Most of the pieces in the book are client work that Radim hasn’t posted anywhere else, so if you’re a fan of contemporary digital illustration this is a must have. I have a copy lying on my desk right as I write this, trust me, its good stuff.

What you need to do to win
We’re looking to promote Radim’s new book and we need your help. To win you need to do two simple things, I’ve listed them below.

1. Leave a comment on Designfeedr where you say hi and leave a link to your Twitter account.

2. Tweet about the new book with the following TinyUrl link added: http://tinyurl.com/7kphpa. This link leads to the Brand Nu site.

Running time
This competition will run until the end of April. Radim and I will then select the three winners who will be contacted by mail (so use a valid email!) for their address details. When selecting the winners we’ll look for the most effective, creative, funny or just plain crazy tweets on the book. If you’ve promoted the book in more ways than just a tweet be sure to let us know, we might throw in an extra for the most useful promoter!

Scroll down for some screens of the book that should have you logging onto Twitter in no time!

Anyway enough said, let’s leave the talking to the black-and-white designs below! Enjoy and be inspired!

These pieces by Max Spencer are a good example of how a contemporary illustration style can become very clean and classy with the right constraints. The “Requiem” piece (first image) could have been an extremely commercial illustration if the color use was bright and eccentric. By using black-and-white however Max kept that sparkling clean feeling in the piece.

Josh Vanover is another designer that proves black-and-white is an exceptionally good medium for effective communication, no matter how edgy or contemporary the style might be. His work is also damn good on the eyes I must add.

I can’t tell you much about Aldous Massie since the availible information is rather scarce about him or her (yes I don’t even know that). For the No Answer flyers Aldous Massie combines strong illustrations, well placed typography and a splash of color in an effort to impress the viewer. Notice that the difference in the amount of black used between the top two and bottom two pieces leads to a very different “mood” in the work.

Vgraphics demonstrate some excellent and creative use of black-and-white in the works below. These pieces have a lovely organic look and feel which is a nice break from the hyper realistic computer art/design we see these days.

Esteban’s design and illustration pieces have that classic design vibe. Esteban achieves a ragged yet clean, non-digital look by putting crumpled paper textures, pencil effects and splatters to good use.

Barcelona based designer and illustrator Alex Trochut proves that pure black-and-white can be applied to corporate projects when the situation calls for it. His metallic logo and type designs are interesting in the sense that they feel and look like gold without using a single color.

Sophie Henson is a Londen based print designer with an impressive client list. In the pieces below she showcases some very non-digital looking designs, mostly because she chooses to work with hand drawn elements. The black-and-white in the images unifies the detailed elements and ensures the non-pretentious look Sophie seems to be after.

Joshua m Smith’s work below is really more illustration than actual design. The excellent use of black bases with white detailing should have any designer worth a buck inspired(certainly made check out the man’s full portfolio) so hopefully you’ll forgive my cheating in this case.

GoMedia started up in early 2003 by William Beachy and was joined by Jeff Finley in 2005. With clients ranging from Pepsi to Thrustkill records, the respected Arsenal vector packs and a massively popular online magazine GoMedia is doing everything right. Add to that the fact that GoMedia has a reputation for churning out excellent black-and-white designs/illustrations and their presence in “the lose the color!” series is more that justified.

On to the questions then, as always the comments are at your disposal to discuss the topic and let me know how you feel. Enjoy!

1. What are the benefits of choosing black-and-white compared to going color?
Sometimes, Black and White images leave the viewer with a sense of anticipation. It might not appear finished, so they can imagine what a finished piece would look like. Often times coloring your black and white drawing can ruin it. It’s a fine line. Almost always a black and white drawing, if done well, is going to impress. Whereas color can make or break your art. I know a lot of designers struggle when it comes time to color their line art.

Top: Take note of the excellent line work and use of contrast. Image by respected Go Media designer Chris Comella.

2. Does going black-and-white make things easier or more challenging from a design standpoint?
It depends, it can make it easier because it’s one less thing to worry about. But it makes it harder because you don’t have values of color to help distinguish different forms. You lose the ability to separate objects by color. It’s all done with contrast, line weight, etc. It’s a hard skill to master.

3. Is there a particular type of client that has a habit of asking for black-and-white or near monochrome work?
I haven’t found one personally. What I did find out is that when a client wants you to do design for posters that will be photocopied and distributed around town, solid black-and-white is the way to go.

4. Is there any time when you’d advise not to go with black-and-white?
This is a case by case basis. There aren’t really any rules that say don’t use black and white unless of course the medium doesn’t allow for it. I think the client and the medium are the most important factors when decided whether to stick with black-and-white or go with color. What is the budget? What does the client expect? What is the final product going to look like? However, if the choice between black and white or color is purely a creative decision, then it’s up to you. Grayscale photography has a classical feel to it, it tends to be more “artsy” so to speak. It helps create a mood.

