Flip through the newspaper and yellow pages, surf the Internet, and pay attention to the pictures. It’s probably easy, because our eyes are naturally drawn to the pictures first. Ads and websites without graphics are boring; our eyes pass right over them. That’s why graphics are one of the most important pieces of your marketing layout.

Do use attractive, eye-catching graphics

You’ve heard it before, but it bears repeating: any piece of advertising has only about 5 seconds to grab a prospect’s attention. To grab that attention, you need real power. You need a graphic that reaches off the page, grabs the prospect by the lapels, and holds on for dear life.

It doesn’t matter what you’re selling; there is going to be some kind of picture that will help you do it better. Even if what you’re selling isn’t tangible, you still need a graphic. Prospects are always looking for an image, some clue to what the advertising is about, or “what they’re getting into.” As they read, they are forming pictures in their heads. If you don’t provide them with compelling images, the pictures they form may not be the ones you want them to form. Remember, people buy based on emotions. Pictures activate emotions.

So, pictures serve double duty. They pull prospects in and give them an idea about what you’re selling. That’s why a picture that ties in with the headline and content of your advertising is invaluable to your marketing success.

Don’t use graphics that aren’t related to your product or service

All right, we’ve established that people like pictures. However, not just any picture will do. A picture of a sunflower is pretty and eye-catching, but it isn’t going to help you sell lawnmowers.

Example: I pick up a magazine and flip through it, and come to an eye-catching full-page ad on the inside back cover. The whole ad is a comical picture of a woman washing a dachshund in her kitchen sink. The rest of the room is filled with dachshunds…on the floor, on the kitchen counter, on the table, and even portrayed on the wallpaper. In the corner of the page is the slogan, “The Bold Look of Kohler.”

It’s a funny picture, but with all due respect to Kohler, my first thought was huuuhhh…? It caught my eye, but I couldn’t connect the picture with the product. Even seeing the brand name didn’t help.

In your marketing, you want to use graphics to connect your prospect with your product. Compare the example above with this ad from another magazine: An ad for Rapid Refill Ink shows a woman browsing for printer cartridges in a clean, comfortable store. It might not be as exciting as a room full of dachshunds, but I understand the ad a whole lot better. Hey, it’s about ink!

Get the idea?

One last note on graphics: people are fascinated by other people. They like to watch them, look at them, and study them. For that reason, they’ll be especially attracted to your ads if you have (logical) pictures of people. So, if your prospects are human (which I’ll assume they are), using humans in your graphics will help you get, and keep, their attention in that meager 5 seconds.

When you are first creating a web design it can be easy to add photo upon photo to your web page. After all, isn’t your goal to make your website as appealing as possible? This is a big mistake.

The more graphics, photos or clip art you add to your page, the slower it will load. And if it loads slow? Your consumer will go elsewhere to find what they are searching for.

Would you believe consumers only give a website 7 seconds to prove their value. It’s true! So if you’re going to get that sale and keep them reading, you need to do 2 things: one, prove that your website above all others can offer them the versatility they deserve and two, give them fast, easy downloads.

Impossible? No, the opposite. You can still have the appeal of a professional, high class web company plus include all your graphics and imagery.

How I hear you ask? It’s simple. You have 3 options:

The easiest way around this is to simply minimise your graphic content. Firstly, narrow all your images down to your favourite ones. Then ask yourself this question – which photos show the true face of your company all in one frame? Surprised? It’s incredible how many images get included on websites that actually add nothing to the page. You can avoid it.

If the main purpose of your website is to promote your portfolio of work, then yes – you will need to include the majority of your graphics, but there is a solution… creating a gallery:

-start by separating your photos, graphics and clip art into different categories, and then space them over several web pages. Once you have completed that, you need to make sure each of these new web pages leads back to the index page. This requires 2 links. One to do the previously mentioned action and the other… to guide your consumers through the rest of the website.

This is a fantastic way to reduce your websites download time and allow your consumers to view the pages at the pace they want.

Photo thumbnails – similar to the example above, this is probably your most efficient option. For starters it requires less of your time and two cuts your download time to a fraction of a second.. And what are they? A smaller version of your photo/graphics:

To create a photo thumbnail is easy. You can either place the photo into a file e.g. Photo.gif or alternatively you can use the same technique of the gallery design and separate your photos, graphics or clip art onto separate web pages.

