10-03-2021 12:34:25 PM EST

WELCOME TO THE WEEKFISH BLOG!

10 ways to stop your designs from looking the same and create unique stuff quickly

01. Look to the past: Borrow some of the features of historical design styles
Often grouped together under the vague term “vintage,” historical design styles are a rich source of inspiration. Some specific styles you may have heard of include Art Deco (1920s), Art Nouveau, Bauhaus, and Victorian, among others. Each has its own distinctive look and characteristics. You can create designs that replicate these styles for an authentic period look if it’s appropriate for your project, or you can pick and choose elements that inspire you — like layout, shapes, colors, or typography styles.

Let’s look at two sets of examples.

First, we have some Art Deco-inspired examples from Westminster Paper Co. and Frank Rodriguez. These pieces use distinct motifs from the Deco movement, like intricate borders and embellishments; sharp, sleek and geometric typefaces; and a gold-and-black color palette. Notice, though, that while these examples both use elements from the Art Deco era, they’re two different interpretations of the movement. Mixing and matching elements from art history can make your design both unique and engaging.

Another example are these two pieces from Telegramme Paper Co. which are inspired by 1950’s design. These examples draw elements such as distressed textures, vintage palettes and vibrant, expressive type, right from the 50’s to create some whimsical and engaging designs. Again, though, do notice that while these two pieces both fall under the same umbrella in many respects, they’ve both taken unique elements from the era/movement to produce original solutions. Do plenty of research into art history and mix and match elements to see what original concepts you can come up with.

Now, let’s take a look how at how this would look in Canva. Using the same template, I’ve created two different social media posts: one with a retro feel, and the other more a vintage or classic.

02. Look to the past, part 2: Mix and match design styles from different periods for a one-of-a-kind look
Mixing graphic styles from different periods — picking and choosing features that suit your particular project — is another easy way to find design inspiration and experiment with styles that you don’t normally use. Plus, this approach helps you create a distinctive design that has a look all its own, since you’re mixing elements from different design traditions that are complementary, but that you still won’t usually see together.

For the logo design below, Joe White has used this approach to nice effect. The Art Deco influences — geometric shapes and precise linear embellishments — are obvious at first glance. But if you look at the typography choices for this design, you’ll notice that both the round-edged san serif and the script have a more retro/industrial feel reminiscent of the 1940s and 50s rather than the 20s. This combination seems especially appropriate for a brand that emphasizes both luxury and urban living.

The key takeaway here is to let yourself be inspired by art history, not to copy eras’ styles directly. A good technique is to find some examples you like and write down or circle the elements that you like the most and which ones you don’t like; maybe you love the palette but really dislike the kinds of typefaces used. Then experiment with mixing and matching these elements – use one palette with another kind of illustration, then completely reverse it. You’ll eventually end up with a bunch of unique and stylish design pieces. Modernise your found examples, give them a personal and unique twist, and tailor them to what you need.

03. Experiment with simplicity and complexity
If your default style is a minimalist, stripped-down look, purposely try creating a detailed, ornate design. And vice versa: if you’re all about embellishments and ornaments, force yourself to simplify. Getting out of your comfort zone can help you improve as a designer — and you may be surprised at what you’re able to learn and accomplish when you try something new.

Here’s an example of two designers taking two very different approaches to the same subject matter: one simple and angular, with minimal detail; the other more complex, with swirling, intricate details.

Though they are radically different, both styles – the minimal and the more intricate designs – make for effective and engaging designs. Experimenting with adding or taking away detail and seeing what effect it has can be the key to varied, interesting and dynamic designs.

You could try the same thing for fun or practice: pick a subject that interests you, then use it as a starting point to try out and compare different design styles. Add elements or take them away, just try to think outside the box and in a radical new way.

Consider how this principle has been applied in Canva. By removing the background image and rearranging the text, the difference in complexity and simplicity between these two invitations is immense.

04. Use familiar objects in unexpected ways
Finding yourself using the same imagery in the same old ways over and over again? Get a creative jumpstart by using recognizable objects in surprising ways. Much like how a metaphor or play on words spices up writing, giving an unexpected interpretation to a familiar image or object can add extra interest and make for an eye-catching design.

Try to have a think about what things are associated with your communication, consider relationships and connections that can be found between two radically different or similar elements.

Let’s look at three posters that do just this.

These posters by Carlos Zamora, Pentagram, and Lemel Yossi, each find clever relationships within their communication, and they pair these to make meaningful and engaging designs. These posters have found the relationships based on shapes – the curve of film strips is similar to the curve of soft serve ice cream, bicycle wheels perfectly match NYC manhole covers, the spaces between fingers taper inwards just like an arm reaching up does etc.

