The holidays have really had me thinking about technology lately. If you have read over the items I would like for Christmas most of them are undeniably techy in nature. The funny thing about technology is how a ton of it only exists to replace non technical items that are actually much simpler and arguably more efficient. I have also noticed that this same mentality is applied to marketing as well. SEARCHING FOR NEW In the search for new methods of reaching potential customers, clients want to use the newest technologies. With the normal limitations of time and budget some older proven methods are overlooked or forgotten. For example, direct mail has been taking a back seat... 

I recently got into an interesting discussion with some other designers when the topic of print vendors was raised. More specifically we were discussing whether they share their print vendors with their clients or keep these services “blind.” I personally have always handled the fulfillment of print services on the behalf of my client unless they had a standing relationship with a printer that was discussed prior to the beginning of the job. However I am finding that some designers have no problem sharing their vendors with their clients, something I do not agree with. There a number of reasons why a designer would keep the source of their vendors to themselves. For one,... 

Chances are that if you do web design in a smaller company or as a freelancer that you have had a project that required outside help in order to fulfill the client’s needs. Web design is an interesting field. Projects can range from mostly aesthetic to almost entirely mathematical. This wide range of demands that a project can take on means that being an expert in all facets of web design is impossible and you will eventually have to look outside your direct resources for expertise other than your own. This is where outsourcing naturally comes in, but at what cost? THE BENEFITS OF OUTSOURCING For one, outsourcing allows your company to take on more work and expand your... 

Today we find ourselves at post number seven in my Sources of Inspiration Series. I have rounded up another batch of great portfolios that are both inspirational and stylish. Be sure to check out the other inspirational portfolios via the related articles section below. Note: This is not a series about the websites themselves. That said, enjoy the amazing design work located within the portfolios below. Working Empire http://www.workingempire.com/ Work for Food http://www.workforfood.nu/ Sroown http://www.sroown.com/ Element 5.0 Design http://www.element5design.com/ EQUUS http://www.equus-design.com/ Matt Keers http://www.mattkeers.co.uk/ PMKFA http://www.pmkfa.com/ The... 

The best advice I ever received was from a client lost. Allow me to explain the circumstances. When I first began freelancing many years ago, I was desperate to earn money because I was a single mom that received no child support. I would take jobs many others turned down because of the short, sometimes even impossible, deadlines. One particular illustration called for me to work all weekend to create an airbrushed background for the center spread of a magazine (this was before computers and Photoshop, of course). DON’T TAKE A JOB YOU CAN’T DELIVER The Art Director of a downtown Chicago agency, for whom I’ve worked with before, needed the 18x20” artwork by 8 a.m.... 

Today I was watching CNN’s Green Warriors program when they did a feature on an interesting piece of software called GreenPrint. The idea behind the software is that it can help reduce the waste caused by typical office or home printing, by automatically identifying pages with little or no text on them and flagging them not to be printed. The software conserves both ink and paper by allowing the user to select exactly what makes it to the printer. However what really caught my attention and had me thinking was the online demo of the software. PRINTING FROM THE WEB In the online demo, the GreenPrint software shows how a user can save toner by turning off the images on the... 

Yes you need to make the client happy, thats part of your job. But if Comic Sans and flashing gif animations make your client happy are your really going to agree and put your name to something that looks ridiculous? That’s right I didn’t think so. THE CLIENT IS NOT ALWAYS RIGHT Really instead of sitting there and reading through the list of client requirements, you should be looking to critique the clients needs. If you know something isn’t going to look good let them know… Offer an alternative and explain to them why Comic Sans is an awful font for their website. 9 Times out of 10 they will gladly take your advice and respect you for giving your input. For those... 

The road to success has not always been easy and at times it was just plain hard. However, along the way I have always remembered some advice given to me by my father. He was a very smart man who could speak five languages because his family had been run out of several countries due to political and religious oppression before finding freedom and opportunity in the USA. Although he had little formal education my father was a very skilled craftsman with a quick and creative mind. ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST When he finally realized that I was going to follow my dreams and pursue a career in art and design he gave me this simple, yet priceless advice – “Always do your best.... 

The web 2.0 movement may have introduced the idea of user generated content however this content in and of itself is only worth marginally as much as other forms of content. Just as design by committee results with watered down concepts with little impact, crowd sourced content does the same just on a much larger level. In my opinion user submitted content is not the democracy that so many people believe it to be, I would consider it to be more of an anarchy. Without a creative visionary (dictator) to at least foster and lead the environment it is sure to fail. WHY A DICTATOR? While dictatorships may not be the most successful method of governance, they have been extremely... 

When was the last time that you had a great idea, but never saw it realized because you got too caught up in all the details? I have entire Moleskine books full of great ideas that were never realized because I got lost in the minutia. I was so caught up with all these details that nothing ever happened with the idea. Inevitably someone else comes along with a similar idea, and I have lost the competitive advantage I would have had by just getting started on the project. The repetition of this process over and over again has led me to one conclusion; stop thinking and start doing. Why bother worrying about what could happen in the future, when you can get right into the project...