Graphic Design Insights & Inspiration From Catapult

ARTICLES & POSTS

10 Tips for Designing a Compelling Logo

Here are 10 powerful tips for designing a remarkable logo or managing the process of someone else creating the design. 1. Reflect the Brand If you’ve not established a formal brand position statement for your product, service or company, this is the place to start before embarking on a new logo design project, a logo…

Know When to Say No to Spec Work

Speculating On Gold: A Losing Proposition In most industries the word “speculation” is synonymous with the word “risk”. Sure, it tries to paint itself as a pretty picture; a panoramic view of the best possible outcome. But those industries know the truth: it’s risky, unstable, and not worth it. So why, in the graphic design…

15 Design Websites You Should Visit Weekly For Inspiration

If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants. — Sir Isaac Newton We each have personal design aesthetics that influence our design process. Sometimes the reservoir of design ideas runs dry and we don’t know where to take the next step. Thus we turn to our peers, mentors, and…

Font vs Typeface – What’s the Difference?

This is a question that has baffled the minds of designers for nearly as long as moveable lead type itself. If you Google search the question, you will come up with 100 answers and 100 more examples. Explaining a typeface is easy enough. It is the design of the letters, symbols, punctuation, etc in a…

How Has Printing Technology Affected Graphic Design and Branding?

Typography is the craft of endowing human language with a durable visual form. – Robert Bringhurst  Technology has historically been an agent of change. Throughout the relatively short history of graphic design, new technology has spurred and fostered writings and ideas to spread farther and faster than previously thought possible. Each great, innovative designer or…

20 Quick and Essential Photoshop Tips

  If you’re just starting your journey into the world of Photoshop or you’ve been there before and you just need a little brushing up (pun intended), here are 20 quick but essential tips to keep you out of trouble. This is a list of tips that will be helpful with each project. 1. When…

10 Ways to Fill the Creative Well

How to Fill the Creative Well & Keep It Filled In graphic design, brand architecture, marketing, and really any creative outlet it is important to continually be “filling the well.” It’s a simple idea that goes a long way. The more resources, inspirations, and ideas you have stored away the more you’ll have to pull…

10 Clever and Creative Projects for Discarded X-ACTO Blades

X-ACTO blade projects Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. ― Albert Einstein X-ACTO brand blades are a fundamental tool for any designer. They allow for material to be transformed into something unique, useful, and creative. Yet what do you do when your blade stops cutting? Normally we just discard…