All images seen
on Laoconnection.com are created by our Graphic Designer (GD) who
has been a part of the LCW Team for several years. Images created
include, though not limited to, banners, title covers, advertisements,
portraits, LCW Quote of the Week, etc.
The graphic
design of the images goes through a similar process as the written
content. Several designs are made and then one is chosen as the
final useable image. Before we arrive at the final image, the GD
plays around with different parts of the file and determines what
looks best and what is acceptable.
When there are
special occassions like Lao New Year, LCW Anniversary and so fourth,
the images are usually made well in advance. They're usually planned
and created within a month before the special occassion.
The GD is given
a great deal of freedom to design what he wants keeping in mind
with what is needed by the website. It's a wonderful balance that's
worked for many years. The GD often describes his own work as "modern,
techno designs with Lao imagery and writing."
The GD was also
the one who pushed forward the idea of having beautiful Laotians
send in their picture to be used on the website. In particular because
he wanted the site to have a more community or human feel/look to
it. As a result, he needed more people images.
Not to mention,
we all agreed that we wanted Lao beauty to be seen by the world.
Take it to
the Bank
From: Australia
- I know that Laos is a communist country but I was curious as to
whether it has allowed foreign banks to operate within its borders.
Also, I'd like to know which bank is popular among foreigners who
work in Laos and which one is popular among Lao people?
As of 1992 foreign
banks have been allowed to establish themselves in Vientiane city
only. Foreign banks are not found outside of Vientiane
city. The State Bank was once the ruling monopoly but it split up
into several state-owned commercial banks and the central bank (the
Bank of the Lao PDR) in 1988.
Additionally,
there are a few joint venture banks and about a dozen foreign owned
banks (all Thai except two, a Malaysian bank that's simply called "Public
Bank" and a Viet-Lao bank).
This adviser
has observed that this "Public Bank", officially called
"Public Bank Berhad", of Malaysia has an extremely high
recommendation rate among the expatriate community. Its customers
include Lao nationals and Thais but more often than those, it has
been observed that most of its customers are the other plethera
of foreigners from western countries who come to work in Laos such
as NGOs, missionaries, teachers, business people, consultants, etc.
According to
the Bank of the Lao PDR the bank with the most holdings, which we
therefore assume is the most popular among Laotians, is Banque pour
le Commerce Exterieur Lao (BCEL) and among Lao people it does come
highly recommended.
