graphic design solutions for all your pageantry needs
BEFORE
AFTER
THE SHORT VERSION:
We'll make it look AWESOME for you!
THE LONG VERSION:
What exactly do you need from me to create my ad page? (Just 2 things!)
1) YOUR PHOTO/S: When it comes to the choice of photos, we recommend using one single shot. It is true: one picture speaks louder than a thousand words, and we think that ad pages with just one great looking photo strike the best balance between impact and sophistication. But, hey, if you have a lot of great photos to choose from, why not create a dynamic multi-photo ad or, better yet, perhaps a 2-page ad for a full-blown magazine-style "spread" where you can showcase YOUR story? We'll make it look great one way or the other! Check out our "Samples" section for more!
Ideally, your image/s would come from a professional photographer, who would have provided you with a high-resolution copy. That's the file we would need you to e-mail us. Please e-mail all your images to info@pageantdesignsolutions.com. The higher the resolution of your images, the better the final ad will look like. Low-resolution images, on the other hand, could make the final product look "grainy", "pixelated", and will diminish the visual quality of your ad. This is a key ingredient that can make or break your ad! Our format of choice for photos is JPEG, in 300dpi or higher resolution.
Remember: the judges will see your headshot and your ad page in the program book
BEFORE they meet you in person, so first impressions are crucial!
2) YOUR VERBIAGE: In order for us to receive the text you'd like to use in your ad, simply complete the Pageant Ad Design Form (see Step #2 of 3 in the "ORDER" page). This is where you would enter the verbiage you would like to use on your ad/s, including any sponsor information, if applicable. DO NOT USE ALL CAPS and ***triple-check*** your text BEFORE you submit it! :)
We recommend that you keep the amount of text to a bare-minimum. Your full name and Title (if applicable) is really what's important. Have multiple names and surnames? Consider not using *all* of them. Short and sweet wins!
Inspirational quotes, "thank you" and "best wishes" messages are of course always welcome, but remember: the more space you use for the text, the less space we have to work with your photo/s (and the more chances you have that it will get overlooked.). Regarding quotes... let's face it: in most cases, we have all heard and read them before. Let's just say that we see the expression "thank you to my family and friends for their love and support" at least 1361983698309 times a week. :) So... be original! Be creative! Have fun! Think outside the "Miss Congeniality" box! :)
Please do not hesitate to contact us with any additional questions or comments you might have!
DO I GET TO SEE THE AD BEFORE IT'S FINAL?
Of course! You will be able to receive (via e-mail) a web-friendly version of the ad for your approval and error-checking. Once you are 100% happy with the results, we will e-mail you the final version of the ad in a high-resolution, printer-ready format. You will then be able to e-mail this final version of the ad to your Pageant Producer, Director or Organizer.
PAGEANT AD NO-NO's:
• NO LOW RESOLUTION IMAGES
Your photographer should have given you 2 different versions of your images: 1 low-res (for preview purposes, e-mail or easier file sharing) and 1 final, fully edited file in high resolution. We would need the hi-res one. This photo usually is delivered on a CD, USB stick, or via an online file-sharing service such as Dropbox. If so, please make sure you share this link with us! The higher resolution will translate into a MUCH better looking printed ad, with no digital artifacts such as pixelation and "noise", nor any compression issues. In short, low res photos look terrible on the printed page. Hi-res images look stunning.
• NO FACEBOOK / CANDID / PHONE PHOTOS
The goal is to make you stand out and look great! Blurry, shaky, out of focus, or poorly lit and/or framed candid photos taken with a phone are not really going to let you do that. Unless you have great photographic skills and a decent DSLR camera, go with a pro photographer! It'll be a great investment for your pageant or modelling career.
• NO PHOTOS WHERE WE DO NOT SEE YOUR FACE!
Yes, believe it or not, we have had cases where all the images submitted to create an ad suffered from the issue described above.
• NO "WATERMARKED" PHOTOS
If your photographer provided you with a photo with his/her logo as a digital "watermark", and this "watermark" is positioned on top of or somewhere very close to your body or face, please ask him/her to provide you with a non-watermarked, uncompressed file. However, if the "watermark" or logo is somewhere else, not on your body but on an area where it can be easily "removed" (see the example above), then that's no problem at all!
• NO SCANNED SPONSOR BUSINESS CARDS
This one is more of a "maybe" instead of an emphatic "no". If you know your way around a scanner and can submit a properly scanned business card of your sponsor/s (in 300dpi or higher resolution, properly framed/cropped, etc), then go for it! But ideally, we would prefer a digital, hi-res logo in Ai, Eps or Psd format. This will ensure the highest file quality and best possible results for your ad.
• NO, UNFORTUNATELY WE CAN NOT RE-DO AN AD DESIGNED BY SOMEBODY ELSE
We pride ourselves in creating fully original, custom-made ads for each one of our clients. We also are unable to re-do, modify, change the wording or "enahnce" an existing ad designed by somebdy else, mostly beacuse we do not have access to the original, editable or "layered" files of that ad.
• KEEP IT SIMPLE!
Even if you have many sponsors or family members to thank (and we agree that IS a great thing!), the reality is that most judges will not really bother to read more than one or two sentences on your ad, but their eyes will hopefully be attracted to the fluidity and dynamic nature of the photo and the lay-out. So, of course, do go ahead and give credit where credit is due, but keep it short and simple!