How to Create a Style Guide

How many times have you sent business cards to print and obtained yet another version of your corporate colour? Ever been delighted to see your advert in the latest newspaper and then caught that the crucial tag line is nowhere to be found or your logo has been squashed.

There is only one way to stop this from happening and that is to use a style guide. Not only will a style guide aid you oversee the reproduction of your logo - it will also help you sustain your brand recognition – which many argue is one of the strongest selling tools.

We have placed the below steps together for you as a starting point.

Step 1 : Define the audience for your Style Guide. Is this for staff to work in-house or is this for suppliers and contractors to refer to?

Step 2 : Outline what your output uses are. This is important because you will need different logos and file formats for example, black and white publication adverts in comparison to vehicle graphics.

Step 3 : Define the tone for the copy and content required. For example you may requirecopy rules for printed content and then copy rules for website content.

Content rules cover all punctuation rules and how to attribute to the business and team.

Step 4 : Insure you layout all the design templates so it is clear how and where the logo and branding lies on all the different pieces of collateral that may be repeated.

Step 5 : Make sure to include any contributing logos or logos of business that are correlated with you. It’s also important that you deliver a copy of the layout to these companies to insure they approve the layout of their logo as they too may have their own Style Guide and hierarchy layout rules.

Step 6 : Assure that grammar, spelling and contact details are correct.

Step 7 : Ensure that when suppliers are using the Style Guide they discern that a proof needs to be dispatchedto you to be approved as correct.

Have your Style Guide finished and as secure as possible. Then have it saved in an email friendly file format and have a couple printed. Once this is done we strongly advocate a training session – whereby your design studio comes in and trains your staff on how to put to work the Style Guide and most importantly your brand.

For graphic design Brisbane, logo design Brisbane and web design Brisbane, contact Bydaughters today. We help your brand build business.

Projectors: LCD Verses DLP (The downfall of DLP technology)

The most common question heard when purchasing a new projector for the home, office, or classroom is: would I purchase an LCD projector or a DLP projector? LCD, standing for ‘liquid crystal device’ and DLP, an acronym for ‘digital light processing’ are the two most popular projector imaging technologies. With so many company brands and different types available, it can be difficult for the buyer to make a choice between these technologies. The simple fact of the matter is that LCD projectors offer better image quality and colour accuracy. The following article will tell you why DLP projectors struggle with reproducing an equal standard of image quality.

Visualise a set of blinds in your house over your bedroom window. With the twist of a rod you can have the shutters open or closed, according to whether you want to let light in or not. This is exactly how an LCD projector functions. Each pixel works like a unique shutter on a set of blinds to either shine light through or to block it. DLP on the other hand is constructed of millions of microscopic mirrors or ‘pixel elements’ as professionals like to call them. Each pixel element works to either reflect light or block it.

How the light source is processed from the point at which the projector is switched on to when the picture reaches your screen is extremely significant with regard to image quality, brightness and colour accuracy. LCD projectors shine white light from the lamp by splitting it into red, blue and green components, by three mirrors which direct the coloured light to 3 stand alone LCD panels. The 3 LCD panels cast the elements of the image by turning each pixel on and off. The pixels are then simultaneously processed in a glass prism to create the projector image. Something important to realise about LCD projectors is that all three colours are sent onto your projected surface at the same time. The way a DLP projector runs is widely different and even the final product of how an image comes out is not the same. With DLP, white light from the lamp is processed through a turning colour wheel with transparent red, blue and green segments, at speeds up to 11,000 rpm/s. This approach to making an image requires a sequence of red, blue and green light. The millions of micro mirrors as described above reflect the coloured light on the pixels to construct the image elements. The elements of the image are sent in sequence on the screen, one colour at a time. The viewer’s vision will then pull together each coloured element of the image into the complete image. With LCD projectors, all colours are available all the time to offer the highest brightness and spectacular colour accuracy. In DLP, just one colour is available at once, resulting in lower colour brightness and accuracy. Some DLP manufacturers have put a white segment for the colour wheel to improve brightness generally, but this further detracts from colour accuracy.

I read in forums all the time that DLP provides a higher contrast ratio and therefore must be superior. For those who are uncertain, the contrast ratio is a measure of a display system defined as the ratio of the luminance of the brightest white to that of the darkest black that the projector is capable of producing. DLP projectors do provide high contrast specifications as compared to a majority of LCD projectors. Initially, this appears to be an advantage, however, in reality, the true black level is determined by the ambient light in the room when the projector is being used. Do not be fooled by contrast specifications on websites and in brochures.

