These sections include an assortment of visual storytelling methods from animation, documentary, music video and narrative to poetry, photography, collage and collaboration. Entries are showcased on Adobe’s Aspire Awards website. Adobe Youth Voices (AYV) is a global initiative set up by the Adobe Foundation in order to “ignite creative confidence in youth by empowering them to find their voice and make it heard”. Through programs such as this one young people can share their vision and develop new skills... CONTINUE READING

The truth be told, there are loads of very talented designers out there competing against one another. But, it takes more than graphic design talent to be successful. It also requires the core business and managerial skills all small businesses need to master to be successful. That means a balancing act of wearing many hats including office manager; sales person; bookkeeper; human resources manager; janitor; chief cook and bottle washer, as well as graphic design. It tends to be... CONTINUE READING

The Mall opened in August of 1992 and is located in Bloomington, Minn. Mall of America partnered with Duffy & Partners to develop a new iconic image. Duffy & Partners is a Minneapolis design firm, recognized nationally and internationally for excellence in design. The creative process recognized the equity found in the star of the original logo and transformed it into the dynamic new star made of vibrant colored ribbons. The ribbons depict the multitude of the always fresh,... CONTINUE READING

Pencil drawings depend mainly on graphite pencils that have different shapes and manufacturers, though some artists use graphite and other pencils, such as charcoal pencils in the same artwork. Generally, the materials used in pencils vary from graphite pencils, charcoal pencils, carbon pencils, colored pencils, and watercolor pencils. Before we dig into some of the most amazing pencil drawing artwork, let us learn some fun facts about pencil drawings that some of us already use without knowing the rule... CONTINUE READING

Darrin Crescenzi’s portfolio is spectacular, with particularly striking designs from his time spent with Nike. The impressive ‘Sigils of the Houses of Westeros’ poster also stands out; this re-brand of fantasy series ‘Game of Thrones’ was named one of the ‘Best Branding Projects of 2012’ by Fast Co. Design. In addition, Crescenzi’s other projects include pieces for contemporaries such as designer, director and illustrator Adam R Garcia. We wanted to find out more about the inspiration behind Darrin Crescenzi’s... CONTINUE READING

She believes that creativity is a common denominator of humanity and she is passionate about educating individuals and organizations about how to develop this uniquely human gift. Berc emphasizes that many of the creative thinking processes that a scientist, a CEO, and an artist go through are extremely similar, even though the outcomes are as different as can be. In 2000, she left academia to dedicate herself wholly to The Creativity Workshop, which she founded in 1993 with Alejandro... CONTINUE READING

The 2012 Creative Freelancer Conference (CFC), held in Boston made a huge impact on me as well as many of the people I spoke with (readers can get the recap here) as evidenced by the number of them who were repeat attendees. This year CFC is set to take place in San Francisco, CA and promises more of the proven advice, inspiration and networking opportunities attendees have come to expect. We spoke with Ilise Benun; founder of Marketing Mentor... CONTINUE READING

Adobe offers a variety of subscription levels for Creative Cloud. The 30-day free trial provides 2GB of storage, but allows for only limited access to the array of applications. Its standard $49.99 US/month “Complete Individual” subscription provides full versions of Adobe® Photoshop®, Illustrator®, Acrobat®, and more, along with full access to services to help subscribers create mobile-ready content and apps; 20GB of cloud storage for file sharing and collaboration. It does, however, require an annual commitment that is billed... CONTINUE READING