Graphic design templates vs professional design. →

“Design is thinking made visual.” - Saul Bass

“Content precedes design. Design in the absence of content is not design, it’s decoration.” - Jeffrey Zeldman

Is using an online application template is ok?

When is better to hire a professional graphic designer!

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I am talking from my professional experience now because one of my clients decided to save some money and used a free online app to design a business brochure. I have to be honest, I also use that kind of application, but it is easier to understand and use as a professional graphic designer. The client used one of the free, available templates to put together the brochure, and it was a tri-folded one, with some basic information about the company and their services.

What happened? When the client tried to make a print version, some elements were cut off, folded through or didn't match the after folding. In the end, it was just wasting the money and time of that person.

The reason it didn't work is simple. Even if the template was used, the designer must have at least a basic knowledge and experience of designing the layout and putting content and elements to keep the design inside the print area.

The design used by the client in the online application template

I used a professional platform (Adobe Cloud) to redesign the brochure but had the whole idea. The other thing was to keep the constancy in the typography and images, which was missing in the online design. We printed them in the professional print shop located nearby the client. It's another important thing because, from my experience, having a good relationship with the vendor is sometimes more important than a design. But that's a subject for another time.

The same brochure but designed in a professional application.

When to use online design applications? They are great tools and evolve quickly with various templates and ready elements. It is perfect to set up a brand pattern and use it for social media content, with quick access to resizing and minor modifications. Online applications are great for that, and I used them a lot to make my work faster and more effective. What's dangerous is that the templates are for everyone and can be used by other companies, which is the worst that could happen to the brand. As I have mentioned, brand uniqueness is crucial for brand awareness and having the same content as many others would help it.

In conclusion: the best idea is to hire a professional graphic designer who knows how to use professional apps and manage online app problems.

Print design pricipals in UI/UX design. →

“People ignore design that ignores people.” – Frank Chimero

“UI is the saddle, the stirrups, & the reins. UX is the feeling you get being able to ride the horse.” – Dain Miller

Is traditional and digital design connected?

How do you use print design trends in UI/UX design?

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I come across exciting reads about the connection between UI/UX in print and digital design. It might be surprising for many how both ways are essential and overlap, especially for younger designers, who are more focused on digital. As a graphic artist who started in the print industry, I know from experience that ideas are fluid and can be used equally.

I was thinking about that and can't agree more; the print industry has been a main for centuries and has been used to express visual expression and artistic visions. People have used visual communication to sell, communicate and present their ideas in every culture. Attractive and well-designed products acquired faster interest and sold better. Man has used many media for visual communication, from stones, paper or material to modern forms. We now live in a global digital village where information reaches the recipient faster and needs a different technology. But together, whatever technology creators use, traditional design principles use grids and typography to shape the way they approach the design digitally.

User experience in print design example:

When I designed the layout for a product catalogue at a lighting company, I had to keep in mind that the font, blocks, and colours come across in the best graphic design practice. I designed the layout that shows the newest products collections to attract new customers, and that went to the other products category following the best sellers and place of installation. As you got through the pages, the combination of good quality lifestyle photography, product images and descriptions was planned in the best practice and experience. A nicely designed subcover with the lighting designer's hand draws divided a fluid transition between product subjects. The whole project was not only the mirror of the company values and contemporary look but also showed the collections of lighting in the best manner.

User experience in digital design example:

Another example was a website design for a construction company based in New York that showcases the projects, construction and brand with a simple pages navigation. The main focus was on the previous project gallery and primary services, which showed the engineer's way and construction process. All the ideas on using buttons and the hierarchy of all elements were based on how the users would approach all the information and what would be significant. The same thinking was applied to the brochure, not only to follow the brand values but also to combine the same message.

Simple conclusion.

In the end, I have an essential conclusion that being a graphic designer, you have to look at the future but be humble about the past because the whole art and design history gave us the privilege of what we have become now.

Is the graphic design profession dead? →

“You can have an art experience in front of a Rembrandt… or in front of a piece of graphic design.” – Stefan Sagmeister

“Graphic design will save the world right after rock and roll does.” – David Carson

Do you know what graphic designers do?

Do you need one?…and why?

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Graphic design might look like a dying profession - all free accessible graphics platforms, let create a logo and all marketing communication online in a blink of an eye. On the other hand, some people think that they only need a graphic design service once to design a logo and website - so there is no need to associate with the designer.

Of course, the profession has to be ready to challenge technology and customer expectancy changes - So…?

