Physical Copies--Do's and Don'ts

Hey all! We're pretty slammed with the winter posters, but we wanted to take a moment to talk about physical copies of artwork. We received a lot of copies of business cards, menus, brochures, and post cards in the mail for sponsor art, and noticed a few things that just keep coming up. Let's take a moment to touch on what to do--and not do--with physical copies.

1. Please do NOT staple, tape, paper clip, or otherwise affix your art to anything. It may seem harmless enough, but it damages the copies and makes them difficult to work with.
2. Please DO include more than one copy of your art. At least two, but four is a safer bet.
3. Please do NOT draw on your art, unless you have included a clean copy with it as well. Art that has boxes, words, arrows, sharpie marks... it's damaged and likely cannot be used.
4. Please DO include a copy of your sales receipt/invoice with your art. Sometimes it's not recognizable based on what we have in our notes.
5. Please DO include a separate sheet if you are going to make notes. Or send us an email, or call! Just remember the first DON'T, never ever affix your art to anything else.
6. Please DO send the latest version of your artwork. We aren't psychic, we don't know if your art has changed since then.

That's it. Happy art-ing!

Relocation

Hello Everyone,

The Design Team is moving! We're very excited for our new facilities that will give us more room to romp, play, and--oh yeah--design. What does this mean for you? Well, nothing, except that we now have a new address for all physical copies of artwork. Please make a note of it if you need to send art to us at our new playground office.

1155 Sportfisher Dr Ste 280
Oceanside, CA 92054


Happy art-ing!

Why You Won't Read This Post --- Tips For Outdoor Advertising

We've all seen it; a billboard on the side of the road, a flyer taped to the wall outside your favorite coffee shop, the bumper sticker on the car in front of you. All of these things have something in common... they are outdoor advertising. Entrepreneur.com defines outdoor advertising as "Any advertising done outdoors that publicizes your business's products and services.*" This includes billboards, car stickers, a sign towed behind a plane, and yes, the sports poster for the school that you're sponsoring.

While not all of the posters will be put strictly outside (technically they are inside, being displayed in windows) the same principles apply. Your ad will be seen while most people pass by, and so will only have a short amount of time to look over the entire thing. Not just your ad, but the whole poster! While our first instinct is to cram as much information about our businesses into your ad-space as possible, all that will do is cause someone in a hurry to skip right over it. No one wants to stop and read a wall of text in a 3"x2" space when they are running late for work. In fact, I can think of very few people who want to stop and read a wall of text in an advertisement at all.

Take a look at the advertisements that get your attention, and I mean really look at them. What colors do they use? What kind of images are in them? What fonts do they use, and how many words? Does the ad feel full and cramped, or is there room for your eye to move? (for some excellent examples of outdoor advertising, check out the Outdoor Advertising Association of America's website.)

So, what did you see? Strong, emotionally-charged colors. Bold type appropriate for the target audience. But most importantly, there is very little to read, isn't there? What is there can be taken in at a glance. Unless a person is sitting down to research a product or service, there is very little chance that they will dedicate their time to reading about the twenty different reasons your company is better than the other guys. In order to get them to the point where they pick up the phone to call you or open their web browser to check out your site, you have to get their attention.

Well, then, how do you make your ad stand out? How do you convince a customer that they need your business in their life?

Easy. Make an impression! Let's break down the four most important points into a list--because we do so love lists around here.

1) Think about your target audience. Who are you trying to reach with your ad? An advertisement geared towards teenagers will be vastly different than an ad geared towards senior citizens. Don't be afraid to put yourself in your customer's shoes and ask yourself what you would want if you were them. Advertising bouncy houses? Use bright colors and fun images. The same theme wouldn't apply well to an insurance agency.

2) Make it look professional. I know this seems like a no-brainer, but you would be surprised how many things take away from the overall integrity of an ad. Simple things like small typos (confusing your and you're is the most common error we come across) or having a logo that isn't at a high resolution can really kill your image. Always have someone else double-check your work for you, and always run your text through a spellchecker.

3) Keep text to a minimum. We're beating a dead horse at this point, but I really cannot stress this enough. Resist the urge to put a lot of text in your advertisement, no matter how fancy and cool it looks. The simpler and more concise your ad is, the better.

4) Draw the eye in a circle. This is a sneaky design secret. Making a pattern that will draw the eye in a circle causes a viewer to want to review your ad more than once, making it more likely that they will retain your information. Take a look at this advertisement for Bank Forum.

See how easy it is to look at this ad more than once? You easily get drawn in to the advertisement. Look at all the blank space, how little text there is. This ad is a great example of using space to both make a point and impress information on the viewer. Ads don't need to be complicated to get your message across effectively.

Remember, if you are designing your ad yourself or working with a professional, keeping things simple is the best way to get your point across. Less is more. If you need some help, don't hesitate to ask us!

Happy art-ing!

FAQ

Many times we will get the same questions from different sponsors. We love to help, so the Design Team put together this handy-dandy frequently asked questions list. Check it out for A's to some very common Q's.

Q: It's been a while. Where is the poster that my ad is on?

   A: We start months in advance with most schools to make sure that the posters are ready for the season. Getting sponsorships, collecting artwork, designing, printing, and distributing the poster is a monumental task that can take a long time. To make sure the posters aren't late for their respective seasons, sponsorships are arranged as far as four months ahead of the poster printing.

 But double-check, too, that your artwork was submitted on time. Remember that anything not submitted on time goes to a sponsorship listing only, which means you didn't get on the poster. :( No one wants that, which is why it's so important that everyone submits on time!

