Top products from r/GraphicDesign

We found 22 product mentions on r/GraphicDesign. We ranked the 42 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.

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Top comments that mention products on r/GraphicDesign:

u/Duvo · 5 pointsr/GraphicDesign

Hey, I'm not too sure how much I can help with the college choices, I come from a different country so I don't know enough about that, but I am big on learning things myself and if you'd like to strengthen your knowledge in graphic design, maybe even while studying, here are some awesome books to get yourself going in the right direction:

Meggs' History of graphic design: I love this book. before I bought it I found another on design as a whole but this is specifically related to graphic design. with a lot of briefs it helps to know what kind of association your font choice will create, and it's useful to look back at old graphic design to see if there's something you can re-purpose for your brief. if that's the case, this book is for you. Megg doesn't leave anything out too! it starts all the way back from the beginnings of written language!

The A - Z of Visual Ideas: How to Solve any Creative Brief: Imagery is almost as important to a brief as type. You'll need to be able to create something that grabs attention and gets a message across as quick as possible. If you're having trouble finding a way to express an idea, flip open this book and page through countless ways you could do it.

How To Be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul: Work experience is the best kind of learning there is. and if you feel like you're lost when you begin, this book will be your faithful mentor. There's a lot about freelancing and starting your agency too, it's just invaluable all around.

The Principles of Beautiful Web Design: If you'd like to become a web designer, this is a good book to start with. I'm an experienced web designer so I find some of the points a bit obvious, but I found a lot to learn all the same.

I don't like to waste time when it comes to learning things through the books I've bought so I can tell you first hand that these books are absolutely useful and won't just waffle on about what successful agencies have done. I'd also like to let you know that one of the finest graphic designers my previous agency had was a guy who came straight from high school and just really loved doing graphic design. When he left, he left a huge space to fill. On the other hand, I've met designers with honours degrees who didn't stay for longer than a year. But get a degree if you can, it helps to get your foot in the door. Getting a masters is awesome, and if you went magna cum laude I'm sure you would knock it out the park :) you aren't over your head in the slightest.

u/PicaRuler · 2 pointsr/GraphicDesign

Its hard to look at someone's portfolio and comment on every aspect of it, but I will offer a couple of comments about specific projects that you may be able to apply across the board.

First, you need to start thinking more about line weight and how your weights in your logos work together. I logos like the MEG logo, scale that down to 1/2" and watch the heart monogram disappear. Some designers will say "Well my logo is not meant to be represented at that size" but good designers plan for those situations even though they are not ideal. This same thought train is two-fold for your Red Cross icon set. Icons should be designed in such a way that things don't disappear when they get small.

Second, declutter your branding projects. In the case of the Pokemon and AbbieArt projects, you have multiple logos. Some companies employ more than one logo and it doesn't always present a problem, but especially in the case of the artist logos, your marks are working against each other. You have a very traditional serif type mark that implies one thing, paired with a very rudimentary hand-drawn script which says quite another. The effect is quite jarring. Pick the mark that you feel represents the artist the best and pare down to it for your portfolio and then work a couple of extra pieces in to show how that mark gets used in different situations.

The Silph Co. project presents a different challenge. An outsider like myself is going to see that mark and recognize it as someone else's work. You are building on it, but not really covering new ground. My advice is to start thinking about a mark that represents the company, but that doesn't draw completely on the pokeball aesthetic. Start looking at logos for real enormous manufacturing companies. Think about elements in the game world that you could use to make a unique mark for the company. Then to tie it back to the products they make, you could do product spec sheets for a pokeball or an isometric drawing with callouts for specific parts of a product with measurements. Try to make it as realistic as possible to draw outsiders into the world you are representing. When you think about giant companies like Apple, or Ford their logos aren't self-referential, in the sense that a Ford truck doesn't have a logo of a truck on the side of it. So when you look at a pokeball and start thinking about the mark you would see on it. Is it another smaller pokeball? I don't think so. (DISCLAIMER: I am not a gamer and have no experience with this game. Sorry if I am getting the terms wrong)

On the Wine infographic, consider revising your icons and your layout to make your message more clear. When you are presenting day-to-day information, consider grouping all of each day's activities together. Accounting for 24 hours at a time will help your viewer digest this information more easily. Also consider readers with low comprehension or illiterate viewers. Your icon representation should be clear enough that they can still glance at it and get the idea. The 1 icon = 2 instances representation dirties the water in this regard, so much so that you are forced to notate every icon which defeats the inherent purpose of an icon. If you have a passion for data visualization, this fantastic book by Edward Tufte is a great resource for how viewers read and process charts and graphs.

