If you are working on your branding, you might be wondering where to display the logo on your website or merchandise. Your logo is a key element of your brand identity, so effective placement is essential. But which is better: left or right?

On average, logos positioned on the left side of a webpage result in greater brand recall and smoother navigation. When it comes to clothing and other merchandise, the logo is still preferred on the left, though this can vary due to design choices.

A logo shapes a user’s initial impression, whether it be on a webpage or clothing. Not only should the design be memorable, but the placement has an impact as well. Below we will go over the importance of logo alignment, and whether it performs better on the left or right.

Should A Logo Be Aligned to the Left or the Right?

Recognizability is very important. In a survey, 75% of people stated that the logo is the most recognizable brand identifier. So, if you want to get more people to know about your business and build a group of loyal customers, your logo is a good place to start.

However, the look of your logo isn’t the only thing that sticks in consumers’ minds. Another key component is where the logo is placed.

While many website designers think that putting their logo in the middle or on the right will make their brand more memorable and unique, this isn’t the case. Have you ever noticed that most notable brands align their logo to the left? There’s a reason for this.

A lot of research has shown that if you don’t have your logo lined up to the left, it can make your brand less memorable and even make your site more difficult to use. This is due, in part, to the fact that many consumers expect the logo to also act as a quick shortcut to the home page. So placing it anywhere but the left can cause some confusion.

Where to Place Logos on Clothing?

When people think about logo placement on clothing, the most common locations considered are the left chest, right chest, the back, the sleeve, and below the collar on the back.

In terms of popularity, it’s most common for logos to be on the left side of a shirt (as the wearer sees it), which also tends to be where the pocket is. Because most people are right-handed, the left side of the shirt became the most common place to put things so that they are easier to get to. Placing the logo on the left leaves the right side of the shirt free for a nametag or patch. 

Why Your Logo Should Always Appear on the Left

More than 85% of people say they stay loyal to a company if they like their logo or brand. But how much does logo placement play into this?

Below we will go over a few of the reasons why you should always align your logo on the left.

Right Aligned Logos Result in Weaker Brand Recall

The recall power of logo placement is astounding. If placed correctly, it sticks in the mind of your audience. If not, it disappears from people’s thoughts altogether.  

There are thousands of websites we use nowadays, and it is difficult to remember their branding and logo identity. Therefore, for a product, it is very important for their users to know what exactly they are using before switching to another or trying to recall it.

Logos are part of what makes a brand memorable. Left-aligned logos help people remember the brand better. A Nielsen Norman Group study revealed that people recall companies better when logos are situated to the left rather than the right, with an average increase of 89 percent. With brand awareness a top priority for many companies, it makes sense why the top brands all keep their logo to the left.

Attention Leans Left Online

During a scan of a website, users tend to look to the left. The same thing happens when people are looking at clothing. While there are various reasons for this, the most common has to do with the way we read.

Consider your audience’s reading style. If you’re in a western society, where your consumers read from left to right, their eyes naturally look left. Furthermore, eye tracking has shown that as they take in elements, consumers tend to move their eyes in an F-shaped pattern.

According to one study, online visitors spend 80% of their time on the left side of the page and 20% on the right.

So, if you want to beat the competition, make your site easy to use and put your most important content where consumers will be looking—on the left.

Left Aligned Logos Create Smoother Navigation on Websites

Remember, it’s a common tendency to begin at the left and move right. Not only that, but the upper left of the screen is also where users typically go to navigate back to the home page. Aligning the logo to the right could potentially obstruct the user’s ability to effectively navigate the page

The study found that users are six times more likely to miss the homepage when the logo isn’t left-aligned. Placing the logo on the left creates a more familiar pattern for users, giving them a comfortable and easy experience.

Final Thoughts

So, there you have it! Logos work best on the left side. This prevents any confusion when users are navigating your website and makes your brand more recognizable. 

If you aren’t sure that your logo will work on the left, try playing around with the design. Using a good Logo Maker, you can design a powerful and recognizable logo that works on the left side of a page, t-shirt, or anywhere else a logo may be needed.

In the end, it’s really up to you where you place your logo. Hopefully, this article gave you some insight, so you can position your logo in the best place for your brand. 

If you are a graphic designer, then one of the first things you learn is that there are two different color models: RGB, which stands for Red, Green, Blue, and CMYK, which stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black. The RGB model is designed for on-screen design or communications (such as websites). The CMYK model, on the other hand, is better for printed designs. One problem that many graphic designers run into is how to convert RGB to CMYK so they can print their work without losing the color.

As a graphic designer, you will need to be able to use both of these models effectively and sometimes interchangeably. The printer will automatically print it using CMYK, and the graphic will end up looking completely different from intended. Read on to find out how to convert RGB to CMYK and keep the colors you want. 

How Do I Convert RGB to CMYK?

To be clear, even with adjustment, a printed version is not going to look exactly the same as an on-screen version of the design because the ink does not produce light as screens do. They are using entirely different color schemes because the method to make the colors is entirely different. On-screen creates color using light, while print creates color by taking away light.

Therefore, it is essential to have realistic expectations about what the design will look like on paper. It is also important to do some work beforehand. In addition to simulating and seeing what the design will look like in CMYK, it is also important to calibrate your monitor and printer. Calibrating the monitor is crucial so you can get an accurate portrayal of what it looks like. Calibrating the printer is important so that it prints the colors the way you ask.

Read below to make sure that no matter which medium you’re viewing your Placeit art, it looks flawless.

