Trends / 6 Aug 2018
3D Typography: An Inspiring Design Trend
An injection of realism can take a design project to the next level. With so many VR and realistic style effects gaining popularity, it is no surprise that 3D typography is part of this design trend.
Three-dimensional typography has extra depth and can be a great display option. While 3D type isn’t necessarily made for readability, it is a fun design trend that is worth a try. Here’s a look at how to get started with 3D typography (with some pretty cool examples for inspiration).
Graphics / 1 Aug 2018
How to Design Wedding Invitations: 7 Simple Steps
Your wedding day is a showcase of your love story, and you can highlight your story with a custom wedding invitation that you design. Today we’re looking at how to design wedding invitations, with a few key steps to remember along the way.
A custom wedding invitation will help show off your personality, save money and is something you can hang on to forever. With proper planning, it’s not that hard to do. Whether you start with a wedding invitation template, or you create a design from scratch, it’s a beautiful way to brand your special day.
Inspiration / 1 Aug 2018
7 Design Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Content
Design mistakes can happen to anyone. Maybe you’re trying to finish a project too quickly, or you’re working on a complex site design where something gets merely overlooked. But, when they happen, you have to fix them… immediately!
Some design mistakes can ruin your content, cause users to abandon your site, or lose trust in the information you provide. It can be tough to recover from if you don’t make corrections. And so you aren’t confused, each of today’s tips comes with an example of a design that does it right from the Design Shack Gallery!
Freelancing / 30 Jul 2018
What to Put on a Business Card: 8 Creative Ideas
What to put on a business card? It’s a tricky question. A business card that contains just the right information (and a stellar design) will grab attention and help you stand out. It’s the thing that makes someone else remember you, or your pitch.
Even in a digital age, a business card is a popular–and necessary networking and communication tool. Having a great business card provides legitimacy to your or your business, it’s a quick and easy way to exchange information, and can provide ways to help promote your work.
What you put on your business card says a lot to others. Here’s a guide to what to put on a business card, with plenty of creative ideas to help you get started.
Trends / 25 Jul 2018
Art Deco Graphic Design: A Classic Trend
Add some old-school charm to design projects, with an art deco-inspired design. Traditional, classic, and vintage styles are on-trend now, making art deco elements a fun and easy way to add a touch of something the evokes classic feelings while maintaining a modern touch.
Art Deco graphic design might be a trend, but it is not a new style. The style dates to the 1920s with the greatest popularity of the style lasting for about 15 years. Art deco took off in part due to a culture where advertising was gaining popularity. Art deco graphic design was a mass-produced style and was in everything from magazines to the lines of car styles to architecture to the clothing styles associated with the roaring 20s (such as flapper girls).
Read on to find out more about this trend, and how art deco graphic design is making a comeback!
Graphics / 25 Jul 2018
10 Ways to Simplify Your Design
It’s no secret that simple is often better when it comes to website design. An interface that’s simple to understand—and just as simple to use—is more likely to turn visitors into active users who will return to your site later.
But how do you simplify your website? Even if you aren’t building something new from scratch, the trick is to set goals and then look at the path to reaching them for users. Anything that gets in the way of that path should be eliminated. Anything that makes understanding what a user is supposed to do should be removed from the design.
That’s what we’re going to look at today – a few tricks that you can use to simplify your website design. And these ideas work for existing sites and new builds. (This article features examples of stellar simple designs, visit each site for even more inspiration.)
Business / 23 Jul 2018
Graphic Design Internships: 5 Places to Begin Your Search
Most students know that the right internship can get them on a path to the right job after graduation. Internships provide valuable work experience that help you get an idea of what daily life as a graphic designer looks like—and what skills you need to be successful.
The main difference between an internship and a job is the temporary nature of an internship, which is limited to a specific time frame or a number of hours worked.
The challenge with internships is that not all of the “jobs” are posted in regular job search locations, although some companies do post internship listings on job search websites. So where do you begin your search for the perfect internship? You’re going to have to do some homework.
Business / 23 Jul 2018
How Do You List Freelance Work on Your Resume? (We Have the Answer)
Congratulations, your freelance business is proving successful. But how do you handle talking about it or explaining freelance work to potential employers, or on your resume? It can be a hard subject to explain as a single entry on paper, and you don’t want freelance work to look like an employment gap.
There are some things you can do to on paper (and on LinkedIn) to help present freelance work in a way that is more understandable to others. The key for many freelancers – especially those working part-time – is remembering to include freelance work as part of your resume and design portfolio. Sometimes those jobs can be just the thing you need to help land the next big gig!
Reviews / 19 Jul 2018
Brizy Takes the Stress Out of WordPress
Creating a website shouldn’t be a chore; it can actually be fun if you use the right tools. Brizy is a WordPress page builder that looks great, features drag-and-drop tools and helps you create a website quickly and easily. What more could you want?
Brizy is great for beginners because you don’t need to dive into the code. But more experienced designers also like it because the tool can help you build advanced designs quickly and easily. Here’s a look a Brizy and how the WordPress page builder works.
Inspiration / 18 Jul 2018
Graphic Design Is My Passion: 20 Meme Picks
Graphic design is my passion. Seriously. Isn’t it yours too, if you are taking the time to read Design Shack? Whether you use the phrase seriously or in jest, there’s a pretty fun movement on the web of memes that depict this statement. And they probably don’t look like what you’d expect.
The lesson in this ironic meme is that you need to maybe take it down a notch. Graphic design should be fun.
Layouts / 18 Jul 2018
Vector vs. Raster: What Do I Use?
With all of the image options and file formats out there, it can be a little overwhelming when you are choosing what file type to use (and send to clients). Compatibility is always a concern when you are working with different file types, but when it comes to graphics and images the type of computer graphic format you use is essential to how the image renders.
There are two types of digital graphics files – vector and raster. Vector images are made of hundreds of thousands of tiny lines and curves (or paths) to create an image. Raster images are composed of pixels. But how do you know what format is best for your next project?
Software / 16 Jul 2018
4 Unique Placeholder Image Services for Designers
A placeholder image service is a quick and easy way to find images to insert into web projects so that a wireframe or prototype looks more real. It can help other people envision the project and help keep it moving forward.
Most designers try to do everything they can to help a client or non-visual team member see a project during the design, mockup and prototyping process. Often that means putting something together before the content itself is complete.
Here, we’re going to look at four different (and unique) placeholder image services for designers to help you move projects along as efficiently as possible. (Plus, we have a list of reasons why a tool like this might be helpful.)