Best Image Formats for Digital and Print

Computers consume our daily lives and as they evolve we need to learn more to keep up. But as this occurs many of us forget or never learn the basics. A basic that everyone in a design and marketing position needs to know is image formats. This is the process of organizing and storing digital images.

When images are saved, you are compressing the number of pixels and color depth. There is a whole algorithm involved when saving that explains the file size based on the number of pixels and colors, which is quite interesting. However, I will stick with a surface explanation in hopes of not losing your attention half way through this post.

In terms of algorithms it is important to remember that computers display color in RGB (red, green and blue). These colors are displayed using light, which explains why the color on computer monitors are much more vibrant than printed materials. Printed materials use CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and black). These colors are mixed together to create a wide spectrum of colors, but will never have as many colors as RGB. So the takeaway from this is that every format is unique to how it saves the number of colors. 

While there are many image formats out there, we will only focus on the best ones for digital and print: TIFF, JPEG, PNG and GIF.

JPEG

• Best used for the web
• Displays up to 16 million colors
• Most widely used and accepted
• Discards a significant amount of data
• Does not support transparency
• Cannot be animated
• Suffers from generational degradation – image quality suffers when repeatedly edited and saved

GIF

• Best used for web animation
• Used for images with limited colors
• Displays only 256 colors
• Creates small file sizes
• Supports transparency

TIFF

• Best used for print
• High quality image – all information is stored
• Keeps layers
• Very large file size

 PNG

• Retains quality and detail
• Displays only 256 colors
• Creates smaller file sizes than GIF
• Supports transparency
• Cannot be animated
• Not supported by all web browsers
• Not good for large images because it will create very large files

From this information we see that the formats best used for web are JPEG, GIF and PNG and the best format for print is TIFF. Retaining high quality images is very important in print, whereas web applications are more concerned about file size in order to have web pages load faster. 

I’ve learned that it is best practice to always save your original images at the highest quality possible. Remember that you can always size images down, but you can never save images up. While there are programs out there that help with image enlargements they will never produce the same results as having an original high quality image. Understanding and applying this will provide much more flexibility in the long run when deciding how to apply images to your design or marketing strategies.

A Must for Every Graphic Designer Portfolio: Infographics

When searching and applying for jobs it is very common to see “responsibilities include, but are not limited to”. You are no longer just the designer, but also the project manager and marketing coordinator. With a slow growing economy employers seek individuals with multiple skill sets.

Therefore, the ultimate question is: How do we acquire these jobs that are looking beyond the designer role? Do we get a second degree? We could, but that would be another expense that we can’t afford right now. Is there an alternative way? 

Well, as designers we present 90% of our qualifications through our portfolio. With that said, we need that one piece that represents our project management and marketing abilities and that one piece is an infographic!

 

This is an infographic I created as part of a brochure and added it to my portfolio. At every interview this piece got all the attention! Everyone loves infographics, but especially employers. Being able to convey data and a story in a visual form is very powerful and speaks a lot about your skills.

Infographics look simple, but require a lot of researching, data gathering and analytical analysis before a design is created. There is a lot of information out there and to visually represent it can be a challenge!

The point of an infographic is to display information in an interesting manner that is readable and easy to understand, especially to those learning about the topic for the first time. That all starts with identifying the story and creating a flow and hierarchy that connects the dots for the reader. A good test is to have someone glance at your infographic for about 30 seconds and recite back to you what the piece was about. If they cannot, go back to the drawing board.

I strongly urge you to put an infographic into your portfolio and to add keywords like analytical, marketing, research, project management and data on your resume. Set yourself apart from the competition and make yourself more valuable as a designer!

For infographic inspiration I like to use dailyinfographic.com 
To learn how to create infographics check out 10 Steps To Designing An Amazing Infographic 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. 

 

Keyboard Shortcuts: How to Become an Efficient Designer

When I started my first graphic design job it was nerve-racking to get a project conceptualized and designed within a specific time frame. I always wanted to provide the highest quality work, even to a client with a low budget. How could I possibly be creative and provide a great design with only so much time? I felt like I was in over my head. 

It turns out that many of us have this commonality where we struggle to find a balance between good design and time constraints, but the trick is to get into the business mindset and find ways to become more efficient. 

It took me years to figure this out, but the answer is as simple as keyboard shortcuts. You can increase your productivity tremendously by using just your keyboard. Start off by examining which tools you use most often and find its corresponding keyboard shortcut. If you don’t like the current shortcut, I know that many programs offer customization. 

Image Source: Setupablogtoday.com

To see a full listing of keyboard shortcuts for Adobe Creative Suite programs click here 

Now study and practice using them! It often helps to print out a chart and to place it next to your computer as a quick reference. Don’t worry if you are slow at first because as you continue to practice you will increase your speed. 

The great thing is that shortcuts are pretty similar across all operating systems. If you learn on a Windows computer you will easily be able to adapt to a Mac computer. The main difference is that the PC uses the Ctrl key while a Mac uses the Command key. 

I love keyboard shortcuts because they take the stress out of finding tools and makes switching between tools a breeze. The most satisfying feeling is when you use these shortcuts in front a client or co-worker and they look at you like, Wow! You know what you are doing. It makes you look more professional and people will notice. 

By utilizing keyboard shortcuts you are increasing your productivity in the final design process, which lends you extra time in the concept phase, if needed. Take the time to learn them because as I have learned graphic design is also about being business savvy. If you cannot design within a budget, you will struggle in your career so let’s take the first steps of being efficient by learning these shortcuts. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. 

Create Print Ready Artwork Using Adobe Creative Suite

The Adobe Creative Suite is a designer's best friend! It is the industry standard that equips you with Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat, Flash and so much more. While most of us become a fan and highly proficient with one of the several programs, you need to be comfortable with Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign to take your work from the computer screen to print production.

Image source: Teddy-O-Ted.com

 

Photoshop
Photoshop is the most popular program, in which it has become its own verb to describe the act of modifying photographs and that's exactly the purpose of the program...to work with photographs. Photographs are pixel based and therefore need special care with resolution. When utilizing Photoshop use it for all your pixel based images and scale them to size with a minimum resolution of 300dpi. Some print vendors may specify different minimum requirements based on their printing capabilities, but good industry practice is to utilize images of 300dpi. Also, be sure to convert your image to CMYK. 

Illustrator 
Whenever possible keep illustrator files saved in an .eps format. This will flatten the image for when you place it in InDesign. If you are a Photoshop expert it can be tempting to place the artwork into Photoshop as a smart object, but refrain from this unless it is vector artwork integrated with a photograph. Remember to also convert vector files to a CMYK color mode and outline your text.

 Image source: CreativePro.com

InDesign 
Once all the image elements are ready they should be placed in InDesign. Here you have the ability to do a final inspection, allowing you to view each image individually for proper resolution, color mode, etc. without the hassle of opening each file separately. Use InDesign to layout your design and add text where needed.

The benefit this program has over the other two is its ability to package everything together. What I mean by packaging is that it will create a folder that gathers all document links and fonts, making every image and font accessible to the print vendor. The last thing you want is to forget a file or have a default font replace the one you used. This makes InDesign a critical program for file management and should always be used.

Use these three programs as they were intended and print vendors will love you for it! 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned.