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Create Better Marketing Postcards
Features: Written by Jared Tanner on October 22, 2009
Postcards are like freeway billboards: You have a very short time to communicate your message. Here's how to create effective postcards that get the response you want.
Free For All: Harvest These Freebies
Features: Written by Pariah Burke on September 23, 2009
Summer has officially given way to fall, and in the northern hemisphere, that means it's harvest time. Fill your basket with this delectable sampling of free tools, fonts, and services.
Free For All: Just What You're Looking For
Features: Written by Pariah Burke on August 13, 2009
Be free with Web 2.0 Photoshop layer styles; fire and flame textures and backgrounds; an InDesign image library plug-in; easy scheduled emails; and a service that displays a Web design in 90 different browsers.
Free For All: Free for Web Designers
Features: Written by Pariah Burke on July 30, 2009
In this all-Web installment, you'll get a massive Photoshop Web elements kit; thousands of Twitter, RSS, and UI icons; CSS compression; Website spell checking; analytics; and uptime monitoring -- all free!
Free For All: The Best Things In Life
Features: Written by Pariah Burke on June 29, 2009
What do you feel like? Textures? Illustrator brushes? A Photoshop brush viewer? Free faxes? Or how about a utility that never forgets? Why not take 'em all -- they're free!
Free For All: Put Away Your Wallet
Features: Written by Pariah Burke on May 14, 2009
Convert files, change your wallpaper, get things done, restore missing Photoshop features, and try fonts. As always, they're all free.
Spec Work and Crowdsourcing: Gambles that Don't Pay Off
Features: Written by Pamela Pfiffner on April 27, 2009
The economy's in the toilet and you're hungry for jobs, so you're working on spec or posting designs to sites like CrowdSpring. It's understandable. The problem is, spec and crowdsourcing can lower your value and hourly rates so far that minimum wage looks like a fat paycheck. Here's what to do instead.
Free For All: This Stuff's Worth Paying For, But You Don't Have To!
Features: Written by Pariah Burke on April 13, 2009
There's something for everyone this month: designers of iPhone Web sites or iApps; type lovers; business owners; and people who just want to compress the heck out of online images.
It's Play Time!
Features: Written by Colleen Wainwright on April 2, 2009
While it's sometimes necessary to put your nose to the grindstone, the magic happens when you just let go. Here's how one workaholic does it.
10 Tax Deductions Freelancers Can Make
Features: Written by Thursday Bram on February 18, 2009
Despite paying estimated taxes, many freelancers still have to come up with money for April 15. Whittle down that amount with these deductions.
Free For All: And So It Begins
Features: Written by Pariah Burke on January 19, 2009
Take your pick of Photoshop brushes and fonts you'll love, t-shirt design templates, and a portable password manager. They're all free!
Ten (More!) Free Online Tools for Designers
Features: Written by Pariah Burke on December 17, 2008
Ten more free resources help you find and land clients; set your hourly rate; manage project proofing and signoff; find company logos; and more.
Your Ticket Out of the Recession
Features: Written by Sean Ashcroft on December 3, 2008
Small- to medium-sized businesses are a huge client pool you can't afford to ignore. Here's how to convince them to hire you, and then to deliver what they need.
Ten Free Online Tools Every Designer Should Know
Features: Written by Pariah Burke on November 10, 2008
These free resources help you manage your business, store files, find stock images that aren't copyrighted, explore color, and more.
How to Follow Up with Potential Clients
Features: Written by Ilise Benun on July 16, 2008
What your prospects say, what you hear, and what they mean are often three very different things. Here's how to know what's really going on and when to follow up to clinch the deal.
HerGeekness Says: Convert a File, Any File
Features: Written by Anne-Marie "HerGeekness" Concepcion on July 9, 2008
When clients hand you files so ancient or obscure that they're unreadable, don't despair. Part 1 of my file conversion survival kit will have you repurposing those files lickety split -- without asking the client to lift a finger, and without forcing you to buy every application under the sun just to open the occasional weirdo document.
Why You Need a Different Kind of Scanner
Features: Written by David Blatner on July 2, 2008
No, not another scanner for artwork. An automatic document feeder can clean up your life -- or at least your office.
Learn Wedding Photography from the Pros
Features: Written by Chad Neuman on June 25, 2008
What gear do you need? What settings are best? What shots are must-takes? And how do you protect your media and your business? Three professional wedding photographers spill their secrets.
Translate Your Print-Based Design Skills to the Web
Features: Written by Wesley Grubbs on June 11, 2008
When you move from static design to Web design, it's like tennis players trying racquetball. The problem isn’t that they don’t know how to handle the racquet; it’s that they don’t know all the rules and techniques. Read this article and you'll come out swinging.
Design Successful Logos
Features: Written by Chad Neuman on June 9, 2008
Three logo designers discuss what goes into designing a logo, including typeface choices, inspiration, and overall branding messages.