Find a Methodology and Minimize Investment Madness

There are many reasons to be investing these days, and too much opportunity to not have your money working for you.

However, I believe the majority of people dread having to deal with investment matters, and tend to jump into purchases and then hold their breath hoping for the best. After a long day at work and taking care of the family, it's hard to get excited about reading up on your 401(k) options, Morningstar ratings and fund performances.

If this sounds like you, there are basically 3 choices.

You can have your investments professionally managed, you can continue as you have in the past & keep your fingers crossed, or you can find a methodology that objectifies the investing process (that's buying and selling investments) and helps you maximize your long-term results.

To determine if you need help managing your investments(and this doesn't necessarily mean having to pay for advice) you might want to ask yourself these questions:

=> Do I really have the time and interest to follow the market closely on a daily basis?

=> Have I done well in the past managing my own investments?

=> Do I really want to add another layer of work and responsibility onto an already busy schedule?

If you're like most people, you would answer yes to some and no to others, so how do you decide? If you think you could have or should have done better with your investments, then you need some help. Don't feel bad. Having counseled hundreds of people over the past 15 years I can honestly say that everybody needs some help, whether they are aware of it or not.

Why? This could come as a surprise, but, in fact, your financial life is a lot shorter than your physical life?

Most people who end up investing don't really start working and making money until they are about 25 years old. Considering the average retirement age of 65, this gives you only 40 years to save and invest wisely.

If you make a poor investment decision, such as trying to stay fully invested during a bear market, you could lose big both in terms of diminished dollars and wasted time.

To drive home this important point, let me give you an actual example involving my own portfolio. For ease of illustration I have adjusted the beginning portfolio balance to $10,000.

During the period from 1/25/91 to 10/13/00 my $10,000 investment grew to $37,840, which is a 14.67% compounded annual return.

On 10/13/00, based on a methodology I was following, I liquidated all of my domestic mutual fund positions and moved 100% to the safety of my money market account. Thanks to this move, my portfolio retained 100% of its value on that date.

As we now know with hindsight, most people held on to their investment positions and have so far lost on average 50% to 60% of the value of their portfolios. For this example let us use 50%.

If I had held onto my position, my portfolio would be down to $18,920. Last time I hit that level on the way up was in 1995.

In other words, not only would I have lost 50% of my portfolio I would have lost even more by having used up 20% (8 years) of my total financial life.

How can you avoid mistakes like that in the future? Spend a little of your valuable research time looking for investment methodologies that allow you to side-step bear markets and let you move back in during bull markets. In other words, invest your time looking at methodologies instead of investments themselves. This will lay the foundation for more effective use of your money and time.

If you find a methodology that you like, and it matches your investment philosophy, stick with it for the long term. It should have the aspect of telling you when to get out of, as well as when to get into, an investment.

I suggest you follow these broad guidelines:

• Don't be afraid to take a small loss to avoid bigger disasters.
• Stay away from commissioned sales people (because they have incentives other than your best interests), and if you use an advisor, be sure he or she is fee based.
• Above all, don't get overwhelmed by news, rumors and predictions that are irrelevant to your strategy.

If you take this advice, I guarantee that pretty soon sleepless nights will be a thing of the past and you'll be on your way to more confidently and successfully (that means profitably) managing your investments.

Review: Corel Paint IX

It has been said that Corel Painter IX is the world’s most powerful Natural-Media painting and illustration software. Corel allows commercial designers, photographers and professional artists to hone their talents and techniques in creating their masterpiece. Corel Painter IX is an extremely stylish painting and illustration application which is designed to seize the complex distinction of traditional art tools while manipulating the implausible power of digital media. It is an essential tool for film making, illustration, photography, fine arts, commercial design and game development.

Corel Painter IX features an improved performance and productivity. It is the fastest version of Corel ever made. It performs ten times faster and brushes work twice as fast. It also features a new welcome screen, enhanced brush control palettes and new frames per second control. By this addition, animators can now test frame rates directly in Corel Painter. Another addition is the new customizable shortcut keys which offer unprecedented level of control over the workflow by enabling complete customization of shortcut keys.

With Corel Painter IX, a milestone in the evolution of digital art has taken place. New artist’s oil painting system can be blended, mixed and made ‘organic’ thus, it blow away preceding misconceptions of a possible digital realm. The new snap-to-path-painting is a time-saver feature where users can paint or draw perfect curve or shape. With it, brush strokes along a vector path or shape is no longer impossible. In Corel Painter IX Digital Watercolor has been significantly improved. It becomes more realistically than ever before. For photographers, the new quick clone enables them to easily transform a photo into painting.

Pre-ordering of Corel Painter IX is available through Corel and selected partners. A free trial version is also available for download. The suggested retail pricing of Corel Painter IX is $429 (US) for full, $229 (US) for upgrade and $99 (US) for the education edition. You can visit www.corel.com/comingsoon for more information.

Giving opportunity to beautify photos and painting regardless of the medium is its specialty. Painters are now throwing away the digital curse because they can now sensitively emulate paint, stroke, brush, texture and atmosphere. Some of the satisfied users say that they simply could not have produced a great artwork, reminiscent of the original movie for a production without Corel Painter IX.

There is really no substitute for Corel Painter. It has remarkable power and striking versatility. It sets a standard for performance to redefine the digital art and mastery. No doubt about it – Corel Painter IX has taken digital art to the next level!

Designing Telescopic Slides Into Electronic Enclosures

Whether it is a server, power supply, keyboard, fan tray or some other chassis configuration, there are two main aspects to consider when designing slides into electronic enclosures; the cabinet construction and the chassis – or drawer.

The attributes of these two components affect the overall enclosure configuration and the selection of slides, brackets and cable carriers.

Telescopic slides and brackets are often used to mount drawers into cabinets. Slides also provide the means to safely open drawers while giving access to critical contents. Finally, wire management or cable carriers must be added to protect wiring. Successfully combining these elements can be a significant challenge.

Often, integration problems can be traced back to cabinet configuration and related spacing issues. The following takes a systematic approach through the key aspects that influence a successful assembly.

Know the cabinet and the standard measures

Cabinets vary according to manufacture and intended use, displaying unique column shapes, thicknesses, materials and placement. These construction variances have a significant effect on the enclosure design. Be sure to obtain detailed specifications from your cabinet manufacturer.

Cabinets generally contain four or more rails (columns/uprights)
There are front rails, rear rails and optional mid-rails
There is no limitation on overall cabinet height

Most electronic cabinets are based on international standards and these dimensions are part of the equation that determines the available space for cabinet components.

The minimum opening width between cabinet rails is generally 450mm/17.72” for 19” wide cabinets.

Cabinet mounting rails carry a repetitive pitch pattern of mounting holes in a vertical sequence 15.87mm, 15.87mm, 12.70mm, 15.87mm (⅝”, ⅝”, ½”, ⅝”) and so forth.

