Latest Design News & Views
Bloom North Launches First-Of-Its-Kind Initiative to Empower Women and Under-Represented Groups in the North West
In an inspiring move to transform the creative and media landscape, Bloom North has convened 35 of the North West's top leaders for its inaugural initiative, The Exchange. This landmark event aims to tackle the recruitment and retention of women and underrepresented...
Why Women Make Great Leaders in the Creative Production Industry
The creative production industry thrives on innovation, collaboration, and most importantly on relationships. Alison Rattary-Clarke and Laice Jackson, the newly appointed Joint Managing Directors of Fall Off The Wall (FOTW), believe women bring unique strengths that...
Beyond Pixels: Why Designers Should Write Their Own Book
There are many design and logo books available, what was your motivation for creating a new book? It goes back to when I was a teenager. I was really into illustration, so I would collect a lot of movie art-of books from things like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. I...
Ikonthology — The Visual Compendium of Fictional Icons
We live in a world of symbols and iconography. Indeed, icons are the staples that keep modern society together. As you drive down a residential street, you know instinctively what a big red octagon means “stop” long before you’re close enough to read it. As you stroll...
How to Create the Perfect Graphic Design Portfolio
If you’re a designer, one of the best ways to attract clients to work with you is to showcase what you do with a killer portfolio. The perfect graphic design portfolio does the leg work for you, catching the eye of clients and reducing the amount of chasing you have...
Best laptop chargers for remote designers
It's likely as a designer in 2021 that you're doing your best work from home. It's also likely that your meetings with clients and teammates will be via Zoom. You need to keep your laptop fully charged as much as possible and as quickly as possible. Thanks to big...
Photoshop vs. Procreate: A Comparison Guide
If you are a graphic designer or digital illustrator, finding the right program matters. In the modern age, it's never been easier to find apps and software that can help you achieve various designs, aesthetics, and objectives. However, when it comes to OG products,...
Discover Photoshop’s Best New Features for 2021
Whether you’re a Photoshop pro or new to the software, you will be delighted with the new features that Adobe has added to the graphics editor for 2021. Since it was created in 1988 by Thomas and John Knoll, Photoshop has not only become the industry standard for...
How Ancient Symbols Can Benefit Modern Design
My name is Michela Graziani. I’m a creative designer based in Rome, Italy. I want to talk to you today about symbols. I love symbols. I love the prevalence and permanence of the symbols in our world. I love that some symbols are transitory. I love learning the stories...
20 of the Best Procreate Brushes
The Procreate App for iPad Pro is fast becoming one of the most popular go-to apps for professionals and hobbyist designers alike. The app is a game changer for artists as it transforms the iPad into a drawing table and allows artists to achieve the same outcome that...
How to create a strong brand identity
A brand identity is the visual elements of the brand such as logo, colour and the design that separates the brand from the competition in the eyes of the consumer. A strong identity should be memorable, easily identifiable and consistent. Having a strong brand...
9 Top Remote Graphic Design Jobs Websites
Being a designer in a world of seemingly endless remote graphic design jobs means you can basically work from just about anywhere if you so choose. But finding quality remote graphic design jobs is sometimes easier said than done. Not only is it tough competing with...
How Important is Design in 2019? 23 Experts Share their Views
With all the "design it yourself" websites and cheap design services popping up, we asked 23 top designers to share their thoughts on how essential design is right now. Here's what they said...Aaron Draplin For 2019? I'm hoping my answer applies to 2018, and all...
Is Your Social Media Helping or Hurting Your Design Business?
“Social media isn’t working – I post regularly but it’s not bringing me any new clients.” That’s the most frequent complaint I hear about social media from freelance designers, and other creative professionals, for that matter. This does not surprise me because most...
Birmingham Design Festival 2018
As a designer based in the Midlands in the UK, I want to shout loud about the forthcoming Birmingham Design Festival in the Summer 2018. This will be a chance to celebrate the breadth of talent in and around the City over four full days of workshops, talks,...
The Tragedy of Hourly Pricing
For years, I’ve been on record against pricing creative services by the hour. My main beef is simple: the better you get at what you do, the less time it will take and, when you price hourly, the less you will earn. This is a tragedy and doesn’t make sense in the...
Where and How to Use Icons in Your Designs
Just about every app and website uses icons. In fact, you’ve probably used then in many projects, but why did you use icons and how do you know you used them in the right places? That question keeps even the most experienced web and app designers scratching their...
The best graphic design podcasts
I love listening to and creating graphic design podcasts. It’s a medium that provides options to go deep and connect with an audience. In times of short messages and notifications it’s a haven of value and knowledge. I would love to guide you trought the landscape of...
Quick interview with Jerrod Maruyama
1. When did you realise you wanted to be a designer? Like most kids, I grew up drawing. Unlike most kids, I stuck with it. I never considered going into art as a career until my senior year in high school. I saw The Little Mermaid in theaters and decided I wanted to...
Quick interview with Ian Paget
1. When did you realise you wanted to be a designer? Growing up I was that kid that loved art. I loved to make things, loved drawing and was interested in animation too. I used to win a lot of art competitions, and even had my drawings on TV a few times. Because of...
Quick interview with Shawn Barry
1. When did you realize you wanted to be a designer? I was always an artist, and growing up, that was where my focus was taking me. I struggled with academics in school, but excelled at art and music. It wasn't until going back to a high school equivalency program...
Quick interview with Omar Farook
1. When did you realise you wanted to be a designer? I discovered my passion for drawing and creating stuff when I was a child; my parents would tell me how excellent I was at drawing perfect circles when I was just three. I then slowly started aspiring to become an...
Quick interview with Andy J Miller
1. When did you realise you wanted to be a designer/creative? High school. I have always been a creative type, and I grew up drawing all the time, but it wasn’t until I got into the indie music scene that I discovered poster design and considered it as a career. 2....
Quick interview with Patrick Hill
1. When did you realize you wanted to be a designer/creative? Around the age of 10 I began associating creativity with individuality and, frankly, popularity. That being said, I've never felt like I was pre-disposed to "creativity". It looked natural when other people...
Quick interview with Josh Miles
1. When did you realise you wanted to be a designer? I’ve been doing design or art in some manner since I was old enough to hold a pencil. And while I think I boldly stated in highschool that I was going to, “Own a design firm” after I graduated, I’m positive I didn’t...