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Thursday, October 25, 2007

Your Creative Life

Get A Life (And Other Remedies for Creative Atrophy)

When creative impulses are few and far between , designers often turn to outside sources for a boost. Whether it's hiking in the mountains, getting a tattoo or bringing your pet iguana to the office, this freedom to explore your inner child feeds your business finesse.

- by Jenny Pfalzgraf

Wouldn't it be great if you could go to a brain spa to get steamed and exfoliated of dead ideas, kneaded into shape and primed for creative brilliance? Imagine if, for the low, low price of $49.95, you could wrap yourself in a tinfoil cocoon, shed your inhibitions and, in a matter of hours, emerge as raw and unbiased as a newborn.

Unfortunately, there aren't any snake-oil cures for creative brain-block. Innovation can't be bought or patented that easily; if it could, we'd all be Einsteins. But you can clear your head of stagnating ideas—a condition Doug Hall refers to as "mental constipation" in his book Jump Start Your Brain. It all starts with the environment you call work.

Today's most enlightened design teams are embracing the fact that creativity gestates in weird and mysterious ways. Creativity is a byproduct of life—not just a 9-to-5 exercise. Smart companies are giving their designers the chance to have a life, with hopes of seeing a creative ROI (return on investment). Here's the scoop on some of the creativity boosters they endorse.

Exploring the Mind/Body Connection

Creativity is often described as a "muscle" that needs exercising to stay in shape. While this is true, it doesn't help to bench-press your creativity to death at the expense of your other body parts. Sometimes the best way to rejuvenate your creative prowess is to ignore it for a while and take in a good physical workout. "Fitness is a big part of our culture," says Rex Peteet of

Sibley Peteet Design in Austin, Texas. "One year, we all did a lot of mountain biking. Then we bought a Foosball table. Next we got hooked on Frisbee golf." The firm's designers are as adventurous with sports as they are with new projects. You can't help but wonder if there's a correlation.

At Tran Interactive Design Group, a Washington, D.C.-area multimedia boutique, exercise isn't mandatory—but it is subsidized. Soccer games, swing dancing, rafting, skiing and self-defense classes are factored into the firm's annual budget. "When people have fun, it's reflected in the energy they bring to their work," says Creative Director Hung Tran. "It's well worth the investment."

Some firms take the idea of sports therapy to extremes. Last year, the creative trio at MB Design in Bellingham, WA, expanded its horizons (literally) by climbing 10,778 feet to the summit of Mt. Baker in Washington's North Cascades. "It was a personal goal that each of us had," says owner Matt Barnhart, who footed the bill for the two-day excursion. "I wanted the office to do something as a team that was healthy and would create a sense of camaraderie." It worked.

"On the mountain, we were all roped together," says designer Sean Fields. "If you fell into a crevasse, you literally had to rely on the others to save your life. We all saw each other in a different way. When we got back to the office, I think we all felt more open to discuss new ideas and voice our opinions."

Getting Out in the World

Even if your studio is situated in a particularly swanky city, it's still only one point on the map. That's why Minneapolis-based Kilter Inc. sends its people to "walk" other cities to collect creative artifacts. A fully loaded sensory experience is good for stimulating new ideas.

Recently, the firm dispatched two designers to New York City to prepare for a re-branding project for Lidz, a Boston-based hat seller with 300 stores nationwide. "We wanted to study how consumers experience a brand in other places," says Kilter Creative Director Cynthia Knox. "So we sent two of our people to study retailers that are masters at defining the brand experience for the customer—companies like Starbucks, Ralph Lauren and the Gap." Kilter's explorers observed the latest trends, "took tons of pictures and lugged stuff back to present to the whole group."

Taking a more global approach to cultural anthropology, Peekskill, NY-based YOE Studio will soon swap staff members with an Australian design shop through an international exchange program. The three-month stint "down under" will broaden YOE's window to the world.

Escape from Reality

Then again, inspiration is sometimes readily available in your own backyard. At the Los Angeles arm of TBWA/Chiat/Day, designers don't even have to leave the office to get a change of scenery. The mega-agency recently moved into a 100,000sq.ft. warehouse that's anything but typical. Billed as an "advertising city," the space houses a full-length basketball court, an indoor park with trees, three-story cliff dwellings, and workspaces—called "nests"—designed to nurture innovative thought.

"There are lots of places to escape within the building," says agency spokesperson Jeremy Miller. "Of course, employees are allowed to leave at their leisure, too. They can do whatever they need to grow professionally. It's an extremely open environment that enables the creative process to happen the way it needs to happen."

On the opposite coast, YOE Studio shares this "otherworldly" philosophy. Located in a 19th century Gothic-revival castle overlooking the Hudson River, the company sports a picturesque facade. But when you go inside, all hell breaks loose. The studio—which caters to kid audiences via clients like Nickelodeon, Mattel and Disney—is self-consciously loony. The "corporate" conference room features Mickey Mouse-shaped furniture surrounded by treehouse wall murals. YOE's hot-pink bathroom doubles as a shrine for Barbie memorabilia; the green bathroom pays homage to Kermit and the gang from "Sesame Street."

"Our designers thrive in this unorthodox atmosphere," says co-owner Craig Yoe, a self-professed pop-culture addict. To discourage routines, Yoe summons his 21 staffers to impromptu readings of Dr. Seuss and to brown-bag lunch screenings of movies like Austin Powers. The team also benefits from weekly "Yell and Tell" sessions, in which "aliens" from the real world enter the castle and share their expertise. "We've invited illustrators, animators and even the town historian to come talk about what they do," Yoe says. Most recently, the company entertained a local tattoo artist. After discussing his craft, the artisan offered a live demonstration of his skill, using a willing employee as a guinea pig.

"The dichotomy here is that we're all still kids, but we treat everybody like adults," Yoe says. "We trust that everyone is going to do their work. I'm not interested in micromanaging—or really managing at all."

What's next for this off-the-wall studio? YOE is flying the entire staff to

London for a weekend of fun, bonding and British culture.

Getting Down and Dirty

Most designers don't enjoy the luxury of castle living. But many are finding other ways to channel bygone eras in the name of creativity. One rejuvenation practice that's increasingly popular is making art the old-fashioned way—without a computer, that is.

