This page consists of downloads and links which I hope you find useful. I will try to keep adding to this page.
FOR FREELANCE DESIGNERS
job book page (pdf)
A job book page – helps to keep track of your current jobs, what you need to bill at the end of the month and which jobs have been paid.
sample design brief – battery packaging (zip file)
A real design brief – to create a brand name, logo and battery packaging. The zip file includes reference files, cutter and brief.(if you want more sample briefs please contact me on the contact page and I will try and sort out some more and upload them)
www.desktoppub.about.com A series of sample design briefs ideal for design students and recently qualified designers looking to build their portfolios.
GRAPHIC DESIGN RESOURCES
Cheap/Free – Royalty Free Photo libraries and Vector Graphics
Fotolia A large collection of low price images stating from £1
morguefile A largish collection of free photos for personal or commercial use
istockphoto A large selection of royalty free images from a few dollars
123rf A large selection of photo, a bit cheaper than istock, you can purchase with credits or subscription
Go Media Royalty Free Vector Images and Textures
A good selection of good quality vector image packs (containing several images) and texture packs starting at $14.99. Also some freebie vector images and textures you can download
Texture King
A selection of free downloadable textures such as brick, rust and grunge
Digital Vector Maps As the name suggest vector maps including globes and countries average price about $40
General
lorem ipsum
A text (txt) file of lorem ipsum for greeking in body copy
Lipsum
A lorem ipsum generator that produces lorem ipsum based on your spec – number of paragraphs, words etc
Wordpress
wordpress theme generator
Generate your own wordpress theme quickly without coding. The theme can then be customised as required
colour lovers Show loads of different colour combinations, you can vote for your favourites and create your own swatches. There is also a useful section on colour trends
Design Resources
This page consists of downloads and links which I hope you find useful. I will try to keep adding to this page.
FOR FREELANCE DESIGNERS
A job book page – helps to keep track of your current jobs, what you need to bill at the end of the month and which jobs have been paid.
A general design brief questionnaire for your client
For new freelancers – use as a guide to create your own invoice
A blank schedule to help plan a weeks work
Gives you a guide to how much you would need to charge to cover all your living expenses – created by Lauren Krause of Creative Curio
FOR DESIGN STUDENTS
A real design brief – to create a brand name, logo and battery packaging. The zip file includes reference files, cutter and brief.(if you want more sample briefs please contact me on the contact page and I will try and sort out some more and upload them)
A series of sample design briefs ideal for design students and recently qualified designers looking to build their portfolios.
GRAPHIC DESIGN RESOURCES
Cheap/Free – Royalty Free Photo libraries and Vector Graphics
A large collection of low price images stating from £1
A largish collection of free photos for personal or commercial use
A large selection of royalty free images from a few dollars
A large selection of photo, a bit cheaper than istock, you can purchase with credits or subscription
Royalty free pics from a few dollars
A good selection of good quality vector image packs (containing several images) and texture packs starting at $14.99. Also some freebie vector images and textures you can download
A selection of free downloadable textures such as brick, rust and grunge
As the name suggest vector maps including globes and countries average price about $40
General
A text (txt) file of lorem ipsum for greeking in body copy
A lorem ipsum generator that produces lorem ipsum based on your spec – number of paragraphs, words etc
Wordpress
Generate your own wordpress theme quickly without coding. The theme can then be customised as required
Smashing Magazine shows 83 lesser known wordpress themes
Colour pickers
Show loads of different colour combinations, you can vote for your favourites and create your own swatches. There is also a useful section on colour trends
A colour theory visualiser
Similar to colour lovers helps offers palletes of colours
Type and Fonts
Test readability on fonts online
A large selection of free fonts organised really well by style
Identify a font with a series of questions
Identify a font by uploading its image
Graphic Design Forums and Web Design Forums
Please see my post getting help online for more information on each forum
Tutorials
A site which lists and rates tutorials in photoshop, flash, fireworks, illustrator, dreamweaver, actionscript, php, CSS and XML