1. Balance

Balance is how the elements of a design are distributed throughout a layout. If the balance is good, then stability is assured, although lately many designers go for unbalanced designs because they are dynamic and offer a totally different perspective. The personal pages are the most suitable for slightly off-balanced layouts, and you will see some examples soon.

To be able to notice what kind of balance a website has, you need to know the three types of balance: symmetrical, asymmetrical and radial. The first one takes place when both sides of a design are the same in shape, lines, texture and so on. Because this is the way we design today, this happens most of the time along a vertical axis, so when we talk about the two sides of a design, we talk about left and right. There are also examples along the horizontal axis and sometimes even along both of them, but these are rare. The symmetrical designs are pretty much most of the websites on the internet until 5 years ago.

The second type of balance occurs when the two sides of a website do not look like each other, but still have elements that are similar. Although it is called asymmetrical, they still provide some symmetry, like the first type of balance, only at a lower level. Asymmetrical websites are becomimg more and more popular nowadays (see WordPress layouts with content on one side and sidebar on the other).

The radius balance takes place when design elements are placed in a circular pattern. They give a sense of movement, dynamism, but it is not seen very often on the internet, because even the most experienced designers have problems laying out such a design.

As said earlier, balance is achieved through shapes, colors, textures, lines and the other elements we’ve talked about in the first episode.

Florida Flourish is a good example of a total symmetric website

Duplos uses an asymmetrical layout which works really well.

2. Dominance and Priority

These two principles are together because they are strongly linked. They both have a lot to do with the user experience because a lack of priority and element dominance can be confusing. The dominance level is the one which prioritizes the importance of different elements, such as menu, logo, content or footer. Sure, this is also done by playing with the font and size, but let’s go a bit deeper and see what dominance and priority mean.

There are three main levels of priority. We have the headline or call to action, which comes as a primary element; then we have the secondary elements like images needed to make a point or, most of the time, the navigation. They are obviously not the most important element of a website, but you can’t do it without them either. The tertiary elements are information like footer links, meta information on blogs or different elements, and a website can most of the time exist without them. However, they are used frquently because they complete the design in different ways, either by offering more information, or by completing the layout with some elements.

Area17 emphasizes the dominant element in the top left corner and the welcome message pulls you in as well because of the color.

3. Proportion

Proportion is important and represents the scale of elements compared to each other. They have a strong effect on the user and are also linked with the previous principle. It is no surprise that larger elements have a stronger impact on the user than the small ones. Dominance, priority and proportion work together to assure the user sees the information properly on a website. Having a larger font in the footer than in the content is a mistake because it does not respect these three principles.

Bluecated Interactive uses proportion to draw the attention on the image.

4. Contrast

This is another important principle not only of design, but also of photography and any other visual art. I don’t think we need to go too deep into this, because everybody knows what contrast means. Having enough contrast between elements makes sure that some of them stand out more than others. If designers wish to blend elements together, they do it by having minimal contrast between them. If the contrast is high, the elements are distinct from each other.

If balance is created through shapes and lines, the contrast can be created through color. However, lately the contrast has also been changed through typography and texture, so this becomes more and more popular. Having perfect typography can help you achieve not only the perfect contrast, but also proportion, dominance and priority. It is easy to see that the last three concepts we’ve talked about are slightly linked to each other in some ways. If we would talk a bit more general about this whole topic, we would be able to put all of them into the same paragraph.

eHarmony's "Find My Matches" button stands out because of a good use of contrast.

5. Rhythm

This might be a new one for you. The rhythm of the page is the principle that makes the human eye move from one element to another. It ensures the flow of the eye and in which order users should see the elements. Now this is a difficult one to make, because everybody has their own way of looking at a website and making all of them do it the same way might be too overwhelming.

There are two types of rhythms: the fluid and the progressive. The first one is a variation and the best example is the movement of water, which flows in the same direction basically, but has a lot of variation in how it moves. The progressive rhythm occurs when there is a clear sequence on how the eye should move between elements.

David Desandro's portfolio follows a very regular, progressive rhythm

6. Harmony and Unity

The last principle of design wants to ensure that even if all the principles above are used properly, it is still impossible to create a stunning design without harmony and unity, and this is quite often seen in real life. We often hear of rich people who have everything they want, but lack harmony and unity in their lives. It is the same rule in design. If all these elements work together properly, then you’ve achieved what we call unity. Only placing all these elements on a page without linking them to each other does not create a design, but a page with a bunch of elements. If the elements complement each other and the website is easy to the eye and offers a good user experience, then the work you’ve done is more or less finished.

