61
Try using patterns. For your example of a square:
Draw your initial square and marquee-select a smaller square that includes the top and left sides only. Then select Edit > Define Pattern... and save your pattern with a name.
Next, marquee-select the area that you wish to fill. Then select Edit > Fill... , choose Use: Pattern and select your square ...
59
In todays world there is Adobe, then everything else. This was not always the case.
I'll overlook any "learning curve" issues and assume someone knows whatever app they use well.
The issue with using "everything else" can be directly felt in terms of workflow speed and compatibility.
For layout....
There was a time when you chose between Aldus ...
36
This kind of depends upon who you ask.
Here.... it would never be an option.
Much the same way I do not work with a client standing behind me "dictating changes". There is no feasible reason why a client needs to be that close. If they wish to micro-manage to that degree, they need to hire an employee. As a freelancer, it is asking far too much in my ...
32
This might not answer your question completely, but as part of my workflow, I use this technique sometimes.
When trying to pick a colour palette (at the very beginning of the creative process), I try to recall from my memory an image or painting that fits the "mood" or "content" of the project. Then I take that image and, using Photoshop, I apply a Pixelate-...
29
I've been in and out of the graphic design world over several decades, and have also spent a lot of time in both technical writing / illustration and architectural design & 3D modeling - in all those professional spheres, I've used screen sharing for communicating final presentations or interactive demos, I've used screensharing to teach, and on several ...
23
You could start by describing what in particular you don't like about this design. Don't get me wrong, I don't really like it either, but I've noticed that you haven't written anything about why you don't like the design. If you told your boss the same thing ("basically, it just sucks"), I'm not surprised he didn't listen to you. If you don't like it, try to ...
20
The easiest method is to simply use strokes with arrowheads.
for 5 arrows, you simply divide a circle into 5 sections, apply your stroke and arrowheads, then expand and use the Shape Builder Tool.
17
The benefit of constructing full page mockups is the division of labor.
In larger companies which have both a designer and a (front end) developer, the job of the designer is to design and the job of the developer is to write code.
Having this division allows the designer to spend all of their time working on the look, feel, and interface for the website ...
16
I've been doing my own research and found an option that seems to work okay. It gives the writer an imperfect but near-accurate version of the layout to work in, and takes almost no time away from real work to produce it.
It's based on turning a PDF into a Word doc... the very idea of which makes me feel unclean... but it seems to work, and the copywriter I ...
answered Apr 20 '12 at 16:33
user56reinstatemonica8
25.6k16 gold badges87 silver badges169 bronze badges
16
This actually sounds like a question more about creativity and getting out of a comfort-zone than about technique but I will answer the technical side.
How do you determine what colors work well for what objects? (i.e. "bright red on a canary yellow is too bright for good readability", etc.)
This question is a little general, but to address your example: ...
15
*Disclaimer: I've been a Mac user for more than 20 years and still use a Mac daily. That being posted, I have clearly seen Windows close the gap in the areas where Apple was the frontrunner and the preferred system for designers.
15 years ago, using Windows was, at best, a lesson in frustration where design was concerned. There was a time where the Mac was ...
14
Version Cue, in my experience, is garbage. I have two systems for two different teams going right now.
SVN via Cornerstone
I've been running a large volume of creative work through SVN via Cornerstone for Mac for over a year now. It's a very slick and easy to use app that makes VC seem easy. It doesn't provide visual previews of the files like I believe ...
14
You need a Creative Brief.
The graphic designer you approach should have one to give to you. Here are a number of topics to consider, though this is for large projects and some of the subjects may not apply for you:
Project Background
Who are you and what do we need to know about you?
Give some background information on how this project came about.
What ...
13
Toggle to rotate mode, but drag the edge handles.
13
On your home page put a big ad:
Do you really like this web site? Want to help make it better? I'm looking for a UI/UX designer to collaborate with to make this project better. I wish I could pay but it's a labor of love for me, so hoping it is for you.
12
Round 1:
Hey John Doe, I need some (object) made by (date). Its to promote (product, event or service). I can offer (dollars). Are you interested?
Or you might wait to see if they're interested and then negotiate that last point but it still belongs in Round 1.
Round 2:
Great! Here's my (logo / branding) and the (copy). As you see in the branding we ...
