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NASC brochure update

PlantAKiss

Moderator Schmoderator Fluorescent fluorite, Engl
OK...here is the NASC brochure.  Its not quite final yet.

Here is the info I am lacking:

1) An address for the return address area (brochure can be mailed).  Bugmeister...would you like your address to be used for that?

2) Web address.  Once we have a server, I can add that.

3) Photo IDs.  Brooks...I used your photos but I don't remember the plant names exactly.  I'd like to add the IDs under the photos.

4) I never got any suggestions on the copy so I had to wing it.  Hope its alright.  If anyone thinks something should be changed, let me know.

5) I used my logo only because that's all I had. That can be changed too once a logo is decided upon and created.

I think that's all I'm missing.  It can always be changed and updated.  I can't print out thousands of these as I am sneaking them at work.  And I can't send the file to anyone unless you are using PC (UGH) QuarkXPress as that is what it is created in.  But if someone has a legitimate need and a good use for them, I'll see what I can do.  I just sent a batch to Schloaty for him to use at an event this week.

Suggestions welcome.  
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NASCbrochurepg1.jpg


NASCbrochurepg2.jpg


Awwww crap. I see a boo-boo I need to fix.
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I really like it! I think the logo should go at the top of the brochure (on the cover) instead of the bottom if you were looking for suggestions.
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Great work!
 
Wow, looking nice. Looks like you've done this before.

I already voted for your logo, but I'd like to second the vote if possible.
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I have a few little suggestions... some are just silly nitpicks... but you asked.

1. I don't think the NASC text on the cover stands out enough. It's getting a little lost in the background over the plants, and if anything shouldn't get lost it's that. I'm trying to think of what might fix it easily... thicker lettering maybe (which would force it to be a little smaller, but that could be a good thing because more of it would be above the plants anyway).

2. When I read the ACT NOW part, I first skipped over the ACT NOW because magazines have us used to thinking of that as caption or a solitary message rather than being part of the body text. It's no big deal, I got it quickly, just thought I'd mention it.

3. For the numbered goals, I would probably use bullets instead of numbers unless their order is relevant. I just think bullets are more striking and make it a little easier for people to immediately pick out "blocks" of text, but it does look like the numbers serve a purpose in the Method group at least, so maybe you should leave it as it is. I would also indent all of the text so every line starts even with first line (to the right of the number/bullet), something else that makes things easier to read through.

4. You should make sure the quotation marks and apostrophes are the typographically correct versions (slanted). I can't really see them well enough to know if you did this already or not. Using computer-friendly quotes/apostrophes in print material is one of those design faux pas... but if you used the right ones you probably already know that.

5. You might want to make your beige areas (the definition, the flava background) just slightly more green. Not deeper or more saturated, just greener. It would make it look a little bit richer and more alive... the current color makes me think a little of plants that are drying out rather than fluorishing. A subtle shift toward green would probably shake that feeling. In fact that flower on the back is probably just the right color.

I assumed you were getting them professionally printed (which is why I was nitpicky), but I just reread your post and it sounds like you aren't. So the colors will probably look a little different from each person who prints them out anyway.

Anyway, hopefully not overstepping my bounds here. Very nice work.
 
One more thing... I really like how the text in the logo follows the triangle downward (the words are just the right length... great thing to take advantage of).

I noticed on the front, the text tapers rather than following the outline, which it does in the logo on the back. They're both kind of interesting... when it tapers it does seem to find a balance with the plant outlines (which also taper visually instead of following the triangle)... though when it doesn't taper it seems very solid and strong and organized. I think I like the latter just a little bit more. If you go with the tapering one, I think the "The" looks a little cramped, and should be a little smaller like it seems to be in the other one.

Whichever one you choose, for branding purposes you should probably really lock down an exact logo and stick with it. I have a feeling that might be the boo boo you noticed?

Sorry, I work for a design company, I can't help it.
 
Very nice Suzanne. Do you mind sending it to me so I can have a nosy? I have Quark.

Going off at a tangent, do you have any experience of InDesign? More and more companies are migratng towards it apparently. I've just got it and am going to find some tutorials on the web.
 
Thanks for the input EndP.  
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1) I know the heading is a little hard to see, but also bear in mind that what you are looking at is a low-resolution monitor image.  The actual image is printed on a Canon 1120 color copier and it looks pretty good.  (Actually Schloaty should be able to tell you how it looks or doesn't look since he should have gotten his today.)  However, you also have to give people credit that they aren't morons or blind and they WILL be able to read that heading without any problems.  I agree the type could have a heavier weight but space becomes an issue with such a vertical format.  I don't have much width there.  I don't want to have to condense the words too much.

2.  I guess someone could miss that line...but I wanted "ACT NOW" to be both a "call to action" and part of the copy.  If anyone else has great trouble with it, that can be changed.

3) The goals have numbers only because I simply cut and pasted that info straight out of the topic here with the Mission Statement.  I really didn't mess with it at all beyond checking for spelling and such.  I could go back and hang the numbers but only if it does not add a line as I have no space for that.

