COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY
The commercial photographic world can be broken down to:
• Advertising photography: photographs made to illustrate a service or product. These images are generally done with an advertising agency, design firm or with an in-house corporate design team.
• Fashion and glamour photography: This type of photography usually incorporates models. Fashion photography emphasizes the clothes or product, glamour emphasizes the model. Glamour photography is popular in advertising and in men's magazines. Models in glamour photography may be nude, but this is not always the case.
• Still life photography usually depicts inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which may be either natural or man-made.
• Editorial photography: photographs made to illustrate a story or idea within the context of a magazine. These are usually assigned by the magazine.
• Photojournalism: this can be considered a subset of editorial photography. Photographs made in this context are accepted as a truthful documentation of a news story.
• Portrait and wedding photography: photographs made and sold directly to the end user of the images.
• Fine art photography: photographs made to fulfill a vision, and reproduced to be sold directly to the customer.
• Landscape photography: photographs of different locations made to be sold to tourists as postcards
The market for photographic services demonstrates the aphorism "one picture is worth a thousand words," which has an interesting basis in the history of photography. Magazines and newspapers, companies putting up Web sites, advertising agencies and other groups pay for photography.
Many people take photographs for self-fulfillment or for commercial purposes.
Organizations with a budget and a need for photography have several options:
they can assign a member of the organization, hire someone, run a public competition, or obtain rights to stock photographs.
COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY is photography made or licensed for the purpose of selling a product,
service or idea where fine-art photography is created as an end in itself.
Commercial photography, is also often a collaborative effort of any number of people, from two to two dozen,
which may include an account executive, art director, stylist, photographic assistants and other specialists.
The exception may be still-life product shots, where the photographer may work independently or with only an assistant.
Most commercial photography is assigned by an advertising agency with the selection of the photographer most often being made by the art director,
but it may be done by the creative director, account executive or even at the request of the client.
Just because a photograph is commercial does not need to be devoid of art.
Many fine-art photographers and editorial photographers have done some of their best work for commercial accounts
while often the constraint of representing the product literally has been an obstacle to creativity.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Web design is a process of conceptualization, planning, modeling, and execution of electronic media content delivery via Internet in the form of Markup language suitable for interpretation by Web browser and display as Graphical user interface (GUI).
The intent of web design is to create a web site -- a collection of electronic files that reside on a web server/servers and present content and interactive features/interfaces to the end user in form of Web pages once requested. Such elements as text, bit-mapped images (GIFs, JPEGs, PNGs), forms can be placed on the page using HTML/XHTML/XML tags. Displaying more complex media (vector graphics, animations, videos, sounds) requires plug-ins such as Flash, QuickTime, Java run-time environment, etc. Plug-ins are also embedded into web page by using HTML/XHTML tags.
Improvements in browsers' compliance with W3C standards prompted a widespread acceptance and usage of XHTML/XML in conjunction with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to position and manipulate web page elements and objects. Latest standards and proposals aim at leading to browsers' ability to deliver a wide variety of media and accessibility options to the client possibly without employing plug-ins.
Typically web pages are classified as static or dynamic.
Static pages don’t change content and layout with every request unless a human (web master/programmer) manually updates the page.
Dynamic pages adapt their content and/or appearance depending on end-user’s input/interaction or changes in the computing environment (user, time, database modifications, etc.) Content can be changed on the client side (end-user's computer) by using client-side scripting languages (JavaScript, JScript, Actionscript, etc.) to alter DOM elements (DHTML). Dynamic content is often compiled on the server utilizing server-side scripting languages (ASP, JSP, Perl, PHP, Python, etc.). Both approaches are usually used in complex applications.
With growing specialization within communication design and information technology fields, there is a strong tendency to draw a clear line between web design specifically for web pages and web development for the overall logistics of all web-based services.
HISTORY
Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, published a website in August 1991.[1] Berners-Lee was the first to combine Internet communication (which had been carrying email and the Usenet for decades) with hypertext (which had also been around for decades, but limited to browsing information stored on a single computer, such as interactive CD-ROM design).
Websites are written in a markup language called HTML, and early versions of HTML were very basic, only giving websites basic structure (headings and paragraphs), and the ability to link using hypertext. This was new and different to existing forms of communication - users could easily navigate to other pages by following hyperlinks from page to page.
As the Web and web design progressed, the markup language changed to become more complex and flexible, giving the ability to add objects like images and tables to a page. Features like tables, which were originally intended to be used to display tabular information, were soon subverted for use as invisible layout devices. With the advent of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), table-based layout is increasingly regarded as outdated. Database integration technologies such as server-side scripting and design standards like CSS further changed and enhanced the way the Web is made.
WEB SITE DESIGN
Web site is a collection of information about a particular topic or subject. Designing a website is defined as the arrangement and creation of Web pages that in turn make up a website. A Web page consists of information for which the Web site is developed. A website might be compared to a book, where each page of the book is a web page.
There are many aspects (design concerns) in this process, and due to the rapid development of the Internet, new aspects may emerge. For typical commercial Web sites, the basic aspects of design are:
The content: The substance, and information on the site should be relevant to the site and should target the area of the public that the website is concerned with.
The usability: The site should be user-friendly, with the interface and navigation simple and reliable.
The appearance: The graphics and text should include a single style that flows throughout, to show consistency. The style should be professional, appealing and relevant.
The visibility: The site must also be easy to find via most, if not all, major search engines and advertisement media.
A Web site typically consists of text and images. The first page of a website is known as the Home page or Index. Some websites use what is commonly called a Splash Page. Splash pages might include a welcome message, language/region selection, or disclaimer. Each web page within a Web site is an HTML file which has its own URL. After each Web page is created, they are typically linked together using a navigation menu composed of hyperlinks. Faster browsing speeds have led to shorter attention spans and more demanding online visitors and this has resulted in less use of Splash Pages, particularly where commercial websites are concerned.
