Here you'll find everything related to graphic, industrial and product design
Delima pays tribute to the work of Dieter Rams with an illustration series Dieter Rams (Germany, 1932) is a universal reference in the world of industrial designers. A key representative of the functionalist movement, his work stands out for its minimalism and adherence to the philosophy, “less, but better”.
See the incredible plans of iconic architect Norman Foster to turn a 115-year-old warehouse into an ultra-sustainable office complex in Madrid The epitome of the international modern architect, Norman Foster is famous worldwide. The British designer has always had a soft spot for the Iberian peninsula however and, in 2017, he even built a foundation that carries his name in the Spanish capital. The center has served as a hub for design, debate, and innovation ever since. The foundation isn’t the only thing keeping him busy in the city: Foster+Partners is already hard at work on the development of the old Barclays Bank building in Plaza de Colón, the famous Cepsa Tower, and even the reforms to the 1912 palace in Chamberi that houses the Norman Foster Foundation itself.
Learn to create harmony and impact with these simple tips for combining colors in interior design from Miriam Alía Miriam Alía’s (@miriamalia) designs have featured in editorials like Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, Interiores and more. Here she shares basic rules for combining colors that you can play with and can help you establish what works best for you.
Basic tips for approaching a logo design from The Negra A logo can be the icing on the cake in a graphic project. Or its starting point. Either way, it must be distinguishable, unique and memorable. And that's where the fixed rules end, because even one of the most intuitive imperatives–legibility–does not always apply, it depends on what the brand is looking for. This is what the three partners of the Argentine studio The Negra (@thenegra), designers Diego, Lio and Pancho, teach us. In this tutorial, we learn basic premises to create a good logo, taking into account the message we want to convey, the brand to which it is applied, and the graphic options we have.
How to kickstart a foldable book project and what you will need to bring it to life Roger Ycaza (@rogerycaza) is an award-winning illustrator, author, and musician from Ecuador, specializing in children’s books. One of his favorite formats is the foldable book, given that it allows illustration to take center stage and requires the author to explore unique ways to connect their visual language with the story being told through text. Here, Roger takes us through his process for coming up with an initial idea that ignites a new book, as well as showing us some different foldable formats and the materials he recommends using to bring them to life.
Learn with Ethan Parry how to draw shapes, edit colors, and add text using UX design software Adobe XD. User experience has become an increasingly important part of design—bringing together designers, developers, and other stakeholders to create websites and digital products that users can easily and intuitively navigate. Implementing a successful UX design can result in more sales, improved branding, and better conversion, making it a necessary design principle regardless of the industry or audience being targeted. That’s why Adobe XD is such an important tool. A leading vector-based UX design software for web and mobile apps, it can be used to design and prototype wireframes and layouts that can then be implemented and tested. Ethan Parry (@ethanparry) is a service designer and UX research consultant who regularly uses Adobe XD in his own work. In this tutorial, he explains the software’s basic design functions, which are the building blocks you’ll need before you can begin building your own app.
Learn about the origins and current use of collage, an artistic technique that can awaken our creativity Collage is a technique that has evolved as the number of its collage artists has multiplied. It allows the use of virtually any material and, over time, it has become a versatile art form, with many exponents and styles. Origins of collage Although similar artistic techniques have existed since the Middle Ages, many critics, art historians, and museum institutions consider that collage itself was born in the 20th century. Others, such as the Art Institute of Chicago, recognize earlier photo-collage works as part of this technique. In the example below, from the mid-19th century, Georgina Louisa Berkeley created a watercolor photo-collage with albumen print photographs. She and other Victorian artists who explored the technique depict themselves and other women in an independent context, far removed from the domestic life to which they were confined.
Learn how interior design is impacted by social changes and the lifestyle of each user
A selection of websites with brilliant tools to improve your app and web design
Vega Hernando, the founder of Eating Patterns, talks us through publishing her first recipe book After Vega Hernando launched Eating Patterns in 2016, the Barcelona-based designer and cook always dreamed of publishing her own book. Four years later, we’re celebrating the arrival of “Eat!”, Vega’s first recipe book dedicated to seasonal ingredients.
Improve your skills, assess the progress you’ve made, and become a better creative through self-critique When you finish a project, it’s very important to carry out a post-mortem evaluation. This will convert your self-critique into a powerful tool that pushes you to be better. The biggest challenge is having to separate yourself from a project you’ve spent so much time on, stand back, and analyze it objectively. Designer, illustrator, director, and conceptual artist Nathan Jurevicius (@nathanjurevicius) shares his top tips for productively critiquing your work.
