Here’s a list of my favorite places to go when I am in a creative rut and need inspiration. You’ll also find a list of helpful tools to explore and create color palettes and infographics. Graphic design inspiration websites Famous design agencies Color Scheme Tools Infographic templates and generators
Month: September 2023
Dot/Line Exercise for Graphic Design beginners
Download the free dot/line exercise worksheet: https://tinyurl.com/dotlineexercise In the Dot/Line exercise, you will create a series of small compositions. Each composition will consist of only black dots and lines. Each of the graphic images you create will express a word. This will expand your personal expression, graphically speaking. It is important that you create several… Continue reading Dot/Line Exercise for Graphic Design beginners
7 step creative process for graphic designers
Design is solving a visual problem. This means you’ll benefit from research, design briefs and brainstorming. The creative process: Use this process on any creative project. These steps may or may not go in order every time. Now lets talk about each step. Step 1 – Project brief A project brief is a document that… Continue reading 7 step creative process for graphic designers
Free downloadable graphic design resources
Download project brief template for graphic designers Download a prep for print checklist for Adobe InDesign
Generate creative ideas with a mind map
In this tutorial, we will create a mind map to generate ideas for a creative project. Mind mapping is a great way to capture thoughts and come up with associations. I like to start with words. There are no rules, create something that makes sense to you. Create a mind map To get started, grab… Continue reading Generate creative ideas with a mind map
Find color codes in Photoshop
In today’s post, we will find CMYK, RGB, HEX (hexadecimal) code color values in Adobe Photoshop using a logo file. Identifying color values is an important part of graphic design and branding. For our example, we will use the Google logo: Here are the steps to finding color codes in an image: See an example… Continue reading Find color codes in Photoshop
Graphic Design Principles
Design principles are a set of rules that designers can follow when creating a composition to create visually pleasing work. All the individual parts of a design must fit together to form a harmonious and cohesive unit. One design may use many design principles to be successful. Shape Shapes are 2D and Forms are 3D.… Continue reading Graphic Design Principles
Typography for beginners
Typography is a crucial aspect of graphic design. It refers to the art and technique of arranging type to make them visually appealing and easily readable. Typography plays a significant role in conveying a message, setting a mood, and creating a memorable visual identity. In this article we will cover: Type terminology and rules for… Continue reading Typography for beginners
Tree ring printing
My thanksgiving project was to attempt to print tree rings. The book Woodcut by Bryan Nash Gill inspired me to try this project. Here’s how I did it: Step 1: Find or cut a wood stump with a flat top. Step 2: Clean and sand to wood top to be very smooth. Step 3: Burn the top… Continue reading Tree ring printing
A brief history of graphic design
The progression of visual communication from cave paintings to digital software can serve as great inspiration to designers. The roots of visual communication stretch back to caveman times around 38,000 BCE. Written languages began in the form of iconography carved into stone then later into calligraphy. The first logos were the coat of arms, used… Continue reading A brief history of graphic design