Don’t Go Broke at the Printers - How to Save Money at the Print Shop

Don't Go Broke at the Printers - How to Save Money at the Printers
Photo by Phoney Nickle

Don't Go Broke at the Printers - How to Save Money at the Print Shop

Find out ways to save yourself money the next time you go on over to the print shop to get one of your graphic design projects printed out. The more you can do in house before sending a project to a printer, the more money you can save on the printing cost. Below I have shared some secret tips with you to save some of your precious money at the commercial printers.

1) Complete the project. In other words, get the project camera-ready so all the printer has to do is shoot a negative, burn a plate, load the press and print. (See Chapter Printing Problems for an explanation of these.) If the printer has to make any adjustments to your file, you can expect to pay for these.

2) Shoot your own negatives. Not everyone has the huge camera needed to make printing negatives. Still if you plan to make a living doing graphic design, investing in a graphic arts large-frame camera and darkroom could be a wise idea. By large-frame camera, I mean one capable of holding a negative about a yard long. You’ll also have to have a darkroom, chemicals and developing trays.

3) Burn your own plates. (See Chapter Printing Problems for definition of burning plates). However, you’ll need to be sure your plate is the size the printer needs. If the plate is too big, it can be trimmed. If the plate is too small, it will have to be junked. Also, if you burn your own plates, leave them completely flat. Let the printer make his own crimps in the plate to attach it to the press. Come plates can be burned on a large-frame camera. Some plates require a specialized plates-only camera because of lighting requirements.

4) Use standard-stock paper. This generally means white paper cut to letter or legal size in the US or country-standard size elsewhere on the globe. Use standard envelopes, postcards, business card stock for these projects. Every time you order a special color of paper, you increase the price. Every time you order a different trim on the paper, say 7 inches by 9 inches, you increase the price because the printer will have to cut these sheets. Understand also that the thicker a paper is, the more it will cost per sheet.

5) Limit colors as much as possible. The more inks a printer has to use, the more expense he has to go to. This will be passed along to you. More inks also mean more spoils (See Chapter Printing Problems for spoils definition) because the press must be aligned properly to make sure each different color ink plate is lined up properly. This cost too will be passed along.

6) Buy bulk. If you know you have a lot of projects coming which will use a non-standard grade of paper, ask the printer if he will stock up. He may ask for some purchase guarantees from you to insure his cost will be covered. But, the printer should realize some savings in buying in large quantities and you are within your rights to ask for some savings as well.

7) Supply your own paper. If you have a project that calls for a REALLY oddball paper, consider buying the paper yourself and supplying it to the printer. In general supplying paper to a printer is not a good idea because it cuts into his profit margin (which is typically slim just on the cost of paper). But the printer may appreciate you supplying the paper in extremely unusual circumstances. Just be sure to ask ahead of time to make sure the printer is capable of handling the paper you supply. Stationery or special events are be a common situations where unusual paper is needed, especially where an unusual or irregular trim is needed. Invitations are great examples of this. Say you have a customer planning an open house for a new industry and wants 5000 identical letters to mail to announce the open house. You can order 5000 sheets of paper cut in the shape of the building or the company logo. Then, develop the letter to go on the sheets. Send the custom-cut paper and your design to the printer, after making sure the printer can use the unusual-shaped sheets. Many times brochures are often cut to unusual shapes to
get more attention.

8) Get an annual contract. If you know you will have X amount of printing in a year’s time, approach a printer and explain this. Tell the printer you will guarantee him X amount of business in exchange for a discount on the total printing bill.

9) Pay immediately instead of Net-30. Many businesses offer a small discount for customers who pay up front or immediately upon receiving the merchandise. That’s because they avoid the expense of sending customers a bill.

10) Shop around. If you have more than one print shop in your local area, ask for bids for the the print job.

11) If possible, look online for a printer out of town. But, while this can be cheaper, you do lose some control over the project and you will have to pay shipping costs.

12) Deliver your project yourself and pick up the finished product yourself. In addition to saving some shipping and handling fees, you can probably charge your client a delivery fee if you deliver it to them.

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Easy Guide to Commercial Printers for Designers Who Always Get Lost

Easy Guide to Commercial Printers for Graphic Designers Needing to Know about Printing Process
Photo by Leeni!

Easy Guide to Commercial Printers for Designers Who Always Get Lost in the Printing Process & Common Printer Problems

The most common issue printers face with graphic artists and designers are deadlines. Some graphic designers think that when they hand the design project over to a printer, that they should get the final project back within 30 minutes. While that may be possible on small-scale projects done at quick-copy establishments such as Kinkos, it is not going to happen with a commercial printing press printer. First, understand that getting the project off your computer and turned into the final product has several steps.

