Interesting Travel Designs by Martin Haake

Mar 8, 2012 by admin    No Comments    Posted under: Graphic Design Tips

Here are some interesting travel designs and map illustrations for clients around the world created by Martin Haake, a German illustrator. His illustrations cover several countries like Cuba, Germany, Africa, Italy, Switzerland and India.

Martin has had the honor of working with firms like Vivai Magazine, Thomas Cook, Conde Nast Traveller etc.

Top 10 Designer & Creative Resumes

Dec 21, 2011 by admin    1 Comment     Posted under: Graphic Design Tips

People keep on switching jobs, or freelance graphic designers are forced to apply for different projects on a regular basis due to rough financial times.

Is there a way graphic designer can stand out from the pack and take hold of the interest of design firms as they are normally flooded with tons of resume applications? The most attractive way of grabbing an attention would be to design resume samples for job rather than penning it. Well designed and creative resume templates will definitely go a long long way at grabbing the opportunity you are waiting for and get you hired for the profession you have eyed all this while.

An eye catching and creative resume design could at least get you few moments of glimpse from a job recruiter that might become the deciding factor between getting the job you have applied for or not.

Here you can have a look at top 10 designer resumes that will motivate you to create an out of the box resume for your own job application.

1. Francis Homo Resume
   
2. Doni Kristian Dachi Resume
   
3. Branko Resume
   
4. H Sercan Tunali Resume
   
5. Duhkine Resume
6. Jolie Odell Resume
7. Pixelprop Resume
8. Sofiane Yaya Resume
9. Varks Resume
10. Yingzhu Luqiu Resume

Let us know about your thoughts and design tips on the creativity of these graphic designers.

Free Generate Box Design for Your Website

Dec 11, 2011 by admin    No Comments    Posted under: Graphic Design Tips

Today we are offering free download file of generate box design from skillful Rafal Tomal, who has been working as a lead graphic designer for Copyblogger Media.

You can use this great resource as an Email or Lead Generation section or for newsletter functionality on your website.

The Generate Box is available for free in 4 different colors for your design projects: Blue, Green, Orange and Red. Every color pattern consists of the matching badge and headline gradient.

Download: Free Generate Box Design
File Size: 0.728 Megabytes
File Type: Zip File

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Free Call to Action Banners for Your Website

Dec 8, 2011 by admin    No Comments    Posted under: Graphic Design Tips

In this article we are providing free download file of call to action banners from an experienced graphic designer. Rafal Tomal who works as a lead designer for Copyblogger Media has creatively designed these banners.

The zip file available for free download includes both JPG & PSD files. Call to action banners are included in about 5 different color styles as well.

Feel free to use these banners for any of your website, or commercial/non-commercial design projects.

Download: Call To Action Banners
File Size: 1.46 Megabytes
File Type: Zip File

Interview with a Designer of Brand Identities; Rich Scott

Oct 24, 2011 by admin    No Comments    Posted under: Designer Interviews, Graphic Design Tips

Rich Scott is a full time graphic designer for his own company designabot.net, which has worked with global clients. Rich mostly works with smaller companies and/or startup businesses.

We got a chance to interview Rich, because he was generous enough to take out time to answer some important questions for DesigningTips.com readers. Continue reading below for graphic designer interview along with some valuable design tips.

DesigningTips.com - Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from and how did you end up being a designer?

Rich Scott - I am a thirty one year old designer originally from Australia who moved to the UK at the age of seven. After much travelling I have resettled back to the place of my birth.

I always loved to draw as a kid, deciding early on that I had to follow my passion and be creative in some way. Graphic design seemed like an interesting avenue to follow because it encompasses all forms of art. I had a short spell working for an animation company and stints with design firms but always liked the idea of time/life freedom and thus set up my own design business four years ago.

DesigningTips.com - Is it necessary to go to design school to learn how to be a good designer or is it enough to “attend the school of hard knocks?”