Calibrate Your Monitor

Calibrating your monitor is a simple process but is different depending on whether you are using macOS or Windows10. If you are using a Mac, take the following steps:

1. Click the Apple icon. This is located in the top left corner of your screen.
2. Scroll down and click ‘System Preferences.’ Once you have clicked, a small window should open.
3. Locate and click on ‘Displays’ then ‘Color.’ Then click on the button on the right labeled ‘Calibrate.’
4. You will be taken through something called ‘Screen Calibration Assistant.’ Choose the white point, give your color profile a name, and click ‘Finish.’ Your monitor should be calibrated.

If you are using Windows 10, take the following steps:

1. Right-click, click on ‘Display settings,’ then click on ‘Advanced Display.” This should all be located at the bottom of the screen.
2. Set the recommended resolution. You will know it’s the recommended resolution because [Recommended] will be beside it.
3. Choose the color calibration. Then, using the examples as a guide, choose the gamma, brightness, contrast, and color balance.
4. Click ‘Finish.’ Your Windows 10 screen is now calibrated.

Calibrate Your Printer

In addition to calibrating your monitor, you should also calibrate your printer. How you do this will vary slightly depending on the type of printer you have, but generally speaking, you will need to do one of the following:

• Open the printer application that came with your printer
• Download calibration software from the manufacturer’s website

From there, you will have step-by-step instructions to help you calibrate your printer.

How Do I See What the Design Looks Like in CMYK?

Before you print the design, the best thing you can do is see how it looks to know what aspects can and should be changed. How you do that depends on the kind of software program you are using. There are three options: Microsoft Publisher, Adobe Illustrator CS6, and Adobe Photoshop CS6, each with its own way of converting an RGB file to CMYK. Let’s discuss each in more in detail.

How to Convert to CMYK in Microsoft Publisher

To convert an RGB file to CMYK in Microsoft Publisher, click on the menu bar, and click the ‘Tools’ button. From there, select the button labeled ‘Commercial Printing Tools.’ You should see an option labeled ‘Click color Printer’. Once you have clicked that, click the button labeled ‘Process Colors (CMYK),’ and then click ‘Okay.’ The conversion should be complete.

How to Convert to CMYK in Adobe Illustrator CS6

To convert an RGB file to CMYK in Adobe Illustrator CS6, click on the menu bar, then select ‘Edit.’ Once you have clicked the ‘Edit’ button, you should see several options. Select the one labeled ‘Edit Colors.’ You should again see several options to choose from. Click the one named ‘Convert to CMYK.’ The conversion should be complete.

How to Convert to CMYK in Adobe Photoshop CS6

To convert an RGB file to CMYK in Adobe Photoshop CS6, click on the menu bar. Next, click on ‘Select Objects.’ You should see a button labeled ‘Image’. Click on it, and then click the ‘Mode’ button. Lastly, select ‘CMYK color.’ The conversion should be complete.

Conclusion

If you are in graphic design, one of the most important things you will learn is that there are two different color models. One is used for on-screen graphics, such as websites. It is called the RGB (Red, Green, Blue) mode. The other is used for printed graphics. It is called CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black) mode. Converting an RGB to CMYK without losing color requires some work, and it is important to remember to have reasonable expectations.

To convert RGB to CMYK, it is important to calibrate both your monitors and your printer. If you have a Mac, the calibration process will be different than for Windows, and you may need to download software to calibrate your printer. The final step is to convert RGB to CMYK using the menu bar in Adobe Illustrator CS6, Adobe Photoshop CS6, or Microsoft Publisher.

The sad fact of the matter is that the colors that appear on screen will never transfer over to print perfectly. Digital colors are made using the RGB color mode, which is comprised of light. CMYK is how things print and involves using tangible substances, either liquid or powdered, in order to make the colors happen. RGB can make many more colors than CMYK ever will, meaning that they are going to end up turning dull from screen to print.

However, there are plenty of ways to get the brightest colors possible, even when printing. It might be frustrating to start with, but that’s what proofs are for. A proof will help ensure that the final project comes out to standard, so don’t forget to do one in order to limit any disappointment. Keep reading for some tips to make CMYK as vibrant as possible.

1. Work in CMYK Color Mode

The first thing to help ensure that colors aren’t being shifted too much is to ensure that the project intended for print is being worked on in the proper color mode. RGB will have a lot of colors that CMYK cannot accomplish, so don’t work on it if the goal is inevitably to print the project. While conversion can happen, it sometimes makes it more challenging to achieve the perfect color.

2. Use a Monitor with Excellent Resolution

Love them or hate them, but Apple products typically have a higher resolution and ability to showcase colors than other machines. When needing to get nitty-gritty with color selection, very little ever tops a Mac. If Apple is not on the table, be sure to use a computer monitor that has as high of a resolution as possible in order to get as close as possible to the desired colors.

3. The Printer Itself Matters

No two printers are alike. Inkjet printers come in so many different styles, brands, and with so many color capabilities due to using liquid dyes that chances are an inkjet is going to be able to make much brighter colors than a laser printer. Laser printers use a dry powder which it then bakes onto a surface to print, which in turn allows for greater efficiency and longevity but is rarely as vibrant as an inkjet.

4. Convert Through a RIP

A RIP in printing stands for Rastor Image Processor. A well-calibrated RIP can help ensure perfect color consistency between the computer and the printer by essentially telling the printer how to make exact color blends to get as close as possible to the original color. Any printer that says it can print with RGB is using a good RIP.

5. Make Sure the Print Quality is as High as It Can Go

It might seem like an obvious point, but it is something to remember. When trying to go for the brightest colors possible in print, it is absolutely critical that the settings are placed as high as possible. Efficiency is not the key when it comes to bold, beautiful colors. It’s going to take some time to force the printer to make them that good.

