Photo files explained
Photo Files explained
At O2, we work with digital photo files every day. There are lots of photo file types to choose from, and it’s not always clear which one to choose. Here are a few of the more common photo files explained.
JPEG: This is perhaps the most common photo file format. A Joint Photographic Experts Group, or JPEG file, is the standard method of “compressing” an image file. This means the pixel variations in the file are “compressed” on a minute level so that the file will take up less memory space. Because they can be compressed, JPEGs are a good option when memory space is at a premium, but JPEG files tend to be a slightly lower quality as well.
PSD: This is the standard file format for a Photoshop image (Photoshop is a fancy image editing program we designers often use). PSD files have an advantage when it comes to image design and editing – a PSD file can be easily edited, layered, colored, filtered, and otherwise manipulated for design work. If you anticipate a lot of editing work to be done on your photo files, PSD is a good choice.
TIFF: A Tagged Image File Format, or TIFF, is an uncompressed high-quality file format. TIFF images maintain the most detail when saving an image, though they also take up the most memory space. TIFF files are good if you need the highest-quality images possible, though they can be difficult if your camera has a small and/or slow memory card.
RAW: This format is used with DSLR cameras. (DSLR stands for Digital Selective Resonance Imaging, which is a fancy way of saying a professional-quality camera). RAW files capture the “raw” image with no digital processing or enhancements. RAW files are arguably the highest-quality file format, though they also take up the most memory space because of it.
There are many other files we could have mentioned, but these are the ones we probably encounter the most. So which files do we prefer? Actually, we’re accustomed to working with any and all file formats. As a rule of thumb, however, we find that JPEG files are easiest to work with for digital media (e.g. designing a website or online ad), and higher quality TIFF files work best for print media.
If you have any other questions about anything we mentioned in this week’s post, from file types to print media, give us a holler! You can call us at 970-726-8021 or email us at [email protected].
Is Print Dead? Read here to find out.
Is Print Dead? 4 reasons to use print media
Is Print Dead?
Folks often ask us, “is marketing with print media even worth it any more?” It’s not a bad question, considering all the advances in digital media these days. But at the same time, we always answer the question with an emphatic “YES!”
No really! Print media actually still has plenty of benefits both old and new. Here are 4 of our favorite reasons why you should still be using print media to market your business:
1. Print ads are effective for target marketing. Placing your ads in special interest publications helps you to reach niche audiences that can otherwise be difficult to target. Printed ads such as posters and banners are also a great way to reach your audience in public places and at special events, which leads to our second point…
2. Print media is tangible. Business cards, brochures, and other print media give customers something to take with them. Print media also has a long shelf life. While online ads can come and go in just a click, your audience tends to keep magazines and other print publications around the home or office for much longer.
3. Print media gives you credibility. To some folks, online popup ads and banners can come across as a spammy nuisance. However, if you have a handsome business card or other print media to give them, it makes you look like a legitimate businessperson.
4. As businesses use online advertising more, and print media less, this can be an opportunity for you! If certain print mediums are less cluttered with ads, this gives you the chance for your ad to really stand out.
These are just four reasons, in a nutshell. Of course we could go on and on, but we’ll again try to keep this a blog post and not a novel. And of course, digital media definitely has its advantages as well (perhaps that’ll be a future blog post, who knows!) We recommend a good strategic mix of both digital and print media to get the most out of your marketing efforts.
To discuss more of the benefits of print media, or if you have any other marketing questions about your business, contact O2 Creative today.
To contact us, give us a call at (970) 726-8021 or email [email protected]. Or, if you want – write us at P.O Box 1349, Winter Park, CO 80482 – because we love print media!
Click here for our next post – Pinterest!
Click here to read more about print media at forbes.com.
The Popularity of Pinterest
Popularity of Pinterest
Pinterest is among the fastest growing social media platforms these days, and marketers have taken notice. We at O2 Creative have been learning more and more about this cool site every day – we even have our own Pinterest page!
