Top 10 Google Logo Designs in 2011

Dec 27, 2011 by admin    1 Comment     Posted under: Graphic Design Tips

If you have ever used internet, you would most definitely be aware of the world’s largest and strongest online company, yes you are right, we are talking about Google! Interestingly, Google have a tendency to switch logos every now and then as a part of Doodle4Google program on various noteworthy occasions. This strategy is targeted on making Google’s web search a more fun and enjoyable experience on the internet.

Did you know that Google had already changed their logos about 231 times in the year 2011 on all or most of their web properties? Normally, you will see Google logos designed specifically to different countries as people from that particular region use their local Google search engine home page (us being in India will use www.Google.in). One of the most favorite and talked about logo design this year was a Doodle created on Giò Pomodoro’s 81st Birthday from Italy.

This sort of move by Google towards their corporate identity and logo design is distinctive and one of kind, along with fun and graphic designers get to learn quite a lot. Here in this article, we have taken some references from the DesignCrowd and made available about top 10 Google logo designs published in the year 2011.

#1 – Giò Pomodoro’s 81st Birthday (Italy)

Giò Pomodoro was an Italian sculptor and Google designers did an awesome job of creating out of the world logo published below.

#2 – Holi Festival (India)

A lovely and creative example of using negative space in logo design

#3 – Jim Henson’s 75th Birthday (Worldwide)

With this logo publishing, Google is celebrating the birthday of inventor of the Muppets, Jim Henson.

#4 – Mothers Day (Worldwide)

An awesomely elegant, detailed and beautiful logo design for mother’s day by Google!

#5 – Birthday of Constantin Brancusi (Selected Countries)

This logo was designed by Google from sculptures on the birthday of Constantin Brancusi who was a Romanian/French sculptor.

#6 – Tom Jobim’s Birthday (Brazil)

This logo was created by Google for Tom Jobim’s birthday, a Brazilian songwriter, on the theme of a Brazilian holiday and was only available to those in Brazil.

#7 – Spring Day (Romania, Moldova, Bulgaria)

Google logo designed for a one fine spring day, and was named as Martisor.

#8 – Panama Independence Day (Panama)

Google logo with the cute and weird national bird – ‘the harpy eagle’ for Panama’s Independence Day.

#9 – Oodgeroo Noonuccal’s 91st Birthday (Australia)

The Google logo below depicts an Australian poet and activist and the “first Aboriginal Australian to publish a book of verse”.  Logo was inspired by traditional Australian Aboriginal art.

#10 – Hideyo Noguchi’s 135th Birthday (Japan)

Google logo design for the birthday of Noguchi who was a Japanese scientist that discovered “the agent of syphilis as the cause of progressive paralytic disease”

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.

Creating Brands for Over 20 Years; Rudy Hurtado

Aug 16, 2011 by admin    1 Comment     Posted under: Designer Interviews, Graphic Design Tips

Rudy Hurtado was born in a family of doctors where his parents, aunts and uncles were all busy earning livelihood from their medical profession. Rudy was born in Leon Mexico, and studied Industrial/Graphic Design from Universidad La Salle before moving to Toronto. Canada.

Eagle Logo explained; being born in Mexico, Rudy Hurtado wanted to use the frontal Eagle that the very first Mexican flag (1812) had as a symbol (2 images below), along with his initials, nicely carved in it. Rudy realized that the rich Mexican culture was always present in his designs even if he wanted to stay away from it, so he embraced it instead.

In our one-on-one interview session, we break down a few of Rudy’s best design projects, and the DesigningTips.com readers get some motivating and valuable design tips from a veteran graphic designer. So why wait… let’s get on with another interview, with a great graphic artist.

DesigningTips.com – How did you end up being a graphic designer?
Rudy Hurtado – As a kid, I use to spend most of my time drawing graphics for my classmates, and my favorite Rock Band logos. I guess that’s where I fell in love with design; when I understood the combination between art and function in a logo.