Once a Web site is completed, it must be published or uploaded in order to be viewable to the public over the internet. This may be done using an FTP client. Once published, the Web master may use a variety of techniques to increase the traffic, or hits, that the website receives. This may include submitting the Web site to a search engine such as Google or Yahoo, exchanging links with other Web sites, creating affiliations with similar Web sites, etc.
MULTIDISCIPLINARY REQUIREMENTS
Web site design crosses multiple disciplines of information systems, information technology and communication design. The website is an information system whose components are sometimes classified as front-end and back-end. The observable content (e.g page layout, user interface, graphics, text, audio) is known as the front-end. The back-end comprises the organization and efficiency of the source code, invisible scripted functions, and the server-side components that process the output from the front-end. Depending on the size of a Web development project, it may be carried out by a multi-skilled individual (sometimes called a web master), or a project manager may oversee collaborative design between group members with specialized skills.
TEN RULES FOR MORE EFFECTIVE ADVERTISING
Leahy's Law states that if a thing is done wrong often enough, it becomes right, and as a result, volume becomes a defense to error. When advertising fails to sway consumers, most advertisers follow Leahy's Law by increasing the frequency of the advertising hoping that more of what is not working will somehow work when consumers are subjected to more of the same.
Use the following 10 simple rules to evaluate the advertising you encounter. You may be disappointed, but don't be surprised when you discover that most advertising fails to follow any of the rules.
1. Does the ad tell a simple story, not just convey information?
A good story has a beginning where a sympathetic character encounters a complicating situation, a middle where the character confronts and attempts to resolve the situation, and an end where the outcome is revealed. A good story does not interpret or explain the action in the story for the audience. Instead, a good story allows each member of the audience to interpret the story as he or she understands the action. This is why people find good stories so appealing and why they find advertising that simply conveys information so boring.
2. Does the ad make the desired call to action a part of the story?
A good story that is very entertaining but does not make a direct connection between the desired call to action - the purpose of the ad - and the story is just a very entertaining story. The whole point of the story in advertising is to effectively deliver the desired call to action. If the audience does not clearly understand the desired call to action after seeing the ad, then there is no point in running the ad. Contrary to popular belief, having an entertaining story and clearly delivering the desired call to action are not mutually exclusive.
3. Does the ad use basic emotional appeals?
Experiences that trigger our emotions are saved and consolidated in lasting memory because the emotions generated by the experiences signal our brains that the experiences are important to remember. There are eight basic, universal emotions - joy, surprise, anticipation, acceptance, fear, anger, sadness, and disgust. Successful appeals to these basic emotions consolidate stories and the desired calls to action in the lasting memories of audiences. An added bonus is that successful emotional appeals limit the number of exposures required for audiences to understand, learn, and respond to the calls to action - people may only need to see emotionally compelling scenes once and they will remember those scenes for a lifetime.
4. Does the ad use easy arguments?
"Jumping to conclusions" literally gave our ancestors an advantage even when the conclusions that made them jump were wrong because delaying actions to review information could have deadly consequences. Easy arguments are the conclusions people reach using inferences without a careful review of available information. Find and use easy arguments that work because it is almost impossible to succeed when working against them.
5. Does the ad show, and not tell?
"Seeing is believing" and "actions speak louder than words" are two common sayings that reflect a bias and preference for demonstrated behavior. This is especially true when interests may not be the same. Assume audiences are skeptical about any advertising and design advertising that shows and does not tell.
6. Does the ad use symbolic language and images that relate to the senses?
People prefer symbolic language and images that relate to the senses. People are far less receptive and responsive to language and images that relate to concepts. Life is experienced through the senses and using symbolic language and images that express what people feel, see, hear, smell, or taste are easier for people to understand, even when used to describe abstract concepts. The language and images used in advertising should "make sense" to the audience.
7. Does the ad match what viewers see with what they hear?
People expect and prefer coordinated audio and visual messages because those messages are easier to process and understand. Audio and visual messages that are out-of-sync may gain attention, but audiences find them uncomfortable.
8. Does the ad stay with a scene long enough for impact?
People have limited mental processing capacities. Quick cuts to different scenes require people to devote more of their limited resources to following the cuts and less resources to processing each scene. It takes people between eight and ten seconds to process and produce a lasting emotional response to a scene. Camera movement or different camera angles of the same scene can engage people through their orienting responses while providing enough time for them to process the scene.
9. Does the ad let powerful video speak for itself?
Again, the processing capacity of our brains is limited and words may get in the way of emotionally-powerful visual images. When powerful visual images dominate - when "a picture is worth a thousand words" - be quiet and let the images do the talking.
10. Does the ad use identifiable music?
Music can be a rapidly-identified cue for the recall of emotional responses remembered from previous advertising. Making the same music an identifiable aspect of all advertising signals the audience to pay attention for more important content.
Leahy's Law states that if a thing is done wrong often enough, it becomes right, and as a result, volume becomes a defense to error. When advertising fails to sway consumers, most advertisers follow Leahy's Law by increasing the frequency of the advertising hoping that more of what is not working will somehow work when consumers are subjected to more of the same.
Use the following 10 simple rules to evaluate the advertising you encounter. You may be disappointed, but don't be surprised when you discover that most advertising fails to follow any of the rules.
1. Does the ad tell a simple story, not just convey information?
A good story has a beginning where a sympathetic character encounters a complicating situation, a middle where the character confronts and attempts to resolve the situation, and an end where the outcome is revealed. A good story does not interpret or explain the action in the story for the audience. Instead, a good story allows each member of the audience to interpret the story as he or she understands the action. This is why people find good stories so appealing and why they find advertising that simply conveys information so boring.
2. Does the ad make the desired call to action a part of the story?
A good story that is very entertaining but does not make a direct connection between the desired call to action - the purpose of the ad - and the story is just a very entertaining story. The whole point of the story in advertising is to effectively deliver the desired call to action. If the audience does not clearly understand the desired call to action after seeing the ad, then there is no point in running the ad. Contrary to popular belief, having an entertaining story and clearly delivering the desired call to action are not mutually exclusive.
