Who we are?
Hand Studio is a design, multimedia and marketing firm in Zagreb, Croatia. We have over 20 years of work experience in connecting clients with their target audience using visual communications. Our approach to our clients is individual, and to each project logical, structured and well thought through. In our opinion design is not only decoration, but also one of the key components of our clients’ business strategy. In order to achieve the best results, we develop partnerships with our clients based upon interpersonal trust, familiarizing them with all phases of our work and including them in the creative process. All our skills and experience are focused on finding the best solution, not only for design needs, but also for budget, deadlines and and market specifics.
Clients
Design
Electronics, IT
Pharmaceutical Industry and Health
Finance and Investing
Institutions
Management and Consulting
Hauska & Partner
Real Estate, Construction and Engineering
Environment and agriculture
Food industry
Consumer goods and cosmetics
Sport
Telecommunications
Trade
Tourism and catering
Art
Fun
What we do?
PACKAGING AND BRANDING
The packaging is the customer’s first contact with the product. Its primary function is to protect the product from damage, but in today’s time the design of the packaging is of great importance. The goal is for the customer to immediately be able to recognize the product on the shelf, often among many other similar products, and to decide to buy it in the end. The design of the packaging boosts sales by attracting the customer. Consequently, the point of designing the packaging is to have it stand out because of its attractive packaging. Thanks to the many years we have spent working on creating packagings, we have acquired a great amount of experience in designing packaging that sells products.
Branding is done primarily to have the product stand out among many other similar products. A successful brand suggests the uniqueness of their product. In that way the customer recognizes the specific product because of their name, logo, good packaging design and presence on social media. Branding is one of the most important functions in the process of introducing a new product in its new design on the market, as well as rebranding an existing product and putting it back on the market.
Pre-press for packaging is a process through which we turn design solutions into the final product. Pre-press is an important step in creating the packaging and requires knowledge and experience in order to make the product look its best. Other than the knowledge about specific techniques, it is also required to have knowledge about the characteristics of materials we are printing on.
Printing techniques of packaging: offset, flexo printing, screen printing
Types of packaging: labels, all types of boxes, pillow bags, block bottom, zip bag
LOGO AND CORPORATE IDENTITY
Logo, and in some cases a trademark, in the visual sense defines the business entity. Because of that the design of the logo is extremely important. The logo defines the business style within a specific business and makes a great difference on the market. Often times the logo is the first contact with the product or service. Its design is usually the starting point when designing the whole visual identity.
The visual identity of a product or service is created based on the design of the logo. It is important to have all the elements united in a meaningful, well designed entirety. A well placed visual identity allows for successful communication of targeted messages. Implementing the overall visual identity allows for consistency in communicating those messages.
The visual identity showed in the book of standards contributes to a consistent communication of visual characteristics. The book of standards contains the elaboration and presentation of the use of visual identity in the assumed arts environment. Due to the seriousness and consistency it is important to use it in a standardized way. The book of standards used as a basic manual allows its users to find quality solutions in a simple and fast way.
PHOTOGRAPHY
A professional photoshoot is an important step in showing the product in the best possible light. In a professionally equipped studio we photograph food for packagings, product arrangements, technical photography, photos of people. Outside of the studio we do photos of architecture, people, scenery, environment, and air photography.
WEB, MULTIMEDIA, FLASH
Web design is the first step to creating a good and functional website. Combining colors, typography, photos and other graphic elements, the goal is to create a well designed website which effectively communicates with its visitors. The key to good web design is to have quality structure of the website so that the content fits into the whole design in a functional and clear way. Web design trends change rapidly so it is important to be up to date with all the changes so that the result is always a modern and contemporary website.
Web development or development of websites means implementing web design into a contemporary website. That process includes programming websites, coming up with and choosing the most functional solutions, standardization and adjustments for different media (computers, tablets, mobile phones). Web development requires constant tracking and implementing technological and design trends.
Mobile web shows up on mobile devices such as mobile phones and tablets. Since almost all users use the internet through their mobile devices, all websites and applications have to be customized to the system, size and screen orientation of those devices. Such approach to designing websites is called Responsive Web Design. It is characterized by unique web which changes its appearance on different devices, depending on the screen.
