And what they do?

They slam the product or service into an old website or they hire the cheapest freelancer around ( by norm the friend of a friend or someone from the family that knows a bit of computers ) And then they hope their product or service sells like mad. They hope their product or service gets noticed amongst the thousands of other competitors with the same or similar products or services.

What it really happens it is that all that effort is gone into the trash for a simple reason;

First impressions DO count.

How is a business or company going to grab the potential prospector’s attention like this?

Because not only you need to endure that their product or service delivers what it says it will, but they need to have a professionally made IMAGE ( which includes all stationary, website, logos, business cards and the lot) to sell that product or service effortlessly.

Poor, outdated or even simply unfriendly color patterns can SERIOUSLY harm the IMAGE of a company or business; and all the buyers or prospectors will run away in the other direction straight into the competitors.

What they don’t realize is that they are risking losing sales because of poor graphics and poor structure of contents that build the overall image of a company. They need graphics which are going to blow the customers mind away.

There is obviously the issue that most of us: Professional Graphic Designers/ Art Consultants  have the reputation to be a bit expensive.  But we are for a good reason; We know what is good or bad for a company’s IMAGE what works and what doesn’t, what color methodology to use in the different variations of services throughout the market, the psychology behind an structure or pattern and how will affect the prospector etc

Yes, there are “packs” with some graphics out there that gives the ability to make some of a company’s image structure. However the making of an entire structure of a company’s image from a “design pack” won’t make that business stand out as custom and new nor innovative. It will have good graphics here and there but nothing constant or relative.

I also know of the budget issues when it comes to the making of the overall image of a company or business, since most of them have spent it all on making their product or service flawless. Most are looking for a top notch IMAGE on a low budget, a word-class structure that can compete elbow to elbow with the big brothers (which happens more often than not) the problem here will be the education of the business making steps. Where most of it relays on the bureaucracy and corporative stuff and in tiny letters at the end will be mention the company’s design process.

Nowadays more and more we rely on the internet, personal mobile phones, social media sharing ;  A unique window of opportunities throughout the world without needing to move or expand offices to other countries and that targets individuals rather than masses or audiences like never before.

Therefore, new businesses or services need nowadays is a professional made and orientated image that will provide the best high level custom design and structure, it comes at a price. But it will cost even more when they employ a relative or a friend of a friend or a cheap freelancer and they see that the image (built cheaply) isn’t working properly to go and repair it by employing a professional graphic design service or art consultancy. And even more so, it will cost really expensive to repair the damage done to the overall image of a company or business if it has had bad reviews of its image and presentation.

In conclusion, those people who are creating a business, products or services nowadays, should allocate an special budget to create the world class image that they all want and need, and employ or hire a professional Graphic Design studio or Art consultancy to make those dreams come true in this very unstable economy, and reach every possible corner of the planet having an outstanding custom image that makes the difference in between theirs and the rest.

“New research reveals a global creativity gap in five of the world’s largest economies, according to the Adobe State of Create global benchmark study. The research shows 8 in 10 people feel that unlocking creativity is critical to economic growth and nearly two-thirds of respondents feel creativity is valuable to society, yet a striking minority – only 1 in 4 people – believe they are living up to their own creative potential.

Interviews of 5,000 adults across the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France and Japan expose surprising attitudes and beliefs about creativity, providing new insights into the role of creativity in business, education and society overall.”

 

Creativity Infographic: www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pdfs/Adobe_State_of_Create_Infographic.pdf

Creativity in Business

The study reveals a workplace creativity gap, where 75% of respondents said they are under growing pressure to be productive rather than creative, despite the fact that they are increasingly expected to think creatively on the job. Across all of the countries surveyed, people said they spend only 25% of their time at work creating. Lack of time is seen as the biggest barrier to creativity (47% globally, 52% in United States).

Creativity and Education

More than half of those surveyed feel that creativity is being stifled by their education systems, and many believe creativity is taken for granted (52% globally, 70% in the United States).

“One of the myths of creativity is that very few people are really creative,” said Sir Ken Robinson, Ph.D., an internationally recognized leader in the development of education, creativity and innovation. “The truth is that everyone has great capacities but not everyone develops them. One of the problems is that too often our educational systems don’t enable students to develop their natural creative powers. Instead, they promote uniformity and standardization. The result is that we’re draining people of their creative possibilities and, as this study reveals, producing a workforce that’s conditioned to prioritize conformity over creativity.”

