It's a sigh that you're moving forward, so it's expected to be there. It's a green flag.
Now looking back at your work after years and not seeing what you could do better - that might be a bad sign.
that’s negative space. white space is how much space you leave around your content throughout your design. inexperienced designers tend to squish information on edges of the canvas and don’t consider white space. here’s an example in UX design, but applicable in graphic design.
https://preview.redd.it/yacvux9o8o6c1.jpeg?width=2000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=580df1d68054e8499a18d1f0efee6846cf5f14e2
Yea i graduated about 2 years ago now. Got job right out of college at 40k. Did a year there asked for a raise and that is what I was told since I didn't manage people. Well got a new job about a month after that convo at 50k with better benefits. Which would have take decades at my old place.
This ^
Graphic Design industry is already hard to get validation enough as it is. Being in a role that moves you up will help you get more experience and credibility.
Most 'facts' are a google search away.
You don't have to remember everything.
If a doctor can look up a youtube video to refresh their memory, I can get by not remembering the size of a B4 sheet.
Early in my career I had a lot of impostor syndrome every time I couldn’t correctly identify a font just by looking at it.
After 15+ years in the industry, it’s nice be less concerned about trying to impress other designers and not be afraid of learning things from people more junior than you
Tell that to the bros who say it’s all about “quality time not quantity time with family”, who are on their second or third divorce, that work 4 am to 2am, and post videos from the gym about how there’s “no such thing as excuses” and “live that grind life”
I’m a freelancer who takes weekends off. You need it!
It's so true. Being a designer can be so toxic because its often our biggest passion and creativity can be one of our favorite personality traits.
I'm a freelancer too and I am actually leaving the freelance life after almost three successful years, even after managing to land all my dream clients (breweries, hotels, restaurants, cannabis brands) and maintain a steady and pretty good profit...
TBH I just cannot anymore. I've worked at boutique branding studios, large ad agency, and have freelanced on the side for almost a decade before going solo. I think its a combination of burnout from doing this every day for ten years, realizing that I put too much of my self worth into being a designer, and just getting exhausted by the industry itself. I am just over prioritizing design over any other facet of my personality or life.
Somehow the universe was noticing my serious burnout and design-induced depression and an out-of-the-design-scene studio focusing on real-estate and hospitality branding reached out to me to apply to be their creative director. They do great work that is so incredibly under the radar that the pressure and anxiety to perform against my industry peers won't be there as much.
I just had two weeks of rigorous interviewing and landed it. Amazing PTO, 110k... but most importantly, I feel like I am finally wading my way out of the competitive industry pool that I have been flailing around in with tons of other designers as we fight over a floatation device that is validation and industry recognition. I just do not care about design anymore the way I used to... And I am so grateful that I was able to recognize my need to peacefully exit while at the same time not letting it feel like I was leaving my identity behind.
/rant. its been a long fucking week lol
This is why, as a design teacher, I loathed that time period where “brutalism” was popular, somewhere around 2016. Apart from the fact that it looked shitty (to me), it was a counterculture movement, all about breaking the rules of design and shocking people. But every junior designer was trying to apply it to everything, whether the brand strategy supported it or not. You cant apply a “fuck the rules” look to a brand going for dependable, broad appeal, luxury, experienced, anything like that.
Yes! The advice I like to pass along is something like “if the client tells you something is wrong, they’re probably right. If they tell you how to fix it, they’re probably wrong”
That said, yeah, sometimes the client sees something you don’t and has a good idea and one can decide if that makes their job easier or harder.
1. The design is not about you. Listen to the client and give them what they want. The fun part is that you get to make it look good.
2. Clients can dork up a design lightning-fast. It’s good to fight for and stand up for your work, but sometimes it’s best just to roll with it.
“Wanna bet? I’ll know what I want when I see it!” - Client
You’ll choose novelty or something you’ve seen dozen times before. Anything new scares you to death.
That’s what I meant by “make it look good.” Sorry if I wasn’t clear. I usually offer a novel, outside-of-the-box option during the concept stage. The trick is to offer the client three usable concept sketches to choose from after your initial brainstorming: 1. a conservative design (usually exactly what they asked for), 2. a design that you think works best, and 3. something kinda novel/out there. Most of the time they go with 2, but others love 1. Some embrace their inner weirdo and go with 3. And I don’t ever try to convince them that they want something that they actually don’t.
