Christmas begins in June for one of my dear friends. That’s when she starts her holiday decorating — and boy does she decorate! She makes Macy’s pale in comparison. This past Christmas she had 11 full-sized Christmas trees, 22 small trees, and a collection of Santas — all on display in her modest Medina, Ohio home!

Trim on the one-of-a-kind trees can range from trinkets of great sentimental value from my friend’s childhood to treasures she has discovered in area thrift stores. Color schemes go from traditional red and green, to patriotic red, white and blue to art deco pink, white and silver. Trees can be found in every room of the house, including the bathroom which has a wonderful “ocean” tree complete with mermaid.

Each year she adds more to her collection. She tells me that she has been called obsessive by some, but I call her a creative artist. What do you think?

Check out more pictures at Komjati Design’s Page on Facebook.

Winter was nearing it’s end as Pantone LLC released the PANTONE® Fashion Color Report Fall 2010. With the bright colors of spring and summer still months away it was hard for me to get excited about fall colors.

Now that spring is finally here I’ve taken a peek at the fall season’s color pallet. All that I can say is “move over spring and summer because fall is going to be gorgeous”. We’ll all want to include these trendy colors in our fall wardrobe, and of course, in any advertising and marketing promotions that are scheduled to release in the fall.

To help you do this I’d like to give you my “Top 10 Fashion Colors for Fall 2010″ bookmark. You can use it as a bookmark or take it along with you to the shopping mall to use as a guide. It even includes CMYK values for my graphic designer friends. Click here and download yours now.

Recently I gave a prepared speech on advertising to my Toastmasters group. Afterwards, long time member Chet P. approached me with the following request: “If you see that guy at Marc’s, tell him to make the type bigger because I can’t read his sale ads.” Marc’s is a NE Ohio, locally owned, deep discount store, and Chet is one of a growing number of older folks who can’t read small type. And by older I mean over 40. I told Chet that I didn’t think it would do any good to contact the store owner because it’s a common problem in the industry.

Designers have been complaining for at least 20 years that the sale ads are too crowded. In the past, we would discuss the merchandise in meetings and the merchants could be persuaded to run less items. Today, the economy and the advertising industry are both in chaos and the merchants seem to have the upper hand. I also blame those young “whipper-snapper” designers who are still able to read small print. Just because 6 point type is available doesn’t mean you have to use it. As a matter of fact, advertising disclaimers must be at least 8 point type to meet the retail advertising regulations of some states.

Did you happen to see the “FREE Gift with $20 Purchase” offer that another Ohio-based chain store advertised over the Christmas season? The “free gift” was just an empty box—a plain, white gift box that stores like Macy’s routinely give away. The store’s Facebook fans discussed it at length and called it “CHEAP.” To quote Charlotte Beers (Advertising Hall of Fame 2009 inductee) “It’s not what you say [FREE] but what they hear [CHEAP].”

DOWNLOADS

Spring really is just around the corner, at least as far as the fashion industry is concerned. If you haven’t downloaded your “TOP 10 Colors for Spring 2010” bookmark, CLICK HERE to get yours now. Use it as a bookmark or take it along as a color guide when shopping. Graphic designers will find the CMYK values given for each color handy, too.

Looking for unique events to celebrate? CLICK HERE to download your very own “2010 Retail Promotional Calendar.” Never miss National Karaoke Week or National Bathroom Reading Month again.

I can’t believe I didn’t post anything in November. Sorry about that, especially since I promised many of you that I would write more often. Things have gotten hectic in both a good and bad way. The good way is that one of my favorite clients has needed lots of my time. The bad way is that I had a 2-week bout with some sort of coughing virus that drained my energy. I am feeling great now, worked out twice this week and have been able to get out and walk the dog, too.

As you may remember from a previous post, I love to talk about the importance of color. Color can make you, your clothes and your advertising materials look either old and outdated or fresh and exciting. Choose the latter by incorporating into your wardrobe the colors featured in the Spring 2010  PANTONE® Fashion Color Report. Watch for these trendy fashion colors to show up in spring advertising and marketing materials, too.

