Typography and the Aging Eye: Typeface Legibility for Older Viewers with Vision Problems

by Paul Nini clipped from www.aiga.org by Paul Nini The population is rapidly aging and becoming a larger share of the marketplace. Thirteen percent of the population is currently over 65 years old. In 30 years that group will double to 66 million people. People change as they age. Sensory, cognitive and motor abilities decline. The built environment is not typically created with the needs of the aging population in mind. How does the choice of typeface in signage systems, for example, impact the older viewer who is experiencing vision problems typical to that age group? Are certain typefaces more suitable to the aging eye? Loss of light Human vision declines with advancing age. Although there are neural losses, the major decline is due to changes in the eye’s optics. The pupil shrinks, allowing less light to enter the eye. The pupil’s response to dim light also... (read the entire article)

13 Twitter Tips and Tutorials for Beginners

by Darren Rowse on April 18, 2009 in Twitter for Beginners Just starting out on Twitter? Looking for some Twitter Tips to get you started? Twitter is bound to have a load of new users today as it is being featured on Oprah - so I thought it might be a good day to share some tips for the beginner Twitter user who is just getting going with the medium. What’s in it for Your Followers? - How to be Useful on Twitter 10 Easy Steps for Twitter Beginners - good sound advice and tips on getting going on Twitter 8 Sure-Fire Ways to Tick off the Twitterverse - a few things to avoid on Twitter 5 Ways I Benefit from Twitter - this outlines why I love Twitter in my business of building blogs Defining Your Twitter Goals - this one is more for those who want to use Twitter for other purposes than just letting their family know when they’ll be home. How to Set up a Twitter Account - most of your are probably past this one but it could be useful if you’re a ‘Pre-Twitter’ user. 5 Steps to Model Successful Twitter Users - an exploration of a few ways that Twitter is being used Think Like a Toddler and Find Your Voice on Twitter - using the analogy of growing up as a kid to growing as a Twitter User Twitter in Plain English - cool video on the basics of Twitter What Twitter Application is Right for You? - looking at some of the tools people use on Twitter 10 Traits of Highly Effective Twitter Users - some good advice for growing your profile on Twitter How to Get More Followers on Twitter - a question many ask. If you’re not a celebrity to start with - you might want to read this. 6 Ways to Maximize the Use of Your 140 Characters - basic ‘Tweet Writing Tips. To keep up to date with more Twitter Tips and Tutorials for both individuals and businesses wanting to get on Twitter - follow us on Twitter and subscribe to our news feed. Clipped from: http://www.twitip.com/13-twitter-tips-and-tutorials-for-beginners/

Rotolo Media Performs Direct Mail Campaign for Arthur Murray Dance Studios

Jennifer and Victor Holguin are good friends with Michael Rotolo and owners of the Arthur Murray Dance Studios franchise of Southampton, New York, playground to the rich and famous.
The Holguins approached Michael to conduct a direct mail campaign to take advantage of the upsurge in interest in dance after the appearance of television shows Dancing With Stars and So You Think You Can Dance, and movies like Strictly Ballroom.

We decided to go with a larger than standard postcard that would stand out among the mail better. We saved money by using stock photography that is supplied to the franchise by Arthur Murray Inc. corporate as part of the franchise package. By making the card itself a coupon for 2 free private dance lessons we monetized the piece with value beyond just an info piece of “junk mail” and gave people a reason to hold on to it. Rotolo Media also oversaw the mailing by contracting one of our affiliate mailing houses to label and mail each piece and comply the mailing as CASS sorted and certified to further save both postage costs and time through the mail system.

If you’re in the Southampton vicinity Jennifer and Victor would welcome you to stop by the studio and see what fun you can have through Arthur Murray Dance lessons. Contact them through ArthurMurray.com.

Posted By: Michael Rotolo President of Rotolo Media

Posts are available as content for your newsletter, website, or blog with permission and terms. Contact Rotolo Media for details.

Trikuti Hires Rotolo Media for Their Band Media Kit

When Trikuti, an enormously popular band with twenty-something Long Islanders, decided it was time to get serious about marketing themselves they asked Michael Rotolo for advice. One of the most important things he decided the band needed was the kind of media kit that they could proudly circulate to promote themselves. Bands that are seeking representation, air-play, and of course a deal with a major label, need to present themselves in a professional manner.

Trikuti band leader and lead singer, Scott Seader, understood this and put his trust in Rotolo Media. Although its all about the music when it comes down to it, if your not taken seriously and your demo never gets a listen, then what’s the point. Scott appreciated the need to put together a media kit that would distinguish the band from the myriad other home-baked discs that come across the desks of radio-station DJs, and record-label execs everyday. Its important for bands to understand that while they may be consummate musical artists they should seek the talents of a graphic artist to package their work and create attractive collateral printed materials to help the band gain notoriety.

Michael Rotolo had a ball in the studio with the band encouraging the guys, who had never done a photo-shoot before, to loosen up and get a bit zany. We cranked up the music and just had the guys get as kinetic as possible while Michael shot upwards of 200 frames. It was a fun afternoon and yielded a lot of great moments on “film” that the band will use for printed pieces, swag and their web photo gallery. We settled on creating a 4/1 glossy piece that shows the band in color on the front and then a description of the band and members on the reverse in black and white.

The piece is inserted unfolded into black folders with slits for holding the cd featuring four of their best songs to present to record labels and radio stations. When mailing to newspapers, fans, etc. the piece can be folded down in half with the cd in a glassine sleeve. For Trikuti this project was a necessary investment in their future, for not much more than a good amp, Scott made the decision to have Rotolo Media handle an important part of crafting their visual image. Now that we have some nice pieces under our belt and some good photos, the creation of additional printed materials such as posters, postcards, t-shirts, and other swag will be easy and the expense will be minimal.

To save the band some expense we decided it was best to supply them with print-ready PDF files that they could take to any Kinkos and print these pieces as they needed. The cd art was furnished as a 2-up template corresponding to an Avery cd label.

Posted By: Michael Rotolo President of Rotolo Media

Posts are available as content for your newsletter, website, or blog with permission and terms. Contact Rotolo Media for details.