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Graphic Design

Karen Gaudet Graphic Design is a small design studio based out of Halifax, serving Atlantic Canada and beyond. Our specialty is promotion and communication design. We feel that you do best at what you do the most, so this is where we have channelled all of our energies. It's that simple. This basically encompasses materials such as posters, brochures, marketing material, book and CD covers, newspaper ads, magazine ads, post cards, flyers, magazine layouts, catalogue pages, the development of logos, corporate identity, websites, branding and more. Go straight to our portfolio page.

We're a small group of big hearted individuals with a flair for creativity and a passion for visual communication. Casual and friendly, we provide the creative solutions that meet your business needs quickly and professionally. Whether you're a large corporation, a small and developing business, or a non-profit organization, we tackle each of our design projects with the same amount of energy, commitment, and expertise.

Your business doesn't have to be located in Halifax, or even Nova Scotia to use our services. We've successfully completed work not only across Atlantic Canada, but across three continents and counting. Documents, design concepts, discussions and final artwork can all be exchanged via telephone, email and fax. The Internet is a powerful marketing tool, and we're always very excited when we hear from people in other countries.

There's no question that on-line media, such as a website, is integral to the success of your business. However, Internet marketing MUST be used in conjunction with other marketing materials in order to successfully market your business and help you to reach your potential.

People still expect printed materials. Business cards, letterhead, flyers, posters, brochures and printed materials reinforce the credibility and existence of your business. They are your 'front line' and a powerful tool in leading people to...your website, your store, your office, or your event.

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"YOUR VISUAL IMAGE CAN DETERMINE THE SUCCESS OF YOUR BUSINESS AND MARKETING POTENTIAL. OUR PASSION IS TO CREATE THAT IMAGE".

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We Think In Green

The environment is important to us and we're committed to doing our part in all facets of our work. We're learning as we go and doing everything we possibly can to make a difference. We understand the global environmental situation and feel that sustainable design is a reaction to the global environmental crisis.

We specialize in the design of print materials, so ink and paper have become an important issue to us. It's not about going paperless, which would require an entire world wide paradigm shift, its about using environmentally friendly products to make an environmental difference.

Using FSC certified paper and environmentally friendly inks will make that difference. If you want to ensure that your project takes the environment into consideration, ensure that the products and printing services you use display the FSC Logo or are printed by a printing company that has taken measures to reduce environmental hazard. The FSC Logo ensures you that the product is FSC Certified.

What does FSC Certified mean? Who is the FSC and what are their responsibilities?

FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council of Canada. The Forest Stewardship Council of Canada provides an international certification and labeling system that guarantees that the forest products and services you purchase come from responsibly managed forests and verified recycled sources.

We can supply you with the names of printing service bureaus complying with FSC standards in the HRM. If you're a printing service bureau that complies with FSC standards, please let us know so that we can add you to our resources list.

Visit the FSC Website

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How Are We Sustainable?

* Environmentally conscientious supplies

* Energy efficient lighting in the office

* Paperless invoicing

* Recommending green printers

* Recycling

* Paperless price quotes

* Using ethical suppliers

* Online communications

* Printing only when necessary

* Minimal hard-copy data storage

* Maximizing electronic data

* Supporting green-based companies

* Staying informed

* Being conscientious of non-renewable resources

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Design, Ethics & Sustainability

RELEVANT ARTICLES

Design magazines, pages, and links both critically, and as a form of resource.

Ethics & Sustainability

Article, Metropolis Magazine

Lovely As A Tree

Green Design

Greening Graphic Design

Blue Responsibility, Form Mag

New York, Print Magazine

Sustainability Toolkit Designers

Far West, Print Magazine

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Affiliation With Big Stock Photo

Is it your dream to be a professional photographer? Do you have hundreds of great photos sitting on your memory stick? Well, maybe it's time to put those photos to good use, to share them, and perhaps earn some extra income.

If you'd like to try selling your photos, just click the Big Stock Photo link below and give it a try. It's easy to use and doesn't cost you a cent.

