Graphic Designer

My brother's avideographer and swears that anyone not using a Mac for design work is an idiot. Do graphic designers NEED a Mac, or have PCs closed the gap?

Asked by MinNguen over 12 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . I agree to a point ...but wouldnt go far as calling them an idiot as it is down to preference of the designer. I have always used a Mac since they came onto the market. I once did use Photoshop and InDesign on a clients PC before ...but even though the software was the same the PC made it difficult to use ...everything looked different the keyboard shortcuts I use all the time did not work the same and the colour calibration of the screen was all wrong. Macs are built for design work they are far more versatile and easier to use in this field and nowadays the news macs can be run as a PC and a Mac, you can partition the hard drive to run both Mac and PC software ...but I havent on mine ...no need for me. I recommend all potential designers to use a Mac. But if you are going to do HTML and coding too I have always been told that a PC is better ...but I couldnt say if that is true or not. I do design websites but only as Photoshop PSD files and collaborate with webmasters on the tech side of things. But as for your question, I dont think PCs will ever close the gap in the design world, Mac will always be the leader in that field ...so listen to your brother.

What's a reasonable hourly rate for an experienced graphic designer? And how much can a graphic designer make in a year?

Asked by Fleischer over 12 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . That varies from around the world. For example freelance rates for a designer in London are very high ..but in a country like India they are very low. I used to charge between 40 and 50 euros an hour ...but now charge per project ...then any extras on top of the project I charge by the hour. Clients prefer to hear a project price rather than by the hour so it gives them a better idea on their budget. Again, yearly wages for a designer can vary around the world. In London a good designer working for a reasonable design agency can earn anything up to £30,000 to £40,000 a year ...depending on the quality of the clients the agency has. Freelancers can earn a lot more ...again depending on the quality of the clients.

You mentioned the need for clear client briefs. What happens in the situation where a client believes he's briefed you correctly, and you've produced the wrong design? Do you charge him additionally to fix it, or do you acknowledge the mistake and fix at no additional charge?

Asked by sizzlin over 12 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Ah, haaaa ...I beat you to it and answered that in the above question!

Is an eye for good design something you're born with, or do you think it's a skill that you can develop with practice?

Asked by Pauline2 over 12 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . That I don't know ...I was told that I was very creative from when I was a young infant, so I guess I was born with it. I have had students work with me that just cannot be creative no matter how hard they tried ...but I also know people that are not in this field and are very creative. So I think it has to be in your blood and you must have a passion for design to do well in this industry. There is a lot of competition out there ...but there are also a lot of people that call themselves designers but not up to scratch and need a lot more practice. I am lucky to have started before computers were around so know how to be creative on and off the computer, but nowadays a lot of students leaving college having only been taught on the computer and wouldnt know what to do with a pencil and paper which is sad really.

Do graphic designers typically charge by the hour, or by the project?

Asked by Jessamine over 12 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK .It depends on the job itself ...I used to charge by the hour and many designers still do. But now, personally, I give an estimate on the project based on their brief stating that after the work is done if they ask for major changes that was not in the original brief the price will go up according to how much work is involved ...that tends to make sure the client gives a precise brief at the start. But as for by the hour or per project, that is down to each individual designer ...everyone has their own way of working.

What are your thoughts on Steve Jobs? Have you read his biography yet?

Asked by JIO over 12 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . He was an aspiring man ...he changed the way people looked at computers and I would like to thank him for bring Macs into the world. I havent had time to read his book yet, but I will soon.

What websites would you recommend for sourcing high-quality, affordable freelance graphic design work?

Asked by mistersmith over 12 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Most sites like this you have to compete against many other designers all over the world and its pretty tough as many bid ridiculously low prices (mainly from India) and win the bidding. But you can search through projects on this website... http://99designs.com and submit designs without having to bid for it as the price is already set. And if your design is chosen you win the set price and maybe get more work from the client too. Its a good way to build up your portfolio even if your design does not get chosen. But I tend to advertise myself on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin etc and go to as many local networking events as possible with a load of business cards in my hand ...and if there are no local networking groups ...well there is your chance to organise one and be first in line for all the businesses that require design work. I get all my work from networking and social networking ...and I am always busy.

What commercial product or architectural work do you think is most underrated from a design perspective?

Asked by Steven over 12 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Interesting question. I think there are many overrated and underrated designs and architectures all over the world ..I honestly can't put my finger on one right now. I must say though that there are many underrated designers out there that need to be recognised for their work not just one project. Us designers work very hard to bring creativity into this world and deserve more credit than we get.

What would you say are the most important attributes that make for a good CLIENT? I'm sure you deal with some tough ones ...

Asked by sizzlin over 12 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK .Well, as the last couple of years has been tough going during the financial crisis ...so making sure a client has the abilities to pay has been a big priority to me, especially in Spain where it has been hard work chasing money. But I stayed strong through the crisis and now business is fantastic with great clients. Secondly, a good client should give a clear brief on their requirements. There is nothing worse than spending hours on a design to find out that I was briefed incorrectly and having to start again. Thirdly, I personally like a client that is honest about my design ...I hate to think a client just says yes they like it just to be kind ...I always tell them to be honest with me as I have been in the business long enough to take criticism.

Photo Paint is nothing less than the Photoshop...! If you can't guide me in switching between the two, kindly guide me some basic tutorials fo PS.. Thanks...!

Asked by UMER Qaiser over 10 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Hi, there are many tutourials out there and the only way I would be able to find them would to Google search them ...so unfortunately that is what I suggest to you. I have been using Photoshop since in first came out many years ago and online tuturials didnt exist then, so the only option I had was to teach myself. Even many years later I am still learning but have never used an online tuoturial. But I am guessing that lessons online are more advanced now so Google search 'Basic Photoshop' and you should get many results. Sorry I cant be of more help.

Any recommendations on the fastest way to learn Photoshop?

Asked by bmc over 11 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . There isn't really a fast way to learn Photoshop ...you have to learn it in stages. I started using Photoshop when it first came out ...I was teaching myself on a Mac SE Classic and a black and white screen ...also there was no internet or online tutorials back then. And too be honest I am still learning ...even though I would call myself an expert now, there is always something new to learn and I find myself reverting back to online tutorials. A good way is to find a local class that teaches you the basics ...there is nothing better than having a good experienced teacher to guide you through the basics as it is not easy to learn and there is a lot to take in. Alternatively you need to Google tutorials online. A good one that I found was here... http://psd.tutsplus.com You need to put by some time to sit for a couple of hours with no interruptions and concentrate on the basics before you go full steam ahead into a complicated image. Once you know the basics you will understand the instructions in more complicated lessons. Hope this helps ...good luck!

Hello! My name is Sequoia McCray and I am a student at the Brentwood Freshman Center. In my Honors English class we have to do a career project and the career that I chose was a graphic designer. In this project we were required to interview the pers

Asked by Sequoia almost 10 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Hi Sequoia, I dont think it is a good idea to put you name and what college you are studying at in a public area like this. Also I dont think I can give out my contact details via this medium as it is not a place to publicise my company. I am happy to answer a few questions you may want to put on here, but I suggest that you would benefit a great deal more in approaching a Graphic Designer in your area and interviewing them face to face ...probably would give you bonus points in your course too.

How much formal schooling or training does someone need to become a graphic designer?

Asked by jenteel over 12 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . I do not know what the standard training is nowadays as it's been a long time since I was in college ...I did a 3 year course at an art college in the UK back in 1978. I studied Graphic Design/Point of Sale. We were taught how to design and visualise on paper plus had drawing classes and cardboard engineering. But now it s all taught on computers ...like how to use photoshop, illustrator, indesign etc, not sure if it is still done on paper too. I could have done a 4th year at college and get letters after my name, but was too keen to get into the real world of design and was offered a job designing record sleeves in London ...which was a cool job to have at my age in the 80's. I am now self taught on a Mac with all the relevant software and been using Macs since they first come out with tiny b/w screens. I taught myself on a Mac SE Classic ...google it ...you will laugh. I now work on a 27" imac ...but still do initial designs on paper when I have time. I have been asked many times to teach graphic design at the Marbella Design School here in Spain, but I am too busy with my work to do it, plus I am not good at standing up in front of a load of people giving a lecture. But to answer your question ...it used to be 3 to 4 years training in my time but havent got a clue what it is now. ...but it is always best to get the training to prepare you for the journey ahead in this career path. Try and learn the IT side too ...like coding websites ...I cant do that so I collaborate with people that do.

Hi! Im creating a logo and need help creating a "logo breaking though a wall" look. Any advice? I am using illustrator and/or photoshop. any sites you recommend that might give tutorials?
Thanks so much!
Ariella

Asked by Ariella about 11 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Basically its down to how good you are at illustration and perspective drawing and plenty of research on the web. Here is a helping hand with sample images... http://www.google.com/search?q=logo+breaking+through+wall&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=SKJnUYCQDcjwhQe38IGoDA&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1749&bih=1082

But as for tutorials, I havent seen any that fit your requirements, but the images on the link I sent you are a starting point. Research is the key point ...but do not do direct copies of other peoples work.

This tutorial may help with perspective drawing in Illustrator... http://tv.adobe.com/watch/illustrator-cs5-feature-tour/perspective-drawing/ ...its a bit advanced though.

Hope this helps.

I am a designer myself, but have a project where I need to use images of vintage products such as: the first Crayola box or the first Barbie doll. Normally, I'd take a photo of it and use the photo, but how can I do this if don't have the item?

