Kase Studies

In most online forums for graphic designers (the ones on Facebook, for example), one question keeps popping up: “I have a 27-inch iMac that is getting old. I would like to replace it, but I am not sure which model to choose. Anyone has some good advice?” That is a question commonly shared by lots of freelancers. The 27-inch iMac is a powerful computer that is arguably the most popular model in the graphic designers community. There was an overheating problem in the first generation but since then, it has become an almost indestructible machine. And the price-quality ratio has always been quite reasonable… for a Mac. In addition to its 5K screen and its lightning-quick and powerful processor, adding RAM memory is as easy as changing batteries on a remote control. Unfortunately, Apple has ceased production of this model this year. Times are changing In 2021, Apple unveiled the iMac models with the M1 chip. They are simply stunning with their multiple colours, their 4.5K screen, and their thinner frame. And at 24 inches, they are still quite big. One major caveat: they have a locked architecture, meaning you cannot add RAM memory. Also, you will find no network port on the machine itself, you will need to add it separately on the power block. Before the iMac, Apple unveiled the Mac Mini M1 which, like the iMac, came only with 8 or 16 gigabytes (GB) of RAM, but they are nevertheless powerful. In 2021, Kinos bought both a Mini M1 and a 24-inch Mac Pro M1, and we concluded that both models were faster than the last-generation Mac Pros (the ones that looked like a small black garbage can, not those that resembled cheese graters!). The price of the M1s is also quite attractive. While a Mac Pro could take you back $3,000 to $5,000 (sometimes more, depending on the configuration – and the separately sold display!), an iMac M1 costs $2,500 and a Mac Mini M1 around $1,500. And then came Mac Studio This machine is precisely built for us graphic designers. Forget Mac Pro (the cheese grater). Mac Studio is made for online video editors, 3D animators, and virtual reality enthusiasts. Even in its entry level configuration, Mac Studio with the M1 Max chip is more than enough for graphic design, video editing, motion design, and huge Photoshop files, which, let’s face it, covers most basic needs of our clients. I strongly suggest opting for the 64GB RAM and a 1TB SSD hard drive, at the minimum. Each unit has a $2,600 SRP, but screen, keyboard and mouse are all sold separately. Oh well. Now for the display The new Apple Studio Display is by all accounts a superfluous investment, but oh man, what a f…lying thing of beauty. And if there is one thing that we graphic designers drool over, it's beauty. Sure, a good 4K display can do the trick, but it will still take you back $800 to $1,000. Or maybe you heard you can turn your obsolete (!) 27-inch iMac into a display for your Studio Display. I never tried it myself, but I heard it depends on which iOS you are running. Like they say, do your own research So, if you are like me and are considering buying a Mac Studio with the 27-inch screen (as long as it’s quality you want, let’s go all in), then you are looking at an approximate investment of $5,000. You can apply for the Apple 12-month no interest financing plan that works pretty well. Also, if I’m not mistaken, computer hardware is tax-deductible for two years. You also have to consider the performance increase (these are the strongest arguments I offered our finance director… which is also my wife… hope it will be convincing enough…). Get more job done quicker Indeed, a more powerful machine will allow you to do more work more rapidly. “How can that be? It is still only just me,” you may think. Yes, it’s true, but the performance gain does not reside in your mouse-moving skills or your lightning-quick cut-and-paste power. The performance increase will be noticeable in complex operations, video rendering, animation export, huge files saves, and manipulation of enormous Photoshop files. That is where you will save precious time. Quick story: Last year we produced a 3D animation for a client; nothing as spectacular as a Jeep-eater dinosaur, but rather a simple water-filtering module. The animated video lasted 20-30 seconds and the rendering took 2 hours on my Mac Pro (aka the black garbage can, 8-core/64GB); on a Mac Mini (M1/16GB), the same rendering operation was done in 20 minutes, one sixth of the time! Now, imagine the same operation on a still more powerful Mac Studio: this machine would almost pay for itself in time improvement (and that is one last argument for my finance director!). “Yeah, but what about PC computers?” How can I put it politely… To be honest, I am not really familiar with the PC market. I have been toiling away on Macs for more than three decades. My first (computer) love was the beige LC2 with Apple printer running Mac OS 9. Bam! Love at first sight, and I have never looked back. Hardware turnover for a studio Typically, a freelance designer will buy a new machine every 3-5 years, but for a studio the turnover should probably be quicker, more like 2 years. That translates to about $2,500 to $5,000 every year for hardware turnover. Your newest (read “best”) machine should be reserved to your team’s black belt: your best Photoshop handler, video editor or motion designer. Give the “obsolete” machine to an experienced designer, who in turn can give his/her machine to a project manager who mostly uses Office and the internet, and so on. You can bequeath all obsolete workstations to non-profit organizations or eco-friendly recycling companies. One thing must not be overlooked: as soon as two designers or more are on the payroll, you must think about investing in an efficient server. A Mac Mini can do the job quite nicely and facilitates your internal files sharing. Well, that’s it for today. In a next blog entry, we will discuss archiving and filing of all your files.

