How To Use Texture in Graphic Design

There are some very nice ways that you can use textures to create some spectacular designs. As a Chicago graphic designer, I love to use texture and create designs that are not seen everywhere you look.

Here, we have 5 ways that you can use texture in your next graphic design jobs and create exceptional designs that will be loved and feature pieces in your portfolio.

1. Use nature. Don't be afraid to be inspired by texture you see in nature. See things like gravel, bark on trees, bricks, pine cones, etc. If it is in nature, then chances are that it has a great texture that you can be inspired by to create art. Nature is full of texture, don't ignore it or risk ignoring a source chock full of inspiration. How can you capture these textures? Well, you can either photograph them or perhaps draw them. 
2. Use paint and make your own. If you have any paint brushes and paint, go ahead and make your own textures. Just use the brushes until you create something you like. 
3. Use a pencil and draw your own. Make some scribbles and doodles and see what you come up with. Once you create something you like, you can scan it and play around with it in Photoshop. 
4. Find stuff online (that's free). You can have a huge file full of textures you like by doing a simple Google search for free textures. Plenty of these are high quality and resolution that you can download. From there, you can adjust the texture to make it more your own. 
5. Use stock images. Stock images can have some great designs in them. You can play around with them on Photoshop and create something beautiful. There are plenty of images you can find for free or if you have to pay for them, then you can do that also. Pick a piece of the image and use it. 

Creating something great for your next graphic design object does not have to be incredibly difficult. Once you find a groove to create great art, you can keep it in a file and use it like a "graphic design bank account" and take from it when you need some art. As a graphic design studio in Chicago, we at Integraphix are all about creating designs that push beyond convention. 

How To Understand Colors and Their Impact

As a graphic designer, you will likely use color in your designs (I say likely because you might have a black and white design once in a while). Believe it or not, colors have an impact on people, they manipulate us without us even realizing it.

Here is how the colors have an impact on us:

• Red (Red): This color affects us physically. It often grabs our attention first among other colors because the mind perceives that object as closer to us than it really is. It can increase our heart rate and give us the impression that time is going faster. 
•  When it affects us in a positive way, it can make us feel stronger, more courageous, warm, energetic, masculine, and excited. 
• When this color affects us negatively, it can make us defiant, aggravated, and strained. 
• Blue (Blue): This color affects us intellectually/mentally. It often has that soothing effect on us because objects of this color seem more distant and encourage openness. Although, it can be perceived as unfriendly. 
• When this color affects us positively, it gives us the feeling of intelligence, communication, trust, efficiency, serenity, logic, calmness. 
• When it is negative, it has a feeling of coldness, emotionless, and unfriendliness. 
• Yellow (Yellow): This color affects us emotionally. It is a very strong color and will often give us a good feeling, like hope, confidence, and optimism. It is said to lift our spirits. 
• When this color affects us positively, it gives us feel ins of optimism, confidence, self-esteem, extraversion, friendliness, and creativity. 
• When negative, it can provoke irrationality, fear, depression, and anxiety. 
• Green (Green): This color affects our balance (not walking balance). Green is perceived to the eye as a color that creates rest/peace and creativity. It is the color of all things balance. It is a color that often represents health due to being the color of healthy vegetation. 
• When positive, this color creates harmony, balance, refreshment, love, rest, peace, and reassurance. 
• When negative, boredom, stagnation, and blandness. 

If you have questions about what colors to use in your graphic design, then contact Integraphix. 

We will have more posts discussing color. 

What You Need to Know as a Graphic Design Student

As a graphic design student, it can be stressful to think about all the things you need to know when entering the real world in your profession. Your job is to be creative and make creative things; the pressure to do that can make it hard to do that. So what are some things you should know if your course to become the world's next amazing graphic designer?

