Workflow describes the process of a task, the steps required to go from start to finish. This term is not limited to design, but in the design world it can be applied to different processes, from creating a logo to digitally retouching a batch of photos. Workflow is often a subjective topic, ...
14
votes
7answers
3k views
Learning to draw: start in the pen and paper realm or the digital space?
My question is should I start with paper to learn to draw or learn to digitally draw with Photoshop or Illustrator or any image manipulation application.
I am thinking of using a book or some other ...
12
votes
5answers
713 views
Web-based workflow solutions for graphic designers (hosted and self-run)?
There are some common tasks in almost every graphic designer's workflow that are made immensely easy by the Internet, but are often clumsy to handle through traditional channels like E-Mail.
...
12
votes
1answer
2k views
Is it possible to use a fully open source workflow for print design?
Is it possible to use only open-source tools in order to produce professional level artwork? Has anyone actually done it? If not, where are the current gaps?
Assume I'm producing a small multi-page ...
11
votes
2answers
2k views
Version Control for Design files
Can someone describe their workflow they use to handle multiple versions of a file ?
For example,
if more than one person worked on it
or you explored an idea with the design then realized you have ...
10
votes
9answers
2k views
How do I speed up my design work?
I've been a designer for 6 months, having previously had a 1st class honours degree in Graphic Communication. My issue is that I am a Very good designer, but I work too slow. It's beginning to drive a ...
8
votes
3answers
130 views
The role of the designer in content – should he have one and how big should it be?
I'm a designer, not a marketer, and not a writer (at least not professionally). A lot of the work I do involves working with material in a field that can be above my head. Because of that, I'm content ...
8
votes
3answers
1k views
Best workflow for icon design: Start big, or start small?
When designing icons that need to be delivered at several sizes, do you start at the smaller size, then scale up to the bigger sizes? Or do you start big and scale down?
There's several advantages to ...
8
votes
2answers
667 views
Version Control for Designers / Alternative to Version Cue
I've just been searching around the net for version control that has some support for graphic/Photoshop files. We're currently using BitBucket which is free and unlimited when it comes to file size ...
7
votes
3answers
185 views
where to get web-design critiques and suggestions?
Where do you get you design critics for your project, particularly on web design? A friend had suggested to me a website where people critique and give suggestion on your website. But I forgot the ...
7
votes
0answers
567 views
Endnotes in InDesign: Closest thing to a pain-free, flexible workflow?
It's an age-old complaint: up to and including CS6, InDesign supports footnotes, but not endnotes. Documents, books, reports etc aren't going to stop needing endnotes because Adobe don't support them. ...
6
votes
4answers
2k views
Best way to send layouts with editable text to writers/editors who don't have design software
Here's a common design workflow problem, probably most relevant to in-house designers, but also to agencies who have a lot of non-design writing or research staff, or freelancers who work with ...
6
votes
3answers
279 views
How can I best provide feedback to my designer
What's kosher when providing feedback to your designer? Are there best practices? If he's making a mockup of an iPhone dashboard should I tell him that I'd prefer the icons be monochromatic, or that ...
6
votes
3answers
2k views
Photoshop vs. Illustrator for Icon Development
My client is requesting SVG files (saving as an SVG would require me to build the icon in Illustrator), but I have always designed icons in Photoshop (importing vector art from Illustrator, and ...
5
votes
6answers
2k views
How to describe/talk like a designer?
I am a front end web developer. I tend to mostly deal with code but do, from time to time, have the opportunity to create graphics. I notice the designers I work with are able to talk in great detail ...
5
votes
4answers
201 views
How to troubleshoot a design that doesn't “feel” right?
I'm a new designer (sort of) and I'm wondering how you guys fix a design that just doesn't feel quite right. When you've been working on a design for a while, you can get the feeling that one of many ...
5
votes
3answers
147 views
Recommendations on how to synchronize Photoshop actions, swatches, etc. across computers
Is there any convenient way to synchronize Photoshop settings like keyboard shortcuts, actions, swatches, custom layer sytles, etc.. across several computers, preferably in an automated way?
So far, ...