DesigningTips.com – Is it necessary to go to graphic design school to learn how to be a good designer or is it enough to “attend the school of hard knocks?”
Rudy Hurtado - I guess if there was a class for TALENT most people would take it, with that I mean I don’t think you need to go to design school, but it definitely give you the ropes to start a design career. However, it is up to you thereafter to keep learning and getting inspiration from everything in the school of life.

DesigningTips.com – What are the key elements of a good design? Is good design a function of creativity … of sound experience … or both?
Rudy Hurtado - Yes, I think it’s a combination of both.

DesigningTips.com – Is there any real difference between graphic designing, room in a home or clothing for a beautiful woman?
Rudy Hurtado - No difference at all, the process is almost same. You see a problem you solve it, simple as that. If it lacks function then it’s a bad design, if the design has no function or purpose then is simply art. In the process of graphic designing you have to make decisions at every step of the way and if you take one wrong step forward, it will take you to the wrong end and the automatically design will fail.

DesigningTips.com –  How do you work on your graphic design projects? I mean, what software, applications and design tools do you use the most for your work?
Rudy Hurtado - I was trained the old way, where you have to sketch everything on a piece of paper, napkin, leaf, anything where you can put an idea down and then once you have conceptually solved the problem, go ahead and polish it. Computers, like laptops and tablets help a lot now days. I also use design applications like Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, and Quark Xpress mainly to do any and every design project. At times, I also use a 3D program.

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

Rudy Hurtado - I would be lying if I said NO! At times, your research will take you in the wrong direction as the client (even with their brief description) would be thinking differently, but that’s the beauty of this relationship with clients, if they thought the same way as graphic designers, it would be boring and no creativity would come out of us. It is refreshing to meet in the middle sometimes, their point of view is so valid, and they know their company and products better than anybody.

Earlier, I used to listen to my male clients, and feedback use to come back regularly, until I realized that the reason they changed the strategy a lot because they took the design concepts back home from office for their better halves input and that would change things (design concept) quite often. However, now I tend to work directly with female clients, period! If the client is a woman, I design for her and if the client is a male, I ask for direct contact for design inputs of their wife, girlfriend, daughter etc. Trust me, gets much better results

DesigningTips.com –  Any design tips you would like to share with fresher’s just starting out in the graphic design industry?
Rudy Hurtado - I can only advice fresher’s to focus on the problem and solve it. If you listen to the problem it will give you the solution, sometimes it happens to all of us, we are set on doing something in a specific style that we forget to solve the real problem. That’s design creativity to you!

You can find more about Rudy Hurtado‘s design portfolio from his website here.

Alan Oronoz; Freelance Graphic Designer from Northern Mexico

Aug 13, 2011 by admin    No Comments    Posted under: Designer Interviews, Graphic Design Tips

With over 6+ years’ experience as a graphic designer in the design industry, Alan Oronoz decided to rediscover his passion for logo design somewhere in the year 2007, and hasn’t looked back ever since.

Alan had an opportunity to work with the likes of HostGator & Discovery Network, some of the most popular and well known companies in their niche. Who exactly is Alan and how has he managed his design business? What made him choose freelancing? Who exactly are his clients? What graphic design tips does he have for us? Alan tells us all this and more in an interview below…

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

Alan Oronoz – My name is Alan Oronoz. I was born in a small town of the state of Chihuahua in Northern Mexico.

I am a freelance graphic designer since the year 2005, with big love for identity design, illustration and passionate about everything related to vintage advertising, cartoons, toys and books. I’m a cheerful person, with an infantile soul, and always trying to have good time with people around me.

My very first approach to this beautiful profession was in early childhood. I remember spending more time drawing sketches rather than playing with the classmates; which eventually led to my first logo design for a club that I had with my childhood friends, nearly at the age of 8. My biggest influence was my father. He was also dedicated to architecture and had the opportunity to design a logo of my high school, which certainly influenced my way up.

When I had to choose a profession, my skills as an amateur cartoonist had grown, and I already had begun selling my drawings to a couple of nearby design agencies in the town. In the year 2005, I began my career as a freelance graphic designer, and on my way, I rediscovered my passion for logo design.

