Most self-taught designers are pretty familiar with the Visual QuickStart series from Peachpit Press: Practical, clearly written guides to the myriad features of the software app or scripting language of your choice. New to the Peachpit family are Visual QuickProject Guides, boiling things down to a single project that covers just the need-to-know info. Read the rest of this entry »

One thing that can take you from overwhelmed newbie wandering in the forest to seasoned design traveler is learning to automate (and eventually, delegate) as many tasks as you can. The less you’re bogged down in detail, the more time you’ll have for the big thinking that precedes big earning.

You’re probably well on your way to speeding things up in your favorite design programs; tell me you can’t execute something in Photoshop ten times faster than you could when you first sat down with the Lasso Tool. Try applying a few of these tricks to your communications, and see if you don’t free up some valuable time for cooler stuff, like making art…or money! Read the rest of this entry »

In my last post, I detailed the first four essential elements of the design process for interactive projects. Below, the second installment…

Non-Functional Comps
One of the most exciting aspects of building a website for a client is delivering initial comps. Non-functional comps are Photoshop options for the proposed page designs based on established written concept direction and thumbnails. When they’re first presented, the hope is that the comps match the client’s expectations, given the amount of time spent on the front end of the project understanding their business, needs and target audience. The purpose of the comp at this stage is to provide our clients with a visual representation of how the site will look before we ever start coding or programming. The interactive art director is responsible for coming up with several competing designs for each of the comps. Read the rest of this entry »

FontExplorer X features an iTunes-esque interface that makes your fonts easy to manage.

The folks at Linotype have a long history of providing graphic designers with quality fonts, as well as some nifty font tools via their website linotype.com. The typical designer, upon buying a font from Linotype, would install it on his or her system, then open Photoshop (or Illustrator, or InDesign…) and spend an eternity searching for it in the font list.

More savvy designers save a little time and use a font management utility to organize fonts and turn little-used fonts “off.” Assorted pricey font management applications are out there, but now Linotype offers a free option called FontExplorer X that is surprisingly full-featured and familiar. Read the rest of this entry »

As design teams become more multidisciplinary in composition, it becomes important to understand the nature of the early phases of design, and develop successful strategies for directing productivity towards strategic design goals. During this phase, the interactive art director develops multiple, audience-specific interfaces and navigation schemes for the Web site. These prototypes typically consist of non-interactive mockups, interactive mockups, and storyboarded animation. The goal is to agree on a basic design of the site, including general look and feel, colors, images, logos, layout, and navigation. When time and budget allow, the interactive art director will test chosen designs with actual members of target audiences to determine their usability and effectiveness. Over the next two posts I’ll detail the deliverables that are essential for the successful design of an interactive site. Read the rest of this entry »

I did something crazy and picked up an iPhone this week. I’m not going to review it, as reviews are everywhere online right now, but I do want to point out some things that we can all learn from its design. None of these things are new or stray from the fundamental principles we know and love, but the fact that they are reinforced in such a popular, people-pleasing device should give us more confidence to use them in our own designs. Read the rest of this entry »

A certain amount of communicating with clients, vendors, and associates has to be handled fresh each time it happens. But a surprising amount can be repurposed and tweaked a bit to apply more exactly to the situation at hand.

Those pesky inquiries you get again and again (or will get—trust me) are great to have a boilerplate ready for. If you spend time creating one really masterful email, then you’ll save time by sending virtually the same thing out again and again. Consider developing a boilerplate for the following: Read the rest of this entry »

The title alone of this book from Focal Press’ Essential Skills series makes me hopeful for the fate of my photography. To me, shooting in available light means getting some great candid shots at events, the occasional unplanned portrait, and a few environmental shots that are stunning without big lighting setups or major corrections later—tasks that are quite difficult for many beginning photographers. It turns out that my idea of the topic was a bit different than the Mark Galer’s, but I learned a huge amount of valuable photography tips all the same in an easy-to-read, activity-filled format. Read the rest of this entry »

If you hate the idea of cold calling but are going to hunker down and do it anyway because you know it’s a good way to reach your best prospects, here are the 3 things you need to have ready before you pick up the phone: Read the rest of this entry »

Graphic design may be a career choice that lacks geographic boundaries, but there can be a great benefit in local networking, starting with your city’s chamber of commerce. Joining the chamber of commerce has tons of advantages… Read the rest of this entry »