Good font pairing is one of the key differentiators between amateur and professional design. Rookie designers often use more fonts than required and there is lack of typographical contrast in their design. It's tricky because there are no fixed rules as to what kind of fonts work well together, but there are certain guidelines that can help you pick fonts that complement each … [Read more...]
Designer Creates Clever Alphabetical Logos Based On Animal Names And Shapes
Lebanese graphic designer Rami Hoballah, has come up with an amusing typography project titled 'Animals Alphabet' that showcases letters of the alphabet in the shape of animals. Each letter corresponds to the name of the animal. For example, 'a' looks like the head of an ant, 'b' looks like a bee, 'c' looks like a crab, and so on. Rami used Adobe Illustrator to create these … [Read more...]
Designer Challenges Himself To Create A Typographic Logo Every Day For A Year, And They’re Pretty Cool
Stockholm-based graphic designer Daniel Carlmatz undertook a 365-day challenge to create one new typographic logo of a common word we use every day. The objective was to visualize the meanings of the words by using symbolism, negative space, or by adding geometric elements to the letters. For example, the letter 'a' in the word 'search' looks like a search bar, the letter 'j' … [Read more...]
Top 10 Logo Design Trends For 2018
Previously, we featured the top 2018 trends for graphic design, typography, images, and web design. In today's post, we focus on the latest logo design trends with the help of this handy infographic by online logo generator Logaster. One of the major logo trends we've been seeing recently is form simplification - stripping logos down to the basics and making them as clean … [Read more...]
23 Beautiful Free Fonts For Your Next Design Project
What does a graphic designer love more than a beautiful font? A beautiful font that's available for FREE. There's nothing more heartbreaking than finding a gorgeous font, only to see a big red button next to it that says, "Buy Now for $99". To make life easier for our kind, we at DS have compiled a list of 23 stylish and contemporary fonts that you can download for free. The … [Read more...]
Graphic Designer Substitutes Wordmarks In Famous Logos With The Fonts They Use
Italian graphic designer Emanuele Abrate has come up with an interesting project titled 'Logofonts' that features wordmarks of famous logos substituted with the name of the fonts they use. For example, the Nike wordmark in their swoosh logo has been substituted with 'Futura' written in the same italic style. The WhatsApp wordmark has been substituted with 'HelveticaNeue'. … [Read more...]
6 Important Logo Design Principles Every Designer Should Know
Before you start a logo design project, you need to know who the logo is for? Who is the target audience? The logo will define what the business is all about. Should it be masculine or feminine, traditional or modern, exclusive or inclusive? The colors, typography, and geometry of the symbol will depend on all these factors. DesignMantic has come up with a handy infographic … [Read more...]
New Research Study Proves That Most People Don’t Know What A Lowercase ‘G’ Looks Like
You've seen it a million times but do you really remember what it looks like? Cognitive researchers at Johns Hopkins University conducted a study in which participants were asked to pick out the correct form of the lowercase looptail 'g' from four options. 72 percent of participants chose the wrong one. … [Read more...]
Fonts Used In Famous Logos (With Download Links)
Ever wanted to know the names of the fonts used in the logos of famous brands like Adidas, Calvin Klein, FedEx, Gillette, Jaguar, Lufthansa, Omega, Rolls-Royce, Visa, etc.? We've compiled an alphabetical list of 60 well-known logos with their corresponding fonts and download links. In some cases, the fonts have been tweaked or edited from their original form to create a … [Read more...]
How Companies Use Deceptive UI Design To Trick You Online
A 'dark pattern' is a user interface that has been craftily designed to trick users into doing things they might not want to do, in order to benefit the business in question. The term was coined by UK-based UI designer Harry Brignull, who runs DarkPatterns.org - a website dedicated to "naming and shaming websites that use deceptive user interfaces". For example, have you … [Read more...]
20 Important Design Principles Explained With Simple Illustrations
There are no fixed rules or formulas for good design, but there are a few basic principles that will help you create design that is effective, functional, and aesthetically pleasing. Technical jargon can sometimes get confusing or overwhelming, which is why Canva has come up with a fantastic infographic that uses simple illustrations to explain the 20 most important design … [Read more...]
16 Clever Typographic Animations That Visualize The Meanings Of Various Words
Lithuania-based graphic designer Mindaugas Dudenas has come up with an excellent project titled 'Type in Motion' that visualizes the meanings of different words using typographic animation. For example, the 'T' in the word FITNESS looks like it's lifting weights, the two 'O's in DOORS open and close like doors, the 'H' in CHESS morphs into a chessboard, and so on. Dudenas … [Read more...]
What Your Font Choices Say About You
Every designer has a set of favourite fonts that they prefer to use in a majority of projects. These are the first fonts that come to your mind every time you start a new project. In our previous posts, we've explained how every font has a unique personality, a purpose, and an emotion. But did you know that the font you choose says a lot about you as well? GetVOIP has come … [Read more...]
Top Logo Design Trends For 2018
Previously, we featured the top graphic design and typography trends for 2018. Today, we focus on emerging trends in logo design with the help of this handy infographic designed by stock vector site Vexels for web design resource InstantShift. The infographic features 7 key logo design trends to look out for in 2018. These include form simplification and responsive logos, … [Read more...]
New Oscar Envelopes Have Huge Fonts To Avoid Last Year’s Design Fail
The most cringeworthy part of last year's Academy Awards was when Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway announced the wrong winner for Best Picture. It wasn't their fault, someone backstage gave Beatty the envelope for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Emma Stone, La La Land) instead of the envelope for Best Picture (Moonlight). … [Read more...]
