Mc Donald's Corporation Recalls Shrek Movie Glasses

After recent reports stating the designs on the new "Shrek Forever After 3D" movie theme classes contain cadmium, McDonalds has submitted a recall notice for all Shrek character movie theme classes. All four designs of the 16 ounce glasses are included in the recall notice. The drinking glasses were sold for $2 at most McDonald restaurants. Though no injures have been reported, long term exposure to cadmium can cause adverse health effects in individuals.

The sole distributor of the glasses is the McDonald's Corporation, located in Oakbrook, Illinois. The glasses were manufactured by ARC International of Millville, New Jersey and about 12 million glasses have been sold since the product was first introduced to the public. Each glass has an image printed on it of one of the main characters of the movie: Shrek, Donkey, Fiona and Puss-n-Boots. They have been available for purchase from May 2010 through June 2010.

Consumers should stop using the movie theme glasses immediately and return them to the store for a refund or visit the McDonald's company website for additional instructions on how to obtain a full refund. All collectors should be made aware that it is illegal to sell a recalled product once the product has been placed on the recall list. The recall notice was distributed through the office of Congress woman Jackie Speier from the state of California.

For additional information, contact the McDonald's toll free number at 800-244-6227, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Central Standard Time. To see a picture of the recalled product, you can go to the Consumer Product Safety Commission web site.

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Choose The Right Logo Designer

To meet these criteria is very difficult to achieve, you need a professional designer to save time and get the best results in the front. But the choice of really good designers use a lot of time.

Any look at the website reveals a wide range of designer logos. How can you make the best choice? We explore below some of the things you should look for and can be used to find a good web design expert.

Search previous experience of the creator and to ensure that the design work is the kind of quality that go on your own. New designers are obviously very capable of producing good quality work, so consider all the other points just by looking at the portfolio of previous design.

Get a professional designer of the company can be a useful first step towards a meaningful relationship with customers. Your company logo will appear on the icon and the name of the company, it is important to choose the logo of the company the right to a design that offers.

Take a good look at the testimonials from previous customers and ensure they are positive rather than simply neutral. While watching the testimony to find the actual credentials - you can check the authenticity of a web address or e-mail?

Even if they comply with the planning process and how accurate is it? Good designers do not have logos like fast food - it takes time to design a professional and response time can be quick to publicize the work of poor quality. Your logo, if it is a good, lasts a long time to wait several days to a week or two to be properly designed.

In none of his published works on the Internet or a magazine or a book? His work is recognized and has won awards for his work at all? A designer is not normal, it will be quickly established his credentials, but any logo designer who has been around for some time and is good to have some presence in the industry.

What is the strength of your portfolio? Do you produce the logos of the companies in false, is not simply to improve their image? More goods and services tend to get what you pay for, so if the price seems a bargain, quality logo design is likely that in this regard. It is difficult to give advice on prices difficult because it depends heavily on customer needs. The price is likely to adapt to specific customer needs.

In most developed countries have national associations dedicated to the design and publication of its affiliates or? Determine if the designer is a member of these organizations or publications, as it gives you an idea of how they are involved in the field.

Attention to customer service. How long phone calls and emails responded to? One would expect the company a good customer service, then withdrew the original client after the logo was designed.

One can expect a good designer with a lot of implementation issues related to their goals and needs. The designer must design around your company's history, our target customer market, where competitors are, and so on.

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How to Create a Standout Logo Design

Standout logos are the identifiers of some of the world's most successful companies including Google, Nike and Reebok. The monikers of these corporate giants share many common traits. They are all simple, unforgettable and unchanging. We recognize them instantly on the sides of buildings, flashing up on TV and passing by our car windows on billboards at 60 miles per hour.

If you're about to commission a new logo, then make sure you take the time to consider the most important factors in logo design for NZ companies.

Simplicity is Vital

Keeping a logo simple will help it to stand out by virtue of being easy to recognize. Avoid using calligraphy fonts. Use plain text that is easy to read. It is a good idea to use a maximum two different fonts in any one logo, any more and your logo will start to look over worked. It is also worth noting very fine fonts may cause you trouble when it comes to printing your logo.

Make it Unforgettable

A standout logo needs to be memorable and unique. It is never a good idea to create a logo using word art. The end result will look amateurish. Be careful to resist the urge to copy an existing company's logo. No matter how much you admire it, customers will not remember your logo because they are busy remembering the original which you copied.

Aim for Long Lasting

It is tempting to look at current design trends when you are designing a new logo. Millions of new logos are designed worldwide every day, most of them adhering strictly to the latest fashions. If you can avoid doing this then you are putting yourself at the front of the 'standout' queue simply by not looking like everyone else. A logo independent of fashion trends is a logo that won't need changing every 12 months.

Keep it Versatile

Always design a logo in black and white so that you can be confident that it looks good in the simplest form. It won't always be practical to use full colour prints in promotional material. Refrain from adding too much detail such as shadowing, embossing or highlights. Try your logo in different sizes. Is it still legible when you reduce it to the size of a thumbnail? Could you blow it up and put it on a billboard? When it is time to choose a colour scheme, go for neutral tones that will work against most backgrounds.

Choose a Great Designer

Choose from one of the many amazing graphic designers NZ has on offer. Now that your fully briefed on the key points of logo design, you'll be able to keep a close eye on him.

A company logo and website Design is an important factor for the success of every Business. So choose wisely eitherwebsite designersorGraphic Designersfor designing your Company Logo or Website Design.

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Types in Logo Design

Text-based Logo The most widely used of all types of logo, text design focuses on text and style but also by other factors. Text design is best suited for the business name is successful, what they do (TCS Couriers, Home phone) without graphics, you need to carry a message, a literal interpretation of words is often necessary to reach an agreement. (For example, we all know that Wal-Mart is a huge market, as its logo design, explains everything.)Text design is often text only with unique typographic behavior (such as Microsoft, Yahoo). Very often, however, the company of each other with simple graphic elements to create their own clean, simple, may include the establishment. Representation of speech, in fact, it seems, a representative of the economy.Do you prefer a text design when: means of communication are inadequate and need to be aware of the mind. Your name should be distinguished logically, but not (yet) a household word. You want products or subsidiaries with t he parent more clearly and directly relate to as a symbol permits.Charter mark logo on As with standard text is a brand design based on the letters to all the characters, initials or acronyms rule. Monograms and anagrams are Letter-based brand design. Presentation of the letter is a symbol of the company.Do you prefer brand-design based on the letters if: Your initials interpret graphically better than your real name. You must accept the child of the parent company, not just a name.

They can afford to disseminate to the public, which means that the symbols of letters.Brand-based Symbol Mark Simple graphic design, but strong, often abstract, an aspect of the business or service and symbolize a harmonious relationship with society. (From Nike or Apple, to fix the computer.)Brand Select a brand model is justified if: Need a logo for the product. Your name is too long, too often, and not to interpret the world, or has no properties. You need to link aid to their parents and can not simply change the name. You can afford to teach the public what the symbol means.Logo on badges icon-based logotypes are also referred to as combination marks. Icon-based trademark generally combines a brand based brand with a trademark on the word. The combination can be free or fixed. With a flexible combination of elements can be combined or used separately. Design a good logo, a symbol to communicate effectively reflects the society and individual transactions.Select t he icon-based design when: start-up companies or small with limited resources. Your name is very different, but not (yet) a household word. The need for the logo of the product, but want more than a symbol.Since logos, icon-based for better communication than other types of logo design, marketing under the logo to be effective. Consequently, logos, icons, based on the most lucrative type of logo design available and are ideal for entrepreneurs and small businesses with limited marketing budget.

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Create a Unique Identity of Your Business With The Help of Corporate Logo Design

For the growth of a business firm, it is very important to have its own identity in the market. And a corporate logo design does the same thing. There are so many logo design companies that can help you in achieving this purpose. By creating an attractive and good looking logo, you can give a fair idea to the viewers about the nature of products or services provided by the organization.

