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: Graphic Design
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 »
What are the worst conditions your design can handle?
image by Diana Lili M I know nothing about Hungarian politics, but that doesn’t matter; I just love this photo and the story it tells. Someone tried to rip down this billboard poster of a political candidate, only the discover that the previous poster, concealed underneath, was another advertisement for the same person’s campaign! It… 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.
How twitter broadens my horizons
Like many designers, I gain lots of inspiration (large volumes of it, in fact) by going online and looking at the work of others. There are plenty of websites set up to showcase design, but I’m finding that one of the nicest ways to come across great work is through twitter. When I joined twitter,… Read more »
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 »
Provocative street art in label design
Osama bin Laden is a popular subject for graffiti artists: his image is highly recognisable and can be guaranteed to evoke a strong response. Coincidentally, those can also be desirable attributes for someone fronting a product promotion … but bin Laden on a wine label? In fact it’s a stencil image of bin Laden, with… 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 »
Steps to choosing a successful colour scheme
Image by woodleywonderworks Choosing the right colour scheme takes a combination of research, design know-how and inspiration. Whether you’re creating a website or a print publication with lots of white space, your choice of colours is an critical element to the overall design. It’s important to do this early in a design project, in order… Read more »
Fundamentals of good design: Colour schemes
The importance of colour in design can never be overstated. Colour choices influence mood, emotion and tone; a carefully chosen colour scheme can clearly express a specific design style. When I begin work on a new design project, I usually work at length on creating a good colour scheme. You’ll find more detail on this… 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 »
Design blogs making an impact
Image by Mr. Kris Recently I wrote a post about making a bigger impact with your design skills, which provides lots of ideas and avenues for designers to work with charities and non-profit organisations. Since then I’ve been on the lookout for designers and bloggers who have come up with their own great ideas to… Read more »