I can say from bottom of my heart, that I love my job, and I hope can do it so for many years to come.

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?”

Alan Oronoz – I attended a design school, but to be honest, I am a self-taught person in some of the core design areas, such as logo designing. Since I hadn’t received enough information from school about what interested me the most in graphic designing.

For me the real school is out there, while working on different design projects, where you never stop learning and always discover new aspects and exciting possibilities. That is where you will find your style, your passion and your way to go about in the design industry.

I think you can be a good graphic designer with or without attending design school.

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

Alan Oronoz – I would measure a good design based on its functionality.

On your own, it can be very difficult to calculate the creativity of your design, because your work will always be judged by a client, or a third party who might criticize it or like, however at the end of the day if your creativity satisfies the client requirements, it will always be counted as a good design.

The 6 years experience in the design industry helped me in discovering a lot of better solutions, to speed my design process and of course helped in improving the quality of my work, but I don’t think it’s a key element for a good design. In my opinion, great designs and ideas can come from anyone out there.

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

Alan Oronoz – Of course, every game has its own rules. Even though some areas of design have a lot in common, but it would be presumptuous to say that one possess the design skills necessary to perform any and every type of design work just because he/she is a designer.

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?

Alan Oronoz – I always work on design projects with an ABCD process:

• Analysis: This is where I start by analyzing all the information made available by the client to identify their needs and determine the best path to follow.
• Brainstorming: During this phase, I only use a pencil, my sketch book and a cigarette (I’m working on fixing my smoking habit and advise beginners to never follow that one). I make little sketches with random thoughts and design ideas that really help in focusing on what I want to do.
• Conception: Here I try to make a selection of the strongest ideas and that’s when the polishing begins, to obtain the final drawings of the concept, of course again only on the paper.
• Develop or Design: This is the last and final stage where I start using the design software’s to vectorize graphics, do color tests, work with the proportion and land at the final design concepts. I like to use different tools; for logo design, it’s always Illustrator and Corel Draw (I keep on using this tool because it was my first design tool and at times, I am quite fast with it) for illustration purposes, Photoshop, illustrator and a Wacom Cintiq. Occasionally, I also use 3DMax and ZBrush to achieve other sort of visuals results.

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

Alan Oronoz – Yes, sometimes the client doesn’t have a clear idea of what they are looking for. That can be challenging, because graphic designers are not mind readers. That’s why a good brief is quite important or else changes become routine work during the design process.

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

Alan Oronoz – I’ve had the opportunity to work with clients from all over the world, however most of my clients were from Europe and the United States, and some of them were the size of Discovery Network and Hostgator. I worked on different kind of projects involving web design, packaging, character development, food illustration and mostly logo design.

But I believe there are no small clients, and I work hand in hand with small businesses or start-up companies and watching them grow gives me an immense satisfaction.

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

Alan Oronoz – Enjoy what you do, love what you do!

You can find more about Alan Oronoz from his website here.

Design Tutorials; Top 10 Logo Design Tips

Aug 11, 2011 by admin    1 Comment     Posted under: Design Tutorials, Graphic Design Tips

It’s never an easy task to keep up your creativeness, but there are always certain steps you can take to persuade the ideas to keep flowing, and to conduit them in the correct direction. Here are some of the best & top 10 logo design tips, which you will find useful in conceptualizing graphics, bringing them from good quality to better, and better to gleaming.

1. A logo doesn’t have to state what a brand does
Hotel logos don’t need to show rooms, web-programmers logo don’t have to show codes, grocery store logos don’t need to show food. Just because it’s related, doesn’t mean you can’t do superior.

The Universal Music logo isn’t a music cd. The BMW logo isn’t a sporty vehicle. The Dell logo isn’t a best laptop. The British Airways logo isn’t an airplane. Etc…

2. Every logo design doesn’t need a symbol/icon/character
Do not hesitate in asking your clients for their opinion. Sometimes they are just happy with a specialized word-mark as a logo for their business.