So what is Pinterest, anyway?
Pinterest is primarily an image-based content site, in the sense that it focuses mainly on users sharing images. Users can post, or “pin,” images that have been uploaded or linked from a website. A user’s main Pinterest page is a “pin feed” that chronologically displays the activities from other “boards” a user follows. The pins include links back to the original page or website, which is a great way to drive traffic to your website. Users even have the option of notifying Facebook or Twitter friends when they post new content to their Pinterest page.
Users have “boards” where their pins are located. Users can have multiple boards for various topics or themes. Users can browse, like, and comment on each other’s boards and pins, and “re-pin” each other’s content.
Users can search for various topics as well. For example, a user could search for “potatoes” in pins and find photos of potatoes, links about potatoes, potato recipes, potato growing, or potato articles, all from other Pinterest users. Or, users can search boards for potatoes and see and find boards that other users have made about potatoes.
As Pinterest grows, the opportunities for businesses to market themselves on Pinterest do as well. Businesses can create business pages on Pinterest, and the image-driven content is great for showcasing your products or services. You can include other useful info as well, such as prices, promotions, and other advertisements and business news. Many businesses, especially retailers, have enjoyed success on Pinterest. Businesses can even launch products and influence trends with an optimally managed account.
So what can a Pinterest page do for YOUR business? A lot of that depends on what sort of products or services you offer, your market and industry, and other factors. But odds are, a Pinterest page can be an innovative new way to market your business. So if Pinterest interests you, contact us today! We’d love to sit down and discuss how to get the most out of marketing for you on Pinterest – and other social media, too!
Give us a call at 970-726-8021 or email at [email protected].
Now if you’ll please excuse us, we’re going to go try this new recipe for potato soup we just found…
Click here for our last post – looking for a sign?
Looking for a sign?
Business Sign Designed in Colorado
For most businesses, proper signage is one of the most important elements of marketing. Signs create an identity and a presence for a business. They’re critical for building brand awareness. And, all things considered, business signs are actually one of the more affordable marketing initiatives a business can pursue.
In many ways, a good sign is your business’s identity. Signs let everyone know who you are and what you do. They get you noticed and make your business more familiar to your customers.
Business signs define your presence in your market. A sharp, professional, well-executed sign communicates to your customers that you’re a sharp, professional, well-executed business. Conversely, if your sign looks dated, cheap, or just cheesy, then your customers will think the same about you. And perhaps worst of all – if your business doesn’t even have a sign, then your market may not even know you exist!
Signs are also invaluable as promotional tools. For instance, a sign that includes your logo helps to build your brand and reinforce your market presence. Signs can convey important information, including info about your products, services, taglines, contact info, or other news and information.
- O2 Creative-designed outdoor signage for our friends at Fraser Valley Hot Dog
Signs are always working for you as well. They’re there 24/7 to keep your business fresh in the minds of customers. Even if customers don’t have an immediate need for your products or services, the constant exposure of your business sign will help them to think of you when they are ready to do business.
Indeed, proper business signage is an important part of a business’s overall marketing efforts. Signs are among the most cost-effective marketing efforts in the long run as well. Sure, a good sign will probably cost you, depending on how fancy you get. But signs are a one-time purchase that can provide years of effective marketing.
When you compare the cost of a sign to the ongoing costs of other marketing efforts, signage actually starts to look like a bargain. Whether customers see your sign for the first time and impulsively stop in, or eventually visit your business after noticing your sign over time, signs provide great return-on-investment either way.
So where can you get good business signs? Well, not to toot our own horn, but we can design some of the coolest signs around! We can work with virtually any business and any budget to create indoor and outdoor signs of all colors, shapes, and sizes. We can design signs for any building, location, or event. Heck, we can even put signs on your car! We’ll help you create a sign that helps to establish your market presence and represents the identity of your business.
Give us a call today at 970-726-8021 or email us at [email protected].
Click here for our next post – the business of business cards!
