Razor Digital: September 2013

Friday, September 27, 2013

Yahoo's New Logo.. Success or Epic Fail?

"I believe the font is ‘Meh Condensed." says CEO of Deep Focus Ad Agency Ian Schafer. Yahoo has refreshed its logo for the first time since shortly after the Internet company's founding 18 years ago. The redesigned logo retains some of the elements of the old one, including the company's official color, purple.

"We knew we wanted a logo that reflected Yahoo – whimsical, yet sophisticated. Modern and fresh, with a nod to our history. Having a human touch, personal. Proud." Marissa Mayer CEO Yahoo Inc.

After a 30-day tryout of dozens of new corporate logos Yahoo rolled out its final choice – to a chorus of boos. The old design was fun and unexpected, seeming to sum up all of the joys of the internet but this new choice looks dull and corporate. The bevel does not add any positivity to the lettermark and the color choice seems very rigid and cold.

Love it or Hate it.. Yahoo's New Logo in my opinion fails to impress, but people are talking about it!

Yahoo has refreshed its logo for the first time since shortly after the Internet company's founding 18 years ago.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-09-yahoo-unveils-logo.html#jCp

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Photography Tips for Beginners

Everyone who is interested in photography has a desire to take or capture better photos. Most of these tips can be applied when using any camera, not just a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera. Even if you have a point and shoot or a camera on your smartphone, then it's worth reading these.

TIP 1: Understanding the Rule of Thirds.

Most photos look better it your subject isn't centered. Almost all digital cameras and ever popular Iphone has a Grid option or format. This consists of vertical and horizontal lines that when over-layed split the image into nine sections. Place items of focus (your subject) on these lines or intersections for a better composition.

TIP 2: always take photos in Full Resolution.

Memory Cards and different storage devices are relatively cheap nowadays. It is always best to take Hi-Resolution photos, because you can always edit a photo down for Facebook or any other social media, but you can never quite fix a "bad" jgeg that is low in quality and resolution to begin with.

TIP 3: Perfect Exposure

The perfect exposure requires the right setting on each of the required fields: ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed. To explain briefly then, these three factors determine everything.

ISO/Exposure is how sensitive the camera chip is to light; a high ISO will allow you to take photos even in very low light, but there’ll be more noise (“grainy”). Lower ISOs are better, but not always possible.

Aperture determines the focal length and is the size of the physical opening to the lens. A higher number means there’s a smaller hole letting light in, which results in more of the background being sharp and in focus. A smaller number is a larger opening, so background objects appear out of focus.

Shutter Speed is how long the shutter remains open for, allowing more light in. Leaving it open for a longer time will show motion in a photo, while a short time will show a single moment.

TIP 4: Experiment with you Point of View.
Most people take photos at eye level, right? Boring. Move the camera either up or down for a more interesting shot. Experiment with putting the camera high above your head or close to the ground, for example.

TIP 5: Learn the Modes on your Camera
Even your most basic point and shoot will have at least:

Manual mode where you can specify everything.
Automatic mode where the camera will make a best guess.
Programmed mode where certain characteristics are pre-determined.

On a DSLR, you’ll find a few other modes, and it’s important you understand those too. These modes allow you to set a particular variable and let the camera work out the best values for the others.

Av: Aperture Value. This is the most widely used mode for general shooting and gives you control over the Aperture. The camera will calculate the best shutter speed and exposure to use.
Tv: Time Value. This gives you control over the shutter speed, allowing you to capture either motion or a single moment. The camera will calculate the best aperture and exposure values to use.

Thanks for reading, and I hope these photography tips help you in some way. I don’t presume to be an expert in photography, so if you have any tips, advice or corrections you think should be included then please, let us know in the comments.

Friday, September 20, 2013

Designer 101 - Things every Client should know..

Photo Credit: Colin Harmon.

Alot of the times we have clients who ask for the impossible and lots of times, we as designers would love to tell them, "to go to hell". But sadly, after lots of deliberation we decide against our better judgement. This list contains a few of the things every client should know, when hiring a graphic designer.

1. Freelance doesn't mean FREE

A professional graphic artist, a freelancer puts in alot of effort, such as researching your brand, company, personal taste and your competitors to ensure you receive a quality design worthy of your business goals and a paycheck.

2. Can you just Photoshop it: NO..!

Yes as designers we can use all the latest design tools but we are more than that. We know all the principles and elements of good design. Trust in your designer to give you what you are paying for. For example tell your designer that you want colours that attract males, instead of just saying..Make it Blue.

3. Less is More. White Space Rules!

Why respect white space? A minimalistic view is elegant, white space attracts attention and gives design a level of sophistication. A design that stands out has the right balance of white space and information.

4. You get what you Pay for.

Great design takes time and effort. Time, effort and expertise is not cheap. Enough Said..

5. I believe, You believe..
Hire a designer who believes what you do. Although unrelated to graphic design. Individuals with a similar work ethic and like morals tend to produce quality work. For example a graphic designer who is also an animal rights activist may not design on advertising campaigns for products where animal testing is condoned. It isn't always about the money.

Feel free to add to the list via the comments section..

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Cutting Pixels to size...Creativity simplified.

Hello Digital World!

The purpose of this Blog is to generate awareness for a new and upcoming graphic design studio in Trinidad & Tobago - Razor Digital.

I plan to achieve this goal by discussing the challenges or successes that occur during our design process here. Posts on this Blog will also contain any element from our Core offerings, these include Corporate & Print Design, Web Design, Illustration and Photography. We will also post real world reviews of design and photography tools used in the industry today.

Join us, "Like Us" "Follow Us" as we embark on a journey of reflection, fact and goal oriented idea generation.