Do you have your client’s best interest in mind or are you just looking to provide a service and collect a check? Do find yourself making suggestions on how to improve your client’s business, website, branding etc, or is “they didn’t ask for that” a regular phrase you use? Really think about this for a minute, because it makes all the difference in the world.

A service provider literally does what they are told to, whether they agree with it or not, whether they know of a better, more effective way to approach a project or not. Generally their main goal is to find a way to do the work with as little effort as possible so they can make a bigger profit. They’re there to collect a paycheck. You asked for a yellow logo, I gave you a yellow logo. If all you want is to make ends meet and sit back and take what comes… then this is probably where you’ll be best suited.

I’m hopeful, however, that you strive to be more than this. So what makes a design partner “better” than a service provider? Communication and an understanding of your client’s needs. Always being willing to offer your expertise and making it your goal to help your client succeed. You asked for a yellow logo, I gave you a yellow logo, but not only that, here is a blue logo because I feel it better portrays your company, your market etc*. Maybe your client asked for a yellow logo because it’s their favorite color, not realizing what that color might represent in terms of brand value. Maybe they asked for yellow because a lot of their competition is using yellow and they want to work similarly, but you know blue might make them stand apart.

*Notice we’re still providing the client with what they want. The goal here is not to only provide the blue logo because you feel it’s better, but to offer your professional opinion as a suggestion.

A design partner is someone their clients can turn to. They are trusted because of their knowledge and more importantly their desire for their clients to do well. After all, if your clients are doing well, you’ll profit as well either by exposure, repeat business or referrals.

As a designer, you should strive to be a partner to your clients, and as a client, you should always consider working with someone who has your best interest in mind. This will always workout to be a win-win situation.

If you’ve ever wanted to design one of those awesome tote bags for Strand Books, here’s your chance! Starting March 1, 2010, artists from around the world are invited to submit original illustrations featuring the Strand Book Store.

They have some really cool prizes, including a free SVA Continuing Ed class! Checkout the contest web page for more details. Good luck!

I wanted to share this article I found while browsing online. It’s from the 99% blog, written by Mark McGuinness. It’s funny because it’s one of those “I know, I know” things. But we never put it into practice. A lot of times we find ourselves with a creative block and our initial reaction is to focus even more energy and force the creativity to come, which leads to frustration and further block. Meanwhile a quick break can make all the difference, it will clear your mind and allow those ideas that are struggling to get through actually reach us.

This is an excellent article, below is an excerpt:

If you depend on your creativity for your living, then your most valuable piece of equipment is not your computer, smartphone, camera, or any other hi-tech gadget. “In a modern company 70 to 80 percent of what people do is now done by way of their intellects. The critical means of production is small, gray, and weighs around 1.3 kilograms. It is the human brain.”*So what are you doing to maintain this precious resource? You probably give it plenty of stimulation – books, movies, music, nights out, interesting conversations with offbeat people.

But I’m not talking about stimulation, quite the reverse. I’m talking about qualities such as focus, calmness, clarity, and insight. They may not sound so sexy, but they are at least as important to your creative process as the glamour and stimulation side of things. And amid the bustle of daily life and the chatter of social media, they are the qualities most easily lost.

What works for me is daily meditation. Every morning, before I start work, I spend 20 minutes sitting on a mat, focusing on the sensation of breathing, doing my best to be present and aware, and trying not to get tangled up in my thoughts. It makes all the difference for the rest of the day. And I’m convinced it makes me a better writer.
[read full article...]

Mark McGuinness is currently helping readers of the Lateral Action blog to break through their creative blocks. For bite-sized inspiration follow Mark on Twitter.

Very excited to announce the new and improved Nadia Natario Photography website! Nadia is a multicultural, multifaceted photographer currently based in Barcelona. She has an extensive portfolio with everything from Live Concert Photography (Amanda Palmer, 30 Seconds to Mars, The Cure, Placebo, Paramore, as well as Give It A Name and Warped tours) to photojournalism essays covering causes such as Autism and Domestic Violence.

Nadia is truly an exceptional photographer and PixieGirl Designs is so proud to have designed a website that showcases her talent. Please take a moment to look at her work http://www.nadianatario.com

I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while, and I’m finally getting around to it. Below are a few color resources that I find invaluable in my design workday. Hopefully you’ll find these useful as well. :)

Designer’s Guide to Color

Designer’s Guide to Color is a compilation of small books with various color combinations to inspire you as you work on anything from logos, posters, packaging or anything really you can put color to. You can buy the books individually, or you can get the box set, which has 5 books in it. Each book contains over 1,000 color combinations and they each emphasize different aspects, such as tints, pastels, intense vs subdued, complex patterns, etc. It’s very helpful when you’re, for example, translating a logo from black & white to color, or when you need a complementary color for one you’ve already selected.

Color: Messages and Meanings – A Pantone Color Guide

This book, as the title states, talks to the meaning behind colors. It goes into a little bit of color theory, showing you about monochromatic schemes, complimentary colors etc. But the main thing about this is showing you the feeling colors evoke. When you think “invigorating”, what cold you choose? What about “exotic”? What colors are considered more “assertive”? The thing I like most about is that that not only does it give you a list of colors, or a sheet full of combinations to work with, it also shows different pieces created using these color schemes. It’s always helpful to see how others have used these colors. Sometimes you look at a color set and can’t really visualize it, but here, you have a great resource. This is of course a book by Pantone, so all the colors used are Pantone based, but they also provide a CMYK breakdown in the back portion of the book.

ColorZilla for Firefox

Moving away from books, and into the web, another great resource is the ColorZilla plugin for Firefox. Install this on your browser, and you can use it to see the breakdown of colors used on your screen provided in RGB and Hex. It makes it a little easier than taking a screenshot, opening it in Photoshop and using the color picker.

Pantone Colorbridge

It took me a while to purchase this one, because its over $100, but I haven’t regretted it for a moment. There’s a few Pantone color guides, but for me the best is Colorbridge Coated. It shows you the Pantone inks and next to it, it has the CMYK equivalent. As you know (or are now learning) a Pantone ink is a special blend of colors so using your regular printer will not reproduce it exactly. Particularly blues and purples, they don’t get the same intensity. You may have selected a Pantone color for your logo (packaging, print piece…) and will be printing it at your local printer. It’s helpful to see what it will look like in CMYK. Likewise you may have created a color just from the colorpicker in Photoshop or you might need to find a Pantone color to match a print. You can use this booklet which fans out so you can find the closest match

ColorMunki

This last item I’m going to mention I have not used myself, but I thought was really cool. ColorMunki is a spectrophotometer, which allows you to literally scan colors off pretty much anything. Want to use the exact color on your favorite shoes to create a website? Scan it with ColorMunki. Saw a photograph in a magazine and want to use that color for your logo? Scan it! Now I haven’t bought it because I haven’t really had a chance to really look into it, and basically because I can probably get a close enough match with my Pantone book. But, if anyone out there has used it, I’d love to hear what you think of it!