You can take the help of the reputed logo design company that will do the work as per your business needs. If you want your business to be reach in the top position of the online world, it is very important to have its own identity. To make good reputation of your business, you should hire the best logo design company for your business.

The logo is considered as the main identity of your business, so it is highly advisable to pay more attention to this factor. There are so many companies that charge high prices to the customers but a tough competition in the market has given a cost-competitive solution to the seekers.

Always try to make your business trademark as simple as possible. Making a simple logo will help viewers to remember it for a longer period of time. Selecting the simple design will help your targeted audience to remember it for long. In the case of corporate logo designing, simplicity is the best policy through which you can attract many people towards your business.

Once you have selected the design for your company's logo, the next thing that you have to do is to find the right combination of colors and image. Colors play a significant role in the creation of a website design. The design of your website should match with the colors that you have chosen.

Business owners can even take the suggestions from the logo designing company regarding which colors will be the best for their websites. But, try to make less use of colors so that your logo will look sober, lively and of course attractive. At the time of hiring the services of designer, you need to consider that you are choosing the best one.

The designer should have capability to give your logo design a maximum exposure. You can even print your corporate logo design on your business cards, letter heads, calender, and brochure. By printing your logo on the business cards and on other important documents, you can grab maximum attention of the people.

For more information about Corporate Logo Design, please visit TheMasterSEO.com

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Logo Design in Photoshop

A quality logo is extremely important to a business. Good logos catch a viewers eye and let them know what kind of business they are looking at. The logo also sets the color and font themes of a business' website or presentation. It is important to choose colors and fonts that embody the familiar aspects of a business. A business providing pump tests should have blue color variations and a rounded font.

To begin in Photoshop create a new image by going to File/New. The image should be at least one thousand pixels in width and four hundred pixels in height for starters (72 dpi is fine for now), and then when the logo has been completed a larger file can be constructed. Once the new image is created start with the Horizontal Type Tool. This is located in the main toolbar in the third section. Enable the Typography pallet by going to Window/Character in the top menu bar. Using the Character pallet it is easy to change different aspects of the type. If the logo has multiple sections of type I recommend using multiple layers for each part. If the layers pallet is unavailable, go to Window/Layers. Font choice is very important at this stage and it is important to choose fonts that look good together. More fonts can be downloaded for free from font websites such as

Font selection is easy, but making the typography look great is another game altogether. Right click on the type layer and select Blending Options from the list. Blending Options allow users to add shadows, borders, lighting effects, 3-D beveling and embodiment, patterns, and gradients to text or shapes. Usually a quick gradient and a drop shadow will do just fine, but for more specific businesses it can be important to utilize some of these more complex systems.

Once the font typography has been completed it is important to add a symbol to define what the business is all about. In this case I could just add a water droplet from the Custom Shape Tool on the toolbar, and then to get continuity between the shape and the text I can just copy the blending options by right clicking on the original layer, selecting Copy Layer Style, selecting the new layer, and clicking on Paste Layer Style.

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Logo Design Process

A logo is a sign or a mark that the company uses to identify itself. A good logo can build the reputation of the company in the market. It is, therefore, very important that every company should devote much attention to designing a good logo.

When a product is purchased, people try to search for some mark by which they can recognise the company - this mark is the logo. A logo brings about several notions and ideas in the minds of people about the product and the company . People try to judge the company just by seeing the logo. They come to know what sort of company they are dealing with and what are its goals, policies and ideals.

In order to design a good logo, several things must be considered by the company management. From the overall concept of the logo to the choice of colors for the foreground and background, the type of font and the type of icon or illustration -the company should take into account as much of the relevant parameters as possible.

After the research is over and the design aspects are determined, the management must create a proper brief for the designer. There is no fixed rule for writing a brief, but at the minimum it should contain the historical background of the company, a writeup of the goals, aims and ideals of the company, an idea of how the product is manufactured, the type of image the logo should convey, the colors to be used, the idea of the permissible logo concepts etc. This will enable the logo designer to design an appropriate logo for the company and incorporate these attributes into the overall image of the logo.

Once the brief is handed over to the designer he should go over it a number of times. He must try to understand the type of company he is working for. He must take into consideration all the limitations that the company has provided him for the design of the logo. He must not deviate much from the concepts, color choices, font choices, etc. that the company has set for him.

The logo designer must, offcourse, conduct his own research and find out what is the latest trend. He must select a suitable design concept and work out a number of possibilities for the design of the logo. He can use the software such as the photoshop, gimp, illustrator etc,. for working out the logo concepts.

Here are few examples of how the logo is designed according to the type of company. For example, if the company produces fashion garments for the women segment, a few logo concepts may be designed using the delicate or slender fonts and the colors may be chosen to convey a feminist idea. Similarly, a logo designed for the clean energy company may depict several concepts using the leaf motif, to convey that the company is keen on preserving the environment, while at the same time providing cheaper energy sources.

Finally, the designer can make several changes and add extra dimensions to the logo with the help of the software. He can enhance the logo by applying the gradients, highlights, borders, shadows, embossing, bevels etc. The logo must look attractive and at the same time easy to comprehend. Very complex logos may be difficult to register in the minds of the customers.

The final choice of the logo, offcourse, rests with the company management. The designer has to simply put forward his best designs and allow the company to make the final choice.

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Logo Design-How to Make it Effective

Logo design is a main aspect of web design.Logo actually is the brand of the product.Whoever sees a logo knows immediately who they are relating with.This is why the logo designers must try to know what would satisfy a client as well as acheive the principal purpose of ldentity and attractionj for its client.

Itis important to make a proper research before a logo is made.The client must know what he wants.He will definitely want a brand as well as a conserved space.The client must know what kind of identity and image they want to create.All these would enable the designer know how to go about it.

It is good that the logo be eye catchy and convey the message it was made for.Let the design make people ponder and talk about it. Let the logo be something that can be identified with the customer immediately it is seen.Above all let logo send positive signals to whoever comes across it.

The designer of the logo should be prepared to adjust his work until he gets the desire of the client done.He should be able to rectify mistakes discovered therein.

Try as much as possible not to overcrowd a logo either with words or with colours.

It is advisable to use fonts for words written on the logo.This is beautiful and more easily readable

Use compimentary colours against a good background

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Logo Design ? The Brand Identity For Your Business That Create Your Brand in Market

Logo is the symbolic representation of a company. Its a unique combination of characters and graphics creating a single design that is used to recognize a company or a business. Logos are normally used to advertise a company in order to draw attention to visitors win their faith and build firm brand acknowledgement. Therefore a logo should be created as such it should set a striking picture in peoples mind what services and products you provide or sale. You can make your company popular and easily identifiable among people and a chosen one among your competitor with a well-designed logo.

A properly designed graphic logo speaks more than words and being graphic in nature, they transgress the barriers of the written language. Even a person who does not know English will recognize the graphical representation of 'IBM' Such is the power of a worldwide recognized and accepted logo. There are many new companies who are on their way to becoming famous worldwide and they too are looking for a renowned logo design company that will help them with their logo design problems. Just do a search on the net and you will be flooded with organizations that offer logo design services at rates that will amaze you. You had always thought that a logo design company has high overheads and charge a good sum of money, but these rates?

However, do not accept anything till you have seen it yourself. Not even if the company you found on your online search proclaims that they are the best logo design company on the face of the earth. A reputed logo design company does not have to advertise itself so aggressively. They prefer to play quietly and they know that all the major companies know about them and will call on their services whenever required. With the special effects used in TV ads capturing the minds of the people like never before more and more organizations are converting their logos to flashy ones.

