Digital Design Advice

Hello,

When you start your initial design concept there are areas of the design that you don’t always consider initially, as the site is designed around what concepts the client needs to get across on the homepage.  Most websites follow the same page structure throughout having the nav and content positioned in the same place to maintain a consistent design throughout the site.  There are one or two exceptions to this consistent design where you are able to think outside the box and one of those is a 404 page. (more…)

With social networks popping up left right and centre at the moment, and every mogul in the industry saying that social media and social networks are the way forward, what makes a social network unique? When Myspace first launched back in August 2003 it was pretty much the only social network available, and it had a monopoly on the market up until September 2006 when FaceBook opened it’s doors to the general public. Many people said that it would never catch on the way that Myspace did, but in April 2008 FaceBook overtook Myspace to claim the Social Network crown. (more…)

With the Oscars out of the way with for another year and the Hollywood Glitterati having suitably patted each other on the back for a job well done, this week I thought I’d look at Movie Poster design. I’ve always been a big fan of the Japanese Film industry, and have been irked for many years about the poor quality remakes that have been released. (not really poor quality, just dumbed down for the mass market and not as good as the originals!)

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Hey Everyone,

Welcome back to DDA, we have an excellent post today with a few friendly tips about logo design. Logo design is, without a doubt, one fo the most important areas of design from a business point of view and if you’re good at it it can be both profitable and fun.

There are certain rules however to developing a good logo, especially if you want to provide value for a business.
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I’ve finally been dragged into the world of microblogging and signed up to Twitter. It seems to be the buzz word on everyone’s lips at the moment, crashing sites left right and centre with recommendations from Stephen Fry and Pete Cashmore the power of Twitter as a marketing tool is clear.

But so many companies aren’t using it to their full advantage. Whilst searching for people to stalk… I mean follow… I was amazed by the amount of businesses not capitalising on their twitter presence.

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Hello

I have always been a huge fan of encouraging design and just generally being creative from a young age, afterall this is where the future of design lies.

With the finalists of Doodle 4 Google in Ireland picked for each age group from juniors to 6th year students now is the time to vote.   Contestants enter from different schools within Ireland and then the competition (I think moves to English entries)

You can vote for your favorite on Doodle 4 Google online with the voting ending on Monday 16th February 2009.

Here are some that caught my eye:-

Age 5th/6th year

Evan O’Sullivan Glynn, aged 16

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Hello, I thought for a change I would look at some offline design in the form of brochure design.  It is  important to match your online and offline in quality of design and represent what you are trying to achieve.  I have seen some really good websites before and then been dissappointed when I received their brochure.    Receiving some folded A4 sheets of paper is not good brochure design.

I have found some great brochure designs for you and if you have come across any that you have seen leave me a comment with a link.  I really appreciate interactive and interesting brochure design.

The brochure below is a great use of illustrative photography showcasing Boundless’ core services.  It is also nice to see the designers have integrated into their design a functionality of a pocket folder for any additional information.

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Hey Everyone,

How is 2009 going for you all so far, I really can’t believe we are a month in already! Jeez.

I really hope you are all doing OK out there during this crazy “credit crunch” time, today we are going to look at my top five tips for being a successful graphic designer.

These tips are designed to help you to prove both your ability and worth as a designer. If you already have a portfolio it’s worth going over these tips at the side of what you have, if you are yet to develop one then keep them in mind for when you plan the project.

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Over the past few months we have looked at a number of web site designs. But which of the developments and trends that we’ve seen will continue, which will go mainstream and become a classic approach? Here are some of the web design trends that DDA think designers are beginning to accept as standard approaches.

Single Page Layouts

We visited single page portfolio designs in a previous DDA post on showcase and showreel sites but I felt it was important enough to include as a prediction for 2009 too, as I believe we will be seeing a lot more of these types of designs – not just restricted to portfolio sites.

Pikaboo.be


Paolo Boccardi – Photographer

Modal Boxes / Lightboxes

This method of displaying media or capturing data is fast becoming the norm for web sites. Modal Boxes enable the user to input information, make selections or view images and videos without having to navigate away from the page they are viewing.

The Typographic Desk Reference

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