Design

brand strategy

Do All Designers Create Logos? How Much Should a Logo Cost?

29 May 2018

The myth of the Five Dollar Logo, and why it matters for your brand strategy. The conversation always goes something like this: “So, I’m starting a new business and well…I need a logo. Interested?” If we’re on the phone, what usually follows is a pause. If we’re communicating by email, there’s usually a suspiciously long…

graphic design trends 2018

Where We Went: Were the Five Graphic Design Predictions We Made for 2017 Accurate? And What’s Next?

14 February 2018

A little over a year ago, we gave our predictions for the graphic design trends we thought would go big in 2017. So, just how accurate was our crystal ball? Illustration would return in a big way: true Our designer Ryan (who wrote this piece!) works with at least two large firms who’ve hired illustrators for…

Typeface/Font* Selection: A Practical Guide

25 October 2017

We could also call this post, “how to avoid being spoofed on Saturday Night Live.” As evidenced by a recent SNL sketch which lampoons the font chosen for the movie Avatar, proper typeface selection—awareness of which was once generally considered limited to graphic designers like myself—has entered into the mainstream consciousness. That’s a good thing, and…

working with a small design firm

Working with a Small Design Firm

29 September 2017

So, now that you’re sold on the virtues of working with a small design firm, what comes next? What’s the onboarding process like and what should you and your company expect in the weeks ahead? Onboarding with a small design firm We’ll set up an in-person meeting, preferably at your place of business. We’ll want…

The Case for the Little (Small Design Firm) Guy

25 July 2017

The design field is a particularly competitive one, filled with providers ranging from individual freelancers to huge multinational firms. I’m here to present the case for the “little guy,” the owners and employees of  small design firms. I run a small design firm. We’re “little guys,” for sure. I’m the sole employee, and along with…

Beetles, Brand Consistency and Why It All Matters

12 May 2017

It all started with a beetle. No, not the beetle of the oft-cited ’50s and ’60s Volkswagen advertising campaign. Think smaller. I’d just discovered that the tiny (and dreaded) Ips beetle had decided to make the beautiful large spruce in our front yard its new home. The one beetle soon became many beetles, the tree…

Where We Are Headed: Five Graphic Design Trends for 2017

01 December 2016

2016 has been a year of ups and downs. As always, the events of the world have influenced the world of design. With that in mind, here are five design trends we predict will make an impact in 2017. The return of illustration After being pushed to the side for many years, what with computers taking over…

Common design file formats and what they mean

22 September 2016

File formats often aren’t considered until they become an issue. I regularly have clients come to me when they can’t open a particular file, or, after they’ve sent a file for production and discovered that they provided their file in the wrong format. Here I’ve outlined the most common formats you’ll encounter in the design…

Can a Print Designer Really Make the Digital Jump?

01 April 2016

I am aging myself when I say that, when I was getting my formal design education in college, digital design was a relatively new discipline. Those focusing on digital design also obtained a completely different degree than those of us studying print. While I’m told that most schools now offer a more integrated approach, I…

7 Graphic Design Apps for Work Efficiency, Decision-making and Design Inspiration

11 February 2016

Design apps can be great for working on the fly, collaborating with a client or just getting the creative ball rolling. We’ll focus on iOS applications here, as the the iPhone is the smartphone of choice in the design world, but many of these apps are available on Android as well. And while design apps…

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