The Commercial Printing Process

commercialprintingpress - The Commercial Printing Process

1) The printer must get your project onto the press. Although many printers now have new digital methods, for many commercial printers this means, typically, shooting negatives, stripping them if needed and burning a plate from the negatives. This will take a few minutes.

Quick Fact: In printer's jargon, the process of get­ting a negative ready to make a printing plate is called "stripping." Using that negative to make an image on a chemi­cal-coated aluminum plate for printing is called "burning a plate."

Quick Fact:
Putting printing plates on the press is called "Putting it to bed" because part of the printing press is called a bed.

2) The press must be loaded. Even if the press has the color ink you want, the plate must be installed correctly.

Quick Fact: The first sheets off a press are usually discarded. This is called "spoil."

3) The printer must run a few alignment and test sheets to make sure everything is working.

Quick Fact: High speed presses running a single-sheet project can run an exact number of copies. Multiple-sheet projects gen­erally will not turn in an exact number of copies. In fact, projects like books will have contracts that specify a 10 percent over-run or over-run. The cus­tomer is expected to pay for over-runs and will be credited with under-runs.

4) The printing then begins. If it is a multiple page project and the printer is a small shop, presses may have to be cleaned and reloaded with the other plates. Then, on a multiple copy project, the sheets must be collated and bound if desired.

Quick Fact: Each paper stock weight in the United States is based on 500 sheets of paper cut to the specified size. If your copier paper is "20lb bond," then 500 sheets of it, if cut to 17"x22", would weigh 20 pounds. If cut to 25"x38", it would be called "book paper" or "text paper," and it would weigh 50 pounds. Paper stock for posters, catalog covers and other items which require rigidity is meas­ured differently. Point size and Weight. Point Size: Designates the thickness of a sheet in thousandths of an inch, so .010 would be 10pt as well as .012 would be 12pt. Weight: Using the standard US pound (#), weight is determined as the weight of 500, 20” X “26” sheets. (Source www.theprintingguide.com)

5) Your project may be on a list of projects the printer has. It could be that your project is a little way down on the list, so the printer won't be able to begin work immediately. Understand also that if you request an urgent print schedule, someone else may have requested a rush job ahead of you.

Common Problems That Occur During the Commercial Printing Process

pullingmyhairout2 - Common Problems That Occur During the Commercial Printing Process
photograph by bcymet

Common problem: Incompatible formats.

incompatibleformats-Common problem: Incompatible formats.
Photograph by Kaptain Kobold

This should never be a problem thanks to Adobe Acrobat. With Adobe Acrobat you can create a project on any computer platform in any kind of application. Then, convert the project into a .PDF (Portable Document Format). PDFs can be opened on all the common personal computer platforms with the free Acrobat. Acrobat is available for Windows, Mac and Linux. Visit <www.adobe.com> for more information and free Acrobat Reader downloads and updates. If you decide to not make a PDF file, then check to see what file formats the printer can use. If you send a file his system won't open, then you, not the printer, have delayed the printing process. Not everyone has the very latest software updates. Not everyone can open every kind of file. If you create a project in Adobe Illustrator on a Mac and save it as an Illustrator file for a Mac, do not be surprised if the printer cannot open it.

Common problem: Special printing requirements.

specialprintingrequirements - Common problem: Special printing requirements.
Photograph by DuneChaser

If your customer wants a particular grade of paper, color paper or color of ink, call ahead and make sure the printer has it. If the printer does have it, ask if it can be ordered and what the turnaround time will be. WIth the huge variety of papers and inks available today, most job print shops will not have everything you can imagine. If you want a specific kind of trim on the paper, it may have to be cut. If the printer has to cut the paper, this is an additional step in the printing process and will cost extras. Be prepared to pay for this extra work
Common problem: No proof sheet

Common problem: No proof sheet
Photography by Nate Hofer

A proof sheet shows the printer what the final project should look like. It insures that your borders, margins, bleeds, art and text are all aligned properly. When the printer generates the image that will be loaded on the press, he can use the proof sheet to make sure everything is lined up properly. If something is off, the printer should call you and tell you the problem. Then the two of you work it out. If you supply a proof sheet and the project prints incorrectly, then you have a case to go back to the printer for redress. If you do not supply a proof sheet, then you have little recourse unless it is such an obvious error that anyone could have caught it. If there is no proof sheet, the printer is on his own and must use his own judgement to decide if the project is printing correctly. A proof sheet, especially on color projects, lets the printer know what the final product color scheme should be. The printer can and does make minute adjustments to the press ink wells while a project is coming off the press.