3. Does the ad use basic emotional appeals?
Experiences that trigger our emotions are saved and consolidated in lasting memory because the emotions generated by the experiences signal our brains that the experiences are important to remember. There are eight basic, universal emotions - joy, surprise, anticipation, acceptance, fear, anger, sadness, and disgust. Successful appeals to these basic emotions consolidate stories and the desired calls to action in the lasting memories of audiences. An added bonus is that successful emotional appeals limit the number of exposures required for audiences to understand, learn, and respond to the calls to action - people may only need to see emotionally compelling scenes once and they will remember those scenes for a lifetime.
4. Does the ad use easy arguments?
"Jumping to conclusions" literally gave our ancestors an advantage even when the conclusions that made them jump were wrong because delaying actions to review information could have deadly consequences. Easy arguments are the conclusions people reach using inferences without a careful review of available information. Find and use easy arguments that work because it is almost impossible to succeed when working against them.
5. Does the ad show, and not tell?
"Seeing is believing" and "actions speak louder than words" are two common sayings that reflect a bias and preference for demonstrated behavior. This is especially true when interests may not be the same. Assume audiences are skeptical about any advertising and design advertising that shows and does not tell.
6. Does the ad use symbolic language and images that relate to the senses?
People prefer symbolic language and images that relate to the senses. People are far less receptive and responsive to language and images that relate to concepts. Life is experienced through the senses and using symbolic language and images that express what people feel, see, hear, smell, or taste are easier for people to understand, even when used to describe abstract concepts. The language and images used in advertising should "make sense" to the audience.
7. Does the ad match what viewers see with what they hear?
People expect and prefer coordinated audio and visual messages because those messages are easier to process and understand. Audio and visual messages that are out-of-sync may gain attention, but audiences find them uncomfortable.
8. Does the ad stay with a scene long enough for impact?
People have limited mental processing capacities. Quick cuts to different scenes require people to devote more of their limited resources to following the cuts and less resources to processing each scene. It takes people between eight and ten seconds to process and produce a lasting emotional response to a scene. Camera movement or different camera angles of the same scene can engage people through their orienting responses while providing enough time for them to process the scene.
9. Does the ad let powerful video speak for itself?
Again, the processing capacity of our brains is limited and words may get in the way of emotionally-powerful visual images. When powerful visual images dominate - when "a picture is worth a thousand words" - be quiet and let the images do the talking.
10. Does the ad use identifiable music?
Music can be a rapidly-identified cue for the recall of emotional responses remembered from previous advertising. Making the same music an identifiable aspect of all advertising signals the audience to pay attention for more important content.
BASIC CATALOG DESIGN RULES
In this page, you will find out about time-proven rules of good catalog design. Catalog design has transformed in many ways over time. And to cut through the clutter, your catalog or brochure must stand out and grab your potentail clients' attention. But you also must understand that different catalog design does not mean better sales. That is why it's usually a good idea to keep these basic rules of catalog design even if you're looking to try a 'out of this world' catalog design and layout. Here are the basic catalog design rules.
1. Good Catalog Design Rule 1.
“PLACE YOUR IMPORTANT OBJECTS / ITEMS IN THE UPPER RIGHT CORNER.”
Readers eyes first fall to the upper right corner of your catalog. This is natural since they read the catalog from front to back. So it make sense to place your strongest items in the upper right corner of the catalog. As you begin to layout your catalog design, placement should be the first thing you should take of. You also may experiment a little bit. If you are confident about your already strong item, place a weaker item in the upper right, thus forcing clients to read the whole page of your catalog. Instead of placing an item, try placing interesting article in the upper right corner of catalog. This also forces them to linger a bit longer on the page.
This is the most basic and simple rule of catalog design (brochure design), but it can have a big impact in your sales.
2. Good Catalog Design Rule 2
“LIMIT THE NUMBER OF FONTS.”
Having too many fonts confuses the readers. Limit the number of fonts of your catalog design and try to set a patter for each fonts. You can achieve a great catalog design using 2 to 3 fonts. Many start up designers tend to associate good catalog design with number of fonts they use. This is simply not true. Also, using bold and italic fonts in right places helps the overall catalog design to flow more easily.
3. Good Catalog Design Rule 3
“INSERT EASY TO UNDERSTAND ORDER FOAM.”
Design your order form with easy to read fonts and try to keep it as simple as possible. Catalog design doesn't end in product pages. Order form is also a part of catalog design.
4. Good Catalog Design Rule 4
“CONSISTENT LAYOUT”
Keep a common theme through the catalog design. Using consistent colors, fonts and designs, help the readers recognize your catalog no matter which page they are on. And developing consistent catalog design theme helps the readers to remember your company or brand name. Eventually, your goal is tome help the customers to recognize your company by using only colors and fonts. This takes planning and researching before going into actual catalog design process
5. Good Catalog Design Rule 5
“STANDARD CATALOG SIZE IS MORE COST-EFFECTIVE”
Find out from the printer what their standard trim size. Many times, printers already have templates and papers to print catalog more efficiently and faster. Of course unique format will attract more attention, but you have to calculate which option will be more helpful to your business.
6. Good Catalog Design Rule 6
“UNIQUE CATALOG SIZE ATTRACTS MORE INTEREST”
Unique catalog design, size and trim attracts more interest. In today’s crowded mailing market, sending bigger or odd shaped catalog will attract your clients’ attention. But you must remember that price increases as your catalog design becomes more unique. Still, it does note hurt to find out with your printer to see if they already have pre-made die-cut to accommodate your unique catalog design.
7. Good Catalog Design Rule 7
“A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS.”
But a GOOD PICTURE is worth a MILLION words. Instead of explaining on and on about how good your product is, spend a extra money to obtain a good product photography. Product image is a direct reflection of the quality of your product. You can’t afford not to look good. There are many types of product photography. Fashion photography, jewelry photography, electronics photography, scenery photography and/or interior photography. It all depends on what you’re selling. But make sure you find a photographer who is capable of performing photography you require. Many times, one photographer is not experienced enough to perform different photography.