6. Ace Color Theory in the Design

One thing that is a not-so-secret design trick is being good at color theory. Knowing how to place colors around each other can help trick the eye into thinking things are brighter or duller. Making a design with strong color theory is going to make the brightest colors appear to pop much more than if they were by themselves.

7. Full Color Matters

The fewer blends that the printer is being told to make means that there are fewer colors to mix in order to try and achieve what it’s doing. Remember that printed color is made by mixing real substances, either liquid dye or a dry powder, in order to make the color happen. The more colors that are mixed, the darker and more muddied it’s going to end up.

8. CMYK has its Own Color Codes

There are entire codes for every color possible with current technology; however, most codes will appear in RGB or hexadecimal codes. CMYK has its own list of color codes which involve percentages for each color. Making sure to utilize this exact formula will ensure that the printer also knows what it’s doing by mixing that percentage when it prints.

9. Don’t Use Economy Anything

When it comes to printing, unfortunately, branding matters. Using economy paper, off-brand ink, or lower settings will result in poorer quality overall. When needing those colors to print bright and beautiful, using fresh ink from the same company as the printer, higher poundage on the paper, and the highest quality settings possible is essential to making things print beautifully.

10. Consider Using a Service

There are a lot of things that can be done alone, but there are also times when it’s best to outsource things. Printing is typically one of them, as there is so much that goes into making things look perfect that it’s not worth any one person’s time. Consider using a printing company in order to ensure the best possible print with the brightest, most beautiful colors.

Conclusion

The fact of the matter is that colors will never look exactly like they do on screen. Digital media uses RGB color modes which blend light together additively in order to make a massive range of colors. Print media uses CMYK, which uses subtractive color, blending physical dyes to make a darker, richer color until it inevitably becomes black. In turn, that makes CMYK end up duller than it can be on screen, but there are some tricks to help make that design print as bright and beautiful as possible.

A brand logo is the calling card to potential clients. It is a communication of the values of the brand through a singular design. That being said, with a company’s logo being the first introduction, the impression must be powerful and lasting. When designing a logo, the tools used are an integral part of ensuring that the message gets across. With an array of options available to designers, one, in particular, has stood a notch above the rest.

Illustrator is the most notable and trusted design software primarily because it is a vector-based program that uses mathematical lines and shapes that can be scaled up and down in size without losing the quality of the image. This, among other stand-out features and tools, makes illustrator the go-to program for logo design.

With other non-vector programs like Photoshop and noteworthy vector program competitors like Affinity Designer, Illustrator has remained steadfast in its popularity. There are a few factors to take into consideration as to why Illustrator has stood the test of time.

Why is Illustrator Popular for Designing Logos?

Illustrator is synonymous with design and is used across a number of fields by industry professionals for an array of different projects. There are other well-known programs, like Photoshop, on its tail in terms of popularity, so it begs the question of how Illustrator has remained an industry staple.

There are a few factors that sets Illustrator apart from other design programs that are popularly used, both vector-based and raster-based.

1. Vector Versus Raster
2. Features and Tools
3. Editing and Exporting
4. Reputation

Looking into each one of these concepts will give a greater understanding of why Illustrator may have a leg up on its competitors.

1. Vector Versus Raster

Vector-based programs allow you to create lines and shapes that can change in scale without losing it’s quality. Therefore, if you create a 14” by 15” logo that you want to eventually be placed on a billboard that is typically 14’ by 48’, Illustrator will allow you to do so without distorting the image.

Other popular programs like Photoshop that are pixel-based or raster do not allow you to scale your images up to a larger size. If you try to do so, the image will lose some of its quality and become pixelated and distorted. This limits the sizes of the logos you can produce and, in turn, the places where you can display your logo.

Additionally, with a vector-based program, you don’t have to worry about anyone zooming in on your image, exposing every pixel and jagged edge that you wouldn’t normally see when the image is to the proper scale.

2. Features and Tools

Another reason Illustrator is consistently used by designers, especially for making logos, is that the program was created specifically for symbol graphics and, therefore, has a library of features and tools that make producing quality work easy and efficient.

An example of this is Illustrator’s pen tool which makes creating smooth lines, curves, and shapes organic and easy. As a comparison, Photoshop’s own pen tool is much more difficult to use, especially when it comes to adjusting certain features like its handles and anchors.

Illustrator’s shape builder is another example of a tool that is unique to Illustrator, which allows you to form any shape you desire. So, if you want to recreate the Dungeons and Dragons logo, you can do so on Illustrator in a matter of minutes, where it would take you much longer in another program, like Photoshop.

3. Editing and Exporting

Editing is far easier in Illustrator since you are able to engineer shapes as vectors which would afford you the ability to modify the shapes to your liking or delete/move anchor points on the same design layer. With other programs like Photoshop, you are forced to “rasterize” the shapes in order to have access to the tools. Doing so puts limitations on what tools you can use and how many times you can edit the shape. Photoshop also requires multi-layers, which can make organization quite difficult.

In terms of exporting your image to your client, Illustrator gives more exporting options, including both vector Ai file and raster image. So, you can export as pdf, especially png, jpeg, and so on. Photoshop only allows you to export as a raster image, so if your client requests a vector format you are out of luck.

4. Reputation

One of the biggest reasons Illustrator is so widely used is because of the program’s seniority in the design industry, being around since 1987. Most designers today have used Illustrator for at least a decade, if not more. They are intimately acquainted with the program and therefore can navigate and work with ease and efficiency.

It’s easy to see why Illustrator is preferred to non-vector programs like Photoshop, but a great deal of other competitors that are vector-based were developed much later. An example of this would be Affinity Designer, which was released in 2014. Many of the seasoned designers prefer a program they are already familiar with. However, a new generation of designers may change the tides when it comes to the ‘go-to’ for logo design.

