Four Seasons - High Key Lighting on White Glass

High Key Lighting on White Glass

One effective photography technique involves high key lighting on white Plexiglas to reveal an object and its captivating reflection. This is a popular solution to photograph jewelry, ornaments, china, artwork, and various glass objects. High key refers to a brightly lit white background that is achieved with several diffusion panels and white Plexiglas.

Bead necklace suspended over white glass

It is possible to create this studio setup without a lot of expense if you have an SLR camera set on manual mode with a tripod. A light meter will be helpful to ensure your background is sufficiently bright as compared to the product. Your studio setup is complete with a tabletop, sheet of white Plexiglas, white towel or board to lay underneath the Plexiglas, at least two white diffusion panels, and four full spectrum utility lights. A small amount of post production work in a photo editor (e.g. Photoshop Elements or Photoshop) will complete your finished image.

In this technique, the lighting is placed to insure that the white background is roughly 4 times (2 f-stops) brighter than the object to be photographed.  This “washes out” the background providing the appearance of a properly exposed product on a white background.  Additionally, the Plexiglas base provides an effective reflection.

Positioning Objects on White Glass

Jewelry can be suspended from a pole with fish line over the white glass so it barely touches the surface of the glass, midway between the background and the camera.  Other objects can be positioned on top of the glass. If the object is small, moving the camera closer and composing the image so it is in the center and fills the camera frame will help.  Some objects may require several exposures to capture the texture, contour, shape, and specular highlights. Merging these shots later in Photoshop is easy if you have positioned your camera on a tripod, maintaining the same distance from the object for each exposure.

Studio Setup

To create the studio set you will need the following:

• Tabletop (two saw horses and a flat board for a top will work fine.)
• A sheet of clear Plexiglas available at most large hardware stores.  The size of the Plexiglas depends on the size of the product you are photographing.
• A white towel or cloth to place between Plexiglas and table top to ensure a bright reflection in the glass.
• Two or three white diffusion screens (One or two for the back of the set and one for the front light. These can be purchased at a camera store or, if you are handy, can be made from white nylon and PVC pipe. Instructions to make these are easy to find on the internet. )
• Four compact fluorescent utility lights (three to light the back diffusion screen and one to light the object directly 45 degrees to the left of the camera).
• Camera on tripod, usually directly in front or 45 degrees to object, approximately 3 to 4 feet from the object (closer if object is small.)
• Light meter to ensure the background is two f-stops brighter than the main light near the camera. (See lighting diagram). Alternatively, you can use the light meter in your camera by noting the meter reading of the camera when it is zoomed onto the background and making sure this reading is 2 f-stops brighter than when you zoom in on the product itself.  You will likely need to adjust the lighting, moving lights forward or back, to achieve the desired exposure ratio.

• Set your camera to manual exposure so that the product is perfectly exposed.  Your camera light meter will be fooled by the white background and will naturally underexpose the product.

Different product shots will require some adjustments so take a number of images with different exposure settings.

Lighting Diagram

Post Production in Photoshop

Post production work of your image in Photoshop (or Photoshop Elements) involves several simple steps once your .jpg image is opened and saved as a .psd document. Remember to float the background layer of the .psd file by double clicking on the locked background layer and selecting “OK” in the New Layer dialog box which appears on your screen.

Stained Glass Window handcrafted by Amy Potvin, A Touch of Glass, http://www.glassdance.biz

Copy this layer by selecting Layer | Copy This Layer. It is important to preserve your original image if you need to start over. Now you are ready to begin your work.

1. Fine tune the white background with the Magic Wand tool by selecting the Magic Wand Tool in the toolbar. Set the tolerance to low (15 to 25%).  Click on the background surrounding your object with the Magic Wand.  You can increase the selection by holding down the shift key while you click on the background.  Make sure the marching ants do not go into the shadow underneath the object in the reflection.
2. Fill your selection with white by going to Edit | Fill with white. Your background should be bright white except for the grey shadow and reflection underneath the object.
3. Select a medium size paintbrush in the toolbar. Set the brush color to white and  the opacity to 60 to 85%.
4. Hold down the Shift key and paint with the brush straight across the reflection underneath the object, so approximately ¾ of the reflection is eliminated.
5. Save your .psd file with the layers intact. This file can be cropped as needed. To create a jpg of your image go to File | Save As and choose jpg as your file format.

