BIG Ideas from Integrated Advertising Network

Technology can be daunting to say the least but for businesses new and old it opens new doors to advertising and marketing. Part of our job is to be up-to-date on technology to come since advertising will be part of all new technology, whether it be directly for it or incorporated into it. The future for advertising is looking exciting...possibly reaching people as they walk by your store or advertising a cheaper price for an item that someone is scanning at that exact moment. There are so many possibilities that will come alive in 2010, they really are endless. Here's a good read that I stumbled across in my current search on what's to come in the new year and I don't mean to be cliche but, I'm like a kid in a candy store.

Ten Technologies That Will Rock 2010

The size of your file depends on what you're using it for so you'll have to be the judge but if you're trying to follow along grab the rounded rectangle tool and make your box roughly 370px X 90px because these settings could change if your button is a different size. I also put a 20px corner radius on the button.



Double click the layer in your layers palette (don't double click the box on the left of the layer or the name, try the far right side) and apply the following layer styles:
Drop Shadow:



Gradient Overlay:
For gradient overlay you'll have to click on the gradient bar to adjust the gradient. You can play with the colors but for this tutorial I used a lighter gray at the bottom (left side), then a darker gray at a location of 47%, then the same gray as the first at a location of 51% and then finally a lighter gray at the top (right side).



Inner Glow:
For inner glow I used roughly the same color as the darkest part of the gradient overlay.



Stroke:



This is what you should have after all these layer syles are applied.



Now just add a little text to your button. The font I used is Trade Gothic Bold Condensed 20. Add a light drop shadow like before, just a little smaller and add a gradient overlay with a fade from light gray to white. Voila! You have a fancy, new web button. You can adjust the colors as you want. Below are a few versions that I made quickly.

You all know the old saying "Time is money." It's been engrained in all of our heads from our parents, grandparents and friends and we've all heard it in numerous movies and shows. And when someone's designing, it couldn't be more accurate. So you need something designed, who do you choose?

Experience is knowledge #1 - When you work in an area with so many needs you get to experience a lot. As an advertising agency designer you get the chance to do so many different design jobs that it exponentially expands your bag of tricks. Now you're asking yourself "what does that have to do with me?" As an example, if you've ever used the program Adobe Photoshop, or even if you haven't, there are so many options that it can be quite mind boggling. There are filters, layer effects, adjustments, adjustment layers, layer masks, quick keys; the list goes on and on and on. We fake in shadows, adjust colors, replace items, add items, cut hair and get rid of wrinkles. So when you come with a project, we don't get stuck on "how do I do that". We've done it, and probably a couple times and a couple different ways. We know how to do it again, and fast.

Experience is knowledge #2 - With so much time spent in programs that are made for design, you learn a few things, you get better, and you get faster. You've probably heard of the term quick keys. Well what do you know, they are quick. There are hundreds of them and they make your work fly by when you know what they are and how to use them. It's like learning a remote, the first time you get it in your hands you fumble around with the thing looking at where each button is trying to learn each one and the quickest way to get to it. In a month you can grab the remote and make the screen blur because you're moving so fast with your newly memorized buttons and then poof, you're at the channel you want to be. Multiply the buttons by about a hundred and add years of experience and you get a designer who can make the screen blur and get you're design to where you want it to be.

Experience is knowledge #3 - We look at design every day. We see good designs, we see bad ones and, because I love old cartoons, knowing is half the battle (I know you watched G.I. Joe as a kid). An eye for design is the second half of that battle. You can't be taught to have an eye for design but, come on, we wouldn't have the title if we didn't have one and it gets better with every design challenge.

Put all this together and you have a design you want that looks good, is done right and is done as fast as it can be....or Photoshopping a remote control in a G.I. Joe cartoon, your choice.