Inspiring Intimidation
Published on Sunday, April 5, 2009 – 6:16 pm | 29 brilliant comments »
I announced a few days ago that I was attending the two day Australian design conference, Semi Permanent… well this article is a semi review of it.
Inspiring Intimidation
Yes the conference was inspirational - very much so - yet it was also quite intimidating, which I suppose is just natural. For 6 hours each day, one listened to leading industry professionals talk about their design process, work, awards and in some cases, their income.
After hearing all of these leaders speak about their achievements there really was no other choice but to feel some form of intimidation which ironically, is quite uninspiring… It makes you think to yourself “am I actually any good?” which obviously can take a toll on your self confidence & motivation.
Anyway, here are some things to remember:
- Everyone was a beginner at some stage
- You improve over time
- Luck can come your way at any time
- With knowledge comes power
- …but with power comes responsibility
- Be comfortable of where you are at but know where you want to go
- Explore, experiment and practice
- Take risks but be aware of your limitations
- Don’t compare yourself to others
- Be aware of ‘fakers’
Intimidating Logo Design
To put this into perspective, I will put this into a scenario that I am most familiar with. Many of you may know that I specialise in logo and identity design however this was not always the case.
Before I was specialising in logo design, I was always fascinated by other professional logo designs and designers such as the many talented ones found over at LogoPond. Little did I know that many of these logo designs were actually fictional.
Designers create ‘exceptional’ logo designs, based on made up names / themes (ie. no real client) which are then blended to create a seemingly ‘perfect’ logo. Although this has been pointed out before, it can be extremely intimidating… you think to yourself “I could have never come up with a design like that”.
This relates back to the design conference where such mind blowing work was being shown off… you compare the awesome work to the skills you believe you currently have which then results in a sense of awe and in some cases, intimidation.
The point I am trying to make here is that while on the surface something may seem great and all inspiring, there is much more than to it that - much more. Don’t be uninspired by intimidating inspiration, just get out there and do your best, you’re time will come.
29 comments thus far »
Freelancers: Inspire yourself, Vary your Working Environment
Published on Wednesday, July 16, 2008 – 10:00 pm | 14 brilliant comments »
In this guest article Liam McKay* talks us through some strategies on how to increase your creativity & productivity by varying your workplace.
Working as a freelancer may sound like an ideal solution to office life. You get to work at home, working for yourself, choosing your own hours and clients. But is it really that much of an escape from the office lifestyle, are you really getting away from it all. Too often people end up spending more hours on their computer, cooped up in a make-shift office, rarely seeing daylight and working in the same space they live in.
It can all get too much and you end up getting bored of seeing the same thing’s on a daily basis, and in a lot of cases freelancers end up returning to full-time work after realising that the working-from-home-environment isn’t that much of a getaway.
Working from home shouldn’t mean you are confined to working from your bedroom, who says you can’t work from somewhere else. The only person stopping you is yourself. There are a few things you can do to escape your daily workplace boredom.
Leave the Country
Editors note: Or state, if in Australia? We can drive for 1000km and still not get out of our backyard.
Yeah, that’s right… leave the country. It sounds drastic, but today it’s even easier than ever to work from another country. It doesn’t have to be permanent, it can just be for the duration of your project, be it a few days or a few weeks. Getting away from your home / office can have a great effect on your work.
This doesn’t have to be something you do very often, it can be something you do when you’re particularly bored of your workplace for an occasional treat and motivational boost.
Benefits
1. You’ll be able to focus more.
This is because there are less distractions that may come with working from home. But if you are on a holiday you can easily get away from any distractions and focus more time & energy on your work.
2. You’ll be more inspired, creative & productive.
Working in your office day in day out can just dry up any creativity you might have. Getting away to a new location can give your mind a new way of thinking and open your eyes to new ideas. Here are some ways to Boost Your Creativity.
3. You’ll be able to relax more.
Working from home sometimes means your relaxation area is also your working area. This means that you never really get a chance to escape the computer, or emails etc. Working on a holiday means that there’s always somewhere else to go or visit once you’ve finished your working hours.
How?
You will only need some basic equipment, a small amount of cash, and a passport and you are set. It’s quite a big step to take, but it’s something which could help release you from a creative block, and re-inspire you as a designer. There are a few things that you will need to do this;
Laptop
Probably this go’s without saying but the first thing you will need is a Laptop. Today the power and portability of a laptop means that working away from home no longer means you have to compromise on the ability of your computer.
USB Broadband Modem Stick
This is probably the most important part of the whole “leave the country” idea. It’s a technology which allows you to plug in a small USB stick to your laptop, and with a monthly fee of around £15 per month will give you access to the internet completely wireless in about 40+ countries. Including the UK, US, Australia, Sweden, India, Spain, Portugal, Greece, France etc & many more.
