Don't Forget Graphic Design Fundementals
One designers take on the current state of graphic design and the common shortcomings of many new designers.
I’m going to start this by giving the definition of Fundamentals:
Forming or serving as an essential component of a system or structure
Notice, if you will, the word ESSENTIAL. In relation to the design and print world, you can not achieve a printed piece without the essentials... unless of course you just get lucky.
For the past few years the graphics world has been turned on its ear. What used to be a very strict community of happy elitists who were very quick to scoff at any file that’s not prepared and packaged exactly by the book is now populated by do-it-yourselfers who have figured out that with a cheap desktop computer and some pirated software, they too can be a graphic designer. “Never mind resolution, bleed, overprint, spot, process and post script,” they cry... “These things are meaningless and obsolete,” they proclaim. “We HAVE Adobe!” They’re trying to tell you they have Photoshop, one of the many great products that Adobe Systems Incorporated makes. Referring to it as “Adobe” is the true mark of a DIY Graphic Renegade. They rant on, “with the click of my trusty mouse I can bevel or shadow ANYTHING!!!!!!” Now don’t get me wrong, the growth in the design world, the addition of all this amazing software, the time it has all saved me personally... I find it all wonderful. I was always bothered by having to package up all my links and fonts, I LOVE that I can now export to PDF and be done with it... one file, bang, send it to press, print it, and make it snappy! So before I continue, if you are what I refer to as a DIY Graphic Renegade, please don’t take offense, I’m only here to help. As easy as it was to use 14 simultaneous layer effects, it’s just as easy to prepare your files correctly and make the entire process faster, and make your end product look better.
There are a million resources online to teach you the basics... ok, there are actually only 942, 558, but let’s not split hairs. Anyway, a good place to start is www.about.com - and if they’re too vague they’ll probably have links elsewhere to help you further. I’m not going to get too far into teaching a lesson here, but I’m happy to give a list of things you should be looking at, along with anything else you stumble across:
Bleed - Your job won’t cut right without it.
Resolution - No, you don’t need glasses, it really does look that bad.
Overprint - Chances are you don’t need this, but many programs will have it built into their default settings.
OPI - Much like overprint, it could be active and you don’t know it, and again, chances are you don’t need it.
Convert Fonts to Paths, Shapes, or Outlines: eliminate font issues by turning type into shapes.
And lastly, here’s 2 bits of personal advice I’d like to throw out there that you might not find on any standard printing site.
1. Round up your copies of Publisher, Paint, Word, or anything with “Wizard” in the name and eliminate them. Recycle the boxes they came in, use the CD installers as Christmas Tree Ornaments, whatever makes you feel you still got something for your money. Word is fine for what it was meant to be, a WORD PROCESSOR. It’s not a design application. There is a reason programs like Photoshop, Freehand, InDesign, etc. cost what they do; they work.
2. Designing for the internet and designing for print are not the same thing. Different rules for different games. Yea, football and baseball both have “ball” in the name, but if you tackle the short stop then proceed to do the Icky Shuffle they will throw you out of the game. Not sure of the rules? Ask your printer first. Any printer that enjoys receiving payment should also enjoy explaining what they need to serve you properly.
There are a million resources online to teach you the basics... ok, there are actually only 942, 558, but let’s not split hairs. Anyway, a good place to start is www.about.com - and if they’re too vague they’ll probably have links elsewhere to help you further. I’m not going to get too far into teaching a lesson here, but I’m happy to give a list of things you should be looking at, along with anything else you stumble across:
Bleed - Your job won’t cut right without it.
Resolution - No, you don’t need glasses, it really does look that bad.
Overprint - Chances are you don’t need this, but many programs will have it built into their default settings.
OPI - Much like overprint, it could be active and you don’t know it, and again, chances are you don’t need it.
Convert Fonts to Paths, Shapes, or Outlines: eliminate font issues by turning type into shapes.
And lastly, here’s 2 bits of personal advice I’d like to throw out there that you might not find on any standard printing site.
1. Round up your copies of Publisher, Paint, Word, or anything with “Wizard” in the name and eliminate them. Recycle the boxes they came in, use the CD installers as Christmas Tree Ornaments, whatever makes you feel you still got something for your money. Word is fine for what it was meant to be, a WORD PROCESSOR. It’s not a design application. There is a reason programs like Photoshop, Freehand, InDesign, etc. cost what they do; they work.
2. Designing for the internet and designing for print are not the same thing. Different rules for different games. Yea, football and baseball both have “ball” in the name, but if you tackle the short stop then proceed to do the Icky Shuffle they will throw you out of the game. Not sure of the rules? Ask your printer first. Any printer that enjoys receiving payment should also enjoy explaining what they need to serve you properly.