Common problem: Contact information

lostandfound - common problem: Contact information
Photograph by LightSoutFilms

Simple courtesy means you don't just drop off a project with instructions. Be sure you leave a phone number where the printer can reach you during business hours. If there's a problem, you might be able to solve it over the phone. If the printer can't reach you, your project will likely be set aside until the printer can find you and address the problems.

Common problem: Not listening

notlistening - Common problem: Not listening
Photograph by Meredith Farmer

One sure way to infuriate a printer is to not listen to him when he says something. You may be the graphic artist with project, but most likely thep-rinter has extensive experience in graphic design as well. Furthermore, the printer knows his printing equipment and what it is capable of. You are hiring the printer to do a job, so listen to what he says. In addition to learning some­thing about his printing operation, which will help you down the road, you may pick up some additional design tips.

Pro’s Tip It never hurts to ask.

askquestions2 - Pro’s Tip It never hurts to ask.
Photograph by Kygp

Once you delivered the project, given all your instructions and answered any questions the printer has, ask this last question, “Is there anything else I might need to know or might need to tell you about this project?”

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Advice for Graphic Design Students - Characteristics of Top Design Students

Graphic Design Students - What Makes a Good Graphic Design Student
Photo by: Musescore

Characteristics of a Great and Mediocre Graphic Design Students : How to Be the Best Student Graphic Designer and Hang Out with the Successful and Talented Designers

Article Written by Kearan Emrith of Twentyfive Eight Design Solutions

Graphic design is one of the most under-estimated, under paid, yet most important career paths in the world. Design influences and effects everything in and around us. It aggravates our intelligence, beautifies our emotions and gratifies our senses. Yet the average person thinks if you slap together some primary colors and a photo of their favorite singer in Photoshop, save it as a .jpeg AND a .psd file, that they are now graphic designers. It’s not as easy as “common knowledge” may lead you to believe. Yes graphic designers use Adobe Creative Suite which does include Photoshop and other tools, but to become a successful graphic artist is much like becoming an athlete. Having all the right equipment isn’t even half the battle. It takes a lot of conditioning and training to get to that level that you need to get to. You will have to train your brain to speak the language of form, function, line, shape, positive and negative space and so forth. Your thought process will be so engrossed within graphic design that you will be able to visualize mind maps, brain storming, and futurist visualization within your head. You will only need to be put these ideas on paper to convey your ideas to the less fortunate. Mathematicians do calculus in their heads, designers should do creative brainstorming in theirs. The truth of the matter is that not all designers will be successful. Some will fail, most will remain mediocre, and the select few who are gifted all around will get exactly what they deserve ... Everything.

Believe it or not amongst all the bull we have been fed throughout our lives there is some underlying truth. One of these truths is that education is the key. In graphic design the learning never stops. The industry is ever-changing and expanding to accommodate everyone in all different fields. The one thing they do not stress enough in the graphic design curriculum is to continue to READ. I know it sounds asinine and childish but the only way to stay informed and aware of the design world around you and your peers from across the globe is to follow the industry closely. Starting this as a student will not only get you in the habit for the rest of your career but it will also make you a better designer while in school. Designers feed off each others work and experiences more so than Hollywood musicals feed off of Broadway shows. We facilitate each other.

This might not be evident the first year of your graphic design program but it will become more and more obvious as the program goes on.  When my first year began, all of us seemed more concerned with making friends than making art. As the year progressed we all had our comfortable niche of students we worked with. Even if it was an individual assignment we would sit together in the library and feed off each others creative energy. Fuel each other to be the best we possibly could. In the first semester of the program I was in we were divided in half. Graphic design A (GRA-A) and graphic design B (GRA-B). We had the exact same classes, lectures and assignments but we were separated from the other group. I was in GRA-B and by the time first semester had ended I could tell who was going to be successful and who was going to fail after graduation. In second semester they inter-grated group A and B. In a way this was good but it started the weeding out the weak process all over again. This time was easier because I knew what characteristics to look for in students to classify them as mediocre.

Characteristics of Mediocre Graphic Design Students

Students who are consistent. By consistent I don’t mean in quality I mean in ideas. The students that do the same thing for every assignment just slight variations aren’t creative. They will never strengthen themselves as a designer if all they do is remain in their strong areas.

Students Who Don't Strive for Excellence. Steer clear of the students who get below 80% and are happy with their mark. The student that tries his hardest and gets 72% will be more successful than the student who never tries and gets a 80%. The 72% student has drive, ambition and work ethic. All of which are important to any career especially one design related. This student is also a great person to work with and work around because even though they may not be the most creative they are still inspiring you to put more of an effort.

