What’s a font? A typeface? And is there a difference?
I've lost count the number of times I've heard the question: "what font is that?" The stickler in me would love to respond: "Shouldn't you technically be asking 'what typeface is that?'" Nowadays, the two terms are used interchangeably. However, in the past, these were two very distinct terms.
Do research before starting to design?
You've been offered to design a brochure for a company. You are given the copy. Told "make it look nice". The artiste in me is tempted to simply start designing right away. But do I start designing right away? NO.
Content is an essential part of any website
No matter what kind of site you have, deciding the content on your site is really deciding what purpose you want your site to have. Many designers think that they don't need to pay attention to the content as long as the design is good. BIG MISTAKE: No matter what kind of site you have, you won't get away with having bad content (or worse, no content).
Typography on the web
Choosing a font for my website was far easier than deciding on a font for a print publication. The selection for the web is limited by the fonts available on the viewer's machines. I can't select a font and then some can't view it — as it was intended — because it's not available on their machine.
Articles
What’s a font? A typeface? And is there a difference?
I’ve lost count the number of times I’ve heard the question: “what...
Do research before starting to design?
I know you are probably saying to yourself “Research? what does research have...
Content is an essential part of any website
No matter what kind of site you have, deciding the content on your site is really...
Podcasts
Twilight steals Nina Ricci’s bottle design!Friday’s Creative Review for Successful Graphic Designers There’s only...
Blog
Getting new business from old clientsMonday’s Promotion Idea for Graphic Design Success Weird story that turned into a really wonderful marketing lesson. I happened to come across an old client’s blog posting. OK, I admit, I was checking up on what she’d been up to and I found a really interesting post. So, I commented on her post — not expecting anything in return.... [Read more of this post]
Keeping folders under control
Thursday’s Management Idea for Graphic Designers Files are one of those things that can quickly get out of control. It seems like yesterday that TB drives, heck even GB, didn’t exist. Now, our drives are getting bigger and bigger and … Files have a way of replicating and spreading like wildfire. Here’s how I try and keep it simple. Essential... [Read more of this post]
Are free graphic design softwares a good solution?
Wednesday’s Production Idea for Graphic Designers I was once a member of a subscription site aimed at designers. Specifically, freelance graphic designers. One of the recommendations of the site owner was to use free, usually open-source, software. For example, using Gimp instead of Photoshop, or Scribus instead of InDesign. Don’t get me... [Read more of this post]
The making of a good graphic designer: getting beyond the software
Tuesday’s Design Idea for Graphic Designers This is probably going to sound a bit like rant, but it is an important concept. How much do you really need to know about Photoshop or Illustrator or InDesign to be able to be a good designer. Is a designer simply about the tools we are using or are we valuable for the ideas that we are producing? If... [Read more of this post]
Build your own brand advocates
Monday’s Promotion Idea for graphic designers Brand advocates is a concept I just learned about, but does make a lot of sense. We always hear that in marketing, word-of-mouth is key. Well, this is taking it one step further. Brand advocates are people who recommend your products, services, and companies to their family and friends. These are your... [Read more of this post]
Twilight steals Nina Ricci’s bottle design!
Friday’s Creative Review for Successful Graphic Designers There’s only one thing to say about this: MORONS! As is often the case when a movie becomes super-duper-popular, people will want to exploit it with merchandising. Twilight is no different. Some genius decided to come out with a Twilight fragrance. Unfortunately for them, someone... [Read more of this post]
Keeping client files on hand to avoid going nuts!
Thursday’s Management Tip for Successful Graphic Designers Sometimes being a graphic designer can be a little time consuming, especially when creating new jobs for old clients. I don’t know about you, but I was constantly looking for information to do some of my design jobs. After all, it’s hard to keep track of info on each client:... [Read more of this post]
