the design ducky » design ducky reads http://www.thedesignducky.com loves to share good design Sun, 19 Apr 2009 09:37:55 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 the design ducky surfed onto… http://www.thedesignducky.com/design-ducky-reads/the-design-ducky-surfed-onto-5/2009/04/19/ http://www.thedesignducky.com/design-ducky-reads/the-design-ducky-surfed-onto-5/2009/04/19/#comments Sun, 19 Apr 2009 09:31:51 +0000 design ducky http://www.thedesignducky.com/?p=85
  • Become a Globetrotting Designer – Design Droplets
  • ‘Me and My iPhone‘ - The Johnson Bank’s Thought of the Week
    I totally agree on this. The number of times I’ve been spell-corrected, when I don’t need it, drove me nuts so much so that my spell-check is now turned ‘OFF’
  • ‘Checkmate.‘ – BMW to Audi
    Brilliant, Marvellous, Wonderful.
  • 40+ Articles to Help Freelance Designers Find More Work – via Smashing Magazine
  • Career Evolution: Advertising – via workforfood
  • 20 unusual and creative packaging designs -via patlaw
  • How to make your own Twitter backgrounds
    If you are tired of the standard backgrounds that Twitter provides, this is a good place to start either looking for inspiration or learning how to make one for your own Twitter profile page.
  • Why you should quit your job and travel around the world – Chris Guillebeau
    I love the design of the site – and Chris’ articles are good reads as well, so do check them out.

    • Other reads from the design ducky

    ]]>     http://www.thedesignducky.com/design-ducky-reads/the-design-ducky-surfed-onto-5/2009/04/19/feed/ 0     TED talk – Jacek Utko designs to save newspapers http://www.thedesignducky.com/inspiration/ted-talk-jacek-utko-designs-to-save-newspapers/2009/04/15/ http://www.thedesignducky.com/inspiration/ted-talk-jacek-utko-designs-to-save-newspapers/2009/04/15/#comments Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:44:18 +0000 design ducky http://www.thedesignducky.com/?p=80

    I love the talks from TED (stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design). They’re so engaging and feature so many great and inspiration speakers from all over the world talking about subjects ranging from experimental technology that could be part of our world in the future to thoughts on the human psyche. Do check out their “Design Like You Give a Damn” theme. Truly amazing stuff.

    Here’s one that I saw recently which I think is worth spending a six minutes of your time to look at. Polish designer Jacek Utko shares his experience of saving the daily print with great design. He also shows examples of the award-winning designs for various Eastern European newspapers in the video.

    I think what he said is quite true – you can be designing in a really boring industry or for a really boring product, but if you have the dedication (and proper support) to do the best work in your area, design can be inspiring and create positive change.

    I shall leave you with this last thought that he mentioned in the video:

    “You can live in a small poor country, like me. You can work for a small company, in a boring branch. You can have no budgets, no people but still you can put your work to the highest possible level. And everybody can do it. You just need inspiration, vision and determination. And you need to remember that to be good is not enough.”

    (via davidthedesigner)

    Other reads from the design ducky

    ]]>     http://www.thedesignducky.com/inspiration/ted-talk-jacek-utko-designs-to-save-newspapers/2009/04/15/feed/ 0     Promoting brand “YOU” http://www.thedesignducky.com/inspiration/promoting-brand-you/2009/04/13/ http://www.thedesignducky.com/inspiration/promoting-brand-you/2009/04/13/#comments Mon, 13 Apr 2009 04:36:46 +0000 design ducky http://www.thedesignducky.com/?p=58 Recently I have been thinking very much about the topic of self-promotion; in fact I had a draft post dated September 2007  on the said topic. As practising designers this is one thing that never escapes your mind. It is important to be able to promote yourself effectively not only because you can land the ‘dream job’ but it is also good for your confidence as well.

    We all know that designers has some form of ‘self-doubt’ gene embedded in their DNA that makes us go ‘I don’t think I’m good enough’, ‘my work is so-so’ etc. I understand because I do have the same thoughts as well. So whilst surfing the Internet (and clicking through Twitter) I found this really funny yet motivating presentation by Whitney Hess on ‘Evangelizing Yourself’.

    Evangelizing Yourself

    View more presentations from Whitney Hess.

    Whitney sets out a series of three major points on how you can promote yourself which I think can apply to anyone in the world and not necessary people in the creative line:

    1. Share your message
    2. Build a network
    3. Exude confidence

    I like how simple it is and how motivating it can be. In fact after I saw this slideshow, it inspired me to write this post so that I can share the same message with you. By the way, I love the chart showing the relationship between where you would want to be vs where you are at the moment and the resulting difference is the reason why you drink.

    So to help you along, here’s a selection of inspirational and useful sites to start thinking of how you can promote brand “YOU”!