Asked by Paul E over 10 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . I guess the only option you have is to search stock image librarys such as Shutterstock, istock and Fotolia etc ...I think Getty Images specialise in vintage images. Or another possible option is to contact Crayola and the makers of Barbie to see if they have a photo to use for your project.

Hope this helps

Are graphics designers and web designers the same thing?

Asked by Trickett about 11 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . It's a mistaken belief by many clients that they are ...but in my opinion they are 2 different careers. I am a graphic designer and never say I am a web designer. I say I design web graphics but not the whole package. Many web designers though like to think they are graphic designers but in reality they usually use off the shelf templates. Most web designers are developers/coders and have no interest in design and visa versa for graphic designers.

I personally outsorce all coding/programming to web designers I collaborate with, but I do design web page layouts in photoshop ...which I admit I find a little boring so usually give it to a junior designer to do who are usually happy to take it on for experience.

Hope that answers your question.

I've been doing some graphics for a non-profit company and I've been using some stock from the internet. I know some or most of the images might be copyrighted. What would be the best way to approach this issue?

Asked by Adam over 10 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Well, whether the company is non-profit or not you should not use copyrighted material without either asking permission to use it, buying it or including a link to the owner (if they agree on you using it). Maybe approach the company that you did the work for and explain that you accidently used some copyrighted material and need to replace it ...they should understand  the reason as they could be in trouble too. Then you need to find or buy some uncopyrighted material to replace it with.

i am currently studying graphic design in mexico and im moving to the UK when ive finished would i have trouble finding a job...

Asked by gabriela about 11 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Even though I am British I have been based in Spain for the last 10 years so not sure on the job opportunities in the UK. It might be worth finding a company that takes on student exchanges which will get your foot in the door at least ...then it is up to you to prove your worth. Otherwise you need to do an extensive search online for companies recruiting around the time you move there.

Sorry I can t give more help than that. Good luck for the future.

Hello. I am a 'go between' for a few designers. Must I have Illustrator to be able to download/share .ai files? Is there an option beside using a 'dropbox' like tool? Thanks!

Asked by nicole almost 11 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . No you dont need Illustrator to download or share .ai files ...only if you want to open them. I use DropBox to share files with clients so it is a good solution for the requirements ...but there are many file sharing options out there ...too many to list, but another one I use is sendit.com

I am always receiving files from clients and they all have their own favourite way of sending them.

I saved all my photos onto some flash drives, they were all fine when I first transferred them, but now almost all of them are choppy and distorted. I have no other copies of these photos, is there anything I can do to fix them? Thanks.

Asked by Hannah about 11 years ago

Well, firstly I am not sure why the photos would have gone like that on your flash drive ...only a PC techy could answer that one. And as for fixing them it really depends on how badly distorted they are. If not too bad you can restore them in photoshop ...thats is if you are good at photoshop and retouching images. Other than that all I can suggest is always keep photos, documents etc backed up in more than one place (too late for you now, but good to do it from now). I learnt my lesson the hard way ...about 4 years ago my hard drive crashed and I lost 7 years of photos and music because I never backed up my personal stuff ...but luckily I did back up my clients work. Now I have my back up running every hour onto an external hardrive and now and again I copy the back up onto another drive.

How many years do you think web design standards last before they look outdated? For example: do you already look at things from 2010 or 2011 and think Man, that looks so outdated!

Asked by TrezChic about 11 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . I think web design i 2010 / 2011 is not much different to now ...for years web templates have been used and they basically all look the same. I personally do not use off the shelf templates if I have to design a site ...but its not my favourite job and always pass it to a junior.

I am sure over the next few years there will be a big difference to how websites look, especially with all the new technology being used now ...and that Flash is not really being used due to the fact it doesnt work on ipads or iphones etc. Future websites, in my opinion, will start to look more basic but with more functions and interactivity.

I want to design my own website loading screen page but don't know how. I'm using (I'm creator website maker page) how do I make the animation then make it compatible to I'm creator? What do I need to download. Please help

Asked by add loading page website? over 10 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . I'm afraid I cant help you here ...I am purely a graphic designer and all my work is based on being creative. I do not know anything about animation or web programs such as Creator. I am sure there must be tuturiols online somewhere for learning this. Sorry I cant help ...good luck in finding what you need.

I've been offered a freelance job to do a season's worth of playbills for a theater that's part of a university. The client said that they "typically don’t do a credit line for writers or designers." Should I request to be credited before I accept?

Asked by nar about 11 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Good question. Well if you are doing them for free then yes you should be allowed to put your own credit on them. But if the client is paying you then it is under their discretion whether to let you put it on them or not. But the choice is yours if you want to turn the job down because of this.

Do you like being brought in AFTER a product is functional and just needs a facelift, or would you rather be involved right from inception?

Asked by CKing almost 11 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . No not really ...but a client is a client and if I can prove I can do better than what they have had done by someone else it makes me look good and hopefully get referrals for more work. I get a lot of clients that decided to go the cheap route for design and using options like DIY on there own computer or outsourcing to somewhere in India or a friend of a friend can do it cheap for a favour. Then they realise a few months down the line that the artwork has been lost or designer is not contactable anymore and cant access the artwork. I have done many rescue jobs before ...and then won the client for ongoing work.

Is competition a big issue in graphic designing?

Asked by Kiran Dean over 10 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Not really (for me anyway). As long as your work is good and prices are competitive there is enough work to go round for everyone. As a designer of 30+ years I am never short of work ...and with todays technology I have clients all over the world.

wht r the qualifications requried to do graphics and animation

Asked by shiva almost 10 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . As above answer

What products in the last year have made you sit up and take notice because of their beautiful design?

Asked by Go ON almost 11 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Sorry for the delay in response to this question ...our little baby girl was born on Tuesday the 11th June and was kept in hospital for 3 days, so was there with her ...but she is fine now and we are finally at home.

So it is very apt to say a little baby is a perfect design that has made me sit up and take notice.

But in the design world, all concept designs that I see, whether a car, furniture, electronic items, etc, are beautifully designed ...its just a shame that most do not go into production.

What is the advantage to sending an image in a "stacked" format. I am attempting to have the image printed but the graphic designer sent me the file as "stacked".

Asked by Mark almost 10 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . To be honest I have never heard of a 'Stacked Image' ...so did a google search on it and came up with this link... http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/image-stacking-fstop.htm ...not sure if that is what you mean but this link seems to give you an answer.

I've this very important question sir:

"I have expertise in Corel's Photo-Paint, but now I've a good job opportunity for Adobe Photoshop Designer."
My Question is simply: "WHAT ARE MAJOR DIFFERENCES IN BETWEEN THESE 2 GIANTS...?"

Asked by UMER Qaiser over 10 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . I will be very honest with you ...I have never used Corel Photo Paint and so I do not know the difference. But I do know that Adbobe Photoshop is the industry leader when it comes to design and is what most graphic designers use. I am sure if you obtain photoshop and look at online tutourials you will pick it up very quick as I assume Corel has similar functions etc. Good luck.

I there. I am currently designing a business card for a mechanic. He requested a Camaro on it. Most pictures I find are editorial use only. How do I get around this? Is there anywhere I can get a picture that is for commercial use?

Asked by Mandy over 10 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Most stock photo library sell royalty free commercial use photos not just for editorial use. Have you tried sites like www.shutterstock.com www.gettyimages.com www.istock.com www.fotolia.com ...hope this helps.

I have an update to your question, Google have now added a image search feature so you can search for images that can be used commercially. Search for a camero image as usual then choose 'Search tools' at the top ...then it gives you the option to filter it for 'Labeled for commercial re-use' ...this is a fantastic addition to the search tools so will be very useful to me too.

How often do you advertise?

Asked by Kiran Dean over 10 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Never ...I don't need too. All my work comes via word of mouth and online social media. I belong to 2 networking groups which I attend every week. I do not think a graphic designer needs to advertise, especially nowadays ...your online portfolio should be enough ...just spread the word on online media for free.

What is the course which would help me in full fledged professional learning of matte painting ? Is it the same as digital painting ? What topics it involves ?

Asked by Smriti almost 10 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . As above, I am purely graphic design and do not get involved in matte or digital painting so am not aware of courses in this subject. Sorry I cannot be of more help.

Hi I am working on my site and I am not a drawer at all so I found some photos that were not copy written to use on my homepage site. What I am trying to figure out is how to animate the photos I found. Like what software can I use to add motion

Asked by Nancy almost 10 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Hi Nancy, when you say animate that could mean many different things. But if you mean fade in and out of each other etc you can do that in photoshop using the timeline option ...also you can use the program After Effects. These are expensive programs if you do not already own them. I am sure there are free alternatives out there somewhere but not sure myself, you will need to do a google search.

Hi, I would like to learn digital painting and excel in matte painting as well. I want to what is the difference between both ? And how can I learn them ? I am a graphic designer and know basic painting in Photoshop. What are the softwares required ?

Asked by Smriti almost 10 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . I am purely graphic design and do not get involved in matte or digital painting so am not aware of the difference or the software requirements. Sorry I cannot be of more help.

Do I must have to be a perfect on drawing by hand to be a graphic designer? I am good working on Adobe software's.

Asked by michael over 9 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . No not really, but it does help. But the main thing about being a designer is being creative. It doesnt matter how good you are on the Adobe software, if you are not creative then it means nothing. Its like saying 'I know how to use a oven so does that make me a chef' ...no it doesnt. There are too many people out there that think just because they have a computer with photoshop etc that are now suddenly designers ..sorry but it doesnt work like that. I may sound harsh but I see so much bad design out there that has been done by so called designers ...I know all potential designers have to start somewhere ...but the first starting point is to be creative ...not the software you use ...and being creative on paper is a good starting point.