Voila! There you have it – enticing photography of your artistic endeavors for your online shopping cart.

Imagine your marketing communication as a dance performance. There’s a story line, costumes, musical score, and choreography—all consistent with a theme that is meant to captivate an audience. However, the ballet Sleeping Beauty is in stark contrast to the popular TV program, Dancing With The Stars. Envision a ballerina dancing an arabesque on the TV show. Her costume, movements, and music would be out of place. Likewise, a couple intent on dancing a competitive Latin cha-cha would disturb the rhythm of a graceful ballet. Whenever overarching themes are mixed and not integrated, chaos ensues. No clear messaging is sent.  Effective market messaging needs to “speak with one voice.”

It is best to communicate your marketing messaging with its distinct rhythm and design. If you are presented with two different logos that you like, do you use one for your website and another for your business card? Would you use a brochure if the layout and identity components are not consistent with the rest of your advertising collateral?  Our advice to the above situations is to take into account your viewer’s needs and politely say “No.”

Consistency Matters

Often business owners do not take the time to consider how their advertising collateral is perceived by the audience they target. If the brand ingredients are not applied consistently to all print and media applications, the choreography is interrupted. Consider what occurs when you mix the colors red, blue, and green together—you get a shade of brown. Or, if you cook a soup and add ten spices to the pot, will it taste delicious? Just because you like a specific color or spice does not mean that “adding to the mix” will create a better end product. Too many colors, too much detail, or too many unrelated ingredients muddies the messaging – like melting a box of crayons into one brown blob. You loose your impact and leave your readers confused.  Who will remember you?

Take into account your viewer’s memory bank. Each day they step out their front door, they are surrounded by a sea of images. Photographs and typographic treatments are everywhere. You want your audience to remember your business, even when they are not, at the present moment, in need of your services. Thus, when they do have a need in the future they can retrieve a snapshot or “byte” of information from their neural archives.

Repetition Imprints Your Messaging

Imprinting you marketing message into the minds of your target audience requires repetition of a consistent design. Remember the last time you were thirsty and shopped at the grocery store for your favorite drink? Can you visualize the name and product packaging? Red and white label, Coke, perhaps? Major brands often advertise their brand mark correlated to a consumer need.  Thus, when you are thirsty, your mind brings up the image of the soft drink logo.

Your visual choreography begins with an iconic logo capturing the symbolic essence of your work. It progresses to a conceptual theme embracing a distinct graphic design style. It incorporates meaningful imagery which alludes to a larger context or culture in which your business thrives. It encompasses a successful website which mirrors your distinct business identity. Thus, viewer’s are invited to engage with your business by gently capturing their interest, support, and participation. This is accomplished through the application of good graphic design and web usability features, which increases web site effectiveness.

Your promotional materials should communicate a distinct, consistent identity. Brand consistency is vital. Our human brain thrives on it. Be firm and steadfast with your market communication.  Our advice?  Dance your distinct rhythm and design and speak with one voice.

Remember the caveat, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder?” What enthralls and inspires one individual, another barely notices. Yet, when beauty is merged with the structure and tools of professional graphic design, memorable advertising solutions can reach their widest target audience.

Ask Yourself

Does your personal taste accurately reflect the aesthetic preferences of your viewing audience? Remember that your marketing collateral is not your personal art project. Your personal likes and dislikes may not accurately reflect how your target audience perceives your market messaging and materials. To successfully reach a diverse target audience, your communications collateral needs to integrate beauty with the science of graphic design.

