When you’re brainstorming concept ideas for your ad agency’s next campaign, those ideas have to begin somewhere. As brilliant as us creative folk are, we sometimes need help to hone in on a good idea. We need to be pointed in a certain direction. Without knowing which way to go, a creative [...]
Tags: brainstorm, brief, goals, ideas
When you have a solid background in design, the world is your oyster. Today there are countless avenues that you can explore if you’re a skilled designer with the education and experience to back it up. Design has become such an integral part of many industries, so opportunities to explore different areas of design are [...]
Tags: book design, creative team, Design, Illustration, niche, portfolio, Web Design
It’s no surprise that the advertising industry is full of egos. A company full of creative minds is bound to have some friction from time to time when ideas don’t agree. And of course some of those stereotypes about creative people are true – that they can be overly passionate and attached to their own [...]
Tags: advertising industry, concept, creativity, idea
Every job has its ups and downs. And depending on who you are and what you like, those ups and downs are different for everyone. No matter how you slice it, networking is a part of the advertising industry. If you’re an outgoing, bubbly and talkative person then this aspect will not only come naturally [...]
Tags: Design, Networking, opportunities, personable
Once in awhile, I start feeling just a tad selfish for going into advertising. I have friends who are going through hell to become doctors, occupational therapists, nurses, and friends who just do charity work and volunteer in their spare time. I on the other hand, love to write. So that’s what I do. I [...]
Tags: designers, difference, environment, greenhouse
Freelance art direction and design work is a path considered by most designers at some point in their career. The thought of designing work for big clients while in your pajamas just sounds too tempting to pass up. You get the comfort of working from home, on your hours, and you only answer to yourself [...]
Tags: business, freelance designer, full-service agency, productive
When art directors and copywriters work as a team, it’s important that they work well together. But it’s hard to say where one’s role ends and the other’s begins. Of course advertising is an industry full of big egos, and creatives don’t usually appreciate their work being critiqued. As a copywriter, I want to [...]
For art directors and designers, stock photography can either be a friend or foe. There are both upsides and downsides to stock photos, and designers usually have strong feelings towards them. Some ad agencies refuse to use them, and others rely on them completely. Either way, I believe stock photography can certainly be useful if [...]
Tags: expense, fast, photo shoot, stock photography
When it comes to agencies, size does matter. As a designer you’re going to have a very different experience working at a large agency than you would working for a small agency. Before you start showing your portfolio all over town, you should get a better understanding of yourself, what kind of working environment you [...]
When you’re looking for a job in design, your design portfolio is your ticket. Well, that or having a connection somewhere. But assuming that you’re on your own in the job hunt, you’re going to have to pack a lot of work, time and talent into your portfolio to show what you can do. In [...]
Tags: client, design portfolio, protfolio
You may have all the design skills and know how in the world, but all that is wasted if you don’t know how to put your skills to work. There are so many design programs that teach how to create ads and designs, but knowing how to find a job in design is just as [...]
Tags: Design Job, intern, market yourself, Networking, passionate, portfolio
In order for a company to be successful, it’s important that they practice good design in all their work. Their advertising, website, and product design should all be both visually appealing and purposeful. But a company’s logo design is arguably the most important design of all.
A company’s logo speaks volumes about their business. It can [...]
Tags: brand, colour, FedEx logo, logo, McDonald’s logo, the Bay’s logo
Designing business cards is kind of a tricky area. For those who are trying to network, get their name out, and are responsible for designing their own cards, there is a lot of freedom. The question is what you should do with that freedom. Back when I was in school, the time came for us to [...]
Tags: Business Cards, creativity, talent
Sometimes when a designer or any artist is searching for inspiration, it helps to surround themselves with admirable work. Looking at clean, efficient designs retrains the mind to produce that caliber of work. As helpful as it is to see what’s great about design, sometimes it’s just as helpful to hear it. Being a copywriter, [...]
There are countless websites that the average user has access to. Out of all those websites, how many of them are great websites? Probably a small handful. Below you’ll find my thoughts on the 10 key standards that a great website abides by.
1) Compelling Copy
Yes I’m a copywriter and so this is the first [...]
Tags: Brand Building, Copy, Innovation, layout, Standards, typeface, Uniqueness, Usability, user-friendly, Web Design
When you visit a cool website, you’re usually dazzled by a neat looking design, a catchy headline or an inviting flash intro. Copywriters and art directors play a big role in putting together the creative aspect of a website. But in many ways they are just the artists that stand in the forefront while the [...]
Tags: Information Technology, interface, IT, Programmers, Usability, website
Adobe Flash, which was previously known as Macromedia Flash, is a multimedia platform that is used to add video, animation and greater interactivity to many different areas. Its use in advertising is becoming increasingly common, and it has spurred an endless parade of online games. It can enhance audio, text layout and flow, colour correction, [...]
Tags: 3D, adobe, Design, flash, interaction, Macromedia, user, websites
I still remember sitting in one of our Mac Apps classes, with the teacher explaining vectorizing, rasterizing and all sorts of other fun stuff. When I say that I remember her teaching us, I mean that I vaguely recall those words being uttered as I fumbled around one of the illustrator programs. Our assignment was [...]
Tags: adobe, avatars, Corel Draw, creative, fantasy, graphics, illustrator, rasterize, realism, realistic image, vector
Designers today have a lot of tools at their disposal. All kinds of design resources exist to make the design process as efficient and smooth as possible. As with everything, there are both pros and cons to consider. But first, let’s go over what these resources are.
There are dozens of resources that make today’s design [...]
Tags: fonts, free sources, graphic design, stock images, templates
It has often been said that the most important thing is not what you say, but how you say it. While this rings true in personal relationships, it certainly is true in the world of advertising and design as well. Marshall McLuhan famously said that “the medium is the message”, and even though he was [...]
Tags: Design, font, sans serif, serif, typeface