5 October 2008 | Uncategorized | No Responses
How do you get the design you want? The perfect design you envision in your head? … The design brief is the answer.
Whether you are a designer or a client, an effective design brief is the single most critical factor in ensuring that a project is successful.
This article will tell you how to write an effective design brief that will be both beneficial to the client and the designer.
This article will be based from the client’s perspective.
What Is A Design Brief?
First off, you may want to know what a design brief is. A design brief is something that is vital to any design project as it will provide the designer(s) with all the information needed to exceed your expectations.
A design brief should primarily focus on the results and outcomes of the design and the business objectives of the design project. It should not attempt to deal with the aesthetics of design… That is the responsibility of the designer.
The design brief also allows you (the client) to focus on exactly what you want to achieve before any work starts on the project.
A good design brief will ensure that you get a high quality design that meets your needs, providing you have chosen the right designer.
How To Write An Effective Design Brief
If you answer these questions below in an ordered and detailed fashion, your design brief will be 90% done… the other 10% will come from further questions from the designer after you submit your brief.
Have fun answering the questions and remember, provide as much detail as possible!
What does your business do?
Tip: Never assume that the designer will know anything about your company. Be clear and concise and avoid jargon when replying.
- What does your company / organisation do?
- What is your company’s history?
What are the goals? Why?
- What is the overall goal of the new design project?
- What are you trying to communicate and why?
- Are you trying to sell more products or get awareness of your product / service?
- How do you differ from your competitors?
- Do you want to completely reinvent yourself or are you simply updating your promotional material?
Tip: You should also provide old promotional material to assist the designer.
Who is the target market?
- What are your target market’s demographics & phychographics? ie. the age, gender, income, tastes, views, attitudes, employment, geography, lifestyle of those you want to reach.
Tip: If you have multiple audiences, rank them in terms of importance.
What copy (text) and pictures are needed?
Tip: The copy and pictures used in a design are as crucial as the design itself and you should clearly state who is going to be providing the copy and pictures if needed. You may need to look into getting a professional copywriter / photographer - ask your designer for some recommendations.
- What copy needs to be included in the design? Who is providing the copy?
- What pictures / photographs / diagrams etc need to be used? Who is providing these?
What are the specifications?
- What size is the design going to be?
- Where is it going to be printed / used? The web, business cards, stationery, on your car?
- What other information should the designer know in regards to specifications?
Have you got a benchmark in mind?
- You should provide the designer with some examples of what you consider to be effective or relevant design even if it is from your main competitors. This will set a benchmark for your designer.
- Provide the designer with things not to do, and styles that you do not like or wish to see in your design. This will give the designer an idea of what to avoid and will avoid disappointment on your behalf.
What Is Your Budget?
- Providing a budget prevents designers wasting valuable time and resources when trying to maximise your budget.
- Providing the budget upfront also allows designers to know if the project is going to be worthwhile to complete. Make sure you are worth their time.
What is the time scale / deadline?
- Give the designer a detailed schedule of the project and set a realistic deadline for the completion of the work. You should take into account the various stages of the design project such as consultation, concept development, production and delivery.
Tip: Rushing design jobs helps no one and mistakes can be made if a complex job is pushed through without time to review, however, there are times when a rush job is needed, and in these cases you should be honest and upfront about it.
Tips For The Designer
As a designer it is important to have a template such as this one to give to clients as clients will not always come to you with a design brief - feel free to use this one as you please. By having a template ready, it shows them your professionalism and ultimately saves them (and you) a lot of time and money.
Do you have any more tips of what should be in a design brief? Leave them in the comments below.
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All though there have been many other most used font posts, most of them outline fonts used by the ‘not-so-well-trained’ designer. In this post I want to outline the fonts that are often used by the more ‘professional’ of designers.
The Six Part Series
This article is the third article of six in this series.