Sounds simple? It is.

By improving the accessibility of your website, you can keep your consumer hooked on your product, get that sale and boost your profits. Simply by the way your arrange your web design. Perfect.

An ATI Radeon HD 4890 graphics card may appear as an unknown device in Windows 7 after a fresh install of your operating system. This is because only built-in device drivers will be left on your computer, such as drivers for keyboard, mouse, and CD/DVD drive. On the other hand, peripherals such as an Ethernet card, network adapter, and video controller will be listed as unknown devices or problematic devices and will require re-installation of device drivers.

A video controller such as the ATI Radeon HD 4890 graphics card will be unusable without installing the required device driver. In this case, the computer will only use the Microsoft OpenGL driver (built-in Windows OS driver). This will result in slower or poorer graphics displays, and limited resolution options. To fix this, it is required to install the right driver for your graphics card, either from the installation CD or by downloading the latest version online. If you are not careful, you may end up installing a wrong or incompatible driver and cause even more problems and frustrations.

Here are the three practical steps you can take to fix this problem and avoid the ATI Radeon HD 4890 graphics card being listed as unknown device in your Windows 7 OS.

1. Confirm the Identity of Your Unknown Device

Before downloading the device drivers, you should confirm that the problematic unknown device is indeed the ATI Radeon HD 4890 card. This is very important, especially if there is more than one unknown device present in your PC’s Device Manager. You can do this by checking the Vendor and Device IDs of your device:

1. Click Windows Button
2. Click Control Panel
3. Click System and Security
4. Click Device Manager
5. Right-click the Unknown Device
6. Click Properties
7. Click Details
8. Select Device Instance Path
9. Look for VEN_**** and DEV_****. If it’s Radeon HD 4890, from the alphanumeric data, you must have VEN_1002 (Vendor ID = 1002), DEV_9460 (Device ID = 9460)

2. Confirm the Type of Your Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit)

This is very important to avoid downloading incompatible device drivers.

1. Click Windows button
2. Enter “System” in the Search Box
3. Click System
4. Look for System type: It’s either “32-bit Operating System” or “64-bit Operating System”

3. Download Process via AMD’s Official Website

In the upper-right portion of the homepage, just under the “Supports and Drivers” tab, you will notice the portion with the phrase “Find a Driver.” Just point to that portion with your cursor and then the “Download Drivers” form will be provided. There are four boxes with drop-down options that you need to select from before you can download the right device drivers. You need to specify the category of your device in the first box, and since it is a graphics card, the right category is “Desktop Graphics.” The second box is labelled with “Product Line,” which requires specifying the series of the graphics card, in our case it’s Radeon HD Series.

The “Product Model” will be specified in the third box, and the right selection is Radeon HD 48xxx Series PCIe. The last box is very vital, where you will specify the “OS type” to prevent incompatibility issues, and in the case of our example, it is 32-bit Windows 7. Clicking “View Results” will redirect you to the download page where you can choose to download AMD Catalyst Packages or undergo “Individual Downloads” and “Optional Downloads.” The Catalyst Software Suite is the package which includes other device drivers compatible with the Radeon HD 4890. In the Individual Downloads, you can choose to download the Display Driver alone, and additional downloads are available in the “Optional Downloads” tab. If you are not sure, the safest way is to download the complete package.

As a recap, let us review this 3-step process that will help you avoid unknown device problem in your Windows 7. First, before downloading the device driver for the ATI Radeon HD 4890 graphics card, you must ensure the identity (name and model) of your unknown device by using the ID’s to prevent downloading wrong device drivers. Second, check the OS-type to avoid incompatibility issues. Third, be very cautious when choosing from options required for locating the right drivers on the manufacturer’s website. Always have in mind to carefully read descriptions of downloadable files, for example: Catalyst Software Suite or Display Driver only.

Exhibitions are a popular way to promote your products and services. What would be a better place than trades shows and exhibitions where you can meet all your customers face to face, both existing and also new customers?

