Archimedia Studios

What is design?..maybe not what you think

Have you been to one of the large bookstore chains recently and gone to the section  labeled “Graphic Design?”

If you have, or when you do go,  you may be surprised to find the section almost entirely composed of books on Photoshop and  web development (coding, Dreamweaver, etc.).

Does learning the requisite software make you a designer? Just because you know CSS and HTML, can you really call yourself a web designer?

We are definitely not making the argument that these topics aren’t extremely important, they are, but they’re sections of a larger area of discipline, the entire core of which is seemingly ignored these days.

Photoshop  is a tool by which the larger discipline is accomplished. Knowing how to use it doesn’t make you a designer any more than knowing how to paint a house makes you an artist.

You know the keyboard shortcut for kerning type, but do you knowhow to kern type? You know how to create guides, but do you understand the fundamentals of grid-based layout? You know how to apply a background fill color, but do you understand which colors will complement each other well and why?

What is design? Design is math, do you understand the golden ratio? Design is psychology, will a red or green button earn more clicks? Design is art, which color scheme is has greater visual appeal? Design is marketing, how do I sell this idea, service or product?

There are No Shortcuts if you are serious about being a  a quality , in-demand designer. Before you can  “break the rules” of design and “think outside of the box”, you must first understand the fundamentals of design.  As a designer, the more diverse you are in your skill set the more marketable you will be!  Enter this field to “be the best”, not “one of the many”. Absorb , “like a sponge” the wisdom and knowledge of experienced designer’s and strive to master the tools of design, Photoshop, Illustrator, CSS, HTML, Photography,etc.  However, it is important to understand that these tools are simply that, tools, they are a just a means to the end.

5 Lighting Still Life Tips

Lighting is the single most important element of “Still Life” photography. The way a photographer uses light for still life will add mood, give context, provide interest, and ultimately, create a dynamic still life photograph. Lighting for still life is not complicated. In fact, stick to these 5 tips, and you will nail your still life shots every time.

1. Use an simple backdrop: Wrinkles and ridges in a still life photograph – unless a part of the setting – will be distracting to your main subject. Be vigilant about keeping your backdrops smooth and simple.

2. Make your lighting contrasty: Whether you are using strobes, speedlights, or LED’s, it’s important that your “ratio” from one light to the next is varied. The main light should be strongest, and the second light should simply provide a nice fill.

3. Light directionally: Side light is always most effective for bringing out texture and creating dynamic variation between the highlights and shadows. Whether rings, or florals, side light will enable you to give dimension and depth to your still life imagery.

4. Pay attention to your angles: Two things to think about when faced with a studio lighting scenario. a). The position of the lights to your subject and b). the position of your subject to the camera. Side light will give dimension, but so also will the angle at which you take your shot [ie. side, above, below, etc.]. Don’t be afraid to experiment and change up angles. A photo is most interesting when you give a new perspective to something that is ordinary.

5. Light for shape: We see life 3 dimensionally. For this reason, the most dynamic photographs are the ones in which the audience could walk into the scene, or reach out and touch the subject. Lighting for shape will be most emphasized by side light, when your highlights spread along the edge of your subject and add that 3rd dimension.

Why do Brands Fail?

You know your brand may be  failing  when…

1. Your brand is mentioned to customers and potential customers, and there is strong negativity in their response.

2. Your brand’s external messages do not “ring true” with all employees.

3. Employees are not enthusiastic or consistent in recounting what makes their brand special.

4. The brand’s market share is decreasing.

5. Competitors never mention your brand as a point of reference.

6. The press does not write about your brand.

7. Your CEO does not have a strong vision for the organization and its brand. He or she talks more about financial targets than the vision.

8. Your organization’s leaders never seem to “talk the brand” and “walk the brand talk.”

9. Your organization fails to attract and retain high quality employees.

10. Your brand fails to build customer loyalty.

A Key Video Marketing Lesson from Old Spice

The Old Spice Guy campaign, one of the most popular viral ad campaigns in history,  has set the bar for how other companies and agencies can approach viral advertising, by focusing on the fans first. Old Spice has struck a perfect balance of content and advertising. The key to their video marketing campaign success is;

Put the focus on short, snappy video content.

A recent online video study shows that 82 percent of Internet users watch online video at an average of 5.6 hours a week. And if you have a video that wants to be seen, the best possible platform, according to comScore, is YouTube.

It’s generally a good idea to keep things short on YouTube, people don’t  want to sit through long productions.

The vast majority of Old Spice’s videos average at slightly less than a minute per video. Unless they are inspiration- or premise-driven videos, most ads and promotions uploaded to YouTube should hit this sweet spot between a minute and 90 seconds.

When you put videos on YouTube, you’re competing against every other YouTube video. It’s not like there’s a special category for commercials.

In summary, keep it short, keep it simple. If the marketing campaign doesn’t involve video—not sure why not, in this day and age—the ad should still be succinct and concise.

Shorter ads are easier to follow, digest, and on the development side, create.

What do Bieber and Britney have in common?

Artists and Celebrities traditionally invest in various side businesses such as clothing and restaurants. More Artists, however, have found a new and very profitable medium of expression.

From Bieber to Britney, celebrity fragrances are just part of the fame game and the packaging designs have become as expressive as the celebrity themselves.

A celebrity creation of a signature smell has taken over the fragrance business. Releasing a celebrity fragrance is as commonplace as an artist releasing an album or appearing in a film. Nowadays celebrities are taking it up a notch and really getting hands-on in the production of the product

If you’ve truly made it, people not only want to be you – they want to smell like you.

That’s the ideology behind the ever-profitable celebrity fragrance industry, and it works. Celebrity fragrances are rolling out faster than we can keep up. Music to our ears!

Country Artists, Faith Hill and Keith Urban already with a signature fragrance are joined by the newest entry ,  Taylor Swift and her fragrance “Wonderstruck” . These Country Artists join the ranks of  Kim Kardashian, Beyonce, David Beckham, Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey and a host of countless other celebrities. We expect many more artists to get into this lucrative business. For the top 10 bestselling celebrity perfumes from 2010 alone have brought in $215 million in the U.S.

We wanted to share with you some of these designs.

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