This fall New York City’s trees are showing some color, rather than their too frequent fade-directly-to-brown. This issue of Communiqué starts with color, and how it can be used to grab the reader on a topic that's just not photogenic. Our feature article on graphic file formats will help things go more smoothly when you are exchanging files with designers or printers.
	Commercial paper – what companies issue to cover short-term financing needs – is an abstract subject. It has no visual attributes, nothing you can touch or hear. Designers typically respond to the abstractions of financial products with a subdued palate of blues and gray shades, perhaps set off by a few conventionally framed photographs. This conveys gravitas, but it is not very inviting to the reader. When JPMorgan wanted a new look for its newsletter, Commercial Paper Update it called on Aaron Design, Inc. to inject a dose of visual élan. Working within strict corporate identity guidelines, Aaron Design produced a strikingly formatted newsletter that makes bold use of color and photographic abstractions to attract and hold the reader. The redesigned newsletter generated kudos for the client from every direction, and has helped maintain JPMorgan’s position as an expert and knowledge leader in the field. Companies that issue commercial paper directly gave the client positive feedback. When the newsletter was distributed at a meeting of the Commercial Paper Issuers Working Group, JPMorgan competitors were surprised and impressed. The e-newsletter version was tremendously successful, with a 43% open rate, and a 44% click-through rate – 400% above the B2B average.
	Aaron Design wins design awards Aaron Design won three American Graphic Design awards this year to date. The awards were given for the gala invitation and program for the National Council for Research on Women(described in the Spring 2004 issue of Communiqué); the Campaign/History brochure for the Fifth Avenue Committee’s Capital Campaign(described in the Fall 2003 issue of Communiqué) and for Aaron Design’s 2003 promotional series. Vote! Hip-hop’s “Vote or Die” is everywhere, but America’s graphic designers have their own call to the polls. Aaron Design has contributed six posters to the American Institute of Graphic Artist’s “VOTE!” campaign. The posters are part of AIGA’s “Get Out the Vote” campaign, themed “Good Design Makes Choices Clear.” Positive response to Aaron Design’s posters has come all the way from France! Download PDFs of the posters. To see all of the posters go to AIGA.org. We’re also getting the message out with our office window (see below right).
	Keep in touch with someone you’ve met, someone you know, someone you like-send them an e-card from our latest seasonal selection. Remind a friend to vote or send them a cyber trick or treat.
	You are working with a designer on a website. You have a logo and some photographs you would like them to use. You say you will send them the electronic files. It seems simple enough, but in the ensuing conversation about file formats it becomes much more complicated, and maybe a bit frustrating. This article will help you understand just enough about graphic file formats to eliminate the frustration. First, an introductory note. Graphic images are stored either as “bitmaps” or “vector graphics.” These aren’t file formats, but rather types of formats. Bitmapped images are composed of a pattern of small squares (pixels). If you enlarge the image, the squares get larger, and the image breaks up. This is good for pop-art-like special effects, but not for more conventional image use. Vector graphics use geometrical formulas to represent images and are more flexible than bit maps because they can be resized and still look just as crisp. Vector graphics are also smaller files than bitmaps. Here are the major file types used in graphic production: EPS Encapsulated PostScript Extension: .eps Type: bitmap or vector Used for: Logos and illustrations This file type is perfect for logos since you can change image size without worrying about the image becoming ragged, distorted, or fuzzy. Most logos are done in a program such as Adobe Illustrator and saved as an EPS file. EPS files can contain both vector and bitmap graphics and are supported by most graphic and page-layout programs. JPEG (“jay-peg”) Joint Photographic Expert Group Extension: .jpeg Type: bitmap \Used for: Photographs on a website JPEG files use a compression method that can significantly reduce the file size of photographs and other continuous-tone images. JPEGs can not be made transparent, which means they are not suitable for all website uses. GIF (“giff” or “jiff”) Graphics Interchange Format Extension: .gif Type: bitmap Used for: Flat color graphics or logos for a website. The GIF format is particularly suitable for line-art and images which contain large areas of the same color. The GIF format does not store photographic and continuous tone images as well as JPEG files. GIFs can be used on websites in situations where JPEGs are not suitable. They can also be animated. PDF Portable Document Format Extension: .pdf Used for: Reviewing, sharing and printing documents; placing downloadable files on a website. Properly prepared high-resolution PDFs can be used for commercial reproduction. The PDF format preserves the fonts, images, graphics, and formatting of an original application file, and allows a user without the original application to look at the output. Because PDFs are typically much smaller than the original document, they are especially useful for reviewing multi-page documents. TIFF Tagged Image Format File Extension: .tif Type: bitmap Used for: High-resolution photographs for printed material. The TIFF format is a widely supported file type that can store all the detail needed to produce high-quality photographic images for hard copy. Files can be quite large, and so are not suitable for web use. TIFF graphics can be black and white, gray-scaled, or color, and they can be saved at any level of resolution.
	Aaron Design, Inc. creates innovative visual marketing solutions that capture the spirit of your company or the passions of your organization. We craft extraordinary designs for print, exhibits and electronic media, including:  Striking brand identities  Sophisticated marketing and corporate communications  Impressive and intelligent publications  Eye-catching, accessible websites  Inventive event and promotional materials Our award-winning team helps demanding corporate clients and non-profit organizations meet business goals. We'd love to help you meet yours. Contact us by e-mail info@aarondesigninc.com or call us at 212 414-1522

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