My company is trying to sell a logo design, they have never done logo design and want to use my previous work with agencies as examples of work they did / could do. I told them no since they have no ownership to these logos? I was told I must. Do I ?

Asked by Oxford.Comma about 10 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . If you designed the logos while working for the company on a contract and they paid you a wage ...no you do not own the logos. But if you designed them outside of that company they do not have any rights to use them to promote themselves. It is up to you to decide whether they can use them or not ...but deal with it in a sensible way as you do not want to lose your job. Good luck

Do employers care about diplomas over certificate when hiring a graphic designer?

Asked by Courtney over 9 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . When I see recruitment adverts for graphic designers I see that a lot are asking for at least 2 - 3 years experience and some kind of degree. So they do help ...but at the end of the day it is your portfolio and creativity that will get you the job. Before I was freelance all the jobs I had I was never asked for my diploma certificate (I did have one) ...but it was my portfolio that got me the job. Hope this helps.

I'm new to printing industry, setting Illustrator files for foiling, uv stamp, glitter, emboss etc. Some say the colour of the treatment layer should be 100% black, some say it should be a spot colour(which one?)? Which is correct?

Asked by Nita over 9 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . 100% black is always the safest to use as you know it definitely doesnt have a mix of any other colour in it.

What steps do you take when you create work that needs to be printed? I am creating an invitation through Photoshop but the graphics I usually create are only for web and print feels like a whole different beast. What criteria to you use for printers

Asked by Lucero about 10 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Designers that work mainly on web make the same mistake all the time ...which is, when asked to do a print design they do it in RGB and low res ...because that is the spec they only know and always work in.

So when doing a print job (such as the invitation you want to do) make sure the document settings are CMYK (not RGB), 300dpi (not 72dpi) and if the design will bleed off the edge of the page allow for at least 3mm bleed (extra space off the edge of the design).

To be honest Photoshop is not the best tool for designing invitations etc. Photoshop should be used for web graphics, photos, image retouching etc. I always use InDesign for this and import any relevent photoshop images I need. Also any vector illustrations i need i do in Illustrator.

Hope this helps

Hi,

How is this effect made on the pictures? Thanks in advance!

http://postimg.org/gallery/1x3hwilpw/4103a131/

Asked by Dale over 9 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . The way I do it is that I draw over the photo in illustrator so I have a vector version I can colour (see my profile pic). But the other option is to place the photo into Adobe Illustrator and use the trace option to convert to vector and then convert to live paint to manually change the colours. You may have to experiment with the settings in the trace option to get the look you require.

 

Do you know any websites where I can get a Mockup for Roll Stickers?

Asked by Razan almost 10 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Hi Razan, not sure I understand the question ...but I guess whatever you are searching for ...Google is always the answer ...I find everything I need there. Sorry I cant be anymore help.

Your reply to my question was "I m purely graphic design & don't get involved in matte or digital painting". Fine, but I m confused now. Does it mean Graphic Design isn't related to Digital or Matte Painting at all even if its done in Photoshop?

Asked by Smriti almost 10 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . I design logos, magazines, marketing materials etc... thats what a graphic designer does. It depends on what you mean by digital painting ...if you mean creating a work of art with photoshop etc, that makes you a digital artist, of which I am not. As part of my design skills I do manipulate and retouch photos ...but all designers have to do that at some point in their career. I see many people say they are a graphic designer just because they own photoshop ...but they do not know how to design. I hope that answers your question. 

Is the salary equivalent to the work performed by being a graphic designer?

Asked by Tamy over 9 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . That's a bit of an open question ...it depends on who you work for, in what country and your experience. If you are good and working for a good company then yes the salary is equivalent to the work you do. In some companies you are paid for what you are worth to the company and according to your experience. I am freelance so charge according to my experience. Hope this helps

Have you ever gotten to design movie posters or t-shirts? What's the hardest part of doing the design?

Asked by newliving over 9 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Back in 1981 I did work in the music and video industry in London so got to design record sleeves, t-shirts and posters for new record and video releases. But didn't design a movie poster as such. All this was before computers so a lot of the design work was done as marker pen visuals then I was off to a photo studio to direct the photographer with the product or models ...all fantastic for me as I was only 19 at the time. Coming up with a design was not difficult ...if you are creative a passionate about design (as I am) ...the design process flows. In 1988 I was working in Los Angeles designing purely t-shirt graphics ...again this was beore computers were used for design work and so all my designs had to be hand drawn ready to be burnt onto the silk screens. This was more difficult than doing marker pen visuals as the drawings (including hand lettering) had to be accurate). I remember the LA Dodgers were in the World Series in '88 and I was on standby to design their official celebration t-shirts if they one. They did win and had to work through the night doing 2 versions ...one in English and one in Spanish because the 'pitcher' was Mexican ...so it was for the Mexican fans. I already had sketched out ideas so knew what to design.

Nowadays coming up with design ideas is a lot easier as we have the internet at our fingertips to do research ...as long as you do not copy, ideas are out there to get inspiration from.

What do you call this type of design or typography
http://www.google.com.pk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.f-covers.com/cover/jesus-grey-facebook-cover-timeline-banner-for-fb.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.f-covers.com/cat/other/&h=314&w=850&tbnid=D2odw7w__IBTFM

Asked by Saad Ahmad over 8 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . As far as I am aware there is not a particular name for this type of typography. I just tried to google an answer but could not find anything. But please let me know if you find an answer as I would be interested to know if if they was a special name for it.

What is minimal design??

Asked by Nirbhay over 8 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Minimal design is a design with a lot of white space, very little colour and nicely laid out text. Hope this helps

is graphics done after inter second year

Asked by shiva almost 10 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . To be honest I do not know. I went to Art School over 30 years ago and am now in my 50's. So I guess things may be very different now. I suggest contacting the college itself to ask this question.

How would you define branding? ??What is the role of the designer in branding? And why do you think branding is important?

Asked by lorena over 9 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . A brand is more than just a logo ...it is a powerful tool that is in the public eye all the time which needs to reassure the consumers that the product etc is the best in their field. A logo usually takes a couple of days to get right ...but a brand can take months with many meetings with the client and lost of research by the designer. Branding is very important for big companies as it is stuck with them for a long long time and will always be remembered ...for example Coca cola and Apple etc.

I created a vector in Illustrator CS6 from a photograph of a dandelion, made into a logo. I used live trace to create the vector file. But now the printer is saying The new vector file is jagged and multicolored. Can you help me smooth to 3 colors?

Asked by BPeace about 9 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Using live trace is a very rough option for turning photos into vectors ...the results will never be perfect and will always result in tidying up rough edges by removing points on the path and recurving the line to how you want it. You can play with the settings and choose the option of how many colours you want the end result to be ...but you still may have to tidy it up after.

I prefer not to use live trace and always place the photo into Illustrator and draw the image over the top and add in the colours after. Once finished I remove the photo.

Hope this helps.

Dear Sir,
I'd like to ask you a question about more technical stuff than using the specific programme-why downloaded images in Adobe Photoshop are distorted-elongated when rotated 90 degree clockwise, also why A4 new document in Ward becomes square?

Asked by annabrwn97@gmail.com over 8 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Hi, I guess I have to very honest here and say I do not know ...it has never happened to me before and I have not known it to happen, so unfortunately I cannot help with an answer. Also Word it not a program I use so cannot help there too.

Even under an alias, will doing commissions for adult work inhibit a young artist from finding good paying illustrator or graphic design jobs?

Asked by sandy134 over 9 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Only do the commisiions for the adult work if it is paying well and if you are worried it may inhibit you for other work just do not put it in your portfolio ...and as you said, use an alias. I have designed adverts for porn mags and even a porn DVD catalogue for client ...but this sort of work never goes in my portfolio as it will not help me get other work ...it just cheapens my work. I only designed it as the money was good.

Hi paul One of my work to design a Logo using the Zombie Character especially women ,I tried several times designing the logo but unfortunately my client disagree with the designs.

Asked by Harshavardhan almost 10 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Did you agree on a price and are you following her brief? ...and did you take 50% up front? Unfortunately at the end of the day if the client is paying you and the brief hasnt changed from the original, you need to get it right for them.

But if you have had many attempts and they are still not happy you need to ask them if they have seen any designs that they like the look of for you to see the exact style they are looking for. But if that doesnt work you may have to say that you have already put a lot of time into it and need ask for more money if they want you to continue. 

How many years would it take for me to be a freelance designer? I would like to know because it is my dream job to be a freelance Graphic Designer.

Asked by DJ over 8 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Well I am not sure how college courses last for nowadays. I was at art and design college back in the late 70's and had a 3 year course to get my qualifications.

I do not recommend going straight into being freelance ...you need to get experience within a company or design agency first to get a realistic view on how it works in this industry. So I guess (if you havent already) enrol into a design course first, then after a few years you really need to find a job within a company before thinking about being freelance.

Hope this helps

what do you mean by Hip flyer

Asked by fajju over 9 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . To be very honest I do not know ...all I can guess that it means a cool designed flyer ...but, as I said that is a complete guess ...you may have to Google this one.

How do they create the Human Pixel art used on fiverr? example https://www.fiverr.com/arthimedes/draw-with-nude-protesters-joining-your-cause-clothes-optional?funnel=2014121817473994016724760

Asked by Duvall over 9 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . To be honest, I don't really know. I guess the only way is to do as the guy on the link is offering ...to have someone like him draw the people (a big job) or have an ariel view photo of people in the shape they are required ...other that that I am not sure ...you may have to Google the answer.

What makes Graphic design special?

