Creative Corner

  • Lots of visuals to make your place come alive!

In-house Design and Printing

When you don't have a big budget but you'd still like to wow your guest with simple, classy and effective printing material you will sooner or later end up doing things yourself.
It really does not take much to create nice looking promotion material. With the tools and tips in this section you should be well on your way to create things that represent you and your brand well.
In-house design adn printing

 

 

Tools Needed

Go visit your local stationary store with this shopping list.

Software

Ideally you purchase some professional Adobe software.

Using Microsoft Office for designs

If you are in a pinch, Office programs work just as well.

Creative Inspriration

Google or visit Pinterest for inspired creations.

The basic principle

The advantage of creating your own artwork are obvious to most. Sometimes its hard to brief an agent how you would like your artwork to look like and going back and forth takes time which means printing material often needs to be planned well in advance. For items which last a long time and bulk we recommend engaging a professional printshop. Other things such as flyers, posters, labels or buffet tags can easily be done in-house. It's simple, quick and very cost effective.
Tools Needed
Honestly the tools you need don't have to be fancy. Just everyday items from a good stationary shop (or preferably art supply shop) are best. The added advantage of visiting an Art Supply shop is that you will find many creative things you can use for your operation which benefits you and your guests.
  • Computer and printer
    A laptop or desktop PC with at least an Intel Core i5 processor and 4G ram. It doesn't need to be fancy or cost a fortune. A color laser printer is recommended, preferably a Toshiba eStudio photocopier (or similar) for wuick and easy printing of larger volume.
  • Paper
    Basic A4 and A3 printer paper (80gsm)
    Heavy A4 and A3 printer paper (160gsm)
    A4 caligraphu paper (145gsm)
  • Tools
    Cutting mat, NT Cutter, Scissors, Metal rulers, 2-Hole punch, 4-hole punch, Stapler,Tape dispenser, Glue gun, Eyelet punch, Glue, UHU por, UHU Stic, Double sided tape, Rotary cutter
  • Peripherals
    A3 size Lamination machine with A4, A3 and other pouches; Binding machine with rings and PVC cover sheets
Click to download list

Software

Choosing to use professional design software will obviously result in better prepared artwork. Since it does take time to acquire the skills to use these programs. Having said that, Microsoft Office programs, when used correctly, offer a good alternative as well with Publisher being the freeform design tool giving you more creative freedom.
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Adobe Acrobat
  • Microsoft Publisher
  • Microsoft Powerpoint
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Word

Inspiration

Practice makes perfect and the more you practice the better it gets.
If you have to make a menu, Google what you have in mind first and look up an image of something you like. Then start modelling your artwork according to that sample, download images, fonts, linedrawings, vector images and anything else you might need from free sources or sign up with any image databank (Shutterstock, DepositPhotos etc.).

Pinterest is another very good source as thousands of users share their DIY creations with the rest of us.

Inspiration