“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...]
25 Gorgeous Free Fonts For Your Next Design Project
Fonts are to designers what shoes are to women. They can never have enough of them. And what's better than a beautiful font? A beautiful font that's available for FREE. We've compiled a list of 25 stylish and contemporary fonts that designers will love to get their hands on. Check them out below. … [Read more...]
45 Inspiring Examples Of Single-Letter Logo Designs
Last week, we showcased 50 monogram logos that merged two or more alphabets to form one unique symbol. Today, we're focussing on logos that use just one alphabet and typographical creativity to form a distinctive brand identity. These are trickier to execute than monogram logos because you just have one letter to play with. Luckily, the designers who crafted these 45 examples … [Read more...]
50 Creative Monogram Logos For Design Inspiration
A monogram is a motif or symbol made by combining two or more letters. The earliest known examples of monograms date back to 350BC when the names of Greek cities used to be engraved on coins. Over the centuries, monograms have been used in religion, architecture and in royal symbols to denote power and authority. … [Read more...]
41 Creative Minimal Logos For Design Inspiration
When it comes to logo design, minimalism can be tricky to achieve. If executed improperly, the logo can come across as too simple or boring. In the process of removing unnecessary elements, you have to ensure that your logo remains memorable and distinctive. … [Read more...]
Gorgeous Animations Of Hand-Lettered Logos Where Every Frame Is Hand-Drawn
Mantas Grauzinis is a freelance illustrator and animator based in Vilnius, Lithuania. He loves good stories and "splashy, smoother than butter movements". His passion for the latter can be observed in a series of slick animations of hand-lettered logos created by him, that are extremely satisfying to watch. … [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...]
This Clever Pen Tool Technique Shows You How To Place Anchor Points And Curves In Illustrator
The Pen Tool is one of the most powerful tools in Adobe Illustrator and also the hardest to master. You don't always know where the anchor points have to go and where the bezier handles are supposed to be directed. Too many anchor points result in choppy curves and can also cause printing errors. The bezier handles need to be in the right direction and at the right length to … [Read more...]
Smooth, Clean Animations Of Beautiful Hand-Lettered Logos For Design Inspiration
Russian designers Starov Evgeniy (lettering artist) and Alexey Dubnichenko (motion designer) have come up with a series of impressive animations of commercial lettering work they've created over the last year. The objective of this collection is to show lettering logos in a new perspective. … [Read more...]
This Animated Video Brilliantly Explains Layout And Composition In Graphic Design
Layout and composition are the foundation of design. They give your work structure and make it easier to navigate. Without a well-composed layout, your elements would basically fall apart. GCFLearnFree has come up with an excellent animated tutorial on the five basic layout and composition principles that can help transform your work and sharpen your eye for design. Check it … [Read more...]
Work-From-Home Designer Earns $1 Million Selling Fonts and Graphics Online
Nicky Laatz is a designer, entrepreneur and stay-at-home mom who runs her business from her home in Cape Town, South Africa. She creates fonts, graphics, templates, add-ons, etc. and sells them on Creative Market, an online marketplace for community-generated design assets. She's the first person to have crossed $1 million USD in sales on Creative Market. Watch her inspiring … [Read more...]
30 Great Font Combinations For Your Next Design Project
Designers often spend a lot of time deciding which typefaces to pair up and most sites don’t offer a real preview of what the text will look like. To make life easier for everyone, designer Poppie Pack from Canva has created a set of mock-ups that show different headline and body font combinations for a variety of design projects. Pack has also specified the font size and style … [Read more...]
How To Convert Your Hand Lettering From Paper To Digital In Adobe Illustrator
Yesterday, we featured Mackey Saturday's 60 second tutorial on how to create a custom logotype. Today, we'll be focusing in depth on the process of converting your hand-lettering to vector, with the help of this brilliant tutorial from designer Jenn Coyle at Hello Brio Studio. Watch below. … [Read more...]
