So, let’s say you’ve decided to design something for print. But whats the major pitfalls you need to avoid? Well, for starters:

RGB/CMYK

When you open a document to start designing in, you should always check that it’s in CMYK and not RGB. If you’re using Illustrator, by chosing the ‘open new print document’ option, you’ll automatically be set to CMYK. However, if you’re using Photoshop, make sure you’re new document is specifically set to CMYK like so:

What’s the difference?

RBG stands for ‘Red, Blue, Green’ and is basically a colour gamut which bases it’s production of colours on light levels. To put it simply, in RGB, colours are made by mixing different amounts of these (red, blue and green) to theoretically reproduce any colour of light, where a 100% mixture of all 3 results in white.

CMYK stands for Cyan, Yellow, Magenta, Key (Key being an older term for black) and works similarly to RBG, apart from the fact that it uses those 4 colours as opposed to red, blue and green.

CMYK is the gamut used for printing and by most modern printers. The reason why artists will design in CMYK is because there are some colours that can be produced in the RBG gamut that cannot be accurately reproduced in CMYK. Designing in RGB means that when it comes to print, the colours you originally planned on may come out a lot different than expected, and if you design in CMYK, this can be avoided.

 Resolution

Working in the wrong resolution can be disastrous in terms of your final outcome, as well. What your design will be printed on plays a key role in helping you decide upon the right resolution. Most printers print at 300 dpi (which stands for dots per inch in terms of the translation from pixels to dots on a page). When in doubt, just make sure you work big – you can always scale down later if need be.

Rich black

Maybe your design involces a lot of black? Well in CMYK, you would assume that to produce a true black, it would be K=100, right? Wrong. Using this value will result in a dark grey, but not a rich black, which is what you’d be aiming for in order to get the best results. You’re better off using:

C=90 M=60 Y=30 K=100

This will mean that all colours in the gamut are used to some extent, and mixed to create a more… ‘black’ black. However, be warned, using rich black on smaller text or features will render them indistinguishable, so don’t fall into that trap!

Now you shouldn’t be making any of the basic mistakes during you’re creative process. Hope this helps!

Contrary to what a surprising amount of people believe, no-one is born knowing how to draw. No-one is perfect, and we all have to work at it. Exceptionally hard. For those of you who I haven’t convinced just yet, I thought I’d provide a few examples of my first drawings as evidence. And by first, I do actually mean first. I’m clearly not the greatest living artist, but I like to think I’ve improved a little since 1994:

 Click if you actually want to see my ‘art’ from when I was 4 years old.

I have no idea. I’m assuming their dinosaurs. I went through a brief (read: extended) phase of wating to be a Stegosaurus when I was younger. I’m particularly liking how the one on the left seems refreshingly optimistic about his impending extinction. I also have a scan of my first ever portrait (I use the term loosely), and a scan of a card I made my Mom, featuring one three-legged giraffe, and another five-legged one. If anything else, at least I can congratulate myself on the fact that they balance each other out quite nicely.

So! If you’re looking to improve (which, naturally, I think most artists constantly are to some degree, unless they’re egotistical), here’s 5 straight forward ideas that should point you in the right direction.

Practice

Yes, this is insultingly obvious, but it needs to be said. There’s no magic wand – If you really want to improve, it’s only logical that you practice as much as you can. You don’t have to be excessive, just doodle whenever you get a free moment. It may be cliche, and over-suggested, but that’s probably because it actually works.

Try drawing by hand

You might think this is pointless if your focus is on digital media, but drawing by hand can really help. There’s no undo button when it comes to acrylics or pastels, for example, so this should force you to think before you draw. Software often makes the whole process a lot quicker and smoother, so if you can learn to master the pencil, you should be able master the pen tool, as well.

Don’t limit yourself

The saying goes “Jack of all trades, master of none”, but sometimes, it doesn’t hurt to be diverse. Try not to stick to just one programme. Sit down and learn how to navigate a new one. Do your research on other artists and differing styles and draw inspiration from them. The more you look at different styles, the better a chance you have of incorporating elements of them into your work and finding your own as a result. Sure, you’ll want to focus on certain methods until you perfect them, but there’s a fine line between perfecting and dwelling in a comfort zone. Think about where your weak points lie and tackle them. Have you tried a more cartoony piece yet? How about realism? It might not be what you’re going to be producing on a regular basis, but in trying out something different, you’ll usually learn a lot of new tricks that can be applied to other projects, and you never know when a potential commissioner might be looking for something along those lines, so think of it as preparation.

Set some realistic goals

Plan. If you don’t know how to do something – find out how! You can use online tutorials or trial and error. Tell yourself that by the end of the week, you’ll have learnt a new skill, and then actually learn it. Being self-taught involves teaching yourself, so set yourself some homework, but be careful not to be too ambitious. A good example of an achievable aim, although more relevant to photography than Graphics, is project 365, which I recommend taking a look at regardless of your preference.