Rich Scott - Honestly I would say it is not necessary to attend design school. I studied graphic design and photography for two years at college then completed a three year degree specializing in graphic design. I think design school gave me a solid grounding and introductory insight into the design industry. Now, with the growth of the internet and design inspiration being so widely accessible, I believe anyone with passion, drive and skill can succeed no matter his or her background.

DesigningTips.com - What are the key elements of a good design? Is good design a function of creativity … of sound experience … or both?

Rich Scott - Concept is king when it comes to any form of design. The vision is what’s important whether you are designing a logo or a car. Being able to communicate your vision to the audience is vital I feel.

DesigningTips.com - Is there any real difference between designing a brochure/pamphlet/logo, room in a home and clothing for a beautiful woman?

Rich Scott - Not much difference really apart from the time taken to complete…from reading a brief/initial sketching to viewing the end product can vary dramatically depending on the scope of the project. Also how you go about tackling them may be different but the same design rules apply.

DesigningTips.com - How do you work on your design projects? I mean, what design software, applications and design tools do you use the most for your projects?

Rich Scott - My design process varies depending on the project. The majority will start with research, brain storming then sketching. However if an idea immediately pops into my head I will jump straight into Adobe Illustrator and begin creating with vectors. Currently I am using cs5 and would say 80-90% of my artwork is produced in Illustrator, with Adobe Photoshop being used mainly for presentation purposes.

DesigningTips.com - Are there ever times when design changes are radical?

Rich Scott - Yes, usually driven by the client. Sometimes a logo and branding system is almost complete then the client will do a complete backflip and desire something entirely different. This is rare and can be a little frustrating but at the end of the day the customer is always right… Ain’t that right? : )

DesigningTips.com - Can you tell us about your design portfolio and clientele (people you have worked with & for)?

Rich Scott - I have worked with a variety of great clients across the globe. I tend to design for smaller companies or business start-ups. Some of my clients include; Maria Andros (www.mariaandros.com), HydroTerra (www.hydroterra.com.au), Reputeer (www.reputeer.de), Ombros Consulting (www.ombros-consulting.com), Australian Association for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy (www.aacbt.org.au), Level Four (www.levelfour.com.au). I also collaborate regularly with Dan Johnson of Spin My Logo (www.spinmylogo.com) and Samuel Nilsson (www.envelope.se).

DesigningTips.com - Any design tips you would like to share with freshers just starting out in the design industry?

Rich Scott - The key for graphic designers starting out in the industry is to be creative and original. With such a vast array of talent ‘out there’, it can be quite over whelming trying to compete with established professionals. It’s up to freshers to believe in themselves, never give up and try to evolve their own design styles. I hope that helps!

Different Type of Graphic Designer Jobs

Oct 13, 2011 by admin    1 Comment     Posted under: Graphic Design Tips

What does it mean to be a graphic designer exactly? What sort of career options, or graphic designer jobs are available in the market?

With this article, we will try to evaluate the basic structure of the graphic design sector. We will also take a concise look at different type of graphic designer jobs that one should assess before making a meaningful career choice.

Level Wise Designer Jobs:

• Mac Operator/Entry Level Designer
• Mid-Level Designer
• Senior-Level Designer
• Art/Creative Director

Areas of Graphic Designer Jobs:

• Print Designer
• Package Designer
• Advertising Designer
• Print Publication Designer
• Logo Designer
• Digital Front End Web Designer
• Designer or Developer
• User Interface Designer
• User Experience Designer

Conclusion: The motive behind publishing this article is to make you aware of all the different type of graphic designer jobs available out there. We encourage you to discover all the career options available that interests you, e.g. you are stuck working as an advertising designer when you could do wonders as a print or package graphic designer. Or you’d be better off as a user interface designer rather than user experience designer.

So what are you waiting for, decide what you’d like to do and be happier in that position…

Let us know what type of graphic designer you are or you want to be? Do you work for a startup, a publicly traded company or as a freelancer? We would like to know!