Asked by Sha over 9 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . They must have superb creative skills with ability to use the latest design software but be able to be creative on paper as well as the computer. Also must think out of the box when designing.Ability to adapt their design skills to suit the client (and listen to the clients needs). Be able to design many different things ...not just logos or just flyers etc. I employed a junior once and she was good a brochures but when I started to give her logos she was unable to design a decent one ...and then admitted she couldnt design logos ...a true (special) graphic designer can design anything.

Hope that answers your question.

I love graphic design and other than a web developer course I took once. I'm not very trained, but I have dabbled in it as an amerteaur for years. I see the outstanding talent out there in the field. Is there any need for someone like me in the field

Asked by mcmjuly about 8 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Loving graphic design and being good at it are 2 different things. If you are very creative, fantastic at design and know your design softwares inside out there is always a need for you out there. And it is always a bonus if you are a good web developer too.

But if you are poor at design you will struggle ...apart from getting small underpaid jobs from clients you will not make money from it.

You need to be creative on paper as well as on the computer to impress bigger clients. I have been in this industry since 1981 and so been creative well before computers. I am never short of clients and have even recently merged with a large media company as they saw my potential to help grow their company.

If you are only average at design but better at web development I think you should concentrate on the web side of things and only offer a bit of graphic design on the side as part of the web package. You will make more money this way.

Hope this helps

Can you please explain range of terminologies that are commonly practiced in page and design layout?

Asked by Clara over 8 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Well there are so many to list ...the easiest thing to do is to give you this link with an existing list: https://quizlet.com/9951659/layout-design-terminology-flash-cards/ ....this is not all by no least but it is a start and hopefully some help to you.

Sorry if this question has been asked before but do I have to draw well to be a graphic designer? I don't want to give up yet cz this is my dream job T_T

Asked by jasmine over 8 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Hi Jasmine, yes that question has been asked before and her is the same answer I gave ...hope it helps:

No not really, but it does help. But the main thing about being a designer is being creative. It doesnt matter how good you are on the Adobe software, if you are not creative then it means nothing. Its like saying 'I know how to use a oven so does that make me a chef' ...no it doesnt. There are too many people out there that think just because they have a computer with photoshop etc that are now suddenly designers ..sorry but it doesnt work like that. I may sound harsh but I see so much bad design out there that has been done by so called designers ...I know all potential designers have to start somewhere ...but the first starting point is to be creative ...not the software you use ...and being creative on paper is a good starting point. 

What is the best piece of advice you could give to an aspiring Graphic Designer?

Asked by Alicia over 9 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Be adaptable. Always meet deadlines however late you need to work. Never give clients a design if you are not happy with the artwork ...asking for a little more time is better than giving a bad job to them ...it's your reputation at stake. Do not copy other people work, especially logos. Do not use clip art. Take criticism constructively. Always keep up to date with the latest design trends. Never stop learning. Follow other designers work for inspiration. I could go on, but I think I have covered the main things. Hope this helps.

I have a few questions: 1. What are the general qualifications required for graphic designing. 2. The necessary educational background. 3. The availability of suitable training. 4. Salary Ranges. 5. The benefits. 6. The potential for advancement

Asked by Lorna almost 8 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . To be honest I am not up with the qualifications and educational background these days as I done all my college training in the late 70's (well before computers) and so it has changed drastically since then. You need to contact your local college or university to speak about what requirements you need to study for and what is available at the college to get you that far.

Salary ranges can vary according to your experience ...for example, straight from college you will be classed as a junior and the wage will be low ...you need to work your way up the ladder to earn good money. I do not recommend going straight into freelance work, I suggest getting some agency experience first as it is a tough world out there in this field and lots of competition worldwide.

The benefits of being a graphic designer is that you get to do what you love every day and be creative every day ...but be warned you do get very boring and not so creative jobs to do a lot of the time depending who you work for.

The potential for advancement depends again on who you work for ...but usually takes quiet a for years working hard to get to the top. I started in 1981 forking for great companies around the world ...but only now (after 8 years working for myself) my company has merged with a large media company and has probably secured me an early retirement (fingers crossed) ...so you have to be very patient as I have ...unless you get a lucky break early on in your career.

Hope this helps.

What would you say is the most important activity you do as a Graphic Designer?

Asked by Jack almost 8 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Well apart from being creative ...time management is crucial. There is nothing worse than missing an important deadline. You need to take control of how your time is spent in a working day and project manage each job you have to make sure you do not let any client down with bad timings. In your time management make sure you also allow time to market yourself via social media, blogs, email campaigns etc.

Hi, I'm am a complete novice in graphic design. But I want to create my own educational posters for children. I just want to know what is the best software to use as I want the posters to be bright bold with lots if child friendly images? Thanks.

Asked by JJBOO89 over 7 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Its not just the software that makes a good poster it is also you as a creative ...software is a tool the creative thinking comes from you.

As a professional I use the Adobe Creative Suite ...Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign ...but you may be looking for a free alternative as that option is pricey for a novice. But unfortunately I cannot help you with any ideas for free or cheap alternatives and suggest a Google search as I am sure there are many solutions out there ...and if you get good you might make money and that can afford the Adobe Creative Suite ...good luck.

i want to convert a water color painting on a canvas into a digital vector graphic, please suggest for a method.

Asked by harshi doshi almost 7 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . You can convert digital images into vector in Adobe Illustrator. You will need to get a good hi res scan of the watercolour and then open it up in Illustrator. Select the image and open the 'Image Trace' window. Here you will have different options for how many colours and quality you require as an end result. Its a bit hit and miss to the end result you will get so you may have to play around with different options until you get the final vector. If you do not have Illustrator I think there are free websites out there where you can upload your image to have it converted but you do not have control over the end result. A Google search will find a selection on these sites. Hope this helps.

Can you use Photoshop for commercial printing or do you have to have InDesign? Thanks!

Asked by Sarah about 7 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Yes to a point but you will struggle and maybe miss out on a lot of clients. Photoshop is not a design tool or a print tool ...it is for retouching, colour correcting and image manipulation. Indesign is a tool for bringing together design elements and photos from Illustrator and photoshop. A lot of clients will send you print jobs as a PDF but some will send as either an InDesign or Illustrator file ...and some may ask for or you may require to do some adjustments before printing. With photoshop you are restricted to one page images and will not be able to do magazines or multipage documents. My advice is to buy the whole creative suite otherwise you will not survive as a commercial printer. Hope this helps

I'm having a hard time deciding on a name. As of right now I'm going between Black Pooka and Pooka Studio. Is Pooka a good choice? Is it stupid?unprofessional? too obscure or confusing? Will I hate it when I'm 40? (I'm a 22 year old college student)

Asked by Marina about 8 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Well at the end of the day it is down to your personal preference ...but I must admit that I went through many different names early in my career ...and looking back some of the names where ridiculous ...so when I was older I kept it more professional ...and now my company name is my actual name with the word Design on the end. But when you come up with names like Black Pooka ..yes it is a cool and funky name, but make sure that it will stay cool and funky, the logo should reflect that and you need a story behind the name that gives a good reason why it is called that. Hope this helps.

Hi! I'm starting a swimwear line, and I hired a graphic designer to design my designs graphically on illustrator so i can send them to a manufacturer. What details do i need to provide the graphic designer with? Just pictures will suffice? etc...TY!!

Asked by Lexi about 7 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK .

Hi Lexi,

Without sounding rude, to be honest, the obvious thing would be to ask your graphic designer what he requires from you to do the designs as he is the one that will be doing it. If it was me you were asking I would require a full brief on the project outlining your exact requirements and what your end result needs to be. I would need to know sizes, preference to colours, sketches of what you envisage and how you plan to print them so I know what format you require the final approved artworks in. Then your designer can provide you with an accurate quote. I am an expert in Illustrator and used to design t-shirt graphics for silk screening in Los Angeles so if you need a quote on the designs I am happy do do so. You can contact me on info@paulscottondesign.com

I'm a fresher in the field of illustration who wishes to build a portfolio. Just wanted to find out how to make a good one when I only have a few projects in hand and most of it being self motivated projects.
Would really really appreciate some adv

Asked by Shey almost 8 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Firstly the best place to create a portfolio is at www.behance.com ...it not only showcases your work but (if your work is good enough) you may generate clients from it from around the world. You can also sync this portfolio with your own personal web address at www.myportfolio.com (at a very small cost per month). That is where I host my website ( www.paulscottondesign.com ).

As for building up your portfolio work, carry on with the self motivated work ...in turn that may very well create paying clients. You just need to start promoting it on the web via social media etc. Set up a Facebook business page, Linked in page and Twitter account.

Another good place to do work for your portfolio is www.99designs.com ...although I am dead against sites like this (as I find them an insult to the graphic design professionals) ...if it helps a newbie to build up a portfolio all well and good. And if your design/illustrations are chosen you make a bit of money too.

Hope this helps.

What made you want to be a graphic designer?

Asked by Marcel almost 6 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Well, I have always been very creative ever since I was a youngster. So I guess it was in my blood. Having said that, I did not know what I wanted to do when it was almost time to leave school ...but my art teacher convinced my mum to take me to an interview at the local art and design college. I was too late to get in to the college and there was a waiting list ...but after the interview they put me to the top of the list and I got a place within days. I was at the college for 3 years and got the highest grades possible in the 2 main exams. Just before I left college I applied for a sought after job in London that was designing record sleeves (about 200 people applied) ...and I got the job (this was back in 1981). I have been a graphic designer ever since and have never regretted it. I am now 55 and still being very much creative and enjoying every moment.