Students Who Can't Handle Presentations. The students that are really shy and cannot handle class presentations. Graphic design is an industry where public speaking is very important. If you can’t convey your ideas and thought process behind your work to the client they won’t buy into it. Even though it is an art based industry, your art is your product and if you can’t sell that product accordingly you won’t make it far. Although not being able to present your designs doesn't mean that you are a lousy graphic designer, however, a shy graphic design student probably won't be able to help YOU grow as a graphic design student since they won't be vocal about what they know.

Even though the students that fall into these categories may not be good designers that doesn’t mean they aren’t good people. My advice is to talk to everyone and get some type of contact information. If you happen to become friends with them so be it. Just don’t look to them to draw new habits and inspiration. The most used cliché in the world holds true in this scenario. Don’t mix business with pleasure. This is a business and it may not be morally correct but it isn’t your job to help them succeed. The talented should remain talented and the less talented should work on themselves to get there. That being said, there are students who you should surround yourself with.

Characteristics of Talented Graphic Design Students : Surround Yourself with Them

Loud, Vocal, Humorous Students. Usually the loudest, arrogant, humorous students are the ones to be around. They are either really creative, smoke a lot of ganja or both. So if you can’t draw from their creative energy you can at-least get something else from them.

Students Living in the Library. The students who live in the library are the most submerged in design. These are the students that are always on design blogs, taking out design books and when they aren’t reading about others designs that they are designing themselves.

Design Students Who Talk A Lot About Graphic Design. Graphic designers talk about graphic design. It’s that simple of a concept. You can never have a conversation on what font was used in a movie or on a brand of clothing with anyone else. You can never talk about live traced adverts, vector images on coke cans and in most modern product packaging unless its with a graphic design peer. These students who are completely design savvy are the best for this. They understand what you know and make you understand what you don’t know. I said it before and will say it again, design is a language and like any other language it has to be learned and understood before it can be spoken.

Design Students Who Have Already Starting Freelance Designing. Another student to look for are the ones who have already started freelance designing. This is a very important step especially in first year. It shows that these students are already thinking about building their portfolio and making money. This is a very good step especially for a first year student to take. At the same time don’t lose focus of your priorities. School is first, freelance comes after. It’s also a great way to get the feel of working within a clients guidelines. Not to mention you are starting your client database before you even work a day in the field.

Kearan Emrith
Twentyfive Eight Design Solutions
© Copyright 2008

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Should You Purchase a Web Site Template or Hire a Web Designer

Should You Purchase a Web Site Template or Hire a Web Designer
Photo by: B Tal

Should You Purchase a Web Site Template or Hire a Web Designer

Looking for an appropriate Web Template to use for your business or hobby site is not an easy thing to do. Most of the templates you find (especially the free or low cost templates) are going to be stale, look unprofessional, or have already been cloned all over the web. If you decide to go with something pricier, there is a better chance of getting something that will be decent but then you really need to do your homework to make sure it was worth the money. Also, if you are going to spend a pocket full of dollars on a better template, then should you go with a web designer instead?

When you are looking for a good web site template, you need to first keep in mind the things that make any web site good and then look at the specific limitations of a template and see how they will effect you and your site. We'll look at both.
1. Is the site coded to current standards?
The web is always changing and you want your new website to be web browser compliant to reduce the errors people will encounter when viewing your pages. If the site is going to be very small and simple, you can probably get away with a static HTML template. If you are going to actually be using and updating your site regularly and it is more than a single page then you want the template to be coded using CSS.

Why use CSS? CSS is about separating the design from your content. This becomes especially important when using a template, because once you start using it you don't want to be concerned with the look anymore. You want to concentrate on the content of your site. By using CSS you can keep the look of everything consistent from page to page. Without it, you risk everything looking very uncoordinated and unprofessional. Using CSS will also make the coding on the pages generally more efficient increasing the speed that your pages load.

2. Are there good navigation tools?
People are going to need to get around your site. Exactly how they do this has a lot to do with the purpose of your site and you need to consider what these requirements are going to be before choosing a template. Is your site content based chronologically (Like blogs often are)? You'll want a simple interface that is date based. Is your site full of content that might not be easily interconnected? You may need a thorough menu based system or at the least a search box on the page.

3. Is the look of the template clean?
When the web first started it was all about fitting as much on a page as possible. Turns out, that without at least a bit of white space sites turn into jumbled messes. Make sure the template allows you to add your content and still leaves room for that content to breath a little.

4. Does the template fit your purpose?
There are lots of reasons people need sites, and different reasons lend them selves to different styles of design. If your site is informational you want the design to focus the readers view on that information. If you are selling a product you may want the initial view to fall on a picture of the product or maybe on the testimonials or your logo. Whatever it is, make sure the template is bringing the eyes where they need to go. This isn't just about your content either, if you are planning on ad based revenue, you need to make sure the template leaves space for your ads so they aren't being stuffed in awkwardly at the end breaking the look of your page.

