Inspiration on The Designest

From Print-Like Longreads to Animated Interactive Websites: Exploring The Best (7+) Readymag Editorials and Their Impact Over 10 Years

The Designest Staff — Mon, 17 Jul 2023 09:46:59 +0000

The Designest may receive compensation from companies, products, and services featured in this publication. For more details, please refer to our Affiliate Disclosure page.

In 2013, a pair of design studio dropouts and a development team lead got together to create Readymag — initially, a highly visual tool for making online zines without coding. Over the next ten years Readymag pivoted to a full-fledged design tool for websites, landing pages, digital editorials, portfolios and all things online.

Along with working on Readymag, the team has been using it to craft digital editorials on design-related and social topics. Fueled by passion for design and beauty, this has become a powerful way to promote the values Readymag stands for, demonstrate and crash-test its creative capabilities, get noticed by the professional community and attract like-minded people. Below is the story of Readymag as viewed from the prism of its in-house digital longreads.

Hailed by Geeks

Readymag was born as the brainchild of designer Anton Herasymenko, who was inspired by the release of the iPad in 2010 and the rise of the online editorial format. “Most of those projects attempted to straightforwardly translate static print layouts to the tablet, which looked unsavory,” recalls Readymag co-founder Diana Kasay. “Anton got the idea to create a tool that enables users to make digital fanzines. In this way the name Readymag appeared—it was actually an abbreviation from ‘ready magazine’.” Diana got to know Anton from her previous work in a design studio, where she was a manager.

Anton and Diana were joined by Kirill Danchenko, who undertook development. While preparing the first MVP, the team was releasing beautiful teasers at the Product Hunt website that would win the hearts of design geeks and early technology adopters. When Readymag was publicly released, it earned the slogan ‘Printing press of the digital era’. The cofounders expected that people would use it to create personal online pages—something in between blogs and visual magazines telling their life stories.

Dieter Rams’ Design Principles: Slick and Static Manifesto

“We all adore fanzines. In the early days of Readymag they were all the rage. We all brought fanzines from each foreign trip, the Readymag office was glutted with them,” Diana recalls. So, the idea of crafting digital editorials in-house came naturally.

The very first such thing Readymag laid out was the ‘10 principles of good design’ manifesto by Dieter Rams, an industrial designer who for years took the creative direction of the development of the German brand Braun. Quite simple, and almost static, even in 2023 the piece looks slick and up-to-date with its uncluttered design and bold typography. “Along with its beauty, this project showed very good performance: for years and years it’s been bringing us new registrations into the product,” Diana adds.

Enso: Experimental Magazine With Longer Articles

In 2015-2018, Readymag released Enso — an online magazine exploring creativity and inventiveness through the stories of iconic design objects and their creators. The idea belongs to Anton Herasymenko. “We wanted to uncover topics that are interesting to us and aimed to demonstrate the power of Readymag along the way,” Diana explains.

Among others, publications feature Charles and Ray Eames, Walter Gropius and Peter Behrens. The design of each magazine issue is quite different, yet, in all of them on-scroll animations are used as a means of visual storytelling that turn the narrative into a more multifaceted experience.

Lubalin 100: Advent Calendar For a Type Master

In 2018, Readymag released Lubalin 100 — a website celebrating the centenary of influential American graphic designer Herb Lubalin, who is commonly referred to as ‘the father of conceptual typography’. This project was carried out in collaboration with The Herb Lubalin Study Center in New York, they scanned and shared materials from their archives, explains Diana, who oversaw the production process.

The website, which is organized like an advent calendar, went online one hundred days prior to Lubalin’s birthday, day-by-day revealing his posters, logos, book covers, sketches and print advertising, along with stories from his life and family archive photographs. The index page includes a headline that appears on-load, plus a page menu organized in the form of calendar: click on a number to be redirected to a certain page.

Design Almanac: Unscrambling The Basics of Graphic Design

Along with Enso, Readymag began work on Design almanac — a series of in-depth articles covering key design fundamentals: typography, grid, color, and animation, all organized into an online primer. “After the release of Readymag we noticed that there were quite a big number of user projects that looked unsavory. After discussing this in our team, we came to the conclusion that web designers for sure need to know the basics of graphic design, so we decided to carry out this educational project,” Diana explains.

The content was created in collaboration with seasoned design professionals, including art director Zhdan Philippov, creative consultant Michael Wolff, letterpress typographic designer Alan Kitching, artist and animator Nicolas Ménard and Google motion designer John Shlemmer.

Design Stories Archive: Tribute to Lesser-Known Influencers

In 2017-2018 Readymag released Design Stories Archive — a series of 23 multimedia editorials created as a tribute to influential but lesser known 20th-century creatives who shaped modern design culture. Personalities include (among others) Carlo Molino, Kazumasa Nagai, April Greiman, and Rosmarie Tissi. There’s also one installment comparing the development of two world-renowned design schools that existed at the same time—Bauhaus and Vkhutemas. The series garnered more than 50,000 views demonstrating widespread appeal and resonance.

“From the beginning we aimed to maintain a steady workflow and publish new installments regularly. To accelerate the work of our designers and writers, we decided to introduce a unified narrative structure for all issues,” Diana explains. She invented the idea of the series and took the role of Editor-in-Chief. Most issues in this project are laid out with one template. That’s one of the features of the tool: users can turn pages into templates and re-use and customize them later to speed up their workflow. The Readymag team got so many questions about the timeline animated on-scroll that they decided to make a video tutorial about it and also make the template publicly available.

Designing Women: A Research Challenging Gender Imbalance

In 2017 Anton and Kirill left the company, Diana became Readymag’s CEO and gave birth to a child. Instead of searching for venture capital, she chose to develop Readymag as a sustainable business relying on inner steady growth.

The challenges she faced during that period inspired Diana with the idea of Designing Women —research into the ongoing gender imbalance in the design industry. “As a woman who juggles business, family, motherhood, personal and social life, I know that it’s a colossal load,” Diana says. “And it’s become absolutely impossible to remain silent about it.” The research was released in 2019: “At that point in time the company not only overcame the growth crisis, but we became mature enough to carry out our first social project. So, the development of the feminist agenda at Readymag began.”

Structurally, the research consists of three independent sections—an essay exploring the current status of women in design, a timeline telling the stories of trail-blazing female designers of the past, and a list of feminist resources for self-study—plus a tessellated index page acting as an entry point and navigation menu. “I believe information based on facts, statistics, and the perspectives of design theorists and practitioners is the best basis for constructive discussion and positive change,” Diana explains.

“While gathering information for the ‘Profile’ section, we became even more aware how frequently women were overlooked in design history. It was difficult, sometimes close to impossible to find documented proof of their involvement or leadership in a certain project. Their work would be officially attributed to the design studio they worked for, with credits nowhere to be found. One of the goals we had was to rectify this injustice,” Readymag Marketing Direktor Alya Datiy adds. The project was welcomed by the public, triggering a bigger discussion about the gender imbalance in the design industry.

Daily Routines: Interactive Narration About Creativity

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Readymag released Daily Routines — an illustrated editorial exploring the lives and work habits of five modern designers around the globe. Each chapter includes a timetable, playlist, inspiring ideas and links, a story about fighting the fear of a blank page, advice on how to relax and reset, and some sharp observations about design work.

The routines of the heroes set the structure for the whole project: playlists are part of the menu, and hotspots contain pieces of the day-to-day picture. From a design viewpoint, one of the most important features in this project are ‘routine meters’ constructed with the Shots widget — a sequence of animated frames controlled by the user via scroll or mouse movements.

Faces Behind Typefaces: A Partnership With TDC

In 2022, Readymag collaborated with Type Directors Club to create The Faces Behind Typefaces, an editorial celebrating the 75th anniversary of the club by featuring stories about Paula Scher, Paul Rand, Adrian Frutiger and other renowned TDC medalists.

“Our passion for typography shines through everything we do: Readymag’s interface, font library, typography presets and the projects and editorials we produce. Naturally, we’ve been eager to collaborate with the Type Directors Club for a while. When the opportunity presented itself—the announcement of this year’s TDC Medalists – the concept came naturally,” says Alya Datiy. “We wanted to convey how modern perspectives, as well as work ethics, could be rooted in the legacy of design figureheads and shed light on exceptional up-and-coming designers,” adds Tatiana Kovalchuk, Editor-in-Chief.

The project was featured by The Communication Arts, Creative Boom, Femme Type, and Graffica other design media, secured a nomination for the Webby Awards, and achieved the remarkable feat of becoming the Gold Winner in the Website Design Category at the Indigo Awards 2023.

Playground With Endless Design Scenarios

“From the moment Readymag appeared, the innovative nature of the product was obvious. Now, we’re distinguished from other tools by our focus on design-centered experience. With Readymag, you immerse yourself in an environment that inspires you and stimulates your creativity,” says Diana. “Over the years, Readymag has remained a playground where the most incredible ideas come to life. The web still has a lot of room for statements—and Readymag gives you the freedom to make whatever you want without coding, see the results instantly and achieve a high level of precision in visual language.”

Over the past decade, Readymag has proved that online brand editorials are a powerful tool to win target audience, get a voice and build reputation.

“Everything is moving toward automation,” Diana summarizes. “This is an obvious trend, and it’s clear that Readymag will move in the same direction. But I have a feeling that it will continue to occupy a niche for design geeks and people for whom aesthetics is very important, for whom we are not just a tool, but part of the cultural code.”

Now, ten years after the launch, Readymag is a powerful and easy design tool that enables creatives to work alone or in teams and implement their vision unbounded by the limitations of the web. Register now and try it for free.

The post From Print-Like Longreads to Animated Interactive Websites: Exploring The Best (7+) Readymag Editorials and Their Impact Over 10 Years appeared first on The Designest.

20+ Drawing Techniques: How To Elevate Your Sketching Skills

Olga Lysenkova — Fri, 30 Jun 2023 10:47:02 +0000

The Designest may receive compensation from companies, products, and services featured in this publication. For more details, please refer to our Affiliate Disclosure page.

No matter how accomplished, every artist stands on the frontier of their own creative journey. Like any craft, drawing involves a continuous learning process — an endless exploration of techniques, mediums, and styles. And this is really so! Upgrading your drawing skills is not merely about perfecting the technique; it is about expanding your artistic vocabulary and enhancing your ability to express your unique vision.

You might ask, “Why do I need to upgrade my skills? I’m satisfied with my current drawing abilities.” Well, even if you’re content with your abilities, don’t forget the artistic world is a vast ocean of possibilities that offers and demands much more from every creator sailing it.

As you explore different drawing techniques and sketching tips, experiment with materials, and hone your craft, you won’t just improve your skills but also breathe fresh life into your projects. So the question isn’t “Why?” but “How?”. And the answer lies in understanding and mastering the fundamentals, practicing deliberately, and continually challenging your comfort zone.

How This Guide Can Help You

I’ve always believed in the power of sharing knowledge and fostering creativity. I am not sure, but I suppose it started as early as art school and never really ended. Should I thank the Universe for such perseverance and grit? I guess so!