Hey I downloaded a vector set of background type images, when I open the eps file all of the backgrounds are fused together into one image with text over the top, how do I separate the images so I can use which ones I want? I'm using Inkscape. thanks

Asked by Lou over 7 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Hi Lou, without seeing the file itself I am not sure how the file is fused together. It may be rasterized or an embedded jpg ...in which case you will not be able to separate it. But if it is still as a vector you can select the background then ungroup ...you might have to do it a few times to break it down. Or if it will not ungroup you will need to use the direct selection tool to select each individual part of the background then copy or delete the parts you want or do not want. Unfortunately this is how you do it in illustrator ...I do not know how to do it in Inkscape as it is a program I have never used. Good luck.

I've been asked to scan one of my paintings, then turn it into a transparent .png file. How do I do this? I don't have photoshop.

Asked by Jacki almost 7 years ago

I guess as it is a painting it could be very big. So the best way to scan it is to take it to a digital print shop and they will scan it and save it as a PNG.

I want to get out of my current job and into graphic design. Problem, I'm 38 years old, graduated with a B.A in graphic design 14 years ago, no portfolio, little experience. Should I go back to college again?

Asked by Jennifer about 6 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Hi Jennifer ....it's a tough world out there in the graphic design world. Even for me as a designer since 1981, with loads of experience and a great portfolio it is tough. There is so much competition nowadays ...everyone with a computer think they are a graphic designer and churn out rubbish for next to nothing ...gives us professionals a hard time getting paid what we are worth. In your situation a BA probably means nothing nowadays, especially if it is 14 year old. Then you also have no experience working in a graphic design environment and the worse thing is that you do not have a portfolio ...so basically almost everything is against you. Sorry to be a bearer of bad news but do not give up. ...to build up your portfolio (you will eventually need an online one ...Behance is good for that) you need to start hunting down websites like hexidesign or 99designs. Although I am not a great fan of these sites as the clients get a load of design work to choose from for little money, they are great for new designers to pick and choose projects and submit designs. You may not get your designs chosen but it helps build up experience and a portfolio ...and a bonus would be if one of your design was picked and you got paid for it. Hope this helps ...good luck.

I’m using gimp. The default file type when saved is xcf. I need my file to be a png, but also transparent. When I take a transparent xcf file & export it as a png, it’s no longer transparent. How do I make the image png & maintain transparency?

Asked by Anthony over 6 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Unfortunately I do not have an actual answer for this as I have never used Gimp or an xcf file. All I can suggest is instead of saving the file as xcf see if Gimp has an Export function and see if you can export it as a PNG. If that does not work you may have to Google the answer. So I cannot help much more than that.

what are your usual hours?

Asked by Student about 6 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . They can vary depending if you work within a company. When I was living in the UK most of my jobs were 9 to 5, week days. When I lived in California in the late 80's my hours were pretty much similar but very laid back and flexible. When I moved to Spain, first I was working for a company in the marketing design studio ...my times were 10 to 6 with a long lunch break. Now that I am freelance (still in Spain) my hours can be all over the place. I work from home so can start and finish when I want. But I try and stick to a routine. So I try and start at 9.30 and finish at 5.30 ...but if I need to finish an urgent job I work longer or at the weekends. A few years ago I had so much work on that I had to employ a junior and I was working from 8 in the morning to 2 in the morning ...with many breaks in between. So to answer your question, nowadays I work approx 8 hours a day which is pretty much the same as working in a company.

in your opinion what's one of the greatest displays of modern graphic design?

Asked by sandy about 6 years ago

That is a tough one to answer as there is just as much good design out there as there is bad. In my own opinion any design that is clean, uncomplicated and does not need an explanation is good design. If it needs an explanation then it is not doing its job at the end of the day. I do not have one example to hand but hope my general answer tells you my opinion well enough.

hello I'm having a website designed. When viewing on a smart phone the lettering looks fine but when you view it on a PC the lettering looks too small. What could be done so it looks uniform on all platforms? Thanks

Asked by James about 7 years ago

Unfortunately I am just a graphic designer that is purely creative ...I have no knowledge on technical issues with web design. You will need to ask the web designer that is designing your website. Sorry I cannot help

How do I add crops and bleed to a piece of art where the logos and text are really close to the edges, without cutting them off? I've tried in Adobe Acrobat, Illustrator and Photoshop. Am I doing this wrong??

Asked by Robert over 5 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Firstly, when doing a design, you should never place logos or text close to the edge. You should always leave a suitable margin otherwise the design would look unprofessional. It is ok for background colour or images to bleed off the edge, but do not just stop them at the edge of the design ...always give at least 3mm bleed. Also if you have done the design in Illustrator, when you save it as a PDF for print you get the option to add crop marks ...and make sure you type in the amount of bleed in the relevant option.

Im taking a computer class and got an assignment where I need to create a word document that someone in my major might create once they are graduated and working. Im a graphic design major. What types of word documents have you had to make if any?

Asked by OwlOdyssey over 5 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Right ..."Word" is not a design program... never has and never will be ...don't let anyone tell you otherwise. "Word" is for writing letters in an office or maybe putting together a cheap looking newsletter ...nothing more. In my long career of being a graphic designer I have never ever used "Word" to design anything ...and never will. I have be asked before though ...clients have asked me to design a brochure in "Word" so they can edit it after. I always turn these clients down as it is not what a designer does ...ever! A graphic designers tools are Adobe InDesign (for doing brochures, magazines etc), Adobe Photoshop (for retouching and manipulation images) and Adobe Illustrator (for doing illustrations, logos, etc). Hope this answers your question.

What are your favorite tasks in your profession?

Asked by MarieAbend almost 6 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . I love doing illustrations in Adobe Illustrator ...they are a challenge but I love seeing the end result. All design projects are great to do especially when your clients are so happy with what you have done for them. Newspapers can be a bit boring and some magazines that have 100's of pages ...but they pay the bills so need to be done.

Would you be willing to answer some questions for one of my students who is interested in becoming a graphic designer?

Asked by heidi over 5 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Hi Heidi, yeah sure I am happy to answer any questions your students have ...fire away!

Printing a 12x8 banner on fabric - I had to change the color of a logo and had to rasterize it in Photoshop - will rasterizing a vector image cause the image to print any different on the banner? Thanks in advance!

Asked by Kim almost 6 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . I am guessing the logo was very big, so the photoshop file must have been big so should not have a problem with quality. But if the logo is small and you have rasterized it you may have a pixellation problem when you enlarge it for the banner. It is always best to keep it as an original vector and change the colour in a vector software. Also make sure it is CMYK and not RGB. Hope this helps

What’s the thing your most proud of creating.

Asked by Dj over 4 years ago

Well it is something I am in the process of creating now. It is a self project that I have been working on for years ...and not far off from completing. But it is not something I can reveal yet ...so unfortunately no one will know just yet ....lol

I was given my first Grahic Design job working for a family friend. I was asked make a logo ,business cards, header and also a website . I’m not really sure what I my price range should be since this is my first time creating things like this.

Asked by Talia over 5 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Well as it is for a family friend I guess that are expecting special rates ...but always keep to the same rates as any client. Without knowing where you live and what your experience is it is hard to give you a rate that you should charge. If you are very good you should go in with a high price then negotiate if need be. I am in Europe and a few years ago I used to charge 400 euros for logo design and throw in the business card for free. But nowadays it is hard to charge that sort of money especially if it is a small company. I now charge 180 euros for logo design and 60 euros for business cards (no longer thrown in for free). As for websites that is something I do not design so do not know a price to charge. So you really need to base your price on your experience or capabilities but do not undersell yourself. Hope this helps.

What do you think of Windows?

Asked by Lisa over 4 years ago

Hi Lisa, always been a Mac person ...never used Windows so cannot really answer that question

Peace be with you Paul,
Could you please help me match a popular font from the old days of type (it might even be an ITC font). I know it, but, the name slips my memory. Can I upload the image for you to check?

Asked by Najee about 5 years ago

Hi Najee, there are so many 100's of 1000's of fonts out there nowadays. Years ago I could recognise a font just like that ...and still can with the usual popular ones. But the easiest way to get a name of a font is to do a Google search on whatthefont and it will give you a website where you can upload a scan of the font and then it will give you names of what the font might be. If it cannot be recognised you will be given a chance to put it into a forum on the site and someone will let you know what the font is. Hope this helps.

Hello Paul Scotton, what is your favorite work to do?

Asked by Merle91 over 5 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Well as a graphic designer anything creative is enjoyable. I hate doing boring financial brochures ...of which I have had a lot lately ...but they bring in money, so I do them. I love doing line vector illustrations and logo design the most

What training and experience does it take to get this job?

Asked by Damn ion over 4 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Well I studied graphic design back in the late 70's ...no computers back then. Everything was hand drawn. I went to college in the UK and the UK design courses back then were "A" levels and Diplomas. I took a 3 year course. I received and "A" Grade in the "A" Level Graphic Design and Point of Sale exam. I was really proud of myself as it was the highest grade possible plus no one in my year received an "A" or even a "B" ...the others got a "C" or less. In the Diploma of Graphic Design and Point of Sale I received a "Distinction" ...again it was a proud moment as it was the highest you could receive I was the only one to get the "Distinction". I was already preparing myself to study for a 4th year in which I would have had letters after my name if I passed (probably would mean nothing now though) ...but I was offered 3 different jobs in design studios. I took a job based in London which was designing record sleeves and adverts for the music press ...a very cool job to have in the early 80's for an 18 year old. I got to mix with a lot of famous people (the 80's was a great year for music) and my job involved sitting at a large drawing board with a layout pad and a box of magic markers sketching out ideas for album sleeves.... and going on photo shoots with the bands.... a dream job! So That was my training and the outcome from that ...but to answer your question after rambling on about my own experience ...I haven't a clue what training is involved nowadays unfortunately ...but I guess it relies heavily on computers. The sad thing is that computers have taken a lot of the creativity from the job ...but I do recommend that anyone going into graphic design to be creative as it goes along way when impressing potential employers. Learn 3D and coding too ...I did not get that chance and lose out on a lot of clients due to this.