In this page, you will find out about time-proven rules of good catalog design. Catalog design has transformed in many ways over time. And to cut through the clutter, your catalog or brochure must stand out and grab your potentail clients' attention. But you also must understand that different catalog design does not mean better sales. That is why it's usually a good idea to keep these basic rules of catalog design even if you're looking to try a 'out of this world' catalog design and layout. Here are the basic catalog design rules.
1. Good Catalog Design Rule 1.
“PLACE YOUR IMPORTANT OBJECTS / ITEMS IN THE UPPER RIGHT CORNER.”
Readers eyes first fall to the upper right corner of your catalog. This is natural since they read the catalog from front to back. So it make sense to place your strongest items in the upper right corner of the catalog. As you begin to layout your catalog design, placement should be the first thing you should take of. You also may experiment a little bit. If you are confident about your already strong item, place a weaker item in the upper right, thus forcing clients to read the whole page of your catalog. Instead of placing an item, try placing interesting article in the upper right corner of catalog. This also forces them to linger a bit longer on the page.
This is the most basic and simple rule of catalog design (brochure design), but it can have a big impact in your sales.
2. Good Catalog Design Rule 2
“LIMIT THE NUMBER OF FONTS.”
Having too many fonts confuses the readers. Limit the number of fonts of your catalog design and try to set a patter for each fonts. You can achieve a great catalog design using 2 to 3 fonts. Many start up designers tend to associate good catalog design with number of fonts they use. This is simply not true. Also, using bold and italic fonts in right places helps the overall catalog design to flow more easily.
3. Good Catalog Design Rule 3
“INSERT EASY TO UNDERSTAND ORDER FOAM.”
Design your order form with easy to read fonts and try to keep it as simple as possible. Catalog design doesn't end in product pages. Order form is also a part of catalog design.
4. Good Catalog Design Rule 4
“CONSISTENT LAYOUT”
Keep a common theme through the catalog design. Using consistent colors, fonts and designs, help the readers recognize your catalog no matter which page they are on. And developing consistent catalog design theme helps the readers to remember your company or brand name. Eventually, your goal is tome help the customers to recognize your company by using only colors and fonts. This takes planning and researching before going into actual catalog design process
5. Good Catalog Design Rule 5
“STANDARD CATALOG SIZE IS MORE COST-EFFECTIVE”
Find out from the printer what their standard trim size. Many times, printers already have templates and papers to print catalog more efficiently and faster. Of course unique format will attract more attention, but you have to calculate which option will be more helpful to your business.
6. Good Catalog Design Rule 6
“UNIQUE CATALOG SIZE ATTRACTS MORE INTEREST”
Unique catalog design, size and trim attracts more interest. In today’s crowded mailing market, sending bigger or odd shaped catalog will attract your clients’ attention. But you must remember that price increases as your catalog design becomes more unique. Still, it does note hurt to find out with your printer to see if they already have pre-made die-cut to accommodate your unique catalog design.
7. Good Catalog Design Rule 7
“A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS.”
But a GOOD PICTURE is worth a MILLION words. Instead of explaining on and on about how good your product is, spend a extra money to obtain a good product photography. Product image is a direct reflection of the quality of your product. You can’t afford not to look good. There are many types of product photography. Fashion photography, jewelry photography, electronics photography, scenery photography and/or interior photography. It all depends on what you’re selling. But make sure you find a photographer who is capable of performing photography you require. Many times, one photographer is not experienced enough to perform different photography.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Communication design is a sub-discipline of design which is concerned with how media intermission such as printed, crafted, electronic media or presentations communicate with people. A communication design approach is more concerned with messages communicated than aesthetics in media. The distinction between communication design and other applied arts is in the motivation: while the communication design process does involve a certain amount of self-expression and creativity, the goals are often those of the commissioning body rather than the artist's, and the parameters set by the commissioning body are often more constraining.
The term communication design is often used interchangeably with visual communication and more specifically graphic design, but has an alternate broader meaning that includes auditory communications as well as visual. Examples of Communication Design includeinformation architecture, editing, typography, illustration and professional writing skills applied to creative industries.
The term communication design is often used interchangeably with visual communication and more specifically graphic design, but has an alternate broader meaning that includes auditory communications as well as visual. Examples of Communication Design includeinformation architecture, editing, typography, illustration and professional writing skills applied to creative industries.
Monday, December 10, 2007
生活迫人：貧孝少年 實在撐不下去自殺一個令人心酸的故事。享年十八歲的他，父先患癌去世、母智障、妹仍求學，他中三輟學打工養家。但社署仍指他無申報入息，要分期攤還二萬元綜援金。昨日他實在撐不下去，上吊自盡...
在日常生活入面，我們很難想象某些人的生活方式，同時我們亦不理解別人的生活方式。也是當我們富貴的時候，總會覺得那一二百元的提款太少。去排隊是在浪費其他人的時間，或會覺得綜援大部份都是在浪費政府的資源，或是那悲情城市是他們自己自作孽.....
社會並沒有對某個社群的人有著公平的對待。而出現這些問題的時候，在我眼中，就只看到，實際政府可以作更多。只是那個臃腫的身軀，那個肥腫的架構，做不了太多事 ......