Six years ago, Nerve, a Cincinnati-based design firm, began hosting digital-free creative sessions known as "Crafternoons." "I wanted to work collaboratively and to make things with my hands," says founder Lori Siebert. Once the idea caught on, local designers began making bimonthly pilgrimages to Nerve (at the time known as Siebert Design Associates) to get a creative fix. Although their handmade items were routinely auctioned off to charities, participants left each session with something else to take home—creative inspiration.

"People were jumping in, and it was changing their lives," Siebert recalls. "It was amazing. They might not have sewn or sculpted in a year, but they'd resolve to start again. Another staff member and I started illustrating as a result. Illustration has since become another stream of revenue for our company."

Perhaps the best-known champion of handmade art is greeting-card giant

Hallmark. With a creative staff of more than 740 (the world's largest), the Kansas City, MO-based company churns out roughly 11,000 new and 8,000 redesigned cards per year, not to mention licensed products. Hallmark expects its employees to produce, but it also gives them the time they need to explore creative ideas without the looming pressure to generate deliverables.

Among its countless perks, the company offers workshops ranging from experimenting with traditional oils to textile art to blacksmithing to birdhouse-making. These are conducted during company time, and they aren't necessarily intended to produce salable items. Senior creatives at Hallmark have the option of embarking on independent study sabbaticals or "rotations" at the company's vast Rice Center facility and at its Kearney studio, a 300-acre working farm.

Last year, Hallmark illustrator Denise Chevalier took a four-month hiatus from her "regular" job with Shoebox Greetings to experiment with raku-fired ceramics, primitive rug-hooking, mosaic art, Native American seed beading and automata (mechanical sculpture). "I made a hand-powered wood sculpture with gears," she says. "When you turn the handle, this fox tries to catch prairie dogs that are jumping down into their holes. I also made one of a bear trying to catch trout leaping upstream. These projects challenged me to use my design sense, to carve and to assemble found objects. I also worked with color.

"For me, it was an exercise in renewal," continues Chevalier, a 22-year Hallmark veteran. "It wasn't really about the objects themselves that I was making. It was the problem-solving aspect that was really enlightening. It's a win-win situation for Hallmark and for me. I learn something new and, in the best possible scenario, something new may eventually appear in the card line."

During an age in which corporate loyalty is virtually unheard of, it's no wonder so many designers continue to log lifelong careers with Hallmark: They never get bored.

There's No Place Like Home

In the end, field trips and sabbaticals are only effective if the progenies can return home to a comfortable workspace and implement what they've learned. A studio whose environment isn't conducive to creative noodling will never get the most from its staff—no matter how often it sends them away for rehab.

When it comes to nurturing creativity, there's a lot to be said for stress control. Tran Interactive Design Group keeps its employees sane by offering alternative work hours (a 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. schedule lets staffers miss rush-hour traffic), plus a fully stocked fridge and a studio where pets are welcome. "We want people to come here focusing on work—not on the errands they didn't have time to run, or that they're hungry, or that they need to let the dog out," says co-founder Tran. "Also, having animals around is a good release. With dogs in the room, you can't take yourself too seriously.

Creativity is born when you're relaxed and having fun. Next week, we're going to bake homemade dog biscuits."

On the 100-acre campus of SAS Institute, a major software developer located just outside Raleigh, NC, staff designers enjoy a 36,000sq.ft. gym, unlimited sick time, free self-serve soda fountains and a bottomless supply of M&Ms (the company purchases roughly 23 tons per year). But for Lynn Scott, SAS manager of visual communications design, the cushiest benefit is free, on-site daycare.

"There's nothing that can compare to having your child well cared for while you're at work," says Scott, a single mom. "I've been appalled to attend design conferences where female design leaders have more or less said women have to choose between being a mother or mothering their work. No profession should support such a prejudice against women." Knowing that her son is in good hands, Scott is able to focus more intently on environmental graphics, ads, collateral materials, conference programs and being creative.

Taking Responsibility for Your Creative Muse

In the quest for creative fulfillment, it's always tempting to blame your clients if you're feeling impotent. This kind of self-imposed victimhood will get you nowhere fast.

Kilter Inc. avoids this slippery slope by not relying on clients to shape all of its creative pursuits. Under the name Kilter Industries, the company runs a product-development lab that produces, among other things, a groovy line of watches that the firm licenses to retailers and manufacturers. "We don't just wait for clients to give us directions," Knox says. "We brainstorm for really good product or packaging ideas, mock them up and try to sell the rights."

Not by coincidence, Kilter is following up its identity project for Lidz by designing a new line of hats for the company. "The interesting paradox with design firms is that you have all these great creatives working for you, but clients are the ones dictating needs and parameters," Knox says. "Product design creates a role reversal. It gives creative people the opportunity to execute the ideas that are in their heads."

In the end, creativity is what you make of it. Every few months, Nerve's designers leave the office and burrow into some serious soul-searching. "We want to help each person—not just as a designer, but as a person—determine what drives them," Siebert says.

In one recent exercise, Nerve staffers were challenged to create "image boards" representing themselves. "We asked each person to show how they envisioned the perfect workspace, the perfect client and the best sources of inspiration. You work with people every day, but you don't necessarily know what makes them tick," Siebert says. "We want to get at the essence of the way we think and the way we work. We want to marry clients to that ideal, not vice versa. We're now looking for opportunities that will reflect us. And we're going to proactively search out clients and projects that fit with that goal."

In The Power of Myth, Joseph Campbell writes: "We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.

"Follow your bliss."

Jenny Pfalzgraf works in Northern Virginia, lives vicariously through the creative types she interviews, and dreams of one day having a lifetime supply of M&Ms.

- HOW design

Get A Life (And Other Remedies for Creative Atrophy)

- by Jenny Pfalzgraf

Summary:
You're a creative person. But do you confine your creative energies to the office? If so, you're sort of missing the point: Today's most enlightened design teams are embracing the fact that creativity gestates in weird and mysterious ways. Creativity is a byproduct of life, not just a 9-to-5 exercise. Smart companies are giving their designers the chance to have a life, with hopes of seeing a creative ROI (return on investment). Here's the scoop on some of the creativity boosters they endorse.