Exhibiting your products and services may be a tiring effort, but the end result is as good as you want. Set your goals first before choosing an exhibition stand for your company. The exhibition stand graphics must be eye catching and attractive. The graphics used in your exhibition stands should be colorful and catchy. You might also go for creative experts that might help you out in managing your exhibitions stand; they help you in making your stands colorful with the help of graphics, fabrics, digital lighting and photos.

Select a space you require for your exhibition stand, it may depend on your budget. The important thing to consider is what are you trying to achieve? What is the goal of your participation in the exhibition? Your objective and goals whatever they are must be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely). Sometimes exhibitors may help you out in space you require that they provide you with certain amenities that you may require require like internet connections or some extra space. These are called Shell Schemes. These are prefefined by the organizers of the exhibitions. They offer you with basic things like lighting, carpets electrical sockets etc. the size provided by them might be 3m x 3m. These are a perfect fit for you to apply your very exhibition stand graphics.

Following are some of the tips that you might find useful in exhibiting your product in a trade show.

– The most important thing is to convey your message, make sure what you convey is what the people around want to hear from you. Poorly written and designed banners may not attract anyone. No one would read it if it's not worth giving a look, so a colorful banner or a message might attract people to read it.o Your message must be clear and easily understandable.

– It should not be so high that the visitors have to look up at the sky to read it. A meter above your head is perfect.

– Use colorful graphic like an image as a background of your message.

– Keep your exhibition stand entrance wide open. Do not let it be blocked by furniture of any other thing. Make thing easy for the people around to come in and out.

– Use the lighting effect in an efficient and an effective manner. Make your exhibition stand graphics glow in the lights.

– Keep focused on your objectives by designing good and attractive and eye-catching graphics.

By keeping these factors in mind, you will be able to produce an effective exhibition stand that will allow you to attract customers and form a positive first impression in their mind. Prepare for your next exhibition with high quality graphics for your exhibition stand because in a crowded exhibition hall, the saying 'a picture is worth a thousand words' can not be more true as customers will only go to the stands that stand out for them.

Myth One

Myth: Wall decals are stickers

Reality: No. A “true” wall decal is cut from vinyl. Vinyl is a synthetic material that appears like a thin plastic, but it is not plastic. A decal will have a backing paper and a low tack application tape on the front. It will be very thin so it appears hand painted.

Vinyls are self adhesive, much thinner than a sticker, and are able to withstand heat which can be used to ensure it sticks properly to the surface. A sticker would just bubble, but vinyl likes the heat and will contour to the surface.

Stickers are on a sheet, and you peel up the corner of the design and pull it off the backing paper and then stick onto another surface. Basically a sticker is a print onto paper which has adhesive. Sometimes this paper is glossy, sometimes it is plastic coated etc. They can be made of vinyl, but are much thicker and don’t look like they are hand painted. Generally stickers look cheaper and more temporary than a true decal.

Myth Two

Myth: Decals are only for walls

Reality: No. In fact, decals are best applied to the hardest, flattest surface possible. They love drywall, glass, formica, painted wood, steel, plastic. Can be applied to painted plaster, (might require heat to assist in application), and absolutely does not work with stucco and brick surfaces.

In reality, decals and surface graphics can be applied to any surfaces that you imagine as long as they fit with the above. Try applying decals to a ceiling! A floor! A fridge! A filing cabinet! A reception desk! Decals and surface graphics work on many surfaces.

Myth Three

Myth: Wall decals and surface graphics are as easy as PEEL AND STICK.

Reality: No. This is not true. Wall decals come with a backing paper and a low tack application tape. These are used to assist in applying the pre-spaced letters and designs to the surface. You need to follow the instructions, work slowly and often require two sets of hands to complete the application. However, once applied they are absolutely worth the effort!!!!

Myth Four

Myth: Surface graphics ruin the paint.

Reality: Mmmmm. Always a hard one when it comes to paint. If your paint is poorly applied or old, anything will ruin it, not just decals. Bubbling paint will lift simply by running your hand over it, so never mind having something stuck to it.

We always recommend using heat to remove the decals or surface graphics. Heat will loosen the adhesive and make removing the vinyl a simpler task. If you paint was good to start with, it will survive having a surface graphic placed on it.

Myth Five

Myth: Decals can only be used inside.

