image by Warren Brown Designers can be a finicky bunch. We can spend hours poring over Pantone colour books or font catalogues to get the right look for our work. A lot of us still put in the time to make sure a website looks the way it was intended even in Internet Explorer 6… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Business
Website Checklist: What You Need to Get Your Site Launched
image by alibree I find checklists useful when I’m planning a new project on a big scale, and let’s face it: a lot of websites fall into the category of big projects! I’ve compiled this checklist to assist anyone who’s planning to get a website for their business or professional activities. It helps to have… Read more »
Window-shopping: the Future of Design?
image by Chor Ip Graphic design is a fast-moving industry, and one of the biggest trends in recent times has been the emergence of “try-before-you-buy”: crowd-sourcing companies and ready-made design retailers. These companies allow prospective buyers to view designs before paying any money, and the asking price is almost always low. That’s very attractive to… Read more »
Busting the myths: what Graphic Design ISN’T
image by nicolasnova For a bit of fun I’ve put together a list of things that Graphic Design Isn’t, based on my own experiences and those of others. I hope this will be helpful for designers and clients alike.
Urgent! How to handle those last-minute design requests
Image by Alex Kehr Good designers know how to make realistic deadlines and then stick to them. But there are times for every designer when an urgent job materialises and must be squeezed into the work schedule. Some designers dread getting the phone call or email requesting work to be carried out at breakneck speed;… Read more »
E-cards or traditional cards: which are better?
If you’ve been participating in the holiday season, it’s likely you’ve been part of the seasonal exchange of greeting cards. Most are traditional paper-based cards, although there are also plenty of e-cards landing in in-boxes at this time of year. That’s no surprise, as many of us are spending increasing amounts of time communicating via… Read more »
What is the cost of compromising on good design?
Image by tanakawho Let’s face it, there are times when designers and their clients don’t see eye to eye over a project. When all else fails a designer may comply with client requests which are at odds with their own professional judgment, simply to make the client happy. But is this an ideal solution in… Read more »
How to adapt during an economic downturn
Image by Foxtongue We live in interesting times. The worldwide financial downturns have led to a great deal of uncertainty for small business owners and independent contractors (freelancers), including designers. On the plus side, small operators are in a better position than their larger counterparts to adapt to changes in business conditions, even drastic ones…. Read more »
Less is More: Top Designers’ websites
Designers wanting to advance their careers are sometimes advised to concentrate on creating a personal brand. With this in mind, I decided to look at how some renowned graphic designers present themselves and their work online. Most of the designers shown here have personal websites to showcase their portfolio. There are a few sites representing… Read more »
Design checklist: What clients should provide their designer
Image by kennymatic Preparation is key to successful management of any project, and design projects are no different. The more preparation that both client and designer do right at the start, the more smoothly the work will go. I find checklists can be very useful, so I’ve prepared a checklist of things that clients should… Read more »
One thing blog designers must have
Image by kevindooley Designing for blogs, creating blog themes and building websites with Content Management Systems (CMS) make up probably the fastest growing aspect of web design. The measure of a web designer who is keeping their skills up to date is that they offer at least one of these services. A good web designer… Read more »
How Inexperience can teach you about Design
Can you remember your first-ever design job? Whether it was the first piece of work you got paid for, or the freebies you used to do for friends and which gave you the first inklings that a career in design was for you? Looking back is fun, but for me it’s also served as an… Read more »
Reasons to keep your web portfolio short and sweet
The common wisdom for compiling a strong design portfolio is that you should limit the size to around a 10-15 samples of your work (give or take a few). I have perused a lot of design portfolios online, and it’s interesting to see how many break this rule.
Working as a Graphic Designer
I like to think that my website contains all the answers to questions that visitors and prospective clients might have about me and my work, but seeing that I anticipate that the first contact for many people will be via my blog, it makes sense to provide some information about myself here.