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Graphic Design

Launched Q&A site for professional graphic designers and non-designers trying to do their own graphic design (e.g. programmers creating icons/logos for their applications)

Announcements

4  
A site focused on graphic design, including icon/logo design, colors and typography. Questions regarding the tools of the trade (Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.) are also allowed, as long as they're relevant. – Can Berk Güder Jun 2 '10 at 8:37
6  
I think this should also deal with the fundamentals of design, like proximity, white space, type hierarchy, etc. – cstack Jun 13 '10 at 14:57
2  
@Waleed and @Can: In my experience, there really isn't much overlap between 3D software and graphic design (e.g., Quark, Photoshop, Illustrator). More often than not, any 3D is pulled from stock agencies and used in a piece. Beyond that, discussions about fundamental design principles would be the only real overlap; the exact steps to create a scebne in a 3D application ought to go elsewhere. – Philip Regan Jun 22 '10 at 16:43
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Proposed scope change for GraphicDesign [closed]

may 12 '11 at 21:19 Community♦ 1

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62 Example Questions (8 closed)

active newest votes
up vote 25 down vote
What is kerning?
added by Can Berk Güder Jun 2 '10 at 8:24
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This appears to be the best "is any question too basic?" example question for this site. – Roger Pate Jun 5 '10 at 16:11
@Roger: It's actually tricky to define without appealing to the specifics of a layout system. Good qn, IMO. – Charles Stewart Jun 8 '10 at 10:32
up vote 24 down vote
Is it still important to use so called web safe colors anymore?
added by John Biddle Jun 10 '10 at 3:44
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stackoverflow.com/questions/1041113/… – Gelatin Jun 21 '10 at 12:09
2  
@Simon: It's one of those questions that has merit in more than one topic. I still think it belongs here. – cstack Jun 21 '10 at 13:34
up vote 23 down vote
How can I explain to a non-savvy client why the colors look different in the printed product than on their screen?
added by balpha Jun 2 '10 at 9:16
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1  
And why they look different from one screen to another. – John Biddle Jun 17 '10 at 17:02
up vote 21 down vote
How do I draw attention to an important area of my design?
added by cstack Jun 2 '10 at 23:59
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1  
great question. some graphic design, some general art principles. I'd like to see the variety of answers for this question. – Evan Plaice Jun 18 '10 at 1:22
Because the topic is so broad there are too many answers. Remember, the OP would need to be able to pick one as best. I think it would be much better if narrowed down a bit, by specifying what the important area is, why it's important, what's been done, etc. – John Biddle Jun 18 '10 at 18:54
up vote 18 down vote
Having a (commercial) font that lacks umlauts, is it legal to create those by putting dots on top of the base letter?
added by balpha Jun 2 '10 at 9:13
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Are you asking if it's legal? Allowed in what sense? – Roger Pate Jun 2 '10 at 12:27
@Roger Pate: changed to "legal" – balpha Jun 2 '10 at 12:30
1  
On-topic because, even though this isn't a legal site, users need to know the basic guidelines of what they should and shouldn't do. Also very related to "what can I do to get umlauts in a commercial font that lacks them?" (which scrubs the word 'legal' from the question text). – Roger Pate Jun 2 '10 at 12:55
1  
Legal advice is always dangerous and mostly wrong. e.g. Which country will the font be used in? Which country does it come from? Which countrys law is applicable? And so on... – Andreas Jun 29 '10 at 15:58
1  
I'm not a graphic designer by trade, and maybe it will show, but I have to ask -- I cannot possibly fathom why there would be LEGAL implications as to putting a dot above a letter in your font. Can someone please enlighten me, I'm curious to death about this. – Adrian Petrescu Jun 29 '10 at 21:14
show 1 more improvement suggestion
up vote 17 down vote
What is the difference between CMYK and RGB? Are there other color spaces I should know?
added by Good Person, edited by Tadeusz A. Kadłubowski Jul 5 '10 at 10:09
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1  
@Roger Pate: I understand "other things like these" to mean color spaces (LAB, CIE, etc.), which is very on topic. – balpha Jun 2 '10 at 19:07
@balpha: Looks like I misunderstood. I interpreted it---even while knowing what a color space is and that there are more---as open-ended "are there other differences like the ones you'll list here that I need to know about in graphic design", or somesuch. – Roger Pate Jun 2 '10 at 19:16