I vividly remember how it all began: I was grappling with basic shapes and perspectives, making mistakes ALL THE TIME, and unsure whether I was doing it right or wrong. I also constantly lacked feedback and confidence, so once my artistic skills reached a certain level, I was already asking myself whether I was enough. So today, a guide on drawing & sketching techniques seems like the perfect way to pass my experience and knowledge to those at the beginning of their artistic journey struggling with the same creative uncertainty.

Yet, I also wrote this guide with the established artist in mind. In my experience, professional growth doesn’t have a finish line; there’s always room to refine our approaches or to onboard a whole new art form. At times, we might hit creative blocks or feel our progress stagnating. In these moments, looking at our craft from a different perspective or revisiting the basics can reignite our creativity and passion.

Pencil Types and Their Uses

Let’s begin our artistic expedition with our most faithful companion: the pencil. The pencil might seem a humble tool, but it’s versatile and comes in a variety of types, each with its own unique characteristics and purpose. Speaking for myself, pencil drawing is still an important part of my work — even though I mostly do digital art, and Apple Pencil is the tool I use most frequently.
Understanding the nuances of different pencil types is like knowing your paint palette; it empowers you to select the right tool for a project. Whether it’s the soft smudge of a charcoal pencil or the vivid hue of a colored pencil, each has a role in your artistic arsenal.

Graphite Pencils

The go-to for most artists. Graphite pencils offer a range of shades, from very light to dark, perfect for sketching and shading.

In the context of graphite pencils, the B scale refers to softer leads, ranging from B (softest) to 9B (softest). The higher the number, the softer and darker the graphite, allowing for thicker lines and richer, darker marks.

On the other hand, the H scale represents harder leads, from H (hard) to 9H (hardest). Harder pencils produce lighter and crisper strokes, making them suitable for precise lines and detailed work, such as technical drawings or light sketching.

The HB grade sits in the middle, considered a standard or average hardness. It provides a balance between darkness and hardness, making it versatile for everyday writing and sketching purposes.

Charcoal Pencils

Known for their deep, intense blacks, charcoal pencils are ideal for creating dramatic drawings with strong contrast.

Colored Pencils

With a spectrum of hues at your disposal, colored pencils allow you to create vibrant, colorful pencil drawings.

Watercolor Pencils

A hybrid tool that combines drawing and painting. You can draw with these like standard pencils, then add water to create a watercolor effect.

Pastel Pencils

These deliver the vivid colors of pastels without the mess, allowing for detailed work and easy blending.

Mechanical Pencils

Loved for their consistency and precision, mechanical pencils are excellent for fine details and technical drawings.

If you are a digital artist, you aren’t left out of the pencil game, either. Various digital art software, like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Fresco, Affinity Designer, or Procreate, offer pencil brushes that mimic the strokes of physical pencils. Lots of them are available for free, so you can test all the pencil types mentioned above before actually immersing in pencil drawing techniques.

Essential Resources for Drawing

National Park Stamp

Stipple Brushes For Illustrator

Shader Brushes for Illustrator

Modern Woodcut Brushes

Inkers Brushes for Adobe Photoshop

Lighthouse Liner Procreate Brushes

elements.envato.com

Basic Drawing Techniques

Drawing is more than merely putting pencil to paper (yet this activity has the right to exist, too!) — it’s about using an array of techniques to assert your artistic vision. If you never did this before, consider learning basic drawing techniques. Mastering them is like learning the alphabet before writing poetry.

Joining a drawing class might be helpful at this point. I recommend Domestika, as they’ve got plenty of courses on different drawing styles for different levels (so if you are already a pro, you’ll likely find plenty of handy content, too). For my part, I’ll show you the basic pencil drawing techniques you can practice anytime and use to build your first illustrations. Use a regular graphite pencil or a similar brush in the drawing app.

Line Drawing

This foundational pencil drawing technique is all about defining the shape and outline of your subject using just pencil lines. Think of it as creating a blueprint for your drawing. For instance, when sketching a flower, you’d use line drawing to outline the petals, stem, and leaves, laying the groundwork for your detailed work.

Hatching

With the hatching technique, lines are drawn parallel to each other to create shades and tones. The density of the lines determines the darkness of the shade. For example, if you’re sketching a sphere, the side facing the light would have fewer lines to create highlights, while the darker side looking away from the light source would have more lines. By simply adjusting the length, angle, and density of the parallel lines, artists can create shadow or the illusion of various surfaces, such as rough or smooth textures.

Cross-Hatching

This drawing technique is an extension of hatching, where parallel lines intersect, creating light and dark values. It is a very effective way to make dark sections even darker or to add a certain finish to the subjects in your sketch. For example, if you’re drawing a wooden piece of furniture, cross-hatching can be used to mimic the wood surface.

Stippling

In stippling, you use tiny dots instead of lines to create shades, textures, and depth. To create darker areas, simply draw lots of dots close together — and, vice versa, lighter areas call for more space between the dots. Stippling could be used to create a sandy texture or a speckled effect on an object, for instance, the skin of a trout. Such attention to detail can add interest and definition to your art.

Scribbling

It might sound rudimentary, but controlled scribbling can create interesting effects. Depending on how much pressure you apply and what density you choose when sketching, scribbling can result in different shades and textures. Imagine drawing a stormy sky — the chaotic and irregular patterns of scribbling would make it feel dynamic and alive.

Squaring Up

It helps to maintain accuracy in drawings, particularly when reproducing or enlarging an image. By drawing a grid of squares over the reference image and a proportionally identical grid on the drawing surface, you can focus on one square at a time. This can also be a helpful practice technique for beginner artists.

Frottage

Rather a fun and experimental practice than a drawing technique. It works like this: you place a sheet of paper over a textured surface and then rub over it with a pencil or crayon. This allows the texture of the surface beneath to come through. This can help you with creating abstract backgrounds. For example, if you place your paper over a leaf and rub it with your pencil, you’ll get a natural texture that could represent a leafy ground in landscape drawings. This can also be implemented really well in still life.

Use the code THEDESIGNEST-10 to get an extra 10% off any of the courses. If a course is at 75% off, you can get a total of 85% off your purchase. You can even use the code on multiple purchases — there’s no limit to what you can learn.

Redeem Your Code ➔

Advanced Drawing Techniques

As you venture deeper into your artistic journey, the drawing process becomes more complex but also more rewarding. You know all the basics (and even more); you’ve completed hundreds of hours of practice and drawn thousands of sketches. And your creative hunger is now growing, as you suddenly find yourself lacking techniques to fulfill the most daring art projects. Prepare paper and graphite pencils (however, you can pick other types if you are more used to them).

Contour Drawing

In this technique, you draw the edges of your subject without lifting your pencil, focusing more on the internal shapes and forms rather than the finer details. For instance, in contour drawing a face, you would trace the outlines of the facial features and shapes within the face rather than focusing on detailed eyes or a perfect nose.

Negative Drawing

This method requires you to draw the space around the subject, not the subject itself. It can enhance depth perception and the overall balance of your composition. Suppose you’re drawing a night sky with stars: instead of drawing each star, you’d fill in the darkness of the sky, leaving the white spaces to represent the stars.

Perspective Drawing

This technique creates an illusion of depth and distanceш. You can use a one-point perspective (all lines converge at a single point on the horizon) when drawing a road disappearing into the distance. Two-point perspective is ideal for drawing buildings at an angle, and a three-point perspective, with lines converging at three points, works well for skyscrapers viewed from a dramatic angle.

Gridding

Gridding helps you accurately capture proportions and angles by dividing your reference image and drawing surface into equal grids. Imagine drawing a portrait; you can ensure the correct position and size of each facial feature by following the grid.

Rendering

Requires detailed and careful shading to give your drawing a realistic, three-dimensional appearance. For instance, if you’re drawing a portrait, rendering would involve detailed shading of facial features.

Foreshortening

Foreshortening is used to create the illusion of an object receding into the distance. This is crucial for an accurate representation of perspective. If you’re drawing a person lying down with their feet facing you, the feet would be drawn larger than the head to create a sense of depth.

Scumbling

Scumbling involves applying small, circular strokes to create texture and value. Similar to rendering, it can create a sense of depth and volume. If you’re drawing a rocky terrain, scumbling can mimic the rough and uneven texture of the rocks.

Glazing

While more common in painting, glazing can also be applied in drawing, especially with pastels. It involves using a thin layer of medium over the artwork to adjust its color and tone. For example, if you’re working with color pencils, you might apply a light blue glaze over a landscape drawing to create a cool, serene atmosphere.

I still recommend watching for the courses from the leading artists on Domestika and Skillshare. They allow you to go beyond academic techniques and try yourself in narrow fields, like modern portrait drawing, urban sketching in Procreate, or inking. Even if you prefer to repeat illustrations from Pinterest, nothing works better for artistic growth than masterclasses and workshops.

Shading Techniques

Now I invite you to dive into the world of shading — the unsung hero of drawing! Before we start practicing, Check Memento Shader Brushes from my colleague Anna Tikhomirova or the arts of Studio Muti and Willian Santiago. There’s no way you won’t fall for the shading technique after that, especially if you stand for digital drawing.

This drawing style turns flat shapes into three-dimensional objects on paper, adding depth and realism to your art. That’s what breathes life into flat style and makes it pop out of the page. Each technique has its unique charm and purpose. So, grab your pencil, and let’s test them all.

Smooth Shading

In this technique, you create a seamless transition from light to dark. It is often used to render skin tones or shiny objects that require gradual shifts in tone. Imagine you’re drawing a sphere — here, the technique would help you create a realistic depiction, with tones seamlessly transitioning from light to dark.

Cell Shading

Used primarily in comic books and cartoons, this technique creates a stylized look using sharp transitions from light to dark. Suppose you’re drawing a cartoon character. Using cell shading, you’d apply a flat base color and then more pressure and a darker tone for the shadows, with clear lines separating each.

Reflective Shading

This involves incorporating the reflection of surrounding objects’ colors into the shades. For example, if you’re drawing a silver spoon lying next to a red apple, the spoon’s reflective shading would contain a hint of red.

Tactile Shading

This technique uses specific patterns to mimic different textures. If you’re drawing a furry animal, you can mimic the texture of fur, giving it a realistic and tangible quality.

In digital art, shading brushes (or shaders) help artists achieve the same effects. They come in a variety of forms, offering different textures and softness levels.

What Do I Need To Start Drawing?

Embarking on an artistic journey is like setting off on an adventure: you’ll need the right tools in your backpack. Whether you’re more inclined toward the tactile feel of traditional drawing or the unlimited possibilities of digital art, you’ll need a set of essential tools to get started. Don’t worry — you don’t need to break the bank or fill an entire studio.

Depending on whether you opt for traditional (analog) drawing or digital art, you’ll need different tools. And for those who are new to drawing, I’d suggest starting with analog drawing tools, as they are cheaper, more intuitive to use, and better to build basic drawing skills.

For Analog Drawing:

Drawing pencils of varying hardness: Faber-Castell’s graphite pencils come in a wide range of hardness and are known for their high quality.
Sketchbook or drawing paper: Strathmore and Moleskine are excellent sketchbook choices.
Eraser: The Prismacolor Scholar Latex-Free Eraser or Faber-Castell’s kneadable eraser are great tools.
Sharpener: The Kum Automatic Long Point Pencil Sharpener is known for its precision and durability.
Smudge stick: Loew Cornell’s blending stumps are an affordable and reliable option that’ll help you add shading to your sketches.

