Graphic Design Tips (Submit Your Own & Win $50)
Written by Jacob Cass on Monday, August 4, 2008 – 10:30 pm
Below are some graphic design tips that were submitted by JCD readers earlier this week as part of our 5000+ subscribers celebration. Read more »
6 Photoshop Tips and Tricks That You Probably Don’t Know About
Written by Jacob Cass on Thursday, June 26, 2008 – 10:00 pm
Here are 6 Adobe Photoshop tips and tricks that you probably don’t know about (I bet you don’t know at least one). This post comes after hearing the reactions from some of my fellow students in class when they found out about some of the options available that they never knew about.
1. Refining a selection
After you make a selection in Photoshop you can easily edit the selection using refine edge in the top toolbar. You must try this out, it is very useful!
2. Hidden Options Behind Arrows
I am amazed by how many people do not know about these tiny little arrows that hold so many more options! These tiny arrows are pretty much on every tool bar across the whole Adobe Suite. I assure these arrows will open you up to a whole new world.
3. Blending Options
If you right click on a layer in the layers toolbar, and then click blending options this will bring you to a whole vast array of effects that will keep you busy for hours. Use these options very sparingly.
4. Resist The Urge to use the filter gallery, especially the lens flare.
Not so much of a ‘tip’ but more ‘helpful advice’… but yes you heard me, do not use the filter gallery. Design is not filter effects and it never will be. Also please resist adding lens flare to your work, as well as rainbow gradients, embossed type and drop shadow unless you know how to use it well. You may want to check out 15 Signs Your a Bad Graphic Designer. NB. Rules can be broken.
5. Layer Blending Modes
Once you master the blending modes in Photoshop you can pretty much ‘own’ photoshop. Open up the layers palette, select a layer and click the downwards arrow where it says Normal. Try experimenting with different blending modes on different layers, put layers above or below other layers, change the opacity and so fourth and you will be amazed!
6. The best tip of all…
Practice. You can do this by doing tutorials or watching videos or experimenting on your own. Practice, practice, practice!
In my own personal experience I have found that if I find a design piece or style that I really like, I search the net and magazines for tutorials on how to recreate that effect and try to adapt it to my own personal project and style… I find this a great way to learn. Also if you ever need help, check out Adobes Help function in the programs and also write questions on forums (or blogs)… people will be more than happy to help you out!
Is this article worthy of a stumble or designfloat? 
How many of these did you know about?
Want to know how to design? Learn The Basics.
Written by Jacob Cass on Friday, June 13, 2008 – 10:00 pm
Want to know how to design? Then you should learn the basics of design. The basic elements of design include colour, line, shape, scale, space, texture and value and these are the fundamental pieces that make up any piece of work. If you ever start a design course this will be the very first thing that you are taught, guaranteed.
But what if you’re not a student? What if you’re not self-taught? What if you are a looking for ways to enhance your design skills? Then this is the guide for you.
Note from Jacob Cass: This is a guest article written by Lauren Marie who is a graphic designer in corporate America during the day and a blogger via night. I have been reading her blog for some time now and it is a great resource, which is currently undergoing a redesign.
Colour
Colour has a huge impact on the mood of the design. A predominantly red colour usually represents strong emotions—love, anger, passion—while blue can make the design feel calm, cool and peaceful. Color contributes to the unity of a series of flyers, emphasizes important information and leads the eye through a design.
Select articles on color:
- Using Colour: Real World Examples
- The Colour Wheel and Color Theory
- Pantone Swatches on Squidoo
- Colour: Meaning, Symbolism and Psychology on Squidoo
- The Best Colour Tools Online
Line
Are your lines straight and slim, or thick and squiggly? The quality of the line (hand drawn to precise) can say a lot about the mood you are setting with your design. Hand drawn or thick lines tend towards juvenile themes, where as straight and thin lines are more refined, corporate or intelligent.