Both are standards for defining colors. the former is a subtracting color space, in which color components are Cyan, Magneta, and Yellow. and is used for printing. the latter is an additional color space and the color components are Red, Green and Blu and is used to show colors in screens – maahtu Jun 5 '10 at 19:26
1  
@sirconnorstack, the other one has six and a half hours on this one, so it wins. I'm marking this one "meh." Good catch. – Pops Jun 16 '10 at 13:45
1  
"color spaces" belongs in the answer, not the question... If one knows the term "color spaces", they probably already know what RGB and CMYK stand for. – Kobi Jul 5 '10 at 11:27
show 3 more improvement suggestions
up vote 11 down vote
Why does a black-to-red gradient in CMYK look different from one in RGB?
added by balpha Jun 2 '10 at 9:19
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There is some overlap with "What is the difference between CMYK and RGB? Are there other things like these?" We should decide which one to keep. – cstack Jun 15 '10 at 14:42
Let's keep this one, it was posted first. – Pops Jun 16 '10 at 13:46
up vote 11 down vote
What is the convention for when to use serif and when to use sans-serif fonts?
added by cstack Jun 6 '10 at 21:34
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up vote 7 down vote
What elements should I use to make my design have an "Apple" look?
added by cstack Jun 6 '10 at 21:37
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Too subjective. – Gelatin Jun 18 '10 at 11:36
4  
Actually, I don't think it's subjective at all. Apple has very distinctive design elements that can be emulated. One of my old questions, "Why does the Apple website look so good," WAS subjective. – cstack Jun 18 '10 at 13:04
1  
Not subjective. Apple has a clear Human Interface Guideline that graphics artists, among others, should really follow to get the "Apple" consistent look. Perfectly well-suited question if you ask me. – Adrian Petrescu Jun 22 '10 at 4:07
up vote 7 down vote
When should I use a PNG image over a GIF image?
added by Gordon Gustafson, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Jul 11 '10 at 19:36
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up vote 6 down vote
What effects make an object look glossy? (This isn't specific to one tool)
added by cstack Jun 3 '10 at 0:00
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using what? CSS? Photoshop? needs to be more specific. – Can Berk Güder Jun 9 '10 at 10:28
1  
Sounds fine to me. There are a lot of commands that are shared by most "good" editors. – RCIX Jun 17 '10 at 5:26
up vote 6 down vote
What can Inkscape do that Adobe Illustrator can't?
added by Gelatin, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Jul 11 '10 at 19:36
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This is an objective question, but I fear it will incite debate over interpretation: "I can do X in A with 1 click but it takes 15 clicks to do nearly-X in B, so B doesn't do it." I am unsure how to vote. – Roger Pate Jun 5 '10 at 16:05
This would probably be a community wiki since it has no single 'right' answer – Evan Plaice Jun 18 '10 at 1:18
I think this is too subjective, inviting arguments and possibly flame wars. Can xxx do yyy? or How do I do xxx in yyy are better. – John Biddle Jun 18 '10 at 18:45
I voted on-topic. It doesn't ask which can do it better or faster, just what it can do. – Ullallulloo Jun 27 '10 at 13:09
up vote 6 down vote
Are there any design/quality issues to using Google's new web fonts compared to using a paid product like TypeKit?
added by John Biddle Jun 10 '10 at 3:41
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up vote 6 down vote
What's the difference between vector graphics and raster graphics?
added by Evan Plaice Jun 17 '10 at 4:55
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up vote 5 down vote
How do you decide on the optimal amount of compression for .jpg files to be displayed on your site?
added by John Biddle Jun 10 '10 at 3:42
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up vote 5 down vote
How much advantage does using a pen tablet offer?
added by Aron Rotteveel Jun 17 '10 at 6:34
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up vote 5 down vote
How can I make my icons look more glossy?
added by Chris Lercher Jun 17 '10 at 16:27
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up vote 5 down vote
How do I calibrate my monitor for color/brightness/contrast correctness?
added by Evan Plaice Jun 18 '10 at 1:25
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Used up my votes, but this is a good question in my book. – John Biddle Jun 18 '10 at 18:50
@John thanks... – Evan Plaice Jun 18 '10 at 23:34
up vote 5 down vote
What are some good alternatives to Photoshop?
added by Gordon Gustafson Jun 20 '10 at 22:25
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up vote 5 down vote
What are the basic rules to compose a grid for a book or a magazine ?
added by Fred Boot Jun 25 '10 at 13:19
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up vote 4 down vote
Would the Gimp be considered a vector graphics program and therefore suitable for creating a logo?