There are a variety of price plans, monthly usage limits and companies to choose from, but most are a reasonable price and have a large coverage area. It is important to know that connection speeds and availability will vary from country to country, but I’ve found that it is very easy to get coverage information from the makers of the sticks.
Cheap Flights
International travel is cheaper than ever. Budget airlines usually offer much cheaper rates for last minute flights, so you could choose a destination & book flights and a place to stay within a week, or even a couple of days if you’re not too picky. But if you think about it, it really isn’t too hard just to…
Get out of the House
This is something you can do on a daily basis, or just when you feel like it. It’s a good release and a great way to help you focus on your work. Using the same technology as above, all you need to do is find somewhere near by and take your laptop & USB Broadband (or WiFi), and that’s it… you’re set.
The advantage of this is you can really get your money’s worth out of your laptop & USB Broadband. If you’re going to work outside your house quite often then the small amount of money you have to pay for the equipment will seem quite insignificant in terms of the productivity and time you have gained.
Where can you go?
A quiet place near-by
Well, providing your USB broadband stick has a decent enough signal… you can go anywhere. A local park, a forest, public gardens, a field, the beach, anywhere. I bet there’s somewhere quite beautiful not far from where you live, just somewhere where you can go and not worry about distractions - how about the top of a mountain.
Obviously you don’t need to have the Internet to do these things, you could work off-line, but I think (given the technology is out there) that the ability to be on-line, communicate, send files etc. makes working away from your home/office a much more appealing option.
A friends house
If you know another freelancer, or someone in a similar position as you, it may be a good idea to work in the same place. The advantages of this is that it’s not going to feel totally alien to you, it’s still an office, but it’s a new office.
It’s going to feel like it did the first day you started working from your own room, you’ll be full of enthusiasm and eager to get stuck in to your new work place. It will be the same feeling you get from your first day at work.
Working with someone in a similar position as you also gives you the chance to get a second opinion, share ideas and concepts. It’s always good to have direct feedback from a different pair of eyes than your own.
Final Thoughts
There is technology out there that gives you, as a freelancer, a lot more freedom and options when it comes to where you work. I’m sure there are a lot of places near your house you could visit to work, literally hundreds of places.
There are numerous countries that you could visit to do your work in, and hopefully this has opened your eyes to the fact that there is a world out there, and working in a profession involved around working on a computer no longer means you need to stay confined to your office space, you can give yourself a more inspirational environment to work in, and the chances are, it can only improve your work.
*About the author: Liam McKay has a passion for all things design, but his focus at the moment is on designing websites & blogs. Visit his site WeFunction
14 comments thus far »
7 Female Graphic Designers That’ll Rock Your Socks Off
Published on Thursday, July 10, 2008 – 10:00 pm | 38 brilliant comments »
In this guest article Kelly Erickson* comes back for a second guest article (find her first article here) and this time Kelly showcases 7 truly unique and inspirational female graphic designers with a brief bio on each.
The field is ever-changing, yet the rock stars of graphic design are still, mainly, men. Meanwhile, the purchasing power of the globe is in the hands of individual women… It’s time to see more women like these seven, making a mark with their own Vision. Get inspired!
Marian Bantjes: Step Away From the Computer!
Based near Vancouver, British Columbia, Marian Bantjes’ extraordinary way with communication begs to be called “graphic art,” in the finest sense of the term. Fabulous hand lettering is her trademark, demonstrating the power of a fine pen in a plugged-in world. A 2006 installation created with Stefan Sagmeister shows off her hand work in an ultra-modern context. Her spam email centerfold for the Vancouver Review will make you tear your hair out with jealousy. This is one hard-working lady, even when she’s riffing on a bit of junk mail!
Kristen Nikosey: The Art and Craft of Communication
Illustrator and graphic designer Kristen Nikosey’s work evokes Impressionist painting and Arts & Crafts style, with a distinctly California vibe. Her book illustrations are rich. Her pattern designs are meticulously casual, if such a thing is possible, with deep color that jumps off the page. In her packaging and identity work she blends today’s digital design techniques with her old-world sensibilities.
Janet Allinger: With Tongue Planted Firmly in Cheek
Irreverent humour in identity design? If you’ve got Janet Allinger to inspire you, why not! If the market can take it, this designer dishes it out. While she’s been known to do more traditional design, it’s her post-feminist comic stylings that will grab and hold your attention. Fun, funky, and a little bit in-your-face—this lady’s not afraid of being known as “edgy.”