“For the Bridge and Tunnel shirt black and white was a conscious decision, mostly to save on printing costs. It’s a lot cheaper to print one color shirts, especially on white. The look I was going for was a handmade line art collage printed very big on the shirt, so it worked out well.” - Jeff Finley

5. What’s the general reaction you get from clients when you suggest
black-and-white? Is it hard to bend the opinion of a client who’s bent on full-color to going with black-and-white if it suits the project/medium better?
The client who is dead-set on color, will usually feel black and white is “boring”
and they somehow feel they’re not getting enough bang for their buck. Sometimes
black and white art looks unfinished. If it’s a logo, a client might not be able to
visualize all the various uses their logo if they first see it in black and white
only. If you insist on the project being black and white only, just describe how it
suits the project better. It can save them on printing costs too.

6. Can you give 3 tips for someone who want’s to start doing more black-and-white work?

1. Improve the quality of your lines. Using a single color to describe form and
space is a tough skill to master.

2. Try using halftones to simulate gradients.

3. Sometimes you’ll need to do color versions to “sell” your black and white concept to a client.

“I had plans to color the Paint the Stars tee but I couldn’t come up with anything I liked. In the end I left it black-and-white. I think it’s better for it. And can be more efficient when printing it huge on a t-shirt.” - Jeff Finley

Thanks for your time Jeff. Best of luck to both you and GoMedia! Below are a bunch of links that lead to more Go Media goodness!

Go Media portfolio
GoMediazine
Arsenal vector packs
Go Media Twitter

Most of the pieces are not pure black-and-white, a lot of them have a splash a tiny bit of color. While they feature some color they’re still perfect for the purpose of our study though and I’m sure they’ll get you’re creative juices flowing whether you’re a hardcore black-and-white buff, color lover or somewhere in between. Enjoy and be inspired!

I love coming across illustrators that blow me away at first contact. Joao Oliveira definitely falls into that category, I had never seen his work but the class and style of his pieces is very impressive.

Joao’s work is both classic yet modern at the same time. In the first two pieces Joao uses the extreme contrasts black-and-white allows combined with digital effects to attain a classic sci-fi look. The third and fourth illustrations look much more classical but still have digital elements that makes them very intriguing.

Multi-faceted designer and illustrator Pete Harrison loves to combine a black-and-white base image with colorful lighting effects. By using well placed lighting effects and strong contrast his pieces nearly pop off the screen.

Italy based Alberto Seveso needs no introduction in the illustration scene. Dark backgrounds with hues of gray and some color splashed in give Alberto’s work a modern look with a classic undertone.

Mike Harrison’s non-digital look immediately sets him apart from the general field. In the pieces below Mike uses deep dark backgrounds, black-and-white models and a soft splash of color to set the mood.

Alessandro Pautasso combines classic black-and-white photography with vector splashes, swirls and patterns to create a sexy marriage of extremes (classic looking photography with very digital looking elements).

In the pieces below Alessandro uses a gray on gray base to create low contrast between the background and the models. This makes the bright colors in his work really stand out.

Christopher Haines, located in Australia, has a very broad style to his illustration. In the Electro set below Christopher uses monochrome color bases that he then brings to life with “designery” purple.

Belgian illustrator Bram Verhaeren has a lighthearted open feel to his work. The pieces below have a soft look to them due to the fact that Bram uses little black and instead goes with subtle hues of gray.

I also feel that Flash’s good name has been spoiled mostly by designers who love making pretty sites but know or care nothing about usable, user centered web design.

See more of the awesome submissions to the Noir chapter on Depthcore.

So why black-and-white as the subject for a series of posts? It’s because black-and-white is an intriguing limitation and blessing at the same time. If black-and-white is used for a suitable project it puts you into a challenging but beneficial situation. Working in black-and-white is essentially a limitation, you have one less tool at your disposal after all. You’ll have to get by without using color to set the mood or focal point. Once you get the hang of working without color though you’ll start to see that the limitation you imposed on yourself actually has some very strong benefits.

There are many good reasons to choose black-and-white over color. Time, money, mood, target audience and the media you’re working for are all factors. To help you choose whether black-and-white is the way to go for your next job I’ve outlined nine strong points of losing the color. Enjoy and be sure to add your own thoughts to the comments so we can get a discussion going.

1. Maximum contrast
This is the most obvious use of black-and-white. By working with high contrast and no colors you eliminate a lot of factors that could have distracted your visitor. The viewer will instantly be able to see what the main focus of the piece is without having to give it any thought.