The logo should speak something for you it should engage the audience the logo should be able to talk with your customers & give a message about you to the company. The logo your are purchasing will be keeping the target audience & the kind of products you will serve to the customers. Also make sure that you don't have to change the logo more often than not, especially the startups companies should be very careful about the business. At the same time you should be able to change the logo if you are catering to different markets. The logo should be a memorable one for your customers it should be easy to remember and create a permanent mark in the minds of your customers. At the same time the logo should get customers to start thinking in terms of about your products or services that you offer.

Logo Design can significantly build efforts and create an image for itself and in people's minds. Never get the logo done from an inexperienced logo designer as holds the power to make or break the image of the business. It is important that you ask a good designing company to create a logo. A logo should be unique & portrays the message which company deals in. A logo designer has to understand the prospective customer's and establishes a unique identity for the business. A professional logo design should communicate the idea in its simplest form and gives the identity to the product. So a logo is important whether your business is small or big as it gives you a corporate identity to its business.

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A Logo Design Company Can Work Wonders for your Business

Today, the competition between companies has reached such great heights that they are ready to do just about anything to make their products sell even better. Hence it is required to hire the best logo design company. A logo design can really work wonders for your company and get immediate recognition for your products or services.

A logo design is very important for your company as it can help it in selling its products or services. It will be used on just about every marketing material that you can think of. Since it will be used extensively, it is vital to create a corporate logo design for your company. A logo designer must be aware of the intrinsic aspects of this graphic logo design. He should be aware of the branding elements that need to be included in the company logo designs so as to be able to use them in advertising the products or services. Further, the logo design company or logo design expert should be aware about the requirements of various media on which the corporate logo will be made use of. Each kind of medium, no matter if it is electronic, web-based or print, has different needs.

On the whole, the purpose of having a logo design is to make the customers catch as much information as possible from it. If a customer cannot make head or tail from your logo, then you might as well not have it. A boring logo is of no use to a customer. The logo design company should be capable of producing logo designs that bring out the nature as well as stature of the business. A company logo is basically a piece of graphics that conveys to the viewer all that the company stands for.

Today, every business is aware of the significance of the business logo design. It is not easy to achieve the right kind of growth trend without having a corporate image that can help the company grow in the right direction. A logo design company can produce logos for companies which customers can attach with the brands of that company. The business might be small in size but if it has the right kind of policies when it comes to marketing, it can be seen as a big corporate in the eyes of the customers.

Every successful business person will agree that a logo design is an unavoidable part of a business and no business can possibly survive in todays competitive world without having a good logo design designed by perhaps a good logo design company. All is lost if the customers are not able to connect with the logo. Whatever resources you invest in your business is at risk as you are never sure of getting new customers or eve retaining your existing ones. All your marketing undertakings will be worthless without a company logo whether it is websites, business cards or vehicle signages. Only logos can get your business a large number of customers on a regular basis.

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Company Logo Design Jobs

There are plenty of jobs that incorporate logo designing and are available to those with an art or graphic design degree. You will need to have computer skills in varying formats and know how to communicate effectively with your clients.

Graphic Artist

Graphic artists often have logo design as a part of their regular job duties. Whether working on your own or for an advertising firm, a job as a graphic artist will require design skills, such being proficient in the basic element of design and computer illustration skills, such as proficiency in Photoshop or Quark. You will be required to work intimately with the client to design a logo that fits his or her needs.

Freelance Logo Artist

If you prefer working independently, you might consider a career as a freelance logo artist. You can advertise your services on websites such as Get A Freelancer or bid on particular jobs on websites such as Elance. This type of work allows you to be choosy about your clients and gives you a little more flexibility with your time schedule as opposed to a traditional work environment.

Website Designer

If your skills are heavy in the computer area, you might want to consider a career in website design. Website designers work closely with clients to come up with a cohesive design plan for the company website and often work with clients to design logos and business cards. If you know how to design logos, but not how to create a website, you may want to work closely with a website designer to design logos for the websites that they create.

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Web Design Basics

The underlying purpose of web design is to develop a functional web site, that comes with a whole host of files drawn from a web server and the resultant interactive features plus the content and should be accessible by site visitors in real time, when requested.

By employing XML, XHTML or HTML tags, forms, bit-mapped images and text can be incorporated into the web pages. While heavier graphics typically need plugins such as Quick Time, Java run time environment and Flash to display videos, animations, or vector graphics.

Web site designers are known to structure the design elements of sites at various levels which include site map, individual pages plus the storyboard, and that they plot at each level during the course of the early stages of a design project.

Although, some web design tools are not seamlessly compatible with these projects. Fortunately there are certain programs which supports sketching input, and enable design at different design stages, and merges the levels via zooming.

The progress of the internet and web design translated to more sophistication and fexibility as regards technical aspects such as the markup language, in turn enabling the addition of objects, such as images and tables onto respective pages.

On the other hand, some characteristics which include tables, that had been designed for certain types of information were eventually replaced with the use of embedded device layout. And the emergence of cascading style sheets (CSS), rendered the traditional table-based layout redundant

And setting relevant goals around the design of websites is a step that may be difficult but is nevetheless very essential, therefore when embarking on the creation and the uploading of a site, make certain to take into consideration every need.

This is best carried out in full view of the site's target audience or market and their needs, thus creating a balance on the type of content, site image and navigation settings deserves special attention.

Integration technologies for databases like the server-side scripting and design standards such as W3C further transformed the system for the better. The changes spurred on over time meant that the code and visual design drastically improved as regards the various processes and tools employed.

The procedure of designing web applications or web sites for the internet may make use of various disciplines, which include marketing, interaction design, search engine optimization, typography, information architecture, photography, graphic design, authoring, animation, communication design and corporate identity.

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Make Stock photography easy by Your Design Needs

Looking for collection of wide range of selected Stock Photography? Your Design Need have a strong database of almost all type of stock photography at one place.

Stock Photography collection is also called a photo archive, picture library, image bank or photo bank which can be used and reused many times based on customers needs. Stock Photography images are not for specific clients or use but can be used by anyone who many have use for the images and in need of ready-made images that illustrate a specific lifestyle, scene, mood or process.

Your Design Need a list of Stock Photography Resources have largest database used every day and widely in all sorts of market by publishers, advertising agencies, graphic artists and others to fulfill the needs of their creative assignments. There are plenty of sites were you can find the link for stock photography but Your Design Needs is the place to get the best and right one for you. We have millions of images online on history, business, art, celebrity, sports, travel, technology and much more. You can add photography website to our growing directory. In Your Design Needs a complete and easy to use directory of Photoshop Tutorials you can advertise your site to the photography community.

We offer professional Stock photography collection, download it free with our great resource. We specialize in collection of Photoshop Tutorials and committed to providing excellent type of Stock Photography.

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Web Design in Business

Web Design in Milton Keynes is of a high quality. There are a few key web design companies who will design and build your website for you. There could be a number of reasons why you feel your business may need a website. These could be because of factors such as having tough competition who you want to aim to get ahead of. A website for a business can be a really good thing. Not only will it sell and promote your website in a modern and sophisticated way but it will also reach a much broader audience of people. It would be able to reach people who are all over the country that in turn would target many more people.

If your business isnt doing as well as a competitors this could be an issue you may need to think about and see if there are any sensible ways to resolve it. One way of generating more business and public interest in your business would definitely be by investing in a website. Even if your business is only making a small profit the cost of buying a website is affordable as it would benefit you greatly in the future.

To make sure you have chosen a reliable web design company in Milton Keynes you should see if you can find any background information out about the company. This could be looking at any work they have done and whether it is viewable in the form of a portfolio maybe. You could even ask around see if anyone has had a website designed for them, see if you like the work and ask if they would recommend the services to you. A web design company in Milton Keynes should always try their best to work with you and the visions you have for your site.

As technologies have advanced so quickly it is important to ensure that your business has kept up to date with modern advancements. This can be seen as a definite weakness if your business is lacking modern equipment and strategies. Web Design in Milton Keynes can also ensure that your website is up to date and holds all current expectations a modern website should have.

