the graphic design blog that speaks the truth.
Many people underestimate the power of logos. Aside from acting as visual reminders for organisations they play an active role in advertising campaigns which seek to encourage the viewer to make an action. Through creative logo design the chances of an individual donating money to charities, giving up harmful vices or signing up to government initiatives could be increased. Below are 20 examples of great logos that make you think. Donate Games – www.donategames.org Mind, National Association for Mental Health...
We all take pride in our appearance. When preparing for a night out or an important meeting it’s common to pick out a new outfit specifically for the occasion, or to get a haircut to ensure that we look our best. Why? To impress our peers, of course, and to gain a sense of added confidence and self-pride. Imagine a scenario where upon arriving at a meeting no one in attendance could be bothered to take care of his or...
The highly acclaimed logo inspiration website Logo From Dreams is currently staging “Logo Designer Week” in which a different designer will be interviewed about logo design for each day. I was lucky enough to take part and was featured on Friday. Click here for the full list of interviews . Many thanks again to Sinisa from LFD for giving me this great opportunity.
Perhaps one of my favourite subjects related to graphic design is Semiotics. For those not familiar with the term here’s a quick definition from Wikipedia: Semiotics, also called semiotic studies or semiology, is the study of sign processes (semiosis), or signification and communication, signs and symbols, both individually and grouped into sign systems. It includes the study of how meaning is constructed and understood. It’s important to consider Semiotics when developing corporate identities. Does it have any negative meanings? Is...
Below I present my favourite and most useful design articles for both designers and clients for the month of August 2009: 10.30+ PHP Best Practices for Beginners by NetTuts A pretty good list of helpful tips and advice for the aspiring PHP programmer. 9.Vintage Airline Logos by Designboom Inspirational logos from the world of flight from years gone by. 8.20 Most Commonly Used Plugins on WordPress Blogs by Line 25 The top WordPress plugins that any blog owner should consider...
If you love soft drinks or have an interest in branding then I am sure you have seen the new Pepsi logo by now. If not, feast your eyes on this for a second: The new brand is said to have brought the image of Pepsi into the 21st century but has been met with some fierce criticism from the design community. Some have suggested the new logo is of reference to the recent Barack Obama electorial campaign, whilst others...
I was recently comissioned by a web designer/developer to rebrand his freelance identity. Almog Koren, a talented flex designer based in Israel, wanted his new brand to illustrate the meaning behind the name “Almog” which means “coral” in Hebrew. We both decided that a more abstract approach was suited so that it was not completely apparent that the mark was indeed a symbol of coral and the sea, but still had an ocean-like feel. The bubbles in the icon form...
Stock Vectors are everywhere, im magazines, on TV ads, sometimes even on the clothes that you wear. On more than one occasion I have looked at a design that is meant to be passed off as an illustration or corporate identity and recognised that some of the elements used are in fact stock vectors. There is nothing wrong with using stock artwork as such, but I ask you to think again before making, in most cases, unnecessary purchases. I have...
Below I present my favourite and most useful design articles for both designers and clients for the month of July 2009: 10.25 inspiring examples of sign up pages by Webdesigner Depot CSS forms no longer need to be drab and dreary. 9.Fonts Used In Logos of Popular Websites by Build Internet For all you typomaniacs who were ever curious.. 8.12 Great Tutorials on Creating a New WordPress Theme by Reen Coded Get your head around a little PHP, it’s definately...
In the final part of the current batch in this series I spoke to talented design students from Brazil, Germany & the United States. Thiago Monteiro, 26, Brazil Tools: Photoshop, Illustrator, Paper and a Pen Studying at: UNESA – Universidade Estácio de Sá Specialising in: llustration What do you like and dislike about your design education? Here in Brazil, design isn´t popular yet, but there are many good professionals to teach, and I had the opportunity to be in contact...
Followed on from the first and second parts of this article I have tracked down talented designs students from Argentina, the Netherlands & the Phillipenes. Gisele Jaquenod, 26, Argentina Tools: Illustrator, Photoshop, Dreamweaver Studying at: UNLP Specialising in: Visual Communication Design What do you like and dislike about your design education? Well, both parts are tied together. My school is a public school, with almost no resources, so the education is pretty limited regarding technology access. We have no computers...
Followed on from the first part of this article I have tracked down talented designs students from The USA, Singapore, South Africa & Russia. Daniel Hunninghake, 21, United States Tools: Photoshop, Illustrator, TextEdit Studying at: Saint Louis University Specialising in: Graphic Design and Sociology What do you like and dislike about your design education? I like how studying graphic design is limitless. Every other class I’ve had is reduced to facts or figures or what you read in textbooks. It’s...
