Answers!

So I'm sure you all had time to write down your own answers to the quiz from last post. Here are the answers. How many did you get right? Some of the designers that come into my shop got zero correct, so if you answered even one question right - congratulations! You can call yourself a graphic designer! (well, not really, but that's what the kids are doing these days...)

1. What is the difference between a vector file and a raster file?

- Vector files use geometry such as points, lines, curves, and shapes or polygons, which are all based on mathematical equations, to represent images in computer graphics. Since they are mathematical formulas, all vector files have infinite resolution and their sizes can be blown up or shrunken indefinitely. Vector artwork can also be referred to as "line work".

- Raster files (or bitmaps) are images that are on a grid. (Like graph paper) each box has a color applied to it, which makes up the picture. Resolution is dependant on how many boxes make up the picture. The higher the resolution, the smaller the boxes. Raster files have a limit to how much they can be enlarged - the larger you make the picture, the more you can see the boxes. The higher resolution the image, the larger the file size.
Vector files can be converted to raster files very easily, but raster files cannot be saved into vector. A multitude of "trace" programs are being developed and used these days. While there is a place for them in the industry, they should not be viewed as a substitute for designing. Like any software, knowing how to work the program to get the best results takes skill and learning, not only how to use the software, but what types of files you can use these on, and what type of result you should get.


2. What is RGB color? CMYK Color? Process Color and Pantone (PMS) Color? What is spot color?

- RGB is the color scale used for light emitting devices (like computer monitors and televisions) Red, Green and Blue are the "primary" colors used to create all the colors you see on your screen (even white, black and yellow). We do not print colors in RGB (that would be quite the challenge, trying to print black and yellow on the press using only red, green and blue!)

- CMYK Color is the closest to the primary color wheel you learned about in elementary school. The letters stand for Cyan (blue), Magenta (pinkish), Yellow and blacK. Using these four colors, we can print a vast rainbow of colors. It's definitely not infinite, but it's the most common process for photographic reproductions. Newspapers and magazines use CMYK or Process color most commonly. Laying down varying shades of Yellow, then Cyan, Magenta and finally Black in a fine dotted pattern make up a full color picture. The dotted pattern is sometimes called a "moire" (more-ay) effect. If you pick up a newspaper or magazine and examine the photos very carefully, you can see the dots of individual color that make up the picture. The smaller the dots, the better quality a picture you are going to get. Newspapers typically use a larger dot pattern because of the lower quality of paper they print on, and to compensate for dot gain (more on that one later!)

- Pantone Colors (PMS for Pantone Matching System) is the most widely used color system in the world. Named for the corporation that invented it - Pantone Inc. in Carlstadt, New Jersey, Pantone is a standardized color reproduction system. By coming up with formulas for mixing each of the colors represented in the system, all printers everywhere can come up with the same result for that color, regardless of what press prints it, or who mixed the ink. Pantone is more comprehensive than CMYK color, because instead of using four colors during the printing stage to get the desired color, you mix the color ahead of time and put that on the press, so it's only one color. Pantone also allows you to get colors CMYK doesn't allow, due to the mixing of white or white based inks (you can't have white in CMYK), or metallic and fluorescent inks. Using a "chip chart", or a pantone number, a customer would specify the color they want, the press operator mixes it, and prints that color exactly. Pantone has also put out "chip charts" on different types of paper, as what kind of paper an ink is printed on will greatly affect its look.

- Spot color refers to the use of one specific color in press production. You may have CMYK color PLUS a pantone color (if the client wants a pms color for their logo, or have a metallic ink in the finished product). CMYK plus a pantone color is a FIVE color design. If you want to use just one or two pms colors only, that is a one or two spot color design. Saying "spot color" just lets the production people know it's something other than black or CMYK.

3. Name three programs for designing vector art.
There are really too many to list, so I'll put the ones most traditionally used in the print world. And the lines are being blurred more and more. Programs that were once print only and web only are now dual purpose. Raster programs and vector programs are being intertwined, so you can use one program for all. The catch is in the capability of the operator (or designer).
- Adobe Illustrator
- CorelDraw
- FreeHand MX
- SerifDraw Plus
(Adobe InDesign gets an honorable mention, as well as QuarkXPress)

4. Name two programs for designing rastor art.
See above for explanation... Too many to list - listing most common, intertwined programs, etc.
- Adobe Photoshop
- PhotoPaint
- GIMP
- PhotoBrush

5. What is a pdf?
A pdf is a Portable Document Format, and is an open format for easy document exchange. It was created by Adobe in 1993. I remember working in the industry when pdf became the standard. What exciting times! It didn't matter what program created the file, or what type of computer, anyone could open the file, look at it, print it, use it! In 2008, it was officially released as an open standard - officially changing the face of sharing files as we know it.

