photo credit: E. Bartholomew

The traditional New Year Resolution: some dread it and some embrace it. Of course, it’s not always easy to sit down and decide what we hope to accomplish over the next year. Below you will find a few ideas that I hope will be helpful in making you a more successful graphic or web designer next year and for the rest of your career. Read the full original article here

photo credit: timparkinson

Ah yes, the ever so popular “list” of favorite websites bug has struck here at Insomniac Drivel. Everyday I spend at least 2 hours reading and viewing my favorite design websites for inspiration and encouragement. Most every design blog has a few of these lists today, if not, they are seriously lagging behind. (like us!)

So I figured it was time I put one of my lists together, some may have already seen these sites, or they may be new to you. Hopefully you can find something within this list that helps or inspires you along your design journey.

If you like any of these sites, be sure to comment and let us know!

Design Blogs

Just Creative Design – A very popular design blog covering many topics of design and business relations ran by Jacob Cass

justcreativedesign.com

Outlaw Design Blog – Design blog with many resource file downloads and a great interface ran by Danny Outlaw

outlawdesignblog.com

Graphic Design Blender – Great blog ran by Preston Lee, covering many topics of graphic & web design.

graphicdesignblender.com

Digital Telepathy – Blog covering mainly web design and CSS topics.

dtelepathy.com

Free Resources

Free vectors – Quality, free vectors for personal use.

freevectors.net

Vecteezy – Free vectors from some of the best designers.

vecteezy.com

And of course last but not least, my favorite:

photo credit: bigmick

Deviant Art – Online community to showcase work and receive feedback. Also a great resource for PSD and Illustrator files.

deviantart.com You can find me at Deviant Art here.

Thanks for viewing my list, if you found anything helpful, please comment!

There are some popular sketchy fonts available that are great for grungy and hand-drawn designs and illustrations. My problem is, I want to be able to use this sketchy style in any font. Turn’s out, it is actually really easy to do in Illustrator. Moreover, you can create a Graphic Style and easily apply the style to other editable fonts!

Read the full article here

Notes

This tutorial was created with Illustrator CS4, but you should be able to create the tutorial in other Illustrator CS versions

Read the full original article at:  http://graphicdesignblender.com/25-inspiring-and-creative-print-ads

As a graphic designer, one principle responsibility we have is to convey a message effectively via visual means. The following ads are inspirational in that regard. Few, if any, words are used in most of these advertisements, but the visual imagery speaks volumes.

Read the full original article at:  http://graphicdesignblender.com/25-inspiring-and-creative-print-ads

The question

I have met with my fair share of inexperienced graphic designers who are searching for their place in this enormous industry. Many have asked me what they can do to design at a more professional level.

The answers

While there are a lot of answers to this question would most likely deal with the research or creative process, I have chosen to highlight a number of things beginning (or advanced) designers can do in order to make their design LOOK more professional. These tips are all about aesthetics and the final overall feel of your design piece. They include simplicity, contrast, texture, depth, gradation, and consistency.After reading the list, let us know what you would add by leaving a comment.

1. Simplicity.

A fallacy of many new designers is to add too much to their design. Too many drop shadows, borders, colors, etc. I bring up this point first for a reason. As you read through the rest of this list, please remember that not each of these tips should be used in the same project or every time you work on a project. Use them sparingly and tastefully.

One designer who exemplifies simplicity in design is an acquaintance of mine, Brian Hoff. A glimps of his work is found above. Visit his portfolio or his blog and you will see the beauty in simplicity that he so successfully executes.

2. Contrast.

Something that all new designers need to learn (and experienced designers need to remember) is that our eyes are wired to notice areas of high contrast first. Have you ever noticed how the appearance of our eyes is engineered? We all have a dark pupil and iris surrounded by the white of our eyes. Likewise, have you noticed that the first place to look at someone when you are talking to them happens to be their eyes. Not a coincidence. Contrast attracts attention.

By using contrast in your design, it will be not only more professional but more effective in communicating its message.

