FAQ

DESIGN + DEVELOPMENT.

BRAND IDENTITY.

Here you will find the answers to conceptual and technical questions relating to your brand, logo, and identity system, and the trust you put in Empowers Media to create them.

  • A brand is a company’s relationship with their audience. It is the sum of all parts: logo, identity system, print materials, web presence, and all written, visual, and audio communications. Your brand is your company’s presence in the world. If the parts are established correctly from the beginning, it will serve you for years to come.

  • In many instances the logo mark is what determines an individual’s first impression of a brand. It is an introduction and the first step to establishing a positive and long-lasting relationship with the intended audience.

    A truly successful logo is timeless, attention grabbing and genuinely portrays your message. It is also executed within a set of carefully constructed formal design principles. These principles refer to elements such as:

    • SIZE

    • BALANCE

    • LEGIBILITY

    • CONTRAST

    It is for this reason that this initial step in your relationship with Empowers Media should be handled with care and much thought and deliberation.

    We feel that you should never settle for good enough when it comes to your logo. Give it the time and attention it deserves, and know that when you choose that final mark it is something you know will represent your business well.

  • Brand Identity refers to a cohesive system that is developed to support and work with your logo in establishing a recognizable and dependable brand. The identity system is constructed through the use of a set of specific visual devices and guidelines:

    COLOR PALETTE
    Primary, secondary, print and web.

    TYPOGRAPHY
    Font family, size, weight, style, etc.

    BRAND ASSETS
    Icons, patterns, textures and more.

    This system creates a sense of consistency and reliability that will truly set your business apart from the rest. A brand that is familiar, comfortable, and approachable can earn the lasting trust and loyalty of your audience.

  • Before we begin a logo, identity or branding project, we have to learn about the product, service or organization that we will be working for. We start our relationship asking relevant questions about your business or service and what you hope to achieve. These questions range from straightforward and simple to detailed and thought provoking, and help us examine your objectives and motivations.

    The more familiar we are with your business, the more accurately we can capture the true essence of your brand and all that it represents. We record even the seemingly inconsequential bits of information, as they allow us to dig deeper below the surface to the details that have the ability to spark a creative concept that has incredible potential.

    We stay informed and work to realize exactly what makes your business unique. This uniqueness is what motivates us and provides us with the foundation to establish a brand that is perfectly tailored to your audience.

    An informed creative team is a productive one, and this productivity is what will bring your ideas to life.

WEB PRESENCE.

Here you will find the answers to conceptual and technical questions relating to your website, email marketing, and social media.

  • Your domain name is your web URL (i.e., empowersmedia.com). This is the unique address people will use to find your website. You will want a domain that is short, simple, and relevant to your business name. Anything that is too long or includes excessive characters or numbers might be difficult for your audience to remember.

    Domain names can typically be purchased for a minimal yearly fee, although some exceptions may occur. We also recommend that our Clients purchase Domain Privacy at the time of registration. Domain privacy ensures that personal content information is protected and the client is not inundated with spam emails, direct mail, and/or phone calls.

    Web hosting is a service that provides a place for your website to live and receive visitors. This service is typically provided by third-party companies that store your website files and content on their servers. There are many top rated providers that offer domain name registration, hosting services, and much more. Empowers Media can help you to make the best choice based on your individual needs as it can be a comfort to work with a hosting service that your developer trusts and has used before.

    Web hosting is most often a monthly charge that can be paid initially in increments of 12, 24, or 36 months. Most hosting providers offer promotional pricing with an increased term.

  • SSL Certificates secure the transfer of sensitive data between your website and your visitors. This security is of the utmost importance if your website will be handling data such as credit card information or personal login credentials. The most common scenario would be an online store.

    Why do you need to know this? More and more people are becoming familiar with the importance of the “S” in the HTTPS of a website’s URL (i.e., https://empowersmedia.com), the security that is implied with its presence, and the lack thereof without. Google has also taken to notifying visitors when a website is “Secure” versus not, greatly impacting a visitor’s trust in a site. Simply ensuring that your website has an SSL Certificate, therefore that stamp of approval from Google and other browsers, will prove your company’s authenticity and your dedication to your visitor’s security.

