Venngage is a popular online tool that lets you create free infographics for reports, data presentations, promotions, and more. It is used by over 1 million users and 21,000 businesses worldwide. Recently, they analyzed the usage statistics of 50+ fonts they offer on their platform, to see where in the US certain types of fonts are most commonly used. These included serif, sans … [Read more...]
8 Types Of Clients You Never Want To Work With
Which type of clients do you find the most difficult to work with? The design experts who think they have an eye for design? The penny pinching visionaries with tiny budgets and huge expectations? Or the workaholic clients who work round the clock and expect you to do so as well? GetCRM has put together a relatable infographic that lists the eight types of difficult clients … [Read more...]
10 Typography Mistakes That Novice Designers Make
"Typography is an art. Good typography is art." - Paul Rand. Toronto-based designer Meagen Higginbottom, who runs design blog Forth And Create, has shared a list of 10 common typography mistakes that make your designs look amateurish. These include improper kerning and leading, stretched fonts, lack of contrast, using too many fonts, and more. Even if you've spent years in … [Read more...]
150 People Were Asked To Draw 10 Famous Logos From Their Memory, And The Results Are Hilarious
The logos of global brands like Apple, Starbucks, and Adidas are seen and recognized by billions of people every day. Their logos have become iconic to the point that they create an instant brand association in the minds of consumers. But how well do consumers know the exact shape and colors of these famous logos? … [Read more...]
How To Choose The Right Font For Your Brand
Every font has a unique personality and characteristic. When choosing a font for your brand, it is imperative that you choose the one that best reflects the personality of your brand. Different fonts evoke different emotions. Serif fonts portray tradition, reliability, and integrity (which is why they're used by most print media brands). Sans-serif fonts give a modern, … [Read more...]
20 Typography Rules Every Designer Should Know
Good typography is the difference between amateur and professional design. It arouses the user's interest and ensures that your message gets read. Typography is an art, and though they say art has no rules, there are certain principles you should follow when it comes to typography. Nothing says "amateur" like stretched fonts, lack of kerning, illegible text, and using too … [Read more...]
This Handy Infographic Helps You Choose The Right Colors For Your Brand
Did you know that the color red encourages appetite, which is why it is frequently used in the fast-food sector? Blue is the color of strength, wisdom and trust, which is why it is used so widely. We have a strong primitive relationship with green as it represents life, which is why it is commonly used for organic food and pharmaceuticals. Yellow represents youth, happiness and … [Read more...]
What Do The Logos Of Successful Companies Have In Common?
56% of America's fastest growing companies use blue or dark colors (black and gray) as primary colors for their logos. 66% of these companies use both an icon and a wordmark. 94% of the logos are minimal. … [Read more...]
The Homepages Of America’s Fastest Growing Companies Have These Elements In Common
“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” – Will Rogers. The homepage of your website is a user/customer’s first impression of your company. You have 0-8 seconds to engage a user, after which the majority of them leave. A one-second delay in your site speed can result in a 7% reduction in conversions. The key ingredients of an effective homepage are speed, … [Read more...]
A Useful Guide To Different Font Formats That Every Designer Should Know
There are many choices of font formats but not a single one works across all browsers. You will have to use multiple font formats to deliver a consistent experience. These include TrueType Font (TTF), OpenType (OTF), Embedded OpenType (EOT), Web Open Font Format (WOFF) and Scalable Vector Graphics font (SVG). … [Read more...]
Learn Basic Photoshop Tools And Tricks With This Handy Cheat Sheet For Beginners
If you're using Adobe Photoshop for the first time without any training, all those tools and features can seem a bit daunting. Once you get used to the interface and spend a few hours on the program, you'll realize it's actually not that hard. To become a pro, you'll need practice, patience and an in-depth knowledge of most of the features the program has to offer. … [Read more...]
Sketch vs. Photoshop
Blogger Helga Moreno has come up with a handy infographic that compares the time-tested Adobe Photoshop with the relatively new Sketch app, on the basis of their usability for web design and development. The infographic lists the key features of both apps and compares them on relevant parameters. … [Read more...]
