Printable Flyers: Going Old-School

[Spark Inferno]

Hey I am not the best at doing things like this via the PC but as a CoH vet since May 2004. I need to do my part. I created a flyer but I am not good at resizing in the crappy programs I currently have. If anyone wants to use it feel free. Also feel free to add any other sites you may think will be helpful. I can do calligraphy if anyone has a need for it. My Love goes out to all of the People who helped make CoH and all of you doing whatever you can to save something more than just a game but an extention of all our families.

[Gilliam]

Any chance of a poster sized one !!

[Spark Inferno]

NP I am currently working with a couple of programs to perfect the original to make 8.5 x 11 so I am sure I can make it even bigger. Will post links as soon as they are ready.

[Spark Inferno]

Okay i found a site I can upload the actual PDF files so I will add the links here now and they have been tested. BTW, please excuse the missing space between Good & Night a typo not caught until too late.

http://pdfcast.org/pdf/save-coh-poster

http://pdfcast.org/pdf/save-coh-flyer

[rachlols]

Made a PDF, tried to keep it minimalistic and throw some stylized typography in there to hopefully catch the eye.
Let me know if you'd like any tweaks of this design/ different sizes or versions- it should print out fine in B&W.

http://pdfcast.org/pdf/save-coh-print-out

Preview image of the pdf printout

[Moonfyire101]

Printing tomorrow, will be at 3 comic stores, 3 game stores, reptile show and college campus. This is only the 1st in the series. This image is 300 dpi png, pdf available upon request. http://i791.photobucket.com/albums/yy194/vmieu/SaveourCity003QR.png


Added the QR code for the petition since i wanted to use the long link for it since it's more descriptive.

[maxxrpg]

I've put the flyers up in our stores with the new comics and next to cash register.  Will report how many people respond to it.

[eabrace]

Nice, official-looking display!

[Spark Inferno]

Added the typo fix and the QR code for the petition site

http://pdfcast.org/pdf/qr-coded-poster

Also created a more black & white poster size 20x30

http://pdfcast.org/pdf/b-w-20x30-poster

[CFIndustries]

I've made this offer to TonyV directly, but I am a graphic/production designer by trade (among other things) working in marketing, so I have access to, and skill with, Photoshop (strong), Illustrator (decent), and InDesign (expert). Which of course means artwork created for print and PDF output. ;-p

So if y'all need help with flyers, banners, etc. I'll help if I can. Also can do hardcopy work at-cost on some quite decent equipment at work (can't be free, but is cheaper than Kinko's). Flyers, vinyl banners, shirts, etc.

(As an FYI I can also help with Web QA, FileMaker database work, and copy "massaging" and authoring if we need that sort of thing.)

Until I saw this thread I assumed we were going strictly online, which makes a bit of sense given it's an online game, and my expertise isn't in that realm (design-wise).

But down to the objective bits: While I applaud the aesthetics of the art and flyers I've seen thumbnails of in this thread, and if "grass roots" is all want, then fine. Don't read any further, because this is blunt design/marketing criticism, which is to say good designers understand the psychology of message delivery.

However, if we really are about the message, all the examples suffer from some or all of the novice design/marketing issues such as poor readability, too-lengthy copy, mixed fonts, poor information heirarchy, etc. Simple. Is. Better.

So it really depends on the image we're trying to project, and if the image is more important than the message.

[Altoholic Monkey]

I'm still looking for feedback on the flyer I'm working which is more like a newspaper. Bold headlines etc, but I since my brain has gone to sleep, I'll need some help with what exactly should go on it.  I'd be more than happy to hear professional feedback.

I would like to use the hero composite shot but it's a lower resolution and that will not work well with print. The rest of the flyer is print quality, 300ppi.  So another image will have to do.  CFIndustries, if you have any advice I'd be happy to hear it.  Or any ideas.  I'm fairly decent with Photoshop, and have experience with InDesign and Illustrator.   Also, you do not have to hold back on any ideas for fear of crushing spirits, I'm not married to anything here.