When you collaborate with an experienced graphic designer, a distinct visual brand identity can be conceived which is “rooted in the very essence of its subject matter.”¹ This brand identity, when it is professionally executed and repeated consistently on all of your advertising collateral, has the potential to deeply impact viewer consciousness. Compelling visual design keeps viewers inspired and interested in your market messaging, for the first time, and throughout time.

The Impact of Ad Hoc Design

What are the consequences if you do not follow the principles of good graphic design in the creation of your logo, web site, signage or brochure? The pitfalls include:

• The absence of an underlying theme to spark viewer curiosity,
• Imagery which does not reflect your concept, distracting the viewer rather than complementing your theme and brand identity,
• Photos or illustrations which are poorly composed or rendered,
• Lack of an underlying layout grid to provide visual harmony and white space,
• Text line length that is too long making the copy difficult to read,
• Conflicting typefaces or a color palette which differs from your business identity confusing the viewer,
• Inconsistent use of your brand mark and identity elements on all of your marketing collateral,
• Or, a layout that is too cluttered with information, overwhelming the viewer and making it difficult to grasp the key messages you want to communicate.

The net result of these and other design mistakes is that your business communication becomes hit or miss, a mish-mash. Your public wonders how serious you are about your mission, products, and services. Viewers are confused and uninterested when no clear and meaningful messaging is conveyed. Their creativity is not engaged. (Read more about the importance of sparking viewer curiosity.)

Your audience stops reading when the graphic design lacks the ingredients which facilitate readability. As a result, you loose the opportunity to communicate your message and attract more business. Ad hoc design gives the impression that you as a business owner don’t care about what you are promoting.

Graphic Designers as Visual Story Tellers

Experienced graphic designers are visual story tellers. They can create beautiful and compelling visual solutions which communicate an authentic visual business identity. Well versed in the varieties of historic design styles and cultural trends, designers impart clear and vibrant messaging about a business, which appeals to a diverse audience. Graphic designers understand that evocative, well executed design captures and holds a viewer’s attention overtime.

Aristotle said, “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inner significance.” Captivating stories unfold with the assistance of a graphic designer. Layout, text, illustrations and photography converge in an imaginative graphic design enhanced by the elegant use of white space. Hand rendered illustrations, thoughtful use of typography, attention to layout, and well written content enrich the creation. These tools and structure require the designer’s inherent passion for visual design and a curiosity with the subject matter. This in turn fuels the evolution of a unique treatment—rooted in its very nature.¹

Under a designer’s artistic eye, business messaging becomes convincing. Through the choice of beautiful but meaningful imagery, an underlying grid, typography, and interplay of color, a seasoned designer ensures that your identity components are rooted in the very essence of your subject matter. Your identity is also echoed consistently across your website, print collateral, and PowerPoint presentations. Thus, what is beautiful is merged with the science of graphic design so your materials are readable, memorable, and engaging.

Engage Your Target Audience

When beauty and the science of graphic design are integrated with your business messaging, you reinforce your audience’s decision to buy your product, join your organization, or do business with your company. Your customers gain a deeper meaning and appreciation for the results you provide, the education you offer, or products you are promoting. Thus, you fulfill their need to experience something novel, something authentic, and something inspiring.

J. F. Millet wrote that art is “a treating of the commonplace with the feeling of the sublime.” Don’t cheat your viewer’s of their need for beauty and inspiration. Make sure your advertising echoes a consistent identity, and that it is easy to read. Give your audience a direct experience of your subject matter.

Bottom line, beauty combined with professional graphic design communicates an empowering message about your business which is inspiring, memorable and beyond words. Who is better equipped to capture engaging, artistic design in your website, signage, and brochures, than an experienced graphic designer? Take the opportunity to grow your business with Colordance Design.

Resources Consulted

1) Hurn/Magnum, David, and Bill Jay (2009), On Being A Photographer: A Practical Guide. Lens Work Publishing, pp. 43-50.

Imagery Aids in Recall and Comprehension

Before written language, ancient peoples etched drawings into the rock walls of caves and cliffs throughout the world. While the meaning of rock art remains a mystery, it is clear that people were moved to communicate visually. In many ways the world has not changed, it is just more complex. Now, both the written word and visual imagery compete for our attention, in an ever ending stream of communication.

