Recently, I designed some graphics for a 10m length of white and blue bunting. I had never designed for any vinyl bunting before, but the process was quite simple. After receiving the brief from the client, I found a supplier here in the UK, followed their instructions and dimensions for a triangle-template shape, got the proofs approved after a couple of iterations, and saved the files as PDF’s before sending them via email.

I can’t show all of the design and logo on this piece, as the logo was for private internal company-use, but I’ve included a couple of photos ...

In my previous posts about CD’s that I have designed, I’ve gone through the process via explanations under the CD design images. In this case, however, I’ve made a short video about the design, which is available to watch at the end of this post. Here’s a few images of the design, and then onto the Video…

Back in college (er, way back), I used to use really expensive made by Karisma, but I don’t think they’re available any more. But, I can attest that using quality pencils can really make the difference when drawing and sketching. They tend to be softer and the colours way more vibrant. The wood ...

Above: I wondered why the paper samples box was so think when Fedex delivered it. I normally receive yearly samples from RCS, but this [well-designed] box was 2 inch thick! Why?

Above: Firstly, inside the box was a set of custom paper charts. These show how standard Pantone® colours are reproduced on the printing presses over at ...

I recently completed this Digi Pack CD Design for a Dominic Finley, a singer/songwriter client who I’ve worked with before. His new CD is named ‘The Songs of Neil Diamond‘ and as can be seen, has been designed in a ‘Las Vegas’ style! The design was based on a 4-panel Digipak® template and was printed in Australia (where Dominic now lives and works).

The design itself was primarily blue and white, with the glamourised image of Dominic taking prominence. As can be seen in the image above, the white CD design looks quite good in the clear plastic ...

Okay okay, this is a really quick post for an irritating problem on my iMac. Every single toolbar has a question mark where I presume some sort of program shortcut should be.

I can’t seem to delete it and can’t find the solution to this “problem”. Yes, it’s really just an annoyance, but it’s 1am and I thought I’d just ask the following question to all Mac users before I hit the sack:

How do I get rid of the question mark? (Answers and suggestions appreciated!)

This post is Copyright Andrew Kelsall, author of the Andrew Kelsall Graphic ...

Happy Easter 2012 everyone! Here’s a quirky unofficial Pantone® experiment I just discovered via Daniel Acacio. These Pantone Easter Eggs were created by Jessica Jones of art and design blog How About Orange.

Jessica explains: The graphic designer in me couldn’t resist attempting faux Pantone Easter eggs. I dyed these boiled eggs, then typed up the labels and printed them on ink jet temporary tattoo paper. Remember to print the words backwards! [Read more].

I’m please Pantone 156U was included─it’s one of my favourite Pantones─what’s yours?

★ For more information about the true meaning of Easter and ...

Even though I’m sure you’ve already read that Twitter are again updating their logo, I couldn’t help pointing out how disappointing it is. The old logo (shown above) was simple and did it’s job well—but the new one?

I can’t understand why a rather complicated photograph of a blue bird has replaced a somewhat iconic Twitter-bird icon. Whoever designed this needs ...

I just returned home from a weekend in London, where my friends, family and myself visited LegoLand in Windsor (which was fantastic). Shortly after checking my RSS feeds upon return, I noticed this fantastic set of Ads by designer Jung von Matt.

They are for a Lego campaign named ‘Imagine’ which use extreme minimalism to represent well-know cartoon and kids characters. My favourite is the Simpsons one above. Can you spot the rest?

Credits: All images shown in this set are Copyright © Jung von Matt. Please check out his site for the rest of his portfolio work. Discovered ...

Above: Here. there’s a really good close-up example of how the four colour printing process works. Also, the left page uses just Pantone orange, whilst the right page shows the corresponding CMYK equivalent.

Above: These are my ...

Are you on Pinterest? If so, I’m sure you’ll have discovered how useful the new social network is. I’ve been using it now for a few month, and it’s a really useful tool.

I’ve lost track of how many times I discovered some kind of inspiring image that has led me to other works by designers and illustrators alike. It’s often my first port-of-call when I need inspiration for Design Soak Magazine.

For a current collection of almost 500 pins, you can follow me on Pinterest.

Are you on Pinterest? Do you find it useful? Please leave your comment below…

...