For Digital Drawing:

Graphic tablet or iPad with a stylus: Wacom tablets, like the Wacom Intuos Pro, are industry standards for graphic tablets. For those preferring an iPad, the iPad Pro paired with the Apple Pencil offers a responsive and natural drawing experience.
Digital drawing software: Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator are powerful and versatile programs for digital art. Procreate is another excellent choice, especially for iPad users.
Computer with enough processing power to run your software smoothly: Apple’s MacBook Pro and Dell’s XPS series are highly recommended for their performance and display quality.

Remember, these are only recommendations. The best tools are the ones that you feel most comfortable with and suit your budget and needs. As you grow as an artist, your toolkit will grow and evolve with you.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the 5 basic techniques of drawing?

The five basic techniques of drawing include line drawing, hatching, cross-hatching, stippling, and scribbling. Each technique utilizes a different approach to creating form and texture, with line drawing focusing on the outline, hatching and cross-hatching employing lines for shading, stippling using dots, and scribbling offering an expressive and dynamic style.

How do you draw like a pro?

Drawing like a pro involves practice, patience, and understanding of foundational concepts. These include mastering different drawing techniques, studying forms and proportions, practicing perspective drawing, and learning to shade effectively. Equally important is developing your observation skills to capture fine details and nuances in your sketches.

What are the pencil shading techniques?

Pencil shading techniques can vastly enhance the realism of drawings. These include smooth shading for a seamless transition of tones, cell shading for a stylized look with sharp transitions, reflective shading that incorporates the colors of surrounding objects into the shadows, and tactile shading, which uses patterns to mimic textures.

What are the different drawing techniques?

Drawing techniques range from basic methods like line drawing and stippling to advanced ones like contour drawing and perspective drawing. There’s also gridding for accurate proportions, cross-hatching and hatching techniques for creating texture and shadows, and many shading techniques to add depth and dimension.

What should I draw when I first start drawing?

As a beginner, it’s beneficial to start sketching simple shapes and objects to get a feel for form and proportion. Basic shapes, fruits, and still-life arrangements are excellent starting points. From there, you can practice and progress to more complex objects and eventually to subjects like landscapes, animals, and the human body.

The post 20+ Drawing Techniques: How To Elevate Your Sketching Skills appeared first on The Designest.

20 Digital Artists You Should Know: Famous, Talented, Inspiring

Ksenia Pedchenko — Fri, 19 May 2023 09:45:31 +0000

The Designest may receive compensation from companies, products, and services featured in this publication. For more details, please refer to our Affiliate Disclosure page.

My strongest conviction about the graphic design industry is that it’s made by people. Trends, global events, and social environment are just a background to the great things brought by talented artists. These are the people who light the entire community with their talent, show the direction for new digital projects, and fill everyone involved with inspiration and creative sense.

This article is an inspiration dose, and it’s also an introduction. In a single publication, I gathered twenty of the most talented and famous digital artists of our time. These people work in different styles, in different countries, and each of them has their own message and audience. They embrace digital painting, character design, 3D, environment art, concept art, and other illustration and graphic design forms. What unifies all these people is the significance of their creativity and the fact that they express modern digital art through their works like no one else.

Does that sound a little pathetic? Let it be so. But I am sure that this journey will be worth these words. And I will be happy to know that meeting these digital artists will become a new page for you in discovering yourself as a creator. After all, people make design, and the brighter their creativity is, the more amazing changes happen in the entire industry and beyond.

Zim & Zou, France

Zim & Zou are two French artists, Lucie Thomas and Thibault Zimmerman, who prefer tangible materials to the popular 3D design. Their installations are made from paper (which is their preferred material), wood, or thread. All the scenes are literally completed by hand: Lucie and Thibault manually draw, fold, cut, and assemble the trickiest compositions. Some of these scenes do look like origami, while others look so 3D and digital that no one would ever tell their Up the Clouds or A Livre Ouvert are physical.

In fact, I am excited to onboard this list of the best digital artists with those who have focused on original creativity and create their masterpieces bypassing conventional tools. With every artwork, Zim & Zou remind the community that art knows no boundaries. And masterpieces can be equally made with glue & wood and Photoshop & 3D Max.

Paper inspires for its versatility, infinite range of colors and unique textures. The flat sheets turned into volume are giving an installation the poetry of ephemeral material.

Zim & Zou From Zim & Zou's Behance

The Rusted Pixel, Ireland

Paul, aka The Rusted Pixel, is an outstanding 3D designer from Ireland. In his portfolio, you’ll find projects for Adobe, Google, Disney, Spotify, MTV, and other companies most designers and artists strive to work with. However, the thing I adore most about Paul is the incredible worlds and characters he creates.

He draws inspiration from the countryside and coastline of Donegal, where he’s from. So every digital art illustration is filled with local coziness and a simple yet fairytale vibe. Every detail has its story, and by creating smooth, flexible textures, Paul turns on tactile curiosity. So it feels like you are really touching all those teeny-tiny leaves or kitchen utensils and get closer to Paul’s digital universe.

"Getting Gud" at 3D doesn't mean learning every software nor every discipline. It's mean's getting good at "sharing your message." It's your artistic voice. It's what want to continue to create. Creating a consistent portfolio helps viewers understand your message.

Paul aka The Rusted Pixel via Twitter

Essential Resources for Drawing

National Park Stamp

Stipple Brushes For Illustrator

Shader Brushes for Illustrator

Modern Woodcut Brushes

Inkers Brushes for Adobe Photoshop

Lighthouse Liner Procreate Brushes

elements.envato.com

Ori Toor, Israel

As Ori Toor describes himself, he’s an illustrator creating freestyle worlds to get lost in. And there are no words to describe his digital artwork better! He is a passionate doodler who draws multi-level fantasy plots and characters without prior sketching or planning. His unique approach to improvisation allows the view to get instantly grabbed by Ori’s flow of imagination and manner to build digital worlds from a single idea.

In Ori’s portfolio, there are bold abstractions, sci-fi art, multiple psychedelic compositions, and even looped animations. The latter, by the way, are drawn in a gritty style, which differs them from Ori’s overall aesthetics. He mainly uses a flat style, so in order to convey mood and space or establish relations between the objects and layers inside the digital artwork, he uses lots and lots of color.

I like being surprised by what I do. I like the fact that I’m not really sure what it’s going to look like. I like the freedom.

Ori Toor Interview for Creative Cloud

mbsjq, United Kingdom

“Impressionist at heart, a surrealist in execution” — this is how mbsjq, aka Jonathan Quintin, describes himself, and there are hardly words to describe this digital artist better. He is a creator enchanted by surrealist philosophy and outer space aesthetics, and so are his artworks. In his series, he always sets the viewers on a new space journey, and you can be sure to be fascinated and strongly inspired by his bizarre futuristic fantasies.

We’ve seen almost everything in the works of the best digital artists, and that makes mbsjq stand out. Indeed, soft pop is a trend. However, in the arms of mbsjq, it gets a whole new approach. You do get surprised, and you never know what kind of visual plots and characters he will mold next in his new digital artwork. A merge of space and florals? Candy-colored cyberpunk? Abstract 3D portraits? Well, yes, yes, and yes.

You were born to make mistakes, not to fake perfection.

Jonathan Quintin via Twitter

Beeple, USA

Mike Winkelmann, or Beeple, is one of the top digital artists in the world. He creates 3D art known for conceptual, dystopian works with a sharp reflection on modern pop culture. He’s also famous for selling the most expensive NFT. I don’t find it surprising as Mike’s perception of reality is something that can’t leave a single person cold. Cinema4D videos and animations, parodies, caricatures, and album covers — both as a digital illustrator and modern artist, he shows extreme audacity mixed with a powerful yet grim touch of cyberpunk aesthetic and uncertainty.

Beeple brings together stand-out skills, unique vision, and extreme devotion to the art. Day by day, since 2007, he draws and posts sci-fi illustrations, so his micro-universe keeps expanding with time. In 2021 he sold a part of his works, Everydays — The First 5000 Days, as an NFT for a mind-blowing $98 million.

Looking at creativity as something that’s much less precious will help you stick with it long-term. Along with that, people around you will be a lot more supportive if you’re a bit more flexible and a bit less douchey about it. Like you’re not so pretentious in terms of, “I’m an artist, I need to blah blah blah.”

Mike Winkelmann Interview for The Verge

Steve Simpson, Ireland

Every time you look at Steve’s illustrations, you get a little bit of a festival waltzing into your life. Even though the recent works gravitate to Mexican folk art (or a variation of it to a certain degree), it’s not all the Day of the Dead mood. Steve Simpson has dedicated a significant lifespan to wallowing in the comics creation process and building his distinctive illustration style as a digital artist.

Steve’s digital illustrations are composed of teeny-tiny decorative elements, apart from the main characters, which create a vivid setting for the composition, completely erasing the borderline between reality and a fantasy world. From whiskey labels to book covers, the lively and whimsical illustrations always hit it on the nail in terms of a product’s mood and inspiration vibes. And you never know the next destination in Steve’s new digital painting: a 19th-century circus or a pirate ship rushing towards thrilling adventures!

…not sure where the success scale is and how to go about measuring myself against it. I’d like to think year on year I’m getting better and better.

Steve Simpson Interview for OneMinuteWith

MUTI, South Africa

MUTI is a creative studio from Cape Town which houses a team of dedicated digital illustrators and designers. Their forte is to unite multiple techniques, so every illustration or icon pack is realized in a unique style or a quintessence of illustration techniques. While lots of artists seek consistency, these folks have got their hand in visual variety and uniqueness.

The artists at MUTI have worked with multiple companies around the globe: from Nike and Fortnite to Uniqlo and The Washington Post. Their portfolio contains line art, ethnic motives, classic and isometric flat style, Art Deco, digital sketching, and compositions made with the power of shaders. And I’m sure I’ve missed something — which is rather good than bad, as any creator will find something familiar and inspiring.

Experimenting, learning from each other and mixing things up a bit is essential to keeping your portfolio fresh, and staying inspired.

MUTI Interview for The Design Kids

So Lazo, El Salvador

So Lazo is a professional digital artist, tattoo designer, and, as she calls herself, a designer of silly clothes. In her illustrations, she blurs the border between fantasy and reality, creating vivid plots and characters. Another feature that highlights Lazo’s approach to painting is the palette that often centers around the popping pink and cotton candy hues. Interestingly, such color solutions are merged with a powerful feminist message, giving them a different value.

Lazo’s world is inspired yet not limited to the myths and stories of her culture. In her physical and digital artworks, he brings the relationships between the spiritual world, the natural world, and humanity. Altogether these things come up as a fresh look at the Latin heritage that no one can escape falling for.

You should put your process up. I think a mistake people make is they compare each other too much. I know I’m not the best and there are other amazing illustrators, but I like what I do, so I know there are others who will too. That’s why I want to share my process. A lot of people are afraid of showing themselves like that.