Hello, I am the Senior Editor at Kinos, a design studio specialized in creating and localizing English and French advertising and marketing material for the entertainment industry (movies, TV) and for general consumer products (food industry, insurance, automobile) destined to the Canadian market. I have been at it for more than 30 years, and I can tell you a lot has changed. From the Betamax/VHS war to 4K, from insurance companies wondering why they should offer their service in French to today’s fully bilingualized websites, fashions and formats have come and gone. But one thing remains constant: the need to provide consumers the best translation and copywriting money can buy. A BIT OF HISTORY Trained with the NBICOM team – a pioneer in the budding Canadian home entertainment industry – before joining Kinos, I can attest that we have collaborated with practically all the main players: Warner, Disney, Fox, Alliance, Universal… and the list goes on. Two main factors have contributed to the inception of our services: the linguistic Canadian reality with its two official languages from coast to coast, and the specific Quebec laws that reflect the statute of French as the only official language in the province. Suddenly, the industry was required by law to offer their products not solely in English but also in French or in bilingual format, according to the intended market. Today, the roster of clients that knock on Kinos´door is varied: movies, SMEs, NPOs, food products, heavy industries, marketing studios. All looking for quality, precision and consistency. LASTING FRIENDSHIPS European French and Canadian French can be quite different. So when localizing any copy for the Canadian market, you have to use a level of French that consumers can relate to. This fact was never lost on the clients we have worked with so far. They have always trusted us to efficiently adapt the marketing of their products in a language that, for the most poart, they did not master. Some of them have graced us with their loyalty for decades – surely we must be doing something right! A RIGOROUS PROCESS At Kinos, text (translation and copywriting) and image (graphic design) go hand in hand. Upon receiving a project (let’s say a poster or a DVD packaging), the process is initiated: a translator and a designer are assigned to the task, the former handling language localization and the latter concentrating on the visual adaptation. Let’s look more closely at the translation process by using a recipe analogy: once you have the right ingredients, you have to mix them up correctly before cooking them to perfection. After analysis of the copy to translate, the translator prepares the ingredients. Each client has their own preferences and allergies: one needs a bilingual credit block, another prefers his quotes raw, another likes spicy catchlines, a pinch of bonus features here, a drop of copyright there… All the needed copy is copied and pasted in a file which goes in the translation oven. Even though the translators uses a translation assistance software (in a process called Computer-assisted Translation, or CAT) to frame their work and to insure consistency with previous copy, the final edit remains their responsibility. Computer-assisted translation HELPS the translators but DOES NOT replace them. At Kinos, Google translations are considered a public nuisance. Intricate linguistic levels and choices are too important to be left in the hands of artificial intelligence. CAT software is mainly a great tool for recalling each client’s preferences and apply them using translation memories. When “Jaws 29: Mayhem in 5G” will be released, the Kinos translation memory will remember how the very first episode was translated. A great catchline used on the poster must be consistently used on following components: trailer, packaging, ads, in-store display, and so on. At Kinos, machines and humans work together to reach maximum consistency. And that is music to the clients’ ears. And customers' too! IN EXPERT HANDS The translated text is then given a good lookover. After all, nobody is above letting a typo or an incorrect conjugation slip in. We proofread, we discuss, we finalize and then we send the final copy to the designers who embed the required copy in their layouts. A couple of enchanted spells and alchemist’s tricks later, text and image are combined in a series of drafts which are checked, double-checked or even triple-checked if need be, before sending it to the client for comments and/or approval. Then we make corrections, and we send again. Then we make some more corrections and send again… until all parties are happy campers. IS IT A BIT TOO MUCH? Maybe you find our process a bit tedious? Surely there is a way to expedite things and cut corners? “ Haste makes waste ”, goes the old saying. At Kinos, attention to details is in our DNA. Urgency or not, “t's” must be crossed and “i’s” dotted. Corners are cut, sure, but in the most efficient and practical manner. Thousands of visual components have flashed before our eyes, but Kinos is still determined to offer excellence, quality and consistency for all items we work on, on every platform and in all mediums. No time to dwell on the past or sit on our hands. A bit too much? No, it will never be too much. It will be a pleasure serving you. Philippe Bouchard Senior Editor, Kinos

