5 posts tagged “posters”

What’s the latest news? With so many depressing advents happening around the globe, I tend to overlook the real news and instead busy myself with the latest about movies, gossips and light-to-bear features. My eyes would rather stray on a good offset poster printing material than the dailies, really.

But this one is not light. This article that I read over at CNN’s website brought chills to my spines. It’s all about everybody’s favorite gadget, cell phones. Although many researches have been made about its negative effect to its users, the popularity of cell phones never seem to diminish.

Come on, nothing has really been proven. What’s the most damage that this can cause us? The fact is that if we stop using our cell phones these days because we have become so paranoid with the studies and all, that is the time when the damage will be done. Imagine the number of opportunities that you’ll be missing for the fact that you cannot be reached.

But to be on the safe side, the article gives tips on how to limit the risks that you may be able to imbibe from too much cell phone use. So be afraid. Be very afraid. Or not. Here are some tips to lessen such risks whether you believe in them or not. Well, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

1.    Let’s start with the most rational idea from the list. But that is only for me. This website (Cell phone radiation levels) contains a list of cell phone brands and the amount of radiation that they are able to emit. This can help you when you are planning on buying a certain model and cell phone brand. You can also look up for the current cell phone that you own so that you’d know if it’s time to freak out or stay calm.

2.    The speakerphone feature of cell phones is there for a reason other than having the people near to you hear all your juicy conversations. The idea here is to keep the gadget away from your head as much as possible.

Magda Havas has a detailed explanation for this suggestion. Havas is an associate professor at Trent University for the Institute for Health Studies in Ontario, Canada. Havas said that the amount of radiation that you will get will be reduced effectively as you increase the number of inches that you hold the cell phone away from your head. For example, with two inches distance, a factor of four will be reduced to the radiation. A factor of 16 will be taken out when you hold your phone out four inches away from your head.

If you want to know more, read the rest of the stuff (Cell Phone Risk). Everything that you do in life involves risks. But if that will include your health, maybe it is really time to put our cynicism aside and get into details. It will not really cost us anything, just our usual habits when using the gadget and our patience in following each suggestion.

The latest TV rating that has been released by Nielsen Media Research proves one thing, America loves singing and dancing. But singing is still in the lead with “American Idol” dominating the game. It is closely followed by “Dancing with the Stars.”

I’m sure that when such concepts for TV shows first reach you, you were also doubtful that those would click. I was. Nobody knew then that sharp-British-tongued Simon Cowell would capture America’s hearts. I never thought Paula Abdul’s career will be revived by such genius.

And when the stars started dancing, I’m sure that you also promised that you will not watch such program. I did. Why would I care about such stars, some of whom I’ve never heard of until the advent of the TV program?

But America has spoken. They love the Idols and also like dancing with the stars. These shows have proven that dreams can be achieved by coming out talented and tough. Yes, you must be tough to stand through the harsh words of the judges. This seems to be the trend. People like it when they see other people being humiliated in front of millions.

Real gems emerge from such talent shows. Such shows aim to inspire young people to dream. And the phenomenon isn’t just in America. Even the Idol didn’t originate in the U.S. The craze is evident worldwide. Talent shows and reality TV aiming to discover talents from ordinary people and rediscover some from those who thought have already shunned from the light of the showbiz world are popular everywhere.

From being a nobody to being the subject of large format printing services, these shows that dominate the ratings game also dominate the hearts of couch potatoes like us. They are able to come up with big names and fulfill people’s dreams.

Now I no longer scrutinize before I watch a new TV program. I will not complain even if reality shows are being conceptualized for every profession. Name it, from models, to chefs, and even designers. I’m not saying that I am watching all those. Just like most of you, I’m sticking with the Idols and the stars who can dance.

Posters are strange things. Sometimes an extremely pretty picture wins all the awards but none of the expected customers, while those tacky posters win more attention that wonderful ones.

When I was younger, with my first attempt at poster printing was a recruitment poster for my university organization. Of course, I took it as a chance to show off my design skills and aimed for a professional looking poster that will win admiration. It was professional looking alright, but it looks like every other advertising poster around.

I guess my friends at the organization liked it though because they have something to plaster around the booth, and they were extra enthusiastic about it. They even used the slogan to call people’s attention. Our recruitment improved that year, but I doubt the posters effectiveness has anything to do with it.

With the popularity of non-traditional marketing, you may wonder whether your print ads are worth printing at all. For retail industries, you think you can always rely on good old word of mouth from satisfied customers to get the sales ball going.

I realized that although these posters looked nice, no one bothered to stop and look at them. There wasn’t anything in them that communicated any specific benefit to the target audience. The one benefit it served though is at least people are now aware our little club existed.

It was a good thing as well that the cheap poster printing didn’t dry up our budget. Don’t get me wrong, the posters are in very high quality but because we had it printed digitally it didn’t exhaust our budget.