  • Empowers Media uses sitemaps and wireframes to help visualize and organize all of the pages and content your website will need.

    In its most simple form a sitemap depicts the hierarchy of pages from the home page, to the primary pages (usually the main navigation), to the secondary and even tertiary sub pages. To help you organize all of the information you plan to provide us, you too can create a sitemap to help visualize your site. Typically a sitemap will take the form of a flowchart ranging from a simple arrangement of a few pages in their order of importance to a complex annotated mapping of a large number of pages with a multilevel hierarchy.

    Wireframes are the blueprints to your website. Stripped of all color and decorative elements, the wireframe layouts are what we create before the design process begins. They are intentionally simplistic for quick results and easy revisions. These documents will exhibit not only the placement of recurring elements (i.e., logo, navigation, sidebar, etc.), but also a representation of the content that is unique to each page. It is during this process that your website will begin to take form.

  • The term content refers to the actual written text, visual imagery, video, and audio that is shared with your targeted audience. Your content is your message, and your website is the platform that communicates that message.

    All content should be engaging, and it should create an opportunity for interaction. As many website visitors like to skim through a page it is beneficial to share information in a series of short, quick, blurbs that will best capture and keep the viewer’s attention. Strong headers and subheaders, descriptive captions, lists, and catchy pull quotes are a few effective solutions to organizing written content in a way that will keep the audience reading. Following these bits of information should be a call to action. The call to action is what encourages a visitor to interact; to “get in touch”, “learn more”, “buy now”, etc.

    Beyond written content are the visual and audio means of communication: photographs, videos, illustrations, vector graphics, infographics, etc. Determining whether visitors to the website will respond more favorably to a highly visual approach or a more typographic solution will help to cultivate the best content materials to evoke the desired response from the audience.

    Content in all forms may originate from a variety of sources, and it is therefore imperative that proper permissions have been granted before sharing content that was originally created by another party.

PRINT + PRINTING.

Here you will find the answers to conceptual and technical questions related to print materials and printing.

  • Paper comes in many finishes, weights, textures, styles, and colors. The final results of your print piece depends as much on the paper as the print process and design. Some papers are better suited for certain projects and some react differently when ink is applied. Therefore, paper choice deserves much consideration and should be made accordingly.

    Here are a few of the more notable options and distinctions:

    PAPER WEIGHT

    The thickness of the paper is referred to as its weight. Paper weight is measured in pounds (labeled lb. or #) or points (labeled pt).

    • COVER weight, or stock, refers to the heavier more card-like papers. Available in coated and uncoated, cover stock is not easily folded and is most commonly used for postcards, rack cards, some business cards, and publication covers. Prints on cover stock tend to be a bit sturdier and longer-lasting.

    • TEXT weight, or stock, refers to the lighter weight standard papers. Text stock is also available in coated and uncoated and is most commonly used for documents, letterheads, and the interior pages of publications.

    PAPER FINISH

    • COATED paper has a smooth waxy finish with varying degrees of a sheen in light, and tends to produce a more vibrant print. Coated papers come in glossy, matte, dull, satin, silk, and more.

    • UNCOATED paper has an untreated surface that is a bit coarser to the touch and unreflective. Depending on the print method uncoated prints may be a bit muted, but for certain projects this style and texture can enhance the aesthetic of the design.

    • PREMIUM or SPECIALTY papers are great for adding a little extra texture or color to a project. These papers come in a variety of styles such as woven, linen, cotton, ribbed, luxe, and kraft, and in an assortment of colors that will vary by printer.

  • Color is tricky to work with. From the computer screen to the print piece in hand there are specialized ways of dealing with color.

    On a digital screen red, green, and blue (RGB) are used in various combinations to create all web colors. CMYK is the four-color process that utilizes cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks to create colors for print. Web colors have a vibrancy that many CMYK colors lack due to the backlit screens they are displayed on. To compensate for this shift a separate set of color values is established to ensure brand colors print consistently and as accurately as possible. These colors usually appear notably brighter on screen than the web values.

    Digital printing—while sometimes less costly and with a quicker turnaround—has the greatest chance of color variation as each machine is made and calibrated differently. Offset printing offers a relatively high rate of color accuracy, but there may still be differences from project to project and with different print providers.

