Posts by Mark Williams
I’m the Production Director at Toast, I manage and organise our client’s work through the design studio, ensuring deadlines are met and within budget. I also account manage several of our larger clients, working closely with them to evolve processes, look at new opportunities and advise them on the most effective way of creating and producing their marketing materials. I’m also the finance director and manage any financial issues at Toast.
How to make your sales posters pop
We look at how Toast helped LifePharm redesign their sales posters. LifePharm® approached us to redesign a range of 10 posters for their sales teams. The posters were to be displayed in offices to help the sales teams quickly identify the range and the unique benefits of each product.
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Why using a magazine design template is a terrible idea for marketing people.
So you need a magazine designed Naturally, it should look great. It has to be completed on a deadline. And if you can get it done at low cost, so much the better. An obvious solution is to do it yourself with a magazine design template. There are loads of them on the internet. And […]
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What is full service design?
A common term used in design circles, we look at what it means ‘Full-service design’ means that the design agency can provide a large range of services. These can range from brochure design to website design. Agencies will differ slightly on what they provide. But you’ll normally find their services on a service page on […]
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Specifying colours – from screen to print and how these differ
Specifying colours – from screen to print and how these differ Whether you’re just about to start your design project or in the finalising stages, specifying colours you want can get complicated as there are many systems involved that display the colour you want differently. Why is this and how can you get the best […]
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High resolution and low-resolution images – what to use and when
High Resolution and Low Resolution images – what to use and when When dealing with brochure designers you might get asked to supply your images as ‘hi-res’. Firstly we need to define what is a high resolution (hi-res) image and a low resolution (low-res) image and what to use and when. So what are High […]
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Purchasing images and licensing implications
Purchasing images and licensing implications So you’ve instructed a designer to create an engaging brochure for your company but don’t have any images you can provide them because you simply don’t have any or the ones you have are not suitable for print (hi-res). This is when stock image sites can come in handy if […]
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What are crops marks and bleed, do I need them?
What are crops marks and bleed, do I need them? When sending artwork to a printer you might get a response from them that they need the artwork to include crop marks and bleed. So what do they mean and why do you need to add them? Crop marks These are small black lines or […]
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Large and multiple files, how do I send these to my designer?
Send the right types of file to your designers. When working with a designer on your latest brochure, you will probably need to send them multiple and or large image files. How can you do this without clogging up yours and their email accounts with Large Multiple Files? There are several ways you can do […]
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Interactive brochures
Toast can create or convert any professionally designed brochure into an interactive format that can be used across digital channels. If you go through the time and effort to plan and create a brochure then it makes commercial sense to get the most out of the process. You want to be able to share that brochure electronically as well as in hard copy.
More about interactive brochures
No more death by Powerpoint
So your Powerpoint presentation looks boring and amateurish, which is having a negative effect on your audience. End this misery by letting Toast design you a Powerpoint template that you can use, is on brand and elevates your marketing collateral design. There are some simple steps (and here comes the list) that we follow to help make the experience of your […]
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Do’s and don’ts for annual report design
What you should be doing, and avoiding when creating your next annual report. The do’s Plan – Creating annual reports take longer than you think. You should set a date of when you need the printed report on your desk and work backwards, allowing for collating of the data, writing of the report, design and […]
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Formats and finishes for annual reports
Selecting the correct format and finish to your annual report will add that extra finesse, making it stand out and communicate more than just the facts. There are a huge variety of formats and finishes to choose from for your annual report design. Here we take a look at what you could do to help add that extra wow factor. Paper […]
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Looking to create marketing materials that are integrated and on brand?
Consistent and coordinated marketing materials project a clear and uniform message Do you want to integrate your marketing materials with your branding? Toast create a broad range of well-designed materials that support your marketing collateral needs, these include newsletters, posters, exhibition stands through to a range of online advert formats. The following topics look into more detail on […]
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Planning your annual report design
Tips on how to plan a successful annual report design. Assign a project leader As there will be a lot of people contributing to the planning of your annual report, it is good to have a project manager to spearhead this and ensure the project runs smoothly. Define who needs to be involved Everyone likes to […]
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Rolling out a new “bigger” brand across all marketing materials
Rolling out “bigger” brand across marketing materials – branding Creating brands can be fun and we have taken a much-used phrase “can you make our logo bigger” (heard a lot in the design industry), to illustrate how you can roll out a new brand across a whole range of marketing collateral and materials. We look at how […]
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Display banner designers
Creating engaging and informative display banner designs are essential when showcasing your products or services. Toast are display banner designers that have vast experience in creating stunning display materials. Let us help you to generate sells and promote key messages whilst maintaining a strong consistent brand. How do we do this? There are a number of things we […]
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Stunning magazine design
If you are looking at launching a new publication or thinking of refreshing your existing magazine design then toast are the ideal agency to help you with this. There are some simple rules you can follow to ensure that the design of the magazine increases readership and promotes your product/service successfully, these include: 1. Identify and engage […]
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What is the best finish for your brochure?
Design finishes can give your brochure that extra wow factor. You need your brochure cover to enhance your reputation: It could be the first impression people get of you and your business. Toast are experts in this field and our knowledge and experience can help your brochure really pop. Let’s take a quick look at […]
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Outstanding exhibition design
If you are displaying at a show or an event you’ll need some form of exhibition design to promote your product or service. Toast are the ideal design agency to help you with every aspect of your exhibition design. Depending on what event and where you plan to display can make a significant difference to the […]
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Pocket folder designers
Pocket folders come in all shapes and sizes, and establishing the purpose, content, and use is important before you start, as this will define the type of folder needed. Toast are experts in pocket folder design – we can help you create the perfect pocket folder that standouts, functional and extends your brand. Following some simple […]
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Infographic design
Infographics are becoming ever more popular as they are great at presenting information in a quick, clear and informative format. Infographics can also be used in annual reports, presentations, websites and brochures, giving you a powerful tool that can be applied to various materials. Infographic design also provides a great visual shortcut to complex information as […]
More about infographics
Looking for a new design agency to make the most from your budget?
Getting the most from your budget is essential. Does your current agency seem to be overcharging and not really helping you get the return on investment you were hoping for? So you are now looking for a new design agency because you might be asking one or more of the following questions: Not seeing much […]
More for your money
Looking for a new design agency?
Trust is a fundamental part of the relationship between a client and a design agency. If you are looking for a new design agency then it means that something is wrong with your current relationship. When things go wrong it can be down to a number of different factors, which might be: Service levels have dropped […]
Need a new agency?
Adding that little more to your PDF brochure
Online brochure formats are increasingly becoming more and more popular as they give you the ability to respond to client requests instantly. The most popular are the PDF brochure format, which can be created from various software packages, but there is a lot more you can utilise from this format that will help enhance the end […]
More about PDFs
Designing an electronic brochure
There is a lot of terminology being used at the moment regarding electronic brochures, epubs (or electronic publications), e-books (electronic books) and iBooks (Apple’s version of the e-book format). This is mainly due to the fact that each major retailer requires a book or brochure in their preferred format, be it on a Kindle, iPhone […]
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Online brochures
Online brochures or ‘flippy page’ brochures have different names but fundamentally offer the same thing, the ability to view your brochure online.
Get an online brochure