For more information please visit School Web Design

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Considering a Career in Graphic Design? Artifact Advertising Designers Give Some Insight?

I realized Graphic Design is an easier way to pay the bills as opposed to being a starving artist contemplating slicing off and eating your own ear

Why do many artistically talented people end up as Graphic Designers instead of artists and was it a good career choice for them? We spoke to the design team at Artifact Advertising to get some entertaining insights about their graphic design careers...

What is the thing you love most about design and being a designer?

A: Coming up with a concept and having creative freedom. Doing my own designs. (when I get a free moment).

B: Exploring new ideas! You love to hear that your client is happy with what you have done. I enjoy designing corporate identities the most...I really enjoy that!

C: Definitely being creative, seeing design differently to the average Joe and finding its something that feeds your soul... and of course coming to work in slippers if I really wanted to

D:The challenge of a difficult brief, coming up with something fresh.

Are there any designers that inspire you?

A: Oh yes! I love browsing thedieline.com. Looking at all these designs always gives me a kick! My favourite, favourite South African designers must be Louis Minnaar and Anthony Dart

B: Yes! And I love the site Behance, where they showcase other designers. I just love the creativity and new ways of thinking!

C: There is an illustrator and designer that I absolutely love Rachel Riordan.

D: Designers like Charles S Anderson, Daniel Palavin, Neville Brody, Louise Fili, Paula Scher and Adolphe Mouron Cassandre Inspire me every day.

What are the design trends at the moment and how have these changed over the years?

A: Hand drawn and 3D fonts, and of course textures and retro shapes. Mmm, they kind of change a bit each year, so I cant tell thats what makes it so exciting!

B: The saying less is more! Now design is neater and not too busy, more vectors and illustrations are being introduced than the past.

C: I personally like clean, flat colours (no drop shadows). The vintage look is very big at the moment with website design, with natural textures.

D: Keep it simple.

Where do you get inspiration for original designs?

A: From those designers and sites Ive just mentioned. Im also very much inspired by nature! Also the fact that were not American, but African! South African design rules!

B: On websites such as Behance - and Exclusive Books!

C: I have a few sites I am addicted to thedieline.com for awesome packaging ideas and webdesignerwall.com for the latest trends in web design. Sitting for hours in a book shop looking at design books gives one great inspiration too.

D: Answer Censored

What would be your ideal job as a designer?

A: I suppose Id love to work for myself or to be a creative director just coming up with the big idea and everybody loves it!!

B: For one day to work my way up as a designer and learn from others. It would be great to be a creative director one day

C: I would love to conceptualise themes and ideas for events and do all the design work that goes behind it. Something that involved traveling and designing would be great too but dont think those two go hand in hand.

D: Designing Music graphics, posters, Cd covers. Oh and designing book covers

Any funny or crazy experiences you have had in your career?

A: Everyday we enjoy a few laughs in studio. Every day brings something new. We once had a client who thought he could do his own photo shoot for his products and it would look fine. This client sells food and one of the burgers he shot, had a big fly on it. Epic fail!! Whats the chances!

B: Yes!! I had such a blonde moment at college! There were two PCs next to each other in class and my friend asked me to help him. I took the mouse and looked at his screen to show him where to go, and spent ages wondering why the mouse was not working! Meanwhile I was moving my own mouse!

C: While studying I was a finalist for a packaging competition and had a photo shoot and an article written with a magazine about my design. Anyways, about 4 years later I went on holiday and we stayed in this little hotel in Kimberly - I think we might have been the only ones staying in the hotel - and the hotel had supplied reading material next to my bed. Out of all the magazines they could have chosen in the world, it was the magazine I was in. I ran around the hotel holding the magazine up to my face, smiling and pointing to the staff that that was me. I think they thought I was crazy, definitely not anyone even mildly famous as I didnt even get asked for an autograph

D: Answer censored

When did you first realize you wanted to be a graphic designer and why?

A: Ive always been interested in art. When I was little drawing and painting were my favourite things! My parents are both very creative people an architect and an art teacher. I grew up watching my Mom in the pottery studio and my dad always made me draw and page through art books. In high school I took art as a subject. I went to a universitys open day for graphic design, and I just knew - this is for me!

B: In high school I took art as a subject and can draw very well. After I matriculated I didnt know what I wanted to do but I knew that I must do something that involves being creative. I was advised that I could either study graphic design or fine arts. I did not want to draw (fine arts) as a career because then something that you enjoy would just become another job.

C: I first realized I wanted to be a graphic designer in Standard 5 (I went around telling everyone I was going to be a graphic artist and that they used actual computers to do the art). I always loved drawing and being creative and I was set on becoming a graphic designer.

D: I came to love design through studying the history of graphic design, designers throughout history have been great artists, although times have changed. I was studying Fine art, but realized I could still be creative if I followed a career in commercial art, plus finding its way easier paying the bills opposed to being a starving artist contemplating eating your own sliced off ear. I love typography from the first half of the twentieth century and the modern designers who revived it.

What was your perception of being a designer then and what is the reality?

A: I expected it to be more exciting and creative. Unfortunately we spend a lot of time sitting in an office in front of a computer. Not really that creative. Sometimes sticking to the same corporate Ids really kills your creative spirit. But hey, I dont regret anything. Graphic design is filled with amazing possibilities!

B: I was told by many designers that its really rough working in the industry and you dont get any respect as a new designer. What I have experienced is quite the opposite! I really enjoy the work and feel part of the team!

C: I thought being designer you would have more freedom to be creative but it is sometimes rather restricting. I probably enjoyed studying more than working as the ideas were limitless and there was never a budget. The real world of a working designer isnt what I expected but then I didnt really know what to expect. I still wouldnt change it for anything though!

D: I think every design student thinks they will land in their first job and everyone will be in awe of your talent, youll be the toast of the Loeries and supermodels will fall at your feet as you hold your mac up in the air. I still enjoy the challenge, the creation of concepts and putting a bit of your self in everything, even if your soul gets stomped every now and then.

What tips would you give someone who is thinking about a career in graphic design?

A: If youre dreaming of being an artist (painting and drawing all day) dont study graphic design - its much more formal and corporate than you think. Studying graphic design is a huge commitment prepare to say bye-bye to your social life this means intense hard work! So many late nights, but in the end Im still so happy with my choice. Im excited about the possibilities Ive got being a designer!

B: Are you prepared for being creative and using most of your time designing? Be inspired by whats out there for creative ideas. I was told that if you have a creative block, stop, relax and go do something you enjoy. Go back and try again when you are more calm and relaxed.

C: Know what its like in the real world. In the real world people have deadlines and budgets and your biggest idea can squished by a client and leave you feeling very despondent. You also spend nearly all of your day in front of your computer... and your chair becomes your buttocks best friend! Dont do it if you dont have a passion for it.

D: Find designers that inspire you, even if you start emulating their work, youll eventually find a style of your own. Also question everything, never follow a brief word for word, be a rebel.

Where did you study design and would you recommend it if not where would you recommend studying design?

A: North-West University, Potchefstroom (Ci-Lab Creative intelligence Lab). This institute is definitely one of the best in the country. Ive been to a few design school exhibitions in Jhb, and nothing comes even close to the standard I was used to. I will definitely recommend North-West University. This institute usually walks away with the most Loeries and Pendorings each year. Watch out!

B: I was at Vaal University of Technology, I enjoyed it there a lot and they took us to every exhibition and to indaba if we wanted to go. This place has a high standard of work, according to the evaluators we had.

C: I studied at Greenside Design Center but I often wish I had studied at Vega. Design Center was a lot of fun though and I made friends for life there that share the same passion as I do.

What is the thing you like least about being a designer?

A: Sitting in front of a computer.

