GRAPHIC DESIGN

Graphic Design

Design is all about getting the message across from logo designs to corporate branding. A combination of images and typography will achieve a balance of information and visual impact. All sorts of psychology and semiotics can go in to the layout of information to help with the delivery of the message. Because of this, it’s important to understand your market and mould your designs to it.

Graphic Design Process

So, if you know what you want, but can not produce the designs yourself, please get in touch. Together we can plan the design from blank paper to final delivery. You can supply your own logos, text, images and photos if you wish. If you have nothing, we can talk about the best way to progress to create what’s needed.

After completing the initial rough design, I will supply pdf proofs by email for you to review the layout. You can make as many changes as it takes to get the design perfect.

Once the design is signed off, you will receive a file for digital printing or conventional printing which you can take to a print company of your choice. You can then liaise with them to supply you with your order. I can recommend a local Aylesbury print companies depending on your job. Should you wish me to take care of everything, then we can discuss that too.

Design Mechanics

There are many formats and designs available depending on how and what message you want to get across. As a result, trying to decide the best format can be a little daunting. These can be flyers to blast out at a conference to a laminated brochure with inserts for a presentation. Maybe you want plastic see-through business cards to intrigue your customers to show that your company is different. Similarly, keyfobs, notepads, desk calendars and pens are practical ways of keeping the message in the mind of your customers.

The possibilities are endless and almost overwhelming. Have a look at the graphics gallery in the Portfolio to see some examples, maybe you’ll get some ideas. If you’re unsure of the best approach, then I can help you decide which to choose based on budget and practicality.

Logo Designs

Logo designs can be a make or break element of a company. Consequently, it’s important to get it right. It immediately conveys the company branding and presence in an instant. That’s why the look and feel should entice people in without them realising. It’s a subtle blend of image and/or text which translates to trust, confidence and loyalty. Above all, it should work large or small and start the process of promoting your company.

This logo for Braemar Hotels & Resorts was designed for a rebranding by Ashford Hospitality Prime. They wanted a symbol to represent luxury, stability and strength.

The castle turret idea was taken from the turret of the actual Braemar castle in Scotland. It’s elegant and simple, but provides an iconic look to the new logo. The logo is in this video when Ashford Hospitality Prime began trading on the NYSE as Braemar Hotels and Resorts.

Here is an example of the process I use to design a logo. The client was the International Ballet Grand Prix Singapore. Click here

Illustrations

Stock images can do the job but, they can be a compromise. If you need an infographic for example, then we can work together to produce what you need. The best program for the job is Adobe Illustrator. The image is a vector file and because of this, can scale to any size. This is perfect for large format banners and display boards for exhibitions and presentations. Adobe Illustator is perfect for creating cutaway images like this Spitfire. Although it isn’t finished, it shows the results which can be achieved.

Photoshop

My preference for image manipulation is Adobe Photoshop. One feature I particularly enjoy is turning black and white images in to full colour.

I was brought up on RAF bases, in particular, RAF Changi in Singapore. As a result of searching on Google, I found a website of images taken at RAF Changi. One image grabbed my attention seen here.
It shows a 48 Squadron Hastings practising a low level air drop on Changi airfield.

I contacted the photographer David Taylor who kindly gave me permission to use it for colouring purposes and to put it on my website.

Here you can view the colour version overlaid on the black and white version.

David has more fabulous images on his website, so please go and have a look here: www.davidtaylorimages.co.uk/

Copywriting

It can sometimes be difficult trying to write and describe what your company does yourself. If this is the case, let’s talk about what you want to say. I will produce the text which we can edit and tweak together. As a result, we make sure the right message and delivery is how you want it.

If the text is for your website, we can prepare it so it’s SEO friendly and gives the search engine bots plenty to chew on. SEO is very important to help your website obtain good rankings. To this aim, it’s necessary to construct text which contains the keywords the Google bots will love.