When creative impulses are few and far between , designers ofte turn to outside sources for a boost. Whether it's hiking in the mountains, getting a tattoo or bringing your pet iguana to the office, this freedom to explore your inner child feeds your business finesse.
Wouldn't it be great if you could go to a brain spa to get steamed and exfoliated of dead ideas, kneaded into shape and primed for creative brilliance? Imagine if, for the low, low price of $49.95, you could wrap yourself in a tinfoil cocoon, shed your inhibitions and, in a matter of hours, emerge as raw and unbiased as a newborn.
Unfortunately, there aren't any snake-oil cures for creative brain-block. Innovation can't be bought or patented that easily; if it could, we'd all be Einsteins. But you can clear your head of stagnating ideas—a condition Doug Hall refers to as "mental constipation" in his book Jump Start Your Brain. It all starts with the environment you call work.
Today's most enlightened design teams are embracing the fact that creativity gestates in weird and mysterious ways. Creativity is a byproduct of life—not just a 9-to-5 exercise. Smart companies are giving their designers the chance to have a life, with hopes of seeing a creative ROI (return on investment). Here's the scoop on some of the creativity boosters they endorse.
Exploring the Mind/Body Connection
Creativity is often described as a "muscle" that needs exercising to stay in shape. While this is true, it doesn't help to bench-press your creativity to death at the expense of your other body parts. Sometimes the best way to rejuvenate your creative prowess is to ignore it for a while and take in a good physical workout. "Fitness is a big part of our culture," says Rex Peteet of
Sibley Peteet Design in Austin, Texas. "One year, we all did a lot of mountain biking. Then we bought a Foosball table. Next we got hooked on Frisbee golf." The firm's designers are as adventurous with sports as they are with new projects. You can't help but wonder if there's a correlation.
At Tran Interactive Design Group, a Washington, D.C.-area multimedia boutique, exercise isn't mandatory—but it is subsidized. Soccer games, swing dancing, rafting, skiing and self-defense classes are factored into the firm's annual budget. "When people have fun, it's reflected in the energy they bring to their work," says Creative Director Hung Tran. "It's well worth the investment."
Some firms take the idea of sports therapy to extremes. Last year, the creative trio at MB Design in Bellingham, WA, expanded its horizons (literally) by climbing 10,778 feet to the summit of Mt. Baker in Washington's North Cascades. "It was a personal goal that each of us had," says owner Matt Barnhart, who footed the bill for the two-day excursion. "I wanted the office to do something as a team that was healthy and would create a sense of camaraderie." It worked.
"On the mountain, we were all roped together," says designer Sean Fields. "If you fell into a crevasse, you literally had to rely on the others to save your life. We all saw each other in a different way. When we got back to the office, I think we all felt more open to discuss new ideas and voice our opinions."
Getting Out in the World
Even if your studio is situated in a particularly swanky city, it's still only one point on the map. That's why Minneapolis-based Kilter Inc. sends its people to "walk" other cities to collect creative artifacts. A fully loaded sensory experience is good for stimulating new ideas.
Recently, the firm dispatched two designers to New York City to prepare for a re-branding project for Lidz, a Boston-based hat seller with 300 stores nationwide. "We wanted to study how consumers experience a brand in other places," says Kilter Creative Director Cynthia Knox. "So we sent two of our people to study retailers that are masters at defining the brand experience for the customer—companies like Starbucks, Ralph Lauren and the Gap." Kilter's explorers observed the latest trends, "took tons of pictures and lugged stuff back to present to the whole group."
Taking a more global approach to cultural anthropology, Peekskill, NY-based YOE Studio will soon swap staff members with an Australian design shop through an international exchange program. The three-month stint "down under" will broaden YOE's window to the world.

Escape from Reality
Then again, inspiration is sometimes readily available in your own backyard. At the Los Angeles arm of TBWA/Chiat/Day, designers don't even have to leave the office to get a change of scenery. The mega-agency recently moved into a 100,000sq.ft. warehouse that's anything but typical. Billed as an "advertising city," the space houses a full-length basketball court, an indoor park with trees, three-story cliff dwellings, and workspaces—called "nests"—designed to nurture innovative thought.
"There are lots of places to escape within the building," says agency spokesperson Jeremy Miller. "Of course, employees are allowed to leave at their leisure, too. They can do whatever they need to grow professionally. It's an extremely open environment that enables the creative process to happen the way it needs to happen."
On the opposite coast, YOE Studio shares this "otherworldly" philosophy. Located in a 19th century Gothic-revival castle overlooking the Hudson River, the company sports a picturesque facade. But when you go inside, all hell breaks loose. The studio—which caters to kid audiences via clients like Nickelodeon, Mattel and Disney—is self-consciously loony. The "corporate" conference room features Mickey Mouse-shaped furniture surrounded by treehouse wall murals. YOE's hot-pink bathroom doubles as a shrine for Barbie memorabilia; the green bathroom pays homage to Kermit and the gang from "Sesame Street."
"Our designers thrive in this unorthodox atmosphere," says co-owner Craig Yoe, a self-professed pop-culture addict. To discourage routines, Yoe summons his 21 staffers to impromptu readings of Dr. Seuss and to brown-bag lunch screenings of movies like Austin Powers. The team also benefits from weekly "Yell and Tell" sessions, in which "aliens" from the real world enter the castle and share their expertise. "We've invited illustrators, animators and even the town historian to come talk about what they do," Yoe says. Most recently, the company entertained a local tattoo artist. After discussing his craft, the artisan offered a live demonstration of his skill, using a willing employee as a guinea pig.
"The dichotomy here is that we're all still kids, but we treat everybody like adults," Yoe says. "We trust that everyone is going to do their work. I'm not interested in micromanaging—or really managing at all."
What's next for this off-the-wall studio? YOE is flying the entire staff to
London for a weekend of fun, bonding and British culture.
Getting Down and Dirty
Most designers don't enjoy the luxury of castle living. But many are finding other ways to channel bygone eras in the name of creativity. One rejuvenation practice that's increasingly popular is making art the old-fashioned way—without a computer, that is.
Six years ago, Nerve, a Cincinnati-based design firm, began hosting digital-free creative sessions known as "Crafternoons." "I wanted to work collaboratively and to make things with my hands," says founder Lori Siebert. Once the idea caught on, local designers began making bimonthly pilgrimages to Nerve (at the time known as Siebert Design Associates) to get a creative fix. Although their handmade items were routinely auctioned off to charities, participants left each session with something else to take home—creative inspiration.
"People were jumping in, and it was changing their lives," Siebert recalls. "It was amazing. They might not have sewn or sculpted in a year, but they'd resolve to start again. Another staff member and I started illustrating as a result. Illustration has since become another stream of revenue for our company."
Perhaps the best-known champion of handmade art is greeting-card giant
Hallmark. With a creative staff of more than 740 (the world's largest), the Kansas City, MO-based company churns out roughly 11,000 new and 8,000 redesigned cards per year, not to mention licensed products. Hallmark expects its employees to produce, but it also gives them the time they need to explore creative ideas without the looming pressure to generate deliverables.
Among its countless perks, the company offers workshops ranging from experimenting with traditional oils to textile art to blacksmithing to birdhouse-making. These are conducted during company time, and they aren't necessarily intended to produce salable items. Senior creatives at Hallmark have the option of embarking on independent study sabbaticals or "rotations" at the company's vast Rice Center facility and at its Kearney studio, a 300-acre working farm.
Last year, Hallmark illustrator Denise Chevalier took a four-month hiatus from her "regular" job with Shoebox Greetings to experiment with raku-fired ceramics, primitive rug-hooking, mosaic art, Native American seed beading and automata (mechanical sculpture). "I made a hand-powered wood sculpture with gears," she says. "When you turn the handle, this fox tries to catch prairie dogs that are jumping down into their holes. I also made one of a bear trying to catch trout leaping upstream. These projects challenged me to use my design sense, to carve and to assemble found objects. I also worked with color.
"For me, it was an exercise in renewal," continues Chevalier, a 22-year Hallmark veteran. "It wasn't really about the objects themselves that I was making. It was the problem-solving aspect that was really enlightening. It's a win-win situation for Hallmark and for me. I learn something new and, in the best possible scenario, something new may eventually appear in the card line."
During an age in which corporate loyalty is virtually unheard of, it's no wonder so many designers continue to log lifelong careers with Hallmark: They never get bored.