Reality: Decals and surface graphics can be used inside and outside. The rule is that decals won’t stick to rough surfaces, so if you are trying to apply to a rough surface outside, no, it probably won’t stick. But, if you are sticking the decal to the outside of a garden shed, or applying the decal to an outdoor patio as a feature, then absolutely it work. Exposure to UV, rain and other environmental elements will be okay for the vinyl for up to 7 years (depending on the level of exposure).

Myth Six

Myth: Wall decals are reposition-able.

Reality: No. They are not. Many companies claim they are, but the fine print is they accept no responsibility if they don’t. Very convenient for those companies. You have already paid your money for something you think will restick and then it doesn’t.

Decals are made of self adhesive vinyl. Good decals are made of ultra thin vinyl. So if you can imagine lifting a very thin sticker off a hard surface, it will most certainly be damaged where a) you have picked at the corner to lift it and b) where it stretches as it is lifted away from the hard surface. Plus, some of the adhesive is left on the surface, so the next time you apply the stretched, damaged decal, it won’t stick for very long.

The team at Cool Art Vinyl know their stuff. When purchasing wall decals or surface graphics, think of it as a single application purchase and you won’t be disappointed.

Myth Seven

Myth: Decals look like hand painted murals and designs on the surface.

Reality: Right On! Well-made, good quality decals are absolutely fantastic as a decorating item. Generally they are low cost and beat the price of someone hand painting or doing calligraphy on the wall. We regularly do comparison quotes against painters and our prices are a third if not a half of the competition.

For other enquiries, questions or discussions about decals, vinyl or surface graphics then please try the FAQ section on located at www.coolartvinyl.com.au.

The present era is rightly called the era of advertising. There hasn’t been as much revolution spewing in any industry as in the advertising and the marketing genre. The marketing gurus have left no stone unturned to create an overwhelming pictorial effect which takes over the buyer completely. It is this visual compulsion of graphic images that has given rise to vehicle graphics;; the fastest moving mode of advertising!

More or less the graphics used on a moving vehicle are an innovation that is giving astounding results. The response rate to a product or service has increased and the responding time has decreased. Your car or bus can pose as a wide canvas for the broad approach to reach out to your consumers. In a drive way or during the rush hour, when you are stuck in traffic, all you tend to notice is the fleet of cars and buses or trucks around you and hence the vehicle can be a more impressionable advertising platform. According to a survey conducted in the USA, a moving vehicle grabs 16 million pair of eyes in a year.

Owing to the technological invention, the digital vinyl printing and pressure sensitive films have made this mode of advertising more prevalent in cities like San Diego. The San Diego vehicle graphics is becoming more vigilant with the awareness created among people. There are numerous companies offering to turn your vehicle into a moving billboard with effective designing. The vehicle wrap means the designing of advertising as car wraps, truck wraps and trailer wraps.

As the indoor advertising mediums have seen this vast shift from being telecasted to being uploaded online, the outdoor advertising has seen a shift from billboards and kiosks to the all-new and spectacular moving vehicles; vehicle wrap, that is! In San Diego, many small and medium size businesses started with this form of advertising as this is more cost-effective and creates a lasting effect. But now, the definition has changed, irrespective of the size of business, your advertisement is on the show and this cannot be avoided either. Moving vehicle endures that you notice it, unlike the conventional mediums of advertising where you can avoid noticing it at all.

If the business is small in size, this form of advertising presents an even better option of producing a moving billboard. Firstly, it is cost-effective to create vehicle wraps for your company and then the company’s transport used for delivery or service can serve the purpose. While on any business related trip, it will pose as a advertisement for the company which would earn more response from people. According to your budget for marketing tools, you can select and decide the amount or area of vehicle that you want to be wrapped. This can minimize your cost to minimal instead of getting the whole wagon covered and raising your cost. It is chosen way to raise your company’s profile and make it a remembered name. The visual impression created by the vehicle graphics, last longer than the conventional modes.

My first article in this series was about modern karaoke's first great format and, unfortunately, also it's first great casualty – Laser Disc Karaoke. Before karaoke was found on Laser Disc, there were vinyl records, eight track tapes, cassette tapes, even VHS tapes that featured karaoke tracks. Many of these formats, especially cassette tapes, had been reliably successful here in the US and other parts of the Western world. The articles on this 'Evolution' series, however, only will deal with formats that also display on-screen lyrics.