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
悲情城市
.....寫關於悲情城市的東西，先了解悲情城市從何而來，天水圍係新新發展既市區，發展這個市鎮的目的，是在消除因臨屋的完全清拆的政策影響的人。
那些都是新移民或是低收入無能力租住房屋的人，臨時房屋在九七前，擔起一個很重要的角色，在越南難民問題，新移民來港問題，以及那些四散的木屋問題上，有著暫時，及等候公屋輪選的居所。
偉大的第一届特區政府，為了體恤民情，起了很多居屋，希望人人都可以安居樂業，同時亦將消除臨屋作為政策。
從而幾乎地將散於各地既臨屋居民，一次過放在這個"悲情城市"中，這是忽略社區發展平衡的問題。
也是先有將之視為社會的包袱（將一眾基層都放逐於同一個地方）從而發展到今日看上很更像是社會包袱的問題。
基層市民，草根階層，同樣是這個社會的一份之，在社會中有著重要的角色，或者有人視之為社會包袱，但若低收入的工作沒有這班草根去做，可以找誰去做？有誰可以被那些無良的商家以不合常理的工資操控？而在低廉的服務的享用的其他階層，難道又可將之視之為社會包袱嗎？
所謂的悲情城市，是由一個錯誤的城市規劃開始。
而這種錯誤禍害是由現在將之化為頂峰。同時亦是貧富縣殊社會所產生出來的問題。
.....寫關於悲情城市的東西，先了解悲情城市從何而來，天水圍係新新發展既市區，發展這個市鎮的目的，是在消除因臨屋的完全清拆的政策影響的人。
那些都是新移民或是低收入無能力租住房屋的人，臨時房屋在九七前，擔起一個很重要的角色，在越南難民問題，新移民來港問題，以及那些四散的木屋問題上，有著暫時，及等候公屋輪選的居所。
偉大的第一届特區政府，為了體恤民情，起了很多居屋，希望人人都可以安居樂業，同時亦將消除臨屋作為政策。
從而幾乎地將散於各地既臨屋居民，一次過放在這個"悲情城市"中，這是忽略社區發展平衡的問題。
也是先有將之視為社會的包袱（將一眾基層都放逐於同一個地方）從而發展到今日看上很更像是社會包袱的問題。
基層市民，草根階層，同樣是這個社會的一份之，在社會中有著重要的角色，或者有人視之為社會包袱，但若低收入的工作沒有這班草根去做，可以找誰去做？有誰可以被那些無良的商家以不合常理的工資操控？而在低廉的服務的享用的其他階層，難道又可將之視之為社會包袱嗎？
所謂的悲情城市，是由一個錯誤的城市規劃開始。
而這種錯誤禍害是由現在將之化為頂峰。同時亦是貧富縣殊社會所產生出來的問題。
Thursday, November 29, 2007
How To Improve Your Publicity Design
Shaun CrowleyBy Shaun Crowley
Freelance designers who specialize in marketing materials are in high demand. As a result, freelance promotions designers can make a lot of money. So what specialized skills do you need to be a publicity designer?
Actually, you don’t need any. To move into freelance publicity design, all you need to do is:
- Familiarize yourself with the conventions of direct selling promotional materials, and
- Develop a basic understanding of your clients’ marketing goals.
That’s why the tips I reveal in this article are not really ‘design’ tips. They are practical tips aimed at giving you clarity when you interpret your brief. If you want tips on what colors or effects to use, this article isn’t for you. If you want ideas to help you plan your approach to publicity design, read on.
Direct selling promotional material
But surely your job as designer is to make direct selling promotional material look attractive?—it’s the copywriter’s job is to sell the product, right? Wrong. Your job is the same as the copywriter’s: to sell the product. Making the piece look attractive is important, but it’s a means to an end. The real goal is to help your client increase their sales.
So what approach should you take to sell a product through design? Here are 5 questions to ask yourself as you’re reading the brief:
- WHO IS THE CUSTOMER? What sort of people will read the publicity and buy the product? A clear description of your target audience will help you gauge what sort of feel your design should have. The look of your design should always reflect the preferences of the customer, not your own preferences or the preferences of your clients.
- WHAT ARE YOU COMMUNICATING? What emotions should you convey? What specific things should you draw the reader’s attention to? Read your client’s copy carefully. Use the message of the copy, especially the headlines, to inspire the ‘message’ of your design.
- HOW CAN YOU REINFORCE THE MESSAGE OF THE COPY? Is your design consistent with the messages in the copy? Can you increase the impact of the copy message in your design approach? For example, if you’re designing a brochure for some computer software, and the dominant marketing message seems to be that the software is ‘easy to use’, your design should reflect clarity and freedom, maybe with lots of white space and clear copy sections. In short, don’t rely on your client to brief you properly on what the design should achieve. Take the initiative to work it out yourself.
- CAN YOU SHOW PRODUCT BENEFITS? Can you demonstrate how good the product is through your choice of visual? Can you show how the product makes a real difference to people’s lives? Read through the copy and make a note of all examples of what the product does for the user. Then think about how you can demonstrate people benefiting from the product in your graphics and choices of photos.
- HOW CAN YOU PRESENT THE PRODUCT? Can you show the product? Even better, can you show people using the product? Publicity that shows people is proven to be the most successful at driving sales. Good publicity should encourage readers to imagine themselves using the product—so show people of the same demographic using the product! Get as many pictures of the product as possible, and work these pictures into your design.
If you want to learn more about improving your publicity design, start by learning about what makes good copy. Work out what the copy is doing and you’ll have a better idea how the design should reinforce it. My advice: Read a good copywriting manual.
Design custom brochures
Remember your best-practice approach for designing publicity. Think about the reader and think about the essence of the product, service, or company that the brochure is selling.
Below are 13 tips for designing custom brochures that sell.
- Find out what worked in the past. Take a few minutes to go through past publicity with your client to identify a successful look. If the target audience responded well to a particular style of publicity, there may be no point in reinventing the wheel.
- Ask your client if the company has a house style and if your brochure should be consistent with it.
- Keep in mind the product’s or company’s brand values when you are creating your general look. Ask your client to come up with five words that reflect the company’s brand image and try to respond to them in your design.
- For a general starting point, communicate an idea, a visual metaphor, or emotion that is associated with the product. Search the royalty free photo sites like Getty-Images or I-stock for images that respond to the general mood—but bear in mind your client will need to pay to use them.
- Focus the visual idea on the product’s Unique Selling Proposition. The U.S.P. is the one thing that readers will find most desirable about the product that is only true of that product.
- Make the headlines stand out. Reinforce them with visuals if possible.