Here is a CD Album Design I produced for a local band named “The Reeds”, a Christian-based 2-piece who produced music for the album “All in a days Musing”. Even though I produced this artwork a few years back, it’s one of my favourite CD designs I have produced, so I thought I’d feature it.

Firstly, Scott and Karen (the Reeds) provided me with a detailed description of what they wanted, including a set of photographs of themselves to be utilised in the design. The ...

I think this is an amazing product concept; it shows in a really clever way that digital media is the new “letter”, as it were. It also reminded me of the discussion on my previous post.

Discovered via: Dan Leveille. I’m unsure where you’d buy one of these from, but if you know (and the image copyright), do let me know so I can include a link.

★ Check out: 15 Unusual and Cool USB Flash Drives.

This post is Copyright Andrew Kelsall, author of the Andrew Kelsall Graphic Design Blog.Andrew Kelsall | Creative Designer ...

I saw this image recently and it got me thinking about how things have changed in regards to print.

Print and the web has changed so much in the past 10 years. I primarily consider myself as a print designer, as I mainly design CD Sleeves, posters and large format-print. One thing is for certain, though, is that print must co-exist with digital media.

What are your opinions on print in general? How do you see the print/web relationship moving forward? Leave your thoughts below…

Top Image source Ciclonomante. If anyone know the Copyright © info on this image, ...

I received 2 sets of complimentary WINGStands recently, so this is a short review of what exactly they are. Basically a WINGStand is a little plastic ‘clip’ that simply attaches to your apple wireless keyboard. This enables you to then insert an iPad, iPhone or other compatible device on top. It’s a pretty neat idea—and rather than babble-on about it, I took some photos of them so you can see how they work:

Above: The WINGStand comes in both black and white.

Above: The stand comes out of the box as one unit, but splits down the middle into 2 ...

Here’s an illustrated list of the top 15 printing mistakes and errors you should avoid. This article is aimed mainly at inexperienced designers, but there’s also a few tips and further resources in it for seasoned designers, too. We all make mistakes, so here’s a resource that should aid everyone who wants to expand their knowledge. Here goes…

If you don’t put in place a decent bleed in your artwork, you’re asking for trouble. Basically, “bleed” refers to artwork that extends beyond the document boundaries. This is necessary because the guillotines that will slice-and-dice your prints ...

I just stumbled across these wonderful Rainbow MacBook Keyboard Decals. I’m not sure this computer would now be appropriate when working on colour-critical designs, but they sure are sweet.

★ These can be purchased over at Artfire.com (not an affiliate link). Via Pareasa.

This post is Copyright Andrew Kelsall, author of the Andrew Kelsall Graphic Design Blog.Andrew Kelsall | Creative Designer - Graphic Design Blog of Andrew Kelsall

Happy Christmas 2011 from Andrew Kelsall Design! A quite busy with a few projects at the moment, and I have some new posts lined up for after the New Year. Thanks to all my readers and those of you who have commented and shared my posts; appreciated.

For more on Christmas, check out What is the true meaning of Christmas?

Base-image credit (CC) Cliff Robin.

This post is Copyright Andrew Kelsall, author of the Andrew Kelsall Graphic Design Blog.Andrew Kelsall | Creative Designer - Graphic Design Blog of Andrew Kelsall

This ingenious magnetic light switch cover was designed by Jake Frey, who contacted me about his Kickstarter project for this product. Jake is a 21 year old who studies Industrial Design at Philadelphia University, USA. His Kickstarter product page states: “The Magnetic Light Switch Cover is a standard size switch cover with an added delightful and useful surprise. This product simultaneously allows you to turn your lights on and provide obvious storage for keys or tools. Once it is time to leave, you can grab your keys/tools and you always remember to shut your lights back off.”

I ...

Designer Tobias Bergdahl has created some stunning graphics entitled 12 paradoxes of graphic design. Here, I have selected a few of them to show you, but please check out his post for the full set. I particularly like the graphic and quote combination above: “The best way to become a better graphic designer is to become a client”. True.

Credits: All images are © copyright Tobias Bergdahl, a 29 years old Interactive Art Director Student from Stockholm. Please check out his site…

★★★★★ For more Poster Designs, check out Vintage Advertising by Alex Varanese.

This post is Copyright ...