This article is about Compact Disc with Graphics karaoke, also known as CD + G or CDG. A CD + G is essentially the same as an audio CD with the exception that there is an additional encoding placed on the disc that will display the lyrics onto an attached screen when the disc that has a graphics decoder. Although there is more information placed on a Compact Disc with Graphics than a standard audio CD, the CD + G will play in any machine capable of playing "regular CD's". The evolution of the CD + G followed the evolution of the audio CD by about four years; the first consumer compact disc players and discs were introduced in 1983 while the first karaoke CD + G players and discs were produced in 1987.

With the strength of the growing compact disc market as a catalyst, the compact disc with graphics grew in popularity in the late 1980's and quickly became the format of choice for those involved in the karaoke industry. The first CD + G's were not consumer oriented but designed to be used by those in the industry. Initially there were two companies that established a foothold in this karaoke format, DKK Karaoke and SAV / Nikkodo. Both these companies had Bar and Club owners, Mobile Disc Jockeys, and KJ's in mind when producing their disks. The disks being released at that time would have a mixture of all types of music – Top 40, Country, Standards, Traditional, Oldies, even Gospel and Nursery songs were more than not found all on the same disc. This proved advantageous to the professionals in the karaoke industry but did very little to encourage sales to the consumer market.

Also a factor in keeping the normal consumer away from purchasing a karaoke machine and disks was the cost. CDG's and the machines that supported them were more expensive than comparable audio CD's and players at the time. A CD + G was twice as expensive as a regular audio CD, usually selling for over $ 30 while a normal music CD was priced somewhere around $ 16. The compact disc with graphics karaoke players were likewise more expensive than a typical CD player. In order to appeal to the normal consumer some changes would have to be made.

The first change came about when some healthy competition among the producers of karaoke software began. In the early 1990's many companies that were already producing karaoke cassette tapes converted their music tracks to the ever growing CD + G format. Companies such as Pocket Songs, Sound Choice, and Priddis began offering CDG's, challenging the stranglehold that DK Karaoke had on the blooming CDG karaoke market. These other companies started offering CD + G discs with single artists or single themes, as they had already produced these on their cassette and audio CD formats. Now there were disks that had a greater appeal to the average consumer than only someone using these tracks professionally. Finally someone could find several songs that appeared to their personal taste all on the same disc, instead of having to purchase a disc that only had a couple of the songs that they would actually sing. This development made DK Karaoke see the need to offer their music in this way. They stopped production of their very popular original 99 discs and re-released the same music on 110 discs, now offering discs with particular themes. One disc would have all country music, another disc would feature all oldies, and so on and so on. Also, to appeal to the average consumer, instead of offering their discs in cloth sleeves as they had done with their original 99 discs, they even began selling their discs in jewel boxes with tray cards. The public was now being enticed to get their own karaoke machine for their homes.

The increased competition of companies producing karaoke music on CD + G did not immediately result in a lower price. Wholesale prices for Sound Choice and DK Karaoke CD + G's was nearly $ 30 a disc so a consumer would have to pay around $ 40 a disc. Even with the huge release of karaoke CD + G's, with the song selection designed for the end user, only the most avid singers and karaoke enthusiasts were purchasing karaoke systems.

Finally, after several years, the price of quality karaoke compact discs with graphics dropped substantively. Now very few individual karaoke CDG's are priced above $ 20. Some 'Broadway' CD + G's and double or triple disc sets may hover in the $ 30 range, but now you can purchase most discs for around $ 15 or less. Machines have taken an even greater drop in price. A quality karaoke CD + G player can be purchased for less than $ 100, with features such as key control, echo control, and digital recording. These machines generally do not only play the CD + G format but also DVD, VCD, and often MP3 and MP3 + g, making these machines useful for not only karaoke but also to play your movies or standard music.

So basically the evolution of the karaoke CD + G has followed the evolution of the audio CD. The audio CD has become the greatest music format of all time. Likewise, at least in the Western world, the CD + G is the greatest karaoke format that ever was. In other parts of the world the DVD and VCD reign supreme. However in the English speaking world the CD + G far outsells any other format. However there is something trotting toward us in the distant horizon, reducing the rule that the CD + G holds on the karaoke software market. Who is this masked stranger that dare threaten the CD + G kingdom? Why look! It is digital karaoke and digital karaoke will make up it's very own article, an article waiting to be written in the near future.