What type of design/creative work has most inspired you?

Asked by Jasmine over 4 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Hi Jasmine, my inspiration has changed many times over the years in my long career history. Nowadays my creativity inspiration comes from listening to different types of music ...especially if I have a creative block. If I have to design something cool and funky I listen to upbeat music ...if I have to design something more laidback and classical I listen to relaxing music ...it gets my mind in the right mood for the theme of the design. Hope this answers your question.

do you think a blind or visually impaired person could do the job?

Asked by Ding dint over 4 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Well first I was going to say no ...unless they were brought in as a consultant to help design for the visually impaired. But it got me thinking and did a search on Google to see if there were any such designers and I came up with this: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/legally-blind-illustrator-designer_n_5b19589ce4b09d7a3d6fe7fa? ...so it seems I am wrong and the answer is yes it seems

Would you say that its important to know how to use adobe photoshop when you wanna start working in that area? Or is basic knowledge with other software good aswell?

Asked by Basti over 5 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . I assume when you say "when you want to start working in that area" ...you mean in the Graphic Design industry. I started my career as a graphic designer well before computers were used so I had to know how to do magic marker visuals, mock ups, draw logos with rotoring pens etc. Without these skills I could not have progressed in my career. So nowadays to be a graphic designer you need to know how to use Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign as these are the standard tools of the trade. Any other programs you want to learn are up to you but the above mentioned are a must to be able to get into this field. I hope this answers your question.

KEVIN THE METROLOGIST HAS GONE AWAY AND STOPED ANSWERING QUESTIONS WHY?!

Asked by URGENT EMERGENCY ALERT ALERT ???? over 4 years ago

Maybe he was asked too many irrelevant questions that were nothing to do with the subject of his job!

Is that you in the photo?

Asked by Ron over 4 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK , Yes that is a vector self portrait of me. I did it a long time ago ...and I was younger then too ...I guess I the my age in the photo I drew it from about 40ish ...I am now 56 ...but actually do not look much different. I did try just now to upload a recent photo of me to replace the vector image but for some reason it did not replace it ...I will keep trying though.

Do you ever use rhinestones?

Asked by Dan over 4 years ago

Hi Dan ...I am a bit confused about your question ...not sure the relevance of "rhinestones" to graphic design! Maybe you need to ask this question to a jewellery designer or interior designer.

Do you work with a 3D printer very much?

Asked by Comment over 4 years ago

Never worked with a 3D printer and never had the chance to as of yet

Hi! I was wondering what is your favorite print or pattern or design?

Asked by Allison over 5 years ago

To be honest I do not have a favourite print, pattern or design as there is so much out there that is so different to each other that it is hard to choose ....and my taste varies. As long as it has that 'wow' factor and is memorable then the design etc is a success.

I'm looking into getting a graphic design degree, and I was wondering on your opinion online colleges like Independence University?

Asked by Tink over 4 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Hi, to be honest I do not know a lot about online colleges and have never hear of Independence University. Computers and the internet were not around when I went to art college ...so I sat in a class with a teacher ...so not much help with this question, sorry

Have you ever made a million dollars?

Asked by Johnson over 4 years ago

Only in my dreams ...lol. But that is my goal before I retire... nearly 57 though so not long left. I am a shareholder of a luxury magazine company and if that ever gets sold I am sure to make more than 1 mil. Also I have a personal project on the go which I hope will make money when finally launched.

What operating system do you use?

Asked by Barbra over 4 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . I am currently using MacOS Mojave 10.14.6.2 x 27" screens. Creative Suite 6 (Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign).Wacom Intuos 5 touch pen and tablet.

Hi! Can you help me at least - give me an idea. I have been asked to design a map here at my work on our city along with the surrounding areas - maybe like 3 of them that distribute the newspapers along with red pins off all that do

Asked by Rose Garza about 4 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . I guess if you are working in the company as a graphic designer you should be able to come up with an idea as that what you are employed to do. If all else fails, research online in google images for similar maps that have been done ...hope this helps

Is this pandemic hurting your work?

Asked by 238947 about 4 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Well, in fact I have got busier! Although British, I am based in Spain and so the lockdown here has almost been 4 weeks now and there has just been another 2 weeks added with talks for another 2 weeks on top of that ...crazy and scary times. This is a tourist area and many people work in bars, restaurants or real estate and no one can work. As for me ...I have worked for years from home so nothing has changed ...and now I have a captive audience online (everyone at home and on social media 24/7) and have upped my marketing. I recently taught myself video editing and create marketing videos ...so did a few for myself and it seems to be working. Picked up a few new real estate companies as in the message in my marketing I pointed our that those who sit back and do nothing with their marketing during these times will be forgotten when it finally all gets back to normal and everyone will remember those who kept their brand awareness going. Brand awareness is everything!

I asked a GD to make me a logo for my shop and then I paid it. And now I want to use that logo for a clothing line, do I need to pay the artist extra payment for using it for other purpose? Reply please :(

Asked by Alex almost 4 years ago

Well once you have paid for it you are the owner of that logo to do what you want with, so go ahead and use it and no need to pay anymore to the designer ...unless you ask them to do more work on it. Just make sure the designer gives you high quality vector based versions of the logo plus the original editable file. Also, depending how far you are planning to go with the clothing range , it might be worth trademarking the name and logo. Hope this helps.

*candidate stupid spell check

Asked by Don almost 4 years ago

Don't worry, I understood the error ...lol

If you where not a Graphic Designer what job could you see yourself doing?

Asked by Question to all almost 4 years ago

Well I have been a designer since leaving art college in 1981 ...so that is a long, long time so never had any other career other than that and enjoyed every moment of it. Before leaving school to go to art college to be honest I did not know what I was going to do and considered going to train and work with my dad as an aircraft fitter at the local airport. But at the last minute my art teacher convinced my mum to take me for an interview at the local art college ...she wasn't convinced it was a great career choice but took me anyway. The course was full but I impressed them enough to put me at the top of the waiting list ... a week later I got accepted ...and here I am almost 40 years later still a graphic designer. I often thought of other career paths I would have liked to take and sometimes wished I was an astronomer or worked for someone like NASA

What do you think of Anime?

Asked by Alan almost 4 years ago

Hi Alan, well I do not follow it and have never watched an Anime programme or movie to be able to put an honest comment. I guess it has never really interested me enough to be bothered to watch it.

Do you make more stuff for kids, adults, all ages, or other?

Asked by Dr. Pepper about 4 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Well most of my clients give me work for corporate company's, so I would say mainly adults. But in the past I have worked full time for toy company where I designed toy packaging.... I loved this job and got to sit on a design studio with other designers surrounded by toys ...we had loads of fun. So the end user for these item were kids. I mainly design for adults now but in my spare time I design kids colouring books and sell via 'print on demand' on Amazon. Hope this answers your question.

Have you ever made a comic book?

Asked by Morty about 4 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Actually no, but I do cartoons and also have put together a couple of kids colouring books that I sell 'print on demand' on Amazon. I am in the middle of a 'self project' which involves cartoon characters and hopefully may turn into an animation plus comic book depending how it all goes ...but that is a long way off though.

What happens if and when you mess something up real bad?

Asked by Gene about 4 years ago

We are all human and mistakes happen. At the end of the day if a mistake has been made in a design job make sure the job has been officially signed off by the client. I always make sure I check, double check and triple check and then when I send to the client I tell them in the email to check everything carefully as I will not be responsible for errors once approved and signed off. This usually gets them to proof it with a fine tooth comb as they realise that once they approve the job it is in their hands. I remember back in the 80's when I designed record sleeves, a cover was approved and went to print. When the all records got delivered the producer picked up the sleeve the correct way up and the vinyl record fell out the bottom ...lol. Luckily I was just the designer and not the artworker ...there was a difference back then when computers were not used. I was the one that designed the covers on a sketch pad with felt pens, then I went to a photoshoot with the band ...then the actual final artwork was done by an artwork department that placed everything into the cutter guides etc. A very different process than nowadays. So the artworker had mistakenly indicated the front cover to be placed the wrong way up. No one checked and it went to print. They all had to be printed again... the record company was not happy at all but l was not to blame. In todays industry us designers have to make sure everything is checked carefully. I once did a typo on an advert (a number was missed off the telephone number). I did not spot it and the client did not spot it and the advert went to print. The client noticed it once it was in the magazine and was not happy at all and was on to me by email straightaway and wanted his money back. I apologised but pointed out my email had said that "to check everything carefully as I will not be responsible for errors once approved and signed off". He apologised and admitted he did not check properly ... but I also apologised too as it was my fault I had missed the number (but actually I think it was cut and paste from his text and he was the one that missed it). But anyway I value my clients and gave him the next design job for free as compensation, even though it was not entirely my fault. This was about 7 years ago and til this day he is still my client. So at the end of the day, no matter whose fault the mistake is, always keep the client happy as it will be to your benefit in the end.

Yes.. that exactly what I did before I reached out. Ok thank you.