Top 7 Most Used Fonts Used By Professionals In Graphic Design
1. Helvetica
Without a doubt, Helvetica is the most heavily used font by professionals (and also by the not so professional) in graphic design. Although some praise the font, many believe that it is spaced too tightly.
And as Vivien pleas in her 16 most overused fonts article, “Understand that you can’t always rely on Helvetica to illustrate and deliver your every message. Helvetica is not perfect for everyone and every occasion.”
2. Trajan
Trajan finds its way into many Hollywood movie posters and anything remotely to do with religion, law, marriage, class or the past. You can check out the flickr pool for more uses of Trajan.
A bit of history on the font Trajan… Trajan is an old style serif typeface designed in 1989 by Carol Twombly for Adobe. The design is based on Roman square capitals, as used for the inscription at the base of Trajan’s Column from which the typeface takes its name.
3. Garamond
Although there are many versions of Garamond, the most used version today is the Adobe Garamond version (as seen above) released in 1989. Garamond is a great font for magazines, textbooks, websites and long bodies of text and was recently named the second best font (after Helvetica) by a German publication.
4. Futura
Futura is a font that comes up often in large displays, logos, corporate typefaces and in books where small text is needed. It is based on geometric shapes (near-perfect circles, triangles and squares) which became representative of the Bauhaus design style of 1919–1933. Futura has an appearance of efficiency and forwardness. Some do hate the font though.
4. Bodoni
Bodoni is a great font for headlines, decorative text and logos. Bodoni has a narrow underlying structure with flat, unbracketed serifs. The face has extreme contrast between thick and thin strokes, and an overall geometric construction which makes it a very aesthetic looking font.
6. Bickham Script Pro
Used mainly for formal occasions, Bickham Script Pro is a font which does the job well… Cameron Moll even recommended it in his article “Typefaces no one will get fired for using.” The ‘not-so-trained’ designer usually vouches for Vivaldi instead which is one of America’s most hated fonts. Another great alternative would be Sloop.
7. Frutiger
The Frutiger font family is neither strictly geometric nor humanistic in construction; its forms are designed so that each individual character is quickly and easily recognised. Such distinctness makes it good for signage and display work and it is often used in Web 2.0 Logos.
The full family has a warmth and subtlety that have, in recent years, made it popular for the smaller scale of body text in magazines and booklets.
Close Contenders
Here are some other fonts many ‘professional’ designers use quite often; Gills Sans, FF DIN, Franklin Gothic, Bembo, Rockwell, Avenir, Avant Garde, MrsEaves, Gotham, Sabon, Warnock Pro. Notice that none of these are fonts are downloadable for free?
Still type hungry? Why don’t you check out 30 Fonts All Designers Must Own.
Do you agree? What other fonts would you add to the list?
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Designer In The Spotlight (DITS) is a weekly feature that I run every Sunday (or more) to help particular individuals in the design community get their name ‘out there’ and to educate the community as a whole. It is a series of questions that asks the designer about themselves and their job as a designer. If you would like to be featured in an upcoming DITS post fill out the form here.
1. Please tell us more about yourself, your background, education and what you do as a designer.
Hi my names Albert Lo, sole owner and designer of albertlo.com. I live in the UK in a leafy suburb of Hertfordshire. I live with my beautiful girlfriend, have 2 cats called Jay and Coco and drive around in a red Mini Cooper S Works with Union Jack wing mirrors, you can’t miss the car as its pretty unique…fitting for a web designer.
My background has been till now within the traditional medium of Art and Design. I studied Multimedia Computing at university and decided to take the path of a Web Designer once i’ve graduated, the course taught me that I’m more suited to conceptual way of thinking and design wor k. As a Web Designer I also have knowledge of back end Web development but I like to say I specialise in the front end of web design.
As a web designer my skills lie in Web Design, Art Direction, Conceptual art working, Creative strategy, Usability, Web Accessibility, CSS and XHTML.