Laura Smith: Reinventing Retro
While designer Laura Smith is at work, Art Deco will always find fresh interpretations. She’s done work for heavy hitters from Time Magazine to Major League Baseball to the U.S. Postal Service, and that’s just for starters. Classic, colorful, edited to only the necessary detail, her graphic images are nostalgic but never stuffy.
Louise Fili: Elegant Romance
Louise Fili has a special way with food packaging and restaurant identity design: the old-fashioned way. Her intricate illustrations and hand-lettered type grace brands from the most familiar, like Williams-Sonoma’s, to the most exclusive. As a book jacket designer previous to opening her New York City firm, she designed over 2000 covers, and learned the intimate art of connecting with an audience visually within a very small frame. Today she is also the author of several excellent books on graphic design.
Deborah Sussman: Urban Legend
Art director and environmental graphic designer Deborah Sussman has been creating legendary work for public spaces for decades. Deborah and her firm, Sussman/Prejza, have done interior and exterior wayfinding and signage systems for Apple, Hasbro, the city of Los Angeles, and numerous others. She may be most famous for her comprehensive graphics program for the 1984 Summer Olympics. She has a keen eye for both client and community needs, creating work that is imaginative, spare, and crystal clear.
Paula Scher: The Dame of Grande Design
Bigger is definitely better. Bold words wrap you up and pull you in. You’re hooked! New York-based Paula Scher, one of only two female partners at mighty Pentagram, is a graphic design rock star of the highest order. She’s also an author, a superb lecturer, and her work is in the permanent collections of several museums. Her clean, brash, and inventive use of typography has influenced a generation of young designers.
Barriers? Sure. Glass ceiling? Maybe. These ladies have their eyes on the prize, not the ceiling. As a result, they’ve busted right through it. Rock on.
Editors note: For some further reading check out this great discussion / article… Where Are All The Female Designers? or maybe check out the controversial article where Milton Glaser states that “Women will never be design rockstars“.
*About Kelly Erickson: I walk in the shadows of all the giants and emerging leaders listed above, and of so many more women and men. Great thought and design is all around us. Future rock star business owners: as the owner of VisionPoints, The Experience Designers, I’m obsessed with your success. For more writings about Experience Design, visit the Maximum Customer Experience Blog.
38 comments thus far »
DON’T MISS: The Best Graphic Design Articles from February 2008
Published on Friday, February 29, 2008 – 5:53 pm | 17 brilliant comments »
Here is a monthly round up of the best graphic design articles from around the blogosphere this February. The articles are sorted into the categories; freelancing, graphic design, web design and various.
You can check out January’s Best Articles if you missed it last month. You could also check out the best March graphic design articles.
Freelancing
- 5 Reasons why you must reinvest in your business
If you read just one article of all the following, I would say to read this one… a long but very valuable read.
- 10 Tips for getting started as a freelancer
Some quick tips on how to get started to become a freelancer, also useful for people all ready freelancing.
- How To Get Paid Freelance Work While Still A Design Student
This was a guest article I wrote for Freelance Folder which received a huge response.
- What to do when you have nothing to do as a freelancer.
For the 0.0001% of you out there, this one is for you!
- How to become a more environmentally friendly freelancer / designer
Protect our environment using these steps.
- 5 Downsides of working at home
A newcomer to the blogging world, Verne Ho outlines some of the downsides of working at home. A good read.
- 25 Ways To Become An Effective Freelancer
A list of ways to improve your freelancing skills, a must read.
- 7 Reasons why you shouldn’t charge by the hour
A great list of reasons why you shouldn’t being using this style of payment. Very valid reasons! - 20 more resources for freelancers
Still hungry for more great freelancing posts? Here is 20 more. - Identifying the ProBono Client
How to identify a pro bono client along with tips, no-nos, and a discussion on the benefits and draw backs of pro bono work.
Graphic Design
- 70 of the Best Logo Design Resources
David lists 70 of the best logo design resources on his blog Logo Design Love.
- Veerles What is Graphic Design Poster Competetiton
I didn’t enter this as I found out about it too late but there was some awesome awesome prizes and a huge response (430+ comments). Check out the winners.
- You Thought We Wouldn’t Notice
This is an old website (not from February) that deserves a mention as they were my source for popular 22 plagiarised graphic design rip offs post.
- The Logo Design Process of Top Graphic Designers
Want to learn the secrets of logo design from the professionals? Look no further.
- How To Create Your Own Vector Cartoon Character
A great step by step tutorial from Chris. This came in very useful. - Logo Design Love Awards
A competition to uncover the most effective blog logos amongst today’s popular blogs. I believe there is 1 day left to enter from the time of me writing. Be quick!
