Blog &bull Graphic Design
Why You Should ALWAYS Check the Details … Again!
November 18, 2009
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 (a [...]
Window-shopping: the Future of Design?
September 24, 2009
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 a particular [...]
What are the worst conditions your design can handle?
August 3, 2009
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 shows [...]
Busting the myths: what Graphic Design ISN’T
May 27, 2009
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
April 16, 2009
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, I [...]
Urgent! How to handle those last-minute design requests
March 11, 2009
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; others thrive [...]
Provocative street art in label design
February 10, 2009
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 [...]
E-cards or traditional cards: which are better?
December 27, 2008
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 [...]
What is the cost of compromising on good design?
December 3, 2008
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 the [...]
Steps to choosing a successful colour scheme
November 25, 2008
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 not [...]