Stock Photos, Royalty Free Stock Photography, Photo Search

Advertising Services

* Print Advertising - Advertisements in printed form such as magazines, newspapers and flyers

* Point of Purchase Advertising - Materials such as large displays located in stores

* Outdoor Ads - Materials found on buses, bus shelters, benches, billboards and other outdoor advertising

* Internet Advertising - Advertisements found on websites such as banner ads

* Email Marketing/Advertising - Ads that are circulated via email to promote or sell a product or service

* Social Media - Ads, invites and promotional materials found on social media outlets such as Facebook, MySpace and YouTube

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ADVERTISING MATERIALS

* Promotional Mail Out Postcards

* Event Invitations

* Magazine Ads

* Publication Advertisements

* Promotional Flyers

* Promotional Brochures

* Promotional Newsletters

* Newspaper Ads

* Posters

* Promotional Mail Out Campaigns

* Promotional Magazine Inserts

* Promotional Hang Tags

* Magazine ads and page layout

* Yellow Pages Ads

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Logo Design & Brand

Your visual identity describes your business and the visual image you want to project to the world. This image is wrapped up into one icon/graphic/design that can function well in different contexts, which is referred to as your Logo. Your Logo defines who you are and what you do in an instant. It's about 'making your mark' and setting yourself apart from the rest in an intensely competitive era.

A well designed Logo builds loyalty and establishes the first crucial impression of your business or organization. It says everything about you in a split second. Through emotional response, it makes an immediate connection to your target audience. Through perception, it defines the expected and desired experience. It's these emotional responses and perceptions that form your brand.

Your Logo is the building block of your brand and visual identity. Your identity is not just your Logo, rather, its a culmination of the sum of the things that you are. It is a combination of: your Logo, your corporate colors, your place of business, address, office space, employees, values, marketing pieces, associations and much more. A strong brand is integral to your marketing potential and develops over time. It establishes credibility, it connects you with your prospective clients and it creates a sustained relationship with your existing clients. Your brand is what people envision when they think of your business. It's this vision that keeps clients coming back.

Visit Our Logo Design Page

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Vector Graphics

Our Logo designs and graphics can be created using using bezier curves that scale well to accommodate any application from placement on a business card, to placement on the side of a shipping vessel. Vector Graphics ensure the image stays crisp and clear in small and large scale production of literally any size. Photoshop is fine for editing raster images but we prefer to use a vector-based program to ensure that your graphics get the best print quality every time.

More and more manufacturers are requiring vector graphics to produce materials. Whether you're manufacturing a fabric product, a CD cover or a lapel pin, check first with your manufacturer to clarify their print specifications.

It's good to note that scalable 'vector graphics' are file formats that you are only able to access using design software. Please ask for further clarification.

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Design Process

Design is a process. Here's an idea of what to expect once we begin your project:

In the first stage of the design process, you will describe what you need designed and what it entails. This will include discussion about problems and issues that we may encounter, initial ideas, concerns and limitations. As well, details of the end product will be exchanged including size, color, and timelines.

The second stage of the design process is research. We will research your project in order to know the product/service/company we're representing and the materials required for successful design completion.

The third stage of the design process is brainstorming. In this stage we'll start to explore any and all ideas that could possibly result in the end design. The client is generally not included in this stage of the process, but ideas, thoughts, and possibilities presented (by the client) in the initial meetings are.

The forth stage of the design process is to start to eliminate some of the ideas that came from brainstorming and start to zero in on the better ideas. At this point we will supply you with some rough drafts of these ideas. Sometimes these design drafts are still in sketch form, sometimes they're computer generated renderings. Generally you would expect to receive anywhere from three to six concepts, depending on the project and it's complexity.

Once you've reviewed the rough drafts, a discussion about the likes and dislikes of the roughs will enable us to either start to develop one specific idea, or to head in another direction with more precise knowledge. This is where the design process really starts to heat up.

In the fifth stage a second round of 'further developed' designs will be supplied to you. These drafts will again be discussed in order to further develop the successful concepts and to eliminate what doesn't work.

In the final stage, the successful design concept will be developed to completion.

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