If you’re looking for something radically different for your design, then try to use familiar objects in unexpected ways to create communications that really grab ahold of you. Thinking a little left of centre can help you create a truly unique design that not even you have created before.

05. Forget your favorite font
You may have a favorite font (or five, or 20). Maybe it’s one you spent a lot of money for (gotta get your money’s worth, right?). Many designers have a special fondness for certain fonts, and it’s okay to use them when they suit a particular project. But if you find yourself defaulting to those fonts all the time, then it’s time to mix things up. Typography is such an essential part of graphic design, that you don’t want all your projects looking like cookie-cutter copies of each other.

Not sure where to find new fonts, or is money an issue? There are many sources of free or pay-what-you-want fonts for both personal and commercial use. Two of the best are Font Squirrel (all free, commercial use) and Lost Type (pay what you want for personal use and priced commercial use options). For web design, Google Fonts and TypeKit both have selections of free web fonts.

If you’re really keen on producing designs that are totally unique to what you usually create, enforce a ban on using your favourite fonts. Spend an afternoon hunting down some new ones and compile a brand new catalogue for yourself, so next time you go to set some type, you’ll be like a kid in a candy store. With all new typographic options to choose from you’ll forget about those used and abused typefaces in no time.

06. Use stock photos, illustrations, and vectors sparingly
There are a lot of great design resources out there, both free and paid, and many designers have a library of images and graphics to draw from when needed. There’s nothing wrong with that, but (much like the favorite font dilemma), when you find yourself going back to the same resources over and over again, your designs might start to look a little too similar.

Yes, stock resources can save a lot of time, but if the timeframe and scope of your project allows, you should create your own images and graphics to give your client/boss/self an original design. Or, if you’re really strapped for time, try customizing or adapting a stock resource to put your own spin on it and give it a look other than how it came “out of the box.”

07. Go analog: Sketch first
These days, graphic designers have powerful tools and programs to create digital designs. From super-fast computers to complex software, designers can create perfectly useful, beautiful designs without ever touching pencil and paper. But that doesn’t mean they should rely on those tools exclusively. Because by using the same tools every day, this is how we fall into the trap of producing the same content every day.

Sketching out a design before moving to the computer has a number of benefits:

  • You can quickly try out different layouts and concepts (and filter out the best ones) without devoting a lot to time to rendering them in design software.
  • You can brainstorm your ideas with minimal effort and get approval early on, so you don’t waste time on rejected designs.
  • You can carry a small sketch pad and pencil or pen anywhere, in your pocket or bag — it’s always accessible, there when you need it to record a spur-of-the-moment idea — whether you’re meeting with a client, on a crowded bus, or enjoying some downtime.

Sketching first can also help prevent you from relying on your same old digital workflow, injecting fresh ideas and approaches into your designs. Remember: You don’t have to be particularly good at drawing to use sketching as a design tool; the sketches don’t even have to look that good, especially if you’re just using them for your own brainstorming and planning.

The key is to disrupt your routine of thinking, so picking up a pencil and paper and just letting your mind wander can be the best way to get yourself onto the path towards unique designs.

08. Go analog, part 2: Add something hand-drawn or handmade to your final design
If you have experience in traditional artistic mediums like drawing or painting (or access to someone who does), one of the best ways to add a truly unique centerpiece to your design project is to create a hand-drawn illustration or lettering. The whole design (such as a greeting card or poster) might be handmade or hand-drawn, or just certain elements. Whatever your approach, you can be sure that you won’t see your design anywhere else.

Let’s discuss two effective ways to do just this.

First of all we have complementary illustrations. Just as is seen in this ad series from Sara Morris, super simple illustrative elements have been paired with photographic elements to create a new, fun, and quirky design. Do some doodles, scan them into your computer and see what pairing them with digital elements can do for you.

Another super easy way you can pair analog and digital elements is by using some handcrafted type. Check out these two examples by Clement Goebels and Domenico Caminiti that pair run of the mill serif typefaces with less linear, more handcrafted typefaces. Whether you choose to use a pre-made font or take the time to sit down and handwrite a piece of copy, pairing a some handcrafted type with traditional serif or sans-serif body copy typefaces can give your design an original and engaging effect that will be unique to your design alone.

09. Customize your templates (or make your own)
Design templates have their uses — say, to get the dimensions just right for a print design or to save time if you regularly work on established projects, such as your company’s newsletter. But if you’re using a fully designed template you found online and make no changes to it, you can be sure that somewhere there’s an exact copy of your design floating around. And you don’t want that.