There's No Place Like Home
In the end, field trips and sabbaticals are only effective if the progenies can return home to a comfortable workspace and implement what they've learned. A studio whose environment isn't conducive to creative noodling will never get the most from its staff—no matter how often it sends them away for rehab.
When it comes to nurturing creativity, there's a lot to be said for stress control. Tran Interactive Design Group keeps its employees sane by offering alternative work hours (a 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. schedule lets staffers miss rush-hour traffic), plus a fully stocked fridge and a studio where pets are welcome. "We want people to come here focusing on work—not on the errands they didn't have time to run, or that they're hungry, or that they need to let the dog out," says co-founder Tran. "Also, having animals around is a good release. With dogs in the room, you can't take yourself too seriously.
Creativity is born when you're relaxed and having fun. Next week, we're going to bake homemade dog biscuits."
On the 100-acre campus of SAS Institute, a major software developer located just outside Raleigh, NC, staff designers enjoy a 36,000sq.ft. gym, unlimited sick time, free self-serve soda fountains and a bottomless supply of M&Ms (the company purchases roughly 23 tons per year). But for Lynn Scott, SAS manager of visual communications design, the cushiest benefit is free, on-site daycare.
"There's nothing that can compare to having your child well cared for while you're at work," says Scott, a single mom. "I've been appalled to attend design conferences where female design leaders have more or less said women have to choose between being a mother or mothering their work. No profession should support such a prejudice against women." Knowing that her son is in good hands, Scott is able to focus more intently on environmental graphics, ads, collateral materials, conference programs and being creative.
Taking Responsibility for Your Creative Muse
In the quest for creative fulfillment, it's always tempting to blame your clients if you're feeling impotent. This kind of self-imposed victimhood will get you nowhere fast.
Kilter Inc. avoids this slippery slope by not relying on clients to shape all of its creative pursuits. Under the name Kilter Industries, the company runs a product-development lab that produces, among other things, a groovy line of watches that the firm licenses to retailers and manufacturers. "We don't just wait for clients to give us directions," Knox says. "We brainstorm for really good product or packaging ideas, mock them up and try to sell the rights."
Not by coincidence, Kilter is following up its identity project for Lidz by designing a new line of hats for the company. "The interesting paradox with design firms is that you have all these great creatives working for you, but clients are the ones dictating needs and parameters," Knox says. "Product design creates a role reversal. It gives creative people the opportunity to execute the ideas that are in their heads."
In the end, creativity is what you make of it. Every few months, Nerve's designers leave the office and burrow into some serious soul-searching. "We want to help each person—not just as a designer, but as a person—determine what drives them," Siebert says.
In one recent exercise, Nerve staffers were challenged to create "image boards" representing themselves. "We asked each person to show how they envisioned the perfect workspace, the perfect client and the best sources of inspiration. You work with people every day, but you don't necessarily know what makes them tick," Siebert says. "We want to get at the essence of the way we think and the way we work. We want to marry clients to that ideal, not vice versa. We're now looking for opportunities that will reflect us. And we're going to proactively search out clients and projects that fit with that goal."
In The Power of Myth, Joseph Campbell writes: "We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.
"Follow your bliss."
Jenny Pfalzgraf works in Northern Virginia, lives vicariously through the creative types she interviews, and dreams of one day having a lifetime supply of M&Ms.

-HOW Design.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Guide to Typography Video

This is a great video that explains the basics of Typography and the anatomy of type in under 2 minutes!



This guide to typography video was directed and animated by Boca and Ryan Uhrich

Quotes From the Typography Video

“Typography is what language looks like” - Ellen Lupton

“A good typographer is someone who communicates a point of view with skill and imagination and makes the type taste good” - Jeffreyy Keedy

Volkswagen Van - carrying capacity

Volkswagen Van came up with this brilliant idea to promote its carrying capacity as against many other cars:

Who Designs Those Google Logos?

Dennis Hwang is the man behind the Google Holiday Logos. Dennis Hwang is a graphic artist from Korea and designed his first logo for Google back in 2000.

Dennis Hwang is currently in charge of all of Google’s webmasters, but still helps design some of the logos.