B: Clients that are really difficult to please.

C: Sitting all day in front of a computer, in the same chair, doing the same routine.

D:The narrow mindedness of some clients

Well there you have it some valuable insights from our team that we hope will be useful to anyone considering a career in Graphic Design.

Find out more about Artifact Advertising on or read the original article on /content/Design Article.html

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Design Schools: Finding The Right Program For A Career In Design

You say you want to attend design school, but youre having trouble choosing a major. Dont worry. With a little information from a few reliable sources, you can be well on your way to finding a design program that will play a pivotal role in your success. Lets start with BLS.gov.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has a few facts and figures for you to mull over. Design is a broad field that includes everything from architects and computer artists to graphic and industrial designers. Designers hold more than 600,000 jobs and salaries range from $27,330 on the low end up to $117,120 on the high end. Most designers have a bachelors degree or higher in areas ranging from fine arts to architecture to computer science.

The top careers in design (when it comes to earnings) include architecture, computer software and systems design, and commercial and industrial design. This doesnt mean interior designers, graphic designers, and other related fields offer very little pay. It just means that technology-related design careers are in higher demand and most of these careers require advanced degrees and certification.

For architects, most employers prefer a master of architecture. Architects must be licensed in the states where they practice. The average mean wage for architects is $69,760. Commercial and industrial designers earn an average of $60,000 per year and employers prefer a bachelors degree or higher from an accredited program in industrial design, architecture or engineering.

According to Design-schools.us, computer software and systems designers must have a bachelors degree or higher in computer science or software engineering for entry into this competitive field. Most employers prefer a masters degree. This elite class of designers averages $85,370-$125,750+ per year.

To start a career in design, you should select a program offered through an accredited art and design school, technical school or college or university. If you would like to work in the field or other position while working on completing your degree, an online design program might be the best route. Top online design schools will offer most of the same majors and curriculum as top traditional design programs. So, when searching for a design school, compare the curriculum, admission requirements, and accreditation to traditional schools. All school websites (whether online or on-campus) offer curriculum, admission requirements, and accreditation information on their official website.

Most art and design schools have accredited by The National Association of Schools of Art and Design. To date, this U.S. Department of Education recognized agency accredits 300 postsecondary programs with programs in art and design. In addition, The Council for Interior Design accredits more than 150 interior programs that lead to a bachelors or masters degree. A number of regional agencies are also recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. These include:

-Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

-New England Association of Schools and Colleges

-North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

-Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

-Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

-Western Association of Schools and Colleges

Admission requirements may vary slightly, but standard admission requirements include test scores, transcripts from all schools attended, statement of purpose or essay, recommendation letters, and if applicable, samples of your work.

For more information about design schools and careers in design, visit:

Design Schools Information about design schools, curriculums, and program info

Design School Careers Job descriptions, salary ranges, outlooks and more to help you choose a career path.

U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics /k12/music05.htm

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Design Colleges: How To Choose The Best On-Campus Or Online School

Due to the Internet, job growth in the design industry continues to increase. There are so many new areas of design that design colleges have had a tough time keeping up with the demand. Multi-media design colleges (both on-campus and online) continue to spring up seemingly overnight to meet the demand; and increasingly more traditional schools have created entire new media departments.

Most of these programs are available online. If you are interested in design college, you wont have any problems finding a program. The only issue you might have is trying to find the design college thats right for you. Fortunately, a number of reliable online sources are available that can help make your decision a little easier.

The best design colleges and art schools feature art-related programs from A-Z. Quality design schools will offer many, if not all of the following majors or focus areas:

If youre interested in working in the field while earning your degree, you should focus on locating an online design program. If you prefer a traditional program, many offer flexible schedules that may allow you to work juggle other obligations. To locate online design colleges browse through websites and college ranking sites such as Princeton Review College Rankings, U.S. News & World Report College Rankings, or Design-schools.us.

Choose any traditional design college and you will likely find an online option that will allow you to complete some or the entire design program virtually. Although many online design colleges may operate 100% online, many still have campuses. Depending on where you live, you may have access to the campus and amenities such as a library, computer center, career center, and counseling centers.

In addition to a campus, high quality design schools will carry accreditation through The National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) or an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Visit the Department of Education website at ed.gov for an official list.

When assessing any online design college or traditional school of design, check the curriculum and admission requirements. An accredited design college will require samples of your work, test scores, transcripts, a statement of purpose, and recommendation letters. Compare the curriculum of your choices to some of the top ranked design colleges as listed by Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report. Comparing curriculums is easy. All design colleges list curriculum requirements on the official website for each school. Just click the admission tab and follow the prompts.

Resources:

Learn more about Design Colleges from design-schools.us

Why Should You Attend Design School? learn the benefits of attending design school

Compare college rankings from Princeton Review

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Advance Your Career by Attending Philadelphia Design School

Philadelphia is one of the largest college and university cities in the country. It provides a vibrant setting for an education and career in the graphic arts.

A bachelor's or associates degree in design is usually required to enter this competitive field and many of Philadelphia's universities, colleges and trade schools offer arts-related programs. Curriculums include studio art, design principles, color and design theory, animation, computer aided design (CAD) and website design and development. In addition to specific, career-related design courses, a strong liberal arts background in history, written communication and cultural studies benefit students hoping to secure employment in the graphic design field.

Employment Outlook

According to the US Dept of Labor, individuals with a bachelor's degree and knowledge of computer design software, particularly those with website design and animation experience, will have the best opportunities.

Because the art and design field is expected to remain very competitive, individuals with additional marketing and business management skills will have the strongest employment potential.

The Business of Art and Design

Graphic designers or graphic artists communicate a company's message in print, online or via film media.

* Develop websites, interactive and multimedia projects;

* Use illustration, animation and type are used to promote and market idea and products;

* Design the content and image layout for magazines, newspapers and other printed materials;

* Create displays, logos, signage and marketing materials for goods, services and ideas.

Other fields of opportunity for those graduating with a graphic arts degree or those attending a graphic design school include computer animation, game design, industrial and interior design, interactive media development and video production.

Graphic designers often work for advertising agencies or design firms that provide visual communication services to other companies. Magazines and newspapers have graphic designers on staff to layout print and images. Many graphic designers-up to twenty-five percent, according to the US Department of Labor-choose to provide their services on a freelance basis, either full- or part-time.

Why Choose A Philadelphia Design School?

A large city with lower living costs than New York or Los Angels, the city of Philadelphia is home to an inspiring array of museums, galleries, public art installations, architectural landmarks and historic sites. Music, dance, film and live theater represent every imaginable taste and inclination. Combine this with fantastic food, public parks, an excellent public transportation system and more bike lanes than any other city and it's easy to see why Philadelphia is the first choice for many creative arts and design students.

Armed with a strong portfolio and a degree from a Philadelphia graphic design school, graduates can explore a wide range of employment opportunities in the city. Advertising agencies, public relations firms, website design and development companies, publishers and large corporations-many of whom employ in-house graphic designers and web developers-are based in Philadelphia.

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The Appropriate Way in Handling The Web Design Job For Perfect Result

A web design project is similar to a child with brand new mother and father. Nobody has any concept as to how it is raised despite the fact that they already have got plenty of coaching and training. Just like each child comes with unique types of wants and angel moments, each website ought to function with specific features as a way to produce a beneficial website.

In the beginning there are parents. The client and the web design service, in this case, will be the mother and father. It's their role to generate the best possible resource (website design) in the set deadlines. It should be captivating, helpful and also other things that it needs to be. This is where the client and the web designer have to sit down and find out the finest procedure for the website creation, the target audience, the website content structure, website architecture and lastly, budgets.

The next phase in the website design assignment is acquiring all of the required elements. The organization logo design, the specific site content, the colour formats to be employed, all of the illustrations or photos and fonts, etc. These need to be stored and filed in a way in which they are readily available for the web designer at a moment's notice.

