LLB Designs » Design 101

Colorful language: RGB vs CMYK

LLB Designs — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:30:41 +0000

Ever scratched your head and wondered what the difference is between RGB and CMYK? And what are those Pantone things, anyway? We were all geared up to tell you, but it turns out the fine folks over at Designer Today have this one covered! This concise but informative little article breaks it all down with great high-level definitions and explanations:

http://www.designertoday.com/Articles/5946/Color.Models.in.Graphic.Design.aspx

As a basic rule of thumb, opt for RGB with online applications and go the CMYK and/or Pantone route for projects that will be professionally printed. But of course, every job is different so be sure to ask your printer or designer if you find yourself in a color conundrum. After all, we can’t always be expected to color between the lines…

Try it on for size (a guide to envelopes)

LLB Designs — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 23:15:11 +0000

Without a doubt, the number one rule when designing an invitation or a direct mail piece is to start with the envelope size and shape. Many a sad first-time designer has designed and printed a gorgeous piece only to find out that it’s a non-standard size and that matching envelopes just don’t exist. And as having custom envelopes made is crazy expensive, this is a problem to avoid at all costs! Fortunately it’s a lesson quickly learned and an easy fix: choose on an envelope size first, and go from there. There is a pretty wide range of standard sizes out there, in tons of great colors. Paper Source, Envelope Mall and Envelopper, Inc. are three of my favorite envelope venders. And don’t forget to double check with the post office for postage requirements as well. Square envelopes, for example, require more postage than a standard rectangle.

Do you want bleeds with that?

LLB Designs — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 22:02:04 +0000

Often one of the first questions a designer will ask when discussing a new project is “Do you want the piece to bleed?” Huh? Paper can bleed? Should it bleed? The answer is yes! And maybe. Bleeds simply refer to the ink or printing running (aka bleeding) all the way to the edge, rather than leaving a thin white border. Most printing machines can’t print all the way to the edge of a sheet of paper (although the technology is getting close!). So to create say, a flyer with a bleed, you print it on a bigger sheet of paper, and then trim it down the final size you want. Pieces with bleeds often have a more professional look, so for many a project it is definitely the way to go, in spite of the slight increase in production time and costs. But it is worth noting that beautiful pieces can be designed with no bleed required, so definitely keep that in mind, particularly when working with a tight budget.

To bleed or not to bleed?

Pros: definitely a much more professional look, with more design and layout flexibility

Cons: a bit more costly, when you add in the larger paper size and the trimming time