Last year I started rebranding an IT company that had two sectors, a data centre consultancy & a state of the art Colocation Data Centre. Both had been branded with separate identities due to the fact the consultancy was very well established and a recognized brand and the investor didn’t want to damage the brand recognition. Considering this the rebranding of the company had to be carefully thought out and the Digital Artwork to be displayed on the walls of the data centre was no different. In this post I discuss 5 things that I feel are important to consider whenever you design some digital artwork for a corporation. Continue “5 things to think about when designing good digital artwork”
When you bookmark a page on a website it is added to a selection of other favourite websites in your bookmark window. Some have icons and others don’t. Why is this? They have a favicon in their root directory.
[line]
What is a favicon?
A favicon is just that a “fav” icon so when a visitor bookmarks your website it has a recognizable branded icon next to the website link. This may seem like a pretty pointless part of your website but you would be wrong.
Recommended design method
If your company logo has been designed well then it will pretty easy to simply it into a favicon. Just look at the special features of the log, in the above example the O in Solv is considered to be the prominent feature of the corporate identity, MigSolv copyright 2013) so it taken into photoshop and seperated from the rest of the logo.
Why it is important
A favicon helps your user to identify your website quickly & easily and if your company doesn’t have one it looks like one of two things. A) You don’t finish your website which might also represent your company’s image that you don’t finish things & B) You don’t understand technology trends properly.
Recommended favicon size
The size of the favicon is usually 32px x 32px.
How to create in photoshop
You have two options, either use the logo you have now, go to edit > …image size and change the pixel size to 32 x 32.
Save with .ico
Once you are happy with your icon make sure to save it as a filename.ico. This isn’t a drop down file type so you will have to manually enter the .ico at the end of the file name.
Upload to root folder
Lastly upload your completed favicon to your websites root folder and web browsers should then pick up that you have one. Your mission is complete! Good job soldier.
Alternative Free favicon generator
If you are not an owner of photoshop ( or GIMP ) or just not confident enough in the program then you can use this free favicon generator which does the job for you.
If you would like a professional designed favicon for your website please feel free to contact me using the contact button and I will give you a very reasonable quote. Happy creating folk! 🙂
Sometimes, just like writers, we visual designers get creative blocks and we need a wee bit of inspiration to get our sparks flying. No matter how much you try it just doesn’t come to you. In this blog I plan to give you three locations to get logo design inspiration from.
The first website I have stumbled across is : –
Logopond
Logopond is a place for designers of logos to show a little bit of what they can do and their particular style amongst others. I am not on this yet but you bet, I’ll be on here shortly!
Salford Challenge is a website where two designers go head to head design a new brand then other designers vote for the one they think has the x factor. These guys have some really great design skills that are worth a viewing every now and then.
Sometimes we are over thinking things and a simple break and stroll in a park will put the sparks back in your mind. Relaxing and having fun is all a part of being creative. Don’t stress man! Reeeelaaaax.
As i find more locations to find inspiration for logos I will add more posts regarding this. Best of luck in finding that genuis idea.
When creating graphics for print and web you must consider a few little basic rules. I know most graphic designers know this but incase you are trying to make the leap from web to print or print to web or you are still learning the ropes and self teaching yourself because you enjoy being creative here are some of the fundemental rules to follow.
Dpi means dots per inch…if you are creating an image for web then 72dpi is sufficient, alternatively if you are designing for print you should set up your image at at least 250dpi. To do this in Photoshop you can either create a new file with the correct dimensions and then select resolution and enter either 72 if creating an image for web or 250 for print. The benefit of doing this is if you are creating for web you want your image file size to be small… im not talking about the dimensions here, I am talking about the bytes that make up that beautiful Mona Lisa you are going to create. Likewise if you are creating a file for print then you want more dots so that when it prints it looks like a very crisp and sharp image.
CMYK or RGB
CMYK or RGB. These are the two colour modes. CMYK is selected for print as these are the colours you find in a print cartridge where as RGB stands for Red Green & Blue ( how a monitor displays colour through light). So yes you guessed it, select the appropriate colour for your file and it will be more accurately represented for the media you are designing for.
Bleeds
Any time you are creating an image for print whether it is a poster, banner or magazine advert it is more than likely your printers will ask you to add a bleed to your design which is usually a border that is around 3mm to 5mm with lines in the corners that represent the corners and are guides for the cutting of the design. Its pretty easy to do but if you require a guide please leave a comment and I will create one for you.
Saving your image correctly for its purpose
Once you have your masterpiece completed to perfection it is important to save your image in the correct way depending what it is you are trying to do.
Before you do anything, whether using GIMP or Photoshop make sure to save your file with a unique file name in way that you can easily change any layer of your design (psd file). These are the 3 most common file formats used.
.png
.jpg
.gif
GIFs are for webs that are usually animations ( you can find some usually to the right here in the adverts ). If you want to create a gif in photoshop use this tutorial of how to create a bouncing ball and it will give you the basics.
.jpg
jpgs are lossy files but can be used for both print and web. Usually used for photographs and images that don’t need to be altered due to the fact if you enlarge it it will look granuallar due to the fact that when you enlarge the image you are actually enlarging each and every dot that makes up the image.