    Five articles to get reading on self-promotion:

    1. How to be a Design Superstar – Great article from Design Sojourn
    2. Promote yourself without looking self-promotional – by Michael Martine
    3. How to Land Your Dream Design Job -  A series of posts from Design Droplets
    4. Five Steps to a Better Design Portfolio – by Jeffrey Veen
    5. Five Ways to be Better at Self-Promotion – from Penelope Trunk’s

    Five amazing self-promotion portfolios

    Have fun!

    Other reads from the design ducky

    ]]>     http://www.thedesignducky.com/inspiration/promoting-brand-you/2009/04/13/feed/ 1     How to Motivate Creative People – a good (and free) read! http://www.thedesignducky.com/inspiration/how-to-motivate-creative-people-a-good-and-free-read/2009/04/05/ http://www.thedesignducky.com/inspiration/how-to-motivate-creative-people-a-good-and-free-read/2009/04/05/#comments Sun, 05 Apr 2009 04:34:32 +0000 design ducky http://www.thedesignducky.com/?p=45 Stumbled upon this interesting e-book, titled “How to Motivate Creative People“, that makes for a good read if you are dealing with creative people. The author, Mark McGuinness actually wrote them as a series of blog posts and the book is actually a combination of all the posts in one with a few extra bits thrown in.

    Reading it, I like how he structured the chapters in a easy-to-digest manner so that you understand why the need to motivate, followed by the four motivators (with good analysis and suggestions on how to tackle each one) and ending with how to combine them together effectively to get the best results from your creative team.

    Also, I found myself nodding to many points Mark mentioned and got a better insight into how to motivate not only myself, but my team members as well. No matter whether if you’re a manager, designer or even if you’re not doing anything related to being creative, I highly recommend that you read this.

    via designers-who-blog

    Other reads from the design ducky

    ]]>     http://www.thedesignducky.com/inspiration/how-to-motivate-creative-people-a-good-and-free-read/2009/04/05/feed/ 0     the design ducky surfed onto… http://www.thedesignducky.com/design-ducky-reads/the-design-ducky-surfed-onto-4/2007/09/28/ http://www.thedesignducky.com/design-ducky-reads/the-design-ducky-surfed-onto-4/2007/09/28/#comments Fri, 28 Sep 2007 04:36:39 +0000 design ducky http://www.thedesignducky.com/2007/09/28/the-design-ducky-surfed-onto-4/
  • interaction design pattern library via swissmiss
    a collection of various types of interaction design, with a pretty detailed description and pictorial examples. good for reference purposes.
  • advertising/design goodness
    compilation of both print and media advertising from all over the world.
  • how much to charge for design?
    this is one tough question indeed… there are a lot of advice out there but there’s never one sure formula…

    • Other reads from the design ducky

    ]]>     http://www.thedesignducky.com/design-ducky-reads/the-design-ducky-surfed-onto-4/2007/09/28/feed/ 0     creative caffeine http://www.thedesignducky.com/inspiration/creative-caffeine/2007/09/25/ http://www.thedesignducky.com/inspiration/creative-caffeine/2007/09/25/#comments Tue, 25 Sep 2007 04:43:12 +0000 design ducky http://www.thedesignducky.com/2007/09/25/creative-caffeine/ caffeine for the creative mind

    i went to the bookstore just yesterday to pick up this book, “caffeine for the creative mind” by stephan mumaw and wendy lee oldfield. the book was not at the design section (as i had initially thought), but it was under self-help, together with a couple of books on creativity and innovation. being a person who sometimes buys books coz the covers look really, really nice (i’m still resisting on the gorgeous covers of penguin books), this was one of those books that i just had to get.

    the book contains many different exercises to help you to think differently, a little bit more creatively and sometimes even out of the box. with 250 exercises to do, you would be pretty much occupied for most part of the year. i will be attempting some of the exercises and posting up some of the results on this blog, so keep a look out! i guess by the time i finish the 250 activities, it would constitute a review for the book. =)

    as a booster shot, here’s a list of articles i found related to the subject. have fun!

    Other reads from the design ducky

    ]]>     http://www.thedesignducky.com/inspiration/creative-caffeine/2007/09/25/feed/ 0     bannerblog http://www.thedesignducky.com/inspiration/bannerblog/2007/09/25/ http://www.thedesignducky.com/inspiration/bannerblog/2007/09/25/#comments Mon, 24 Sep 2007 17:07:25 +0000 design ducky http://www.thedesignducky.com/2007/09/25/bannerblog/ wow… just stumbled upon bannerblog (was sent a link to a banner from my alma mater) and the first banner on the root page had me interacting with it for a good five minutes (i gotta get the coffee beans out!!).

    set up by two aussie creatives, the site serves more as a repository and gallery for the bits of online advertising that you might not have seen (coz we all know how cluttered the web can be…) and it is a good place to get some inspiration even for non-interactive type creatives.

    i’m definitely bookmarking the site for future reference!

