All Questions
10
votes
2answers
2k views
Creating CSS sprites from Photoshop
I have a PSD with a web design.
Every time I tweak the design, I need to manually copy different portions of the image, with different layer visibilities (for transparency) into CSS sprites.
How ...
6
votes
3answers
2k views
How can I achieve a sharp pixel perfect stroke effect in Photoshop?
I'm working on retro-style pixel art for a video game. I would like to be able to add a border around a sprite, but I need it to be sharp and "pixel perfect". Using Photoshop's Stroke effect seems ...
6
votes
4answers
6k views
How to draw isometric vectors?
I am looking for "built in" software solutions for Illustrator CS2-5 preferably.
I am trying to create these isometric illustrations for a web app. Right now I've manually set up a grid in Adobe ...
15
votes
6answers
21k views
Font-face loaded on Windows look really bad. Which fonts are you using that render better?
EDIT: The problem was that I did not have "Cleartype" turned on in my settings on Vista. This question may not have much meaning if you have Cleartype is installed/enabled on Windows OS.
A new ...
12
votes
4answers
537 views
Baseline Grid vs. Readability
Any designer worth their salt will talk about the importance of the grid, and rightfully so. However, as I've continued to practice my trade, I've found that the baseline grid in particular doesn't ...
12
votes
7answers
26k views
12
votes
7answers
8k views
How to enlarge an image with as little pixelation as possible?
What technique(s) can I use to enlarge small digital (raster) image in order to best avoid pixelation? I can print the image and scan at high resolution, but I also want to preserve as close to exact ...
9
votes
4answers
809 views
What is kerning and what is the point of it?
From what I see here, it seems kerning is just rearranging the space between letters. However, the comments here lead me to believe there's more to the story. Is kerning really that simple? Is the ...
8
votes
4answers
302 views
Do high-content areas of a website need to be white/light-colored?
Many websites that are designed to be easy to read (eg. nytimes.com or ilovetypography.com) use white backgrounds with black fonts to make the content easy to read. Is it necessary to only use light ...
7
votes
6answers
585 views
Making a business card. Any advice?
I went around the web, reading articles about business card mistakes, and here is a full list of them:
Don't use cheap materials/techniques or attempt to print your own.
Don't use metal business ...
7
votes
2answers
11k views
What are the dimensions of a business card?
As per the title. What are the dimensions of a business card that fits in a wallet? (i believe it is a global standard?)
Bonus marks if you can give the history behind how it arrived at that ...
6
votes
3answers
246 views
How should I add a realistic shadow to this?
I'm working on a mockup of a jQuery slider which can be found here.
Now, I'm not the best graphic designer by any stretch of the imagination, and I can't seem to be able to get a realistic looking ...
6
votes
3answers
530 views
FOSS Font editing or creation tools for windows
What are the best free or open source font editing/creation tools available for free on the Windows platform?
4
votes
5answers
180 views
File backups for Photoshop
I've been working with Photoshop for a long time, and every once in a while I work on a file, sometimes in a rush, sometimes just being lazy.. what happens is that I end up ruining it.
I save, go on ...
4
votes
2answers
3k views
How can I fix the edges of foreground objects pasted onto a new background?
How can I cut out a foreground object, e.g. a person, from one picture and superimpose it onto a new background without making the edges look bad?
The problem I've come across is that if I have for ...
13
votes
9answers
2k views
Alternative to Adobe Illustrator
Can you recommend a good alternative to Adobe Illustrator for Mac. I learning vector based graphic design, but I am not ready to make such a large investment to purchase a copy of Adobe Illustrator. ...
11
votes
4answers
2k views
What are the differences between Helvetica and Arial?
I've heard there are a number of slight differences between these two similar fonts, is one better than the other for different contexts?
9
votes
5answers
422 views
Is a graphical/original resume a good idea for a designer?
This is more a question about graphic design as a field than about methods.
I am applying for web designer jobs out there, and have been wondering more and more about my resume. I have a quite ...
9
votes
5answers
2k views
Learning Photoshop just for web designing
I want to become a web designer, so I'm watching a lot of Photoshop video tutorials, but some of those tutorials are not useful for web designing. For example, some movies are about skin, or teeth or ...
9
votes
4answers
2k views
What's the difference between a logo and branding?
Are they the same thing? Or does branding = logo + colour palette + typeface?
Edit: Just to highlight that I asked about 'branding' - which I definitely hear used to mean solely visual elements - ...
8
votes
2answers
151 views
How to draw a smooth line (small in some places, large in others) like in this image
Check the image I attached above. I need to design a different logo. But need to draw it like this one because both the logos will be placed together (they need to match). So, anyone know how to ...
8
votes
7answers
10k views
Professionals: Would you choose GIMP over Photoshop and/or Inkscape over Illustrator? [closed]
I know Adobe's solutions are more advanced, but, as professionals, do you think you would survive (against competition) using GIMP and/or Inkscape instead of Photoshop and/or Illustrator for your ...
7
votes
3answers
318 views
What should be in a job contract?
Inspired by the great answers from this question, what are things you would include in a graphic design job contract?
Are there items or conditions you would have in a freelance contract that aren't ...
7
votes
2answers
7k views
What is a good font for a CV?
A recent article in Nature discusses the effect of typeface on credibility, and points to another study suggesting that
resumes displayed in a high
appropriate typeface (Corbel),
resulted in ...