6. What is Adobe?
Adobe Systems Incorporated is a software company based out of San Jose, California. It is a COMPANY, and NOT a software! The company has created industry standard software such as Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign and Adobe Acrobat. So, saying you've created a file in Adobe is like saying you're browsing the internet using a computer. Interestingly enough, Adobe got their name from the term adobe - which is a brick that is used for building that is made up of natural material like sand, clay, dung, straw and then dried in the sun. So the software company used the name of a building material for the name of their company that gives us computer building material.

So how did you do so far? Get any correct? Learn anything? I will be posting the next half of the answers this week, so you still have time to do the test if you missed any...
Happy designing!

So you wanna be a graphic designer?

When I went to school to be a graphic designer, I already had a very good base of knowledge to work from. Three years of Vis Comm in high school, knew how to burn plates, take apart a press and clean it, knew some design programs already and had some knowledge of layout on screen and off. A lot of what I learned in college was building on the foundation of what I already knew. I was probably farther ahead than some of the students who came into the program with less than me. But I think it's fair to say that when we left, my graduating class and I had mostly the same knowledge of graphic design after graduating. Maybe our design abilities differed, but we had the same facts going through our cranium.

I just cannot say the same for designers coming out of schools today.

And maybe it's not their fault. Or the school's fault. As a member of the graphic designer's guild of Canada, we talk about coming up with different certifications for different classes of designers. PGD for a Print Graphic Designer, a WGC for a Web Graphic Designer, MGD for Master Graphic Designer and so on. That way, there will be a professional accredation to specify what we can do, and a governing body making sure we adhere to those rules. Then, if you're looking for a web designer, it's easy to weed out the print designers who just wouldn't be the best fit. And so on.

Problem is, most schools aren't differentiating between the two, and the waters are getting muddy. I've had to explain relatively rudimentary graphic design concepts to professionals working in the field today who call themselves graphic designers. These people shouldn't - at the very least - be working unsupervised in the print industry. Which leads to the question - who is hiring these people? Do they have a design background? Are they choosing candidates with the best skill, or prettiest portfolio? Do the candidates themselves know they're not applying in the correct industries? It's probably a bit of all of the above. The people hiring for the position aren't in a position to be print experts themselves, and are trusting that the people applying for the job know, when that's not the case. Frustrating goes around in a circle, and the end result - the printer (often me) is left cleaning up the mess.

So, I've come up with a handy dandy list of questions an interviewer hiring a graphic designer should ask them. You don't even need to know the answers - just if they don't know, or can't answer one of these questions, you're better off continuing the search.

1. What is the difference between a vector file and a rastor file? Give specific examples.

2. What is RGB color? CMYK Color? Process Color and Pantone (PMS) Color? What is spot color? (And you thought there was only primary colors that made up the color wheel! tsk tsk!)

3. Name three programs for designing vector art.

4. Name two programs for designing rastor art.

5. What is a pdf?

6. What is Adobe? (I swear, if I ask one more graphic designer what file their design is in, and they answer with "Adobe", I'm gonna hit my head with a piece of adobe!)

7. Name three page layout programs.

8. What is DPI? LPI? And the difference between the two?

9. What is dot gain?

10. What is a bleed? What must you do to ensure your design bleeds properly? (if they say cut deeper, RUN!)

11. What is a gutter?

12. What is production ready (or camera ready) artwork? What must it have to qualify as such?

I'll have the answer to these questions in a later post. And I know, I don't have all the questions - these are just the ones that I have to answer on a regular basis. Frustrating, I know. So, all you graphic designers - grab your pencil and take the test! Fun for the whole family!

Craft projects on the horizon...

Wow! Halloween is coming up and the geese are getting fat, please put a penny in the old man's hat!
Wait. Different holiday. Oh well.

