Finding your voice in the design community

If the online design community were an actual city, it would be a thriving metropolis. Complete with skyscrapers, huge arenas and enormous shopping centers. But as in any large community, the value of the community lies in each person–each individual, contributing member.Sometimes you may feel like all the “skyscraper” designers crowd out your little back-alley [...]

Design Essentials 2: Originality

This chapter of Design Essentials will cover the topic of  Originality in design. Originality is the ability to think independently and creatively.
So why is it so important that we, as designers, are original thinkers? Put most simply, original designs are more effective.
Let’s take a look at the concept of originality in design:

But don’t great designers [...]

Turning one-time design projects into continuous income machines

GUEST ARTICLE by Leighton Taylor – If you would like to write for GDB, contact me.

The best clients are those who return for your services again and again. However, sometimes clients will hire you for one project and then move on with life, and you are stuck continuously searching for new clients.
While it’s great [...]

Design Essentials 1: Attention to detail

This chapter of Design Essentials focuses on Attention to Detail and the important role it plays in the design process.
Attention to detail makes for a better experience in any industry. A candy on your pillow at the hotel or a mint with your check at a restaurant makes for a more enjoyable traveling experience. Detectives [...]

How to stand out and get noticed as a designer

GUEST ARTICLE by Nicole Foster  – If you would like to write for GDB, contact me.

There are thousands of designers on the internet today in all types of fields. They range from web designers to print designers to graphic designers and more. They have different personalities, skill sets and mindsets. They are all designers, just [...]

The beginner’s guide to blogging about design

So you want to blog about design, eh? You’ll have to take a number and wait in line because, frankly, there are thousands of blogs about design out there.
Starting a successful design blog is like learning to walk: You will most likely fail a number of times, you’ll need a lot of patience, and [...]

What to do when a client wants you to copy other designs

In the graphic and web design industry, we like to think of ourselves as “creatives” who constantly keep the creative juices flowing and come up with original, well-thought out ideas. So why is it that even the best of graphic and web designers are approached by a client now and then who says something like:
“I [...]

Avoid design burn-out by limiting client revisions

Beginning a new design project is always exhilarating. You’re energized and excited about working on the project and creating something effective and beautiful. But have you ever had a project that, by the end of it, you just “want to get it done”? You stop caring so much about the design because you’ve been forced [...]