Graphic Designer Interview: Janak Desai

Oct 4, 2011 by admin    No Comments    Posted under: Designer Interviews, Graphic Design Tips

Janak Desai, logo design and animation pro who runs a design studio at www.DesignStudioSB.com was recently published as the featured designer over at 99designs.com blog.

Interestingly, Janak has won about 44 design contests at the 99designs and is on a roll with his awesome design skills.

We got an exclusive chance to speak with humble Janak Desai who belongs to India, and were able to get insight of an off-shore graphic designer along with some useful design tips. Read on..

DesigningTips.com – Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from and how did you end up being a designer?

Janak Desai – As you know, my name is Janak Desai and I am from India. I completed Advanced Animation Course in MAYA and started my career as a 3D Animator. I was very much interested in post production work of video editing and composting. Besides working as an animation artist, I also jumped into video editing and VFX course. While working on projects of animations, I was also able to make full videos with composting and editing whereas only thing missing was sketches of the logo for logo animation. I used to seek help from other 2D designers, who used to create logos and other design elements of animation for me.

When I started working independently, designing logos and other designs in vector were a challenge for me. I went through some struggle in this part of designing, however learned quite a lot from the online tutorials, e-books & design tip sites. I became skilled in designing logos, graphics elements etc with the help of reading and started taking brand design projects. Now I am a complete graphic designer along with an animation artist.

DesigningTips.com – Is it necessary to go to design school to learn how to be a good designer or is it enough to “attend the school of hard knocks?”

Janak Desai – I don’t think so. I did not learn designing in any design school or institute. But I will definitely like to point out that I had a lot of knowledge of designing being an animation artist. So that obviously helped in sharpening my skills.

I wouldn’t say that you don’t have to attend graphic design school to become a skilled designer however, only going to a design school and learning designing won’t make you a creative designer. You will have to learn a lot, independently of course, work on different projects and also learn from others.

DesigningTips.com – What are the key elements of a good design? Is good design a function of creativity … of sound experience … or both?

Janak Desai – Good design is a package of skills + understanding + appropriate visualization. Experience is helpful for-sure; however you have to attain certain level to use that experience.

DesigningTips.com – What inspires you, and your designs?

Janak Desai – You have to be creative every time and everywhere, not just in designs. If you think creative and act creative, you will be creative automatically when you are working on your design projects. Being creative inspires me the most!

DesigningTips.com – Is there any real difference between designing a brochure/pamphlet/logo, room in a home and clothing for a beautiful woman?

Janak Desai – I think it’s almost similar. I haven’t felt anything different while working on design projects.

DesigningTips.com – How do you work on your design projects? I mean, what design software, applications and design tools do you use the most for your projects?

Janak Desai – It all starts from your research. If I am able to find useful inspiration and proper material, I mix all the stuff, visualize and then sketch down the ideas. After that I start with Adobe Photoshop, and Illustrator.

DesigningTips.com – Are there ever times when design changes are radical?

Janak Desai – A lot of times

DesigningTips.com – Can you tell us about your design portfolio and clientele (people you have worked with & for)?

Janak Desai – I have worked with a variety of clients around the world. All have different needs and diverse choices. Sometimes clients make me learn. And, I have ended up with quite a few awesome designs that I could never imagine before. Sometimes you have to make something which you don’t like but your client insists on working and you have to design it. I rarely put those designs in my portfolio.

DesigningTips.com – Any design tips you would like to share with fresher’s just starting out in the design industry?

Janak Desai – Don’t be afraid of the graphic design industry. Don’t start your career in this industry if you are forced to be a designer. If you like being creative and love designing then you will definitely grow in this industry with your passion. No specific design tips as such, just be yourself & love what you do!

You can find more about Janak Desai from his website here and his 99designs profile here.