To see a great list of all the Google holiday logos you can go here: Google Holiday Logos and Events

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

12 Tips for Design Business

1. Always Get Paid

Be sure to get a deposit before starting a project and never send the final files until the remaining balance has been paid.

2. Don’t Work For Chicken Scratch

Don’t low ball yourself. At first its tempting to take jobs for low prices, but sooner than later you will need to make sure you are charging enough to cover all your expenses.

3. Make Everything Clear

Establish a time line and any other project specifications and deadlines upfront.

4. Get it all in Writing

Save all your emails and get anything you can in writing; such as clients signing off on projects and project agreements.

5. Save Everything
Save all your receipts and print out anything you buy online for tax purposes.

6. Organization is Essential

Be as organized as possible. Keep a folder for every project and client and clean your office and computer at least once a week.

7. Backup, Backup, Backup!

Back up all of your files and then back them up again.

8. Behave in Professional Manner

Be honest, helpful and never leave a client unhappy. Referrals are a big part of business and happy clients will recommend you left and right.

9. Don’t Overwork Yourself

Stick to your normal office hours. If you work from home its easy to get caught up working and making phone calls late at night and clients will get used to this.

10. Never Stop Networking
Network with other designers, programmers and other skilled people. This will enable you to outsource work and get help when you need it.

11. Never Stop Marketing
No matter how busy you are at the current time you never know when a dry spell might come along. Always keep promoting your business site and never stop looking for new clients.

12. Knowledge is Power
Never stop Learning. You should always be building up your list of bookmarks, blogs, websites and other resources so you can be on the top of your game.

Choosing a Good Domain Name

If you're starting a new web business, you're going to need your own domain name. Your business name will usually BE the domain name (and you probably shouldn't choose a business name without checking first to see if the domain is available for it). But there's more to choosing a good name than just finding one that's available. Here are some tips to choosing a good domain name.

1. Use a .com

While there are a number of other top-level domains (tld's) you can buy domains for, .com is the preferred extension for any business. Some browsers will autocomplete .com, so if someone enters "yourname" in the browser location bar, they'll automatically be sent to yourname.com.

.net is a good second choice, if you can't find an available .com that you like. Most other tld's are not appropriate or too difficult to say (see #3, below).

2. Shorter is Better

It's a lot easier to type (and say) shorter domain names. And if you're giving your domain name to customers, they're going to be annoyed if they have to type a really long name into their browser. It's much easier to type joeswidgets.com than joessuperwidgetfactory.com.

Try to stick with names that are 10 letters or less in length (not counting the .com extension).

3. Be sure you can say the name without having to spell it out for people.

If you meet customers in person, speak to them over the phone, go to trade shows, or otherwise ever have to tell someone your domain name, consider how easy (or difficult) it is to say the name you want to use. Do you have to spell it out for people because the name isn't spelled like it sounds? In particular, names using "ph" (instead of f) or "y" (instead of i) in the name might be problem areas. Similarly, a name like Flickr or Zoomr or any other name where "er" has been replaced with "r" will have to be spelled out, at least until it's become so popular that everyone knows how it's spelled.

Also, while you can use dashes in your domain name, you probably shouldn't, unless you're prepared to register both the dashed and un-dashed versions. (I registered both dot-o-mator.com and dotomator.com for this site.)

4. Search for your prospective name on Google.

If you want to make it easy for people to find your site, then choose a name that has few existing matches in Google... the fewer the better. That way when people search for your site, yours will come up first in the search results. Whereas if there are already 2.3 million matches for the name you want to use, it's going to be very difficult for people to find you via search.

Google

5. Use a distinctive name.

Your domain name should be memorable. "37 Signals" is more memorable than something like "Web Tech Systems". A popular trend among dotcom companies is to combine words (or partial words) into a new, made-up name (Flickr, YouTube, Feedburner). Start with a word that has some relevance to your company's product or service, then try adding on endings and see what comes up.

Some words (such as "web", "tech", "net", "systems", "technologies") sound a bit tired, and are likely unavailable anyway. Try choosing fresher-sounding words. Thesaurus.com is a good place to search for words that have similar meanings. You can use Dot-o-mator to combine words into a list of potential domain names, then check them all at once to see if any are still available.

6. Avoid trademarks

Try to avoid using names that include well-known trademarks. For example, if you register a domain name with "Amazon" somewhere in the name, you'll soon be receiving an email from Amazon.com's legal department asking you to surrender the name.

So save your money and choose a more unique (and trademark-free) name.

7. Should you buy an existing name?

What if the domain name you really want is taken? The cheapest solution is to choose something else. But if you have your heart set on a particular name, you can try buying it from the current owner. There's no guarantee you'll be able to acquire the domain, and even if the owner is willing to sell, it could cost you anywhere from a few hundred to many thousands of dollars.

If you still want to try, here's how to proceed. First visit the domain name in your browser and see if anything is there. If the owner is looking to sell the domain, it might already have a link to where you can make an offer.

There are also sites like Sedo.com that offer domain names for sale. You can browse through their inventory of existing names, or make an offer on any domain:

You can also view the whois results for an existing domain. Look for the owner's email address, and try contacting them directly.

8. Keeping your name

Once you've found a domain name, you'll have to register it with a domain registrar of your choice. (I prefer Dotster, as they're reasonably priced and have good customer service.) Be sure to provide a valid e-mail address when you register the domain; your registrar will e-mail you when your domain is about to expire and remind you to renew. If you're using a spam filter, be sure to allow mail from your registrar to pass through. If you change e-mail addresses, be sure to update it with your registrar as well. I've seen plenty of cases where someone moved and never got the renewal reminder mail, so their domain expired. Renewing an expired domain is costly (there's a $99 fee for that now).

If your domain expires and you don't notice it until a month or two later, your domain might already be owned by someone else. (Expired domains go back into the pool of available domain names after a ~40 day redemption period). Reacquiring your domain at that point could be extremely expensive, if not impossible... so remember to keep your domain registrations (and contact information) current.

9. Domain Spam and Private Registrations

Unfortunately, when you register a domain, your e-mail address will be visible to the world via the whois data. This can result in a lot of unwanted spam. Most domain registrars offer something called "whois privacy" or "private registrations" (usually for a small additional fee); this service will obscure your e-mail address in whois results, but still keep your e-mail linked to your domain in your registrar's database (so they can still send you renewal reminders). If you're concerned about spam and/or don't have a good spam filter, you may want to use the privacy option.