Is graphic design DEAD?!

The simple answer is NO!

But…Let's start from the beginning - who's a graphic designer?

According to Wikipedia: 

"A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles images, typography, or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed, or electronic media, such as brochures (sometimes) and advertising. They are also sometimes responsible for typesetting, illustration, user interfaces, and web design. A core responsibility of the designer's job is to present information in a way that is both accessible and memorable." 

Briefly, it is someone who translates all your ideas into visually well put together communication materials. Believe me; it's one of the older professions - I'm sure you're familiar with images from Grottes de Lascaux or Egyptian hieroglyphs - they all have the same goal - to communicate and pass the information along. Noways, graphics use more friendly and less time-consuming tools - like computers - but we still have the same task. 

Why should the organization hire a professional graphic designer? 

As in any profession, graphic designers must learn the principles, typography, history, software, and all this, combined with experience, gives more excellent opportunities for a better design. Second, most of the well-known corporations invest in graphic designers as an essential part of the business. The benefits are simple, from consistent brand identity to creative communication between organization and client. 

Creative graphic design examples:

Good established visual design can attract customers and encourage employees to identify with the brand. A professional graphic designer is a brand ambassador - who can promote the company by print and digital media and help to stand up from a crowd using the same voice tone. A graphic designer can save your time and money - someone who knows the brand will produce the right marking materials on time and hassle-free. 

Now take a look around you, for sure you see branded pens, notepads, business cards - go online - website, social media - all these needs to carry the same message - your company brand voice!

As a business owner, you don't want to have the same logo and visualization as thousands of other companies - who believed in fast online solutions. All this online, unprofessional graphic design platforms can't grant a coherency for the brand.

Simple conclusion.

If you think about your brand future as a professional and unique company - invest in a graphic designer! 

Brand Style Guide - How to create and why it's important. →

“Your personal brand is a promise to your clients… a promise of quality, consistency, competency, and reliability.” – Jason Hartman

“If people believe they share values with a company, they will stay loyal to the brand.” – Howard Schultz, Starbucks CEO

What is a brand book, guidelines and why every company needs one?

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A brand style guide is a message that a company sends out to convey its vision, mission and values. It's a collection of everything that makes up a brand story - from typography, logos to colours and photography. The guide shows how to present the brand accurately so that all its elements - displayed on different carriers - bring the same values. Using the brand book ensures that the brand is presenting the same way by different people. This is very important to show the world the brand's personality and the consistency of the message.

To create the brand-style guide, every company needs to present its vision, target, personality and values. - to know why the company exists, who the customer is, what your voice is and finally, vision - who are you and how employees can identify with the company? 

The important steps are to identify 6 essential elements of a brand style guide:

• Brand Story - what is the company brand and story behind - mission, voice and values. 

• Logo - how the logo looks like, how it can be used and how not to use the logo. 

• Voice - what is your writing style, and what words the company uses. 

• Color Palette - The palette will go along all materials - starting from the logo that defines consistent look and feel.

• Typography - identify font selection, your primary and secondary font type.

• Imagery - what kind of images you use, consider making photography standards

• Social Media and Website (optional) - how do you show your brand in digital

  - all the above points should be applied here as well.

• Packaging  (optional) - keeping a consistent voice brand on packing using the right font and brand colors. 

Brand graphic design examples:

Six essential elements must be used in any sales or marketing materials that the organization holds, from head letters to business cards, to keep the same voice through them all. It is an essential element of the company's structure, which should have the same profile on each carrier, which many companies forget about. It is important to build a style guide that tells about the company's personality in an obvious way so that everyone who has to deal with it will know it and easily recognize it.

Working on a brand style guide isn’t easy; you need to have a clear and strong vision about your brand and represent it to the world using digital and print materials. From my experience, the good idea is to start from small steps: logo, palette and font; these are basic elements that all organizations should start from.

Your company is not just what you do or sell; it is a story you tell people, from which they identify and recognize you as a brand. There are different ways companies present themselves in a style guide, some have very long books that contain a lot of details, but there are also brands that talk about themselves in a few sentences. It all depends on who your company is and how you want to enter the market.

To be authentic as an organization on market, Brand Style Guide is a first and important step to build a good reputation. Don’t go with the shortcuts, like stock logos or free online apps, that will steal your vibe and bled into a mixture of thousands of the same-looking companies around the globe. Find your uniqueness and send your message to get the right attention.

..and hire a professional Graphic Designer!