There is no really need for an example here, we all know that websites with harmony and unity can be spotted all over the place; think of a website that you like a lot and that you always remember. That’s probably a website that has harmony and unity.

Conclusion

The second article of the series wraps up the process of analyzing the very basic principles of design you really need to know about. After reading the first two articles you pretty much have most of the knowledge you need to start designing your own layout, but wait a bit more. The third and last article of the series comes soon and will cover the basics of composition such as focal point, grid theory, gestalt laws and others which can also be used for products like magazines, flyers or brochures.

Read more in-depth

If this article only satisfied a bit of your curiosity, then I’ve gathered for you few other sources where you can read more about the basic principles of design.

Web Design Symmetry and Asymmetry on 1stwebdesigner.com

How to Use Size, Scale and Proportion in Design on Van SEO Design

Unity in Design on Van SEO Design

Developing Visual Rhythm in Web Design on Tynpanus

Principles of Design: Contrast on Sitepoint

Dominance on Van SEO Design

The main job of a graphic designer is to design visual elements for the web and print, such as layouts for websites (which are most of the time “translated” into real websites by the web designers), posters, brochures, flyers or advertising campaigns (both in web and offline).

There are in total six elements of a design which you need to be aware of: the line, the shape, the color, the texture, the value and the space.

1. The line

The line is usually present in every design, even if it is a solid border of 1px or a dotted one of 5px. Every website has lines, but the minimalistic style which became more popular in the past couple of years tries to erase the lines from the layouts, or at least to decrease the use of them.

The lines can be long, red, straight, thin, blue, dashed, short, black or curved, they are all into the same category. They are most of the time used for delimitation between different sections of a design, or are used to direct a viewer’s vision in a specific direction.

The lines can create different effects and visual impact. While a thick, bold line draws attention because of its visual power, the thin lines tend to go the other way. The color has an impact too, dark colors are easier to see and draw more attention than light or pale colors.

And this is not all. The style of a line can also influence the way the user sees it. This style can easily be defined through CSS and can be solid, dotted and dashed among others. The solid lines have a different impact than the dotted ones, because they are more imposing.

The minimalistic style which I’ve talked about earlier uses either less solid lines or more curved lines, because they give a dynamic and fluid look to a design, which is also the purpose of the style. They indicate energy, keep the user interested and, if combined with illustration, are very powerful to the human eye.

Many years ago solid lines were very popular because they determined the style of the design: rigid, solid and organized. The web changed in the past years and this style is not very popular anymore, especially for designers’ portfolios and other pages with a strong need of a personal touch.

The lines separate the two columns and are not very bold.

The solid lines are used to separate different parts of the website.

2. The shape

The shape, or the form, is the second most used element of a web design. They are actually lines combined in different shapes. The forms are still popular and this is because if there is something that needs to stand out, forms are one of the ways to do it. There can be circles, squares, rectangles, triangles or any other abstract shape; most of the designs include at least one of these. Minimalistic designs use it a lot, because they are often based on illustrations and drawings. The old style of designing websites included shapes too, so they remained popular throughout the time and will probably continue being like that.

Like lines, shapes are also associated by the human mind with different movements. For example, circles are associated with movement and nature, while squares are often seen as structured, basic designs. Just like with the lines, the color, style, background or texture of a shape can totally change the viewer’s perception.

Fred Maya's portfolio uses shapes to emphasize the logo and the previous work.

3. Textures

The textures were not very popular a couple of years ago, but they tend to become more and more used. They replaced (or compete with, if we can call it a competition) the single-colored backgrounds. Textures can look similar to solid background colors, but if they are analyzed closer, small but effective differences can be noticed.

Texture styles include paper, stone, concrete, brick, fabric and natural elements, among flat or smooth colors. Textures can also be subtle or pronounced and can be used sparingly or liberally. They work with pretty much everything. Even if they do not seem important, the textures can totally change a website and offer a totally different visual impact.

Jason Julien's portfolio uses a grunge texture.

This webpage uses a different texture than the first example, looking like a math notebook.

