Archive for June, 2008
Your System of Design
Justin Lemaire
Every graphic designer needs a system of design. While this may sound like a complicated concept, it really isn’t. A system of design is simply a method the graphic designer has for the input, processing and output of graphics. While many people already have this without even thinking about it, if you want to get professional about your graphic designer aspirations you need to start being aware of exactly how it is you do things.
The input part of the system is relatively easy, since most people will either just use a mouse or a sketchpad in order to manipulate the different graphics that they have or create. It is an important part of the system however since it relates directly to your ability to work with the graphics you create.
Processing refers to programs that you might use, such as Adobe Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro. Since these types of programs cost an arm and a leg however, many budding graphic designers decide to start with photo editing freeware until they have the money to afford a higher end program.
Finally, output refers to the way in which your final products are exported. For most graphic designers, this will simply involve digital file formats, but on occasion it might also involve the use of high quality printer paper going through a high quality printer. This is not a decision you have to make right away if you are just starting your career in design, but it is a thought you should keep in the back of your mind.
Designing a Graphic from Scratch
Justin Lemaire
There are many different types of graphic design that are popular in the world today, but the most popular one still remains designing a graphic from scratch. It is likely that this will remain the most popular form of graphic design for the foreseeable future and because this type of design requires that you know how to use all of the different elements of graphic design, it is also one of the more challenging types of design.
Designing a graphic from scratch is useful in the creation of company logos, as well as in the creation of different thematic pieces of art that flow from what the artist is thinking at the time it is done. While you can use the computer and the mouse in order to design a graphic from scratch, most people that are designing graphics from scratch prefer to use a computerized sketchpad in order to make things work. These types of sketchpads allow you to draw on the sketchpad with the result appearing on screen and therefore allows for a far more natural and artistic creation of the graphic from scratch.
Another way to do things would be through the use of a Tablet PC (or a scanner), but however you decide to do it, figuring out a way to allow your natural creative talent to manifest in digital image format is a priority for designing graphics from scratch.
Online and Offline Graphic Design
Justin Lemaire
Online graphic design for the purposes of this post is graphic design that a person carries on in online freelance work, usually as part of their freelance company. Offline graphic design is the same type of work, only carried out at a conventional job such as a staff position with an advertising agency.
The main reason that online graphic design is so appealing to so many people is that it does not really require certification of any kind. If you learn the basic principles from a blog such as this one and then experiment until you find your graphic niche, chances are that you can use images in your portfolio as a much bigger incentive for people to work with you than any certification that you might have.
In the offline world however, you need to submit a resume and that in turn will be checked over for your education. There are many places that will not hire someone that does not have direct training in accredited graphic design studies. At the same time however, there are places that will hire people through looking at their portfolios, so the offline job market should not be completely discounted. All you need is to be hired once to get the experience and then you can start working your way up the graphic design corporate ladder.
Digital Photography: Another Form of Graphic Design
Justin Lemaire
A lot of people do not think of digital photography as a form of graphic design. They prefer to think of it as a separate thing and for that reason in their mind have created walls in between digital photography and graphic design. This is blatantly ridiculous, since photographs are by definition graphics as well. While you can dedicate yourself to digital photography as your primary method of design, it is still something that I would consider a type of graphic design.
Case in point would be how many of the online stock photo websites make you clean up your photograph before you actually upload it to their website. If they are actually making you alter your photographs, then they are making you use different elements of design to make your photos better and that by definition is graphic design. When you include all of the photos that are changed or edited for artistic reasons, the fact that digital photography is a type of graphic design becomes very apparent indeed.
While it is a form of graphic design, it is a form of graphic design that has largely been ignored by Concept Wizards. Well, this is not going to continue any longer, since digital photography will henceforth be a topic discussed regularly on this blog.
Graphic Design Grab Bag
Justin Lemaire
If I had to hazard a guess, I would estimate that a fair majority of the people that read this blog are interested in graphic design in the online context. In other words, graphic design becomes either a specific skill set within a larger freelance portfolio for online work (i.e. writing, coding, website design etc.) or it might be the primary online skill that a person uses in the construction of a new company. While this is certainly a good way to put your newly learned skills to use, it is also important to understand that the graphic design field is much larger than the internet and there are many other places where good graphic design skills can land you employment.
