Every week I take some of the most popular and interesting tweets that I come across and share them with my community. Enjoy!

How to sell the value of design: An email conversation

As a designer it’s not always easy to stand up for yourself… clients often have demanding requests, tight budgets and due to one reason or another, designers will succumb to taking on labour heavy jobs at heavily discounted rates. This does not have to be.

Group Interview: Expert Advice For Students and Young Web Designers

Our readers have requested that Smashing Magazine conduct an interview with industry leaders on issues that are relevant to students and those just starting off in their design career. With the help of our panel of 16 designers, we’ll dispense advice that should help new designers get their career off to a promising start. We’ve asked a few different questions to each of the designers; you’ll see all of their responses below.

Where to find contextual image templates for your brand identity presentations

When it comes to client presentations, contextual imagery is key. The use of digital mock-ups allows your clients to visualize how their new brand identity will tie-in with the products they produce, the premises they occupy, the vehicles they drive, the clothes they wear.

So you want to create a font. Part 1

So you’re a brilliant designer, a master calligrapher, and you’ve learned all about serifs, side-bearings, and kerning. Now you want to create your own font. (What! You haven’t learned all about serifs, side-bearings, and kerning?)

Post-it philosophy and graphic design

Regular visitors to this web address will know that we’re interested in why people become graphic designers, given that it’s a fairly unusual career path (and no-one seems to give the same answer twice).

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I am approached by clients on a daily basis for graphic design work. Many are professional, but some are not. Below is a start to a new collection of things clients say, which are frustrating, yet slightly humorous.

1. CLIENT: “This project should be pretty easy if you know what your are doing.”
2. CLIENT: “I need a full scale CMS website. The specifications are attached for all of the pages.  We can afford $100. There’s not much of a budget but it could be a great portfolio piece.”
3. CLIENT: “Why isn’t the site #1 on Google yet?” more…

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Let’s face it. Every product that humans create has an impact on the planet. In today’s world our everyday life is driven by cutting-edge technology that makes mass production of manufactured materials easier than ever before. So easy in fact that it has come to jeopardize our society’s future by tainting the environment with products so long lasting and durable that we cannot control our waste amounts which end up in landfills. As graphic designers, our role is to produce marketing and product designs that influence our culture. There comes a time when we have to adjust the envelope. We have to serve our future needs and induce preventative maintenance for our planet. Exploring the options of green design will further help expand design knowledge in a ways which will benefit designers, their clients, and the environment. more…

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Recently, in my writing composition class, I was asked to write a paper using a prompt which questions my field of study. The results were quite interesting after I thought about the question and did some research.

The prompt:

“What is the most important development that has occurred in your field of studies during the last ten years?  Explain this development and how it has impacted your field.”

In the past twenty years, our world has changed greatly with the increased reliance on computers. The invention of the microchip has advanced our technology so much that we can now access many services without leaving the comfort of our homes. As a graphic designer I can also see that my industry is no exception to this revolution. Suddenly, untrained individuals have access to inexpensive tools that can be used for a variety of publications. Professional software owners are making their own fliers to promote small businesses. The invention of the internet has created a new medium demand for online web design, and the multimedia industries have also turned to more advanced design elements. more…

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• Converting Clients and Designers: Sustainable Eco-Friendly Print Design
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• Design Tweets of the Week #5