Practical Tips for Newbie Graphic Designers!

Disclaimer: The images on this page are not owned by PrintCall and are used solely as design examples. Please check bottom of post to see their original sources.

The dilemma of not being able to adjust in a new working environment is what every newbie graphic designer faces. Newly joining designers constantly face issues in adjusting to the new set-up and fail to deliver their true potential. This happens especially when you don’t know what the tools of the trade are. Today I would like to assist my newbie graphic designer friends in adapting to the new environment with these valuable career advices:

1. Learn From Others:

Being new and relatively junior in practice, you must acknowledge the experience of your seniors and peers. Don’t be a know-it-all, instead learn from others. Make a note of all the insightful tips and pointers given by the people already working there. Bear in mind that the people who are more experienced that you will have learned from their mistakes. So being new, you can learn from them and avoid the mistakes that they made. Never feel ashamed in asking for help from others.

2. Remember Names:

Although I understand that some people are terrible at remembering names, it is crucial to grasp the names of all your colleagues and peers as soon as possible. Not only will this make a positive impression on your co-workers, they will treat you with respect and admiration. When you call people by their name and not just by their designation, it creates a long-term bond between the two of you which is vital in team work.

3. Ask Questions:

Many a times, young graphic designers who are hired at the entry-level feel shy in asking anything at all. Whenever you face an issue and you want an answer, never hesitate in asking questions from the relevant party. Asking questions creates a positive impression on your boss who will think of you as an eager-to-learn and enthusiastic worker. No matter how dumb your questions may sound, don’t feel shy in asking and clearing the confusion.

4. Be a Team Player:

It is a totally different scenario if you’re working as a freelancer or in a design agency. Working self-employed means that you’re the sole man in-charge, you call the shots. But in an employed scenario, it is a team based effort. Being a newbie designer, you must learn to be a team player and work in a group. Learn to coordinate with your team members and acknowledge each worker’s effort.

5. Keep Your Stuff Organized:

One of the most common dilemmas of junior/entry-level designers is the disorganization of work. Since the work load of a new designer is cumbersome, you must keep your stuff organized and arranged. Most of your work will be on Photoshop or Illustrator, which involves scores of layers in a single file. A useful tip to be a successful graphic designer is to name your layers accordingly so that it will be easier to find them when any changes arrive.

6. Improve Via Criticism:

The problem with young blood nowadays is that they are not comfortable in hearing any form of criticism. They are so restless that they are averse to any disagreements. So for all the junior graphic designers out there, they must realize that criticism helps in improving and enhancing your skills. Learn to hear out others opinions and analysis about you. Instead of reacting negatively, try to take out positive aspects of the censure and improve on them.

7. Don’t Make Enemies:

Another simple rule for adjusting in a new environment is to make your graphic designer personality likeable. Avoid making any enmities with any of the co-workers as it badly affects your appraisals. Make more friends rather than foes as you wouldn’t want someone to be backbiting behind your back all the time. Try to keep good terms and conditions with everyone irrespective of status and position. You never know when and where your acquaintance with someone might come in handy.

8. Speak Out Your Ideas:

Sometimes, when graphic designers join a new place, they feel shy in expressing their ideas and opinions. The biggest threat that they assume is that they will be humiliated or embarrassed. If you believe that a certain logo can be made better through your logo design ideas, don’t feel shy in letting your co-workers know about it. But there is a thin line between making your point and arguing for the sake of argument. Every idea or feedback that you give will help you in your appraisal.

Image Source: www'dot'graphicdesignblog'dot'org

I hope that my tips will help newbie and entry-level graphic designers in coping up with their work related issues. I wish all the newbie designers all the best in their future endeavors.

Working with an Online Order

The wealth of online printers has brought the once expensive and time-consuming use of professional printing to the masses.  Working with an online printer isn’t difficult. Most online printers today have unique software systems and easy to use graphic interfaces so almost anyone can create a professional looking printed product with minimal fuss.
Online printing has become so commonplace, that even someone who is not a design professional can create a fabulous business card, brochure, booklet and more.  Easy to use software programs, even that old standby, Microsoft Word, can be used to create your custom marketing piece.  However, there are a few things that you should look for in an online printer and think about prior to submitting your work for printing.  The following tips will make the process just a little bit easier.