4
votes
5answers
83 views
What is the best way to design for a group where multiple people have equal input?
I am building a website for a student organization. Although I'm a novice at graphic design, I can do basic sites (bootstrap is a lifesaver) and am moreso of a pro when it comes to development.
The ...
4
votes
2answers
150 views
How to solve the tragic fate illustrated in the article: How a web design goes straight to hell?
This is the article:
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/design_hell
Some of the solutions I thought:
Quitting web design and starting an own online business.
Only accepting jobs offered by professional ...
4
votes
3answers
185 views
How do I keep file sizes down when editing PDFs?
I have a set of white label PDF forms that I need to brand for our company. The initial document is 6 pages, 316KB, and already has a full set of fillable fields. In a perfect world, I just open up ...
4
votes
3answers
404 views
Vectors: How do you deal with background 'spill' on overlapping edges?
When covering one vector shape with another; if the edges overlap, the background shape's color is used as a (distasteful looking) pseudo-anti-alias effect on the foreground shape's edge, instead of ...
4
votes
2answers
274 views
Solutions for a comic production workflow?
I am looking for suggestions on a convenient solution for the following workflow.
Scan a hand-drawn panel
Fix and retouch drawing errors (using a small set of simple brushes)
Separate elements ...
4
votes
3answers
128 views
Mobile First and RWD workflow and how to interact with client
Our agency's workflow for creating a website normally consists of:
discuss content-design with client
we create wireframes (with optional, depending on client, approval)
we create one or more pixel ...
4
votes
1answer
136 views
Delivering a graphic design to a customer
I work as a photographer but recently I've been working on stretching my skills and took on a project to create a graphic design for a non-profit. The designs are complete and the organization was ...
4
votes
3answers
404 views
iOS, Android, etc., tablet devices in a design workflow?
I'm going to have to spring for one or more tablets (iPad, Tab, whatever) for testing ePubs, digital magazine ads, site rendering, etc. Because I don't have the consumer nature and also because I'd ...
3
votes
5answers
302 views
How to go ahead in web design?
I am having a hard time learning web design. I read several books and I know a bit of how to do things. I also like to study with firebug how the "big guys" made their web sites. But when I try to ...
3
votes
3answers
135 views
Learning WordPress for designers does a framework help?
I ask this question because it is in relation to Scott's thread here. I understand we have a WordPress stack exchange but I wanted to know before I dive into WordPress how designers have approached ...
3
votes
4answers
384 views
Should I store work files on my local drive or an external one?
When I worked in small design studios, I was always trained to keep my work files on an external hard drive, and never store them on the computer hard drive. One of my design friends asked why I ...
3
votes
2answers
98 views
Can more than one designers work together?
I've been wondering if it really works successfully to have one graphic design made by two or more designers!
I tried few times, but I end up with a design that is not good enough! Even though we are ...
3
votes
1answer
46 views
The way it's supposed to work with books in a team in InDesign is not coherent, then how to properly work?
Imagine this scenario:
User A opens the book
User B opens the book and make important changes
User B saves the book
User A closes the indesign and it's asked if wants to save the changes to the book
...
3
votes
2answers
38 views
How to guide the workflow in a collaboration? How to not kill the other’s motivation?
While working together, how can I discuss my ideas and objections without killing the other person’s motivation?
I want to do a design project with a friend, for study purposes, but I experienced ...
3
votes
1answer
67 views
Gimp: export XCF as a list of commands?
It took me a lot of time to create a graphic in GIMP, and now I need to make some variations of the same graphic that actually only require the change of the FG color twice in the process.
The GIMP ...
2
votes
3answers
2k views
How to set different color to guides(Ai,Ps,Id,Fw)?
I've been working on this file with a lot of guides(in Illustrator) and at some Point I was wondering is there a way to give different color to guides ? Like the gutter guides to be black, the main ...
2
votes
3answers
138 views
How much effort should I put in to optimizing (cutting up) images for the web?
I often get designs from our artists which contain large complicated images that can be turned into a background-color, some tiling, and overlaid smaller images. The problem is, doing this often takes ...
