Divine Invasion

Tattoo Design Review asked:


Tattoos are a common thing these days. They are more popular than ever before. Research has shown that nearly 1 in 4 people have at least one tattoo. There are many designs to choose from, giving people a chance to be creative. Below, we will take a look at some of the most popular tattoo designs.

Tribal tattoos are among the most popular designs. They have been around for hundreds and hundreds of years and they are always evolving and becoming more and more complex with their designs and styles. Tribal tattoos can either be the traditional black style that cover the arms and the legs or the more colorful styles that can cover every area of the body. The colorful, more modern look is becoming more and more popular when compared to other styles.

The “old school” styles of tattoos are also popular. Anchors and things like that are making a great comeback these days and not just with sailors. These styles were very common and very popular back in the 60s. They are rapidly gaining their popularity back, as females and males are getting anchors and swallow designs tattooed on them more and more.

Lower back tattoos are the most common for women. The lower back is one of the most sexual and sensual areas on a women, making the ideal spot for a tattoo. Tribal designs are the most popular, although flowers, dragons, and other symbols make great tattoos as well. The lower back offers plenty of natural curves as well, which can make for an innovative tattoo. Often times, women tend to include tribal that spreads, covering the base of their hips as well.

Dragon designs are another popular type style of tattoos. They were popular in the past, and are now starting to get their popularity back. There are a lot of different dragons to choose from, including the mythical dragon and ancient Chinese dragon. Dragons are great on the chest for males and the back for females. Dragon tattoos can be virtually any size, although most males tend to have them cover one side of their chest or the upper region of their arms.

Celtic tattoos are also popular as well. They are mostly seen with those who have a Celtic heritage, although some with no Celtic heritage have them as well. They offer a variety of symbols and designs, providing universal meanings for everyone. Often times they are mixed with tribal tattoos to create a more innovative tattoo.

There are several other types of tattoos out there, although the above are the most common. Tattoos can be very creative and innovative; it all depends on what you want. If you’re looking to stand out and be truly creative – you can always have a professional tattoo artist design one for you.

Visit our website at TattooDesignNow.com

Intrigue Design asked:


1. Final Outcome

Profits as Proof. Agencies do not represent overhead to be justified. Agencies are deployed when the investment can be shown to generate profits, and they know they have to prove it every time. Intrigue Design has a proven plan to combine image with message and smart marketing strategies to produce results. That result needs to be a solution that converts all your creative efforts into sales.

2. Track Record

How many brands has your in-house marketing person/team built and transformed into growth- and revenue-generators? Probably not many. The team at Intrigue Design has put hundreds of brands to work generating rewards for their companies.

3. Depth & Experience

Branding is a big job. One person can’t do it. It requires a first-rate team of marketing strategists, writers, designers, developers and media experts and many others. Intrigue Design has them all, with well over 20 years of experience in management.

4. Cost

Hiring even a few experts in each of these fields will cost you well in excess of $300,000 a year. A creative agency like Intrigue Design can offer turn-key solutions, including all services and products at a fraction of the cost of a less impactfull in-house solution.

5. Project Management

Every project gets a full-time project manager to assure fast and efficient communication and project fulfillment. Additionally Intrigue Design has created a web-based project viewing, revision and approval system so you can check, collaborate and make changes to your projects 24/7. .

6. Environment

Our managers are able to collaborate with all of our creative talent instantly via our proprietary job management system. It allows us to try out new ideas, critique each other’s work, analyze and improve strategies, brainstorm, etc. Additionally Intrigue Design has state-of-the-art hardware, network and software as well as a full network of professional vendors to assure marketing success. This quite simply isn’t available as an in-house option.