The outside cabinet dimensions (footprint) are always greater than the cabinet mounting rail dimensions. The mounting rails are located inside the cabinet enclosure and components must be planned to fit within the rail dimensions
The actual distances between the width and depth of the mounting rails will vary according to manufacture.

Know the cabinet rail construction, rail configuration and mounting holes

Check if the cabinet has adjustable or non-adjustable mounting columns. Some cabinets include a mid-rail that may be adjustable. Rails come in an assortment of profiles and the shape affects the cabinet’s internal available space and therefore the selection of components. Rails also have several kinds of mounting holes and locations. It is important to get the exact details on the type of mounting holes offered on the cabinet.

Chassis size

Chassis is the term for an electronic drawer. When designing the chassis be sure to include the slide and bracket dimensions when determining its width.

Vertical measurements are also critical to the installation. The minimum height of a chassis is based on a standard nominal unit increment of 44.45mm or 1U. The height of the chassis plus the space required between the drawers must be accounted for when planning the overall number of chassis to be installed. The vertical dimensions are further affected by the need to match the chassis relative to the spacing of the mounting holes on the rails and the positioning of the slides, brackets and cable carriers.

Know the slides

Selecting the correct slide is based on several factors including:

Anticipated chassis load
Distance of chassis travel required; slides offering full extension or over-travel provide the best access to chassis contents (illustration)
Cabinet depth
Slide-to-cabinet mounting bracketry
Required slide features, for example, locks, hold-in or out, disconnect

The mounting position of the slide on the chassis is affected by factors such as bracket alignment, pitch pattern, chassis contents and centre of gravity. Remember also that the smaller the slide profile the more space is available for the chassis.

Know how much working space is available

If some basic dimensions are known, the space available for the remaining components may be determined. For example, by knowing the slide width, bracket thickness and cabinet opening, the chassis width can be determined.

By identifying all of the component variables, planning a compatible assembly becomes much easier.

Character Illustration Tips

Character development seems so easy when we think about legends like Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse or even modern cartoon characters like SpongeBob but is it as simple as it looks like? That seeming simplicity of designing a character is actually a tricky task. The following tips will not make that task easy but they may help you through the process of character development.

The toughest part of developing a character is the very beginning. Now it is time to plan and write down everything. Anything that comes to your mind about your character is worth writing down because you can never know exactly which odd detail from your sketch will actually stand out in the story.

What is your character’s target audience? Where will your character be seen? What are your character vices and strong qualities? What will be the typical daily schedule of your character? What are the pet peeves of your character? Does your character have a nickname? These are all details that can have a bearing on your character’s appearance.

Experiment, try something different.

You never know which queer detail will distinguish your character and grab people’s attention. Don’t concentrate only on those parts of the character that are closely connected with the story. Ignore all rules and try something unusual – a peculiar skin color, twice bigger than the normal-sized head, exaggerated features.

Give your character a personality.

Characters that lack individuality will lack people’s interest in them too. How will your character express his or her emotions? Is your character communicative or shy? Is your character evil or good? Does your character own strength of will? Does your character have any dreams, any goals? These are all parts of your character’s personality and it can all be conveyed in the way your character has been drawn.

Think 3D.

Don’t forget that even on a two-dimensional surface your character has more than one side. Think of your character in its entirety and see how he or she would look like from every viewpoint.

Think in motion.

The image of your character may be static but the character itself is probably not. Consider how you character would look in motion. Is there anything unique in his or her movement – does your character have a belly that trembles when the character is walking, is he or she hopping along, etc.?

Test your creation.

Show your work and ask people to describe how they see your character’s personality judging only by its appearance. This is a great way to test whether you have conveyed well the personality you want.

And last but not least – be patient!

No matter how great your talent is, you should always be prepared for some struggle when developing your character. Don’t allow yourself to get discouraged if a certain feature does not fit the way you would like or if your character does not quite convey the desired mood. Creating a character requires you to give life to a drawing and that is never a simple task.

Try Your Hand At Illustration

My creative side has been blossoming in the past few months for some reason I cannot understand. Nothing in particular brought on my desire to explore my creative capabilities, I just simply started desiring to add a little spice and variety to my days. One of my first attempts at furthering my abilities in the arts was to sign up for a introductory illustration class at a local college.

I have always wanted to try my hand at illustration and I finally decided that it was my time. It was my time to see what my hand could create. I have always been fascinated by the illustration in various books and stories, particularly in children's stories. I love the way that illustration can bring stories alive in ways that words alone cannot. I love the way that seeing a text with an accompanied illustration can bring laughter or tears within an instant.

My illustration class started off much harder than I imagined it would. I quickly learned that illustration is both a talent and a developed skill. I learned that someone could have all the illustration talent in the world and yet be lacking in elements that can only be developed by training and refining a skill. I started the illustration class with a huge need for learning new skills and practicing them. I wanted to walk into that class and be a natural at illustration and I realized that it just wasn't possible.

If you are interested in illustration I would suggest you sign up for a class at a local college or art school. There will be days or weeks of frustration, but if you work hard at illustration you will see great improvements in your ability. Any natural talent you have (which most people have at least some of) will increase by leaps and bounds when it is coupled with some hard work on developing illustration skills.

If you are a little intimidated about entering the world of art and illustration, don't be. Remember that even the best illustrators of the most famous books started out in much the same place you are at. A place with nothing but a little bit of talent (perhaps) and a lot of desire to do great illustration. You cannot let the talent of others discourage or intimidate you, instead you must choose to let it inspire you on. Illustration can be a beautiful way of bringing stories to life and of getting the stories that play in your head out onto paper for the world to see.

Fashion illustration

Fashion Illustration is the communication of fashion designs through drawing. The main focus is the fashion figure or croquis used for draping the clothing onto. The true female figure measures seven to eight head lengths in height; the fashion figure measures nine to ten head lengths, resulting in a more slender figure. In fashion drawing the basic proportions of the human form from head to crotch are retained, while extra length is added to the legs to give dramatic stylised effect and give the illustrator's designs more dynamic appeal. The body is usually drawn slim with squared off shoulders and very elongated.

Not all designers are good illustrators, therefore some of them hire the services of an illustrator.

Fashion Illustration has been around for nearly 500 years. Ever since clothes have been in existence and there was a need to translate an idea or image into a garment there has been a need for fashion illustration. Not only do fashion illustrations show a representation or design of a garment but also served as a form of art. Fashion illustration shows the presence of hand and is said to be a visual luxury; especially today in a world of "24 hour celebrities

Cartoon Illustration

The word cartoon has various meanings, based on several very different forms of visual art and illustration. The term has evolved over time.

The original meaning was in fine art, and there cartoon meant a preparatory drawing for a piece of art such as a painting or tapestry.

