Why Designing Newsletters is Like Building Websites

by John Tarr | Oct 13, 2020 | Graphic Design, Newsletters & Magazines, Web Design | 0 comments

Why Designing Newsletters is Like Building Websites

As a graphic designer I was drawn into designing websites because of the similarities to laying out newsletters.

I had become quite good at designing newsletters and magazines for companies and non-profit organizations, so when I started to explore ways for me to show my work on-line, I began to look into websites.

While in school pursuing my graphic arts degree, I took a couple of classes designing websites the old-fashioned way, inserting code via HTML and using an Adobe software called Dreamweaver. It was interesting but not my cup of tea.

I am a graphic designer and not an IT person working in code.

After discovering WordPress, I realized I could have the best of both worlds. You see, WordPress is the platform that allows you to design more visually, but you can also use code if you wish.

It has many drop-and-drag features that help the design move right along and let me do what I do best — create my visual magic in Photoshop and Illustrator.

To really make WordPress websites hum, install a theme. When a theme is installed into a WordPress website, it gives far more functionality, depending on the theme you use.

I use a premium theme called Divi made by a company called Elegant Themes.

This theme allows me to use my graphic art abilities to the fullest without getting bogged down in code. Now that is music to my visual ears

A good theme is critical to the success of a WordPress website.

Think of it this way:

1.) The WordPress Platform is like the foundation of a house. Everything about the house rests on the cement foundation. The walls and roof are completed with electric and plumbing installed within the walls of this house.

2.) A WordPress Theme allows you to install carpet, paint the walls, hang photographs on those walls and bring in furniture to customize this house into a home. This allows you to create a custom business storefront.

Now back to Why Designing Newsletters is Like Building Websites.

When designing newsletters, I use a program by Adobe called InDesign. This software allows me to design multiple pages and many tools for different creative features for designing this publication much like WordPress does.

It takes a healthy learning curve to become proficient at both of these design tools and make custom, professional products to be sold to the business world.

The building-blocks of both WordPress and InDesign are very much alike in many ways.

Photoshop and Illustrator

I use both of these software’s to help design both a newsletter and a website. I do not know what I would do without them. They allow me to become very creative in both fields of publication.

Because InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop are all made by Adobe they play together very well.

I was a photographer for 40+ years before becoming a graphic artist so I was used to using Photoshop.

I could make many adjustments to my own images as well as those I retrieved from a photo stock agency and photographs that customers would send to me for their website or newsletter.

Illustrator is a one-page design platform that allows you to design logos, social media memes, sliders for WordPress and much more.

Many times, I will have all four programs open at once as I go from one to the next on my different monitors. It allows me to be very efficient and improves my creativity tenfold.

Blogging on a WordPress website is a lot like a printed newsletter, but in a digital format that connects to the internet.

I have designed a newsletter that will be printed and at the same time used as a blog that will reach two very different types of people with the same information.

Of course, you do not use SEO (Search Engine Optimization) on a printed newsletter but it is very important when designing your blog like you would do with a website page.

Search engines like Google and Bing require it.

You can then share this blog on social media to reach the whole internet world.

Paper is still in demand

Many people do not have access or do not want to use the internet, and that is where a printed newsletter is a big deal.

Programs to be handed out at a performance or at churches before a service or one made as an inhouse publication in a large business are still very much in demand, as well as advertisements that come in the mail.

We do both of these types of publications for people and businesses.

In fact, when someone hires us to design a website, we insert a blog into it if they wish and then teach them how to use it.

Go here if you would like to know more on how we Design Websites and Newsletters for Business.

Why Designing Newsletters is Like Building Websites

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Great Ideas to Plan Your Videos for YouTube

by John Tarr | Sep 28, 2020 | YouTube, Social Media | 0 comments

Great Ideas to Plan Your Videos for YouTube

Guest Blog by Sheri Barbera & YouTube Bootcamp

Plan Your YouTube Videos & Start Shooting Today

Follow these simple tips to get comfortable filming videos right now!

