It’s no secret that Americans are addicted to their smartphones. Time reported that the average American checks their smartphones approximately 46 times a day; some reports go as high at 86. Regardless of whether or not this is a healthy habit (no judgement, I do it too!), we can no longer deny that mobile web browsing is here to stay. A mobile movement has officially begun but this shift has been a long time coming….
Unfortunately for me and my fellow designers, graphic design just happens to be one of those things that are starting to be considered a commodity. Which would be fine, but of course, it isn’t actually a commodity.
Like most intelligent, amazing people out there, I was rooting for the Seahawks this year (did I just lose half of you? Good ;). Hey, I’m from Seattle, so I have to root for them. Anyway, I’m sure you all are well aware of that last, horrific, play fail. The Seahawks were four points down, but it was their ball. They were like, 3 millimeters from the line with two whole minutes to go. I,…
Now that we’ve spent some time talking about why good design matters, let’s talk about how you can implement elements of good design in your business. The first step in thinking about good design is to remember that the big picture feeling is what you’re working towards. Before you begin developing or updating your design, make sure you’re taking the time to identify the core elements of your message. First things first An easy…
Have you ever gone to a website or picked up a business card from a new company only to find yourself dissatisfied or uninterested? Me too. Which got me thinking… there’s a lot of talk about what you need to do to create a killer website, or a great logo. But why does good design even matter? Why do you need it? I’ll tell you why. There’s an intangible value to good graphic design. It’s more than getting…
I get this sort of question a lot. Sometimes, I’ll run into a potential client who understands they might need help with their logo, or brochure…but for some reason, they’d like to be a little more hands-on when it comes to their website. Especially once I mention that I use WordPress for all the websites that I do. “Oh, WordPress? I can do that.” There’s no point arguing, so after I chuckle to myself, I…
Last week we talked about the dangers of design contests for designers, which are usually pretty obvious. But for the clients that actually get work done from them, the dangers can be a little more elusive. If you are the owner of a start-up, or simply don’t know where to turn to find a decent design, I’m sure the allure of design contests sound pretty sweet. Heck, they sure market them enough to push anyone’s…
A couple weeks ago, we were talking about how your designer is not an order taker. I made a pretty convincing case as to why, as the client, you should refrain from telling your graphic designer how to do their job. But of course we’re now all wondering, when and how should you offer feedback? If at all? Rest assured, I think it’s perfectly fine and healthy for a client to provide constructive feedback in…
“Would you like fries with that?” Sadly, I think the vast majority of graphic designers are simply that: order takers. And it’s to the detriment of their clients, and their clients’ businesses.
Time=Money Every once in a while I run into a client who truly doesn’t seem to grasp this concept. It’s a pretty simple one. Time=money. Cheap things are cheap because they aren’t made well or didn’t take too long to make. Expensive things are expensive because they are higher quality and/or take considerable time to create. Design is no different.