The somewhat more modern meaning was that of humorous illustrations in magazines and newspapers. Even more recently there are now several contemporary meanings, including creative visual work for print media, for electronic media, and even animated films and animated digital media.

When the word cartoon is applied to print media, it most often refers to a humorous single-panel drawing or gag cartoon, most of which have captions and do not use speech balloons. The word cartoon is not often used to refer to a comic strip.

Art

A cartoon (from the Italian "cartone" and Dutch word "karton", meaning strong, heavy paper or pasteboard) is a full-size drawing made on paper as a study for further drawings, such as a painting or tapestry. Cartoons were typically used in the production of frescoes, to accurately link the component parts of the composition when painted onto plaster over a series of days. Such cartoons often have pinpricks along the outlines of the design; a bag of soot was then rubbed over the cartoon, held against the wall to leave black dots on the plaster ("pouncing"). Cartoons by painters such as the Raphael Cartoons in London and examples by Leonardo da Vinci are highly prized in their own right. Tapestry cartoons, usually coloured, were followed by eye by the weavers on the loom.

Illustration & Function

An illustration is a visualization such as a drawing, painting, photograph or other work of art that stresses subject more than form. The aim of an illustration is to elucidate or decorate textual information (such as a story, poem or newspaper article) by providing a visual representation.

Function

Illustrations can:

• give faces to characters in a story;
• display examples of an item described in an academic textbook (e.g. a typology);
• visualize step-wise sets of instructions in a technical manual;
• communicate subtle thematic tone in a narrative;
• link brands to the ideas of human expression, individuality and creativity; and
• inspire the viewer to feel emotion to expand on the linguistic aspects of the narrative.

History

Early history

The earliest forms of illustration were prehistoric cave paintings. Before the invention of the printing press, illuminated manuscripts were hand-illustrated. Illustration has been used in China and Japan since the 8th century, traditionally by creating woodcuts to accompany writing.

15th century through 18th century

During the 15th century, books illustrated with woodcut illustrations became available. The main processes used for reproduction of illustrations during the 16th and 17th centuries were engraving and etching. At the end of the 18th century, lithography allowed even better illustrations to be reproduced. The most notable illustrator of this epoch was William Blake who rendered his illustrations in the medium of relief etching.

Early to mid 19th century

In the early 19th century the proliferation of popular journals, which often serialised novels for mass-circulation, produced a boom in popular illustration. The medium moved away from steel engraving which was the standard in the early century towards wood-engraving which could more easily be incorporated into pages of text. Book and journal publishers would employ workshops of wood-engravers to render artists' drawings onto polished blocks of fine-grained yew or box-wood which could then be locked directly into the printing-chase with the metal type. Notable figures of the early century were John Leech, George Cruikshank, Dickens' illustrator Hablot Knight Browne and, in France, Honoré Daumier. The same illustrators would contribute to satirical and straight-fiction magazines, but in both cases the demand was for character-drawing which encapsulated or caricatured social types and classes.

Fusing Traditional and Technical Illustrations

The following is an excerpt from the tips and techniques provided by a designer using Photoshop 4. He based his techniques from a current project of creating illustrations for a story of a mythical city in a magazine.

According to the designer, what is exciting about using computers is that artists and designers like him are now able to fuse present technology with traditional art. They are able to do the things that used to be done in traditional art, but much faster and less waste with the onset of digital technology. This is due to the fact that designers are able to change and edit illustrations and ideas even if it's already at the final stage of the project. Even with the changes, the result of the project rarely differs from the original thrust and objective.

Stage 1: Sketch and Digitization

Sketching and digitization are almost the same in both traditional art and digital technology. In traditional art, an artist usually starts by making a sketch on paper. With Photoshop's graphic palette, it nearly replicates the same feeling. Nevertheless, the designer is quick to add that shaping a drawing on paper is still faster and more intuitive than doing it on the computer. Although he also admits that even if basic drawing is done on paper, computer techniques can produce interesting effects such as halftones that are otherwise not available with drawing pencils.

Stage 2: Preparing the Layers

After importing the sketch into Photoshop, the image should be converted to sepia tones before working on the color. To convert to sepia, go to Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation, check the Colorize box, and use the sliders to colorize the lines into brown, reddish ochre, or yellow. This method provides a silkiness feel to the line. In sepia, the lines of the sketch yield halftones that are more delicate, resulting to an image that is easier to view but retain its basic structure.

The designer suggests adding colors that do not compete with the lines in the drawing. This may weaken lines from the original sketch. At the same time, the sketch should not also overpower the colors. In effect, designers should blend the two elements to find the right balance.

On the choice of sepia, designers should look at the technical rather than the aesthetic considerations. Brown tones result from a mixing of all the colors, so when the picture is colored, the paint colors will blend more easily with the lines. However, using sepia is not an absolute rule, although it does provide softness in the drawing while preserving its descriptive character.

After turning it to sepia, create two new layers. From the layers palette, set the background layer in Multiply mode, and insert it between two virgin layers. The designer suggest putting colors on what he calls the 'under layer', beneath the sepia line drawing layer, and adding detail and finish to the 'over layer'.

Stage 3: The Under Layers

Choose a dominant color where all the secondary effects can relate to without losing the basic contrast. The purpose of this is to avoid getting lost in the details, especially when the designer is working on a picture with so many characters and elaborate scenery.

Look at the masses of color in the drawing. Apply the darkest tone on the entire surface with the Paint Bucket tool. Afterwhich, designers can immediately add an overall grain to the under layer by going to Filter > Noise > Add Noise. This tool, according to the designer, produces a kind of visual vibration that gives the image more surface texture.

However, noise can produce conflict with the drawing, making it harder to view. As remedy, the designer suggests going to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur to soften the noise to about 1.0 pixels. This process makes the drawing immediately reappear. He further adds that this process also allows designers to play with some grain as they build the illustration.

The next level would be to generate a mass of colors by going from the biggest to the smallest objects. Material under the sepia layer can be set on several layers and adjusted separately. The designer reminds others to always work underneath the drawing as they refine and edit details.

The masses of color are laid down with extremely simple brushes. As with a large-format oil painting, designers also should place the colors the same way. Movements must be broad and dynamic when working on an enormous surface. Just like in a painting, designers could also synthesize and blend the masses of colors with a computer. Just provide enough definition for the broad strokes.

Stage 4: The Over Layer

The over layer is the part where you can adjust, correct, and refine the lines of the drawing. When it's super-imposed on the under layers, the density of the lines can be pasty and hard to read. This is the time to lay down the lightest colors, letting the highlights spill over some of the lines of the drawing. According to the designer, this will help smooth out the shapes.

When the drawing is complete and has been colored, this is where designers can soften or eliminate the lines that they think are too heavy or repeat colored shapes. At this final stage, the effects are usually made manually. They often come from pen strokes on the pad.

