11–20 of 48 posts
Some simple stuff I do myself. For the more complicated stuff I started out with using digital point...but then I switched to http://99designs.com/ and haven't looked back. You get way more submissions so you have a much higher chance of getting something truly good.
I'm using the free Silk icons from http://famfamfam.com/ -- they're pretty popular, a lot of apps use them.
It's great for placeholders, but if you can get professional design work done, do it. Don't skip on expenses if it means looking more unique.
http://www.madebysofa.com/ - Cappuccino logo at http://cappuccino.org
http://metalabdesign.com/ - splash page for http://280slides.com and http://280north.com
http://cocoagrove.com/ - 280 Slides logo and some of the graphical elements in 280 Slides
We've done pieces ourselves, and... http://www.madebysofa.com/ - Cappuccino logo at http://cappuccino.org http://metalabdesign.com/ - splash page for http://280slides.com and http://280north.com http://cocoagrove.com/ - 280 Slides logo and some of the graphical elements in 280 Slides
Myself. Photoshop is extremely easy to learn - mainly for regular web sites/graphics. Spend some time and read some tutorials. Get yourself very familiar with CSS. And begin scanning through CSS galleries to get inspiration. Sites like Vimeo are extremely easy to design. Don't waste your money.
Understanding how Photoshop works and being able to make some graphics does not mean you will be able to design a usable web app. It takes practice - just like programming.
So far all the designers I've hired have been through recommendations of friends and they've worked out well so far.
For logo design (yes, I realize a bit off topic) I recommend http://www.designoutpost.com
I'm using the free Silk icons from http://famfamfam.com/ -- they're pretty popular, a lot of apps use them.
Silk is a solid set, but it's becoming extremely noticeable when it's used. Now it really seems jarring when I see it on a site: it looks skimpy. It's great for placeholders, but if you can get professional design work done, do it. Don't skip on expenses if it means looking more unique.
We've done pieces ourselves, and... http://www.madebysofa.com/ - Cappuccino logo at http://cappuccino.org http://metalabdesign.com/ - splash page for http://280slides.com and http://280north.com http://cocoagrove.com/ - 280 Slides logo and some of the graphical elements in 280 Slides
I was going to ask you who did the icon for cappucino. It looks great. Thanks for sharing.
Seriously, though, the 280 North website looks great.
We've done pieces ourselves, and... http://www.madebysofa.com/ - Cappuccino logo at http://cappuccino.org http://metalabdesign.com/ - splash page for http://280slides.com and http://280north.com http://cocoagrove.com/ - 280 Slides logo and some of the graphical elements in 280 Slides
there are 2 schools of design that a savage like me can comprehend: systemic and emotional. i'm sure that many can argue for the many gradations, but these are the important distinctions/extremes to recognize. that said, it's not either or - successful designers evoke (that's an important word- what does your potential designer's portfolio evoke) their ideas in a consistent/lasting manner. this requires both schools of thought - powerful ideas that can be repeated/propagated.
emotional design is provocation. vimeo is better at this than google - compare the persistent vimeo login page with the occasional google holiday logo. that said, there's a much wider range of emotions that neither of these places touch. good emotional graphic designers will understand how to communicate your product evoking a positive emotional response.
systemic graphic design is the ability to maintain an identity, consistently, and create familiarity. most of us feel that if we were hired as a brand manager for google, we'd have a pretty good sense of whether or not a page put in front of us meets their identity's requirements. that's a test to remember. more than any one event in your brand's lifecycle, systemic graphic design will be there to give you a (relatively) easy solution in any situation, once your voice has been defined. best example in a typeface: helvetica. these designers demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of systems design. look at Paul Rand's work & Josef Müller-Brockmann to see evidence of a system that's designed to be familiar, even when it's radical.
ideally, you need both. an easy metric that would hold up against the best ones i know (and no, i won't release their names, they're busy ;) - they love to talk about their art and they will not hesitate to tackle a new challenge, especially if it seems hard. even at the expense of dayjobs & prior commitments. then, give them space. when ideas seem ethereal, be very clear on your business requirements, but let them solve the problem/bring it back to earth.
hope this helps. graphic design is half of how i discovered (social) hacking and i can't stress its importance enough - it's a useful field to learn about, not just depend on.