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Don't Try This At Home
I'm always upset whenever I see bad use of image personalisation. It's great that this technology exists, but just because you can buy the software, doesn't necessarily qualify you to use it. I believe many print providers get excited when they see the type of effects can be achieved with image personalisation software, but it's comparable to looking at the back of an Adobe Photoshop box and saying "wow, I can create effects that look like this!" Sure you can, but you need to have half a creative brain in the first place. Just because you have a design tool doesn't make you a designer.
I picked an article in a local print magazine today that features a story on a well-known pharmaceutical company. The company worked with their print provider to incorporate a personalised image in an eight-page direct mail brochure targeting Doctors. While the story didn't share any results on the campaign effectiveness and ROI, I'm sure it caught the attention of the recipients, but probably for all the wrong reasons. The print provider used image personalisation software to create an effect similar to the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame sidewalk, but it really misses the mark.
Walk of Fame
Walk of Shame
The achieved effect doesn't even come close to the original. The designer applied an inner glow to the text to create an inset effect, but you don't even need to know what the original image looks like to realise that it's not right—it just looks out of place. It's a shame, as this use of image personalisation de-values the capabilities of image personalisation software. To create effective images, you really need a Designer, and more importantly a Designer who is experienced in creating image-realistic effects with image editing software.
Fortunately, for us non-creative folks out there, there are a few options. For XMPie users, XMPie now offer Marketplace which features a library of over 75 personalised image templates which include some very impressive effects. DirectSmile, DirecType, AlphaPicture, and other providers also offer personalised image libraries, which vary in price and licensing models. If you want to get stuck into image personalisation, then you might just need to leave it to the professionals...
Posted on Tuesday, 15 April 2008 at 2:36 PM | TrackBack: http://www.veedeepee.com/cgi-bin/mt-tb.cgi/119