[.GqueB.]

Just thought I'd start with a new logo. How does this look guys?

May I ask why you're not attaching the letters? I see this all the time and I've always been curious why people choose to do this. This is a rare opportunity for me to ask.

[Zilch]

To be honest if I saw a business card for a "graphic designer" that used a free font prominently I would never hire them.

[mescalineeyes]

To be honest if I saw a business card for a "graphic designer" that used a free font prominently I would never hire them.

Zilch
Don't listen to my many incorrect tard-pinions
(Today, 05:35 PM)
Quote

:>

Seriously though?

[Xun]

May I ask why you're not attaching the letters? I see this all the time and I've always been curious why people choose to do this. This is a rare opportunity for me to ask.

Ha, I wondered the same thing shortly after I posted it.

Here's the update:

[onadesertedisland]

To be honest if I saw a business card for a "graphic designer" that used a free font prominently I would never hire them.

Why would it matter the expense of the font? There are many great freeware fonts, and many ugly commercial fonts.

[mescalineeyes]

That is so much better it's not even funny.

[Milchjon]

Ha, I wondered the same thing shortly after I posted it. Here's the update:

The R looks like it's falling down a set of stairs.

Otherwise, I personally like it

[Snkfanatic]

To be honest if I saw a business card for a "graphic designer" that used a free font prominently I would never hire them.

Lol....ok

[Zilch]

Sorry, total amateur-hour move.

[PantherLotus]

I came to the next page to say something about the kerning on that text, Richie, but it looks like it was already addressed. I love the logo. The font looks like you have it a little extra italicized where it doesn't need to be, but that's really a personal choice.

[ConvenientBox]

Adjust the kearning on the 1989 and ditch the unnecessary drop shadow and I think you're done. The balance of the logo seems a bit off, but it works.

[Kikarian]

To be honest if I saw a business card for a "graphic designer" that used a free font prominently I would never hire them.

Really?

[.GqueB.]

Sorry, total amateur-hour move.

I'm sorry but there are plenty of beautiful free type-faces out there:

FREE

IS

GOOD

Not saying ALL of these fonts are beautiful but there is some nice stuff in there. Thinking that the only useable fonts are ones you have to pay for is actually the amateur hour move. I don't know who put that crap in your head.

We can't all just slap Gotham on everything.

[Maiar_m]

Just thought I'd start with a new logo. How does this look guys?

I'm not a fan of the overall setup, I'm feeling the off-balance thing too. If this is a logo, I feel there's too much information on it. Name, date, 4 words tying to your job... I'm a simple man, I like simple neat things. The color scheme is good, the script font always works, so there's potential.

[Bgamer90]

Small commentary on that d-pad logo. Trying to excuse bad design as a call back to design that was bad when it came out, your going to have a bad logo in the end.

But I don't think it looks bad...

I have tweaked it a bit (cleaned it up) but it's working and I like it.

The sleeker looking one with a red background is the best looking one. Also, your logo should never be for just one medium. That shit has to work on print, in grayscale and in color and very small. If it cant past muster in anyone of those (become illegible, messy/muddy,) start by fixing those and you will be on your way. cheers.

Yes, I have seen the logo that I wanted to use in different colors, and in different sizes as well and I feel that it works. No decrease in quality.

Also like I said before, I really liked the one you mentioned (the red one) but it doesn't fit in well with the show itself.

Ha, I wondered the same thing shortly after I posted it. Here's the update:

Nice! I really like it. Definitely works better with the letters connected in my opinion.

[PantherLotus]

Just to clear up a few things:

1. There's nothing wrong with free fonts under any circumstance. There are some utterly beautiful and free fonts that have formed the backbone of design for decades now. Don't listen to the schmuck with tard-pinions. He has absolutely no idea what he's talking about.

2. On the same fonty topic, script fonts were designed to be connected. That's why they have tails -- to make it look like someone was writing it with a pen/brush. I can't think of a time where I've seen (in a good design) script broken up to a greater-than-zero kerning, ever. I could be wrong.

[ConvenientBox]

Just to clear up a few things: 1. There's nothing wrong with free fonts under any circumstance. There are some utterly beautiful and free fonts that have formed the backbone of design for decades now. Don't listen to the schmuck with tard-pinions. He has absolutely no idea what he's talking about.

He's probably trolling ( I hope ) but that's like saying he wouldn't hire a designer who used a pc. I use free fonts all the time, clients like it better when their costs aren't so high.