Free Icon Pack – SleekSocial

Sep 23, 2011 by admin    No Comments    Posted under: Graphic Design Tips

You can use the SleekSocial free icon pack which includes 10 social media icons, in any of your design projects online and any other commercial or personal work. Inspired by the Adobe Creative Suite logos, each icon has been magnificently created in 6 different colors like red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.

Use your creativity and similar icon color groups to match your graphic design projects primary color and have fun!

The free icon pack is designed and made freely available by Andrew S. Roberts of asroberts.net. Please visit his site for more of his design related work.

Icon File Details

File format: PNG

Icon Size: 420×420px

Licensing: Royalty-free, can be used for commercial and personal work

Attribution requirement: None (but appreciated)

Limitation of use: Do not redistribute files

Number of items: 10

Number of files: 60

Free Icon Pack – SleekSocial (Zip File, 0.68 MB)

Meet Erik Johansson; Professional Graphic Designer from Sweden

Sep 10, 2011 by admin    No Comments    Posted under: Designer Interviews, Graphic Design Tips

Today we have Erik Johansson with us from Sweden, a professional print, graphic designer and re-toucher who has worked with brands like Microsoft, Google, IKEA and many more.

Continue reading below for detailed interview session and some remarkable design tips.

DesigningTips.com – Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from and how did you end up being a designer?

Erik Johansson – My name is Erik Johansson. I’m a professional photographer and designer (retoucher) from Sweden. I mostly work on personal and commercial projects. For me photography is just a way to collect material to realize the ideas in my mind. I get inspired by things around me in my daily life and all kinds of things I see, I always try to make sketches of the ideas I get. Every new project is a new challenge and my goal is to realize them as realistic as possible.

It all started out as a hobby, but after publishing some of my graphic design work online I started receiving requests for commissioned work as well.

DesigningTips.com – Is it necessary to go to design school to learn how to be a good designer or is it enough to “attend the school of hard knocks?”

Erik Johansson – I am mostly self-taught. I think that some people just have it in them. There are both good and bad things about not going to art school. I think I have learned the design tools on my own, perhaps not the fastest and best way always. But at least no one can tell me how it should be.

DesigningTips.com – What are the key elements of a good graphic design? Is good design a function of creativity … of sound experience … or both?

Erik Johansson – There are so many rules to follow, but I don’t really care to follow most of them. I do what I think looks good. I don’t know much about composition and rules, perhaps that is a good thing for me. Music has always been very important for my creativity and inspires me a lot, in every possible manner.

DesigningTips.com – What inspires you, and your designs?

Erik Johansson – I get inspired by all sorts of things. Things I see in my daily life or when I just think of something differently. I think I get more inspiration from drawings than photos, for example: Dali, Rob Gonsalves, Escher, Shaun Tan. But I also get inspiration from things in my daily life and I always make sure to take note or quick sketch each time an idea pops up.

DesigningTips.com – Is there any real difference between graphic designing (brochure/pamphlet/logo), interior designing (room in a home) and fashion designing (clothing for a beautiful woman)?

Erik Johansson – All designs are different. I think it depends more on the creative freedom given in each project. I prefer being involved as much as possible in the creative process even when it’s commissioned projects.

DesigningTips.com – How do you work on your design projects? I mean, what design software, applications and graphic design tools do you use the most for your projects?

Erik Johansson – First I have to come up with an idea, which can take a lot of time. It can take anywhere from a few days to several months or sometimes years. To find the perfect spot is another hard thing and it has to take time. When I’ve found different locations and materials, I just need to photograph it and put it together. For my personal projects, I always want to shoot everything myself. I think I get more control that way but it also limits me somehow. I only use Photoshop CS5 to put my photos together.

DesigningTips.com – Are there ever times when design changes are radical?

Erik Johansson – Well, for commissioned projects I always try to keep the client involved, even when the design is far from over. I think that way I save a lot of time and changes.