For your giraffe poster and your abstract poster- Start thinking about working these pieces into a brand piece or creating more elements to go with them. For the giraffe, could you represent a giraffe in 5 different ways with geometric patterns, or could you add two more animals and turn it into a branding piece for a zoo? Could you do a progression of more and more abstract giraffes to see how far you can go with the geometric shapes? When I look at pieces like that, I want to know more about the thought behind it, and then I want to see it pushed out across multiple pieces, reshaped, given some life. This goes for all of your pieces. If you do a business card, add a shirt in, or a bag, a billboard, a clever infographic about some service the business offers, anything you can to show agencies that you are thinking about how your marks and your ideas will play out across a range of platforms. For some of the projects like the Pokemon piece, consider designing a brand book to show how your mark gets used on the side of a truck, or in 3d building signage. The possibilities are endless!!

I think you have a good start. You have some decent ideas. Its time to start breathing life into them and tightening them up. shore up some of the little details that need worked out and then start expanding them.

tl;dr: Work on your line width relationships, work on making marks that are consistent and evoke the brand message, flesh out your projects a bit more, work on relating quantitive info more clearly. clean up your icons, sorry this is so long.

u/iminyourfacebro · 3 pointsr/GraphicDesign

I will post some of my favorite books in a second for you as soon as my computer gets turned on. :)

Here are a couple of my favorites from my school "Hey, I actually like these.. I'm going to purchase them!" collection.

General Graphic Design:

Graphic Design: The New Basics

This publication does a great job of showing "relationships between formal elements of two-dimensional design such as point, line, plane, scale, hierarchy, layers, and transparency." If you are looking for a general overview on a lot of subjects within graphic design I think this is a great way to upgrade your vocabulary and general knowledge about graphic design.


Graphic Design Theory: Readings from the Field

I feel like this book really can help you improve your vocabulary and general knowledge of the graphic design world offering "primary texts from the most important historical and contemporary designthinkers." It's also nice that it offers a bit of history too, analyzing the early 1900s through today.


Making and Breaking the Grid: A Graphic Design Layout Workshop

Great. Absolutely great publication for all designers showing effective use of the grid system and how to layout your compositions. "Effective layout is essential to communication and enables the end user to not only be drawn in with an innovative design but to digest information easily."


Typography: <3

30 Essential Typefaces for a Lifetime

I loooooove this book. It gives a bit of history and usage examples of 30 amazing typefaces you should know and love.


Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, and Students

Another great typography book. This publication was one of my favorites because, at the end of the day, I'm a visual person and this book has SO many visual examples to compliment it's copy it's beautiful. "This revised edition includes ... the latest information on style sheets for print and the web, the use of ornaments and captions, lining and non-lining numerals, the use of small caps and enlarged capitals, as well as information on captions, font licensing, mixing typefaces, and hand lettering."


Typographic Systems of Design

This is a very good resource for learning, as the title states, typographic systems. It "explores eight major structural frameworks beyond the gridincluding random, radial, modular, and bilateralsystems." Overall, I feel like this book helped me to improve my positioning and creative use of type in designs.

u/Beckawk · 6 pointsr/GraphicDesign

A few things I do, from taking a course at uni on idea generation:

  • Keep a sketchbook or journal, or a combination of both.

  • Pick something and make as many connections to other things as you can, it may sound lame, but mind mapping is actually really helpful in pinning down what you're thinking about.

  • Explore! If you have a car, drive around, get lost, park somewhere interesting and walk around. Walk, ride, travel, explore. I do a lot of exploring and honestly, just seeing something new and refreshing away from my desk is quite inspiring.

