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...
Social networking sites are everywhere now. You can't escape them, and when used properly, they can be excellent tools to bring in business and exposure. There are many networking sites, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Design Related, Design Bump, Twitter, and many...
In the first portion of this mini series, I discussed finding and choosing a domain name, as well as hosting and things to consider. Today, I am going to build on what I discussed in part 1. I realized that I had left some important information out regarding domains...
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...
Breaking into the world on web design can be a daunting task, especially when starting from scratch with little or no knowledge of what you are supposed to do, and where you are supposed start. When you want to start your own web site, it is difficult to figure out...
Weight and Width Understanding how type works is an essential part of design. Weight and width can both have a drastic effect on the look and feel of an overall design piece. This is true for both print design and web design. Understanding how letterforms interact...
When reviewing your designs to make sure that you have created the best design and solution possible for your client, it is good to ask yourself a few questions. Does it flow well? Does your design have a good rhythm? The overall flow and movement of your design can...
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...
There are many different ways to classify typefaces. They come in many different weights, widths, and contrasts, and have different x-heights, ascenders and descenders. They may also be set to different angles, such as an italic version, or a script typeface. This is...
Web Tutorials We have all done it. We have needed to add a little something extra to our designs, or we have an idea, but aren't sure how to approach it in Photoshop, so we search online to try to find out how to do something or achieve an effect in Photoshop,...
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...
Proximity- This has to do with items that are close together. You can change the meaning of a design based on what elements are placed close together. If there are multiple groups, they are divided visually depending on which elements are close to each other, and...
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In design there are principles out there that make our designs interesting and there are others that are valuable aspects to consider when creating a design. These principles can be used to your advantage, making your designs stronger. One aspect of design is that our...
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...
Professional photographers and image editors alike will rejoice in knowing that Adobe has released Lightroom 3. Lightroom 3 has been given a lot of new enhancements to make cataloging your images much easier. Not only can you make quality adjustments to your images,...
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....
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...
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...