Alternative to

http://www.alternativeto.net
On this site you have a couple of options, if you have something specific you are looking for – type in the mainstream commercial design program ie. Dreamweaver and then it will give you a list of alternatives (both paid and free).

To narrow it down to just Free and Open source use the drop “Filter by License” menu. You can also filter by platform – Mac, PC or Linux.

With “Alternative to” you also have the option to browse through software by choosing your platform from the top menu and then choosing the type of software you are looking for.

Osalt

http://www.osalt.com

Here you can simply search for the commercial graphics software (eg. Photoshop) that you are trying to find an open source alternative to. When you have found it select it and underneath you will find a list of alternatives along with which platform they are available for Mac, Windows or Linux.

Have fun, but don’t forget the humble pencil!

To celebrate the launch of a new model of electric car called the Twizy, Renault are running a competition entitled “Design a Twizy”. The competition is targeted at students in further and higher education and gives them the chance to design their very own Twizy. The winning design will see the entrant having a year’s worth of tuition fees paid for. The second prize is a weekend for two in Paris, with the third prize winner taking home £250 in French Connection vouchers.

Find out more at http://www.renault-ze.com/en-gb/z.e.-news/twizy-lab/design-your-twizy-61800.html

When you are working on a logo design project:

1. First you will have taken a design brief

Read Why is a Design Brief so Important

2. Then done some research and started brainstorming

You can read a bit about doing some basic research in Logo Design Tutorial to Design a Charity Logo
See an example of brainstorming in one of the the previous Logo Design Tutorials

3. Sometimes a moodboard will help you find the right feel for a logo

You may find the odd project where you really struggle for ideas or to work out the right sort of “feel” for the logo. This is where moodboards can come in.

If you haven’t heard of moodboards before they are traditionally big boards (pieces of mountboard or card) which are filled with images, bits of type, perhaps colours and anything which you feel is in the direction of the type of design you are trying to achieve.

When I produce moodboards I generally get together any leaflets I have lying around, buy magazines which I feel fit with the type of market or niche I am designing for and rip out bits and pieces that I like and then paste them on to a big board. I might also include images, logos and type that I find online and print out. There is something about the act of getting away from the computer and really looking at other images that really helps to get you mind going again. Once the moodboard/s are complete you can then use them alongside your brainstorms to stimulate logo ideas. Perhaps you might really like the way a piece of typography works or a colour combination on some of the bits you have torn out.

If you are pushed for time (and I use this method too) you can always create digital moodboards or image collections. The simplest way is to simply collect together images you find on the web download them to a folder on your machine and then pull them all in to a program like iphoto so you can view them all at once (a bit like a moodboard). If you prefer you could alternatively drop the images into layout design software, or if you are using an iPhone or ipad use an app like the aptly named Moodboard.

Still stuck?

Try out some of these other creative exercises

See Also

Logo Design Tutorial 1
Logo Design Tutorial 2

This is the second logo design tutorial, which is again aimed at complete beginners. The exercises are designed to break down the thinking behind designing a logo into bite size chunks. Don’t forget to check out the first logo tutorial too.

This logo design exercise will allow you to concentrate on another important aspect of logo design which is to start looking for suitable fonts/typefaces. As with the first logo tutorial we are again going to use the two words we used previously. If you didn’t do the previous exercise choose 2 words which are different to each other (ie. Dog and cat, angel and devil)

Logo Design Tutorial Exercise 2

1. Think about what sort of typeface/font might represent the words well.

Taking the word “angel” for example we might look for typefaces/fonts which are very round, or light weight or simple. The word “devil” on the other hand conjures up a much harsher, perhaps heavier or angular typeface/font.

2. Try out different fonts

You can of course look through the fonts on your machine and test out different fonts, but for this exercise I am going to suggest you go over to Dafont.com which offers variety of fonts free to download. The great thing about Dafont is that it allows you go type in your chosen words (you have to first choose from one of the type categories) and then see how they look in each of the fonts.

3. Always remember as with most things simple is generally best

You can see below some more unusual fonts used to spell out Devil. Some look really interesting in themselves, but remember to use them sparingly. In most cases it’s best to avoid crazy over the top fonts, especially especially Comic Sans and stick with much simpler ones.

4. Download a selection of the best fonts

Once you have found several fonts you feel are appropriate download them and test them out in Illustrator (Inkscape is free vector software you can use and an alternative.) Why not also experiment to see if you can combine them with some of the elements from the first logo tutorial.

Hopefully this exercise has got you thinking more about choosing appropriate fonts. There is much more we can delve into regarding using fonts in future logo design exercises.

Note: If in future you intend to use any of the fonts from Dafont for paid commercial use make sure you check the licenses on the fonts – not all fonts may be used for commercial work without permission.

If you are a complete beginner looking for logo design tutorials you probably have found a few different blog posts on the logo design process and even a few walk through tutorials showing the start and finish point of logo design. This is all very well but if you are anything like I was when I first started learning graphic design (years and years ago) it’s all a bit overwhelming. One of the things that could help you is to break down the logo design process into small exercises where you don’t feel pressured and you don’t have to show anyone (including a client) your logo design results.