7
votes
1answer
374 views
Contrast ratio between foreground and background
What is an acceptable contrast ratio between a foreground and its background?
6
votes
2answers
1k views
What should I do regarding color profile when designing for the web?
I have read this article by Doug Avery where he explains how to disable Color Management in Adobe Photoshop and the follow-up article in response to the uproar of the commenters arguing against it and ...
6
votes
4answers
681 views
Using stock images for mock ups
When making a design (as a freelancer), how do I handle stock images?
Do you buy the stock image(s)? Or do you find an image via Google or whatever and later replace it with a similar stock image?
...
6
votes
4answers
535 views
With the invention of CSS3, should a web designer use Photoshop?
I see that many designers create beautiful web design works in Photoshop, but now with the arrival of CSS3, when they want to change that to HTML & CSS, they simply start from scratch and create ...
5
votes
2answers
101 views
visual typeface search tool
Fontshop.com used to have (at least I think it was them) a index of typefaces that you could use visual / structural specifics to search through their library of typefaces. It gave options for things ...
5
votes
8answers
1k views
How can I make a screenshot look like a photograph taken of a real surface? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How to get this blur texture effect in photoshop?
I'm starting from a plain old screenshot, and I'd like it rotated in 3d, with more distant parts more blurry. Is there ...
5
votes
3answers
379 views
Good sites to find textures online?
I'm always on the lookout for good textures, as they are pretty subtle but can add a lot of life to your site. Recently I found Tileables (http://tileabl.es/) which looks pretty cool. Can you ...
4
votes
2answers
1k views
How to select colours that match each other?
Looking at the colours in this logo, it is clear that the colours match each other.
How is an orange and purple found that matches the same colour scheme?
I suppose the colour in the 'R' is yellow?
...
4
votes
1answer
353 views
Creating grids for documents
I really love grids and guides. I tend to follow and break them at cases to create visual interest.
I'm trying to create grids for a 8.5" x 11" document. What must one look for when creating ...
3
votes
5answers
1k views
How much software experience do I need to be a well-rounded graphic designer?
How many different software applications should a designer be familiar with? I've been asked to work on Illustrator, and also .paint [Paint.NET? -Ed]. I'm confused about how many applications I need ...
3
votes
3answers
278 views
I want to learn how to select appropriate colors and fonts for a new site
I'm developing a new site, and although I know enough basic programming to make the site, I'm not artistically inclined enough to make the site look nice. So, I was hoping I could get some suggestions ...
3
votes
3answers
4k views
Lightweight psd viewer with layer support
I'm looking for a lightweight psd viewer that allows me to turn on/off layers.
I currently work at a web-design firm and at some points in the project lifetime we need to compare the resulting ...
3
votes
2answers
877 views
Composition web design rules
Are there any rules that are specific to web design, or that are otherwise elevated in importance in the context of web design?
Edit:
I'm thinking that there are probably some aspects of composition ...
2
votes
2answers
286 views
What is the font used in the logo of Stack exchange beta sites?
I am quite curious.. I already have seen it elsewere and I like it.
11
votes
2answers
986 views
Optimum line height in relation to font size
Is there an agreement on the optimum mathematical proportion of line height and the size of a text? And if there is, is it the same for print and web?
10
votes
7answers
644 views
Must one have a knowledge of fine art to be a Graphic Designer? Should all Graphic Designers know how to draw?
it is said that nice design comes with a nice drawing
Do I have to know how to draw to be a good designer or not?
I don't have drawing skills :(
10
votes
4answers
303 views
What image tablet can you recommend on a budget?
I'm looking for a tablet to use in illustrating on a computer, priced between $150-$200. Any recommendations?
9
votes
3answers
564 views
How to convert every pixel of raster picture to square objects in Illustrator?
For example I have 10×10px icon. I want to produce 100 squares with correspondent color and location each. Actually, the question is how to make exact pixel mosaic out of raster image.
I try Live ...
9
votes
8answers
1k views
Is it ethical to copy the work of other designers?
I am not a graphic designer. I do not consider myself one. I have no grasp of color theory, nor the means or sense of style to create harmonious and tasteful designs. I do, however, possess a good ...
9
votes
8answers
2k views
Transparency to unpremultiplied RGB + Alpha
I have a transparent layer in Photoshop CS5 (so internally, it's most probably stored as unpremultiplied RGB component plus an alpha component per pixel).
Now I want to transform this to an opaque ...
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
2answers
6k views
Convert text to paragraph text in Illustrator
Is there any quick way to convert text created at point (automatically resizable boundaries) to a area (paragraph) text (with fixed boundaries) in Illustrator CS3?
8
votes
4answers
433 views
Writing text with character variations
I am looking for alternatives to hand-lettering a Comic. One attractive alternative would be building a custom font. (I'll be asking about details on that in a separate question.)
However, I would ...
8
votes
3answers
520 views
What's a good source of color palettes to provide to a color-blind user?
There's a question on this site already about choosing good color palettes when designing for color-blind users. My question is different — it's about working with colors for an audience with normal ...
8
votes
9answers
4k views
Good color palette, usable for the color blind.
I'm designing a chart right now, that will slowly have more items added to it. I'd like to create an list/order of colors for the items, that will be most usable for the color blind to differentiate ...
8
votes
3answers
658 views
How to draw attention to a specific area of a design?
What are best practices for drawing attention to specific parts of a design?