- Use photographs as visual anchors. Faces help to humanize the design and make the product or company feel warmer and friendlier. Photos of people who reflect the target demographic work well because they help readers to imagine themselves using the product.
- Ask yourself what consumer-need the product responds to, and use this as inspiration for your visuals. Some designs work well because they remind people about the nasty things in life they seek to irradiate, then present the solution with a photo of the product.
- Use visuals to demonstrate the product:
- If the copy is highlighting a benefit, show somebody benefiting.
- If the copy is highlighting a feature, show it (for example, if it’s a small hand-held, show it to scale in someone’s hand; if it has lots of components or is part of big package, take a collective pack shot.)
- If the copy is highlighting the product’s popularity, show lots of people, preferably using the product.
- If the copy is guaranteeing the product, give it a guarantee stamp.
- If the copy is offering a money-back guarantee, show cash or a check.
- If the product is endorsed, show the endorser using the product.
- If the copy is leading with an impressive statistic, show it visually in a table or graph.
- If the product solves a problem, show a ‘before’ and ‘after’.
- Each spread of the brochure should seek to catch the reader’s attention anew, to keep readers hooked so they carry on turning the pages.
- Keep to a consistent style but try to let the design evolve with each page. A good brochure should tell the product’s story; it should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Try to reflect this in your design.
- Give the reader two options: to skim read and pick up the core messages from the headlines, sub-headings, visuals, and captions… And another option to read the headlines and the body copy linearly. Do this by creating a reading area where the general body copy fits into, but also pull out some of the additional copy messages, visuals, and flashes to catch the attention of wandering eyes.
- Recommend using printing techniques to reinforce the message of the copy, such as spot varnishes, holograms, die-cuts, unusual folds, indented pages, additional Pantones, and pull-outs.
I look for designers who have an awareness of my marketing goals. I look for designers who will sit and read my copy, and will only start to conceptualize the design when they have analyzed the copy. I look for designers who combine artistic talent with some basic marketing knowledge to help them interpret the brief.
And I’m not alone. I’m sure I speak for most campaign managers and copywriters. In short, these are the words of your prospective clients, so take heed. If you want to get ahead of the competition in the publicity design arena, you need to learn the basics of marketing and copywriting.
Freelance POP display design and exhibition display design
Here are 10 tips for effective POP display design and exhibition display design.
- Always think about who the customer is. Who will buy the product? Who will be drawn to the display? What are their likely ages, genders, occupations, incomes, personality types, goals, and aspirations? Use your knowledge of the customer to inform your design.
- The headline is king. It is the mouth-piece of the display. Your design must reinforce the strengths of the headline to help communicate its sales message immediately. Keep the headline simple and easy to read from a distance.
- Use compelling images for eye-catching impact. Images have more impact if they are clear, specific, and definable. For example, an image of a telephone on a plain background is more likely to grab attention than an image of indefinable objects such as bubbles, wisps, or stripes.
- Remember that faces tend to grab more attention than inanimate objects.
- Use the best quality images you can. Urge your client to buy the more expensive photos, not the cheap free images. Make sure the resolution is sufficient for large exhibition panels. All images must appear crisp and vivid at full size.
- If you are creating multiple display banners, brand your display with a visual theme, so people recognize and remember it. Most importantly, the theme must connect to the brand in some way, either via the logo design or the message of the slogan. It’s no use people remembering your design if they can’t attribute it to the company or product.
- If appropriate, try to include the product in the visuals you use. Make the product look as good as possible. Make it 3D, make it glow or sparkle, make it jump out and look desirable.
- Always conceptualize your display so that the product is presented or demonstrated in the best way possible. Don’t hide or embed the product, make the design revolve around the product so the product commands maximum attention.
- Jazz-up your POP displays by using different types of materials. You don’t have to print on cardboard—try using acrylic, canvass, or glass—but make sure the material you use is consistent with the product image.
- Strive for a unique look. Find out what other types of designs your display will be competing with, and use this to inform your approach. For example, if no one else is using fluorescent colors, and this is consistent with the brand image, use fluorescent colors. Maybe you can use lighting to your advantage. Gizmos like battery powered lighting or interactive features help give the display a unique look.
- Direct selling promotional material has one objective: to sell. Making the piece look attractive, although connected, is a secondary goal.
- You need to think about the customer and the message in the copy before you sit down to conceptualize your design.
- You need to improve your knowledge of marketing and copywriting to improve your publicity design.
- A good copywriting manual will give you an overview of marketing practice, so you know what your clients want, and what your publicity designs should achieve.