7. Truth

The job of an outside agency is to look at your organization objectively and tell you the truth about your strengths, weaknesses and needs. (We’re not afraid to tell the boss he or she is wrong!) It is well known that most companies have an “inside out” perspective of their business. As “outsiders,” Intrigue Design is able to focus on the outside-in perspective – which is that of your customers.

graphic design Melbourne asked:


A thoroughly prepared client brief is half the success of a rebranding or design project. Attaining all the necessary and relevant information from the client and a comprehensive insight into the client’s brand provides you with a great foundation for the right brand identity and design solution.

As a designer or brand consultant, a properly prepared client brief gives multiple sources of ideas to work with. Unless you have a clear understanding of what the client wants and needs you waste your time trying to design something out of nothing and the client ends up spending more money than budgeted for as a result of the required modifications…which naturally makes both parties very happy….

Depending on the particular project you will need a specific design brief. That means if you are developing a website or creating a business card, the client design brief will be different. However, there is some general information about your company and what you want to achieve, which should give a good idea in any design situation. Here are some general questions that will help me and fellow designers and consultants:

1. Title 2. What is the nature of your business? What does your business do? 3. What is your target market? a. Age b. *** c. Income d. Occupation e. Location 4. What is unique about your business or product? 5. Who is your competition? 6. What is your aim? What are your goals? 7. How do you want your clients to feel about the brand? What is the message you want to communicate? 8. What is your budget? Range? a. Providing a rough guide enables the consultant/designer with an idea of the type of marketing and design solution that can be provided to you. 9. What is your deadline? 10. Provide the designer with current and past design and marketing materials.

 

 

 To see how you can improve the image of your brand click here: graphic design Melbourne

Gareth Coxon - Dot Design asked:


Just the other day I received a question on Twitter from Adam at Design4Love:

“Hi.. how are you? Do you have any tips for me how to get into the UK design industry (Other than sending applications to agencies). Thanks!”

Which got me thinking about how difficult it was for me and some of the fellow graphic design students I studied with to get a job in the design industry back in 1999 (yes that long ago!) straight out of design college. I snapped up a job with a Central London design agency in Soho within 2 weeks of leaving college but looking back it wasn’t really the right job for me then. Though just 13 months later I changed positions and worked for a great design agency based in London Bridge and learned a huge amount as well as working on lots of different types of projects as a designer.

Anyway competition was fierce then BUT the amount of graphic design and other design courses available in art colleges and universities up and down the college has grown hugely since then.

So here are a few tips on (like Adam asked) “how to get into the UK Design industry”

The Portfolio:

Having a great design portfolio is a must. To be honest your design portfolio is the most important thing on this list, its what you’ll mainly be judged on. It must be well presented and include at least 6 or more design projects. Think about the kind of work the agency your applying to does and try to tailor your portfolio towards that. For example if they specialise in corporate identity and branding work try to include work of this kind.

Be ready to talk about your design work, what inspired you, why you approached the project in the way you did, even choice of typeface, colours, imagery etc. Show them some of your sketchs and development work, some agencies what to see your scribbles more than the finished work as it shows your design process and how you think!

Before taking your portfolio along to job interviews, make sure you show it to a people (tutors, other design students) talk them through it, get them to ask you questions about your design work and respond with suitable answers. This will get you used to talking people through your portfolio, making you a more prepared for the interview.

Work Experience:

Offer to do some work experience with a design company who’s work you really admire (for free if you have to!), even if its just a week then spend that week wowing them, making the tea, producing great work, take an interest in everything relating to that design company. It is a good way to get your foot in the door but also don’t be too pushy or cocky, you might think your a great designer but remember there is a big difference between design college and the real world!

If the company really like you during your work experience they might offer you a full time job!

Finding Work:

Send your portfolio as a PDF etc to as many design companies (that your interested in) as possible, then after a few days give them a quick call to check they have received it.

Another alternative and one that worked for me is to approach a design recruitment agency. I contacted Major Players (there are many others!) when looking for a new graphic design position. They interviewed me and I took them through my portfolio and skills set, based on this they then contacted me when suitable jobs became available. This worked very well as they got me a new job within 2 weeks.