- Spice Up Your Business Card
This is a surefire way to get more business just by improving your business card.
- Drunken Munkey Photoshop Tutorial Character Design
Another tutorial, this time in photoshop, this is truly inspirational!
- Online Business Is All about transparency
I enjoyed this article from David as it gave a great insight into the business practice of not hiding things.
- The One Page Graphic Design Portfolio Guide
You have all seen those portfolio pages with a persons work all on one page, well this is how to do that step by step.
- 22 Graphic Design Plagiarised Rip Offs
Another popular post from JCD with a huge response. Check it Out!
- Customise Illustrator for maximum efficiency
Move around your palettes to make a more productive work flow. Great for all levels.
- U-Printing International Poster Design Comp
Win an iPhone and other great prizes in the poster comp! It is about to start.
- $5000 Prize Giveaway Graphic Design Group Writing Project
Hosted on this blog, you definitly should not have missed this one.
- 99 Websites ALL Designers should know about
A hugely popular post listing 99 resources that all designers should know about.
Web Design
- Grid and Column Designs
A list of some great websites that use an underlying grid structure in their design.
- Finding the perfect webhost for you and your clients
This will appeal to bloggers and web designers out there
- 25 Beautifully Coloured Website Designs
Showcases 25 great colourful websites in a social-media-friendly manner.
- 11 ways to get exposure as a web designer
Another one from Vandelay webdesign. This can also be applied to designers in general.
- 53 Steps to follow if you want to become a web designer
Very easy to follow 53 step guide to become a successful web designer.
- 25 Visually Stunning Header Graphics
This was a great inspirational post for those who are thinking of improving their blog header design. (I like mine).
Various
- Brian Gardners Wordpress Theme Contest
Win a holiday on a cruise to the Bahamas just by advertising Brian Gardner’s new theme!
- How To Set Up A SideBlog
I have wanted to get onto this, this is a tutorial on how to make a mini blog for your main blog so you can post smaller articles. Not so much a graphic design article but useful to blogging designers.
- Stunning Photography that inspired me to learn photography
30 creative photos that are very much worth looking at. - Is Your Blog C.R.A.P?
This was a guest article I wrote for dailyblogtips outlining the 4 basics principles of design.
Viviens Social Media Project project has now been extended for one more month! Learn more about social media and its benefits in this massive project.
Hope you enjoyed the list. Is there any others that you really enjoyed this month?
17 comments thus far »
DON’T MISS: The Best Graphic Design Articles from January 2008.
Published on Monday, January 28, 2008 – 4:03 pm | 15 brilliant comments »
As outlined in my Blogging Goals post at the start of the year, one of my goals was to start a reoccurring monthly post and with a little thought, I came up with this idea of showcasing the best articles of the month on the topic of graphic design, so I present to you “The Best Graphic Design Articles from January 2008″. Expect the next one at the end of February.
- Design A Logo - The Ultimate Guide
This was an article written by Gino over at You The Designer which showcases exactly how to go about making a logo for yourself along with some tips, references and inspiration. This got featured on front page of Digg. - Photoshop Quick Tip: Bigger Font Previews
Shows you how to make your font previews bigger in Photoshop, something that is quite handy when choosing a font. A great article from Jennifer from Laughing Lion Design. - 16 Sensational Poster Designs
This is another article from Gino, which showcases 16 band poster designs. A good mix of different styles of design and good inspiration. This article was also heavily dugg. - 16 Blogs With Unconventional Layouts
This is a showcase of 16 blogs that use a different style of layout (much unlike other blog showcases), useful for anyone wishing to redesign their blog. A great article from Vivien at InspirationBit.
- 15 Great Examples of Web Typography
A post which showcases great typography on the web because of their treatment of text - not just because they are pretty. - 20 Signs Your Working For The Wrong Graphic Design Company
This is a guest post written by Louisa Nicholson on Tara’s Graphic Design Blog that tells you 20 tell tale signs, in order, that you are working for the wrong company. - Finally, a PC that Every Designer has Dreamed about
This is a great article from DT, an industrial designer from Designer Sojourn, that shows the features of the Napkin PC - “Using e-ink and RF technology it allows designers to draw in colour and skip the very tedious stage of transferring the sketch into a digital format.“ - Logo Design Love Launches
If you love David Airey, then you will love Logo Design Love - a new blog by David Airey focused entirely on logo design.
