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What Kind of Designer are You (Part II)

December 30, 2010

Which one Designer Type best describes you ?

1. The Pablo Picasso Designer

A perfectionist, the Pablo Picasso designer does not stand for any pixel to be out of place or unsightly. Egotistical, he does not care about other people’s opinions, and he belittles them for their ignorance and lack of appreciation of design and the arts.

Principled, the Pablo Picasso designer has a strong mind and set beliefs that cannot be swayed by any amount of money. His only concern is for the ingenuity of ideas.

A man out to change the world of design, he does not succumb to the whims of clients, and he believes it is their loss if they do not heed his advice. Believing he is a cut above the rest, he admits to only a few other designers in the world being his peers. The Pablo Picasso designer sees himself, above all else, as an artist.

2. The Albert Einstein Designer

A smart man with an excellent work ethic, the Albert Einstein designer has the motto “No pain, no gain.” Unafraid of ridicule, he dares to be different.

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again. Failure is the mother of all success, and the Albert Einstein designer has a never-give-up attitude that pushes him to continually reach his goals despite countless failures.

The Albert Einstein designer continues to create his own designs, putting them to the test in various design competitions. He may not get it right each time or win every competition, but he believes his hard work will eventually pay off and that he will be recognized for his talents and effort.

His strong faith and his belief in himself enable him to patiently wait for the day when he is praised for his contributions. To him, the question is not if he will be successful, but rather when will he attain his goals and be successful.

3. The David Copperfield Designer

The David Copperfield designer is a great storyteller and illusionist. Capable of anything, regardless of how seemingly impossible it is, he conjures the best designs for his clients.

Convincing his clients to hire him and only him to do everything is a simple task. Given everything he delivers to clients, he does not come cheap. After all, he gives them everything they want, which amounts to a cleverly constructed illusion. Using his great storytelling skills, he leads clients to believe that he is the only person they need to achieve their goals.

Behind the scenes, the David Copperfield designer orchestrates his illusions down to the second. Appearances can be misleading; outsourcing his tasks, he packages the result as his own work.

The client doesn’t realize who are the hard-working talents who support him. He manages the project and delegates work to others but claims credit in the end.

4. The Captain Hook Designer

Why create when you can steal? The Captain Hook designer is cunning and sly. He scouts for the most innovative and successful designs and makes them his own—not by blatantly duplicating, mind you, but by cleverly working in his own ideas and inspiration.

Craftily avoiding outright plagiarism, the Captain Hook designer mashes up several successful ideas to create a fresh “new” concept.

Money being his sole interest, the Captain Hook designer tries to squeeze as much as he can out of his designs. By making small, simple changes to the color, font and layout, he passes off designs as new creations.

Unfazed by whether he loses some clients, he simply finds new ones who are unaware of his tricks. His lives by the pirate code that dictates, “A good designer copies, but a great designer steals.”

5. The Mahatma Gandhi Designer

Believing he is obliged to right wrongs, the Mahatma Gandhi designer takes it upon himself to effect change through peaceful means. He feels an obligation to improve Web design standards, regardless of any difficulties or opposition he might face. If he has to achieve his goal one client at a time, he will gladly do so.

Sharing his design philosophy with whomever will listen, the Mahatma Gandhi designer tries to persuade others—designers, clients and the general public alike—to help him make the design industry a better place.

A forward-thinking man who sets trends, he advocates for what he believes is necessary to improve and sustain the design industry. Willing to sacrifice himself for the benefit of other designers, the Mahatma Gandhi designer does whatever he can to improve the world of design through peaceful and lasting change.

6. The Bashful Dwarf Designer

Shunning the spotlight, the Bashful Dwarf designer always feels like he could have done a better job. When praised, he is quick to share the credit with colleagues. Insecure about his talents, he is content to work behind the scenes and let others take the honor.

The Bashful Dwarf designer doesn’t think much of fame or fortune, and he prefers not to show his name or face. Lack of confidence is the cause: he believes many other designers out there deserve more recognition.

As long as he makes enough money to put a roof over his head and not go hungry, he remains content with his lot in life.

7. The Ella of Frell Designer

The real Ella of Frell fell under a spell and couldn’t say no to anyone. Slightly different, the Ella of Frell designer actually has a choice and does not have to do everything she is told.

Instead, she chooses not to decline her clients’ every wish. Believing the customer is always right, she goes out of her way to please clients. Clients never find fault with her because she is ever willing to make whatever changes they ask for. “No” is not in her vocabulary.