Perhaps our ancient ancestors knew something we are only now discovering. Did you know that visual imagery actually aids in recall and comprehension? Researchers have discovered two separate channels that operate in our brains—a verbal system of language and a nonverbal system of images¹ In addition, some studies indicate that pictures are more likely to be redundantly stored and encoded, which may make them more important than text in communicating memorable information.²

Research investigating imagery and text has found that visual images placed near text can positively impact recall and learning, whether the images are static or dynamic.³ This may be one of the reasons for the popularity of a well done PowerPoint presentation. PowerPoint, as a multimedia application, combines imagery, animation, and bulleted information to convey complex content in a way that assists in viewer comprehension.

Given that young people are a growing target audience, research indicates that many children and teens tend to prefer animation and find dynamic images motivating.⁴ Moving pictures may also increase reading comprehension.⁵ This is particularly important given that this demographic is a critical market segment for many businesses. By including effective animation with your website and PowerPoint presentations, you can facilitate greater recognition and understanding of your business messaging.

Ten Second Threshold on Web Pages

According to web usability studies, there is a ten second threshold to capture viewer interest once they have landed on your web page. Within those ten seconds, your viewer’s eye scans the page, starting at the top left corner (in the western world) and progressing to the right. This is why the top left corner is the hot spot for logo placement on both home and interior web pages. It lets your viewer know where they are. During this initial ten second period, it is critical that your web page grabs the reader’s attention and interest. Then they will take the extra time required fully grasp the message you are conveying. The imagery you choose plays a key role in quickly capturing their attention.

Effective Imagery Gives Your Website Personality

Meaningful imagery can also add personality to your identity. It is essential to promoting products and relaying a story. Ancient people may have created their rock art to map out local resources (antelope, deer), to identify a clan household above a doorway, to plot celestial happenings, or to experience the creative power at work in the world.

Just as ancient people evoked geometric shapes and line drawings as a means of conveying immediate information, our digital pages can provide well designed animation which provides instantaneous in-depth messaging. Since your average visitor spends about 27 seconds on a web page, clever animation that effectively communicates or imparts new learning can take advantage of this finding.

Consider a sequence of animated images on a website home page which tells a story. For example, the Flash animation on Creative Wings Studio website provides an overview of process painting workshops at Creative Wings Studio. Another example conveys seasonal change over time on The Growing Place website, illustrating the wide variety of garden plants and creative landscape displays possible at The Growing Place.

Look at the clever example of market messaging revealed with an animated wiper blade for the commercial cleaning company, Enviro Resources Inc.  Or, if your business mission includes educating and inspiring viewers, wisdom quotations can be shared through a series of animated quotes. If captivating photography enhances the services you offer, memorable imagery can rotate each time a viewer navigates a page. To view an example, visit musician Bill Buccholtz’s website.  Or, consider appealing to the needs of a diverse target audience. Different styles of horseback riding are captured in a series of alternating images on The Riding Store home page.

Perhaps you would like to freshen up your digital media presentation. Thoughtful animation on you website home page can provide a new look. PowerPoint templates can be customized with imagery and effective animation. At Colordance Design, we work together with you to add personality to your multimedia.

Animation Limitations – Flash, Java Script, PowerPoint

There are several limitations with animation. While websites designed in Flash may be beautiful and interesting to view initially, they can take longer to load given the animation and navigation techniques. Viewers get impatient waiting for animation. Flash, in particular is not supported at this time on many mobile devices. Also, the entire use of Flash for a website has significant drawbacks. Unlike a site created with HTML (HyperText Markup Language), Flash is a proprietary format. Search engines often have a difficult time extracting keywords and content useful for search engine ranking. This means your site may not easily be found by the major search engines given appropriate keywords.

Flash’s proprietary nature means that many mobile devices and smartphone operating systems do not support it. Blackberry, iPhone, and iPads are not compatible with Flash. With no Flash support, the growing number of mobile users will be unable to view your site on their handheld device. In addition, any changes to an all Flash website require significant knowledge and expensive software.

