Why your logo design may not be print ready (yet)
Signing off on a brand-new logo design is a thrilling moment for any business owner (if we were its creators, rest assured it’s an exciting moment for us, too!)
Now you’ve got something that perfectly encapsulates all your business is and does, you can’t wait to show it off. Excitedly, you start adding your new logo design to your social media profiles and updating your email signature. Next on the list are flyers, brochures, business cards, T-shirts… the works!
But before you get printing, here’s something to think about.
Graphic design for print is very different from graphic design for digital and the web.
Shaun and I both cut our teeth designing for print. Over the years, we’ve seen our designs grace everything from posters and pamphlets to packaging and pens, which means we’ve developed a strong understanding of what works and what doesn’t.
We now use our hard-won experience to advise clients about the best ways to present our designs in print.
Here are some of the most common issues we talk about.
1. Colour
Those brilliant shades you love on your website will look very different on a piece of paper or fabric unless they’ve been specifically formatted to remain consistent (broadly: CMYK for print, and HEX/RGB for web).
We always provide full-colour breakdowns for print and digital, so your favourite colours will be consistent across both. Additionally, RGB files that are not converted properly will print completely different shades, so we always set up all of our logos, graphics, and images as CMYK.
Designers like us will also work with the Pantone matching system, which uses individual reference numbers, to find media-equivalent colours. If we’ve designed your logo, and if it’s required, you’ll receive these numbers as part of your logo reference guide.
2. Layout
People absorb information differently when it’s presented on a screen, than when they see it on a printed leaflet – on which you will usually have less space to play around with.
Unfortunately, this means you can’t just lift copy and images directly from your website, and expect them to work as effectively, or look as good, on a flyer. Your logo and other images may need to be resized, with text shortened and/or repositioned.
3. Practicality
We recently advised a client not to print their luxury gift vouchers on glossy paper. Why? Because when they go to write on them, the ink will smudge!
Practicality also covers issues like printing techniques. The quality of digital printing has improved dramatically over the years, but lithographic printing, which uses wet ink and printing plates, is usually better if you’re printing in bulk, say for a bumper run of leaflets.
Won’t your chosen printer advise and correct all of the above for you?
They might, although it isn’t their job to offer advice or correct errors (including things like glaring spelling mistakes in copy). Their job is simply to print whatever you’ve asked them to print.
Bear in mind that some printing companies may not be familiar with, or won’t want to recommend options that produce a better result, especially if they can’t offer them. It’s their business, after all!
All of this is why we don’t just offer advice at Northsouth Design. We also work closely with trusted print partners, combining our expertise with theirs to ensure your chosen materials look and feel their absolute best.