Creativity Ratings

The study sheds light on different cultural attitudes toward creativity. Japan ranked highest in the global tally as the most creative country while, conversely, Japanese citizens largely do not see themselves as creative. Globally, Tokyo ranked as the most creative city – except among Japanese – with New York ranking second. Outside of Japan, national pride in each country is evident, with residents of the United Kingdom, Germany and France ranking their own countries and cities next in line after Japan.

The United States ranked globally as the second most creative nation among the countries surveyed, except in the eyes of Americans, who see themselves as the most creative. Yet Americans also expressed the greatest sense of urgency and concern that they are not living up to their creative potential (United States at 82%, vs. the lowest level of concern in Germany at 64%).

Creativity by Generation and Gender

Generational and gender differences are marginal, reinforcing the idea that everyone has the potential to create. Women ranked only slightly higher than men when asked if they self-identified as creative and whether they were tapping their own creative potential.

Creativity Tools

Four in 10 people believe that they do not have the tools or access to tools to create. Creative tools are perceived as the biggest driver to increase creativity (65% globally, 76% in the United States), and technology is recognized for its ability to help individuals overcome creative limitations (58% globally, 60% in the United States) and provide inspiration (53% globally, 62% in the United States).

About the Adobe State of Create Study

The study was produced by research firm StrategyOne and conducted as an online survey among a total of 5,000 adults, 18 years or older, 1,000 each in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France and Japan. Interviewing took place from March 30 to April 9. The data set for each country is nationally representative of the population of that country.

The Adobe Foundation also announced today it is committing $1 million dollars to establish the Adobe Foundation Creativity Scholarships – a new global initiative intended to unlock the creative potential of students. Offered to high-school seniors who participate in the Adobe Youth Voices program, the scholarship will help them continue their education, pursue creative careers and find innovative ways to improve their communities.

My own Insights

As I was stating before, I completely agree on what is being said in this study. The potential that the creative teams behind all companies and businesses is huge, in comparison to all of those orientated into a business mindset that move the rest of the brand transactions. It is the old client – creative dilemma. Were the creative has studied shapes, colors forms and how to represent boring stuff into the most creative way possible and then gets shut down by corporate saying that it is not what they are looking for and wont work in their campaign or something extremely similar.

I have had that experience of my own and i know plenty of you have had it also. I know of entire teams of designers come with an entire new innovative idea, being shut down or modified horribly by their corporate counterparts.

We creatives know that it is all about production, however in most cases if it doesn’t work a creative solution and a risk leap is necessary, however  that step is never taken – even though we recommend it hard -  because the corporate don’t believe in change and they are hooked to their old ways of doing things.

Colour has a subtle psychological effect on customers’ perceptions of you. Use the wrong colours and you convey the wrong brand image: too muted and your creative personality doesn’t come through; too neon and your customers have a hard time taking you seriously. A graphic artist has studied the effects of colour on mood and perception and creates your logo accordingly and most of the time he will suggest the best approaches.

Unfortunately, the colours you like may not be the right ones for your new logo. The target customer is the most important consideration as you discuss colour with your graphic designer. How old are your ideal customers? What do they do for fun and work? What is their income bracket? Will your customers access your website through their cell phones? Your boutique graphic artist should consider these and many other questions for your logo design.

Simplicity is key to using colour properly in a logo. A simple logo is a powerful and memorable message that sticks in your potential customer’s mind, and reducing visual clutter makes your brand image easier to recall. Defined lines and blocks of colour that make sense together are pleasing to the eye and don’t get “lost” amid all the other information in your customer’s life.

Always let your graphic designer know how you’ll be using your redesigned logo because colours reproduce differently in different mediums. A four-color printed logo might look spectacular until you try to put it on your web page, where browsers do weird things to colours they don’t recognize. This new logo will be applied to every aspect of your business—make sure it works everywhere.

Simplicity and instant recognition are the goals. Think of all the most memorable logos you’ve seen and borrow their strong points. Talk your logo redesign over with a boutique graphic artist and learn how a fresh design can improve your brand image immediately.

The 5 Rules of Logo Design:

Here are five things to keep in mind when evaluating your current logo—or considering a redesign—to align your logo with your brand essence.

