What to do when you don’t really know what you want.
You know you need that website or print piece so you've hired a designer and you're ready to have them turn your dreams into reality. Or are you? In the 15 or so years that I have been working as a designer I have found that a percentage of clients really struggle when it comes to the actual design and making decisions on the project.
Top 10 Skills of a Graphic Designer
Graphic designers need multiple skills to pull of what they do. Here's a condensed top 10 list of those skills.
Two things that give designers a bad reputation …
Design is not a profession where a degree or certification is required. While this is not necessarily a bad thing in a creative field, it does completely open it up and one person calling themselves a professional designer might actually be someone with very little experience, talent or knowledge about design and working with clients.
How a home contractor’s business relates to the business of web design.
Recently, while watching one of my favorite HGTV shows, "Holmes on Homes" I had a mini revelation. Mike Holmes is a Canadian contractor and an expert in his field. The premise of the show is that folks will call on Mike to, "Make It right" - that is, they had hired a company or individual to do a home improvement or remodel project and they didn't do a great job. In fact, they sometimes do such a horrible job that Mike and his crew basically have to gut a house and start from scratch.
How To Work With Your Design Team
I originally wrote this article way back in 2005, but the information is still valid today. Read more of how to work with a designer to achieve project success ...
Crowdsourcing Design and the Bargain Basement
When I first stumbled on the new "crowdsource" brand of design sites I was a little put off to say the least. Now I notice that even stock photos houses are offering logos for sale. Most design or business oriented blogs I visit I get bombed with ads from DIY web design "products". And last but not least, the existence of template sites that boast, "2,851 Site Templates and Themes from $1" add to my dismay of what is happening in the design industry lately. This article explores why quality design is worth paying for and how crowdsourcing and low-ball biding have affected the design industry.
