The Periodic Table of Business Cards (Infographic)

Businesscards.org is turning out to be a great resource for all things related to business cards! Check out this infographic of a Periodic table of Business Cards! Clever and fun to look around at some great business card ideas out there!

Click here to go to the actual, interactive infographic

 

How Does Offset Printing Work

I stumbled across this via my Twitter feed, which led me to the original post here at www.businesscards.org.

It’s a great way to explain to laypersons how offset printing works and may be of interest to anyone who has ever wondered how business cards are produced this way. This, by the way, underscores why it is always better to explain things using graphics rather than wall after wall of words!

The original file was a single JPEG file making it somewhat unwieldy to view – so I converted it into a slideshow for myself and for easier viewing.

30 More Logos with Hidden Messages

Yesterday, I shared some of my favourites from Graphic Design Blog‘s list of 25 logos with hidden meanings. Today, here are a few more favourites from their list of “30 more logos with hidden messages“!

25 Logos With Hidden Messages

I really, really love this kind of logo design for brands! This, to me, represents great graphic design skills – where there is an overt expression, but also a deeper meaning… if you look closely enough. It’s simplicity that says so much. So, via Graphic Design Blog, here are 25 great examples of logos that have been well-designed with “hidden” meanings.

You’ll notice also that some of the ones that I’ve earmarked as my “favourites” from the bunch actually reflect an important principle (IMHO): Good design is about the concept - and not dependent on “frills” like colour or style. In fact, many of the better ones here would actually work even if they were depicted in black and white! That’s the strength of a well-designed brand logo!

Here are some of my favourites, in no particular order:

Famous Logo Redesigns 2010 (via GraphicDesignBlog)

Logo redesigns are often a very touchy and sensitive subject matter – whether from a client or consultant’s point of view. Having been on both sides of the equation, I can definitely vouch that it is an exercise often mired in seemingly endless debate; pandering to individual tastes and opinions; and tacit personal agendas. So, when I saw this set of “famous” logo redesigns for 2010 via Graphic Design Blog, I was left thinking, “Gosh, I hope they didn’t pay too much for some of these! What’s the difference?!”

Out of all the ones listed, I could only find the following three as my favourites. For the rest, I was just left wondering what the difference really was. What do you think?

How To Pick The Perfect Typeface (flowchart!)

(I think I’m on a design binge today!)

I got this via @GuyKawasaki (purveyor of anything interesting on the internet!), who’s been uncovering various “flowcharts” to suit all sorts of decision-making processes (among the funnier ones I remembered include: How to choose a religion and Which fast food to eat?).

However, for the designers out there, here’s a great flowchart that, according to Fast Company, “contains 100-years of type-design history”. Kudos to Julian Hansen who designed it.

Here’s the full story at Fast Company.

Here’s the link for a full-sized version of the image.

In Design, Less is More

When it comes to design, I’ve always believed that “less” is very often “more”. So, in spite of the cacophony of those who scream at the top of their lungs to “fill that space up”, it takes much courage to dig in your heels to say “less is more”.

And also, contrary to popular belief, minimal design does not mean minimal effort. I think it takes much more thought and effort to come out with something minimal. “How difficult can that be?” naysayers ask. Well, it takes a lot of foresight, insight and, I believe, courage to choose only to highlight the very best – and not feel paranoid that you “missed out.”

Compare, for example, the 39 Examples Of Minimalist Web Designs (via YouTheDesigner.com) and what is, quite frankly, the worst website design… ever.

2010 Logo Trends (via LogoLounge.com)

LogoLounge.com showcases what they think are the design trends for logos in 2010. Looking through their showcase, I can see that it was done purely from a design point-of-view and not a strategic branding point of view. In that, they are all very, very pretty to look at – but it’s quite difficult to ascertain what the brand is all about from the logo!

I always believe that a logo should be aesthetically pleasing – but also strategically symbolic. It’s meant to encapsulate what the brand is all about – whether in terms of its business, values or positioning (or all three!). Logos that are merely pretty, on the other hand, are nice… but I think they fade from memory pretty fast. That’s why, to me, the ultimate logo designs are both aesthetically pleasing and strategically symbolic. You must have both.

But I wonder, if you *had* to choose, which would you prefer – a good looking logo or a strategically symbolic one?

Click here to view LogoLounge.com’s 2010 logo trends.

24 Examples of Creative Logo Design (via Toxel.com)

Apart from being “in the industry”, there’s just something about really well-designed logos that I (and everyone, I bet!) love. It’s the “Aha!” moment that you get once everything falls into place and succinctly encapsulates what the brand is all about for the customer.

So here are a few of my favourites, by way of Toxel.com‘s 24 Examples of Creative Logo Design. (After the jump)

What’s your favourite?

100 Web Tools For Creatives To Go Crazy With

For all my Designer and Creative friends, Graphic Design Degrees has a huge list of 100 web tools for you to utterly indulge your creativity with!

Full list here. Have fun going crazy with them!