Do you know the difference between vector art and a pixel image? Unless you are a graphic designer, you probably don’t, but if you work in communications or marketing you should understand the difference between these two types of images.

Basically, there are two types of electronic image files: vector graphics —commonly used for logos, maps and stylized illustrations; and pixel (raster) images—generally these are photographic images or continuous-tone.

Vector images are created from points and lines to create a specific shape or design element. These elements are filled with color or tone.  A vector file is commonly created in design programs like Adobe Illustrator. Vector file extensions are EPS  or AI.

Pixel images use pixel or small dots of color to create an overall image.  Generally, any photograph that is in a digital format is a pixel image. Pixel images are governed by DPI (Dots Per Inch), the higher the DPI means more dots are used to create the image.  Images used on websites are generally 72 DPI (72 dots per inch), while images used in a traditionally printed brochure are 300 DPI or larger (300 dots per inch).  Usually, higher DPI images have greater detail than lower DPI images. There are many file extension options for a pixel/raster image, the most common are JPG or TIF.

The benefit of vector art is that it can be scaled to any size, from a small graphic used on a business card to a gigantic graphic on a billboard, without any loss of detail or quality.

A pixel image, since it is made up of thousands of dots cannot be resized to such dramatic proportions and yield crisp and clean reproduction. When you drastically enlarge a pixel image, it often becomes blurry, loses detail and may have jagged edges. Generally, you can enlarge a pixel image 20% without noticeably affecting the image quality.

A vector image can also be converted or saved as a pixel file—but a pixel file cannot be saved as a vector file. It must be recreated using a vector-based application.

Now you know the basic differences between vector art and pixel images. If you have any further questions, just ask a one of our graphic designers in the comments area below. We’d be happy to help you out!

The pesky little f-word, “future”– it’s the deal-breaker word in relationship talks, an annoying subject of conversation for high school seniors, and an avoid-at-all-costs topic for college seniors. But, what does this f-word hold for Willow Marketing? In a recent activity, Willow Shrubs chose “innovative” as one of the key words for our future. But what does being innovative entail?

Referencing the “9 Ways to Keep Innovation Alive in your Marketing Organization,” I have observed many of these suggestions already in place here at Willow.

- Teamwork: If teamwork is synonymous with “collaboration,” then it is a word used here daily. For further evidential support, please reference my previous blog post on Thunder & Lightning: A Lesson on Brainstorming.

The Willow Collaboration Crock

- Interest in marketing trends: Daily “Read this cool article I found!” emails throughout the office exemplify Willow Shrubs’ interest in their very occupation, and that we do not shy away from what is new, different and dare I say it? Innovative.
- Contributions from all: I am proof of this, as I have had the opportunity to put in my two cents on many occasions the past couple months.
- Cross-train: As every good athlete knows, cross training is key to improving your main event. Be it “dryland” training for swimmers, our webbies being in the know about account activities, our designers giving a Printing 101 workshop to all, or the open forum streaming between our webbies and designers each answering the other team’s question of “How’d they do that?!” We each learn outside our bubble thus improving our in-bubble successes.

Do these suggestions spell an innovative future for Willow? What does it mean to be innovative? And, an easy one, what does the future hold?

When I was three-years-old my mom walked into my playroom to find me sitting at my Play School table getting ready to color. But not just sitting. Sitting with my chair at a 45-degree angle from the table and my legs propped up on the table, crossed ankles resting on the corner. When my mom asked what I was doing, I replied, “Mommy, this is how I think the best,” as if it was obvious.

She snapped a picture of me that morning, which has remained framed and infamous primarily because that is still “how I think the best.” Throughout high school, college and even here at Willow, when I have a difficult task to complete I push my chair back a bit, turn to the side and clear a space on the corner of my desk to rest my ankles.

I also have noticed that my fellow shrubs have their own habits to help optimize their productivity. Some like to get here early, crossing jobs off the To Do list while the office is still quiet. Others prefer to stay later wrapping up projects after the dust of the day has settled. Headphones, used to listen to music and disappear into one’s own world of thought, are an utter necessity for some shrubs while others enjoy sitting at the coffee bar brainstorming and bouncing ideas off those that pass by. For some, this “productive pose” changes from project to project, but for others it’s a life-long habit that never fails.

So what’s your secret recipe for success? Are you particularly productive in the evening, or do you do your best thinking when the sun is coming up? Does standing on your head while eating a bologna and pickle sandwich help you focus? Tell us what works for you so we can give it a try. (But if it’s that upside-down pickle sandwich thing, we want to see photographic proof first…)

This is not an article about working in the jungle from your satellite enabled laptop, but instead information that will help keep you from pulling your hair out when creating custom email layouts that will be delivered through email clients like iMail, Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo and others. If you have tried to do this you will find that they all act a bit weird when reading your nicely formatted and coded layout. While most adhere to the HTML specifications of browsers others do not…and yes I am talking about Outlook. Outlook, as widely used as it is, can be an absolute nightmare when trying to make its display of your HTML look the way you expect it. The reason behind this? Outlook uses MS Word as its rendering engine. Word is not complaint with HTML as you would expect and will mangle your design with ease. Others have summed up the best practices in handling not only Outlook but the other oddities with email layouts, so I will defer to them for the answers to this issue. You can find a great article about it here: http://www.queness.com/post/8784/12-killer-tips-and-tricks-for-building-html-email

I think I might get that satellite uplink and head to the jungle, I will just need a really long extension cord after my batteries die!

Today concludes Kelsey’s travels around the Willow office. We really enjoyed having her here and we’re excited to see how she uses her new found knowledge of marketing in her art classes at school. Have you missed the first two parts of Kelsey’s adventures? Be sure to click here for Part 1 and here for Part 2.

Friday then came and I was going to work with Doug. I was really interested in what he does because one of my teachers at school loves video projects but I don’t really know that much about video. In the morning we sat at his desk while he ate his English muffin and showed me different programs that he uses when he makes videos for clients. I’ve never used a Mac to create a video so the programs he showed me were brand new.

After he finished his breakfast he showed me his camera and how it operates. He even let me tape while he interviewed Andrew and Kelly. Using the camera made me nervous because I’d never used a big camera that has so many buttons and cords and such.

Also on Friday, Kim gave me two papers that I had to type up for her and Uncle Brad let me sit in on a client meeting where we unveiled their new website which I thought was very interesting because I’ve never been in a meeting before.

My week at Willow was the most impressive learning experience I have ever had. I wish I could write everything I learned but I’m afraid that I would write too much. I did learn one very important thing that I will take with me for the rest of my life. When it comes to running a business like Willow, teamwork is vital. Everyone has to work together to get what needs to be done, done. Everyone here at Willow works so nicely together and I wish all employees the best of luck in their careers. Thanks to everyone who worked with me and also thank you to my Uncle Brad for giving me this opportunity.