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working for you
We've recently gotten some inquiries for directory work. If you ever have the need to produce one, keep in mind that in addition to cover design and layout, we can also manipulate your data as needed.

portfolio spotlight
FCW media kit
Case: The client needed a new media kit design but had media kit folders (below, left) that were left over from the year before that she wanted to use. Although the folders were only two colors (blue and silver), there was a design embossed in them featuring a star, a dome shape and curved lines. The design of the new media kit not only had to match but could not compete with the folder in terms of design.

Solution: It was obvious that the media kit would use the blue and silver but would use some additional colors as well. The covers of the media kit are blue, silver and orange, using spot colors, plus a varnish. The inside front cover (below) features a spot gloss varnish over a star, leading you into the page and enhancing the design. Four-color images were used throughout,* and the new color palette (of blue, silver, orange, burgundy and green) was introduced into the new graphs. Silver was incorporated throughout the media kit in the headers, and the blue was used in subheads and screened back in the blue stars in the background. This allowed for enough consistency between the folders and new media kit while still achieving a new look.

What's unexpected—and therefore attention-grabbing—about this piece is its size (8.75x8 inches) and that the four-color cover, instead of using four-color process inks (CMYK), uses spot colors plus a spot gloss varnish and a dull aqueous coat. Some colors, such as metallics and very bright colors, need to be produced as spot colors since four-color process printing is not capable of producing a metallic or neon effect. The spot gloss varnish allows you to choose which elements you want to stand out more from the page, while an aqueous coat must cover the entire spread. The aqueous coat functions to keep large solid, colored areas from fingerprinting and gives the piece overall added protection.

* The general rule is that if your product normally prints as four-color process, such as a magazine, then pieces promoting that product should also print that way. However, this is just a guideline: a budget may restrict a job to fewer colors.