The internet site should attract a certain target group. Such as a fast food restaurant web design needs to attract families and young people. A hotel internet site design must attract business travellers or vacationers.

Next, the design plan specifications. It might happen that the customer is unclear about the design costs or just what the website is supposed to perform. In such cases, the website design mission may suffer if guidelines aren't laid down, in case the basic foundation in making the site is unstable. Customers are probably not aware of graphic design prices. They must be informed, to be shown what a website is capable of doing and gain and also what kind of costs are necessary to shape up a basic info sending website to the greater ones which operates on user generated content and also CMS.

Ask the customer for a site map even if it's hand written and in bullet points. Come to an understanding and sign-off on milestone schedules the date for content elements delivery, the particular date for the primary presentation of alternatives, the time frame for website construction completion, the internet site functionality finalization and ultimately the design finalization. Stick to these schedules as closely as possible.

Defining budgets for web design work is often an issue. Occasionally the client would like to sign up a deal before knowing what the final result is going to be in rigourous terms to be adhered to. In these cases, it would be wise to make time and become familiar with the client. Ask questions that wouldn't only help you recognize the clients' necessities but also help them describe their very own necessities

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The Art of Successful Web Design Project Completion

A web design project is like a baby with new parents. Nobody has a clue as to how it is raised even though they have had plenty of education and training. Like each baby comes with its own sets of demands and angel moments, each website needs to perform to specifications and can be absolutely wonderful. How to get there is what this article is about!

The best place to start is at the beginning and in the beginning there are parents. The client and the web designer, in this case, are the parents. It is their job to create the best possible resource (web design) within the set deadlines. It has to be appealing, informative and whatever else it needs to be. This is where the client and the web designer have to sit and figure out the best approach for the web design, the target audience, the content structure, website architecture and of course, budgets.

The next step in the web design project is acquiring all the necessary materials. The logo design, the actual web content, the colour schemes to be used, all the pictures and fonts these need to be stored and filed in a way in which they are readily available to the designer at a moment's notice.

The website needs to appeal to a particular target group. Like a fast food restaurant web design needs to appeal to families and teenagers. A hotel web design needs to appeal to business travellers or vacationers. So who is your website design catering to?

Next, the design project specifications. It can happen that the client is unsure about the design costs or what the website is supposed to do. In such cases, the website design project can suffer if ground rules are not laid down, if the foundation for making the website is shaky. Clients may not be aware of graphic design costs. They need to be educated, to be shown what a website can do and achieve and what sort of budgets are required to shape up a basic information delivery website to the bigger ones that runs on user generated content and CMS.

Ask the client for a site map even if it is hand written and in bullet points. Agree and sign-off on milestone dates the date for content materials delivery, the date for the initial presentation of options, the date for site architecture completion, the site functionality completion and finally the design completion. Stick to these dates as closely as possible.

Defining budgets for website design projects can be an issue. Sometimes the client wants to sign up a deal before knowing what the final output will be in rigourous terms to be adhered to. In such cases, it would be wise to take the time and get to know the client. Ask questions that will not only help you understand the clients' needs but also help them clarify their own needs.

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Web or Print Design: A Graphic Designer's Perspective

Design comes in all shapes and categories. Web and print design are the most commercial aspects used in the media and entertainment industry. Other aspects like product design are bent towards the manufacturing industry rather than the media. The media also utilises design elements in cinematography, art, sculpture, game design, cartoons, and comics.

Focusing on the differences between web and print design, one of the foremost and crucial aspects is the kind of work a designer can expect to do. A print designer is expected to work on magazine advertisements and layouts, product design and packaging, logo design, business cards and stationery, and so on. A designer working on the web will focus on standard HTML websites, flash websites, emails, e-newsletters, banner advertising, and so on. The basic difference being with print design, the finished product is something you can hold in your hands whereas with web design, your piece will be viewed on a computer display.

One of the common elements of web and print design are clear and effective layouts. The usage of space and negative space plays a vital role in both aspects of design. The measures of the space utilised in each are different print uses inches to measure the final product which can be a business card to a highway billboard whereas web designers use pixels to design websites. The challenge for web designers is to create web pages that look the best on all monitors sizes and resolutions.

Another aspect to consider is the use of media -- static and dynamic. For example, a menu in a restaurant uses static imagery, item lists, and prices. Restaurant web design however can be dynamic with links leading to further content, flash animation and page content which is essentially static. Hotel web design is the same except that the content is dynamic in the sense that users can use websites to reserve rooms before they travel. Hotels also use a variety of brochures which are the forte of print design.

Colour is a tricky subject to deal with in both web and print design. In print, the colours on screen need to match the colours in the final output. Colour palettes and codes are very handy in print design. A proof can ensure that you get the desired results in print.

In web design, colours change from monitor to monitor and also with brightness and contrast settings. These are things to take into consideration RGB shades are used for the web whereas print uses the CMYK palette.

One of the final aspects to consider is the career aspect. Print designers can expect to start as visualisers, and advance to become art directors at ad firms, package designers for manufacturing companies, or even designers at t-shirt companies. Web designers typically work in online marketing firms or technology firms.

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Website Development: A New Chapter

Website development has evolved as the internet as evolved. Making the earliest websites was an exercise in dissemination of information. The use of HTML was very prevalent and websites had to conform to some basic browsers like Internet Explorer and Netscape. Today's websites use various kinds of technologies to interact with the user making it a much more dynamic environment for not only information dissemination but also new applications, user generated content, and more.

When Web 2.0 came about, social networking was the first sign of a new wave of technologies created to allow people to interact with each other in a very web friendly manner. The use of flash and video brought about the advent of websites that catered to the people who could do more than just read they could now process information in a new way.

Technologies like Java, Ajax, DHTML, and Flash have enabled website development to evolve in many new directions. Adding new layers of security and interactivity, these technologies have helped create platforms, tools, and applications which have made search engines, social media, and advertising on the web a new industry. But making websites goes beyond simply incorporating new technologies. It is a new way of processing and receiving information, new way to make connections and finding better ways for revenue generation. Website design decides how a user can interact with a website, how to simplify this experience, and maximise the interaction.

The other side of website development is graphic design and how that affects the people who come to the website. A banking website for example has a lot of information that needs to efficiently categorised. Every bank offers many products and services like bank accounts, credit cards, loans and mortgages, debit cards, and more. Logo design, web banners, and links to suit each product can take a lot of effort and ingenuity. Most banking institutions have added interactivity in their websites. Things like online banking need high levels of security provided by the 128 bit SSL technologies. All this information needs to integrated into pages and each page needs to be well designed in keeping within the boundaries of the brand guidelines. Web design takes care of putting these disparate elements together in a cohesive format.

Restaurants use website development in completely different ways. Most restaurants rely on online marketing efforts like local search engine marketing and paid advertisements to attract new customers. Restaurant web design is one of the most favoured businesses for local independent designers and contractors.

Hotels also use the web to attract customers and increase user occupancy of their rooms. Hotel web design focusses mostly on ensuring that customers can book their rooms online without any hassles and in the simplest manner. Websites coupled with online marketing efforts can be the biggest revenue generating platform for hotels.

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Enhanced Web Design Solutions For Business Marketing

Every business needs a marketing plan to enhance its growth. Website design solutions offer a promising avenue for restaurants, hotels, retailers, and other businesses to market their products and services without spending a large amount of money.

Most advertising agencies offer many communication services including creating print communications, designing brochures and ads, web design solutions, logo design, menu creation, and printing. These services are also offered by professional freelancing designers and consultants who can do the same or similar work and also charge much lesser than any organisation. Most small businesses take advantage of working with such independent contractors to build up a customer base through online and real world marketing efforts.