Thanks everyone who entered this contest. I put the entrants into “The Randomiser”, and Alf Holm won. Here is a list of Twitter names and comment-names I pasted into The Randomiser box:

►► Carrie, Seth-Skogerboe, alf-holm, Ashley-McFarland, Matt-Magi, Tomm-Warham, Adrian-Wightman, Matthew-Chamberlain, @sjskogerboe, @TomBishopp, @living_ODD, @StephanieWarthe, @apple_rtc, @pzing, @sjskogerboe, @Jesusismygrace, @ashleymcfarland, @voltagenewmedia, @Jeet0980, @pmurraydesign, @manchic, @sribudotcom, @krysthecreative

Congratulations Alf, I’ll be in touch with details on how to claim your prize.

»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» ✉ »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»

Up for grabs this week is a free $50 USD credit for some clever custom stickers.

These ...

Funnily enough, though, I’d still use a Pantone Mug (note to wife – you haven’t given me one yet!). There’s a whole range of these Pantone Universe™ Christmas Baubles to choose from, and I would imagine they would look great on the Christmas tree of any design studio across the globe.

Anyway, all joking aside, I think these are great. All us designers know how useful Pantone colours are, ...

Basically, they show how modern technology would look if they were advertised back in the 1990′s. I think they’re quite amazing, and really made my day when I first saw them. The final poster “iPod Hi-fi” at the end of this post is my favourite. What’s yours?

What would you do if you could travel back in time? … here’s what I’d do after that: grab all the modern technology I could find, take it to the ...

No doubt, this social network is getting more popular. Here is a couple of infographics to illustrate the popularity and facts about StumbleUpon (Click to Enlarge).

Image Credit: Copyright © Stumbleupon.com

My experience with StumbleUpon is that ...

The typeface was based upon the well-known Din-font variant, Alternate Black. Riccardo scanned loads of mechanical technical drawings to create each letter and number. Check out his Transformer Decepticon icon, too. Cudos to Riccardo─please head over to his Behance profile to more of his talents─and the rest of this set.

Mekkanika is a typeface inspired by old mechanics technical drawings, the steampunk visual world, and modern machinery, mixed and merged all together to form letters completely made by these elements, creating a ...

I was approached by Mr Saloouou of St Michael and All Angels Church, Solomon Islands, to design a logo for his church. You can see a preview of the final logo above.

Well, before I worked on this project, I had no idea. After a quick Google search, I located them off the coast of Australia. Come on, who knew the Solomon were there? Don’t tell me everyone else but me knew…

↑ ...

Credits: Image copyright pa design. Via Psfk.com.

★★★★★ If you liked this “post” (mind the pun), you’ll love: Unique Tetris Sticky Notes.

This post is Copyright Andrew Kelsall, author of the Andrew Kelsall Graphic Design Blog.Andrew Kelsall | Creative Designer ...

Well, if you’re into mainstream British Indie music, the track itself is fantastic, but what I really like the the effective way that it’s styled. Shot is black & white, the Kasabian Video starts off with a few random wavy and chalk-like lines that are in sync with the song.

As the track progresses, the ...

↑ “Stop tiptoeing through the Tulips and tell it how it is” Quote Illustration.

(…Click on an image to take you to the corresponding Notebook page.)

↑ Moleskine Parachute Catastrophe

↑ Ericbéale & The Fish illustration

↑ My photographer misunderstood, as I requested some amazing aerial photography.

↑ “Giant Peg | Long Grass” Illustration

↑ Peanut. An ...

This artwork made from orange switches was created by Valentin Ruhry. He took 5,000 of these “orange rockers” to form a switch-board blank canvas on which words could be programmed to appear. I think the idea is pretty unique ─ I love conceptual art like this. What about you?

Credits: Copyright © Ruhry.artfolder.net [Via]

★★★★★

If you liked this post, check out Move-it Kit by David Graham.

This post is Copyright Andrew Kelsall, author of the Andrew Kelsall Graphic Design Blog.Andrew Kelsall | Creative Designer - Graphic Design Blog of Andrew Kelsall

As a freelance creative designer, I like to backup my stuff. I use Mac Time Machine to backup my hard-drive. I have off-site backup via Backblaze to create constant backups to a off-site server, too. I have a backup Macbook just in case my iMac goes on the blink.

I thought I’d covered everything—except a backup chair.

Yes, after years of use, I was just sitting on my office chair when it broke in half when I was checking my email. I’ll not mention the manufacturers name here, but lets just say that when I bought it, it was ...

As many of you will now be aware, Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Computers has sadly passed away age 56.

