Grab the attention of your customers!
Stand out from the crowd!
Distinguish yourself among the masses!
Now,... that's easier said than done. So I have compiled a list of "to do" when creating a flyer for your next event.

1.) Use a Heading: A heading will focus the reader quickly of what is going on in the flyer. With out a header the reader will not be able to quickly identify the reason for the flyer.
2.) Use an image: The image will enforce the headline. It is also the biggest draw to the flyer. A nice picture of an object or person will draw more attention than having many scattered images. If many images need to be placed in the flyer then group them together then create a hierarchy so the viewer knows were to look first. Remember, big images tend to be looked at first.
3.) Use simple fonts for easy reading: Good headings and images will grab and hold the viewers attention to begin reading through the flyer. Use easy to read fonts because this is the important part! Try to keep information concise and to the point. Try to not use more than 3 different fonts in the flyer.
4.) Use colors that will grab attention: Another attention grabbing item is color. Bright colors command attention. If  bright colors are not in your theme or color scheme then try using complimentary colors. If you are not sure what colors are complimentary of each other use a color wheel.

Below are some examples of flyers created by Creative Logo Art. If you would like Creative Logo Art to custom design your flyer please click here and fill out the creative brief, this month it is only $50.

To resize your canvas in photoshop you want to go to IMAGE –>CANVAS.

There are two ways to change the canvas size.

1.) Absolute

2.) Relative

In absolute method you put the entire size of the image. If you start with a 4in by 6 in canvas and want a 8in by 10 in canvas then you would put 8in by 10in which would result in an increase in the canvas size. The background color will appear.

In the relative method you would check the box name relative. Then you would only enter how much you want the canvas to increase by. Therefore if you have a 4 by 6 image again and you want to increase the borders by .5 inches then you would say1 in for the width and 1 in for the height.

You can also just add canvas to one side by changing the anchor.

Changing the canvas size adapts to increasing as well as decreasing. Check out the video below.

With the rise of social networking and increase use of email, one of the most cost effective ways to promote an event is with an E-Flyer.

E-Flyers can draw attention to your event with the click of a button. It is very easy to share by email, facebook, and twitter.
 
If you email your flyer to your friends ask them to forward the email. If you are on facebook there are multiple ways of spreading the word but the easiest is to place the flyer in your photo album.

Once the flyer is in your photo album tag your family and friends. When you tag them it pops up in thier photo album so they won't miss the invite.

Like any promotion the more people that know about your event the more likely people will show up to your event.

It virtually cost nothing to share the E-Flyer on your social network and email vs. paying for printing and asking people to hand out flyers.

Additionally, I would like to save you money by offering a 50% discount on my custom flyer designs. To begin the process please fill out the creative brief and a Creative Graphic Artist Rep will be in touch.

Leaving a comment  with your thoughts of this post qualifies you for a 50% discount. Thanks for reading. Offer good until Feb 9, 2011.

In my graphic design group from linked in, the question was posed. What file formats do we as graphic designers give to the clients?

Ultimately its what ever the client request but I keep the original art work for future changes. As outlined on my site the client usually recieves the .eps file, jpg, and tiff. The client at any point can request a different format to be delivered.

I believe the most important piece is to communicate what the client will recieve. Please check out what other graphic designers do by clicking on this link. Link to discussion board  If you are a designer please let me know what do you normally provide your clients with?

In this tutorial I walk through creating a Polished text like the picture on the right hand side. Last week we created this in Illustrator. This week we create this in Photoshop. The major benefit of creating this art work in Illustrator over photoshop is the ability to resize the art work without degradation.

I hope you enjoy this tutorial, and remember to keep creating. Please sign up for the youtube subscription or RSS feed for the most up to date tutorials and articles.

You can subscribe for RSS feed by clicking on the RSS feed button to the right.

This is your new blog post. Click here and start typing, or drag in elements from the top bar.

In an article called "What Design Can't Do", by Christopher Simmons, he states that Brands must be built from the inside out. I totally  agree with him.

The Picture explains the model of a business that's building a brand.
1.) Leadership/ vision
2.) Quality of staff / Team
3.) Quality of Product
4.) Strategy
5.) Design

Chris states that "Design is the language that supports the strategy that promotes the product, which is imagined by people that believe in the vision."

In other words, the vision/ leadership is the heart and soul of the brand and will drive the design.  Graphic designers help the visionary communicate the message to the public. So what can design not do?

Design alone can not build your brand.

Design can attract customers and clients but if your product or service is bad then your brand will suffer. It will not suffer because of design but because of the internal workings of your business. 
Please check out the complete article and you decide.

http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/what-design-cant-do

In this flyer I hand crafted each particle which cost me a bit of time. Afterwards I decided to add a glow effect. That decision could cost me another 30 minutes adding it to each individual particle. Therefore I grouped them all together and made them a smart object.

Making a smart object allowed me to apply my layer effects to a group of layers. This allowed me to finish faster.

I hope this tutorial below will help you in your designing. Please view the video and don't forget to share this with your other creative friends too. lol

Key ideas to remember:
On PCs;
Grouping multiple items = ctrl + G
Creating smart objects of that grouping = right click the mouse on that layer group and select smart objects.