3. Conflicting two-way thought process
The client might call for something you differ with. Try designing whatever he/she wants, then illustrate what you think is an enhancement, and why. Remember, it might not always work out as you expect.

Clients are less likely to be so defiant if they already see how their thoughts have panned out.

4. Pablo Picasso & Leonardo Da Vinci started somewhere
One doesn’t have to be a logo designer to understand the benefits of logo designing. Thoughts can be carved out much faster and easily between a paper and pen than they can with computer.

5. Delight clients by over-delivering
Estimate longer, if you don’t know how long a logo design project will take to finish. They are like assembly task; setbacks can come up at any given time when you are trying to put together lots of different little elements.

6. Do not follow fashion industry trends
Design trends come & go, and when you’re talking about buying a new dress, or changing a pair of jeans, that’s all right, but where logo design is concerned, prolonged existence matters.

Always try and stand out!

7. Work with a black pencil first
No color or gradient can salvage a feebly designed logo. On the contrary, by not using colors till the end, you can better focus on the design idea.

8. Take relevant approach
Designing brand name for a doctor? Leave aside the fun approach. Designing logo for a comedy show? Not anything serious! I can list hundreds of examples, but you get the idea… right?

9. Simple logo design aids appreciation
Simple design allows for size flexibility and easier modifications. Preferably, the design should work, without much loss of detail, at the most minimum of one inch. Check out the logo designs of major corporations like Microsoft, Mitsubishi, Dell, Samsung, BBC, FedEx, etc. They look easier and simple to recognize.

10. One single feature
All strong logo designs have one single characteristic to aid them stand out. Offer your clients one single feature to remember about their logo. Just one!

Hope these top 10 logo design tips will help you in carving out some of the best logos for your clients. Standout logo image published in this article was designed by the famous logo designer; Josiah Jost from Siah Design. His interview with DesigningTips.com can be followed here.

James Dempsey; an Experienced Graphic Designer from Phoenix, Arizona

Aug 9, 2011 by admin    No Comments    Posted under: Designer Interviews, Graphic Design Tips

Well, today we have with us an experienced graphic designer who is the owner and writer of popular site TheGraphicMac.com, dedicated to providing graphic design resources. Interestingly, James has a wide-ranging experience of about 20 years in the graphics & printing industry, including newspaper, print shop, design & PR firms, and ad agencies.

Check out this one-on-one interview session with James, his understanding of the design industry and graphic design tips below…

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

James Dempsey – I feel fortunate that the high school I attended in Phoenix, AZ offered a vocational education program. One of the courses was graphic arts, which sounded interesting to me, so I decided to select it as one of my classes. Back then the Macintosh had just hit the market and hadn’t gained a foothold in the printing industry yet, so I learned how to do paste-up, stat camera work, and table stripping of the negatives before plating the work and running jobs on small offset presses. By my junior year, it was clear to me that the Mac was the future of the graphic arts industry, and while I continue to learn the printing business, most of my time was focused on graphic design using the Mac.

After graduating high school, I attended a design school, received my AA degree and began an internship at the state’s largest newspaper. It was at that internship, I learned more about what I didn’t know than what I did. This served to drive me to continue my education. I read books and magazines, attended lectures, and got a design job at another local newspaper.

Over the course of a few years, I worked as a graphic designer in the marketing department in a casino, some larger commercial printers, and freelanced in my spare time. Eventually, I found a partnership with a woman who owned a small PR firm. We added graphic design services and grew the business. Owning a business was great, but I ultimately left because I was spending too much time dealing with employee issues, insurance, billing, client services… pretty much everything but design.

Since the late 90s, I’ve been working for ad agencies throughout Arizona and Nevada on local, regional and national accounts; the largest and most recognizable being the Las Vegas Convention & Visitor Authority on the “What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas” campaign.

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?”

James Dempsey – There’s no right or wrong answer to this, but I will say that it can only help to have a formal education in graphic design. However, it has been my experience that so many young designers come out of design school with too much theory and not enough know-how. They have big ideas of what the business should be, and have a very difficult time adjusting to what the business actually is.

