Logo and business card design for PK’s Cajun Cooking of Mississippi.

The past month or so we’ve been working with a new local law firm getting their branding, print, and web materials ready for their official launch. Now that they’re up and running we proudly introduce Aaron Sanders Law! aaronsanderslaw.com

This past week Richline Technical Service in Corpus Christi, TX celebrated their 10th anniversary in business. To get the next decade started on the right foot they revamped their web presence and social media goals. We partnered with Neovia Solutions to redesign their site, as well as their sister company, Pyramid Communications. The view their new sites, facebook page, and learn more about their services visit http://www.richline.cc/

Congratulations guys, here’s to the next ten!!

This spring we’ve had the pleasure of working with clients in a variety of professions from non-profits, medical, the arts, and service/manufacturing. We’ll be updating the blog in the coming days with some of our most recent work both print and on the web.

Bernard Health – Special Event Invitation.

California State Parks – Special Event Invitation

Motley Melange – Photography website and blog (view site)

Barkaritaville Pet Resort – Website (view site) in partnership with McLeod Creative

Dr. Faron, Chiropractor – Website (view site)

As the year winds down, we’d like to wish you and your families a Merry Christmas.  We have been very blessed this year, and want to extend our gratitude to those of you who have helped us transition to our new home in Nashville, TN. We’re looking forward to our continued friendship, and what’s to come in 2011!

Every so often the programmers creating our favorite web browsers update them to make upgrades and improve our user experience. There are several reasons why it’s important to keep your browser up to date, and we’ll address a few of them here.

Web browsers are updated to improve functionality, add plugins to enhance the browsing experience, and to address any issues that the previous version may have been having. If you are using an older version of your browser (especially Internet Explorer), there’s a good chance that websites may not function properly, or look the way the designers and programmers meant them to be displayed. Most programmers will compensate for this by programming a website to work as far back as two previous versions of the browsers, but depending on the site and functionality, issues could still be present.

Failure to update your browser can lead to an inefficient, and sometimes unpleasant, browsing experience. And on top of that, there can sometimes be security issues with older browsers. So updating not only improves your overall browsing experience, but can also help keep your computer free of viruses.

If you try to view a website in an out of date browser (especially Internet Explorer) you may get a message like this:

As we mentioned before, programmers build sites to work with the most recent browser versions, so please take a few minutes RIGHT NOW and check what version of your browser you are using. Just open the browser, click on the name of the browser in the toolbar at the top and click “About”. This will tell you what version you have, and if you’re not using Safari 5, Firefox 3.6.10, Google Chrome 6.0.472.63, or (and I can’t stress this enough) Internet Explorer 8, please so do now.  It’s FREE.

**Rippke Design recommended web browsers: Firefox, Safari or Chrome.

So, you’ve had your logo designed. The files are finished and approved. Now what? Well, whether it’s someone within your organization, your designer, or yourself, it is extremely important to know who has your logo files. Any future designers, web developers, and printers are likely to ask you for them.

For some larger corporations a style guide may have been put into place to help understand how to use your logo, but for many companies, especially smaller ones, you may have a few file types, but be a little overwhelmed when it comes to using them. Knowing what those file types mean can save you time and money.

To start with, there are two types of files, vector based art and pixel based art. We’ll talk about them first.

PIXEL BASED ART is constructed using a collection of pixels in which each pixel has it’s own color. Think of them as tiny single colored puzzle pieces that when put together make one large, and complete, image. Because the human eye is not capable of seeing each individual pixel, we see a picture with smooth gradations. Photographs are one common form of pixel based art.

The number of pixels an image contains is linked to the resolution of the image. This resolution speaks to the amount of detail an image contains. For printing, images should be at a resolution of 300dpi, otherwise the eye will notice the pixels, and the image will lose definition. The computer monitor displays images at a much lower resolution however. Therefore, as a general rule, images found on websites are not suitable for printing.

Because pixel based images have set resolutions they can not be enlarged without losing quality. They are resolution dependent. The image below shows a photo at 100% and then zoomed in to show the individual pixels.