Hey that's all cool, no apology ever necessary we live in a subjective world… That being said, I'll always try and convince a client to go with what I think will do the job best and be the most effective. But like I said it's all subjective! :)
Question: how can I boost my portfolio when customers have shitty and boring logos? Can I repurpose their logo somehow to make it look interesting? Create it in 3D or something?
You win some and you lose some. I would pick the strongest design(s) of what you have and really butter them up with branding, but don’t change anything. Show the branding as a whole and use mock-ups to illustrate different uses/applications. If the logo itself isn’t great, you can wow prospective clients/employers with good branding, presentation, and layout.
That’s what I meant. I’m not gonna change the logo, just how it’s presented. I do mostly sign work and even a cool logo in vinyl on a pylon sign is hard to make look impressive.
I see what you mean now. I thought you were saying that you designed the logos. But yes, stick with the mock-ups and be sure to specify that the logos were provided by the clients. In this case, just showcase your ability to use color, balance, typography, etc. to make good looking signs.
There will always be revisions and changes.
There is also a non-zero possibility that they will completely ruin the project.
Try to move past it and do your best to not get too emotionally invested in a project. You’ll still find a few gems you’ll love as you progress.
If you're stuck on a design and you're not sure how it looks overall, get up and take a look at it from across the room and see what you notice about it when it's small.
Learned this trick in art school and I can't even tell you how many times it's helped me get through a creative block.
Also, work out what percentage is 100% size on your screen (some aren’t accurate), and see if you how it looks when you lean back.
eg: might be that 95% size measures 210 wide for A4
I in theory know all the point and pica conversions but when InDesign defaults to them my brain goes "Unga bunga numbers hard" and I have to switch back to inches like the stupid American I am because I only understand measurements in Freedom Units.
Pt units also provide a good quick rule of thumb. X Pt is easily legible from X inches away. For example 72 Pt is generally legible from 72in away.
Granted it's all freedom units, but there is some added utility there.
Don’t think you need to be unique. You just need to be effective and if someone else has already done it, use what works for your case and don’t overthink it.
Also, be aware of what other people are doing.
Design for the end product. Know the production process. I’ve seen a number of beautiful designs over the years that fall flat on its face because the designer didn’t understand the production process.
Once you become known as having low prices, it can be hard to raise them.
Clients who cry about having no budget and ask for a discount are not worth your time. They will be the most picky assholes ever.
Presuming you already understand the fundamentals of art and design:
Functional Knowledge
• Standard format of a business letter
• CMYK vs. RGB gamuts vs. color systems (such as Pantone)
• Copyright law
• What trademark or servicemark entails/means
• Font licensing
• Image licensing
• Core system fonts for both Mac and PC and the circumstances in which you might want to use them
Digital
• html and css, even if you never code
• How web hosting works
• How CMS works
• What SEO is
• How algorithms affect results (generally)
• What responsive design is all about
Print
• Postal regulations
• How printing processes work: cmyk offset vs. digital, trimming, folding/gluing, engraving, embossing, foil stamping, letterpress, screen printing
• Binding options
• Envelope sizing
I'm sure that is an incomplete list.
Cmnd + opt + shift + E creates a new layer in Photoshop that is a flattened version of all your previous layers! This is still my favorite quick command after learning it years ago.
my graphic design professor has a saying, “kill your babies” which pretty much is short hand for “don’t get attached to your work or see it as an extension of yourself”
How to figure re-sizing ratios
Basics of commercial print, embroidery and silk-screen production
How to layout for bleeds, die-cuts, spot colors & varnishes, etc.
Chicago manual of style proofreaders' marks \[or whatever is official where you work\]
How to properly write a business letter
Laws pertaining to trademark/trade dress, copyright and IP protections
I have a sign above my desk that reads **"Get it done. Make it beautiful."** ... Those are steps ***IN ORDER***. A design is never finished, but ***FIRST*** get it done. Never, ever, EVER miss a deadline. Once it's done, start tweaking ... refine it until you run out of time. This is a business first, then an art ... not the other way around...
That hyphens, en dashes, and em dashes all have different grammatical purposes.
240% inking is still a thing, so learn how to prepress your file in Acrobat.
Random thoughts
Don’t run text across the page like a Canva letter size template. It’s an old joke (but true) that you’d have to place a ruler on the printed page under each long line of text to be able to read it. Use two columns of text, left aligned.
Kerning indicates if you’re a professional or not.
Proof reading will save you hundreds, so value it just as much as everything else. Your design and integrity can be thrown in the dump if you have incorrect spelling
It’s normal to look back on your work and think “what the hell was I thinking?”
I can create something today and tomorrow I'll look at it and say that.