Try kicking your own ass

This isn’t as masochistic as it first sounds, I promise. It can be really demoralising to feel like you’re putting in all the effort and just not improving however hard you try, but we’re often are own worst critics. One of the best ways to reassure yourself of your progress is to take a deep breath, and look over your work from two or three years ago (one of the reason’s why it’s always a good idea to store the majority of it somewhere safe and not discard of it, even though it’s tempting to). Pick one piece in particular, and redraw it from scratch. This isn’t a waste of time – make a note of all the flaws you see in the original and amend them in the new piece as you go along.

I’ve done it myself, to prove the point. Although it pains and shames me to admit, I drew this horrific ’self portrait’ in 2007. Now, obviously my hair and dress sesnse has changed, but I re-drew it this week, trying to stick to the sketchy, cartoon feel, and complete it in about the same amount of time that the original took me. I ended up with this:

 I didn’t think I sucked quite that badly, but apparently I was incapable of drawing straight lines, and I likened fingers to miss-shapen sausages two years ago. I like the 2009 version much better, my style of working has clearly changed, as well.

Like I said, these are 5 simple ways to improve, but they should help none-the-less!

There’s a whole bunch of metaphorical pitfalls to stumble into when designing a logo, so here’s some things that you might find useful to know before you start the whole creative process. There’s also a couple of examples of my own work in this one, too!

The Golden Rules

The main difference between logos and logotypes is that logos are image-oriented, and logotypes are more likely, examples of stylised text.

Firstly, logos (and logotypes) are used for branding, whether for a band or a business, it’s key that the logo you produce is original, relevant and easily recognisable. Too much information and your logo will be crowded, and therefore redundant; less is more.

Similarly, colour schemes are significant. It’s generally best to try and stick to a limited palette wherever possible, especially with corperate logos. The last thing you want is for your logo to resemble an unprofessional explosion in a paint factory – it may help with identification, but for all the wrong reasons. Usually, the maximum number of colours in any given logo is 4. For an idea of which colours work best together, you can always consult a colour wheel before you start (opposite colours are complimentary).

Logos are also (obviously) fairly small, which means you have much less space in which to express your ideas effectively. Consider this carefully, because a logo is meant to act as a visual representation of the subject in question, which is striking, without being overcomplicated.

Just because your finished product will be relatively small, do not fall into the trap of working with small dimensions. The larger the dimensions you work with are, the easier it will be to add any necessary details and re-work if your client is not entirely satisfied with your initial efforts.

I recommend using vectors for logo/logotype work for the same reason – vectors take up less computer space than bitmaps. The best programmes for this are ones like Inkscape or Adobe Illustrator. So, now we’ve got the basics covered, let’s move onto some specifics…

Working to different client’s needs

You may know the golden rules, but the exact purpose of your logo will throw up all sorts of new questions that you’ll need to consider. How does your client want to be perceived? This will vary greatly from project to project, so it’s best not to start work with any pre-conceived ideas.

Logotypes

If your work is for a business or for something equally as professional, then it goes without saying that you’ll most likely want to produce something that looks sleek and sophisticated (though this will depend on your clients expectations, as well – be careful not to make assumptions here). To be on the safe side, you should incorporate neutral colours, nothing too saturated or eye-popping. I realise this may sound a bit rich coming from the girl who uses a retina-burning shade of pink on her website, but just trust me on this.

With logotypes, you have less room for artistic licence, so you should make sure that the text you do create has enough character to distinguish it from others. It needs to be said, though, never use Comic Sans MS as a base for logotype work. Comic Sans is synonymous with about 90% of the people who know how to use Word, and it looks far too informal. It may sound harsh, but it really is one of my pet hates. Fonts can be associated with any number of things, so make sure you start with one that doesn’t scream ‘child who has just discovered bubble writing’ if you’re doing something for the corperate sector.

Fortunately, the majority of my previous clients have been really liberal in what they expect (mostly bands and musicians), and so I’ve been able to go a bit crazy with the saturation and the quirky lettering.

Never underestimate the power of colour associations, either. Regardless of your logo’s specific purpose, what mood do you want to convey? Blues are best for calming, reds for aggression and assertiveness, and so on.

Logos

Logos are a whole other ball game, well, not literally but here is where you’ll really have to think about visual representation. It’s hard to give specific advice on this, because the real ideas should be coming from you. Can you use something in the name? Can you use a play on words to influence your  artwork? Here’s an example of the last logo I did with an explanation of the choices I made which should illustrate my point:

This is a logo for ‘The Puppies Are Coming’ – a death metal band with some less than serious lyrical content. The choice in the puppy is obvious – we wanted to go for something that was simultaneously metal and light-hearted, however, the skeletal structure and crack in the skull were added to represent the musical influence. Black was a natural colour choice (it has strong links with death, evil, etc), and white was used on top to provide a striking contrast. The two shades of grey under the eye sockets add variety to the colour scheme, without detracting from the desaturated and ‘morbid’ feel of the logo overall. They also help to contour the image, with a grey gaussian blur applied underneath so that the piece appears less 2D.

The best way to learn what does and does not make a successful logo, however, is trial and error, and actually trying it out for yourself, this is just a rough guide to set you up on the right track!