[Aggelakis]

Also created a more black & white poster size 20x30

http://pdfcast.org/pdf/b-w-poster-savecoh

[img]

Ummmm, you forgot "night" on the left side. "We will not go quietly into that good night."

[Spark Inferno]

thank you cut it off in the save now I got to go fix it again lol


update: Fixed it lol but had to modify the original link in the original post.

[CFIndustries]

Hey Monkey,

"Newsletter style" is a decent way to do it if you want them to read a "wall of text." But you'll have to hook them in, and to do that you have to understand who "they" are.

(And yes I know how marketing-speak that sounds. And yes, marketers on the whole are their own branch of evil. But they DO know how to get their message across with missile-like accuracy. Sucks to know it from the inside sometimes...I feel like a mole..)

If someone has a demorecord of the group scene and a high-res widescreen display and can get a screen shot, that might be enough for print (at 8.5x11). A color or greyscale photo can survive down to 200dpi and be acceptable. Let's not forget our game isn't exactly Mass Effect, so a little pixelation won't kill us. This would be a case of "pixelation might add that element of 'grassroots' in an otherwise 'professional' piece."

There also might be ways to up-rez the image, I think there is still a very pricey Photoshop plugin for the purpose here at work I can try, but it helps to have the best possible source before the up-rez.

You might consider not cramming all the heads and subheads quite so much, and not use all-caps except for the BIG headline at top (all-caps reduces readability).

Any other critique would have to wait until there is content. If you do it in InDesign, I'd be happy to tweak it once you have it done, we can pass the file back and forth in email. I'm on a Mac though, so bear that in mind.

(Ironically, I play CoX on a PC...but in the design world, it's all Mac all the time...)

Trick is I don't have tons of time to sit and brainstorm my own ideas,  but it's fairly quick for me to turn-around fine-tuning of something existing. Besides, y'all probably have waaaay more passion than I do, I'm happy to just point that passion in a constructive direction and let you go to town.

[eabrace]

[Altoholic Monkey]

[eabrace]

I have that image already, I used it in my mock up.

Excellent.  Just making sure everyone was aware.

I'll leave you to it. 

[CFIndustries]

[CFIndustries]

First, thank you for the feedback it was awesome. Don't worry about marketing speak, I'm studying strategic communication, so marketing speak doesn't bother me.

I daresay not, I've been in meetings with the folks in PR (which is my exposure to the strategy stuff), and...wow. Yeah I'm betting you'll be market-speaking rings around me soon enough. ;-p

I really don't want to it to be wall of text style. So I'm fine with taking out the article sections.  To allow for more spacing between the headlines.

Well, if you're going to have a mock-newspaper, you need article content to complete the piece. It should be very useful or well tuned copy, but it should be considered "throw away" in case it's not read (useful if it is, not a big deal if it isn't).

Unfortunately, its the content I'm having trouble with. Exactly what to say to capture the attention of those who haven't played the game, but are comic fans. A lot of people are trying to get comic and gaming stores to put flyers in their shops. So I want something that speaks to that audience about what happened.

Any advice for the content itself?

That I would not be able to speak to as well. Happy to fine-tune whatever copy you come up with or others might provide, but while I have done quite a bit of copywriting for manuals and documentation, more of it has been "someone else writes the copy, I make it better without changing what they mean." TonyV might be a good source for ideas or some canned copy we've been using in other communications.

Again thank you for your time, it's very helpful.  Alternatively, I can try another design direction as well more high on impact, low on substance.

This is the tightrope...I want to help, but I'm short on my own ideas. Others here have great ideas that just need fine tuning and tweaking ("direction" you might say). I'm not going to shoot down ideas, just give advice on how to make your idea work the hardest it can.

I'm happy to play support, I'll let you idea makers be the melee players. ;-p

[Spark Inferno]

Once I get going it's so hard to stop when the ideas pop in.

here's the latest flyer. It's a handout style mini about 5 x 11.

http://pdfcast.org/images/s/2899/mini-flyer.jpg