12
Here is how I would do it. I am using a very basic arrow shape. It can be adapted to a more refined design.
Step 1: Draw the doughnut with one of the arrows in place. (Here drawn with no fill so the next steps are easy to understand.)
Step 2: Select both shapes and make a symbol (drag to symbol panel)
Step 3: With the symbol selected in the canvas, select ...
12
I firmly believe that, in this area at least, as long as your final work has a solid base in planification and reasoning, there is no right or wrong when it comes to software.
To be honest, it doesn't matter if you do your designs in Microsoft Paint, as long as the end result matches what your client needs and wants, or what initially intended during your ...
12
Dreamweaver does not make you a better designer.
In the end, Dreamweaver is merely a tool and like any tool, you may or may not find it useful, but it never improves one's own aesthetic sense of design.
I've found no reason to use Dreamweaver over a solid text editor (BBEdit) and a browser. Throw in a bit of PHP and a server for testing and there's really ...
12
If you're an artist, I don't think you should show them a WIP at all. If it's not up for debate, do not show it to your client. Show them the final work and then maybe give them an option to suggest changes to their liking.
If you do not want comments on your WIP, don't show them the WIP.
Because yes, for a client it's very hard to understand that they can'...
12
At my current workplace we use a version control system. To be exact, we use Git + Bitbucket with the LFS (Large File Storage) extension. We also use a graphical diff plugin that lets us see a quick preview of the differences between 2 versions of a given PSD. It does a pretty good job at keeping files safe, knowing who modified what and when, and retrieving ...
11
This was going to be a comment turned out to be quite long, so here it goes:
I don't want to sound rude, really. But how do you expect people to believe in something YOU don't believe in? You are going to be designing, how are you going to make the design decisions about something looking this or that way? There is a theory behind our options when creating ...
11
What you need is an InCopy with InDesign workflow. InCopy does exactly what you require (and is made for exactly this task). There is nothing else out there, frankly, that doesn't involve klugy workarounds.
With InCopy, your copy editors and writers work with the exact layout, they can see exactly how the copy flows and where it will overset, but they can't ...
11
Practice, practice, and more practice is the overall message here. But it must be meaningful. When I say that I mean setting achievable goals either on a daily basis or weekly (draw one icon, draw one character). Let your mind and ideas flow to completion and remove all evaluation until the work is completed. From there you can work out areas where you need ...
11
Since I like playing devil's advocate, I'll elaborate on situations where I think that kind of request would make sense.
(spoiler: there aren't many)
You have a client who has shown to be respectful of your work and time in the past, and the changes are content based, and there is a lot.
Example from my experience: I had a client who is a pipe organ ...
10
Get a fresh pair of eyes to look at it.
"Too close to spot it" is exactly the problem. You've got obstructive arborvision (you can't see the forest for the trees). Find someone else to look at the design — preferably another designer, but anyone with a good eye will do in a pinch. If you have no one to lean on, you could try putting it away for a few ...
answered Oct 27 '11 at 16:42
Lauren-Reinstate-Monica-Ipsum
19.8k7 gold badges54 silver badges95 bronze badges
10
I've used a method where the boxes are actually pieces of post-it notes. Today I use cellphone sized ones because they are usually big enough. You can cut them in shape put text on them. But the best function is that you can move them about. Even better your client can move them about.
The thing is the mockup stage can not look too finished. People who are ...
10
First, there's no right or wrong way to set things up. It really all comes down to what you prefer. And it may take a few weeks to discover what works best for you.
I often tell new tablet users to put their mouse away for a week and use only the tablet for everything. This helps acclimate you to the stylus when you've been accustomed to a mouse.
What ...
10
When I pick a color palette I narrow my selection to a max of 3-5 colors but I expand on those colors. For example, I usually run a script in Illustrator that will allow me to place each color in its own master palette and a variation of the color based from highlights and shadows I've used throughout the year help produce a HEX and RGB output in CSS. This ...
10
"Many projects with many files all uploaded by humans on one server
will get messy, by definition."
Not necessarily. I freelanced for a while in a food packaging studio that had other studios around the world. Additionally, they needed to manage a lot of assets (logos, photo shoots, SKUs, etc.) They were pretty much working through FTP but had a very ...
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