When the content you want to bring to life requires moving images, DLP projection technology also creates image imperfections, or ‘artifacts’. The most common artifact that a DLP projector forms with moving images is colour break up. Colour break up is unavoidable in DLP systems because moving images change position between the time red, blue and green colours are shone. LCD projectors do not have this disadvantage because all colours are processed simultaneously. DLP manufacturers have come up with 3DLP solutions using 3 chips to fix the colour break up issue, but the cost of these projectors make them almost impossible for most businesses and consumers.

Another difference between LCD and DLP is how they make up for the refractive qualities of light. Jump back to high school science, and recall how the various colours of light refract differing amounts when shone through the same lens. The disadvantage with DLP projectors is that they utilise the one same panel for the same lens to project Red, Blue and Green. All 3 colours are obviously different and refract light differently. Most of the time with a DLP projector, some extra yellow colour will appear above and some extra blue will show below an image as simple as a straight black line. While being built LCD projectors can be set to minimize these effects on the projected image, because each colour is projected on a separate LCD panels.

The isolated true advantage (excluding price) with choosing a DLP projector is its smaller overall size and weight. However, this is only relevant to transporting the device and cannot be traded off against the image benefits of LCD projectors. If resulting picture quality is important to you, then the answer is no-brainer. Go with an LCD projector! LCD projectors will always make bright, colourful images with fewer image blips. If you want to know more about LCD technology in more detail, see this spectacular resource website: Explore 3LCD. If you have any additional questions, get onto Projector Central and send me an email.

Jonathan King is the sales and marketing manager for Projector Central, Australia’s number one online shop for projectors. Based in Brisbane, Projector Central has served Australia for 15 years. For data projectors in the Gold Coast and Interactive Whiteboards, contact Projector Central today.

Yachting and Yacht Clubs

As the Dutch found dominance in sea power during the 17th century, the early yacht was a pleasure craft used initially by royalty and secondly by the burghers on the canals as well as the protected and unprotected waters of the Low Countries. Racing was incidental, arising as private games. English yachting began with King Charles II of England during his exile in the Low Countries. On his reaffirmation to the English throne in 1660, the city of Amsterdam presented him with a 20-metre (66-foot) pleasure boat with a beam (maximum width) of 5.6 m (18 feet), which he then named Mary. Charles and his brother James, the duke of York (James II, reigned 1685–88), ordered for other yachts and in 1662 raced two of them from the Thames, from Greenwich, to Gravesend, and back, on a £100 bet. Yachting was found to be classy among the affluent and nobility, but after that point the habit did not last.

The first yacht association in the British Isles, the Water Club, was formed around about 1720 at Cork, Ire., as a cruising and unofficial coast guard group, with large naval panoply and formality. The closest thing to a race was the “chase,” for which the “fleet” pursued a fictional enemy. The club went on, for the large part as a social club, until 1765, and in 1828, after joining with other organisations, it was known as the Cork Yacht Club (later the Royal Cork Yacht Club).

Yacht racing was first seen in some organized method on the Thames in the mid-18th century. The duke of Cumberland instigated the Cumberland Fleet for Thames racing in 1775. When George IV ascended to the throne in 1820, it came to be named the Fleet to His Majesty’s Coronation Sailing Society. The Thames Yacht Club seceded with a racing argument, to become the Royal Thames Yacht Club in 1830. The first English yacht group had been initiated at Cowes on the Isle of Wight in 1815, and royal patronage made the Solent - the strait between the mainland and the Isle of Wight - the perpetual location of British yachting. The organisation at Cowes became the Royal Yachting Club, likewise at the accession of George IV. All members were required to possess boats of at least 20 tons (20,321 kg). Sailing matches for large bids were held, and the club life was lovely. Eventually Royal Yachting Club boats increased in size to more than 350 tons.

In North America, yachting was first accomplished with the Dutch in New York in the 17th century and continued when the English held control. Sailing was for the most part for leisure and found its high point in George Crowinshield’s Cleopatra’s Barge (1815), which sailed on the Mediterranean Sea and set a standard of luxury and sophistication for the later yachts in the area from the late 19th century. The first persisting American yacht club, the Detroit Boat Club, was formed in 1839. In 1844, John C. Stevens began the New York Yacht Club aboard his schooner Gimcrack.

