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I know the print industry isn't probably changing as much as the web stuff nowadays but Im just wondering were do print graphic designers get their inspiration, latest news and that kind of stuff.

Are you designing for print? What websites/blogs/online stuff( including social media like twitter profiles,g+,facebook etc) do you follow ?

One example, I love the COLORS magazine, not specifically for print, but just for great photos and inspiration http://www.colorsmagazine.com/magazines

You?

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  • If you are interested in what people follow, I would advice you to get a diigo account. You can keep your own bookmarks online and organize them with tags. You can also follow other people in the industry and check which bookmarks they have. I have an account that I try to keep updated for my students so they don't have to sort through all the clutter of portfolio websites.
    – curious
    Feb 16, 2014 at 22:52

3 Answers 3

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Perhaps predictably, print design still has quite the presence in the printed medium. Popular Magazines (that have web sites of varying quality):

  • HOW
  • Print
  • Communication Arts
  • Graphis

Some blogs:

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  • THX for the links :) I want more! :P Cmon ppl! Oct 11, 2011 at 15:07
  • Think those magazines are generally only available in the US?
    – e100
    Oct 11, 2011 at 16:17
  • I believe all 4 are US publications (HOW and Print now owned by the same publisher, I believe) but should be available most any art/design store worldwide.
    – DA01
    Oct 11, 2011 at 16:21
  • @e100: You can buy the digital editions online as they come out. Otherwise, you can also buy the annual CD/retrospectus packs that contain a full year's HOW/Print issues. However, I have to say, the digital copies are not very good quality. Even the packaging is pretty low quality. Though some of the articles are pretty good if you want to purchase them just for the textual content, not for the visual content. May 1, 2012 at 5:47
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Probably 80% of my work still targets pigment overlay on flexible substrates (hey, I just turned "print" into eleven syllables!), from flyers to billboards and just about everything between. The distinction between online and print was never very important: good design is good design, regardless of medium. Each has its different technical challenges.

For inspiration and ideas I just always stay alert for things that work well, whether I'm driving (billboards), walking around downtown, browsing a bookstore or magazine rack, visiting an art gallery or surfing the web. Those huge, wide billboards are great for web header and web banner ideas, by the way -- the design challenge is the same for both.

I seldom visit the big design/advertising industry sites and magazines. They tend to be behind the curve technologically while featuring what they think is "edgy" and "creative" instead of things that actually work (boost clients' revenues). You can assess from this my general level of respect for Cleo and Addy awards.

John McWade's famous Before & After magazine and blog are a constant source of practical and great-looking ideas. See this post as a fantastic example of "practical."

For technology I'm a regular at tv.adobe.com (since those are the tools I use) and numerous Adobe blogs and forums, Lynda.com (without which we would all be up the creek, these days), InDesignSecrets.com, PhotoshopUser.com (I've been a NAPP member for years, Mordy Golding's Real World Illustrator blog. I also from time to time may or may not be a tester for hypothetical future versions of unspecified products that may or may not be released by possibly well-known (or not) software companies at unspecified future dates. Or not.

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I haven't come across any. you might find the following sites useful.

http://www.thedieline.com and

http://cleanpapercut.com/works/

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