- dotomator.com

99 Useful Resources for Graphic Designers

I have used every one of these resources as a graphic designer and website developer and have hand picked all of these resources based on their usefulness and overall quality. I hope you find these resources as useful as I do! Enjoy!

Organizations

1. www.gag.org
The Graphic Artists Guild promotes and protects its members and is committed to improving conditions for all graphic designers and the whole industry. They also produce the well known Graphic Artists Guild Handbook which is an essential part of any designers library.

2. www.aiga.org
AIGA, the professional association for design is dedicated to protecting and advancing design and its importance to society. AIGA now represents more than 19,000 designers through national activities and local programs developed by more than 55 chapters and 200 student groups.

Design Tournaments

3. www.cutandpaste.com
Cut&Paste is a world wide live digital design tournament that goes on every year in multiple locations award prizes to the worlds best anonymous designers.

Generally Useful

4. www.lipsum.com
This is a pretty famous site within the design community; you can generate dummy text on this site to put into your designs until the real copy is available.

5. www.alexa.com
Alexa is a traffic ranking site that is widely used to research other sites. It’s not the most accurate tool but it has become common place and your Alexa rank is often a variable when determining advertising costs or site popularity.

6. www.csstype.com
An incredibly useful site that shows you exactly how web fonts will look on your screen.

7. www.brandsoftheworld.com
This is the ultimate branding library with thousands of the worlds most famous and popular logos. Great for researching corporate identity.

8. www.blogsearch.google.com
An easy way to weed out site and just find blog on the topics you are interested in.

9. www.digg.com
Digg.com is a great place for offbeat news and can be in indispensable weapon in your arsenal of traffic getting tools. You can submit well written articles to dig and if it is dugg a lot and becomes popular it can bring in a substantial amount of traffic to your website for free.

10. www.bloglines.com
Bloglines is a great way to organize all the blogs you read into one place instead of having to visit a bunch of different websites and is a good time saver.

11. www.mozilla.com/en-US/
Arguably the best web browser out right now. I use it for most of my web browsing but don’t forget the other browsers when it comes to optimizing your website. Not everyone uses the same browser.

12. www.mozilla.com/en-US/thunderbird/
This is my favorite email client to use. It’s simple, efficient, and easy to use with solid email alert features. Very handy if you get important emails often.

13. www.adobe.com
Home to the well known design software we all know and love. Good site to check out once in a while for updates and help regarding software such as Photoshop and illustrator.

Networking & Freelance Work

14. www.craigslist.org
Craigslist is one of my favorite forums to use. There are tons of new design jobs and gigs added every day but the competition is stiff so bring your “A” Game.

15. www.getafreelancer.com
If you are looking for an affordable but professional coder this is the place to go. Freelancers bid on projects you post.

16. www.facebook.com
Facebook is growing incredibly fast and is a great way to network with other people and advertising your design services. Many professionals are moving to facebook over other social networking sites.

17. www.myspace.com
Myspace has tons of potential when it comes to snagging freelance gigs or networking. They have a decently active classifieds section that you can use to market your work.

18. www.linkedin.com
Linkedin is a very popular site for professionals and is a valuable networking tool.

19. www.krop.com
Krop.com has a database of jobs for designers, artists, and developers with an instant and easy to use search feature.

20. www.coroflot.com
Corofloat.com is a site where you can promote and host your design portfolio, search for jobs and post to hire some one.

Stock Photography

21. www.istockphoto.com
This stock photography site has incredible photographers and even better prices for illustrations and photos. It will make your life way easier as a designer and has many other benefits such as making money selling your illustrations and photography, networking with other design professionals, promoting your portfolio site, access to active forums and much more!

22. www.corbis.com
Corbis is one of the leading stock photography sites with millions of images online, featuring historical, fine art, business, technology, celebrity, travel, sports and nature photography.

23. www.shutterstock.com
Shutter Shock is a subscription based stock photography site with over two million royalty-free stock photos available.

24. www.bigstockphoto.com
Big Stock Photo lets you upload and download low-cost digital stock photography. They have well over a million photos organized into categories.

25. www.gettyimages.com
Getty Images offers a large searchable collection of rights-managed or royalty-free images and films. Getty Images is a great site if you are looking for current event and public figure related photography.

Color & Charts

26. kuler.adobe.com
Kuler is a useful site to go to find color themes for your projects. Users can submit their own themes to be rated and you can search for many type of color themes.

27. www.colourlovers.com
Colour Lovers is a great site with user submitted color palettes and even cooler is their blog that creates color palettes based on each blog posts at the end of every post.

28. www.logoorange.com

Nice chart that converts PMS colors to CMYK and RGB color codes for you.

29. www.ideo.com
This extremely useful but simple web safe color chart lets you easily see exactly how different colors will look on your screen.

Inspirational Sites

30. www.cssbeauty.com
CSS Beauty provides its users with a database of well designed CSS designed sites, as well as news and happenings related to the CSS Community.

31. www.thecoolhunter.net
The cool hunter looks for the coolest and craziest stuff from around the world. Be sure to check out the design and art sections on the site.

32. www.logopond.com
The Logo Pond is a great site to go to if you are looking for inspiration while designing a logo. You can even submit your own logo designs to be voted on and reviewed. Good way to get exposure for your studio or freelancing portfolio.

33. www.go2web20.net
The Web 2.0 Design style is the big thing right now and many websites are redesigning their look to get with the times. This awesome site has a massive collection of all the new web 2.0 logos and links the websites.

34. www.cssvault.com
CSS Vault has a collection of spectacular CSS websites and resources including: Articles, Demos, Layouts, Tutorials, and more.

35. www.stumbleupon.com
After selecting topics of interest you can stumble upon quality sites related to those topics. I have found countless amazing sites doing this and not only is it great for finding new sites but it can be a killer way to promote and drive traffic to your own portfolio site or blog.

Portfolio Sites

36. www.altpick.com
Altpic.com is a great portfolio website for artists and designers where many people come searching for the best oif the best. It is a great place to showcase your designs and talent.

