Reinventing the Wheel (The Color Wheel, That Is)

If you're fascinated by color (like we are) check out Pantone's blog, which features an article from IMPRINT magazine.  Titled “The Wonderful Color Wheel Part 1 and Part 2,” it traces the development of the color wheel and other color organizational systems over the past 200 years.

Sound too weighty?  At least take a peek at the amazing pictures! 

The images are representations of the thinking and the technology of their times, illustrating an intertwining of art and science, of inspiration and mathematics. We're showing you one here; to see the rest go to Pantone's blog.

Hot Color Trends for 2010 -- Color Marketing Group Weighs In

A color that used to be strictly for fashion is the Group's pick, set to be the year's biggest star for everything else. What is it? The leading international organization of color design professionals says its GRAPE.

Officially called "Mardi Grape," it is "a sophisticated crossover between purple, brown and gray. It comes from fashion and has European roots."

According to CMG's president, James Martin, "Purple has been with us for awhile now, but the big story is that we're seeing purple as a neutral for the very first time. The purple is browner and grayer, a neutral we can love long-term."

CMG also predicts these trends:

Red - Strong with pink intuition; bright and clean with energy and excitement -- a clean pop to go with neutrals.

Orange - A rich, sophisticated color that moves away from earth-based colors to an optimistic orange, seasoned with a touch of gray.

Yellow - A greener, more natural yellow, softened with gray.

Green - Optimistic and uplifting, a clear and bright accent green with a slight shift toward blue.

Blue - A saturated blue with gray influences; rich without being too luxe.

Beige-Brown - A true chameleon to complement darker hues, it can be either matte or metallic.

Neutral/Gray - Gray with a touch of purple, drawing inspiration from mineral, concrete and steel.

The Color Marketing Group, the leading international non-profit association of color design professionals, has been accurately predicting color trends for more than 45 years.

Learn more about our printing services at http://www.pricedrightprint.com/.

What You Need to Know About Commercial Printing Inks

Priced Right Print uses state-of-the-art Heidelberg presses to produce vibrant, four-color (a.k.a. full-color) pieces, with or without aqueous coating.* Choose from the following options:

4 over 4 color -- Full-color printing on both sides of the sheet of paper

4 over 4 color with aqueous*-- Same as "4 over 4 color" with a protective, water-based coating

4 color over black -- Full-color printing on the front of a sheet with black ink only on the back

4 color over black with aqueous*--Same as "4 color over black" with a protective, water-based coating

4 color over none -- Full color printing on the front of a sheet with no printing on the back

4 color over none with aqueous*-- Same as "4 color over none" with a protective, water-based coating

*About Aqueous Coating

Aqueous is a clear, fast-drying, water-based (and environmentally friendly) coating that is used in offset printing to protect finished pieces. It provides a high-gloss surface that helps prevent fingerprinting and scuffs, and improves the durability of pieces that go through the mail or are subjected to other types of wear and tear. In addition to protection, aqueous gives extra "pop" to color and imagery, and makes any piece look more impressive.

Commercial Printing: How to Reduce Your Print Project's Environmental Impact

When it comes to commercial printing, a few small steps can go a long way toward minimizing the impact your printed piece has on the environment:

• Whenever possible, choose papers that are certified for sustainability. Your printer can help you identify options that are right for your project, right for your budget and right for the environment.

• Go with an aqueous coating instead of one of the traditional UV coatings or laminates. Water-based aqueous coatings provide the same resistance against scratches as other coatings, but without the harmful impact on the environment.

• Ask for a "soft proof" instead of a traditional proof. You'll save yourself time and money while reducing the use of energy and materials used to create a hard proof.

• Recycle outdated and unused print materials, and encourage your audience and associates to do so, too.

Simple Steps for Good Graphic Design

Professional design strikes a delicate balance between text, artwork and white space. Without that balance, you can confuse your reader and turn out a marketing piece that fails to do its job.
Whether you design your marketing collateral yourself, or hire someone to do it for you, keep in mind these simple guidelines:

• The typography you select helps set the tone for your piece, and its size and color create an information hierarchy that lets the reader know what's most and least important.

• Imagery, whether it's photos or illustrations, should do more than decorate; it should pull the reader into the piece and convey information that supports your copy.

• White space is a good thing; use it generously. Let your printed materials breathe, so as to not suffocate the recipient with information overload.

• Never compromise on photo quality. A picture is only worth 1,000 words if it’s a good one. Quality printing helps your photos look great and lets you stay true to that premise. For more about images and resolution, see Design Tips.

Purple is Hot and Blue is the New Green

Graphic designers, fashionistas and design gurus in every field already know that The Color Marketing Group has picked purple as the must-have color of the year. For those of us to whom the news trickles more slowly, check this out http://www.colormarketing.org/Media.aspx?id=1095 and find out which colors lead the pack in "challenging economic times," and which ones convey the optimism we all crave.

Green Printing: The Graphic Designers Field Guide to Sustainability

Check out this green design resource from Lunar for information that will help graphic designers produce projects that are as environmentally friendly as possible. Designers are encouraged to consider these questions: 1) What is it the piece trying to accomplish? 2) How is it brought to life? 3) How is it used? 4) Where does it end up?

(Also, see PRP's green printing initiatives for paper, proofing, coating and other green options we can all feel good about.)

Looking for Marketing and Printing Blogs?

If you'd like more opportunities to blog about printing, marketing, graphic design and other related topics, check out http://www.blogcatalog.com/directory/business/marketing. There you'll find a complete directory of blogs on nearly every subject imaginable.