Common files types that use pixels: jpg, png, tiff, bmp, raw, gif

**Please note: Word documents are NOT an acceptable way to store or send images.**

VECTOR BASED ART does not use pixels. Vector files store the points, lines, shapes, and colors as mathematical formula, and the vector graphics program uses these mathematical formulas to construct the image. Therefore images built using vectors are scalable and print at their highest quality at all times. They are resolution independent. You can see that the image drawn below uses points and lines, and that even though the shape is significantly enlarged, it doesn’t lose clarity.

Common vector file types: eps, pdf, ai, svg

If you need a vector file altered (color, shape, etc.) your designer will need to use their software to do so. Vector files can be saved as any of the pixel formats. When this happens the mathematical information is lost. Therefore, if a designer or printer asks you for a vector eps you can not simply open a jpg, save it as an eps, and expect it to contain the information they need.

Think of it like this, your vector files are like cookie dough. If you bring it to me I can mold it, change it, add ingredients to it…and I can make cookies out of it. However, your pixel based files are like the baked cookies. They’re set. I can’t make dough out of cookies. It can only go one way – dough to cookie. Vector to pixel.

Again, this is why it is so important for you to know what file types you have. Different projects may require different file types. Don’t be afraid to ask your designer to explain the files they are giving you, and when to use each one.

All of our logo projects are built using vectors, and we pass both vector and pixel formats onto our clients. If this is/was the case for your logo project do yourself (and your designer) a favor and KEEP ALL OF THE FILES. This will make your future printers and/or designers happy, and will end up saving you time and money…especially if you end up losing the vector file and it has to be redrawn by a designer.

THE BOTTOM LINE
- Ask your designer for help understanding each of the files types they provide you with and when it’s appropriate to use each one.
- Keep track of your vector format logo files – Know where they are within your organization.
- Pixel based art is resolution dependent and should not be enlarged.
- Vector based art is resolution independent and can be scaled to any size.
- Artwork and photos taken from a website is not suitable for print.
- Do NOT send designers or printers artwork in a Word document.

Should you find yourself scratching your head, or without a vector format of your logo, don’t hesitate to drop us a line. We’d love to help answer your design questions, or rebuild that vector logo for you!

As you might imagine, we think art education is pretty important. After all, we wouldn’t be sitting here doing what we’re doing if it hadn’t been for the support of our parents and some very cool teachers along the way. And what kid doesn’t love finger paint and molding clay right? So we were pretty excited when Tara from Young At Art contacted us about designing the logo for her new venture – An art studio for young children…and their parents. They have a fantastically colorful space and were looking for something fun and whimsical, but that would still catch the eye of the modern parent.

We want to thank Tara for getting involved with the arts, and wish her and her whole crew all the best!

Hi! I’m Bean, welcome to Rippke Design. I don’t add much in terms of design skills around here, but I do spend most of my time lounging around the office being unbelievably cute…and spoiled. Come on in and let me introduce you to the design duo that works here designing and programming award winning websites, email campaigns, custom wordpress sites, facebook fan pages, logos, publication layout, packaging, and special event design. I call them dad and mom…but you can call them Nate and Ashley.

Rippke Design recently relocated to Franklin, TN. It’s an adorable little town just outside of Nashville. We are having a great time getting connected in the community, and are finding Nashvillians to be very welcoming. If you’re ever in the Nashville area we recommend stopping by the town square to enjoy the shopping and food this area has to offer.

Ashley holds a BFA in graphic design and has a strong background in magazine and publication layout, website design, and branding and identity.

Nate comes from a background of print and web design, and spends most of his time in the office speaking in code. He enjoys a challenge and has a strength for communication and staying ahead of the curve when it comes to what’s current in web design and technology.

Rippke Design has consistently satisfied the graphic design needs of numerous companies from around the country, and internationally. To view a portfolio of our work make sure to visit our new website up at, http://rippkedesign.com. And don’t forget to add us on Facebook and Twitter (links to the right hand side of this entry).

Now, while they get back to work, I’m going to say goodbye and snuggle up for a mid-morning nap. They’ll be updating this blog with images of current work, info about the design industry and how it relates to your business, as well as some useful resources to bridge the gap between you and your designer. And chances are good I’ll make an appearance here on the blog again at some point, so thanks for stopping by, and we’ll see y’all later!