If you use a dark background with light design elements for example, it suddenly becomes very easy to make a focused composition that guides the eye and attention of the viewer however you like.

By losing the color and you can easily reach a powerful and striking
contrast. Illustration by Maxim Zestkov.

2. Ability to break the mold
The design and illustration field is filled to the brim with bright full-colored work and trust me this trend isn’t going anywhere for the time being. That however doesn’t mean that there isn’t any room for work that flows in another direction.

If you create a portfolio with some outstanding black-and-white pieces in it you’ll instantly stand out from the crowd. I’m not saying you should forsake color for the rest of your career, that would be silly and unpractical, but some strong black-and-white work in prominent places of your portfolio will show you in an entirely different light.

3. A faster workflow
Just like every new thing you try your hand at going black-and-white can be challenging at first if you’re used to working in full-color. Once you start to get a feel for the limitations and learn to work with them though you’ll find that you’ll be able to get good results at a faster pace. This is because you’re spending less time fretting over color intensity and combinations.

Niklas Lundberg created this dramatic and memorable piece for the
latest Depthcore chapter.

4. Set a dark mood
Black-and-white can look very harsh and dark if you work with high contrast and fitting imagery. If you go with a lot of contrast between your black and whites it’s very easy to set a dark, depressing, grim or frightening mood. Metal and rock bands are a good example of this and have been using black-and-white for ages to create stunning and dark covers.

The Touch or Suffer logo by GoMedia is a prime example of choosing black-and-white to set a dark and foreboding mood.

5. Combine white and grey for a gentle look
As harsh as black-and-white can be if you amp the contrast, it’s actually deceptively simple to create a really soft and gentle mood with it. If you simply skip black entirely and combine white with hues of gray that don’t differentiate too much from each other you’ll end up with a very gentle and inviting mood. The less contrast you use the softer the piece becomes.

6. Black and white is timeless
Black and white has a timeless and classy atmosphere and sometimes even feels nostalgic. The classic nature of the typical black-and-white look is perfect for clients and brands that want to look exquisite and classy without being too flashy. It’s also worth noting that designs and illustrations that have that classic black-and-white look generally stand the test of time very well.

7. Unifies elements
If you mix a lot of different media in your work going black-and-white instead of color has the benefit of making these elements blend together better. This means you’ll make work that looks more cohesive with less effort. No need to adjust the colors and their intensity, just desaturate and be done with it. You’ll get good result with less effort.

8. Can make color pop
If you use a black-and-white as a basis and add a hint of color over that you’ll end up with some interesting and eye-catching results. If you want to make colors “pop” combining really bright colors with black-and-white is a sure way to achieve this.

Yes yes I know it’s Paris Hilton but it’s also a great example by Pete Harrison on how subtle color can bring magic to a monochrome piece.

9. It’s budget friendly design
Less color means cheaper production. If your client is on a low budget and you’re working for print he’ll be grateful for your decision to go with black-and-white. This saves on printing costs which can really mean a lot to a client if money is an issue.

I’m not going to go to deep into the “Is Flash bad?” debate, it’s been done to death. Suffice to say that in my view both Xhtml/Css and Flash have their time and place. I also feel that Flash’s good name has been spoiled mostly by designers who love making pretty sites but know or care nothing about usable, user centered web design. If you know your ActionScript and pick your battles you can make excellent non-obtrusive Flash sites.

So, if the validity of Flash is not today’s topic then what is? It’s something that makes a designer’s heart beat faster – Portfolios that are breaking the mold. We’re going to look at sites which feature a novel, experimental or simply out of the ordinary way to display their portfolio pieces.

Since we’re looking at experimental and different techniques I’ve limited myself to viewing only full Flash sites since it’s easier to find “out of the box” experiments this way. If you guys want a similar post to see what’s possible with Xhtml/Css, Javascript and Ajax just let me know in the comments and I’ll get to writing one.

Below are nine sites which feature a novel or unique in way to display the work. I’ve written down some comments for every site featured, as always if you agree, disagree or think I’m talking pure nonsense you’re welcome to leave a comment so we can discuss it!

Lee Towndrow

Lee Towndrow’s photography portfolio is an exercise in clean, simple yet appealing web design. The site looks great with very few design elements.

Lee presents his images full screen - meaning that they fill the full browser view. Impressive as it is this is nothing new of course. What is interesting is the slide effect when you switch from thumbnails to full size image and back. A subtle effect that fits the site and leaves a positive impression.

What I like:
Less is more and this site is a perfect example of that. It opens up with Lee’s portfolio and from that point the work is just one click away. The slide effect is subtle, fits the clean design and adds flavor to the site.

