Business - Page 3

Learn how to run your design business, work with clients, manage expectations, and handle your finances.

The Art of Thumb-Stopping Content: Designing for Social Media Attention

Business / 28 Feb 2025

The Art of Thumb-Stopping Content: Designing for Social Media Attention

In today’s fast-paced social media world, users scroll through hundreds of posts in minutes.

To stand out, your content needs to grab attention instantly—before their thumb swipes past to the next post. This requires mastering the art of “thumb-stopping” design.

In this post, we explore this art form for crafting engaging, thumb-stopping posts for your social media platforms. We break down how to create visuals that make users pause, engage, and remember your brand with a few useful tips and hacks.

Let’s get started.

Death by PowerPoint? How to Design Slides That Keep Audiences Engaged

PowerPoint Templates / 26 Feb 2025

Death by PowerPoint? How to Design Slides That Keep Audiences Engaged

We’ve all been there—stuck in a presentation with endless slides, walls of text, and uninspiring visuals. Instead of learning, we find ourselves zoning out, checking emails, or counting the minutes until it’s over.

This phenomenon, often called “Death by PowerPoint,” happens when slides are overloaded with information, poorly designed, or fail to connect with the audience.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. A well-designed slide deck can enhance storytelling, reinforce key messages, and keep audiences engaged.

Whether you’re giving a business pitch, a keynote speech, or a classroom lecture, your slides should complement your presentation—not compete with it.

Let’s explore the common pitfalls of slide design and how to create presentations that are both compelling and memorable.

From Static to Storytelling: The Shift Toward Narrative-Driven Presentations

PowerPoint Templates / 19 Feb 2025

From Static to Storytelling: The Shift Toward Narrative-Driven Presentations

For years, traditional presentations have relied on static slides filled with bullet points, pie charts, and dense text. While these slides can convey information, they often lack engagement.

Today, a major shift is happening in the way presentations are designed—narrative-driven presentations are replacing static slides, transforming presentations into immersive storytelling experiences.

According to psychologist Jerome Bruner, people are 22 times more likely to remember information and facts presented in a story.

Instead of presenting a list of facts, modern slide decks guide audiences through a structured story, using visuals, pacing, and emotional appeal to make the message more impactful.

In this article, we explore why storytelling is the future of presentations, how brands and professionals are adopting this approach, and how you can craft narrative-driven presentations that captivate your audience.

AI-Generated Social Media Content: Creative Shortcut or Brand Killer?

AI Tools / 17 Feb 2025

AI-Generated Social Media Content: Creative Shortcut or Brand Killer?

AI-powered tools can now generate social media posts, captions, and even graphics in seconds, offering businesses a fast and cost-effective way to maintain a consistent online presence.

But does this efficiency come at the expense of creativity and brand authenticity?

AI-generated content presents both opportunities and risks. While it can streamline workflows and enhance productivity, it may also lead to generic messaging, lack of originality, and diminished brand identity.

In this post, we’ll explore when AI can be a helpful creative shortcut and when human input is essential to maintaining a brand’s voice and authenticity.

The 10-20-30 Rule: Does It Still Apply to Modern Presentations?

PowerPoint Templates / 15 Feb 2025

The 10-20-30 Rule: Does It Still Apply to Modern Presentations?

In the mid-2000s, Guy Kawasaki, a renowned venture capitalist and former Apple evangelist, introduced the 10-20-30 rule for crafting effective presentations.

This guideline suggests that a presentation should consist of no more than ten slides, last no longer than twenty minutes, and use a font size of at least thirty points. The rule was designed to promote clarity, brevity, and audience engagement.

However, with the evolution of presentation tools and changing audience expectations, it’s worth examining whether the 10-20-30 rule remains relevant today. And that’s exactly what we aim to do in this post. Let’s dive in.

Fresh Starts: How to Revamp Your Design Process for the New Year

Business / 1 Jan 2025

Fresh Starts: How to Revamp Your Design Process for the New Year

If you’re planning on refreshing your design process this year to become a more efficient and productive designer, this guide is for you.

