19 Jan 2012

Image file types- Which should you Use?

January 19, 2012 By Scott Sanders 1 Comment

Choosing which Image File Type to use can be tricky…

Here’s Scott Sanders indepth explanation of image file extensions and how they can benefit your art business.

Many creative artists would love to be able to take advantage of the ease with which computers and the internet can increase one’s exposure. Images are such an integral part of the internet these days– just type any word into Google images to see how many pictures are posted!

But many artists are still confused about what image file type to use. In today’s fast-paced computer world, using the wrong file type can often discourage people from viewing your art.

Did you know the average time people spend on a website is between 60 and 160 seconds

So getting your images looking picture perfect & be able to download quickly is paramount.

We’ll look at the common image file types and see which ones are best for your situation.

But first, why are there different types anyway? Basically, computers have to convert images to numbers so they can store them and transfer them.

04 Jan 2012

10 Tips for Working with Kids

January 4, 2012 By Stephanie Rosestone 8 Comments

Tips for working with kids

I’m a Museum Educator. I’ve seen kids sleeping under display cases, jumping in lifts, making fun of staff and I have been endlessly asked if I’m serious with rolling eyes when I’ve asked for food/lollies/earphones to be put away. It comes with the territory.

So why would you want to work with kids? Because they also provide the most memorable moments, creative ideas, passion and inspiration. On pure business terms, kids are one of your major visitor groups and will be in the future. Engage them effectively now and they will likely come back to you as adults.

Not to mention, they’re a bunch fun.

Effectively engaging school and family audiences is a very worthwhile pursuit – good for them and good for you. So I’m going to share my top tips for working with kids.

1. Be Open

Whether your space is physical or virtual it needs to look like its open to kids. This means child-friendly (but not patronising) language, signage and activities at child-height, colourful and relaxing spaces and an element of fun. Avoiding ‘Do Not…’ signs is a good start. Find a good way to communicate that you want kids in your space.

Photo by Rose Holley

Child-friendly spaces at the Museum of Australian Democracy.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Tips Tagged With: art, community projects, leadership

26 Nov 2011

The Logo Design Process

November 26, 2011 By Ben Sullivan Leave a Comment

An insight into the Logo Design Process

The creation and design of a logo is a process equally shared between the designer and the client. Often the client has a clear idea of what they want. Sometimes it is inspired by something they have seen; another logo, a brand, or a photo/picture/painting. It is always good to ask if they’ve been inspired by another image as the client doesn’t always say where their idea has come from. Knowing the source enables you to best capture their vision.

This idea may be visualised by the client to differing degrees and it is the job of the designer to create the best interpretation of this idea.

From there the logo design process will have a mutual understanding. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Tips Tagged With: art, creative graphic design, great logo design, logos

21 Oct 2011

Lyrical Poems- Creating A Great Title

October 21, 2011 By Gaz McAliece 1 Comment

Creating A Great Title for my Lyrical Poems

When it comes to choosing a title for any of my Ranthems, I’m mindful of impact, affect and delivery. Obvious or cheesy titles have no place in my methodology in creating a Ranthem.

One of my most popular Lyrical Poems ‘Open Heart Note’ came about as a reworking of a concept I had brewing for a while. The concept was to describe a journey with my love of music which included heavier genre’s and to bring across the importance of keeping an open mind and allow your heart to explore different music.

‘Open Heart Note’ was one of those lyrical poems where I originally had a raw working title. After my concept was made clear and the chorus and body of the poem had been written, I had to take a mental step back because the title wasn’t working and it didn’t mould in with the essence of the poem. When I mentally step back from one of my poems, I take stock of what has been written and the original focus and look at the title being the essence of the poem. From this point on I start putting together words that marry well and capture the meaning of the original concept. Once I am happy with the new title, I then decide if I want to rework some of the lines to inject the title into it the mix. Most of the time I attempt to do this, with it working sometimes, and other times not so much.

