Thurmont Times Online Newspaper Launches
The Thurmont Times online edition launched this week. The site features articles, poll questions, business advertising, local events, and more. The Thurmont Times online edition is one of the more unique sites we have done” said Jason Feaga, owner of 18 Visions Design. Visitors have the ablity to comment on articles, vote on the latest Thurmont chatter and interact within the Thurmont Community. The future of the online paper includes video, photo contents and much more. We look foward to the future challanges of the Thurmont Times.
For more information visit http://www.thurmonttimes.com/
Eco-friendly business is by design
By Jon Stewart
News-Post Staff
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Photo by Stephanie Ramsay
Jason Feaga, owner of 18 Visions Design, poses for a picture in his home office. He has formed a division, 18 Visions Green. When printing materials for clients, Jason tries to steer them to green printing options
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The owner of a Frederick web and graphic design firm has launched an eco-friendly division.
Jason Feaga, owner of 18 Visions Design, has created 18 Visions Green, which offers customers the option of environmentally-friendly materials for printing and promotion.
Feaga tries to steer customers into using products that are made from recyclable materials, including ink.
The 18 Visions Green website lists the products, including the percentage of recyclable materials for each product. For Feaga, going green is nothing new.
“I’m not jumping on the bandwagon. I’ve always been aware of the environment, and starting this branch is a way to increase awareness,” Feaga said.
Seventy percent of Feaga’s more than 100 customers hire him primarily for web design, although he hopes 18 Visions Green will increase his number of print clients.
“I want to take the reputation I’ve built and promote something I strongly believe in,” he said.
Prices for green printing have come down enough so that the cost for customers isn’t much more than traditional methods, he said. “That’s why I can offer the products,” Feaga said. “If clients don’t want green printing options, I’ll use traditional printing. I have to make a living; I do what they ask,” he said.
“My goal is to steer them in another direction.” Feaga has been offering green print options for about a year, but clients have been reluctant, preferring traditional printing, he said.
Even larger companies are slow to offer green products because the demand is slow, Feaga said.
Feaga doesn’t expect to earn much of a profit, but that could change. “I want to be ahead of the curve. When the demand comes, I’ll already be waiting,” he said.
18 Visions Design sprouts 18 Visions Green
18 Visions Design is excited to announce its new branch 18 Visions Green. The goal of 18 Visions Green is to promote “Green Business” to our new and existing clients. This includes offering sustainable, eco-friendly printing, featuring recycled papers from New Leaf, green promotional materials made from environmentally safe materials, and organic fabrics printed with soy inks. We are also reaching out to local businesses to form a “Green Community”. This community will be comprised of businesses who share the same common environmental goals.
18 Visions Green is recognized as a socially and environmentally responsible business by Co-op America and is among 2008’s progressive business leaders who are solving today’s tough social and environmental problems. Please join the global effort to “Save Our Planet”!
• Learn more about our Green Community and Advertising
• View our “Green” Apparel, Promotional and Print Products
• Review our Environmental Glossary and Get Eco Facts
• Read the 18 Visions Green Blog
Visit www.18VisionsGreen.com to learn more!
Wal-Mart Revises Logo
For the past two years, a customer focused transformation has been taking place in Walmart’s U.S. business.
Walmart’s U.S. locations will update store logos as part of an ongoing evolution of its overall brand - customers have already seen this in refreshed store signage and recent print advertisements and TV commercials.
But what really matters is what happens out there in the stores. This update to the logo is simply a reflection of the refresh taking place inside our stores and our renewed sense of purpose to help people save money so they can live better.
The updated logo won’t begin to appear on storefronts until the fall. In its 46-year history, Wal-Mart has freshened up its logo on a number of occasions. Its last revision was in 1992.
Mid-Atlantic Contracting Site Launches
18 Visions Design is excited to announce the recent launch of the Mid-Atlantic Contracting website. Mid-Atlantic Contracting located in Springfield, Virginia is a full service licensed, Bonded, and Insured Contractor. Their services range from custom home building, large and small scale residential general contracting, as well as large and small scale commercial general contracting.
For more information visit http://www.macontracting.com/
National Academy of Professional Development Site Launches
18 Visions Design is pleased to announce the launch of the National Academy of Professional Development website. NAPD located in downtown Frederick, MD is organized to provide educational resources for the individual seeking to further his/her career in real estate or to gain knowledge about the many aspects of real estate.
“We are very excited about the launch of napdforsuccess.com. Working with Frederick Real Estate Teams is always fun. This site was a bit challanging at times, NAPD is a new venture and the requirements of the site changed several times said Jason Feaga, owner of 18 Visions Design. We where able to encorporate a fresh site design, easy navigation and itegrated CMS to allow NAPD to update the site. NAPD is very excited about the new site!”