So Lazo Interview for Creative Cloud

Jinhwa Jang, Korea

We’re just traveling from one creator’s universe to another! And this is Jinhwa Jang’s. Jinhwa is a freelance illustrator from Seoul, and every her painting is enriched with lots of peculiar details and filled with light. Indeed, you’ll be fascinated by how fluently she can create ambiance and play with shadow in light in her digital illustrations: whether it’s something colorful, neon, game-like, or monochrome and manga-styled.

Jinhwa masterly conveys the moment, and everyone looking at her artwork immediately becomes part of it. For example, her Seoul-inspired series create so much of the Korean vibe and nightlife feel that you’ll get it spreading all over your heart and body wherever you are.

André Ducci, Italy

André Ducci is an Italian digital illustrator and writer who creates absurd artworks based on retro aesthetics from the roaring 20s to the 60s. He is a sophisticated user of textures and shaders with excellent skills in creating gripping color schemes for his works. He’s also good at grabbing nostalgic or emotional plots and capturing them on canvas — be sure to find lots of it in André’s works.

André creates the very kind of art you’d like to hang on your wall or see on your bookshelf. Speaking of the second point, he recently illustrated Talking History — a book by Joan Lennon & Joan Haig. It would be a great purchase for everyone devoted to his style. However, if you ask me, I’m mostly in love with his bizarre Fanfare book, which is a powerful homage to the absurd retro vibe of the late 40s.

Butcher Billy, Brazil

Butcher Billy is a famous digital artist and graphic designer who brings his vision of comics and resurrects Pop Art culture. No, I don’t mean it’s dead — however, as you review his artworks, you’ll see it take a whole new twist. In Butcher Billy’s portfolio, there are multiple projects for Netflix, Stranger Things, Black Mirror, Marvel, and more, so no more questions about powerful retro style merged with unrestrained experiments.

Through his eyes, you’ll get a whole new vision of the cinematographic legends as well as popular comics stories and TV shows — there’s hardly one Buther Billy doesn’t bring in his digital art. A few years ago, he also turned the industry upside down with his Post-Punk Marvels series: then he introduced some of his favorite rock stars as characters of superhero comic books.

Marija Tiurina, United Kingdom

For everyone crazy about Bosch’s multiple-plot paintings with hundreds of characters and scenes captured on a single canvas, Marija Turina’s style will be a gripping discovery. However, instead of grim medieval aesthetics, she draws vibrant search-and-find paintings full of life and joy. And yet I won’t deny all creators care about minor details in their own manner, Marija is probably the best digital artist who’s mastered it.

Every character in her illustrations is overfilled with emotions and unique features to highlight their personalities. Marija’s Coffee Characters was the first project I saw from her. I immediately fell for those powerful females brought to embody popular coffee drinks, and since then, my love for her emotional cartoonish style keeps growing — as well as Marija’s mastership that she brings to more and more projects, including her recently released search-and-find book, Where are you.

When the brain is too tired to work on something serious but hands still wanna draw, it's sketching out some characters that I enjoy the most. Make a cuppa tea, put on a movie and enjoy the flow.

Marija Turina From Marija's Instagram

Matt Schu, USA

Matt Schu (Schumacher) is a digital artist and illustrator from Portland with an immense passion for drawing houses. Indeed, humans are relatively rare characters in his artworks, and instead, he prefers discovering the mood of houses and gardens. Matt’s idea is to focus rather on the emotional aspect than on objects, and from this position, he sees lots of meaning, emotion, and inspiration in houses.

As Matt experiments with setting and details, he can convey any vibe without telling or showing anything precise — and that’s where the magic comes up. Matt released a few self-published books and zines, which are a chance to continue the journey across his creative universe. Particularly if you want to spice up your digital illustrations and improve the traditional gouache & inking technique.

I feel like I’m still new and looking for some wisdom myself! But a lesson I learned that made a big difference is that you’re allowed to take your work seriously. You make progress when you take your work seriously and commit, and respect yourself.

Matt Schu Interview for Kathy Temean

Antoni Tudisco, Germany

Antoni Tudisco is a creative director & 3D visual artist from Hamburg. And he’s one of the best digital artists practicing modern surrealism and selling NFT. He’s worked with Nike, Adidas, Versace, Google, Mercedes Benz, D&G, etc., and won several notable awards. His style features smooth 3D shapes and textures polished by a bright color palette: neon pink to gold.

In his artworks, Antoni likes to reinvent digital physics and explore the laws of nature on a case-by-case basis. This is seasoned by his unleashed interest in pop culture, street art, and Asian visual concepts. Such surrealist experiments are often embedded into branding campaigns, so it’s not extraordinary for Antoni to use the Nike logo as a piercing or stick a pair of sneakers to one’s face with duct tape.

Ben Bauchau, Belgium

While some digital artists create their own worlds, Ben Bauchau is the one who explores them — as he states himself. These worlds are surrealist, fairy-tale, and a little dark. And such quintessence is Ben’s signature. The first series I discovered in his portfolio was Place For My Dark Thoughts, a book of contemplative illustrations in an inking technique made for sharing support with people who go through anxiety and internal conflict. The same message partially permeates Ben’s artistry.

Ben’s creations are based on Japanese mecha aesthetics and Ukiyo-e art, and cosmic, fantastic plots. His characters create a mix of multiple cultures. However, he is greatly interested in building samurai-like personalities: lonely warriors, wanderers, and explorers captured in a futurist environment. Currently, his arts are not limited to drawing projects, as he equally releases animations with a similar post-apocalyptic approach.

David Sossella, Italy

Traditional Japanese-style motifs intertwine with the Soviet agitation posters in mysterious plots, told by David Sossella, an illustrator and graphic designer from Italy. The robust colors dance in the eye-pleasing mixture of fantasy worlds with a take on real-life inventions, machinery, and old-school means of transport. It takes some time to spot all the details, carefully packed in hidden meanings, spiced up with fantastic allegories. Every character has a resistless charm, hooking your attention and never letting go.

David has come a long way to becoming one of the top digital artists collaborating with many international brands like Ray-Ban, Hasbro, Disney, Air Emirates, Poste Italiane, and others. Besides, David Rosella is a founder of Gusto Robusto, an independent project creating and promoting art prints in vector technique. You may find various experiments with style for your inspiration on his Instagram page. There David demonstrates a sheer contrast between applied techniques and the process of sketching out future compositions!

This is a monastic work, it takes infinite dedication and humility, constant exercise, study, love. The rest comes by itself.

David Sossella Interview for GraphicCompetitions

Alex Heywood, Australia

I haven’t paid enough attention to the digital painters who draw animals and wildlife, so let me fix it by introducing the incredible freelance artist, Alex Heywood with his astonishing universe filled with extraordinary creatures. On the one hand, his artworks are an example of what search-and-find illustration can and should be: a soft palette complementing teeny-tiny characters that altogether set up a complete plot for a story. On the other hand, these are the children’s books illustrations of our dreams, as Alex masterly creates emotional and realistic personalities. Everyone, from bossy police-frogs to timid squirrel-like critters, goes far beyond a fictional character image.

In 2021 Alex released his first graphic novel, Pet Human. The story was written by a renowned film director David Guy Levy and Emmy Award-winning creative director Steffen Schlachtenhaufen. Alex has made the illustrations and created a unique visual experience, so this book is a must-have collectible for everyone who loves his cozy, narrative style.

James Gilleard, United Kingdom

According to classic academic art books, any object can be reduced to simple geometric elements. It’s totally accurate, but how about creating a complex digital artwork with all the details being the same geometric shapes put together? James Gilleard does it as smoothly as assembling a building blocks castle. Praising pop culture, architecture in lo-fi colors, and mysterious space, he casts his artistic spells on canvas to deliver even the most sophisticated things around us, made of different geometric pieces.

There’s something extraordinary about every vector landscape or architecture illustration: the imagery has a calming retro tint, creating an indescribable nostalgia for the times we’ve never even lived in. And for the video game geeks and cinemaholics, there’s an extensive collection of concept art, posters, and “based on” projects to spot all the references and probably observe the favorite masterpieces from a different viewpoint.

Romain Trystram, Morocco

Romain Trystram is a freelance illustrator, graphic designer & art director whose unique style is based on cyberpunk landscapes and fascination with neon-lit urban architecture. But don’t let yourself limit the perception of his art to the skyscrapers in the Cyberpunk 207 aesthetic, as Romain will always go beyond every foreseen style.

Romain is a savvy user of gradients and 1980 futurist attributes. In his artworks, he hovers between the distinctive retro and ultra-modern visual approach. This makes him one of the best digital artists able to embrace almost everything in their works without turning them into a colorful mess. Travel sketches, quick animations, adverting campaigns for any global company like Volkswagen or Affinity promo, or a very personal reflection on the urban appearance of megapolis — every digital painting is a perfect balance between futurist neon, color, and very precise, verified geometry that soothes the eye.

I was always fascinated by walking in the city at night, when no one is outside and it seems like a different place to explore. Even better under a pouring rain. I did a lot of skyline illustrations trough years.Especially at night. Trying to capture this feeling.

Romain Trystram From Romain's Instagram

RULEBYART, Canada

RULEBYART is a team of contemporary digital artists who have captured their creative ideas and the beauty of abstraction for almost a decade. Their digital artworks are something you will never stop being fascinated and inspired by. Whatever gets into their focus: organic textures, minerals, human body, or extraterrestrial materials transform into a work of art with its message and story.

Robert Marks, the founder of the project, has been doing digital, visual, and traditional art for over twenty years. As a devoted digital artist and illustrator, he runs multiple experiments in different fields of design. With his unlimited interest in the evolution of art, he keeps transferring his vision of abstraction, so every collection or product released by RULEBYART feels like a new wave both visually and technically.

Progress for me means never putting myself into a category and working with whatever might facilitate an open mind. It means always experimenting with different mediums and not being afraid to learn from the greatness of others while developing my own.

Robert Marks Interview for Pixelbuddha

Frequently Asked Questions

What is digital art?

Digital art is an artistic work or practice created in a digital medium. Digital art includes both classical (painting, literature, drawing, sculpture, and music) and modern forms (3D and concept art, VR, or digital installation art). In a broad sense, digital art is any contemporary art that uses mass production or digital media methods.

Who are the most famous digital artists?

The most prominent contemporary digital artists of the XXI century are:

Beeple (known for his most expensive NFTs ever sold)
mbsjq (an NFT artist focusing on surrealist 3D)
Butcher Billy (outstanding master of pop art aesthetics)
Ori Toor (freelance illustrator known to create soft loops and digital improvisations)
Antoni Tudisco (3D and concept artist focusing on visual and physics experiments)

What does a digital artist do?

Depending on the chosen niche, a digital artist can make interactive graphics, 3D art, illustrations, graphic designs, and animations. They can also apply their skills in game design, web design, or multimedia. In fact, there are plenty of software (Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Procreate) and platforms to release the creative potential and even benefit from it (ex., meet clients on Behance or sell NFT art).

Are digital artists real artists?

Yes, they are. For some artists, digital art might be considered cheating, as a creator can fix and re-print their work multiple times. However, creating a unique piece of digital art requires just as much skill, creative effort, and artistic vision as traditional art.