8 Illustrator Tips And Tricks For Faster Work
Did you know that the Symbols panel in Adobe Illustrator is a great way of building a collection of artwork that you can quickly draw from in-between projects? Also, the Graphic Styles panel lets you save and reuse an appearance (fill, stroke, opacity, etc.) that you've created. Ctrl/Cmd + D is useful for rapidly repeating the last transformation action performed. … [Read more...]
22 Graphic Design Mistakes That Novice Designers Make
After a few years in the graphic design business, you realize how important it is to get the basics right. Like following a file naming convention, creating scalable logos, ensuring proper kerning and leading, using high-res images for printing, and so on. … [Read more...]
How Filmmakers Use Colors To Set The Mood Of A Film
In filmmaking, color is used to set the tone of a scene before any of the actors have even uttered a word. Red is used to denote passion, danger or power. Pink signifies innocence, femininity and beauty. Yellow is associated with joy, naivety and insanity. Blue symbolizes isolation, passivity and calmness. … [Read more...]
10 Clever Typographic Posters Of Scientists And Their Achievements
To celebrate Science Day in India, Mumbai-based graphic designer Kapil Bhagat came up with a series of minimalist typographic posters featuring the names of famous scientists. Each name was designed in a way that it symbolized the invention, theory or achievement that the scientist is famous for. For example, the "a" in Pythagoras is in the shape of a right-angled … [Read more...]
10 Hilarious Examples Of How Punctuation Makes A Big Difference
The absence or presence of a comma can change the entire meaning of a sentence. For example, there's a cannibalistic difference between "Let's eat grandma" and "Let's eat, grandma." The same holds true for apostrophes, hyphens, colons, and other punctuation marks. … [Read more...]
What Different Types Of Fonts Mean And How To Use Them
Every font has a unique personality and purpose. While working on a project, it's imperative to know which font matches the intended tone of communication. Serif fonts portray tradition, sophistication and a formal tone. Sans serif fonts are modern, humanist and neutral. Slab serifs are bold and contemporary. Script fonts are elegant, classic, stylish and formal. … [Read more...]
Adobe Illustrator ‘Pen Tool’ Cheat Sheet For Designers
Paul Trani, Senior Worldwide Creative Cloud Evangelist for Adobe, has created a handy 'Pen Tool' cheat sheet for Adobe Illustrator. The 8-point visual guide covers the basics and shows you how to create straight and curved lines, add/delete/move anchor points and use bezier handles. We've also collated a few tutorials that Illustrator newbies might find useful. Check them all … [Read more...]
Who Legally Owns A Website Once It’s Designed?
"I paid a professional web designer to create my site, of course I own it!" - this is probably the belief that almost every website client holds. It makes perfect sense - you paid someone to develop a website for you. Why then would you not own what you paid for? … [Read more...]
What Is SSL And Why Every Website Will Need It In 2017
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is the standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a web server and a browser to avoid interception by hackers. Encryption means to convert information or data into a code, especially to prevent unauthorized access. A website that uses SSL encryption has a padlock next to their domain name in the browser's address bar (like … [Read more...]
The Recipe For Creating Epic Logo Designs
A logo is not just a graphical symbol, it is the embodiment of your organization. Designing a logo is not just about creating a business identity, it's about creating a connection between the customer and your brand. A successful logo is one that is memorable, versatile, appropriate and timeless. … [Read more...]
The Original Names And Logos Of 12 Famous Companies
In 1996, Larry Page and Sergey Brin started collaborating on a search engine called BackRub. It operated on Stanford servers for more than a year, eventually taking up too much bandwidth. On September 15, 1997, Page and Brin registered the domain name Google.com - a play on the word "googol", a mathematical term for the number ten raised to the power hundred (10100). The rest … [Read more...]