Here, we share some practical advice on how to fully assess, streamline, and refine your creative workflow to create a much-improved design process that will make this your best year yet!

Before you look for ways to revamp your design process, first you should take a step back and reflect on the past year to learn which areas of your workflow need to change and which need improvement. Let’s start there.

10 Skills Every Designer Needs on Their Resume

CV & Resume Templates / 23 Dec 2024

10 Skills Every Designer Needs on Their Resume

Even if you aren’t actively looking for a job, your resume is an important piece of your digital portfolio. From sites such as LinkedIn to personal portfolio pages such as Behance that showcase your work, glimpses into your design career are everywhere.

You want to control that message to ensure that you are putting the right vibe out there about who you are, the work you do and why (quite frankly) you are a rock star designer. And while a stellar portfolio is a great way to start that conversation, your resume is equally important. It should highlight some of the skills that aren’t as apparent from looking at a few marquee pieces.

As a bonus, every example resume here is a template from Envato Elements. Visit and download usable graphic design assets to boost your resume design today!

How to Make a Poster in PowerPoint: 10 Simple Steps

Poster Design / 2 Dec 2024

How to Make a Poster in PowerPoint: 10 Simple Steps

In addition to creating presentations, did you know you can use PowerPoint to design other elements such as posters? Today, we’re walking you through exactly how to make a poster in PowerPoint.

While not everyone thinks about making a poster design in PowerPoint, it’s pretty easy—and is a viable option if you need something quickly, or don’t have other design software available. (Posters made in PowerPoint are frequently used in academic settings for assignments and event promotion on college campuses.) Today, we’re going to take you through the steps of how to make a poster in PowerPoint.

30 Tips to Learn Web Design in 30 Days

Business / 4 Nov 2024

30 Tips to Learn Web Design in 30 Days

Is learning the basics of web design still on your “someday” list? Why haven’t you got started yet? We’ve put together 30 tips and resources to help you start learning web design this month (and maybe even find yourself a new career path!)

Graphic designers, print designers, and creatives looking to learn something new or break into website need to quit procrastinating. Every day that you don’t take that first step leaves you one day further behind everyone else!

Follow these steps to begin learning how to create your first website, industry best practices, and much more—all in 30 days!

How to Understand (+ Improve) Your Website’s Carbon Footprint

Business / 20 Sep 2024

How to Understand (+ Improve) Your Website’s Carbon Footprint

Every time you visit a website, watch a YouTube video, or comment on a Facebook post, you make a contribution to global carbon emissions. This includes your own websites as well.

The Internet and the devices we use contribute 3.7% of global greenhouse emissions. That is the same amount contributed by the airline industry around the world and it’s expected to double in 2025.

Saving the environment and the world starts with you. One of the most important steps you can take to achieve that goal is to reduce your website’s carbon footprint.

In this post, we will walk you through the process of how a website contributes to global carbon emissions and what you can do to improve it.

How Much Should You Charge for Design Services?

Business / 12 Sep 2024

How Much Should You Charge for Design Services?

It might be one of the most asked questions among freelance designers: what do you charge clients?

There can be so many variables in setting rates that you can stick to, and you have to make a choice between hourly and fixed options. Either way, a good pricing strategy can help you get the clients you want and earn a solid income from freelance work.

After you figure out pricing. Which is a challenge for almost anyone!

How to Use AI to Make Money & Grow Your Business

AI Tools / 3 Sep 2024

How to Use AI to Make Money & Grow Your Business

AI is becoming an essential tool for businesses, especially for increasing productivity. But did you know you can also use AI to make money?

AI tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney are for more than just writing emails and generating funny images. They can also be used to make money. Many freelancers, small businesses, and entrepreneurs are already using AI to make thousands of dollars by implementing AI tools into their workflows.

Generative AI and machine learning were among the top most in-demand skills of 2024 on Upwork and it’s spreading fast into many different industries as well.

In this post, we look at some of the ways and methods to use AI to make money and grow your business. Let’s dive in.