How lines interact with each other is important, too. If they are straight, thin lines, but are colliding at all sorts of crazy angles, that is going to be chaotic. If they have a hand drawn quality to them but are more or less straight and orderly, this can give a much needed personal appeal to a design.
Select articles on line:
- Using Line: Real World Examples
- Artist’s Toolkit: Line
- Introduction to the Elements of Design: Point and Line
Shape
Did you know that shapes can convey a mood just like any other element of design? Angular shapes like squares and triangles tend to indicate masculinity, while smooth and curving shapes like circles are more feminine. Squares are very familiar to us (think of your monitor, a piece of paper or the TV screen), so they are secure, trustworthy and stable. Circles very pleasing to the eye and are organic, whole, peaceful and exude unity.
Select articles on shape:
Using Shape: Real World Examples
Scale and Size
Bring balance, proportion and contrast to your designs with scale and size. Just for reference, size is the actual dimensions of an element on the page, scale is the element’s relation to its original (like putting a person on a billboard—it’s going to be “larger than life”) and proportion is the relation of all the elements on the page in terms of size and scale. Use scale and proportion to indicate the actual size of an object or to emphasize the difference in the sizes of two objects (a child’s hand against its mother’s is a common use of size).
Select articles on scale/size:
Using Scale: Real World Examples
Space
Space is often referred to as white space, and gives the design some breathing room and the eye a place to rest. An ill use of space (or perhaps a very well planned out use) can make the design feel crowded and claustrophobic. Too much space, however, and the design can seem unfinished, like it’s missing something. Once you know the rules (for any of these elements, really), you can also experiment with breaking them in order to push a different emotional response.
Select articles on space:
Using Space: Real World Examples
A List Apart: Whitespace
Texture
Texture is a fun element to experiment with and use to bring realism to your designs. It can be effectively used to add visual interest and it really helps make a design unique. Textures are not just applied in the computer; you can take into consideration the materials used in the final printed pieces, too.
Select articles on line:
Using Texture: Real World Examples
Value
Value can really add unity to your designs if you pay attention to this neglected element. It is also a great way to create a focal point and guide the viewer’s eye through the layout. This little element can bring together parts of the design to make them balanced; using elements similar in a high intensity value (light, towards the white end of the spectrum) can create a subdued tone, where values lower in intensity (darker, towards black) can be ominous and foreboding. Using values on either extreme of the spectrum has a very dramatic effect.
Select articles on value:
ArtLex: Value
The Purpose of Graphic Design
The purpose of graphic design is communication. As you go through each stage of your design process, ask yourself how you are using each of these elements of design to enhance the delivery of the message, affect the mood of the piece and relate the product or message to the target audience. Remember that these elements apply to everything in the layout, from composition, to photos, to typography.
How & Where To Get Paid Freelance Work While You’re Still A Design Student
Written by Jacob Cass on Thursday, March 27, 2008 – 6:07 pm 
This was an article that I wrote last month on Freelance Folder and it received quite a stir so I thought I would share it with you and add it to the archives here on Just Creative Design. I have also added to the article quite a bit since then so that’s another bonus.
As some of you may know I am a second year graphic design student and an active freelancer so I am going to share my tips on how and where to get freelance design jobs while you are still a graphic design student.
For most 1st, 2nd or 3rd year students, finding a part time or even casual job in the design industry is quite frustrating and nearly impossible and most resort to working at their local store, however, there is hope - I am living proof that a design student can get a job in design while still studying, here are my tips… Read more »
Top 10 Design Questions from Students
Written by Jacob Cass on Thursday, February 28, 2008 – 6:11 pm 
A current discussion on Speak Up at the moment is on the top 10 design questions that design students ask. I would love to hear the answers to these questions from Just Creative Design readers.
To read what others have already answered check out the discussion on SpeakUp.
- I can’t draw at all, so will that hurt my chances of succeeding as a designer?
- Why do I have to know the differences between Helvetica, Arial, and Univers?
- Is it true that I have to know Quark?