Google新版手機定位軟體 無須GPS也能找方向
Google的新追蹤功能與其他導航器材不同的是，使用者無須鍵入地址或座標，螢幕就會顯示電話的位置。
記得前幾天在電視見到google既一Ｄ介紹，google安裝了wireless的裝置係一個地區～令整個地區都可以連接無線上網，但亦令google知道使用者在哪個區域。以及傳送當個地區的舖頭或餐廳的資訊。
可以令人想像到的是，在現在所謂的資訊爆炸算是甚麼？算甚麼？ 差不多只是8086的運算，在未來的廣告及垃圾資訊以致個人私隱完全曝露的年代，那會像當時的CPU發展一樣。
亦像google在電視上說的一樣，你要免費的使用Google的東西，你就會犧牲你的私隱。
理直氣壯嗎 ？？？ 聽 上去是的。
但人道上卻不然。
資訊頻道在未來幾乎應該政府免費提供給市民的，因為每個生活在當地的人，只有知道或了解當生發生甚麼的。而且是不應有私隱上的侵犯的。
看來未來幾乎肯定是資料無處不在的世界，那種現在是充滿未來感的一個人空間（蛋形自閉空間的設備）。以乎是對的。可能以後要每天都躲在裹面。工作或是"裝"作很私隱很安全的感覺。
Google的新追蹤功能與其他導航器材不同的是，使用者無須鍵入地址或座標，螢幕就會顯示電話的位置。
記得前幾天在電視見到google既一Ｄ介紹，google安裝了wireless的裝置係一個地區～令整個地區都可以連接無線上網，但亦令google知道使用者在哪個區域。以及傳送當個地區的舖頭或餐廳的資訊。
可以令人想像到的是，在現在所謂的資訊爆炸算是甚麼？算甚麼？ 差不多只是8086的運算，在未來的廣告及垃圾資訊以致個人私隱完全曝露的年代，那會像當時的CPU發展一樣。
亦像google在電視上說的一樣，你要免費的使用Google的東西，你就會犧牲你的私隱。
理直氣壯嗎 ？？？ 聽 上去是的。
但人道上卻不然。
資訊頻道在未來幾乎應該政府免費提供給市民的，因為每個生活在當地的人，只有知道或了解當生發生甚麼的。而且是不應有私隱上的侵犯的。
看來未來幾乎肯定是資料無處不在的世界，那種現在是充滿未來感的一個人空間（蛋形自閉空間的設備）。以乎是對的。可能以後要每天都躲在裹面。工作或是"裝"作很私隱很安全的感覺。
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
1
[註：
1 . 成人／ 法團／ 合夥人參賽者承諾書。
2 . 須連同參賽作品一併提交， 否則參賽作品即告作廢。
3 . 參賽者須視乎情況， 選擇／ 修訂執行條款。
4 . 附於本契據的中文譯本， 只供參考。本契據的條文均不能以
中文譯本作解釋或詮釋， 或在任何方面受中文譯本的影響或
限制。]
轉讓契據及承諾書
日期：
致： [香港灣仔告士打道5 號稅務大樓9 樓]
中華人民共和國香港特別行政區政府， 由影視及娛樂事務
管理處處長代表(「政府」)
( 經辦人： 行政主任(報刊註冊)3 黃令發先生)
關於： [2 00 7 優秀網站選舉— — 漫畫造型設計比賽]
1 . 本人／ 我們 ，
香港身分證號碼 持有人， 現居於
(描述機構的身分和地址，
例如：根據 (國家名稱)法律成立的有限法律
責任公司) ， 註冊地址
為 ，
現謹就由影視及娛樂事務管理處的20 0 7 優秀網站選
2
舉— — 漫畫造型設計比賽( 「比賽」) 提交本人／ 我們的參
賽作品[ 作品] 及本契據。
2 . 本人／ 我們謹此承諾、確認及同意下列有利政府的條款。
3 . 本人／ 我們已細閱及明白比賽的條款及條件。
4 . 在作品根據比賽條款而獲評為優勝或優異作品[ 優勝作品]
的情況下：
4 . 1 本人／ 我們謹此將為達比賽目的而產生的作品的一
切知識產權，無條件地轉讓及轉移給政府(本段提述的
轉讓下稱「轉讓書」)， 生效日期為2 0 08 年3 月15
日。就本契據而言，「知識產權」指各類知識產權(不
論性質及出處、不論已知或其後產生者)，包括但不限
於設計、發明、專利、版權、工業知識、機密資料、
商業秘密、服務商標及商品名稱， 不論註冊與否， 以
及曾否提出批准該等權利的申請；
4 . 2 政府是所產生作品一切知識產權的單一絕對實益擁
有人； 及
4 . 3 本人／ 我們將會放棄作品的一切精神權利( 不論過
去、現在或將來)， 而放棄這項權利將有利於政府、其
認可使用人、再授特許持有人、受讓人及所有權繼承
人， 以及放棄所產生的效力。
5 . 本人／ 我們謹此承諾並同意， 按政府不時就本轉讓書的目
的而提出的要求， 採取一切所需行動及簽立一切所需的文
件及契據。
3
6 . 本人／ 我們保證及承諾：
6 . 1 本人／ 我們具充分行為能力、權力及權限訂立本契
據， 包括但不限於按照本契據的條款及條件以轉讓書
轉授權利；
6 . 2 本作品屬原創作品， 由本人／ 我們就比賽目的或在與
比賽有關連的情況下， 特別產生、構思或製造， 以前
亦從未發布；
6 . 3 本人／ 我們是作品的單一作者， 以及是作品所存在一
切知識產權的單一絕對合法實益擁有人。作品並無任
何產權負擔， 而作品自產生後， 本人／ 我們亦從未將
上述任何權利轉讓、轉移、特許或給予第三者， 而除
非本契據另外列明， 否則不會從事上述活動；
6 . 4 本作品不包含任何第三者權利；
6 . 5 政府及其認可使用人使用、運用或管有本作品， 並不
及不會侵犯任何一方的知識產權； 及
6 . 6 政府、其認可使用人、受讓人及所有權繼承人行使本
契據所授予的任何權利， 並不會侵犯任何一方的知識
產權。
上述規定將繼續具十足效力及作用， 不受時間限制。
7. 本人／ 我們須就以下事項引起， 或與其有關連的情況下引起
的一切法律責任、損失、訴訟、訟費、申索、要求、損害賠償、
開支(包括但不限於律師、代理人及專家證人的費用和開銷)、
4
可能為任何法律程序的和解而同意支付的任何償金及訟費(而
該項和解由本人／ 我們首先提出或以書面批准)， 以及所有其
他不論屬任何性質的法律責任， 本人／ 我們均須向政府作出
彌償， 並使其全面而有效地持續得到彌償：