2. How long have you been designing and what made you become an artist / designer?
I have been designing for the web professionally for about 6.5 years now. I have always had a design eye from an early age. I loved traditional sketching, drawing and painting and from then I knew this is what I was good at through school, well at least that’s what teachers and friends told me. I decided to design digitally by going to university to study Multimedia Computing and from there it cemented my decision once I had graduated to become a web designer. I would never consider a different career path…perhaps being a Zoo keeper might persuade me.
3. How did you market yourself in the beginning of your design career and how has that differed to how you market yourself now?
At the beginning of my design career, I really found it a struggle to allow anyone to give me a chance and get my foot through the door, I concentrated on a well layed out CV in the hope of someone taking notice of me and distributing my CV everywhere. Designing and having a web portfolio really helped but I didn’t really shout about having a portfolio as I was afraid of criticism, so only recruitment agencies saw it.
Cut to now, I think marketing is an integral part of being a freelancer and I understand that now. Marketing for me at the moment is a learning curve. As I’ve gained more experience and worked for huge clients, there is more confidence in what you have done for people to be reassured. If you know you can do great work you need to let people know regardless of what people think of it, my marketing strategy is all about getting noticed in the community and hopefully sharing my experiences which someone might find useful.
4. What are your tools of the trade? This could include hardware, software and traditional tools.
My tools of the trade are an 24″ iMac, iPhone, A5 Wacom tablet, Icemat and Logitech MX Revolution mouse and an oldish Dell PC for x-browser testing.
I have the usual Adobe suite software but I cant live without Transmit and Textmate. My other useful software is Skype and Net News Wire. I still dabble with traditional art mediums so I have a blank canvas and oil paints sitting around which I’m waiting for inspiration for.
5. Where do you work and what is your daily routine?
At the moment I am a permanent member of staff working as a Web Designer in a Online and Telesales team. I work for a well known mobile Telecoms company but unfortunately I am being made redundant, my decision is to go freelancing / contracting once I leave my permanent workplace in a months time.
I’ll let you know my routine when I’ve hit the ground running with freelancing full time, I’m sure it will be an experience.
6. How do you manage the business side of design such as accounting, invoicing and bookkeeping?
Just having set up as a freelancer to start full time, I have left the business side of accounting to a professional accountant, This will leave me with more time to day to day runnings of things hopefully.
I’m not very good with numbers so I think its a good investment to get someone to look after that side of things if anything goes all wrong. Invoicing and bookkeeping will be my responsibility and hopefully will also allow me learn more about design as a business and hopefully grow in the future.
7. Where do you get your inspiration and how do you keep up to date with what is happening in the industry?
My inspiration comes from numerous places, I find taking a break and going on holiday to a different culture provides fresh ideas, it’s an expensive way to find inspiration but when you go on holiday, make the most of it, take a small sketch pad or take a camera to record ideas etc.
I find going to the supermarket and book stores a fantastic source of inspiration to look at food packaging and book cover designs which could be used for the web. I love going to large cities for inspiration, the architecture and the buzz really helps.
I keep up to date with what’s happening in the industry by subscribing to numerous blogs and tutorial sites, I also try and find time to listen to a couple of design podcasts namely Boagworld and Rissington podcast and I also subscribe to a few magazines (.net, Computer Arts and Projects) to keep the juices flowing monthly. These can be good starting points for inspiration.
Recently I’ve got a better understanding of the power of Twitter and it’s a goldmine for news nuggets and developments on the web instantly as it happens, as long as you follow the right people.
8. Can you please guide us through a typical project from start to finish.
A typical project will start off with some sort of communication. I usually like to meet the client face to face to introduce myself and get a feeling for them and their business, if this is not possible then I usually speak to the client over IM or email. Once I know someone is interested I usually send back a creative brief for someone to fill in, this ensures the client is serious about the project or work by actually thinking about what they want and filling in the creative brief.
Once I have a creative brief back, I can then get all the information from it and get a good idea of the project and scope, at this stage I will communicate with the client and send back any questions before I start.