With these stages, the designer hopes to achieve a harmonious combination of the traditional process and the present technology. Great artwork can be achieved with a successful fusion of the two worlds.

A Website Is Not Enough

Your small business needs an appealing and professional website but that is just the beginning. If no one visits your website and -- more importantly -- if it does not bring in new customers and allows you to sell more to your current customers, then your site is not effective. What do you need to improve your online marketing efforts?

The first step is to decide on a primary goal for your website. Is it to directly sell products or services through e-commerce? Or is the goal to capture leads so you can follow-up and make the sale by email and phone?

For e-commerce you need a website design with a shopping cart system, that encourages people to purchase products using the shopping cart. Both the design and written content should maintain this focus.

If your goal is to capture leads, the key is to have the content that provides initial information about your products and services that interests prospective customers. It should be easy for the prospective customer to fill out a contact form and hit the submit button or call your 800-number. The form should be submitted to a contact management system such as Salesforce or SugarCRM.

Getting it Done

Your business needs a professional website, which can cost between $2,000 -- $15,000 to design. This is not only more than most small businesses want to spend but also unnecessary to succeed on the Web.

For small business there is usually little need for an elaborate, expensive website. You can get an appealing and professional website design for as little as $250.

The key to a professional website design is to work with a good designer who takes the time to listen to you and translate your vision into an effective website. Your designer must be as skilled in listening as in design.

Once the site is completed there must be an easy way for you - or someone on your behalf -- to maintain the website. The designer should provide you with an easy-to-use content management system (CMS), enabling you to edit your website without having to contact your designer. This saves you money.

Once you have a professional website you have the foundation for marketing online. You can build on that foundation and use the Internet as an effective marketing tool.

Search Engine Marketing

Search engine marketing can be divided into two main categories: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Pay Per Click (PPC).

Please do a Google search right now for something pretty popular (e.g., coffee). The results on the left side of the browser window that reach down to the bottom of the page are the organic search results. The top results are generally the more popular sites. The highest ranking sites are those sites that have the most links from other websites (especially other high ranking sites). In a sense, other people have voted for the high ranking sites by linking to them. Often, the high ranking sites are the most popular but there is also a lot of gaming of the system. You cannot, however, pay Google to increase your site's ranking.

On the right side of your search results and, sometimes, up at the top of the page are the "Sponsored Links." These links are paid advertising through a system called Google Adwords. Look for the "Sponsored Links" heading and compare how these links look with the non-sponsored organic links.

Search Engine Optimization

To increase your search rankings in Google (and other search engines), you can do a number of things. We will focus on Google because of its dominant position as a search engine.

The truth is that it is a crowded field out there for most keywords. Your best bet is to find some niche keywords and work on those. It would be very difficult to achieve a high ranking for the keyword "coffee" but if you have a more specific niche you have a better chance of succeeding.

For example - and this is just an example for illustration, not necessarily a good keyword combination - "Guatemalan shade grown coffee" would be an easier space in which to compete. You would have a chance of rising to the top or at least getting on the first page of results.

The primary way to increase your ranking is to have other high ranking sites establish links to your site and have those links associated with specific keywords - such as "Guatemalan shade grown coffee" as in our example. What follows is a few ideas on how to do that in an ethically and effective way. Don't be tempted by gimmicks because Google and other search engines are becoming more savvy, and can penalize sites that try to game the system too much.

First, submit your site to as many directories and other clearinghouse type sites in your industry as you can. That should probably be your first step in SEO. Again, use the keywords that you are most interested in associating with your site.

Submit your site to general directories that are organized by topic. Some sites charge money for fast consideration of your submission, and are probably worth it. For example, Yahoo Directory charges $300/year for expedited consideration of your submission. For other highly prized directories -- such as the Open Directory Project -- you just have to submit your site and hope it will be considered reasonably soon.

Next, talk to your vendors and people in related industries and see about arranging for link exchanges or perhaps even success stories that include a link. They link to you and, in exchange, you link to them.

Then start writing articles. The key to articles is to write about something you know and that has information that is genuinely interesting to your audience. Publish your article in publications that are related to your industry. If your article is published in web publications, you will not only get direct sales leads from your article but your article will also help your search engine position.

For example, our fictional coffee vendor could write an article on exactly why shade grown coffee is superior to non-shade grown coffee. Or, better yet, why "Guatemalan Shade Grown Coffee" is truly the best. The article would have to include facts to support this claim and not just fluff. Maybe the next article could be on how to make the perfect cup of coffee. I would be first in line to read that one.

The key thing to remember is that SEO is a long process. You rarely get instant results. It can take 8-12 months to see any significant progress. You have to keep at it.

Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising

There are a number of PPC providers but we will focus on Google Adwords as they are currently the dominant PPC system.

First, you decide on the goal (called a conversion) of your Adwords campaign. Is it a direct sign-up? Is it capturing sales leads?

A conversion when the goal is achieved and Google Adwords keeps a running tally of your conversions and the cost per conversion. You can see the cost of obtaining a lead or the cost of getting a customer. You can determine if Adwords is working for you, and whether you should make adjustments or discontinue it completely. Generally, it takes a bit of experimentation to get it right but it can be a steady source of business for you. It is worth some effort as once it is set up well it runs and can bring in a steady stream of business.

You set a daily budget (say $35) and a maximum bid on specific keywords (say $2.75). You only pay when someone clicks on your ad click. So if you are bidding $2.75 you might only pay an average of say $2.60 per click. It depends on the keywords and how much you want to bid. Spend some time choosing good keywords. Google Adwords has tools to help you choose the most powerful keywords. You will also need to embed some special code in your website to enable Google to track conversions.

Google Adwords really works. Try it and see if it will work for you. It does not require a big investment to get started. In fact, some web hosting and design companies offer a coupon so you can get started with Adwords for free. Google Adwords is easier to use than you might think.

Permission-Based E-mail Marketing

Spammers have given Email marketing a bad name in much the same way that unethical salespeople have given sales a bad name. This is unfortunate as a knowledgeable salesperson can be an essential part of making good buying decisions. The same is true of good email marketing.

With permission-based email marketing - as opposed to spam - the receiver of the email has expressed interest. Think of spam as the wily salesman in the polyester suit -- and think of permission-based email as the knowledgeable salesperson we respect.

For example, I am on an email list at a bookstore that I frequent. I look forward to the e-newsletters as they often have interesting content and good discounts. I enjoy receiving this e-newsletter and the bookstore gets more business from me as a result. I rarely go anywhere else to buy books. They have retained me as a customer and I buy more often at least in part because of their e-newsletter.

Email marketing can help you increase customer retention and help you earn more revenue from each customer by cross-selling and up-selling to your current customer base. It can also help you expand your client base.