[Xun]

Thanks for the comments guys! It means a lot.

I'll try and finesse it further, whilst also creating some other graphics.

[Anastacio]

Is this the right thread to ask in? Which Adobe software should I use on a Mac to create magazines? inDesign CS6?

[Rösti]

Is this the right thread to ask in? Which Adobe software should I use on a Mac to create magazines? inDesign CS6?

Adobe Indesign CS6, yeah. If you want the best possible value, go for Adobe Creative Suite 6 Design Standard. In case you haven't already got Illustrator and Photoshop anyway.

[Adol]

Is this the right thread to ask in? Which Adobe software should I use on a Mac to create magazines? inDesign CS6?

Yes—and for any layout work, really.

[BruceLeeRoy]

Is this the right thread to ask in? Which Adobe software should I use on a Mac to create magazines? inDesign CS6?

Yeah.
Depending on how basic your needs are:
Basic: InDesign
Detail: InDesign + PS + Illustrator


On a side note how unbelievable is the new Adobe Subscription? I can't believe they finally wised up and released a option that finally makes sense.

[Sentry]

Much better Xun, but something about the font still feels off to me. Overall though, it looks great. Though i'm not sure why you added that drop shadow crescent to the dot.

[onadesertedisland]

If I may chime in, I think the logo is great. I would drop the shadow, and straighten the cross stroke of the capital T. The wavy cross sorta makes it look like a cursive F.

[Sentry]

Recently did this demo band logo (placeholder bg);

Also turned that cover I posted a while back into what'll be for the single;

[NintendoGal]

You're awesome for doing something without trying to bank on it! Very cool. So I'll just put one last thing out here, and then I will quit with the unsolicited advice, ha—well, and actually, this isn't 'advice', it's more like 'what I would do if I were you and I was at the beginning instead of seven years in'. You obviously can't be as 'slash and burn' as this, because you've got an existing readership to consider. But maybe there will be a pearl of wisdom here that will resonate and help you think of something even better! So here it is: If I were starting all over with this, I'd suggest turning it into a blog. Like a blog blog. Right now it's basically a blog styled as a magazine, but I'd go straight blog with it. I'd include a small photo of myself, and I'd pick a paid theme that I thought looked solid. I wouldn't even geek out on the theme that much, I'd just let myself have fun with it, because I'm having fun. That's the theme of the site. Me having fun, and fuck it. And with that in mind, I'd be playing that up throughout. Everything would feel super personal and approachable. I'd host it using a blogging platform that has a built-in readership that allows other bloggers to find me. Ideally, this would have a readership that mostly matches the one I'm going for. I wouldn't geek out on this too much either, but every little bit helps. Plus, it'd probably host for free, and after all—I don't ever want to stop because money gets tight. This is for fun, and if I want to quit it'll be on my terms. If said blogging platform allowed me to use my registered domain name, awesome! But I would worry more about getting my stuff in front of people that want to see it rather than the relatively minor credibility boost a blog gets by having a custom domain. Again, talking about blogs here—that's not true for everyone. So in short, it'd be fun, me, and fun me, it'd be super personal and a little bit 'fuck it', and I'd rely upon charisma and human connection to get my words in front of the people that want to read them—in the hopes that it'll stick to em more. Incidentally, this is almost word-for-word what I do with my own site, so I'm not just spouting off bizarro daydreams at ya because I've got nothing to lose, ha—I genuinely believe it is a good approach. So, hopefully something in that jumble of words will be somewhat relevant! None of it has all that much to do with your original question, of course, ha- Edit: The key thing in our self-assessments is in identifying the GOOD things which set us apart. You simply can't compete with the bigger sites in some areas, because you haven't got those kinds of resources—but who cares? They can't compete with you either, because you're nimble, individual and relatable. The big sites kill themselves trying to give reporters 'personal brand', for you it is built right in. you have it easy in this regard, so play it way up. Don't sell the site, sell the Gal.

Appreciate the thoughts and thought on quite a few of them. I decided to simply do it myself and this is what I did:

http://www.nintendogal.com/

I'm sure everyone can giggle at my own crap graphics, but eh, it's effective I guess.

[DrAndonuts]

Business card I made for a movie I'm doing. Front is a VHS tape with my info, back is a VHS box. I'd love any feedback or tips on cleaning it up.

