4/27/10

Snickers TV Spot - To Print

Select a TV ad, imagine how a print ad might look for the same product. Discuss the limitations of the print ad compared to a TV ad. Discuss the advantages of both media vehicles.



Snickers.


A great way to push this campaign into print would be with a hologram type of ad. Moving the image in one direction you would see the diva like in the commercial or you could take it to another extreme with some crazy angry animal. Then tilting it the other way you see some one smiling as they are eating their snickers. Then you would even have a third angle that shows the snickers and the slogan.

Result you have a very sharp ad with a dramatic and entertaining effect. People would probably tilt back through the hologram a few times just cause holograms are interesting.
The ad would also stay in keeping with the concept of the commercial.

Printed ads do have their advantages and disadvantages. The major advantage of printed advertising is the fact that it is there for the observer to study, as long at they like. The contact information, services, and branding are there for referencing later if a detail is forgotten.

TV has so many more dimensions to it that it is not really easy to compare. With television you have graphics and color and typography as you do in printed media, but it is also moving and changing images. But then when you think of the sound aspect TV is on completely different level. Even if you are not watching the TV and are in the room you can still hear the ad.

The moving images aspect is quite strong too. Think of your favorite grill bar. Your there having a good time with your friends or family, but attention is captured across the restaurant by the 48” TV with the latest beer commercial. Of course you can’t hear what is going on, but the movement of the ridicules scenario has captured you and pulled you in. You are a victim of their great marketing.

In my opinion you really can’t go wrong by using multiple vehicles. Print and TV work well together as the TV can make customers familiar with their product. Printed Advertising is a great affordable way to follow that TV spot ad. Remind the future customers and give them some additional information. Print is also a great way to target a specific segment group with a special magazine.

Resources:
AIO Lecture Week 4
CBS
http://www.howstuffworks.com/hologram.htm

Trapping - Chokes & Spreads

Trapping is simply adjusting the lighter colors to spread into the darker colors to ensure there will not be any gaps or misprints due to human error or poorly registered paper. By overlapping the colors shared boundaries, it ensures proper printing in the event of misregistration. Seeing as most printing is done on white stock, if an object is not properly trapped the print could result in revealing the stock paper there the objects are not perfectly aligned.

Using chokes and spreads proper printing can be accomplished. A choke is applied if an item is adjusted to reduce the shared border. For example, if there is a 5mm knockout for a gray circle to fit in a larger black square, the knockout is reduced to 4mm adjusting the black square to choke the gray circle. A spread would be the opposite effect as it would be an adjustment where one of the objects is enlarged into the shared border of another. It would be making the gray circle larger to a 6mm diameter to accomplish the trap.

Resources:
Frank J, Romano. Pocket Guide to Digital Prepress. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar, Cengage Learning, 1996.

Unsharpen Mask Controls Function - Photoshop

The Function of the Unsharpen Mask Controls.

Threshold- "Threshold" defines the required range of contrast between adjacent pixels, before sharpening is applied to an edge.“ (Foundations of Electronic Production G322 UG, 3).Unsharpen Mask.” (Foundations of Electronic Production G322 UG, 3). It is most helpful in removing noise from an image as well as helps avoid exaggerating small details. When used correctly it will aid in making the image appear smoother. Typically the threshold is set at 0 and used between 1-5. The higher the value used, “the more areas of the tonal curve will be affected by

Radius- The radius controls the pixels on the page or “he width of the black and white lines” (Foundations of Electronic Production G322 UG, 3). It is used to increase sharpness of a blurry image by adding pixels to the image, or reduce sharpness by removing pixels from an image.

Amount- The amount is exactly that, it’s the amount or intensity of the radius and threshold that is applied to the image. Amount is usually the last adjustment made and “should be applied between 50 – 150 per cent” (Kamps, 2006). As it was stated in the lecture, “The higher the number, the stronger the effect or higher the density of the black and white lines, and vice versa for a lower number.” (Foundations of Electronic Production G322 UG, 3).

Work cited:
Foundations of Electronic Production G322 UG . Week Three Online Lecture :Unsharp Masking 4 2010
 
Kamps, Haje Jan. "Sharpen Those Photos: Unsharp Mask." Web log post. PhoSharpen Those Photos: Unsharp Mask. 4 July 2006. Web. 27 Apr. 2010. photocritic.org/unsharp-mask-sharpening-photos-photoshop/>.

4/25/10

Web Advertising U by Kotex VS Always - Target Marketing

Web Advertising U by Kotex VS Always – Ad, Website, Online Video Spot.