For more information visit http://www.napdforsuccess.com
18 Visions Design Announces Latest Clients
18 Visions Design, LLC, a full service print and web design firm is excited to announce the addition of several new clients to its growing business. 18 Visions Design will be providing corporate identity, signage, print marketing and web design and development for these companies. The new clients include:
■ Creekside Executive Suites
■ DesignTech, Inc.
■ First Response Custom Sewing, Inc.
■ Glory Energy Solutions
■ Ken Burton International
■ May’s Restaurant
■ Medical Information Detectives
■ O’ Leary Asphalt Inc.
■ The Thurmont Times
July Desktop Wallpaper
The 18 Visions Design “July Desktop Wallpaper” is now available. This month’s theme is “USS Arizona”. The photo featured in this month’s version was recently taken by Jason Feaga while vacationing in Oahu, Hawaii. The USS Arizona Memorial (USAR) is built over the remains of the sunken battleship USS Arizona, the final resting place for many of the 1,177 crewmen killed on December 7, 1941 when their ship was bombed by the Japanese Naval Forces. This loss of life represents over half of the Americans killed on this “Day of Infamy”, the worst naval disaster in American History.
Thanks to the thousands of individuals and organizations that have joined the Arizona Memorial Museum Association, AMMA has been able to expand its financial support for National Parks throughout the Pacific region. Donations have helped to honor veterans of the War in the Pacific at ceremonies and special events in Hawaii, on Guam, and Saipan, provided essential funds for restoration of historic architecture at Kalaupapa on the island of Molokai, and contributed to the preservation and protection of one of America’s most revered memorial sites at Pearl Harbor. To learn more about AMMA please visit www.arizonamemorial.org
We provide a variety of sizes, you can download the latest wallpaper by selecting your resolution 1280×1024 or 1024×768. Check back at the beginning of each month to view the latest “Desktop Wallpapers”. If you are looking for a past design or have a design suggestion you would like to see, contact us and your idea could end up in the next edition!
To Flash or not to Flash
There a number of things to consider when deciding to add flash to your site and this article aim to answer your questions about the dilemma of using Flash or not. Some of you may be thinking, what is Flash? In its simplest form, Flash is what is used to add animation to your site and can be used as either a part of your site or to create your entire site.
What are the Advantages of Flash?
- Eye Catching – Flash can be used to make your site come alive and so keeping visitors on your site for longer. The best way to describe this is by considering the difference between a magazine advert and a television advert. There is so much more you can do with the television advert to grab people’s attention then you can with a picture in a magazine.
- Compatibility – Flash is compatible with over 99% of web browsers and so you do not have to worry about people being able to view your page. There is also only one source for a flash player making things simpler.
- Memorable – You can make your site more memorable by adding fun and interactive elements. These can either be in the form of a video with sound or by having a game that people can play on your site.
- Get your message across – if you have a presentation that you want people to see or something you want people to remember about your company, Flash is a very powerful tool for this.
What are the Disadvantages of Flash?
- Slow Loading Time – Accessing a site with Flash involves a user having to download a file; depending on the speed of the visitor’s connection this can take some time. This could cause people to leave your site before it has fully loaded up.
- Search Engines - the biggest problem with Flash is that search engines cannot view it as it is a picture rather than text and search engines cannot see they can only read. This could significantly affect your placing in the search engine rankings which will reduce the number of visitors finding your site.
- Reduces Usability – If your site is made completely in Flash then users will not be able to use the back button on your site which people can find annoying and may cause them to leave your site early.
- Accessibility – to be able to view Flash your users will need to have a plug-in installed, many companies and people do not allow the installation of this plug-in and so some people may not be able to access the Flash elements of your site.
Conclusion
Flash should be used only when it is needed, for example a site made completely in Flash should be reserved for photography sites or those that are used for promotion. It is also not a bad thing to have some Flash on your site and the best way to utilize it is to have a small amount embedded throughout the site.
-PromotionWorld, Mercedes Aspland (April, 2008)
NFL Revises Logo
The National Football League is launching a makeover of its red, white and blue “NFL Shield” logo that adorns everything from player jerseys to fan T-shirts and hats.
The league has created a leaner, meaner version of the iconic logo that debuted at the NFL draft in April, 2008. The revamped shield is slightly taller and thinner, with a new football, fewer stars and darker colors, says Lisa Baird, the NFL’s senior vice president of marketing. The redesign marks the first changes to the shield since 1980.
The new shield features eight stars (representing the eight AFC and NFC divisions) vs. 25 on the current logo. Why 25? It’s a mystery. After researching the shield’s origins, the designers could find no reason for 25 stars, says Jaime Weston, director of brand and creative operations. The shield logo was first used around 1940, two decades after the NFL’s founding in 1920.