Creative resources 09 July 2007
I’ve often mentioned the importance of sketching in graphic design, and Tara at Graphic Design Blog is talking about how sketches and grids speed up the design process.
By spending a short time sketching you can save yourself hours on the computer.
Have you ever wondered what company is hosting your favourite websites?
Wonder no more, with the Who is Hosting This? tool. Simply enter any domain name and it’ll tell you instantly who the host provider is.
A quality web host is very important, so you should definitely shop around.
Every once in a while I stumble upon a collection of creative graphic design works, such as Alki1’s Flickr set on graphic design and photography.
Definitely worth a look if you fancy some inspiration.
There are so many blogs publishing tips for WordPress. If you’re the author of one, I’d recommend reading Lorelle’s Tips for Writing Good WordPress Tips, over on Blog Herald.
Marc Rapp at Uniquely the Epitome is asking creative pros for their tidbits of information picked up during their careers. Aaron at miLienzo and Asgeir at Asgeir Hoem have already contributed. I’ll be posting my own contribution soon.
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Thanks for the mention David
I usually sketch sth before reaching the real design but i don’t know why the sketch version and the design version have never been alike.. Maybe i have not had enough ability to design it or sth..:(
Cheers, David. Looking forward to reading your tips! I am posting a post tomorrow (AU time), which I really would like your opinion on. It’s a book cover I’ve been working on lately.
Daravuth,
The sketches aren’t meant to be polished and beautiful; they’re merely simple visualizations of an idea. Don’t worry if they’re not fantastic. Mine are awful. ^^
Thanks for the mention!
Daravuth, You can see my sketches are nothing to write home about either :) . The sketch is just for your own purpose, to work out a design, no one ever has to see them unless, you want them to.
David, google notebooked Alkis photos the other day, history of design has some great stuff
Daravuth, as Asgeir and Tara both say, the quality of your sketching is much less important than sketching in the first place.
The more you sketch, the better you’ll become. “Practice makes better.”
Asgeir,
I’d be more than happy to give my opinion on your upcoming article. Looking forward to seeing your design.
Thanks all, Your suggestions are really helpful..:)
David, once again thanks for the link. :)
Daravuth - I can assure you, my sketches are woeful! But most things I do start with a sketch - it’s a really valuable process.
Thanks for the wonderful resources
You’re all very welcome.
When I typed in my web addy at the “Who is Hosting This?” website I got a different hosting company than the one that I’m paying for. Then I typed in the supposed hosting company that is hosting me (one I pay for) and I guess they are hosted by that company that is actually hosting my site. Hope that makes sense haha. It’s probably not a big deal, but it just seems weird that a hosting company would be hosted by another hosting company altogether.
David, thank you for the mention. I’m looking forward to everyone’s input.
As for sketching first, I’ve mentioned this a few time on UE as well. Pencil before you begin poking around a computer.
Blog Herald looks sweet, too.
Another nice post.
Thanks, also, for the link! I hope my article on tips for writing WordPress tips will help improve the quality of presentation out there.
PG, many “hosts” are actually resellers. They sell websites for other actual hots. International web hosts are often selling their wares for US server sites. It’s a weird feeling, isn’t it. :D
Lorelle got there first with the explanation. Reseller accounts are so easy to set up that it’s no surprise there are so many.
Marc, Lorelle,
You’re both very welcome for the links to your articles. Keep up the great writing.
Ahh ok that makes more sense. Thanks Lorelle and David.
I think the whole sketching thing is akin to writers writing in freehand. I find that software only hinders my initial creative inspiration–I just can’t get the ideas into Illustrator or InDesign or Photoshop, or whatever quickly enough. Pencil and Paper allows me to make a quick copy of that “picture in my head”. Perhaps it’s something like the difference between transliteration and translation: the pencil sketch being the transliteration; the computer work, the dynamic translation.