Email marketing is becoming crucial to online marketing and - when done ethically and well -- can be extremely effective. Sign up for a free trial with an email marketing service and see if it works for you. If not, try another service. Find a service that meets your needs.

You can grow your own email newsletter list with a sign up form on your website, and by asking for opt-in in your sign-up and lead capture forms.

What to look for in an Email Marketing Provider

At a minimum an email marketing service should make it easy for you to create eye-catching emails, manage multiple email lists, and place newsletter sign-up forms on your website. There should be powerful list management, robust reporting, and reliability. Your provider must also have excellent customer service.

Your email marketing service should include an easy way to track the results of your email campaigns. Who opened your email, how many times, and when? Did they click on the link you provided? Did they purchase anything or submit a lead? The service should enable you to track message reads in real time, and read detailed reports online or export them to a spreadsheet.

In addition, your email marketing service should give you the ability to manage multiple lists and divide lists into multiple segments.

Conclusion

Obtaining a website and marketing your products or services online does not have to be expensive. An economical way to accomplish these goals is to hire a company to design your website and provide you with bundled web hosting and permission-based email marketing services. It would be an added bonus if they can get you started using Google Adwords with a free coupon.

Successful Print Advertising Designs

Do you often see print advertisements outdoors, as much as you see Web advertisements when you surf through the Web? I’m pretty sure that you have entirely different views and reactions upon seeing and actually taking notice to these two different kinds of advertising. The differences may vary in their use of color, typefaces, and space.

Whatever else the difference is between Print Ads and Web Ads, many would still prefer the traditional print advertisements in order to promote their business, products or services. Not all people have access to the Web, such that Print Ads are still widely used and appreciated. It is also practical for a short-term marketing plan or strategy.

Do you know what makes successful print advertisements? Here are several useful things to remember if you are launching a Print Ad:

• Take advantage of a small space by not crowding too much information into it. Leave a white space which can actually lead your reader to the important information.
• Ads with large photos or illustrations of merchandise get higher readership and appreciation than those with small illustrations or no art.
• People do not actually read your copy, but take a look at your visuals. Thus, make your photographs or illustration occupy at least half of your entire Ad.
• You must know now how your readers read, so that you could strategically place your content and not be left unread.
• Typography is an important key to effective communication.

In your print ads’ headlines, avoid all capital letters. Our eyes and brains are conditioned to identify lower case letters and words. Letters and words in lower cases may just be glanced over, but with full comprehension since people are familiar with them. People also tend to read words by the shape of the word and not by reading individual letters thus, your print ads’ words must be of a distinctive shape.

• Your print ads must be consistent with important information placed where readers would expect to see it. Consistency is an important aspect of your print ad since most readers must be exposed to it seven times before they notice it or take action on it. Your ad must have consistency in:
  • Logo
  • Color
  • Typography
  • Margins and borders
  • Layout
  • Spacing
  • Photographs and captions
• You must also be consistent in your page lay out and other design elements like contrast, balance, etc.
• On top of everything else, you have to make sure that your print ad communicates the main point of your advertisement – the main attraction and the necessary information for your prospective clients.

For your print ads to turn out successfully, you must have at least a single great idea, on top of several good ideas. Remember, there’s a world of difference between a great idea and a good idea. -30-

Three Cs of Writing an Excellent all Purpose Headline

Since the headline is the first contact your readers have with your message, it must reach out to them. Promise them a benefit. Tell them how they will be better off if they read the rest of the ad. Use action verbs. Save ten dollars is a stronger heading than Savings of ten dollars because of the verb.

Headlines can be classified into the following five basic types; effective headlines frequently combine two or more of these kinds.

News Headlines

This form tells the reader something he or she did not know before. Using the word news does not make it a news headline. "Now - a copy machine that copies in color" is an example of this type headline.

Advice and Promise Headline

Here you are promising something if the reader follows the advice in your ad. "Switch to Amoco premium, no-lead gasoline, and your car will stop pinging."

Selective Headline

This headline limits the audience to a specific group. For example: "To all gray-haired men over forty." Caution! Be absolutely sure you do not eliminate potential customers with this type of headline.

Curiosity Headline

The intent here is to arouse the reader's interest enough to make him or her read the ad. The danger is that this headline often appears "cute" or "clever" and fails in its mission. An example: "Do you have trouble going to sleep at night?"

Command or Demand Headline

Watch out for this one as most people resist pushiness, especially in advertising. "Do it now!" or "Buy this today!" This headline generally can be improved by changing to less obtrusive wording such as: "Call for your key to success!"

One common misconception about headlines is that they must be short and easy to understand. This is not always true. Here is a headline that was used extensively in print ads by Ogilvy and Mather for one of their clients: At 60 miles an hour, the loudest noise in this Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock.

Illustrations

There are three primary reasons for using illustrations in an advertisement.

• To attract attention to the ad.
• To illustrate the item being featured.
• To create a mood in the mind of the reader.

Everyone has heard, A picture is worth a thousand words; in advertising, the illustration frequently helps the reader visualize the benefits promised. You can almost feel the warmth of the tropical sun when you see the photos in January travel ads. Cost and practicality may dictate whether your ad uses photographs, artists' drawings or merely canned artwork. Any of these can make the ad more appealing to the reader's eye.

Copy

If you follow the three principles of good copy, your ads will be effective:

• Good copy should be clear.
• Good copy should be crisp.
• Good copy should be concise.

Clear, crisp and concise . . . the three Cs of copy writing suggest that the words in your advertising message merely do a good job of communicating. Do not use big words when small words can make your meaning clear. Use colorful, descriptive terms. Use the number of words necessary to make your meaning clear and no more-but also no less! Selecting the right words is critical to the success of the ads. Recent research conducted at Yale University found that the following 12 words are the most personal and persuasive words in our language.

You     Discovery   Safety
Money   Proven      Results
Love    Guarantee   Save
New     Easy        Health

Notice the overused word free is not on the list.

REMEMBER THAT WHEN YOUR MESSAGE IS PRINTED IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS INSTEAD OF UPPER- AND LOWERCASE LETTERS, IT IS FAR MORE DIFFICULT FOR THE READER TO FOLLOW AND REMAIN INTERESTED. EVEN IN HEADLINES ALL CAPITAL LETTERS SHOULD BE AVOIDED.

Make Your Web Site Work More So You Can Work Less

Do you know how your web site fits into the overall marketing strategy for your business? Do you have a strategy for your web site as a marketing tool? If you're like many entrepreneurs I speak with, you probably don't.

All over the world, small business owners are spending thousands of dollars on building and maintaining web sites without being able to answer one big question: What do you want your web site to do?

Creating a web site without a marketing strategy can be an expensive and time-consuming mistake. Here's an illustration from the more familiar world of paper and postage. Imagine that you hired a graphic designer, printed 5000 four-color tri-fold brochures, and when the boxes arrived, you asked yourself, "Gee, what shall I do with these?"