5. Does the template fit your audience?

Put a lot of thought into the capabilities of your target audience and how they are accessing your site. If the audience is on faster connections (younger/tech savvy group) than you might be able to get away with something more image based, but if they are coming to your site off slower connections you want something more static and text based. Also keep in mind that some templates will be better for static content and others for more dynamic content. You don't want ever changing content to leave giant gaps on your page or longer content to over run the pages.

6. Make sure the template is search engine friendly.

Most people rely on search engines to bring in a large chunk of their sites traffic. If you are using a template, you want to make sure it doesn't bring in a lot of flash or a splash page since both can damage search engine ranking. Also make sure it is easy to ad tags to the template for different content areas. Even though tags and meta data supposedly don't directly effect rankings any more, it can effect the text that shows up in the search engines and you want this to be effective to draw others in. Also, make sure the template is accessible to people of different ages and abilities.

7. Make sure it isn't being used everywhere.

If you tweak the template a bit to ad some creativity this won't be as much of an issue, but look around (especially at sites on similar subjects to your own) and make sure you are not seeing this template being used elsewhere. Just because you are using a template, doesn't mean you want to look like a cookie cut-out of every other site around you, especially other sites you are competing with.

Only you can decide if your new site needs to be template based or if you should take the time and money to have it professionally designed. Generally speaking, your use of a template should be inversely proportionate to the importance of the site to your business. If your whole business is about the design and the site don't be penny wise and pound foolish hire someone to do the job right.

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Logo Design Inspiration - Best of Cool Logos Part III

accqua - best logos - cool logo designs

Logo Design Inspiration - Best of Cool Logos Part III

This is part III of a multiple part series of the coolest logo designs. You can see part one of the logo design inspiration series here - Logo Design Inspiration Part I and Logo Design Inspiration Part II. You can use this list as a source of logo inspiration or just look at it because it is fun to do. Either way, enjoy the following list of beautiful / cool logo designs. You can take a look at more logos on the Logo Design Inspiration Section of Design Sites Up.
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This is part III of a multiple part series of the coolest logo designs. You can see part one of the logo design inspiration series here - Logo Design Inspiration Part I and Logo Design Inspiration Part II. You can use this list as a source of logo inspiration or just look at it because it is fun to do. Either way, enjoy the following list of beautiful / cool logo designs. You can take a look at more logos on the Logo Design Inspiration Section of Design Sites Up.
doogies -  - best logos - cool logo designs

urbanchick - best logos - cool logo designs

stickybeak - best logos

playground  - best logos - cool logo designs

getwired - best logos - cool logo designs

sertifi -  - best logos

trekadoo - best logos - cool logo designs

families - best logos

sweetcookies - best logos - cool logo designs

ironduck -  - best logos

bridges - best logos - cool logo designs

cafe-click1 best logo design

accqua - best logos - cool logo designs

medulla - best logos - cool logo designs

greenvillage travel agency  - best logos - cool logo designs

photomum - best logos - cool logo designs

winebottega - best logos - cool logo designs

inksect logo design

point - best logos - cool logo designs

sparrow logo design

naijapulse - best logos - cool logo designs

corecider logo design

vnlstore - best logos - cool logo designs

frogami logo design

happypops - best logos - cool logo designs

pagefold cool logo design

adgenius - best logos - cool logo designs

buffaleaux  - best logos - cool logo designs

foldit logo design

chameleon - best logos - cool logo designs

origamia - logo design

urbangroove - best logos - cool logo designs

Logo Design Articles on All Graphic Design Resources

Logo Design Inspiration Part I

Logo Design Inspiration Part II

Best Logo Design Books for Your Graphic Design Library - Here are a few books you should consider for your logo design book collection.

Logo Design Process of Inspirational Graphic Designer Jon Sandruck - Do you want to learn about the logo design process from a logo designer who is going to have two of his logos to be included in the inspirational Logo Lounge 5? Then please welcome the very talented Jon Sandruck.

Logo Design Creation Process from Start to Finish by Expert Graphic Designer - Jose Soto

Logo Design Process from Start to Finish Logo Design Creation Process from Start to Finish by Expert Graphic Designer : Mark Misenheimer - This article was written by the very talented, Mark Misenheimer of Misenheimer Creative, Inc. Mark is an expert freelance graphic designer who has been in the design business for years. He has documented the design of a logo from start to finish in order to help other graphic designers. I know that you will learn something from this tremendous logo design article.

logo design process from start to finish - kick Logo Design Creation Process from Start to Finish by Expert Graphic Designer : Angela Ferraro-Fanning - We are very excited to have Angela Ferraro-Fanning guest write for us this week. Many of you will find that she is a graphic designer that is very talented and experienced. She wrote this article to guide you through her own creative logo design process, from start to finish.