4. Color

The color may even be the most important element of a design, because it offers the most powerful visual impact at a single glance. Color is obvious and does not need basic graphic skills to be noticed. While lines and shapes mean the same thing as in the reality, only at a little more profound level, the color means exactly the same thing as in the nature. Color creates emotions – red is passionate, blue is calm, green is natural. Even if you don’t realize this, colors have a clear effect on your mind.

Studies have been done and a person who lives in a red environment has a higher heartbeat and pulse than a person living in a blue environment. The human brain sees this and influences the rest of the body.

Therefore color theory is very important to know, because not many designers can call themselves experts in this field. Being a master of colors might make the difference between a good design and a stunning one.

I am not saying you have to know all of them, but knowing how hue, saturation, shade, tint, tone or chroma work together is crucial for a graphic designer.

Feed Fever uses different colors for text, trying to emphasize the importance of each line with a different nuance.

5. Value

I did not specify value above, even if it is closely related to color, because value is more general and represents how dark or light a design is. Value has a lot to do with mood too, only at a more profound level. Understanding colors will take you close to perfection, but knowing how value works will take you beyond this. Lighter designs offer a different impact and feeling than the dark ones and you need an expert eye to notice differences and decide which one is the best.

6. Space

The space and how it is used is crucially important in design. Lately the “white space” (also called negative space) became used widely because it allows the human eye to read easier. For whoever is not familiar with the term “white space”, it does not mean precisely space filled with white, but every area of the design which is only filled with the background color. You can see several examples below to better understand the concept.

If there is a lot of negative space in your web design, it offers light and an open feeling. The lack of white space will turn your design into an old-fashioned, cluttered one. The space has also a lot to do with how the design is perceived by the human eye.

Even if I said the color is maybe the most important element of a design, the space is definitely present in the top, because it is also very easy to notice by the untrained eye. It can turn a design to your advantage and get the best out of your layout.

Google is the best example on how the negative space can be maximized.

Site Inspire also uses the negative space on the sides and combines it with a well-suited typography.

Conclusion

These are the basic elements a beginner graphic designer should know about. Having this knowledge will allow you to think more user-focused and design with a better style. However, this is not everything. A couple of more articles will complete this series and the following one, due to come very soon, will talk about the principles of design.

Further reading

This article was just a list of the basic elements of a graphic designer. If you wish to learn more about them, I’ve gathered the following sources for you from the internet. Reading them entirely (and maybe more times) will give you a better understanding of the basic design process.

How to Actually Use Negative Space as a Design Element on 1stwebdesigner.com

The Meaning of Lines on Van SEO Design

The Meaning of Shapes on Van SEO Design

Shape – Basic Element of a Design on About.com

Basic Color Theory on Color Matters

Color Theory on Wikipedia

A Guide to CSS Colors in Web Design on Six Revisions

Being a freelance designer is a job made in heaven or hell. Don’t you love the feeling of fulfillment once your design has been approved?  Being recognized and praised for your work is the best feeling to have, but this is not always the case—some bosses are harder to please than others. We have been on that road before, on one time or another—clients demanding revision after revision, asking for changes and modifications. There are so many demands that you feel like every creative juice has been squeezed out of your head. What do you do?

Of course, there’s no easy answer to this. We can’t please everybody. Sometimes we get disgruntled because clients ask for too many changes that we have to compromises the whole design and aesthetic. Clashes can occur, especially since some clients lack the creative set to distinguish design from rubbish.

Photo by: Zsuzsanna Kilian

Avoiding Revisions and other Issues

As revisions are inevitable, there are actually a few ways on how you can avoid them:

Know what they want

Master the art of communication. Client communication is the most important part of Freelance Designing. The best way to solve misunderstandings and frustrations is simply through proper communication. Always ask them their demands and preferences before starting a project. Ask them for their expectations.

Meet halfway

For your part, give them an overview on how you work and on what they should expect from you. Give them details on what you can and what you cannot do. If you can, present them a portfolio of your previous works to give them a glimpse of your design philosophy.

The most important part is meeting halfway. Yes, we graphic artists are trained to know the good from the ugly–but do not assume you know what to do and what your client wants. See to it that your client’s needs are met but not so much that it could compromise the design.

Be Inspired

Photo by: Raja R

Take time to think and be inspired. Jumping on a project without some inspiration can cause creative burn out. Thus, find ways to get inspired in order to think of fresh and innovative ideas. Avoid getting ideas from the internet–go out and derive inspiration from real life. Brainstorm, read a book, take a walk or take a pencil and doodle. Sleep it in and start the project the next day–brain recharged and stress free.