The second page of Apple.com contained a tribute to the industry leader:

Steve Jobs
1955-2011
Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who’ve been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve lost a dear friend and inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.If you would like to share ...

I first saw these great Apple banners a couple of weeks ago, and they grabbed my attention instantly. They were used by Apple to launch their online stores in the United Arab Emirates, Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.

What grabbed me when I saw these was the pure simplicity of them. Oftentimes, the simplest solutions and designs are the most effective. Who would’ve thought that a simple strap-line and confetti would look so good?

Credits: Images shown are copyright © Apple. Via Mac Rumors.

If you enjoyed this post, check out Have you watched the new iMac Video?

This post ...

If like myself, you were told that a random password (using special characters) is better than using just words, then think again. According to an article entitled “Why the password “this is fun” is 10 times more secure than “J4fS!2” by Vivekgirotra.com, this simply isn’t the case.

The main gist of the article explains how hackers may target your site, and how they get hold of your password. All my passwords are at least 20 characters in length including special characters and chosen at random. The article explains, however, that choosing a few random nonsensical ...

Great Britain’s £500,000 Tourism Poster Campaign was just launched (and publicly-funded) here in the UK. The posters supposedly put the “Great” back into Britain. I like the concept, however I reckon the left-aligned typography looks slightly odd with the word BRITAIN aligned centrally underneath. Maybe its just me?

Oh course, we have Mr. Branson striking a pose for the camera, but we also have Wallace & Gromit and an array of scenic views and historical venues. However, I’m not impressed of the photo used for the ‘Music is Great’ design, as it sports a man signalling the ‘devil horns’ gesture. ...

This cardboard “Move-it Kit” was designed by David Graham, and was one of many industrial designs submitted to the James Dyson Awards.

The boxes are constructed from 100% recyclable cardboard materials and can be used for moving house, offices—or even just lugging stuff around after shopping.

The example above shows another variant of the concept. Yes, even the wheels are made from cardboard.

Handles are made to be tough.

Construction is rather simple. Here (above), the wheels are simply stock-on after peeling back adhesive film.

Apparently, this bloke walked 10 miles across London pulling along ...

Here’s a quick tip for you if you’re a Dribbble user. For a mere $19 USD a year (£12 for us English), you can go pro and have a permanent Hire Me button on the top of your profile and above every shot you upload.

Besides the other advanced features of going Pro, I reckon this small cost may is worth it just for the Hire Me button alone. I think that if, like myself, you want to receive more work from online sources, this profile upgrade could be just the ticket.

If I do land a job via Dribbble...

These crossword-styled Lego ads are great, aren’t they? I’ve always loved Lego…er sorry “my kids do”—and I think this simple set of ads sums up perfectly what the fantastic plastic blocks are all about:

Ads Credits and copyrights © : Advertising Agency: TBWA, Costa Rica / Creative Director: Byron Balmaceda / Art Director: Gabriela Soto / Copywriter: Byron Balmaceda / Illustrator: Gabriela Soto. Via: ibelieveinadv.com & adsoftheworld.com / * Lego® is a registered trademark.

If you liked this post, check out Clever Painted Hands for Best Coverage Worldwide.

This post is Copyright Andrew Kelsall, ...

Yes, I’m sure these painted hands ads have done the rounds before, but I’ve just discovered them and thought I’d share them with you. Using painted hands to advertise AT&T’s worldwide network coverage, these ads and very clever, conform the AIDA and do their job really well:

Credits: Discovered via Fubiz – please visit for more from this set of advertisements. Ads for AT&T / If you know who owns © copyright on these, please let me know so I can attribute the design agency, etc.

If you liked this post, check out Animal Hand Tattoos over ...

I was approached by members of Harrowgate Hill Christian Fellowship, UK, to design a logo, branding, stationary, website and welcome pack for them.

In short, I was to design a church logo design and coherent identity system that would work well across print and web. I was to design a logo, first and foremost, that would represent a sense of community in regards to the church. The design was to be both welcoming and contemporary—forming a platform where outreach to surrounding communities was key.

The rest of this post shows ...

I really like these Starbucks Cups that have been used as blank canvases. Designer Johanna Basford has done a stunning job creating interesting designs and patterns on these paper cups. Johanna explains:

It’s no secret that I have a rather large soft spot for those clever coffee brewers at Starbucks [...] What I’d really like though, is the chance to get my hands on the infamous Red Starbucks Christmas Cup! Imagine sipping your Gingerbread Latte from a festive cup, adorned in intricate tangles of holly and mistletoe, peppered with illusive robins, stuffed stockings and beautifully wrapped parcels?! A crisp ...

