Photographer Logos – How to Get a Great Logo Design for a Photography Company or Studio
Photography is an art form. If you want to be taken seriously as a creative professional then it is essential to have the right logo design. After all, if you don’t have the creative edge and organizational ability to oversee the design of a professional looking logo, how can clients expect you to put together a portfolio of shots for them?Photography is competitive and you need a bold image to represent you if you want to stand out in a crowded marketplace. You need a logo that is simple and stylish. It should really make a strong statement about you and your work.Photographers need to place a little more importance on getting the perfect design than entrepreneurs in other industries do.In this article we look at some of the common elements of photography logos. We also offer advice to help you decide exactly what kind of logo you want to have as the visual representation of your company brand.Photographer Style and NicheThere are many niches in the photography business. A more abstract looking logo can allow you to be more flexible and to jump from fashion photography to family portraits or any area of the business that takes your fancy. However, if you have your heart set on one niche, such as wedding photography for example you may then consider incorporating this theme into your logo design.Let your designer know what kind of photographer you are and what kind of work you do and they will have a much better understanding of your needs. Do you want to come across as being sophisticated and modern or old fashioned and reliable? Do you want to be seen as being edgy or conservative?You may even want to send your designer some of your favorite shots before they start on your initial concepts. A good designer may even be able to pick up on shapes or other elements in some of your favorite shots and include them in your logo somehow.Remember that photography is often about the individual talent of a photographer rather than a team effort. Why not have a little bit of your personality or style in your business logo. Look for that ‘special something’ that makes you and your work unique and try to have that incorporated into the design.Common Photography Logo ImagesSome branding experts claim that you should make it obvious as to what business you are in when it comes to a business name and logo. In this regard it makes sense to include some common imagery into a logo design for a photography business.The incorporation of a camera, the basic tool of the trade at first seems to be a little tacky and overdone. However, after spending some time looking at photography logos I noticed that designers are often able to incorporate the shape of a camera into logos in ways that look refreshing and not at all like clichés. The basic shape of a camera with its rectangular body and rounded lens can be utilized by a designer in many ways and it is at least worthy of consideration as a focal point of a logo.Other images that I noticed were coming up often include rolls of film, shutters and antique photography equipment as well as symbols for a camera flash and a picture frame.Some photographers include their subjects as part of their logo design. A typical subject for a photographer in a certain niche could be a bride, a landscape, portraits, pets, fashion or food.Many photographers have text logos that simply feature their names or initials but the results are usually less than memorable. Try to include at least some kind of image or symbol. Even abstract images that may seem totally irrelevant at first can end up working out well.Suitable ColorsI noticed that many photography company logos are done in conservative looking color combinations that usually combine white with black or other dark colors. Others go for similar combinations but add a splash or spectrum of bright colors. What I found interesting was that some of the more conservative logos made me think of black and white photography while the more colorful ones brought images of color photography to mind.Once you have chosen a logo for your company it can be difficult to change at a later date. If a change becomes necessary then you risk losing a lot of the goodwill that you have built up in the logo. You will also be facing costs associated with re-branding such as design and printing expenses. Therefore you must make sure that you guide your designer into creating the ideal logo for your photography business first time around.
Simple Home Improvement Projects Which Will Vastly Improve Your LifeStyle and Your Net Worth
Home, sweet home. Big or small, a home is always precious to its owner. A home is a person’s palace and place of comfort. After a busy day, it’s going home that a person looks forward to. So every homeowner wants to decorate his or her home according to his or her own tastes and make it as comfortable and a safe environment to live in.For people with money, time and energy, home improvement has become very common activity. Home improvement projects are not restricted to just walls and paint. It goes far beyond that. The prime function of home improvement is to add value and comfort to your home, as well as its beauty.Professionals can be hired if the home improvement project is more complicated than you can do just by yourself. In such cases, professionals are the best ones to do the job you want in order to make your home look great. You can hire specialized contractors or general contractors, depending on your particular home improvement requirements.Homeowners are usually concerned with all the nitty gritty stuff, as well as the more common aspects of a home improvement project like furniture, functionality and overall style. Home improvement ideas largely depend on one’s individual taste but it is the job of a home improvement expert to do the more technical parts of the job.Although it is recommended you hire a professional for your home improvement project, many homeowners prefer to do the jobs themselves.There are some do-it-yourself (DIY) home improvement projects that you can carry out yourself even if you don’t have an interior design degree. All you have to do is a little research and find the accessories that fit your tastes to make your home the talk of the town.Below is a list of some home improvement ideas that you can consider for your home improvement project:Laminate flooring: laminate wood flooring is very popular with many homeowners. The richness of the hardwood floors would add warmth and charm to any home. The laminate hardwood floors are durable with a tough finish and can be used in any area of your home even if you purchase discount laminate flooring.Decorative area rugs: Using a decorative area rug is a great home improvement idea. You can select the decorative area rugs from a wide number of area rug discount choices that are available online as well as offline. Select a well-designed rug including Persian rugs will help make your home ‘one of a kind’.Improving the look of your home does not really require any effort than simply installing new window treatments. This might not seem like a big thing, but after you’ve installed new window blinds you will quickly see the huge difference they make in the feel of your home. The right window blinds will add a softness to your window areas. Plus you can now better control the amount of light that enters your home and the amount of privacy you desire.Now that you have a fair idea on several possible home improvement projects, you can add value to your home at your own pace whether you’re an interior decorator or not. Doing this will help to ensure a better home value and guarantee that your home is updated to current standards as well as can withstand any storms.Do not hesitate to invest in home improvement – just remember that with a wise investment in your home, you are increasing its market value too beside making it a more enjoyable place for you and your family to live.
