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Some Favorite Design Books
In addition to the vast world out there on the internet, I also have several print books in my design arsenal. I’m a tactile person, what can I say? Here are some of the books I find most useful… Meggs’ History of Graphic Design – Philip B. Meggs – useful for all sorts of inspiration. Also handy as an historical reference The Designer’s Dictionary of Color – Sean Adams – useful for things like a color’s creative history, cultural associations, etc. The Elements of Typographical Style – Robert Bringhurst – both practical and historical uses of type The Designer’s Desktop Manual – a useful primer for someone starting out in…
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What to Ask Your Designer
I’ve had some clients who come to me with projects and then are stuck on how to go about the process. So here are some things you should ask your designer so that you know you are on the same page. Have they had experience in designing the item you are looking for. i.e., if you need a logo, is this something they’ve done in the past? Can they meet your deadline – is this something you need urgently, or do you have time? How many versions will they design for you to choose from? Once I’ve established color preference, any client ideas, etc. from the preliminary meeting I’ll usually…
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File Types
I’m hoping to clear up some of the mystery surrounding graphic file types. I’m often asked about the difference, so here you go: Some that you’ve probably come across: JPEG – the image type you probably come across most often. It stands for “Joint Photographic Experts Group”. If you use them for print, make sure their resolution is high. There is no difference between a jpg and a jpeg. PNG – great for web or presentations. This is an image which has no background which means it’s wonderful for logos etc. if you need to superimpose them on an image. Not great for print. Stands for “Portable Network Graphic” GIF…
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My Design Process
Since I’m often asked about my process, here you go. First and foremost I like to meet with the client – preferably in person, but zoom works too. This gives me an idea of who they are, what their design sensibilities are, etc. We discuss: The scope of the project Touch on things like preferred colors if any, preferred style if any, things to avoid, and so on. We discuss timeline. I ask for their logo file Do they have an image, text or other content they want to use? If it’s a custom item, the size required. Then I head to the studio where I do the following: Research…
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Inspiring Stuff
Here is a list of some of the top 10 things that inspire me and keep the creativity going… Reading – everything and anything Music – from all over the world Being outside – preferably either in the woods or near water Gardens – especially with quirky sculptures, hidden treasures Rain – in all its forms Children – who see the world in a unique way Art – I love galleries – not to see the famous works but to spend time with undiscovered pieces that are new to me. Sunshine – I’m a warm weather person – If I can be barefoot, I’m happy Food – particularly from different…
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All About DPI
I am often asked about DPI, so here is a mini primer… DPI stands for Dots Per Inch. It refers to the number of dots that exist within an inch square of an image. The more dots, the clearer the image. You can always subtract the number of dots, but not make up new ones that don’t exist which is why you can make a 300 dpi file into a 72dpi file, but not the other way around. So if you send your designer a low res file, they will not be able to make a large sign out of it because the image will not be crisp since those…
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All About Color Systems
I’ve been asked a lot over the years about color systems so here are the basics for if you were curious… CMYK Stands for: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key (Black) AKAs: Process Color, Four Color Used for: print. If used for digital colors will be dull. How it works: Colors are created by printing dots of the 4 colors which are overlapped. How you would see it written: C92 M0 Y41 K11 or (92,0,41,11) RGB Stands for: Red, Green, Blue Used for: digital. If used for print colors will be dull (screens have a wider range of colors) How it works: Made by mixing combinations of the 3 colors. How you…
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Balance
Here are some thoughts on balance… Balance is one of the fundamental principles of design. You can use to make a project dynamic, calm, etc. Balance, is more than just how a project looks, however, it’s also how the content ties to the design. A lot of my presentation projects, for example, have to have a balance between business information (the items being presented – facts, data, etc.) and the design being used to convey them. Is it serious, lighthearted (but not frivolous), and so on. What is the industry? Is it mechanical, finance, education – all this plays a part. It is a case of creating balance between the…
The Art of Design
