When to use crop marks and bleed

Most true graphic designers feel that they understand when to use crop marks and bleed. We learnt these best practices in school, but what do our print-houses’ staff say? Are we giving the staff more work or less work? Read more to find out if you have been using your crop marks and bleed properly! What are crop marks and bleed? First, let us define what are crop marks and bleed. Crop marks are the eight short lines in the corners of your file. They tell your printers where to …

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Seven Typical Tools for Graphic Designers

There are seven typical tools for graphic designers. Along with creativity, these tools help to produce a perfect design. They say “a poor workman blames his tools” but lets for a moment consider this workman’s argument. Maybe he is working without the right tools, leading to a bad job done. Even with the right tools, defects in even his simplest tool could lead to errors. And, no matter how skilled he is, he will need some kind of tool to do his job. Storytime Back in late summer 2011, my first …

How to Manage your Clients’ Files

‘Being organized is being in control’. Having a specific way of how to manage your clients’ files will save you a ton of time, trouble, and heartache. Time is money. Why struggle with trouble! Why have a heartache as you search for files? The objective of this blog post is to assist you with a structure for file management as you pursue graphic design. File Management Matters I believe that graphic designers should be in touch with their logical side. Your logical side which is the left side of your …

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Five things graphic designers do

September 2010, makes six years that I started my journey to pursue graphic design. I stepped out in faith to pursue my passion. I took the risk and changed my career from auditing to graphic design. Having gained much insight from this experience, I thought to share  five things graphic designers do. Graphic design is everywhere, from print media signs, web pages, and television screens to road signs and retail displays. The western world has become reliant on visual communications to develop a social and cultural identity. In addition to the …

How to Pursue Graphic Design with Jessica Oddi

A few years ago, I was honoured to meet the most awesome and talented Jessica Oddi. She was (and still is!) such a sweet and respectable person with a positive vibe. Today I am privileged to interview her and share with you how physically accessible graphic design is, as a career. How we met Back in college days, I wanted to work on campus and earn a little pocket money. I applied for a few jobs and landed a job in the Accessible Department; little did I know then, that this …

How to take the Risk to Pursue Graphic Design

“A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be” ~ Abraham Maslow I discovered this quotation right about the time when I started my search for a new career. It sounded sooooo refreshing! It was like that moment when I knew within myself that I am not using my God-given talents as best as I could. We spend most of our awake hours at work. Shouldn’t this time …