Often ignoring her better judgment, the Ella of Frell designer subjugates her design sense to the clients’ will in order to avoid displeasing them. She is at the client’s beck and call, night and day.

Filed Under: Graphic Design

What kind of Designer are you (Part I)

December 30, 2010

Design is a universal language. It transcends all cultural and national boundaries. It is diverse and ever-changing. Despite the fact that designs can be universally appreciated, the artists behind them are all unique and talented individuals.

What kind of designer are you? What is your philosophy? How do you contribute to the design community? Designers from different walks of life might have similar answers to these questions, and yet we are all different.

Some designers take it upon themselves to educate those who have not yet developed an appreciation for Web design and art. Some designers aim to improve the overall quality of design on the Internet.

And of course, some designers strive primarily to make a good living from their talents so that they can live a comfortable life.

Whatever your reason for being a designer, you are unique.

  • If you want to be a well-paid designer, please the client.
  • If you want to be an award-winning designer, please yourself.
  • If you want to be a great designer, please the audience.

more to come…

Filed Under: Graphic Design

Photoshop Turns 20 !

December 29, 2010

Photoshop Origins

One of the most impressive things about Photoshop is the fact that one gifted family, consisting of an engineering prof, a PHD engineering student, and a talented special effects whiz working at Industrial Light and Magic came up with the core idea of Photoshop.

Thomas Knoll, the PHD student, is still heavily involved with Photoshop years later.

Glen Knoll was a college professor with two sons and two hobbies; computers and photography.

He had a darkroom in his basement, and an Apple II Plus that he was allowed to bring home from work.

Thomas Knoll adopted his father’s photography habit throughout high school, while his brother, John Knoll, purchased one of the first Macs available to the public.

Fast forward to 1987: Thomas Knoll was a PHD student studying Engineering at the University of Michigan. His brother was working at Industrial Light and Magic.

Thomas Knoll wrote a subroutine for a program to translate monochrome images on his monitor to grayscale.

The successful subroutine led Knoll to create more and very soon he had a number of processes for achieving photographic effects on digital images.

After his brother John saw what Thomas was doing, he recommended that Thomas turn what he was doing into a full-featured image editor.

The combination of Thomas’ programming abilities with John’s pragmatic design background led to a collaboration between the two brothers to develop more processes and improve on the initial application.

Even though the process led to interruption in Thomas’ thesis work, the brothers released “Image Pro” in 1988.

John suggested that they begin to sell Image Pro as an application.

Within six months, the brothers had a partnership with a company that manufactured scanners, Barneyscan.

They purchased 200 copies of the program to ship with their scanners.

They called on Supermac and Aldus, but were turned away at both, a move that Aldus would come to seriously regret.

Shortly after, the Knoll brothers struck gold when they won over Adobe management with their product, and formed a licensing partnership with Adobe that was to launch their software and Adobe into the stratosphere.

Happy Birthday Photoshop!

Filed Under: Graphic Design

The Top Ten Designer Portfolio Faux Pas

December 27, 2010

A well-crafted portfolio can open doors to new jobs and clients. But if you submit a sub-par book, you’ll likely find “no entry” signs at just about every door you knock on. Following are some mistakes that can drive hiring managers a little crazy, especially when they need to find a talented designer quickly. These 10 portfolio faux pas can cause employers to pass on your book and move onto the next one. Avoid these errors, and you’ll have an immediate advantage over the competition.

Faux Pas #10: Providing “over the hill” examples. Don’t include dated items in your portfolio, unless they’re from a particularly high-profile assignment. No hiring manager wants to see a logo from a college project you created 15 years ago. Instead, include only pieces from within the last three years.

Faux Pas #9: Not bringing a leave-behind. Sixty-four percent of executives surveyed by The Creative Group said it’s important to leave a work sample behind after an employment interview. You might want to develop a piece to use specifically for this purpose, such as a stand-out postcard that contains all of your contact information.

Faux Pas #8: Only having an online portfolio. The good news is that you have a visually stunning and well-organized online portfolio. The bad news is that this is the only way a hiring manager can see your work. Most design firms want evidence of your ability to produce excellent work online—in addition to a book you can show them in person. How you present that portfolio is important, too: In a survey by our firm, 65 percent of advertising and marketing executives said they preferred a bound book or separate container with loose pieces inside.

