Ad Copy Design

Here are a couple of examples of effective business card sized ads I've designed for various publications.

I like to work strong contrast into black and white designs so that I can be sure the ad is going to stand out on the page! Note the addition of the blogspot address along the side of the pottery tour ad, directing readers to the web for further information.

No unnecessary list of retail outlets has been added on the Denman Island Miso ad, keeping the design
crisp and adequately informative rather than busy and unattractive with too much detail. The most important component in ad design is the positive reinforcement of product recognition.

Event Poster Design

Whatever kind of event you wish to promote...

annual events, one time functions, or on-going classes, I'm happy to assist with photography and design from inception to project completion, or any combination thereof. I work with reliable and reasonably priced copy and print shops in town that can provide me price quotes on finished product quantities as well.

          photos and layout -  Fireweed Designs 

                                       Fireweed Designs

                                             Fireweed Designs

                          Fireweed Designs

Fireweed Designs (beadwork by L. Jacobs)

                                Fireweed Design

Photo Montage

Denman's annual Home and Garden Tour is a fundraiser for our local Conservancy Association, and I have been hired numerous times over the years to help with promotion by photographing participating lands and dwellings for the local media.

Here I have collaged several photos taken at David and Carol Freeman's lovely place, complete with gardens and details of their innovative cob buildings. This is a fun way to share photos, and I enjoy playing with the various elements of individual pictures, juxtaposing details with larger vistas, etc.

I am also happy to take existing photographs a client may already have, which I can scan and resize to fit one specific format that can be shared more easily, as in the accompanying example. The personal montage below was created in loving memory of Neysa Turner.

Invitations

                               Fireweed Designs

I designed this two-sided invitation for master potter Gordon Hutchens' exhibition at the Gallery of BC Ceramics, keeping in mind that the images he wanted to use must work in black and white on one side, and color on the other. The crystaline glazed vase worked well in terms of contrast minus color components, so that was the best choice for the back side. I placed the vase photo slightly off to the right for a more interesting look that would also accomodate the desired scale for retaining decorative detail.

                                Fireweed Designs

I reworked Gordon's original photo of himself in front of a wood kiln (by Paul Bailey), by turning it around so he is now facing in the opposite of the original direction, and lowered the flames so that design-wise they'd work better in the existing space. I inset the smaller pottery image (already available on a gradated background) where I did because it already stood out on its own, and chose to really highlight the larger pot which I photographed myself, because the vibrancy of its colors could almost appear to be sparkling in the light of the flames pictured above.

 It's always important to leave adequate 'negative space' in a design so it doesn't appear too crowded, especially when a lot of information must be packed into a small area! In this case I also had to squeeze in the gallery logo on both sides, so used a dark red on the front that would still be visible without overpowering the rest of the design.

Business Cards

Patrick and Jane Fawkes grow delicious, organic heritage apples on their Denman Island Farm. I photographed these beauties still hanging on the tree, complete with morning dew. I added the image of their dog for both balance, and a little more 'country feel' to the design. I like the way black backgrounds often help bright colors stand out so brilliantly.











Yoga teachers Sandy Melnyk and Josie Slater are not alone in their attraction to the lotus flower, so I've been challenged to create a number of unique looks!

Image variety is useful. For those of us with a number of different ventures on the go it can be most constructive to have unique cards specific to each. I can add your existing logo to a card, or help you find/create just the right look for your own personal business needs.

CD cover design

                                                          Fireweed Designs

Talented pianist and piano teacher Siv Palmgren recorded a beautiful cd of christmas classics on her baby grand. She wanted an image of the moon shining in the window behind the piano in her home, but the size of the cd cover couldn't accomodate that. So I added the moon to the design and a 'night time' background color. I took a photo of the piano's interior workings and superimposed it under the image of piano and musician to liven up the design, then color matched Siv's dress with it for continuity and additional reference to the musician's Christmas theme.

Business Signage

                               Fireweed Designs

I designed this sign for Leticia's Cafe, now the site of Kitcen Fare on Denman Island,  with elements from the Cafe's interior at the time. A number of years previously, artists Cathy Stoyko and Bronwyn Simons painted a gorgeous mural complete with grapevines over a rich faux earthen finish inside what was then the Denman Bakery Cafe. One portion of the mural included an archway window which I photographed, duplicated, and inverted to create the poster design, substituting text where another image would have been. I then cut out some grape leaves and painted in additional elements along with the business hours. The overall design was intended to translate nicely into the template for the Cafe's menu to come.

Sandwich Board Designs

Denman Islander, Josey Slater, teaches yoga in Campbell River. I designed the business card (above) for her first, then adapted that graphic into a standing sandwich board design for use outside her yoga studio (left).

Product Labels

Lavender Hill,  Fireweed Designs

Local herbalist Ana Miriam blended various combinations of herbs grown organically in her Lavender Hill Garden. To the left is a label I designed for her Enchanted Herbal Tea blend. Ana was already using a spiral in her product design, which I changed to a more upbeat look with size, color and font placement that could still be read on top of a vibrant background. I adapted this new triple spiral design on the round lid to other packaging elements such as her square, folding product description cards for herbal bath sachets, etc.

Lavender Hill,  Fireweed Designs

Sacred Harvest Botanicals,  Fireweed Designs

Over the years I have designed a variety of different labels for my own herbal product line, Sacred Harvest Botanicals. The Celtic symbol on top has been constant, printed in different colors on round stickers.  I also have the wrap around labels printed on sticky back paper that I have sized to fold neatly around the tin. Details about this particular herbal salve are in fine print on the other side of the tin just out of view in this image.  An uncluttered label is far more attractive than one that tries to combine too much information.

Artists' Promo

The banner below was created for White Rock artist, Meghan Carich. Please visit the blog I designed to showcase her work here:
 http://www.spiritmasks.blogspot.ca/

                                                         mask by Meghan Carich, banner by Fireweed Designs

I photographed this exquisite mosaic created by Denman artist Sudasi Gardner and have used it as the 'greeting image' on a blog I'm working on for her Gallerie Deya. Click on this link to see more:  http://www.galleriedeya.blogspot.ca/

mosaic by Sudasi Gardner, photo by Fireweed Designs

clay creations by Shirley Philips, collage by Fireweed Designs

^ This collage was created for use on a blogspot promoting the annual Denman Pottery Tour, which always takes place on the May long weekend. Potter Shirley Phillips is renowned for her innovative use of found objects which she applies to the clay surface to create a variety of textures and designs. I have inset a variety of 'tools' around the central portrait, to acentuate this recurring theme in her work.

Please visit www.denmanpotterytour.blogspot.com for additional examples of mini posters for potters on the annual tour. I am happy to create these kinds of montages for all sorts of artists, for use on the web, brochures, posters, what have you...