1. There are few "firsts" in todays time; this means that the likelihood that you are alone in doing something is minimal. This can be very uplifting because the times when something seems impossible or strange, you can remember that someone else has (most likely) gone through that same scenario. In areas like graphic design, web design, marketing, and advertising, most things are actually just adopted and altered, very few things are original anymore. 
2. You may be great at what you do but there is always someone better or knows something you don't. The lesson from this is to remain humble and not let success get to your head and make you feel invincible. If you get awesome at what you do, fantastic; however, if the "fame" gets to your head and you become difficult to work with, you will have no one to work with. 
3. Set goals for yourself so you have something to aim at. How do you know you have accomplished something if you do not know where the end is? Better yet, where the beginning is? 
4. It is hard work, it takes energy. You may have months that require you to create 15 logos, you will need to be energetic enough to get done what needs to get done and done well. 
5. Getting your foot in the door can be tricky but it can be easier if you remember to embody characteristics like a great work ethic, energy, great personality, and patience. Remember to have the great personality and patience. The personality also means having a good self-image; so be humble yet confident and not self-depreciating and insulting. 
6. Go for quality, not quantity, when curating your portfolio. It's better to have a few awesome examples instead of 20 mediocre. 
7. A great way to get your foot in the door with places is to do internships. Don't just do one and then quit, do a few. If you can get paid, then that's great, but realize the vast majority of places do not pay. Also, do not waste your internship; learn and remember and then implement!
8. When you are in the work force as a designer, get to know a printer and make them a close work-friend. Having a good relationship with a printer will be a lifesaver. 
9. Ask questions and for opportunities. If you do not know the answer to something, ask. If you want to have your work included in an exhibit, ask. 
10. Take criticism well. Some people do not do great at giving constructive criticism so don't beat yourself up if they don't. 

So go be confident in your efforts to become a real world graphic designer. As a Chicago graphic design firm, Integraphix loves the world of art and helping others get there. If you have any questions, contact us. 

Oliver Appetizer: Graphic Design on your Dinner Table

Being graphic designers, we love being surrounded by innovative and artistic objects. Right from our homes to the workplace, we always keep the ambiance adorned with elements of graphic design. While surfing on the internet, we came across a humorous yet brilliant artwork that startled us. CB2 is a website that showcases modern and clever home designs for difference items like furniture, outdoor, accessories and dining.

In its dining section, there are lots of funny and inventive kitchen utensils featuring a Doodle Dude named ‘Oliver’. The dinner items like appetizer plates, martini glasses and coolers illustrate the famous ‘Oliver’ stickman figure in a variety of funny scenes. Not only are these really creative, they are also a cool way of brightening up your kitchenware and make utensils more appealing.

Following is a collection of 20 cool Oliver appetizer plates and martini glasses that you would love to have in your kitchenware set.

Chicago Graphic Design: Is your logo design killing your business branding

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Exceptional Brand Identity Solutions: Chicago Graphic Design

Most businesses have a logo, but the vast majority of businesses have not used that logo to its full potential, or have even left their logo design and branding to an amateur designer or even having one of their staff make up a logo using clip art (gasp!). This is done without any real research into how a logo effects consumer perception, and is done without thinking about the entire branding concept. This is killing your business online and in person.

When was the last time you got someones business card and saw a little clip-art dude that you can get free on Microsoft's website? Probably not too often. Then why are YOU doing it? Take a little time to read through this post to see exactly how your logo effects your business, your target market, and what a proper logo design and branding solution could do for your company for years and years and years...

Logo Design:
Logos and trademarks make up the most creative international language in the world. An excellent logo can cross barriers and provide your organization with an avenue to deliver your services and products to customers in a uniform way. Without this, you’re effectively flushing your business down the drain.

Every successful company has a distinct personality, just like humans, and a successful brand and logo design are essential to attracting multiple types of personalities and markets. If you’re business doesn’t have these things, it’s time to invest in them. When you embark on this journey into branding, company identity, and logo design, you should be aware of several points of interest:

1. Your logo and branding needs to IDENTIFY your company/product/service.

2. Your logo and branding must DIFFERENTIATE you from the masses.

3. Your logo and branding must COMMUNICATE the value of your services and products.

4. Your logo and branding should ADD VALUE to your company by creating a benchmark for quality and reputation.

5. Your logo and branding must REPRESENT your products and services as valuable things. If your logo isn’t doing these things, choose to update and seek advice from a professional graphic design firm.