Here’s one logo design tutorial exercise which could start your mind thinking more in the way a designer does when they are working on logo designs.

Logo Design Tutorial Exercise 1

1. Start by thinking of a couple of words, ideally that are the opposite or very different from each other
For example Dog and Cat or Devil and Angel

2. Quickly brainstorm each word – using mind mapping techniques.
You can do this by starting with your word written in the middle of the page and then spring off of that other related words. So in the case of the word Angel, I might have wings, halo harp etc etc. If you prefer you can use mind mapping software to do a similar exercise. You can also try other creative techniques to generate more ideas.

3. Take these two words and sketch them very basically on a piece of paper or type them in on the computer if you prefer

4. Now by adding just one or two shapes or lines make these words have some resemblance or association to what they are.
These do not need to be polished, they can just be very rough and sketchy as mine are below . You are simply using this exercise to work out the logo ideas for your own benefit, just as a graphic designer would create rough ideas that the client would never see before they moved on to the more polished options they would present

5. Repeat the exercise above to see how many options you can create. As a slight variance try to use just the first letter of the words in the same way.

6. Take your favourite logo options, scan them into your computer and have a go at working them up using a vector program such as illustrator
If you are looking for free vector software try Inkscape.

Don’t worry about using fancy typefaces, just use something basic for now like Arial or Helvetica. This gives you less to worry about and allows you to concentrate on the shapes. When you get more experienced you can experiment with fonts but keep it simple for now and concentrate on one thing at a time. Start in black and white and only when you are completely happy you can choose then to use one or two colours.

If you like this logo design exercise and you find it helps you, let me know and I will put some more together

Beginners may also want to check out the sample logo design briefs I have put together:

Design Exercise: Logo Design/Redesign
Sample Brief: Design a Garden Centre Logo

Posts with Logo Design Tutorials from around the Blogosphere

Smashing Magazine’s 60+ Beautiful Logo Design Tutorials And Resources
Logo Design Process and Walkthrough for Vivid Ways
The Logo Design Process of Top Logo Designers
Step by Step Logo

Students at Nottingham Trent University have organised an art auction with all profits going towards their graphic design degree show for third year students.

Lawrence one of the students said:

“Our goal is to raise money for our end of year exhibition, taking the success of last years show one step further. So our second event is ‘going, going. gone’, a design print auction. We have received some great work so far from Rob Ryan, Shepard Fairey and YCN to name a few. On the night we have mince pies and mulled wine, stalls, and raffles. The night is also being photographed”

All are welcome

Auction Night: 3rd December, opening at 6:30 with the Auction beginning at 8:30

Venue: Nottingham’s Independent Art Centre, The Art Organisation , 3-21 Station st Nottingham NG2 3AJ

For more tips on learning design straight to your inbox click here

This post is a logo design tutorial following the logo design process I used to design a free charity logo (final logo at the bottom of post)

Last year I did a free logo design for a charity called Beach within Reach. Beach within reach aims to provide special wheelchairs capable of going onto the sand to disabled people at no charge for the day. Some of the people and children may never otherwise be able to go on to the beach due to the cost of hiring a wheelchair. The brief came from one the mums of a child who had benefited from the charity Debbie Fifield. Please check out their facebook fan page if you would like to offer your support to the charity.

First step was to send a list of questions to find out the type of logo they were looking for

The Logo Design Brief Questions

• Your company name – as it should be used on the logo design
• Strap line to go with your logo – if required
• Please provide a little information about what your company does
• Key words that describe your company – eg. friendly, reliable
• What do you like/dislike about your current logo (if you have one)? Please can I see it.
• Who are your competitors/Other Charities in the same field please give links if possible?
• “Look and feel” required such as contemporary/traditional/brash/minimal/corporate/fun/
• Any definite ideas you have about the logo design + examples of logo design you like/dislike (links if possible)?
• Who is your Target audience?
• Colour preferences if any. Should the logo be single colour/two colour/full colour/no specific preference?
• How/where will the logo be used?
• Any other information you would like to add

The questions were answered in the form of an email

To get more of an idea of what the wheelchair is used for, a google search of Landeez will bring up lots of videos and information. We are a fun, easygoing charity who’s aim is to get people in wheelchairs on to both the beach and into the sea, as many wheelchair users will never have experienced either. There is no-one in competition with us as it is a really unique charity providing a very worthwhile service. We need to continue fundraising to maintain the wheelchairs, purchase more as required (approx £4,000.00 each) and to really promote what we have. We also want to increase usage by offering them to schools/groups for the disabled within London and the South-East, then during Spring and Autumn a whole class/group of disabled children or adults could get to go on the beach which for many could be their first time ever. We really would like to have the beach on the logo and a fun version of the chair, but obviously all within a very simple form. I don’t think a strap line is necessary but we are open to any suggestions/help you have to give.

I have attached 2 photos of my son last summer, (I think the pictures say it all really) the wheelchair was absolutely vital to his enjoyment and when I heard the charity may have to dispand due to lack of interest from committee members, a couple of the mums and I took it on. The logo will be used on everything from collecting tins, t-shirts, flyers, right through to the website and everything.