Future of Illustrator for Logo Design

With up-in-coming designers springing up every year, Illustrator’s position as the ‘go-to’ for logo design may not be secure. There are other vector-based programs that are more recent in their development and may offer better innovation. Not to mention that Illustrator requires a monthly subscription to use, while other programs, like Affinity Designer, charge only a one-time fee.

Not only are there a list of other programs you can use, but a plethora of websites, like Placeit.net, that also allow you to create logos for your brand using templates or logo makers fully online. Plus, they give you the ability to immediately put your logo or design on a mockup, and even give you full commercial usage rights! This brings in the advantage of being able to use pre-made templates, and create on any device with an internet connection.

Conclusion

No matter where the future of Illustrator goes, it is currently a staple in the industry and, for all the reasons already mentioned, will remain so until another program can offer something vital to design that Illustrator can’t.

Photoshop is a popular program that is used primarily for editing photos but does have other design elements that allow for the creation of graphics such as logos, icons, and so on. While it is an industry staple and many professional photographers, as well as designers, use this program on the regular, it has had its fair share of complaints.

The chief complaint of Photoshop is that it is too hard to use. The program itself is a bit complex and has more tools and features then some believe a single user would ever need. Therefore getting beyond the basics of Photoshop can be an intimidating task, even for professionals. It begs a number of questions on the user-friendliness of Photoshop. This may be why designers are turning to other programs like Illustrator or websites like Placeit.net which are user-friendly.

Why is Photoshop so Hard to Use?

Most products on the market have their share of competitors that claim to be better, faster, more cost efficient and so on. Every company and manufacturer are designing their product to be the best on the market, the staple within an industry. In order to do this, you have to be in the top tier of innovation, quality, efficiency and so much more.

Here are some common issues that make Photoshop hard to use:

1. Difficult Navigation
2. Time Consuming
3. Common Troubleshooting Issues
4. Program Limitations

With a program like Photoshop, it’s aim is to be the one-stop-shop for all of your editing and designing needs and desires. Perhaps this motivation has become more of a hindrance than a help when it comes to this particular program.

Looking into each one of these factors will give you a better understanding as to why some would argue that Photoshop is not accessible even for industry professionals, let alone the everyday consumer.

1. Difficult Navigation

When first opening photoshop it is easy to see why any first-time user would be instantly intimidated. The idea behind the tools and features is to have everything a user could ever desire in a centralized location. The issue with this is that the sheer amount of tools and features is overwhelming and hardly practical for any single user. The complexity can be daunting, even for industry professionals.

It’s not impossible to navigate through Photoshop but most everyday users tend to stick with the basics of Photoshop. Anything beyond that literally requires a whole list of courses you have to pay for in order to learn and unless you are a professional editor or designer, it wouldn’t be necessary.

2. Time Consuming

Bringing us to the next point, Photoshop is too time consuming for a number of reasons. One of which has already been discussed. It is time consuming to learn all of the tools and features of Photoshop and how to use them. It is time consuming to maneuver through all those tools and features to accomplish a task unless you have some sort of navigation cheat sheet or you keep your edits simple.

Now, in terms of editing photos and depending on the complexity of the editing, it may not take very long. Some users on Internet forums have talked about editing photos anywhere from 15-30 minutes per photo. Others have said 1 to 2 hours per photo. However, photoshop is also used for graphic design work as well and with programs like Illustrator, that will do the work in a fraction of the time, Photoshop lags behind.

3. Common Troubleshooting Issues

Unfortunately, Photoshop has some common issues with the program that make it difficult to work with on a consistent basis. Even though these issues are known and updates to the program are rolled out on a regular basis, these problems continue to spring up, hampering Photoshop’s accessibility.

The common issues that users will encounter when using Photoshop are numerous.

• Speed Issues: Slow Performance or Lag
• Photos Will Not Open in Program
• Program Crashes or Freezes
• Scratch Disks Full Errors
• Tool is Not Working/Usable
• Tools Can Not be Found
• JPEG Parsing Error
• Can Not Open Raw Files from Camera

This is not an exhaustive list but rather a few examples of some of the consistent complications or error messages you might see using Photoshop. Encountering these issues on a regular basis as an industry professional with clients waiting on work is problematic, to say the least.

4. Program Limitations

While Photoshop has a library of tools and features available to its users, it simultaneously has limitations in the usage of those tools or the program itself, especially when it comes to graphics. For starters, Photoshop is raster-based, meaning it uses pixels to create images. The primary limitation when it comes to this is the lack of ability to scale images to a larger size without losing the quality of the image. In other words, the image becomes pixelated and the edges will appear blurred and/or jagged if you attempt to make the image larger.

Other notable limitations deal with editing and exporting images. For example, in order to edit shapes you must first ‘rasterize’ the shapes to be able to even access certain program tools. Even then you are limited to how much you can edit the image. In fact, when dealing with shape objects, you can not use the erase tool and your shapes will have to be in different layers, further complicating the organization of the overall image.

As for exporting, Photoshop only allows you to export files using raster format, meaning jpeg, png, or layered psd. Unlike Illustrator, which also allows you to export using a raster format, you can not export an image using a vector format. This may not be an issue, unless a client requests the image in eps, pdf or vector Ai file.

Conclusion

Photoshop is best used when sticking to the basics, unless you’re willing to invest the time and the money to learn more. For average users or beginning professionals, it may not be worth the investment. Luckily, there are other options available to anyone willing to seek them out.

If you’re looking to create a logo, you may have heard that you need to hire a graphic designer. When you work in the field of graphic design, making a logo is one of the most interesting and exciting things you can do. However, there are a lot of different types of graphic designers, so how do you know have logo design is something that all of them do?

