CREATIVE CONSULTING & ART DIRECTION
If you are looking for some fresh ideas for a new campaign or a solution to a sticky problem, my diverse production background, technical-know-how and hands on experience will help you find some answers.

MARKETING DESIGN
I specialize in marketing collateral design for print, such as magazine ads, annual reports, brochures, promotional mailers, product information sheets and package design, which all require careful orchestration of multiple design elements including text, photographs, logo or logotype.

CORPORATE IDENTITY & BRANDING
My interest in art began with hand lettering, so I have an on-going fascination with creating logotype letterforms and logo symbols. Corporate Identity and its Brands should be distinctive from other companies and quick reading. It may involve developing a symbol and/or a logotype. Logotypes and symbols need to work as well in one color as they do in full 24 bit color, consistent when viewed on the Internet @ 72 ppi or in print @ 264 ppi. A corporate image is planned to be consistent across all marketing materials, ads, promotionals, trade show exhibits and on the web. A tag line is often used to support corporate graphics and bring additional meaning to a company's image. We should be able to describe the company's business, or intention, clearly in one concise statement - eg: "GE - We bring good things to life".  Read more about the logo development process.

ILLUSTRATION
An Illustration can add great meaning to any particular advertisement. To illustrate is to make clear. Illustrations may be paintings or they be a combination of traditional and computer techniques. Effective illustration catches the eye and communicates a message quickly. A strong concept and a strong image go hand-in-hand. One without the other is not as powerful.

DIGITAL COMPOSITES
Create illusions and new realities combining photographic elements flawlessly. This composite was created from three images; one of Los Angeles taken at dusk, one of the actor outdoors at night, and a graphic symbol created in Adobe Illustrator

PRINTING
I always go to press checks to ensure a quality result. Printing has become specialized and I have associations with a number of local printers for different types of printing. Local access is important to reduce production time and to perform press checks, although direct-to-plate printing is reducing the number of possible print errors. There are many thrifty ways to execute print runs to save money, but a common error seems to be ordering small quantities, or rushing a job that is not properly planned. There are now many reproduction technologies, yet offset printing is the most effective for runs over 50 pieces. The largest portion of printing cost is pre-press which includes making film, stripping, making plates and hanging them on the press. I suggest several printing strategies; print more than you think you need, print blanks of materials that use more than one color, and print all related materials at the same time. Read more about designing for print.

WEBSITES
The visual aspect of web design is our specialty and we are very sensitive to designing continuity with all the existing graphics that most companies have been using prior to creating a site. Because of the complexity of web design, sophisticated sites are produced with a programmer, an information specialist and a graphic designer. Creating web sites is a specialty in itself. Authoring standards change rapidly and are supplemented by other protocols and languages such as; Java, Javascript, Pearl and cgi. For most sizable companies who wish to maintain a web presence, it will be necessary to hire a full-time employee or a firm to manage the their site. Smollin.com was created based on the The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) html 4.01 guidelines.

STOCK ARTWORK
Much of the art shown on this site is available for commercial first-time-use or reuse. Some pieces are also for sale and prints are available upon request. Please feel free to contact us for a licensing quote - call 626 584 3997, or send an email.

ARCHIVE
All artwork and digital files are archived on two compact discs, one for backup and one delivered to the client.

F   E   E   S

PROJECT ESTIMATES
Fees are assessed on three considerations; creative labor, production costs, and license(s) for use. High and low figures are provided to estimate the cost of medium to large projects to be included in a Work Agreement.

LICENSES
To keep fees as low as possible, the client will purchase a license for use based on need; buyouts for art the company needs to own completely, or limited reproduction rights for printed collateral - usually for a 12 month period.

WORK AGREEMENTS
Agreements are fashioned to detail job requirements, services to be provided, approximate costs, license fee, deposits and pay schedule.

BILLING
We accept retainers, deposits and invoice payments online through PayPal, where your Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discovercard are accepted. When a deposit is required, an email will request a prepayment when speed is important. Jobs are billed upon completion/delivery of the job with terms of 15 days net balance due.