The single biggest issue formally educated designers face right out of school is that they actually believe that graphic design has anything to do with artistic ability. It doesn’t. It’s about communicating with the desired target market. It’s about creative thinking. And it’s about listening to your client and their customers.

I’ve interviewed many graphic designers, most with beautiful pieces in their design portfolio. But a very few of them could actually tell me why they designed something the way they did, or who it was targeted at. This is where the school of hard knocks wins every time. Do an internship or two, pick up some real freelance work, and add some concept work to your portfolio.

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

James Dempsey – I think it’s about both, with a lean toward experience. The most visually creative work can fail miserably if the graphic designer doesn’t understand the problem, and bring a solution to it in their design.

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

James Dempsey – In theory, no! As I mentioned above, great design brings a solution to a problem. Brochure graphics must be designed to get the reader to open them and read the whole thing. Logos must be designed to be memorable. A room design must be functional. And a dress must be designed to flatter the features of the woman wearing it. All of those are problems that require a design solution. The designer’s job is to present the solution in a visually appealing way.

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?

James Dempsey – This is one of those times where you should “do as I say and not as I do.” I couldn’t draw a straight line, or a curved one for that matter, to save my life. But you should make a sketchbook your best friend, quickly doodling down your ideas as they come.

As for me, I work almost entirely on the Mac. I get one or two good ideas in my head and use Adobe InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop to comp them up as quickly as possible. Then I stop for a while, look at the graphic designs, and begin to work at really improving them. Sometimes that means simply tweaking the message, and other times it means spending hours coming up with better images, colors and font choices.

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

James Dempsey – Graphic design is a business. Very few of us would do this for free. The sooner you accept that there are small budgets, tight deadlines, and seemingly random client requests to deal with, the better off you’ll be. When the client only has the budget for six hours of design time, then you need to give them four or five hours of your best design work, and save the remaining time for changes they will undoubtedly want made – including making the logo and phone number on their print ad obnoxiously large!

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

James Dempsey – I’ve worked with some large clients throughout my career, including: Las Vegas Convention & Visitor Authority, Cox Communications, BlueCross BlueShield, power companies, banks, casinos, hotels, and restaurants. I’ve also worked full time and freelanced for some great ad agencies. By far the most rewarding work I’ve done though is for small businesses. I find them easier to work for, and ultimately they just seem to appreciate my work more.

Ultimately, it really shouldn’t matter who you work for, as long as you’re proud of your work and get paid a reasonable fee for it. If you spend your time chasing the ultimate client while doing work you don’t enjoy, you’re ultimately going to get burnt-out on the business.

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

James Dempsey – First, find out what you don’t know and what you aren’t good at, and work toward a positive change. Don’t just know how to use your design software, be an expert at it. Take a photography class, or maybe a writing class, to expand your horizons. A better-rounded designer is more desirable graphic designer to clients.

Second and this is most important, get a hobby. I love design, but I began burning-out on it after about ten years. I started TheGraphicMac.com (shameless plug) for two reasons. I wanted to help new graphic designers by offering design tips, software reviews, and links to design resources, because I didn’t have that benefit when I was coming up in the industry. But mostly, I wanted a different creative outlet that didn’t involve clients or design.

I love computers, and I found out that I enjoyed writing – even though I’m not particularly good at it. I find it to be a great creative outlet for me. I also love digital photography. No matter what your hobby is, it’ll serve to keep you fresh for your day job!

You can find more about James Dempsey from his website here.

Interview with Sarah Khan; Graphic Designer & Creative Director from Washington

Aug 4, 2011 by admin    3 Comments    Posted under: Designer Interviews, Graphic Design Tips

One of the initiatives out of many, which we have taken at DesigningTips.com, is of bringing an exclusive one-on-one interview session with leading graphic designers from around the world.