Video Planning & Design

Your content:
What is the goal of each video
Who is the target audience
What is their question or concern and how do you solve it with a story (script)
Filming your videos:
Use your cell phone
Use a microphone for good sound
Use natural light or whatever lights you have at home/office
Record your video in small segments
Use the rule of 3rds
Share your videos on social media & your website/blog
Read your Analytics, Learn, Tweak and Repeat!

Plan Your Video Content

Start with a plan for your YouTube channel.

What is your reason for making videos? Is your goal to make more money in your business? Sell more products or services? Build your Brand recognition or just create a Brand? Acquire new customers and clients? Increase your authority as a teacher, trainer, coach, speaker, crafter, creator, artist, writer, or any type of professional?

Maybe you need to find new volunteers for your non-profit or get more donors? Or spread the message about your business.

When you’re a Business YouTuber, many of the questions above relate to you. And those are all excellent reasons to have a YouTube channel and make videos. Plus, as a YouTuber you always need new subscribers to grow your channel reach.

And increase your watch time.

What can your videos be about? Maybe you’re going to teach a lesson in each video? Or sell a product or service? When you know the reasons, you’re making videos you can start planning the content.

When you have a goal and a purpose for creating videos, it’s easier to make them instead of randomly picking some topic for a video and then making that. Plus, when there’s no real focus to your channel, there’s no reason for anyone to show up or subscribe.

This is why you have a plan, a purpose and a benefit for the viewer. Plan your videos to give your audience a reason to show up, watch the entire video, subscribe, like and comment on the video.

Background

Ok, you know what your channel is about and what your videos will be. Where will you shoot them? Inside? Outside?

It’s important to set up an easy place to film.

When it’s easy, it’s easier to stick to your goal to film videos for your business.

If you set up a place to film consistently, and it’s there for you to film anytime, it’s possible to create a schedule and stick to you.

Keep it simple and do-able and you’ll do it!

Cell Phone Camera

Everyone has a camera in their pocket, a mobile phone. Manufacturers are making the cameras on cell phones 1080p on both front and back of the phone now, so you can use either side to film yourself.

If you use a selfie stick to hold the phone, you have a more angle and interest options for filming:

Unscrew the top of the selfie stick and mount it on a tripod and voila! Your phone is stable to film hands free

Film yourself looking way up at your phone for a unique perspective

Hold the phone down by your ankle for a dog’s eye view

An app for your phone to make it look more like a DSLR camera is Filmic Pro

Microphone

The number one thing people click AWAY from a video for – is bad sound.

You always want to have clear, even, moderate sound when you create your videos.

Not crackly, or too soft or too loud. The way to get good sound is to use a microphone.

There are inexpensive mics that plug right into your phone and clip onto your shirt.

Buy the one that words for your mobile phone and always use it when you record.

Lighting

If you’re filming inside, you can sit by a window or table light and look good.

Natural light at the right times of day looks soft and beautiful and will make your videos more cinematic looking.

Use any lights you have already: desk lamp, floor lamp, overhead lights (recessed) piano lights are good, reading lamps, just light yourself up.

If you want to film outside there are three conditions that are the most effective for lighting:

Outside on a cloudy day
One hour after sunrise
One hour before sunset

Short Video Clips

To create manageable files and keep your viewers interested and watching, make short clips.

It’s easier to re-shoot something you aren’t 100% happy with if it’s only a few minutes.

Plus, downloading and editing is faster with short clips.

So, try to keep your videos to 3-5 minutes or less.

Frame and Compose

Simple ways to make your videos look better to the eye (when they’re being watched) is to remember to use these three tips:

Divide your video ‘frame’ into thirds and place you or whatever you’re filming within the third or at the intersecting point of a third (see the red dots)

If a person is in the shot don’t have too much space above their head. But don’t cut off the top of their head either!

If you’re doing a close up and you need to cut off part of the head to fill the frame, only cut off the TOP of the head, not the chin.

Great Ideas to Plan Your Videos for YouTube

Digital Marketing

YouTube makes it easy to market your videos using the ‘share’ button right underneath your posted video.

Right from the video you can copy the ’embed code’ and put the video right on your website or in a blog post.