Dress code:

There isn’t one as such. Wear what your comfortable in but also look like you have made some sort of effort! That said I wouldn’t recommend turning up in a suit! Remember what you wear can be seen as a reflection of yourself and your design style or preferences.

Behaviour:

Be yourself, be calm and open to discussing your work and the work of the design agency. Remember to ask questions about what work they produce and what your role would be. One thing I found useful was to ask if someone could take you around the studio, afterall that is where you’ll be working if you get the job and you need to see what sort of environment you’ll be working in. It also easier to ask questions as you move around and see how they work.

Research:

Remember to do some research on the company that is interviewing you, as they are likely to ask you what made you apply for a job with them, what sort of work do they produce, what awards have they won (if any), why do you want to work for them in particular?

Keep trying:

Above all keep trying and keep looking at ways to improve your portfolio. If you go for an interview and they don’t give you a job, don’t worry, your work just might not be suitable for that particular design agency.

So hope this has helped, good luck!

Alabama Web Design asked:


Fresno Web Design - The Most Important Factors to Contemplate When Selecting a Professional FresnoWeb Design Service

One of the most effective growth strategies for any endeavor is expanding into new markets. And what is the highly recommended way to offer your products and services and reach these new customers? Establishing an excellent online presence, of course. Once you decide the kind of web site your business needs, you’ll have to hire a web design service. There are some essential things that you should consider when selecting a professional Fresno web design service.

First-rate Customer Service

There is a popular marketing preceptthat states that, “The customer always comes first”. This is particularly true for web design. You are paying good money for a web site that is more than just another business card or brochure. You are depending on this web site to expand your business and raise your revenues. You ought to make sure the Fresno web design service you hire provides top-quality customer service. They should be readily accessible to customers, to deal with questions, clear up doubts, or simply just be there for you.

Consider, as well, the types of services provided. Creating a web site involves more than just the graphics design. The service you select should be able to convey your marketing goal, what you wish to achieve with your web site. They should keep in mind your demographics and plan the site accordingly. They must know about keyword research. Why have a web site if there will be very little traffic? A serious Fresno web design service should be able to handle these issues.

Competitive Rates

You might be tempted to choose the lowest bidder, but heed this warning: you get what you pay for. A professional Fresno web design service will offer competitive rates, but never the cheapest rates. Top quality has its price, and if you’re relying on your new web site to expand your business, the investment will be well worth it.

Estimated Delivery Time

Another essential point to consider when selecting a professional Fresnoweb design service is what their estimated completion date might be. With the amount of individuals conducting business online, you’ll want to make sure your web site is up and running as soon as possible. If you establish a realistic deadline, a serious web design service should be able to not only complete the project in timely fashion, but also deliver a web page that is exactly what you envisioned to accompany you to greater success.

To sum up, there are countless Fresno web design services to choose from, but if you contemplate the factors mentioned above, you’ll no doubt make the right choice.

www.TheOutSourcingCompany.com - Alabama Web Design

designers asked:


Beauty lies within skin deep, but fashion involves layer upon layer of meaning, history and beauty. Men and women designer clothes do not simply appear out of thin air but from the fertile minds of fashion designers.

People who are passionate about women’s fashion look at fashion design as an art. Fashion designers work with cut cloth and the human form to provide a look that works well on you. Nowadays women designer clothes seem to be waking from the elegant, modest languor they have been in and bold designs are once again flavor of the season. The greatest desire of every woman is to be adored within their friends and colleagues. Designer clothes help you to stand out from the crowd. Wearing designer clothes is not only about making fashion statement but also to improve your standing socially and boldly express in-front of others that you can dress well and over and above afford to do so.

A designer cloth is manufactured using high grade materials with adequate time and care given in cutting each garment carefully and stitching them together with premium threads. This additional care provides exclusivity which distinguishes the designer label from fake designer brands and offer better value for money in the long run. These days women designer clothing is available in diverse variety that caters for a whole host of markets. To your surprise they are even available in maternity sizes offering mothers to be a unique way to look and feel good throughout the pregnancy period.