Well, today we are bringing to you an in-depth interview with Sarah Khan, the creative director of a Washington, DC based design firm; iKhan Design. Check out her deep intuitive understanding of the profession and design tips below…

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

Sarah Khan – I was born and raised in the suburbs of Washington, DC as the only girl in the family, with three brothers. I had always been interested in art as a child and coming from an artistic family helped to grow that passion until I realized, that I wanted to be a graphic designer. Before my father immigrated to the United States in the 1970′s, he was an art director in Pakistan; needless to say I was ingrained with design sensibilities at an early age. My father owns a screen printing company, so CAD and Corel drawings were familiar to me. Eventually, I began to experiment with Adobe Photoshop as a teen. I even had one of those old school Geocities page in middle school where I used to write about my boy band crushes. In high school, I found myself skipping classes except my 8th period of Ceramics session. That’s when I realized, I loved to make things beautiful. I went on to get my B.A. in Graphic Design from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and an M.F.A. in Graphic Design from the Savannah College of Art & Design.

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?”

Sarah Khan – I could answer this very simply by saying no, it is not necessary to attend design school in order to be a good designer but considering I have two degrees in the field I think I need to explain a bit further.

Generally, I believe that fundamental design skill is natural and can’t necessarily be taught. People without a true love and understanding of basic design principles can’t suddenly learn them in 4 years.

Design school simply creates a safe environment in which students are able to experiment and hone their skills under the proper supervision which obviously can be very helpful – as it was for me. However, there are plenty of amazing designers who never went to a design school and are self taught, one of my favorites being Carlos Segura from Segura, Inc. I actually wrote and designed a book about Carlos.

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

Sarah Khan – Good design solves client problems simply and effectively. If the solution is creative – great, but I will always favor a simple and effective design solution with sound experience that accomplishes the goal over a super creative and less effective design.

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

Sarah Khan – Of course there are real differences between these three things, they all have different goals and needs associated with them. Designing a brochure, pamphlet or logo relies heavily on communicating an idea using text and images. These items involve marketing thinking in order to effectively promote a product or service, whereas designing a room and an outfit for a beautiful woman could potentially be that product or service.

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?

Sarah Khan – My number one design tool is a pencil and my Moleskine notebook. I try to sketch out every idea before it leaves my brain and gets onto computer. Sketching for me is especially important when I am working on a project and I get inspired for another design project that I don’t have time to work on yet. I spend a lot of time doing research online, so staying on track and not getting distracted is sometimes hard to do. To help me stay on top of projects, I use the Behance Action Book. The action book has helped me visualize what is on my plate for that particular day and where my priorities are for that week.

When it comes to my digital work I rely heavily on Apple iMac and four Adobe products I could not live without; Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Dreamweaver.

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

Sarah Khan – In my relatively short career of a graphic designer, the greatest shift in design I’ve seen is on the web. As browsers are progressing swiftly with technology, designers are beginning to push the boundaries of web design forward with innovations such as web fonts and moving away from the Flash phenomenon we saw in the late 90′s. I can see this shift occurring once again as the era of “responsive web design” and “mobile-first” are sweeping the design blogo-sphere. A decade ago the internet was very new and designers were designing websites with a lot of animation, slow load times and varying browser support, simply because they could and not because it made sense for the goals of the client. Good modern web design shows much more restraint.

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

Sarah Khan – I currently work full-time as a senior web & graphic designer for the number one lobbying firm in the U.S. while still pursuing my freelance career as a creative director of iKhan Design’s. At my full-time job I have been able to work on a number of projects with good printing budget. Being born into a family in the printing business, paper still holds a great deal of love in my heart. Two of my projects have won GDUSA American In-House Design Awards. The “Power of Diversity” brochure was featured in GDUSA magazine in 2010 and the “One World. Infinite Possibilities.” brochure was featured in 2011. (See artwork below)

Based out of a powerful city such as Washington, DC has allowed me the opportunity to work with many political clients (see photo iali.jpg). While only one of my clients is directly involved in the political arena (IALI), my work for associations and lobbying firms are closely tied to politics. I give credit to the 2008 Obama campaign for bringing beautiful design to Washington and opening the door for young designers such as myself to help companies bring their marketing campaigns up to date with the use of creative designs. Although some of these projects may not be the best, but they do present a heightened level of design challenges which allow me to grow as a graphic designer. Many of the clients I work with have no idea what good design is, or how to effectively relay their message to their target consumer. This allows me to serve as the educator in a sense and build a trusting relationship with my clients from the ground up. Companies are very focused on their web presence at the moment and in turn my design portfolio is web design heavy.