Asked by rosegarza924@gmail.com about 4 years ago

To be honest, when I first started out as a graphic designer in 1981 there was no such thing as computers or internet so had to be creative with my thoughts and unable to research ...that is how you become unique in your own style ...it is great practice for you and you will be a better person for it

Where would you also draw the line. Like making a nude photo or henti porn

Asked by Don almost 4 years ago

Well henti porn is something I have never been involved in and probably never will ...but generic everyday porn I do not have a problem with and is ok to design for. I used to have a client that sold sex toys and had to design all sorts of bizarre adverts for porn magazines. I have a funny story related to this ...I had a meeting with the client and she gave me a few of the magazines that the adverts were to appear in, Straight after this meeting I had another meeting with a client and he want to meet in a cafe in a busy mall. The seating was outside the cafe (although inside the mall) where it was very busy with shoppers walking past. Well, I sat down and pulled out my note pad and it accidentally caught on one of the porn magazines which slammed on the floor with a loud slap ...everyone turned round to look what happened and the magazine was laying with the back of it facing upwards which had a full page advert of a large pink vibrator. How embarrassing was that ...I grabbed it quickly and shoved it back in my bag ...luckily my client did not see it as he was on the wrong side of the table ...but plenty of others saw it ...wonder what they thought ...lol

What are some types of questions you wished people would stop asking

Asked by Question to all almost 4 years ago

Well all questions are fine as long as they are relevant to graphic design. I haven't really had any duplicate questions where I have had to repeat myself. But had a couple of totally irrelevant questions such as "do I use rhinestones in my design" and "what do I think of lasers" ...not sure what answers they were expecting, but if I get any more like that I would probably delete and ignore.

Have you ever asked someone a question on here? If so do you mind saying what it was?

Asked by QUESTION TO ALL almost 4 years ago

No, never ...lol ...sorry for the short an direct answer ...lol

Would you make a sign or shirt or something that goes against your beliefs for money. Let’s say either presidential Canada the Trump or Biden who ever you dislike and you where asked to make a shirt and they where paying good money.

Asked by Don almost 4 years ago

To be honest if I was getting paid good money and the client wanted a controversial design I would ask for the full amount upfront and design it... I provide a service and do not let my beliefs get in way of the money for providing for my wife and daughter. Back in the early 90's when typesetting was done on special typesetting machines before computers I ran a design studio in a large printers in the UK and we employed a typesetter to type all text for designs that was then sent down a ISDN line to get printed out and sent back to paste onto the artwork (yes that was how it was done back in those days) ...well the typesetter was also a vicar (priest) and one of the jobs that came in was to design some flyers for a clairvoyant show ...well it went totally against his beliefs and refused to type any of it ...lol ...so we had to outsource it to get done.

Have you ever made flags? If so what kind? If not would you?

Asked by Jimbo almost 4 years ago

As in 'make' I assume you mean 'design'.... I have designed marketing flags for different companies. Mainly real estate who put out flags on new developments etc. Pretty boring design jobs as all they need is a logo and a bit of text ...but if a client is paying then I design for them.

Hello sir, do you see yourself doing this until your in your old ages or retiring? No offense but I do see your 57 and while that it not old you will be in your 60s soon. Thanks!

Asked by Samual almost 4 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Hi Samual, no offence taken, but even 60 is not old in todays world. When I was a lot younger I thought 50 was old and past it ...but as I got older I realised that wasn't the case. I am lucky to come from a family that age well. That photo of me in my profile image ...that is me now at 57 ...over the last 10 years I haven't really aged. So I guess when I am 60 I will not look much different if I look after myself. I partied in the 70's, 80's, 90's, 00's ...and I still like a good party in the 20's ...but the pandemic has put a stop to that ...lol. So all the partying and drinking never affected my aging ...but I have never smoked. I am on my second marriage and had my first kid at 50 ...so my, now 7 year old, daughter keeps me young and healthy. Also living in Spain for the last 16 years gives me a healthy lifestyle ...good food and plenty of fresh air in the sunny climate. Just lately I have been connecting with old school friends on Facebook ...and, wow, how much have they aged ...some of them look older than what they are ...so I guess I have been lucky. Anyway, it seems I have wandered off the question you asked ...lol ...I hope to retire by 60 and continue to enjoy a healthy life. I have done the same job for 40 years so have no plans to change ...why change if I enjoy it so much. Over the last few months I have been designing colouring books and diaries etc that I sell "print on demand' on Amazon, so am hoping that will give me a small income with very little effort once retired. I have many loyal, long term clients too ...so would be difficult to suddenly tell them I will not be working anymore ...but that is a long way off yet. Hope that answers your question, albeit in a long winded way ...lol

Can you do graphic design with a Chrome Book?

Asked by Alan Jackson is a great singer about 4 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . To be honest I did not know the answer so had to Google it. I am a Mac person and always will be. Here is what I copied from what I found out for you: Design Chromebooks are available in two different styles. The traditional clamshell and the 2-in-1 design. When you consider purchasing a Chromebook, making sure that you know which will fit your needs is optimal. Do you do a lot of sketching or drawing, then a 2-in-1 may be better for you as the hinge allows the laptop to fold the keyboard behind the monitor and become a tablet.If you’re a writer or blogger, then the clamshell design may be better for you as the tablet feature might not be a major selling point for you. RAM The amount of memory that your Chromebook has is important. It helps all the programs that you have and the device itself runs quickly so you don’t run into lag times. The standard amount of RAM that a Chromebook comes with is 4GB. If you’re only going to use the laptop for browsing the web or watching videos online, then that’s the right amount for you.However, if you plan on doing tasks that will push the Chrome OS, then you will want to aim for something a little larger. Some models have a range of RAM available from 8 to 16 GB of RAM, however, at that amount, you may have some optional processor upgrades to consider. More RAM is never a bad thing. How much RAM you need, depends on what you plan on doing.StorageWith the Chrome OS on a Chromebook, the storage typically favors using options such as Google Drive or DropBox. In some ways, this may be preferable to some. As long as you have an internet connection, you can access your files and with Google Drive, you can set up documents to allow you to access them offline.So while the amount of storage in the hardware itself might not match some of their competitors, if both laptops fail, which one will keep your files safely tucked away in the cloud? Price The biggest selling point to anyone considering the purchase of a Chromebook is the price. While there are models such as the Pixelbook which can cost around $1,000, a good, quality Chromebook may only cost between $299 and $499.This can be the perfect price range if you’re on a budget, just starting out or even in college where the money is not always available. What Chrome OS Can and Can’t Do There can be a lot of confusion when it comes to the OS on Chromebooks and we wanted to try and clear the fog, so to speak, so you know exactly what the Chrome OS can and can’t do.Because of the operating system, a Chromebook is essentially an Android computer. While using a Chromebook is very user-friendly, being able to access Android applications can add another layer of productivity to a Chromebook. Having access to apps like Spotify, Snapchat, Instagram and many others can make things like marketing your business on Instagram easier.For designers, in the past, Chromebooks did not have access to the Adobe Creative Cloud, but that has recently changed as Adobe has made applications for Chromebooks so you can still use their systems. These apps are Photoshop Mix, Photoshop Sketch, Comp CC, Lightroom mobile, Illustrator Draw, and Creative Cloud Mobile.

What do you think of lasers?

Asked by Jake almost 4 years ago

WHAT???? ....I think you have drunkenly stumbled into the twilight zone ...this lockdown is affecting your brain ...lol

I have this "badge of Achievement" design that was made cheaply and I can't quite put my finger on why it looks so bad. I'm also not entirely sure how to go about fixing it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

https://imgur.com/a/wnmpoTm

Asked by steve almost 4 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Hi Steve ...to be honest and fair, everything is wrong with it ...too many font sizes and you also repeated Master Inspector twice which is not needed on this badge ...remove the "Master Inspector" words in the middle. The lines under each word is not required. The whole design needs a bit of punch as it is very boring. Take a look at the Freepik website for reference ...search "Badges" and you will see loads of ideas for inspiration. Hope this helps

Do you use modern technology or are you more old fashioned or both?

Asked by adfasdfas over 3 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . In the old days before computers I had no choice but to use the old fashioned way. I started off as a visualiser designing record sleeves, point-of-sale and adverts using nothing but a layout pad and a box of Pantone Pens/Magic Markers. It was really a fun way design and it was the way I was taught at art college. Logos were drawn with a Rotoring Pen after initial sketches and then tidied up using white gouache paint... those were good times and I miss it. But now with todays technology I do not need to do it that way and rely on my imac and Adobe Creative Suite. With my old school creative skills and now computer software skills I combine the both ...but not so much the old school way. So to answer your question ...yes, I still use both methods ...pen and paper to sketch out ideas but the main bulk of my work is on the Mac.... I do miss the old days though

How do you deal with bad customers?

Asked by Jane almost 4 years ago

Depends on what you mean by bad! If a client contacts me that I do not know I always do a Google search on them to get a rough idea on their background. I usually can work out by what I read to what sort of client they are going to be and deal with them accordingly from the beginning. If I know their history of paying on time is bad I make sure I get more than 50% and do not give actual artwork til final payment is made. I am always polite with all clients even the bad ones. If I struggle getting a decent brief from them I send them a list of questions to answer which usually does the job. If a client starts to make many, many changes on a job already quoted for I have to tell them that I need to charge extra per hour (this is always pointed out before I start the job anyway). This usually makes them get the job approved quicker. I have a regular client that I know will knock down the price I give every single time ...and it is always the same amount he wants dropping. So, unknown to him, I always add that amount to the quote I give him and when he asks for the discount it ends up being the price I was going to charge anyway ...lol.

What is your favorite thing to design

Asked by Mr. Fernandez almost 4 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Well I used to love doing logos the most (still do)... then vector illustration became my favourite. But recently I have taught myself video editing, so this is new to me and slowly becoming my favourite... but I combine all my design skills in the video editing.