7.1 對於任何因使用、管有或運用作品而侵犯任何一方知識產
權的指稱及／ 或聲稱； 及
7.2 本人／ 我們違反本契據訂明的任何條款、條件或保證。
上述規定在任何時間均具十足效力及作用。
8. 對本契據若有任何修訂、修改或增補，必須以書面方式作出，
並經本人／ 我們簽署， 方為有效。
9. 本契據構成了本人／ 我們與政府在本日期就轉讓事宜所訂定
的全部協議， 並取代和取消先前有關同一事宜的所有協議(不
論是口頭協議或是書面協議)、信件及任何形式的其他文件。
10. 本契據若有任何條文或該條文在應用於任何情況時， 在任何
程度上無效、不合法或不能強制執行， 本契據的其他部分及
該條文在其他情況中的應用亦不會因此而受到影響， 而本契
據的每項條文均屬在法律允許的範圍內， 在最大程度上有
效， 並可強制執行。
11. 本契據必須受香港法律管限， 並必須按照香港法律詮釋。
5
謹於上文首述日期執行及送達本契據為證。
由 〔個人參加者〕 ）
於見證人 )
姓名： (見證人姓名)
地址： (見證人地址)
面前簽署、蓋印及送達 )
[註：
1 . 成人／ 法團／ 合夥人參賽者承諾書。
2 . 須連同參賽作品一併提交， 否則參賽作品即告作廢。
3 . 參賽者須視乎情況， 選擇／ 修訂執行條款。
4 . 附於本契據的中文譯本， 只供參考。本契據的條文均不能以
中文譯本作解釋或詮釋， 或在任何方面受中文譯本的影響或
限制。]
轉讓契據及承諾書
日期：
致： [香港灣仔告士打道5 號稅務大樓9 樓]
中華人民共和國香港特別行政區政府， 由影視及娛樂事務
管理處處長代表(「政府」)
( 經辦人： 行政主任(報刊註冊)3 黃令發先生)
關於： [2 00 7 優秀網站選舉— — 漫畫造型設計比賽]
1 . 本人／ 我們 ，
香港身分證號碼 持有人， 現居於
(描述機構的身分和地址，
例如：根據 (國家名稱)法律成立的有限法律
責任公司) ， 註冊地址
為 ，
現謹就由影視及娛樂事務管理處的20 0 7 優秀網站選
2
舉— — 漫畫造型設計比賽( 「比賽」) 提交本人／ 我們的參
賽作品[ 作品] 及本契據。
2 . 本人／ 我們謹此承諾、確認及同意下列有利政府的條款。
3 . 本人／ 我們已細閱及明白比賽的條款及條件。
4 . 在作品根據比賽條款而獲評為優勝或優異作品[ 優勝作品]
的情況下：
4 . 1 本人／ 我們謹此將為達比賽目的而產生的作品的一
切知識產權，無條件地轉讓及轉移給政府(本段提述的
轉讓下稱「轉讓書」)， 生效日期為2 0 08 年3 月15
日。就本契據而言，「知識產權」指各類知識產權(不
論性質及出處、不論已知或其後產生者)，包括但不限
於設計、發明、專利、版權、工業知識、機密資料、
商業秘密、服務商標及商品名稱， 不論註冊與否， 以
及曾否提出批准該等權利的申請；
4 . 2 政府是所產生作品一切知識產權的單一絕對實益擁
有人； 及
4 . 3 本人／ 我們將會放棄作品的一切精神權利( 不論過
去、現在或將來)， 而放棄這項權利將有利於政府、其
認可使用人、再授特許持有人、受讓人及所有權繼承
人， 以及放棄所產生的效力。
5 . 本人／ 我們謹此承諾並同意， 按政府不時就本轉讓書的目
的而提出的要求， 採取一切所需行動及簽立一切所需的文
件及契據。
3
6 . 本人／ 我們保證及承諾：
6 . 1 本人／ 我們具充分行為能力、權力及權限訂立本契
據， 包括但不限於按照本契據的條款及條件以轉讓書
轉授權利；
6 . 2 本作品屬原創作品， 由本人／ 我們就比賽目的或在與
比賽有關連的情況下， 特別產生、構思或製造， 以前
亦從未發布；
6 . 3 本人／ 我們是作品的單一作者， 以及是作品所存在一
切知識產權的單一絕對合法實益擁有人。作品並無任
何產權負擔， 而作品自產生後， 本人／ 我們亦從未將
上述任何權利轉讓、轉移、特許或給予第三者， 而除
非本契據另外列明， 否則不會從事上述活動；
6 . 4 本作品不包含任何第三者權利；
6 . 5 政府及其認可使用人使用、運用或管有本作品， 並不
及不會侵犯任何一方的知識產權； 及
6 . 6 政府、其認可使用人、受讓人及所有權繼承人行使本
契據所授予的任何權利， 並不會侵犯任何一方的知識
產權。
上述規定將繼續具十足效力及作用， 不受時間限制。
7. 本人／ 我們須就以下事項引起， 或與其有關連的情況下引起
的一切法律責任、損失、訴訟、訟費、申索、要求、損害賠償、
開支(包括但不限於律師、代理人及專家證人的費用和開銷)、
4
可能為任何法律程序的和解而同意支付的任何償金及訟費(而
該項和解由本人／ 我們首先提出或以書面批准)， 以及所有其
他不論屬任何性質的法律責任， 本人／ 我們均須向政府作出
彌償， 並使其全面而有效地持續得到彌償：
7.1 對於任何因使用、管有或運用作品而侵犯任何一方知識產
權的指稱及／ 或聲稱； 及
7.2 本人／ 我們違反本契據訂明的任何條款、條件或保證。
上述規定在任何時間均具十足效力及作用。
8. 對本契據若有任何修訂、修改或增補，必須以書面方式作出，
並經本人／ 我們簽署， 方為有效。
9. 本契據構成了本人／ 我們與政府在本日期就轉讓事宜所訂定
的全部協議， 並取代和取消先前有關同一事宜的所有協議(不
論是口頭協議或是書面協議)、信件及任何形式的其他文件。
10. 本契據若有任何條文或該條文在應用於任何情況時， 在任何
程度上無效、不合法或不能強制執行， 本契據的其他部分及
該條文在其他情況中的應用亦不會因此而受到影響， 而本契
據的每項條文均屬在法律允許的範圍內， 在最大程度上有
效， 並可強制執行。
11. 本契據必須受香港法律管限， 並必須按照香港法律詮釋。
5
謹於上文首述日期執行及送達本契據為證。
由 〔個人參加者〕 ）
於見證人 )
姓名： (見證人姓名)
地址： (見證人地址)
面前簽署、蓋印及送達 )
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