User friendly transaction processes.  One of the things that you should look out for when printing online is the transaction process. The processes of order placement, payment and uploading files should be smooth and very user friendly. The best online printers usually have a sequence of step-by-step processes that are easy to understand and that make it easy to see progress.  Some of the things to look for might include:

• Easy to use options that allow you to select paper stock type, quantity, finish, front and back side printing and more.
• Instant online pricing.
• Online templates for all types of products and folds.
• Quick and easy upload processes.
• Instant online proofing.
• The ability to store old jobs for a period of time for easy reordering.

Easy to use templates.  Templates make the process of creating printed materials much easier. The best online printers will provide free, downloadable templates for most any type of software being used. When you use a template, it will not only make the design process quicker and easier, but you will also gain a certain assurance that there will not be problems with your file when you upload it to the online printer. The printer should easily accept your design since it was made using their template.

Use high resolution images.  To lessen any issues with your design images, it’s important for them to have high resolution.  A lot of people make the mistake of putting low resolution images in their designs only to be disappointed when the final piece is returned with a pixilated look.  To lessen any resolution  issues, it’s important to use photographs or images that have a resolution of at least 300 dpi (dots per inch) or larger.  A quick way to check what your file will look like on your printed materials is to view your work onscreen at 300%.  If your image looks pixilated on the screen, there’s a good chance it will look pixilated on your printed piece as well.

Use the right color model.  Your personal computer is probably set to display your piece in RGB color. While this mix looks vibrant on the screen, most online printers use a CMYK process for printing. It’s important that your files be submitted in CMYK color mode or the color on your printed piece will be off. To ensure you are creating your document in CMYK color, check the Help section of your software. It can tell you how to be sure you are creating in the correct color model.  It is also important to keep in mind that variations in the color printed can be a result of the computer monitor not being calibrated to a printing press.  If color is a concern, a hard copy proof should be made available (although there is usually a fee for this type of service).

Submit your layout in the correct format.  Be sure to submit your file in a format that is accepted by the online printer. At PrintCall.com, we accept files that are in .pdf, .tiff, .eps and .jpg formats.  A .pdf file is preferred, and there are plenty of free and/or very low cost .pdf makers online if you don’t have one (do a search for free .pdf maker and you’ll see a wide variety of results).  Online printers like PrintCall convert your file into an immediate .pdf proof, so submitting in this format is a great way to see how the system sees your file.  Be sure to follow all the printer’s other specifications for things like bleeds, embedded fonts and file resolution to ensure that your printed piece looks exactly the way you want it to.

Knowledgeable and friendly customer service.  Finally, an online printer would understand that different printing companies have different printing requirements and that customers range from novices to expert designers and print brokers.  The online printer you select should have a knowledgeable staff that can meet your service needs any way you choose – by phone, e-mail or live chat –  to answer any questions you may have about your printing project.  They should be able to answer questions from the simplest to most complex, like: Why do gang run printers require a bleed?  Your prices are low, how good is the quality?  Are sample packs freely available?  What’s the difference between offset printing and digital printing?  Understanding the online printer’s printing process will go a long way in helping you achieve your desired result.
Using these tips, and understanding your online printer’s submission specifications, will ensure your printed piece looks as good as you expect.

http://printcall.com/

Direct Mailing

At www.PrintCall.com, we offer a full variety of services including mailing list purchase, printing, and mail shop services. To get the best overall price for your completed marketing campaign, along with faster, worry-free submission to the USPS, consider using our mail shop services to put your offer in the mail.

We can offer you discounts on your postage, which we obtain by presorting your mailing list, and preparation of your printed materials to USPS standards.

No trips to the post office, get your offer to potential customers faster, and save money on your postage.Only at DirectMail.com!

Contact us how you can take advantage of our mail shop services which will save you time and money!

Tips and Resources on Finding the Perfect Font

Fonts speak beyond the words you have used. You can’t simply expect one specific font to work suitably for each and every design project you have. An individual font (or type) has its own voice and character and it is a must for you to choose wisely or else people will not understand your message.

There are many things to keep in mind. First, consider the message you are trying to convey. Will the font help you prove your point, or would it just make people take you less seriously? Second, what mood are you trying to suggest? Is your message supposed to be fun or serious? After deciding on the two, look at the fonts you’ve chosen initially–more closely this time. Does it make sense to use Comic Sans on an Obituary or Vivaldi on a child’s birthday party banner?

