Although most agree that Adobe’s Creative Cloud is the pinnacle of professional design software, first-time designers with little software experience are likely to be overwhelmed by its plethora of features—and its cost. While most designers will eventually want to splurge on Adobe’s CC license to professionally share and sell their work, in the meantime there is a free online software called Canva that is the first-time designer’s best friend.
graphic design
Tips on Pairing Fonts
By Morgan Ramsey
Good typography can make anything look good, but it can be hard to successfully pair your fonts. Creating contrast is the key to good font pairing. You can achieve contrast in many ways, and it is a lot simpler than you think. Here are a few tips on how you can successfully pair fonts without needing a degree in graphic design.
We’re All on Our Way to Becoming Bookstagram Stars
By Vivian Nguyen @vivqnguyen
Book lovers, take a look at your shelf. What do you see? Not all of us can be Bookstagram stars with a plethora of breathtaking displays, but recently I’ve discovered that my books seem to follow a very similar color scheme. At first I thought this was a happy coincidence, but it turns out that publishers definitely know what they’re doing. In the book publishing world, marketing all begins with the cover.
Should You Design Your Book in Microsoft Word?
By Denise Morales Soto @dmoralessoto
I can see the appeal of using Word to design your book since it is a program that is familiar to most of us, especially if you’re a writer. It’s a lot cheaper than InDesign, which is a more professional tool that is also very technical and has a steeper learning curve. However, there are many reasons why Microsoft Word isn’t the best tool for this kind of work. So, before you commit to doing all that work in this program, here are a few things you should take into consideration.
Typography in 2020: What’s in a Trend?
By Chris Leal
If typography is out in the wild, it will demand your attention whether it’s effective or not. Even unsuccessful attempts at public graphic design grab the observant onlooker’s gaze.
Can I Do Graphic Design?
By Denise Morales Soto @dmoralessoto
Graphic design is so much fun. There is so much you can do in this space, just within the context of book publishing alone. From print to digital, there’s no end to what you can create. Because it is such a vast and interesting area, a lot of people want to try it out, but they hesitate because they don’t have any formal art training. I get it—I’ve been there. There is a lot of overlap between art and graphic design, as they require a lot of the same skills and an understanding of concepts like space, color, lighting, etc. But, while having a working knowledge of these when you start is helpful, it’s not required.