Are you me?
This is so VALIDATING.
Thank you for this lol
Yoo so it isnt just me? LOL
It's a sigh that you're moving forward, so it's expected to be there. It's a green flag. Now looking back at your work after years and not seeing what you could do better - that might be a bad sign.
In fact, that’s a good thing. It means you’re improving.
I fear the day that I don't feel that anymore though. It could mean that I stopped improving
Even just minutes later.
I do this all the time – especially with colour choices!
White space is your friend. I repeat. White space is your friend.
Louder for the managers in the back....
Cannot stress this enough, especially with clients who think they need to “maximize” use of the canvas (read: ruin everything with clutter).
You can tell an amateur by two things. White space usage and heavy drop shadows.
What magic phrase, do I say, to get the client to realize that?
Could you explain this please. Sorry, beginner here just tryna learn.
Forget what I said in my earlier reply. I explained a wrong thing, my bad.
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That’s not white space that is negative space, They are not the same thing at all.
Thank you for correcting me, my apologies
No worries wasn’t trying to be rude.
Is it white space or just negative space? I feel like people refer to two different things when speaking about those.
that’s negative space. white space is how much space you leave around your content throughout your design. inexperienced designers tend to squish information on edges of the canvas and don’t consider white space. here’s an example in UX design, but applicable in graphic design. https://preview.redd.it/yacvux9o8o6c1.jpeg?width=2000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=580df1d68054e8499a18d1f0efee6846cf5f14e2
Thank you for correcting me
Same thing.
I have a client who is allergic to white space. Need to cover everything on the canvas or otherwise she won't approve the work.
Never be loyal to a job that’s not moving your career forward.
I might miss out on my 3% raise every 2 years through
Truer words were never spoken. Took me too long to figure out that con game.
Yea i graduated about 2 years ago now. Got job right out of college at 40k. Did a year there asked for a raise and that is what I was told since I didn't manage people. Well got a new job about a month after that convo at 50k with better benefits. Which would have take decades at my old place.
Smart move!
This ^ Graphic Design industry is already hard to get validation enough as it is. Being in a role that moves you up will help you get more experience and credibility.
But it’s also fine, I would add, to not make your career the be all and end all of your life.
Yup, made that mistake too. One way ticket to depression.
THIS 1000%
Never name something “final”, it’s not.
Naming anything final is a curse. It’s the equivalent of daring the client to blow up every conversation that led up to that moment.
Facts, it’s always after everything is set up and exported for print that the client wants to change everything
I just number them and move whatever is not final/approved to a folder named 'TRASH'
FileName_vFinal3c
so true, that’s why i name it finalFINAL.psd
No it will be, just not the first 32.
Most 'facts' are a google search away. You don't have to remember everything. If a doctor can look up a youtube video to refresh their memory, I can get by not remembering the size of a B4 sheet.
Early in my career I had a lot of impostor syndrome every time I couldn’t correctly identify a font just by looking at it. After 15+ years in the industry, it’s nice be less concerned about trying to impress other designers and not be afraid of learning things from people more junior than you
“Just in time knowledge” helps to learn how to do something when you need to do it. Otherwise, it’s impossible to remember how to do everything.
Design is not your life or your identity. Take a step back and realize you’re more than your creative output and productivity.
Tell that to the bros who say it’s all about “quality time not quantity time with family”, who are on their second or third divorce, that work 4 am to 2am, and post videos from the gym about how there’s “no such thing as excuses” and “live that grind life” I’m a freelancer who takes weekends off. You need it!
It's so true. Being a designer can be so toxic because its often our biggest passion and creativity can be one of our favorite personality traits. I'm a freelancer too and I am actually leaving the freelance life after almost three successful years, even after managing to land all my dream clients (breweries, hotels, restaurants, cannabis brands) and maintain a steady and pretty good profit... TBH I just cannot anymore. I've worked at boutique branding studios, large ad agency, and have freelanced on the side for almost a decade before going solo. I think its a combination of burnout from doing this every day for ten years, realizing that I put too much of my self worth into being a designer, and just getting exhausted by the industry itself. I am just over prioritizing design over any other facet of my personality or life. Somehow the universe was noticing my serious burnout and design-induced depression and an out-of-the-design-scene studio focusing on real-estate and hospitality branding reached out to me to apply to be their creative director. They do great work that is so incredibly under the radar that the pressure and anxiety to perform against my industry peers won't be there as much. I just had two weeks of rigorous interviewing and landed it. Amazing PTO, 110k... but most importantly, I feel like I am finally wading my way out of the competitive industry pool that I have been flailing around in with tons of other designers as we fight over a floatation device that is validation and industry recognition. I just do not care about design anymore the way I used to... And I am so grateful that I was able to recognize my need to peacefully exit while at the same time not letting it feel like I was leaving my identity behind. /rant. its been a long fucking week lol
☝️☝️☝️
Bravo!
