There is certainly a lot to consider when laying out your site design. There are so many tools to help you out, and so many methods to get the job done. You really have to consider what your needs are, and which method will help you accomplish them. When I design a...
artists
Typography: x-height and descenders
X-height refers to the height of a lowercase letter in a typeface or the top of the midpoint of lowercase letter such as d, p, q and so on. Some typefaces have a tall x-height, some medium, and some have a short x-height. This drastically changes the look of the text...
Clients are Not Our Enemies
I love to read articles about design and art and how to be a better designer. I am knowledgeable, but I always think that there is something new or new insight that I can gain. With that being said, I began to notice a trend on multiple blogs and different sources...
This Week’s Places to Go for Creative Inspiration
There are so many places to go to find inspiration. This week I have found some beautiful and fun illustration work, some photography and some great graphic design work that is truly inspiring. HYDRO SEVENTY FOUR CALLIGRAFFITI TEXTURE LOVERS AMI VITALE AUTOFOCUS 1000...
Is Education the Key to Design Success?
After going through school, and learning all of the basic information, design theory, receiving critiques, working an internship, finding jobs, etc., I have to wonder if going to school makes a difference. I know many design firms will only hire someone if they have a...
This Week’s Places to Go For Creative Inspiration #6
SONJA MUELLER HEIKO WINDISCH APPARENTLY NOTHING TOM ROBINSON PHOTOGRAPHY LOVELY PACKAGE MARK STORY PHOTOGRAPHY DJAHALLAND AMY DRESSER
The Art of Random and Imperfection
Art and Design: The Same or Different?
I hear many people, including designers, that say that they love being designers, because they love being artists. Is art and design one and the same? I am not so sure. Clients often say, "You're an artist, create a web site for me." Art is more or less for people to...
Designing for the iAd: A New Design Horizon?
Starting July 1st, the iAd venture is supposed to be launched. With this in mind, companies are jumping to advertise on this new platform. Most of us are print designers, and a lot of us are web designers, and we are used to the different formats associated with them....
This Week’s Creative Inspiration #5
ADAM SIMPSON This site is really interesting because it has simple iconography, as well as a bunch of simple, but good illustrations as well. SFMOMA This site is really great because it shows off a huge amount of artwork, and the way that it is done is simple, but...
Is There a Limit to How Much We Can Do?
I was having a discussion with a colleague the other day about design and all the things that we know how to do. The topic came up where he found out that i don't know ajax, which I admittedly, don't even know exactly what that does. My response to him was that I am a...

A really quick & handy trick to edit clipping paths in Illustrator
I was playing around with Adobe Illustrator yesterday, and I had to use a clipping path on a photo. I need to be able to get it just right and show what is needed and hide what isn't needed, but sometimes you miss your mark. Here, I wanted the brand logo to show, and...
Places to For Creative Inspiration #4
DESIGNERS COUCH ILLUSION 360 KENNETH PARKER PHOTOGRAPHS KELLY VIVANCO ANDRZEJ DRAGAN OPERA 78 GHOSTCO ROMAN CORTES

Creative Contrast With a Background Blur
This tutorial is great for adding quick and simple contrast to a photo. When using this in your design, it is a good idea to choose a subject that has to do with target market. To start, find a photograph with a main figure of subject in the middle, with a lot going...
Pushing the Envelope: Design and Life
One thing that I have always vowed never to do in life is to just blend in. Blending in gets you nowhere, and it is getting noticed that gets you the things that you want out of life. Think about employment and dating for instance. If you simply blend into the...
Are Women Better Graphic Designers Than Men?
I want to start this article by saying that I am in no way biased to one gender, and I am in no way trying to insult or undermine anyone's level of skill or expertise. With that being said, this is something that hit me this morning. It takes a lot to mold a person...
This Weeks set of creative inspiration
This week is filled with beautiful photography, illustration, and fantastic paintings. One of my personal favorites is the one where the alphabet is beautifully painted throughout a city. I personally love expressive and beautiful ways that people paint or illustrate...
Equipment: does it really make our designs any better?
There have been so many times where I have been talking to colleagues and other digital artists and I have heard them say "I am saving up for a new Apple Macbook Pro", or "I am saving up to build a new super PC, I will be able to design much better on a faster...
Quickly Remove Background Imagery in Photoshop
Remove Background I do a lot of image editing, especially since I work on a lot of catalogs. I have companies that send in all sorts of images, including ones that are shot professionally on a white background in a studio, and those that are shot in bad lighting and...
Why I Respect Professional Photographers
1. They have an eye for telling a story. They use their keen eyes to find a scene or a place in time that tells a story to their audience. Photojournalists are some of the best at this, because it captures a moment in time and history, that can't be recreated....