Not all graphic designers are logo designers. Those who design logos must have a keen sense of aesthetics and the ability to capture the viewer’s attention. They must have a thorough grasp of the brand identity, stay up to date on current trends, and have a firm understanding of how different demographics react to different designs.

It is a common misconception that all positions in the field of graphic design are the same. As a consequence, customers in need of design services are uncertain as to which designer to approach for the job. You will learn more about graphic designers below. We’ll also talk about how they work and whether or not you can expect all of them to make you a good logo.

Is a Graphic Designer a Logo Designer?

While they have many similarities, a graphic designer and a logo designer aren’t necessarily the same thing. Though they can overlap.

A graphic designer develops visual designs for the purpose of conveying information through images, artwork, and typography. In essence, a graphic designer is in charge of making things that communicate visually.

A graphic designer uses a variety of technologies to produce usable, meaningful, and practical images. Depending on what kind of business you work in, this could include posters, bus wraps, billboards, packaging, logos, and marketing materials.

What Do Graphic Designers Do?

There are many different types of jobs that a designer can do, but some of them are: coming up with visual assets for a marketing campaign, choosing photos and typefaces, designing a graphic overlay for social media posts, laying out an advertisement, making annual reports, and retouching photos for digital displays.

People who work as graphic designers create graphics for some of the following:

• Company branding (logos, typography, and color palettes)
• Marketing brochures
• Publications such as books, magazines, newspapers
• App and website user interfaces.
• Product packaging
• Interior and industrial design
• Advertisements and commercials
• Signage for stores, transportation, stadiums, school, art exhibitions, and event spaces
• Video games
• Photography and video editing

Effective designs communicate with customers in a way that encourages action and educates them. This is important for any business to be successful. For such a broad scope, it is essential that an aspiring graphic designer be well-versed in design theory as well as very creative and adaptable. A graphic designer must also be proficient with a variety of design applications. The vast majority of graphic artists are well-versed in the Adobe software suite, as well as many other design programs and online design makers.

Do Graphic Designers Make Logos?

A lot of people think that all graphic designers might be able to make good logos, but this isn’t necessarily the case. A logo designer does not have to be an expert in every facet of graphic design to execute their job. On the flip side, not all graphic designers are well equipped to work with logos.

Even while logo designers and graphic designers share certain skillsets, such as keeping on top of design trends and being able to take direction, logo designers have a more comprehensive grasp of marketing concepts than the vast majority of graphic designers do.

Logo design is a difficult subject to work in, and some people will be more naturally drawn to it than others in it. Yes, a logo is a designed product, but the important factor to remember is that logos serve a variety of functions. Logos have a significant economic and marketing impact, and a successful logo cannot usually be created by a graphic designer who is unfamiliar with marketing concepts.

What Makes a Good Logo Designer?

A logo designer’s job is to condense a plethora of ideas and make sure they are communicated in a simple, non-verbal way.

While a logo is only one part of a company’s overall branding, it is almost certain to appear in front of customers the most, whether it is on the website, brochures, products, packaging, or marketing materials. People can instantly recognize a business, its goods, and its services via the use of a simple logo. And it’s generally the first thing people think about when a business comes to mind.

Therefore, a logo designer needs to have a solid foundation in graphic design as well as the software that is utilized to make it. This usually entails a solid understanding of graphic design applications such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, Coral Draw, and DesignEvo.

Logo designers also need to keep up to date on social, cultural, and industry trends. As a symbol of the business, logos need to be long-lasting and timeless. This requires a little forethought and understanding of current and past trends so that they can avoid a design that will quickly become outdated or won’t be well-received by the public.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to hiring a graphic designer to develop a logo for your business, you’ll want to be sure you’re working with the right person for the job. There are a lot of things that go into making a logo, and not everyone can do them. Logo design is one of the many options that a graphic designer can choose from, but it’s important to keep in mind that not all graphic designers have the same skills and abilities when it comes to making a good logo.

If you aren’t quite ready to bring someone on to design for you just yet, try making your own with Placeit. Each of the thousands of logo templates in Placeit’s Logo Maker is produced by a team of expert graphic designers, so no matter which one you pick your logo will look fantastic. Once you download the logo, it’s yours to use as you’d like, and even comes with full commercial usage rights that allow you to copyright or trademark it.

Graphic Design is primarily about communicating a concept to a target audience through design elements such as color, shapes, typography, and so on. In graphic design there has to be an understanding of marketing to utilize skills to satisfy clients looking for logos, book covers, brochures, flyers and more that will appeal to their customer base. Because graphic design extends to so many kinds of fields, it begs the question of what more a graphic designer could do?

Although all graphic designer could design clothes, not all of them are trained on designing clothes. Using pre-made design templates help all graphic designers expand their area of training, and create professional designs in any area, including clothing graphic design.

The most notable graphic design templates for clothing is by Placeit.net, which has over 90,000+ pre-made templates that you can customize to your specific needs.

There is a difference between selling an original t-shirt with a design and creating a whole line of clothing that will be seen on the runway of fashion week, which begs the question of how far a graphic designer could go in fashion? There are a few factors in how graphic design can translate to fashion design. Keep reading to discover how graphic design can translate into clothing or fashion design.

How Graphic Design Translates to Fashion Design?

Nowadays fashion designers have to dip their pens in several creative fields in order to expand their design perspective. This includes photography, digital media, information design and so on. Graphic design is accustomed to creating a powerful visual identity that is synonymous with branding for fashion design.

When considering the elements of graphic design translating to clothing/fashion design, there are few factors that make the transition seamless.

