Archimedia Studios

The Art of the Slogan

A slogan is a noun, usually repeated and persuasive that creates a memorable catch phrase, motto, or jingle, that expresses a particular aim or concept. A concept that you want to stick in your audience’s mind like glue to paper.

Second, what makes a slogan memorable? Brevity is first in line — normally 10 words or less. Rhythm is the only exception to brevity. Rhythm is easier to create if there is an association to the receiver’s past — like a particular jingle on TV during their teen years for those now in their 50s. What slogans still stick in your mind?

Third, what are the benefits for using slogans? Brevity, as mentioned earlier, meets the requirements of today’s fast pace. Slogans also influence decisions, persuade, and add credibility. Our brains are like filing cabinets. A slogan makes it easier to file and pull when needed. For NLPers, neuro-linguistic programming, slogans create anchors. When people repeat the slogan, then consider it filed.

There are five major slogan types:

(1) A feature — a uniqueness or difference between a substance, product or object. Ex: “Write an ebook in 7 days.”

(2) A benefit — a result that someone receives. Remember, this saves you [time or money].

(3) A question — thought-provoking methods. “How would you like to be a millionaire in three years?”

(4) A challenge — a dare. Ex: The Marines, “We are only looking for a few good men.”

(5) A structure — a design or collection put together for a single purpose. Ex: “The Abundance Center holds all the information you will ever need to know on abundance.”

There are seven ways to make a slogan memorable:

(1) Make it exciting

(2) Be boastful or exaggerated

(3) Self-referencing

(4) Metaphorical, playful or humorous

(5) Inspirational or uplifting

(6) To trigger painful memories or possibilities

(7) Use of vivid or freshful language

Common Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

A good marketing plan can help launch a new business or grow an existing one. Make sure, however, to avoid common marketing mistakes.

Below are a few mistakes to pay attention to and avoid as you market yourself, your goods or services:

  1. Not Marketing to a Defined Group: Find your target audience and gear your marketing plan to that audience. Trying to appeal to everyone typically does not work.
  2. Inconsistency in Your Marketing Efforts: You need to have the same look and feel across all of your ads, promotions, and overall marketing plan.
  3. Lack of Diversification:Marketing on television, in print or on the Internet alone will reach only a portion of your potential customers. Plan to market creatively through a cross-section of media so that customers become familiar with your brand and your products at different times and in different places.
  4. Not Focusing on Repeat Business: Repeat business typically makes up 80 percent of customers in most businesses. Too often marketing campaigns are heavily focused on bringing in new customers and not building relationships with current ones.
  5. Starting Too Late: Time your marketing campaigns to coincide with new products, new services, seasonal sales or an upcoming event that will attract business. This typically means preparing well in advance.
  6. Not Having a Clear Marketing Message: Marketing messages that are contrived, confusing, too subtle or too long can easily miss the target market entirely. The most ingenious marketing plan is wasted if no one gets it.
  7. Going Overboard: If it sounds too good to be true it probably is. Too much hype will turn people away.
  8. Forgetting That Slow and Steady Wins the Race: If you blow your entire marketing budget on a Super Bowl ad, then what can you do next? Marketing means building a reputation over time through ongoing exposure.
  9. Not Getting Feedback: Test your marketing ideas and do focus groups. Don’t launch it without getting some feedback first.
  10. Making a Change for the Sake of It: Just because you are tired of your marketing plan doesn’t mean it isn’t working. Too many marketers make changes because they think they have too. Often a tried and true formula will keep working.

Photographing Flat Artwork

Natural Light
The best way to photograph flat artwork is to use natural light. If possible, bring the piece outside and find an open but slightly shady area. The shade helps protects the artwork from sun damage or curling. Place a white or black poster board on the ground near where the shade ends, as a background, then place the art on top of the poster board. If the art cannot come outside, it is still best to use natural light from a nearby window if you can, or light from a room where the art is hanging.

Taking the Shot
Before you take the shot, compose it so the outside lines are lined up straight in the frame. Do not use a wide angle lens, as it will distort the sides of the art. Instead, aim the camera straight down on the piece, and fill as much of the frame with the art as possible. Use a fast shutter speed. Also, bracket the exposures. Bracketing is when you take one shot regularly, then one overexposed shot and one underexposed shot, so you take three photos of each piece. To overexpose or underexpose the shot, adjust your aperture one f-stop up or down from where it currently is. Some cameras also have built in over- or underexposure settings. You might actually like some of the over- or underexposed shots better!

Reflection

Reflection might be an issue you run into when you shoot flat art, especially if the art has a glossy or laminated finish, or if you use a piece of glass on top of the art to flatten it for the photo. If this is the case, move the camera slightly until you get a shot without a reflection bouncing back. Or, get a piece of black foam core board and cut a hole large enough for you to shoot through. Stick your lens through the hole and shoot away. The foam core board will help absorb any reflection to help keep it out of your photo. If you need to use a flash because you are indoors, it is best to use an external flash, and position it on the side rather than straight at the art to help avoid reflections in the shot. Finally, use your favorite post-production tool(i.e. Photoshop) to add a bit of color warmth into the final shot if needed.

What is Magnification Ratio?

“Magnification ratio” is a technical term in photography. Such ratios are based on size comparisons between real-life subjects and how they are captured on film. Magnification ratios measure the degree in which these comparisons differ. Those falling between the range 1:1 and 4:1 (values to be identified shortly) are usually referred to as “macro photography,” which simply means close-up photography. In reality, a magnification ratio — ungainly as it sounds — measures the photographer’s desire to see the object as it truly is.

Identification

  • A magnification ratio of 1:1, or life-sized, means that a subject that is 1 inch long in real life will also measure 1 inch on film, whereas a 2:1 ratio means that the subject captured will appear twice its size. The numerical sequence moving from life-size to smaller and smaller increments is therefore expressed as 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4, and so on. Inversely, a magnification ratio of 2:1 or 3:1 means that the subject on film will appear twice or three times its original size.

Significance

  • In close-up photography, the magnification ratio determines the level of detail revealed in the shot. As one moves closer to the subject, the total area recorded decreases, therefore magnifying the level of detail seen. Most 35mm and 50mm lenses can capture a subject at 1:2 magnification.

Effects

  • This works well for small paintings, snapshots, small product work, flowers, and cropped portraits, among other natural objects. Nonetheless, many lenses will require a close-up accessory such as an extension tube, which fits between the camera and the lens, to zoom in beyond a 1:4 ratio

Check the specifications of your lens to find it’s magnification ratio.

The Most Common Mistakes of the Novice Videographer

1. Headhunting–placing every subject in the center of your frame.

2. Motorzooming–overuse of on-screen zooms.

3. Rooting–staying in one spot instead of looking for interesting angles.

4. Firehosing–panning all over the scene.

5. Upstanding–shooting everything from standing eye-level.

6. Snapshooting–taping only two or three seconds per shot.

7. Backlighting–too much light falling on the background instead of on the subject.

Delivering Customer Experience Excellence

Let's give em' something to talk about!

Contact Us