I will agree any assets and copy before I start.
Usually I might start off with a mood board to engage a reaction and discussion of the client to suss out what they like or don’t like and get a general direction with colours and look and feel.
I might do some brain storming, and wire frames depending on the size of the project and get the client to agree the direction of the project.
I’ll then come up with an initial mock design and send it back to the client for feedback.
Once I have feedback there probably will be amends and the cycle goes round again.
Once its agreed and signed off, the design will be built.
Once its all finished it will be signed off from the client.
It’s important that up front you agree what is to be delivered, when to deliver and when to be paid.
9. What are your top 3 websites / books and why?
This is a tough question, my top 3 websites/books are:
1. How To Be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul by Adrian Shaughnessy (Author)
This book is like a bible, it reminds me of how it addresses the concerns of young designers who want to earn a living by doing expressive and meaningful work, and who want to avoid becoming hired drones working on soulless projects.
2. Twitter.com - This is a relatively new site to me but i’m so addicted to it. I have it on my desktop and on my iPhone. It keeps me in touch with what’s happening in the industry as well as keeping in touch with friends. I also like the simplicity of it to communicate to anyone who wants to listen as well as using it as a marketing tool and finding out answers quickly.
3. Digg.com - For me this is the ultimate site, it’s simple and so community focused. It keeps me updated in what’s going around the net and world. I’m never bored on this site. I can spend ages on this site.
10. What is the biggest piece of advice you would give to someone just starting out?
I’ve learned a lot by making mistakes along the way and to this day I’m still learning. My biggest piece of advice I would give someone starting out is to persevere trying to find your first design job, don’t get disheartened and be confident in what you design. Take your mind off things by coming up with personal projects or take a part time job, your first design job to get your foot through the door will come out of the blue when you least expect it.
Thank you Albert for taking the time to fill out this interview, it was a great insight!
If you want to be featured as the next Designer In The Spotlight, fill out this form.
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5 October 2008 | Uncategorized | No Responses
If you are like me, you love your t-shirts and this is why I have hand picked 18 awesome, cool designer tshirts for your pleasure. All of these shirts come in men and women’s sizes and are on sale from $19 at DesignByHumans by affiliate.
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Well about 2 years ago before I even knew about Wordpress, Blogging or Social Media I had a little website called E-MailDesigns.com. I used this site to get business designing signatures and letterhead for email as a small side project while I was still studying at school.
Anyway, as you may have noticed I have moved onto bigger and better things so I am selling the domain and website to whoever may want it. You can bid, get all the stats & details over at SitePoint. Bidding has started at $200.
If you have anyone that may be interested, could you also let them know, thanks!
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Is all design looking the same to you? Are you following graphic design trends subconsciously?
These are two questions to ponder over the next six weeks in this six part series showcasing the most overused techniques, effects, icons, shapes, concepts, fonts, stock images and clichés used in design today.
There will be an article posted every Tuesday at 9am AEST. (+10 GMT). Click here to subscribe so you do not miss out.
The Six Part Series
Below is the second article of six.
Top 7 Most Overused Icons / Shapes / Symbols Used in Graphic Design
In the last article, we looked at some of the most used design elements, in this one we go a bit further and look at particular shapes / icons / symbols that always seem to appear in graphic design related work, usually because of their perceived semiotics.
These icons / shapes / symbols are neither ‘good or bad’, however they are the most common found in today’s designs. Vector stock images have been used to portray each element for simplicities sake.
Hearts
The good ol’ heart is by far the most used icon in design. Made famous by Milton Glaser’s I Heart NY design, the heart can now be found everywhere. The heart has long been used as a symbol to refer to the spiritual, emotional, moral, and in the past, intellectual core of a human being and is the most well known symbol to represent love.
Skulls
On the other end of the scale we have the infamous skull. The skull is a symbol of death and rebellion and seems to find its way onto many clothing and music related designs. Wouldn’t you agree?
