Might 5 Ultimate Graphic Design Mistakes – Things That Graphic Designers Should Avoid At All Costs

Using web graphics on printed material.
With many young designers coming from a pre-dominantly web design background the transfer over from web design to traditional design for print can bring with it a multitude of design sins. Images supplied at 72dpi and crunched down to load fast on a website are going to reproduce very badly in print you can get away with small thumbnails but blowing things up to any appreciable size is going to be pushing your luck. There are a number of online sites offering free or very cheap quality hi resolution images which are a good source for suitable imagery.
Forgetting about or not allowing enough bleed.
A very common error is to send to print a document or flattened image that has no bleed at all. Generally speaking you should allow at least 3mm around every cut off edge. Failing to do so will give the printers no leeway and will either crop off the side of the page or give you a white border. It is always a good idea when supplying image files to save layered psd files then if things need extending or cropping you can do this on the background layer and hopefully cut down your work
Using obscure fonts and not embedding or outlining them for output.
We’ve all been guilty of this at some point and things are generally fine if you are going to be the only person accessing your artwork or documents. However if someone else needs to amend the files or use your vector logo on one of there publications. Unless you package up the used fonts, they are not going to be able to open the files correctly and some software programs may replace any unknown fonts with a default. This is a particular problem when you need to dig out stuff that was created several years previously and you no longer have your old fonts installed.
Supplying print ready artwork using spot colours or rgb
There are valid reasons for using spot colours in artwork, logos that need to reference particular pantone colours for example. In general design work however most print is sent through on 4 colour presses CMYK with occasional 5th colour for luminoius or metallic colour or for spot UV varnish. It is very common for lazy designers to just place rgb images into files and expect the vibrant colours seen on screen to reproduce in print.
Allowing design illiterate clients to lead you round the houses
The customer is always right, goes the old adage. However it is often said with gritted teeth and a sense of patience that recognizes that these morons will at some stage be handing over a fat cheque for your troubles. It is often a good idea when first submitting visuals to throw in a couple of stinkers to hopefully get them to appreciate the design you would like them to accept. There is the very real danger of course of them loving the piece of absolute arsewipe that you knocked up in five minutes to make them think you’ve been earning your money. Still it’s a living.

These My Heroes Have Always Been My Family!

My Heroes have always been my family…

We live in a generation that seems to have lost it’s way.

“Hero worship” is at a all time high with Movie Stars, Celebrities, Rock Stars, Authors, Sports Athletes and really with anyone who is famous in our society being viewed as “Heroes”

My Heroes have never been anyone from those groups.

For you see, my Heroes have always been my family.

My hero was my Dad who provided for his family against incredible odds..who when he foot was smashed at a accident at work when told they wanted to amputate it said ” No, I cannot provide for my babies with only 1 foot” and refused to let them amputate his foot and went into work the next night and worked a full shift only to be told after his shift was over that he was “fired” because they did not want “a cripple working for them”

My Dad crawled to his car and kept his foot and his dignity and somehow,someway, found a way to provide for his family.

They are those Brave Men and Women who are serving in the Armed Forces who have left good jobs and wonderful families back home to fight for and defend our country and to defend our country and our freedoms with Honor and courage they few understand and those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice in doing so.

My Hero was my Mom who taught her baby boy that “God never closes one door without opening another” who taught me more about strength, dignity, courage and Love as I watched her fight cancer that took her life at 46 years of age.

Never losing her faith even when she knew the end was near.

No, my heroes are not rock stars and you will not find my Heroes on some TV show either!

My heroes are the fireman and women who run up the stairs when every one else is running down the stairs and they do not even hesitate no matter the danger they face

They are the Policeman and Women who put their lives on the line every single day to keep our cities and communities safe

They are the EMS personal, those folks in the ambulances, that save lives every single day and never complain.

They are the Nurses and the Doctors who also save lives and do so with a grace and a compassion in spite of facing overwhelming challenges at times.

They are those Brave Men and Women who are serving in the Armed Forces who have left good jobs and wonderful families back home to fight for and defend our country and to defend our country and our freedoms with Honor and courage they few understand and those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice in doing so.

They are the Step Mom or Step Dad or Foster or Adoptive parent who loves a child like their own and provide love and security when it is needed most.