37. www.portfolios.com
Portfolios.com is a portfolio search site where viewers can easily browse through thousands of free artist and designer portfolios.

38. www.deviantart.com
DeviantART is a large community of artists and designers who share their work with each other via an online portfolio. Many digital artists and illustrator flock to this site and you can even buy prints of your favorite artwork.

Design Magazines

39. www.printmag.com
PRINT magazine is a very famous bimonthly magazine about visual culture and design.

40. www.howdesign.com
HOW Magazine covers many areas of design such as the business aspect, new technologies, up and coming designers and is a place for creative inspiration.

41. www.idonline.com
I.D. magazine is an International design magazine that covers products, graphics, environments, interactive media and other design related areas.

42. www.computerarts.co.uk
Computer Arts is an informative site with free downloads, tutorials, galleries, competitions, a published magazine and much more.

43. www.maclife.com
MacLife.com provides news and analysis of the popular Apple products and also has daily blogs from Mac Life magazine editors and a nice selection of articles to read.

44. www.pcmag.com
This magazine is definitely handy for any designer. The hardware we use is the back bone of most of our work and PC Magazine has solid reviews of the leading equipment. I always look up products on their website before I buy anything.

45. www.pcworld.com
PC World is a great place for Computer and Internet news and information, Resources, how-tos, downloads, products and more.

Fonts

46. www.dafont.com
Dafont is an easy to use free font site with a large collection of fonts to download it. It has been around a while and is updated often with new fonts.

47. www.urbanfonts.com
Urban Fonts is new to the font world but has quickly established itself as a leader in the free font community. It has an excellent design and is right up there with dafont.com in my book.

48. www.fontshop.com
Font Shop offers great font collections on CD, free fonts, downloadable fonts, typography tips and more.

49. www.linotype.com
Linotype has a massive collection of the most popular and well known fonts available for download. They also have a font lounge with many interesting font related resources.

Tutorials

50. www.pixel2life.com
Pixel2life is one of the largest tutorial search engines on the internet providing great tutorials to graphic designers and programmers.

51. www.good-tutorials.com
Good Tutorials is a massive tutorial website with tens of thousands of tutorials for Photoshop, Flash, Illustrator, and more.

52. www.w3schools.com
If you need to brush up on your coding skills then this is the place to go. The information is accurate and up to date and its def worth taking all the tutorials.

53. www.tutorialoutpost.com
Tutorial Outpost has a vast collection of thousands of tutorials for Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, 3D Studio Max, and more!

Photoshop Brushes

54. www.brusheezy.com
Brusheezy is a very useful site with lots of great sets of free brushes varying in style.

55. www.psbrushes.net
PS Brushes is home to over 500 Photoshop brushes that are all free to download and categorized for easy searching.

56. www.getbrushes.com
Get Brushes has sets of Photoshop brushes made up of various swirls, ornamental designs, and flourishes. flowers, dots, circles, and various other ornamentations.

Printers

57. www.4over4.com
4over4 is a good balance between quality and affordability and can handle most of the print jobs you would require.

58. www.modernpostcard.com
Modern postcard is known for its quality printing but can be a bit pricey compared to other sites. If you are looking for top notch printing though look no further.

59. www.vistaprint.com
Vista Print provides custom full color printing services. You can print business cards, Christmas cards, stationery, postcards, magnets, brochures, address labels, and even more.

60. www.clubflyers.com
Club Flyers is an easy to use online printing service with many options available and fast shipping times.

61. www.alocalprinter.com
If you are looking for a way to help the environment as a graphic designer then check out the new age of eco friendly printing.

Blog Hosts

62. www.wordpress.com
Wordpress is my blog host of choice. It’s free and easy to set up on a server and there are tons of great themes and widgets available to use. I use Wordpress for all my blogs.

63. www.blogger.com
Blogger is another very popular blog host. It has many of the same features Wordpress offers.

64. www.twitter.com
Twitter is a surprisingly fun, easy to use and useful site when it comes to letting people know what you are up too.

65. www.squidoo.com
Squidoo is an easy way to put up a quick and free website page about any topic you want. It is very popular in the affiliate marketing industry.

66. www.tumblr.com
Tumblr is another super easy blogging tool that is very similar to Squidoo and twitter and just as good as both of them.

Blogs

67. www.designobserver.com
Design Observer is a well respected site in the design community that features writings related to all aspects of design and culture.

68. www.lifehack.org
This great site is dedicated to hacking your life by providing you with tips and tricks to get things done quickly by automating, organizing and increasing your productivity.

69. www.ilovetypography.com
I Love Typography is a great web site devoted to typography, type, fonts and typefaces of all kinds. If you love typography you will enjoy this site.

Web Hosting

70. www.hostgator.com
Host Gator is a well known, reliable and affordable web hosting company. They have a wide range of hosting services to take care of all your websites bandwidth needs.

71. www.godaddy.com
Go Daddy is one of the biggest and most affordable web hosting and domain registration services. They have excellent customer service and quality servers. It is also very easy to mange you domain names and this is important if you have a lot of them.

Web Design Forums

72. forums.digitalpoint.com

This is one of the biggest and most popular programming forums around; there are many thread topics raging from coding and servers to search engine optimization and graphic design. It’s a great place to ask questions, find help or promote your services.

73. www.webmasterworld.com
This is a very active and informative forum on the world of web design. It is a great place to learn and have questions answered.

Graphic Design Forums

74. www.graphicdesignforum.com
This is a discussion forum dedicated to all topics related to graphic design.

75. www.graphic-design-forum.com
This is another active design forum that allows you to chat about graphic design and post designs for a review.

76. www.steeldolphin-forums.com
This is a fine art and graphic design forum where many users showcase their work and discuss fine art and graphic design with fellow community members.

Keyword Research

77. www.freekeywords.wordtracker.com
This is an extremely important free tool for keyword research. If you don’t use this tool before you launch a site or blog then your missing out. They also have a more extensive paid version.

78. www.wordze.com
This is another powerful keyword research tool.

79. www.google.com/trends
Google Trends is another good way to research keywords. Some keywords tend to be seasonal so you can check to see if certain keywords tend to fluctuate traffic wise at certain times of the year.