- What’s wrong with downloading illegal copies of software because I can’t afford to buy them as a student?
- How long should my resume be?
- Should I work for free just to get some experience?
- Will I have to leave (the city where I live) in order to get a job?
- How do I get work as a freelancer right out of school?
- What if a job description asks for print and interactive design experience, but I don’t have interactive experience?
- Can I get a job working in the video game industry by learning about graphic design?
Some other questions that I always hear from students:
- How much does a graphic designer earn?
- Should Designers design their resume?
- What’s the difference between an art director and a creative director? Check out Designer Job Definitions.
- Where can I get design inspiration?
- How do you price a graphic design job?
My favourite reply reply to the first 10 questions above was by Greg Scraper.
1. I can’t draw at all, so will that hurt my chances of succeeding as a designer?
I don’t think it hurts, but it certainly helps. You don’t necessarily need to be able to produce Rembrandts, but being able to draw helps frame an idea, and keeps you from having to flesh out the whole thing on the computer to find out it doesn’t work as well as you hoped. In my experience, being able to visualize what you want and drawing it are two really similar things, so it may turn out that you can draw, and just lack the patience for it.
2. Why do I have to know the differences between Helvetica, Arial, and Univers?
Knowing letterforms is what we do. Especially if you “can’t draw,” you have to be able to at least appreciate differences in letterforms. A designer who can’t draw and doesn’t know type doesn’t have many marketable skills left to fall back on.
3. Is it true that I have to know Quark?
Having at least a rote knowledge of Quark is good; knowing InDesign, however, is key. Your first job isn’t likely to have you drawing in Illustrator all day or only retouching photos. Most likely, you’re going to end up doing prepress or resizing ads or typesetting, all of which requires InDesign (for at least the foreseeable future).
4. What’s wrong with downloading illegal copies of software because I can’t afford to buy them as a student?
That is a moral issue that is up to the individual, however, I feel like charging kids an extra $1000 on top of classes, books, printing and lab fees is patently ridiculous. Adobe ought to figure out something that keeps kids from having to resort to file-sharing software just to make it through school. Maybe some sort of program not unlike a student loan, where the fees aren’t charged until after the student’s out of school.
5. How long should my resume be?
How many places have you worked? What’s the format? I made my first resume 4C, front and back, 5″x5″, diecut, and trifold just to be different. Screw the 8.5″x11″ white paper. But it is nice to have one of those on hand too.
6. Should I work for free just to get some experience?
NO. Anyplace that will take your work for free to make a profit will take it for at least a nominal fee. Don’t get in the habit of devaluing design. Pro-bono is a different matter.
7. Will I have to leave (the city where I live) in order to get a job?
Take a good hard look at the ratio of design graduates per year vs. viable job opportunities. Decide if you have all the necessary skills to compete in whatever market you’re in. If you’re in a town with an average of eight new positions per year with fifty new graduates per semester from three different colleges, them ain’t good odds. Go look elsewhere, or get involved with someplace like Aquent that will help build your skills to make you more competitive.
8. How do I get work as a freelancer right out of school?
Know anyone who needs a good designer? Or get involved with someplace like Aquent, that will help build your… wait, I’ve said this before. Though Aquent does take a fair chunk, so getting your own work is preferred.
9. What if a job description asks for print and interactive design experience, but I don’t have interactive experience?
Don’t lie. Though sometimes, the “Fake it ’til you make it” mantra will work, since generally the place asking for both doesn’t know much about either. For the most part, however, the two have grown apart so much that it’s not really possible to be good at both.
10. Can I get a job working in the video game industry by learning about graphic design?
I don’t know, can you get a job as an airline pilot by learning about cruise ships? I do, however, work down the street from EA and know a little about how they hire, and they have a fairly rigorous training method that involves taking classes in their internal school and being a video game tester (not in the fun way) for a period before you can even think about getting in on the design aspects of the games. And even those jobs are competitive.
Please leave your answers to some or all of the above 15 questions.
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