The post 20 Digital Artists You Should Know: Famous, Talented, Inspiring appeared first on The Designest.

30+ Best Instagram Color Schemes & Aesthetic Ideas

Ksenia Pedchenko — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 09:12:47 +0000

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The fun ends when the creator switches from a personal Instagram account to a business one. This may sound confusing and definitely not what everyone wants to hear However, running an Instagram blog takes lots of time and effort and has nothing to do with the relaxed post-and-like behavior. But don’t let yourself go downhearted, as this work is likely to turn into your passion, and that flow of inspiration and aesthetical satisfaction discovered in the process is infinite. Especially when it touches your Instagram color palette.

The days when just posting interesting or helpful content are long gone — especially for businesses. Once companies and influencers made Instagram their primary platform, the stakes are higher, and there is an enormous attention to the visual. And here comes another important thing: the appearance of the creator’s blog is as important as every single post in it. That is why Instagram coachers and trainers emphasize thoughtful content planning and developing your unique style.

Of course, there is no article to help you cover all aspects of making a converting blog that gains thousands of new subscribers daily. However, what we can really assist you with, is to boost the aesthetic of your account and help choose (or create!) a proper Instagram palette that’s 100% you.

So, what’s on the list? Briefly, there are a few convent ways to create an Instagram color palette for your profile:

Use the ready-made color schemes;
Source ideas & inspiration from popular blogs;
Pick up matching Instagram templates;
Use dedicated apps to create a custom Instagram color combination or source from your existing posts.

Instagram Color Inspiration

Probably, checking other bloggers’ accounts is the most effective way to understand what you want from your own and how it should look like. It has nothing to do with copying someone else’s style — instead, it allows you to catch the trends and see how big brands do it. And then it’s up to you: should you join the leaders or create your unique aesthetics. I’ve selected some accounts with totally astounding color themes, however, feel scree to scroll through your own Instagram feed to get a massive dose of color inspiration.

How to Make Color Combinations?

After you’ve chosen what you want your Instagram page to look like, time to select the basic color scheme that will set the mood of your account. For some accounts, though, this choice was accidental. However, I don’t recommend you to rely on luck or any special feeling here — as it may never happen, and you will just lose the precious time of developing your blog. In case you understand that the chosen Instagram color palette doesn’t work for you anymore, you can always make a soft transition to a different one.

Earthly Color Palettes

Earthly Instagram color palettes don’t leave popular lifestyle, interior, and beauty blogs for a few years now, and picking this solution for yourself will be an easy yet compelling decision. The key to its success is the extreme coziness borrowed from the Hygge style. Lots of wood, natural fabrics, gold, and ceramics are the most frequent ingredients, and we’ve seen fashion blogs and entire brands successfully adopt such warm schemes and eventually become a visual magnet in the Instagram feed.

Green Color Palettes

Green is another face of coziness, and depending on its intensity in your Instagram color palette, you can vary from bold herbal vibes to more reserved schemes. The second option is easier to work with, as it easily adapts to most blog themes. However, if you feel yourself fed up with succulents, palm, and monstera leaves, running an account filled with the shades of green risks turning into torture, be aware of that.

Blue Color Palettes

While seeking matching color suggestions for a travel & lifestyle blog, you’ll be surprised by how natural blue fits the image. When there are lots of landscapes under the blue sky or by the ocean, blue hues are the most obvious option — and a blue-based Instagram color palette will be the easiest to follow. Moreover, blue can make striking combinations with brown, beige, gray, and white — so most of the images you make during journeys will fit the overall aesthetics.

Candy & Pastel Color Palettes

If there is a rival to earthly Instagram color palettes, that should be the pastel schemes. And they have their reasons: the colors follow the popular interior solutions and appeal to the creative audience. Such accounts seem like brought from Pinterest, such sweet color themes and candy-like hues keep attracting attention as if they were invented yesterday, not years ago. The best application for pastel color schemes is artistic blogs focused on stationery, meditation, drawing, craft, floristry, or just as personal blogs with jaw-dropping flat-lays.

Gray & White Color Palettes

The fascination with the Scandinavian aesthetic seems to never end. It has given us a new understanding of minimalism and coziness, so today, white is rather associated with warm snuggly interiors than sterile cleanness. Neutral Instagram color palettes are easy to work with, and they are as flexible as pastel and earthly ones.

As you choose between the three most popular schemes, there is an amusing tip: if you have white walls in your place, the primary color for your blog images might be white too. At least, you’re guaranteed to have lots of it in your posts and stories, and can even try making white your brand color.

Yellow & Orange Color Palettes

Feel like making your account with sunny, warm vibes? Or make your account filled with Wes Anderson’s aesthetic? Yellow and orange Instagram color palettes are the most obvious option. Of course, adding the key elements of the matching hues will become more challenging, though that’s how businesses and independent creators may stand out in the feed. Indeed, while most posts are shot in the brown-beige-gray palette, bright yellow publications or juicy orange accents should pop and grab the user’s eye (great idea for advertised posts!).

Pink & Purple Color Palettes

If you are not scared of challenging cases and have plenty of neon stuff at your disposal, you can try pink and purple for your Instagram account. On one side, such blogs immediately grab the eye. On the other, the necessity to stick to such complex colors might transform your blogging experience into a quest. Therefore, this decision should be made wisely, as a spontaneous intention to make a neon purple Instagram color palette may take you nowhere, and you’ll just lose time on elaborating and developing an effective color combination.

However, if you are running Instagram for some company with pink/purple as its brand colors, consider yourself as a lucky one — it’s a sleek opportunity to stand out with the visual.

Black Color Palettes

Black Instagram color palettes are the least popular solution for brand palettes and probably the hardest too. If you have a b/w profile, it definitely looks conceptual and chic. However, how do you keep the balance between noble black and just hundreds of grim posts, all in dark, heavy shades? Here, as you pick black as your primary color, it’s essential to think about how you will dilute the darkness. Will it be some gold, orange, white or will you implement a couple of matching colors to make the scheme more applicable?

Instagram Templates: Posts & Stories

You can always resort to ready-made templates if you seek an easier way to set up an Instagram colors palette or choose colors that will naturally fit your blog’s message. Although they are far from being a winning everyday solution, there is no better way to test multiple color schemes and see how they match the overall aesthetic.

Instagram Templates — Daisy

Igta — Instagram Template Set BL

Design marketplaces abound with posts and stories templates designed in various styles. And as they feature modern typography, geometric shapes, and sharp color schemes, they allow content creators unbounded experiments with their blogs. You don’t have to publish every piece, but you can try dozens of different templates before you get the one or eventually understand what your Instagram color palette should be like.

BRISLEY Instagram Template

Instagram Post & Stories Templates

Instagram Templates

Instagram Template

If you make your first steps in blogging, Instagram templates are a great way to start. No need to fear customization, as they don’t require expert design skills. Most files contain Smart Objects, which means you can open them in Adobe Photoshop, select the layer where you want your images to be placed, and insert them. You may also like a tutorial on using Smart Objects, so here’s one.

BALWIN Instagram Template

FRIDAY Instagram Template

Apps to Create Color Palettes

Once you start an Instagram blog, there are a few important things to learn. First, it’s going to be a full-time job if you want to get tangible results. So be prepared to invest your time (and money) to see your blog grow. Second, you should never refuse to use extra apps to ease your work — no need to be a one-man band.

There is a great and easy-to-use software to publish and schedule your posts, intuitive photo, and history editors, and rest assured, there are plenty of handy solutions for creating an Instagram color palette. Whether you need pro assistance or just a convenient sandbox, they will go.

Canva. The app is one of the most frequently used photo editing and image creation services within bloggers and small businesses. It has three plans starting from $9.95, however you can use it for free to create a color scheme. To do so, you can either upload a source image or generate a palette from scratch using Canva’s color wheel tool.
Colorkuler. It’s an Instagram profile color palette extractor that can set us a color scheme based on your existing posts. There are two plans: the free plan analyses the last 9 posts, and the paid one ($2.99) analyses the last 28 posts. Colorkuler won’t fit you if you’re just starting the blog. But if you’ve made a few publications and want to see where they’ll take you aesthetically, there’s hardly a better option.
Coolors. This app is our absolute favorite option whenever we have to do some colorwork: from making custom color schemes to exploring fancy gradients. So if you need to establish an Instagram color palette, Coolors will fit too. You can generate a color combination from existing photos, source graphics taken from anywhere, or check trending color schemes, all provided with HEX codes for your convenience. The app is free and is available as an Adobe add-on, Chrome extension, and a stand-alone iOS app.

The post 30+ Best Instagram Color Schemes & Aesthetic Ideas appeared first on The Designest.

Working With Millennials: Features & Tips for Effective Collaboration

Ksenia Pedchenko — Wed, 17 Aug 2022 12:32:47 +0000

Working in a startup or a digital company means having a routine of everyone’s dreams. Relaxed schedule, stylish office or remote work from some Thai island, and a team of like-minded fellows make your life resemble a Netflix series. Or a nightmare, as the reinvented routine and the occurring generation gap risk smashing everything into pieces.

I joined Pixelbuddha six years ago, and I keep thinking these are the most incredible team relationships. Working outside the regular boss/employee system and having friends instead of colleagues by my side is the experience I value a lot.

But truth be told, this does not work for all teams, as big IT and finance companies have to host workers of different generations and backgrounds. The solid mass of boomers and Gen X who’ve been establishing the corporate routine laws is now diluted by millennials who have the opposite vision of how things should be done.

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This talk will be about how to deal with those established-routine-breakers who now make up one-third of the global workforce. And how everyone — including millennials — can make the best of this cooperation.

Generation Guide: Boomers, Gen X & Millennials

You surely heard the theory of demographic cohorts, which now hosts five living generations of the XX century: baby boomers, X, Y (millennials), Z, and Alpha. While the last one is too young to enter corporate culture, the rest are its full-fledged elements, each with its features.

Baby boomers (born 1946 to 1964). Born during the post-WWII baby boom, they are the first long-living generation that keeps actively participating in business, political and social life — for good or for evil. They are told to be the most entrepreneurial employers making up over 40% business or franchise owners. Today’s corporate culture is their legacy, so whether you seek to join a finance company, large international business, or a public establishment, you’ll likely play by their rules.

Generation X (born mid-60s to mid-80s). These are sometimes called the New Lost Generation, and let me explain why. The previous generations had a steady change, so everyone had their time in the limelight. The boomers, however, took longer than their ancestors (up to the present), so there was less room for the following Gen X in corporate culture. In order to find a place for themselves, they were the first to shift the established rules. They became more self-sufficient, results-oriented, and hard-working, with a tendency to be quiet achievers. While boomers like to stick to the rigid guidelines they’ve set themselves, Gen X is more involved in upgrading the work environment and developing slacker working styles.

Generation Y aka Millennials (born mid-80s to early 2000s). These are likely you and me, the first generation grown in the Internet age and knowing what anxiety is. Indeed, these people in their late or early 30s faced the global economic crisis (and even a few of them!), wars, the pandemic, environmental crisis, and are the victims of never-ending personal and social concerns. If we talk business, millennial generation continues the idea of corporate routine changes, however, in a more persistent way.