There are also options to share to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Mix, Blogger, Reddit, Tumblr, LinkedIn, a few others and even email.

The best time to share your videos is right after you post it.

Then share it again a day later. And possibly the next week.

Video content is always there once you post it, but if no one knows it’s there, how can they watch it?

Give them multiple ways to find your videos by sharing your content.

Google Analytics

Now that you’re filming, editing and posting videos, the next step is to go to YouTube Studio, the back end of your channel, and look at your analytics to learn:

1.) Where your viewers are coming from.

2.) Who your viewers really are (age, gender, etc.).

3.) Which videos they’re watching.

4.) Where in the video they stop watching.

5.) When they’re watching and what they’re watching on.

YouTube provides you with a wealth of free information to help you figure out how to make better videos. Go through your analytics and learn where to share them more frequently, how to make them better and why people are clicking away.

Practice

YouTube wants you to succeed.

This is why the platform is free and so are the tools to improve your videos.

When you study your analytics and learn where and when viewers stop watching, you can improve the next videos.

It could be your sound, picture quality, content, noise interference, pacing in your video…there are many reasons why viewers click away from a video.

You want to know why so that you can keep them watching to the end, and then wanting more.

Learn from your analytics, tweak the next videos, film, edit, post and then read your analytics to see how much you’ve improved.

Great Ideas to Plan Your Videos for YouTube

This was a guest blog by Sheri Barbera. She runs YouTube Bootcamp with her husband Sal.

We have written many articles on Website, Graphic Design and Digital Marketing that you might be interested in our Best Website Solutions Blogs.

Great Ideas to Plan Your Videos for YouTube

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9 Tips for Creative Brochure Designs

by John Tarr | Sep 1, 2018 | Designing Brochures, Graphic Design | 1 comment

9 Tips for Creative Brochure Designs

Brochure are one of my more favorite things to design. Why? Because the creative possibilities are endless. As a graphic designer they are one of the things I look forward to designing. Do not take me wrong, I love designing websites and newsletters, but these little gems stretch my creative abilities to the max.

To start with, what is a brochure? Wikipedia says this about Brochures.

First and foremost, it is a marketing piece. Something to be handed out to prospective clients that has a lot of information and photographs about your business. Something well designed that will put your companies best foot forward and give a would-be client something to remember and to hold onto. It’s an introduction of the best kind.

Brochures can be a single page (tri-fold, gate-fold or bi-fold) or multi paged (perfect bound, saddle stitched) or have different names such as – pamphlet, booklet or leaflet that can be used for a catalog, menu or for sales. The most common brochure style is a trifold or six panel which is actually a single 8.5 x 11” sheet folded into thirds. This design is just the begining of the variations that this amazing pamphlet can become.

People will interact with this compact but effective tool that is jammed packed with information. They will turn it over, unfold the panels, flip the pages. It gives you a chance to design this user experience and how they will perceive you and your business from the start.

9 Tips for Creative Brochure Designs

1.) Be Clear of The Purpose of Your Brochure and Message

What is your message? Focus on what that message is and how your text and photographs relate to one another to make your message clear. Make sure your fonts, colors, copy, layout and images all work together and enhance one another. Who will be reading it? Will it be a persuasive tool or an educational piece? Will it be on display at a retail location or handed out or both? Write out your copy first and the design around that with your copy and photographs. Add a call-to-action. Be clear on what you want the reader to do.

2.) Use the Brochure Format to Your Advantage

How do you do that? Think about how your prospective customer will see the brochure. First, they see the cover then they open it to see what is underneath then they may flip it over and view the back panels. Make it interesting with a surprise that may be reviled as they open the pamphlet.

3.) Carefully Consider the Number and Size of Panels and Pages

You may want to have a general over view of your company or hone in on a specific service that you provide. If you have more information that can fit on an 8.5 x 11” then you can use a 8.5 x 14”. You will want to be cost effective as possible, so you may want to talk to your printer on what the cost may be on each style before you proceed.