Kinds of sailboats
The Early sailing yachts followed the design of such naval craft as brigantines, schooners, and cutters from the 17th century through to the second half of the 19th century. The style of sizeable yachts was originally greatly affected by the win of America, which was created by George Steers for a association headed by John C. Stevens, and it was the boat for which the America’s Cup (q.v.) was named after its win at Cowes in 1851. The first yachts were not designed and manufactured in a contemporary sense, with only a model being used. Not until the second half of the 19th century did what was labeled naval architecture come about. Not until the 1920s did the employment of the research of aerodynamics do for the structure of sails and rigging what such study had done earlier for hulls.

Because nearly all sailboats had to be individually manufactured, there was a need for handicapping boats before the one-design class boats were built. Therefore, a rating rule came into being, which ended up in the International Rule, accepted in 1906 and revised in 1919. In the present day, one of the rapidly growing areas in sailing is that of one-design class boats. All boats in a one-design class are manufactured to standard requirements in length, beam, sail area, and other areas (for an example of a two-person sailboat, see illustration). Racing for such boats can be held on an even basis with no handicapping necessary. A great example is the generic International America’s Cup Class adopted for racers in the 1992 America’s Cup race.

So long as yachting was done primarily for the nobility and the wealthy, cost was no issue, and the size of boats developed, in both length and weight. The rise and preference of smaller yachts came in the later half of the 19th century from the sailing of the Englishmen R.T. McMullen, a stockbroker, and E.F. Knight, a barrister and journalist. A trip around the world (1895–98) sailed single-handedly by the naturalized American captain Joshua Slocum in the 11.3-metre Spray demonstrated the hardiness of less sizeable yachts. Thereafter in the 20th century, notably after World War II, smaller racing and leisure boats became more popular, down to the dinghy, a favoured training boat, of 3.7 m. In the late 20th century, yachts of less than 3 m were sailed single-handedly across the Atlantic Ocean.

Kinds of power yachts
After the decade 1840–50, when steam began to take the place of sail power in market boats, the steam engine, and later the internal-combustion engine, were employed increasingly in leisure craft. Large power yachts were furthered to a high element, and long-distance travel was a preferred activity of the wealthy. The earliest power yachts were paddle-wheel boats; these then made way to boats powered by the wholly submerged screw or propeller sort of propulsion. As in the case of naval and merchant vessels, auxiliaries possessing both sail and power were the yacht archetype for many years. By the second half of the 20th century, a lot of yachts were still auxiliaries, but the large part were solely power yachts containing gasoline or diesel engines.

During the last decade of the 19th century there was a boom in the design of more sizeable steam yachts. Conspicuous within these was the Mayflower (1897) of 2,690 tons, that had triple-expansion engines, twin screws, and a compartmented iron hull, and was operated by a crew of at least 150. The Mayflower, purchased by the United States Navy in 1898, was the official yacht of the president of the United States until 1929 and was used in active service in World War II.

As bigger and more dependable internal-combustion engines were produced, many large yachts were using them for power. The development of the diesel engine, with heavy oil for fuel, was furthered in World War I. During the decade that followed, big power-yacht building flourished, reaching a climax in the Orion (1930) at 3,097 tons. In that point the largest auxiliary yacht manufactured was the four-masted, steel, barque-rigged Sea Cloud (1931) of 2,323 tons.

The manufacture of bigger power craft fell away after 1932, and the style thereafter was in preference of smaller, less expensive boats. From World War II, many small naval boats were traded by private owners for conversion to yachts. By the late 20th century, yachting is a internationally loved sport enjoyed by thousands of yachtsmen personally owning and upkeeping their own small pleasure yachts. The number of boats and owners has increased steadily, not only in the traditional areas on the seacoasts but also on inland waterways and lakes.

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Proportional, Progressive, and Regressive taxes

Taxes can be differentiated by the impact they have on the placement of income and wealth. A proportional tax is a kind that imposes the same relative liability on every taxpayer—i.e., when tax liability and income increase in the same scale. A progressive tax is characterized by a greater than proportional growth in the tax liability in relation to the growth in income, and a regressive tax is characterized by a less than proportional rise in the comparative burden. So, progressive taxes are regarded as reducing a lack of equality in income distribution, while regressive taxes are seen to increase these inequalities.

The taxes that are often believed to be progressive include individual income taxes and estate taxes. Income taxes that are initially progressive, however, might become less so in the upper-income demographic—in particular if a taxpayer is able to lessen his tax base by claiming deductions or by removing some particular income components from his taxable income. Proportional tax rates when applied to lower-income groups would also be more progressive if exemptions of a personal nature are made.

