Design Refreshments

Call yourself a graphic designer? Do you have the necessary foundation skills and knowledge to do the job? Not all designers have the privilege of a proper design education or to learn from dedicated lecturers who inspires learning even with the most mundane of subjects - maybe typography or art history?

It's when you are out working in the real world when you suddenly wish you had paid more attention in that certain class. But learning is a life-long quest. We never stop learning so don't despair if you don't know or forget a fact or two. Most designers learn on the job anyway.

For those keen on continuous learning or just want to brushup, here's an online magazine, "Before & After" that's dedicated to making graphic design understandable, useful and even fun for everyone. They are a great source of short & sweet design tips, delivered with beautifully crafted design makeovers based on basic design foundation & communication principles. It's a subscription service but you can still download free samples each month like the ones shown below...






1. Design a Logo of letters! Are you known by your initials? Turn those letters into a terrific signature! 2. How to cool a hot photo. When your photo can't be changed, surround it with cool color. 3. What's the right typeface for text? How to choose a typeface for clear, easy reading over long distances.

If you want more free samples like the ones below, you can if you register as a myPantone member (FREE) as mentioned in the previous post. Register, login, then goto Tips & Techniques section...




1. Design a story-style brochure. Fold-and-undfold-a single sheet into an appealing, narrative-like presentation. 2. Create Web page Photo backgrounds. Make pages so real it’s like being there. 3. Design simple presentations. Visual brevity will help a great talk.