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Place a Work Order:
Contact me to place an order, and we can talk about what I can do for you. To get better aquainted with you and your business, I will also ask you to fill out a work order form. Return the form to me in one of two ways:
- E-mail to: ahaisten@ahstudio.org.
- Mail to: P.O. Box 682, Jackson, GA 30233.
Note: If you are having trouble with the work order form, see Zip or unzip a file to see how to unzip the work order form. If you do not have Word 2007, try the work order form for Word 1997 - 2003.
Videos:
Click the 
button to view a table of contents and select a video. Mouseover the screen and press the arrows on either side to navigate through the videos one by one, or just press play and watch them sequentially.
button to view a table of contents and select a video. Mouseover the screen and press the arrows on either side to navigate through the videos one by one, or just press play and watch them sequentially.
- What is graphic design?
- GDTV: Why hire a graphic designer?
- The Ries Report: Visual Difference
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is graphic design?
"Graphic designers work with drawn, painted, photographed, or computer-generated images (pictures), but they also design the letterforms that make up various typefaces found in movie credits and TV ads; in books, magazines, and menus; and even on computer screens. Designers create, choose, and organize these elements—typography, images, and the so-called “white space” around them—to communicate a message. Graphic design is a part of your daily life. From humble things like gum wrappers to huge things like billboards to the T-shirt you’re wearing, graphic design informs, persuades, organizes, stimulates, locates, identifies, attracts attention and provides pleasure.
Graphic design is a creative process that combines art and technology to communicate ideas. The designer works with a variety of communication tools in order to convey a message from a client to a particular audience. The main tools are image and typography."
See AIGA | Graphic Design: A Career Guide and Education Directory | edited by Sharon Helmer Poggenpohl | ©1993 for more information.
Why should I hire a graphic designer?
First impressions are everything in business. Your prospective customers judge you from the very beginning. Your image portrays who you are as a business, and too many business owners think they can save money by creating their own identity. Graphic designers are talented and trained in the field. They know how to use design elements: fonts, color, contrast, balance, etc. They know the software, design lingo, how to prepare a file for print, and how to communicate with printers. If you are a business owner who is doing your own design work, ask yourself what your current image says to prospective customers. By hiring a graphic designer, you are hiring someone who is knowledgeable and knows how to make your business look appealing to your target audience. By doing this, it relieves you of these tasks so that you can do more jobs that are within your area of expertise.
What software do you use?
I use industry standard software that is commonly used by graphic design and printing companies. My main programs are QuarkXPress, InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Dreamweaver. I may use another program if it is more ideal for a particular project.
Could you design something using Microsoft Office?
I can, but you should realize some things first. Microsoft Office programs such as Word are desktop publishing programs that were developed for the mass public. They are ideal for certain jobs, but are not as powerful as industry standard graphic design programs such as InDesign. Graphic designers have more control over the design elements and content within these programs than Microsoft Office programs. They also tend to use more than one program to complete a job. Therefore, the product turned out using these programs by a graphic designer will be a much better product. Graphic designers are also faster in these programs because they use them more often. Some printers may not even use Microsoft Office files except for copying and pasting content. Depending on the situation, they may simply recreate your piece in their preferred program and charge you for the time they spent doing this. The only time I would suggest going this route is for a project you intend to edit and print on your desktop printer. If you do choose Microsoft Office, I strongly suggest Publisher over Word.
See About.com | What is the difference between graphic design and desktop publishing? | by Jacci Howard Bear | ©2008 for more information.
Could you take and use a photo from the internet in my project?
I can use a photo from the internet if 1.) The image is created by you, is created for you or being downloaded legally from a royalty free stock photography source. 2.) The job is a web design project. Because images on the web are low quality and resolution for fast download, such images are not usable for print unless it is a high resolution download intended for that purpose. Any image or graphic in tangible form is protected by copyright law even if not documented or registered. Therefore, images from Google searches or random web sites are not an option. If you need imagery, I can find or create something for you.
What size, resolution and format should my photos be?