Generation Z (born late 90s to early 2010s). The new people in the offices who are just beginning to turn the customary things upside down. They are the corporate minority ready to fight for increased job satisfaction: a safe and ecological workplace environment, advanced interpersonal skills of everyone in the team, less dull repetitive work, and high trust culture.

Being surrounded by same-age colleagues, I never considered generational differences so visible. But they are! Corporate millennials’ blogs on TikTok and Instagram are gaining momentum, showing the contrasts and how differently the four generations behave in everyday situations, and I’m like, “Oh, that’s so true!”. In fact, it was when I found out I wasn’t the only millennial feeling anxious when asking for a day off, dealing with seniors, or doing extravert stuff, like being on a call or meeting.

Millennials in the Workplace

I have done my research to find out what it’s like to be a corporate millennial and what it’s like to work with them under the same roof. I have questioned employees from graphic design (of course!), game design, web development, education, SEM, and finance to define the most critical features and complement them with real stories.

Tech Savvy Generation

Millennials are the digital generation that tries to take maximum advantage of the new technologies. Why use cash if there’s Apple Pay? Why call if you can text? Why use outdated websites and apps if there are updates, faster solutions, and custom scripts to boost things? They starve to get the processes automated (and simplified) to the max.

For most companies, this is a huge advantage, as young and progressive millennials tend to innovate working processes, cut costs and optimize the team’s work. Traditionally, the intention of the younger employees to go digital, smart, and progressive is associated with IT and design niches. However, more and more business leaders consider it a chance to improve the digital employee experience — so millennial workers are joining some conservative fields, like industry, finance, or agriculture.

I moved to Germany from China in 2018, and immediately faced a big lack of digitalization. Analog post you get every day, appointments that you can make only via telephone, people are still using fax and avoiding online shopping. And I’m not even mentioning Apple Pay, as even a bank card won’t be accepted in most places.

When searching for a new job, I was eager to make something that would push the digitalization process in Germany further. So I landed in the online marketing department of a big cosmetic brand.

My job is to make shopping for favorite products a nice experience and show the customers the perks of shopping online. In our department, we are always generating new ideas, like what to integrate on our website and what online marketing measures we should include. The beauty industry is quite a conservative industry, and it is important to make it digital and more fun for the millennial generation!

Angelina ecommerce trainee in La Biosthetique Paris

Life-Long Learning

Education has always been of great social and personal importance, but, the millennials have turned it into one of their core values. It has its reasons! First, compared to the previous generations, millennials access information older generations could only dream of, and their thirst for knowledge can be satisfied — even at no cost sometimes! Second, born in the rise of the Internet age, millennials have seen the world grow and change 10x times faster than it was for other generations, which makes them make 10x efforts to stay updated and competitive.

Being capable of life-long learning makes millennials the elite of today’s workforce: always one step ahead, full of ideas, and open to changes. According to Forbes, millennial employees show the highest job satisfaction rates, which is also explained by their learning skills.

There are so many startups and IT companies around, and everyone is so welcoming and friendly. But you have nothing to do in such a place if you are not developed enough and if you do not continue to get better day by day. Self–development is a new "-ism", which is not yet being talked about in a negative light.

Do you want to be a specialist in a super modern area? You don't have a choice. Only through constant development can you expect to stay afloat. Otherwise, yesterday's schoolchildren will force you to return to a regular workplace without a smoothie in the inner bar and parking for your scooter.

Self–development is not some hobby for which you spend your evenings, it is a continuous process of obtaining and applying knowledge that changes your existence for the better, and if not, then you are doing something wrong.

Andrei data analyst at my.games

Remote Work Lovers

Grown as a generation of introverts and freedom-seekers, millennials benefited the most from the pandemic as it has shown them the perks of working from home. Remote work has received major approval from all age groups: 55% of employees want to work from home at least three days per week. However, as the recent research from Axios shown, millennials make up 84% of all workforce, opting for a remote option!

Why so? There are four factors explaining the tendency for millennial employees to opt for the home office:

Many millennials are young parents or caregivers with children aged 0-5 y.o.
The millennial workforce is reported to relocate and travel while working remotely 40 times more than employees older than 40.
Employees aged 25-35 have shown the highest efficiency when working outside the office. They are reported to be the most disciplined workers, who’ve been able to profit at max from flexible hours and decrease guidance from the seniors.
Millennials were also found to be significantly more introverted and less comfortable with ambiguity in the workplace. Compared to more socially active Gen Xers and Boomers, they find more room for self-growth when working from the home office.

Being able to work remotely gives me a chance to have exactly the life I want. The main perk is I can constantly travel, so I don't need to wait for my vacation to come to see new places.

The next nice thing is my working hours make me very flexible. And I don't have to waste time commuting, which saves a lot of time for my personal life. So I really do have enough time for everything.

As for the community… At the beginning, I was really worried that I'd be feeling lost and 'too' on my own. But it's not like that at all. My team is great, and it does make me feel like a part of something bigger. And as my co-workers are scattered all over the world, it's really easy to find someone to get together with when I move around.

Kate e-learning content developer at Foxford

Work-Life Balance

With the change of generations changes the perception of work-life balance. It was quite common for baby boomers and Gen X to bring “work home” and be on the phone during the weekend or vacation. Millennials set their top priorities differently: from humble setting boundaries to being super straightforward in this matter.

Flexjobs conducted research that confirmed that 78% of millennials show greater loyalty to their employers if they have flexible work schedules. And 70% of millennials have left or considered leaving a job because it lacked flexible work options. To crown it all, let’s remember how they value the remote work option and how many of the workforce will use it for traveling and spending time with family (60% according to the same survey).

When I became a freelancer, time planning seemed pretty easy to me: my goal was to just finish the task before the deadlines. I could work when I had time for it, so, as I thought at first, such work can't cause any problems with balancing the work process with personal life. But as time went by, I found myself working all the time. I thought I wouldn't be tired if I worked a couple more hours than planned, but the truth was the opposite.

So, I think it's vital to find the time for both rest and work because it will pay off with a better result later. It's different for everyone, but I prefer making timetables that track the time when I'm working and tell me when it's time to take some rest and relax.

Alina freelance writer

Disloyal Job Hoppers

I used the click-bait word “disloyal” on purpose, as that’s probably what the boomers think of millennial employees. Actually, it has little to do with reality.

There are two major factors we should consider. First, the numbers. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the millennial turnover in 2010s is identical to Gen X turnover in the late 1980s-1990s. Employees aged 25-34 show 3-year tenure in both groups. Time passes, trends remain!

Another factor hiring managers should keep in mind is how fast new technologies, skills and even working environments come and go! Today you’ve got the most advanced team, and tomorrow the same workforce bites the dust. That’s why millennials report switching jobs as a way to adapt to the new reality: some seek a new place to match their skillset, others don’t see enough opportunities for growth and leave for a more challenging position. Keep that in mind once seeking to retain millennials on the team!

The generation of people, being martyrs for cause is slowly disappearing, which unveils a whole new vector of carrier development — finding a better job no matter what. If our parents were armed with very typical phrases like “no companies are perfect, you need to stick to the workplace you have” or “grin and bear it now to feel rewarded later.”

In my personal experience, this tactics will leave you with a creative burnout at workplace, and it’s only a matter of time for the managers to lay you off. The strong desire to have interesting work and professional growth perspectives is what fosters you to change job roles and positions till finally finding what you expect.

Alejandro product marketing team lead

Transparency VS Overthinking and Anxiety

Compared to more socially resistant boomers and Gen Xers, millennials are more prone to stress and anxiety. These are the people we should thank for the concept of mental health, which was hardly in use before.

On one side, millennial workers have to deal with unique challenges brought by the quickly evolving outer world. On the other, they grew under the pressure of their ambitious parents, which could hardly have a positive impact on their self-awareness, engagement and sense of security in the workplace. This and some other factors (like the influence of social media and never-ending global problems) have made them what they are now: smart yet anxious young employees seeking support and transparency from their managers to decrease their stress level.

Stress, anxiety and nervousness are the frequent guests on a workplace, no matter what job you do. This mental condition interferes greatly with sticking to your working roles and duties, significantly deteriorating the company productivity.

Creating a friendly, secure environment with open communication is a must for all employers to have a positive impact on the team’s morale. For example, when a person at risk feels vulnerable about some aspect of work, there should be no fear of admitting it to the management. After all, nipping the disaster in its bud instead of dealing with consequences is a much better choice.

Milena content & customer support manager at Pixelbuddha

What Makes Millenials Productive

If you are a senior managing millennials, do not skip this part. This is how you will be able to get maximum from this cooperation. And if you are a millennial, these tips will help you increase productivity and engagement with minimum harm to your mental health.

We have always been taught that work can’t be pleasant. It’s a terrible prejudice many of us have inherited from the older generations. And it’s still a terrible reality for millions of employees worldwide. If we could manage productivity only by getting ourselves together, everything would have been so much easier. But that’s not how things work.

To remain productive and healthy mentally, millennials have to rearrange all aspects of life, not just the workplace routine. This process can be reduced to four rules:

Take time to get into the working mood. Watch Instagram and Pinterest to get inspired. Read some blogs to get fresh news and ideas. Select the playlist that fits you, not the entire office. It’s okay to take more time than the seniors to immerse into the working process.
Switch tasks and take breaks when tired. PlayStation, walking with the dog, going out for a coffee can be a source of energy. Trying hard is not the thing millennials should keep in their working routine. At least, if they seek to avoid stress and pressure and be out of the intimidating productivity race at the workplace.
Talk when uncomfortable. That’s the essential corporate rule. Clarity and transparency are crucial, so if you manage millennials and see any problems, be open for a frank talk anytime it’s needed. Millennials are great leaders and team players, but with lack of support they risk losing confindence in work.
Rearrange the whole life instead of focusing on productivity. Work is neither an obligation nor a duty but a natural part of life. That’s why it should co-exist with other aspects, like sports, hobbies, healthy eating, sleep and time off. Only by keeping balance and setting priorities will millennials find enough resources for complex tasks, and the overall employee engagement in the company will grow.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you deal with millennials at work?

Sharing a space with millennial workers isn’t as hard as it may seem. First, keep in mind that millennials grew side by side with social media and they feel easier to receive input from different resources and work in small groups. Second, give them enough freedom and support.

How can I work with millennials better?

Try some strategies that will help build a stronger connection with millennials. For example, focus on solid company culture and show your workers how important they are to the company. Millennials do love feedback, and it motivates them to work harder. Plus, you can allow them to get bigger projects and try themselves as leaders. Don’t hold them back, and they’ll show better performance at work!

Why are millennials so difficult to work with?

The most common problem you may face is that millennials seem to be more impatient than other generations — they want a rapid career progression here and now. It may cause conflicts between senior management teams and millennials since they see their workplace as a competition. Plus, their ambitions may become a real struggle because they often become high expectations, even unrealistic ones, that make them work not as well as they could or frequently change jobs.

What's it like working with millennials?

This generation works better in a team, seeks balance, and always looks for ways to commit some change. However, the last point makes them the least engaged generation — as they always look for professional growth. Plus, millennials are tech-savvy, so they may seem addicted to their devices.