Wings
The use of wings in a design is usually used to portray freedom as people associate wings with angels and birds. Wings also have the perceived values of hope, speed, elevation, enlightenment, guidance, protection and inspiration. Wings are found very often in tattoo designs and are all too often, used in combination with skulls and crests as seen in the pictures above and below.
Heraldry / Crests
Wikipedia defines Heraldry as the “practice of designing, displaying, describing, and recording coats of arms and badges. The origins of heraldry lie in the need to distinguish participants in combat when their faces are hidden by iron and steel helmets.” Perhaps this is why crests come up so often in designs (especially tattoos), they distinguish one from another… or does it?
Lightglobes
The lightglobe is all too often used to portray an idea, creativity, innovation or something new. Don’t get stuck into using these cliches, get creative.
Arrows
Stylised arrows seem to make their way into many designs without real need. They do however, get the point across (no pun intended) - they make you look where the arrow is pointing and they give a sense of motion to a design.
Silhouetted City Skylines
City skylines are usually very complex so this is a clever and simple technique used in designs to give the location of the scene without making the design too complex which is why it used so often.
The main point that I want to portray by outlining these overused elements, is to try to encourage people to use these effects in a manner that suits the design, not just because they are available. Be imaginative and creative and always make an educated choice in your designs.
Do you agree? Do these symbols come up too often in designs? Why do you think so? What other ones would you add to this list? Voice your opinions below.
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Designer In The Spotlight (DITS) is a new weekly feature that I will be running every Sunday (or more) to help particular individuals in the design community get their name ‘out there’ and to educate the community as a whole. It is a series of questions that asks the designer about themselves and their job as a designer. If you would like to be featured in an upcoming DITS post fill out the form here.
1. Please tell us more about yourself, your background, education and what you do as a designer.
My name is Brian Yerkes and I am a born and raised Irishman living in sunny Florida. Moved to the States after college to pursue the “American Dream”, started as a freelancer on my own, and soon found myself to be the owner of a leading creative design and development studio in Southwest Florida after a lot of sleepless nights and hard work.
I have a degree in Sports Marketing from University College Dublin. I am self taught in all areas of design and coding, and my range of knowledge spans from print design, to branding, to css, php and asp coding.
2. How long have you been designing and what made you become an artist / designer?
Started playing with Paint when I received my first computer back in the day (no idea when this was…possibly in 1995). I always sketched / drew and this was probably my best skill as a kid growing up. Soon, I started to design logos and websites for friends and family, as I got comfortable with products like Adobe Elements and Photoshop.
I have been a professional designer for about 6 years, starting off in Ireland and now with my company in the States.
3. How did you market yourself in the beginning of your design career and how has that differed to how you market yourself now?
I think I have always marketed myself in the same way as I do now… and likewise for anything I do; I present myself with confidence and know that I will provide someone with a lot of hard work and creativity to help them succeed. Even when I was far less experienced than I am now, I still spoke to potential clients with the same confidence as I do today. Image is vital in business. It can build trust and confidence.
4. What are your tools of the trade? This could include hardware, software and traditional tools.
Adobe Products, PC’s and Laptops, Internet, Online Friends, PC’s and Laptops, Creativity, Integrity and Passion.
5. Where do you work and what is your daily routine?
I work in Southwest Florida, and my daily routine can change 100% each day. One day I could be at 3 meetings and in the car most of the day, the next day I could be sketching logos, coding some CSS and playing Tiger Woods Golf 09 on the PS3.
6. How do you manage the business side of design such as accounting, invoicing and bookkeeping?
I hired an account manager named Sarah, who does it all for me. She worries about the invoices, receiving payments and all that jazz. She updates the project management system to let me know when a project is ready to commence, what ones are on hold, and the ones that are ready for release / launch.
I use Quickbooks and spreadsheets for my own personal bookkeeping.