Digital images should be the highest possible quality and resolution. Images for press should be 300 ppi at final output dimensions. Some line art and images that need enlarging, particularly after cropping, may originally need to be an even higher resolution. When taking photos with a digital camera, use the maximum quality settings. The file size will be larger, and fewer images can be saved on a memory card. TIFF files are best, but JPEG files are acceptable. Depending on dimensions and file type, the file size may be 3-30 MB per photo. Although web images are not high resolution, the design process is best if starting out with higher quality originals. This will allow more leeway for editing. However, low resolution images are usable for the web. I also accept original photographs and will scan them for you.
See Microsoft.com | Printing Quality Photos | by Kleber Stephenson | ©2005 for more information.
"Graphic designers work with drawn, painted, photographed, or computer-generated images (pictures), but they also design the letterforms that make up various typefaces found in movie credits and TV ads; in books, magazines, and menus; and even on computer screens. Designers create, choose, and organize these elements—typography, images, and the so-called “white space” around them—to communicate a message. Graphic design is a part of your daily life. From humble things like gum wrappers to huge things like billboards to the T-shirt you’re wearing, graphic design informs, persuades, organizes, stimulates, locates, identifies, attracts attention and provides pleasure.
Graphic design is a creative process that combines art and technology to communicate ideas. The designer works with a variety of communication tools in order to convey a message from a client to a particular audience. The main tools are image and typography."
See AIGA | Graphic Design: A Career Guide and Education Directory | edited by Sharon Helmer Poggenpohl | ©1993 for more information.
Why should I hire a graphic designer?
First impressions are everything in business. Your prospective customers judge you from the very beginning. Your image portrays who you are as a business, and too many business owners think they can save money by creating their own identity. Graphic designers are talented and trained in the field. They know how to use design elements: fonts, color, contrast, balance, etc. They know the software, design lingo, how to prepare a file for print, and how to communicate with printers. If you are a business owner who is doing your own design work, ask yourself what your current image says to prospective customers. By hiring a graphic designer, you are hiring someone who is knowledgeable and knows how to make your business look appealing to your target audience. By doing this, it relieves you of these tasks so that you can do more jobs that are within your area of expertise.
What software do you use?
I use industry standard software that is commonly used by graphic design and printing companies. My main programs are QuarkXPress, InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Dreamweaver. I may use another program if it is more ideal for a particular project.
Could you design something using Microsoft Office?
I can, but you should realize some things first. Microsoft Office programs such as Word are desktop publishing programs that were developed for the mass public. They are ideal for certain jobs, but are not as powerful as industry standard graphic design programs such as InDesign. Graphic designers have more control over the design elements and content within these programs than Microsoft Office programs. They also tend to use more than one program to complete a job. Therefore, the product turned out using these programs by a graphic designer will be a much better product. Graphic designers are also faster in these programs because they use them more often. Some printers may not even use Microsoft Office files except for copying and pasting content. Depending on the situation, they may simply recreate your piece in their preferred program and charge you for the time they spent doing this. The only time I would suggest going this route is for a project you intend to edit and print on your desktop printer. If you do choose Microsoft Office, I strongly suggest Publisher over Word.
See About.com | What is the difference between graphic design and desktop publishing? | by Jacci Howard Bear | ©2008 for more information.
Could you take and use a photo from the internet in my project?
I can use a photo from the internet if 1.) The image is created by you, is created for you or being downloaded legally from a royalty free stock photography source. 2.) The job is a web design project. Because images on the web are low quality and resolution for fast download, such images are not usable for print unless it is a high resolution download intended for that purpose. Any image or graphic in tangible form is protected by copyright law even if not documented or registered. Therefore, images from Google searches or random web sites are not an option. If you need imagery, I can find or create something for you.
What size, resolution and format should my photos be?
Digital images should be the highest possible quality and resolution. Images for press should be 300 ppi at final output dimensions. Some line art and images that need enlarging, particularly after cropping, may originally need to be an even higher resolution. When taking photos with a digital camera, use the maximum quality settings. The file size will be larger, and fewer images can be saved on a memory card. TIFF files are best, but JPEG files are acceptable. Depending on dimensions and file type, the file size may be 3-30 MB per photo. Although web images are not high resolution, the design process is best if starting out with higher quality originals. This will allow more leeway for editing. However, low resolution images are usable for the web. I also accept original photographs and will scan them for you.
See Microsoft.com | Printing Quality Photos | by Kleber Stephenson | ©2005 for more information.