I agree with everything you just said, but you unlike myself seem to be an environment that has steady work. Instead of ranting about how incompetant everyone else is, just be happy you even have a job. Cleveland is not a city that is thriving with Graphic Design jobs in print or web (believe me, if it was, I wouldn't have been perusing this site to see if there were any job openings).
I'm not saying your issues with DIY designers are unfounded, I too hate drop shadow and low res files people download off of the web and think they'll work within a print application... what I dislike even more than this is that these DIY-ers are finding work easier than someone like myself who is educated and experienced in this area, I just don't show up to interviews telling the BS stories they will to pimp themselves out to a prospective employer (not to mention all the nodding, agreeing and brown-nosing that goes on these interviews, let alone the nepotism that goes on in this town). Oh, not to mention the loyalty to local universities this town has, if you didn't go to Case Western or CIA, you must be an idiot (I am from NY, and I have a BA in Graphic Design from a NY college... somehow this seems to be a strike against me because I'm not from Ohio). But I digress...
I agree with your complaints, but I also resent your complaints... at least you are working in the field. If it's so noisome, maybe you should've went into something else. One more thing, that remark about how the design community was better when it was an elitist group... I'd say it's just as bad as it is with DIY-ers! Elitist snob designers are nausiating and make the field in general an unpleasant atmosphere.
Very nice article... Unfortunately I think I fall into the do it yourselfer category.
Anyone, from mostly any where, can ply their graphic design trade thanks to the Internet. Look at guru.com, or elance.com, and give it a try.
If the DIY'ers are hurting the design industry, what about the dirt cheap print companies? What are they doing to that industry?
I'm assuming you have a background or expierence in graphic design? If so, I would like to assume that you would not be in favor of companies offering dirt cheap design either.
The Internet is a double edged sword, no question about it. But if you want to pass the message that DIY'ers are hurting the industry, you might want to look at your printing costs and ask yourself the same question.
Donald: It's correct that the Internet allows one to practice design from anywhere. However, using sites such as those you suggested is the true mark of a newbie or "DIY-er". Those sites exploit designers, pitting them against each other to compete on price. When you "win", you only end up doing a project for a "client" who selected you on price rather than your skills, and end up working well below market rate.
If that's how you prefer to do business, go ahead. But if you want to be a professional, that's not going to cut it.
Chris.... I must disagree with you. Guru is not just based on price. Every designer has the opportunity to put up a portfolio for potential employers to see their skills before selecting them as a freelancer.
How this is hurting the industry... I don't know.
If anything it is helping. Most of the people on Guru already have a daytime gig. They are just looking for ways to earn an extra buck. Capatilism.... I love it.. how would an underpaid designer make extra money otherwise? McDonalds? I think not... long live the freelancer and Guru for giving them a portal
The internet is a double-edge sword. Then again we have always had smart clients and stupid ones. Stupid ones will go to Guru, and smart ones will go elsewhere. A client never needs convincing when they have already gone to Guru, and you are only convincing yourself when they have not.
DIY designers only hurt they industry when they do it themselves incorrectly... Just like cheap printers only hurt the industry when they put out poor quality printing. If you can get perfectly prepared files, with a wonderful design and the price is dirt cheap, then that's a great thing. No one can sensibly argue with that... Hotcards is a great example of superior quality at dirt cheap prices, and using them for printing is just plane smart, unless you really enjoy throwing away money. But when you hire your buddy who claims he knows all about Photoshop and he/she's going to make you a bad-ass trifold brochure with some great photography he/she got off Google... then you're feeding the fire... and it's not even a cool fire, it's like a big stinky fire with black smoke from burning a stack of old tires.
Exactly right.
Nice writing. You are on my RSS reader now so I can read more from you down the road.
I've only been reading since the last few posts, but I am enjoying your views more and more. I'll be back for more and will be sure to subscribe!
It just seems like it all just for fun and I hope it stays that way.
well... really good post!
Do you think that Obama is going to win because the Republicans have such a bad candidate?
Why did John McCain make his final argument against Obama... coal?
That's his closing argument? William Ayers, Rev. Wright, spreading the wealth, Born Alive, meeting dictators without preconditions, etc. all have to take a back seat so that McCain can go to Colorado and New Mexico to talk about coal? Does this more or less explain why he's going to get his clock cleaned Tuesday?
Not bad... Not bad.
Why can't people be nice instead of all the sniping?
NancyC
What would you do if the internet crashed for good? Would you get used to life with less communication and less "being connected" or would you be pretty bummed for the rest of your life?
This is assuming it was not fixed. Perhaps some largescale EMP attack or something that crippled it for the next 50+ years or so.
I always like this stuff whaen I can't sleep.
Suzy