31 Useful Design Techniques For Creative Two-Letter Logos
Two-letter logos are one of the most popular logo styles in the world. They're memorable because they use the brand's initials to form a unique symbol. When executed properly, a two-letter logo conveys power, luxury, style, and exclusivity. Some of the world's most well-known brands like General Motors, Volkswagen, Hewlett-Packard, General Electric, LG, Warner Bros., Louis … [Read more...]
Top 10 Typography Trends You Can’t Afford To Miss In 2018
What kind of typography trends can we expect to see in 2018? This year is all about big, bold text, hand-drawn letters, custom fonts, retro typefaces, multi-color gradients, and more. New York-based web design agency Branex has come up with a handy infographic that shares some interesting typeface statistics and lists the top 10 typography trends for 2018. Check it out … [Read more...]
Top 15 Graphic Design Trends For 2018
Visual trends are an important aspect of marketing for entrepreneurs and businesses. Using the latest design, imagery, and typography styles makes your brand appear contemporary to your customers, the marketplace, and to your competition. For designers and creative professionals, understanding and being able to recognize visual trends is even more important because you have … [Read more...]
Learn In One Minute How To Kern Properly Between Different Types Of Letters
The difference between good type and great type is the kerning. In this short video by The Futur, typography and lettering instructor Nils Lindstrom shows you how to kern effectively between different kinds of letters - curved, straight, and diagonal. Nils explains how different letterforms create different kinds of optical spacing between characters, and how proper kerning … [Read more...]
5 Trendy Google Font Combinations For Your Next Design Project
In our previous posts, we've shared some great Google Font combinations and free font collections that you can use in your designs. If you're looking for some more trendy and modern pairings of Google Fonts, have a look at this compilation from digital product company Great Simple Studio. They've also created a series of mockups to offer previews of what the fonts look like in … [Read more...]
Top Web Design Trends For 2018
Currently, there are 8.4 billion connected devices in the world and this number will grow to a whopping 50 billion by 2020. In this ever-changing digital landscape, effective web design is as important as the quality of your content. 94% of all online users stop trusting websites with a degraded web design. It is also crucial to embrace and implement the latest technological … [Read more...]
Top Graphic Design Trends For 2018
With each passing year, we see new trends emerging in the world of design and old ones fading out. 2018 is all about visual contrast with the use of bright colors, gradients, and bold typography. Duotone effects and double exposure images will remain prominent across design mediums. Expect to see more implementation of isometric design, custom illustrations, split-page design, … [Read more...]
Designer Brilliantly Explains Why The New F1 Logo Is A Success, Despite What Everyone’s Saying
Is the new Formula One logo good or bad? Award-winning designer Chris Do reviews the new F1 logo with an in-depth look at its history, design brief, application, and reasons for change. He also discusses why it's important to view logo launches and rebrands from a business point of view rather than just aesthetics. Watch below. … [Read more...]
12 Visual Hierarchy Principles Every Designer Should Know
Visual hierarchy is the arrangement and presentation of design elements in order of their importance. It influences the order in which the human eye perceives the information that is being displayed. A simple example would be a business card - the name of the organisation is usually the most prominent element, followed by the name of the card holder, job title, and contact … [Read more...]
17 Memes Every Graphic Designer Will Relate To
Having a long day at work? Boss giving you a hard time? Client being a prick? Then indulge in some meme therapy and brighten up your day. Memes stimulate the release of endorphins in your brain, which reduces stress levels and makes you forget about work problems and deadline-related anxiety. In a study of more than 150 working professionals, scientists found that when … [Read more...]
Amazing Typographic Portraits Of Celebrities Made Using Their Movie Titles And Lyrics
Sean Williams is a Canadian illustrator and creative director known for his typographic portraits of musicians, actors, and pop culture influencers. Each type design is hand illustrated and uses text from the celebrity's movie titles, song lyrics, or famous quotes, to create a recognizable face of that person. The list includes Audrey Hepburn, Beyonce, Bob Marley, Elvis, … [Read more...]
The Most Popular Font Types In America
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...]
Designer Turns Popular Gadgets Into Letters Of The Alphabet, And They’re Pure Awesome
Brazilian designer Vinicius Araújo has come up with an exceptional typography project which showcases the letters of the alphabet in the shape of well-known gadgets, based on their initials. For example, the letter 'J' has been designed to look like a JBL speaker. The letter 'C' is based on the industrial design of a Canon Camera. The letter ‘L’ has been created using an LG … [Read more...]
Designer Brilliantly Explains Why 7-Eleven’s Symmetrically Flawed Logo Is Not A Design Error
If you've never noticed it before, 7-Eleven's logo uses a mix of upper and lowercase letters (ELEVEn). Also, the 'E' doesn't align with the top edge of the 7 and the center alignment of the logo is off. The design community is abuzz on this topic after a Reddit thread brought these capitalization and symmetrical imperfections to light. … [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...]
Designer Brilliantly Explains Why Google’s Geometrically Flawed Logo Is Not A Design Error
Google's "G" logo is not geometrically perfect. It's not a perfect circle and the color arcs don't align with each other. The internet and the design community are abuzz on this topic after a Reddit thread brought these geometrical imperfections to light. … [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...]
19 Memes Every Graphic Designer Will Relate To
Having a long day at work? Client giving you a hard time? Boss being a prick? Then indulge in some meme therapy and brighten up your day. Memes stimulate the release of dopamine in your brain and make you forget about work problems and deadline-driven stress. In a study of more than 200 working professionals, scientists found that when co-workers receive memes from you, it … [Read more...]
Clever, Minimal Typographic Logos Of Cities
Vladislav Smolkin is a graphic designer and logo artist based in Saint Petersburg, Russia. He specializes in identity and logo design for small and medium-sized companies, and has clients all over the world. Smolkin's forte lies in minimalism. He believes he is able to showcase his talent best using a minimalist style. One of his personal projects is CITIESET - a series of … [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...]
