When you were a child in school, did you ever own a binder decorated with cute stickers, doodles or the name of your secret crush? That same desire to personalize our materials has followed us into adulthood, but in a more sophisticated way. Professional custom binder designs allow companies and organizations to creatively reinforce their brand identity, present their concepts and showcase their products. If you're looking for binder design ideas (and want something more impressive than your … [Read more...]

A logo is more than just a pretty image for customers to look at while they use a product or service. It's the face of an entire brand, a symbol that determines how people feel about that particular company. For example, if a restaurant's logo is cold and unappetizing, potential customers are going to associate that image with their food. So what sort of ingredients do you need to cook up a tasty, irresistible logo? This infographic will provide you with tips and ideas related to each of the … [Read more...]

On the surface, a graphic design job interview should be easy. After all, you're talking about the subject you know the most about—yourself. But when anxiety, pressure and nerves get in the way, you might give answers that don't exactly paint a lovely picture of you as an employee. While there's no miracle cure for being nervous, it helps to make sure you're prepared for any question the interviewer throws at you. We've compiled a list of some of the most common questions that graphic … [Read more...]

Of the 27,397,260 business cards printed every day, 88% will be thrown out in less than a week. But that doesn't happen because business cards are ineffective as a marketing medium. In fact, it only takes 2,000 business cards to increase a company's sales by nearly 3%. That's a shockingly high return for just one marketing resource. So why do so many cards end up in the garbage? The fact is, a lot of business cards have crummy designs. No one wants to hold on to something that looks and … [Read more...]

Creating a personal logo is the easiest task you'll ever undertake as a graphic designer—and the hardest. The good news is, you can be as free and expressive as you like. After all, you are the brand in this scenario, which means you know more about it than any other client that you'll design for. But that means expectations are high, and the pressure is on. As a graphic designer, your logo isn't just the centerpiece of your brand identity; it also doubles as a sort of portfolio piece that … [Read more...]

Letters are very strange creatures. They're the building blocks of our entire system of written communication, but when you get right down to it, they're really just pictures. They deliver a direct message to the reader, but they're also visual elements that can vary in color, shape and personality. This makes them especially popular when it comes to the look of a company's logo; just a couple letters can convey a world of meaning. But it also makes them very tricky to work with. Though it … [Read more...]

When a client's corporate brand and personal name are one and the same, you're not just designing a logo for the company. It represents the individual behind the brand. One wrong move could tarnish your client's name—literally. The best personal logo designs turn an individual's name into a cohesive brand identity (instead of just something their parents picked for them when they were born). To get you inspired, we're sharing some of the best examples of personal logos. You can browse them … [Read more...]

If you think that cropping a photo is just as simple as cutting it down to the size you need for your print layout, then you're missing out on all that the crop tool has to offer. Think of the crop tool as an invisible frame that draws the eye towards the most important aspects of your photo. Making the right cuts in your photo can have a drastic impact on the visuals and can even manipulate the way the audience engages with it emotionally. If cropping has only been an afterthought in your … [Read more...]

We all have those things that just make us cringe with agony. Nails on a chalkboard, aluminum foil touching your fillings—or if you’re a print designer, bad kerning mistakes. When letters are improperly spaced, it can ruin the look of your design. The worst kerning is usually the result of not kerning at all, trusting that the typographer and your graphic design software both know what they’re doing. A lot of times you get lucky—but there’s no reason to leave the success of your design up to … [Read more...]

When you're working with other graphic designers, it's easy for personalities to clash. When some jerk doesn't put in the work or is unpleasant to work with, it can sour the relationship and poison the project. Today, we're going to teach you how to be that jerk. Sure, collaborating on a graphic design project can open you up to new perspectives, help you learn new skills, expand your networking capabilities and increase your creative output potential—but why grow as a graphic designer … [Read more...]

When big name brands redesign their logos, the world takes notice because it means that something about our shared culture has changed—it reminds us that the world is changing around us. That can be a scary thing for people, so when popular brands successfully create a great new logo, we sit up and take notice … and when they fail, we notice it even more. We rounded up examples of the worst logo redesign failures and the best “wins” from the last couple years to show you the how to handle a … [Read more...]

Adobe Photoshop has completely redefined the word "brush" as we know it. Though the program comes preloaded with an assortment of different brush tools designed to simulate regular art utensils, the Photoshop brushes you download elsewhere don't have to act as "brushes" at all—and they rarely do. Stamps, clipart, textures, illustrations, vectors, photographs—anything can become a Photoshop brush. In fact, the image above was composed almost entirely from Photoshop brushes. This makes … [Read more...]

There's one little secret every print designer needs to know: with the right design, postcards are arguably the most effective form of print marketing for businesses. People don't throw them away as often as other direct mail, and the most creative postcards live on as collectible artwork. Many of us hang them on the fridge, display them on memory boards or paste them into scrapbooks. When designing custom postcards for your clients, keep this "second life" in mind and strive to create … [Read more...]

Somewhere along the way, the human race evolved to have an innate fondness for anything in a pretty package. We adorn our gifts with ribbons and paper, we fill our homes with objects that serve no other purpose than looking nice-and of course, we beautify our designs with elegant ornaments. This collection of elegant Adobe Photoshop brushes (most of which are completely free) will give your designs that extra touch of class to help enhance and elevate the message and brand. There's no shame … [Read more...]

