Category: Process
Process
The creative attribute has always been a highly debated and researched component of the human psyche. The “designer” job title seems to be one that calls to the more creative minded among us and according to some, requires the highest level of creative processing. This idea does lend itself to the truth, web designers are called upon to find creative solutions every day. However, we certainly aren’t alone.
Contrary to previous belief, creativity does not limit itself to the “right-brained” artistic types. The ability to find creative and innovative solutions to problems holds value in almost all aspects of life. Even those with highly analytical jobs and hobbies benefit from the ability to approach a complex issue from different perspectives and foresee alternate outcomes. So perhaps it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to suggest that creativity itself is more rooted in a process than random visionary moments.
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Becoming an effective designer requires embracing universal design principles and best practices. Over the years, I have come to see that reaching maturity as a designer is a continual process of reassessment and letting go of potentially damaging baggage.
This can include jettisoning your ego and dumping your assumptions, prejudices and even your own opinions. There can be no sacred cows when you try to become what I call a selfless designer.
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We, members of the design community, are on an ongoing quest for knowledge and learning opportunities—anything we can find to enhance our skills and share the precious pearls of wisdom we’ve held close to our hearts. Given that most of us are where we are because of the shared advice we’ve managed to accumulate along the way, tips like these can be powerful tools for facilitating professional growth, which we all strive to achieve. And it helps the community to grow and improve. Thus, they should be not greedily hoarded, but rather openly shared.
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Hacker attacks across the web are getting more sophisticated every day – after all, they have to. With the increased sophistication of anti-virus protection, firewalls, and application-based updates, hackers who want to stay in business have needed to get more creative. And they have, responding with increasingly sophisticated attacks that have forced the online security industry to scramble to keep up.
So how do the hackers stay ahead of the security experts? One reason is obvious – if they didn't, they'd be out of a job. Another reason is institutional – a lone hacker working in a basement will be more innovative and faster moving than a large software company, thus more likely to come up with effective hacks.
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When I left my job almost 2 years ago to start my own graphic design business, there were a few, let’s say, surprises. The biggest of which was that the majority of my time was being spent running the business, and not actually designing. It is quite difficult to put a number to it, but as a rough guess, I spend around 30% of my time designing. The remaining 70% is spent on other activities such as; advertising, sending emails, tracking expenses, invoicing clients, having phone conversations, writing articles, solving problems, etc.
Being a self-employed graphic designer can be quite a juggling act. If you are unprepared for the task of actually running a business, your dreams of success can quickly fall by the wayside. To be a successful self-employed designer, you need to be much more than a great designer. You also need to be a savvy business person. In this article, I will discuss some of the non-design related tasks that a self-employed designer faces. I will also offer you a few tips to help you run a more efficient and effective design business.
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I'm not the best web designer or graphic designer out there and I don't claim to be, but I do have experience in getting jobs in the industry. I've worked for all kinds of companies since graduating from high school. I've worked as a web designer, graphic designer, and also a front-end developer. In this article, I'd like to share with you some pointers that have helped me in my job interviews.
I've noticed that a lot of people struggle with this area of the job interview. Considering you have the experience and the skill for the job, then the job interview should be something that you look forward to. It should be something that you are confident in, and it should be something that you don't shy away from. You can be the most talented web designer out there, but if you don't do well in your job interview, it can cause you to lose out on that excellent position that you have always wanted. So let's get started. I'd like to give you 7 important pointers to help you on your next job interview.
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A grid at its barest is nothing more than a series of intersecting horizontal and vertical lines spaced at regular intervals, but its innate propensity for creating order out of chaos makes it one of the most powerful tools at a designer’s disposal. If you want to reap their benefits of grids on your next project but are unsure of the specifics, this article is for you.
Grids are everywhere in our society, and have been for centuries, as this city plan for Washington, DC drawn in 1792 by Charles L’Enfant demonstrates. If you’re even vaguely acquainted with the fundamentals of graphic design, you’ve probably worked on some kind of a grid or at the very least seen examples of grid-based layouts. Grids are an established design tool, and a wealth of knowledge exists in the literature discussing the theory of grids and extolling their benefits. I will make no attempt to summarize them here (if you want a good primer on grid theory, have a look at this piece by Mark Boulton).
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Being a web developer or designer is a great job. Working full-time doing the things you love and having the ability to work freelance on the side is a plus. But being a college student looking for placement, or fresh out of school and looking for your first full time job can be stressful. Not knowing exactly what to look for can cause some problems, and potentially even hamper your future in some cases working for others. So what do you look for when you are searching for a placement or your first full-time job?
Having went through this in the past, I had no guidance of what to look for. Applying for several jobs over the internet job boards, I found a small company hiring developers with little to no experience, and offering the job through a local internship program. I thought this was a great opportunity so I took it. In the beginning, it was great. I learned quite a few things while working at this small company.
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