So if you want to save time, rather than using templates in the same way that hundreds of other designers have, you have a couple of alternatives:

  • Make your own template. Creating a master file (where you can easily plug in content and change out elements like photos and color palettes) makes a lot of sense for designs that are produced on a regular schedule, like magazines, newsletters, or emails. Having a basic layout in place allows you to spend more time being creative with new content.
  • If you’re using an existing template, make enough changes to it that it isn’t recognizable as the original. That way, you get the benefit of a head start, but the appearance and functionality of a custom design.

Tools like Canva make creating customised designs so easy that you’d be crazy to not put a personal touch on your templates. Explore options, colours, type combinations etc. and tailor your design perfectly to your needs. Try to look at a template as a stepping stone to a design that suits your needs to an absolute T.

10. Learn the difference between copying and inspiration
Studying other designers’ work is one of the best ways to get inspired and learn about different styles and techniques. And there’s no shortage of inspiration both off and online — there’s tons of design and illustration talent to be found on social media sites like Dribbble and Instagram.

Artists have always been inspired by each other. Have you ever seen students sitting in museums, copying paintings by the old masters? They’re improving their own technique by reproducing the successes of other artists. If you want to do the same thing as a graphic designer, though, you need to be careful.

It can be a good exercise to try a reproduce a design you admire as a personal exercise, but you have to be careful not to accidently include unique aspects of other designers’ work in your own public or professional work. Not only is that plagiarism, but you can be sure, since everything ends up online, that someone will notice. Although there’s no such thing as complete originality, there is a difference between being influenced by another designer and outright copying.

Austin Kleon, the author of the New York Times bestseller Steal Like an Artist, has a lot to say about this subject. Here’s a relevant excerpt:

“Don’t just steal the style, steal the thinking behind the style. You don’t want to look like your heroes, you want to see like your heroes. The reason to copy your heroes and their style is so that you might somehow get a glimpse into their minds. That’s what you really want — to internalize their way of looking at the world. If you just mimic the surface of somebody’s work without understanding where they are coming from, your work will never be anything more than a knockoff.”

To sum up, here’s one more nugget of wisdom from Kleon:

“At some point, you’ll have to move from imitating your heroes to emulating them…

Imitation is about copying. Emulation is when imitation goes one step further, breaking through into your own thing.”

Designing at work can be tough. Between marketing materials, social media graphics, corporate documents and all the rest – it can be difficult to think of different creative ideas.

Ready to break through into your own thing — and regularly create standout designs? Put these 10 tips into action, and you’ll be well on your way.


0 Comments

10-21-2020 7:26:56 PM EST

Graphic design makes the world go ’round. It helps you inform, engage, and entice consumers to choose your brand over the competition. In fact, graphic elements can be the first interaction prospects have at the top of the marketing funnel. From that point, you can nurture those leads all the way to the finish line.

If you’re not convinced that graphic design is essential, think of your favorite companies. Envision their product packaging or logos. You’re likely picturing graphics. Those graphics have become so familiar that you can identify them from far away. Who hasn’t recognized an Amazon Prime delivery van by its telltale arrow swoosh?

Of course, accepting that creative design solutions are vital to the health, profitability, and scalability of your organization is one thing. Creating top-notch graphics that motivate people to take action is another. Chances are strong that you won’t generate graphics yourself, personally, unless that’s your talent. So what are your staffing options for hiring a designer and getting high-quality graphics?


0 Comments

10-13-2020 11:59:17 AM EST

Graphic design has a major part to play in the cutting edge focused business condition. Organizations require the administrations of graphic designers to make noteworthy promoting materials. These materials incorporate business cards, pamphlets, flyers, sites, and stationeries etc. 

A great and vital logo is a fundamental prerequisite for any business to fabricate a brand personality. So also, organizations require the administrations of graphic designers to make exceptional portable applications and web-based social networking pages for business advancement. We can state that the Scope of graphic design has turned into a piece of working together in physical and virtual markets. 

The purpose behind the rising demand of organizations for graphic design is the requirement for viable correspondence with the crowd. Since an ever-increasing number of organizations are entering markets, it is creating more rivalry. 

To manage the opposition, graphic designs have turned out to be basic to draw the consideration of potential clients towards organizations. There is an expanding need felt by business visionaries to impart a message to the intended interest group viably. 

What Does Design Rely on In Graphic Design? 

The term graphic in graphic design truly implies a visual that is appropriate and precise. The designing part in graphic design is for making a particular message in an expert and creative way. The point here is to deliver a bit of visual data for an intended interest group. The term graphic design likewise remains for visual correspondence or correspondence design. 

The innovative procedure includes the customer and graphic designer. To make critical design pieces, the designer utilizes distinctive visual expressions, typography abilities, pictures and format systems. The plan of different design components in a graphic design relies upon the media, for example, publications, logos, bundles, site, and so on. 

