Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Disc Hubs

I always wondered where one could get those little nifty stick ons to hold a disc inside a folder/brochure. The search is over because I found them at 5inch. They also cary custom silkscreened CDRs and DVDRs!






Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Tips for dealing with professional print shops

According to Marco Tabini, from Macworld.com, the printing industry is a curious mix of old and new—a world rich with history that harks back hundreds of years, but relies on technology that changes and improves all the time.


The bad part is that dealing with the challenges presented by a print job—from business cards to posters—can be difficult, particularly if you have never worked with a print shop before and don’t have the budget to contract a professional to handle the process for you. Read More


Marco has some great tips. I have found that there are a decent amount of online printers you can work with. Most of them even offer design services; but beware you are using template designs and nothing is really custom. It is really easy to upload your artwork and each site provides production guidelines specific to the service you are utilizing. Make sure to request samples if you are printing large quantities so you can judge the print quality. Some of my favorite online vendors include Vista Print, Zoo Printing, Overnight , 48 Hour, and Uprinting. All of these sites offer discounts so keep an eye out for their sales and you can really strike a bargain on your printing. I have purchased 500 Business cards for $25 in the past and the quality is beautiful; double sided and gloss coated! 

Monday, March 21, 2011

Awesome Product Design

Who says a usb flash drive has to be a standard design and in a variety of color choices? There are several out-of-the-box options out there for those of you who love product design. Check out Brando, a company who specializes in electronic gadgets. They offer fun food memory usbs like chicken wings, icecream, and sushi! Another awesome company specializing in usb memory gadgets is Solid Alliance. Don't you just love their paperclip memory usb?
 






Tuesday, March 15, 2011

The Professional Communicator

I am terrible at spelling and grammar. The other day I had my sister edit my resume and she found several errors. She said I should consider the Chicago Manual Style. I did a little research and came up with a great resource for designers like me – the online Chicago Manual of Style.

TIP from HOW's Doug Bartow: 
You are a professional communicator; act like one. Carefully edit everything you publish: résumés, social media, e-mail, blog posts, letters, text messages, everything. Get a copy of “The Chicago Manual of Style” and keep it handy. Most potential employers and clients don’t appreciate text shorthand, so don’t use it. They won’t be ROTFL, and you will end up SOL.


Monday, March 14, 2011

Personalized Vintage Wedding Posters

Alexander & Company is a creative collaboration between Chicago-based artist, Alexander Doll, and you. Your choice of text, along with multiple design and color options give you the ability to create your own custom piece of art. Be sure to check out the 2010 online catalog for all of the current poster options.





Friday, March 11, 2011

Gifts for Graphic Designers

We are really not that hard to shop for. The next time someone asks you what you want for your birthday have them consider one of these cool gifts for graphic designers.

Wire and Twine's  Hell-Fucking-Vetica Tshirt



 Pantone Plus® Series Formula Guide Solid & Solid Uncoated at MyDesignShop





Oh Crop Mug from Cafepress


istockphoto photography credits

 Type Coasters from Veer