Business Practices Features

Best of the Blogs: September 21, 2011

Lately, there have been a lot of provocative questions in design and photography blogs: Are there rules for creativity? Can designers embrace fear? What's the difference between looking at and seeing typography? But there's less cerebral stuff, too, like upgrading your camera, understanding image compositing, observing the day of a graphic designer, and filling your layouts with hipster lingo. I bring you all of that content and more in this installment of Best of the Blogs.

Best of the Blogs: August 15, 2011

It's an excellent round-up this time, with Photoshop tips, typography tricks, publishing news, and much more. And read to the end to find out why you'll soon be speccing shades of orange as Apu, Garfield, or Tigger.

Best of the Blogs: August 1, 2011

Amuse and inform yourself with tidbits from design, graphics, and photography blogs culled from the past few weeks. Find out about Bodoni love, InDesign crashes, Illustrator annoyances, Photoshop freakouts, and how to make Polaroid film and illustrated manuscripts (but not at the same time).

Best of the Blogs: July 7, 2011

Mega-retailer Target meets tiny Hamilton Wood Type; Acrobat Pro X users get testy; photographers are called idiots; Photoshop warps girls' minds; and the Web is doomed. Read these and many other interesting tidbits culled from the past few weeks of design, graphics, and photography blog posts.

Best of the Blogs: June 23, 2011

Here's what you may have missed in the blogosphere over the last few weeks: an homage to the golden age of script lettering, photography tutorials, solutions for prying open ancient Word files, Web typography tips, and strategies for self-marketing. Plus Oprah!

Best of the Blogs, June 6, 2011

Here's what you may have missed in design and photography blogs during the past few weeks: an investigation of Adobe Myriad; a rallying cry for FreeHand; ideas for busting design and illustration roadblocks; a new social networking site for creatives; and much more.

Best of the Blogs: May 19, 2011

Here's what you may have missed in design and photography blogs during the past couple of weeks: a new "pay-what-you-want" font source; a compilation of LinkedIn groups for publishers; an expert discussion about resume design; a Photoshop technique to fake tilt-shift photography; and much more.

Best of the Blogs: May 5, 2011

In case recent events have distracted you from reading design or photo blogs, I've rounded up the best bits from the past few weeks. The items include clever text tricks in InDesign, handy retouching tips in Photoshop, attention-grabbing resumes for creatives, and 892 ways to slice up a grid.

Best of the Blogs: April 21, 2011

Here's what you may have missed in the blogosphere over the past few weeks. Get tips for caring for you camera, fending off pushy designers, and taming that pesky Illustrator. Peer into the InDesign dreams (or nightmares) of designers and see the first digital camera ever. Get up close and personal with Roger Black, Matthew Carter, and Jonathan Ive. And watch video clips of print jobs gone awry. Just think "Pink!"

Best of the Blogs: March 31, 2011

Here's what you may have missed in the blogosphere in the past couple of weeks. In this installment, you'll get killer Web tips, inventive photography ideas, and wonderful design advice, among lots of other tidbits.

Free For All: Typefaces, Textures, Web Typography, & a Proposal Template

This installment of the column includes help crafting a logo design proposal, free fonts and photo textures, and many tips and tricks for using type on the Web.

Is Your Facebook Marketing Successful?

Whether you're promoting yourself or a client, Facebook gives you the opportunity to reach many people quickly and for no or little cost. But if you misuse the site, you may do more harm than good. Here's how to take advantage of Facebook's potential.

Apps for the Mobile Creative: Part 1

iPads and Androids and BlackBerrys, oh my! Discover some of the best apps for creative pros on the go. In this installment, I'll cover apps for sketching/designing, business management, and inspiration.

Free For All: Fonts, Photos, and a Forgetfulness Cure

Read on and you'll find links to download free fonts, metal textures, Lightroom presets, a password keeper, and an invoicing tool.

Free Fonts Are a Myth

Fonts are like lunches -- it's hard to find a free one.

Free For All: High Quality, No Cost

In this installment, you'll find a geographic symbol font; tilable textures and patterns; Illustrator resources; a branded file-transfer service; and online tilt-shift effects.

Free For All: Resources for Creative Pros

This installment includes freebies that address your business side and your creative side, whether you work in print or on the Web.

Five Design Trends in Your Future

An expert design and brand strategist predicts what will be affecting creative pros in the next ten years.

Make This Independent Contractor Agreement Your Own

Are you a freelance creative pro concerned about legal agreements? Let a business expert set you on the right path with this sample agreement.

Free For All: No Payment Necessary

Discover an online service that lets you create smoke and flame images; browse thousands of fonts; import and export Photoshop workspaces; and set up conference calls for as many as 95 users that can last for up to 6 hours. And as always, it's all free.