I've finally got a few projects to blog about! Yay! Last year, I read a post on FaceBook about The Spirit Of Giving. The idea behind this is you tag your friends in the post, and the first five to respond will get a home made gift from you! Yay! Awesome, right? Miscellaneous crafts flying around in real life, getting the chance to make weird and wonderful things for people living far away.
Well, that was in November, and if you look at the calendar, it's October. I have a month to finish my projects. I was at Michels today picking up the rest of the craft supplies (on sale for only 60 cents each! W00t!) And soon I will be posting my pictures from the projects. In the interest of keeping my gifts secret until my friends get them, that's all the information you get. But, be assured, I'm crafting right now! YAY!

I still want to get the button maker so I can make pieces of flair MY style. Awesome quotes from movies and things people say to me. Invisible pink unicorn buttons, Flying Spagetti Monster buttons... That'll be a couple hundred dollars, but maybe I can find a sugar daddy who will buy me one... (hint hint to all you rich men out there looking for a lady to spoil!)

Also, Halloween is coming up! I'm usually crafting way in advance to make my costume as authentic and awesome as possible. Last year, I went shopping for HOURS for my Old Gregg costume (from The Mighty Boosh) and all my costumes are home made and awesome.
This year, I'm running out of time! I know I can't simply buy my costume (there are a few online boutiques selling this costume for over $100, but this costume just isn't available in regular stores) and I don't have the time to get out my sewing machine and make it from scratch the way I want. Arg! So I'm probably going to do a watered-down version of the halloween costume. Sigh. I need more time for Halloween. I also need to run to a dollar store to pick up stuff to decorate the office. Too much awesome-ness, too little time. I need: a Howie style hospital gown, white rubber boots, white elbow length protective gloves, steam punk goggles and a short, blonde, messy wig.

I also have to make Kat's costume still. At least that's easier. Black T-Shirt, round hammer logo, black gloves and work boots.

So stay tuned for craft awesomeness and Halloween costume pictures! Yay!

What are YOU Thankful for?

With the recent awesomeness going on with the shop and my professional career, it's easy to feel thankful this Thanksgiving. But I remember when I didn't feel so blessed, and it took a lot of thinking to come up with what I was thankful for. I was thankful for things like alcohol to dull the pain. Thankful that at least I wasn't a slave in a third world country, thankful that I wasn't living in the dark ages. If those are the only things you can think of to be thankful for, I feel for you. I was there once.

Being thankful is an art. When my daughter's father died earlier this year, our grief counselor had us write a gratitude journal. We both had to come up with five things everyday we were grateful for. It's such a worthwhile exercise to make a point every day to see the good in even a shitty situation. Some of them were a bit on the sad side, some funny, and some really showed me the endurance my daughter's spirit. Here is our list of things she was grateful for in the worst period of her life.

Things I am thankful for by Kat
1. I am thankful for teachers who let you cry in class.
2. I am thankful for friends who don't try to cheer you up, but just hold you and let you be sad.
3. I am thankful for sleeping. I didn't know being so sad was so tiring.
4. I am thankful for music. It can let you forget anything.
5. I am thankful for Twilight. Jacob is so cute.
6. I am thankful for breathing. Maybe tomorrow I won't be so sad. I want to keep breathing to find out.
7. I am thankful for cookies. They are awesome.
8. I am thankful I won't have lice again.
9. I am thankful for being able to say goodbye.
10. I am thankful for my mom.

What are YOU thankful for?

I'm not bragging, but ...

I'm not one to brag. I don't think I have an ego bigger than my fist, let alone one to swell my head. True, I've leapt fully into the sales, marketing and PR positions at work, but that's because I'm the owner. I have pride of ownership, of building something important to me, and that comes through in the way I present myself and my business. But I've also tried to be the kind of person to always give credit where it's due. If anything is successful - a function, a business, one job with our shop - it is because it has had the tireless energy of someone, or many someones behind it. I've been in a wonderful position to work only with the very best. To hire only those whom I really respect, and find joy in working with (even with working with me is less than a joy sometimes! lol)

I've been incredibly busy lately. The shop has also been really busy lately. The two are probably factors in each other. I've been blessed enough to be able to pursue the business relations, positions and projects that mean a lot to me. And it's showing in everything our shop produces. I'm feeling really good about things, and things are looking up.

