I got this question yesterday, and thought that it would be a good topic for the day. If you want to fit text to a certain shape, you have a couple of options. The first option is to do what is called an envelope distort. First, you make your shape, and then take the...
When creating type in Photoshop, and you are looking for just the right display face, it helps to use the key commands to get things just how you want them. If you double click your text icon next to the layer, it will highlight your text. Then, simply go up to the...
I was playing around with some of the new stuff inside of Photoshop CS5 and came across one of the new tools that they have included called the mixer brush. This is a great new tool that allows you to take a photo and use different settings to create a painting from...
X-RITE With this site, you take a color test to see if you are as good with color as you think you are. This site goes off the notion that a large number of people have color deficiencies. RECAVE This is a cool blog about all types of interesting artworks, including...
I really like to create my own image galleries, but let's face it, in the real world, we can't always have things how we want them. Sometimes we need to get the job done in the best possible manner, as quickly and effectively as possible. When I need a quick image...
Opacity has a lot of uses for different types of effects. We like to see certain things bleed through in some areas, while in others we want a shape or text to be a certain color. Recently, I was playing around with opacity in the appearance panel in Illustrator, and...
When creating your web site, it is important to create a site that flows in a way that helps to get your message across to your viewer. You have to create something eye-catching, but well designed. Having a solid structure is key. To me CSS is the only way to go for a...
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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...
This is a neat trick that is easy and creates a subtle painterly effect with just two filters. First, find an image and open it inside of Photoshop. Then, hit Command +J (Ctrl + J on the PC) to duplicate your background layer. Do this twice, because we are going to...
I wanted to open the floor to fellow designers to request tutorials and how-to's. I post my own articles each day, but if any designers have any burning questions or would like to know how to do something in particular, how to approach a design, how to create a...
A reader adamantly requested that I create this tutorial, so I am going to run through the basics of creating your own business card. First, you need to gather all of the information that you need for your card. You will need your company logo, your name, your...
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...
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...
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,...