Faux Pas #7: Not customizing your portfolio to the client’s needs. When preparing your book, make the samples specific to the project type, industry and client. If you’ll be working on direct-mail pieces, for instance, be sure to provide samples of that type of work at the beginning of your portfolio. There are three common ways to organize your book: by industry, media specialty or chronologically. Most corporate clients will be interested in an industry-specific portfolio with examples that relate to their lines of business. If you’re just beginning your career, however, arranging it chronologically may be preferable so you can highlight your career growth.

Faux Pas #6: Not telling a “story.” The way you arrange your portfolio and present it is just as important as the pieces you include. Your samples should spark conversation about your contributions to previous employers. Ultimately, your book should tell a story about the value you provided clients over the years. Always be sure to strike a balance between showing any challenges you overcame and not coming across as a prima donna. When describing a piece in an interview, for example, you might talk about how a redesigned website increased traffic by 20 percent or how an award you won helped improve the firm’s brand recognition. Essentially, you want to demonstrate what changed as a result of your work on a project. Companies want to know that they’ll make a good investment in hiring you.

Faux Pas #5: An online portfolio that takes forever to download. David Langton, a principal graphic designer at Langton Cherubino Group, says it best: “Don’t make me wait for your portfolio to download. I won’t.” Hiring managers are short on time and none of them wants to waste it waiting to see your work. Likewise, skip the musical introductions. Depending on your musical tastes, it can be jarring to go to a website and be greeted by Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony or Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” If you must have a fancy introduction for your site, be sure to include a prominent “skip introduction” button.

Faux Pas #4: Creating an unsolved mystery. Be sure to clearly identify each piece in your book by including the name of the client for which you produced the piece, your role in the project, the software you used and a sentence or two describing why it’s important.

Faux Pas #3: Leaving no piece behind. You might be able to assemble enough material in your book to rival “War and Peace,” but resist the temptation to show the hiring manager all your work. When it comes to portfolios, less is definitely more. A survey by The Creative Group shows that prospective employers feel the ideal portfolio should include about a dozen items.

Faux Pas #2: A sloppy book. Thirty-one percent of advertising and marketing executives polled by The Creative Group said unorganized samples bothered them most when reviewing portfolios. Your book should be neat and clean. If you’re including bulky items, carry them separately. Along these same lines, don’t give too much information about a particular example. Displaying numerous versions of the same piece, for instance, can be confusing to the person reviewing it. Generally, it’s best to include only one final version.

Faux Pas #1: Not having an online portfolio. You must have an online portfolio; because all companies have a web presence today, few hiring managers will consider you for a job if you don’t. And keep in mind that 22 percent of advertising and marketing executives surveyed by our firm said they preferred an online portfolio when viewing a creative’s book. Cover all of your bases and have both an online and hard-copy portfolio available for hiring managers to review.

Filed Under: Graphic Design

Brochure Design Checklist

December 13, 2010

The Importance of a Brochure Design: A brochure can serve many purposes. It can be used for marketing, during a special occasion, or in general business. Because of this, it is important to focus on the quality of the brochure design. The brochure must carry a brand that reaches the correct target audience. Brochures are intended to inform, educate, and let future clients/customers know about your services or products.

While there are many consumer tools available in today’s business world that can be used to create brochures, we  strongly recommend  utilizing a professional graphic designer, and ask a marketing professional to help plan and review the work. In a single hour, a professional could help you to double the effectiveness of your marketing materials. Really.  It’s a cheap investment for a brochure that you are going to reprint endlessly, and show the whole world.

Brochure Design Checklist

  1. Does your brochure sell? When in doubt, err on the side of selling.
  2. Are the key benefits listed up front? Don’t bury the benefits.
  3. Does it tell the reader what action to take? Call, write, subscribe?
  4. Is it as easy as possible for the reader to take action? 800#? Map with directions?
  5. Name, address, map, hours of operation, phone numbers, fax number, E-mail address, web address, logo?
  6. Does the headline entice the reader? Does it state a major benefit, ask a provocative question, or create curiosity?
  7. Do your subheadings and captions give the critical information and create motivation?
  8. Is the text in easy-to-read, short paragraphs or bulleted format?
  9. Is it interesting to look at? Does it have strong graphic imagery? [Pictures of people and products are best]. No Clip Art!
  10. Do you use the entire inside spread for visual impact? Do you leave enough white space?
  11. Do you have testimonials? FAQ’s? Before and After photo’s?
  12. Do you ask for their business? You must ask! This is required in good brochure design.
  13. A Professional quality brochure design makes you look professional.Professional quality brochure design makes you look professional.

Filed Under: Graphic Design

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