The hugely popular game franchise The Sims will see pop starlet Katy Perry joining their simish world, after she partnered with EA to develop and promote multiple Sims games with Perry-themed in-game content and virtual goods.
As well as featuring in the game Katy Perry will also be taking part in advertisement campaigns including TV adverts, which will start off with the launch of a collector’s editor for ‘The Sims 3 Showtime’.
The game is being released on the 9th March here in the UK and there will also be online communications and in store advertising for the game too.
EA have said that they will be working closely with Katy to create in-game accessories, clothing, hairstyles, furniture and props to as they say “celebrate the imagination that she brings to her performances, music videos and life”.
It isn’t the first time EA have collaborated with popstars for their Sims games for the original Sims game they worked with Christina Aguilera in the same vein which was hugely popular.
Discharge, or extract, printing is one of those processes that is rediscovered every few years. It is a useful supplement to traditional silk-screen methods used for T shirt printing, because it solves the perennial problem of achieving good colours over dark backgrounds. Ongoing improvements in the ink used and increased co-operation from T-shirt manufacturers in terms of process compatibility have brought the technique into prominence once again and made it a more accessible option.
Discharge printing outlines the chosen design by applying a bleaching (discharge) ink to darker fabrics. By removing colour from the fabric, the image is defined in light or white areas against the dark background. Specially formulated dyes may be combined with the discharge ink to colour tint the lighter areas. The ink is activated by the addition of a catalyst and then has approximately a six to eight hour ‘pot life’. Once printed, the discharge process is heat enabled, and designs do not become fully visible until the heat curing takes place.
Discharge printing creates a soft, smooth ‘hand’ or feel to the finished garment, since the ink is absorbed into the weave rather than sitting on top as some others do. This makes it an ideal choice for all-over prints.
Discharge printing works best on natural fibres; blends such as polycotton will discharge but not to the same extent as 100% cotton, as the ink will not be absorbed into the synthetic component of the fabric. T-shirt suppliers like Adlogo need to be advised if dischargeable garments are required, as their dyes may vary from one lot to the next and results can vary accordingly.
The printing process you have chosen will affect the look and feel of the finished T-shirt. The palette of colours, textures and finishes to be achieved by using different types of ink is extensive. The plastisol ink commonly used in screen-printing, for instance, produces a design finish that is slightly rough and rubbery, owing to the type of ink and drying process used. Varying the type of ink will create different effects when t shirt printing:
-Puff ink expands to give a 3D effect in the drying process and can be used to simulate embroidery. -Shimmer inks combine the best features of metallic and glitter; an extensive colour range and lots of sparkle. -Suede inks create an imitation suede finish with a subtle 3D effect. This is also suitable to create simulated embroidery designs. -Flashback (reflective) ink is ideal for night safety wear where visibility is a concern, such as for cyclists, joggers, police and highway workers. The ink contains millions of light reflective microspheres that glitter vividly in focused light such as car headlights. -Glow in the dark ink and fluorescent neon ink; no explanation required. -Black light ink only illuminates under that light source and looks white at other times. It can only be used on dark coloured shirts. -Discharge ink removes colour from dark background fabric so the design shows lighter against it. -Coloured dye formulated to combine with the bleaching agent can be added to the ink to tint white areas of the pattern.
These inks allow huge scope for creativity in T-shirt printing; you are limited only by your imagination, so experiment. If some of the seem a bit too much for you though, Adlogo can help you out with your t-shirt printing needs and offer a wide range of printing services.
Ever wondered how the brands you know and love today, came up with the company logos? Most are aimed to encapsulate the target audience and for the majority of the well known companies, this has taken the best part of the 20th Century to achieve.
It can be the things you see and use every day, from a make of car to the branding of your favorite drink. A lot of the logos have been developed to change with consumer markets over the years, like Volkswagen, who after World War Two decided to get rid of the design around the VW that likened to the Nazi flag. Recently companies have changed their logo to fit into the 21st century, where more and more we are seeing things simplified but still recognisable like Nike and Pepsi who have dropped their names from their logos and just opted to be know by their well known trademark symbols.
Some companies also alter their logos depending on what markets they are appealing to, for example if a company wants to aim at a more exclusive set of customers designs tend to be tailored to a style that is associated with them. A lot tend to use black as a main background colour with sharp writing and clear lines to set it apart from other service offered by the company.
No doubt as we get further into the 21st Century styles will keep on evolving and no doubt so will the brands we know and love.
888 Ladies is an online bingo operator and it’s clear from their logo that they know their demographic. The original 888 logo is pretty familiar now from their sponsorship of sporting events, and the designers have resisted the urge to mess too dramatically with it – electing to use the same basic font and proportions to retain the family resemblance.
The most drastic change is obviously in the colour scheme – which uses a pretty, vivid pink and purple theme to good effect. The logo is given a prototypically ‘web 2.0′ effect with the addition of a gloss effect. Whilst this has been largely overdone in recent years it sits well on the site itself, which is chock full of chunky, shiny graphical buttons.
Another tradition carried on from the usual 888 logo is the strapline “enjoy the game”. Whilst logical, the use of a different colour set and the clearly very different target audience might, arguably, have been used to let the copywriters off the leash a bit and describe the bingo game more directly.
Overall, this is a pretty successful adaptation of an existing logo form.
