Category Archives: Best of the Best Designs

The Do’s and Don’ts of a Successful Portfolio - Part II

January 22, 2010 – 12:10 pm

Presentation and Eye Appeal
What would your reaction be if you were served a plate of food at a restaurant that had dust, lint, or smudges on the dish? Now let’s switch this scenario around and put this in the context of a job seeker presenting a portfolio that has dust, lint, and smudges on the [...]

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What Employers Are Looking For In Graphic Designers - Part I

January 14, 2010 – 3:45 pm

What You Need To Qualify
To land a job as a graphic designer you need the skill sets and talent necessary to fill the job requirements.
There are two types of skill set categories employers are looking for when hiring a graphic designer. In the following three part series we’ll delve into what these qualities are and [...]

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Graphic Design and Effective Messaging - Part II

January 7, 2010 – 6:17 am

Graphic Design Is Messaging
Although the artistic merits of good graphic design is at the forefront of what a graphic artist does the real backbone behind the design is the effectiveness of the message you are trying to communicate to the viewer.
In our last article we quoted Marshal McLuhan saying, “The medium is the message” or [...]

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Graphic Design and Effective Messaging - Part I

January 5, 2010 – 4:14 pm

The Medium Is the Message
Marshall McLuhan coined the phrase “The medium is the message.” McLuhan was considered one of the cutting edge media theorists of his day and realized that the “container” of the message or the medium influenced how the final message was perceived.
As graphic artists it is important to understand and use this [...]

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Specialized Dingbats for Graphic Designers - Part II

December 21, 2009 – 6:00 am

Dingbats Continued…
We continue this series with some more dingbats that you can use in your next flyer, ad or graphic arts project. These dingbats are all scalable and will come in handy when you need a quick graphic or design motif for just the right look.
We’d like to thank the folks over at dafont.com again [...]

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Photoshop Backgrounds for Graphic and Web Designers - Part III

December 10, 2009 – 9:30 pm

The Rest of Them
This series concludes with several colorful Photoshop backgrounds that can be used for the times when you need something colorful and eye-catching for a backdrop. And as it was with the previous examples, you can modify these patterns to suit your own specific needs.
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Light Rays
If you need a dramatic and striking background [...]

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Photoshop Backgrounds for Graphic and Web Designers - Part II

December 4, 2009 – 12:00 pm

Abstract Photoshop Backgrounds
In the following tutorials, you’ll learn how to make Photoshop backgrounds that are more abstract and artsy. Since these themes are open-ended in nature, they can be used for many types of graphic design projects and web design layouts. You can scale these backgrounds to be used as buttons, backdrops, or poster elements. [...]

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Photoshop Backgrounds for Graphic and Web Designers - Part I

December 3, 2009 – 4:26 pm

Background Check
Have you even wanted to create your own unique Photoshop backgrounds for a specific project or web design layout that needed some extra shine? In the following tutorials, you’ll learn how to do this. The instructions take you step-by-step and can be used as the basis for creating new backgrounds to suit your needs.
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Windows [...]

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Freelancing 101: The Typical Life

November 12, 2009 – 6:33 am

Freelancing 101: The typical life.
Plus tips and advise from a professional.
By Elle Phillips
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, about twenty-five percent of all Graphic Designers (or Graphic Artists) do freelance work, full-time or part-time. Many more have aspirations of doing freelance because of the money, creativity, and the appeal of working from home. [...]

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When Design Becomes Literal

November 11, 2009 – 6:00 am

As a graphic artist, you face the challenge of creating designs that are unique, and interesting. Some designers, as you will see, have taken the idea of design to a very literal form.
The following examples are fun to look at and admire, but also serve as inspiration to think “inside the box” by approaching design [...]

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