1. Personal Aesthetic
2. Branding
3. Niche

Looking into each one of these factors would give a greater understanding of how the skills used to do graphic design could translate to fashion design and to what degree.

1. Personal Aesthetic

Graphic designers are already utilized in the fashion industry when it comes to logos, fonts, marketing and social media. Having an understanding of basic design that allows a designer to create logos can easily translate into making a design for a t-shirt or hat. It depends on your personal aesthetic and if that aesthetic is suited for a basic sweatshirt that can be made by any manufacturer or if it involves creating your own garments from scratch.

Perhaps the easiest jump would be to make designs that go on products rather than taking the time and energy to learn fabrics and silhouettes to create their own garment. Regardless, what makes them appealing to a client as a graphic designer is the same appeal they would have to a potential customer with their clothing. The unique aesthetic that only that designer brings to a brand.

2. Branding

With graphic designers already being such an integral part of branding for many industries, any graphic designer would have a leg up on branding for any clothing brand of their own. Not only would they be able to create the clothing or designs for the clothing, but they would be able to take their brand a step further with their own logos, website and social media posts.

Having a cohesive branding journey allows for a seamless and professional experience for a customer that may be the deciding factor between purchasing a t-shirt or sweatshirt from them as opposed to a different clothing brand. Being a graphic designer that has had a great deal of experience branding clients, it would allow them to choose the best of the best of the skill set they’ve honed to set their clothing brand apart from others.

3. Niche

Being both the graphic designer and the fashion designer, it would allow for total control over all design elements, including the garments themselves. Even if the garments are not created from scratch, a designer could still choose how a garment could be created and by whom.

Environmentalism has been growing in fashion but is still a niche market that a designer could easily take advantage of. It would be a way to show that they are dedicated to such issues as ethical farming, minimizing carbon footprint and giving fair wages for labor.

In graphic design work, finding a niche for clients to set them apart from their competitors is already an integral part of the industry, so it wouldn’t be a far stretch to translate that experience from clients to a clothing brand of their own. So, even if it’s not environmentalism, a niche in the market of fashion can be found and utilized by someone with the know-how.

How Can a Graphic Designer Design Clothing?

Luckily, the same design tools a graphic designer would use for their existing work can be used to create designs for clothing. If creating designs for clothing products is the route a graphic designer wants to go then half of the process is already accessible and learned.

Once you create some designs on a program like Illustrator or a site like Placeit.net, then the next step would involve finding a company that would take those designs and place them on the clothing options they offer and give you the flexibility to choose from a variety of garments.

The final step would be to tackle some of the logistics like determining pricing, filing business documentation, opening a business bank account and marketing the clothing brand. In terms of marketing, a graphic designer already has ample experience in doing just that for clients in an array of industries. Creating a website, marketing campaign and social media presence.

Conclusion

Though there is already a great deal of work that translates from graphic design to fashion design, there will always be a learning curve when switching from one creative field to another, regardless of previous experience.

The most ideal transition would be creating designs to place on ready made clothing pieces, anything further would no doubt require further education and a greater learning curve when going from graphic design to fashion design. Either way, these are two industries that are already closely related and have great potential for movement in between.

Whether or not Graphic Design is considered a visual art is something that has been debated about since it was first coined. Some people think that due to the fact that it is meant for a service rather than a form of expression, that it should not be considered art. However, many artists still commission off their work for a price so there are others who believe that it is indeed an art form.

Graphic Design is a creative field with heavy use of visuals and graphics in order to create a design. Therefore, it is safe to assume that Graphic Design is indeed a visual art. However, it has been a heavily debated topic with good reasoning for both sides.

There are many reasons to sit on either side of the debate about whether or not Graphic Design is a visual art. Keep reading to find out what they are.

Reasons Why Graphic Design is a Visual Art

Technically, due to the fact that Graphic Design is using visuals in order to make something aesthetically pleasing, it can easily count as a visual art. Just about every designer will consider themselves an artist, and it’s even highly regarded as one of the best fields for creative individuals.

1. It Uses Visuals in Order to Make Something Aesthetically Pleasing

Whether it be good layouts with brilliant typography, text overlaid onto photographs, or designing a unique logo, there are many visuals that are required to produce work for a Graphic Designer. Some of which even will illustrate from scratch or take their own photographs for the designs.

2. Graphic Designers are Not the Only Ones Who Work for Pay

A common argument as to why Graphic Design is not a visual art is because it is something that is made for a price catering to someone else’s specifics rather than being a mode of pure expression. In reality, many artists do indeed take commissions on their work. This can be anything from illustrators to musicians, even sculptors and painters. Many of the masterpieces found in museums were even commissioned work back in their day.

3. Graphic Design is More Than Business Cards, Logos, and Advertisements

When people hear the words “Graphic Design,” they immediately think of business cards, logos, and advertisements. However, their jobs can involve so much more than just that sort of thing and it’s unfair to assume that all they ever do is overlay text onto pictures.

Here are some other things a Graphic Designer might do:

• Illustration
• Web Design
• Page Layouts
• Photography
• Photo Manipulation
• Photo Retouching
• Typography and Designing Fonts
• Animation
• Game Design
• Character Design

In fact, just about every Graphic Design course out there will cover a broad range of artistic topics while teaching their students. They have a very useful jack-of-all-trades style to them where everything is just another tool in their belt. It’s an extremely versatile field that can slip into so many roles.

Reasons Why Graphic Design is Not a Visual Art

On the other side of the coin, there are also some reasons as to why Graphic Design is not considered a visual art. Graphic Design is a very objective medium where art is typically subjective. Not to mention, while just about every Graphic Designer will consider themselves an artist, not every artist will consider themselves a designer.