- 5 Vital Logo Design Tips
This was actually a guest article written by myself for David Airey’s blog. It outlines the 5 vital steps you need to know for a logo design. A must read for any one needing to improve their logo design. - The Creative Process
Lauren from Creative Curio is in the middle of redesigning her blog and she is recording her creative process. So far she has written about her Research and Thumbnails, her Experiments and her Researching Alternatives. - 32 Amazing Inspirational Pieces of Graphic Artwork
This is a compilation of 32 great pieces of graphic design from BlogSpoonGraphics. I love these posts and I have added it to my 101+ Places to get Design Inspiration. - Show Us Your Workspace
This is a cool, fun post from BittBox (a very awesome resourceful blog) which showcases designers workplaces. This can be inspirational and depressing as some of their workspaces do make you quite jealous! - Best of January 2008
Although this is not entirely on graphic design, Smashing Magazine have compiled a good list of the things you shouldn’t have missed in January 2008. Many hours required here
- 15 Wonderfully Simple Logo Designs
A showcase of 15 logos proving that the best logo designs are simple on David Aireys new blog, Logo Design Love. - 7 Ways to Give Your Freelancing Career A Boost
A short and sweet post from Freelance Folder on how to effectively make your freelancing business a success. - Vintage Web Design Inspiration
A great collection of web designs that use a vintage style over at Web Designer Wall. This list is a great source of inspiration for all. - 12 Incredibly Crafty Ways to become a High Profile Freelancer
Over at Freelance Folder, Skelli, a great writer that posts on many famous blogs provides 12 things you can do to add value to your freelancing business and build your profile as a freelancer.
I hope you enjoyed this list and if you did so please don’t forget to subscribe to my blog. If you have any other articles that you think should make this list, please add them to the comments.
The main objective of ecommerce hosting is to flourish e-business on the larger scale. The best web hosting services are well-approved by all customers due to all-inclusive hosting features and advanced technological systems. You may search out web hosting service provider via browsing different hosting directories. The professional web developers have to employ all the technical skills for the proper web development. The wireless internet service providers are using the latest technology for providing the exclusive internet services. The professional internet marketers are much interested to find out the appropriate internet marketing solutions. The application of software tools is very beneficial to tackle all complicated issues of computing and networking systems.
Great Illustrator Designs
Published on Sunday, January 13, 2008 – 10:22 pm | 3 brilliant comments »
I don’t usually do posts like this just for one article however I thought this article on Great Illustrator Designs by Danny at OutLaw Design Blog was a great resource + inspiration for anyone who uses illustrator. Even so, I added it to my 101+ places to get design inspiration post. Update: Danny just did another great post on 100% Free Vector Files.
Also on the topic of illustrator, another article worth noting this week was an article over at YouTheDesigner on the ultimate guide to designing a logo which goes very well with my guest article on logo design on David Aireys blog.
All the best to these three aspiring graphic designers (Danny, Gino, David).
3 comments thus far »
101+ Places To Get Design Inspiration
Published on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 – 5:43 pm | 68 brilliant comments »
I have recently noticed a multitude of blogs and websites offering design inspiration and I have decided to collect a list of the best posts and websites out there that really got me inspired.
If you have limited time, I would tell you to check out these picture based posts that load all the images on one page. Inspiration from 2007 and 32 Inspirational graphic design pieces. ShinyBinary and 57Even and UrbanCowboy and DeviantArt are also good choices.
Inspirational Collections
DesignFlavr - A gallery full of hand chosen design. 100% quality.
60 More Places To Get Design Inspiration - A list like this of 60 more websites where you can get design inspiration. All quality.
34 Places To Get Design Inspiration - 34 more websites of where to get design inspiration.
12 Links for Web Design Inspiration - A great list of where to get web design inspiration.
Great Illustrator Designs - A great pictured post of great illustrator designs.
32 Inspirational graphic design pieces - Another great pictured list of great graphic design.
The Best Inspiration from 2007 - A huge collection of awesome graphic design pieces from 2007.
Thinking For A Living - This is an awesome collection of only high quality websites and resources that have been broken down into smaller categories. Not so much visual inspiration but a list of good places where to get it.
Design Inspiration Galleries:
HOWDesign.com Design Inspiration Directory
Design Studios / Artists
Shinybinary - Nik Ainley - Must check this guy out.
57Even - Must check this guy out.
UrbanCowboy - Must check this guy out.
Blogs (Resourceful Articles + Inspiration)
My Many BookMarks
Check Out My Del.icio.us Bookmarks (You will find HEAPS more there).
The Obvious (or not?)
Try Googling ‘Design Inspiration‘. or anything else that tickles your fancy.
Use Digg and their design search
Use StumbleUpon and their design search
DeviantArt - A quick search will find many results.
Have you got any other REALLY good links?
68 comments thus far »
Subscribe