Moreover, regardless of the two aforementioned factors, make sure that the fonts you use are readable. People are more likely to buy your product or service if they understood your ad in the first place.

For today, we’ll let popular design experts help you out. Here are several links we are sure you’ll find useful if you are still torn on what font to use.

Articles on Fonts and When (or not) to Use Them:

Top 7 Fonts Used By Professionals in Graphic Design

by Jacob Cass on Just Creative Design

View Source

A Plea From 16 Most Overused Fonts

by Vivien on Inspiration Bit

View Source

How to Choose a Typeface

by Douglas Bonneville on Smashing Magazine

View Source

“What Font Should I Use?”:
Five Principles for Choosing and Using Typefaces

by Dan Mayer

View Source

Lastly, here are websites where you can get free, downloadable fonts. Make sure to check if they’re good for commercial use, though.  I personally depend on these sites for all of my font needs.

Where to Get (Great) Fonts:

DaFont

View Website

1001Fonts

View Website

FFonts

View Website

You the Designer

View Website

UN 'disturbed' over Somali hunger crisis

Please pray & support these people.......

Female elders who fled drought-affected regions await food in their new camp in the capital, Mogadishu

Somalis who have fled drought and civil war to neighbouring Ethiopia and Kenya are showing "unprecedented levels" of malnutrition, and some children have died of hunger and exhaustion on their way out of the country, the United Nations refugee agency said on Tuesday.


The UN is "particularly disturbed" by malnutrition among children, said Melissa Fleming, the spokeswoman for the High Commissioner on Refugees. More than 50 per cent of the children arriving in Ethiopia are malnourished, compared to 30 to 40 per cent of those coming to Kenya, she said.



Some children reportedly have died while attempting to make the trek from southern Somalia to camps in the other countries, Fleming said, while many die within 24 hours of arriving at the camps.
"Many families tell us they exhausted virtually all of their resources. Facing starvation, they walk for days, several weeks at times, through the desert, arriving in an appalling state of health," she said.
Fleming said UNHCR estimated that a quarter of Somalia's 7.5 million population was now either internally displaced or living outside the country as refugees.
Kenya's Dadaab refugee complex, the largest camp in the world, houses more than 370,000 people, with around 1,400 arriving every day. The flow of Somalis entering the camp has increased in 2011, and overcrowding has recently sparked riots that Kenyan police put down with violence.
In June, 54,000 Somalis fled their country, the UN said, and an estimated one quarter of the population has been displaced.
Somalia has been torn by war for two decades, though the conflict has escalated in the past six years, as the newly created Transitional Federal Government and Islamic Courts Union (ICU) competed for rule of the country.
Though the ICU was defeated, the weak federal government relies on outside financial and military support to maintain its tenuous hold on power, and militias - including al-Shabab, an Islamist group - hold many times more territory than the government.
American fears of an al-Qaeda and al-Shabab resurgence in Somalia has led to increased US military intervention in the country, including a drone strike that wounded two al-Shabab leaders last month.

Print Banner Designs: 11 Examples to Get Your Message Through

Make banners do the talking for you. They are definitely fun to design and much more fun to put up. They help spread your message to passers-by or to the people who go to an event or, well, to any place at all. They are great for schools and offices, outdoors, and for all sorts of promotions.

They attract attention, no doubt, so better make the most out of them.

Disclaimer: The images on this page are not owned by PrintCall and are used solely as design examples. Please check bottom of post to see their original sources.

Make your banners simple or elaborate, but make sure that you keep the message intact, as you will see on the samples of print banner designs that we have collected below.

Print Banner Designs to Grab Attention

Image Source: www'dot'behance'dot'net

You have just seen simple yet effective print banner designs. If you want to print yours, place your orders with PrintCall.com today! Start with our easy to use design tool, experience free proofing and 24 hour service every weekdays and, of course, quality printing. Learn more on about banner printing companies and what more to expect from us here.

Placemats Designs from our one sister company

From Kianni Decor's

Specializing in quality hand beaded placemats, runners, and other home accessories. Based out of the San Francisco Bay area, we design, produce and manufacture our own products. Additionally, we have the creativity and capability of manufacturing to your specifications.

more details contact: http://kiannidecor.com

Our beautifully hand beaded placemats, center pieces, coasters and runners are a timeless addition to tableware that will last for years. Each piece is individually hand made and hand crafted in India and Thailand by traditional artisans.