CMY-K

So many times I see designs compromised by incorrectly using different types of black that lead to ghosting. Have you ever printed out a file and noticed the background black is not the same level as your image's black? That's because their CMYK (Cyan/Magenta/Yellow/Black) make-ups are probably different. When available, use an eyedropper tool to match background blacks with image blacks. I put together this graphic quickly to sort of show what I'm babbling about...

Election Yard Signs

Something to remember about coroplast yard signs are they are usually see-through in sunlight. When I was driving to work this morning I saw an election sign that looked more like a DO NOT vote for this guy because of the big "X" going through the sign. Here is a quick mock-up...

Photoshop Actions

Like Instagram?


There are many websites that feature customized Photoshop Actions that can alter your photos-- from sepia to vintage effects.

100 Free Photoshop Actions

Balloons (Vector)

Download Zipped EPS File (Simple Balloon Vector by wdsiemer ii)
The "Flare Tool" in Illustrator makes adding a shine to balloons easy.

Quick, Easy Vector Balloons

Standard Ligatures

Standard Ligatures
When modifying kerning between letters, check that Standard Ligatures are disabled for a consistent spacing appearance.

Letter Spacing

Awkward Letter / Number Spacing
Treat your text with care. Avoid visually unappealing letter spacing.

10 tips for naming your company, product, or service

The Name Inspector
10 tips for naming your company, product, or service
[See 10 tips]

Missing Fonts or Images in Illustrator

Quick Tutorial for the Beginning Designer

Trying to open someone's Illustrator file (ai/pdf/etc), but have missing fonts or images? Place them.
I've tried to keep this straightforward while keeping it understandable.

File> New...
(Make a new document)

File> Place...
(Browse for the document you need to open)

Make sure the check box called "Link" is checked and "Template" is unchecked.

With your file selected, click Place.

Your image is now placed as a Linked File.

If you want to be able to make some edits, you'll have to outline the fonts and embed the images, this is how to do it... (Don't click "Embed" if you're missing fonts because this will force you to make substitutions for them)

Object> Flatten Transparency...

In the pop-up box..
Preset: High Resolution
Line Art and Text Resolution: 1200ppi
Gradient and Mesh Resolution: 300ppi
CHECK Convert All Text to Outlines
CHECK Convert All Strokes to Outlines

CHECK Preserve Overprints and Spot Colors


Click OK

Flatten Transparency Box

(Sometimes these settings need to be changed for more advanced imagery with effects like drop-shadows, etc.)

You will now see that the document is editable.

File> Save

Impress Your Friends (Calculator)

Here's a simple javascript code to impress your friends...

CALCULATOR

In your browser, write or copy/paste the following:

javascript: alert(type math problem here)

Now enter any math equation in the paranthesis:

javascript: alert(8000+10-2*2/2);

...and up pops the answer.

CLICK HERE to see this trick and more like it. Pretty cool.

Illustrator Letter Height Script

Design Tip/Trick of the Day:
Illustrator Letter Height Script

Sometimes it can be difficult to set your letter height in inches (withour making preference changes) instead of points in Illustrator, so this script will automatically do that for you. That means with the words "The Sketchpad" the "T" would be set to whatever letter height you enter. Give it a try!

DOWNLOAD Illustrator Letter Height Script and Instructions

Design Tip of the Day

Design Tip of the Day 04/19/11

Have you ever wondered how large to make letters so they are readable from a distance? Print this chart for a quick reference when creating signs, banners, billboards and large format prints.

Design Tip/Trick of the Day (Finding Logos)

Design Tip/Trick of the Day

In the design field, the best place to get a vector/high-res logo is directly from the company or design agency. This will guarantee the logo is streamlined, uses the appropriate fonts/colors and a style guide will detail how to use the mark correctly.

However, design students may not have this luxury, and may need a company's logo for a school project. There are several things to try before attempting to recreate a logo freehand. As always, there are several ways to go about this. These aren't the only or best methods. You may have your own preferences.

1. See if you can get the logo from the company, an instructor or from the brand's official website. For example, Xavier University's logo is on their brand website... http://www.xavier.edu/university-communications/brand.cfm

2. Look on Wikipedia. Say I want the UPS logo. I search Wikipedia UPS on google. To the right on UPS' Wikipedia page, you'll see the UPS logo. Click on it. You see underneath the logo that it is called "UPS_logo.svg" (SVG file). Being a SVG file means you're probably in luck. Click on the logo or right click and select "Save Target As..." Save to your desktop or into a designated folder. Now, you can open the SVG file in Illustrator or right click and select "Open With...Adobe Illustrator" or another vector program. Volia! Vector UPS logo.

3. If a company has a corporate website with a search command, Search for "PDF," or "Annual Report." Say I want the AT&T logo. Go to http://www.att.com/. In the Search box type "annual report." I clicked on the first link titled "AT&T Annual Reports | Investor Relations | AT&T." On the next page, I see "Complete 2010 AT&T Annual Report (3.4 MB)," so I right click, select "Save Target As..." and save the pdf on my desktop. Now all I need to do is open the correct page from the PDF in Illustrator and I have the vector AT&T sphere.

4. There are many sites that have user-submitted logos for free, one of the most popular being http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/  Sometimes you'll have to check for inconsistencies in the logo. Since these are user submitted they can be incorrect logos.

5. Contact me. I have collected, recreated, accumulated, etc. over 5,000 logos.

6. Recreate it.

Please be respectable to the logos!

Tip For The Beginning Designer

If you can help it, in most cases you will not want to put a stroke or faux-bold on a font. It is not the same as "Bold." Bold fonts are designed specifically for their purpose. Strokes throw off the letter's ascenders and descenders, change the size, and would require tracking adjustments (the space in-between characters.) Most typefaces include bold as part of their family. See if you can use that. This is just a general rule of thumb in the design world, but there are special circumstances when you will "break the rules."

Note: These same applications are true: Shearing/Slanting is not the same as italic//Decreases the font size and faux "Small Caps" are not true Small Caps//Squishing the font is not the same as a Condensed font