Clearly explain to them the objectives of the project

You and your client should come up with a set list of objectives approved by both parties. So much time can be wasted if there are no ground rules given. So before starting a project, ask the client what they want to achieve for the said project, and put it in writing. Objectives will give you a clear rundown on where you’re heading for both you and your client. After finishing the project, you can see if the objectives have been met.

Present your client a timeline

Create a timeline for the current project handled. This will force you to put a deadline to the project, removing your chances of procrastinating. Creating a timeline will help you manage your time properly, so that you can proceed to other projects. Your client will appreciate the effort, as well.

Make your clients understand your side

Many of our headaches come from the clients themselves–for example, giving us low resolution images to use, or insisting on using Comic Sans MS for their site, or asking for crappy color combinations like orange and black. Do not be afraid to voice out your opinion as a designer–make them understand. Tell them that low res images won’t look good when printed out, that Comic Sans MS will make a web site look second grade-ish, and that orange and black is best left to use for the Halloween season.

A creative brief is a great tool to keep track of the project’s progress. It doesn’t need to be that long (as the name ‘creative brief’ suggests). A short, one page creative brief will do. Write a good creative brief and explain the design thoroughly, in order to prevent any more further provisions and changes.

Present your client with several design studies

Some graphic designers make the mistake of worshipping their own work. They think that their design is so good the client will instantly love it. Once creating a single design, their mind is closed for other new ideas on how to approach it. Read: This is a big mistake.

Clients love to work with people who have plenty of ideas. Multi-faceted designers are always valued. So for a project, be sure to present, three, four, or more proposed designs for the project to show off your versatility and imagination as a graphic designer. For every design, you can make more studies by varying colors, fonts and the layout design so that your client. Providing several variations by mixing and matching in order to provide the client a wide range of choices to choose from.

Don’t Worry: Revisions are OK!

If your client asked you for revisions, don’t be such a sour puss. Too many designers tend to complain and sulk if their design don’t get approved. The creative set are known to be too proud to accept the fact that their design needs a little tweaking. Accept it, be happy to have given feedback, and do your job.

Once you get a list of revisions, create an outline and prioritize things in order. Inform the client the maximum client revisions you’re willing to do per project, and ask them to give instructions to you in sets, and not one at a time.

Revisions can be tiring, but it is another way to learn and add experience. Moreover, strive to prevent further unnecessary revisions by listening to your client carefully.

In this tutorial we will learn how to create selection, adjusting color, and adding depth to image.

Source Needed

For this tutorial, we will need these images:

• Water Tower from fairiegoodmother.
• Premade Background from night-fate.
• Brocade Victorian Gustov 3 from falln-stock.
• Top Hat from luna-8.
• Old Top Hat collection from azenor-stock.

Step 1: Selecting The Victorian Man

We’ll start by cutting this man from his background. For this type of selection, I prefer to use the manual way, path. From paths panel create new path then using pen tool draw path around the man. As you can see i don’t care much about his face because we will remove it later.

Step 2

Once we’re done creating path, hit ctrl+Enter to change it to a selection. Press ctrl+J to duplicate the selection to a new layer. You can also do this by selecting menu Layer > New > Layer via Copy. To help focus on the man, hide Background by clicking its eye icon.

Step 3: Removing Face

To remove his face we can just use an eraser.

Step 4: Fixing Floating Hat

Now, we need to create his bottom hat. To do this we must draw manually using clone tool. Activate clone tool and check Sample All Layers. This option allow us to clone on a separate layer and keep the original picture safe. Then create a new layer. With clone tool sample a similar color from his hat by alt+click it.

Step 5

With clone tool, draw his bottom hat. This might take a while, I spend 10-15 minutes for this. To keep it natural I suggest you to use different clone source every time you click.

Step 6

Using lasso tool, create ellipse selection underneath his hat and fill it with black.

Step 7

Add Gaussian Blur (Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur) to give it a soft realistic shadow.

Step 8: Fixing Collar

We need to manually draw his back collar. The step is a bit similar to what we do when creating bottom part of his hat. Create a selection in collar shape, sample color from his front collar, then draw it directly with brush tool. To avoid flat color we must use many color source from his front collar.

