I picked up mind mapping from a famous logo designer. Once a detailed design brief is completed then I begin scratching out words in a mind map tree. Basically brainstorming and writing at the same time. I’ll usually start with words directly from the brief and consider as many synonyms for these words as possible. I also try to take words that are immaterial and find objects that can relate and support the essence of these words in order to produce a solid base for beginning the sketching process. For example, a hairdresser approaches me about a logo design that represents beauty and confidence. Here is what the mind map might look like:

Although this is only an example you might be able to determine that many possibilities present themselves for sketching to the logo designer willing to push the limits and not immediately eliminate ideas at this stage in the process. I often surprise myself by an idea I may not have thought another way. This mind mapping technique also allows me the opportunity to walk away for some time and the ability to continue the process at a later time because my brainstorming is written down.

Download the new StumbleUpon logo in vector format.

1Point size & x-height: The point size of type is most often the distance from the bottom of a descender to the top of an ascender. The x-height is the distance from the baseline to the top of the font not including ascenders. It is often true that fonts with a greater x-height are easier to read.

2Leading: The space between lines of type is referred to as the leading. A term derived from the ancient practice of milling strips of lead to be place in between lines of type that were set by hand for a press. Giving additional space between lines can also help readability in paragraph text.

3Tracking: Tracking is the spacing between individual characters. Normally a happy medium needs to be reached in order to keep type readability.

4Line Length: It is most often true that the mind can stay tuned to about one and a half “alphabets” or 36 to 45 letters. It’s important not to make the lines of type that you set much longer than this.

There are many others factors for creating good typography and this is by no mean a comprehensive list. It’s is just as important for the modern designer to pay close attention to type details as it was for letter pressmen of yesteryear!

When it comes to design for any medium it is just as vitally important to employ proper research. Your ultimate goal as a designer is to help your client answer the question, What story do I want to tell? The clients culture and target audience must be identified through research in order to tell the proper story. A story that resonates with that audience and properly conveys your clients culture. A simple way to find an answer to the above mentioned question is to ask more targeted questions. Questions like:

• WHO do I want to reach with my message?
• WHAT is my desired outcome?
• WHEN will the events I am proposing take place?
• WHERE does my audience need to be?
• WHY can this help?
• HOW do I plan to deliver the goods?

The important questions are Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How? Finishing off the rest of the question will largely dependent on the type of client for which you are designing. A service based client will obviously require different questions than a product based business. Research is important and should be the first step in a successful design process.

1. Download all of the necessary assets. You will need to download a free font from Dafont.com called Bebas Neue Font. Do that and install it on your computer before you launch Adobe Illustrator. Sometimes fonts will not show up unless the program is closed until after they are installed. You will need to create a new Illustrator document on your own or you can download mine. My document is 800 pixels wide by 600 pixels tall. The download also includes screenshots to help you understand each step below. They are named according to the step to which they correspond.

2. Create the line of type you want. Inisde the new document you just created type anything that you want using the Bebas Neue Font that you recently installed. I recommend single words or tiny phrases. If a line gets too long it might not look quite right, but it can be done. It is totally your decision. If you downloaded my file you can see that I have created a few lines of type already. You can use these if you so desire. For the sake of this tutorial I will type the word ‘coffee’ at 75 point size with a black fill. I use this large size to make it easier on myself in the future. Work out your letter spacing at this stage it is much easier to alter at this point than it will be later.

3. Convert the word you typed to outlines and duplicate it twice. To create outlines make sure your word is selected and go to the ‘Type’ menu at the top and select “Create Outlines” from the drop-down. Illustrator will create a group in your layers panel with shapes that look the same as the word you just typed. The text will not be editable any more at this point but that is just fine for our purposes. Ungroup this group by going under the “Object” menu and selecting “Ungroup.” Now merge all of these shapes together using the “Pathfinder” panel. Bring up this panel using the “Window” menu and selecting “Pathfinder.” While holding down the “Option” key click the “Unite” icon in the “Pathfinder” panel, and then click the “Expand” button as well. You now have a “Compound Shape” that looks exactly like the word you typed in the beginning. Duplicate this shape two times by selecting “Copy” & “Paste in Front” from the “Edit” menu. You will need to do this twice.

4. Nudge those copies down and to the right. Go to your “layers” panel and you will see three copies of the compound shape that you created a few moments earlier. Select the bottom most shape by clicking the circle next to it’s name in the “Layers” panel. With this shape selected hit the down and right arrow keys on your keyboard twice each. Now select the next compound shape from the bottom and nudge it down and to the right by hitting the down and right arrow keys just once. With this shape still selected change it’s fill color to white. If everything has gone according to plan you can see how our effect is starting to come to life.

