by Rick ... ... ... in Trade Show ... banner design is about as easy as it gets for the ... graphic ... ... ... a vinyl ban
by Rick Hendershot, America-Banners.comoriginally published in Trade Show BuzzVinyl banner design is about as easy as it gets for the non-professional graphic designer. Generally speaking, a vinyl banner is easy to design. Anybody with a little bit of graphic design experience can design a banner. And even if you have no experience, your supplier (for instance America-Banners.com) can point you in the right direction, or even design your banner for a small charge.Here are some things to watch for when designing a vinyl banner...1. Use software that handles CMYK full color output. There are at least three kinds of software you can use: -- Image editors like Photoshop, PhotoPaint, or PhotoImpact-- Page Layout programs like Quarkxpress, Pagemaker, or InDesign-- Illustration programs like Illustrator or CorelDrawGenerally speaking, programs that are designed for consumers or general office applications are not recommended: e.g., Word, Wordperfect, Publisher, Excel, etc. If you have a specific inquiry, don't hesitate to ask your vinyl banners supplier. A good source of information is your contact person at America-Banners.com. You can ask a design or production related question by using the contact form on any page on the site.2. Keep your design simple and striking. The best designs contain two or three basic elements. Usually these will be a photograph, a large headline, and an "identifier" such as your company name, logo, or phone number.3. Use bright colors. The most striking vinyl banners have lots of bright colors.4. Design your vinyl banner so it is readable for your target audience. If it is going on a building or beside a road on a fence, or on an outfield fence at a baseball or soccer field, MAKE SURE YOUR MOST IMPORTANT MESSAGE IS LARGE ENOUGH TO BE READ. 5. Make sure your images have sufficient resolution. For some advice on image resolution, see the Vinyl Banners FAQ.6. Make sure your vinyl banner fits the area where you're going to mount it. Don't guess at the size. Most people who are not familiar with signage will UNDERESTIMATE the required size. 7. Consider alternative methods of mounting your vinyl banner. Grommets are the "default" method of mounting a banner on a wall or fence. But often "pole pockets" are simpler and more efficient. For more information go to America-Banners.com or TradeShow-Display-Experts.com.
9 Ways to Keep Google Happy
A recent Google patent application has the SEO community buzzing. At a bare minimum this document reveals the direction Google is taking its future search criteria. Changes in the way Google will be evaluating pages for search rankings are intended to address two major problems:What's the Big Hurry?
Quite often I get asked what the magic solution is for getting better Google ranking. Sometimes the questions sound fairly naive, something like this:Google gives Web Page History More Importance
The Google patent application submitted in March, 2005 has generated a good deal of debate among search engine optimization experts. The patent document contains many general suggestions about the direction Google wants to move their search criteria and ranking techniques in the near future.