Apr
09
I’m a musician (kind of) and have played in ensemble settings long enough to know that music can be made a lot more effective by knowing when NOT to play as well as when actually making some sound. Skillful musicians and composers use the silences in the song to lend more power to song’s content. … Continue reading »
Feb
28
The colour wheel we discussed in our last exciting instalment dealt with pure colours; what we would call hues. The range of available colours increases when we start adding white or black to these basic colours, creating what we would call tints (by adding white) and shades (created by adding black). Image editing software usually comes… Continue reading »
Feb
23
People have commented (I’m not making this up) how much better I look since I’ve been married. It’s hard to sneak out the door without the Fashion Police giving the thumbs-up or thumbs down. I’m a bit of a klutz when it comes to knowing what’s cool and/or appropriate. Colours are like that too. How… Continue reading »
Feb
15
Be Bold Using contrast to make your pages look interesting is a lot of fun. It requires a bold touch – don’t wimp out here. In Robin Williams’ book The Non-Designer’s Design Book, she states: “If two items are not exactly the same, then make them different. Really different”. How to create contrast? A graceful… Continue reading »
Feb
10
In the last instalment I wrote about proximity of graphic elements in design. Again, for further exploration of today’s topic, I refer you to Robin Williams’ book The Non-Designer’s Design Book. It’s an excellent resource for design basics! Today we’ll talk about alignment. When I talked about proximity, I did sneak in a little about… Continue reading »
Nov
10
It’s hard to believe what good – or even bad – design can cost. How do designers figure out what to charge their customers? There’s a couple of factors to consider. The average designer is lucky if half of his working hours are billable. The rest of the time is spent doing the books, answering… Continue reading »
Mar
03
We understand that whether you’re starting a new business or you’re part of a non-profit society, there’s enough stuff to worry about. Let us make your life simpler.
Feb
22
We own a 1989 Honda Civic. I used to change the oil on it myself, but the oil filter is in a very awkward spot, and with my limited tools it would take me 2-3 hours to do a simple oil change. In the busy-ness of my typical day, I didn’t want to spend a… Continue reading »
Jan
31
We all hate misunderstandings. An area where these can crop up – especially in publications where the colours just have to be right – is in monitor calibration. How do you know that what your designer is looking at is the same thing you’re seeing when you view the same document on your personal computer?
Jan
04
The two most common ways to print short run material in the office are inkjet and laser printers. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. Inkjet Printers Inkjet printers tend to be cheaper to buy, and they can produce impressive quality for the price when printing photographs. They are smaller and lighter than laser printers, and… Continue reading »