Whenever you are producing graphics for print or electronic uses, think about all the possible uses before beginning production. It’s much easier and less costly in the long run to produce what you MAY need in the beginning then continually manipulating existing images.

In a nutshell there are three basic uses you need to consider prior to producing any form of graphics, including logos:

1. How large will this image be used at its largest size, how small at its smallest?

2. Do you think you will ever use this in both print AND electronic media?

3. Will you ever need your image in an outline, grey scale or black and white form?

1. SIZE of the graphic is extremely important. If you need an image for a business card and you produce that image ONLY for business card uses, you may not be able to use the same image for larger applications such as trade show boards or even letterhead. Think of increasing the size of an image as if you were not actually increasing the size but looking at it through a magnifying glass. The larger you view an image meant to be used in a smaller size the more faults you will see. The lines become grainy and edgy, the colors look blotched… and the more you magnify the image the more problems you see.

Produce the original image either to the largest size you will need or create a master image that can be smaller but of a higher quality. Of these two options, the smaller, higher quality is the best approach. This is because if you will be producing the original in an extremely large format (40″ wide for example) you will have the same quality issues when you REDUCE the size for business cards as you did when you increased it from small to large.

In this case, if you will need the image for both the large trade show boards and the smaller business cards, create the master image somewhere in the middle using a higher quality dpi (dots per square inch). Instead of producing one 40″ image as a 300 dpi (dots per square inch) jpeg file, try creating it as a 20″ 600 dpi tif file. This should give you the versatility you need for most uses. You can then move up and down in size and quality (dpi) and even export you image into different formats. Experiment with your options first.

It may be a good idea to create a series of master images at size intervals if you think you will need your image for a variety of uses. It’s always better to do this in the beginning because if you need to enlarge a smaller logo later it will become extremely expensive. That is because the graphic artist will need to go into the image and manually clean up an edges, colors and glitches.

2. As you produce each of the sizes of your finished logo, also save them in GREY SCALE AND BLACK AND WHITE versions. If you can, create black outline copies of each size, too. You never know what you will need them for. An example would be imprinted promotional items. Considering putting a white outline of your image on a red pen? Then you have your image – all you have to do is send it rather than paying per hour to recreate you beautiful full-color image as a black and white outline.

3. If you will use the image for both PRINT AND ELECTRONIC uses, create the print images first. For electronic uses it’s just a click of the mouse and you have saved them as gif files, which are the type of images you see on the internet. These files are much smaller than jpeg files and download faster on websites. You may be alarmed when you see the quality on your computer screen, but remember that you are NOT printing these images, and they will look fine on your website. Test them first by placing them into your site.

For almost every company these are the three issues you need to consider before producing your logo or other image. Being prepared will save you an enormous amount of time and money in the long run. Discussing the options with your graphic artist in advance will save you headaches down the road.

In this article we will examine how to use exhibition graphics and roll-up banner systems as a marketing tool for the products and services supplied by your business.

7 points on how to use exhibition graphics to present your business and products better.

• Book your business a stand at a relevant trade fair. This is a great way to reach a target market.
• Go to an professional exhibition graphics company in order to design the framework of your stand. This will help to make it look professional. They will be able to provide large posters, exhibition panels, a roll-up banner system or even pop-up exhibition stands.
• Plan for the trade fair. Decide which employees you would like to have on the stand to represent you. It might be advisable to choose the most sales-focused ones. You will also need to decide whether you will be selling products or services, or simply handing out promotional material.
• If you will be selling, consider which stock you will use and whether you will be able to offer any promotions in order to bring the customers to your stand.
• If you are handing out promotion material, make sure this has all been prepared professionally in advance. As with the exhibition graphics, professional handouts will reflect a professional operation.
• Attend the fair early to try to get a good position. Ensure that your exhibition graphics are displayed prominently in order to create the most attention. Try to talk to as many people as possible.
• It is all about information. Collect relevant data and contact information from everyone who comes to your stand. Your sales people must follow these contacts up. If no one is followed up, you might as well have not bothered.

