Using layers in any creative computer program is a marvellous way to enhance our creativity. In this article, I will explain how to use layers in Photoshop, applied to an Easter card.
Once you know how to benefit from working with layers, you can use them for any kind of creative expression.
Besides using them for masking, I often toggle between layers to turn them ‘on’ and ‘off’ so I can judge differences. Making variations and looking at which one pleases me most, is easy that way.
Fonts have a look that tells something about the character of the person or company that chose them. For me, that has always been the main reason for the letter choices I made for a client. What should their appearance be?
But fonts have more aspects that influence that choice. It is important to know them in order to choose the right font.
While beautiful or ugly is one of those arguments, it is the least important of all. So, why is choosing the right font important?
I was a graphic designer for 35 years, so I had to develop several technical skills over time. When I started in 1985 fax machines were quite new and there were no computers in the offices in the Netherlands.
Most printers had offset, although there were a few that still used letterpress printing. Designs were made on the drawing table. The design drawings were transposed by phototypesetting. And, we can hardly imagine this, there were no mobile phones, let alone the smart ones.
The main conclusion throughout the years was that the techniques may change, yet the rules of corporate identity will not.
Nowadays I am retired, yet I have been a graphic designer for 35 years. There hardly was a day I felt reluctant to go to my studio to start my day. It goes without saying that the profession is still part of my heart.
The world has changed hugely in those 35 years, as you can imagine. After all, everything changes all the time.
The question “Is graphic design a good career choice” was frequently asked of me, both by my clients and by students and interns. Despite all the changes, I could always answer with a resounding yes.
The biggest advantage of being a graphic designer is that you meet so many kinds of people and work for so many different types of companies.
Some clients wanted to talk as briefly as possible, while others shared more about their interests and their lives.
That’s how I found out that my printer was red-green colourblind and one of my clients was red-colourblind. How does a colourblind person see, became an interesting topic this way.
Often people assume that the meaning of symbols is easier to comprehend than written text. Most of the time, this assumption is wrong.
In the same way that any foreign language must be learned, the idiom of symbols must also be learned. Some symbols or characters are immediately obvious, others require a table with an explanation.
However, we pick up a lot of knowledge about symbols just by looking around in the town where we walk or using public transport. And when everybody knows the meaning of a certain symbol, it communicates a lot quicker than written language. Especially when many languages are used in one place, for example at an airport.
There are good signs and there are bad signs. To know the qualities of good signs we just have to look around and experience the signage that surrounds us.
Don’t you agree that a lot of signs are confusing? Our environment is so full of messages, promotions, and both visual and auditory noise, that it’s hard to focus on the signs that we need at a specific moment.
Still, some signs are marvellous. It’s a pity that the better the design is, the less we notice the signs because they do their job instantly and without complicating things.
Nowadays it is fashionable for fashion brands to put their monogram on bags and clothes. Why are monograms used that way?
A monogram is a powerful sign, made of 2 or a few letters, that is compact and recognizable.
Monogram-like signs were used as early as ancient times. They could have a religious meaning or serve to identify the author or sender.
In the Middle Ages, royals and prelates used their monograms, consisting of letters of their first and last names. In the centuries that followed, artists signed their work with a monogram.
The guidelines for typography in web design are not that different from the guidelines for text in any use. Whether on a screen or on paper, on a truck or on the facade of an office, always ask yourself: “Can people read this in an easy and clear way?”
Almost half of all websites worldwide are made with WordPress, including this website. While WordPress simplifies a lot of typographic decisions, it is still important to have a basic understanding of how typography works.
The following tips apply to both using HTML and CSS, as well as WordPress or any other CMS (Content Management System) website.