25 Clever Logos Of Common Verbs You Use Every Day
Following up to the previously published 25 adjective logo collection, Spanish designer Lucas Gil-Turner has created a series of impressive logos for the 25 most commonly used verbs in the Oxford English Dictionary. The list was released by Oxford University Press researchers after the analysis of over a billion words. … [Read more...]
Designer Who Created The Instagram Logo Shows You How To Design A Logotype
A logotype is the name of a brand or a company designed in a visually unique way for use by that company. The logos of Google, Coca-Cola, Facebook, Disney, Cadbury, Nokia and Philips are examples of famous logotypes. The wordmarks are created using a custom or an existing typeface. … [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. … [Read more...]
25 Clever Logos Of Common Adjectives You Use Every Day
Following up to the previously published 25 nouns logo collection, Spanish designer Lucas Gil-Turner has created a series of impressive logos for the 25 most commonly used adjectives in the Oxford English Dictionary. The list was released by Oxford University Press researchers after the analysis of over a billion words. … [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...]
The Story Behind The World’s Most Controversial Font
Full marks if you knew which font we were referring to, before you landed on this page. Created by designer Vincent Connare, Comic Sans is arguably the world's most contentious font - the subject of innumerable memes and websites. … [Read more...]
Next Time You Present A Logo To A Client, Try Using Animations Like This Design Studio Does
Here's a logo presentation technique you would like to use in your next client meeting. Venice-based branding agency Concreate Studio presents their logos using animations that explain the ideology behind the design process. For example, the logo animation for furniture maker Emporio Freguglia starts with the icon of a bed that cleverly morphs into a chair-like symbol that … [Read more...]
29 Clever Typographic Logos Of Common Words We Use Every Day
Milan-based creative director Duminda Perera has created a series of clever wordmarks/calligrams of common words we use every day. He’s altered, combined or replaced letters with shapes and symbols that visualize the meaning of the word. So the letter ‘n’ in ‘wine’ looks like a wine bottle, the two o's in ‘igloo’ form the shape of an igloo, and so on. Check them out below. … [Read more...]
20 Images That Show Why Letter-Spacing Is Important
Ever wondered why good designers focus so much on kerning, i.e., adjusting the spacing between characters in a piece of text? These 20 epic images show you why letter-spacing is important not just in logos and graphic design, but also in everyday handwriting. … [Read more...]
Clever Illustrations Of Historical Events Using Digits From The Year They Occurred In
Levan Patsinashvili and Davit Babiashvili are a designer duo based in Georgia, Europe. When they're not busy creating advertising campaigns at Saatchi and Saatchi Tbilisi, they apply their creative skills in a project titled D1G1TAL CHR0N1CLES - a series of pictograms that visualize major historical events using digits from the year they occurred in. Check them out below. … [Read more...]
The Hidden Meanings Inside 27 Famous Logos
Did you know that the three ellipses in Toyota's logo include every alphabet of the company's name? The 'b' in the Beats logo symbolizes a headphone. The 'C' and the 'O' in the Continental logo form the shape of a tyre. The Sun Microsystems logo is a processor chip that spells out SUN in every direction. Know more below. … [Read more...]
10 Golden Rules To Improve Your Typography Skills
There are two types of typography - expressive typography (where type is used as a visual element) and functional typography (type that is meant to be read). Emmy Award-winning designer Chris Do's Typography Manual focuses on the latter and shares 10 golden rules to help you improve your type skills. … [Read more...]
Designer Morphs Uppercase Letters To Lowercase In This Fascinating Handmade Typography Experiment
'Handmade Type' is a self-initiated typographic experiment by New York-based designer Tien-Min Liao that explores the relationship between uppercase and lowercase letters and records the transformation between them. … [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...]
9 Useful Tips For Better Typography
Like any form of art, there is no set formula to create good typography. Typographic choices that work for one form of text won’t necessarily work for another. There are however good practices to follow. Design resource website Pixelo has come up with a nifty animated video that shares a few useful tips to keep in mind when combining typefaces and working with typography. … [Read more...]
