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Singapore-based graphic artist Yu Xin has come up with a cool series of $5 keychains for graphic designers, based on popular Adobe programs and their interfaces. If you’ve ever worked with a demanding client, you’ll relate to the meme-based Photoshop and Illustrator keychains that feature PS and AI file icons with funny filenames.
The idea came to Xin when she was working on a design project that involved a significant number of revisions. She decided to channel her frustrations into creating an initial batch of 10 keychains for each design that were quickly bought by friends and colleagues.
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Swedish digital studio Future Memories has launched a brilliant new tool called Picular that lets you search for colors by keyword and displays a range of colors based on the top 20 Google Image search results for that keyword.
For example, if you search for ‘ocean’, Picular analyzes the top 20 Google Images for ‘ocean’ and displays the most prominent color in each image and its hex-code. You can copy the hex-code with one click and even preview the original image.
Think of Picular as a search engine for colors, a priceless tool for any designer.
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An ambigram is a typographical design or symbol consisting of text modified in such a way that it can be read in different orientations – inverted, rotated, mirror-image, etc. For example, the logo of Sun Microsystems (no. 4 below) is a brilliantly-designed ambigram that reads ‘SUN’ from all directions. Another famous example is the New Man logo (no. 6 below), designed by Raymond Loewy in 1969. It looks the same upside down or when rotated 180 degrees.
Apart from commercial logos, ambigrams are commonly used in tattoo designs, calligraphy, gothic typography, book covers (Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons), music albums, and more. In today’s post, we’ve compiled some brilliant examples of rotational ambigrams in logo design that look the same when viewed upside down. Check them out here.
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Are you looking for someone who can Photoshop your ex-boyfriend or girlfriend out of a photo? Or fix your bald patch and cut some flab off your waist? Is there a favourite photo of yours that needs some minor Photoshopping to make it even better? If yes, then James Fridman is the man for the job.
The British designer is an internet star with nearly 1.5 million followers on Twitter. His Photoshop skills are the stuff legends are made of. Need a six pack? Sure. Need 18 inch biceps? Sure. Not only can Fridman make you look taller and slimmer in photos, but he can also place you next to celebrities at red carpet events, or Photoshop you standing next to the Eiffel Tower or the Taj Mahal. Check out some of his work here.
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Venezuela-based illustrator and graphic designer Moises Fernandez designed some beautiful team badges for his Instagram page during the World Cup.
Created with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, the crests feature beautiful illustrations and artwork, with national symbols and relevant colors for each team. Check them out here.
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Japanese designer Taku Omura has come up with an amusing project in which he 3D prints famous brand logos into everyday items you can use at home or office.
For example, Omura 3D-printed the Adidas logo and turned it into a pen stand. Louis Vuitton’s ‘LV’ monogram logo was turned into a card holder by elongating the ‘V’. The Air Jordan logo was turned into a clothes hanger, and it looks like a fantastic idea for their retail stores. In fact, most of the items showcased in the project would make great promotional products for their respective brands. Check them out here.
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Did you know that you can add realistic-looking lights and shine to images of lamps and jewellery by using the magic of blend modes in Photoshop?
In this tutorial, Photoshop instructor Unmesh Dinda shows you how to use color dodge and layer styles to mimic the properties of light and shine. He takes you through five different image examples and shares two different methods to achieve the desired effect. Watch here.
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After a few years in the graphic design business, you realize how important it is to get the basics right. Like using proper font and color combinations, implementing visual hierarchy, using grids, alignment, white space, and so on.
The team at Visme has come up with an excellent visual list of 19 graphic design rules that differentiate the pros from the amateurs. Check them out here.
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Bored at work? Have five minutes to spare before your boss comes back from lunch? If yes, then check out these graphic design memes that every client-bashing, mouse-weilding, Photoshop-loving designer will relate to.
Warning: Some of these memes might lead you to question your choice of career. This is perfectly normal. If symptoms persist after 24 hours, please talk to a developer about his/her professional life. That should make you feel better.
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Kochi-based designer Shibu PG has come up with a series of interesting logos in which he combines the shapes of two or more different objects and letters into one unique logo. The logo in each case is a visual representation of the brand name.
For example, the logo for Energy Australia is a combination of the shape of a kangaroo and the energy symbol ⚡. The logo for HoneyComb Health & Wellness is a combination of the shape of a bee and a woman. Check out the logos here.
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News magazine India Today has come up with a powerful cover for its Save the Taj campaign (July 30 issue) that features a cleverly-inverted photograph of the Taj Mahal and its reflection in the neighbouring Yamuna river.
At first glance, the cover photo looks like an eroded image of the Taj surrounded by garbage. When flipped upside down, you realise that the eroded image is a reflection of the beautiful monument in the polluted Yamuna river. The photograph was taken by Bandeep Singh and Yasir Iqbal.
The campaign’s objective is to raise awareness about the effects of air pollution, water pollution, groundwater exhaustion, deforestation, and mining on India’s iconic monument. The Taj Mahal is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
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From American muscle to European exotics, everyone has a favourite car they would like to own one day. But do you also have a favourite car logo?
We asked a panel of designers and art directors to rank the best car logos of all time, strictly from a design perspective, not in terms of brand value. Check out the results here.
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Brazilian art director Luciano Jacob has turned Neymar’s dramatic World Cup falls into a free-to-download font called ‘Ney Type’. While others were busy mocking the Brazilian footballer’s dives on social media, Jacob was convinced Neymar was “just trying to send us a message”. He noticed the similarity between Neymar’s poses and letterforms of the alphabet, and created a custom font that you can download for free. Check it out here.
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What do clients mean when they say their logo needs to be modern, luxurious, or subtle? Dubai-based logo designer Jefferson Pascual has created a handy infographic that uses an illustration of a bird to explain common terms used in logo design briefs.
The chart features bird logos designed in different styles (eg. young, modern, feminine) with their visual opposites on the other side (mature, classic, masculine). Pascual admits that this is not the perfect interpretation for everyone, but his infographic still serves as a decent guide to understand different terms and descriptors used in logo design briefs. Check it out here.