3. Texture.

Now this is a dangerous one. In my opinion texture can be used quite frequently to add the extra boost your design needs. This, of course, should be done in extremely subtle ways. Heavy or extreme textures can detract from the main content of the piece but, if used wisely, it can also make your design look slightly more professional.

Why is texture so effective? Because it mimmicks real life. It is very unusual for us to look at an object in the world that has no texture to it. Chris Spooner, a very influential and skilled designer, is a great example of a designer who uses texture well to make things more interesting and professional. Check out Chris’s blog and portfolio to see what I mean.

4. Depth.

Let’s think some more about the way we see things in real life. Go ahead look down at your keyboard sitting on your desk. Or maybe out the window at a tree or a fence. Each item you look at overlaps something else. The keyboard overlaps the desk. The window glass overlaps the tree and the tree overlaps the fence.

If you want your design to be more professional and realistic, add depth. Subtle ways to add depth to your design include:

• light drop shadows
• subtle blurring
• overlapping shapes and objects
• loss of saturation or definition
• what else would you add?

5. Gradation.

Adding a very subtle and clean gradient to your design piece can be very effective. Now, I’m not talking about the seven-color neon gradients here, Im talking about the monochromatic (centered around one color) gradient that is barely noticeable. Notice, for example, the gradients used in the header of this page. The large black area is actually a gradient from dark grey to black, the blue area- a gadient from dark blue to darker blue.

Gradients should be used sparingly to add depth, interest, and an extra element of professionalism to your design.

6. Consistency.

This may very well be the most important principle of them all. Ensuring consistency in your design will give it a cohesive, “finished” look. Be sure to repeat elements, use a limited color palette, and limit fonts to a maximum of two. Then use those elements throughout the piece. This will make your design more impressive and a little more professional.

Conclusion

There is a lot of design clutter that you have to break through in this day of rapid technology and an ever-present internet. The graphic design industry is larger than ever and will continue to grow. If you want to make your design more professional, I suggest the above steps amongst others.

With such a plethora of choice it may be hard to find the right designer for your specific needs. Below is a short guide to help you make the right choice when choosing a logo designer. These points could also be useful when hiring a web designer, graphic designer, or any designer for that matter.

I don’t want this post to come across as self promotional, however, I’ve linked to my own examples to show you how I personally communicate to potential clients the value of my design work. For other designers, I hope this in turn, gives you an idea of how you too can communicate the value of your work.

In no particular order:

1. Success & Experience

Do they have a proven successful track record? How experienced are they? Previous identity projects will give you a good idea of what skill level your designer is at and what you can expect though this is not to say that a new designer can not produce top quality results – this point has to be considered with all of the other points mentioned below, in which case a strong portfolio is probably the best indicator.

For examples of some quality identity design, please check out Logo Of The Day, where Jeff Fisher and I feature a new talented logo designer every day.

2. Positive Testimonials

Have they got positive testimonials from past clients and colleagues?

Ensure you check the testimonials validity which can be done by looking for a web address or even by emailing the company. It’s a good idea to check if the company even exists.

3. A Thorough Design Process

Do they have a logo design process in which they follow or are they simply producing logos like fast food? A typical process does not take under 48 hours to complete which is why I wrote the article How NOT To Design A Logo which tells you to avoid design contests, logo factories, etc.

Think for how long your logo design will be in use – would you want that to be designed (let alone researched) in under 48 hours? Logo design is not a take away food store and this is why logo design does not cost $5.00.

There is no ‘typical’ time frame as every client will have different needs but for small and medium businesses a rough guide would be around 2 – 6 weeks.

4. Awards Won / Published Work

Have they won any awards for their work? Is their work published in any books or magazines? How recognised are they in the industry?

5. A Strong Portfolio

How strong is their portfolio? What is the make up of real to ‘fake’ logo designs? When I say ‘fake logos’ I refer to the logos made for fictional companies, rather than for real clients.

6. Price

The costs of the service is usually quite evident of what you are going to receive. In most cases, you will get what you pay for but don’t take price as the only indication.

