Category: Design for Business

This Proportion200 Photoshop action will enlarge your images by 200%. I’ve tested it against all of the PAID competitors and found it to give equal or superior results. The method uses Staircase Interpolation. We do a small amount of sharpening between each 10 percent incremental step to keep things crisp. If you are using an old version (legacy)…

The above logo is by my designer friend Karen. I said to her, “The final art is beautiful. Thanks for showing it to us. You’re a great designer. Now with that compliment said, I will now insult you. The clients business name is a marketing positioning statement – not a name at all. “Customized Wellness and Nutrition.” That is…

Robert, a designer friend, asked me some entertaining web questions that are near-and-dear to my designer heart. You’ll find varying opinions, of course, from others. So realize what I’m sharing is based on my experience, experiments, and reading. Whenever possible, I use old, vintage, legacy stuff that I repurpose in some strange way. This is low-tech.…

At least blame the machine, technophobes blame themselves for every flaw. “I must have done something wrong!” Attached is a little graphic that explains human expectation of page load times.

I always ask straight-forward and bluntly, “How much do you have budgeted for this project?” I then try and find a solution that will fit. I do fixed-bid contract work. Never bill by time. As said earlier in a post “time” doesn’t reflect the projects true market value. If the client is asking for the impossible, I show them…

You may wonder what to include in your online portfolio. Those can be hard decisions. Your web portfolio is the second best sales tool after client referrals. But even referrals need a place to go to check about you and your work.

I’ve solved the wild color differences between screen and print by teaching the client that reflective color (print) and emissive colors (screen) are never going to appear the same. If they do, it’s an accident or illusion. Pantone swatches are supposed to show the “Real McCoy” but even ink mixing can be botched. Drying time, paper choice, lighting conditions,…

My rule is choosing one pro bono project per year. But I treat them like a “real” client with the same priority as if I was getting paid. I try and do the best for them I can. I usually include “teaching and coaching.” And yes, a contract or agreement is necessary to establish good boundaries. I do not…

You can spend a lot of money on Pantone color printing guides. I really recommend buying old used ones on ebay. You don’t need the latest and greatest. Nor do you need all of their products to be a designer. As far as the “aging” goes, unless it has been left laying in the sun for years…