One quick example of such a place is an advertising agency. In fact, advertising agencies can use people that have all of the classical online freelance skills since they need graphic designers, copywriters, coders and website designers. However, since the vast majority of static advertising in the world today has graphics of some sort embedded in the overall ad, it is a safe bet to consider advertising a place where graphic designers will be able to get employment for many years to come.
Heinz Pulls the Plug on New Mayo Ad
Byalung
One thing you have to consider about making advertising productions and commercials is that it should be suitable to all ages. Kids and elders alike spend majority of their time glued on the boob tube and once you show something inappropriate like gay kissing scenes, expect complaints and reactions coming in from all angles.
To people who think broadly, it may be harmless. But let us face it, seeing two men kissing is really something you don’t see everyday and may send the wrong signals towards the youth.
Nigel Dickie, of Heinz UK, said: ‘It is our policy to listen to consumers. We recognise that some consumers raised concerns over the content of the ad and this prompted our decision to withdraw it.
‘The advertisement, part of a short-run campaign, was intended to be humorous and we apologise to anyone who felt offended.’
The advertising watchdog has yet to confirm if it will investigate the Heinz commercial, one of the most complained about commercials this year.
Viewers said it was ‘offensive’, ‘inappropriate’ and ‘unsuitable to be seen by children’, while some parents were angry that they had been forced to explain same-sex relationships to their youngsters who asked them about the ad.
The commercial shows a family scene with a young boy and girl getting ready to go to school.
(Source) Mail Online
The Ubiquitous Graphic
Justin Lemaire
Over the last couple of months, the vast majority of posting on this blog has been dedicated to introducing the basic concepts of graphic design. These are concepts that you should be able to understand and interpret instantaneously if you want to be a good graphic designer at the top of your game.
However, theory can get boring after awhile and therefore I’d like to shift things away from theory for a short period of time. We’ll come back to theory later since it is the most important thing, but I’d like to make some comments on different aspects of graphic design that do not relate to strict theory regarding the creation of images.
The graphic is one of the most ubiquitous concepts in the modern world, so much so that you come across graphics all of the time that you do not associate immediately with the idea of a graphic. Legends with symbols on maps are graphics, as are any road signs that contain symbols. Graphic design is always going to be a necessary field because graphics will remain ubiquitous as long as the majority of the human population finds the interpretation of graphics useful in understand different concepts.
Using Curved Photo Effects with Adobe Photoshop
Byalung
Here is a video tutorial that will help you explore other features that Adobe Photoshop has. In this one, you will be given some tips on how to apply curved photo effects to spice up the usual plain images.
Curved Photo Effect Using Adobe Photoshop - The best video clips are here
Adobe Photoshop Video Tutorials: Design Layouts
Byalung
A lot of us are familiar with Adobe Photoshop as the premier software for making good graphics and image enhancements today. However, most of us get lost once we open the software, often not knowing what to do. We see the control panels and once we are inside Adobe, we do not know what to do.
To kick of these video tutorials, here is a video to get your started on making simple design layouts on Adobe Photoshop.
Adobe Photoshop Tutorial Web Design Layout - The funniest movie is here. Find it
Forms of Graphic Design
Justin Lemaire
You may not even have been aware of it, but graphic design as a field has expanded to such a large size that there are many different forms of graphic design generally recognized in the world today. While most freelance designers will dabble in all fields, they generally have one in particular that forms their dominant profession. Here are some of the basic choices that you can make in graphic design, although the exact specifications of what you end up doing are of course ultimately up to you.
Illustration: People that want digital representations of conventional illustrations will seek out these types of graphic designers.
Photography: Digital photography is a huge field within graphic design; all you have to do is check out stock photo websites in order to convince yourself of this fact.
Online Banner Creation: There are banners all over the place when you surf the internet and there are graphic designers that have made entire careers by becoming good at online banner creation.
Offline Banner Creation: The creation of large banners for people to use in real life is also a big part of graphic design and many people that start design in university end up working on a lot of these projects.
Cartographic Design: Geographic Information Systems meets graphic design in this extremely unique field of graphic design.
