Not all designers are the same and choosing the right one can be a little daunting so here are some top tips when choosing a designer: Ability Make sure they have the ability to satisfy your needs. Do they use the latest tools and software? Do they have traditional drawing skills. Some designers specialise in a … read more

A web consultant once said to me that “there’s no money in print”. I presume that by this he means that the world of printing i.e. brochures, leaflets, newsletters and the such are in decline due to the rise of the internet (not a new thing of course!) and the importance of companies having a … read more

On a Friday afternoon at about 4.30pm the phone rings in the office and a client on the other end in a very apologetic manner sheepishly asks if you could produce an advert by Monday morning for 9am. After a short conversation it becomes apparent that a copy deadline has slipped through the net for one reason … read more

With more and more businesses deciding to sell online it’s really important to get your shop right. So many online shops fail because the basics are not quite right! Big brands get it right for many different reasons but, mainly because of their already well established brand recognition. That’s not to say that everyone else … read more

Drawing the perfect curves using vector software packages like Illustrator or Photoshop can be cumbersome and a little inaccurate at times if you are trying to draw them freehand. Here’s a neat little trick that can save you hours of scanning, tracing and tweaking vector lines and do it in a geometric and mathematical way, … read more

Design and typography – two very different things but at some point they are going to come together when it comes to designing your way out of a paper bag. Sometimes design won’t involve type and you will have a whole lot of different problems to solve but when design meets typography there are certain things … read more

Designers have a great resource for finding images on the web today with the likes of istock and shutterstock to name a couple. However, when you’re designing something for a the client you don’t want to download the expensive hires file just yet right? So you go for the lores comp version just as an … read more

Logo design should be simple, clean and work both in large and small format. Logo design should look good everywhere in colour, black and white. Logo design should be unique and stand out from your competitors. Logo design should evoke an emotional connection with your target audience and relate to your business. Logo design should be … read more

What do you need to be a web designer? Well to be honest that’s a difficult question to answer because there are so many different areas of web design that to be good at all of them would be to be a jack of all trades and a master of none. One thing is certain … read more

This is my take on drawing pixie dust in photoshop. First of all create a new document of about 1000px by 1000px 300dpi, this will be to create your brush, ultimately you can experiment with different brushes but this will give you a good starting point of how to go about starting it. now using … read more

The design studio is where most graphic designers begin their careers. Studios vary tremendously. They can consist of any number of designers and work in specific design areas, such as three dimensional display and corporate identity, or they can be totally non-specialist and tackle anything. Most studios have senior designers who produce designs from a … read more

Colour plays an enormous part in our lives. From a young age we all have a favourite colour, enjoy brilliant blue skies, and pay attention when we see a red warning sign. Colour is a key tool for a designer – a way to express emotion and feeling without the need for imagery. But we … read more