The business of business cards
Business card design and printing
What small card plays a big role for virtually every business? It’s the business card! (Aptly named, right?) Actually, business cards are critical to building and maintaining a market presence for all sorts of businesses.
Business cards are convenient. Usually no larger than 2 inches by 3.5 inches, these little guys can go just about anywhere – wallets, pockets, bulletin boards, countertop displays…you get the idea. They’re one of the fastest, easiest, most professional ways to share your business information to clients, partners, and prospects alike. And you’ll never know when or where you’ll have to share your business card with a new contact – don’t go anywhere without ’em!
Business cards do wonders for networking. You can easily exchange all sorts of contact info, from your phone number and email to your website and social media pages. Nowadays you can even include high-tech features, such as QR codes, that can direct smart phones to even more information about you and your business.
Business cards also play a distinctive role in advertising. A well-designed card that includes your business’s branding, logo, and other identifiable images and info will make you stand out when you share them with your contacts. They’re a crucial step forward in building brand awareness and market presence as you maintain and grow your business.
Did we say well-designed? That’s where things get real interesting. Business card design has grown leaps and bounds since the days of boring little black-and-white rectangles. There are virtually endless cool new ways to design a business card, including any number of colors, graphics, fonts, tag lines, shapes, sizes, or even unique materials from which to choose.
The point is, even business card design should be clever and creative. Business cards can do more than simply exchange contact info. They create great first impressions and they help your business stand out in your market. They also bolster brand awareness, especially when your business card incorporates the same logos and branding as your other marketing media.
If your business needs new business cards, or if you would simply like to redesign your old business cards, contact O2 Creative today. We can work with you to design truly distinctive cards that will reflect the personality of your business and really separate you from the rest of the crowd.
To contact O2 Creative, give us a call at 970-726-8021 or email info@o2creative. Or, just stop by our office some time, and we’ll give you one of our business cards!
Click here for the next post – the blog about blogs!
A blog about blogs: how blogs help businesses
We know what you may be thinking – (wait, wait, wait…you’re trying to write a blog about blogs? Isn’t that, like, trying to make a doughnut-flavored doughnut or something?) But bear with us here for the next 300-500 words…we just want to write this blog post about how blog posts can help to build your business…
Now, maybe you’re thinking, why should I use a blog for my business? Actually, blogging is great for business. It’s a good way to communicate with customers and other businesses. It’s great for developing an identity for your business. And it’s good for boosting your overall web presence, which in turn boosts your overall market presence.
Blogs connect you to your market, allowing you to show your customers and business partners what you’ve been up to. You can share relevant information about your business and also allow for comments and conversations between you and your audience. Not only can you share your own ideas with your market, but you’ll also get ideas in return when customers and partners comment on your posts. Blogs also allow for better discussion and communication of topics that may be a little too in-depth to cover with a simple advertisement or Facebook post.
Stories, photos, and other content in blogs all help to illustrate who you are as a business. With blogs, your business is given a voice, a personality, a human element. When you can communicate with a blog you can use your own personal voice to express professional topics. This allows your customers to better relate to you, which will subsequently help you better understand your customers.
Besides, even with professional blogs, not every single post has to be professional. Sometimes it’s good just to post on topics that showcase the personality of your business – just look at some of our fun culture posts, like the one on fishing. Or camping. Or even puppies! (Yup, that’s totally a pug sticking her tongue out at you.)
Blogs also do a lot to bolster your online presence. Good blog posts are quality online content that helps to generate traffic and hits for your site. They’re also great for search engine optimization – all that relevant content helps search engines find you online, in turn helping new and potential customers find you when they search for information in your area of business.
Blog posts are always there for your customers to read and share, which can increase your market reach. In these ways and more, blogs help increase your overall market presence. And, best of all, blogs can actually be enjoyable! They’re a fun way for a business to express itself to a market.