4.) Draw Out Your Idea

I recommend that you take a 8.5 x 11” or 8.5 x 14” blank sheet and fold it to the configuration that you want your brochure to look. This step is really important, so you can view how the panels and folds will actually look. Now draw out the different possibilities with a pencil and eraser. This pencil drawing will help you to see first-hand your ideas and make changes easily.

So many things become very clear as you do this exercise. It’s just a rough sketch so do not try and make it perfect. Make a couple of designs with the elements in different spots on the brochure. It’s also not a bad idea to have a couple of people view your ideas for their opinion. At this point if you are hiring a designer, take a cell phone shot of your ideas and send them to them. As designers we do not always know what is going on in someone’s head, so this step gets us in the ball park real fast.

5.) Font Usage

How will the topography work? Fonts selection is huge and how will they work with each other? Will you use serif fonts (old style with arms and legs) or with or san serif (without)? I personally think using serif typeface looks great on titles and subtitles and can be fancy as long as they are readable. Always use san serifs on sentences and paragraphs because they are much easier to read. Keep your font selection to a minimum. One serif and One san serif. Select a font that has a large family (bold, italic, weight) because it will give you give you many choices that will keep it consistent looking.

6.) Photographs

Photography on marketing material is BIG! A good selection of quality images is a must. They need to be high resolution and lend themselves to what you are trying to show or sell. You can use your own images, use a stock agency or hire a photographer but they need to be of excellent quality. When we design a brochure we use a stock agency many times because they give a big selection to pick from that will tell the story in just the right way that only a great photograph can do.

9 Tips for Creative Brochure Designs

7.) Design a Great Cover

The cover will be the first thing that people will see so you want to make that as attractive and inviting as possible. Make it unique. Do not just put your logo and a photo on this cover but something that will draw the viewer into the rest of the brochure. Use a catchy headline or title, call to action or engaging question. Keep it short. Keep the front cover clean without clutter. Remember many brochures will go on a display rack and only the top third will be visible, and you might be competing with other brochures.

8.) Paper Stock for Your Brochure

How thick and how will your brochure feel? Paper will be the tactile part of your brochure experience. Quality, weight and coating will speak volumes all by itself. What do you want that to say? Use a heaver stock when it’s a more substantial brochure. If your brochure needs multiple folds use something thinner but not too thin. This will help it to lay flat and fold clean.

9.) Pick a Good Printing Company

I cannot stress this enough. Make sure the printer is someone you can work with. Contact the printing company before you start on the design.

Ask them questions like:

A.) How do they want to receive the file to be printed?

B.) Do they want it in the native file like Illustrator or InDesign so they can make some basic adjustments or a high resolution PDF or JPG?

C.) Will they print out a sample?

If possible have your printing company print out a sample brochure or two to make sure that finished product will be exactly what you want. You will be able to feel it and make sure it folds like you have intended it to fold and nothing is over lapping and stays within its panels and folds. You will also be able to see if the printer cut or trimmed off too much from the edges and if it needs to be adjusted before he/she prints off a whole bunch of copies.

If you have hired a graphic designer, he will be able to navigate and connect to your printing company on the different issues I just listed above. Leave it to him to sort this out with the people that are actually doing the printing. Better yet, let the designer recommend a printing company that he/she has used before.

In conclusion

Remember, Creative Brochure Designs are a great marketing piece for your company or business. If they are designed right they can be very effective. I would reflect on these tips as you go through the design process.

Here are some more idea’s and tips on alternative uses of a Brochures by U Printing.

I also wrote a blog article on layout and design of newsletter that you might find interesting 5 Design Tips for a Great Newsletter and one on website design 9 Signs its Time for a New Website

If you have any questions on the designing brochures, please send us a email. We would love to help you with your next marketing idea.

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9 Tips for Creative Brochure Designs

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Graphic Design on Brochures

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Reinventing Myself Through Graphic Design

by John Tarr | Jun 12, 2018 | Graphic Design | 0 comments

Reinventing Myself Through Graphic Design

I was a professional photographer for 40+ years when I became disabled with a hip replacement that went south. I no longer had the mobility I once had so going back to school for graphic design was the next logical choice.

