How Colors Affect What We Buy

Did you know that color accounts for an 80% increase in brand recognition? Or that 85% of shoppers list color as a primary factor in making a buying decision? Or that 93% list visual appearance as a leading factor in making purchasing decisions?
ton Post:
Kiss Metrics put this study together, hat tip to the Huffington Post.

Photoshop Rap Tutorial

It had to happen: a rap video tutorial for Photoshop.

PIA/GATF Color Conference Finishes

The PIA/GATF color Conference ended on Tuesday with a keynote presentation from Mike Rodriguez of RR Donnelley on the history and future of color management or "The Tinted Ramblings of a Color Geek"

Things turning up for print?

According to "What They Think", print may finally be turning up:

Monday’s release of August’s US commercial printing shipments showed that they increased on a current dollar basis for the last five months. When adjusted for inflation, four of the last five months were up. The first quarter of the year was rather dreadful, but these last months have been quite a turnaround. If the month-to-month comparisons continue in this manner for the rest of the year, the industry could have a $1 billion increase compared to 2009. Keep your fingers crossed.

Too early to get our hopes up? Read the whole thing.

Color Logic Receives Must See'eum Award at Graph Expo

The Process Metallic Color System by Color-Logic received a coveted MustSee’ems! award at Graph Expo 2010 in Chicago.

Worth a look; It is amazing how well metallic effects can work if the design plans for them from the beginning.

Scott Sell Joins TECHKON USA Sales Team

Scott Sell of Scott Sell Associates in Redondo Beach, CA has joined the Techkon sales team as an independent manufacturer’s representative. In this position, Scott will represent TECHKON USA on the West Coast, in California, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, New Mexico, British Columbia and Hawaii.

I like this announcement because it lets me tell my favorite industry story: A few years ago I purchased the Techkon Spectro Scan for one of our Heidelberg presses at Schawk. A local graphic arts representative told me "Techkon makes good products, but they'll never make it out on the West Coast." "Why is that?" I asked. "Because they don't have Scott Sell", he replied.

Well, now they do, and I couldn't be happier to see my favorite rep teamed up with my favorite line of spectros.

Inkjets chipping away at commercial offset market

It's not yet a roaring stream, hardly a trickle, but little by little inkjet based systems are starting to chip away at the traditional commercial offset market

In the current market, seven companies (Agfa, HP, InfoPrint Solutions, Kodak, Miyakoshi, Océ and Screen) now offer high-volume, continuous-feed color inkjet systems. Fujifilm and Xerox have also publicized plans to offer their own products.

Color-Logic Appoints Vizutek as Representative

Color-Logic has named Vizutek as its manufacturers’ representative for the Northeastern United States, including the states of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Eastern Pennsylvania.

Well, we are glad to hear it. Mark Geeves is one of the good guys in this industry and Color Logic is fighting the trend towards over-complicated solutions by providing software that works, and keeps things simple. Check out www.color-logic.com because these guys are getting it right.

Making a new start with flexo prep

Many pre-pres houses have gone the way of the dinosaur, but Four Color Graphics has made a new start b y venturing into the flexo prep arena.

Well, I'm slightly conflicted on this one......

JAQK Cellar just released a collection of wines whose brand identities and package designs existed before there was wine to put into the bottles. That's right, the old Captain Crunch scenario. Of course, as a wine lover, I'm truly horrified. But on the other hand, there seems to be some very nice printing involved here too, and that softens my heart. Offset printing, direct screen printing, embossing, metallics and more. Let's lift a glass to working printers!