Whether you are crazy for chic and trendy or loud and bold you can easily access your choice of designer clothes online. Online stores offer designer clothes at reduced rates. Do not make useless assumptions that they offer designer clothes at cheap rates because they are fake, inferior quality or damaged items. The lower overheads enable them to sell at much lower prices than any other high end store. The special discount is offered by them without compromising in the terms of quality.

waikit asked:


Mark Kokavec, who studied both Automotive and Product Design at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, has more than 12 years experience and designed footwear for Reebok, Converse and Under Armour. He currently works at Under Armour as a Senior Footwear Design Manager for the Running and Outdoor categories.

In 2008 he founded Render Demo Design Studio and is publishing DVD video tutorials to educate designers and artists to sketch and render footwear in Illustrator, Photoshop and Alias Sketchbook.

Mark will be hosting two workshop sessions featuring Adobe Illustrator at the IDSA Northeast District Conference during March 27-29 in Cambridge MA.

First, thank you Mark for taking the time to provide the very first interview here at Product Design Hub.

Could you please tell us a bit more about your background, what made you become a footwear designer?

Thank you for allowing me to share my experiences with your readers!

My path in becoming a footwear designer started at College for Creative Studies in Detroit Michigan. I had studied Automotive Design for a couple years and transitioned into Product Design in an effort to broaden my design skills. I had always been interested in footwear and was one of the first students to sign up for interviews when Reebok came on a National recruiting search. I was the lead designer for their Tennis category which I have a strong passion for. I was able to design product for Venus Williams, Michael Chang, Andy Roddick, Patrick Rafter and many more professional tennis players. After 6 years I moved to Converse in an effort to build their basketball division. I worked very closely with Chris Bosh, Kirk Hinrich and more importantly… Dwyane Wade. I designed all the Basketball footwear leading up to his first signature shoe, which I helped manage and develop.

After 3 years I was approached by Under Armour to help build the footwear design group. I was the 2nd Footwear designer for the company. I currently head up the Running and Outdoor categories.

Could you describe your design work flows and tools?

I have gone completely digital! From concept sketching to final design renderings. Everything is done digitally using an Apple MacBook Pro, Wacom Cintiq, monitor and programs Photoshop, Illustrator and Sketchbook Pro.

Where is your inspiration coming from?

I’m inspired by many things but my main sources of inspiration come from the Automotive and Motion Picture Industries. I really like the aggressiveness of sports cars, especially BMW, combined with the creative imaginations of artists in the entertainment industry really inspire me.

What is your own most favorite design and why?

The design I am most proud of is one that I created at Under Armour™. It is the first basketball shoe for Under Armour and will not be sold at retail. It’s exciting because it’s the first shoe for them and the fact that you can’t buy it really makes it special. An up and coming rising star named Brandon Jennings has been wearing it.

What is your favorite design and why?

That’s a tough one! I really like the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman.  What intrigues me most about the Eames brothers was that they were always on the cutting edge of design and pioneered many innovative technologies which we commonly use today. This chair is next on my list to purchase for my office.

What are the pros and cons of being a footwear designer?

There are many pros. Quick product turn-around times. You’re always working on a new project since it takes around 15 months from sketch to retail, and you have 4 seasons of launch dates. Once you start a new project, you’re in the middle of a previous season and you’re finalizing the one before that! The designs change with fashion so it’s always fresh. If you’re in the athletic industry, then you have the opportunity to meet with professional athletes and design performance type product specific to a sport. You’re able to cross over into different categories which have different standards and product specs. For example if you design football cleats and transition into outdoor, the shoe proportions change along with constructions and other subtle details. You get to travel around the world depending on the category your in. All ages can potentially wear your designs, from adults to kids! Most times you have total control over your own projects. You get to see them through from concept stage, material and color selection, all the way to working with the factory on manufacturing.

