We all have our opinions on what defines exceptional graphic design.
However, your marketing materials serve as the cornerstone of your sales arsenal, representing you, your brand, and your products in the best possible light.
Naturally, we’d recommend entrusting this task to a professional marketing and design agency. Still, it’s insightful to delve into some of the techniques professionals utilize daily. Regardless of the path you choose, here are some ideas on how to leverage images effectively.
Is a picture truly worth a thousand words?
They say a picture speaks volumes—but in the fiercely competitive realm of marketing, where you have mere seconds to make an impression, your images must be impeccable in terms of resolution to create the desired impact.
Quality images come at a cost, whether you purchase them from a library or commission them yourself. Hence, it’s essential to leverage them extensively to maximize your investment. Avoid downloading images from Google for various reasons, including copyright issues and resolution limitations.
Safeguard the originals
Always retain the original image and its layers (if applicable) as a .PSD file before flattening, as this allows for future edits. Just as we preserved transparencies in the past, it’s crucial to work from a copy and safeguard the unedited original in the digital age—it’s all too easy to accidentally overwrite the original with a single click.
Opt for the highest resolution suitable for your media.
Begin by working in the highest resolution possible. For print, aim for a minimum of 300 dpi (dots per inch), while for web use, 72 dpi is sufficient. It’s not advisable to exceed 72 dpi for web images, as higher resolutions can lead to slower loading times, negatively impacting SEO, and providing only marginal improvements in on-screen image quality.
When dealing with images that are too large for their intended display area, resize them in Photoshop to the appropriate TIFF size, especially if working in CMYK for print. However, never increase the resolution size of an image by more than 10% of the original, as this can degrade image quality and cause pixelation.
Consider compression.
JPEG compression is commonly employed for photographic images, allowing for a selectable balance between storage size and image quality. Typically achieving 10:1 compression with minimal loss in quality, JPEG is widely used for storing and transmitting images on the web. However, compression may not always be necessary for PDF documents, as the file size has no impact on postscript, except for the end size when used for print.
For further insights into various image formats, refer to Dan’s informative post on the subject.
Feel free to reach out via phone or email if you require assistance.