A white vector object with drop shadow displaying the way it is intended to.

Every once in a blue moon I run into a problem in Adobe Illustrator when using Save for Web. The issue occurs when saving a transparent PNG file that consists of a white vector object with a drop shadow. For some reason the white vector registers as 100% transparent in the save for web dialog box. Unfortunately, it isn’t just a display glitch. The file actually saves this way making the object, in this case a logo, useless.

The Adobe Illustrator Save For Web Menu displaying a PNG file with a transparency issue involving a White Vector object and Drop Shadow

The problem always seems to take me 5 or 10 minutes to resolve and drives me crazy. Usually I end up opening the AI file in Photoshop and then create a drop shadow and save it for web there. Today, I came up with a new solution. Simply enter the color editor and add 1% Black (K) to the white object. The human eye cannot detect such a small percentage of gray (at least mine can’t) so the vector object still appears white. When you save your slice for web, the white vector objects magically are no longer transparent. Thus saving you the step of opening the file in Photoshop.

Adding 1% Black in the color editor to the White Vector Object in Adobe Illustrator corrects the issue.

Hopefully this solution saves you some time also. If you know what the actual cause of the problem is I please feel free to explain it to me below.

The Adobe Illustrator Save For Web Dialog box with the vector object transparency issue corrected.

The Meridian Signage for a condominium real estate new development located in Suffern, NY.

Suffern, New York is a really wonderful place to live and work. Its main thoroughfare Lafayette Avenue is reminiscent of the scenery in a Norman Rockwell illustration. The Village of Suffern is known for the historic and beautifully restored Lafayette movie theater which is complete with its own working Wurlitzer organ used during the screening of vintage silent films. For this Graphic Designer, though, the town’s main marquee is the sign near the condominium building known as The Meridian.

This sign was a fun project to work on because the campaign was built from the ground up. Meaning, the development’s logo and entire marketing campaign needed to be designed from scratch. The name “Meridian” conjured nautical imagery based on its association with navigation. Therefore the logo design incorporated a compass rose as the mark. You can see this and other logo design samples in the corresponding portfolio section of this website, by clicking here.

The sign’s design is fairly simple. The primary element is the logo set over a burgundy background, which was the main color in the Meridian’s graphic design system.  Meanwhile the, only supporting color utilized is the Meridian’s cream color. This allows the contact information and Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty logo to stand out clearly in black. The only other design elements in the sign are a few of the condominium’s features and the address.

Because the Meridian sign was intended for only temporary use as a marketing piece, little thought was put into its shape or the materials it was produced with. Instead, size was the sign’s key importance. The sign was created using a four color grand format UV print mounted to a 10 foot by 5 foot sheet of Alumalite and installed on two painted 4×4 posts.

For those unfamiliar with materials Alumalite is a composite substrate consisting of an interior corrugated plastic core sandwiched between two sheets of aluminum. This material is ideal for promoting real estate new development projects because of its durability, lightweight and relative low cost. Its lifespan is not as long as other materials, but for use in real estate marketing it lasts for the duration of most marketing campaigns. The largest size sheet of Alumalite available is 10 foot by 5 foot. Although this size would be too small for readability on the side of an interstate, in a small town like Suffern, it really is quite large.

For Graphic Designers and Art Directors, one of the most validating things in life is to walk past one’s own work. Living in Suffern, this Art Director has the opportunity to walk past a labor of love on a regular basis. It’s rough being a practitioner of the disposable arts, though. As the Meridian Development has almost completely sold out (a good sign for a successful campaign) this sign will be dismantled sooner than I like to think.

Branding ad for Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate has created a large number of videos for the purpose of attracting a web audience to their site. These videos are also a great opportunity for the company to increase brand awareness, so they opted to create some on-air marketing to promote them. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate then in turn syndicates the videos out to their Franchisee’s. Rand Realty used the opportunity to drive some more web traffic from their print campaign in a few local publications in Westchester and the Hudson Valley with the print ad displayed on the left.

The Power of Color certainly appeals to a graphic designer’s sensibilities. This video explains the basic principles of color theory and how to apply it in interior design. I also clearly used some color theory in the design of the ad. Three instances of Better Homes and Gardens green were placed over a black and white CAD rendered image adhering to the law of thirds. This has resulted in a logo that really stands out and text that is easily readable.

While working on this project I was both under time and budgetary constraints so I used my trusty flatbed scanner for the image of the fanned out Pantone book. This, of course, required some moderate retouching and color correction in Photoshop. The background image, Pantone book, logo and text were all assembled into the final design using Adobe InDesign. Certainly a fun project to work on and the end results make for a great looking ad.

Display ad promoting Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty's Text message yard signs

In an effort to better serve interested buyers in  a challenging real estate market, Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty adopted a new text message system. The company added a rider to its yard signs, so that perspective buyers could find out information about the property on the spot.

The display ad in this sample was created to further Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty’s brand awareness and promote the new text message riders. The design utilizes two primary elements the stock photo of the house and the photo of the yard sign and text rider.

An interesting point regarding this display ad is that the only use of the company’s logo is on the sign itself. Believe it or not, but this is a major break from the company’s standard design. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate’s branding standards mandates that the logo always be included in the top right corner of the ad. This design doesn’t stray too far from that design standard, although it is a stretch having the “For Sale” rider above the main sign.

I particularly like this design because Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate’s design system revolves around grass. Grass is a prominent feature in this particular display ad so, I think it is helpful in reinforcing branding.

It was created using Adobe Photoshop and InDesign.