Mobile First

Something that has been brought to my attention recently is the need for mobile websites. We are constantly connected to the world wide web through the use of our smart phones and tablets. This being true we need for our websites to be sized convenient and designed accordingly to the device they are being viewed on. Most websites do not have appropriately sized versions for mobile users. We can fix this by utilizing media queries. Media queries allow the browser and device to select the appropriate style sheet and/ or style elements that need be applied to the HTML based on the device.

The technicalities of this can become quite time consuming. As a designer it becomes our job to decide what is worth keeping and what is worth eliminating. Above you see images of the same website viewed in different browser widths, as you would see on a mobile device/ tablet. On the top far left you see how much more visually appealing it is to have one strong image vs. four images. Size and readability are the two key features that determine the design of each version of the site. I just felt that bringing this to attention would be good, considering that the future of web design will rely mostly on the design of mobile sites.

Source:
http://www.uie.com/articles/mobile_first_rwd/
http://www.html5rocks.com/en/mobile/responsivedesign/

Logo Design

Every company needs a logo. It is the basis for branding. Finding a well designed logo nowadays isn't always so common or simple to do.  Today I will talk about some things to do and some things not to do when designing a logo.

The use of font can make or break a logo. Having to many different typefaces can cause for a sense of clutter and confusion. Using 1-2 type faces in a logo can be plenty, this way everything can appear unified while having contrast. Choosing even one type face will work but make sure your not using comic sans, a poor type face could break your entire design.

Originality is another big factor. You want to be memorable, simplistic and unlike everyone else. This can be done through good graphic design and typography, what should be avoided is the use of stock images. These are accessible and convenient but will not provide you with what a quality design can. Use of color can be good or bad, being that it can add spice to your logo. What you don't want is to make your logo color dependent. Color is associated with so many things that is almost impossible to leave a lasting impression based strictly on your color choice. Simple graphic elements can solve this dilemma.

As a designer it's important to make sure that when saving/ creating logos you do so with vector images. These vector images are made of precise points which allow for multiple sizing options and transparency. Where as using a raster graphic only allows for sizes saved as, this is because these images are made up of pixels that when stretched don't correspond.

Lastly if designing a logo, don't design the logo for you. Designing for others can be hard but once masted can ensure a great source of income and reputation.

Source:
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/06/25/10-common-mistakes-in-logo-design/