Website maintenance is important when the client cannot manage the content of the website themselves. Other than basic content information (photos, texts) as part of website maintenance we can arrange structural changes such as refreshing the design. Website maintenance mostly means technical maintenance of the database and adapting to new systems. Maintenance can be daily, weekly, monthly or yearly. It can also be carried out according to working hours.
Content management system is a system which allows its users to manage and edit contents of websites. The advantage of such a system is that the user, who has no programming skills, can easily and directly modify and edit websites. CMS systems enable the users to manage information which is classified in different ways from one place, and they also enable processing of large amount of information. The advantages of these systems are best seen in large projects which have a complex structure and multilingual content.
WordPress is the most popular system for content management and as such is widely used. Other than many technological possibilities, it offers quality design solutions. With the right and expert implementation, websites created in WordPress meet the most demanding technological and design challenges. WordPress is completely aimed at users and their experience while managing their content and the look of their website.
These days online shopping is only increasing. Websites where you can shop online are called web stores or web shops. Web shops can be wholesale or retail. The customer is guaranteed an easy and quick shopping experience, while the sellers sales almost always increase. Web shops are an important tool for sales and therefore need to be well designed and structured with and attractive and accessible landing page.
Paying online with cards is a web shop option which definitely contributes to better sales. Thanks to high security standards, credit card information given to web shops are strictly protected so that misuse is basically impossible.
SEO is optimizing websites for search engines with the goal of increasing visits to the website. This part of internet marketing plays an important role in positioning the website when it comes to search engines. SEO is usually connected to the right use of keywords connected to the content of the page, but it also includes a series of methods for better positioning. Quality SEO campaign results in an increase in unique visits to the website which in turn helps the success of the website.
Google AdWords is an effective and accessible way of internet advertising. The ads show up on the Google search engine, and they allow for precise targeting, according to keywords, language, location… It provides very precise statistics and allows the user to track all information necessary for conducting the Google AdWords campaign.
Social media marketing deals with promoting through social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc. Most companies find it very important to develop a two way communication channel with their users, for which social media is the perfect platform. Using the advantages of social media visits to the website can be increased, and creating quality content encourages users to share it. This creates the perfect environment for promotion of content and getting feedback, and the result is the creation of a growing network.
Flash banners are used in advertising on internet portals. These are animated in Flash and are used to attract users to a website. Every portal offers specific dimensions so for internet campaigns we often do a series of adjustments for flash banners of different dimensions.
Animations done in Flash program are used for creating web presentations, animated cards, banners and advertisements. Due to the excellent possibilities that Flash offers, the animations can be complex and very attractive. It is especially important when creating Flash banners which are used to attract users to a website.
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INTERACTIVE APPLICATIONS
This system offers a complete hardware and software solution for jump start multitouch interactive content and its control. It is also anticipates one central place that provides control and delivers to all places that have installed promotional displays, singletouch and multitouch devices. Before exposing to market, the hardware is tested in harsh environments, and goes through a rigorous set of tests, in order to enable operation in harsh environments, as well as to tolerate the constant work 24 / 7, 365 days a year. If necessary, our service for servicing the hardware is available in a short period. Software consist of coupling of interactive apllications used by end users, applications for central control of content on all devices and applications for the control of the device. An interactive application intended for customers is completely “user friendly”. We have tried to maximize the worldwide experience from the world of tablet computers and their applications. Therefore we have improved already high “user experience” in multitouch devices to a higher level, where all acts in such system become normal after a short period of use. In addition, we have developed a help system that allows to present all the interface functions in a very short time, so that new users can immediately start to use our system with no need for long-term addiction and learning. Here, we have to emphasize the interactivity and the possibility of rapid comparison of the segments that allows the natural flow of information and speeds up the process of using the application in a relation to conventional applications that still use keyboard and mouse. Since we developed our own software base, we are able to customize a complete application according to the presentational need of a specific client. Usage of a multitouch