Want to see some of the worst print graphic design you'll ever encounter in your life? Just take a trip to your nearest cinema. Movie studios put so much money into promoting their products that we hold their marketing to a higher standard than practically any other form of print media. As a culture, we cannot abide bad movie posters. But when movie posters fail, they fail hard. Even a huge, multi-million dollar movie can somehow end up with a poster that looks like it was Photoshopped by a … [Read more...]

Letting go of a graphic design client is a lot like breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend; it's not exactly pleasant, and it might even be someone you actually like, but sometimes it just has to be done. Breaking off a professional relationship nicely is a delicate operation, and chances are you don't have an HR department to rely on, so this responsibility falls directly on your shoulders. If it's time to say goodbye to your client, you can reduce stress and discomfort by taking steps … [Read more...]

We see them every day—in our homes, on TV, out in the street. They're the famous logos of the brands we've come to know and love. These logos not only accurately represent the famous brands they're attached to, they've become a part of our shared pop culture. Heck, someone even made a short film with logos and mascots comprising all of the characters, props and scenery. Logos are practically enshrined by our society, and yet they were designed by people just like any other piece of graphic … [Read more...]

When we listed our choices for the worst fonts ever, we were surprised to find out that many of you disagreed with some of our selections. We received several comments from readers who saw value in the fonts that we ridiculed or thought we had unfairly judged some of the fonts we selected. But it's something we should have expected—after all, that's the power that fonts have on people. Just the act of looking at a certain font face can involuntarily stir up powerful emotions or instill a … [Read more...]

Contrary to popular belief, Photoshop isn't just for editing photos. It's also a tool for designers who like to create art from scratch. Using the virtual art tools provided by the program, a skilled artist can craft amazing images and designs with or without the use of a pen tablet. But for many designers, the tools that Photoshop provides are not enough. Fortunately, these artistic brushes for Photoshop are the next best thing to using an actual paintbrush, pencil, or other art tool. Every … [Read more...]

If a business card and a brochure had a baby, that baby would look exactly like a rack card. Rack cards are the best of both worlds, displaying an array of information through a medium that's portable and fits neatly into the racks found in hotels, travel centers, rest stops, convenience stores, waiting rooms, reception desks–basically any place that gets a lot of foot traffic. This poses a unique design challenge you won't find in any other print media. Rack cards are usually found amongst … [Read more...]

In Western culture, we sometimes look at "cuteness" as a childish or juvenile quality—but in Japan, it’s a whole different story. The prevailing “kawaii” culture in Japan puts so much value on being cute that even police agencies use adorable mascots to reach their audience. And even here in America, the power of cuteness can't be overlooked. Cute animals dominate the most popular images and videos on social media, enthralling audiences with their inescapable charm. Tap into the hypnotic … [Read more...]

One of the best things about being a freelance graphic designer is the freedom to pick your clients—but it can also be one of the worst things. It means having to protect your own interests and knowing when to let a client go for the sake of your career, your finances, or your general sanity. "Firing" a client isn't always about getting away from a job you don't like or a person that stressed you out. Sometimes, you might find yourself in a position where you have to say goodbye to your … [Read more...]

If you ever want to get a bunch of graphic designers riled up, gather them together in a room and ask them this question: "Should graphic designers ever work for free?" It's been a hot-button issue in creative fields for as long as anybody can remember, and there's no definite answer that everybody can agree upon. Some graphic artists say it's okay to work for free every now and then to build up your portfolio and experience, while others say the very act of doing design work for free is … [Read more...]

Good design never goes out of style; it just becomes "vintage" over time. Nostalgia is a powerful tool for designers because it creates an instant emotional bond with the audience. The right design aesthetic can conjure up memories of our childhood and help us to connect with the generations that came before us. This extensive collection of free vintage Photoshop brushes is the perfect toolkit for creating print designs that stir up feelings of nostalgia in your audience. Vintage brushes … [Read more...]

When it comes to creating resumes, graphic designers are lucky. Not many fields allow for potential employees to directly demonstrate their work-related skills with the resume itself. Pastry chefs don't get to bake their resumes into a cake, teachers can't assign their resumes as homework, and lawyers aren't given the chance to defend their resumes to a jury. But graphic designers can – and should – treat their resume as they would a sample in their portfolio. The design of your resume can … [Read more...]

Every now and then, you just need a little extra something to make your project pop. Not necessarily a major design component—just an extra ornament to bring visual interest to your design. Abstract Photoshop brushes are the perfect tool for giving your artwork an added "oomph" without drawing attention away from the main subject. We've assembled 83 abstract brushes ranging from cosmic fractals to arcs of electric energy. Nearly all of these brushes are entirely free downloads, but a few in … [Read more...]

If you found a way to cut your design time in half, wouldn't you use it? Photoshop actions allow designers to save time and stay efficient by "recording" common tasks so that they can be automatically performed on different projects. But that's not the best feature of actions for Photoshop; they're also easy to share and download. This community aspect has turned Photoshop actions into the ultimate designer "cheat code." Downloading another designer's actions lets you quickly apply new … [Read more...]

We bet you five bucks that if you took a minute to look around your office or your home, you'd find a brochure of some type. Whether it's a memento from an event or trip or even just the recipe booklet that came with your new blender, brochure designs are hiding everywhere. There's a reason why the brochure continues to endure in the age of digital marketing--because of creative designers who push the limits with great ideas and imaginative designs that make a lasting impression. We've … [Read more...]