The same layout and placement of elements is very similar in many ways. Now, I design behind a big computer screen instead of a small digital computer called a camera.

I also have found the graphic art principles also apply to designing websites.

I always admired the people in the graphic arts field because I saw the result of what they did swirling all around me in the world.

From labels on boxes to ads on TV, printed flyers to movie credits.

The ordinary street and store front signs and deep into the internet world of websites, social media, graphic design is all around us.

Learning new software was the biggest obstacle when I first started graphic art school. It was a struggle at first because computers were not my strong point. I was very old school in many ways.

I had learned photography back in 1969 in high school using a 35mm camera and developing B&W film, and printing images in a darkroom the old-fashioned way. I was very hands on in a manual sort of way, like many people from my generation that started before computers came on the scene.

I think back on those computer and software struggles and it’s hard for me think of me having a hard time with them because I live and breathe with them now.

Finding Myself Through Graphic Design

Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign

They are the three big engines that drive graphic design and are all made by Adobe. All very different from each other but, also very similar in many ways.

A.) Photoshop, to work on images and photographs to make them the best that they can be through cropping and image manipulation.

B.) Illustrator, to design individual pieces as in logo’s, individual flyers, ad’s or even adding text to images as a visual graphic for social media.

C.) InDesign, the software that designs multi-page newsletters, magazines or PDF’s for print and digital distribution. I will, many times make a main template for an organization that will be used for future designs with this program. InDesign is the hardest to learn because it can do so many different things on many different levels all at once so my schooling in this program was well worth it.

After I started school I realized website design would become part of this mix. My graphic art skills would be used to make websites look great in addition to functioning as they should.

The Software Design Process

I use Photoshop and Illustrator to design specific pieces, then bring them all together in to InDesign for a multi-page book or newsletter layout.

All the programs by Adobe play together extremely well and let me cross platform to each other easily and efficiently.

Drop and drag is the name of that game when work with them all at the same time.

That is the benefit of having three software programs that are made by the same company.

Learning Graphic Design

Many times, I will have all three open at the same time on three different computer monitors so I can be as efficient as possible. When working on a website I will have both Photoshop and Illustrator open with InDesign being the odd man out because WordPress is taking the place of InDesign as digital layout software.

I enjoy and love what I do now because it’s like using different elements of the same puzzle when I am in the designing mode. Graphic art and website design is a combination that allows me to branch out creatively in a couple different directions when the need arises.

I also like the fact that I help people, companies, churches, nonprofits and different organizations grow and become more successful at what they do with my creative skills.

This really is my idea of having fun.

How can we help you with your business projects?

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Best Website.Solutions is a custom Website and Graphic Art design company located in the Phoenix, Arizona area.

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Reinventing Myself Through Graphic Design. Finding Myself Through Graphic Design

5 Design Tips for A Great Newsletter or Magazine

by John Tarr | May 30, 2018 | Graphic Design, Newsletters & Magazines | 0 comments

5 Design Tips for A Great Newsletter or Magazine

Designing a newsletter is very similar in many ways as designing a magazine. The same basic concepts apply to both. There are some minor differences, but this article is about how much they are alike and if you apply these principles to both you will have a very professional looking publication for digital and print.

I also have found the principles also apply to designing websites, so these skills I learned work really well for this live presentation of a company’s store front.

To do a professional job on a consistent basis you will want to have a software that is up for the task. When I went back to school for graphic design the core of our school program was built on the rock foundation of three main Adobe products. Photoshop, Illustrator and, InDesign.

Here are the 5 Design Tips for A Great Newsletter or Magazine:

1.) The Masthead Is Your Newsletters Logo

It is most often located at the top of the cover and should be the first thing your reader sees. It must be legible and tell people about your newsletter. You have looked at your magazine thousands of times, but your readers have not. If the masthead is developed with illegible fonts, people won’t view it as you intended.

2.) Use Great Photographs

You will want to have great images throughout the whole newsletter and magazine. This is what attracts people to read the rest of the stories. All photographs must be of a good, high quality (in the proper resolution). I always recommend using images that are 240 DPI on printed material. Many times, I use the same images on Websites and blogs. The difference is the website images need to be shrunk down to 72 DPI. If your image is to big on the internet the website or blog will load up very slowly.