Thanks for all of the feedback. Ended up getting the cards printed, yellow logo and all - I thought the yellow gave a nice contrast the drab colors of the tape. Turned out better than I expected:

[layzie1989]

I absolutely love it, but i think it might be even better if the label on the VHS tape was hand written with a sharpie to make it more personal

[DrAndonuts]

I absolutely love it, but i think it might be even better if the label on the VHS tape was hand written with a sharpie to make it more personal

Ah, that is a great idea. If I ever get them reprinted, I'll definitely try a batch with a handwritten label.

[Kikarian]

I like the DVD Cover a lot!

[taoofjord]

Just started working on a business card for myself. I was thinking of making two cards, one that's more whimsical (this one) and one that would be more appropriate for corporate-leaning clients. Ignore my website, I'm about to give it a major overhaul so it'll be ready for future clients.

One of my desires is to do a few more things to the front. Perhaps add some subtle texture (though I am hoping the paper would provide that). Another thought is that I was going for a sort of carnival vibe but that got kinda lost to a world of old fashioned candy bars and outer space. Perhaps it works? I'm not sure. But I will probably play around with developing a uniformed feel to it, either outer space or carnival.

Front:


Back:

[travisbickle]

Ha, I wondered the same thing shortly after I posted it. Here's the update:

I'd drop the "est 1989" entirely, I'm assuming it's a joke on your birth year?

[Adol]

Just started working on a business card for myself. I was thinking of making two cards, one that's more whimsical (this one) and one that would be more appropriate for corporate-leaning clients. Ignore my website, I'm about to give it a major overhaul so it'll be ready for future clients. One of my desires is to do a few more things to the front. Perhaps add some subtle texture (though I am hoping the paper would provide that). Another thought is that I was going for a sort of carnival vibe but that got kinda lost to a world of old fashioned candy bars and outer space. Perhaps it works? I'm not sure. But I will probably play around with developing a uniformed feel to it, either outer space or carnival. Front: Back:

I would say yes to trying to let the paper provide the texture, for sure.

Couple technical notes: Your border is quite close to the trim edge, and this will make the little variances in the trim more noticeable. Depending on where you have them printed, the result could range from 'barely noticeable' to 'holy crap the whole thing is skewed'.

Another printing note has to do with your color—if you want it to look pretty close to what you've got here, you'd probably end up printing this on white. But because the color of the substrate is kind of 'faked' as cream, that trimmed edge may look a little funky from the side, where the white will show.

Also, when I read the email/phone bit, where a pipe separates both the word 'email' from the actual email address and also separates the email section from the phone section—it kind of makes me do a double take for a second. Like I don't intuitively understand the structure of that section without reading it a couple times.

I actually think the words 'email' and 'phone' are possibly unnecessary, since most people can identify an email address or phone number as such on sight.

[Xun]

Much better Xun, but something about the font still feels off to me. Overall though, it looks great. Though i'm not sure why you added that drop shadow crescent to the dot.

If I may chime in, I think the logo is great. I would drop the shadow, and straighten the cross stroke of the capital T. The wavy cross sorta makes it look like a cursive F.

Yeah, I'll be getting rid of the drop shadow.

Also I'll experiment a bit further with the T, but I personally don't mind the T as it is.

I'd drop the "est 1989" entirely, I'm assuming it's a joke on your birth year?

It is a joke, yes.

I just thought it would be a nice way to add a bit of colour.

[Kikarian]

Yeah, I'll be getting rid of the drop shadow. Also I'll experiment a bit further with the T, but I personally don't mind the T as it is.

Move the 'T' one arrow to the right. It's sticking out a bit.

[BertramCooper]

Overall, I love my new job. But they do all of their page layout in Quark, and it drives me nuts. I haven't used Quark since high school, and I can't even remember the last time I encountered someone who still uses it.

Thankfully, they have InDesign installed in all the computers, so when I'm doing my own solo projects, I can use it. But on weeks like this, when one of my co-workers is out and I have to fill in on a Quark project, I want to fucking kill myself.

[Spring-Loaded]

What font is this?:

[Adol]

What font is this?:

I always have a tough time identifying one geometric sans from another, but regardless—the British connection means it is almost certainly meant to at least recall Johnston.

Edit: just to clarify, it's not Johnston. But I guarantee that when they made the ad, they were thinking 'use something a little like the London Underground typeface'.

[scorcho]

Front: Back:

love the design. my only comment is on content - at this point we're all reasonably educated enough to parse a phone number and an email address from a body of text, let alone when it's on a business card. my advice would be to lose the Phone: and Email: descriptor before it, which also cleans up the messiness of having email duplicated on the front. simplicity!

okay, i lied. instead of the heavy vertical line to separate your phone number and email, how about a bullet? , or if you're set on the line, perhaps make it a lighter weight?

