8 Steps to Designing Wow Worthy Flags
You’ve been waiting long enough! Waiting on designers to resubmit proofs. Sending those proofs to the team for their feedback. Trying to explain that specific shade of blue, or just the angle the image should sit on. Dealing with team members that wait until the last minute to tell you want they want.
It takes FOREVER! And seasons blend into each other so quickly anymore. You need a design tool that provides immediate proofs, the opportunity for immediate feedback, and the option for same day order. You need a program that allows you to take a proactive and driving role in the design process.
You need a design studio catered to you, your program, and your process.
Great news! Wait no longer!
We’re excited to introduce the DSI Design Studio. In steps as easy as “Drag, Drop, Done,” you can drive the design process, decide your planning timeline, and order whatever you need, whenever you need it.
We’re breaking down the functions and capabilities of this design tool so you can take full advantage of your design sessions!
1. Select your working template.
Choose from the 3 most popular flag size templates. You can change this at anytime once in the Design Studio without losing your work. Once a template is selected, your work space will appear.
2. Add a Print Guide to help layout your artwork.
When you enter the Design Studio work space, be sure to first and foremost add a print guide to your template. This guide shows the bleed as well as the critical artwork space. If your artwork extends beyond the bleed, the image will be cut off in the printing and sewing process. Ensure all critical artwork is at least 1.5″ inside the work space. Additionally, be away of the pole sleeve area. Remember to delete this print guide layer before adding it to your cart as the printer will leave all artwork as is on the file.
3. Upload images or select from our library.
We understand that your team has a very specific vision when it comes to how your flags will look. There is a lot to consider! What colors, shapes, designs, patterns will be the most generally effective? Will the flag be readable from the stands? The Design Studio offers 2 image selecting functions.
You can upload your own high resolution (minimum 150 dpi) images into the design studio.
Or you can choose from our library of over 1 million free images and graphics.
But why stop with one image? With the Design Studio, you are free to layer images on top of one another to create the effect you desire.
4. Adjust your images.
The longest part of the design process is the waiting game between submitting notes to the designer and actually receiving proofs. With the Design Studio, you drive that revision process! No more waiting on proofs, no more struggling to explain your vision.
Once a photo is set on the template, you can rotate, invert, and resize the image to your desired layout! Remember that the print guide is there to help ensure all artwork you want seen is inside the critical artwork space.
Please Note: There is a 1/4″ bleed around the edge of the template, so keep the “critical images & text” inside the safe area (about 1″-1.5″ from the edge of the flag).
You can also adjust transparency, add filters, and more!
5. Add text and shapes.
The Design Studio comes pre-loaded with a variety of different shapes, text formats, and font settings so adding text to your flag becomes easier and more customized than ever! Once your text is written and the size adjusted, you can change the color, transparency, and width of the text or shape.
6. Reorder layers.
Reordering and hiding layers is a necessary capability for collaborating with your team.
To hide the layer, simply click the eye icon. To reorder, the layer must be unlocked using the padlock icon. From there, moving layers is as easy as it gets!
This layer is movable now!
Please Note: Once you are satisfied with your design, be sure to either HIDE (the eye icon) or DELETE (the red X icon) the Print Guide layer. If not, you run the risk of that layer printed on your flags.
7. Save, share, and collaborate with your team.
When your draft is finished, sharing and collaborating is simple.
Save your flag to My Designs. Click on Share in the upper left corner and name your design. This is what your team will see when you share the link.
Create a custom link that only you and those you share it with will have access too! Or look for broader feedback and share your designs to social media. Friends can click on the link, edit your original design, and submit the link back to you! You can view the revision history in the same space as well, so you can restore revisions at any time.
8. Order!
Once your design is team-approved, add the design to your cart. From here, you can checkout and view you cart, adjust quantity, and order! All orders must go through one of our Authorized DSI Retailers, so please know at time of ordering who your local dealer is.
A Cut Above the Rest
What makes DSI’s custom printed flags stand out among the rest is our speed and quality. With DSI’s Design Studio, flags are printed in the highest resolution and shipped within 7 business days of artwork approval. Further, there is no minimum quantity. Need a solo flag for that big moment? We can do that at no extra charge. Need 45 sets of swing flags to fill the field with color? We can do that too! Need a flag in weeks? You design it; we approve, print, and ship it. No back and forth. No waiting for proofs. No communication stress.
Create the flags that everyone will love! With the DSI Design Studio, it’s as easy as Drag, Drop, Done.
Note: We are happy to offer video tutorials for each of the steps listed above and more! To watch these tutorials, click on “Design Help” on the homepage of the design studio OR visit: https://designstudio.dshowcase.com/design_help.php