A Roundup of the Best Photoshop Logo Design Tutorials Online - I have collected the top Photoshop Logo Design tutorials online and listed them for you below. There are also plenty of Web 2.0 Logo Design tutorials as well.

Logo Design Articles, Tips, and Resources

Logo Design Inspiration Sites and Galleries

More Logo Design Blog Articles Online

Roundup of Logo Design Inspiration Websites, Galleries, and Best of Logos Showcases - This is a list of logo design inspiration galleries, showcases, and other logo design inspiration sites. These sites are very helpful for times when you have designer block and can’t think of any designs on your own.

15+ Amazingly clever logos

20 Sources To Get Logo Design Inspiration

25 Sources For Logo Design Inspiration

30 Plus Creative Logo Design Gallery for inspiration

50+ Kick Ass Logos for Inspiration

All the Logo Design Resources You Will Ever Need

Beautiful And Creative Logo Designs For Your Inspiration

Design Inspiration: 56 Most Creative Logos

Design inspiration: 6 Outstanding Logo Sites

Logo Design Inspiration: 54 Creative Logos Hand-picked From Logopond

Logo Design Inspiration - The BIG 15 Roundup!

Logo Design Inspiration from LogoPond

Logo Design Inspiration - Cool Logos Part I

Logo Design Inspiration - Cool Logos Part II

Logo Design Inspiration from Logo of The Day

Logo Design Inspiration: 54 Creative Logos

Logo Design Trends 2009 - Showcase

Sikbox Logo Design Process

Some Logo Design Inspiration

Top 5 Logo Showcases for Logo Design Inspiration

Top 10 Logo Design Inspiration Galleries

Top 10 Sources of Logo Design Inspiration

The Ultimate List of The Best Logo Design Resources

Web Design & Logo Design Inspiration

79 of the best logo design resources

Logo Design Guide

Best Band Logos

6 Reasons Why a Logo Should Cost More Than Your Lunch

5 Vital Logo Design Tips

100 Best Designed Logos

50 Kick Ass Logos for Inspiration

Top 10 Sports Logos

The 50 Best Band Logos of All Times

More Articles That You Might Be Interested in

Best of Invitation Design

Best of Annual Reports

Best of Brochure Design

Best of Brochure Design 2

Best of Business Stationary, Letterhead & Business Cards

Funniest Record Album Covers

Most Unique / Silly Shopping Bags Ever Designed

Best Cool, Clever & Unique Billboards and Outdoor Advertising

Best Cool, Clever & Unique Billboards and Outdoor Advertising Part II

Logo Design Inspiration - Cool Logos Part I

Logo Design Inspiration - Cool Logos Part II

The Coolest Business Cards

Coolest Business Cards Part 2

More Cool Business Cards 3

The Coolest Business Cards 4

Best of Black and White Graphic Design Layouts

Cool Flyers, Posters, Leaflets

The Coolest Business Cards 4

Best of Black and White Graphic Design Layouts

Cool Flyers, Posters, Leaflets

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The Coolest Business Cards - Beautiful & Unique Business Card Designs Part 6

vaughan - The Coolest Business Cards - Beautiful & Unique Business Card Designs

The Coolest Business Cards - Beautiful & Unique Business Card Designs Part 6

This is the 6th part of our Coolest Business Card series. You will love these new business cards that I found online.  I hope that you enjoy the next set of 'cool business cards'. Feel free to submit your own.

thirtysixdegrees - The Coolest Business Cards - Beautiful & Unique Business Card Designs

howlfire - The Coolest Business Cards - Beautiful & Unique Business Card Designs

suvorna - The Coolest Business Cards - Beautiful & Unique Business Card Designs

350design - The Coolest Business Cards - Beautiful & Unique Business Card Designs

jonrichter - The Coolest Business Cards - Beautiful & Unique Business Card Designs

marklegget - The Coolest Business Cards - Beautiful & Unique Business Card Designs

duffertyp - The Coolest Business Cards - Beautiful & Unique Business Card Designs

urbanwaves - The Coolest Business Cards - Beautiful & Unique Business Card Designs

With this one you can actually put water inside the plastic bag.

sundial - The Coolest Business Cards - Beautiful & Unique Business Card Designs

Sun Dial Business Card.

