Design Secrets

Convert PDFs to Word in an instant

hollym — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 14:38:00 +0000

This works really well. Also discovered re-saving a PDF in Adobe Acrobat Professional 8 as a .doc does a similar job too!
http://www.pdfonline.com/pdf-to-word-converter/

Ten items every designer should have

hollym — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 09:33:59 +0000

1. An over-size sketchbook and a set of good pencils
For drawing out designs, for mapping out a problem, for inspiring creativity

2. An ergonomic mouse or graphics tablet
All those clicks. Enough said.

3. A Pantone swatch book
For choosing colour schemes, for checking colour trueness

4. A cutting mat, various scalpel blades and a steel ruler
For mocking up printed projects

5. A paper weight swatch book
Learn to know the feel of different weight papers

6. A giant poster expressing all the A sizes
Invaluable if you are a commercial print designer

7. A shredder
Don’t let your draft designs end up in the wrong hands

8. A giant monitor
Be kind to yourself and get as big a monitor as possible. After all, you know the hours you will spend in front of it

9. A comfortable chair
As above. Good design does not come out of poor posture

10. A creative cupboard
Fill it with your work, other people’s work you admire, print samples, books, manuals, magazines, papers, crayons, art and craft materials, whatever. Keeps it all off your desk and a source of inspiration

What items make your life as a graphic designer easier?

Ten free fonts used by The Oatmeal

hollym — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 09:13:56 +0000

I am absolutely loving Ten free fonts used by The Oatmeal – the first two especially, and with links to download this is a little gem! Thanks TO for sharing. http://theoatmeal.com/blog/free_fonts

Good pre-press tips here at The Printed Image

hollym — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 16:28:31 +0000

Stumbled across this and thought it was a handy one for designers who are preparing art straight to print http://www.tpi.ie/customer-service/artwork-specifications/

Kim Tasso – Practical Marketing Consultancy

hollym — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 16:15:50 +0000

I had the fortune of attending a fantastic course yesterday, on Problem-solving, Creativity and Innovation – led by a lady by the name of Kim Tasso and organised by the Professional Marketing (PM) Forum.

The course was just a half-day session but it was so very worthwhile. Kim Tasso was an excellent trainer and she brought us through popular techniques for initially, problem-solving, then creativity and idea generation. I found it so good because it had never occurred to me that there were even such things as actual techniques for these dilemmas! Check out Kim’s website for more information and if you ever get a chance to attend one of her courses, it is well worth it.

Quote for the day

hollym — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 20:03:05 +0000

“Design should never say, ‘Look at me.’ It should always say, ‘Look at this.’ “

David Craib

Adding interactivity to your PDFs

hollym — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 11:16:27 +0000

Today I learnt a little about creating buttons in Adobe InDesign CS3:

http://livedocs.adobe.com/en_US/InDesign/5.0/help.html?content=WSE0B3DDA6-397B-42df-8506-9220DEFB676B.html

And then about how to create a Print button as a finishing touch in Acrobat:

http://blogs.adobe.com/educationleaders/2008/05/create_an_acrobat_print_button.html

Useful stuff!

Looking for a bit of inspiration?

hollym — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 21:44:33 +0000

I’m getting married next year! And through my wedding planning I have found a beautiful Irish blog called OneFabDay. When I found it a number of months ago it really inspired me to design my own freelance wedding stationery website, for which I did some preliminary work. There are some really beautiful blogs in the online wedding scene – they have opened up a whole new world of inspiration to me and I hope they will for you too. Get started at OneFabDay, link above, and before you know it you will find yourself surrounded by inspirational design.

InDesign skills: Don’t let transparency ruin your printing

hollym — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 17:14:14 +0000

I just KNOW one day I will need this article and won’t know where I found it! An excellent note from the Adobe Creative Newsletter.

InDesign skills: Don’t let transparency ruin your printing

Should I work for free?

hollym — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 16:52:34 +0000

Ah. THAT formidable question every graphic designer asks themselves from time to time. A quirky flow chart is available at http://www.shouldiworkforfree.com, designed by New York designer, illustrator and typographer Jessica Hische to help you discover the right answer.