U by Kotex has created an amazing campaign for marketing their feminine hygiene products to young women. Comparing U by Kotex to another brand like Always it is very apparent these two companies are going after two different segments. The fun and youthful look of U by Kotex is very different from the traditional quality product guarantee look of the Always product which hits home with a more mature generation of woment. I considered their ads and looked at their product package design, their websites, and online video spots.

In just considering the banner ad design U by Kotex has produced, I saw the dark purple gradient for the background with the brightly colored product popping of the page. There were some subtle transparent circular shapes dancing throughout the layout. It has simple text mentioning the wit, comfort, and cool factor you gain from their product. The over all feel is playful and fun. The ad looks more like a party invitation than a feminine hygiene product.

When contrasted to Always I couldn’t actually find an always banner ad. I had to find a printed ad. This was interesting to me as I thought I would find one quite easily, but even on their website they only have printed ads. I am guessing they are not going for that young internet addicted group of young women. The printed ad shows a very traditional look to it . Script text for the title and clean san serif type for the copy. The color pallet is also limited. The ad contains mostly a white pallet with shades of gray and the accents of green from the product and a nice contrast of red from the models hair. The look of this ad creates a fresh and clean feeling.

Next, I considered the websites. The U by Kotex website is very simple with its large photograph a young girl on the go. The type in vibrant colors and rounded san serif font pops off the bottom of the page with their playful symbols. The over all feel is very youthful. The logo in the top header also has a trendy look to it.

I compare that to the Always website which also has a fresh look, but is less edgy as it does not have the high contrast of black and lime green, bright pink, yellow and blue. The Always logo is very whimsical in the font choice and calming blue color. The flash animation and movement in the footer also has a calming essence to it. I would venture to say this over all feel of this site is light and calming.

http://www.ubykotex.com/                                   http://www.always.com/index.jsp


In the video spot I noticed the attitude was so relaxed and laid back. Treating the experience as more of a “good friend”. The girl discusses the entire thing you typically would not want to do as things she would like to do. The tag is “Why are Tampon Commercials So Ridicules?”
U by Kotex commercial:



The Always commercial uses a woman that is a older compared to the Kotex commercial. It focuses directly on the function of the product. The text and colors are the traditional always script font. The colors used are subtle calming blue. The tag is “Experience the Magic of Always Infinity”

Always commercial:





Overall I think the strategy for U by Kotex is a perfect way to target that young segment of the market. The fun youthful approach will attract young women to consider their product.

Resources:
AIO Lecture
Marketing: Real People, Real Choices
http://ubykotex.redant.com.au/images/content/generic-tout.jpg
http://www.always.com/media/img-print_big_13.jpg
http://www.ubykotex.com/
http://www.always.com/index.jsp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRf35wCmzWw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXUlOgMFD4U&feature=pyv&ad=4954300445&kw=always%20pads&gclid=CKOPp6r9gqECFcN05QodzCoQvg

Segmentation

Marketers break up the market into groups by analyzing customer characteristics and preferences. These target groups create a more concise and clear objective for the graphic designers as they conceptualize what needs to be visually communicated. In chapter 7 of Marketing: Real People, Real Choices, there is an excellent example of how sneakers were at one time split into two categories of “ athletes and non-athletes” (Marshall 199). Today, it is split it to many different types of shoes designed for specific athletic activities. This makes the graphic designers job much more focus as in this example a designer may be working on visual communication for a basketball shoe verses a walking shoe or tennis shoe. The graphics, appeal, design, and message will be directly targeted toward the basketball market verses a more shot gun approach of targeting athletes in general.


Works Cited:
Marshall, Greg W., and Elnora W. Stuart. "Sharpen the Focus:." Marketing Real People Choices. By Michael R. Solomon. 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentis Hall, NJ. 199-209. Print.


Resources:
AIO Lecture
Marketing: Real People, Real Choices

What is line ruling?

What is line ruling?

Line ruling refers to resolution or lpi (lines per inch). It relates to the amount of halftone dots printed based on the specified measurement. The example in the lecture states, “100 lpi means 100 lines of dots per linear inch and 10,000 halftone dots per square inch. Similarly, a 150 lpi screen ruling will have 22,500 halftone dots per square inch.” (Foundations of Electronic Production G322 UG, 2).

The different resolutions are necessary for printing for a few different reasons. A newspaper for example has a rather low resolution ranging from 85lpi to 150lpi. Printing a newspaper at this lower resolution compared to a magazine, which ranges from 135lpi to 175lpi, the print will be a lower quality. With larger dots used the print will not be as accurate in the reproduction as it would be at a higher lpi. Using a lower resolution will also increase the processing speed in production by reducing the size of the file, but keep in mind a lower resolution will limit the number of grays available.