Java Script can also be used to animate web pages. However, a viewer must have Java Script enabled in their computer for this to work.

We have all seen “over the top” PowerPoint animation creating a busy and/or labored presentation. These limitations can be mitigated through careful design and layout.

Multimedia Messaging Enhanced with Meaningful Imagery

While our ancient ancestor’s lacked our digital acuity and written word, they understood the power of simple shapes and line drawings. Likely, they were able to communicate a wealth of information in their time, not unlike our modern digital print and media today.

In our contemporary culture we admire well designed static and dynamic imagery. When this is integrated with text it adds personality and interest in either application. Discriminating animation on a website homepage and PowerPoint slides can increase viewer understanding and recall.  Eloquent, humorous, or inspiring imagery can accompany the messaging for added impact.

Since “A picture is worth a thousand words,” your media presentations can make use of research findings to deepen your connection with your audience. Perhaps this is why we visit ancient sites. We gaze in wonder at the ancient drawings on the rocks.  Our interest is peaked.  We want to comprehend their messaging about what life was like then.

Resources Consulted

1. Paivio, A., (1971), Imagery and Verbal Processes. New York, Holt, Reinhart & Winston, Inc.
2. Kobayashi, S., (1986), Theoretical Issues Concerning Superiority of Pictures Over Words and Sentences in Memory. Perceptual and Motor Skills. Vol. 63, pp. 783-792.
3. Ayersman, J.D., (1996), Review the Research on Hypermedia-Based Learning. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, Vol. 28, No. 4, pp. 500-519.
4. Houts, P. S., Doak, C. C., Doak, L. G., & Loscalzo, M. J. (2006). The role of pictures in improving health communication: a review of research on attention, comprehension, recall, and adherence. Patient education and counseling, 61(2), 173-90.
5. Kim, S., Yoon, M., Whang, S.-M., Tversky, B., & Morrison, J. B. (2007). The effect of animation on comprehension and interest. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 23(3), 260-270.

Curiosity and creativity go hand in hand in our information age. At the click of a mouse we can access unlimited creative pursuits which fuel our inquisitive nature. Consider the public TV channel “Create.”  This channel is filled with programming that inspires us to cook new cuisines, design outdoor garden living areas, remodel and redecorate our homes, and travel off the beaten path to explore distant cultures. Our thirst for knowledge and sense of wonder seems to run the show.

Is this any different than our desire to eat out, see a new movie, or attend a concert? Remember the last time you attended the theater? As you settle into your seat, you glance through the program, noting the talented cast. As the curtain opens, an actress, clad in an elaborate costume, speaks her opening lines. A single spotlight reveals the emotion etched on her face. Your eye drifts to the rich scenery backdrop behind her. Suddenly several characters emerge in front of the stage. Their voices chime in a loud chorus. You are intrigued. What will happen next? What is the underlying message that the plot reveals? How will it all end?

Compelling theater with all of it’s ingredients —the plot, scenery, actors, props, dialogue, lighting, program, and costumes—work synergistically to spark audience curiosity. A skillful playwright influences theater goers to identify with the characters and storyline. In so doing, the viewer’s curiosity and underlying creativity are tapped.

Consider the last time you ate in a restaurant with a clear and personable concept. The food was tasty, yet there were other factors which made the meal memorable. Perhaps the wait staff wore T shirts with the restaurant logo and a clever phrase ie; an “important person” of interest eats here. The walls, menu, and table top display incorporate imagery, historic memorabilia, and innovative graphic design which captured a conceptual theme from an historic time, culture, person, or location. Music from the time period or location played in the background. Your curiosity was aroused. So, you sample a new dish. All of the restaurant components coordinate to create an enjoyable atmosphere. Your sense of creativity is nourished.

