Chapter 12: Preparing Source Files
With the concept approved, the next stage is crucial. Delivering the necessary files to the client is not as simple as giving them a nice, fresh printout of the work that you’ve created. The client needs to be able to use the files themselves, and the files need to be usable by anyone who needs to reproduce the logo in the future.
The final concept that the client approves during the presentation phase (see Chapter 11) probably will perform well once it’s reproduced. But you should still test the logo to ensure that you identify and rectify all potential errors. What exactly are you testing for? You want to make sure your logo looks wonderful not only when scaled down or displayed on-screen, but also when applied on a larger scale or different material. In this chapter, I walk you through the testing process.
In addition, with so many file types available to a designer, knowing which ones the client needs can be confusing. This chapter helps you decide which file types to send to your client.
Testing
In Chapter 6, at the stage of conceptualization, you tested to see whether your ideas work and whether they fulfill the aims set out in the brief. Now that your client’s has approved your concept, you need to test whether the execution of your idea through the final artwork is as versatile as possible, so that it performs in all possible applications.
Compensating for color reversal
In Chapter 7, I suggested reversing the colors to see if doing so affects the artwork—and it probably will a bit. When viewing a white surface area on a black background, the mind creates an optical illusion: The positive space created by the logo looks slightly larger than it would on a white background.
When supplying files to a client, it’s a good idea to provide them with different versions that can be used on both white and black backgrounds. After your logo design is finalized and approved by the client, you need to make adjustments to prevent this optical illusion on the black background from happening by offsetting the path by a millimeter or two (see Figure 12-1). This will keep both versions of the logo consistent.
To offset the stroke in Adobe Illustrator, you can do the following:
1. Select your artwork using the Direct Selection tool (V).
2. Choose Object → Path → Offset Path. The Offset Path dialog box appears.
3. Enter a negative measurement (for example, –0.1 mm) in the Offset text box. This will create a new path on top of your original artwork by which the path is slightly smaller.
4. Click OK.
You can now move your new offset path next to the original artwork for comparison. Experiment with the Offset measurement until you’re confident that the white background and black background versions are as identical as possible.
Keep in mind that you’ll need to go through this process for typography as well as shapes. Finally, you may find that you have to clean up the new offset path after it has been created.
Figure 12-1: The original logo (top); the reversed logo not yet adjusted (middle); and the reversed logo adjusted to compensate for the optical illusion (bottom).
Printing to look for errors
Your monitor won’t always reveal every error, so you should print your logo regularly as you make refinements and again at this final stage of file preparation (see Figure 12-2). A common problem is bleeding at smaller sizes if the artwork features tight areas of negative space.
I always print in black-and-white and then apply the colors later, because it’s pretty pointless to test the correct values of colors using a standard inkjet printer. To get an exact idea of how your color choices will perform, no matter the material you’re printing on, request a proof from the printer.
If the client mentions that they’ve printed out the logo and noticed that the color looks slightly different than it does on-screen, explain that the color modes still need to be adjusted. Also, keep in mind that the client’s monitor may not be calibrated properly (see Chapter 10).
Figure 12-2: Test-printing the artwork.
Photo by Gareth Hardy
Cleaning up the file
As you know, vectors are created using mathematically precise points. But unwanted points in the artwork could interfere with adjacent artwork down the road. The best method to check for stray points in Adobe Illustrator is to choose Select → All. This will reveal all the points currently within the document, if there are any. In Figure 12-3, I’ve circled the stray points.
You also need to ensure that your paths are closed properly (see Figure 12-4). An open path can cause problems for reproduction methods such as embroidery because it won’t fully cover the whole of the intended line work. Select the path to see whether the path is closed.
Figure 12-3: Stray points.
Figure 12-4: Here the line is not completed even though the artwork appears to be a solid fill.
Preparing different versions of the logo
As you experimented with the artwork at the layout and presentation stages, you may have noticed that the same orientation won’t always be possible. For example, if the layout of the logo forms a landscape rectangular surface area, it may look awkward if the orientation of your artwork is portrait. Providing different layouts and orientations prevents the client from trying to alter the logo’s layout or orientation themselves.
In addition, you may want to provide variations on the color of the logo. Standard color variations include the following:
• The main color version
• A grayscale version
• A black-and-white version
• One-color versions
Testing application
Some logos need to be reproduced in different materials and using various methods. Examples include
• Embroidery
• Letterpress
• Color reproduction (for coated or uncoated stocks)
All this should be spelled out in the design brief (see Chapter 4).
If the client has any of these special requirements, you may need to make some slight changes to the file before it’s sent to the printer. In some circumstances, you may need to provide a more simplified version of the logo, especially for letterpress.
Knowing Which File Types to Provide
Even some experienced designers don’t know the purpose of the vast array of file types. Much to my amazement, some designers actually charge extra for supplying their clients with editable vector files of the logo; some even refuse to send the vector file at all, for fear that the client will make unapproved changes. What’s the point in creating a logo using vectors if you won’t let the client use it in that medium? A printer will at some point ask for the logo to be provided in vector format, so you need to provide that file to the client.
