I was surfing the web a few weeks ago, and came across a blog entry promoting automatic logo makers. As a graphic designer, this was upsetting to see, and to top it all off, the entry was posted on a graphic design blog I read often.

I read over the entry and although I see their points about convenience and cost effectiveness, I’m going to tell you why an automatic logo maker is NOT the way to go.

First off, when a graphic designer is hired, they are personally connecting with each client. Time is taken to collect background information about the client and their business, and a fair amount of research is done to ensure the client is getting the best possible branding for their business. A logo database, is not a human being, it’s a database, and will give you something generic as opposed to a custom design that represents you and your business.

Next, a logo database houses hundreds of logos. What you are purchasing is not limited to only you. Any number of companies can use the exact same graphic to represent themselves. This may make your company seem unoriginal and diffuses the concept of brand recognition completely.

When you hire a graphic designer, you get custom, quality, design solutions for your business. By using a professional design process, you allow the designer to be the foundation of your brand, and your company will end up with stronger and more effective branding.

Helpful Tip: If you have a tight budget, and money is your main concern, think about hiring a student or young designer who just finished school. Many students have excellent technical skills and will most likely be willing to work with you on the cost!

Ever wondered what the difference between digital and offset printing is? Perhaps you’ve wanted to get something like a business card printed, but are unsure of which to go with. Below is some valuable information to help you make the most informed decision.

Digital Printing Press:

Digital printing is often used in a professional print shop environment, and simply means that the method used to print the product comes from a digital based image instead of a more traditional method such as printing plates. Digital printing usually can handle a variety of paper types including photo paper, cardstock, and canvas. Although it can vary, digital printing allows for less quantities to be ordered at one time, there for making the cost to purchase items less as well.

However, do to the fact that digital printing does not use printing plates, there is no guarantee of color matching. You also will tend to notice a lack of quality to some degree when a product is digitally printed and you may notice very faint pixilation on your printed product as well.

However, if you are looking to order low quantities of a product, need a fast turn around time, and have a low budget, the digital printing press may work for you!

Offset Printing Press:

Offset printing is only used in a professional print shop environment, and uses printing plates to transfer images to the printing surface. Offset printing provides crisp high quality images and guarantees almost perfect color matching. Offset presses can also handle extremely large quantities of printing and are the best option for a professional quality look.

However, do to the time and cost associated with maintaining an offset press, it is unlikely to be able to order small quantities of prints and in many cases the offset press has a minimum quantity that you are required to order. In turn, along with the higher quality you will receive, this makes the cost that you the customer will pay significantly higher than what you may pay for a digital press. You will, however receive a much more professional and high quality printing job if you choose to go this route.

As a Graphic Designer, employers expect more in a resume than just the ordinary. In fact, a designer’s resume is not only a chance to provide potential employers with what you can offer them, but also to show them a sample of your work at the same time. Going above and beyond and including things such as a business card, and even a letterhead can show the employer your personal design style while informing them of your capabilities.

Paying careful attention to paper choice, layout, and even typography can make all the difference.

Be sure to include items like a personal statement, experience, software skills, education, and so on.

To figure out how to make a creative eye catching resume, check out this article 30 Artistic & Creative Resumes for some designer examples!

As a designer, inspiration is key to coming with unique and creative ideas. Why not get inspired daily by adding some creativity to your workspace? 25 Creative Office Ideas To Make Your Workplace Look REALLY Cool shows some of the most creative office tools and gadgets that designers could come up with. My personal favorite, the delete key eraser, is below. Be sure to check out the link above for more fun and inspirational ideas!

Designers are always in need of stock photos. While I was in class yesterday, my professor directed us towards this amazing website called stock.xchng. Stock.xchng carries FREE royalty photos for commercial and personal use! These photos aren’t like the ones that you find on Google images which may be low resolution or even copyrighted. You can actually find a wide variety of high resolution images that are free to download! The idea is to exchange photographs between people who need them and people who are creating them which gives many an alternative to the expense of stock photography. You can browse the photos as much as you like, and if you find a photo you’d like to download, all you need is a free account.

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with The Pantone Formula Guide, this resource helps better manage print jobs and is an essential tool for graphic designers, pre-press professionals and printers.

The simple design of the Guide provides a convenient and portable color reference library that can accompany you at client presentations or on press runs. The guide contains a full range of 1,114 colors from the Pantone Matching System, with corresponding ink mixing formulas in parts and percentages to ensure the correct ink formulations are prepared.

I personally have found this guide to be VERY useful. People tend to get caught up with what color looks like on a monitor, but unfortunately when it goes to print, the spectral properties of the paper and or ink may change the perceived color. The Pantone Matching System allows for a more accurate color selection process and helps provide designers with a resource to present to clients.

Another useful feature for designers is that Adobe software actually includes swatch libraries with Pantone formulas preloaded. This allows designers to preview the color with realistic paper and lighting and easily find the exact same color with in the swatch library.

In order to come up with a strong logo design, it is important to create a system that can be used time and again. This routine should facilitate your thought process as well as make use of your creative skills to come up with custom logo designs that are professional and pleasing to the client.

Step one is to start with research. It is critical to know your client’s company. Researching competitors and other similar companies can help a designer come up with ideas. Creating a design brief form to have a client fill out prior to coming up with preliminary designs is also a good way to get to know your clients company and taste.

Creating pencil sketches (aka thumbnails) is the next step in the design process. Although many designers feel this step is unnecessary, it is much faster to brainstorm and sketch a variety of thumbnails and develop your strongest ideas on the computer as opposed to starting with design software. This allows the designer to be more efficient with their time and is likely to strengthen the final logo design as well.

After choosing a few of the strongest pencil sketches, it is now time for the designer to create some preliminary designs utilizing design software. Using a vector-based program such as Adobe Illustrator allows the logo to be transferred to a variety of programs and remain flexible. It is best to create these designs in only black and white to start. Color is filled with emotion and can distract the client from the overall design. Once the client chooses a final logo design, then color can be discussed and added. Once color selections have been made, the final logo composition is complete.

Using a process such as this will ensure a well-rounded system and promote strong logo designs time after time.