The resolution on a monitor is different as the standard resolution is at 72 pixels per inch (ppi). In print the resolution needs to be higher to not appear fuzzy or pixilated.

Work cited:
Foundations of Electronic Production G322 UG . Week Two Online Lecture :Resolution 4 2010

Resources
AIO Lecture Week 2
Pocket Guide to Digital Prepress

Halftone Printing

When we view an image on a monitor or on a television screen, we see the image in pixels. However, we use digital halftone to print the same image on a printing press. Explain why we need two different approaches for reproducing the same digital image.

There are two different approaches to produce the same digital when you consider viewing an electronic sample on a monitor or television screen verses a printed sample on a printing press. With the monitor, removing or adding light changes value. The major issue with printing lies with the limitations of the ink. Consider painting for a minute. Painting is similar to ink as it uses pigments for a subtractive color system. If you needed a lighter shade of black you would add white paint to black to change the shade. In printing there is not ink “white ink” to add to black or any color for that matter to change the value. To print a photograph for example you need shades of gray. With printing, the ink is on or off. This creates a big issue when trying to reproduce gradients, and any other value other than solid black or the absence of ink “white”. To achieve this type of effect printers use a halftone system where an image is converted into a “pattern of very small dots of varying sizes with equals spacing between the dot centers” (Romano, 212). The dots vary in size and therefore create an optical illusion of different values to create the needed shades.

Work Cited:
Frank J, Romano. Pocket Guide to Digital Prepress. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar, Cengage Learning, 1996.

Resources
AIO Lecture Week 2
Pocket Guide to Digital Prepress.

Neutral or Gray Balance

Explain the purposes of gray balance and indicate why the black ink is not used for gray balance.

Black ink cannot be used in reproducing neutral or gray areas because they need to be neutral to look like the original which is a created by combining equal amounts of red, green and blue. When using process color for reproduction on white paper it is very apparent when there is any imbalance. The printer uses a balanced combination to cyan, magenta, and yellow to create an accurate neutral in the reproduction. Using black in this reproduction would not create an accurate neutral. Keeping in mind that the impurities in ink, and the fact that they do not reflect equal amounts, the amount of each ink is shifted to create neutral results.

With a combination of equal amounts of red, green and blue light a neutral or gray can also be produced. The light will be diffused through or reflected off the object in equal amounts of red, green and blue and it will look neutral.

Resources:
AIO Lecture

Color Correction - Photoshop

There are quite a number of tools for color correction in Photoshop. Each of these tools have different effects on the image. Name at least three of these tools, along with an explanation of how these tools affect the image.

Layer Styles:
I prefer to use a color layer and layer style to change the color of an image. It works pretty well as you are not actually directly working on the image, but on a separate layer. I typically create a new layer add the color apply a mask and then change the layer style. Different layer styles do different things to the image when they are applied. When trying to change the color I would typically use the color layer style.


Adjusting the Hue:
Another easy way to adjust the color is using an adjustment layer and changing the hue. Once again I would create a mask and then go to the adjustments pallet and click on hue/saturation. Sliding the hue slider back and forth will give a rainbow of color options. At the sometime you may not be able to match a color you had in mind. For example, I have found I can’t create a Deep Dark Blue from an object that is currently red.

LAB & Levels or Curves:
Switching to LAB makes changing color through levels pretty simple. The color is only on the AB channels. Go to Image>Mode>Lab Color. Create a mask around the area you wish to adjust, then go to the adjustments pallet and choose levels or curves. Select either channel A or B to make adjustments from, jumping back and for the between the two to find the desired adjustment. Adjusting the lightness layer will make adjustments to the contrast in the image and remove the highlights and shadows.

All of these examples are great ways to make slight or major color adjustments to the image without directly changing the original. They all also will not change the contrast. The key in each example is having a good mask that will contain the adjustments to a specified area on the image.


Grayscale:
Another simple change of color is to completely remove it. Changing to Grayscale. Go to Image>Mode>Grayscale. This will completely remove the color information from the image. The image will no longer be a RGB or CMYK image.


Resources:
http://www.photoshoplab.com/change-your-car-color.html
http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-698280_ITM
AIO Lecture Week 3

Contrast?

There are two distinctly different types of contrast that can be adjusted in an image for optimal reproduction. Differentiate between these two types of contrast and explain how and where these adjustments affect the image. What would be the proper Photoshop controls to use for tonal adjustment? Explain how they work.

Overall contrast relates to the image as a whole in analyzing the brightest whites composed of the smallest halftone dots and the darkest blacks composed of the largest halftone dots. The key is working toward accurate highlight and shadow density and the correct halftone dots dimension.