They are the Grandparents who puts their retirement dreams on hold to raise a grandchild.

No, my heroes are not Movies Stars.

They are the Mom and Dads who are single parents who somehow find a way to hold their family together against overwhelming odds.

It is the Pastor who prayed for me when I could not pray for myself.

It is a Wife or Husband who loves each other unconditionally and no matter the challenge know that their LOVE will always be more than enough.

It is the school teacher whose life is dedicated solely to the purpose of impacting lives and challenging students to dream BIG dreams and that nothing is impossible.

These are the Heroes in my life and there are a Million more…

It’s time we get back to the “Basics of Life” and remember who the Real Heroes in our lives are.

Acknowledging what someone has meant in your life is one of powerful and emotional things you will ever do and to be acknowledged by someone that we love is very emotional as well.

Sadly, this is not done enough and often times we just run out of time.

When you take the time to acknowledge someone it really is the best gift you could ever give someone.

What your really saying when you acknowledge someone is “You matter” and “I remember”

The sacrifices that you made…I remember…

The time you stood by my side when no one else did…I remember…

The time you believed in me when no one else did… I remember…

You’ll never know how much you much I Love you and appreciate what you did for me…I remember…

I remember and I never forgot!

Life moves at such a fast pace and often times we “assume” that those matter most in our lives really know how we feel and then we simply run out of time.

There is no greater gift you can give someone that has made a difference in your life then “acknowledging” them.

Acknowledging what someone else has meant to you is one of the most powerful experiences…not only for the hero in your life but for you as well…let me give you an example.

In 1998, for Christmas, my sister, Renee, gave me a gift, a wonderful acknowledgement of what I her “Big Brother” had meant in her life.

Just a few paragraphs written from her heart, and a picture of us on a sheet of parchment paper.

She put it in a nice frame and gave it to me that year… it really did not cost much but meant the world to me.

Since then, I have received numerous cards and gifts from my Sister but I cannot tell you today what they were.

Yet today, if you come into my home office, on my wall, you will find her letter of acknowledgement to me, hanging on a wall almost ten years plus later.

It still means as much to me today as it did when it was given to me over 10 years ago.

That is the Power of Acknowledgement.

Greeting Cards get thrown away…

Gifts are soon forgotten…

But a Heartfelt acknowledgement is never forgotten and is always treasured and remembered…even years later…

Time is a vapor and we never seem to have the time or take the time to tell someone how we really feel about them and how their life has impacted ours.

Take the time today!

Make the time today!

It is high time the “Real Heroes” in our life and communities are honored!

Other RV Awning Protection – Helping Your Awning Last For Many Years

An RV awning needs to be protected in order to keep it looking good year after year. When you start to get your RV ready for summer, there are some things that you should do to make sure that the awning is in good working order. This includes making sure that all the moving parts are working. You should never use motor oil on the gears of a retractable RV awning – this requires pure silicon spray.
Along with having the awning on your RV to give you more outdoor living space there are options that you can include with your purchase to make your camping experience that much better. These include mats and lights so that you can enjoy the awning in all kinds of weather. An RV awning mat is similar to a rug, but you spread it on the ground under the awning so that you have your own unique patio. Some of the RV awnings some with lights included or you can buy RV lights designed specifically for your RV awning.
An RV awning mat is designed to be sturdy and is rugged enough to withstand outdoor use. It is also lightweight and can be rolled up to fit in an overnight bag. You can get a mat that matches the color or your RV awning or one that has an outdoor theme. These mats are well suited for any type of ground. Having a mat under your awning means that you don’t have to put on your sandals when you want to sit outside your RV. You can walk on these in your bare feet.
RV awning lights consist of 8-inch polyethelene globes and they have plastic tops that snap in place. These lights suited for an RV awning also have a hanging chain and they only take an ordinary 7 -watt light bulb. You will need to have an electrical hook up in the camping space in order to operate these awning lights because they need to be plugged in to a source of electricity. They are well able to withstand the elements of the weather, but like the awning, they are not designed for use in wind.
With the many options that you can buy to accompany your RV awning, you can make your motor home your home away from home. You can enjoy the comforts of having a unique patio with an RV awning mat and lights that let you sit outside after dark. You can still use the lights when it is raining and with the RV awning in place, you will be warm and dry.