  • Take photos of things. This ties into the previous one, take photos of everything! Draw things from those photos, edit them, chop them up, stick them back together.

  • Collect objects that you find interesting. I went to the beach a few weeks ago, I collected a handful of shells and rocks with interesting colours and textures. I have a pinecone I picked up a few months ago too, I like to look at it or touch it. It's amazing how much of an effect engaging your senses can have on your ideas.

  • Engage in other hobbies. I play video games a lot and I've got a bunch of ideas floating around now for fan art I want to make.

  • Keep images and text you find that you enjoy. I follow some subreddits on here that are good for finding that sort of thing, like r/designporn r/adporn r/abandonedporn r/wallpapers r/drawing etc. I also follow a few websites in a feed reader called Feedly which lets me save things and suggests new feeds related to what I already look at. One of my favourites is Fubiz.net which I discovered through my reader. There's some great stuff in there including architecture.


    My sister bought me this for my birthday one year and it gives some interesting ways to think outside the box and get you to be creative.
u/AnalogRocks · 2 pointsr/GraphicDesign

I'm a full time college student who is getting a graphic design degree, but wants to do full time photography when I graduate. Honestly the best way is to practice making stuff using the programs. Whenever you can't figure something out look up how to do it online. That's essentially the basis of what you'd be doing in classes anyhow (other than learning graphic design principles).

This book is a pretty decent start on learning graphic design principles. It's super short and I found it to be helpful. There is a lot of stuff to learn, but just learning to use the programs and practicing are two important steps you could easily take to improve.

u/Abh43 · 2 pointsr/GraphicDesign

This is a list of books that was suggest to me by John Langdon (An internationally known typographer for his ambigram used in The DaVinci Code) while I was taking his class in College:

Type Directors Club Annuals: I just recently picked up the latest issue of this (32 I believe) and it shows current works of typography across a broad spectrum of mediums. These are great because they feature only current work and many of the featured designs are extremely creative and pushing the envelope in terms of readability and style.

Logo Lounge Master Library Vol. 1: I do not have a copy of this book but I have thumbed through it briefly and it features tons of logos that mainly deal with letter forms. This is certainly on my personal list of books I would like.

Type: A Visual History of Typefaces and Graphic Styles, Vol. 1: I recently purchased this book as well and I have to say it is a MASSIVE collection of vintage typography and ornaments from type founders all over the world. The majority of the samples in this book are from before the 1900's so you are almost guaranteed to not recognize anything in it. Excellent resource for inspiration!

Logo, Font & Lettering Bible: This is another book on my list. Covers a broad spectrum of lettering and is also good for learning fundementals.

Some other books he has suggested to me but I have not personally look through or read are: Type & Typography, Fonts & Logos, and finally John Langdon's book: Wordplay.

I hope this helps!

u/caeser911 · 3 pointsr/GraphicDesign

I haven't read it but friends have told me about Made you Look by Stefan Sagmeister. It is a really tactile book from an awesome designer. Everything from the cover, to even the sides of the pages has awesome wit to it. http://www.amazon.ca/Sagmeister-Made-You-Look-Stefan/dp/0810905973/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415886386&sr=1-1&keywords=made+you+look

u/billydelicious · 2 pointsr/GraphicDesign

This was a great place to start for me when I was a kid: "How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way" http://www.amazon.com/How-Draw-Comics-The-Marvel/dp/0671530771/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409077196&sr=8-1&keywords=learn+to+draw+the+marvel+way

There's just a ton of great info about perspective, composition, communication, balance. Sure it's more about illustration but most of the lessons apply to graphic design in general. Also, knowing how to draw will really give you a leg up in the industry - it's a very valuable skill set to have.

u/invisiblebeard · 2 pointsr/GraphicDesign

Alright, not trying to be snotty here, but the logo isn't good at all. With logo design there are a few guidelines that will help if you follow them, and I can recommend a couple books on that subject, for instance The Little Book of Logo Recipes has helped me quite a bit to achieve an understanding of how to build a concept.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that you started straight on the computer when developing the logo, and a lot of people do the same thing, and I find that by doing this you miss some important points a logo needs and jump right to the finishing touches.