system is complex. It can be applied to all places that have a large amount of information, but needed to be presented in a quick and easy way. This kind of presentation also allows us a great visual appeal and thereby attract new clients. Multotoch system can be applicable to: Some possibilities of multitouch systems: • Banks and savings banks (supply of products, information services, financial plan configurator) • Shopping Mall (commercial and Philosophy offers) • Centre for sport and recreation (show events and results) • Train and bus stations (view current information on arrivals and departures) • Airports and seaports (view current information on arrivals and departures) • Presentations (presentation of information in the halls at conferences, etc.) • Colleges and Universities (view schedule of events and lectures, etc.) Central system for setting the content and device management enables us to remote control each device and its content. This allows us the maximum flexibility in the system relative to the position and the type of the device the content is placed on. It also allows us remote updates and installation of required applications without sending the technicians to field thus reduce maintenance costs for prospective customers. Central system is communicating with devices through conventional Internet link using the VPN tunnel. Application for surveillance device has been developed in order to respond rapid in case of malfunction of the device. This enables proactive approach and very shot response time in case of any failures. If there is any kind of malfunction on the device the system itself alarms the operator. In this case to the field technician can be immediately sent to the field and determine the failure as well as to correct the deficiency on the spot.
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Catalogues, brochures and publications have an informative and presentational role. Good design and well thought out content show the value of the company in the right way. Such corporate values can be presented through mission, vision and purpose. The concept is usually backed up by photos which give the product authenticity. Considering the fact that we are talking about printed materials, the choice of paper as well as printing possibilities, such as special effects, varnishing and various types of finishing, are of great importance. We also do press control to make sure the final product is in line with expectations. Catalogue, brochure and publication design, which is predetermined for printed materials, can be tailored for presentations using computers and tablets.
An annual report is a summation of the most important accomplishments of a company, according to different criteria. It can be financial but it can also show corporate social responsibility. Creating annual reports is a challenging design task where we mostly turn dull statistical information into visually attractive content. Annual reports are also prepared for online publication.
Book cover design is a creative process through which books are artistically presented in the best possible way. The cover is the reader’s firs contact with the book which is why the design should be attractive and in line with the theme and style of writing.
When creating calendars, the concept is equally as important as the design. If the calendar consists of many pages, the concept runs throughout the whole calendar. The result is a thematically balanced calendar. Other than good looks, a well thought out theme adds extra value to the calendar.
Ad design consists of a creative concept, visual and graphic design and pre-press. The purpose of the ad is to convey the target message, most often using a visual or a slogan. Sometimes the ad has to be done according to corporate standards. In that case adjustments to different formats are made.
Presentation of a company or a product is often done through flyers. A well designed flyer can provide information about a company in an attractive way. Depending on the amount of information that needs to be presented, we do single flyers, as well as double and multiple folded flyers (brochures and harmonica flyers).
Infographics is used in situations where it is necessary to present a complicated piece of information in a clear and concise manner. Such visual presentation of information often uses signs and graphic symbols. Quality infographics presents complex systems and information in a visually effective way using the comprehensible language of symbols. We can find infographics in almost all aspects of our lives. Because of that it is important to know the logic behind the production of infographics so that they can be clear and unambiguous.
Posters, billboards and city lights convey information which needs to be perceived quickly and effectively. It is important for the poster, billboard or city light to be artistically attractive so that it attracts attention. It also has to be clear and transparent so that all the information is immediately available and because the time spent looking at it is often very short.
POS materials are used for presenting products directly at the point of sales. Those are different stands, freestanding shelves, floor graphics, wobblers, hangers, window graphics and other materials used for boosting sales. Often times those materials are found in showrooms which are also designed in line with the product. In that way we design stands and presentations which are used in the showrooms.
Vehicle graphics are used to turn a vehicle into a moving advertisement. The designs applied onto the vehicles are often in line with corporate standards and it is also important to consider technological possibilities of applying the graphics onto the vehicle when designing them. We produce graphics for trucks, tow trucks, delivery vehicles, personal vehicles and public transport.