Next step some basic research

The next step of the logo design process was to do a search to see the type of logos other charities use (above) and also find some images of the wheelchairs in question and some beach based images (below). I collected these images together and then dropped them into iphoto so hey were easy to view and print out.

Brainstorming for Logo Inspiration

Although I felt that the best route for the logo was probably was going to be an iconic/graphic version of someone using one of the wheelchairs I knew I needed to forget this for a least the brainstorming stage in order to try and not rule anything out. On the mind maps I used doodles as well as words to try an stimulate more ideas.

Logo Design Sketches

I worked at sketching out some possible options for the logo and scanned some of them in to work up.

Drawing up the logos in black and white in illustrator

I worked in illustrator to try work up the logos, first starting in black and white.Working In black and white let’s you concentrate on shapes and typography and not worry about colours which might distract. Don’t underestimate the helpfulness of showing your logos to a designer friend, I did. Usually a fresh eye can help you see what is and isn’t working.

Drawing up the logos in colour in illustrator

I then worked up my preferred logo design options in colour.

Showing the logos to the client

I showed some of the colour logos to the client and they picked the purple and cyan one with the addition of a strap line

If you are a graduate designer why not try making yourself stand out from all the other new designers

A little while ago I was watching a video on Gideon Shalwick’s Blog about creating video content by looking as though you are being interviewed by someone and it struck me that it could be an ideal way for graduate designers to try and promote themselves. I can remember when I left college (pre internet) the only thing that you could really use to make yourself stand out was an unusual CV or piece of literature.  Youtube gives a graduate designer so many more options and I know this is something I would try if I wanted to try and stand out from the crowd.

Step 1 – Write out questions that a company might ask a graduate designer

This could be general questions such as what is your name, age, which town do you live in, but then add questions such as:
What do you like about graphic design?
What do you think are your strengths?
Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
What experience do you have in graphic design?

Step 2 – Video yourself answering the graduate designer interview questions

Using a webcam, phone or camera set the questions up somewhere near the camera and record yourself answering them.

You can see how Gideon Shalwick does it in his videos.

Step 3 – Make a screen capture video of your design work

Take this one step further and after your interview produce a screen capture of you briefly talking through some pieces of work. There are various free and paid screen capture programs – including Camtasia (paid) and Jing (free). For a large list of screen capture options please see 35 Irresistible Free and Commercial Screen Recording Tools.

Step 4 – Upload your graduate designer video to Youtube and your website/blog

Once complete upload your video to Youtube and other video services through TubeMogul. Make sure you include a link back to your website in your Youtube description. Also upload it to your website. This will allow you to point potential employers to your video. I would still have a normal online portfolio available too in case people just want to quickly look at your work. You can also promote your video through facebook, twitter, LinkedIn etc.

If there was a specific design company you really wanted to work for you could make a video directly targeting that company.

If you like this post please click on the share button below.

I have created a short 2 part video showing my graphic design process to create a piece of packaging design for Betty Miller a company producing pet food in a more natural way.

Graphic Design Process Video Part 1

My graphic design process in the videos starts with creative brainstorming and image research. This is followed by sketching, then working up a few design options on the computer to show the client.

Graphic Design Process Video Part 2

The second video shows how I go from ideas and sketches to working up the final design, including producing a 3d packaging visual which can be used by the client to help sell the product.
Part 2 can be downloaded here (25mb)

I remember putting together my design resumes/curriculum vitaes in the past, I never quite knew how creative, or not I should make it. Mine started from the downright bizarre creative resume when I was in college (a pop up of my head) to something more formal with the addition of an icon or logo. Designing a resume for yourself is one of those things that’s always tricky, just like designing anything for yourself. You are your own worst client who doesn’t have a proper brief .

And just in case you were thinking about it, DON’T send a covering letter like this (apparently a real covering letter sent by fax for a graphic design job .

Found via http://www.information-technology-career.net

I have put together some resources I have found which may help any designer currently putting together their CV

CV Shelf as its name suggests has samples of Graphic Design CVs/Resumes

Flickr has a large selection of graphic design resume examples for inspiration

One of many Design resume examples at Deviant Art

Some other posts about Graphic Design Resumes

A great graphic design CV found over at the TrulyAce blog.

The Graphic Design Resume Guide
A comprehensive blog post, going through everything you need to consider when designing your resume from choosing paper, layout, typograpy and required content.

Graphic Design Resumes: Plain or Different? Part I
Another debate on how creative a CV/resume should be with examples.

How Creative Should A Designer’s Resume Be?
Another argument for the creative resume with some design examples.

Graphic Design Sample Resume
For resume content rather than style.

Graphic Designer Resume Sample
Again for content rather than style.

Graphic Designer Resume Tips
Tells you the information to include in your resume and what order it should go in (not for design style).

If you want to promote your self as a Graphic or Web Designer also take a look at the book mentioned in my previous post 10 Steps to Powerful Online Self Promotion for Creatives