How does your job influence your life? (in other words, how do you look at footwear?)

It has a huge influence on my lifestyle. I head up the Running and Outdoor footwear design categories, which enables me to run in my own designs. I try to run as much as I can in different shoes so that I can better design the next round of shoes. I have way too many shoes in my closet (as does my wife!).

Where do you think the future of footwear design is heading in the next 5 years?

I see a total digital and 3D future. Some of us are already there and sketch right into the computer. It’s faster, and it will speed up the process and we will be closer to the market.

What can we expect from Render Demo Design Studio soon?

We have a lot going on.

-A new redesigned website will be launching soon!

-A few new DVD’s that teach the basics of design. I will be demonstrating everything on paper where my previous videos were mainly screen captures. This will allow the viewers to actually see how I hold a pencil, rotate the paper, make mistakes, etc. It’s more or less a hands on approach.

-We are also looking for designers to submit their work in sort of a competition like format where I and other industry leaders will be voting and selecting the best ones for a book launch. The designers whose work is selected for the book will receive a free copy! Each designer will have their contact information included so this book becomes a reference for companies. It’s kind of like a resume. It will give them a worldwide exposure.

Thank you for this interview, any last words or tips you want to share with upcoming footwear designers?

Whatever field you’re in or studying for, remember that passion is key! If you don’t have a passion for what you’re doing right now, STOP! Figure out how you can do what it is you’re passionate for. Never stop trying and never let someone else tell you that you don’t have what it takes or that you’re not good enough.

“Live Your Dream!”

This was fun!  I look forward to reading future interviews from other designers.

- Mark

Kenith Yoel asked:




When it comes to graphic design, Texas has a good number of expert web designers that can provide wonderful solutions to your web needs. This article provides guidelines to choose a good graphic web designer, Dallas or a perfect Mckinney Web Design Company.

The first think to do is to find out the requirements and plan accordingly. Therefore, you should know exactly what your new website is about. You should be clear about the niche it is going to address and the type of customers you are going to cater to. You need to ask certain questions: Is it an online shopping website? Who is the audience? What is the product to be promoted? How much can I spend for the website? What is the message to be communicated to the audience? By answering all these questions, you will be able to select the most appropriate web designer according to the requirements. This will also make the job easy for the web designer by allowing a more requirements oriented design process.

Once you are clear with the requirements of the design project, you can go on to research on web designers who are most appropriate for the job at hand. To do this, you can use the Internet and search for websites that cater to website design needs. Select three to four web designers and select your design firm after comparing their portfolios.

You can also visit websites related to your industry and get an idea of the design used. If you think the design is appropriate to your proposed website’s need, you can contact the owner of the website to get contact information of the web designers. Other ways to find your web designer is through word of mouth. You can ask your friends, colleagues, relatives etc if they know any reputed web designers.

There are some qualities that you should look for in your web designer. Apart from being able to offer a high quality website design suitable to your business requirements, they should be able to prove their level of experience and skill in web designing for various scales of companies. The designers should also be willing to listen to what the customer has to say and progress with the design duly focusing on the project requirements. Also, the employees of the web design firm must be equipped with all the latest web design tools required to design a topnotch website. The designers should be skilled and experienced in various web design related areas like template designing, website customization, SEO, Graphics, logo designing, banners etc. The SEO skill of the designer is especially important as this is a key factor in getting visibility for your website on top search engines.

Once you have short listed the web designers, you can contact them and enquire about the design process they employ. You can make a comparison of the web design services and get quotes from the design firms you prefer. Based on the quotes you can select the best web designer for your project. After choosing your web designer, you can inform the other web design firms that you rejected and explain the reason for not picking them. And of course you should get in touch with the web designer that you selected and start off your design project.