    If you would like to ensure your colors are printed with the utmost accuracy the use of a spot color is an available option. However, the use of a spot color or PMS (Pantone Matching System) value will increase the cost of your print project as it uses a premixed ink rather than the standard four-color CMYK printing process. This method also allows for metallic, fluorescent, and other specialty inks and varnishes to be used.

  • Absolutely! Print materials are physically engaging. You can hold it, flip through the pages, stick it on your refrigerator, or keep it on your desk. Something that is printed has a tendency to hang around. You look at it, you learn from it, you remember it. Taking the time to read through a print piece also gives people a moment to step away from their mobile devices and experience something tangible. Additionally, the printed word still holds a lot of merit. It evokes a certain level of trust that can’t be said for web, and is often perceived as a more credible source.

PHOTOGRAPHY.

Here you will find the answers to conceptual and technical questions relating to still photography production.

  • If brand identity is the first visual impression of a business, its photographic content is the firm handshake that validates a customer or client’s initial interest in what you are selling. Crisp, clear, original photographs are a frozen moment of your brand in time; a realistic, yet artistic interpretation of the things you decide are of the utmost importance to share with your audience.

  • Production is an industry term used to encompass all the professional processes and stages of making a movie or still pictures. The term is also used for the crucial stage where raw footage, still images, and other elements are recorded during the shoot.

  • Still imagery goes through the same 5 phase production schedule as making a movie. The major difference is cost. It requires less concept development, technology, and talent to produce a still picture than it does a motion picture.

FILM + COMMERCIAL.

Here you will find the answers to conceptual and technical questions relating to film production.

  • Making a quality film of any kind requires a considerable amount of resources. The cost of those resources breaks down into 5 stages, and the variable time and manpower required for each stage:

    DEVELOPMENT

    The first stage in which the ideas for the film are created and the screenplay is written.

    PRE-PRODUCTION

    Arrangements and preparations are made for the shoot, such as hiring cast and film crew, selecting and scouting locations, gathering props, constructing sets, and booking stylists and craft services.

    PRODUCTION

    The crucial stage where raw footage, still images, and other elements are recorded during the shoot.

    POST-PRODUCTION

    The images, sound, and visual effects of the recorded film are edited and combined into a finished product.

    DISTRIBUTION

    The completed film is marketed, distributed, and screened in cinemas and/or released to home video or social media channels.

    We offer a wide range of options that are based on your case specific and budget needs. For example:

    • If your concept is very in-depth, your project will demand more development resources.

    • If your concept dictates the need for multiple cameras and people, your project will demand more pre-production resources.

    • If you want top of the line cinematic image quality, your project will demand more production resources.

    • If motion graphics, CGI, animations, or specialized audio/scoring are required to execute your concept, your project will require more post-production resources.

  • Studio productions make for the most consistent imagery. Products, corporate headshots, visual effects/post-production concepts, etc., all require a multitude of tools and equipment that work best in the controlled environment provided by Empowers Media. Some of these tools include: professional lighting, backdrop, tethered shooting, sensitive audio recording, grips, etc. Our in studio production fee is a daily flat rate.

    On-location productions can be just as consistent, depending on the location and its quirks. Because this adds another variable to any production schedule, more time and resources are needed to scout the location before a proposal can be drafted. After a scout has assessed the Client provided location in accordance with their expected deliverables, a realistic estimate and proposal of services can be drafted. The major difference between “studio” and “location” shooting is the potential for permitting fees, as well as increased set-up, break-down, and travel costs.

    In the field productions are always in an uncontrolled environment and on a timeline based on the ambient/existing light of that location. Photojournalism, editorial, and lifestyle imagery all fall into this category. In these situations a pre-production location scout is advisable. However, some field shoots are “run and gun” style—meaning the photographer shows up on site and strategizes the achievement of his/her objective on the fly.

WE ARE COMMITTED TO CLIENT EDUCATION.

Clear communication is pivotal to all aspects of success in our relationship with our clients. Here is a general list of questions that we are frequently asked and their respective answers.

DON’T SEE YOUR QUESTION HERE?

Feel free to visit our contact page and fill out our general inquiry form, or email us directly at info@empowersmedia.com and we will be happy to answer any specific questions.