The most recent website launch I worked on was a full redesign for the Community Financial Services Association of America (CFSA). CFSA needed an effective vehicle to battle the often negative publicity the payday lending industry was receiving (See photo cfsa.jpg). Advocating on behalf of their members was especially important to CFSA via their website since a new federal agency which directly affects its members, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, was slated to launch in mid 2011. We decided to take an aggressive approach to tackle the common misconceptions associated with the payday industry. One of the ways we did this was by incorporating “Myth vs. Reality” banners on the home page which link to more information about the payday industry.

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

Sarah Khan – I think the more experience you gain, the better. No design school can prepare you for the actual client work. Stay grounded, be prepared to encounter criticism and of course, change your design work accordingly if considered necessary…it happens more often than you’d think!

You can find more about Sarah Khan from her website here.

Interview with Siah; a Logo Design Specialist from Southern Alberta

Jul 29, 2011 by admin    5 Comments    Posted under: Designer Interviews, Graphic Design Tips

Josiah Jost, better known by his nickname Siah (sigh-ah) is a unique logo designer, who has worked with clients from over 2 dozen countries. Being a specialist, he has won various awards for his logo design work and featured in multiple design books and related websites (LogoLounge.com, LogoDesignLove.com, iHeartLogos.com, LosLogos.org, etc). Josiah freelances under his business name Siah Design.

We spoke to humble Josiah and he was kind enough to answer all of the questions for our readers of DesigningTips.com. Check out the insight he shares and some of his thoughts in the interview that follow along with design tips.

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

Josiah Jost – I’m Josiah Jost and based out of Milk River, Alberta, Canada.  I try to be really down to earth and love my family to pieces. My faith in Jesus Christ has made a huge impact on my life and work motivation.

I first started in design industry back when my family (josties.com) needed design work done when I was in my mid-teens. We had a newsletter we would send out to a few hundred families and we also did music so I was nominated to do the album artwork, etc… I started very amateur but found out I really enjoyed designing. I then started freelancing in the year 2005. One of my first jobs was designing over 100 logos for a domain name selling site. I was hooked from there and started focusing on logo designs. In 2008, I went to full time logo design work and have not been out of work since then. I thoroughly enjoy my job and love it every time I get to pick up the pencil for a new project under Siah Design.

Meaning of Siah Design Logo: The Siah Design logo shows a hand with index finger showing direction with the bottom part of the hand being the pencil – in doing so, the mark also forms a monogram “S” for Siah. The icon suggests giving direction to creativity. The significance of the finger pointing up for myself though is that it is pointing up to God giving Him any credit for his design work.

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

Josiah Jost – Is it required to go to design school? Absolutely not… Is it required to learn design? Absolutely!

As long as you have diligence and drive you can be self-taught. There’s a wealth of information available to people that want to learn design. For logo design, I would recommend the books, “Designing Brand Identity” by Alina Wheeler and “Logo Design Love” by David Airey.

Personally, I am self-taught and have really enjoyed the process. We should always be learning anyways, whether in school or not. Ah… still so much to learn. One could spend his entire life just studying typography alone.

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

Josiah Jost – Good design is an engaging design. And engaging design usually comes with experience and creativity. The key to good, engaging design requires knowing what message needs to be conveyed through the design and executing it.

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

Josiah Jost – I’m sure a lot of the same core principles apply to these fields, but I’ve never designed clothing for woman so I wouldn’t know for sure. All design projects should start with pencil and paper though.