Here are some of the basic “MUST’S OF VEHICLE GRAPHIC DESIGN”

Focus on ONE Person. Your ideal customer. Don’t try to appeal to the masses as this will dilute your message and appeal to NO one. Your ideal customer must feel like you are the perfect solution to their problem and you are communicating directly to them.

Create EMOTIONAL attachment by using powerful graphics. Different Graphics create different emotion in different individuals. The graphic of a mother cuddling a baby, will have the most impact on a new mother. Not only will you get their attention but you will establish credibility with them. This is extremely powerful since statistics show that most people buy on emotion and justify with logic.

Use a powerful slogan to position yourself in the mind of the customer. If your objective is to create mind share, you need to occupy a position in their minds so they instinctively associate you with a desired product, service of need.

For example, be the computer specialists that caters to the elderly, or the dry cleaner that offers free delivery, or the restaurant that kids eat for free, or the financial planner that specializes in services for young couples.

Being first is powerful, but being perceived as first is even more powerful. Being the only one, or specializing is also good. It creates positioning in the customer’s mind.

You are an expert, a consultant. Think of how you can accomplish this with your vehicle graphics slogan. If should be short and designed to be effective, for repetitive viewing.

The design of your graphics should be consistent with the style and type of vehicle for maximum impact. Remember that there are millions of dollars spent on extremely competent automobile designers by companies like Toyota, Honda, BMW, Nissan, Ford GM, and others to come up with designs that appeal to the masses.

Why not take advantage of their expertise, by enhancing the look rather than contradicting it. It will only stand to confuse your target customer and result in little or no emotional impact. I have seen many vehicles with elaborate graphics that simply do not work with the vehicle. I must confess that some of them have also been produced by us, but only because the customer insisted that this is what they wanted despite our recommendations.

I have also seen vehicles with very simple designs or very little graphic treatment that look extremely powerful and produce outstanding results. They also cost very little for the customer and were easy to create and install. Usually they were customers who had little if any preconceived ideal and simply said, “Here is what I want to accomplish, surprise me”.

LESS is MORE, design for a glance, but create lasting impression. Remember that your target customer is trying to navigate a vehicle, sometimes at high speeds and only two to three seconds to glance at your vehicle. If they are interested, based on the first glance, you may get a second glance and they might even slow down to memorize your URL.

You need to decide what information you would like them to remember most. The graphic, your caption or, your URL. Unfortunately, all of the above is not usually a reality, so at best two out of three is excellent.

Focus on the areas of most impact on the vehicle. The rear window and the sides over the rear wheel are the most powerful viewing areas while driving. Even though graphics look much cooler, and flows better on the sides of the vehicle. It is not very effective design strategy if you are focused on communicating to prospects while driving.

It’s difficult to look at a vehicle beside you for more that a second, without feeling like you are going to slam into it. Try it for yourself. It’s almost impossible to read anything on the sides unless it is over the rear wheels and you are behind the vehicle.

What about parked vehicles you ask? The sides are definitely a great resource as it allows for more and larger information, but graphics focused on the back and rear still work well if parked strategically. We do emphasize the sides more when designing for contractors as they spend a significant amount of time parked in neighborhood driveways, targeting cars and nosy neighbors driving by.

Control the flow of the reader. It is critical to control the three second glance from the reader so that they leave with maximum impact and information. The glance should first create interest or emotional attachment and make them feel like they want to know more. It should result in a second glance and leave with your URL or Phone number in memory.

The eyes will tend to go to a graphic first and then flow from left to right, so don’t put the graphic at the end of the caption and expect the customer to read the caption. This will only confuse them and they tune out.

Your Take-Away is the key to getting results. Remember that you want them to call you or visit your URL so make it easy for them to find it and remember it. The phone number or URL should flow naturally, as the third part of the three second glance.

Remember that you are designing for your ideal customer. What’s most important to them, your phone number or URL? If your current URL is long, then get a second one that is simple and easy to remember and have it linked to your current site.

It’s relatively easy to be successful with Vehicle Graphics… IF you understand Marketing.

The biggest obstacle is effectively communicating with your ideal target customer… The one that’s the best fit for your business and you for theirs.