Search Engine Optimization

80. www.seomoz.org
SEOmoz serves as a central hub for search engine marketers worldwide, providing education, tools, resources and paid services related to search engine optimization and marketing.

81. www.thirtydaychallenge.com
This is probably one of the most informative sites I have ever come across in terms of search engine optimization. It literally changed my life.

82. www.seroundtable.com
SEO Roundtable reports on interesting threads taking place at the SEM (Search Engine Marketing) forums. They also write many articles on the topic of search engine optimization and marketing.

Advertising

83. www.google.com/adsense
Google Adsense is a powerhouse in the advertising industry. If you are looking for an easy way to monetize our website or blog then you will definitely want to check this site out.

84. www.adbrite.com
Adbrite is a popular and easy to use text link advertising website where you can buy text link spots or make money by selling advertisement space on your site.

85. www.adengage.com
A place to buy and sell text link ads on popular websites related to your website or blog.

86. www.text-link-ads.com
This is another very popular and easy to use text link advertising site where people can easily purchase advertising space on your blog or website.

Computers & Electronics

87. www.apple.com
Apple computers are a standard in the design industry and they are a great choice if you are looking for an alternative to personal computers.

88. www.newegg.com
I love checking new egg for products because of their fair prices and customer reviews.

89. www.tigerdirect.com
Another great site if you are shopping for anything electronic. They have affordable prices and a wide selection of products to choose from.

90. www.amazon.com
Amazon is fast and reliable and is my favorite online store to buy books from. Delivery is always top notch.

Art Supplies

91. www.dickblick.com
Dick Blick Art Materials has been providing artists with the best supplies since 1911. They have a huge selection of merchandise and good prices.

92. www.pearlpaint.com
Pearl Paint is one of the world’s largest discount art suppliers and has a vast selection of art supplies at very affordable prices.

93. www.aifriedman.com
A.I. Friedman is another great business that has been serving the artist community for over 70 years. Their products range from basic art supplies to studio equipment and furniture.

Graphic and Web Design Books

94. How To Be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul
By Adrian Shaughnessy

95. Thinking with Type
By Ellen Lupton

96. About Face: Reviving The Rules Of Typography
By David Jury

97. Graphic Artists Guild Handbook
By Graphic Artists Guild

98. HTML, XHTML, and CSS, Sixth Edition
By Elizabeth Castro

99. Bulletproof Web Design
By Dan Cederholm


- youthedesigner

Monday, October 8, 2007

Developing your Certificate of Authenticity (COA)

By - J M Theopistos
I am frequently asked what should go on the Certificate of Authenticity (COA) or is there a set format for the COA. I have done a lot of research on this in the past and have discovered that printmakers vary in what they list on the certificate. Rather than try to explain why some printmakers list certain things and others do not, I am going to present you a list of the common fields of data I have seen listed.

Registry ID
This is the ID number of the print and is printed on the COA. Some publishers that produce prints may use a sku, serial number of reference ID number for that print.

Title
This is the title of either the print or original work of art it represents

Artist First Name or Initial
Self Explanatory

Artist Middle Name or Initial
Self Explanatory

Artist Last Name
Self Explanatory

Sheet Size
Sometimes referred to as the “Paper Size”. This is the actual dimensions of the print including any handling margins. If the print is mounted, this specifies the size of the facing portion of the canvas as well as any part of the substrate that might wrap around.

Printed Image Size
This is the dimensions of what is printed on the sheet.

Edition Name
If an artist wants to label their print as part of an edition, this is usually what they put here. If it is an open edition or single edition then you may not want to just indicate “Open” or “Single Edition”. If you are going to sign the print, it is advisable to indicate here that it is signed.

Total Number in Edition
This reflects how many prints are available within this edition. If 24 copies are made, then the edition would contain 24 as the total number. If a print is listed as 21 of 24 then you are indicating this print is number 21 of 24 in the series. Many artists will also include this number either in the corner of the print along with their signature.

Assigned Number
If the print has a number, then this is what print number this reflects. Example, if 24 are printed and this is number 21 would mean the print’s assigned number is 21. If the print does not have an assigned number, then it should be labeled as open edition or single edition.

Number of Proofs
Obviously if you are using FinerWork to produce your prints you will be doing your own proofing. Although not required, it is a good idea to have produced at least one print as an artist proof so that you know what your artwork will look like before you start having it shipped to your customers.

Print Method
Print method is the technique used to produce the print. This could be Giclee, Lithograph, and Serigraph tend to be the most common types of prints you will hear about however there are other print making techniques out there as well. If Giclee, it might be good to indicate the type of printer that was used as well.

Substrate Type
This is the media the print is produced on. It may be canvas, paper or even linen is some instances. Canvas and paper tend to be the most common but usually just “canvas” or “paper” is not enough. The name of the type of canvas or paper used should be used if possible. Otherwise a good description of the media will suffice.

Ink Type
There are many types of inks used in the print making industry. Try to provide as much information as possible. If your print is a giclee using pigmented inks, then the name of the inks themselves could be used. Example, HP UV Pigmented Inks or Epson Ultrachrome Ink. You will want to check with your print maker on this.

Finish Type
The finish type may be a aqueous coating that some offset lithograph services offer or it might be something like what is used by FinerWorks which is a lacquer liquid laminate called “Bulldog Ultra”. If you apply your own finish then you would indicate here they type of finish you use.

Original Media
Original media is what you rprint is a rendition of. If it is a reproduction of an oil painting on a panel, then you would indicate something like “Oil on Panel”. If it is a digital photograph, then you could indicate something like digital photograph.

Notes
Try not to make this too long. A brief sentence or two. Photographers may want to use the to give a little bit of the technical stuff on the shot itself such as shutter speed, lens setting, etc. Artist may want to put something in about their inspiration for the original work, etc.

Date of Birth
This is the date the print is produced. This should be made available by your printmaker.

Date of Death
This is the date that a print is destroyed.
The following are additional fields that you may find useful to add:
  • Registration Date
  • Registration Void Date
  • Owner Name
  • Owner State
  • Owner Country
In conclusion, all these fields are optional. Obviously if you tried to fit in all the fields, you may have a certificate that is cluttered so use some common sense to determine what you think needs to be included. Print the certificate on a nice certificate paper and don’t forget to sign and date it.
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