Step 9

Draw shadow inside his collar and add another Gaussian Blur.

Step 10: Import Man Without Face To New Background.

Now we’re done with this man. Select all (ctrl+A), click Edit > Copy Merged (ctrl+shift+C). In our new background paste the man (ctrl+V) and resize it (ctrl+T). See image below for reference.

Step 11: Dodge and Burn

We still need to fix lighting on the man. To do this, we will use non-destructive burning and dodging. First, alt+click New Layer icon. In the dialog box select Use Previous, Mode: Overlay, and Fill with Overlay.

Step 12

See picture below! The light source is behind the man so his back must be lighter than his front. To fix this, paint with burn tool to make it darker and dodge tool to make it lighter.

Here’s what we see if the layer is in Normal blend mode.

Step 13: Add Shadow

Off course this man must have shadow. We know that the light source is behind him, so the shadow must be in front of him. Duplicate the man layer and hit ctrl+T. Hold ctrl and move its corner until it lies on the ground.

Step 14

We don’t want to see his twin lying on the ground right? We want his shadow.

So, here’s the trick. Hit D, this will change foreground color to black. Then hit shift+alt+delete, this will fill layer with foreground color (in our case, black).

Step 15

We still need to focus on the detail. As you can see below, cane’s shadow moves a little and there’s a hole between his feet. I fix this by doing minor transformation and painting with black.

Step 16

Add Gaussian blur to create a soft realistic shadow.

Step 17

Farthest shadow need to be more blurry. So, select those part, soften the selection with Feather (Select > Modify > Feather), and another Gaussian Blur. Here’s a tip: because we’ve just perform a Gaussian Blur we can just hit ctrl+F to repeat it again. If you want to use different radius use ctrl+alt+F.

Step 18

Add layer mask and add black to white linear gradient to make the shadow fades away.

Step 19: Add Water Tower

Selecting the water tower with path is not a good idea. You’ll get frustrated doing it. The easiest and smartest way is using color information in channel. Our image is in RGB, that’s Red, Green, and Blue. The water tower stands in front of a clear blue sky. So, the sky will be very visible in Blue channel. Now, I want you to duplicate Blue Channel by dragging it to the new channel icon.

Step 20

Add Levels (ctrl+L) with this setting.

You can see that the sky has magically disappear. Try that with pen tool!

Step 21

Some part of the water tower is turning white. We can fix it easily by painting it with black.

Step 22

Here’s the basic principle of masking: “White reveals, Black conceals.” We want to select the water tower, not the sky. So, the sky has to be black and the water tower has to be white. Wait! Our image is completely wrong. That’s easy, just hit ctrl+I to invert it.

Step 23

Ctrl+click blue copy channel to convert it to a selection. Copy the image and paste it behind our faceless man.

Step 24

You might notice that the there’s a small part of the sky in the water tower. Here’s one easy way to fix it. Ctrl+click water tank layer. Contract selection by 1 px (Select > Modify > Contract). Click add layer mask icon.

Here’s the result.

Step 25

Fix the lighting with non-destructive dodging and burning. We have done this in step 11.

Step 26: Adding Depth of Field

It’s time add depth to this image. Cut one of the hat collection from old top hat set. Paste it and place it near the edge of the canvas. Hit ctrl+T and rotate it to give a more dynamic movement.

Step 27

Give it a Gaussian Blur. Because this hat is near us, we’ll give it a big radius.

Step 28

Add another hat and give each different radius depends on its position.

Step 29: Add shadow

Dont forget to give shadow to the water tower. The step here is similar to what we did when creating the man’s shadow. Duplicate water tower layer, fill it with black, transformation, add Gaussian blur, and fading it with gradient mask layer.

Step 30

Again, don’t forget to add shadow for those hats.

Step 31: Final Adjustment

I want to add more blue to the sky. For this, I add adjustment layer Channel Mixer on top of all layers with these settings.

Step 32

Paint everything with black except the bright sky in top right. Now, only that part is affected by the Channel Mixer.

Step 33

To add more contrast add adjustment layer Levels with this setting.

Step 34

Paint everything with black except the faceless man.

Step 35

Finally, I want to make this picture warmer. Add an adjustment Layer Photo Filter with Warming Filter (85), Density 25%.

Conclusions

And here’s what we have now. I hope you like the final effect. If you have better tips about the technique used here I’d love to hear it.