It all boils down to the design and unfortunately its not always obvious.. even for an experienced designer…

Because the concept of an irregular three dimensional moving billboard is unique to most designers… most are used to working on a flat two dimensional pallet.

Here are some of the basic guidelines for YOU the Business Owner to help you achieve success with Vehicle Graphics Marketing

Here are some of the basic “MUST’S OF VEHICLE WRAP DESIGN”

Focus on ONE Person. Your ideal customer. Don’t try to appeal to the masses as this will dilute your message and appeal to NO one. Your ideal customer must feel like you are the perfect solution to their problem and you are communicating directly to them.

Create EMOTIONAL attachment by using powerful graphics. Different Graphics create different emotion in different individuals. The graphic of a mother cuddling a baby, will have the most impact to a new mother. You will get their attention but you will establish credibility with them. Statistics show that people buy on emotion and justify with logic

Use a powerful slogan to position yourself in the mind of the customer. Your objective is to create mind share so they instinctively associate you with the desired product, service or need.

For example… You must be the computer specialists that caters to the elderly, or the dry-cleaner that provides free delivery, or the restaurant that kids eat for free, or the financial planner that specializes in programs for young couples.

Being first is powerful but being seen as first is even more powerful. Being the only one, or specializing is very powerful. It creates positioning in the customer’s mind.

You are an expert or a consultant. Think of how you can accomplish this with your vehicle wrap slogan. If should be short and designed to be effective, for repetitive viewing.

The design of your graphics should be consistent with the style and type of vehicle for maximum impact. Remember that there are millions of dollars spent on designing vehicles by companies like Toyota, Honda, BMW, Nissan, Ford GM, and others to come up with designs that appeal to the masses.

Why not take advantage of their expertise, by enhancing the look rather than contradicting it. It will confuse your target customer and result little if any emotional impact. I’ve seen many vehicles with elaborate graphics that simply do not work with the vehicle. I must confess that some of them have also been designed by us, but only because the customer insisted that this is what they wanted despite our recommendations.

I have also seen vehicles with very simple designs or very little graphic that are extremely effective and produce outstanding results. They typically cost very little for the customer and were easy to create and install. Usually they were customers who had no preconceived idea and simply said, “Here is what I want to accomplish, surprise me”.

LESS is MORE, design for a glance, but create lasting impression. Remember that your target customer is trying to drive their vehicle, sometimes at high speeds and only two to three seconds to glance at your vehicle. If they are interested, based on the first glance, you may get a second glance and they might even slow down to memorize your URL.

You need to decide what you would like them to focus on. The graphic, your caption or, your URL. Unfortunately, all of the above is not usually a reality, so at best two out of three is excellent.

Focus on the areas of most impact on the vehicle. The rear window and the sides over the rear wheel are the most visible areas while driving. Even though graphics look much cooler, and flows better on the sides of the vehicle. It is not very effective vehicle graphics design strategy if you are focused on areas that are not visible while driving.

It’s very difficult to look at a vehicle that is driving beside you.. for more that a second, without feeling like you are going to crash into it. Try it for yourself. It’s almost impossible to read anything on the sides… unless it is over the rear wheels and you are behind the vehicle.

How about parked vehicles you ask? The sides are definitely a great resource as it allows for more and larger information, but graphics focused on the back and rear still work well if parked strategically. We do emphasize the sides more when designing for contractors, since spend a lot amount of time parked in neighborhood driveways, targeting cars and nosy neighbors driving by.

Control the flow of the information. The driver has less than three seconds to read the information. The glance should first create interest or emotional attachment and make them want to know more. It should result in a second glance and leave them with your URL or Phone number in memory.

The eyes will tend to go to a graphic first and then flow from left to right, so don’t put the graphic at the end of the caption otherwise they will not read it. This will only confuse them and they tune out.

Effective Targeted communication is the key to getting results. Remember that you want them to call you or visit your URL so make it easy for them to find and remember it. The phone number or URL should flow naturally.

Now I must confess that we are not always able to follow all of the guidelines above because of circumstances beyond our control, but we always use the guidelines above to check the final design. So if you are designing for results the above should be an integral part of your design process.

I wish you success with your vehicle graphics… now you are ready to choose a company to Design Your Vehicle Graphics.