[Spring-Loaded]

I always have a tough time identifying one geometric sans from another, but regardless—the British connection means it is almost certainly meant to at least recall Johnston. Edit: just to clarify, it's not Johnston. But I guarantee that when they made the ad, they were thinking 'use something a little like the London Underground typeface'.

Thanks. I'll check that one out. I should be able to check around for one similar.

[ReRixo]

any thoughts on this? The logo is still a work in progress

[RDreamer]

any thoughts on this? The logo is still a work in progress

I'm not digging the little strips on the gold bands. I'm guessing you wanted them to look like a sort of foil stripe or something? I honestly thought an error had happened with the picture at first.

[Jzero]

I'm not digging the little strips on the gold bands. I'm guessing you wanted them to look like a sort of foil stripe or something? I honestly thought an error had happened with the picture at first.

Yea they definitely look like a glitch

[Ultimatum]

Just started working on a business card for myself. I was thinking of making two cards, one that's more whimsical (this one) and one that would be more appropriate for corporate-leaning clients. Ignore my website, I'm about to give it a major overhaul so it'll be ready for future clients. One of my desires is to do a few more things to the front. Perhaps add some subtle texture (though I am hoping the paper would provide that). Another thought is that I was going for a sort of carnival vibe but that got kinda lost to a world of old fashioned candy bars and outer space. Perhaps it works? I'm not sure. But I will probably play around with developing a uniformed feel to it, either outer space or carnival. Front: Back:

Really like these designs, but getting an accurate cut on them could be difficult, and that'd cause it to look wonky which would really ruin the aesthetic imo

[ReRixo]

I'm not digging the little strips on the gold bands. I'm guessing you wanted them to look like a sort of foil stripe or something? I honestly thought an error had happened with the picture at first.

Yeah it was supposed to look like a foil lining, but do you think it looks bad on both bands? I just feel they look a little plain without the gold foil thing going on, especially on the navigation ribbon thing.

[ConvenientBox]

I suggest if you're gonna make it look like a gold strip... make it look like a gold strip. Like others have said, it looks odd.

Threw this up as an example. In something like a nav bar, you never want an element that distracts from your nav items, in your case it's the first thing I saw.



I'd also avoid using the free vector swooshes and floral elements. All 3 of your content blocks don't follow the grid, ex . Your images, text and content blocks are all at different grid levels. Make coding the site easier by aligning them all. Also, logo soups are usually smaller in size and all one colour. Grey perhaps that would overlay to a colour version when you hover over.

Just some food for though, I'm not trying to be harsh :)

[adelante]

What font is this?:

Pretty sure it's this: Brandon Grotesque Black

[PantherLotus]

I suggest if you're gonna make it look like a gold strip... make it look like a gold strip. Like others have said, it looks odd. Threw this up as an example. In something like a nav bar, you never want an element that distracts from your nav items, in your case it's the first thing I saw. [IMG]http ://i.imgur.com/tbaQQ.png[/IMG] I'd also avoid using the free vector swooshes and floral elements. All 3 of your content blocks don't follow the grid, ex . Your images, text and content blocks are all at different grid levels. Make coding the site easier by aligning them all. Also, logo soups are usually smaller in size and all one colour. Grey perhaps that would overlay to a colour version when you hover over. Just some food for though, I'm not trying to be harsh :)

This is good feedback.

I'd remove the texture from the ribbon completely. You might note that pretty much everybody is using a ribbon right now, which means this will look really dated in a year or several. The logo is horrendous, but you know that. And barring further comments not already mentioned above, I'd strongly consider custom social buttons to take advantage of your color theme (of which there isn't really one).

Other than that, it looks like a web page!

[Mr. F]

Hey Design GAF. Any motion graphic designers around? Just wondering if there are any specific resources people have found handy for an introduction to time-based work - I'm starting time-based this fall in my program and was thinking of getting a bit of a head start.

Also going to be printing business cards soon but there's an overwhelming number of options out there. Any preferred websites?

[rogue_pigeon]

Hey Design GAF. Any motion graphic designers around? Just wondering if there are any specific resources people have found handy for an introduction to time-based work - I'm starting time-based this fall in my program and was thinking of getting a bit of a head start.

cgtextures.com often proves invaluable to me.