The cutting edge designers utilize diverse graphics programming projects, for example, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, CorelDraw, Adobe InDesign, QuarkXPress, and so on. The immense field of graphic design, by and large, incorporates print, web, and broadcasting. Print designing incorporates logos, delineation and graphics, format, bundling design, and so forth. The computerized class of designing incorporates site and programming, and broadcasting incorporates movement and film graphic designing.

Here are the eight tips help you understand the importance of graphic design in 2020
Improve Sales 
Mindfully made graphic design pieces can enable lift to up deals. Individuals are pulled in to any extraordinarily designed thing. Your quality design delivers a message to them. The message might be that the organization owning the design conveys top-notch items or administrations. Individuals get such messages in a roundabout way in their psyches when they see a novel logo design, business card, and other such designs. This conveys individuals closer to businesses on numerous occasions.

Once the range of graphic designs has effectively had a constructive outcome on watchers, a large number of them end up faithful clients. This is because graphic design advertising things help in anticipating an organization as a reliable brand. Graphic designs have a great deal to do with the enduring development of an organization. 
Also read: Best 4 Security Tips to Help Your Business Grow

Build up Company Name 
Graphic designs are additionally useful in building up an organization’s name in its specialty advertise. When we see an alluring logo, over and over, it helps us to remember the brand behind the logo. So also, notices, sites, business cards are the designs we as a whole observe on a regular routine. Every one of these designs revives our recollections of the brand. This encourages us to perceive the brand name.  

Private ventures don’t, for the most part, have enough promoting spending plan. They think that it’s hard to get a mark of acknowledgment in their specialty markets. Yet, an interestingly designed logo, business card design and other promoting things can quickly grab the eye of individuals. The designs in this manner empower organizations in setting up their names in the market. 

Construct Goodwill In The Market 
Additionally, graphic designs are awesome instruments for winning trust and altruism in the market. On the off chance that a logo design or some other graphic design is of good stylish esteem, it fills the watchers with certainty. They have confidence in the organization’s items or administrations if its design components claim to the faculties. Slowly, an appealing design will help win clients and a considerable lot of them wind up faithful to your business. 

An organization can feature its items with the assistance of graphic design. At whatever point an organization dispatches another item, it gets ready for another showcasing effort. The crusade extends the items in another light. For that, graphic design administrations are expected to give a picture of the items.

Pass on A Brand Message 
Graphic design is likewise a decent method for passing on a particular brand message to target clients. An expert designer first needs to think about the message the design ought to convey. A brand message makes the design value. The designer picks a particular hues and typefaces to inspire a proposed feeling. This feeling at that point turns into the message of the brand to potential clients. 

For instance, McDonald’s logo has red and yellow as principal hues. These hues bring out sentiments of enthusiasm and crude vitality of youngsters and additionally socialization. This is likewise the message of the drive-thru food organization as its objective is youthful clients. 

Join The Employees 
An organization has numerous workers who ought to have a typical reason exceptional to them. Graphic designs have helped organizations in this issue. The representatives have organization website pages, productions, outfits, stationery, logo, handouts and numerous other graphic designs around them in an organization. Accordingly, these designs turn into a typical personality of the representatives and join them with a typical character. 
Also read: The Benefits of SMS Marketing

Empower Professionalism 
Numerous organizations battle to make a situation of intensity and polished skill among their workers. The graphic design establishes a long term connection between your customers and sellers. For instance, a logo design that looks tastefully extraordinary says a lot about its organization’s methods for working together. A deliberately designed logo gives the feeling that the organization maintains its day by day issues of business in an expert way. That checks a great deal for guaranteeing the development of a business. 

Influence Power 
You might have heard this term that your logo defines your business. One of the best benefits of graphic design is that it influences your clients to consider your business. A very much made handout design, for instance, can comprehend association with a brand. 

Meaningfulness Of Content 
A decent graphic designer can even improve the meaningfulness of your substance that you create to catch the eye of a group of people. The designer does this by picking proper typefaces, hues, pictures, and so forth. 

 This way, these are a portion of key focal points that you have to hire an expert graphic designer to design a logo for your business.

Graphic design is essential to businesses and different strolls of life in shifted ways. Professionally made logo designs help establish a decent connection with potential customers. Huge numbers of them wind up steadfast clients later. Be that as it may, an early introduction that a graphic design makes on watchers is of significant significance in drawing their consideration towards a business.


0 Comments



    

Graphic Design - Social Media Marketing - Website Design - Video Creation - GIF's - Animation

Corporate Headquarters:
231 Stadium St. Suite 1, Smyrna, DE 19977

NYC Manhattan:
442 5th Avenue #2168, New York, NY 10018

 
 
 
 


© TTWS