Bond Funds Explained – Safe Investments for 2014?
If you feel clueless and invest money in bond funds, you should know that your funds could bite you in 2014. Bond funds are NOT safe investments and some are riskier than others. Read this before investing money (or more money).Truly safe investments pay interest and your principal is safe, or fixed. Safe investments do not fluctuate in price or value, and may be insured or even guaranteed by an agency of the federal government. Examples include: bank savings and checking accounts, CDs, and Treasury bills. Bond funds pay interest too, in the form of dividends. Their price or value DOES fluctuate as the prices of the debt securities (bonds) they hold in their investment portfolio fluctuate (like stocks). People invest money here to earn HIGHER INTEREST INCOME vs. truly safe investments. That’s why they are also called income funds.Bond funds are RELATIVELY safe investments – compared to stock funds. But they are not even close to being as safe as money market funds, whose share price is fixed at $1 per share. You must understand this before you invest money in income funds: your investment can go up in value, and it can go down. Some funds invest money (yours) in high quality debt securities of government entities or corporations; others opt for the higher yields of lower quality or even junk bonds. In 2014 and 2015: that’s not the big issue.While money market funds invest your money in very short-term IOUs, bond funds buy and hold relatively long-term debt securities (IOUs called bonds). A money market fund may hold IOUs that mature (on average) in 25, 30, or 40 days. In other words, they invest money in high quality IOUs that promise to pay them their money back in a matter of days. Because the debt securities held in money market funds are so short-term in nature their value fluctuates little, and they are considered to be safe investments. Not so with income funds that invest money in IOUs maturing (on average) in 5, 10, 15, 20, or more YEARS.The major issue in 2014 and beyond for bond funds is called “interest rate risk”. Picture a fund that holds IOUs that (on average) mature (pay the owner back) in 20 years. If these are IOUs for $1000 that promise to pay 3% per year in interest ($30) they have a price (or value) of about $1000 when 3% is the prevailing rate for similar IOUs in the bond market. Remember that bonds trade in the bond market just like stocks trade in the stock market. Now, what would happen to the price (value) of this IOU if prevailing interest rates climbed to 6%, 7% or higher?Investors in the marketplace would still be buying and selling this IOU… but the price of it would fall significantly… because now investors can get 6% or more ($60 a year or more in interest) in other IOUs because that’s the prevailing interest rate. This is an example of interest rate risk in action, and that’s why bond funds are not safe investments. If you invest money in these income funds or plan to, you must understand this.All income funds will include a number (expressed in years) in their literature called AVERAGE MATURITY. Examples: 3.42 years, 7.15 years, 18.7 years. From left to right these three examples would be called short-term, intermediate-term and long-term bond funds. As you go from left to right the dividend yield (interest earned and paid in dividends) increases. More importantly, the interest rate risk increases dramatically as you go from short-term to long-term funds!Short-term funds are relatively safe investments, but in today’s interest rate environment they offer miserly interest income. Long-term bond funds might yield 3% or a bit more (depending on quality), but interest rate risk is HIGH. Intermediate-term funds might yield 2% to 3%, but they still have a significant amount of interest rate risk. If interest rates double or more in 2014 and beyond, investors in longer term funds could see losses of 50% or more.The last time interest rates soared was in the late 1970s, peaking in 1981. Investors who held long-term bond funds lost almost 50%. Today’s interest rates are near all-time lows. This means that when you invest money in longer-term income funds just to earn 3% or 4% in interest income, you are accepting considerable risk to earn a miserly income.Bond funds have basically been good investments since 1981… because interest rates were falling, which increases the value (price) of these funds. Now, you know the rest of the story. Bond funds are not really safe investments for 2014 and beyond. Interest rates could go up.