Christmas is quickly approaching (only 23 more shopping days) and I would like to take this opportunity to give my readers an early holiday gift. I designed a bookmark showing the “TOP 10 Colors for Spring 2010″ that are listed in the Pantone® Fashion Color Report mentioned previously. CLICK HERE to download yours now. Use it as a bookmark or take it along as a color guide when shopping. Graphic designers will find the CMYK values given for each color handy, too. Remember that all printers print color differently, so use it as a guide and not a high-end color matching system. This is just my way of saying “Thank you and Merry Christmas.”

I’ll be starting my Christmas decorating this weekend and keeping it very simple because of our cats and dog. The “critters” think that anything new is a toy just for them so I’ll be placing everything very high. If you’re starting your decorating, too, and searching for some unique creative inspiration, you’ll want to read Kiki Titterud’s 5 simple steps to using pink in Trend Tuesday: Pink is the New Red…this Christmas.

Shopping for a special Christmas gift for yourself? How about a new or updated look? Dawn Waldrop is a professional image consultant. I hired Dawn 3 years ago when both my closet and image got out of control. We replaced my warm colors (lots of brown and orange) with cool colors (blues and reds). She even gave me the courage to buy red framed prescription glasses. What a difference it has made—thanks Dawn!

Let me know what creative topics you would like me to write about in 2010. I’m always available to answer any of your advertising and marketing questions, review a portfolio or recommend a professional photographer, photo retoucher or printer.

Enjoy your holiday season and remember—whatever you do—do it creatively.

There’s a recent trend for designers to use very small, light weight fonts. While it may look nice and allow for more content to be displayed, it doesn’t always work. With the average American being bombarded with up to several hundred messages every day, the hard-to-read messages are ignored, especially by older Americans.

The following age-related factors should be considered when selecting fonts and colors: 

• One in four Americans is a 45- to 63-year-old Baby Boomer. This is the largest population group in U.S. history.

• Near the age of 40, the lens of the human eye begins to harden and small type becomes difficult to read. 

• Around the age of 65, the lens of the eye thickens and yellows. Things begin to look more yellow and it becomes hard to distinguish between shades of green and blue. 

Much like a fine pianist, a designer’s personal style, talent and knowledge determine the quality of the finished piece. For advertising to be successful, the designer must know and understand the target audience.

A coworker once walked into my cubicle at Sterling Jewelers and informed me that she could do my job if she had the software. My reply was that I had been a designer long before they had even thought of the software (see my 1983 hand-drawn newspaper ad layouts above).

Today this “anyone can do it” attitude runs rampant among advertisers. I can’t stress it enough, design is more than pretty pictures and cool software. It’s a complex tool used to change consumer perception and behaviors and I’ve yet to find that keystroke command on my keyboard…

Everyone knows the importance of red to Coca-cola, brown to UPS and pink to Mary Kay, but color is important for more than logos – color is an emotional tool that effects us both mentally and physically.  Red can actually make the heart beat faster, raise the blood pressure and stimulate the pituitary gland. A recent study proves what advertising experts have known for years about red –  that it makes men feel more amorous toward women and willing to spend more money on us.

Some companies give little thought to color selection. Some select colors for their advertising based on the CEO’s personal preferences or let printing costs drive their selection. In the example shown here they probably saved money by using the company’s two logo colors and black. Unfortunately the logo colors are green and blue which create very disturbing skin tones. When you read the text you’ll discover that the photos represent patients that have used the company’s line of skin cleansers and moisturizers. Hmm. Wouldn’t you prefer to see healthy, glowing skin?

Never use green, blue or red for skin tones unless using them for their psychological impact. Use green skin tones for illness, blue for death and red for embarrassment or pain. With studies showing that nearly 80% of consumer purchasing decisions being based on color and packaging alone, shouldn’t we give color selection the respect it deserves?

TIP: Expect brilliant, sunny-yellow Mimosa to be popping up. The Pantone Color Institute has forecast it as the 2009 color of the year!