How much does a logo design actually cost? In my experience, this is the most frequently asked question and the hardest to answer. This is because every company has different needs… the best approach is to draw up a customised quote for each individual client.

7. Design Affiliations

Are they affiliated with any design associations or publications? This is a good indication of how dedicated they are to their craft though is not at all essential.

As an example, I am a member of NAPP – The National Association of Photoshop Professionals and Logo Lounge, an online gallery for logo design professionals. Other affiliations could be AIGA, HOW or even a local design group.

8. Great Customer Service

Do they respond to your emails quickly? How do they communicate & present themselves? A designer should provide great customer service throughout the whole process, from the initial email right through to after sales support.

9. Business Professionalism

Attention to detail, trustworthiness, strong communication skills and time management are all vital and go hand in hand with great customer service.

10. Appropriate Questions

A designer should ask a variety of questions to find out your needs in relation to your business goals. Questions should revolve around the companies history, target market, competitors, company goals, etc. For an example of the questions asked, check out my logo design questionnaire.

In summary

These are 10 things you should take into account when choosing a logo designer:

1. Proven Success & Experience
2. Positive Testimonials
3. A Thorough Design Process
4. Awards & Published Work
5. A Strong Portfolio
6. Price
7. Design Affiliations
8. Great Customer Service
9. Business Professionalism
10. Appropriate Questions

Do you have any further points to add?

Search engine optimization is about making your website worth caring about so people want to link to it. That’s why most of my time here is spent talking about making non-shitty websites.

Still, there are some quick things you can do to optimize your pages and create your own “link neighborhood” when you launch a fresh site. I want to share some of my super-secret essential tips and tricks (shh, don’t tell anyone).

1. Pick a domain name that matches your primary keyword.

2. Get other important keywords into the secondary page URLs using mod rewrite (or a platform that supports it, like Wordpress).

3. Make sure every page has a unique title and H1 tag that matches your primary keyword objectives for that page.

4. Make sure the homepage links to most, if not all, other pages (at least to start).

5. Make sure every page links back to the homepage and many other secondary pages using appropriate anchor text.

6. Register on every social media site that makes sense for you (using this list). Include a link to the site in your profile. You can see how I have done so at Twitter or LinkedIn. It helps if the username you choose is a primary keyword.

7. Link the social media profiles to each other where applicable. Fill them out as fully as possible.

8. Actually use the social networks. More activity will create more links to the profiles, in turn passing more “juice” to the website.

9. Want a link from Wikipedia but you’re not famous enough? You can write whatever you want on your own user page.

10. Claim your site using Google Webmaster Tools. Submit your sitemap (preferably one that is automatically updated when you add new content, like with this plugin for Wordpress).

11. Add a link to your email signature. No, it doesn’t count as a link. Yes, it can get other people to link.

12. Write guest posts for blogs matching your niche. Include your link in the byline.

13. Bookmark every page on Delicious. And if you want, Mister Wong too.

14. Do a Google Search for every one of your top keywords. Figure out how to get a link from any site showing in the top 20 results.

15. If it’s a blog, become a Chris Brogan Rockstar, Liz Strauss SOB, and Alltop Whatchamacallit. If possible, start your own badge instead.

16. Do not under any circumstance pay someone for a link. Do not offer or accept offers to trade links.

17. Avoid linking out to shady websites of any kind.

18. Study the keywords your competitors target (if they use meta-keywords you can just view source). Write landing pages ultra-optimized (is that the name of a Transformer?) for those keywords.

19. Write a blog, or find some other way to continually add new content. This adds to the content you have indexed, but is also another opportunity for links.

20. Forget everything I just said, because it’s worth one millionth the value of making something worth caring about that people want to link to. Instead, focus on pumping out great stuff and telling people about it. And approach search engine marketing with a real strategy. Oh, and link to old content.

21. BONUS: I don’t know, build a Twitter client or something.

Follow these tips and you’ll end up with a few hundred links to your site. It’s a start, but no replacement for the real work of being worth caring about.

Please add your favorite tips in the comments below.