10 Great Google Font Combinations For Your Next Design Project
Designers often spend a lot of time deciding which typefaces to pair up and most sites just give one-sentence examples that don't offer a real preview of what the text will look like. To make life easier for everyone, the team at Milo Themes has created a set of mock-ups that show different Google Font combinations for headline and body copy. They've used filler text from … [Read more...]
Watch This Calligrapher Draw Famous Logos With Remarkable Accuracy Entirely By Hand
Sebastian "Seb" Lester is an English artist, type designer and calligrapher known for his prominent type designs and calligraphic prints. He started designing typefaces for Monotype in the early 2000s after graduating from Central Saint Martins, London, where he studied graphic design. … [Read more...]
15 Great Google Font Combinations For Your Next Design Project
Designers often spend a lot of time deciding which typefaces to pair up and most sites just give one-sentence examples that don't offer a real preview of what the text will look like. To make life easier for everyone, the team at Milo Themes has created a set of mock-ups that show different Google Font combinations for headline and body copy. They've used filler text from … [Read more...]
A Useful, Comprehensive List Of Typography Terms For Designers
Do you know the difference between kerning and tracking, beak and serif, baseline and descender line? As a designer, it's imperative that you know what different typography terms mean, even if you don't use them every day. Here's a brilliant typeface glossary/infographic by DesignMantic that explains the meanings of terms like kerning, leading, tracking, glyph, serif, etc. and … [Read more...]
The 10 Types Of Designers – Which One Are You?
"The life of a designer is a life of fight. Fight against the ugliness." - Massimo Vignelli. Although we're all working towards the same objective, we designers have our distinct skill sets and preferences. There are designers who love flat design and there are designers who love skeuomorphism. Similarly, there are designers who like pastel shades and minimalism and there are … [Read more...]
14 Graphic Design Terms That Most Designers Get Wrong
Most amateur designers don't know the difference between a font and a typeface. They use the two terms interchangeably. A font is the variation of weights (bold, italic, thin) of a typeface. A typeface is a family of fonts, like Arial, Helvetica, Bebas, etc. … [Read more...]
Beautiful, Inspiring Hand-Lettered Tips For Creatives
Sean McCabe is a hand lettering artist, type designer and illustrator based in San Antonio, Texas. He runs a media company called seanwes by day and creates gorgeous hand-lettered typography by night. Using Pigma Micron pens, he weaves his magic on paper, offering inspiring tips and mantras for artists, designers, creatives and just about anyone. Sean has spent over 9000 hours … [Read more...]
How To Transform A Face Into A Powerful Text Portrait In Photoshop
You've seen typographic portraits of famous luminaries like Muhammad Ali, Steve Jobs, John Lennon, Audrey Hepburn, etc., but do you know how to create them? Marty from Blue Lightning TV shows you how to transform a photograph into a striking text portrait in these nifty Photoshop tutorials below. … [Read more...]
16 Clever Typographic Movie Titles
Istanbul-based digital creative Ali Erkurt has created a series of typographic movie titles that subtly hint at the plot or the central elements of the films. So, the 'w' in Jaws looks like the teeth of a shark, the 'i' in Matrix is replaced with the number 1 (the chosen one), the 'o' in Indiana Jones looks like his whip, and so on. Check them out below. … [Read more...]
19 Pun-Filled Posters That Graphic Designers Will Relate To
Here's a cool collection of funny posters about graphic design and typography from Dubuque-based marketing executive Sara Heffernen. Using puns on design terms and font names, Sara tells you to "Crop it like it's hot" and have a "Helvetica good time". The posters also advise you to practice safe sex design by using a condom concept and to choose sensibly between common sense … [Read more...]
What Do The World’s Most Popular Logos Have In Common?
