Thoughts & Feelings

Image "Bleeds" and "Safe Print" zones ... "Bleed" is a printing term used to indicate the area with a background image that will be trimmed off after the file is printed and cut down to the finished size. Since the bleed area will be trimmed off during the cutting process, there should be no text or other important information in the bleed area. Projects that make use of image bleed should extend any bleeding background and/or images 1/8" over the…

Good Design = Good Vibes Whether consciously or unconsciously, consumers are constantly choosing good design. While browsing the aisles of the supermarket or thumbing through the pages of a magazine, viewers are always making decisions based largely upon what is appealing to them. Why?  Because it is human nature to be drawn to what produces good feelings.  Good graphic design plays a major role in this process. Graphic design is the art of orchestrating imagery, typefaces, colors, shapes and other…

Certainly one of the most exciting and frightening times in a young graphic designer's life is preparing to walk across his department's stage and step out into the career World. In a time of economic uncertainty, the prospect of job-seeking can intimidating to say the least. Here are few tips that may help, comfort and encourage those individuals. Polish Your Portfolio First and foremost, ensure that your portfolio is in top-notch shape and ready to show. These days, the majority…

It occurred to me the other day as I was making my drive down Hwy. 40 from Raleigh to Charlotte, that there was something missing along sides of the road - something that, 2 or 3 years ago was present in abundance. Was it billboards? No. They're still there dotting the landscape in all their "glory" making their 36 x 10 ft sales pitches to passers-by. No; what, to me, was conspicuously absent was something most people probably haven't missed…

Even for the finest resorts with the most magnificent natural scenery, it's tough for courses to compete on the pages of the top magazines or the most popular websites. Photoshop has become the go-to tool for designers to bring that magical "And God Spoke..." aspect to their clients' photography. 90 Degree Design is one of the best in the industry when it comes to bringing storybook artistry to photographs. This featured photo was originally shot by Bob Dalto, one of…