7. Where do you get your inspiration and how do you keep up to date with what is happening in the industry?
One of the best ways (and I wish I had gotten involved in it sooner) is through blogging and building online relationships with fellow designers and programmers. I found David Airey’s blog one day, and that got me hooked on the idea of blogging and social networking. Since then, I have found this tremendously powerful and helpful. It keeps you at the top of your game, and you learn so much from others more experienced and also less experienced than yourself.
I have since hired several people that I have met online through my blog, BrianYerkes.com, to help me with various projects, and to build a wider, more international team of freelancers for my company.
I can’t even explain in words how powerful social networking is for a designer.
8. Can you please guide us through a typical project from start to finish.
Let’s say the lead comes in from our website, Brian Joseph Studios, we respond by phone or email (depending on what option they chose in their form submission) . This email thanks them and asks them a few questions about their needs… do they have a current site/logo etc. This email also introduces our company a little more, and tries to build that instant relationship. They are given one person to speak with that will be their project manager throughout the entire project.
The potential client responds with some answers, and we determine whether or not we want to take on the project or not. We have an interview process that we put the client through, and many fail at this step. I think it is extremely important to take on clients that are similar in their professionalism as you and your company.
It can even be down to small things… like if they don’t start an email addressing a name with something like “Hi John…” or anything like that. Small things like that can say a lot about the type of client they will be if you take them on.
So, we begin the sales process. If the client is local or somewhat close to our area, we will arrange a meeting in person with them. This gives us the chance to really build a relationship on a personal level, beyond emails and phone calls.
We get to know the client, their business and their needs in detail. We listen to them and we provide solutions. After the meeting, we draw up a proposal outlining the solution for their project.
If they like it, we send the contract along and ask them to fax it back. We then invoice 50% of the project total and begin the project once that 50% is received.
Once the project starts, we keep in regular contact with the client, and ensure that they are involved in the design and development process throughout. We ask for feedback at all stages of the development and once they are happy with the final design we invoice the final 50% before we send final production files.
The client pays the final 50%, they receive the final files, (we upload the files to our server if it is a website project) and they are ready to roll with their brand new logo or website!
After they are finished with the project, we still keep in touch with them regularly to keep that relationship with them and to help them with any needs in the future. This way we build up a strong and loyal client base, and we do not have to take on a huge amount of new clients to pay the bills and project costs.
If you work with 5 loyal, professional clients that have their stuff together, and understand the importance of your services, those 5 clients will always be more profitable than taking on 20 new clients of all different types. Editor’s note: Ever heard of the Pareto Principle (80 / 20) rule?
9. What are your top 3 websites / books and why?
1. Google.com (where would we be without it?! Yahoo.com I guess!)
2. Wordpress.org (if it wasn’t for Wordpress, I would have to pay programmers to do a lot more work!)
3. The Story of Art by E.H Gombrich, sits on my coffee table and will always be a book to learn from.
10. What is the biggest piece of advice you would give to someone just starting out?
I was recently interviewed by a college design student and was asked this exact question and I actually posted an article answering this question.
My answer was “Never stop adding to your skill set, and always make sure that when you look back over your previous year, you have come a long way baby!” 
Thank you Brian for taking the time to fill out this interview especially for going into so much detail in your process.
If you want to be featured as the next Designer In The Spotlight, fill out this form.
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As the identity designer Jeff Fisher says, “If I don’t toot my own horn, no one else will“, so in this article I am going to toot my own horn and show some of the achievements I have achieved recently. It just goes to show what you can achieve in just 9 months of being a design blogger.
The Best of Logo Lounge 5
Earlier this year I was contacted by Logo Lounge, offering me a free membership (usually $100) to their website, so of course I signed up and when I did, I also submitted some of my logo designs to their database. I never really thought anything of it until last week I got contacted by Logo Lounge letting me know that 2 of my logos are going to be published in their next book The Best of Logo Lounge 5. You can see these two logos above.