Hi Paul! I'm a second year college student going in to my third year, and I wanted to know what iPad would be better to use to draw and design for the long term, without causing so much of a dent in my pocket.

Asked by Lizzy almost 4 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Hi Lizzy, to be honest I do not know. I have never used an ipad for drawing or design ...not even a laptop. I have always used the largest screen available ...and 2 of them. I have 2 x 27" screens that I work on side by side. The best option is to do a Google search for reviews on the best deal ...sorry I cannot be of much help.

Hi,I need help. I want to creat unique signature for mail and I don't know witch program i have to use. I already created in photoshop but than I relized that if someone wants to copy my personal data from signature he can't do it cause its a picture

Asked by Tatjana over 2 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Well to be honest, if you don't people to copy your personal data then you should not be putting it in a signature. Photoshop is what you use to create an image to insert into your email program or you can type it as live text.

Have you ever or came close to filing a copy right, trade mark, or something similar lawsuit?

Asked by Sarah almost 4 years ago

No I haven't is the short answer. I have previously made a reverse image search on google with some designs and illustrations and only once did I find an illustration that I did for a client being used on someones website. It was of a house cutaway showing how solar and energy works in a house ...and it was being used on a website in Brazil to illustrate the same information. I sent a polite email to the owner of the company explaining that I drew that image for one of my clients and so was owned by him and could not be used ..and asked that if he wanted something similar I could draw it for him. He responded with an apology telling me his web designer had sourced the image and assumed he had got it from a stock library so would get it removed ...of which he did. So it is always best to go the polite route before filing a lawsuit as it can save a lot of hassle.

So do y’all charge by the hour or more project to protect? Or is there another way you do it? Or will you just do it for me free ????

Asked by Bxbdb almost 4 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . I used to charge per hour but most clients like to know the final cost before they commit to using me. So I always charge per project now ...I give a client a price based on the brief they supply but also tell they that if the brief drastically changes I will add extra costs ...so they have to agree to this before I start. I take 50% deposit on all jobs plus only supply low res watermarked images of the designs for approval and only give the final hi res version once the balance has been paid. I never take a deposit off of my regular loyal clients as I have had them for years and can guarantee payment from them. As for doing jobs for free ...NO, I never do anything for free or at a discount. I have bills to pay like everyone else and all my clients get charged the same amount depending on the job. Graphic design is an investment in a company. When starting up (or well established) all companies should have a marketing budget. I have some clients say that they have just spent loads on office furniture, computers, etc, etc so do not have a lot for their logo, marketing etc and come to me with a begging bowl ....well, that is not my problem. They are the ones in control of their companies spending and should work this into the budget before spending it all. At the end of the day people start up businesses to make money right? ...so why should I offer my services next to nothing so they can be the ones making the money. I work for myself and I am in a business to make money too.... graphic design is not my hobby, it is my career and has been for 40 years. If they want cheap either do it themselves or get an inexperienced wannabe designer sitting at home in their bedroom with no outgoing expenses ...then they will see they will get what they pay for. I get all sorts of offers to get me to design for free ...mainly promises of regular work once they make money ...or telling everyone how good I am so giving me loads of exposure... well, when I first became freelance I thought that was a good idea and accepted clients like this ...but guess how many of them turned into regular clients ...a big fat ZERO. Plus their companies did not last long as they did not plan their monthly marketing budget ...they just spent money on irrelevant fancy things forgetting that the most important thing is branding and marketing as that is what gets them the work. So after all that I guess you know my answer to you asking for something for free ....NO ...lol

Have you ever made a COVID-19 virus design?

Asked by Nake almost 4 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Well in a way yes ...firstly I created a self marketing video to promote myself saying that I was still available for work during the lockdown so it started with a Covid theme. It can be seen on my website in the video section and is the 17th video down.

Im a beginner looking to create simple graphics for social. How do i turn fonts into sticker like graphics? With what software? Canva? Procrrate, other? Thank u

Asked by Val over 3 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Well I use the Adobe Creating Suite as it is the professional software for my job ...I am guessing you can use Canva ...but not used it myself ...and not heard of Procreate. So I guess you can try Canva and see it that does the job.

What’s the dumbest thing someone tried to get you to make or had you make? Did you actually do it?

Asked by Cecil over 3 years ago

Well, no actual job has been dumb ...but have been asked to design something for free many times which is a pretty dumb thing to do as some people assume being a graphic designer is a hobby for fun ...but it is my full time career that pays my bills. ...so I guess that may answer you question ...and no, I do not work fro free so I guess that answers the second part of your question

Are you average priced, cheap, or expensive?

Asked by Carrie almost 4 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . In general my prices are average ...but if you put it into context, I am cheap for the experience I have. I should charge loads more than I do but clients nowadays want everything on a budget ...brand and marketing agencies can get away with charging high prices as they get all the big corporate companies, but most freelance designers have to keep their prices low ...I do not go to the cheap level though but my clients get a good price for the quality of work they receive.

What is your favorite color to use

Asked by Damion almost 4 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . To be honest I do not have a favourite color for use in design. At the end of the day it is all down to the color relevant to the design/client preference. Designers should not really have a favourite as is could restrict their color choice when creating a logo etc. Creative people should be open to all colors ...hope this answers your question ...well almost!

Are the Jobstr guys still doing anything on this site or is it a abandoned project? I sent them a email and they said they read everything and NOTHING. I am worried once the last of you who actually still answer regularly once their gone this site is dead

Asked by Donnie almost 4 years ago

To be honest I do not know. I have been on this site for over 8 years now and my questions only come in now and again ...but over the last few days I have had quite a few. I answer all the questions I get... but am unaware if any others are not answering their questions anymore as I never ask questions myself. Hope it all keeps going strong.

Do you ever listen to music while you work???

Asked by Nsnsn over 3 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Sometimes, not always, depends on my mood on that day. If have to design something cool and funky I may listen to upbeat music ...if I have to design something more laid back and classical I listen to relaxing music ...it gets my mind in the right mood for the theme of the design. Hope this answers your question.

I wanted to see what software I need if all I need to do is take a logo and maybe add text to it and vectorize them ? I don't want to buy too much if I dont need it. The only designing I will do is alter the logo or add text. Thank you!

Asked by Deb over 3 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Well if you are a professional designer you should really have the Adobe Creating Suite in which you can do this. But if it is just a one off job and you do not want to spend money on expensive software then please check this link out for free alternatives to Adbobe Illustrator... https://vectorguru.org/featured/alternatives-to-adobe-illustrator.html ...hope this helps

Do you ever design anything graphic

Asked by Question maker over 3 years ago

????? Not sure I understand your question ...I am a "Graphic Designer" .... so that is what I do!!

Ive been offered a project for creating graphics for a card game. They will not pay me for my work in the beginning but are offering a % of equity. once launched ill get paid indefinitely for any profit they make from game. Is this a good deal

Asked by Cat over 3 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Well ...I have learnt my lesson over the years ...never work for free or on a promise as it never ever works out in your favour. Ask yourself these questions:Do you know these people well?Do they have a success record with other projects making money?If they are investing money into making these cards, why are they not investing in your time and design work?At the end of the day, if it is very little work for you then you will be investing very little time into this project ...so if the equity % is good then go for it.If there is loads of work involved which eats into your time of other paying jobs and the equity % is poor then do the maths and you will probably say no.

Ask them about how much work is involved and how they plan to market these cards and then honestly value the potential of these cards doing well.

If you can see that it will lead to nothing then give a quote for your work ...or offer a discount for a small equity % ...if they can afford to print the cards and market them then they can afford to pay a designer.... if they can't then they have no money and are grasping at straws.

At the end of the day, do not under sell yourself ...good luck

What is the best program to use when I need to convert a file to svg format?

Asked by Amber over 3 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Well it really depends what format the original file is in. SVG is a vector format so I use Adobe Illustrator to do this ...but that is converting a vector file to SVG. Not sure if you can convert non vector files direct to SVG without a process in between to make it into a vector first. Not all formats work well in vector. I suggest doing a Google search on free SVG conversions as I am sure there are plenty of free websites that will do this I guess. Sorry I cannot be of more help. If I knew what format your original file is I might be able to help more.

I am going to be selling logo branding packages. I am going to include formats EPS, PNG, JPEG (in RGB) + PDF, SVG (in CKMY) + AI master file. Is there anything else clients want? Do clients require a bleed included for prints e.g letters, bus. card?

Asked by Georgie over 2 years ago

UPDATE...I have now written a guide to becoming a graphic designer. It is available as Kindle or in print ...check it out here... AMAZON LINK . Hi Georgie, glad to someone who knows what they are doing at last ,,,so many people design logos in Photoshop which is the wrong way to go, good to see you are doing them in vector. Just a couple of corrections though the RGB versions are as follows PNG, JPG, SVG and the CMYK versions should be PDF, EPS, JPG ...making sure the CMYK versions are 300dpi. I never give the client the mast file (unless they ask you ...but do not give them the option) because then they have no reason to come back to you for more work or revisions as now they can use any other designer to do that. As for files for print, always supply artworks to the printer with 3mm bleed ...even if there is no artwork bleeding off the edge ...but no need to include the trim marks ...the print will be happy for it to be sent like that. When sending a proof copy to the client do not include bleed as that confuses the client. If they are the ones sending to print then just say you will send print ready artwork once approved. Even with online printers like Vista Print you need to include 3mm bleed and no crop marks when uploading. Hope this helps.

Hello is chat gpt correct

Asked by nnemmanjnja about 1 month ago