DesigningTips.com – Can you tell us about your design portfolio and clientele (people you have worked with & for)?

Erik Johansson – I have only been freelancing for a few years but I have worked with some really interesting clients. Most of my clients are advertisement agencies in Sweden but I have also been working with Microsoft, Google, IKEA and I might have something coming up with a big artist or label in the near future.

Your readers can view my latest design project here: http://youtu.be/cTKU9_dqVUg

DesigningTips.com – Any graphic design tips you would like to share with fresher’s just starting out in the design industry?

Erik Johansson – Trying is the best way of learning. Try to find your own style and what you’re good at. When you’ve learned the design tools, it’s just your imagination that limits you.

You can find more about Erik Johansson from his website here.

Make a Statement With Spotless Graphic Designs; Cristiano Siqueira

Aug 26, 2011 by admin    No Comments    Posted under: Design Firms, Designer Interviews, Graphic Design Tips

We know it’s been a while since we last interviewed a professional graphic designer for you, however, we do think the wait was worth this one. Today we are bringing to you Cristiano Siqueira from Brazil, a graphic design artist  and illustrator who has had the pleasure of associating with brand-names like Microsoft, Nike, Gillette etc etc.

Continue reading below for some amazing design tips and a detailed interview session.

DesigningTips.com – Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from and how did you end up being a freelance graphic designer?

Cristiano Siqueira – I’m an illustrator working from my home office in Sao Paulo, Brazil. I’m 31 years old… Well, it’s really hard to talk about myself; I don’t think I have anything interesting to say about myself!

Okay let’s try this one time: I like football, I like to go out with friends to drink beer and talk useless things, however at times I also talk about some other things, like career, life, Oh and I’m married I don’t have kids, pets, plants, just a small apartment a Wacom tablet and a Mac.

I took some time to realize that I could work as a graphic designer. My educational pattern was a technical course of communication design, based in traditional art, painting, drawing, sculpture and I had some talent in that field. So, I thought I could be a painter or another sort of artist in the future, after further studies, of course. During that time (1996) a “Designer”, for me, was more like an architect or a professional with years and years of experience. Nowadays, people learn Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator and call themselves a “Graphic Designer”. I wish that it was so easy to be one 15 years ago, but it wasn’t. So, with acknowledgment I got in school, the only job I found was of an assistant of another assistant in a small graphic design studio. I got accepted there because I was good in drawing and the employees wanted me to draw few things at the studio, like hand drawn lay-outs, sketches of characters, logotypes, etc.

Once I started at the design studio, daily routines turned out to be quite different than planned. I didn’t make any drawing, as I’d thought and seated in front of a computer with the Adobe Illustrator 7 and asked to redraw scanned logotypes to be applied in books and other stuff. So that’s how I first came in contact with Illustrator. Days and days of redrawing logos made me good with pen tool I think… (Laugh out loud) and that’s how I got promoted to another section, to cut background images from a picture in Adobe Photoshop.

Of course I had problems performing simple tasks, since I didn’t know anything about Photoshop and Illustrator, but I think I have an obsessive (and maybe morbid?) quality for perfection and I took this task as a challenge, studied Photoshop and Illustrator every day, trying to use something more than pen tool. Someone at the design studio suggested me to start colorizing my own hand drawn works in Photoshop and I did it, getting some of the unexpected and out of the world results. With these great outcomes, the directors of the design firm realized that I could do a lot more than cutting off images and that’s how I got to work on my first design project. And this is how, following step by step, with many success and failures, I ended up being a “Graphic Designer”.

Almost 6 years later, after working as a designer for books, CD covers, packaging, etc… I finally started my career as an Illustrator artist. Initially, working for children books and packaging design (with the partners I had from the graphic design jobs), later for magazines and advertisements. The first year as freelance illustrator was really bad, very few projects and that too well underpaid. I had a good experience in graphic design industry however I didn’t know how an illustrator could work like that; the first year was much more of a learning curve.