That scenario may sound a bit embarrassing as it stands, but let's take it further. Suppose the first idea that occurs to you is mailing your new brochure to a list of 500 names you collected by exhibiting at a trade show. But then you realize that you didn't design the brochure as a self- mailer -- all 6 panels are filled with graphics and copy.

To mail your brochure, you will now need 500 envelopes. Of course you want to use the ones printed with your address and logo, but how much do those cost a piece? And do you have 500 in stock? What will be the cost in money or time to get envelopes printed, addressed, and stuffed? How long will all this take? Was any of this in your budget when you had the brochures printed?

The brochure example can tell us much about what goes wrong in creating web sites. Many sites are constructed to be simply electronic brochures. Entrepreneurs often get their sites designed by sending their printed brochure to a web designer, and saying, "Put this on the Web."

So here's what is wrong with that. If you want your web site to attract traffic, your web site must be DESIGNED to attract traffic.

You have a choice in designing your site and integrating it with your overall marketing strategy. You can choose to make your site an electronic brochure with no consideration of how to attract visitors built into the design. If you do this, it means that you must direct traffic to your site by other means -- advertise, promote, exhibit, speak, write, network, prospect, mail, call, etc.

Unfortunately, most small business owners find this out after the fact. They put up the site and then slowly realize that no one is seeing it. So they start spending time and money on banner ads, on-line malls, classifieds, postcards, bulk email, posting articles, exchanging links, and more.

The alternative is to design your site to attract traffic in the first place. If you're going to spend all the time and money to build a web site, doesn't it make more sense to have the site bring you customers rather than you having to bring customers to the site?

To create a high-traffic web site, it must be search-engine friendly. 85-90% of all web site traffic comes from search engines. When a customer types in a keyword phrase you hope will bring them to you, your site needs to be one of the top 10-30 results shown or that customer will never get to you. To earn top positions in the major search engines, you or your web designer must know the guidelines each engine uses to create its rankings, and mold your site to meet them.

Some of these guidelines relate to the content of your site, and how it is organized. Others have to do with the technical details of how your site is constructed. If you don't want to know these specifics, you'd better hire someone who does. That's the problem with letting just anyone who calls themselves a web designer create a site for you.

Looking at a designer's portfolio of completed sites will tell you only a small part of what you need to know about their abilities. Who wrote the content for those sites? Who designed the page layout and navigation? Where did the graphics come from? And here's the most important question: What did the designer do to make those sites search-engine friendly?

It's a rare person who possesses the four-way combination of design ability, technical expertise, marketing know-how, and search engine savvy to create an attractive, useful web site that will attract traffic AND generate paying customers. You know which of these capabilities you already have, and what new skills you're willing to learn. Make sure you hire people who have the rest.

Fashion Illustrations Seen

Are you thinking about getting into fashion illustration? Have you ever drawn several or even just one exceptional fashion illustration that you would want a celebrity to wear? Having your fashion illustration seen might not be as difficult as you think. It will involve spending some time, having some patience, hard work, maybe some rejection, and knowing the right people.

Nevertheless, with a few basic steps, your fashion illustration might get into the right hands. Certainly, it would be an honor to have one of the hottest celebrities wear your gown at an up-and-coming award show.

Set up a Portfolio

Similar to a photographer trying to get seen, setting up a portfolio is an excellent way to organize and display your work. Basically what you would need is a nice binder and page protectors to put your drawings into. The general rule is, the more illustrations you have, the better off you are. It would also be advisable to make a few extra copies of your portfolio. With your portfolio in hand, anyone can see your ideas.

Some of the people who might want to see your fashion illustration and perhaps use them would be a local designer, a famous fashion designer, or perhaps even a design teacher who has plenty of connections. In this field it pays not to be shy. Do not be afraid to display your portfolio, even if you think you might be somewhat annoying to people.

If you believe your fashion illustration is superior than the next person's, then it deserves to be seen. It also helps to have an open mind as some people who are willing to see it say it is bad or they give you the advice on certain things to change then it may be a good idea to listen to those who are experienced in this field.

Bring Your Illustrations to Life

The majority of people have a difficult time visualizing pictures and ideas. They are what is known as "kinesthetic" people and usually need something they can hold onto and feel and possibly even try on.

Don't be concerned if you do not have any type of sewing skills. With some money or even just connections, you can have your fashion illustration brought to life. The majority of design students will usually work for free if they can get credit for it. All that is necessary is basically to purchase the material.

Another type of person who might be able to put together your ideas is a seamstress or a tailor. Typically quite a few dry cleaning places have sewers. It might be possible to set something up on the side. With your new piece, you can present to store owners, boutique owners, or possibly even a celebrity.

Enter a Contest

This may seem a little challenging to get your fashion illustration seen, however entering a contest might be a good way to try. You never know; if you happen to win, then not only will you win the prize, you may also get some connections in the process where you can send more of your illustrations to.

Illustration & History

An illustration is a visualization such as a drawing, painting, photograph or other work of art that stresses subject more than form. The aim of an illustration is to elucidate or decorate textual information (such as a story, poem or newspaper article) by providing a visual representation.

History

Early history

The earliest forms of illustration were prehistoric cave paintings. Before the invention of the printing press, illuminated manuscripts were hand-illustrated. Illustration has been used in China and Japan since the 8th century, traditionally by creating woodcuts to accompany writing.

15th century through 18th century

During the 15th century, books illustrated with woodcut illustrations became available. The main processes used for reproduction of illustrations during the 16th and 17th centuries were engraving and etching. At the end of the 18th century, lithography allowed even better illustrations to be reproduced. The most notable illustrator of this epoch was William Blake who rendered his illustrations in the medium of relief etching.

Illustration by Santiago Martinez Delgado.

Early to mid 19th century

In the early 19th century the proliferation of popular journals, which often serialised novels for mass-circulation, produced a boom in popular illustration. The medium moved away from steel engraving which was the standard in the early century towards wood-engraving which could more easily be incorporated into pages of text. Book and journal publishers would employ workshops of wood-engravers to render artists' drawings onto polished blocks of fine-grained yew or box-wood which could then be locked directly into the printing-chase with the metal type. Notable figures of the early century were John Leech, George Cruikshank, Dickens' illustrator Hablot Knight Browne and, in France, Honoré Daumier. The same illustrators would contribute to satirical and straight-fiction magazines, but in both cases the demand was for character-drawing which encapsulated or caricatured social types and classes.

The British humorous magazine Punch, which was founded in 1841 riding on the earlier success of Cruikshank's Comic Almanac (1827-1840), employed an uninterrupted run of high-quality comic illustrators, including Sir John Tenniel, the Dalziel Brothers and Georges du Maurier, into the 20th century. It chronicles the gradual shift in popular illustration from reliance on caricature to sophisticated topical observations. These artists all trained as conventional fine-artists, but achieved their reputations primarily as illustrators. Punch and similar magazines such as the Parisian Le Voleur realised that good illustrations sold as many copies as written content.