5. Use the “Pathfinder” panel to finish off the effect. Select only the two layers you just nudged down and to the right. Leave the original layer unselected for now. Hold down the “Option” key and click the “Minus Front” icon in the “Pathfinder” panel, and then click the “Expand” button. Now select the new shape you just created and the original compound shape at the same time. Hold down the “Option” key and click the “Unite” icon in the “Pathfinder” panel, and then click the “Expand” button.

6. Finish off your word with a little style. You just created a compound shape and it should look like a faux shadow type effect. It also gives the type a three dimensional appearance as well. We are not through yet. You could use this word as-is, but I think we should take it to the next level. With this shape selected go under the “Effects” menu and select “Warp > Rise.” In the dialog box check the “Preview” check box, and make sure the “Horizontal” radio button is selected as well. I left the “Distortion” set to 0 on all counts and set my “Blend” value at 10, but you could change the settings to suit your personal needs. Click OK. If your type has the look that you want go under the “Object” menu and select “Expand Appearance” and there you have it. I copied and pasted this shape into InDesign and went about finessing my type even further by adding some styles.

You could use this effect for an old-fashioned and perhaps even retro type projects. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below.

There are a few things to keep in mind for creating this effect. First your image needs to be in the RGB color space.(If you are designing for print you can convert it to CMYK once the effect is applied.) You can make sure it is by going under the Image menu and selecting Mode>RGB Color from the dropdown. Also, the Foreground and Background colors are important to achieving the proper coloring. You may use black and white and colorize your layer later, but I prefer to make that decision up front. I feel like there is more control that way. It is really up to you.

1 Open the image you wish to use for creating the half-tone effect. Duplicate the background layer by pressing Command-J.

2 Press the D key to set your foreground and background colors to their default black and white.  Click the black foreground color in the toolbar and change it to R:68 G:47 B:27. Change the white background color to R:243 G:235 B:211.

3 Select the Sketch>Halftone Pattern from the Filter menu dropdown. The settings for my image are Size:5 Contrast:10 and Pattern Type:Dot.

I then converted that layer into a Smart Object by right-clicking next to the layer name and selecting Convert to Smart Object from the contextual menu. You could then drag and drop this into any document you would like to utilize this image.

It’s a simple effect and very nice once it’s done. Keep in mind that the resolution of the image you are applying the halftone effect to will determine your settings in the Halftone Pattern dialog box. The foreground and background colors that you choose will also have a dramatic impact on the end results. I encourage you to play with these settings, blend modes, colors, and textures once you have your image in place. Overlapping images with this halftone effect can also have pleasing results. Let me know how you utilize this effect in any of your designs.

I recently purchased a set of genuine wood textures from GraphicRiver.net, Envato Marketplace by TextureMambo. These textures are high enough resolution to work for print projects which is perfect for my needs. There are hundreds of textures and other design goods available. Here are five of my favorites from my recent purchase in no particular order:

I appreciate the importance of quality assets for my designs and Graphic River has plenty. They are a help in speeding up production time and help give my work a more professional look and feel. Let me know how you use textures in your designs below in the comments.

During my time working in the prepress department at the Colorado Printing Company I learned a good rule of thumb for getting a ‘true’ blue. Maintaining a difference between the cyan and magenta color values as close to thirty percent(30%) as possible should allow your blues to look appropriate in your design after final production. For instance, instead of using C=100 M=100 Y=0 K=0 for blue try C=100 M=70 Y=0 K=0 for your cyan and magenta values. (See simulated example swatches below.)

Please keep in mind that this is simply a simulation of what might happen. Ultimately, a hard proof from your printer will give you the best indication on what colors you are going to achieve. Also, when it come to printing you investment is important for correct color reproduction. Some printers maybe able to save you money, but may not be able to alter individual colors for each job.

I wanted them to be a single color with the social media logo/icon silhouetted in white in the middle of a circle. This would allow me to make a quick color change to adapt to any design that I was putting together. I have been slowly creating these icons as they have become necessary for me to have and thought my site visitors might be interest in having these as well. Let me know if you like them in the comments below. I would also like to see how you were able to utilize them. Currently there are eighteen in all. You may download these vector social media icons for your own use. I have updated them with the newest logo from Stumble Upon. Here is the entire list of included icons:

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Flickr
• Deviant Art
• Vimeo
• RSS
• You Tube
• My Space
• Linked In
• Paypal
• Viddler
• (New)Stumble Upon
• Blogger
• WordPress
• Behance
• Digg
• Tumblr

You are allowed to use these in personal and commercial projects without attribution, but it is always appreciated. Do not resale or redistribute these icons as your own. Only link back to this page. I am sure I have missed some social networks, and I do not normally designs icons. So please, let me know your thoughts in the comments below.