Find inspiration, how-tos, instructions, tips, and thoughts about graphic design and design programs, especially Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, and Adobe Premiere.
I've been using Photoshop for almost 25 years, so changes sometimes throw me for a loop. Recently, in my version 23.3.1 release, new documents stopped automatically sizing to what I had in my clipboard. Ugh. I find this a frustrating change! Fortunately, there's a way to get back the old functionality!
As a graphic designer, I love type! Here's a round-up of the best typographic games. They're a pleasant way to spend time. You'll find yourself exploring kerning, font-shaping, font pairing, testing your identification skills, and even exploring the history of famous fonts. Enjoy!
Brand's logotypes used to be known for their unique flourishes; these unexpected touches added distinction to a brand's wordmark. Now, brands are moving towards minimalism, simplification, and optimization in digital contexts. Here's a collection of big brands using extremely generic typefaces as their current wordmarks.
This post includes How-To videos that I use when I'm teaching beginner undergraduate Graphic Design students about Color. The Illustrator Color Wheel uses the HSB color mode and Live Paint Bucket tool. The Photoshop Color Wheel uses an RGB additive technique the brush tool. Enjoy! Happy Designing!
Ever had a PhotoShop file with many, many layers and wished there was an easy way to find the named layer you're looking for? Well, there is! Adobe Photoshop allows you to search for layers by name, search for layers by kind, search for layers by effect, search for layers by mode, search for layers by attribute, search for layers by color, search for layers by smart object, search for layers by...
Learning the nuances of the Illustrator pen tool takes time and practice. Many years ago, I found an exercise created by Belgian-based web/graphic designer, Veerle. I've often used her exercise as an in-class project for my beginner design students. This post shares tips and provides videos of completing this beginner pen tool exercise.
This post is based on the skills and exercises I teach my beginner design students during a project where we make two-letter logotypes using our initials. Watch videos and get how-to tips for making your own initial/monogram logo.
Sorting out how to share and save files in Adobe programs can be challenging. PDFs are incredibly confusing for new designers because they can be generic, specialized for specific apps, or interactive. This post shares insight on saving and using PDFs, specifically in Photoshop.
For newbie designers, I recognize that often simple tasks taken for granted by more experienced designers can become roadblocks. One task that can stop new design students dead in their tracks is how to get a specific font into PhotoShop. If this is you, don’t worry; adding a font to PhotoShop is relatively easy, and this post explains how to do it. The problem An online design tutorial may...
Working in Canva? Can't find the export option? Here's a tip: look for download instead. Read on to learn how to quickly export or download your design from Canva.