What could be better:
As far as the presentation of the work goes I’m a believer - job well done. I am curious why the site go into full screen mode when I click the first image? I want to see a photo, not have my browser hijacked! Also some hover-over-image effects would have been nicer than the whole row lighting up. It feels like you’re selecting a set instead of the loose image that loads after a click.

Joshua Stearns

Great looking site that reminds me very much of Lee towndrow’s site. Johshua’s site is less compact though and looks a bit more cluttered.

Joshua has the same slide effect that Lee Towndrow’s site has. Notable changes are that the navigation stays in place and that the images don’t load full width. The site looks less clean because of this but we could argue that the it is more usable due to the navigation being always visible.

What I like:
The slide effect is great, a very clear and good looking transition effect so the user knows what’s going on.

What could be better:
It would’ve been better to slide to the image after it’s loaded. Right now the slide effect happens and you see the photo you previously browsed while the new one loaded. This is slightly confusing. I also feel that the site could have been more compact and user centered.

Sugarrhyme

Sugarrhyme is the eccentric portfolio of Designer Karol Kolodzinski. It looks awesome and has a unique rotation wheel for browsing images.

What I like:
The design is out of the box and simply kicks ass. It’s a visual masterpiece. The image navigation looks great and is unique.

What could be better:
The image navigation looks great but doesn’t function that well. It’s very hard to select the image you want, and for all the graphical splendor I can’t blame you if you ask yourself “what the hell is going on here” the first time you try to navigate the images.

Eva Padberg

German photographer Eva Padberg has a fine looking site with image navigation that will make your head spin!

What I like:
I love the opening page and the general look and feel of the site. The photo-wheel, for lack of a better name, looks great and sophisticated.

What could be better:
The photo wheel looks sophisticated and handles, well, harder than you’d like your average portfolio navigation to do. Click an image or two and I guarantee you you’ll have no clue to whether you’re at the beginning or end of the gallery. A typical example of a great looker with usability as an afterthought.

I’m Jonas

Jonas’s site is a clean looking one page portfolio with no pretense. All it is is images and the minimum needed information. It has one unique ploy though, it’s a horizontal scrolling site instead of a vertical one.

What I like:
I like the horizontal scrolling, I feel that vertical is slightly more intuitive, but as long as the mouse-wheel works for scrolling horizontal shouldn’t be a problem. And since all other one page ports scroll vertically it’s an easy way to set yourself apart. The mouse-wheel works just fine, so Jonas pulls this one off effortlessly.

What could be better:
No complaints from me, the site looks good, is simple and works just fine.

DVEIN

Barcelona based motion and interactive studio DVEIN has a site that for some reason feels very futuristic and experimental to me. The site’s a great looker and nicely compact. For image navigation they use a circular navigation wheel with thumbnails you can hover over.

What I like:
The futuristic and sophisticated look is sure to win a lot of people over. The navigation wheel looks great when you hover over the thumbs.

What could be better:
The image navigation looks great, but my kind words end there. It’s very hard to judge what a certain thumbnail leads to. When you click something you often get multiple layers of moving imagery. Looks great but confuses the hell out of me.

If the DVEIN site just had the visual navigation the portfolio would be extremely hard to navigate, fortunately the site also has the text navigation in the middle which corresponds to the thumbnail that is currently being hovered over. It’s not a great solution as far as I’m concerned though.

Illustplosion

Bruno Fujii’s Illustplosion is a excellent designed, urban looking horizontal scrolling site. It has an about me page, but for practical purposes you could call this one a one page portfolio. The unique navigation comes in the form of horizontal scrolling that doesn’t work with a scroll-bar or scroll-wheel but simply by pressing next and previous.

What I like:
Illustplosion is designed excellent and extremely simple in use. Your grandma could browse this site with no effort. The horizontal scrolling is very linear but works well. The only time I see this being a problem is if you want to display a lot of images.

What could be better:
No complaints, looks great and works simple and effective.

Vanio Luanou

The portfolio site of Vanio’s Luanou has a graphic design feel while still looking like a modern website. Vanio’s way of navigating images is similar to Illustplosion in that it’s a horizontal linear scrolling experience that requires a click to go from “A” to “B”.

The difference is that Vanio has made it so that you can see just a glimpse of the next or previous piece. If you hover over the image it moves into view a bit more giving the feeling that you’re “reeling it in”.

What I like:
I love the “reeling it in” effect, you’re not doing anything more than clicking but for some reason it feels more interactive. Other than that the design looks great and in touch with the portfolio pieces.

What could be better:
Some portfolio pieces have multiple images that you can select below them. This in combination with the numbers below the portfolio pieces can make the whole experience a bit confusing at times. I feel Vanio did a bit too much with this site.

