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PMS 541C is the new black
When Steam Studios' client PSG Construction needed to revamp their in-house mediakit, the only requirement was that it had to
match their existing blue folders. Specifically, their PMS 541C blue folders.
Using the aforementioned spot color as a starting point, Steam Studios crafted a 2-part mediakit consisting of eight inserts and
a booklet. The eight inserts were stagger-cut, with the color decreasing in tint per page, so that a low-tech gradient effect
could be visible when stacked and placed in a folder. The booklet, which serves to highlight PSG's work, experience and
capabilities, sits at the base of the folder, blending in seamlessly with the other pieces.
The use of the PMS 541C blue, not only in PSG Construction's main logo, but now extended to one of their high-profile collateral
pieces, extends the visual continuity that's essential for successful branding.
See spot run? More like: See how a spot color can help brand your business.
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Steve takes up kickboxing. Jean-Claude Van Damme reportedly "not sweatin' it."
Steam Studios artist Steve McCain has traded in his cigarettes for black eyes and bloody noses. An on-again, off-again student of
martial arts since age 7, Steve will be training in American-style kickboxing. His brother Charles, who trains in Muay Thai
(a deadlier form of kickboxing) remains unimpressed.
In
other news... A hearty congratulations goes out to Vanessa Cranford, wife of Steam Studios artist Samson Cranford, for landing a new job with Disney. She is now the Senior Microbiologist performing duties in the Mouse House's Food Safety and Health Department. (Seriously! She's as smart as Sam as is talented.) But, more importantly, Sam now gets to visit Space Mountain whenever he wants.
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Bleed, Trim and Live Area
If you or your business has ever run an ad in a magazine, you've probably heard the terms "bleed", "trim" and "live area" before.
If not, well... you learn something new everyday.
Bleed:
When you're flipping through a magazine and you come across a full-page ad, you can finally stop wondering how they managed to print
all the way to the edges of the page. Short answer: They didn't. It's impossible for a printer to print to the edge of a sheet of
paper. Just taking into account the gutter (the area that a printer's rollers grip to pull the sheet through in order to get inked),
you're probably already out a half or quarter inch that cannot encounter ink. So how do they do it?
Let's say you want a full-page ad in a magazine whose page dimensions are 8.5" x 11". When you're building your ad in a layout
program (InDesign, Quark, etc.), you will go past those dimensions by .5" (note: Half-an-inch is just an example. The bleed will
differ depending on a magazine's ad specifications), on all sides, which will actually make your ad's image area 9.5" x 12". This is
because...
Trim:
A magazine's final dimensions are called it's trim
area. All of the pages are printed on oversize sheets
of paper that are cut afterward. In our example illustration,
the "trim" will result in a page that's 8.5" x 11".
Since you extended your ad's image dimensions past
the trim dimensions (bleed), when the page is cut,
your ad's graphics take up the entire page, going
to the very edge, with no visible page border.
But,
wait! There's more...
Live Area:
Even though you know what size the page will be cut down to, you still have to fit your content within the "live area". This area of
your ad will probably be set to .5" inch WITHIN the trim area, resulting in dimensions of 7.5" x 10". This is because, even with the
advances in printing technology that have been made, page-shift is still a fact of life.
With any
printing, but especially with large print runs like magazines, the pages can shift a little vertically or horizontally when being
pulled through the printer. So if there's something in your ad that MUST be seen clearly and in its entirety (your business's
address, your ad's copy, etc.), making sure that it fits within the live area will give the page extra room that can be cut if it
shifts during printing. This will spare your ad's content and will ensure that words and essential graphics aren't missing.
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So let's review:
Bleed: The extra image area that passes the trim dimensions so that, when cut, the image extends to the edges of the
page.
Trim: Where the page itself will be cut, resulting in the finalized page.
Live Area: The area where your content must be placed so that nothing important will get cut off, should the page shift
during printing. This area ensures that your copy and main graphics will be seen.
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Ad Freak
: adweek.blogs.com/adfreak
Sure, you could use the Internet to find thoughtful, reasoned critiques of modern advertising culture. Or you could get right to the funny by visiting "Ad Freak". With tongue planted firmly in cheek, this blog dissects our industry with just the right amount of keepin'-it-real candor. |
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Altoids
: www.altoids.com
Long before "Panic! At the Disco" co-opted the carnival-gone-mad look, Altoids was kickin' it retro-fabulous in their ads and branding. Deliciously old-school, with fantastic interactivity, the Altoids website is an example of corporate branding done right!
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Threadless
: www.threadless.com
So you'd like to support the arts, but you're too busy spending all your money on clothes? Problem solved! Threadless is a specialty-shop that features uber-cool t-shirts designed by artists and graphic designers. Now you can feed your fashion jones AND starving artists!
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You've probably heard by now that Apple is offering
movies for download through the iTunes music store.
Which got us to thinking: Who on earth would want
to watch "Lord of the Rings" on a 2 1/2" wide screen?
That question has split the Steam offices into two camps. On the one hand, there's Samson, who has an early-adapter's love of new
tech stuff, giving iTunes' downloadable movies a thumbs-up for portability and the ability to watch movies anytime, anywhere
(but especially on a plane while travelling). And there's Steve, who considers himself a movie purist, who gives downloadable
movies a thumbs-down because movies should be seen "on the biggest screen you've got! And no, iPods and computers don't count!"
And then there's you. We want to hear what you guys have to say on the subject. Do movies belong on an iPod, or on a big-screen
TV? Is the divide that separates the computer from the television finally being erased?
Let us know what you think! Shoot us an email at info@steamstudios.com and tell us which side you're on.
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Steam Studios | 5590 Pats Pt. Winter Park, FL 32792 | Visit us at: www.steamstudios.com |
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