Of course, effective blogging can be time-consuming, which is why we offer blogging services and consulting to clients. We can help you develop your online voice, and help you use blogging as a marketing tool to build your business. Contact us today for more info on how blogs help businesses!
To contact O2 Creative, call us at 970-726-8021 or email [email protected].
Click here to read our previous blog The rap on vehicle wraps
Photo credit/for additional reading: check out this article at socialmediatoday.com.
The rap on vehicle wraps
Have you seen a wrapped vehicle around town lately? Odds are you have – it’s difficult to miss them!
Aptly named, a vehicle wrap is a custom design printed on special vinyl material. This vinyl is precision-cut and expertly applied, or “wrapped,” to the exact dimensions of a particular vehicle. Vinyl wraps cover every little corner and curve of the vehicle so perfectly that it’s often mistaken for a custom paint job.
A vinyl wrap is better than a custom paint job, though, in several ways. It’s much less expensive, it’s easier to apply, it actually protects your paint job underneath, and the vinyl can be easily removed or changed if you ever decide to change the colors or graphics on your vehicle.
What sorts of colors and graphics are available, you ask? Well, just about anything! We can design a wrap that includes your logos, taglines, contact info, colors, images, or whatever else you’d like on your vehicle. Yup, that’s right – we can turn your vehicle into an eye-catching advertisement on wheels! Everywhere your vehicle goes, so will the promotional power of your distinctive vehicle wrap. Few other advertisements can organically create attention as well as a vehicle wrap.
We’re big proponents of using vehicle wraps as promotions, too. A vehicle wrap is an advertisement that goes everywhere you go! It’s a great way to gain brand awareness and generate buzz within a community. A wrap is always working for you, even when your vehicle is parked. Vehicle wraps get you noticed!
And by “vehicle wrap,” we mean just about any sort of vehicle – cars, trucks, vans, trailers, you name it! We can professionally wrap a single vehicle, or an entire fleet. We are also able to create partial wraps or individual graphics as well. Your wrap can be as simple as a logo displayed on your door, or as extensive as a complete wrap that creates a whole new look for your vehicle.
Click here to read one of our other blogs
If you or your business is interested in vehicle wraps, contact O2 Creative today. Give us a call at 970-726-8021, or email us at [email protected].
E-commerce websites
Electronic commerce, or e-commerce, is the term used to describe transactions conducted over electronic systems, such as the Internet or other computer networks. And nowadays, just about everyone has shopped online before. Businesses large and small are taking advantage of the Internet marketplace to generate sales online.
So what can e-commerce do for you business?
Actually, e-commerce offers a lot of advantages to retailers and wholesalers alike. They can be considerably less expensive for businesses, allowing transaction costs to go down in the long run. They can allow for better, more efficient customer service opportunities. And e-commerce is not bound by geography or physical location, which can allow businesses to easily gain unprecedented presence in markets both near and far.
Establishing an e-commerce site can be a very cost-effective way of selling your product or service. Once your e-commerce website is up and running, the shopping and billing processes are automated, which allows for transactions to be conducted with fewer employees on the clock.
E-commerce websites can also save businesses money in the form of rent or property expenses. With e-commerce, a physical location is not even necessarily necessary, though many businesses enjoy a robust increase in sales by offering an e-commerce website in addition to their brick-and-mortar store.
Better customer service can also be achieved with an e-commerce website. Online messaging and emails can be used to better interact with customers. Product information is much easier to convey and maintain as well. A product description online, complete with information from manufacturers, is often more thorough than the info an in-store employee could provide on the spot.
Products and services can be found more easily, since simply entering terms into a search engine can go a lot faster than having to search up and down the aisles of a physical location. E-commerce also allows for 24/7 transactions, and customers will never have to wait in line, so they can buy from you whenever they want.
In addition to buying whenever they want, customers can also buy your products from wherever they want. There are no geographic or travel limits with e-commerce – you can do business with just about anyone who has access to the Internet. This helps increase your exposure not only in your existing market, but also exposes you to new markets as well. All this increased exposure means increased sales for your business.
