Category Archives: Graphic Design

Logos: What Makes a Good Design? - Part II

The Logo Journey Continues
In our last article, we examined several logo designs that were, by most conventional standards, unsuccessful. Your graphic design education is a continuing process and learning the basics of graphic design can help you to be more effective in creativity and avoid mistakes in design.
In Part 2 of this series, we'll take [...]

Logos: What Makes a Good Design? - Part I

Logo Design Isn't Always Easy
Designing a logo can sometimes be mystifying, but that doesn't mean it can't be done. At times a logo design just works, even though it may seem rather unremarkable. Other designs should work but they don't.
When Things Go Terribly Wrong
The examples in this article demonstrate what can happen when attention to [...]

Great Ideas for Package Designs - Part II

Package Design: The Two Second Commercial
If you pay a visit to your local supermarket and view the thousands of items sitting on shelves, each product is vying to gain your attention through its package design. Hence each package acts as a two second commercial.
The following designs excel in attracting your eye, but also serve a [...]

Great Ideas for Package Designs - Part I

See, Learn, and Get Inspired
Designing a package can be quite challenging when trying to think of unique ways to present a product. The following examples show how graphic designers think outside the packaging box by using creative techniques that are novel in approach, and also quite functional by design.
Otokoyama Sake

A simple design can be more [...]

Camera Tricks for Non-Photographers - Part II

Make Your Own Filters and Special Effects
In our last camera tricks session we covered some basic techniques related to camera operation, lens usage, and camera settings to achieve different image effects without the use of Photoshop.
This time around we will still achieve in-camera effects but with the use of homemade lens filters and accessories that [...]

Really Cool Photoshop Effects Part III

In our hat of magic Photoshop tricks, we've pulled out a few more items that we thought you might be interested in.
These effects and their related tutorials (click on the bold text or the image) are really fun to try out. They incorporate functions of Photoshop such as layering, transparency, blending, and other methods.
It will [...]

Camera Tricks for Non-Photographers Part I

1986 B.P. (Before Photoshop)
Photoshop is a fun program and can be used to turn plain photographs into unusual or improved versions. But before Photoshop arrived, photographers were using in-camera effects to put some pop into their images.
What Is an In-Camera Effect?
This means the manipulation of a photographic image through the use of special lighting, shutter [...]

Really Cool Photoshop Effects Part 1

Photoshop is like a magic hat. Inside it you'll find and discover all sorts of tricks that allow you to manipulate and transform images to another state of being.
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Photoshop can be a little tricky sometimes because of the depth of all its features. But this shouldn't scare anyone away from using this great program. In [...]

Quick and Easy Logos, Clip Art, and Graphics

Graphic designers are collectors of tools. It can be clip art, vector graphics, illustrations, fonts, or website apps. All these little tidbits create a nice library of things that can be used in projects or work.
Freebies Aren't Always Free
One thing that you'll always see on the Internet are the so-called free graphics tools.
The problem is [...]

Printed Paper and Storyboard Templates Galore

People sort of take paper for granted. It's everywhere and has become such a common commodity that it is rarely given a second thought.
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But for anyone in graphic arts, illustration or design, paperĀ  is useful in producing the end results.
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Sometimes there is a need for the use of certain types of utility paper such as [...]