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To laugh often and love much... to appreciate beauty,
to find the best in others, to give one's self...
this is to have succeeded.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~
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February 2006
Having discovered my love of art early in life, I was painting in oils prolifically [if not well] by age 9. So at that ripe age I decided art would be the focus of my life and career. Determined, I told my parents, teachers, and eventually, my high school guidance counsellors about my goal. After graduation I was amused to read the comments of my former teachers in my dreaded, and until then sealed, "permanent record". Apparently deaf to my planned career path, every teacher after Grade 3 reported:
"Deborah devotes too much time to her art interests". Fortunately I never received the same admonishment from my parents.
Both my mother and father are artistic, and I learned by their example to nurture creativity, aim for perfection, take pride in a job well done, and to admit when I'd failed. "Anything worth doing is worth doing right." They lived by this code and they encouraged their children to do the same. More importantly they further encouraged me to pursue my dream, and if they ever doubted my ability to make a living at it they never mentioned it.
Leaving to begin my freshman year in college, my maternal grandmother [who had loved her career as a bookkeeper] shared with me this cautionary advice: "Make sure you love your career, because you will spend a good part of your waking day at work". Short, to the point, and never repeated, that message has remained with me for thirty years.
February 2006 begins the 20 year anniversary of Gardiner Design. Running a business has at times been a struggle and is always a challenge... but this much has remained true...
I love what I do!
And on the subject of love... I love my family for their limitless encouragement and support (often literal), I love my clients for entrusting me to give life to their visions, and my greatest hope for you all of my family, friends, and clients this Valentine's Day is that you too
love what you do!
Happy Valentine's Day from Gardiner Design, Debi 
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tech tip
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Logo Design & The KISS principle
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Earlier this month Gardiner Design was hired by another design company to update and simplify the illustrative "bug" of one of their clients logos, As you can see by the example, when the original logo is reduced it fills in and the flame almost disappears. The new artwork reproduces well, and brings a dated logo back to life in a clear yet playful way. Note: art will be incorporated into the logo design, by the original designer.
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KISS is an acronym for "Keep it Simple, Stupid". Strong words perhaps, but great a reminder to avoid the unnecessary complexity during the design process. This principle should become a mantra for anyone thinking of designing a logo, or having one designed for them.
Logos are meant to catch the eye in a simple straight forward way. Overly complicated or busy logos distract rather than clarify a message, and can be problematic when either reduced in size or converted to black and white for certain print applications.
It is always important to discuss logo usage with your logo designer before the design process begins. A logo which will be used exclusively on the internet can utilize multiple colors without incurring additional post-design costs, but that same logo may be expensive to reproduce in print. Another important consideration is whether or not the logo will ever be used in a newspaper advertisement. Logos in newspaper ads tend to be reduced substainally, so black simple bold lines work best. Logos that depend on color to create shapes would need to be reproduced as screen tints, which tend to fill-in and appear mottled at the customary 85 LPI (Lines per inch) used in newsprint.
A great logo is one which illustrates your company's message or product in an easily recognizable, sometimes conceptual, and seeming simple way. So remember to always "KISS" your designer before she begins work on your logo... and if you want a kiss back from me
click here and fill out my brochure request form then wait for the thank you.
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Special Valentine's Day features
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3 great reasons to love
Valentine's Day!
1. Chocolate
2. A glass of a red wine
3. Roses? No... flavonoids!
Recent medical research has found compelling reasons to eat chocolate and drink red wine (like we needed a reason:-) Flavonoids, a sub-group of polyphenols, are natural occurring compounds found in plant based foods, which have been found to have numerous health benefits. Flavonoids are rich in antioxidants which help our cells to resist the damage caused by free radicals. Without these antioxidants we are more susceptible to LDL-cholesterol and arterial plaque formation. Flavonoids are also thought to reduce platelet activation, allow better blood flow by relaxing blood vessels and positively effect cardiovascular health. Red wine is even thought to reduce the onset of Alzheimer's.
Like anything, moderation is key. One glass of red wine, and one ounce of chocolate a day. It is also important which type of chocolate you choose. Dark Chocolate is higher in flavonoids than is Milk Chocolate. Chocolate with a high percentage of natural cocoa, and which has been through the least amount of processing is best.
With all of the research and daily developments, there's plenty of information available if you care to read up on the subject. Personally, I plan to do my reading curled up with a glass of red wine, and nibbling my daily ounce of cocoa rich dark chocolate... of course a vase of roses next to me nice too ;-)
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DesignSpeak is a new feature of Gardiner Design e-news. In this section I will occasionally define or illustrate common graphic design terms which may make it easier to understand those mysterious terms we designers often utter. I hope you enjoy these Valentine's Day inspired additions.
Kisscut
A kisscut is a diecutting term often used in association with label printing. Labels are printed on self-adhesive paper backed with a non-stick liner. If a printed shape (a heart in this example) is cut out with a traditional die the resulting label would heart shaped. To kisscut, only enough pressure to cut through the adhesive top layer is applied, leaving the backing intact. The extra top layer around the heart shape can be left or removed, making the removal of the final heart label easier. Anyone who has ever tried to grip the end of a roll of tape that has come off it's dispenser can appreciate that!
Hickey
A hickey is an error during the printing process which results in a white spot on the final printed piece. Print shops can get very dusty because of the large amounts of paper being handled on a daily basis. If a small fleck of dust lands a piece of paper before it runs through the press, it prevents the ink from hitting the paper leaving a white spot. This type of hickey can show up on a very small number of printed pieces because the dust is constantly moving in the air. A hickey caused by dust landing on a piece of film while a printing plate is being burned, will cause a similar void of ink in the final printed pieces, although in this case, it will effect the entire print run as the hickey is actually in the plate itself... A very good reason to check, and sign off on, a printers proof before any offset printing job run is committed to paper!
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