E-commerce also offers unique business opportunities, such as targeting niche markets. For instance, if you sell unique or individualized products or services, it may be difficult to attract customers to a physical store location. However, an e-commerce site makes it much easier for customers to find you, since your niche offering is now just a few quick clicks away. Proper Search Engine Optimization efforts can make it even easier for new customers to find your e-commerce site online, which makes it even easier for you to grow as a business.
One example of using e-commerce to serve unique markets is our friends at Rare Finds, a business that specializes in selling rare and collectible furniture and antiques. They have a physical location, but they wanted to increase sales and grow to new markets. We recently designed an e-commerce site for them, rare-finds.com, which allows them to offer their unique products to anyone on the Internet. Now their customers range near and far, not just in one corner of one geographic market.
E-commerce can also…shoot, are we still listing all of e-commerce’s benefits? Perhaps we should try to wrap this post up, before this blog becomes a novel. That said, we really could go on and on about the benefits of e-commerce websites. We can even help you set up a secure e-commerce website of your own, just like we did for Rare Finds. So, seriously, feel free to give us a shout some time. Let’s get together and discuss what an e-commerce website could do for you!
If you’d like more information, contact us today! Call 970-726-8021 or email [email protected].
Click here to read one of our other blogs.
Also, check out this helpful article at kennesaw.edu.
Cartoon credit: Lynch
Case Study: The Foundry
When The Foundry Cinema & Bowl came to Winter Park, they approached O2 Creative with an interesting task: build a brand from scratch. We welcomed the opportunity (we’re kind of dorks like that) and promptly began developing ideas for every detail of the brand development.
Fortunately, we were well aware of the work we had cut out for us. We knew we had to design a logo, signage, a website, rack cards, business cards, posters, advertisements, and lots of other media, not to mention all the other little efforts it takes to make a brand successful.
We knew we had to remain consistent in our branding efforts, so customers could consistently recognize The Foundry’s brand. We also knew everything we designed had to lend itself to the marketability of The Foundry as a whole. We had to express the market identity The Foundry sought to achieve.
We began by designing a logo. We worked closely with The Foundry to create exactly the logo they wanted. In this case, they hoped for a retro-industrial sort of style. We ultimately came up with a classic round logo and combined it with a more modern letter font, which yielded us a handsome logo that we think is bold, clean, and recognizable.
We took The Foundry’s new logo and began applying it to other branding efforts. We designed The Foundry’s outdoor sign that lights up big and bright along Highway 40. We think the retro-inspired logo looks especially sharp atop The Foundry’s old school factory-inspired building.
We then wanted some tangible marketing media; something that The Foundry could pass along to customers. With the goal of building brand awareness for The Foundry in mind, we created an integrated mix of branded marketing materials – everything from business cards…
…to pizza boxes.
After we designed The Foundry’s tangible media, we agreed it was time to get digital. We designed a website and mobile website, both of which make extensive use of The Foundry’s branding and logo. Now The Foundry has a robust online presence. Customers can look up movie times, menus, and bowling info from computers, tablets, and even smart phones.
We continue to work closely with The Foundry, creating new media to promote all the new events at the cinema and bowling alley. Whenever The Foundry has new movies, bowling events, food and drink specials, or live music shows, we’ll design some fresh promotional media. Each promotion consistently has The Foundry’s familiar round logo and design, which helps maintain and grow brand awareness.
Overall, this is just a few of our branding and marketing efforts for The Foundry. Each element has played a role in helping The Foundry become the successful brand it is today.
We’d also like to mention that we actually enjoy helping our clients with branding efforts. We like the creative challenge of helping a business express its identity to a market. We even kind of have fun with it! With that said, we’d be happy to help you build your brand. If you or your business has any questions with branding, marketing, or design, please contact us. Let’s get creative together!
To contact O2 Creative, call us at 970-726-8021 or email [email protected].