I found a lot of information on internet blogs, different web-forums, and while interacting with experienced design professionals. I found the SIB (Brazilian illustrators association) and while networking with graphic artists on board, I learned more on how the illustration industry worked, with the knowledge about quotations and contracts. The second year was way better, a lot more design projects and much better payments. I also started sharing my work on different design portals like DeviantArt and of course on my own website. Since then, the ball kept rolling and I kept myself working on new projects and upgrading day by day.

DesigningTips.com – Is it necessary to go to design school to learn how to be a good graphic designer or is it enough to “attend the school of hard knocks?”

Cristiano Siqueira – In my opinion, yes! It’s good to study, to become a graphic designer and even after starting out. The designer needs to keep taking lessons because a lot of new things related to design industry keeps coming around and the creative artist needs to stay up-to-date. For basic development, I think it’s essential.

To be a good designer, one needs to know the basics of his work for example; Composition, color theory, typography, illustration, photography, gestalt, semiotics.

According to me, good designer is a professional who is able to manipulate the graphical language to transmit ideas and concepts. You can only be successful at this, if you study design basics and learn from the past experiences of other design professionals and researchers. All of these things can be learned at a good design school.

DesigningTips.com – What are the key elements of a good design?

Cristiano Siqueira – Key basics of a high-quality design are; good and clear communication, the efficient use of graphical elements to support the communication, high technical level of execution and creativity.

DesigningTips.com – Is good graphic design a function of creativity … of sound experience … or both?

Cristiano Siqueira – I think good design is a realistic portrait of a communicative intention. I mean, the design is good when it can translate an idea, concept or message from an image that can be successfully received by targeted audience. To be precise, when people can actually understand what you really want to say!

DesigningTips.com – Is there any real difference between graphic designing (brochure/pamphlet/logo), a room (office space/bedroom) and clothing for a beautiful woman?

Cristiano Siqueira – Sure, each request has its own language, common codes and references. While using the key elements of a good design I just stated above, you need to use the right basics to be efficient in your communication, and the right elements can be found by studying the language of the different uses, however they all are quite relevant or similar works.

DesigningTips.com – How do you work on your graphic design projects? I mean, what design software, applications and design tools do you use the most for your projects?

Cristiano Siqueira – Primarily, I like to draw some simple sketches on a sketchbook which is always lying next to me. This is just to clarify ideas and concepts. I get on to the computer only when I have something more understandable in mind. So I draw more sketches on computer, even by using my Wireless Wacom tablet and Photoshop or Illustrator (for vectors). From start to finish, the process is drawing, painting and getting references to actually draw what I really don’t know to depict. Sometimes these references are photos, and at times are 3D renders. So, basically my tools are: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, wireless Wacom tablet, Poser, and digital camera to take high-quality reference pictures.

DesigningTips.com – Are there ever times when design changes are radical?

Cristiano Siqueira – In my designs you mean? Well, of course… either by client request, or at times by my creative self. My objective is to get a good design work to my client, and in order to get the best results, I can change or modify everything from the start. I think it’s better to change everything while you are working and are in the process rather than at the end.

DesigningTips.com – Can you tell us about your graphic design portfolio and clientele (people you have worked with & for)?

Cristiano Siqueira – Sure, I can tell you everything about my illustration portfolio since this is the field I’m good at… I had the pleasure to work for: Microsoft, Nike, Gillette, BBDO NY, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners.

I’ve been working with the major publishers here in Brazil, such as: Globo and Abril, along with companies such as MasterCard Brasil, Azaléia, etc.

You can always get to know more about my design portfolio from my website here.

DesigningTips.com – Any graphic design tips you would like to share with freshers just starting out in the design industry?

Cristiano Siqueira – Just keep studying and taking care of the excellent work. Clients come and go, but your creativity should stay. Try to make a statement with your neat and spotless graphic designs.