Silencio

To enter the site you have to click the flying hippo. Yes you heard me, click the flying hippo and it will float down to show it’s colory insides. Then click the big “Shsss” that pops up above its head and you enter the portfolio section. Terrible usability? No doubt, but it’s so silly, crazy and wrong that it actually works. When you combine your entrance to the site with the giraffe head you’ll see popping up later on Atila Meireles can sleep at night knowing he’s created a site nobody will forget for a long time.

What I like:
Silencio is actually a bit of long shot for this list, once you’re in the portfolio it’s your typical vertical scrolling one page portfolio really. I’ve added it to the list for the simple reason that once you see this site you’ll never forget it again - and I do mean that in a positive way.

What could be better:
The auto scrolling is a pain in the ass in general, is too slow and takes control away from the user for a task that’s personal (scroll speed, distance and the like).

So enjoy, be inspired and be sure to check out the source sites listed at the bottom of the post. While you do that I’ll decide if I should do a showcase on Vodka bottles - some are just so brilliantly creative. I would love your opinion on that by the way!

Source: These images came from the following sources - Packaging World, the Dieline and the Spoon Sisters.

The reason I wanted him on the site is because I was impressed by his diverse portfolio, clear vision for his future and a pro-active attitude to reach his goals. It’s my opinion that talent harnessed correctly combined with a clear view of what you want to achieve will always lead to those goals being reached. No doubt in my mind that these are the people to put in the spotlight since the inspiration they can radiate goes beyond “I wish I could do illustration like Neil Duerden” and might just lead you to evaluate and re-plot your own direction.

Hey Youri and dear readers. My name is Matthias Bäuerle, I’m 24 and live in a small city in southern Germany. I’m currently studying Mediadesign/Graphicdesign at the Academy of Ravensburg until October 2009. 

I think the passion for design started in my childhood since I was always drawing which later turned into the wish to create my own designs.
 
Being a musician I’ve always been busy creating the art for my own band but also for others. Around three years ago I brought “Season Zero” to life - which was at first just a name for my portfolio. Last year however I started working for a lot of bands, providing them with album artwork, posters, websites, band photos and what else they needed.

I’m a big fan of the working styles of “Invisible Creature” and “Sons of Nero” who exclusively work for bands and record companies. Additionally I’m also a total typography addict that’s always trying to evolve his hand lettering skills to provide even more individual logotypes for clients.

When I started using Photoshop roughly ten years ago I only made photo compositions, trying to realize the ideas and images I had in mind. With the years I became more and more involved in “common” graphic design, including corporate design and typography. Concerning this I’m a total old school print designer. So maybe my “diversity” is based on the thought that it’s definitely important to divide between an illustrative artwork style and a more reduced “typographical” layout based style.

When doing an artwork like “Escape from Twilight Menagerie” I strive for a result that is recognizable as a Season Zero piece but when doing commissioned work, the most important thing is to communicate the client’s statement and not my own. The best thing is when it’s possible to realize my own style to visualize a client’s brief.

It’s very important to specialize. In my case I have to admit that I completely hate doing web design. I don’t have the time to keep up with all the trends or programming hacks you need. Sure, it would be possible to do more websites but my recent decision of not expanding on this field might be the toughest one I’ve made lately.

Regarding the rest of my work I’m not worried. The best thing as designer is the variety of sub-fields you can work in without leaving the actual field. In my case it’s great to combine photo compositions, layout and typography with varying importance depending on the desired result. I definitely don’t want to miss a thing.
 

The band is called Mantikor and we’re playing a catchy kind of Metalcore. You can visit our site or check our Myspace out. Our first album “And the Light of Long gone Days” is being mixed and mastered at the moment and will be out later this year - so check back then to get some better sounding samples. Also watch out for the album artwork that I’m currently working on!

To be honest I’m not in the “big business” yet. I strive to contact bigger labels next year when I’m done with the studies. At the moment I Mostly work with underground or unsigned bands here in Germany. This is really fun because you get the opportunity to become a small part of the bands you work for. I love visiting rehearsals and discussing designs when I’m working for bands. It’s a creative collaboration that always results in unique designs.

I have to admit that it will probably be hard to work exclusively for the music industry, but hey - nothing ventured, nothing gained! Invisible Creature and other specialized graphic design studios are proof that it’s possible!
 

1. Listen closely to the music of the band/artist you’re working with. I sometimes listen exclusively to the music of the band when I’m working on a piece for them.

2. Never restrict yourself to any kind of music, even music styles you don’t like could become a great possibility to create unique designs.