Walter Ratterman, Oil on Canvas, ca1927, Woman at a piano in elegant interior. Illustration for Good Housekeeping magazine.

Golden age of illustration

The American "golden age of illustration" lasted from the 1880s until shortly after World War I (although the active career of several later "golden age" illustrators went on for another few decades). As in Europe a few decades earlier, newspapers, mass market magazines, and illustrated books had become the dominant media of public consumption. Improvements in printing technology freed illustrators to experiment with color and new rendering techniques. A small group of illustrators in this time became rich and famous. The imagery they created was a portrait of American aspirations of the time.

A prolific artist who linked the earlier and later 19th century in Europe was Gustave Doré. His sombre illustrations of London poverty in the 1860s were influential examples of social commentary in art. He remained with the medium of monochrome engraving in his later more fantastical work, but other artists were discovering the possibilities of color, particularly under the influence of the Pre-Raphaelite painters and emulations of hand-printing techniques by the design-oriented Arts and Crafts Movement. Edmund Dulac, Arthur Rackham, Walter Crane and Kay Nielsen were notable representatives of this style, which often carried an ethos of neo-mediævalism and took mythological and fairy-tale subjects. By contrast the English illustrator Beatrix Potter based her colored children's illustrations on accurate naturalistic observation of animal-life.

The opulence and harmony of the work of the "golden age" illustrators was counterpointed in the 1890s by artists like Aubrey Beardsley who reverted to a sparser black-and-white style influenced by woodcut and silhouette, anticipating Art Nouveau, and Les Nabis. American illustration of this period was anchored by the Brandywine Valley tradition, begun by Howard Pyle and carried on by his students, who included N.C. Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish, Jesse Willcox Smith and Frank Schoonover.

A movement was started in Latin America by Santiago Martinez Delgado who worked in the 1930s for Esquire Magazine while an art student in Chicago, and later in his native Colombia with the Vida Magazine, Martinez a disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright worked in the Art Deco style. Also in the 1930s the influence of propaganda art and expressionism was felt in the work of the British freelance illustrator Arthur Wragg. His stylised monotone shapes suggested the block-printing techniques used for political posters, but by this time the technology of transferring artwork to printing plates by photographic means had advanced to the extent that Wragg could produce all his work in pen and ink.

Post World War II period

Disregarded in their own day, the styles of illustration which have since come to characterize the 1950s and 1960s are magazine advertising and comic art. These styles even began to flow back into the mainstream of fine art in the work of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein (both of whom had worked as commercial illustrators). Not so admired have been the various styles of illustration associated with pop album cover in the 1970s, often based on airbrush techniques.

The 1950s and 1960s were another Golden Age of Illustration, with hundreds of Illustrators working. Illustrations appeared in magazines, on billboards, on magazine covers and on television. The use of Illustrators began to wane in the mid 1950s, but the genre continued to be seen regularly through the early 1960s. The artwork of Norman Rockwell, Harry Anderson, and Charles Kerins, epitomize the era.

Today

Starting in the 1990s, traditional illustrators confronted a challenge from those using computer software such as Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and CorelDRAW. The use of Wacom tablets and similar apparatus also increased the ability of drawing and painting directly in a computer.

Today, many illustration students are made aware of the technology available, with equal emphasis placed upon more traditional illustration techniques. As a result, traditional and digital techniques are often used in conjunction with each other. One form of this is fusion illustration^{[citation needed]} which crosses the boundaries of fine art and commercial art in a world where illustration, graphic design, typography, and photography work together.

While illustrations have been previously been considered just a small part of the creative and entertainment industries, they are becoming a new and significant factor in industries such as video games, movies, animation, advertising and publishing, the former three known for their use of concept art in pre-production.

The 5 Most Important Rules for Designing your Company Website

Have you ever visited a website that was so bad that you felt like it was sucking the life out of you? Sure you have, we all have. We all know what a poorly designed website looks like. And the sad thing is, internet surfers will more often than not judge your company by your website. These web-surfers are your potential customers, and the last thing you need is them fleeing from your website just seconds after they arrive.

If you’re thinking of creating a website for your company, or redesigning an existing one, here is a brief list of some web design principles that should be followed:

1. Make sure it loads quickly.

You could have the best designed site on the planet, but if it’s not in front of me within 3 seconds, I’m gone. Once you have your website up and running, check it from a few different computers. Make sure it loads quickly on other machines and internet connections, and still looks good on a couple different screen resolutions.

2. Use Consistent Navigation Layout

Never take away the viewer’s ability to navigate through your site. If you have the navigation links to the various pages in your website listed along the top or the left-hand side, try to keep this placement on all subsequent pages. You want your viewer to be focusing on your products and/or services, not on how to get back to the page where they were at.

3. Color Theory

This has always been a favorite of mine. I’ve even been criticized at times for paying too close attention to color theory, but there are many studies which prove that color greatly influences shoppers. This applies equally as much to the internet. I suggest doing a search for more intensive articles on color theory on the net; they can be a wealth of information. But here are some brief examples to get you started:

-Reds / Greens : Hunger colors, great for restaurants, grocery stores, and other food vendors
-Royal Blue or Orange: Know to appeal to ‘impulse shoppers’.
-Blue: Color of loyalty and trust. Calming color
-Red: signifies action, passion, and strength.
-Purple or Black: Colors of royalty, sophistication, or wealth.

Keep in mind the psychological impact of color also varies from culture to culture, so be sure you know who your target audience is.

4. ‘Dumping In’ photos and content

‘Dumping In’ content refers to placing images and text on your website without paying attention to how it affects the overall design of your website. Too often I see nicely designed websites with poorly placed content.

When designing your website, it is a good idea to have all your content written beforehand, as well as all the images you will be using. Also, pertaining to images, try to have the image incorporated more into the design of your site, rather than simply having it as a rectangular jpg floating beside your text.

5. Research

Before you even sketch anything on paper, before you open up Photoshop or even look at Dreamweaver, take a good look at other websites. Famous artists still dive into the history books to seek inspiration from the masters. Skilled painters still use photo references of their subjects. There is no reason you shouldn’t do the same type of research when creating a design for your website.

A good place to start is to do a Google search for ‘best websites’; this will usually yield some interesting results. There are some brilliant web designers out there, and getting inspiration from their techniques will make your website better in the end.

Easy Tips For Figure Drawing Like the Masters in Minutes

Drawing people and faces is not very hard to do. Well, that’s not one hundred percent accurate if you want to achieve a likeness to the person that you are drawing. This is very challenging and hard to do because each person is unique and poses their own individuality. Figure drawing and drawing faces is an artists ultimate challenge because of this uniqueness, everyone is different. Mastering the human form can be difficult but with these tips, it may be a little easier.