In the business world, word of mouth is still the most potent marketing tool businesses can use. The thing is though satisfied customers are seldom very good at voicing their enthusiasm about every single product or service that exceeded their expectations. Sometimes a talkative customer can mention your business in passing but has no motivation to pursue the conversation.

I think posters are important as a backup marketing material to make explaining a little easier for customers. You can use an interesting and thought provoking poster to give your customers a little more leverage.

One of the reasons posters mass advertising is so popular because it gives people a starting point for conversations. A common ground they can use to create a context they can use to clue in other people into the conversation.

I guess, if I can do things over again, I would have made the poster less professional and more college student looking, maybe use graffiti art or use a more personal tone in the copywriting. It will make it a little more relatable to, and a whole lot more interesting.

The word ‘pin-up girl’ doesn’t sound too good to hear.

Probably in the old glam of Hollywood, it presents a different story. In those days, you have beautiful models that would soon make it big in the showbiz industry. And while their “indecency” is a far cry from what you would see in today’s smut magazines, nothing would make you think twice that indeed, that era has its own glamour and style.

In the City of Angels, it makes you wonder while it was possible to market the calendars, who dared print them? Where they now and what are are they printing? Who was the Larry Flynt of that era? With all the Los Angeles printing services company providers in the market; I wonder what has replaced our pin-up and calendar girls?

There were the likes of Ingrid Bergman, Greta Garbo, Mary Pickford, Mae West, Ava Gardner, Judy Garland, Betty Grable, Rita Hayworth, Doris Day, Sophia Loren, Brigitte Bardot, Grace Kelly, Mamie Van Doren, and of course, the one and only bombshell, Marilyn Monroe. All of these women have made it big and in one time or another, have been our pin-up girls.

There were these curvaceous women that would put Barbie to shame. They were all foxy ladies, no matter what roles and costumes you put them in. Our poster girls ranged from barn girls, rodeo girls, nurses, secretaries, high-powered bosses, meek students, exotic, foreign females, single mothers and of course, the adult women like Mrs. Robinson.

Nowadays, while the figures of our pin up girls changed, the rules of the games haven’t changed much. Being a pin-up girl can be two things at the same time - two kinds of pictures that illustrate women in a far distance from another. It can be a woman posing scantily clad in order to reach stardom or a star that wraps herself in a sexy, new package.

The style of pin-ups girls have become more than a distinct art form, but a formula you can use to get into Hollywood like some cheesy plot movie. Pop-culture have had its way of not just mass-producing things but have continuously made it seemingly immortal.

And so, as we ask such questions, we need to ask what has truly changed? What has not changed a single thing? If you want to answer the former, you need a better look into the bygone era. To answer the latter, well – pin-ups girls will always be pin-up girls it seems.

I am a fan of the Absolut Vodka. But it seems that as much as I like their vodka, I think I like their campaigns better. And yes, I am talking about their signature print advertisements that appear on print in different magazines.

Whenever I’d see a new and a different print ad or poster design, sometimes I’d be blown away. But over all, what makes the Absolut Vodka campaign totally recognizable is that it has consistently been that way. It is simple and never tries to hard to pull off a new stunt. It is as it is – a print ad showcasing the inimitable vodka bottle.

Aside from transforming the bottles to promote a new flavor, the only way the image will change is when it tries to illustrate the main message. To demonstrate the former and the latter, remember the Absolut Vodka bottle wrapped in orange skin to promote their flavored vodka? Respectively, there’s this ad called Absolut Yoga wherein the bottle was turned upside down, standing on its neck rather than the wide circular bottom.

Many have already spoofed the Absolut vodka campaign, with all the different posters being design and all that. Look into one that says Absolut impotence and you’d know what I am talking about.

Truth be told, there are many of those who have already analyzed this campaign. And then there are also those who try to discredit the Absolut Vodka ads. Call it pop culture, but that is the strength of the vodka campaign and it is not going to stop. Call it whatever you want. Each ad may not always turn out exactly to be a work of genius, but hey, no one is about to topple the crown off the Absolut’s head.

 Now, if you’re into collecting these print ads, well, it really isn’t easy. Why? There are hundreds upon hundreds of ads and frankly, if you just want a yearbook of sorts of their print ads, just buy the book. Yes, there is a book that compiles the print ads made by Absolut Vodka.

I tried compiling them as much as I can, but my friends are getting tired of me asking them to tear out that print ad carefully. It also takes some money just to buy a magazine where I have spotted the newest ad. And more or less, it is hard to keep track which ones I have and which ones I haven’t.

Sometimes, the fascination can even get out of hand. Huge poster prints on display in windows or in bars just make me want to steal them like a juvenile. If I had my way with wholesale poster printing, I’d print limited edition posters and give them out to Absolut enthusiasts. I wish.