The fine designers at Creative Market have created a new design elements resource for designers and all people creative.  Currently they are offering their items for free, so if you are reading this and want some great graphics I would scurry over there right now and pick them up for free before they go live with prices! Creative Market*

I couldn’t decide what I would download first, as they had some lovely fonts, some fun textures and so many other graphics that I could already envision using.  What are your favorites?

Here are some of their offerings, after all the files have been downloaded, be sure to check all the licenses before using:

A dilemma I experienced early on in my design career was how to design without investing a fortune into design software.  I was fortunate enough to work for a company that allowed me to take my computer home at night and on the weekends, with this freedom I was able to explore the software on my own time and build my skills faster.  But what if you don’t have access to a computer with design software, what if you can’t afford the investment?  What if you want to learn without out forking out the cash until you have established yourself a little?

The internet offers a myriad of “resources” for designing programs but sifting through them can be quite overwhelming – and if you’ve never worked in Illustrator, Photoshop or InDesign, you can’t know every tool that you might be missing.

Let me introduce you to the Aviary Suite, if you haven’t met yet:

Image used courtesy of advanced.aviary.com

The Aviary Suite is a great online software design suite if you are just getting into editing software and are on a budget of $0.  It offers several different programs similar to programs in the Adobe Creative Suite. Although it is not the same it could allow you to get your feet wet designing things before you make the decision to purchase the hardcore designing software.  Or perhaps you can’t justify buying a software package that you only intend on using for updating your Etsy or Blog banner from time to time – this could be a great solution for you if that is the case!

Image used courtesy of advanced.aviary.com

Phoenix – Image Editor (think Photoshop)
- Layers
- Multiple Tools: Image Selection (Similar to the Magic Wand); Shape Creator; Type Tool; Brushes…etc

Image used courtesy of advanced.aviary.com

Raven – Vector Editor (think Illustrator)
- Layers
- Path Selection

Image used courtesy of advanced.aviary.com

More: Screen Catcher, Swatch Editor, Audio Editor, & Music Creator
Some fun additional tools that can add more dimension to your work or just have fun with.

Overall, I think if you don’t have the money to invest in Adobe or other equivalent software – Aviary Suite could be a great starting point. The tools are limited in comparison to Adobe, Quark & Corel, but you are given some flexibility and a starting point!  There is no initial investment and while you do sacrifice some of the depth in the tools you are using, when you are just starting out too many tools can make one feel a tad overwhelmed (been there…done that).  Working in any new software takes some time, so regardless of what you should choose, give yourself time to learn the software and its capabilities.

Last week you learned about the term widow, closely related is the word orphan (although the definition of these two words is often different dependent on the source).  An orphan is when the first sentence of a paragraph happens to fall at the end (bottom) of a column or a page of a magazine or book.  Here’s an example of how it looks:

“A picture is worth a thousand words” It is an old saying full of wisdom.  Designs, like pictures, tell a story and speak volumes of words by their mere impression on people. So if a picture or a design is worth a thousand words, then what words are your designs, whatever they may be (blog banner, layout, business card, invitations, product you are selling, etc…), saying to potential customers or readers?

Ask yourself three questions about how your designs are doing:
Do you make a great First Impression?
When looks count are people going to stay or turn away?  Do you scream novice or do you scream amazing!?

Do you look Professional?
When someone comes across your platform (storefront like Etsy, blog, website…etc) do they recognize you as a professional or will they see an amateur that isn’t quite decided on where things are going?

Do people trust you?
Lastly but most importantly, when someone sees your platform, will they develop enough trust to engage you in business/readership?

Design impacts each of these questions in that people form opinions based to some degree on the appearance of the things that represent you, your business card, your shop banner, your website, etc. So how much you are willing to invest in creating a look that reflects what and who you are can make a huge difference in how successful you are. How many times I have skipped over an Etsy shop that might have an amazing product, simply because the pictures paled in comparison to the others in the same category (First Impression was bad, pictures weren’t professional so I get the feeling they might not be experienced in their field, not sure I will trust them with my time or risk my money).

Take a look at these search results in Etsy, if I’m just browsing for clothes for my little boy (or for my nieces): which of these will catch my attention first?  Yes, some of this will depend on my interest in likes, but I honestly don’t even “see” the pictures with poor lighting, or that don’t take the time to make sure the thumbnails get the important part of the item.  I will skip over a handful of pictures of probably wonderful items simply because the pictures are either ugly or just dull.  Unfair, perhaps, but we don’t typically do this on purpose!

So what do you think. Are your designs creating a good first impression, helping people see you as a professional they can trust?

How do the designs (or lack of thought out design) impact your decisions?  What makes you stay?