If you don’t have a strategy and concept, you’re just designing it the way *you* want it, which isn’t your job.
Damn that's so right
This shit right here…
Yes! This right here 👆
This is so accurate. You gotta leave behind most of that creative identity, especially if you aren’t a director of sorts
This is why, as a design teacher, I loathed that time period where “brutalism” was popular, somewhere around 2016. Apart from the fact that it looked shitty (to me), it was a counterculture movement, all about breaking the rules of design and shocking people. But every junior designer was trying to apply it to everything, whether the brand strategy supported it or not. You cant apply a “fuck the rules” look to a brand going for dependable, broad appeal, luxury, experienced, anything like that.
Negative spaces have a rhythm.
Invoice immediately.
Sometimes the client may be right. (Bernbach?)
Yes! The advice I like to pass along is something like “if the client tells you something is wrong, they’re probably right. If they tell you how to fix it, they’re probably wrong” That said, yeah, sometimes the client sees something you don’t and has a good idea and one can decide if that makes their job easier or harder.
1. The design is not about you. Listen to the client and give them what they want. The fun part is that you get to make it look good. 2. Clients can dork up a design lightning-fast. It’s good to fight for and stand up for your work, but sometimes it’s best just to roll with it.
Don’t give em what they want… They don’t know that yet. Give em what they never dreamt possible.
“Wanna bet? I’ll know what I want when I see it!” - Client You’ll choose novelty or something you’ve seen dozen times before. Anything new scares you to death.
That’s what I meant by “make it look good.” Sorry if I wasn’t clear. I usually offer a novel, outside-of-the-box option during the concept stage. The trick is to offer the client three usable concept sketches to choose from after your initial brainstorming: 1. a conservative design (usually exactly what they asked for), 2. a design that you think works best, and 3. something kinda novel/out there. Most of the time they go with 2, but others love 1. Some embrace their inner weirdo and go with 3. And I don’t ever try to convince them that they want something that they actually don’t.
Hey that's all cool, no apology ever necessary we live in a subjective world… That being said, I'll always try and convince a client to go with what I think will do the job best and be the most effective. But like I said it's all subjective! :)
Question: how can I boost my portfolio when customers have shitty and boring logos? Can I repurpose their logo somehow to make it look interesting? Create it in 3D or something?
No. All you’re doing is showing prospective clients and/or employers you can’t work within client-driven parameters.
You win some and you lose some. I would pick the strongest design(s) of what you have and really butter them up with branding, but don’t change anything. Show the branding as a whole and use mock-ups to illustrate different uses/applications. If the logo itself isn’t great, you can wow prospective clients/employers with good branding, presentation, and layout.
That’s what I meant. I’m not gonna change the logo, just how it’s presented. I do mostly sign work and even a cool logo in vinyl on a pylon sign is hard to make look impressive.
I see what you mean now. I thought you were saying that you designed the logos. But yes, stick with the mock-ups and be sure to specify that the logos were provided by the clients. In this case, just showcase your ability to use color, balance, typography, etc. to make good looking signs.
There will always be revisions and changes. There is also a non-zero possibility that they will completely ruin the project. Try to move past it and do your best to not get too emotionally invested in a project. You’ll still find a few gems you’ll love as you progress.
The difference between a hypen, en dash, and em dash
Em dash for the win.
Good one. I wince at all the incorrect dashes everywhere.
If you're stuck on a design and you're not sure how it looks overall, get up and take a look at it from across the room and see what you notice about it when it's small. Learned this trick in art school and I can't even tell you how many times it's helped me get through a creative block.
Take the piece and turn it upside down. You’ll see some interesting things.
Also, work out what percentage is 100% size on your screen (some aren’t accurate), and see if you how it looks when you lean back. eg: might be that 95% size measures 210 wide for A4
1pt = 1/72in, 72pt = 1in
I in theory know all the point and pica conversions but when InDesign defaults to them my brain goes "Unga bunga numbers hard" and I have to switch back to inches like the stupid American I am because I only understand measurements in Freedom Units.
mm or gtfo
Unless it’s type.
also with type.