3. Start to play an instrument:-) You’ll start listening to music in a totally different way.
 

I have a wide ranged musical taste that ranges from David Bowie and Daft Punk to Killswitch Engage or Nine Inch Nails. I couldn’t really say for which one band/artist I particularly would love to work for. I’d like to work for all of them, being totally naive for a moment! But I also like the challenge to work with bands I’m not familiar with and experience new music - no matter if they’re signed, underground, newcomer or bestsellers.
 

 I think I would stick to Season Zero. As a band you’re totally exposed and dependant of so many people - like booking agencies, record labels, producers, managers and even the other band members. It’s really tough and in most cases you need all the strength and time you can muster to make it big. Doing graphic design through “Season Zero” means I’m the only one who is responsible. It’s a good thing to rely on your own skills. So everything you achieve (or don’t) fully lies in your own hands

Success in the design industry relies on many different factors. There’s much more to it than just being able to make a pretty visual. Communication, self-promotion, technique and execution of the actual creative process are just a few of the many factors that come into play.

With success depending on so many elements it’s easy to lose track of the big picture. To keep you on top of your game we asked four established designers and illustrators to share their most valuable advice.

Angel D’Amico is a Chicago based Freelance Illustrator and Designer who’s loving life and living her dream. She Combines her fine art skills with her digital artwork, to create beautiful, unique, and exotic environments of work.

1. Start making work for yourself.
When i got out of college I realized that all my creative work was done mostly for my classes and clients. I thought to myself “If i had the chance what would I create for myself?�. I combined my best aspects of my art and design and came up with my own style.

2. Make a website!
Don’t just talk about it for years, DO it. Make it simple and clean. These days to be competitive you need a website. Clients don’t want to have to download your portfolio in pdf format or view images in emails. They want instant access.
I myself took a web class for a half of semester in college to learn the basics. If I can do it so can you.

3. When you make that site, make sure it loads fast.
I’m the owner of Carpal tunnel Magazine, an online webzine where I interview artists. When I get send a link to check out and it’s a flash site that takes too long to load I usually don’t wait(there are exceptions). Simple sites are very effective.

4. Sign up for all the free listing and posting places you can.
Research and find art and design sites that let you post for free. Get your name out there, meet and chat with people. It’s great to have support and to give some in return.

5. Do your research.
I research new and old artists, designers, sites, magazines, books etc.
Keep up with design, learn the history, it will give you greater visual knowledge and more ideas.

6. Stay open minded.
Be unique, and open to new ideas. Don’t get stuck in your habits and comfort zone.

7. Be confident, humble, and respectful
Not only to clients but also to fellow artists, people asking for advice and everyone else in general :)

Radim Malinic prides himself on his artistic sensibility, passion for details, innovative resutls, pushing the boundaries. His work has been described as imaginative, sophisticated, sensual and sexy.

1. Know what you want to do.
Decide where to start. Do you want to do Illustration, graphic design, motion, web design or be the kettle operator?

2. Know the basics.
You just got out of the university and want to work for the big agencies, doing Nike and Coca Cola tomorrow. Well, it might not just happen yet. Agency working environment is probably only three words written down for you. Get any design job you can. Get some experience. have a look around and then make up your mind about where to go next.

3. Know your software.
You might know a shortcut or two, time to take it a bit further. Knowing your software inside out will save you a lot of time. Don’t waste time learning any software that’s not relevant to your craft though.

4. Know your audience.
If you illustrate tanks and cranes, the idea of doing editorial illustrations for Fashion magazines isn’t the best. Spend as much time as needed resourcing on the net.

5. Know your style.
Some people like to create a different style all the time, some like to stick with the tried and tested. A signature style helps a lot in attracting new clientele. Make sure you know your ground and evolve from there.

6. Know your enemy and make friends.
Keep an eye on the current design scene. Shutting yourself off too much could leave you miles behind. Do not borrow from anyone’s style but make sure your work looks always fresh.

7. Know your price.
Make sure you know your price. You can be greatest of the great and work around the clock, it does very little good if you’re still penniless at the end of it. No one will tell you how much they charge, but it isn’t rocket science to figure out the financial value of your work.

Netherlands based Paco Raphael works as freelancer for several agencies and companies. Before that he worked as senior graphic, interactive and webdesigner for MTV and RedUrban interactive advertising agency.

1. Constantly watch.
For upcoming artist is it important that they obtain their skills by constantly looking forward. Look at other designers, read art-books, check out architecture and watch movies.

2. Tutorials & techniques.
It is important to do a lot of tutorials, make different things and see different styles. This helps you find and maintain your skills and techniques.

3. Read books.
Buy books! I have books about design from the early twenties up till now, from Baroque, Retro and Pop art. This will give you a good view of the strengths and weaknesses in design and art of certain years. Books like this will also inspire you to view design in a different way and perhaps some elements from the past might find their way into your designs.