Website design solutions encompass a wide range of elements like graphic design, web content, search engine optimisation, and web marketing strategy. One of the key elements of website design is figuring out what the website has to accomplish whether it is an information delivery website or a corporate website or one that demands extensive interaction with the clients. Any website can be a base for information gathering and dissemination. But when it comes to marketing businesses, websites have to deliver far more than information. For example, a business built on selling spare parts of automobiles can have a website that allows customers to search for and reserve a certain part or even purchase it online and have it shipped to them or alternatively, pick the part from a physical location after purchasing it online.

Restaurant web design is made specifically to cater to customers who are looking for a good place to eat. In fact, most people search for businesses locally and restaurants can take advantage of this fact when it comes to a website design solution. Mapping the restaurant online can be a great way to attract a new customer base. Putting sample menus and pricing on the website is another way to seek out new clients. Attracting clients by maintaining your local business status and using search engine marketing to emphasise this status has worked wonders for small businesses. Most web design firms offer these services and help local businesses thrive. Posting links on the local chambers of commerce website also helps search engine marketing efforts.

Hotels also use hotel web design efforts to ensure high occupancy rates. Whether it is business travellers or vacationers hotel websites seek to attract customers and use online reservation systems to ensure bookings. The website design solutions for hotels include these systems as well as keywords for search engine optimisation.

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Watch Out For Website Obesity

Internet being so popular, its hard to find a person who does not use it. All sorts of blogs and sites are launched daily and no wonder everyone wants to be a part of it. And why not? After all so many sites offer free blogging tools, with a methodical approach thrown in, it has become so very easy.

I entered this bandwagon roughly four months back. I wanted to create a site, put my designer skills on display, and longed for recognition. I also had a reason, a much compelling one. I wanted to contribute something to humanity, to promote well being and safe life. I named it accidentinsuranceforfree dot com, and outlined my concept.

Initially it was a nightmare, because writing the text was easy and done in a couple of days time. But choosing a domain, host, blogging platform, theme were itself a difficult climb. Later converting to website, identifying & digesting typographical limitations made life a bit tough. Further, whatever reactions I got made me spin and drop with disbelief. The new words discomforting me were: Search Engine Optimization techniques. The nightmare did not end there instead it had some more words for me: title tags, Tags, Meta characters, keywords etc. Still more as I learnt the hard way, I had to limit some descriptions either to 60 or 140 characters. Phew! It was a precis of a precis.

Well I managed to cross even that bridge using some plugins. The platform I chose of WordPress facilitated me to use various plugins to chart an easy path. The plethora of plugins for varied necessities confused me a lot. I tried a lot of them and settled for around 15-18 plugins and waited with baited breath for them to work as promised by their publishers.

A few days passed but to my chagrin the page ranks did not improve. To troubleshoot I visited various sites only to find my site was reported as "bloated" and on the brink of being banned (or punished). The reason forwarded was it took more than 9 seconds to load. (I didn't know what type of connection Google had, my PC gathered within 6 seconds). Now I had to find what made my site obese? And my findings were not less amusing.

My host's infrastructure was well developed and raised no objections on the theme. Otherwise, even the publisher admitted it was a complicated one. But it took a lot of my time deciding on the theme, I could not find any "lighter" replacement. The task of removing plugins was even more difficult as I had given in due to various requirements: google analytics & crawlers, xml sitemap, SEO pack, exclude pages from navigation, a backup & importer, and some others. I tried using speed enhancing plugins but could not decrease the loading time.

Since putting my site live, around two months had passed. So I decided to give Google a miss and uninstalled all related plugins and ... Lo and behold! My site timings improved drastically. So what to gather? Either the plugins were bad or the SEO fad made them bloated with unnecessary features, what else?

The search engines are doing their job, unbiased. They neither recommend any plugin or utility which we put to get their nods, but just wait to penalize any site not adhering to their standards. They behave as if they are the lords of Interent and as "Lords" have no rules to follow. If we have to live in this sea (Internet) we have to put up and bow before them, what else?

So what does my experience tell me? Bother about search engine rankings if you totally depend on advertisements or on enforced traffic needs. Else, if you have good content, pay two hoots to these lords, do whatever you feel good, traffic will find your site, come what may!

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Strengthening The Lower Body For Fast Lower Back Pain Relief

In this exercise were going to strengthen the lower body and balance the musculature of the lower body to provide support for the trunk area. So if you got lower back pain, this could be a great exercise to build the support for the area thats under a lot of strain. And thats what you want to do if you have lower back pain. If you have lower back pain the lower back area doesnt have enough support. Its lacking in stability, and the back is trying to make up for it by moving around too much. So you got to form that stability in the lower part of the body, the legs, and the pelvis and the buttocks. So the lower torso would be well supported. And then the pain will diminish. Also, this exercise will help to open up the chest, and lengthen the upper spine, the thoracic curve, which tends to ratchet down and get a little bit too tight causing a little bit more instability in the lower spine. So, what youll need for this is a sticky mat. Buy a sticky mat if you dont have one. Yo u can go to my website; you can go to Walmart, or other various places to buy them. You can get them almost anywhere. But whatever you do buy a sticky mat thats actually sticky; somethings thats going to provide you traction, because traction is critical. An expensive mat is not advisable for they may be slippery. I have seen people slide over those mats all the time. The point of doing this stuff is to change your body, and when youre changing your body, youre thinking in a very utilitarian way. You should not be worried about the design, the fashion, and the aesthetic part of it. You can do this exercise in your house where nobody can see; do this at a place where it works the best. So an inexpensive sticky mat that is actually sticky will do. The hands are going to be splayed as wide as you can splay them, the postion of the thumb is roughly below the pectoral muscle, or one inches below the breast. So theyre going to be at the side here, fingers pointing in the direction of the body. So the middle finger is pointing in the direction of the body. Often I see peoples hands not in a proper position or not very well splayed. Splay them as wide as you can; youll need a wide base for supporting for your body. And then the middle finger should be facing forward. And wear comfortable shorts. You dont want something thats going to get on the way, because youre going to be pressing your pelvis into the floor. And thats where youre going to derive the support for this pose. So I start with my face down, lying on my chest. My foreheads on the floor. Im going to take my hands down, just below the pectoral muscle of one inch below the breast, the middle finger pointing straight forward. Elbows vertical. My feet straight out; the tops the feet should be facing the floor. Its like a preparatory position for doing a push-up. Now, Im going to engage my quadriceps, and constrict and push my buttocks into the floor; the top of my pelvis pressing into the flo or, the tailbone pushing it into the floor. This is the base of my support, its critical that you do this. The legs are coming out and away from the base of the support, the pelvis. I push it into the floor strongly. I keep pushing it into the floor. My spine starts to extend, out and away from my buttocks, from my pelvis. And if my lower back starts to hurt here, I have to turn my tailbone even more, and squeeze my buttocks even more, and push into the floor even more. Make sure the legs and the feet are straight. And then youll notice Im starting to arch; my spine is starting to lengthen as I push into the floor with my pelvis not with my hands. And I keep doing this harder and harder, and push and arch myself up with my hands a little bit. My lower back is protected because my buttocks are working. Theyre really working really really hard. I take my tailbone towards my heels; I work my buttocks even harder. My legs are extending out from my pelvis. Theyre working pretty h ard. And my chest is up and lifted. And then come back down slowly and rest. This is a great exercise to provide support and stability for your lower back; youre core musculature, and the whole trunk and the back.

Its so easy to do this exercise. Its hassle free, it doesnt require much space, and you can do this in the privacy of your home. Whats more this exercise relieves lower back pain, upper back pain, neck pain, all sorts of back pains fast. Try it, and see for yourself. To get the free video of todays featured exercise visit Register, and grab the video and all the other videos absolutely free, no hidden charges whatsoever. What are you waiting for? Grab one now, and take your first step to a newer, healthier you.

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Body Design Rx Lite Works?