A logo needs to work in several instances and applications, black and white, spot colors, vertical applications, dark backgrounds, etc. It is important to understand the demands of the brief before you get started.

I would star by sketching several thumbnail concepts, then picking the best ones and developing upon them, and only once you have a solid concept and logo jumpt to the computer, first in black and white, then start thinking about colors, and lastly apply gradients and finishing touches.

TL;DR: Don't get me wrong, the design is really bad, it has too many colors, it wouldn't translate to black and white. Try to have a concept next time.

u/cudgy · 1 pointr/GraphicDesign

I'm a graphic design student who wanted to learn programming and Processing was perfect for me! Particularly this book. It's written for designers/visual artists who want to incorporate coding in their art. I found it easy and fun to learn, and once you get through the basics, you can apply that knowledge to tons of other languages.

u/machine_made · 1 pointr/GraphicDesign

What kind of design do you want to get better at? Book design? Packaging? Logos? Custom type?

When I was starting out, and didn't have a great book/portfolio, I started executing on these projects from this book: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0823021629/ref=mp_s_a_1_sc_1?qid=1422483086&sr=8-1-spell&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70

It's out of date now (no web stuff) but all the project ideas are solid and focused on building new skills. I recommend it.

u/REBELYELLoz · 2 pointsr/GraphicDesign

Really it depends on how big your display is. If you're just working on a laptop screen, the Capture is fine. Once you get above a 20" display or multiple displays, you're going to want a bigger tablet and at $120, the Bamboo Create is going to be way better. The active area on the Create is 8.5" x 5.4" whereas the Capture is only 5.8" x 3.6".

http://www.amazon.com/Wacom-CTH670-Bamboo-Create-Tablet/dp/B008E0ND66

u/thisismebeingsocial · 1 pointr/GraphicDesign

Thank you! Yes, I think it's more the analytical side of computers that has me nervous. I can't even say it's confusing because I haven't given it a fair shot. Because I just don't know where to begin. Being more of a creative, Adobe was not too difficult to navigate, although certain terminology had me Googling like a mad woman. I did build my own Wordpress site and, although I'm happy with it I just feel a little hacky considering how ignorant I am to the jargon. I mean, can I even use the words "built my own site" seeing as how it's just a theme with lots of plugins and widgets? Could I actually sell that type of service if requested?

I seem to notice "html5" a lot so I guess will try and start there...

Wondering if I should just go ahead with a dummies order.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1118657209?pc_redir=1398462745&robot_redir=1

u/emliv · 2 pointsr/GraphicDesign

"Victore or, Who Died and Made You Boss?" is one of my favorites. James Victore dives into creative exploration, inspiring and motivating. http://www.amazon.com/Victore-Who-Died-Made-Boss/dp/0810995913

u/Kazyole · 1 pointr/GraphicDesign

Want to get better at typography? Start making type. Even if you suck at it and don't stick with it, learning the rules of how type is constructed will help you get better at using it. I'd recommend ordering a copy of Designing Type by Karen Cheng.

And of course, the bible, if you haven't read it

u/Kibmic · 1 pointr/GraphicDesign

The first book I was told to get in college was the "Non-Designer's Design Book" by Robin Williams.
The book actually isn't that great as far as design resources go, but it does a good job of outlining the basics and, as the title suggests, it's relatively easy for non-designers to understand.
[Amazon Link] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Non-Designers-Design-Book-Edition/dp/0321534042/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394255105&sr=8-1&keywords=non+designers+design+book)

u/grandstaff · 5 pointsr/GraphicDesign

The best thing to do is get a copy of Robert Bringhurst's The Elements of Typographical Style and read it. Then read it again. Then reference it regularly.

There is no better resource for learning to set type well.

u/420chan_spy · 2 pointsr/GraphicDesign

Making and Breaking the Grid is good. The reviews can tell you better than I can.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1592531253