The New Year is Just Around the Corner Whether you like it or not, the big stores are already cramming Christmas decorations down your throat, and we haven't even gotten through Halloween yet. This is a clear signal of the end of the year. If you aren't careful, it...
Ways to Secure More Freelance Work It can be really scary when you are first starting out on your own. You've quit your job and decided to take the leap into financial and employment independence. You no longer cater to a boss, you work your own hours, and you don't...
Thinking About Portfolio Design Your portfolio is like a trophy case. It shows your experience, and it shows your expertise. It shows that you have the stuff to get the job done successfully. Your portfolio design shows that you can play for a team and come out on the...
Designing a flyer is something that can really help your businesses print marketing attempts and be of significant benefit to your business. Well-designed flyers can greatly complement quality print campaigns and provide maximum impact that connects and inspires...
Good Design Isn't Free If you saw my post yesterday, I was upset about someone posting in a Facebook group who was promising a job to a designer who would create a logo for them "if they liked it". I have a problem with businesses preying on naive or novice designers,...
Common Misconceptions About Branding The truth is, that most people don't understand what a brand is. If you ask most people what a brand is, they'll say something like "It is the label that I buy." While this may be so, this isn't the only way to define branding....
Knowing the different types of file formats is really important when creating professional design work. Choosing the wrong format for your design files can be disastrous. It can mean the difference between a project turning out well, and a project not turning out as...
Forming Positive Designer-Client Relationships Working with clients is a part of any business. This is especially true when working with design clients. How you interact with your clients will determine if they become repeat clients or a one time deal. Below are some...
Common Freelancing Questions I get freelancing questions from people all the time that are starting out in the freelancing field. Some of these things are common sense to veterans, but the freelancing world can be incredibly scary, and even seem overwhelming to those...
Top Portfolio Websites For Designers It is an incredibly competitive market out there, so it is imperative that we get our work out in the open for people to see. It doesn't matter if you are a web developer, graphic designer, typographer, illustrator, or anything...
Slab Serif Fonts: 15 You Should Use in Your Designs Slab serif fonts are excellent for adding character and impact to your designs. Some are thick, and some are thin. However, they all have a distinct presence that really grabs attention. You will mainly use them for...
10 Freelancing Tips You Must Know If you've read: Things to Consider When Freelancing or Freelancing: 10 things you can do to get business you know that Getting started in the freelance design business isn't an easy task. For one thing, it doesn't happen overnight. It...
Photography: Telling a Story It doesn't matter what artistic profession that you are in. Whether it's Graphic Design, Illustration, Web Design, etc., the majority of us use photos in our work. We use photography to set a mood, or to tell a story. The saying...
Letterpress Effect in Photoshop Creating a letterpress effect in Photoshop isn't as hard as you might think. You can create a letterpress effect in Photoshop in just a few easy steps. Creating a letterpress effect in Photoshop is all about how you fool the eye...
Being Aware of 3D in Illustrator Illustrator is the go-to place for most illustrators to do their work. Many artists do their 2D work inside of Illustrator, and they create amazing results. Many artists and designers are aware of the fact that you can create 3D in...
Essential Design Books For Any Pro Whether you are new to design or you have been around for years, you can never have enough books. There are books on design, typography, web design, coding, inspiration, color, design history, design theory, and more. With so many...
A Design Blog When you're first starting out as a designer, the world seems like a huge place. It's tough to gain recognition. You may feel like you're in a sea of other designers, and you're all screaming at the top of your lungs to try and get noticed. One of the...
Difference Between Art And Design Not all art is design and not all design is art. You might be wondering what in the world I am talking about, but it is true. Many people consider them to be one and the same in both ways, but that just isn't true. They are actually...
Focus on your Strengths to be a Successful Freelancer. I remember the day when being a print designer could get you a job. If you could create a print advertisement and you were good at it, you could land plenty of jobs locally. Being a web designer or a logo designer...
Lab Mode in Photoshop When you're working with color in Photoshop, many people have heard of RGB and CMYK which work with print and web design. Many people will convert their images from CMYK to RGB to work with colors, perform color correction tasks, and other image...