First, when you are starting out, draw everyone you know. Draw your friends and family. Draw at church, the baseball diamond, the park, a funeral, a wedding, wherever you go! Take a sketch pad with you everywhere.

Another good tip is to copy an old master’s painting. Take a Bougereau or Da Vinci or some other master’s painting and copy it. This is a tip that a lot of artists find the most useful when trying to master figure drawing. What is it that makes their work great? Study their technique and line usage, make notes so that you are able to incorporate these into your drawings. Observe the boldness of their lines, what about their hatching and cross-hatching, or shading? Make notes!

Do a self portrait. Check yourself out in the mirror and get drawing. The reoccurring theme with these tips are get drawing people.

Do studies of the hands, eyes, mouths, and noses. Draw hundreds of each of these trying to get the anatomy right and also focusing on the likeness of the persons or illustration you are sketching.

Do several gesture drawings every day. These will help you in your efforts to bring life and vitality to your drawings. Gesture drawings help in capturing the emotion of what you are trying to convey in the portrait.

Take a digital camera with you everywhere. This will help you when you come across something that strikes your eye for a reference. I use mine also for interesting textures or if I see a piece of clothing that would make an interesting practice piece. Never go on a trip without one!

Finally, you know where you struggle. Look at these areas carefully and practice, practice, practice. Go back to the basics. Get a good look at your weaknesses and turn them into your strengths. Is it drawing hair? Drawing clothes? Or is it mastering eyes, or capturing a likeness to your subject? Whatever it is, study it out and get drawing. You can do it. These tips will help you get started.

Web Design Illustration Tips

Pictures are worth a thousand words. So are illustrations and images on any web page. Your illustrations will either make your visitors stay and read on, or make them decide to skip and click on another web site.

For best results, you could apply the following tips for illustrations in your web pages:

• Use colors from a typical web palette for your illustrations. If you use solid colors for your illustrations, try to stick to the standard 216 colors of the web palette. The colors will have the same look on any type of computers and web browsers. If you want to use color gradients or blends, try it out first on your screen set to only 256 colors. This is to avoid having your colors look very muddied, unattractive, and hard to distinguish. If it doesn't look good at this resolution, try a different color blend that is not as harsh. Furthermore, the colors in your illustrations should also match those used in other graphics of your web site layout. This includes the masthead, sidebar, buttons, icons, image maps, among others.

• Provide thick lines in your illustrations. Results in the printed image differ from images on your computer screen. Small lines that are visible in your printed image will show up more thinly or not at all on the screen. This is because the monitor has a much lower resolution than ink to a printed page. Remember to make your lines thicker and your illustrations will be seen more clearly by browsers, even to the most minute detail.

• Browsers should be able to download quickly. Speed is important for people who browse the internet. No matter that your illustrations are great and worthy of praise, visitors will definitely leave your site in a snap if they are too big in file size and difficult to download. A big file for an illustration takes a long time to download. Test first your illustrations at a smaller file size, either by reducing the amount of colors or provide them with less space on your screen. If they look good then provide a smaller version. Your visitors will be grateful and stay longer at your site.

• Your illustrations should attract attention. Your illustrations should be able to attract your visitors' attention and make them want to read and click on to further pages. A very good illustration also adds perspective and character to your words. So make your illustrations speak for your web site.

• Illustrations are there to compliment, not control. Illustrations are made to compliment your web page and not to overpower other elements. They should be able to attract attention but not so much that visitors become distracted from the content. Allow for some breathing space. Provide white spaces in between images. Also, don't overcrowd your page with too many illustrations. Place them strategically in the whole web site.

• Provide relevant illustrations to the web page content. Your illustrations are worthless if they don't convey the message you want to send out. In addition to confusing your audience, they also take up too much time to download. They need to compliment your content. One look at your illustrations and the visitors should be able to have an impression of what they are about to read.

• Save illustrations in the proper file format. Save your illustrations in their proper file format, such as .gif and .jpeg. If you used mostly solid colors and lines, save your illustration as GIF files for it to look sharp. On the other hand, save illustrations as JPEG files if you used gradients or blends.

• Provide protection for your illustrations. Copying and downloading of images and illustrations are very common. Hence, it is important for you to protect your illustrations from unauthorized use. You could provide a copyright symbol with the name of your company or organization to your illustrations. If you want additional security, you could also subscribe to a digital watermarking service that allows visitors to see your name as author and copyright holder of the illustration. This kind of service also provides tracking of other sites in the web that displays your illustrations without permission.

The Unbaptized Wallet (A Stewardship Illustration)

There is a story told about Ivan the Great who ruled Russia as Czar in the 15th century. He was a warrior, a fighter, and a conqueror of kingdoms. The Soviet Union as we knew it a few years ago was basically put into place by Ivan the Great.

Ivan was so busy doing battle that some of his comrades became concerned because he hadn't taken time to get married and have a family. They came to him and said “You've got to get married because you've got to have an heir to the throne.” But Ivan said “I want to do battle and to conquer more territory, you go find a wife for me.” So they did.

Ivan's men found a wife for him from the daughter of the king of Greece, a beautiful girl. They said to Ivan, “We found a wife for you, but there's one problem.” “What's that?” he asked. “If you're going to marry her, you have to be Greek Orthodox,” they said. Ivan the Great said, “Well, if you think she'd make a good wife for me, that's no problem, I could be Greek Orthodox.”

The king of Greece was thrilled with this because it meant that Ivan wasn't going to invade his territory. So the Greeks sent tutors to Russia to tutor Ivan and 500 of his elite soldiers, everyone a great warrior. The soldiers required tutoring because Ivan said, “If I'm going to be Greek Orthodox, they're going to be Greek Orthodox.”

They tutored all these men in the Greek Orthodox faith and finally Ivan and the soldiers went down to Greece for the wedding. But before the marriage they had to be baptized into the Greek Orthodox church. It was an incredible sight as thousands of people came to watch Ivan the Great and his 500 soldiers all wade into the water at one time to be baptized by immersion into their new church.

Five hundred soldiers with full armor and five hundred Greek Orthodox priests were standing in the blue water of the Mediterranean Sea for the baptism, when all of a sudden the king of Greece said, “We've got a problem.” The problem was that in the Greek Orthodox church you could not be a warrior and a member of the church at the same time.

So they held a hastily-called diplomatic meeting in the water to ask, "How are we going to work this out?" They came up with a simple answer. Just before the priests immersed the soldiers, each man took out his sword, held it high above the water, and allowed the priest to baptize everything but his sword arm. This came to be known as “the unbaptized arm.”

There are many Christians today who have unbaptized checkbooks. They have dedicated every part of their life to God except their money. As someone has said, "The last thing to be converted is our pocketbook."