New Illustration Work!
Posted by derekbender | Filed under Design, News, Trends
I’ve finally landed an illustration freelance gig! I have been working on type treatments and logo illustrations for an alternative culture/surf brand (think the likes of Billabong, Quiksilver, Volcom, etc.). I’ve already submitted my designs for the upcoming 2008 apparel line and hopefully some of my designs will be picked up! I’ll keep you posted if any Derek Bender originals hit stores near you.
42 Awesome Business, Product & Service Websites
Posted by derekbender | Filed under Design, Trends
These days everyone seems to have a website. Painters, car enthusiasts, retailers and more are finally realizing that a good website is essential to success. This list, comprised of inspirational business, product and service websites, is full of great design and will help to make quick work of that stubborn creative block.
Create Magazine, Rock for Hunger Poster Contest
Posted by derekbender | Filed under Design
I recently completed my entry for Create Magazine’s Rock for Hunger 2 poster contest. The Rock for Hunger music festival will take place in downtown Orlando this November and Create Magazine is holding a poster contest to help promote the show. Drop by Create Magazine for the the contest and event details. My entry after the jump.
36 Inspirational Business & Corporate Websites
Posted by derekbender | Filed under Design, Trends
One of the best things to do when you run into a design block is to step away, take a breath and look at something else for awhile. There are a lot of great sites out there to get inspiration from but most of these sites are design related with bright colors, amazing design elements and a certain style that would be frowned upon by a client who would like a corporate business site. Read the rest of this entry »
The Best Illustrator Shortcuts and Time Saving Tricks
Posted by derekbender | Filed under Design
Adobe Illustrator is an amazing program. It is my program of choice for logos, graphics, websites and more but carrying out common tasks again and again can become tedious and time consuming. To be efficient in Illustrator, or any program for that matter, it helps to know a few shortcuts and tricks. Did you know that the leading and tracking of text can be adjusted by a quick press of the Alt key? No? Well in that case, I’ve compiled a printable PDF guide, just for you, with the most useful keyboard shortcuts and tricks. With a few quick key presses you’ll be amazed at how much time and effort you can save.
How to be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul - A Book
Posted by derekbender | Filed under Design
I started reading How to be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul by Adrian Shaughnessy. Its basically a ”How To“ for fledgling and intermediate designers. It covers a wide range of topics - interpretation of a brief, idea generation, winning new work, dealing with clients and freelancing among others. It even runs down what it takes to start and run your own studio. And contains more than a few interviews with industry pros.
Creative Binge - Social Networking for Creatives
Posted by derekbender | Filed under Design, Trends
Creative Binge is a new site that I came upon one day while browsing an article on Smashing Magazine. I was immediately impressed within the first second I clicked on the link. Binge is a social networking site for the creative community. Users are encouraged to upload their portfolios and provide brief summaries about themselves just like every other social networking site out there. So what sets Creative Binge apart from the rest. Read the rest of this entry »
Design & Success - A Beginner’s Guide
Posted by derekbender | Filed under Design
In today’s design industry it takes a lot more than talent to succeed. Since going pro I have learned a few things through my observations and experiences. This guide is written to help the recent grads and those new to the wide world of design. Be it print, web or motion, it doesn’t matter, these tips will help you to keep afloat and eventually prosper in the design world.
Pixelmator - More Awesomeness for the Mac
Posted by derekbender | Filed under Design, News, Technology
I was surfing the interweb a couple days ago and came upon a curious site. Pixelmator.com is pushing a new product dropping soon, called, you guessed it, Pixelmator. First off, the website is amazing, a great piece of work….besides the table layout.
The Guide to Branding OR Why I Won’t Design Your Logo for $50
Posted by derekbender | Filed under Design
As a freelancer and occasional traveler of the freelance design listings, I constantly read of people needing logos for their startup business, band t-shirts or a myriad of other reasons, all well deserving of a logo to represent them. I love to do logos and branding work so I’m usually excited to hear about this kind of work, that is until the end of the post where the budget is usually listed.
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