Last year I stumbled by chance upon a documentary on movie poster design. This documentary, which I enjoyed very much, was titled 24/36 , and it was quite educational. I noticed that all participants felt all the big-movie posters used tired formulas and were cruelly lacking in creativity, while visuals created by fans or intended for alternate markets (festivals, SteelBook packagings, etc.) tended to be fancier and more imaginative. I have been designing movie posters for almost 30 years and reminiscing on this, I see an opportunity to give my two cents on the practice of poster design. The movie First and foremost, you need to watch the movie. Whether it actually helps a lot or very little, it is never a bad idea to be inspired by it. Sometimes, a great trailer or a good talk with the distributor will suffice. From this point, the goal is the same: capture the essence of a two-hour movie in a single image. Concepts Once the process is up and running, we create concepts – about 10-15 different visuals. In Québec and Canada, it is standard practice for poster designers to work from stills (on-set photographs). Sometimes we also work from “grabs,” or photograms (images taken from the movie), or even image databases. Once these concepts are sent to the distributor, the back-and-forth waltz of tests and corrections begins. This whole process will have a huge impact on the final version of the poster. I have on file more than 1000 poster concepts, and it is my belief that 95% of these designs are more attractive and creative than the final printed posters. That being said, we have to admit that creativity is not automatically synonymous with efficiency. What is the real use of a poster? A poster has only one goal: to promote the film. It is not a work of art destined to be hung in the living room. A poster has to lure the moviegoers in theatres or influence them in their choice of movies amongst a competitive offer of titles and platforms. Of course, if in the same breath we create an image that will stand the test of time to become iconic, great, but this is the exception, not the rule. Between a rock and a hard place The poster designer often sits between a rock and a hard place, between the director/producer and the distributor. Even though these people’s goals are the same – to have a successful release –, certain views can remain irreconcilable: the distributor wants the most spectators or viewings possible, the producer aims for a national or international outreach, and the director, emotionally linked to their work, wants to protect their “baby.” But at the end of the day, in the Canadian market, we work for the distributor, whose instructions we must follow. “The poster is not my film” This is probably the sentence we hear the most often from the director. And it is quite true: no poster will ever replace a movie. It is a marketing tool, an item that tells its own narrative and which must be put in conjunction with all the other marketing tools: trailer, website, press docket, ads, etc. Each of these components is a piece of the puzzle and has only one purpose: help the movie attain the biggest outreach possible. The poster is only the door to the proposed cinematic universe, not the universe itself. A circle of professionals Generally speaking, distributors release many titles each year and have a lot of experience – at least the ones I worked with. The same goes for the producers, and all of them surround themselves with seasoned collaborators. What you need to understand is that the movie industry is a well-oiled machine that can accomodate all kinds of products: “auteur” works of art, genre movies, quirky and hard-to-peg titles, etc. All these movies have the potential to reach their audience, but never forget that each fragmented audience is used to a certain aesthetic and is familiar to a certain visual style that reflects its tastes and expectations. To put it more plainly, even if you can carve an unbeaten track, we are still in the same forest! The competition Movie theatres, Internet and TV are inundated with images and advertising. If your visual offers faded colours and a weak proposition, you can bet it will be overshadowed by the big productions. Never lose sight of the fact that in our market, the marketing budgets are quite small. All the more vital that the poster aesthetics have a commercial value. Another thing to consider is the fact that in the last years, the circulation method of posters has drastically changed. Nowadays, poster visuals are mostly seen on mobile phone screens and on streaming platforms; small details get hardly noticed and elaborate keyarts are harder to decode. To conclude Taking these notions into account does not mean that creativity in poster designs is a lost bet. You can see it as “bridled creativity” with a marketing purpose. When creating, adopt a certain detachment, keep an open mind, listen to collaborators, benefit from their experience, and never forget: the greatest movie posters in history are those associated with great movies that moved us.