Design361

Logos are one of the trickiest things to get right in the graphic design world. It takes almost zero talent to make a logo — virtually anyone can do it. However, making a good logo requires a lot of insight, artistic skill, and patience. Too often we see designers falling into the trap of rushing into a logo design project and coming up with ideas that are so overused that they’re downright cringe-worthy. Today we’re going to take a look at five logo trends that fit this description. Read on to see if any of your go-to techniques are on the list (and make a mental note to avoid them in the future!) Who Cares About Being Unique? Before we jump into some of the logo ideas that you might want to watch out for, let’s address the question of exactly why you should be aware of and perhaps avoid logo ideas that have become a cliché. The answer here cuts at the very core of why logos exist. From a branding perspective, a logo is in many ways the face of your company. When someone t...

10 Graphic Design Hacks that'll Make You a PRO Designer Overnight! 1. Pair Contrasting Fonts Which fonts look good together & which ones don’t? Pairing fonts is one of the most common areas that stumps people who are starting out with graphic design. A great rule of thumb is to choose fonts with high contrast. This will help the fonts balance each other out while still creating a feature in your design. In this example, the font Sifonn was used for the word "Hawaii" and the font Arvo for the supporting text: The contrast between the 2 typefaces has been increased by making the size of the title significantly larger & using a bright color to complement the background ocean image. 2. Match Colors Within Your Designs Creating color harmony is one of the most effective ways to make your designs stand out. One way to create harmony is to match the colors you use for your graphic elements -- such as fonts or text holders -- with a background imag...

So you’re fresh out of design school and looking for a professional job to show off your skills?  Or have you been tinkering with Photoshop and Corel Draw long enough to realize you can make a career out of designing things? If you’re a beginner in the big bad world of graphic design, there will be some mistakes that you’re bound to make (or are perhaps making at this very moment) that may leave you wondering why your career hasn’t kickstarted already.  And so we’re here to help you avoid some very common mistakes and improve your skills as a designer. 1. Abusing Photoshop Tools and Trying Too Many Things At Once:  So you’ve learnt all the nitty-gritties of Photoshop and can rattle off the shortcut keys with ease. But guess what: You’re absolutely overwhelmed by the amount of knowledge, and when you sit down to design a flyer or logo you experiment with all the tools … and the result looks like a child’s collage.  Quick Fix: Set challenges for yourself....

The ability to make things is a gift. The ability to make things beautifully is a blessing. I can no longer remember or attribute my most frequently quoted definition of design: “The act of moving from an existing condition to a preferred one.” The sentence itself well exemplifies its subject. It’s direct, reductive, clear and understandable. It gracefully avoids engaging the several thousand other issues that rise to the surface when the subject comes up. One Of Milton Glaser's Most Famous Pieces Since no human activity can disengage itself from design issues, such as effectiveness, style, money, appropriateness, understandability, originality and memorability all swarm around the subject, blurring and confusing its outlines. Since I was a child, my own recurring question about design has been its relationship to art (beauty). At this late point in my life, I perceive them as two separate intentions that under the right circumstances can be brought together.  These ...