Sep

25

On your way to the paperless office

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Thursday’s Management Tip for Graphic Designers
I don’t know about you, but I have A LOT of paper. Stacks and stacks of it.
So, I went browsing on the Epson website (the US side) and came across a wonderful new scanner.
It’s the Epson Perfection 4490 Office and I now covet this scanner.
I don’t really need a new scanner, [...]

Sep

17

Keep client info close at hand

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Wednesday’s Production Tip for Graphic Designers
Today’s post is going to be simple. Very, very simple. And short.
There’s one thing (or 2 depending how you look at it) I started doing last year that has saved me a lot of time. A LOT of it.
I started keeping spec sheets with vital information for all my clients. I [...]

Aug

20

K.I.S.S.: Keep it simple, stupid

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Wednesday’s Production Tip for Graphic Designers
I hate working off of production files sent by other people — especially non-designers who try and “take a stab” at it. BUT, it’s really bad when the files are created by so-called designers.
Whenever I get a file, at first, I always feel overwhelmed. I’ve got to go in and [...]

May

14

Always design with the final in mind

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Wednesday’s Production Tip for Graphic Designers
It never ceases to amaze me. I received an email from a fellow graphic designer. He wanted my opinion and critique for a project he was doing.
He sent me a proof of a flyer he was working on. It had to be 8.5″ x 5.5″ and printed in 2 colors (blue [...]

May

9

Think about where your designs will go!

Filed Under Branding, Production, The good, bad, & ugly | Leave a Comment

Friday’s Creative Review for Graphic Designers

WARNING: Parental discretion is advised.
Some things just crack me up.
You know how I always emphasize that you should know how and in what context your designs will be used?
Well, you should also take into account how and where it will be printed.
Here’s a ad that appears on a bus. I don’t [...]

May

9

Dove’s “Real Beauty” isn’t so real afterall!

Filed Under Pet Peeves, Production, Swipe File, The good, bad, & ugly | Leave a Comment

Friday’s Creative Review for Graphic Designers
This just makes me sad. By now, you’ve probably figured out that I generally don’t believe in much of anything these days that’s in print.
I know, as a graphic designer, that E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G is retouched. However this blew me out of the water. I didn’t even think to question if the [...]

Apr

30

Traits of well-produced postcards

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Wednesday’s Production Tip for Graphic Designers
I received today a postcard in the mail from a client. I use the term “postcard” loosely here.
The reason is because the postcard itself was printed by her on her printer. The paper had a glossy finish but was not a thick cardboard (as you would expect from a postcard).
I thought [...]

Apr

29

Are grids still relevant?

Filed Under Design Details, Design Refresher, Production, Tips & Techniques | Leave a Comment

Tuesday’s Design Tip for Graphic Designers
With the computer and page layout programs, it’s now easier than ever to use the grid in your layout. And yet, few and fewer designers are using them.
So why aren’t more people using them? Honestly, I have no idea.
Most designers think of grids as boring and being too rigid. But, in [...]

Apr

16

Always color separate your document

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Wednesday’s Production Tip for Graphic Designers
I used to work in a printing company, and while I really hated the job, I was happy I had that job.
Why? Because what you design might not be printable or will print incorrectly. Most designers, I have found, think that just because they design something, it will reproduce the way [...]

Apr

9

Work faster using shortcuts

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Wednesday’s Production Tip for Graphic Designers
Who doesn’t want to work faster? You’d be amazed at how much time you waste using the mouse and menu items. It’s amazing.
I find that it also interrupts my flow having to stop and search for the correct command. Especially if it’s something I must do repetitively.
How you can speed up [...]

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