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    3D Design

    After years of perfecting flat design, a new up-and-coming trend in the design community is 3D design. With augmented reality on the rise, and 3D creation programs becoming easier to use, 3D design is being incorporated into branding, illustrations, advertising, and more. Below are some on-trend visually stunning projects that might inspire you to rethink 3D design. 

    20 Levels Mobile Games
    Title: 20 Levels Mobile Games
    Designer: Omar Aqil

    BenQ
    Title: BenQ
    Designer: Daniel Medina

    ChocoCrunch
    Title: ChocoCrunch
    Designer: Pict Estudio 
    Game Over
    Title: Game Over
    Designer: Ben Fearnley


    Lenovo
    Title: Lenovo
    Designer: Peter Tarka

    MQ Summer Campaign
    Title: MQ Summer Campaign
    Designer: Caveza Patata Studio

    Quartzy
    Title: Quartzy
    Designer: Danny Jones

    Verizon A Better Network Explained
    Title: Verizon A Better Network Explained By A City
    Designer: Six N. Five

    YouTube Merchandising
    Title: YouTube Merchandising
    Designer: Orchid Creation

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    Omega Power Bank

    Price Point: $14.98 - $18.88

    Available Colors: Custom

    Perfect For: Employee Appreciation Gifts / Client Appreciation Gifts / Tradeshow Giveaways / Corporate Swag Store / Travel Items

    The Omega 2,500 mAh Wireless Power Bank has a rechargeable lithium polymer battery which can work as a charging pad or a regular power bank. With its built in suction cups and phone ring, charging your phone on the go is no longer a problem. Just stick it to the back of your phone and watch your battery climb! The Omega works with most plastic phone cases and includes a micro to USB charging cable as well, so there's no need to worry if your phone can't wirelessly charge. With the ability to charge just about any phone, the Omega Power Bank makes the perfect corporate gift!
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    Convert type to outlines

    You may have asked been to submit your print file with the text outlined before and you wonder to yourself, “why do they want me to add a stroke around my letters?” In actuality, the printer is looking for a document with your live, editable type converted to vector shapes. This removes the need for the printer to have the same font installed on their system. Converting to outlines also avoids any issues or errors with fonts all together.

    The important thing is to remember to save a non-outlined version first so you can go back and make text edits down the road if needed. Once you outline your type, you can no longer make text changes.

    The best method is to send a packaged file with links and fonts included. This removes the need to outline fonts since they’ll be included in the document’s assets. Otherwise you can convert your text to outlines in both Adobe Illustrator and Adobe InDesign.

    How to convert text to outlines in Adobe Illustrator:
    Using the Selection Tool, select the text you would like to convert. Right click and select “Create Outlines” or go to Type > Create Outlines. Personally, I like to use the keyboard commands Control + A to select everything and then use the Create Outlines command Shift + Control + O and everything in the document will be converted.

    Illustrator
    Illustrator

    How to save a packaged file in Adobe Illustrator:
    Go to File > Package. Then select the destination and be sure “Copy Fonts” is selected. If you’re using a typeface from Adobe Fonts the font file will not be included, but since NorthPoint has a subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud we can instantly activate the font.

    Illustrator
    Illustrator

    How to convert text to outlines in Adobe InDesign:
    Using the Selection Tool, select the text you would like to convert. Right click and select “Create Outlines.” Personally, I like to use the keyboard commands Control + A to select everything and then use the Create Outlines command Shift + Control + O and everything on the spread or page will be converted.

    InDesign
    InDesign

    How to save a packaged file in Adobe InDesign:
    Go to File > Package. Under the Fonts tab, you can see all the fonts used in the document. If you’re using a typeface from Adobe Fonts the font file will not be included, but since NorthPoint has a subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud we can instantly activate the font.

    InDesign
    InDesign



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    Kiss Cut Stickers

    Price Point: $1.07 - $2.78

    Available Colors: Custom

    Perfect For: Tradeshow Giveaways / Bag Drops / Corporate Swag Stores / Laptop Decals / New Hire Kits / Direct Mailers / Corporate Events

    These custom kiss cut stickers easily peel away from their backing, leaving you with an amazing die cut sticker to showcase your design! Show off your design even further by printing not only on the sticker, but on it's surrounding border as well. Made from durable vinyl that resists scratching, heat, water and sunlight, they're sure to leave a lasting impression!
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    Types Of Typefaces

    Typography is the appearance, style, and arrangement of type. One of the fundamental pieces of typography is typeface or font family selection, but do you know the different categories of typefaces? You may have heard of serif or sans-serif, but there’s plenty more to choose from when considering your next type choice.

    Serif

    Serif
    The Serif typeface has extra small lines or flared strokes at the ends or corners of each letterform. This style was popular because the organic appearance was better for readability.
    Popular Serif Typefaces: Georgia, Bodoni, Palatino, Clarendon, Baskerville, Times New Roman, Garamond.