The first thing that you should look at is your website’s overall design. Does the design appear dated? Is the website easy to navigate? These two factors  have a large impact on a potential customer or visitor’s opinion of a business, specially if the looks of it is not professional enough.

While a website does not have to be full of fancy flash  components – which I do not recommend - or dazzling graphics, it is important that the website does not appear old or outdated – unless the design is meant to be based in an artistic vintage or art Deco feel to it – . A website that merely consists of a simple layout and text, will not impress any visitor and will immediately make them push the ‘close’ button. However, a website that is attractive to look at, while offering easy navigation, its clean and well proportionate, will quickly earn the respect of visitors.

When determining if a redesign is necessary, you will need to evaluate your website’s usability and success. A successful website will make it easy for a visitor to find exactly what he or she is looking for. Search boxes, site maps, and clear links to corresponding pages will help visitors find their way around the site. If a visitor could not easily navigate back to the home page from any of the site’s web pages, then the site is due for an update. Additionally, if a visitor could not easily find exactly that they are looking for within the first few minutes of being on the website, then a redesign very necessary.

You should also determine the specific purpose of your website. If you are trying to sell a product or have customers submit personal contact information, examine how successful your website is in meeting your goal. If only three of every hundred visitors are carrying out the desired action, then your website is in serious need of a redesign. Simply making a few changes to the websites design or content can make a significant difference in a website’s success.

Website owners should also realize that a successful website is an ongoing project. The internet is constantly changing. New competitive websites are continuously being created and those that cannot keep up, will soon notice decreased traffic and business. If you want to own a successful website, you will need to frequently evaluate your website’s current and past results, perhaps as often as every few weeks or months.

Most websites will require simple maintenance on a regular basis. This maintenance includes fixing broken links, altering ineffective design components, and adding high quality content to the website. These simple updates can make the difference between a mediocre and a successful website.

Additionally, before deciding on a complete design overhaul, website owners need to evaluate their visitors. If a website sees mostly new visitors, then a big change in design is not likely to produce a negative effect. However, if a majority of a site’s visitors are repeat visitors, especially those that visit the site once or more a week, than a large change in design can be detrimental.

People generally do not like unexpected change. Therefore, if a website has a faithful following, it may benefit more from a similar, but updated design, rather than giving the website a complete makeover. However, in either case, website owners need to be sure to carefully evaluate and maintain their site, in order to effectively determine when changes need to be made to their website’s design.

Throwing a website together in simple terms is ‘easy’ but unless the site is planned to the extent of not taking the time to think about where you are going with it or without thinking about the average user you are likely to do far more harm than good to your product or business.

Fortunately not every company that thinks about the importance of the ability to easily navigate the site or think about the call to action are expensive to the point of being simply over the top ridiculous when it comes to cost, there are companies who charge reasonable fees for those services.

There really is nothing wrong with cheap web design - apart from a horrible web design interface – , many of the best websites are built on shoestring budgets using open source software to have minimum costs with maximum features but you do have to watch some, the ones who charge very little for a 10 page website are the ones to watch, those are the desperate ones who are either breaking into web design and have little skill or are so desperate for work that usually means their skill level is lacking and you are not likely to get a ‘professional’ website and neither a professional service. There are many factors to making a successful website, most of which is content, but it also has to appeal to your users and have a call to action.

A website must be concise, professional looking, clean, and attractive.

On the next couple of months I will be uploading my full portfolio to this site.Since I just opened it there is not much content yet ready to display however I will be posting here in the blog section little articles, tips and design related theories along with downloads and other -design related – freebies made by yours truly; hopefully each week.

I am not much of a writter so for that I apologize but I will try my best to come up with coherent text and not so much design jargon.

A little bit about me:

I am a friendly, self-motivated, outgoing, European Spanish person.
I have gained extensive knowledge of Art and Design from an early age and
this has helped to mould my personality and enhance my interaction with
people of all ages. I am imaginative, creative, efficient and have always
possessed a strong work ethic

I have spent more than 10 years working as a Web Designer, Photographer,
Illustrator, Logo Designer, Banner Designer, Poster Designer, Print Designer,
3D Artist and Art & Design Teacher/Lecturer in Spain, England
and Thailand.

Working with a cross-cultural clientèle and audience affords me a unique
palate of skills to meet a host of professional needs and expectations.
I am knowledge hungry and always ready to give the very best of my creativity and
expand my horizons.