Income measured over a given year does not absolutely offer the most suitable measure of taxpaying status. For example, transitory rises in income could be saved, and in temporary declines in income a taxpayer could select to pay for consumption by decreasing savings. Ergo, if taxation is made comparable along with “permanent income,” it should be less regressive (or more progressive) than if it is compared with annual income.

Sales taxes and excises (except those on luxuries) tend to be regressive, because the dissemination of one’s income consumed or spent on a specific good lowers as the level of personal income grows. Poll taxes (also termed head taxes), levied as a flat amount per capita, clearly are regressive.

It is hard to classify corporate income taxes and taxes on business as progressive, regressive, or proportionate, because of a lack of certainty surrounding the ability of businesses to shift their tax expenses (see below Shifting and incidence). This difficulty of nominating who bears the tax burden is dependant for the most part on whether a national or a subnational (that is, provincial or state) tax is being considered.

In analysing the economic effects of taxation, it is relevant to differentiate between various points of tax rates. The statutory rates include those specified in the legislation; generally speaking these are marginal rates, but sometimes they are mean rates. Marginal income tax rates denote the fraction of incremental income that is demanded by taxation when income is increased by one dollar. Ergo, if tax onus increases by 45 cents when income increases by one dollar, the marginal tax rate is 45 percent. Income tax regulations often contain graduated marginal rates—i.e., rates that grow as income increases. Careful analysis of marginal tax rates should take into account provisions apart from the formal statutory rate structure. If, for example, a particular tax credit (reduction in tax) falls by 20 cents for each one-dollar increase in income, the marginal rate is 20 percentage points greater than indicated in the statutory rates. Since marginal rates display how after-tax income moves in response to changes in before-tax income, they are the necessary ones for appraising incentive effects of taxation. It is even more complicated to nominate the marginal effective tax rate applied to income from business and capital, as it may depend on such considerations as the structure of depreciation allowances, the deductibility of interest, and the provisions for inflation adjustment. A basic economic theorem shows that the marginal effective tax rate in income from capital is zero under a consumption-based tax.

Average income tax rates indicate the percentage of total income that is demanded in taxation. The pattern of average rates is the one that is in consideration for appraising the distributional equity of taxation. Under a progressive income tax the average income tax rate grows with income. Average income tax rates usually rise with income, both because personal allowances are granted for the taxpayer and dependents and also because marginal tax rates are graduated; conversely, preferential treatment of income received for the most part by high-income households could swamp these effects, allowing regressivity, as displayed by average tax rates that decline as income grows.

For MYOB Brisbane expert advice, contact Stone Consulting today. Stone Consulting also runs MYOB training in Brisbane.

Tangalooma Island Resort Holiday: One of the Best Holiday Destination in Australia

Tangalooma Island Resort is an earthly haven that can be found in Tangalooma, Queensland in Australia. It was originally a whaling station and was changed into an island getaway because of its unique flora and fauna and its wonderful views. Couples or families looking for a good holiday destination would definitely treasure a Tangalooma Island Resort holiday.

This earthly paradise is found on the west side of Moreton Island, right near Moreton Bay. It is reknowned for its spectacular white beaches and having been a whale sanctuary since the year 1962, when the whaling station closed down.

When taking a Tangalooma Island Resort vacation, you can expect to be met by friendly and accommodating staff whilst being taken aback by the wonderful white sand beaches. You should also take on a lot of activities from wreck diving to feeding and playing with the dolphins. You are guaranteed to absolutely love every second of your stay.

Tangalooma has a tiny population of 300, but tourism has helped this small township to blossom and keep up the scenic and stunning glory of the island. Above 3500 holidaymakers enjoy the resort every week, and even more during peak seasons. The local government has also established a Centre for Marine Education and Conservation, to inform and train the local population as well as travelers of the importance of keeping up the marine life in the area. The centre has employed marine biologists to lead information awareness drives and programs, just part of the nature tour package for holidaymakers.

On a Tangalooma Island Resort vacation, everyone cannot help but treasure their vacation as they have more than eighty activities to pick from - but perchance the best part of your vacation may be the opportunity to experience the beauty of nature. You can go sight-seeing and enjoy the beautiful sunrise and sunset on the beach, or play with the dolphins that frequent the resort.

Want to visit Tangalooma Island? For Tangalooma Island accommodation or Moreton Island accommodation, check out Moreton View.