The Most Popular Brand Colours In Each Industry And Their Impact On Consumers
Colour psychology has become an increasingly important part of branding, identity and logo design for businesses as each shade has a specific psychological impact on the consumer they are targeting. UK insurance intermediary Towergate Insurance analysed 520 company logos in a variety of sectors and compiled them into an infographic to determine which industry favours which … [Read more...]
9 Simple Ways To Become More Creative
"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." - Pablo Picasso. 60% CEOs believe that creativity is the most important leadership quality, but only 1 in 4 people believe they are living up to their creative potential. … [Read more...]
11 Illustrations That Show The Two Kinds Of Graphic Designers
There are two kinds of designers in the world - those who follow a naming convention for layers and files (ProjectName_revision3_final.psd) and those who don't (Untitled-1-ok-final.psd). Similarly, there are designers whose desks resemble a war zone and there are designers who have an OCD attack if there's even one extra object on their desk. Design resource site Pixelo has … [Read more...]
200 Words To Use Instead Of “Good”
"Good" is dull and unimaginative. People often use "good" as a lazy replacement for a more appropriate word. Custom Writing have created an excellent infographic that lists 200 words you can use instead of "good". For instance, to describe taste, use "scrumptious" or "delicious". To describe a performance, use "stellar" or "captivating". Know more in the infographic below. … [Read more...]
The Top 50 Companies That Creatives Would Love To Work For
Creative talent network Working Not Working surveyed their community (77% freelance, 23% full-time) for the third consecutive year to find out which companies they would 'kill' to work for full-time. Here are the results from over 300 votes. … [Read more...]
10 Simple Exercises For Designers And Desk Workers To Stay Fit
Designers and artists spend long sedentary hours at their desk which can lead to a range of health issues like obesity, back pain, neck strain, diabetes, heart disease and more. Jack Dennerlein, professor at Northeastern's Bouvé College of Health Sciences in Boston, suggests a 20-20-20 rule to counter the health risks of prolonged sitting - after every 20 minutes, walk 20 feet … [Read more...]
12 Funny Charts That Highlight The Importance Of Color
UK-based designer Stephen Wildish gives a humorous take on the importance of color through these witty charts that are part of his weekly series of illustrations called 'Friday Project'. Wildish's minimalist infographics show how an object becomes something else entirely, only by changing its color. He's even published a book filled with similar charts and funny … [Read more...]
Web Design Psychology: How To Create A Site That Influences People
"Good design is obvious. Great design is transparent." - Joe Sparano. An effective website is one that builds trust with its user and influences him/her to take your preferred course of action. From layout and typeface to colors and CTAs, each element plays an important role in engaging users and creating profitable conversions. … [Read more...]
69 Useful Photoshop Shortcuts To Speed Up Your Workflow
Photoshop shortcuts help speed up your workflow considerably. The more time you spend with the software, the more shortcuts you learn and use. Creative Bloq has created a handy cheat sheet/infographic that contains 69 useful Photoshop shortcuts to help you save time – a perfect reference guide for PS newcomers or as a checklist for experienced designers. Check it out below and … [Read more...]
How Filmmakers Use Shapes And Geometry In Movies To Trigger Your Emotions
The brain gives abstract meaning to many different shapes in a consistent way and filmmakers use this phenomenon to tell their story. In animation, for example, evil characters have sharper features, pointy noses and long curly fingers. The lovable characters are designed soft and round. … [Read more...]
15 Surprising Things That Can’t Be Copyrighted
Copyrights are an essential legal tool for artists, writers, musicians and inventors to protect their work. However, not everything can be copyrighted. The ingredients of a recipe can't be copyrighted. Neither can a domain name, or the title of a book. … [Read more...]
The Psychology of Colors in Marketing (Infographic)
When buying a product, 93% of buyers focus on its visual appearance. 84.7% of buyers claim that color is the primary draw card. Different colors have different psychological effects on consumers - red encourages appetite, blue provides a sense of security, green stimulates harmony, orange promotes enthusiasm, purple is associated with royalty, and so on. Homestead has … [Read more...]