1. It is Not About Expression

Art is heavily regarded as a major mode for creative expression. It gives people a medium to work out their emotional states, explore a world outside of their own, and to make something new. Graphic Design on the other hand caters entirely to a client or whole businesses with little to no personal expression from the designer.

2. It Relies Heavily on Text

Text-based work such as literature and other text-heavy mediums are not typically considered visual art. Instead, they fall under Literary Arts or their own unique categories. Since so much of Graphic Design focuses heavily on text, it stands to reason that it does not count as a visual art itself.

Such text-heavy designs include:

• Page Layouts
• Billboards
• Advertisements
• Business Cards
• Fliers
• Letterheads
• Invitations

Much of the field is about branding and working with businesses, which means it goes hand in hand with advertising. Sometimes it makes up the entire advertising department, and all ads need text to convey their meaning.

3. Graphic Design has Measurable Results

Graphic Design, being heavily focused in the business world, has measurable results. People will see the design and respond to it accordingly, whether it be to call a number or to partake in an event. This means that the work of a Graphic Designer is quantifiable and easy to measure as a result. Art on the other hand is typically considered subjective and can’t be put as neatly into quantifiable boxes where there is much to really measure and judge.

Conclusion

There is a reason that Graphic Design being considered a visual art is a heavy topic for debate. In the end, it is mostly up to the individual as to what they consider it. When it comes down to brass tacks, it is a medium in which visuals are used to convey a meaning, which could easily fit it into the visual art category. It has a huge variety of things it can do and be a part of all falling down to making something aesthetically pleasing to the viewer.

On the flip side, it’s also mainly used for marketing purposes and is part of the typical business practice. It is work for pay with little influence from the designer’s own expression. It’s heavy-handed with text to cater to its advertising-heavy field and is extremely quantifiable as a result. Regardless of the reasoning behind either side of the argument though, people are free to make their own decisions on whether or not they think Graphic Design counts as a visual art.

Unlike other creative professionals such as painters and sculptors, whose work product mostly comprises tangible items like oil paintings or clay busts, the deliverables of graphic designers typically take the form of things like electronically delivered art files or web pages that are accessed through the internet. This can complicate things when it comes to business matters like charging sales tax.

Whether or not a graphic designer should charge sales tax depends on 2 things:

1. Whether they are hired to perform a service, deliver a physical item, or both
2. The particular state in which the services and/or products are to be provided

In general, services are not taxable but physical objects are.

Dealing with a state tax agency for failing to charge sales tax to clients or having to go back to clients who have already paid and recover sales tax from them, are hassles that no graphic designer wants to deal with and by performing the proper amount of due diligence, they are completely avoidable. Read on to learn about the pitfalls of sales tax facing graphic designers and how to steer clear of them.

Should Graphic Designers Charge Sales Tax?

Much in the way that lawyers dispense legal counsel and CPAs furnish accounting know-how to their clients, graphic designers are professionals whose primary job is to provide a service, namely creative and artistic expertise. But one issue facing many graphic designers is whether they should charge sales tax to their clients along with their design fees.

The answer is wholly dependent on the particular state in which the graphic design services are being provided, as matters relating to sales tax are governed by state law. It is therefore necessary to become familiar with the sales tax requirements pertaining to graphic design services in any state in which a design professional plans to practice their craft.

To get a general sense of how states treat sales tax issues relating to graphic design, it is worth surveying the regulations of select states. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, these five states have the highest number of graphic design jobs in the country:

• California
• New York
• Texas
• Florida
• Illinois

It is therefore worth taking a look at the sales tax laws in each of these states to see how they apply to graphic designers, starting with California, which leads the nation in terms of graphic design positions.

Should Graphic Designers Charge Sales Tax in California?

California’s Department of Tax and Fee Administration oversees the enforcement of the state’s sales tax laws and its Sales and Use Tax Regulations include provisions specifically pertaining to graphic design and whether its practitioners are required to charge sales tax to their clients. Here are the highlights:

• Generally speaking, graphic designers do not need to charge sales tax for most types of graphic design services, including consultations, concept development, preliminary art, and art direction
• If, however, there are tangible items (i.e., physical objects) that are within the scope of a project, such as a flash drive containing files or an item like a poster or banner, then those deliverables are subject to sales tax
• Website design services that do not involve the transfer of any physical items are not taxable nor are any copywriting services

California’s sales tax laws applicable to graphic designers are fairly cut and dry with the main distinction being whether it is a service or physical item that is being charged to a client.

Should Graphic Designers Charge Sales Tax in New York?

New York’s sales tax laws treat graphic design work similarly to California’s in that by and large, graphic design services without the transfer of any physical items involved in the scope of work, are generally not taxable.

It is worth noting that it is common practice for graphic designers and design firms in New York and elsewhere, to expressly state in their service agreements that they (not the client) retain ownership rights to most work products for this very purpose (i.e., to avoid having to charge sales tax).

In the event that a project involves both nontaxable services and the taxable transfer of physical items, separate invoices should be generated and presented to the client.

Should Graphic Designers Charge Sales Tax in Texas?

The Comptroller of the State of Texas deals with graphic design services differently than California and New York by requiring that graphic designers charge sales tax for virtually all of the work they perform for clients, including:

• Logo design
• Website graphics
• Business stationery
• Corporate branding materials

The state of Texas places a heavier sales tax burden on graphic designers as with few exceptions, nearly all commercial activities performed by graphic designers are taxable to their clients.

Should Graphic Designers Charge Sales Tax in Florida?