Whilst researching keywords on the Google Keyword Tool for a post on Design Soak, I somehow stumbled upon a very depressing fact:

There are 135,000 global monthly searches for the term “Free Logo Designer”.

How little respect people have for designer’s like myself who try to make a living from our skills.

The term ‘Free Brain Surgeons’ doesn’t get many queries. Funny, that…

Why professional logo design does not cost $5.00 by Jacob Cass
What’s your logo worth? by David Airey
Cheap Logos: Not Worth the Cost by Freelance Switch

Rant over. Your thoughts?

This post is ...

Check out this colourful and vibrant digital artwork by Adam Dedman. Adam is an illustrator and graphic designer based in the south-west of England. He also graduated from University College Falmouth with a degree in graphic design in 2010. His clients include The Washington Post, Burton Snowboards and Nike.

Here is a selection of his works. For more examples, please visit Adamdedman.co.uk

I love how the little boy crosses the river….

Cartoon Network – Madventure from Adam Dedman on Vimeo.

All images and the video are ...

Just a quick post about Google Plus.

I’m now on the new social network—and it would be great if we could connect on Google.

→ To add me, please go to gplus.to/andrewkelsall

There’s an excellent Free Google Plus Icon Vector set available for free download over on Bold Perspective. I even used one of the set for the image above!

To support my site, please could you click the +1 button on any post you think is decent (and also the sidebar version for the entire site). This will help ...

I was recently issued with a complementary copy of the Print Handbook for designers by Andy Brown at Media Collective (who are based here in the UK). The book itself is rather small, but is printed on quality card and embossed with foil block.

This little handbook is crammed with stuff which we think you’ll find very helpful. Especially if you’re a designer. Our goal is to help you see if your ideas will translate well when printed, as well as show what should be possible from your local press.

I was shocked this morning when I received my Weekly Design Week Magazine. The cover reads ‘THE LAST ISSUE. Design Week Closes After 25 Years’.

At first, I though it was some kind of shock tactic to sell issues, but alas, no. Design week is no longer producing printed magazines. It is now continuing solely online.

Here’s an extract from the official byline:

This is a sad week for the Design Week team as we publish the last issue of the magazine. The title lives on to deliver daily news about design, but the print version is no more.

...

These designs are entitled ‘DeskTop Secret: The Plane Project’ by Doopla Designers Collective. They are CMYK illustrations that graphically represent the main sections of an aeroplane. Surprisingly, there isn’t much information about these on the Doopla site, but I think they’re great.

The designs have been produced in vector format in Adobe® Illustrator, with cyan, magenta, yellow and Black (CMYK) being the only colours used. I especially like the repeating pattern photograph near the end of this post:

All images are © copyright Doopla Collective. Please visit their site for more fantastic illustrative design work.

If ...

I was approached by a Christian-based Australian startup, 9Fruit, to design four greeting Card Designs for their online collection. ~Above: Special Couple Greeting Card

At 9fruit, we aim to create greeting cards and other products, which have a modern take on design and offer words of comfort, encouragement or humour based on God’s word.

‘9fruit’ refers to the nine visible attributes of a true Christian life – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. More on the 9Fruit site.

It was a great project to work on — and the work I produced ...

Check out this “ABC Color Creations” Crayons Set. As a father to two children, I appreciate the unique learning and artistic tools that are being made available online.

Experts agree the most effective way of learning is through imaginative play. They’ll love coloring their special ‘Masterpieces’ for you while at the same time learning letter recognition. On each letter is a picture of an object that begins with that letter. K-Kite, M-Monkey, etc. Letter colors may vary from set to set but all colors represented in the pictures will be included.

This set includes 26 alphabet letter crayons and ...

After months of preparation, I’ve finally launched my new design magazine Design Soak Magazine. It’s more like a blog than a magazine at the moment, but I have future plans…

Design Soak is the result of some experiments I’ve been working on over the past year.

It all began with a sub-directory in my blog, which was named “Free Stock Photos”. You may have seen some links to these posts if you follow me on Twitter. Basically, I gave away free high-resolution images for download. You can see some example posts here, here and ...