Atlas Designs - Invitations & Announcements asked:


Most brides now use the internet to find that perfect invitation, or at least get ideas of what other brides have used.  With so many details and so little time, how do you find the right invitation for your very unique wedding? Here’s a quick checklist to think through when pondering what type of wedding invitation you want to go with. Stay tuned for our next article, which will run you through the Elements of a Perfect Invitation. Ponder this:

In what type of setting are you getting married – church, formal, casual, outdoor, beach, gazebo, destination? What are your wedding colors? Is there an overall theme to your wedding? Will your wedding be ethnic or religious related? In what season will your wedding take place? What personal touches will you be adding into your ceremony? Are there symbols that you might want on your invitation that will carry through the wedding? What is the style of your wedding - will you want traditional or modern invitations? What type of flowers are you having in your wedding? How important is traditional wedding etiquette to you? Do you want to include your photo on your wedding invitations? How much have you budgeted for your invitations? Does your budget include any other print items, such as ceremony programs, reception table and place cards, etc.?

Having a good idea to most of these points will make the process much smoother when you sit down with your wedding planner or invitation designer. Call Atlas Designs today at 561.445.7630 or visit our site to see a gallery of designs our brides have loved. We’re at http://www.atlasdesigns.org/.  Our designs our unique, fresh, and custom tailored to every brides’ specifications.  Not a single invitation is identical to the next.  Our brides receive one-on-one service and designs that are uniquely, unquestionably theirs.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? How did you narrow down the myriad of invitations out there to the perfect one that will herald your event?  We’d love to get your comments.

Ink Blot Design Studios asked:


Build Your Own Website vs. Hiring a Professional Website Designer

The question of whether small business owners should hire a professional website designer or build their own websites using do-it-yourself software boils down to four primary considerations:

1) Site Ownership: Generally speaking, when a person creates a do-it-yourself business website they are bound by the terms of use of their hosting website. In most cases such sites stipulate that all rights to the materials on the small business owner’s website actually belong to the host! That means that if the business owner ever wanted to upgrade his or her site to a custom design or migrate the site material to a new host they would not be allowed to do so!

When you build a do-it-yourself website you are locked into the site and the host contractually and the provider never has to let you transfer your website contents. In fact, there are often service cancellation fees of up to $300!

This is not the case with custom designed websites. A good web development company will provide you with all the files you need in order to edit or transfer your site as you see fit at no charge to you. You should not generally be required to pay any fees beyond the design and setup price.

2) Price: On an upfront cost basis do-it-yourself websites are cheaper. Business owners can enroll in most build-your-own-website service plans for about $20 to $30 per month. In many cases there are no upfront charges and you only get hit with big bills when you opt to cancel later on down the road.

On the other hand, website designers generally charge you for their services upfront or over the course of your website, logo or graphic design development project. Web design fees will vary widely from one provider to the next and from one project to the next. The benefits of having a custom site build that you own are that you won’t have to pay the designer a monthly fee and you should have complete control over what you do with your site after it is completed.

3) Uniqueness of your Company Image: One of the key drawbacks of do-it-yourself websites is that business owners are often given limited options as to what templates they can use and how they can modify those templates. This can result in two or more different companies having essentially the same website.

This issue is not all-together remedied by using professional web designers. Many companies provide template based products because it allows their clients to more easily envision what the end product might look like. Template based sites also tend to be less expensive to customize and thus the clients can have them designed at lower prices.

You as a buyer should always pay attention to whether you are receiving a ‘customized’ website or a ‘custom’ website. Customized websites are template based. There is nothing wrong with starting from a template but generally you should expect to pay less for this service than you would for a fully custom website design.

4) Appearance and Quality: If you secure the services of a skilled and reliable web development company then you should almost universally receive a higher quality, better looking, website via a professional design than you would using a do-it-yourself website. There’s virtually no debating this matter.

In the end, whether you should choose a build-it-yourself website or a professional designed website is a matter of personal preferences. You should review your options and your circumstances and then make the decision that best suits your needs.

This article was written by Ink Blot Design Studios. Ink Blot Design Studios is a High Quality, yet Affordable, Website, Logo and Graphic Design Company.