4. Show yourself!
Make yourself known in the industry by discussing in forums, having your own website and by sending artwork to agencies. You’ll see that you get a lot of feedback which will be helpfull.

5. Keep your own style.
In my opinion I think every designer must have his own unique style. I see a lot of wannabe designers, copying the works of others. Don’t copy, try to keep and refresh your own style!

6. Ask for critique
Ask opinions and critique from other designers. You can learn a lot from the opinions of your fellow designers and it often leads to good analysis of your work.

7. Draw!
I keep myself fresh by doing a lot of hand-drawing. A lot of good illustrations and logo designs start on paper. After you find the perfect composition and concept you can easily import this in programs such as Illustrator and Photoshop to finalize the piece.

Scott Pollard is a multi-talented designer and illustrator that has recently put a halt to his freelancing career to join Oneighty creative in their mission to conquer the United kingdom.

1. Don’t over depend on tutorials.
Do tutorials to stay on top of your game and learn new techniques but don’t rely solely on them. Doing so will make it hard for you define your style.

2. Stay fresh - literally!
Life as a designer doesn’t mean you can sacrifice hygiene. So before sit down and boot your computer up get a shower and put on some clean clothes.

3. Use save as instead of save.
When working in Photoshop use save as more than save because once a file is closed it’s history is gone.

4. Be wary of filters.
If you going to use the filters menu make sure you make a dam good job to disguise it because everyone (and I’m not just talking designers) has seen and played with these effects before.

5. Simple concepts are often best.
Don’t over think an idea to the point it becomes confusing even to yourself. Simple is often best.

6. Social networking sites.
Social networking sites are great, but can also steal a lot of your time away. Network on the best sites only. Don’t spread yourself across them all. You won’t be able to keep contacts.

7. Laptop or desktop?
A laptop is ok to transfer your portfolio from a to b but unless you have a super expensive piece of technology, Photoshop and other memory intensive programs will just not run efficiently. If you only have the cash to buy one go for the desktop.

What is web presence? Web presence can be described as being present on the internet in multiple places to promote and strengthen your name or brand in positive way. Most of us do this in one way or another already. Very few of us however do it in a focused and well thought out way. I’m here to tell you that this is a shame because if you do it right you have an extremely powerful tool at your disposal.

Web presence is extremely important because the times have changed and the internet has arguably become expression platform number one. Let’s say you’re looking for a job. Unless you are a web designer your printed port still goes with you to the interview, but long before they lay their eyes on the work it contains they’ve already seen your portfolio pieces on your website. In the interview you’ll talk about yourself but they’ve already read your about me section, checked your Myspace, Facebook, Behance, Twitter and whatever else you’re on. Your internet presence has shaped their first impression of you before you even enter their office.

The printed portfolio is still important but it’s influence is diminishing
while that of the internet grows.

Web presence is equally important for freelancers. Have you ever had a freelancer’s card? I can tell you the first thing I always do when I get home is jump start my favorite browser and either Google the name or directly enter the site url. Even if the person came across knowledgeable and trustworthy in person, if the website experience doesn’t impress me I’ll automatically re-adjust my opinion.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re looking for long term employment or are freelance, want to gain clients or want to strengthen your name, web presence will be a key element to your success.

This article is separated into two lists. The first one will explain what web presence can mean for you while the second list shares some important tips and do’s and dont’s so you can be sure the time you invest is well spend.

Below are some benefits to having a clear and well represented presence on the web. They’re in random order since their importance depends on your personal goals and the type of work you do.

1. Make a strong first impression with potential employers
Having a strong and well thought out presence on the web can leave a positive impression with a client or employer before they’ve ever seen your face. You don’t have the job yet, but you’re off to a good start which is always important.

2. Web presence also leads to easier access to publications.
Want your work in Advanced Photoshop, Computer Arts or other magazines? Web presence helps open these doors as well. Magazines will have an easier time noticing you and it’s in your favor if they see your work in more then one place. The same goes for blog contributions like interviews, showcases and tutorials.

There’s no reason why you can’t be in respected magazines if you play your cards right.

3. Generates a stream of hits to your website
If you promote yourself in multiple places you’ll start to ensure that you get a stream of traffic to your portfolio site. This can be a great way to strengthen your name or brand.

4. Will bring in a client every once in a while
If you have a good port and focus in the right places a strong web presence will bring in clients from time to time. Don’t expect to be done with all your regular ways of winning new clientele though, most designers I know are still dependent on returning clients, recommendations and mouth to mouth.