Q: What are the dimensions for my ad?

    A: While the resolution and color are the same for everyone (300 dpi, full color... though all of that info can be found here), not everyone's size is the same. Check your invoice or sales receipt. The size should be in your line items and will read something like "X Advertising Sponsorship, 2x2."

Q: Can I use my business card for my advertisement?

   A: Sure! Lots of people use their business cards. If your card is different from your ad in dimensions, ask your designer if it can be resized and adjusted to best use your space.

Q: What file types do you accept?

   A: All of that information can be found here. For handy reference, we accept .psd, .png, .pdf, .jpeg, .tiff, .ai, .eps, etc. The files type most commonly submitted that we can't accept is .pub.

Q: Can you make art for me based off of my website?

  A: Well, that depends. The resolution for the poster is 300dpi, while images made for the web are about 72dpi. Some images can be translated well from web to print, but others can't. Always double check with your designer to make sure that your web images are suitable for print.

Q: Can you use this image that I found from a different website?

  A: If you don't own the rights to the image and it is not creative commons or public domain, we can't use it. Even then, the licensing for that particular image might not be suited for print or commercial use, especially in the case of a CC license. No one wants stolen material representing the students and parents in your community.

Q: Can't you just come pick up my art at my business?

  A: Unfortunately our insurance doesn't allow us to go to businesses to collect art... besides, if we did go in person we would never be at the office to design things! You are more than welcome to bring your art to us, however. We'd love the chance to meet with you and discuss your design. :)

Q: Will I get to see the poster for myself?

  A: Yes! Everyone who submits art will get a copy of the poster for themselves via email. If you would like a physical copy for your business, reply to the email saying so or give us a ring.

Q: Can I get more than one copy of the poster?

  A: Sure! Call us to let us know how many copies you would like. We can send up to five posters if you plan to share them with friends and family.

Q: Do you have a list of the locations where the posters will be?

  A: Phew, that'd be a long list! Every school receives 1000 posters, and some schools have to have two sets of 1000 in order to fit all the sponsors. In short, no. Take a look at your poster, though; most of the businesses listed there have a copy to display in their offices and retail stores. The posters are also distributed to banks, restaurants, shops, hotels, car repair shops, and coffee spots all over your community. Keep and eye out, we're sure you'll see quite a few!

Q: I don't want to put my business name on the poster. What should I do?

  A: Hey, not to worry. If you don't feel like advertising your business, you can always put an encouraging message or safety tip for the kids. Our favorite was "Don't goof off, stay in school!" Almost anything can go in your ad space, so long as it isn't inappropriate.

Q: I don't know what to put in my ad space. What should I do?

  A: Take a look at your business card. Most of the time, all the information you need is right there. If you're still stumped, give us a call and we will give you some ideas. You can also look at posters from past seasons to see what other business have done for your ad size.

Q: How many lines can I have in my ad?

  A: Lines isn't really the way to go about your ad, but we would caution against anything more than five. Remember, the simpler the ad, the more effective it will be. Less is more!



Have a question you don't see up here? Call or email us! You may even see your question answered here on our blog. Happy art-ing!

Tips for Submitting Art

Many sponsors come to us with questions about their ad-space and the artwork that they want to submit. If you've never done a print ad before, or even if you're a seasoned veteran, we encourage you to take a look at our list of handy tips for artwork submissions and instructions. Remember that all ad-spaces are full color, 300dpi (that's print resolution).

• Check your image's resolution. Anything less than 300dpi will probably show up blurry on the poster. This includes images from the web, which usually are 72dpi.
• Check to make sure that you are submitting the current version of your logos or graphics.
• Do you want your contact information in your ad? Make sure to include instructions for any additional information not contained in your art submission. Contact information includes your phone number, address, web address, email, or fax.
• Is your submission the right size? Check it against your ad size. While most ads can be resized to fit, it's important to keep the actual space in mind. Remember that advertisements should be concise and contain only relevant information. The more there is to fit into your ad, the less attention can be given to the important parts of it.
• Have you sent it to the proper address? Remember that artwork submissions should go to artwork@highschoolsupport.com or mailed to 1155 Sportfisher Dr. Ste 280, Oceanside, CA 92054.
• When is the deadline? Remember that submitting after the deadline may result in a sponsorship listing only. If you need additional time, email or call the artwork department to work out an extension.

But what if you can't submit your art digitally? No problem! You can always scan and submit your art. If you don't have access to a scanner, you can also send copies of your artwork to the design team at 1155Sportfisher Dr. Ste 280, Oceanside, CA 92054. Just remember these tips for sending physical copies:

• Please do not staple or clip your art to another piece of paper. This causes the art, whether it be a business card or another image, to be distorted and scan poorly. 
• Always include multiple copies of your art in case it is damaged in the mail. A minimum of two copies is generally what we recommend.
• Please do not send a black and white copy of your ad, unless, of course, you want your ad to be black and white. 
• Make sure that all copies are as clear as possible. 

Lastly, remember:

• We cannot, under any circumstances, accept faxes as artwork submissions. While submitting instructions via fax is acceptable, images that come through the fax machine come out too distorted and too poor of a quality to use on the poster.
• We cannot accept .pub and .cdi files. The best file extensions to use are .png, .jpeg, .pdf, .psd, .eps, and .ai. 
• Submissions after the deadline for that season may not be able to be placed on the posters. Please call or email the art department if you think your submission may be late. You can always check our blog for changes in deadlines, and every sponsor will be notified of deadline changes as they happen.

We are always happy to help, so feel free to contact us with your questions at any time. Happy art-ing!