Contrast this dining experience with a meal you partook in an eating establishment  where a distinct conceptual theme was missing. Perhaps the physical setting is bland. You are confused about what to order, as there are no specials highlighted on the menu. While your food tastes good, you sense something is missing. The restaurant seems not to “Know itself.” Read more about this in our article about market messaging. Is this a place you would frequent, or would you look somewhere else the next time you chose to eat out?

Winning advertising is like a great meal or breathtaking theater. Each invokes a believable and captivating environment. Memorable web design also includes an imaginative concept or overarching theme which breathes life into your business. You, as the business owner, do not even need to personally like the concept. What matters most is your audience enthusiasm and connection with it.

For your metaphor to work it must be positive, original, inventive, and inspiring. Thus, there is value in taking the time to research and brainstorm persuasive themes. The theme you finally select ushers forth a creative design  influencing the layout, color scheme, typographic treatment, imagery, written copy, and in some cases the logotype. Viola! There you have it. Your business identity is borne.

Be smart. Engage your customer’s curiosity and imagination in what you have to offer. It will, in turn, encourage your target population to make use of your services and products.

Today these words are still relevant for all types of businesses. Every business needs to “Know Thyself”—what it does well, and what differentiates it from its competition. Every business wants to communicate to their customers why they should buy their service or products instead of someone else’s. Thus the question:  what do you offer that is unique?

In order to discover the answer to this question, it is often helpful to consider a problem solution approach. First, identify a problem your business addresses. Second, describe the unique capabilities your business provides to solve the problem effectively.

Sometimes the problem is obvious and the differentiators and messaging needs to focus on the solutions. In other cases, more time must be spent describing the problem clearly and concisely, so that a potential customer understands why they need your services or products.

For example, a company that specializes in nutritional supplements would want to focus on the health benefits a supplement provides so that their potential consumers can discover that problems they may have can be addressed with a specific product to improve their health. You are teaching the customer that you have a solution to a problem that the customer may not be aware of. This marketing strategy often involves in-depth educational content addressing one or more problems.

In contrast, a commercial cleaning service deals with a topic that needs no explanation. Everyone knows that a clean environment is a necessity for a commercial setting. Thus, the market messaging would focus on the distinct attributes of its business processes —timeliness, supervision, and customer relations—to differentiate itself from its competition. This marketing strategy highlights the unique aspects of the business that provide value to the customer.  This is the “value proposition”.

Effective market messaging targets a problem, a solution, or a combination of both. “Know Thyself” as a business matters. Make your marketing collateral—media (web, PowerPoint) and print—impact your viewers. Just like the trees in the forest. They know themselves, and know what they need to do to thrive. To read more about marketing tag lines visit http://www.colordancedesign.com/identity3.html. To read more about creating a business identity visit http://www.colordancedesign.com/identity.html.

Consider the most gender neutral color — cool dark blue. Dark blue imparts dependability, strength, and authority. It is frequently used in school colors, uniforms, and many corporate logos. However, dark blue would be a mismatch for a progressive, trendy, neighborhood store sign. Unique and classy teal blue might offer a better alternative.

Red added to any design provides excitement and energy. Many foods are red — berries, tomatoes, and apples — so, red is a great choice for a restaurant or  entertainment establishment as it subconsciously stimulates the appetite.

Shades of warm, Terra Cotta red brown are effective for a spa logo design. We associate warm, red browns with clay from the earth, and the casual lifestyle of Mexico and the southwest.

Deep browns belong to the rich and delicious world of coffee and chocolate, as well as what is secure, wholesome, and rustic.  In contrast, the color burgundy is red’s more sophisticated cousin. One immediately thinks of aged wine. Burgundy adds a tone of wealth, refinement, and status to a project — an effective choice for an elegant restaurant menu.

A trendy, youthful, carefree, and vivacious theme befits bright pink. Paired with it’s complement — lime-green—hot pink creates an artsy, bold statement. Soft pink invokes anything delicate, soft, sweet, and romantic. Combine soft pink with the purity and innocence of white to communicate that which is  gentle and intimate.