Download FREE PSD File!!!

To help you learn this tutorial you can download the psd file here.

I am amazed how many great and professional podcasts are out there so I am presenting to You 20 useful audio and video podcasts.

1. Boagworld web design podcast

Description
One of the biggest  webdesign related podcast sites with 143 podcasts already and growing. Site release new podcasts regularly each week. Each show lasts 45-90 minutes with Paul Boag and Marcus Lillington focusing on all thinks related to building and running websites. They are doing this thing for a long time, so they are really knowing what they are talking about, also presenting the show in funny and interesting way.

Subscribe via RSS

Subscribe via iTunes

Latest update: November 12, 2008

2. 49Sparks – Video Podcast on Design and Trends

Description
49Sparks is focused on design and trends, offering video podcasts mostly one minute long showing just the most important stuff and not wasting Your precious time!

Latest update: May 28, 2008

3. .Net Magazine Podcast

Description
.Net Magazine publishes WDTV Video Podcasts – it’s more like tutorial-style videocast discussing web-design related programs, problems and technical aspects in general. Mostly covers simple coding using Dreamweaver, Photoshop and Flash using Actionscript in professional way. Each podcast is 15-30 minutes long.

Subscribe via RSS

Subscribe via iTunes

Latest update: October 29, 2008

4. The Rissington Podcast

Description
The Rissington podcast talks about web design techniques, regularly answering reader questions. For now there are sixteen episodes available for download in m4a and mp3 format.

Subscribe to mp3

Subscribe to m4a

Subscribe via iTunes

Latest update: October 18, 2008

5. PhotoWalkTrough – Free Video Podcast

Description
PhotoWalkthrough presents video tutorials showing the post processing of a photograph using Adobe Photoshop and other programs. Along the way you will learn about the tools and techniques used and gain insight into the creative decisions that directed the artist’s hand. Really useful place for graphic designers.

Subscribe via RSS

Subscribe via iTunes

Latest update: November 2, 2008

6. Adobe Creative Suit Video Podcast

Description
Adobe Creative Suite Podcast with tips and tutorials by Terry White. Learn how to unlock the power and potential of the Creative Suite with the visual examples here. Covering almost all of the adobe creative suite products teaching You many useful tips to ease Your workflow and allowing to keep up with adobe news.

Subscribe via RSS

Subscribe via iTunes

Latest update: November 10, 2008

7. Photoshop User TV

Description
Watch each week as “The Photoshop Guys” (Dave Cross, Matt Kloskowski, and Scott Kelby) from the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) share the hottest Adobe Photoshop tutorials, the latest insider tricks, and the coolest timesaving, job-saving shortcuts to make your time in Photoshop more productive, more efficient, and more fun.

Now entering its second year as one of the world’s top-ranked video Podcasts, new 30-minute episodes of NAPP TV are posted each Monday, and include the latest Photoshop news, step-by-step tutorials, interviews and tips from the leading Photoshop gurus, and a weekly Photoshop contest with prizes ranging from Wacom Tablets, to Epson Printers, to iPods, to full conference passes to Photoshop World. If you’re an Adobe Photoshop freak, don’t miss a single episode of “The Photoshop Guys” on Photoshop User TV.

If You are using Photoshop regularly You will love this video podcast, there are 159 podcasts available for now.

Subscribe via RSS

Subscribe via iTunes

Latest update: November 11, 2008

8. My Damn Channel – You Suck At Photoshop

Description
You Suck At Photoshop video podcast series are just outstanding resource. Donnie Hoyle presents Photoshop tutorial series  in funny, dramatic way catching Your interest and also teaching You many professional Photoshop techniques. After long pause there are going on You Suck At Photoshop: Season 2.

Subscribe via RSS

Subscribe via iTunes

Latest update: October 31, 2008

9. Rookie Designer

Description
Rookie Designer, podcast is provided by Adam Hay, covering wide range of graphic and web design related topics.Tired of the typical jargon laden, elitist discussions about the design field of work, Adam set out to create a resource for ALL designers, young and old, experienced and non. Born was the Rookie Designer podcast, bringing tips, techniques and discussion delivered in an easy-to-understand format. Very useful and informative resource, currently there are 103 podcasts.