Contrast adjustment may very from image to image. It focuses on the mid tones keeping the highlight with the smallest dots and shadow with the largest. Adjustments are made by shifting the tone of the 50% dots.

A great tool in Photoshop for quick tonal adjustment is the brightness/contrast tool. It allows you to easily make quick adjustments to the contrast which can quickly sharpen the image as well as adjustments to the brightness which directly controls the over all level of the image. For greater control over adjustments directly to the shadows, highlights, or midtone the Shadows/Highlights, levels, or curves tools are ideal.


Resources:
AIO Lecture

Photoshop - Unsharpen Mask

Here is an interesting chart for unsharp mask on


Subject                     Amount   Radius   Threshold
Soft subjects             150            1            10
Portraits                   75              2              3
Moderate sharpening 225       0.5              0
Maximum sharpening 65        4                 3
All-purpose sharpening 85        1                4


Source:
For starting values of the USM filter for different uses, try the ones suggested by PhotographyJam:
http://photocritic.org/unsharp-mask-sharpening-photos-photoshop/

4/12/10

Marketing Translation Mistakes

A great list of Marketing Mistakes based on translation.
Some of these are really funny.
Visit http://www.i18nguy.com/translations.html#credits

4/11/10

Need Stock Photography?

Great Image Resources!

If you don't know about istockphoto.com you are really missing out. Great photos for a very reasonable price.
http://www.istockphoto.com/index.php

Other great photo sites:
Stock.xchang -  http://www.sxc.hu/
Free Digital Photos - http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

RGB & CMY -Additive and Subtractive Color

RGB (Red, Green and Blue) are additive primary colors and CMY (Cyan, Magenta and Yellow) are subtractive primaries. Both are needed to reproduce and view color. Which part of the process is additive and which part is subtractive? Explain the reason why they are called additive and subtractive colors. Indicate why we need a black to print photographs. 

RGB or Red Green Blue is additive color because by adding in different amounts of red, green, or blue light any color can be created. At the same time if no light is added the result will be black and by using each color equally at full intensity which is achieved.

When working with subtractive color the model is the opposite as pigments, dyes, or inks are used to absorb or filter certain wavelengths of colors out of the reflecting light. Cyan, Magenta, and yellow are the primary pigments used in this model. Unlike RGB the absence of pigment is white and mixing all three pigments together would remove the spectrum of wavelengths and would result in “black”.  CMY adds K or black to the pallet as CMY can create a beautiful spectrum of color, but a true black is difficult to create from the CMY pigments. Mixing CMY does not ensure a consistent true black as the pigments always have impurities, which interferes in producing a true black. Adding black to the pallet gives a greater contrast and generates a true rich black.

Resources:
AIO LECTURE week 1

Coca-Cola Marketing Blunder

In April of 1985, The Coca-Cola Company announced that they were changing the formula of their product and launched “New Coke” pulling old Coke from the shelves. Following an outcry from consumers, Coca-Cola reintroduced the old formula as “Classic Coke.” Since then, Classic Coke has dominated the market as the number one brand of soft drink in the world. Many call Coca-Cola’s strategy a huge marketing blunder. Discuss what marketing research might have driven this decision by Coca-Cola. Do you think this was a marketing mistake, or a brilliant strategy?

The Coca-Cola example is one that could have been a disaster, but seems like it almost worked out in their favor. Weather the reason or problems was Coke was looking to gain more customers with a “new taste” or less sugary drink, it was very apparent that they should not have replaced the Classic Coke with New Coke. I would have thought that using a tool like a test market, or customer satisfaction studies would have shown that New Coke would not be an acceptable replacement. 

Pepsi did something similar to this in the early 90’s with their product “Crystal Clear Pepsi”.  Pushing this clear pure “healthier” liquid that as their slogan claimed, "You've never seen a taste like this".  While this product did have positive response to test markets, in the end Crystal Clear Pepsi did not last long.  Unlike Coke Pepsi did not try to replace their current Pepsi product with their new Crystal Clear Pepsi. This was probably a better approach, as Pepsi did not upset the customers that were already committed to its current product, and bring a new exciting product for those looking to try something new.

Coke really gambled with this strategy. I would probably classify it as a mistake. I don’t see a big company like Coke looking to increase their sale of their product by taking it away and giving their customers a product that is not as good in hopes to create major attention on bringing back the old product. In the end, it probably worked to their favor, as their Classic Coke was so good they had to bring it back. It also says something about the company as it was willing to switch back to keep their customers happy.