What is important to millennials in the workplace?

Millennials understand the core values of teamwork and value a good team where each member is integral to the group. The experience of working with millennials shows that they work better as long as they get feedback and have the opportunity to develop their skills.

What are millennials like in the workplace?

If your first thought when you hear the word “millennial” is a person that spends their free time (and sometimes work time) with a phone in hand, you’re not far from the truth. Though, being tech-savvy is their advantage, too, as they will use their skills for the working processes. Another distinctive feature of the millennial employee is that they work better in teams, gathering information from each member to get a perfect solution for the problem.

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Inspiration Drop #4

Ksenia Pedchenko — Fri, 12 Aug 2022 12:45:08 +0000

Fascinating packaging and branding projects, sharp typography, and even some motion design — this issue will have it all! Won’t deny it: I’ve paid particular attention to packaging design, as it’s something that fills me with inspiration best. So here it goes: cosmetic brands, craft brewery, and even dog supplements.

I recommend sparing some time to explore projects from this week’s Inspiration Drop. We’ll start with some trendy packaging designs & concepts — colorful (only some of them!), clean and geometric. Anyone will find something to fit their artistic vision! Then, explore the typographic projects, which also irradiate clean, modern design — and you can even grab a mind-blowing font for free! Finally, there go some illustrations, branding, and a UI motion design project, reflecting on Google Design principles.

Packaging & Branding

SHE — brand identity by Valeria Polyakova

Malcantone craft brewery — brand identity & packaging by Fruzsi Fölföldi

Dog’s butt — illustrated probiotic packaging & branding by Agu Wu

OMG! — brand identity for whipped cream by LEAGUE Design Agency

Duck Island Cake Box — packaging by Think Packaging®

Toodaloo — brand identity and packaging design for a snack producer by Herefor Studio

MOBETTERWORKS — brand design by Mobills Group Corp.

Lettering & Typography

Lettering Series LVI — experimental logo redesign & typography by Rafael Serra

Egna — logo design for shopping mall in Bodø by north

1797 Claustro Comfama — typeface by Santiago Arango

Monument Extended — free font by Pangram Pangram®

Abstract Typography — experimental alphabet by Patryk Zarach & Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk

Beautiful & Miscellaneous

Adaptive UI by Someform Studio

Anyone else notice the neat correlation between the new @pantone Color of the Year & @CyberpunkGame
Can we expect a collab in the future ;)? #cyberpunk2077 #pantone2021
— Juliana DiChiara (@jichiara) December 10, 2020

Retro Rider — personal illustration project by Pavlov Visuals

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Inspiration Drop #3

Ksenia Pedchenko — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 10:00:00 +0000

In this issue, I invite you to immerse in the essential design & art concepts: color and shape. The journey promises to be super gripping: you will explore the monochrome solutions in photography, noir palettes for retro comics, and infinite color diversity in branding.

This week’s Inspiration Drop will turn your color practices upside down. It probably sounds alarming, but won’t it spare some room for creative experiments? Aren’t color and space the most flexible tools able to adapt to any of your mood and style fluctuations? You’ll have the most inspiring branding projects, concepts, art series, and packaging to find a reply.

Music Packaging — Jasmine Zornic turning lyrics into packaging design

Women’s Health USA Music Package — imagery for the music package ‘Find your spark’ by Mario Carpe

MidJourney AI Plattenbau — Visualisation of Eastern European urban architecture in different art styles by Alexander Dobrokotov

Tomorrow from Dawn — photographic project by Pierre-Louis Ferrer made up of 39 images taken the infrared technique

Amantoli Raw Honey — identity by Estudio Albino

True Mods — logo & identity for premium aftermarket auto parts and automotive lighting by Outfit Branding & Design

Townsquares Collection — a series of stamp tributes by Makers Company

FLOX BOTANICAL — naming, logo creation, packaging, web design and social media content creation by Robert Wiltshire

On the threshold of eternity — art series by Mikhail Boldyrev

The City of Mist — comic strips by Graffiti Studio

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Inspiration Drop #2

Ksenia Pedchenko — Fri, 29 Jul 2022 11:57:11 +0000

This week’s issue will take you on a gripping tour around human-designed branding, illustrations, and packaging. And be prepared to discover fascinating artworks generated in MidJourney AI. If you have never heard of this technology, I highly recommend trying it to see how your unique style will get a whole new perception!

I am happy to feature some of the most fascinating works released or shared this week. For all Stranger Things fans out here, there is a brand new series of collectible posters. And for everyone in love with a mad cartoonish style, there are two great projects from Korean and Mexican teams.

Demogorgon vs El Santo — collectible posters by YaniGuille&Co and Agus Pizarro Maire

AICELAND — AI-generated Icelandic landscapes by Gabor Nagy

The Monster Truck — a concept of food truck and store based in Dubai by ChocoToy Cute

David Choice — packaging design by Reesaw Studio

Illustration Play — a series of illustrations by Andrew Footit

Camellias Tea House — branding, packaging, print design and illustration by Magenda Alieu

Tolstói & Tolstaia — book cover design by Vitor Carvalho

Orion Pictures — modernized visual identity and storytelling approach

MidJourney AI Collection — art series by Jeff Han

TANG! — Inspiration archiving app by Sooyeon Park, Zay Kim and Misuk Jeong

The post Inspiration Drop #2 appeared first on The Designest.

Inspiration Drop #1

Ksenia Pedchenko — Thu, 21 Jul 2022 13:38:27 +0000

A couple weeks ago, the modern Pop Art legend Butcher Billy brought his vision of The Stranger Things posters. Add a few powerful (and super-duper cute!) rebrandings and art projects here, and you have a decent dose of inspiration for a couple of weeks. Prepare to re-pin the stuff, I’m sure you’ll get something to your liking!

I once noticed that everyone on my team has their Pinterest board regularly updated with some truly fascinating works. So why not share the creams of the crop! For every creator out here, from illustrators to type designers, I’ll get something to gift your heart to.

Haterk by Backbone Branding: packaging design for a Georgian honey producer

Music app design by Prekesh made in Sketch for iPhone

Okiedoggie by CROM STUDIO: packaging design for premium homemade dog treats

Atmos, the surreal flight experience! — web design project by LEEROY agency

Official posters of Stranger Things season 4 by Butcher Billy

Toblerone logo update by Bulletproof branding agency

KRAKEN font design by Patryk Zarach & the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk

Pop Culture Dystopia series by Filip Hodas

Joyful yoga branding for Love Supreme Projects by Pentagram

Mural Art from Riot Games Brazil studio

Visual identity for Forno Mariani bakery from Giulia Garoni & Cobra Studio

MAGNIFICENCE OF DESERT, a photo series by Babak Mehrafshar

The post Inspiration Drop #1 appeared first on The Designest.

Graphic Design Portfolio: Complete Guide with Examples

Alina Yakovleva — Wed, 15 Jun 2022 12:19:49 +0000

The Designest may receive compensation from companies, products, and services featured in this publication. For more details, please refer to our Affiliate Disclosure page.

The well-known saying goes “meet on clothes”, and it is a perfect description of what a portfolio means to graphic designers. So, if you want to build a successful career, you need to make an effort and create a truly outstanding one. It is an ideal way to showcase your unique ideas, design projects, and present your artistic vision in general. The portfolio is commonly the first thing the clients see when they are looking for a graphic designer, that’s why you have to put your best foot forward.

Essential Portfolio Website Templates

Vinero — Very Clean and Minimal Portfolio Template

Orabel | Creative Photography Portfolio

Awilo — Creative Portfolio Template

Misto — One Page Portfolio Template

Singular Minimal Personal Portfolio Template

Wythe — Creative Portfolio HTML Template

elements.envato.com

As I mentioned before, creating an eye-pleasing portfolio can open many doors on your way to becoming a successful graphic designer. Luckily, even if you have no idea how to build one that will catch your potential clients’ attention, there are many resources that can help you to do so. For example, you can use the premade resume templates, that already have everything you may need to make your portfolio stand out and enable you to showcase your style.

How To Make Graphic Design Portfolio
Tips For Creating Graphic Design Portfolio
15 Best Graphic Design Portfolio Examples

How To Make Graphic Design Portfolio

Whether you consider your design portfolio site as an opportunity to express yourself, create your own gallery or find potential clients, it has to be eye-catching. Building it has some patterns that will help you to stand out among other professionals of the graphic design field. The nice bonus is that despite the common belief that you can build a beautiful portfolio only if you are already an experienced designer, that’s not true. You can even craft it to see your progress as a graphic designer. Anyway, the steps you need to take to build a well-structured portfolio site are the same for any purpose and I listed the main ones here.

1. Decide on the platform

The first thing you need to decide on is a right platform you are going to use to create your graphic designer portfolio. The most popular sites for this purpose are Behance, Dribble, Adobe Portfolio, Canva and Carbonmade. These platforms facilitate your site building process as they already have premade templates, and guidelines and you don’t need to be a professional web designer and have any coding skills that you would need if you had chosen to create a personal website. Plus, many of them have a free trial or are free in general.

2. Include your best works

That’s a really important thing you should keep in mind while working on your own portfolio website. It is not a storage of all the works you have ever created and you don’t need to include every single one, especially when you have a decent number of high-quality designs to choose from. Do you have some past projects that you are proud of? Or maybe you past work experience with some big companies? That’s exactly what you need to put on your website. Not only does it allows your audience and potential clients to see you in a better light, but also you will be satisfied with your graphic design growth every time you open it.

3. Show your personality as a graphic designer

You might show your personality via your favorite works you created. If you have an art direction you want to work with you can add more designs you have already created in it. Also, an important part of this step is to remember that your artworks isn’t the only thing that may present you as a graphic designer. The backgrounds, the typography you use, your introduction in the infobox, animations — all these things will get your audience a whole picture of you. So, pay attention to all the little details and it will pay off in the form of a perfect website.

4. Go for quality not quantity

It’s not the number of artworks that shows your skill level. Even if out of ten designs you created you really like a couple, it’s not a thing to bother about. Don’t get overwhelmed with thoughts that your digital portfolio can turn out decent only if you upload tons of artworks. Remember that the one good artwork is better than a hundred mediocre ones and that high quality sets a professional tone to your website so go for it and put the ones you are proud of the most.

5. Spread the word

Finishing your design portfolio isn’t the last step of your working process here. When you are satisfied with the result you see, it’s time to get it out to the world. You can use keywords and hashtags, which are great, but your sharing your visual art on some visual-based platforms is even better. Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn — these platforms are perfect to showcase your artworks. You can also turn your personal social media accounts into business ones or create new accounts for this purpose, too! Such places often boost artists’ reputations a lot.

There are two rules of success if you choose Behance or Dribbble as a platform to promote your designs: be socially active (like other designers, subscribe to them, leave comments, etc.) and make regular publications so that you pop in the feed of new projects and recommendations.

Tips For Creating Graphic Design Portfolio

Creating an eye-pleasing online portfolio is quite a long and challenging process so the step-by-step guide on how to create it isn’t the end of what I have to offer. After you got the basics of what you have to do, which resources may help you with that and what you should pay attention to you may still need a few tips. Here I will cover some things you can add to your website so it becomes more vivid, advice on choosing the artworks and how to work with it in the future so you could be fully armed with all needed knowledge.