officefurniture - The Coolest Business Cards - Beautiful & Unique Business Card Designs

fifthfloor - The Coolest Business Cards - Beautiful & Unique Business Card Designs

aelevator - The Coolest Business Cards - Beautiful & Unique Business Card Designs

vaughan - The Coolest Business Cards - Beautiful & Unique Business Card Designs

artfulgiving - The Coolest Business Cards - Beautiful & Unique Business Card Designs

toothpickmirror - The Coolest Business Cards - Beautiful & Unique Business Card Designs

shoesscoop

dominoes

kapeesah

space150

banjtes

vorderman

digitopolis

promptt

socialthing

xplicit

leonbarber

bluelemon

gooddesign

francesco

lodge

calibre

letahitibusinesscards

edfellabusinescards

versandbusinesscard

bleubusinesscard

julieamesbusinesscard

unrealbusinesscard

tweedlebusinesscards

Best Business Cards Part 1

Best Business Cards Part 2

Best Business Cards  Part 3

Best Business Card Designs Part 4

Best Business Card Designs Part 5

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Annual Report Designs - Best of Annual Reports

Best of Brochure Design - Part 2

Inspirational Corporate Identity Design

Funniest Record Album Covers

Most Unique / Silly Shopping Bags Ever Designed

Best Cool, Clever & Unique Billboards and Outdoor Advertising Part II

Best Cool, Clever & Unique Billboards and Outdoor Advertising

Best of Black and White Graphic Design Layouts

Best of Brochure Design

Cool Flyers, Posters, Leaflets

Coolest Business Cards Part 2

The Coolest Business Cards

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Roundup of Trading / Bartering / Swapping Sites for Graphic Designers

graphicdesignswap - Roundup of Trading / Bartering / Swapping Sites for Graphic Designers

Roundup of Trading / Bartering / Swapping Sites for Graphic Designers

Whether you want to barter your graphic design / web design services, swap your graphic design books, trade your graphic design software, your graphics, or some other graphics items, these sites will help you do that. You can save a ton of money by trading what you do have for something that you don't have. Check out the sites below.

wwwallgraphicdesigncom_All Graphic Design Forum

All Graphic Design Forum

barterfindnet_

BarterFind

wwwbarterquestcom_

BarterQuest

wwwbarterpalacecom_

Barter Palace

bookmoochcom_

Book Mooch

wwwcaretotradecom_

CareToTrade

wwwcoswapcom_

CoSwap

wwwfile-swapcom_

File-Swap

neighborrowcom_

Neighborrow

ourswaps

Our Swaps

wwwpeopletradingservicescom_

People Trading Services

wwwswapstufffreecom_

Swap Stuff Free

wwwswaptreecom_

Swap Tree

wwwswapcyclecouk_

Swap Cycle

wwwswitchplanetcom_

Switch Planet

wwwbartercocom_v4_indexcfm

The Barter Company

wwwtradeawaycom_

Trade Away

wwwu-exchangecom_

U-Exchange

[tags]trade design services, trade graphic design services, trading design services, barter design services, barter graphic design services, swap design software, trade design software, swapping design software, swap design books, swapping design books, swap sites, bartering sites, barter sites, trading sites[/tags/

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Best of Self-Mailers & Direct Mail Campaigns : Inspiration for Graphic Designers

Best of Self-Mailers & Direct Mail Campaigns : Inspiration for Graphic Designers

I have put together this list of inspirational self-mailers and direct mail campaign layouts and designs. Some of these are exceptionally cool and some of them are just beautiful to look at. Either way, all of these were very effective direct-mail campaigns that we can all learn from. Bookmark this page and come back to look when you need inspiration. To learn more about each item, click on the image. For more graphic design layout inspiration, make sure to visit Design Sites Up.