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

Josiah Jost – I use the following applications and software for my design projects:

• Adobe Illustrator software for executing designs
• Both an Apple MacBook Pro and a souped up computer to work on
• Ticerondera #2 HB pencils for sketching
• Multiple Sketch Pads all around the house
• Wireless Wacom Intuos for a digital drawing tablet
• Music to aid inspiration
• & dark chocolate…

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

Josiah Jost – It varies a lot. Sometimes the client wants to finalize the first design out of the gate – and sometimes the client wants to see the logo in 10 assorted colors and fonts. Rarely does the original design look radically different from the original though.

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

Josiah Jost – My logo design portfolio spans from work done in 2005 to present. I’ve had the privilege of working with clients from over 2 dozen different countries. At the moment, I’m working with Les Stroud (Survivorman) on a project, with a Russian consulting firm and Chinese venture capital company.

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

Josiah Jost – Keep an open mind and always be open to critiques. Share your work on design forums with professionals to get opinions. Just because your family or roommate thinks your work is “awesome” doesn’t mean it’s true. Start small and charge low so you can build up your portfolio.

Live a balanced life. It’s easy for me to get so caught up in work I miss out on life’s little joys – and it’s then that the quality of my work usually drops, too. So stay focused, eat healthy, love those close to you and enjoy whatever stage you are at in life with gratitude.

Some of Josiah’s logo design work is featured below:

You can find more about Josiah “Siah” Jost from his website here.

Logo Design Tips; It is all about Creative Flair and a Superb Imagination

Jul 21, 2011 by admin    1 Comment     Posted under: Design Firms, Design Tutorials, Graphic Design Tips

Logos are often very simple-looking designs that, at first glance, appear to have taken an art director or designer no more than a few minutes to “think up” and develop. The truth is something very much different … almost the exact opposite.

Logos are how companies, corporations and businesses identify themselves graphically. They are critically important to every business because prospects and potential customers tend to buy products and services from companies that have logos they recognize.

In fact, when potential customers recognize a corporate logo, it generally inspires confidence in the company that has the logo … “tells” or implies to the potential customer that this is a company he/she can trust.

That’s why most companies and corporations are willing to allocate huge sums of money to advertising agencies and/or marketing companies that specialize in logo design. Yes … it’s that important.

And, as you might expect, “the simple logo” you recognize for companies like Coca Cola, for example, require long hours of “brainstorming,” market research and more before a design is presented and approved.

The truth is that the simple design which you look at and take for granted is the result of lots and lots of hard work. Here are some simple tips to consider if you’re thinking of creating a logo for your company … whether it is large or small.

• Tip #1 … Make sure that your logo graphically represents what your company is all about. Assume, for a moment, that your firm is very modern and “cutting edge.” If so, your logo should have a “high-tech” 21^st century look … nothing ornate or old-fashioned because that would not be an appropriate representation of your firm … and, as a result, you would not attract the people who are likely to be real prospects.
• Tip #2 … K.I.S.S. — Keep It Simple Stupid! Your logo doesn’t have to be so clever that people looking at it have no idea what your company does. Keep in mind that consumers don’t pause and study your designs. They look at them for a brief moment and then focus their attention elsewhere. Your logo needs to impart relevant information about your company “at a glance.”
• Tip #3 … Make your logo memorable. Some logos have, over time, become iconic – completely unforgettable… and dominant. These “iconic” logos actually become representative of a particular product or service, completely overwhelming all other logos for companies offering a competitive product or service. If you can reach that level of recognition, you will enjoy unparalleled success.

There are probably other tips you can pay attention to – or use – to help you get a logo that “speaks volumes” about your company and becomes instantly recognizable to consumers, too. One such tip is this: Go online in search of an advertising firm that specializes in logo design. Check their record … and their fee structure.

If you like what you learn about them – and you’re comfortable with the fee they plan to charge — hire them and “turn them loose.”

Your logo is critically important to the long-term success of your company. Put your faith in an advertising or marketing firm that can help you achieve the lofty goals you’ve set for your company.