1. Choose versatile artworks

Versatility is one of the keys to the success of your own portfolio. If you are working in different fields of graphic design or just like going for different styles it is your time to shine. A rich variety of art directions your portfolio shows will be a way of self-expression and an opportunity to see your skills of a professional graphic designer for your audience and clients. However, consider structuring your artworks somehow so it doesn’t look visually busy — otherwise it would be hard to focus on your projects.

2. Results of your work

Do you have any personal graphic design projects in your arsenal that have become really successful? Your online portfolio is an ideal place to talk about it. For such works, you can add a study case where you can tell about the success of your project, and maybe speak up a little about the working process. If you also worked for some big names, you can put them in a special place on your website. For some clients, it may work as a sign to consider you.

3. Include the high-quality posts only

There is nothing that can ruin a masterpiece as much as the bad quality can. It makes your works look gritty, and small details risk getting illegible. So don’t forget to check if you are uploading your designs in high resolution. It is especially important for artists who draw by hand. In this case, you need to buy a good scanner that will help you to transfer your art to digital and maybe fix some imperfections on your device so you can showcase your skills in a better light.

4. Be creative

It goes without saying that a portfolio is an ideal place to overflow with your creative ideas. Here you can do anything that you like: bright flashes, interesting page-flipping styles, looping video animation, and, of course, an eye-catching home page. It’s important to choose a pleasant background, colors and typography for your website that will intertwine and become a one-piece picture that goes well together with your personal style. Your portfolio design is the first thing your audience will see so it’s vital to make it attractive and outstanding.

5. Don’t forget to update your design portfolio

As time goes by, you hone your design skills, get new knowledge, and discover new fields of graphic design, the trends are constantly changing, after all. That’s why what might attract attention a year ago may be outdated today. That is why it’s crucial to update the online portfolio, so you and the followers can see how you grow as a professional. I’m not talking about deleting all your artworks and uploading the new ones, but refreshing your art gallery is a must for a graphic designer who wants to become more successful. Don’t forget that it is the same for your portfolio design itself, too.

15 Best Graphic Design Portfolio Examples

While building a design portfolio, it is nice to keep in mind that the more creativity and personality you bring to it, the better any client will see who you are and what you’re capable of. The wording may be different, but I am sure that it was the motto of designers who stand behind the charming portfolios I gathered for you below. It’s impossible to just scroll through these sites — there are so many little details that make you want to spend your time discovering each of them. Looking at these portfolios will surely inspire you on creating your own masterpiece that will attract the audience’s attention the same as these carefully built ones.

Mariano Pascual, Visual Artist, Designer and Illustrator

Whoa! This is not a website portfolio, but a simulation of an OS. Mariano has designed a desktop, folders, a parody of hype on the Internet, and all of this is illustrated in Memphis style. And if you are inactive for a while, there is Newton’s Pendulum as a screensaver. He really went off to create something outstanding and he surely did it.

Atipus, Graphic Design Studio

The art direction of Atipus is minimalistic, colorful and textured — and the design portfolio keeps to the same style. The juicy vibrancy meets simplicity here, and I absolutely love that there is no difficulty in exploring the site and all your attention is focused on the works. Little case studies following each project help plunge into the design process and minds of its creators.

Billyclub, Creative Studio

This website is made as simple as possible, and its tile distribution of the material is minimalist and clear. But there is a curious detail, which distinguishes this design portfolio from a range of the other masterly crafted ones: horizontal scrolling from right to left instead of the classic one, minimalistic color scheme and layout with a reference to antidesign, which has acquired modern, more accurate features — like a unified font system.

Etienne Murphy, Designer

Etienne Murphy’s portfolio is the embodiment of the saying “simplicity is the key to brilliance”. This site is an example of modern minimalism that the graphic designer has enriched with the help of unusual details in the classic sans serif and a geometric layout. The choice of forms and colors is interesting, too — since this is a reference to the practical, color-limited yet not plain Bauhaus. The designs in the portfolio confirm it — they all are stylish, restrained, and practical.

Toormix, Branding and Design Agency

Like Alice once fell into the rabbit hole with so many weird items floating around her, you will scroll down this website. Toormix is a perfect example of a portfolio that not only attracts with the art in it but also entertains! Starting from the loading page, it is full of eye-catching animated images and there is an unusual cursor design. The designers use a limited color scheme, but they play with forms, font sizes, color and logical contrasts, and a minimum of decor — which seems impossible with such a variety of visual means. However, this is exactly the impossible that the Toormox team achieves.

Tobias van Schneider, Designer

Tobias van Schneider’s portfolio is also called “a new digital museum” by its author and we can only agree with this name looking at the interface design. The projects with case studies explaining design process, elegant animation, and the ambiance itself make you feel like you are in a real art gallery. The exquisite home page welcomes you with an invitation to the museum and by clicking the button you may next choose one of the rooms, where you’ll be greeted with charming music and amazing designs. Discovering this museum will take time but you won’t regret it: it will indeed inspire you on creating an outstanding portfolio.

Watson, Digital Agency

Watson digital agency shows how to present the versatility of your projects while keeping the portfolio in one style. Its design is kept in the aesthetic of minimalism that you can see in everything: fonts, laconic animation, color scheme. The site is half a step away from looking unfinished, but that’s how Watson demonstrates an incredible use of the white space, that allows the site and the user to breathe.

Emily Zhao Design, Visual Designer

Emily delivers a very clean and easy-to-perform design option for his portfolio, as there is nothing to distract your attention from the arts. Plus, the website design itself is trendy. Here you can find everything that Behance’s users draw inspiration from, up to the font combinations and layout. The minimalist approach of the portfolio is perfectly correlated with the illustrations of the author: even the colors are alike. Such simplicity is more than enough, since entertaining the user with overloaded brutalism is not the goal of this portfolio.

Tiffany Gum Tian Cruz, Multidisciplinary Designer

Tiffany Gum Tian’s portfolio will help you to distract yourself from your daily routine: she offers you to swing by a real fortune teller! A graphic design teller, to be precise. All you have to do is pick one out of 7 cards and immerse yourself into Tiffany’s art projects. There you can find all the information about each design she made that gives you a deep understanding of what she’s capable of. As for the visual features, the studio focused on bright colors, vivid animation, и reinvented Pop Art aesthetic.

Lebassis, Lettering Artist and Art Director

From the first seconds spent on this retro-themed colorful website, you fall in love with its unique approach, playfulness, animated previews of the featured projects of the designer — as you scroll the home page you pass from one to another, and the whole journey is exceptionally smooth and exciting. The portfolio design made by the art director is just as vivid and bright as the designer’s artworks so it is very pleasant to look at. Easy, well-structured navigation, nice design with many interesting elements, — what else could you dream of for your portfolio?

Maria Marie, Designer

“Finding beauty in the unexpected” is the saying that greets you on the home page of Maria Marie’s portfolio website. And once you look at her artworks you see the embodiment of this phrase: there are so many beautiful things here. The site itself is really elegant, feminine and charming: the pink shades, exquisite fonts and all the inspiring quotes you’ll find there involve you with endless tenderness and warmth. It fully reflects the personal aesthetics of the designer and the style of her artworks. Such a perfect correlation between a portfolio and the designs the author showcases there is a very rare hit.

Pràctica, Design Studio

Pràctica’s portfolio has a somehow hypnotizing effect. Once you are on the home page, you’ll find yourself staring at the screen for a decent amount of time since the pictures change each other and make you stay anticipating what will come next. There is a small cross in the right corner of the site that leads you to the information about the design studio, their goals and beliefs and their social media accounts where you can discover all the designs they worked on and get in touch with Pràctica’s team.

Damn Graphics, Designer

It’s impossible to count the number of times I smiled while exploring this portfolio. Starting from the name, Damn Studio, and to the usage of famous memes to describe the author — the site was surely made by a person with a great sense of humor. Not only you can find amazing design work collection here, but also the full information about the designer himself (even his zodiac sign and height). Bright colors, interactive animations and fresh look at the rebellious antidesign visual style make you want to find everything that the designer has to offer.

Alex Fisher Design, Graphic Designer & Illustrator

This portfolio website reminded me of a gallery, where you go through the masterpieces hanging on the wall. The designer preferred his own style to trendiness, and the design of his portfolio fully reflects the aesthetics of his artworks. It’s a little fancy, with a touch of Art Nouveau in its modern iteration that is seen in the choice of fonts, palette and logo design. The portfolio also shows you how to create a one-piece picture from your projects and the design of the site.

Exo Ape, Digital Design Studio

A wealthy, posh vibe the Exo Ape design studio’s portfolio radiates. The colors, animation, the design projects they showcase here — everything breathes charm and uniqueness, that makes you stay on the site and focus on the illustrations. As you scroll you discover more and more artworks that are versatile yet keep one style. An interesting part of this portfolio is the imitation of a runway walk with animations. This studio works with different projects, but with such an elegant technique they emphasized their overall vision of design and visual aesthetics.

Now you are fully armed with the tips on how to build a strong graphic design portfolio website and saw all of them on the real examples of designer’s portfolio websites to draw the inspiration from. You see how all of them are different? I wish I could give you the success formula for this but there’s none. Just follow your personal taste in graphic design and stay user-oriented — the rest is just a matter of imagination! If you still have any questions about portfolio creation I’ll be happy to answer them in the comment section.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should be an a graphic design portfolio?

Your graphic design portfolio is a perfect place to gather all your best works. Also, you can include information about you as a designer, your social media accounts and your email so your potential client knows how to get in touch with you.

How do I create a free graphic design portfolio?

Despite the graphic design portfolio is a crucial part of your success in the field, it’s not necessary to pay a fortune to create a good one. There are many websites where you can make your portfolio for free: Behance, Dribble, Adobe Portfolio and many more.

How do I make a portfolio with no experience?

To build a graphic design portfolio fro scratch having no design experience, you need to start working on your first projects. Firstly, you may watch an online tutorial and follow it to create your first design work. You can also find some volunteer projects, graphic design challenges, or freelance work to hone your design skills. Though they are most commonly free, your goal is to gather some artworks you can create a portfolio with. You can also add your sketches.

Where can I сreate a portfolio?

There is a rich variety of websites that enable you to create a graphic design portfolio. The nice bonus is that many of them are free! If you’re looking for such a platform, check out Canva, Behance, Dribble, Carbonmade and Adobe Portfolio. They also have portfolio template sets.

The post Graphic Design Portfolio: Complete Guide with Examples appeared first on The Designest.

Inspiration on The Designest

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Zim & Zou, France

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Ori Toor, Israel

mbsjq, United Kingdom

Beeple, USA

Steve Simpson, Ireland

MUTI, South Africa

So Lazo, El Salvador

Jinhwa Jang, Korea

André Ducci, Italy

Butcher Billy, Brazil

Marija Tiurina, United Kingdom

Matt Schu, USA

Antoni Tudisco, Germany

Ben Bauchau, Belgium

David Sossella, Italy

Alex Heywood, Australia

James Gilleard, United Kingdom

Romain Trystram, Morocco

RULEBYART, Canada

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