Subscribe via RSS

Subscribe via iTunes

Latest update: November 7, 2008

10. Photoshop Quick Tips

Description
This great site offers Photoshop related articles and small tutorials, hosted by Justin Seeley – Adobe Certified Expert, Adobe Community Expert and an Adobe User Group Manager. Justin is an industry-recognized Photoshop trainer with nearly a decade’s worth of experience in the creative media industry. Unfortunately podcasts series are delayed, hopefully that’s only for now, but still there are 70 episodes available.

Subscribe via RSS

Subscribe via iTunes

Latest update: February 25, 2008

11. You Suck At Web Design

Description
“You Suck at Web Design” is a humorous (attempting to be, that is) writing project about life as a web designer in our current flurry of web acronyms, standards compliance, WYSIWYG, style sheets, hacks, digging, 2.0-this and Ajax-that. It’s mostly a commentary on the life of a freelancer, and a horribly lop-side disdain for the corporate world and it’s micro management. With 39 episodes this project has stopped for now, but previous series are very useful, so be sure to check  these out.

Subscribe via RSS

Subscribe via iTunes

Latest update: April 29, 2008

12. Typeradio

Description
Typeradio is the radio channel on type & design, Microfm broadcast, a MP3 Internet radio stream and a podcast station. Since 2004 Typeradio (which is Donald Beekman, Liza Enebeis aka LoveLiza & Underware) is visiting different design events around the world, to meet designers and to talk – great chance to keep up with design community. Every podcast is 20 to 30 minutes long, recommended!

Subscribe via RSS

Latest update: October 28, 2008

13. Layers Magazine

Description
Layers TV video podcast series are provided by Layers Magazine and that’s just small part of whole website. The show is released weekly with 61 episodes for now available. Every episode is very detailed and teach how to work with Adobe Creative Suite products like Photoshop, Indesign, Illustrator, Flash, Dreamweaver and AfterEffects.

Subscribe via iTunes

Latest update: November 13, 2008

14. 36 Point

Description
Pretty unique Reflex Blue Show with 20 episodes for now – and regularly updating. Episodes focus on covering graphic design community news, interviews, freelancing and more.

Subscribe via RSS

Subscribe via iTunes

Latest update: November 6, 2008

15. Be A Design Group

Description
There are 53 design related episodes, taking interviews with many designers, try new ideas and more. They have been stopped creating podcasts, but if You are interested check this site too, I am sure You learn something new.

Subscribe via RSS

Latest update: February 27, 2008

16. WordPress Community

Description

If You use WordPress engine, You’ll love these podcasts series, now there are already 46 episodes – topics focus on everything related to WordPress like hosting, plugins, interviews, blogging. Just amazing.

Subscribe via RSS

Subscribe via iTunes

Latest update: October 28, 2008

17. Design School of Visual Arts

Description

Covers five different lecture series on design history, interviews with designers and also MFA student discussions. Each part has it’s own RSS feed and iTunes subscription links so I didn’t include them here.

Latest update: November 7, 2008

18. InDesign Secrets

Description

Adobe InDesign is taking the publishing world by storm. But if you try to find reliable information about InDesign on the Web you’ll find yourself scouring Adobe’s site or muddling through dozens of other sites for a tip or two. Now that you’ve found InDesign Secrets, it’s time to stop all that muddling. Developed by page-layout guru David Blatner and “DesignGeek” Anne-Marie Concepción, InDesign Secrets is your one-stop shop for all things InDesign.

This is the best site for InDesign  with a lot of articles, podcasts and videocasts. Updated regularly by professional designer team.

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Subscribe via iTunes

Latest update: November 8, 2008

19. Design Tools

Description

This podcast covers wide range of design news and tips to print design – Indesign and QuarkXpress, photoshop and much much more – very valuable.

Subscribe via iTunes

Latest update: November 10, 2008

20. Lynda.com Video Training Podcast

Description

The lynda.com Video training podcast brings you weekly updates on new video training titles and events from lynda.com. Included in each episode are clips from lynda.com’s Online Training Library®. Visit the Online Training Library® for hundreds of free full-resolution samples. Lynda is the most popular design related video training podcast site, I am sure You knew about this one.

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Latest update: Forever ( at least I hope so :))

Huh, again that’s it – I found these podcast sites to be the most popular ones, but I am sure I didn’t cover all of them. If You to find some more podcasts, try iTunes or Odeo…and if You know or follow any podcast site, that’s not listed here – please share with us! Thanks!