We all know that many supplements that are out there do not always help you create a leaner ripped look, rather you become more bulky then lean. But for those that already have a considerable amount on body mass and are looking to just get more lean and muscular then Body Design Rx Lite can be of assistance.

Here are some nutrition facts on Body Design Rx Lite:

Also this product contains some vital weight management nutrients such as chromium picolinate and citrimax.

These two nutrients play a vital role in reducing body fat to create more muscle, but before we go more into that you might want to take note of the following. Body Design Rx Lite alone will not give you the lean muscular results you may be seeking, for real success comes from following a routine or simple guide directing you exactly what diet to have and workout routine to follow in order to get leaner and or course more ripped.

(You can check out a simple guide as such within the website below)

About chromium picolinate and citrimax:

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Top 25 Websites

Top 25 Websites are 1.Google google.com Enables users to search the Web, Usenet, and images. Features include PageRank, caching and translation of results, and an option to find similar pages. The company's focus is developing search technology.2.Facebook facebook.com A social utility that connects people, to keep up with friends, upload photos, share links and videos.3.Yahoo! yahoo.com Personalized content and search options. Chatrooms, free e-mail, clubs, and pager. 4.YouTube youtube.com YouTube is a way to get your videos to the people who matter to you. Upload, tag and share your videos worldwide!5.Windows Live live.com Search engine from Microsoft.6.Wikipedia wikipedia.org An online collaborative encyclopedia. 7.Blogger.com blogger.com Free, automated weblog publishing tool that sends updates to a site via FTP.8.Microsoft Network (MSN) msn.com Dialup access and content provider. 9.Baidu.com baidu.com The leading Chinese language search engine, provides "simple and rel iable" search experience, strong in Chinese language and multi-media content including MP3 music and movies, the first to offer WAP and PDA-based mobile search in China. 10.Myspace myspace.com Social Networking Site. 11.Twitter twitter.com Social networking and microblogging service utilising instant messaging, SMS or a web interface.12.Microsoft Corporation microsoft.com Main site for product information, support, and news. 13.RapidShare rapidshare.com Users can upload up to 100 meg files for sharing. Provides downloads of 100 megs per hour on the free service. Premium service also available.14.WordPress.com wordpress.com Free blogs managed by the developers of the WordPress software. Includes custom design templates, integrated statistics, automatic spam protection and other features.15.Bing bing.com Search Website. 16.eBay ebay.com International person to person auction site, with products sorted into categories.17.Amazon.com amazon.com Amazon.com seeks to be Earth's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Site has numerous personalization features and services including one-click buying, extensive customer and editorial product reviews, gift registries, gift certificates, wish lists, restaurant and movie listings, travel, and photo processing. 18.Flickr flickr.com Picture galleries available with chat, groups, and photo ratings.19.AOL aol.com America On Line's portal, offering search, shopping, channels, chat and mail.20.hi5 hi5.com One of the world's largest social networks21.The Internet Movie Database imdb.com Features plot summaries, reviews, cast lists, and theatre schedules. 22.Go go.com A searchable directory, news, stocks, sports and free e-mail. 23.Photobucket image hosting and photo sharing photobucket.com Provides image hosting for auctions, live journals, blogs, message boards, personal websites a nd online photo albums. Reliable, fast and very simple to use. 24.Orkut.com. orkut.com Very Popular Social Networking site. 25.BBC Newsline Ticker bbc.co.uk Headline ticker will automatically update throughout the day with the latest news, sport, travel, finance and weather from the BBC. Available for multiple OS platforms.

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How to Design Web Graphics That Display Faster?

A proverb says, A picture is worth a thousand words. In the communication of information specifically via an online medium, such as the Web graphics help present the content in a powerful and effective way. Further, images reduce the text and create and sustain users interest. In the dial-up era, slower display of graphics was a bottleneck. Today, even though speed is not an issue, thanks to broadband internet access, its still a good practice to use web graphics design techniques for the faster display of graphics. Why? One, it helps conserve bandwidth; two, you can further enhance users experience. Here are a few tips:

1. Optimize the Graphics

When you optimize graphics, they download faster. What is graphics optimization? It means compressing the graphic file size while maintaining the quality at a reasonably good level. Optimization almost always involves a trade-off between quality and file size. However, you can control the compression, based on your quality needs. You can use image editing software, such as Photoshop, to optimize graphics.

The graphic file formats used in web pages that can be optimized include GIF and JPEG. Whereas the GIF file format is used for flat images, such as type, artwork, illustrations, and logos, JPEG file format is used for continuous-tone images, such as photographs.

When you optimise a JPEG graphic using Photoshop, you can set the quality level to one of Low, Medium, High, or Maximum. A setting of Low gives the lowest quality image and lowest file size. In contrast, a setting of Maximum produces the best quality image and highest file size. The four quality levels can also be set by dragging the Quality slider having the range of 0-100.

Heres an illustration on how the quality-level setting affects the quality and file size. Notice the highlighted area:

- The original graphic file size is 49.4K in TIF file format.

The original, uncompressed graphic

- When JPEG compression was applied with quality level set to 0 (Low), the file size was drastically reduced to 1.256K. The graphic takes about one second to download at 28.8Kbps. Notice the sharp degradation in the quality of the graphic.

JPEG compression applied to the graphic; quality level = 0

- When the quality level was set to 20 (Low), the file size increased to 2.229K, but takes only about two seconds to download. Notice the improvement in the quality of the graphic.

JPEG compression applied to the graphic; quality level = 20

- By increasing the quality level to 50 (Medium), the quality improved significantly while the file size increased to 4.198K. However, the download time increased to about ten seconds.

JPEG compression applied to the graphic; quality level = 50

So, there are really no standard guidelines for the quality level you can set the quality level should be set based on your requirements.

2. Use Fewer Graphics

Use only few graphics in each page of your website. Note each graphic add to the time the browser needs to display the page. Furthermore, use only graphics that are relevant and that add value to communicate the information.

3. Reduce the File Size of Graphics

Reduce the file size of a graphic by reducing its width and height. The file size of a graphic is proportional to its dimensions, colors and resolution. Heres a tip to reduce the file size: Say a photo you want to use in a web page is of post card size. Rather than use the entire photo, first scan it. Next, crop the photo so it has just the area you like to use. Again, you can crop an image using an image editing software like Photoshop.

4. Reuse the Graphic

Use the same graphic, if feasible, at several places in a web page and or across the pages. For example, if youre using a bullet to highlight a text point, reuse it for subsequent points also. The browser needs to retrieve the graphic from the web server only once. Because the graphic is already in the browsers cache, any reference to the same graphic makes the browser display it faster.

5. Use Low Resolution Graphics

Specify a low-resolution graphic, for the high-resolution graphic, using the LOWSRC attribute of the IMG tag of HTML. A low-resolution graphic will have a smaller file size and, therefore, make the web server transmit it to the browser faster. A low-resolution graphic can be, for example, a black and white image. How does this technique work? First the low resolution version displays when it is first referenced in the web page. Thus theres no wait time for the user to view the image. Next, the high-resolution copy of the same image displays over the low-resolution one.

6. Slice the Graphics

Slice a graphic image into smaller parts using an image editing software, such as Photoshop. Each slice is saved as a separate graphic and has a smaller file size. For this reason the graphic downloads fast. You can also optimize each slice with a different value, if you wish. For example, certain areas of the source image may contain only flat colors. When these areas are sliced, each slice can be optimized as a GIF image. Likewise, when continuous-tone areas are sliced, each slice can be optimized as a JPEG image.

How to combine the slices into a composite image? You can align the slices by placing them in the cells of a table without borders or using a cascading style sheet (CSS).

Another advantage of slices is that each slice can have a different hyperlink and or a rollover effect. For example, a photo of a printed circuit board (PCB) can be divided into slices, with each slice representing an important component of the PCB. Each slice can have a hyperlink to a page with more information.

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