New look for the M45 website! Take a tour.
Our clients aren't the only ones who sometimes need a new look. So do we. That's why we recently revamped our website, adding a comprehensive portfolio, helpful links, and a ratings summary that shows how we're doing with you, our valued customers. Take a minute and take a look…the names of the first 45 folks* who send us an e-mail from the "contact us" page will be placed in a drawing for a copy of The Lost Freeport Photos (see article below). Just enter "book drawing" in the subject line and you'll be in the running! 

* Limit one submission per person.

Lost Freeport Photos book is a real treasure
The year? Circa 1914. The place? Downtown Freeport, Illinois. The photos? All black and white, made from glass plates only recently discovered.

The Freeport Public Library Foundation and the Freeport Community Foundation have joined together to produce a beautiful hardcover art book featuring The Lost Freeport Photos. This collection of 104 prints captures a rare, candid look at daily life in the early 20^th century. M45 is proud to help support this endeavor. 

For more information, visit freeportpubliclibrary.org.

Creating good-looking materials—print or online—can be a downright scary proposition. You may have an idea of what you want, but it's difficult to put your thoughts into actionable words for a graphic designer. It's even more difficult to create the look yourself. (Some of you may have tried.) It's like standing in the attic trying to plan your annual Halloween costume—you need multiple, perhaps unrelated pieces pulled together for maximum impact, but you can't quite envision how the finished project will look.

M45 can help unmask the mystery. Our graphics gurus understand the multifaceted components of layout and design. And though many of the principles are simple, putting them together in a unified, impactful way takes more than common sense or a software package from your favorite office supply store. It takes an eye for all the elements of good design: color, balance, typography, symmetry, the use of white space, the importance of a focal point, and the knowledge of how the human eye absorbs all these fundamentals.

Are you showing your customers the "real" you? Or are you masquerading behind a look that doesn't really reflect your company's personality or strengths? Call M45. We'll take your input and use our tricks of the trade to turn it into high-impact visuals that are a real treat for the eyes. 

Making people guess your identity is fun on Halloween, but your business can't afford to play such games. You need to send a clear, distinct message about who you are and what you do. Can your customers tell you apart from your competitors? Is your company instantly recognized by its logo? Our graphic designers know the secrets of non-verbal communication and will work with you to enhance your visual image and create your own identity.

Imagine trying to boil down all of your personality traits, interests, hobbies, and activities into one sentence that describes who you are as a person. It can be done. A good logo design, aligned with a compelling brand message, will eventually take on some differentiating characteristics of the brand. Look at Starbucks®, or Nike®. Their logos grew to visually represent what the companies were about. The designs of these logos were carefully crafted to visually complement the differentiating characteristics of the company. Your new logo may not single-handedly establish what your company does, and what it stands for; but it can complement your brand attributes, and become a visual shortcut for your target audience.  

As an old Scottish prayer says: "From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord deliver us!" Here in Illinois, there's no shortage of ghoulies and ghosties. (However, long-leggedy beasties are out of season.) If you feel like having a frightfully good time, check out some of these local haunts:
Prairie Ghosts: Weird Illinois
The Shadowlands: Haunted Places in Illinois
HauntedHouse.com: Illinois Haunts

And let's not forget our European friends.

Ten scary comments that strike fear into the hearts of graphic designers "I have a cousin who wants to be an artist—can you call him and tell him how?" "I wish I had the time to do that kind of fun stuff." "I took an art class in high school so I've sketched out how I think it should look." "That's nice, but you just used clipart, right? I mean, it's not like you actually drew anything, is it?" "I know the names of eleven different type fonts. Let's use them instead of the two you've chosen!" "Can you change the colors and the fonts, make it horizontal instead of vertical, throw in some photos, and take out all that white space? Then 'your design' will be just perfect!" "I'll see what the committee has to say." "Can't you just use this image I found on a website?" "This should be easy and it won't take you very long." "You guys have the fun jobs!"