Sign up for a photo stock agency that you can use to find images that will match the article that you are writing about. I have a whole library of images that I have saved from stock agency’s over the years that I use on people’s newsletters when they ask me to do the layout.

* Remember: Do not use images that you do not have permission to use because it’s called copyright infringement and if you get caught you can be sued.

Some photo stock agencies are pricier than others, so it depends on what type of image you are looking for.

Here are a couple of agencies:

1.) Storyblocks has basic images that will give you usable images to use for around $99 a year and you can down load all you want.

2.) Shutterstock is more expensive but has a bigger selection for those hard to find images when only the right photograph will work.

Here is more information about Photo Stock Agencies and a bigger selection to choose from.

3.) Careful Font Usage

Typography matters. The choice of fonts can have a major impact on the overall professionalism a newsletter conveys. Using too many font faces is visually confusing to the reader. He/she may have trouble distinguishing the stories from the ads. Not to mention, that too much “stuff” can be tiring on the eyes.

I try to only use two font families on any one publication. A “serif” and a “san serif”. Using two of these and only two will break up the text and make it more reader friendly. More than two will cause confusion to the reader.

Within that family might have a regular, bold and italics so it’s OK to use those different selection because it will give the newsletter a feeling of uniformity without confusion.

4.) Multi-column Layouts

One trick for having your stories look professionally built is to use a multi-column grid to the page. For regular sized newsletter try using three columns, digest sized mags use two. Not only does it look more professional, but text will flow better on the page and you will have more options for placing photos.

Personally, I like a two-column layout grid, but everyone has their own preferences. The point here is to use something other than one column.

5.) Stay Away from the Edge

Many newsletters have layouts with text too close to the edge of the page. Again, don’t try to fill up the entire space. The minimum margin suggestion is 1/4″ but 1/2″ is better, or even more page margin is suggested.

Again, it looks more professional adding more white space and you will not worry about the possibility that text might be cut off when the magazine is cut down to size after printing.

In Conclusion

I hope you have found these 5 tips helpful on your next design of a newsletter or magazine. Let me know how they helped and send me a copy of your next publication.

We love designing newsletters and magazines for many different companies, churches and nonprofits. We are very affordable. Please contact us if you have any questions how we might help.

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Text Plus Photo Equals Powerful Visual Story

by John Tarr | May 12, 2018 | Graphic Design, Social Media | 0 comments

Text Plus Photo Equals Powerful Visual Story

One of the most satisfying things I do as a graphic artist is design small visual blurbs that combine a photograph or graphics with text. It is like a neat little visual package that can convey a message like nothing else can.

They can be very powerful with its message and does not take much time to get its point across to the viewer. People do not have a lot of patience to read a lot anymore because of how much information we all have to digest on a daily basses.

These little visual blurbs are perfect.

Do not take me wrong. I still love designing websites, newsletters and writing blogs like this one but there is something about these little morsels of graphic design that is on a different independent level.

They are much harder than they look.

Font Plus Image Equals Powerful Visual Story

This is a selfe I took of me, my son and grandson. Cell phones do a great job of capturing images for these graphics. I used a filter on the image in Photoshop to blur the photo and give it a different feel to warm it up to match the quote and red text.

Many times I use a photograph that I took sometime in the past. I was a photographer for more than 40 years so had built up a library of images that I can use but more often than not, I use a great image from a photostock agency.

Sometimes, my inspiration will come from a photograph itself and then look for a quote, or I might just save that image until I run across something suitable to match. Other times, I find a great quote or even scripture and then hunt for just the right image.

I love this hunting phase because it takes me on a journey of discovery within my own self.

Social Media Graphics

When it comes to the text, the quote is a big deal but so is the type of font that is being used. Do I use something modern (san serif) or something more gothic or traditional (sarif).

Fonts also tell a story and will either help the story line or make it less effective. This is where my graphic arts schooling has come in handy.

Color combinations are also very important and how they relate to one another. Element placement can also make or break the message.