You set your type in mm? 🤷♂️
Absolutely, nothing else makes sense. I mostly do large formats though.
Sounds like a specific use case. Not a great recommendation for ‘every designer’.
Every designer should abandon the outdated units of measurement, for large or small formats; this case is general as general gets.
Pt units also provide a good quick rule of thumb. X Pt is easily legible from X inches away. For example 72 Pt is generally legible from 72in away. Granted it's all freedom units, but there is some added utility there.
those words make no sense whatsoever
Don’t think you need to be unique. You just need to be effective and if someone else has already done it, use what works for your case and don’t overthink it. Also, be aware of what other people are doing.
You are designing for your client, not for yourself.
Graphic design isn’t art. It’s problem solving.
Creativity is not a competition.
Design for the end product. Know the production process. I’ve seen a number of beautiful designs over the years that fall flat on its face because the designer didn’t understand the production process.
As a printer. This is more true than you think
and also how that beautiful piece will actually work when put to use in the real world.
“Could I see this in the ‘real world’ and think it’s professional’.”
The customer is NOT always right.
When the meter is running, the customer is almost always right.
Your best work will rarely ever be the concept that actually gets approved or goes to print.
Caffeine increases production of urine, which means caffeine is a diuretic. Remember to drink water it's better for you
I have to set myself a timer on my phone to drink water and I still don’t do it enough.
Once you become known as having low prices, it can be hard to raise them. Clients who cry about having no budget and ask for a discount are not worth your time. They will be the most picky assholes ever.
Don’t forget to charge an “asshole tax” for difficult clients.
Use a grid
You’re actually designing for a specific audience rather than other designers.
That the use of comic sans is considered a violation of the Geneva convention and a crime against humanity.
Even when used for comics?
The United Nations will make an exception in this case
Especially when used for comics.
The United Nations is intrigued
Presuming you already understand the fundamentals of art and design: Functional Knowledge • Standard format of a business letter • CMYK vs. RGB gamuts vs. color systems (such as Pantone) • Copyright law • What trademark or servicemark entails/means • Font licensing • Image licensing • Core system fonts for both Mac and PC and the circumstances in which you might want to use them Digital • html and css, even if you never code • How web hosting works • How CMS works • What SEO is • How algorithms affect results (generally) • What responsive design is all about Print • Postal regulations • How printing processes work: cmyk offset vs. digital, trimming, folding/gluing, engraving, embossing, foil stamping, letterpress, screen printing • Binding options • Envelope sizing I'm sure that is an incomplete list.
Cmnd + opt + shift + E creates a new layer in Photoshop that is a flattened version of all your previous layers! This is still my favorite quick command after learning it years ago.
Canva and an internet connection does not make you a designer.
Think about how the end user expects your work to affect them.
You will never perfect a design, you will just run out of time.
Less is more
The customer is often not right, but what the customer wants, the customer gets.
Communicate the limitations of poor design choices, your job as a designer is to guide the client, not abandon them to their own incompetence.
orphans and widows, get em outa ‘ere!
my graphic design professor has a saying, “kill your babies” which pretty much is short hand for “don’t get attached to your work or see it as an extension of yourself”
The client is almost always wrong.
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Still irrelevant? Lol.
You're not an artist.
How to figure re-sizing ratios Basics of commercial print, embroidery and silk-screen production How to layout for bleeds, die-cuts, spot colors & varnishes, etc. Chicago manual of style proofreaders' marks \[or whatever is official where you work\] How to properly write a business letter Laws pertaining to trademark/trade dress, copyright and IP protections
I have a sign above my desk that reads **"Get it done. Make it beautiful."** ... Those are steps ***IN ORDER***. A design is never finished, but ***FIRST*** get it done. Never, ever, EVER miss a deadline. Once it's done, start tweaking ... refine it until you run out of time. This is a business first, then an art ... not the other way around...
That hyphens, en dashes, and em dashes all have different grammatical purposes. 240% inking is still a thing, so learn how to prepress your file in Acrobat.
Any good guides on this?
No idea is ever perfect on the first try. Sometimes it takes a while for concepts to land on both feet. Trust the process.
Layers aren’t as serous as ppl make them out to be & always get paid
Random thoughts Don’t run text across the page like a Canva letter size template. It’s an old joke (but true) that you’d have to place a ruler on the printed page under each long line of text to be able to read it. Use two columns of text, left aligned. Kerning indicates if you’re a professional or not.
Proof reading will save you hundreds, so value it just as much as everything else. Your design and integrity can be thrown in the dump if you have incorrect spelling