Brand Identity:

Branding can be technically defined as a name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of these things intended to identify one particular seller or a group of sellers and to differentiate them from others. This sounds important right? Well it most definitely is. One thing to note is that branding is NOT about getting your target market to choose you over your competition…it’s getting them to see you as the only solution to their needs and problems.

A good brand has the following:
1. The ability to deliver your message clearly
2. Give your company credibility and strength
3. An emotional connection to your target market
4. The ability to motivate buyers and consumers
5. A distinct knack for keeping your target market loyal to your services or product

To succeed in this, you need to understand your target market, your customer’s wants and needs, and the ability to project what they’ll want and need in the future. You can do this by integrating brand strategies through your company at every public contact point.

A strong brand is as valuable as gold as the battle for loyal customers gets more and more intense. It’s important to spend time investing in research, and an effective Creative Firm to help your marketing communications strategies be the best they can be. Your brand and logo are the foundation of your company.

So the next time you even think about making a Microsoft Word clip-art image your logo...STOP.

Contact a real Chicago Graphic Design Company and schedule a meeting.

/// Integraphix, a Creative Agency in Chicago, Illinois

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Design for clients you don't have - what want!

It seems very flawed to only create and develop design for the clients you already have. If you only take into account your current client base, how can you ever plan on growing your business even further? Yes it is possible to grow steadily with your current clients by designing and developing websites for them, but most business owners I know, including the owner of Integraphix, are constantly looking for new outlets for business and networking.

By expanding and growing a business, we assume that a graphic design business owner is looking to gain new clientele that are perhaps different than the clients they already have. They will be fairly similar and should be so you don't have to expand your targeted marketing, but some may be entirely different and this is a good thing!

Look for clients that might be outside of your typical client profile. This allows you to get feedback on your business, design and services and gain valuable insights in order to gain market appeal to a larger group of people. Try it out and see what kind of results you get.

If you need help building a new website or want to gain more exposure online, talk to Integraphix today about our custom web design services and our comprehensive internet marketing and SEO packages today!

-- Integraphix, a Chicago Graphic Design Company 

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11 Logo Mistakes You Need to Avoid!

Most designers design logos with intense concentration and put all their creativity into the final product. Sometimes the awful result of a logo design is that the results don't turn out to be amazing and cutting edge. The competition to be the best is tight and each logo design needs to be perfected due to the growing logo design awareness in the general public. There is no room for mistakes baby! Here at Integraphix, a Chicago Marketing Company, we're pretty sure almost every designer can relate to this situation. We'll be humble say 'Yes, it's happened to us." Now that we've learned from our mistakes being in the field of graphic design in Chicago, we are going to share with you. This list will most definitely help you come up with better results.

1. Do NOT adhere to logo design trends. Your designs should be able to stand the test of times.

2. Your logo design should be able to switch mediums - print, web, embroidery, etc. 

3. Avoid designing busy logos - remember: the most memorable logos are always the simplest.

4. Don't stick to design software right off the bat - sketch your ideas out first!

5. Take your time when making final touches, it will make all the difference.

6. Never make the mistake of designing a logo in Photoshop. Always use vector or you'll never be able to resize your logo.

7. Never use stock images in a logo design. It's ugly and noticable.

8. Only use readable fonts - don't overuse Helvetica anymore than it already has been though. Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.

9. Never think a super colorful logo is best. Sometimes it's just gaudy.

10. If your logo design fails in black and white - don't even bother adding color to it. Redesign.

11. Don't be a copy-cat. Be inspired by successful logo design, but never, ever copy.

Cheers!

- Integraphix, a Chicago Marketing Company and Chicago Graphic Design Firm

10 Coolest Snowboard Graphic Designs

This past winter, snowboards became incredibly popular, especially for countries that were inundated with snow. Extreme sports lovers will always find ways to take advantage of the snowy seasons of course. With the designs below, they can find themselves taking flight in style! Like funky car designs, next to a great snowy trek, what could make an extreme snowboarder happier than having their own fantastically designed and personalized board?

Below you'll find colors and amazing patterns of some of the best and 'rad-est' snowboard graphic designs on the internet. Great Graphic Design can be found anywhere - Integraphix has designed its own share of strange things, but not yet a snowboard. It would be a great challenge though! Scroll down and inspire yourself to go beyond the flat piece of paper.