5. Creates a network of contacts you could call on for various purposes
Whether you need someone to give you some constructive criticism, need some coding help or want to outsource a piece of a project, building a good web presence will automatically lead to getting to know the right people. Here’s a good example: I’ve recently started using Twitter and I was doing a design project for which I wanted to check out some fonts that look like Disco deck. I didn’t know any similar fonts from the top of my head so I decided to make a tweet (message to my friends) about it. Within minutes I got a great suggestion from David Leggit that saved me a lot of browsing time.

Getting web presence is actually very easy, getting a strong presence that is focused and tailored to your goals is slightly harder. While the choices and process are different every time I’m going to give some general things to consider that will ensure that the web presence you are building will be focused.

1. Determine your focus
Without focus you’re just shooting blanks hoping they’ll hit a target. As far as web presence is concerned this means you should have a good view of what it is you’re trying to sell yourself as and then start looking what the best places are to do this online. Want to get your foot in the door as a contemporary character artist? Mojizu and Behance are solid starting places. Want to get your name out there as a Flash web designer? Make it your mission to get one or two of your sites on the FWA for starters.

2. Don’t spread yourself too thin
There are tons of places and tricks online you can use to get your name out there. The problem is that once you start focusing on a few you’ll realize it cost quite a bit of time. Accounts need to be set up and kept up to date, comments need answering, networking need to be done and so on. If you don’t do the needed maintenance there really is no use to promoting yourself on a certain site at all. This means you can’t be everywhere so you need to start making choices. Ask yourself how much time you can spend and what places are most effective as a means to reaching your goals.

3. Do not expose information that might shock your target clients
We all have our “out of the ordinary” hobbies or crazy skeletons in our closets. You like listening to retro black metal music with your face painted black and white for that extra bit of credibility? That’s cool with me, hell, me and my girlfriend collect Bratz dolls so I’m not one to judge! If you choose to not hide that aspect of your life I applaud that, but I would advise you to think carefully about what type of information you expose about yourself in a professional environment. I’ve found strangers get judged much harsher then the people we have closer ties with. So why not wait until you’ve done the job a few months and then come clean with your colleagues if you feel this is necessary?

Some hobbies are best kept under wraps…

4. Clean your port up
I often see a lot of portfolio’s that have work that’s three or more years old. That’s great if you had it going on then and haven’t improved much, but most of the time your old work will start to dull compared to your newer pieces and your focus might also have changed. It’s imperative you give your portfolio a harsh look every now and then and leave only your best pieces. Most professionals agree that it’s better to have a small but strong port then a large mixed quality one.

5. Be consistent with how you present yourself
Whether you work under your own name or not doesn’t matter because when you’re building web presence you are the brand. And we all know a brand has to be protected and should be instantly recognizable. This means that if you represent yourself as “The ultimate Design lord” on one site you can’t be “John Jackson” on another, you have to pick one and stick with it. The same goes for style attributes you use. Don’t use bright colors in your portfolio design and then go all black and grey on your Behance, you’d be wasting your recognizability. Aim to be as consistent as is possible.

6. Try to get exposure through blogs
If printed magazines are still a bit out of your league chances are you could be very successful getting exposure on blogs. Getting exposure through blogs usually leads to some good traffic hitting up your site. One good strategy is to hit up multiple blogs every time you have an important update or launch a new project. You can also barter a bit with bloggers to ensure that stuff you think is important get mentioned in the post.

Note: When contacting bloggers make sure to go with blogs that are alive. It doesn’t have to be Smashing magazine but you really want some good exposure, so have a look at the amount of comments or ask the owner what the average daily user count is. I personally wouldn’t go with a blog that has less than 1500 visitors a day if it’s a lot of effort on your part (tutorials take time for example, a showcase on the other hand is as easy as sending some images over).

7. Get a tutorial published
Creating a good tutorial costs a bit of time but can have some great benefits. The first benefit is that you set yourself up as a specialist in your craft which is obviously never bad. Second is the fact that depending on where you get it published you’ll get a nice flow of traffic to your site and you might even get payed.

My personal advice would be to get your tutorial published on medium/large blogs or dedicated tutorial sites. For the blogs try Abduzeedo or Smashing Magazine (if that doesn’t work out try Designfeedr;). As far as dedicated tutorial sites go I’d advise you to look into the TUTS network which features sites like Psdtuts first since they get great traffic and pay your for your effort.

Psdtuts is your best bet if you’re serious about writing tutorials.

8. Collaborate with artists who also actively work on their web presence
Working with other artists has multiple benefits. First of you’re doing some strong networking for yourself. Second you’re investing time in a project that you know will be exposed from both sides. If both you and your partner are actively trying to make a name for yourselves this will lead to benefits for the both of you. A win win situation occurs, and that’s not even mentioning the great work you and your partner might end up with.

That’s it for today! If you have any tips I haven’t mentioned feel free to stick them in the comments.