Resources:
AIO Lecture Week 1

Lost Horizontal Scroll with Right Align?

Had an issue with loosing my bottom scroll bar. I found that when I used a align="right" to align my main table right it did not play nice with the browser.

To fix this problem I used a style="margin-right:0px;margin-left:auto;" instead. Now you see the scroll and it plays nicer...

check out the website.

4/2/10

Photo Repair - Photoshop


So I found a photo online that was damaged.
First I tried to use the “DAMP” method alone. But the damage was too deep. I then went back and used the clone tool to repair some of the major parts of the damage. Then I used the “DAMP method. I then applied adjustment layer with a levels adjustment as well as a brightness contrast adjustment layer and hue saturation adjustment layer.


Photo Resource:

Photo Retouch DAMP Method

Here is what I did to correct this photo:
1. Used the “DAMP” method to clean up the skin imperfections and graininess of the low quality photo.
2. Used an adjustment layer and corrected the levels.
3. Used an adjustment layer and corrected the curves. To remove the yellow color cast
4. Used an adjustment layer and adjusted the vibrance to make the image clearer
5. Used an adjustment layer and adjusted the color balance to reduce the yellow.
6. Used an adjustment layer and adjusted the selective color to enhance the other colors
7. Selected the lips with the quick selection tool.
8. Adjusted the Hue of the lips.
9. Used an adjustment layer and increased the brightness.
10. Save as .psd. (Layered file) then Save as .jpg

Original
Retouched

The DAMP method - Photoshop Retouch


Wow I love the retouching exercise shown in the lecture. At first I didn’t see how it worked, but now I am addicted. This is a great reason to duplicate a layer and work on a separate layer. Another reason to duplicate a layer would be when using layer styles. I make 2 and even 3 copies of layers and add different layer styles to create interesting effects. I also duplicate layers so that have the original to reference quickly without removing masks or turning off a bunch of other layers.

1. I duplicated the layer.
2. I turned off the top layer on the layers pallet.
3. I went to the bottom layer and did a Filter>Noise>Dust and Scratches, Radius 4 and Threshold 6.
4. Turned the top layer back on added a mask to it.
5. Taking the brush tool I selected the bad spots to mask out on the top image
6. I added an adjustment layer for levels and hue saturation.
7. I created a mask separating the boy from the background using the lasso tool and then cleaned it up with the brush tool.
8. I added an adjustment layer for hue and saturation to the boy adding red to his shirt and face.

Photoshop Animation


I have done quite a few Photoshop animations of the years. It is always a little difficult as I also have don’t some in flash, and remembering the limits of Photoshop animations verses flash.
Here is what I did:

  1. I created a document 640x480
  2. I started with my name.
  3. I wanted to highlight the different sections or things in my online portfolio. So I used the same font family and designed text that comes in at different times.
  4. Then I have my name fade in last. I applied a “difference” layer style to my name and changed the color to cyan.
  5. Then I added a black panel that will fade in and change my name color due to the layer style.
  6. Then I added “portfolio”
  7. I ended up with 33 frames and quite a few tweens.
  8. Save as .psd
  9. And Save as gif.

Here are some links to other samples I have created.



See links for more samples:

Web Design Process - Photoshop

Designing a website in Photoshop is a good way to start as it enables you to focus first on the layout for positioning and mockups. Adjusting a design is quite a bit easier in Photoshop or other graphic software compared, to making changes in the code. With layer comps you can easily show different variations of the layout as well as use it to make different pages and rollover links.

When I worked for an online adverting company, ClickaCoupon.com, we built multiple websites we actually did most of the conceptual designs in Photoshop Elements (A stripped down version of Photoshop). We utilized the layers and groups to show different pages or versions for the owner to make decisions. Many times we would go back and move things around and make many adjustments. This would have been more difficult if it were done in code. Sometimes we would even find an existing site, which we would screen capture and utilized the grid and structure as a template. I actually did many sites for this company this way here are just to examples of websites that were laid out in Photoshop before they were coded.

In Photoshop once the site is designed, it can be sliced and exported for too. Many designers do not have extensive web coding knowledge and by using Photoshop these designers are able to produce working websites. Taking things even a step further designer’s can utilized the bridge and export web galleries without even knowing any html code at all.  These galleries are a quick and easy way to get samples live on a website. I actually designed a website for a client utilizing the bridge function. The client is a photographer and knows Photoshop and how to create the web galleries. I then utilized some code I knew to enable him to upload and change galleries continually without messing up his site. He also has a function for his clients where they type in their code he assigns and they can view their proof photos he has taken for them.  See this site at  www.alpinerose.com.