United Trade Show Direct Mail Design
Direct Mail - a real blood bag filled with a fake blood.
3-D ad agency self promotion mailer Design
Caesars Casino Holiday Mailer Design
DaCode Promo Self Mailer Design
Hills Have Eyes Bloody Ear Promotional Design
Direct Impact: Hyundai Paper Lamp Layout and Design
WE TV Promotional Self Mailer Design
Promotional mailer for the Philadelphia Food Bank.
Cinema Classics Mailer + Poster Layout and Design
Recession Bites Chocolates Self Mailer Layout & Design
Davis Advisors / Selected Funds Umbrella Self Mailer Design
Cool Campfire Promotional Mailer to Create Campfire on Your Desk
Oxbox Promotional Self-Mailer Design
RAF Mailer and Paper Airplane Design and Layout
Vitalita Beauty Products Self Mailer Design
Spike TV Holiday Card Meat Self Mailer
Vacuum Fresh T-Shirt Self Mailer Design
Bodog Casino Direct Mailer Wallet
Overpopulate Packaging and Self Mailer Design Layout
MV Teacher Self-Mailer Layout and Design
CD Behind Floppy Disc Vintage Self Mailer Design Idea
The Coffee Bean Self Mailer
Effektive Self-Mailers Design
MRSA Self Mailer Promotional Announcement Design
Style to Fly Self Mailers
Playstation DVD Protective Self-Mailer Campaign
Creative Laundry Detergent Mailed Ad
Eviction Notice Party Invitation
Wedding Invitations inside a Can
School of Continuing Education Annual Spring Party Invite Self Mailer
Georgia O'Keefe Museum Event Invites
Goosebumps Invite Design and Layout
Gallery Invitation Design Calendar
annual giving luncheon Invitation Design
Sam Francis Gallery Opening Invitation Design
Ford Models Invitation Design
Playboy 70th Birthday Party Invitation Design
Retro American Invitation Designs
Absolut Vodka Party Invitaiton on a Record
http://designsitesup.com/images/invitations___event_tickets/best_invitations___event_ticket_designs/daimlerchrysler.png

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Best Business Card Designs Part 4

Best Business Card Designs Part 5

Best of Calendar Design

Best Clever Print Ads

Annual Report Designs - Best of Annual Reports

Best of Brochure Design - Part 2

Inspirational Corporate Identity Design

Funniest Record Album Covers

Most Unique / Silly Shopping Bags Ever Designed

Best Cool, Clever & Unique Billboards and Outdoor Advertising Part II

Best Cool, Clever & Unique Billboards and Outdoor Advertising

Best of Black and White Graphic Design Layouts

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The Coolest Business Cards

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Best of Catalog Design Inspiration for Graphic Designers


I found some very unique and creative printed catalogs that I thought that other graphic designers might be interested in seeing. Many of these catalogues come in strange forms or in a state that you might not expect a catalog to be in. My eyes have been opened to new possibilities in catalogue design. Some of the other designs that I have displayed below are designs that I thought were creative and deserved to be on the list. Please feel free to comment to post catalog designs that you think ought to be on this list too. Thanks.

Best of Catalogue Design - The Coolest and Most Unique Catalogs for Inspiration to Graphic Designers & Print Designers

PARAD Catalogue Autumn-Winter 07-08 Design
School of Art and Design Catalog Layout
Rockwell Telphony Software Design
Flatred // Catalogue+bag+poster Design
foldable catalog design
Trollbeads '07 & '08 catalogs Design Layout
Civic Vintage Identity System Catalog Design
http://designsitesup.com/images/catalogs___best_catalogs/inspirational_catalog_design_and_the_coolest_promotional_catalogs/laternamagica.png
Bloomsbury Auction House Catalog Design Layout
noblegraphics Catalog Design
Massin Exhibition Catalogue Design and Layout
product catalog | bacardi Design and Layout
Catalog Design for The Historical Workshop of Art
Through The Viewfinder - Innippu Catalogue Design
2Z / ZETA ZANDERS Catalog Design Layout
Anne Frank in the World Catalog Design Layout
Feltinelli Kids Catalogue Design
Catalog Design for Paul Alias Internet Studio
Catalog designs for MCD Innovations
Umbro Summer Shoe Catalog Design Layout
Catalog Design for International Spy Museum
Elements Catalog Design
http://designsitesup.com/images/catalogs___best_catalogs/inspirational_catalog_design_and_the_coolest_promotional_catalogs/904591230833084.jpg
Environmentally Friendly Catalog Design
Catalog for Open Design Studio
Mini Catalog Design
Mongoose Bikes Catalog and Cards Design
Objection Catalogue Design
Wine Catalog Design for Prehm & Arendt
Typobox Catalog Design
Deux Au Carre Catalog Design
Somni Self Promotion Catalog Design
http://designsitesup.com/images/catalogs___best_catalogs/inspirational_catalog_design_and_the_coolest_promotional_catalogs/badortjewelrycatalog.png
Maya Negri Promo Catalog Design
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Best of Calendar Design - The Coolest and Most Unique Calendars

Calendar That Signals Ellapsed Time With Gradual Ink Build Up


I found some very unique and creative printed calendars that I thought that other graphic designers might be interested in seeing. Many of these calendars come in strange forms or in a state that you might not expect a calendar to be in. My eyes have been opened to new possibilities in calendar design. Some of the other designs that I have displayed below are designs that I thought were creative and deserved to be on the list. Please feel free to comment to post calendar designs that you think ought to be on this list. Thanks.

Best of Calendar Design - The Coolest and Most Unique Calendars

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