The things you thought you knew
If you’ve ever sifted through the endless list of fonts to choose from, doubtless you’ve used both Arial and Helvetica at some point. But do you know the difference between these very similiar fonts? And do you know how they were created? Click the link to test your knowledge: http://www.iliveonyourvisits.com/helvetica/
Info Architecture for fun
An amusing interpretion of song via information graphics.
http://flickr.com/photos/boyshapedbox/sets/72157603957925616/
Corporate Logos redesigned in 2.0
Some nice interpretations here. What’s the next great font?
script.aculo.us – web 2.0 javascript
If you the type who likes to drag and drop some functionality into your site rather than struggle to hand code from scratch…then you’ll enjoy the tasty morsels offered up here:
Ring in the holidays: OUCH!
when the finest singing talent captures just the right angle on a holiday song:
Wanna know the trick to Graphic Design?
Check out this link…snicker, snicker.
http://www.wikihow.com/Become-a-Graphic-Designer
Follow their advice and you might just end up here:
Not Job Related: Too funny not to include
Ok, this has nothing to do with getting a job but if you appreciate fine aesthetics, this article is for you.
http://15minutelunch.blogspot.com/2007/10/strap-in-shut-up-and-hold-on-were-going.html
Negotiating Your Salary
I recently had someone ask me about a job offer her husband just received and wanted advice on negotiating the salary. Here are a couple of thoughts I had in response to her question that might prove useful though, admittedly, not wholly complete.
- Multiple Offers: nothing is as concrete and powerful as having a competing offer(s) at a higher rate. The downsides are you might have a challenge timing when you receive offers and when you need to decide as well as making a tough decision between two or three good options. But it’s great leverage.
- Research: basically you need to come up with a reasonably defend-able position not based on feelings/emotions that a manager/recruiter can work with. Trying to push the numbers up just because you feel you’re worth it doesn’t have any teeth.
- Honesty: you want the job but don’t have another offer…what do you do? Be honest that you’re excited about the opportunity and that you want to make sure that you receive a fair increase seeing as will be some time before you are considered again for a raise (another year). Convey something to effect that you want to be completely satisfied with your decision and don’t want to have a lingering feeling that you’ve agreed to work for less than you’re worth.
The bottom line in negotiating is that if you really can’t accept losing the deal, than you have no leverage to change the variables. It’s an odd thing for some to consider pursuing a job/company while at the same time not being commited to making the change if offered. But it’s business. If the offer doesn’t meet your needs, than now is the time to bring it up. After you accept, there’s nothing to do but enjoy the ride.
What do you think? Post a comment.
Foliage Brushes/Vectors
Yeah, yeah, it’s all been done before, I know, and the market is saturated with this style. But if you want a quick source for use or education, these tasty morsels will do the trick. And who knows, maybe you can explore the next great design trend when you get these under your belt.
- Check out this site for downloadable (no, not for free) brushes and vectors.
- For some free goodies, try designbum.net ….chelaxin’
- Let Flickr’s “Brushfruit” group get some juices flowin’
Online Portfolios Extinct?
Sifting through online portfolios day in and day out, it’s occured to me that there’s a fundamental shift in user’s sophistication and expectations when online. For the designer, I think it calls into question whether designing and building a custom web portfolio is a good use of their time.
Unless you have the requisite skills to build a killer online experience, consider using prepackaged systems or blog to do the delivery job for you. Going this route, especially WordPress, allows you to have flexability in the future to customize the CSS and url to make the site look completely custom, or at least, it provides a way to showcase what’s really important: the work in your portfolio
Pre-packaged:
- Coroflot: a widely adopted forum with a decent interface
- Carbonmade: a simple interface with cool technology, limited space
- Portfolios.com: nice branding but clunky interface to sift through
- Indexhibit.org: minimalist but fast, clean and scalable (thanks Rick!)
Blog:
