How Paying Attention Helps You Draw Better
I want to preface this by saying that as you learn and apply design principles, and gain experience with organizing elements within a design space, you should start seeing things…
Introduction to Light Logic
Light logic is a system of using value pattern to create the illusion of real space and form. It is simply the idea that light interacts with form in a logical…
Creating Compositions That Communicate
Whenever we create design and art we are composing. Composition is the make up, arrangement or structure of a work, whether it's music, writing, or visual art. Composition is often…
How To Show 3D Volume in 2D Space Using Spatial Devices
How to create space… specifically, how to create the illusion of volume in 2-dimensional art and design. In this tutorial I present 3 spatial devices, or methods, for creating…
5 Ways To Create A Focal Point
[themeone_drop_cap letter="T" color="accent-color2" /]here are, of course, more than 5 ways to create a focal point in an image or design. The big picture idea behind creating a focal point…
Making the Invisible Visible
There is a phrase: ex nihilo nihil fit. It roughly translates from the Latin as from nothing, nothing comes. Generally, this is a true statement; you can’t create something from nothing.…
Create Better Color Schemes By Using Proportions
Color schemes work best when the amounts of the colors used in the design are not equal. A variety of proportions creates more interest, and you can set the mood…
2 Ways To Mix Color
There are two ways in which we mix color: Additively, using direct light from an original source, and Subtractively, using light reflected from substances and surfaces. When we work with light,…
How To Budget For A Design Project
To answer the question, “How much will it cost?”, the question, “What do you want to accomplish?” needs to be asked first. Clients are often in the dark about what goes into their design project.…
A Philosophy of Branding, Part 1
Of Influence, Time and Trust Branding is a popular discussion in my circles, and in the course of those conversations I gain great insight into perceptions about the topic. A very common…
Should You Care About Aesthetics?
Are you more concerned about aesthetics or your bottom line when contracting design services? Designers - good ones - always care about how something looks. This is bred into us from…
Designing For Non-Profits
A significant percentage of my clients are non-profit enterprises. I have had many opportunities to design campaign materials, annual reports, and graphic assets for non-profit organizations. In working with executive…
Creative Freedom Through Setting Boundaries
Working with clients can be likened to a downhill race: The designer moves along in her process and picks up momentum as she heads toward the finish line, and all of a sudden stumbles over new…
The Sustainability of Paper
Like me, you've probably received email with a "Think of the forests before you print this." appeal in the footer. We're encouraged to go paperless with our bank statements and…
Identity: Why You Need More Than a Logo
Identity is the facts - the indisputable reality - of who or what something is. Without getting into an existential discussion, let's acknowledge that we can't know what to do…
They’ll Notice
Start-up businesses and organizations tend to hold themselves back in terms of establishing reputation and solidity by under-budgeting and under-investing in the brand-building graphics and communications they need. Time and…
Optimizing Your Business Card
Whether you’re a business owner, executive or staff member, business cards continue to play a leading role at events, in business and in the marketplace. Take a look at your…
The Value of Design is the Thought Behind It
I am a full-time graphic designer/illustrator and part-time design educator, so design thinking is a familiar and routine part of my life. In my experience, design thinking can make all…
Your Website’s Magnificent 7
Like any design, websites are experienced. Your goal should be to provide the best experience to the largest percentage of people who visit your site. Whether or not you track…
Listening Is A Design Skill
Listening is related to empathy. Empathy is valuing another's experience, and keeps the designer from creating something that is self-expressive.
Briefly Stated: The Advantages of Getting It In Writing
Before working with a designer, a client should prepare for that relationship. Often, businesses will request a web site or a logo - a single piece of the puzzle -…
Skills You’re Not Taught In Design School
There 's a book in my library titled, 101 Things to Learn in Art School by Kit White. It's full of truths that every designer should know, no matter what…
10 Good Reasons To Study Design History
As I prepare to teach my next course in Design History at UCLA Extension, I gave some thought to why designers should study the history of graphic design in the first…
An Inspired Father’s Day
Inspiration is not copying or creating a deviate work (both of these activities constitute copyright infringement), but a stimulation or motivation to do something.