Generally speaking, sales tax does not need to be charged for the rendering of most services in Florida. This includes advertising services (and presumably graphic design services) such as these:

• Concept development
• Design and layout
• Photography and artwork

Where tangible goods are involved, however, sales tax would apply and it is best practice to invoice these separately.

Should Graphic Designers Charge Sales Tax in Illinois?

In the state of Illinois, sales of services (which presumably includes graphic design) are not taxable. However, the transfer of any physical property that falls within the scope of a graphic design project would be taxable and care should be exercised to ensure that proper billing practices are maintained and that Illinois sales tax is properly applied to qualifying transactions.

Beware of Certain States Like Connecticut

Connecticut is a perfect example of why it is important to check sales tax laws and regulations in the particular state in which graphic design services are provided because its laws regarding the sales tax obligations of graphic designers differ from most other states in that:

• Graphic design is considered to be a form of commercial activity falling under the category of advertising services
• Accordingly, all fees and charges associated with the rendering of graphic design services, whether or not they involve the transfer of tangible personal property, must also include sales tax
• Therefore, graphic designers doing business in Connecticut are responsible for charging sales tax to their clients

It is worth noting that limited exceptions to these regulations do exist, such as certain services qualifying as marketing activities, so it is important to read the fine print.

Conclusion

Even for a profession like graphic design, which entails free-flowing creativity and artistic energy, there is a business side that must be kept in order, particularly when it comes to matters like knowing if and when to charge sales tax.

Much will depend on the state in which graphic design services are being offered and then determining whether the project involves strictly services or if tangible deliverables are also within the scope of work. Ultimately, it is the graphic designer’s responsibility to become thoroughly familiar with whatever sales tax regulations may apply.

Business cards are one of the staples of business networking. Everyone expects them, and they’re fast little things to give out important information related to the business. They have to make a good impression on their receivers in order to get them to come back for business instead of to someone else.

However, there are times when they come out badly, and people unfamiliar with design might have some trouble understanding the possible reasonings as to why. Keep reading to learn about why those pesky business cards are not standing up to inspection.

Why are My Business Cards Blurry?

There are a number of reasons that could be causing blurry business cards. Usually, when designing directly on a site such as Placeit, they won’t come out poorly. However, that doesn’t mean that there can’t still be issues with uploaded designs.

1. The Image Needed to be Resized

Raster images are made from a bunch of pixels and when they are resized, the system tries to compensate by adding or subtracting pixels. This ends up resulting in an anti-alias effect where there are a bunch of pixels at varying opacity in attempt to make it look like a smooth line. However, that means that it’s going to be blurry.

Raster image files include:

• .jpeg
• .png
• .gif
• .bmp

In order to fix this, build designs at the correct size instead of allowing for it to stretch or squish. There is also the option of saving the image as high quality as possible so that there is more to adjust when doing minor resizing. Alternatively, anything that accepts vector images will always allow for proper resizing as they are made with paths and points instead. This includes a .pdf which is almost always the preferred method of uploading anyway.

2. The Resolution was Too Low

Resolution is extremely important when it comes to how something will print. For web, low numbers such as 72dpi is fine, but that is going to only allow for 72 dots per inch of printing capability which will then lead to some poor-quality prints. Having a file that is at least 300dpi will ensure a crisper print.

3. The Design Wasn’t in CMYK

RGB is the standard color mode for anything digital, which is likely going to be how the program the business card was designed in wants to default to. It is being made on a computer which is in itself using RGB in order to show colors to the viewer. However, printers have to work in CMYK. If the file was not designed in CMYK, it could lead to some unexpected results when it does print due to the printer trying to compensate.

4. The Design was Uploaded from a Photograph or Scan

Every time something has to be reprinted from a different, unoriginal source, it is going to lose quality. That means that if the design was uploaded from a scan or a photograph, it will lose a little bit of quality as it reprints. It is better off being redesigned or rebuilt if the original file was lost rather than using copies or scans, otherwise it’s going to be a nightmare for everyone involved.

5. The Design is Too Small

Business cards themselves are small pieces of cardstock, plastic, or some similar material. They also need to convey a whole lot of information on them. The problem many faces is that they try to make things way too small which can then create blurry images due to bleeding. There needs to be just a tiny bit of space in order to accommodate for how ink spreads and dries.

6. The Paper was Too Low Quality

Lower poundage of paper might be tempting to spring for due to its cost-effectiveness. However, a lower poundage of paper has had less pressure smashing it together, which will in turn lead to more bleeding on the page. Economy paper is nice for quick, black and white needs, but is not going to be beneficial for perfect business cards.

7. The Paper was the Wrong Kind

There are two kinds of printers: inkjet and laser. An inkjet prints by layering liquid dyes on top of each other to get the desired color, whereas lasers bake a powder onto the page. If the wrong type of paper is used in the machine, it will not print well. Ink will smudge, designs will become blurry, or the paper might even get eaten by the machine and cause damage. Always remember to check and see if the paper is the right kind when doing any printing without a service.

8. The Design Includes Too Much Clutter

When there is too much going on at once in a design, it will make it hard to see the important information and even make it look blurry. The most common example is trying to overlay an image behind text. While this can be done with certain techniques on bigger prints, it’s not great for something as small as a business card.

9. The Ink Needs Replaced

A commonly forgotten part of the printing process is also one of the simplest. If the ink is going out, dry, or missing a color, the final print is going to suffer. If things are consistently not printing properly, it might have something to do with the ink in the printer itself rather than whatever is happening with the design.

Conclusion

Business cards are staples in the business world. They quickly relay information to potential clients, customers, and networking opportunities. Therefore, it’s critical that they are always looking their best. Thankfully, with services such as Placeit, designers can be sure of a quality print every time, especially if they have high quality on their end.