Green is a primary color in the natural world. Dark green cues us to expect something trustworthy, traditional, restful, and moneyed. Light green provides neutrality, and calm, while bright green enlivens themes that are fresh, spring, Irish, and outdoorsy.

Black is the color of power, mystery, what is masculine, stylish, and expensive.  It’s nearby relative — any shade of Grey — is effective for what is professional, corporate, practical, and mature.  Flamboyance, creativity, spirituality, and fantasy are often expressed with the use of purple.  Purple and black have been used effectively to promote Harry Potter books and movies. Imagine these same colors as corporate logo for a bank. Would they convey trustworthiness and security?

Finally,  complementary colors enliven and strengthen each other. This is important to take into account as the human eye searches for unity in a visual composition. We experience wholeness and harmony when complementary colors appear near one another.  Read more about the importance of unity on the our web page describing the structure of good design.

Each hue on the color wheel has it’s complement— it’s exact opposite.  Purple is complemented by yellow, blue by orange, and red with green. There are variations with shades and tints of these colors too. While well designed logos synthesize a number of elements, ( read more about this), color selection provides a vital ingredient in the mix. Creative brand marks often incorporate complementary color for added impact.

Effective advertising collateral focuses on several dominant colors, embellishing a design with specific accents.  These accent hues may be analogous colors — colors that are adjacent on the color wheel— thus offering added harmony, which extends a color scheme.

In summary, follow the tips below to connect with your target audience through the discerning use of color.

• Understand the emotional connections color offers your viewers.  Consult color harmony books to the identify the symbolic meaning of each hue.
• Determine if the emotional tone of your preferred colors are appropriate for your project. If not, consider other color schemes.
• Where possible use complementary color for added punch.
• Explore using analogous colors when you need three or more colors for your project.

Colordance Design is pleased to share with you a variety of new or redesigned small business web sites. Each web site captures a distinct business identity through the artistic use of imagery, typography, color, layout, and custom coded web development.

We invite you to visit:

Nova Systems Inc. , www.novasystemsinc.com a control systems engineering firm in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The redesigned site features color enhanced images of machinery, coding, and schematic drawings as graphic elements.  An integrated WordPress blog  allows for easy news posts and archiving of Nova’s email newsletter.

Lith-O-Roll Chicago, www.lithoroll-chi.com, is the nation’s premier printing press roller and blanket distributor. The contemporary site includes an order online form with PayPal, on location photography, and illustrative typographic treatment of distributor products.

Kenwood High School Class of 1971, www.kenwoodclassof71.com, features an event logo for a class reunion with a design reminiscent of the 1960′s. Illustrations by Tina Oppenheimer of Ozark Cards.

Yoga Energy, www.yogaenergy.biz,  invites viewers to participate in yoga classes, meditation, and wellness workshops conducted by Patti Essig in the western suburbs of Chicago.

Edna Kovacs, MEd, Ph.D., www.poetineden.com, educator, author, and journal instructor resides in Portland, Oregon. Her site promotes journaling workshops and allows viewers to purchase the author’s books with a shopping cart store.

With Care Consulting, www.withcareconsulting.com, introduces Ron Kanutski, Mushkiki-Gizhibausens-Kwaa, Native American cultural teacher and group facilitator located in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Ron’s site provides extensive information on Anishnawbemowin(Ojibway) language and customs, and a flash video player.  On site photography by Colordance Design.

Colordance Design works with each business owner to determine what distinct web design and development specifics best meet their target audience needs. If you need a logo for your business we can design it. Together we create a visual conceptual theme with color selection and imagery.  We discuss the organization of your site content and web development features which may include :

• E-Commerce solutions including PayPal and shopping carts
• Integrated WordPress blogs which can be used in a variety of ways
• Photo galleries with thumbnails that enlarge
• Web calculators
• Animated Flash splash bars
• Music and video
• Web photography

We would be pleased to consult with you about your web site ideas and questions.  To read more about web site creation visit http://www.colordancedesign.com/Web/website.html

We look to forward to hearing from you!

Colordance Design

info@colordancedesign.com