I designed this years ago, but it has been sitting in one of my design folders collecting computer dust – no fun!  So I finally put it in a pdf so that others could enjoy it.  I love lists, no reason why your list paper can’t be pretty if you like, perhaps it will motivate you to get a few things done!  Enjoy! Download HERE.

(Cut in half and around edges to have a nice “list size” sheet.)

The Elements of Graphic Design by Alex W. White – Image from Amazon.com

Title: The Elements of Graphic Design
Author: Alex W. White
Category: Design Fundamentals
Sum it Up: An overview of the fundamental principles of great design
Difficulty: Educational (Take in small chunks)

I recently discovered Lendle, can’t quite remember how anymore, but I’m so glad I did. It is an online lending library that enables me to borrow Kindle books from other Lendle users, it enabled me to borrow The Elements of Graphic Design by Alex W. White for two weeks.  My one and only year of design school predominantly focused on studio art and a class called 2-D design that went over a few fundamentals of design but also had a heavy focus on an overview of art history and worldview and their impact on todays 2-D design.  It was a wonderful foundational class, but it didn’t explore graphic design and its important elements to the degree that would enable me to explain why I make some of the design decisions that I do.  The Elements of Graphic Design explain the importance of certain decisions and applications of the different elements of graphic design.

The Elements of Graphic Design is an excellent overview of graphic design.  It takes each fundamental pillar of graphic design, explains its importance and displays wonderful imagery and actual studies and works, exemplifying this pillars in use.  I took many notes and so enjoyed the book I’m actually considering buying it to add to my design reference library.  Each section is filled with wonderful and very applicable quotations from various figures in history and art, providing relevant and thoughtful insight on that particular section.  I also loved how White took the time to explain even the most elementary of graphic design elements such as color and type spacing. White also includes a great glossary of terminology that would be beneficial to a new designer.

If you are looking for a book that can give you an excellent overview of the foundational elements of graphic design, this is an excellent resource for you.  It requires a few hours of reading, but will impact your design positively if you apply the principles in your designing.  If you are a weathered designer, the book might feel like a review of principles you hold to hard and fast, but it could also be a wonderful refresher on some core principles.

Find it in the Amazon Store:
The Elements of Graphic Design Kindle Edition*
The Elements of Graphic Design Print Edition*

*These are affiliate links, please read my full disclosure on affiliate linking here.
**I have not been paid to write this or any other book reviews. I read to add depth to my knowledge and to increase my capabilities as a designer. 

A widow in graphic design, more specifically in typography, occurs when you have only one word or part of a word in the last sentence of a paragraph.

If you are in need of a sweet little tag to go with your St.Patty’s Day treats, here is a sweet little tag generously offered for free by Hello, Good Gravy! If you don’t have the time to design your own why not enjoy the creativity of another?

Luck of the Irish – Free Printable – Hello, Good Gravy!

Logos are fun. Logos are essential to a good brand.  Logos are more than just font and a pretty picture.  So when I start a new logo project and need some inspiration I usually take a stroll over to logopond.com and enjoy some incredible creativity.  When I start working with clients on logo designs I sometimes ask them to take a look at the website just to give me an idea of what their design personality looks like.  Sometimes words don’t describe what a client is saying, so when they say they were envisioning a “modern” look, what I think is modern can be completely different than what they think is modern. This activity has really helped me in the past as I am sure it will continue to in the future.

Are all of the logos on logopond amazing? No.  Are most of the logos there worth the visit? Definitely.  I always get a good ole kick in the creativity pants when I see some great ideas turned into incredible logos.

Unreel, Logomotive
Mario King, Mechax
Bowling Shoe, Fool’s Errand
North Construction, Sean Heisler

Where do you get inspiration for great logo design?  Do you have a favorite designer, or do you have a completely different approach?

**After all that talk about logos you are probably wondering if I’ve noticed my own “lacking” “logo” and yes…its a temporary banner while I finalize my in the works logo.

I’ve been working on a “Printables Page” (Coming Soon!) to catalog all the lovely free printables available on the web in one location so you can find a myriad of resources without having to navigate a sea of search engine results.  While working on this page, I have run into several adorable Valentine’s Day Printables.  If you haven’t had the time to throw one together yourself maybe you can find the perfect thing for the loves in your life in this lovely little collection.

Udaman Chocolate Bar Wrapper by Jeanne Winters
Happy Valentine’s Day Bag by Twig & Thistle
Love Bug Valentines by Dandee Designs
Valentine Cards by Beautiful Hello 
Vintage Valentine Card by Ruffled 
Valentine & Coupons by Love vs. Design 

Enjoy the creativity!