    Sans-Serif

    Sans-Serif
    This category is recognizable by their letterforms not using the extra lines and strokes that Serifs have. An easy way to not mix them up is to know that “Sans” in French means without. These typefaces were popular in printing for headlines and advertising due to legibility at a distance.
    Popular Sans-Serif Typefaces: Futura, Helvetica, Avenir, News Gothic, Roboto, Avant Garde, Montserrat

    Slab-Serif

    Slab-Serif
    This type of serif font is characterized by thick, block-serif at the ends or corners of their letterforms. This style came about in the nineteenth century when newer attention-grabbing typefaces started to become popular in advertising.
    Popular Slab-Serif Typefaces: Rockwell, Adelle, Museo Slab, Memphis, Clarendon, Courier New, Archer

    Script

    Script
    Script typefaces feature elegant, calligraphic letterforms. From formal cursive to more casual scripts, there’s a wide range in this family to choose from.
    Popular Script Typefaces: Brush Script, Edwardian Script, Zapfino, Corsiva, Lush Script, Pristina, Lucida Calligraphy

    Handwritten

    Handwritten
    A step beyond Script is Handwritten typefaces. These can vary from cursive to sans-serif subcategories, but they all appear as though written by hand. The natural stroke of each font brings a unique, human element to any design.
    Popular Handwritten Typefaces: Andy, Chalkboard, Lucida Handwriting, Caflisch Script, Alana, Pacifico, Tragic Marker

    Decorative

    Decorative
    Just as the name suggests, these typefaces are more niche and unique. With plenty of themes out there, this category is best used for headlines rather than blocks of text.
    Popular Handwritten Typefaces: Stencil, Bauhaus, Broadway, Banco, Arnold Böcklin, Graduate, Magneto

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    Mosquito Lantern

    Price Point: $24.98 - $31.48

    Available Colors: Black

    Perfect For: Employee Appreciation Gifts / Client Appreciation Gifts / Customer Appreciation Gifts / Executive Gifts / Company Outings

    Keep the pesky bugs away with the Mosquito Repellent Night Lamp. The lamp features a bottom light, a bug zapping light, and a hanging hook. Both lights are activated by touch on the top of the lamp. The bottom bulb is a bright LED light comparable to a filament bulb. The blue light in the center surrounded by a safe guard has a special wavelength that attracts insects to the inner grid that shocks them with 2000V of electricity. They then fall to the inner space of the lamp where they can be swept away with the included brush. Life is short, so don't spend it swatting or scratching those annoying bug bites!
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    Show Your Pride

    June is Pride Month! This yearly celebration of the LGBTQ community was established to honor the Stonewall riots in Manhattan, a notable tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States in June 1969. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the event. The month-long celebration includes events to recognize the impact LGBTQ people have in the world.

    This time of year is a great opportunity for businesses and brands to show their support for the community and use their influence to promote kindness, positivity, and love. Some incorporate Pride into their merchandise to raise donations for LGBTQ organizations and charities.

    Take a look at the list below to see how these companies have incorporated Pride into their brand:

    Apple

    Apple: For the past few years Apple has released a rainbow watch band for the AppleWatch. Sales for this year's Pride Edition Sport Loop will be donated to the following LGBTQ advocacy organizations: Encircle, Gender Spectrum, GLSEN, ILGA, PFLAG, the National Center for Transgender Equality and The Trevor Project.

    Bubly

    Bubly: Pepsi's sparkling water brand has just launched a special-edition All for Love Pride Pack, featuring 18 cans in the colors of the rainbow. Bubly is supporting the Stonewall Community Foundation, which supports the LGBT community with grantmaking, trainings, and scholarship programs.

    Converse

    Converse: Converse has released a special edition shoe design since 2014 especially for the pride celebration. The brand is donating a portion of the proceeds to their longstanding local and global partners, including It Gets Better Project and OUT MetroWest.

    Disney

    Disney: With over 50 pride inspired products to choose from, Disney will donate 10% of the proceeds from the Rainbow Disney Collection to GLSEN.

    Harry's

    Harry's: Harry's partnered with illustrator Jose Roda to create a special Shave With Pride set to honor the LGBTQ community with its one-of-a-kind Winston razor featuring a multicolor handle. They are donating 100% of the proceeds from this set to The Trevor Project.

    KIND

    KIND: The KIND Pride bar is made of delicious dark chocolate, nuts and sea salt, covered in a rainbow-colored wrapper inspired by the Pride flag. You can buy it online though July 31, 2019. One hundred percent of proceeds benefit New York's Ali Forney Center (AFC), which provides essential services and shelter for LGBT homeless youth.

    Listerine

    Listerine: Mouthwash isn't something you would instantly connect to equal rights, but Listerine's rainbow-striped cool-mint mouthwash supports Johnson & Johnson's Care with Pride program, which has raised more than $1 million for LGBT nonprofits since 2011.

    Microsoft

    Microsoft: Microsoft released limited-edition products across their different brands designed with and by the LGBTQ community. Microsoft plans to donate a total of $100,000 to a number of LGBTQI+ nonprofits.

    Sweetgreen

    Sweet-Green: Celebrate Pride with lunch! This food chain pledged to donate $1 from each bowl purchased on June 2nd to support Covenant House, which provides shelter and resources for LGBT homeless youth. They have also printed a limited-edition series of Pride T-shirts for purchase, with all proceeds going towards Covenant House.

    Under Armour

    Under Armour: Under Armour's United We Win collection offers up tank tops, t-shirts, and even shoes. One hundred percent of all proceeds are donated to Athlete Ally, a foundation built to make sports more inclusive for LGBTQIA individuals.

    How will your company display their efforts for equality and inclusion for Pride month this year?

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    Cooler Hammock

    Price Point: $121.66 - $126.66

    Available Colors: Black / Red / Blue

    Perfect For: Employee Appreciation Gifts / Client Appreciation Gifts / Corporate Swag Stores / Executive Gifts / Company Outings

    Summer is upon us folks, and if you are in the northeast then you know to cherish the nice weather! Being outside and soaking up the sun will absolutely make you feel good, but it can also make you a little tired and thirsty as well. The solution? The Cooler Hammock! This 600 denier polyester hammock is truly a high quality hammock with all the bells and whistles. Its one-piece design makes for a simple set-up, and the built-in cooler as well as the padded head rest will make you never want to get up. Just make sure you do though so others can see your company logo imprinted on it!
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