4) Typographically correct.  What a dream!  lol  I long for the "good old days" when people actually made an effort with typography...when it was an ART!  Unfortunately I am stuck on an %$#@! PC with nothing but system fonts and no "real" typefaces.  There is only so much I can do with that...as much as I'd like to.  I have dreams of ligatures, perfectly kerned characters, ink traps and resolution points with type sizes broken down between text and display.  *sigh*

5) Those areas aren't beige.  They are green.  Again, remember you are viewing this in RGB color as opposed to the CMYK color its designed with.  The flava is semi-transparent which alters the "green" color...but you can tell its green (yellow green actually) on the brochure.

6.  I'm printing them.  
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 Canon color copier...rich saturated color.  IMHO you can't beat a Canon for color.  Xerox sucks.  
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Actually the boo-boo is that the text at the bottom of the front panel isn't centered.  For some reason, I sometimes have trouble with jobs shifting on the copier (even though its coming direct from PC to copier).  So I had to shift the whole thing to the right off square.  I guess somewhere in all that shifting, those 2 lines didn't get caught.  Dang it!  I also saw another boo-boo in one of the logos.  The rule seems to have shifted.  Oh well.  I can tweak these things later.  Hopefully Schloaty can give me some feedback on it too.

Thanks!

Alexis...yes, I can email it to you.  Unfortunately this is PC Quark.  Can you still open it?  Are you Mac or PC?

Yes, I remember when InDesign came out.  It was touted as being the great new layout program.  I was leery.  I felt it would be very hard to dislodge Quark.  But it seems more and more people are going to it.  I would be hard pressed to give up Quark.  I love it (except for a few of its leading and spacing flaws).  Definitely they needed more input from a typographer when they built it.  hehe

Let me know what you think about InDesign.  I could never afford it I'm sure.  But I'd love to learn it and see how it compares to Quark.  
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Sorry folks...I ache to talk with someone who actually knows something about graphics. I miss working with my own kind where you say "pica" and everyone knows what you mean.
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Looks good so far!Keep up the good work!


Jerry
 
PAK, I've set type by hand, years ago. Loved it! So the language is familiar, even if I do not remember some of the things I had to do. What fun printing is!!!
 
  • #10
You set type??!! Wooohooo!
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Type is my THING! I've done foundry (letter by letter, upside down and backwards), hot metal, photo, laser and digital. Done it all. Its a little appreciated art. I cringe at some of the things I see. All caps script. UGH.
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Display fonts used as text.
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Well there is something I didn't know about you.
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  • #11
Well, PAK, You went into it a lot deeper than I got too. I loved handsetting type.
 
  • #12
My graphic design teacher in school hammered into our heads that every letter is a sculpture, and someone spent a lot of time perfecting each one.

Didn't know you were so into print... I take back my suggestions and bow to your knowledge.
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If you need to figure out the characters on a PC (in case you don't know already), you can go to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Character Map. Pick the font you're using... find the right quotes and apostrophes, and you can copy/paste them from there. You'd be surprised how many fonts have the characters you need. Quark probably has some kind of keyboard shortcut for it, I dunno.

From what I've heard one of the main reasons people switched to InDesign is because the Quark people took too long in getting their new version out. People had to learn InDesign and now that they know it they're content to stay with it.
 
  • #13
That's funny...because that's what happened to Pagemaker.  They took FOREVER to put out an upgrade and in the mean time Quark put out several and quizzed right by PM.  They never recovered.  I don't know anyone who uses PM although most print houses have it.  I'll take Quark any day.  Hate PM.  But InDesign sounds interesting...

And I appreciate your comments, EndP.  Always good to go back and nitpick at what you've done.  Critique is good! Its just frustrating to me to have to do this kinda work on a PC.  YUK!  Gimme my Mac back! And smart teacher you had there. Type is an important part of the design of a piece.
 
  • #14
I've got Quark on PC too Suzanne, so I can open it.

I haven't got round to InDesign yet, I've been too busy. Tomorrow I'll give it a go though. A friend of mine swears by it.
 
  • #15
OK...I'll try to collect it and email it to you.  After I fix the little mistakes I'm seeing.

Bug...yeah...its really fun when you redistribute the type back into the case. The p's, q's, b's and d's all the look the same! lol

My father kept some of his type cases when he sold his business. Especially the old wood type and some of the wood dies. I will get those one day. I can still remember seeing my grandfather sitting on his little stool in front of the type cases setting up jobs for hours on end. Back then, it was the only way to do it. A slooooow process. Justifying type by hand was time consuming. But I grew up at my father's shop. I was so happy there...it was a magical play land to me. Love the smell of ink!
 
  • #16
hey can you mail some of those to me or jeremy so we can distribute them at the colo. spgs and denver flower shows?
 
  • #17
Is there going to be anyone with a carnivorous plant booth at those shows?
 
  • #19
Hey Kirk, is there a web page with an annoucement about the flower show? I'd love to check out what the whole thing is all about.
 
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