Featured Artist for Nokia
I have just been asked by Nokia to design a pair of headphones (the styling, not the actual product) for a new music site being launched by Nokia called Music Almighty however details are on the down low at the moment but stay tuned.
Enviro Shopping Bag For Walgreen’s Pharmacy
Walgreens is a massive pharmaceutical chain in the USA with over 7000 stores and I was recently commissioned to create a design for one of their ‘enviro’ bags. I am still awaiting word if it is going to be used on the Walgreen’s bags or with another similar but smaller company… exciting none the less where ever it gets printed.
Design Graphics Magazine Design Competition Commendation
Earlier this year as part of our university course we had to enter the Design Graphics Magazine Cover Design Competition. The results were released a couple of weeks ago and I made it onto the commendation list which means my work is now published in the Art & Design Education Resource Guide 2008 which gets distributed around Australia to every design college and university and goes on sale in newsagents. You can see my cover design to the left and the book on the right.
My Work Appearing In These Books
I have been contacted a few times over this year asking to submit some of my designs into graphic design books so I thought I may as well and what do you know, it paid off. You can check out some of my work in these books coming in 2009:
- Graphic Design Down Under (ISBN: 978-3939998099) - Euro 14.95
- Logo 2 (ISBN: 978-3-939998-17-4) - Euro 19.95
- Best Package Design (ISBN: 978-3939998099) - Euro 19.95
- Graphic Design 2 (ISBN: 978-3939998099) - Euro 19.95
- Label Design (ISBN: 978-3939998099) - Euro 19.95
- Art & Design Education Resource Guide 2008 - $19.95 (out now)
PhotoshopUserTV, Kelby Training & Layers Magazine
Just last week I got a recommendation from PhotoshopUserTV (mentioned at 36m 40s) which is a an internet based TV program which is sponsored by such big names as NAPP, iStockPhoto, Epson and Adobe. From that little spot, I got the job of doing a logo design class for Kelby Training and also the opportunity to write an article for Layers Magazine or PhotoshopUserTV (my choice), so stay tuned for that also.
Interviews
I can not count the number of interviews I have given over the past few months, both to students via email and also on other blogs but these are some interviews I have had over the past few months.
The top 3 links below were only published this week so they are tingling with freshness.
Live University Lecture to India
Last week I did a live lecture to a graphic design University class in India via webcam. I spoke about logo design, branding and blogging and I also answered questions from the students (mainly aged 18-19). I actually tried recording the lecture however it was very disjointed as we had to swap from Skype to MSN twice due to connection problems, so unfortunately I can not show you the video but it went well none the less. They even want me back again.
Photoshop For Right Brainers Book Cover Design
I was asked by by John Wiley & Sons if I would like to be a featured designer for their design contest trying to come up with a front cover design for their new book Photoshop For Right Brainers by Al Ward.
Even though I am against spec work, I was offered 4 books worth up to a maximum of $600 to be one of the featured designers. I would like to know what people think of me being a featured artist, condoning a design competition - keeping in mind that $600 worth of books is on the line. I am still yet to confirm if I will participate.
Subscribers / Stats
Just Creative Design now has a total of 167 posts, 19 pages and 4600 comments. On average each article has 27 comments.
We have received over 1,200,000 Unique Visitors, and over 17,000,000 hits using up 3900GB of data since we started.
I suppose getting 7000+ subscribers in 9 months is a worthy achievement also, even if it just a number.
Future Plans
As you may know, I love travelling and adventure and have been to over 30 countries already but this time I am going to see more of Australia. In a few weeks, me and a few university mates are hiring a camper van to travel to the middle of of Australia to see Uluru (Ayer’s Rock) which should be a good 2700km road trip. I am looking for a few guest articles for my time away so if you are keen, please contact me.
I also plan to go back to Canada in 2010 for 4 months for a working holiday skiing the slopes which I am looking forward to also (and saving for).