Online education marketplace Udemy examined the logos of the top 50 companies on Fortune's "World's Most Admired Companies" list and came up with some interesting observations. They've collated the data into an infographic titled "Deconstructing successful logos". Check it out below. … [Read more...]
Elegant Typography Posters That Give You Font And Color Ideas For Your Next Project
Lisbon-based designer/copywriter Filipe de Carvalho has created a series of self-descriptive posters titled MetaType that show the colors, fonts and text-styles used in them. Filipe works as a copywriter for excentricGREY and has created award-winning work for brands like Vodafone, Volvo, Samsung, Chevrolet and Heineken to name a few. … [Read more...]
What Designers Think Of You Based On Your Font Choices
A designer's tolerance for bad design is inversely proportional to his/her skill level. The higher the skill, the less tolerant they are to poor design. That's why good designers won't be caught dead eating at a restaurant that uses Comic Sans on the menu. Or attending a wedding where the hosts used Papyrus on the invite. … [Read more...]
10 Useful Kerning Tips To Improve Your Typography
“Typography is an art. Good typography is art.” – Paul Rand. If you’re a typography freak like us, you’ll enjoy this handy infographic by Creative Market that shares some useful kerning tips and tricks to improve your typography. It covers some good points like kerning each letter individually, using visual space not actual space, and even a few unconventional hacks like … [Read more...]
Watch This Artist Create Beautiful Calligraphy Using Different Pens And Techniques
Designer, calligrapher and stationery enthusiast King Blotto III creates short videos of beautiful calligraphy that are an absolute delight to watch. Using all sorts of fountain pens, Blotto weaves his magical strokes on a blank piece of paper, creating gorgeous calligraphy that leaves you mesmerized. Check it out below. … [Read more...]
42 Clever Calligrams That Visualize The Meanings Of Various Words
New York-based designer Ji Lee started creating calligrams 20 years ago in his typography class at art school. What started as an assignment turned into a lifelong hobby and Lee's passion for typography has led him to create over a 100 calligrams so far. … [Read more...]
Designer Creates Adorable Alphabetical Series Of Dog Breeds From A To Z
Romanian designer Andrei Clompos recently bought a Beagle. He took a few portrait shots of the little fella and was playing around with the images when he came up with an interesting idea for a project – an informative alphabetical series of dog breeds using their images and typography. How did it go? Check it out below. … [Read more...]
15 Signs That You’re A Font Addict
Do you spend more time on DaFont than you do with your wife? Is your font library bigger than Kim Kardashian's assets? Do you have an orgasm every time you see a beautifully designed ampersand? … [Read more...]
Beautiful 3D Calligraphic Drawings That Look Like They’re Popping Out Of The Page
Turkish artist Tolga Girgin is an electrical and electronics engineer by day and a master calligrapher by night. In his latter role, he creates stunning 3D calligraphic art that looks like it's standing or peeling off the paper it's drawn on. The illusion is created by Tolga's skillful use of shades, shadows and perspective. Check out his work below. … [Read more...]
15 Images That Show Why Letter-Spacing Is Important
Ever wondered why good designers focus so much on kerning, i.e., adjusting the spacing between characters in a piece of text? These 15 epic images show you why letter-spacing is important not just in logos and graphic design, but also in everyday handwriting. … [Read more...]
Beautiful Typographic Art Created With Food Items
Utah-based designer and lettering artist Becca Clason creates beautiful typographic art using food products and other items. She handles everything from prop styling to art direction, photography and post-production. Her clients include Disney, American Express, Kellog's, Citibank and L'Oréal to name a few. Check out some of her work below. It's the yummiest thing you'll see … [Read more...]
45 Clever Typographic Logos Of Common Words We Use Every Day
California-based design studio Quillo Creative has created a series of impressive typographic logos of common words we use every day. They've combined, altered and replaced letters with visuals that symbolize the word. So the letter 'P' in the word PEEL looks like a peeled fruit, the 'M' in CAMP looks like a tent, and so on. Most of the designs look ingeniously simple due to … [Read more...]