2
votes
2answers
59 views
Are working outlines, like the ones shown inside, a product of the workflow or added, manually, for presentational purposes?
I've seen a few images like this one, they fascinate me, but what I wonder is whether the geometric 'work-lines' are a product of the workflow (hidden masks, etc) or added, manually, for ...
2
votes
1answer
816 views
Illustrator: locking a single object – what's the quickest/most efficient way to re-unlock only that object again?
I find my workflow for temporarily locking/unlocking single objects to be very awkward. I often refrain from this operation since the process of re-unlocking only that, one, particular object at a ...
2
votes
1answer
2k views
Illustrator: Quick way of removing redundant anchor points after unifying shapes?
Except for manually removing redundant anchor points that gets added when unifying two or more objects, is there a quicker operation to wipe in-between anchor points?
EDIT: To complement ...
2
votes
4answers
914 views
Best workflow for pdf to ePub processing and editing (large project)
Colleagues have been asked to convert a large pdf archive (about 150,000 items) to ePub and Mobi (keeping the pdfs, too, of course).
I ran a few newish ones through Calibre to find the pain points: ...
2
votes
1answer
48 views
Possible to restore multiple windows (of the same document) between sessions in Photoshop?
Is it possible to restore multiple windows of the same document between sessions?
In other words:
Open a document.
Select Window > Arrange > New Window for …document's name ( ^ ⌥ ⌘ N on Mac )
Close ...
2
votes
1answer
60 views
Dreamweaver Uploading
When we work on websites, sometimes the PSD files save in the HTML/Images folder of the project. We usually upload HTML folder to the server through Dreamweaver. Is there a way we can tell Dreamweaver ...
2
votes
0answers
144 views
What are the best online collaborative tools? [closed]
What are the best on-line tools, software or web-apps that you can use to collaborate with your team and clients?
1
vote
3answers
91 views
How do deal with frontend developers remotely
This is more a question for the web designer guys.
I'm just wondering how you guys deal with sending designs to your frontend developers? Or do you just do it yourself?
What is your process for ...
1
vote
2answers
22 views
Tools to put into place for designing for yourself
I know I am my worst enemy from critique to execution. I ask this question because I wanted to know any good ways to stop myself from going on and on in my own work. I have several ideas and things ...
1
vote
1answer
64 views
Downsampling images when they are produced, or in the final document?
I work with documents mixing text and bitmap images, for which the final format is a PDF file. Most of the times, I produce my own graphics, which means that I have a choice of:
Creating all bitmap ...
1
vote
3answers
106 views
Bulk download or Web service offering brand logos
I have a rather long list of global brands (about 2000) for which I would like to download a brand logo. I was wondering if there is a way to automate this process, since I know that this list will ...
1
vote
1answer
66 views
Quick copy text in Photoshop Text layer
Is there a way to copy all the text within a Photoshop text layer without having to "open" the layer.
I'm hoping there's a way that I can just select the layer and then have some shortcut that copies ...
1
vote
4answers
143 views
advice on workflow and people needed for an app
I'm looking for some advice on workflow and what people I'll need to put together an app for tablets and smartphones.
There are 3 questions down the bottom of this post.
There are 2 apps planned -- ...
0
votes
4answers
499 views
Workstation recommendations for designers?
I have a question that comes a bit unconventional and I apologize if it is a little off topic,
We need to buy computers (laptops because we have many power outages in Mexico) for web designers and ...
0
votes
2answers
54 views
How do I automate checking conditions on a TIFF?
When I've finished editing, I need to make sure I've met the formatting requirements of my client. I have a checklist that i'd love to be able to automate. Within photoshop would be great; even better ...
0
votes
2answers
131 views
Efficient use of Illustrator's export File Dialogue
When I File > Export using Artboards from Illustrator the (OSX)file dialogue is always pointing at the directory where the Illustrator document is located. If I need to export to a different directory ...
0
votes
3answers
80 views
Switching to GIMP from CS5.5. Is it feasible?
I've recently moved to linux from Windows7. The only program I can't do without is photoshop. I make a lot of banner ads and small landing page creatives.
My question, is it realistic to switch and ...