With my Ranthems, some of the titles created with this methodology tend to sit in the back of my mind for a week or so (time tested if you will). Later on I’ll try and look at the title from the point of view of a punter on the street randomly being asked, “What do you think of this title?” If I still think it’s cool, it stays. If my first thought is nup, it doesn’t move me, then it gets either dropped completely or reworked.

Being a lyrical poet (like any passion) I need new challenges which is hard sometimes as no one can set these challenges when it comes to my Poetry. It becomes even harder when you think you’ve run out of challenges for yourself after writing a 41 poem book being Ranthems – A Book of Venom, Intention, Reflection.

Filed Under: Tips Tagged With: great titles, lyrical poems

02 Oct 2011

18 Book Contract Clauses that are Essential for any Author

October 2, 2011 By Tom Brosnahan 6 Comments

Essential Book Contract Clauses

18 Essential Customary Clauses to think about before signing with a publisher

1. Definition of “Publisher:” You may wish to define exactly what is meant in the contract by the term “publisher.” Is it the small office where your editor works, or the larger corporate division, or the whole conglomerate? It may matter because you may want to deal only with one office or division. See 18. Prohibition of Assignment, below.

2. Protection of advance: that any advance paid to the author need not be repaid; or, at least, that it need not be repaid if the author has made a good faith effort to fulfill the terms of the contract. If you and the publisher go into a project in good faith, you will incur expenses, you will spend time and resources. If the project fails, why should you lose more than the publisher?

3. Acceptable Manuscript: that the book will be deemed acceptable and fit for publication if it meets current industry standards for professionalism as determined by an impartial arbiter. The contract should stipulate a time by which notice of rejection must be made to you (ie, two weeks/one month/etc. after delivery); and that in the absence of such notice, the manuscript is automatically deemed to be acceptable.

4. Your name on the book: the contract must require the publisher to make your name appear in the book; on the title page at a minimum; preferably on the title page, front cover and spine.

“This is understood,” you say. “Why bother?”

Because without having it in the contract, it doesn’t have to happen. Nothing is “understood” if it’s not in your contract.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Tips Tagged With: book publisher, contract, publishing

20 Sep 2011

8 Tips for Self Publishing Success

September 20, 2011 By Julie McGregor 3 Comments

8 Tips for Self Publishing Success

Sending Images to your Book Publisher

This is the first in a series of articles by Julie McGregor owner of Love of Books.

Tip #1 self publishing- Images need to be supplied at 300dpi for the best print quality. (If you can only provide images at 72dpi they must be at least 4 times the size you want them to appear in your publication)

Tip #2 self publishing- Please supply images as TIF, JPEG or EPS files and avoid files such as GIF, BITMAP and internet pictures as these formats are not of a high enough quality for printing.

Tip #3 self publishing- Remember the publisher can only reproduce your pictures at the quality you have provided. We cannot improve the quality of your image. Be aware that lower resolution images can appear to be good quality on screen but may appear blurred when printed. To check the quality of your image open it in a standard photo editing package. eg. Adobe Photoshop.

Tip #4 self publishing- For full colour printing, convert your images from RGB to CMYK using image editing software. Your files will increase in size when you change them from RGB to CMYK. CMYK refers to the four inks used in color printing: cyan, magenta, yellow, and key black.

Tip #5 self publishing- If you have taken your photo on a digital camera please ensure the camera has been set on the highest quality setting. Do not downgrade the quality of the image before sending it to your book publisher.

Tip #6 self publishing- If you’re using a program like Adobe Photoshop your files should be at least 300dpi as the final print size. You can check this in Photoshop via the image menu and then the image size option.

Linked Images

Tip #7 self publishing- It is important when linking images that you do not re-name or move linked graphic files to another folder once they have been placed.

Tip #8 self publishing- Before supplying your document to your publisher ensure that all links are intact and that none have been broken.

Filed Under: Tips Tagged With: book publisher, publishing, self publishing