.png
png files can have a transparent background and are really useful for good quality clear images for web. Especially logos and such like..the last thing you want is a white background with a website that is mainly green…man! That’d just look plain uuuuuuuuuuugly!
Saving for web
If you are creating the image for a website or device then make sure to select File > Save for web… and then follow the instructions to try and reduce your file size to a small a size as possible without loosing the quality of the image.
I realise this is pretty straightforward for most graphic/web designers that most of you may know but we are all at different stages of learning so for some this information will be very useful so that is why I decided to include it today as a blog post. If you need any more help regarding designing for print or web please feel free to contact me and I will do what I can to help you.
Business Card designs are a really important part of your brand. Its not only to say who you are but it can give your potential clients a more positive image of your company if done right. I feel that bespoke business cards are a great asset for your company salesmen to have in their arsenal and the best ones can usually tell a story about what your company sells. I have compiled excellent examples for you to feast your eyes on to help you gather some inspiration for your next design.
11 Fab examples of clever business card designs that communicate and delight the senses
[divider style=”1″]
Colour cards
This card delights me as a designer because of the clever use of typography and composition of the name on the back. Colour has a strong meaning subconsciously  when designing your brand so be careful which one you decide to choose ( I will discuss colour in a blog post in the future).
Some may say this is to literal but deep down even the most sophisticated business man is a big kid deep down and being able to play with your business card and identify what it is you do straight away always brings a smile to your customers faces. No one wants to be bored and if they don’t smile then they aren’t the customer for you! 🙂
Wika! Wika! Wa! Wa! Play that funky card record on the front of this card. Again easy to see what your profession is as well as adding an element of fun.
Again another attempt at being fun…although I am sure there are some Ninjas that may do business i am not quite sure if this card was designed for that purpose but all the same, it did make me go OOoooooo and i would definitely remember receiving this from someone.
Some people have a really striking visual appearance as well as a distinctive design style. If this is the case your business card can show that in how you design it.
Having a second use for a business card will more than likely help your client keep hold if the card a bit longer, plus you’re being environmentally friendly too! Bonus.
What is the main focus of your business? Is it you? Are you a freelancer? Then why not make yourself stand out and literally pop up out of the  customers hand. Downside of this is that it might be a bit fragile to store.
This card represents that of a security swipe card. Made from biodegradable plastic with a qr code on the back that looks almost like the chip where the information for the security is stored. If I was to receive this card I would know that security is the main purpose of this company.
As an employed graphic & web designer I am always looking for inspiration and avenues to increase my creative juices and for this reason have collated 6Â useful websites for freelance designers. I feel very fortunate to be working with a team of people that are very down to earth and are easy to get along with but for some, especially at the moment, getting that job is a little more difficult with the current economic climate. If this is your case ( or even if you are just after a little bit more work to boost your CV or keep you afloat ) here are a few useful websites for freelance designers that might help you to increase your sales as well as build your brand awareness.
Hexi Design is an online community of talented designers from around the world thriving in one creative hive – Providing small and large businesses with logo, stationery and website design! When I visited this site it seemed that there were not many jobs available, plus, I think as a designer because you have to design something to compete the emphasis is on the client rather than the hard work of the designer so use only if wanting to improve your cv or have a bit of a creative rush.
Freelancer connect over 7,160,499 employers and freelancers globally from over 234 countries & regions. Through their website, employers can hire freelancers to do work in areas such as software, writing, data entry and design right through to engineering and the sciences, sales and marketing, and accounting & legal services. The Problem with this site is that jobs can charge very little in wages ( due to the Indian market being very competitive, but if you are Indian then no problemo! ). Saying that though, just because the currency is a little different over there doesn’t guarantee them the work, lower rates doesn’t always mean better solution to the job. The old saying you get what you pay for is still very true…
Finding the right platform to express yourself as a designer and to meet the right people to work with are essential elements of every artist’s success story. Talenthouse is the bridge between emerging talent and established professionals, and helps you get your own projects off the ground. This is not just for artists and designers but all variety’s of arts.
Build a following, find new collaborators and earn amazing rewards by taking part in our life-changing opportunities!
Etsy is the marketplace for artists and crafters to sell art works. Its a place where buyers value craftsmanship in all we make. Sometimes its difficult finding the customer basis for your products and setting up your own e-commerce site can be expensive or quite difficult to learn how to do it, Etsy is simply a type of e-commerces site for artists.
A great way to network with people you have worked with, join groups and share your knowledge with people in your industry. A great way to improve your reputation. Not only this but Linkedin will tell you of jobs coming up in your area that are suitable for your skills. You may never need to go the job centre ever again!
Good Designers always advance themselves. Its a never ending quest to learn more, improve skills & keep ahead. When it comes to web and app design new coding languages are always being created. Learnable aims to make learning web design and development easy and fun. They want students to gain practical and usable skills on topics they are passionate about. Or alternatively if you feel you are a guru in an area you can deliver training that you believe in. Helping others is surely the best thing we can do with our time?
If you know of any other useful sites please feel free to share and I will add it to the list.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