I'm not one to brag, but in bragging these accomplishments (and excuses for not blogging or crafting) I'm really bragging about the fabulous people who surround me and make me a better person. I was once told that savvy people surround themselves with people who are better and smarter than themselves, so that you are constantly being encouraged, challenged, and have the expertise of these people at hand. I've strived to do that, so thank you to everyone who has to put up with me regularly. You were chosen to be in my life because you're amazing. I hope you all know that.

They say if you want something done, give it to a busy person. I used to think of that as a kid and scoff - right! These are the last people who should be doing more. But the more I do, the more I realize I can do more, and want to. All you need is organization, passion and a touch of insanity. So these are the things that have been taking up my time.

Our shop has just celebrated it's second year anniversary of being owned by me! Yay me! It's taken a lot of borrowed money, too many hours to count, a lot of (real) blood, sweat and tears - more than I care to admit. It's taken a lot of people believing in me, encouraging me, working for me for free, working for me for real, and we seem to have outlasted this "recession". Thank heaven! And thanks to everyone who had a part in it. Especially our customers.

We're on the cusp of celebrating our TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY of being open! Wow! And I've been with the shop for most of those years. And that has taken more patience than anyone will ever know. I'm glad I hung in there.

The shop has just won the Consumer's Choice Award for Business Excellence in Printing! Yay! For the second year in a row! Double yay! Chosen by our business peers and print customers, this says a lot about our quality, dedication to customer service, and our staff. Thank you.

I was just elected to the Chamber Board of Directors! I'm so thankful to be giving back to the community I grew up in, and to the business community who supported and encouraged me. I'm honored.

My daughter just won the Citizenship Award at her middle school. And Honors. I'm raising one heckuva decent kid. Thanks to the universe for her, and for everyone allowing me to balance work and time with her. It's paying off.

We have continually for the past three months hit new sales records for those months, and are on track to continue to do the same. Consistent marketing, hard work of me doing sales, our staff doing an awesome job, and the industry getting back into gear. They are all pieces to the puzzle of success. Maybe one day we'll stand back and look at the picture and toast it with a glass of wine.

Since becoming a business owner, I have:

- Joined a BNI group - networking at its most regimented. They have taught me how to critically listen, tell people about my business effectively, and introduced me to a wealth of experts I would not have gotten to know any other way.

- Joined a Rotary club. It's my selfish need to be a part of a service group. To give back completely selflessly in an effort to balance my pursuit of success. I love this group of people. They have taught me about service above self, instilled integrity and values that did not have a label in my head before. They're like minded people I enjoy spending time with. And we're on a mission to help the world.

- Joined two Chamber of Commerce's. Leduc and Devon. Any successful person needs to know what's going on in their community. The chambers allow me to do that, be involved in my communities, and learn things I never knew I wanted to learn about until I learned them. The chambers also represent me in the business community. Which I didn't know was valuable until they helped me before I realized I needed them to help.

- I was also nominated and elected to serve for two years on the Leduc Chamber Board of Directors. It's an honor to be elected - by my peers and fellow business owners to speak for them, work for them and serve the board that helps us all.

- Joined the Downtown Progress Association. A group of owners with businesses in the heart of Leduc. We talk economics, marketing, beautification, enrichment of the downtown core. Our aim is to increase business in "historic downtown" by encouraging consumers to "shop Leduc". Our group is now being used as a model for similar groups world wide.

- Joined the Leduc-Nisku Economic Development Association. It's like the DPA, but for this entire region. Bringing in business from all over the world like China & Germany, discussing trends in oil and gas, and initiatives to help grow the region into a diverse place to do business, it helps me keep a finger on the pulse of Alberta, which is invaluable to know. We network with a vast array of business owners, and discuss topics that affect us all.

- In September, I was made an official Ambassador, and part of their team. I was given this honor for my work in encouraging economic growth in our community.

- Been a proud mom of an active eleven year old. Balancing work and being a swim parent, swim practices, homework help, swim meets, cuddle time, and helping raise her into the fine woman she is becoming. Like my parents did with me.
I've also been able to watch an inordinate amount of time watching television and finished Super Mario Bros. for the Wii. Twice. If you want something done, give it to a busy person? I think I have some time in there for something. Just let me get my beauty sleep first.