Design/Publishing/Trends
Digital Magazine Experiences: My iPhone Case Study
Sunday mornings are my reading mornings. I love to sit down with a book or magazine and sink into it. This morning, I decided to read my one my favorite magazines, dwell. Having worked in architecture and architectural publishing for a decade, design for the built environment brings me joy. One of our longtime publications has recently decided to go entirely digital. So, weeks ago I embarked upon a personal case study to try to engage fully with a digital magazine. dwell was my choice as it was available on Libby (my absolute favorite app for reading books) and would come straight to the app on my iPhone with every new issue from the Austin Public Library. Great! This...
Read MoreImage Format Primer
Ok, it’s been a while since we talked tech! From digital advertising to print display, what is the best image or graphic file format? I know it’s easy to go straight for a PNG with that “quick export” button, but is it the right format for your project? In case you want to deep dive (but not too deep) to learn about all the usual formats and what they do best, jump now to this great article from Shutterstock. I love the side-by-side visuals so you can see what the file formats look like in comparison to each other. Are JPGs still king? JPGs are still the go-to format for non-vector images (photos). Their lossy compression ensures details remain...
Read MoreRebranding: Do No Harm
As a designer, I admit I can get restless with an old design. There are times you want to see change because maybe you’re bored or even a bit fickle when it comes to your branding. I totally get it. There are days I think, “Boy, I would love to get in there and redesign our Monarch logo.” I was younger when I designed it and maybe I could improve upon it now that I’m more experienced and the business is older with certain goals achieved and new goals set.” But, I hesitate. It’s good to know why you’re doing something. Why would I rebrand when business is bustling and our market is gaining greater awareness of our services and abilities? Today, I stumbled upon an article...
Read MoreComing Up for Air
You might have noticed our last blog post was in September 2017—yes, we have been a bit busy! The blog has been simmering away on the back burner while we have been attending to new clients in the New Year. 2018 is off to a great—albeit hectic—start with five publications (one monthly, two bimonthly, and two quarterly) as well as collateral for annual client events. But, we are coming up for air! We have brought in a talented professional contractor to help us provide full-service publishing and keep our sanity all at the same time. Our team is working with each client to refine everything from scheduling to editing and proofing. We have introduced new, efficient...
Read MoreTerrible Ideas
Under the Tuscan Sun — it’s one of my all-time favorite movies, and it’s chock-full of wisdom about life, love, friendship, writing, and inspiration. One of its many thought-provoking quotes sprang to mind instantly when I read this article in Inc. I could hear the voice of actress Lindsey Duncan, who played the captivating Katherine: “Terrible idea…. Don’t you just love those?” (Under the Tuscan Sun, 2003) Of course, she was talking about Diane Lane buying a villa in Tuscany, but the meaning holds true. Terrible ideas lead to the discovery of new, unintended and oftentimes amazing things. This is the general idea that author, Yazin Akkawi was...
Read MoreChoosing a Magazine Printer: 11 Tips for Success
We have clients who ask us printing questions daily. Fielding those print questions is a big part of what I do. What’s a good way to emphasize a special section? How do we work with an advertiser to include a gate-fold ad? Can we move the mailing label on the magazine? We like to be in the know when it comes to innovative processes, responsive pre-press and proofing software, postage changes and mailing suggestions, as well as special print services like blow-in cards and polybagging. What are the costs and benefits of each of these offerings? How can these services create value, efficiencies and savings? Publishing Executive published a terrific article, “10 Tips...
Read More