~ Integraphix, a Chicago Marketing Company and Chicago Graphic Design Company

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This is the Integraphix Staff personal favorite since it's different on either side. Great graphic design guys!

Thanks for looking at this great graphic design of snowboards. If they were in Chicago this past couple of weeks, they could've snowboarded around our streets!

~ Integraphix, a Graphic Design and Marketing Company in Chicago

We Know Branding and Graphic Design

We are Integraphix. we're going to design your branding.

We are the leading Chicago graphic design company, offering an wide variety of services to our diverse clientele across the Chicago area. Recognized by our peers as outstanding and inspiring web designers, we are the graphic design company that will bring your vision to life. Whether you seek to develop a brand identity for your custom social networking site, utilize our SEO services to boost your current website, or something in-between, we offer superior one-stop services as a Chicago graphic design company, SEO company and web design company. Bored by all this reading? Speak with us personally: Call us at 847.537.0067.

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We Love Graphic Design!

Here are some perty photos for you to look at while you're sitting at work bored and in need of some brain stimulation. We think they're amazing examples of great graphic design. Our own Graphic Design Companycreates some pretty awesome artwork, but I believe in plugging artists too. Enjoy!

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Broken Glass

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Ink Lady

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Face Off!

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Octopus Invasion

Chicago Graphic Design Firm
Beauty and the Beast

Most of these images are examples of some pretty cool photo-manipulation done by great artists, and some of them are actual ads we found that tickled our fancy. Enjoy them at your leisure!

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I just need a logo

"I want you to design a brand for my business - all I need is a logo." This is a common phrase uttered by some of our Integraphix clients, and it is a misconception in the minds of many business men and woman who are looking to brand their business. They misunderstand that a brand is not merely a symbol, logo or 'mark' used on a sign outside their doorstep. The reality is something more. The logo design is just one part of a larger branding process. A brand is what huge corporate giants from smaller competitors. The problem that faces most graphic designers and chicago marketing company studios these days is clients with almost no knowledge of what a brand is. Sometimes the graphic designer creates a logo design for a client that may fail to establish its presence, but this is hardly the fault of the designer. The client, perhaps, didn't want to pay for the full branding process and therefore the designer was not allowed to fully develop the brand for the client. It was not the failure of the logo, but the failure of the brand to be designed.

Think of this scenario…you have never heard of Apple or before (just assume for a moment). You are unaware of the corporation and what it has to offer to you. Now imagine… if you pass by a someone on an Apple laptop sporting the logo or drive by an Apple billboard, would you be amazed by it?… Probably not. It's just the silhouette of an apple.  Back to reality!  Famous brands like Apple have actively marketed their logo and established its connection with the company, which is why you have a strong awareness about it. That strong association created in the minds of customers is the brand that has been established and is a large part of why the company has had the success it has. Why buy a computer that costs $2000 rather than a computer you can get for $500? Granted Apple has quality on their side too, but it's also the stigma of having a Mac on your lap rather than an HP.

This is the biggest downfall of branding decisions made by many business owners and entrepreneurs. A brand is not just a mark or a symbol that you put on your company sign board. On the contrary, a brand leaves a mark on your customer that is long lasting. Another major distinction between a logo and a brand is their focus span. Logos illustrates what a company stands for, what it has to offer and what is its purpose of existence. In contrast, a brand has strategic focus. It depicts a vision of the firm as to what the brand will be and what it promises to its customers in the future.

A logo design is a visual representation of any company or business. It projects the image of the company existence in the industry. A brand goes one giant step further in PROTECTING the image of the firm. Whatever you establish through your logo design is inevitably protected by your brand.

Think of the Gap fiasco. The company unfortunately decided to redesign their logo. This attempt failed horribly at the mercy of their customers. But their longstanding BRAND power protected them from any serious damage.  

Wrapping it up, logos lay the foundation of a brand but are not sufficient to establish their presence. Brand Marketing does not end with a logo. They must be communicated through a brand in order to be recognized. Think about it next time you ask your marketing company for a logo - perhaps invest in the whole package!

Integraphix, a Chicago Marketing Company