A Big Thank You
A big thank you to all of the generous people who have donated $6000+ worth of prizes to Just Creative Design and myself over the past 9 months. Donations have included such things as an electric guitar, logo designs, memberships and so fourth. I will be having another huge competition soon, so keep your eyes peeled and if you want to get a prize donation in early, you know where to contact me.
I also want to thank all of the commentators and readers that make up Just Creative Design as it is those that make Just Creative Design a better place.
Well there you have it, my horn has been tooted.
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Just Creative Design and should not be found elsewhere.
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5 October 2008 | Uncategorized | No Responses
Is all design looking the same to you? Are you following graphic design trends subconsciously?
These are two questions to ponder over the next six weeks in this six part series showcasing the most overused techniques, effects, icons, shapes, concepts, fonts, stock images and clichés used in design today.
There will be an article posted every Tuesday at 9am AEST. (+10 GMT). Click here to subscribe so you do not miss out.
The Six Part Series
Below is the first article of six.
Top 7 Most Overused Techniques & Elements Used in Graphic Design
Whenever you look for inspiration, you are bound to come across at least one of these techniques / effects / elements. These effects are neither “good or bad” however they are the most common elements found in today’s designs.
Stock images have been used to portray each element. On that note of stock, there was a great discussion about the use of stock art over at GoMediaZine.
1. Sunrays / Rays of Light / Rising Sun
By far the most overused technique used in design today is the infamous rays of light usually found tucked away in the background of a design or at the very forefront of the design such as in the picture above.
2. Black (or Coloured) Silhouettes
Vectorised silhouettes of people and other objects is definitely second on the list. Made famous by the iPod campaign this technique can now be seen everywhere. Notice the combination of the sun rays and black silhouettes?
3. Ink Splatter
Closely contending with number 4, ink splatters are everywhere. Ink Splatters do add a cool / trendy look to a design and they do blend well with grunge style designs however ink splatters should be used in moderation.
4. Swirls / Flourishes / Ornaments
Swirls seem to be all the rage at the moment as they are quite appealing and generally just nice to look at. Flourishes & ornaments go well together to create organic, fresh designs which is quite ‘in’ at the moment.
5. Flowing Lines
Flowing lines generally add motion and fluidity to a design which gives it a certain emotion when combined with other elements (ie. funky circles as seen above) which is generally why they come up so often.
6. Funky Circles
The funky circle colour combo is evident in numerous designs across the web and like the name suggests it does give a design a quite funky look however they are being used everywhere!
7. Smoke Textures
These smoky effects are not as blatantly obvious as the other ones as they are always in the background of a design however if you look a bit closer, these smoky effects are everywhere.
Subscribe to our feed so you do not miss out on the next article in this 6 part series.
Is design looking more and more the same? Why? Is it because of stock art? Do you think the elements above are being overused? Voice your opinions below.
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Just Creative Design and should not be found elsewhere.
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5 October 2008 | Uncategorized | No Responses
A few days back I let you know about us changing servers / hosting plans and this is just to let you know what has happened in the past few days.
We have now upgraded our hosting to a semi dedicated plan, hosted by the same hosts as I was with previously - Solid Internet. Nearly everything has gone smoothly in the cross over however I still can not log into my Wordpress Admin… it strangely says nothing is found even though when I check my folders, it is. I am hoping that my hosts can sort this out soon, as my contact forms do not work either because of this. (Everything is working now.)
I am thankful however that everything else went fine and the rest of the website is up and running.
You may be wondering how I am writing a blog post without logging into my Wordpress admin. I am taking advantage of the desktop blogging client, BlogDesk which is a handy application which lets you do just that.
Just Creative Design will get back to normal posting next week as tomorrow I leave for the weekend to go to my cousins wedding in sunny Queensland. In the meantime you may like to look at some of our featured articles.
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Just Creative Design and should not be found elsewhere.
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