Discussion forum threads from April 2007

Welcome to the April 2007 summary of the graphic design forum discussion topics. There were some very useful forum discussions in March and we have no doubt that April will bring more of the same and better.

As ever, this section is where we pull out and highlight some of the topics that we feel are of particular interest to graphic designers. Once again, being a bulletin board forum, some of the topics can be time sensitive and become dated quite quickly. Whilst other threads can offer pearls of wisdom, software troubleshooting tips and philosophical and theoretical debates that can make them invaluable pieces of research for many years after the debates have finished. Some, of course, can even go on for years.

We try to strike a balance between between the interesting and time sensitive topics and those that provide more in-depth and long lasting advice and resources. Please feel free to use this as starting point when browsing the design forums, but don't let this stop you from browsing or posting in other topics, or from starting your own threads. Of course, to take full advantage of the forums, you have to be a registered member. Enjoy!

Recent selected design forum topics

• Has anyone ever felt inadequate as a Graphic Designer? It seems that this is a question that a lot of designers ask themselves. Some interesting responses and a good discussion. Part 2 continues here.
• DTP software applications will have dozens of different color palettes. Sometimes this can be confusing for designers when deciding which colors to use. For example choosing PMS colors in Illustrator.
• Font problems can be some of the most troublesome that graphic artists face. OpenType fonts have been around for a while now, but they are not always compatible with older software applications. What do you do when your new OpenType fonts do not work with Adobe Illustrator?
• When applying for a local college course, how much effort should go into the resume and how much should be spent on building up a good portfolio? This designer asks the question.
• Do you carry out credit checks on clients? Is it really worth it and how do you clients react to this? Creatives discuss their approach.
• Designing a logo for your own company is always difficult. This designer has gone through many revisions and has whittled the choices down to two final concepts. Now they want our opinions on which one to choose.
• Many professionals mark up the cost of printing, photography and so on. But this designer wants to whether a designer should indicate mark-ups to clients. Or is this something that is simply assumed?
• How do you expand your creativity? This topic asks for design ideas about boosting and encouraging creative thinking.
• This topic was started by a designer who discovered some issues with upgrading to Adobe Photoshop Extended CS3. Apparently using the beta and then upgrading to the full product can potentially cause some problems. But the 3D features come recommended.
• The design and prepress industry has tended to standardize with its software choices. Usually these have ben old Stalwarts such as QuarkXpress, or one of the products form the Adobe stable. But CorelDraw has been around for a long time and this thread was unashamedly started by a Corel Draw designer. Any other fans out there, or is there a good reason why you avoid the product?
• Graphic design is not all about DTP, concepts and layouts. Many designers will expand their interests into other creative areas, such as digital photography. Anyone familiar with familiar with High Dynamic Range photography?
• If you are going for a non-creative position at an advertising agency, do you bring your portfolio? This is what one designer wondered when preparing for a job interview. Should they bring their portfolio for Mac Operator job, or would the potential employer feel that they are overqualified?
• The difference between linking and embedding an image in Adobe Illustrator can make a big difference when it comes to sending that file off to the printer. There are some useful tips and definitions on this thread.
• Working over a network can cause added problems to the design and production workflow. Especially when photos in Quark are getting delinked. The last thing a designer needs is to keep having to re-link a set of images each time the document is opened. But is it a QuarkXpress problem, or a network issue?
• Is it necessary to update your skills from print to web design to find a traditional graphics job? What about software skills? Do employers require you to be up to date with the latest versions of InDesign, Photoshop and so on. Or are these skills that can be learned once you have the job?
• What's the best way to set up a two color design job when printing a two color logo? Is it necessary to specify the exact Pantone colors in the file, or can the instructions be passed onto the printer separately?
• When an Illustrator file is grabbing all of your resources what do you do? This designer has a problem with Adobe Illustrator memory and also with reinstalling the program.
• Graphic design for television – what is involved in learning and becoming a TV graphic designer. Do they still use Quantel Paintbox systems, or is everything done on desktop Mac and PC systems? How easy is it to get a job in television design?
• Milton Glaser, designer of the I Love New York logo – Milton Glaser, one of the most influential graphic designers of the 20th century, is discussed by forum members.
• Pricing advice for non-profit – should charities be charged less than businesses for design work?
• How much and in what form is the best way to charge? – what is the best way to decide how much to charge clients for design projects.
• Speeding up a graphic design workflow – what methods and tools do designers use to speed up their work rate and keep things running smoothly.
• Photoshop clipping paths, still relevant? – is the Adobe Photoshop clipping paths technique still the best way to cut out an image?
• Inspiration for self promotional items – what is the cleverest, impressive or useful self promotional item you have received or have sent? And what was the worst?
• Learning graphic design online – is it possible to become a graphic designer by utilizing online teaching methods? Or is some face-to-face tuition an absolute requirement?
• Adding a gif to ImageReady – adding an animated gif to a web page using Adobe ImageReady.
• Helvetica is 50 years old – the classic Swiss typeface is 50 years old this year. Designers discus how they use this venerable sans-serif font.
• Confidentiality or Non-disclosure Agreements – protecting your designs and your clients' business interests. Is an NDA necessary?
• Screen printing halftones with Photoshop – best way to create color separated halftone screens for screen printing, with Adobe Photoshop.
• Symbols in Adobe Illustrator – copying some content and linking the copy to the original.
• Quark file corrupted – a designer battles to rescue a QuarkXpress document which has suffered the dreaded Bad File Format error.
• Is prepress getting easier? – have new DTP technologies made the prepress parts of graphics design easier. If so, why are there so mnay badly formatted design documents?
• In-house versus agency design – which is the best environment for a junior designer to gain employment? Discussion on the pros and cons of each option.
• How to design an email newsletter – seeking advice on designing and promoting an email newsletter.
• Dealing with business cycles – how do you keep your design business going inbetween contracts? Some designers use it as a time to work on marketing, whilst others research new markets.