What You Need to Know About Instagram's 5 New Filters

For the first time in more than two years, Instagram has released new filters for us to go gaga over. Now, 300-million photographers have five new ways to make their photos look fabulous. Sorry, Kelvin filter, you get no love, still.

Filters are what have made Instagram a delight to use; they enable us to make our mundane photos look professional and aesthetically pleasing with stylish tones and artsy style.

Per the usual deal, the filters have names that do not make a whole lot of sense, unless you know the mentality behind the creators. Right now, the filters are unknown but soon enough, they will be as known as the other filters. We will be able to look at a friends picture and say, "Yup, that's the slumber filter, alright."

So what are these filters? 

Crema. The crema filter delivers a smooth, creamy, luxurious look. The designers over at Instagram named it that because it does just what we think it would do from the name- it gives a warm, yet cool effect to the image.

Ludwig. The Ludwig filter gives us a minimalistic design and look that is done via taking colors away while enhancing light in the photo. It was named after the famous architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe who is known for the "less is more" mentality.

Perpetua. This filters gives photos an organic, earthy look via utilizing green and blue hues. It was named after the Cape Perpetua forest in Oregon.

Slumber. No, this one will not put you to sleep; rather, it will give your photos a vintage look with some desaturation and haze. If your photo has lots of blacks and blues, it will look even better.

Aden. This one is reminiscent of pastels and works beautifully with portraits and photos that have some harsh light. No knowledge of why it was named Aden, though. 

These new filters seem very cool. As a Chicago graphic design company, we tend to use Instagram a lot for showcasing work and think these filters will do a great job. 

Our Chicago photography studio team is excited about them as well. If you are a highly visual business, then consider using Instagram, especially with these filters out; they will help your social media marketing go to a new level. 

Need a professional graphic designer to help your business look as good as the new Instagram filters? Then contact Intagraphix, a Chicago graphic design agency. 

How to Use Fonts Correctly

Believe it or not, using fonts is a big, big deal in the world of professional graphic design. It can be intimidating to the max. You have all sorts of fonts, sizes, weights, etc. A good font can make or break your design and help your message.

Getting a master grasp on how to use fonts can be a huge help in you becoming better a graphic design. As a Chicago graphic design firm, we have compiled a list of 5 ways to use fonts to your benefit.

1. Use fonts for hierarchy. You can organize font to establish a hierarchy that will encourage people to read certain things first. The human eye will move towards the dominating elements of something such as the largest text and/or color. 
2. Using fonts for contrast. Making titles and subtitles stand out can be done when you use fonts with great contrast to the rest of the image or graphic. You can do this with different colors (dark/light) as well as styles of fonts (uppercase/lowercase and types). Also, having different weights with your fonts helps, too. 
3. Using fonts for sake of readability. When you use the wrong font, it can make your text very heard to read, which defeats the purpose of having the text there in the first place. Try to stay away from elaborate fonts and go for contrast such as white text on black backgrounds, etc. 
4. Be imaginative and creative with your text. You can do things like putting your text into a shape; for example, write a body of text and then when you look at it, you see it is a dog, or something. 
5. Use fonts that match the message and style of what you want to say. Using a papyrus font will not work when you are creating a graphic for your medieval era event. It just won't. A childish font won't work for you networking event for lawyers. 

Make sure you use fonts in an effective way. When you get careless is when your graphics suffer. As a graphic designer in Chicago, I have learned many ways to utilize fonts to be effective and creative. 

Does your business need design work done to help it stand out and grow? Then don't deny your business the help it needs. Contact Integraphix and see how we can help you!