    Other reads from the design ducky

    ]]>     http://www.thedesignducky.com/inspiration/bannerblog/2007/09/25/feed/ 0     the design ducky surfed onto… http://www.thedesignducky.com/design-ducky-reads/the-design-ducky-surfed-onto-3/2007/09/17/ http://www.thedesignducky.com/design-ducky-reads/the-design-ducky-surfed-onto-3/2007/09/17/#comments Mon, 17 Sep 2007 08:46:44 +0000 design ducky http://www.thedesignducky.com/2007/09/17/the-design-ducky-surfed-onto-3/ just for the start of the week…

    • 80 classic and beautiful typefaces – great reference from the folks at Smashing Magazine
      from the familiar (helvetica) to those that you might not have heard of (Olga?), the fonts on this page are a great reference for lovers of typography.
    • would you buy these cards? let the design conspiracy know!
      i hope they ship internationally… already have plans for the copywriter one…
    • ‘this way to the web, print designers!‘ from subtraction
    • the world’s BEST design software!
      man… i can’t believe how truly useful it is…
    • super glow techniques for photoshop
      for those times when your boss comes up to you and say: ‘make that f**kr glow!’

    Other reads from the design ducky

    ]]>     http://www.thedesignducky.com/design-ducky-reads/the-design-ducky-surfed-onto-3/2007/09/17/feed/ 0     so you want to be a designer? http://www.thedesignducky.com/design-ducky-reads/so-you-want-to-be-a-designer/2007/09/15/ http://www.thedesignducky.com/design-ducky-reads/so-you-want-to-be-a-designer/2007/09/15/#comments Sat, 15 Sep 2007 06:53:38 +0000 design ducky http://www.thedesignducky.com/2007/09/15/so-you-want-to-be-a-designer/ i’m back… managed to surface from the haze of work and lethargy to write. the past month, i’ve not had much time to sit down and think about the stuff i’ve read elsewhere in the web so no postings.

    i found this link while surfing the web and it is something that have been crossing my mind since i’ve started work. it is an article by the design institute of australia (DIA) talking about having a career in design, its pros and cons.

    no matter whether you are an experienced designer or a student of design that’s just starting out in the industry… there must have been times when you’ve asked yourself ‘do i really want to be a designer? what makes me a designer? what makes a good designer? am i cut out to be one?’

    i have seen a couple of ex-designers who are now in careers that are somehow related to design (eg: marketing) or totally not (eg: logistics!!). when i ask them, why did you decide to change careers?, most of them often cite the low pay, competition and that they are not good enough to make it as reasons.

    then there are also those who are freelancing and enjoying the freedom whilst also lamenting the instability of the paychecks… but still designing… so it truly falls on the individual to see what their strengths and weakness are and how determined they are to succeed as a designer.

    it is pretty easy to be “designer”… know the pre-requisite design software, get a few contacts and projects etc, and voila~! you are a designer! even the DIA also mentions this in their article:

    Another major problem throughout the industry is that there are many people calling themselves ‘designers’ who simply don’t have the necessary skills and qualifications.

    adding to this pool are designers from other practices (industrial, fashion etc) and we end up with too many designers competing for the limited amount of jobs out there, with cut-throat prices available (how many times have you seen adverts for designing services at ridiculously low pricing?)

    after reading the article and thinking it through, i feel that the challenge actually comes in staying true to the chosen path. many of us may start off being a designer and end up doing other things along the way due to changing interests, or seeing friends/peers in other industries who are earning loads more for doing less (sobs) and having to struggle internally to compromise between being creative and earning enough to ensure a relatively good life ahead.

    to that i would repeat what i’ve read elsewhere and what my friend have said to me: ‘do what you are truly passionate in and the money would come’

    /end of ramble

    Other reads from the design ducky

    ]]>     http://www.thedesignducky.com/design-ducky-reads/so-you-want-to-be-a-designer/2007/09/15/feed/ 0     the design ducky surfed onto… http://www.thedesignducky.com/design-ducky-reads/the-design-ducky-surfed-onto-2/2007/07/23/ http://www.thedesignducky.com/design-ducky-reads/the-design-ducky-surfed-onto-2/2007/07/23/#comments Mon, 23 Jul 2007 11:54:13 +0000 design ducky http://www.thedesignducky.com/2007/07/23/the-design-ducky-surfed-onto-2/ spent the weekend immerse in harry potter… catching up on sleep and housework(!!) so am a bit late for a weekend post… in any case its the start of a new week and a few links collated in the weekend…

    • save some time with this free gradient set from the folks at liquidicity
      you can download the illustrator files so you can stop fiddling with the gradient tool (damn! i should have used the previous version) and start truly designing. check out their other resources that you can download for free as well.
    • new to the green trend? some totally biodegradable cards might help… (via russell davies)
      i’m depressed… they don’t ship internationally… they always have such nifty stuff!
    • five pieces of advice that might actually be good for you. (from graphic define)
    • kitchen gadgets that almost look like pieces of art (from notcot)
      not too sure whether you would want to cook with these…

    Other reads from the design ducky

    ]]>     http://www.thedesignducky.com/design-ducky-reads/the-design-ducky-surfed-onto-2/2007/07/23/feed/ 0