The next chapter explains how you can protect the original artwork, but before you do that, you need to know the right types of files to provide. The type of files you’ll have to send the client depends on the design brief (see Chapter 4).
I always organize the files into two folders: print and screen. Within those folders, I create subfolders for each version of the logo.
To achieve optimal output, files for print need to be of a higher resolution than they do for the screen (at least 300 dpi for print). However, when you’re dealing with vectors (the optimal file format for creating logos), the need for resolution is absent because they can be resized from the file that you provide.
When it comes to print, the following file types are your options:
• EPS: EPS stands for Encapsulated PostScript and is the common print-ready format. The EPS file is king, primarily because it can do most of the things that the other file formats can do. If you have the EPS file, you’ll be able to export to other file extensions.
• AI or CDR: AI stands for Adobe Illustrator and CDR stands for CorelDRAW. CorelDRAW is able to open and edit Adobe Illustrator files, but not all versions of Adobe Illustrator are able to handle CorelDRAW files. An advantage that CorelDRAW has is its ability to export to both AI and CDR.
• PDF: Portable Document Format is the standard file type for exchanging documents, so it’s one that clients will likely be comfortable with. You can embed vector images within PDFs, and the artwork can be extracted from the PDF if required. If you export to PDF, you may want to put a password on the ability to edit the vector artwork contained within the PDF. This prevents anyone who receives the file from gaining access to the source files. You can send both print-ready and screen-ready versions of a PDF, as PDFs can contain raster graphics as well as vector graphics.
Most vector programs are able to read EPS as editable files, but it’s always beneficial to have the original AI or CDR file available as a backup in case the EPS isn’t compatible with a future user’s software. From the AI or CDR file, you’ll be able to create an EPS.
Screen
Files intended for the use on-screen should be saved at a resolution of 72 dpi. The dimensions of the file depends on the size of the screen and the intended usage. When providing files intended primarily for the screen, I often provide them at different sizes to prevent the client from affecting the proportions of the artwork when attempting to rescale. When preparing files for screen output, you can use Adobe Illustrator to export to some compatible formats, but for use on the web, you’ll find that you have to import the artwork into Adobe Photoshop and save from there.
Here are the file types I send (as a minimum) for use on-screen:
• PNG: Portable Network Graphics files offer the ability to export using varying levels of transparency, which can come in handy if the client needs to publish the logo to the Internet. PNGs also have the capacity to handle line work when an Internet browser resizes it.
• GIF: Graphics Interchange Format was specifically created for use on the Internet. GIFs are capable of supporting up to 256 colors selected from RGB output. If GIFs aren’t used carefully, though, quality can be lost—make sure that the quality of the GIF is set to No Dither and that the colors are set to 256.
• JPEG: One of the best ways to reduce file sizes is to use the Joint Photographic Experts Group format because it can compress the data without significantly losing any of the quality. JPEG is the file type that most clients automatically assume they should use for everything concerning the logo, just because it’s a file type most people are familiar with.
Special requests
Sometimes, clients need logos in a particular format, beyond the types listed in the previous two sections. Here are the most common types of file requested:
• PSD: In my experience, the most common request is for the logo to be supplied in PSD (Photoshop) format. Usually, when clients request the PSD file, they’re hoping to play around with the colors and ruin all your hard work. If a client asks for the PSD file, explain that there is no need for a PSD because you supply the final artwork. If the client needs a different color or variation, provide it to them in the relevant file formats, not in PSD. If they won’t settle for anything other than a PSD, you might supply a flattened PSD to keep them happy.
• TIFF: TIFF, which stands for Tagged Image File Format, is supported by many publishing programs. Like PSDs, TIFFs can store layers, so the client can hand a TIFF over to any designers who work with the logo in the future.
Fonts
“Can you please send us the font used in the logo?”
How would you tackle this question? It may seem like the obvious thing to do is to hand over the font. But most clients don’t understand that, to use a font, you need a license. Even if you paid for the font and have a valid license for its usage, that license may cover only one user. If you’re using a font, refer back to where you acquired it and check the license agreement. You’ll probably need an additional license. If so, you can buy this on the client’s behalf and add the costs to the final bill, or tell the client where they can buy it for themselves.
• BMP: I’m not joking, but I wish I were. A Bitmap image file is a raster graphic that is commonly used by Microsoft publishing packages. BMPs are often easier to work with if collateral such as letterheads are being created using Microsoft Word, but in general, they print poorly and should be avoided whenever possible.
• PPT: You’d be surprised by how many clients are unable to complete the simple task of importing a JPEG into a PowerPoint presentation. I often provide a single screen template in a PPT file that contains the logo so that the client doesn’t reduce the quality of the output of the logo if they plan to give presentations.
Archiving your work
I always keep an extra backup of all the files I create for a client, whether they’re logos or something else. Technology is unreliable—it can be damaged at any time without warning, usually when you need it the most. Having an extra copy of files ensures that they won’t be lost forever if a disaster occurs. Plus, you can’t trust a client not to lose or damage the copies of the files you sent them. Copying the deliverables to an extra hard drive or to disc offers an extra level of security.