.