added by Nathan Osman Jun 3 '10 at 3:04
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up vote 4 down vote
How can I make this image not look so pixellated (I don't have source image)?
added by Evan Plaice, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Jul 11 '10 at 19:36
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up vote 4 down vote
What typographic (and other) conventions should I use to make a poster look like it was printed in the USA during the 1920's?
added by Steve S Jul 2 '10 at 22:20
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up vote 3 down vote
How do I make text look embossed into a surface in Gimp/Photoshop?
added by cstack, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Jul 11 '10 at 19:48
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Needs to mention tool/medium. – Roger Pate Jun 4 '10 at 9:58
@Roger: I added "in gimp/photoshop" – cstack Jun 5 '10 at 15:20
similar to my "drop shadow" questions. – Can Berk Güder Jun 9 '10 at 10:29
Dupe of How do I add a drop shadow to text in Photoshop CS5? (Usually preference is given to the older dupe, and that's the drop shadow question.) – Roger Pate Jun 9 '10 at 18:38
up vote 3 down vote
What are some good podcasts for graphic designers?
added by Gordon Gustafson Jun 16 '10 at 21:46
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up vote 3 down vote
What's the best way to select really organic objects (like hair) in Photoshop?
added by Evan Plaice, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Jul 11 '10 at 19:48
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up vote 3 down vote
Design Challenge: Taskbar
added by Gelatin Jun 18 '10 at 11:39
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stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/code-challenge Would be CW. – Gelatin Jun 18 '10 at 11:39
+1 (not really, out of votes :( ) I like it! :) – RCIX Jun 18 '10 at 22:32
up vote 3 down vote
What fonts are easiest to read (at X size)?
added by Gordon Gustafson Jun 20 '10 at 22:29
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up vote 3 down vote
Is an all white background appropriate for a web game?
added by samoz Jun 22 '10 at 2:14
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up vote 3 down vote
Do you have to be good at drawing to pursue a career in graphic design?
added by dogbane Jun 28 '10 at 8:38
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up vote 2 down vote
How do I add a drop shadow to text using CSS?
added by Can Berk Güder Jun 2 '10 at 8:38
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1  
Belongs on DocType. – Can Berk Güder Jun 2 '10 at 8:38
1  
I disagree. Someone has a design question and asked it on a design site. Not all design is done with Photoshop. – John Biddle Jun 10 '10 at 3:35
up vote 2 down vote
What are the best resources for me to learn about web typography?
added by John Biddle Jun 10 '10 at 3:39
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up vote 2 down vote
What's your favorite color profiling tool (colr, etc...)?
added by Evan Plaice Jun 17 '10 at 4:58
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up vote 2 down vote
What are some good design blogs? [cw]
added by Gelatin Jun 20 '10 at 22:09
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up vote 2 down vote
What does balance mean and what are simple checks I can do on my designs?
added by Andreas Jun 29 '10 at 16:00
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up vote 2 down vote
How do I test my design for those with special needs like attention deficit, partial sight and color-blindness?
added by DonnyD Jul 2 '10 at 23:54
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up vote 2 down vote
What is the Golden Ratio, and how to I use it in my designs?
added by jrista Jul 4 '10 at 23:26
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up vote 2 down vote
What is the difference between serif and sans-serif?
added by user452 Jul 6 '10 at 21:33
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up vote 1 down vote
Why is centered text bad?
added by balpha Jun 2 '10 at 9:11
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This site shouldn't be about subjective design choices. – cstack Jun 2 '10 at 23:56
@sirc: Many design choices are subjective, I think there's a problem preventing them, and I guarantee you some people will answer this question objectively. However, we can prevent open-ended questions, if that's what we want. – Roger Pate Jun 5 '10 at 16:09
Who says it's bad? This question needs more detail. – Dave Swersky Jun 17 '10 at 1:53
This is a fair question, but the answers could make it great. This is really a question of good design principles in the making. I'd vote it as a good question, but I ran out of votes! – Philip Regan Jun 22 '10 at 16:47
up vote 1 down vote
Name some free Photoshop filter plug-ins you find really useful in your daily logo/gfx design work?
added by Inv3r53, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Jul 11 '10 at 19:50
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