Learn a set of basic shortcuts for this animation and modeling program to use for your architectural projects
Charles and Ray Eames were visionaries who changed the course of design history Charles and Ray Eamess are known for their groundbreaking contributions to architecture, furniture design, industrial design, manufacturing, and photography. Having met while attending the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Charles Eames and Ray Kaiser Eames married and moved to California in 1941, where they continued to experiment with molded plywood. These experiments would lay the foundations for the future of modern design: their pioneering use of new materials and technologies would transform the American home, introducing furnishings and objects that were functional, affordable, and highly sculptural.
We explain the lesser known origins of some of the LGBTQ+ community’s most recognizable symbols Although there is no doubt that the best known LGBTQ+ symbol is the rainbow flag, which represents the diversity of the community, there are many who feel like they aren’t fully represented in this single symbol, or who for other historic reasons have used other symbols to represent their specific community. Throughout history, the labels and symbols used to represent the LGBTQ+ community have held a lot of meaning, and they continue to do so. Behind each of them there are millions of people fighting for the right to authentically represent themselves, using these symbols not just as a declaration of identity but also as a way to foster community. You’ll likely recognize all, or at least most, of these symbols, but you might know know their origins. Here we tell you a bit more about each them, and why these images hold so much power:
We talked to American writer, editor, and graphic designer Chip Kidd, one of the most famous and influential book cover designers in history It's hard not to find a book on your shelf that carries one of his designs. Chip Kidd (Pennsylvania, 1964) has worked on over 3000 book covers of all genres, styles, and authors. From Cormac McCarthy to Haruki Murakami, his images have illustrated stories for over three decades. His cover of the mythical novel "Jurassic Park", the skeleton silhouette of a T-Rex, has become part of our cultural imaginary. Chip Kidd opens the doors of his studio in New York and shares with his reflections from his extensive career.
With these 5 tutorials, you will improve the quality of your projects in Adobe Photoshop Enhance your experience with this image editing software, learning how to make the most of each of its tools and functions. For that, we share five practical tutorials that will help you master Adobe Photoshop much more efficiently and quickly. Tutorial: 6 Great Brushes for Digital Painting Using Adobe Photoshop for digital illustration is one of the most common applications of this software, which allows artists, creatives and designers of all levels to build characters, scenarios and objects out of their imagination. The use of custom brushes can also give extra character to our drawings and illustrations. In the following video tutorial, character designer Joel Santana (@themaddhattr) shares his favorite Adobe Photoshop brushes for digital painting. Santana uses them for creative tasks ranging from sketching to color application, and they give a good example of the wide variety of textures offered by Photoshop custom brushes. Find out below:
Take a nostalgic leap with Luli Kibudi's designs Luli Kibudi (@bylulikibudi) is a graphic designer originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She currently lives in Barcelona, Spain. Her work experience includes work in marketing and advertising, branding and editorial design. In her Once Appon a Time series (derived from a pun on the term app), Luli produced a visual essay exploring the modern functions of apps compared to objects we used to use in the past. The result is an attractive retro-modern graphic combination. Learn about her project below:
Learn about the work of the artist who made it in Hollywood and then designed the SpaceX astronaut suit José Fernández is a Mexican-American designer who began working in Hollywood in the 1980s. His first costume design was for the movie Gremlins and, since then, he has been involved in the design of concepts, costumes, and accessories for major film studios and musicians. According to Fernández, when he was first invited to design the suit for SpaceX, he thought it was for a movie. He did not know that he was about to take his work from the big screen to space. Get to know some of the work this artist as well as his creative shop, Ironhead Studio, have done in recent years: Collaboration with Daft Punk In the 2010s, for Daft Punk's return to the stage as well as the band's involvement in the movie Tron Legacy, José's studio took over the design of the helmets for the famous French duo.
Learn how to approach each of these brand design challenges
Discover thousands of editable templates for your packaging designs on these websites Find mockups and reference files that will help you adapt your own designs: no matter if it's for stationery, packaging, or merch, its variety will allow you to take your creativity wherever you want for free and easily. GraphicBurger Raul Taciu is a self-defined Photoshop addict. He created this platform to share his passion and make a wide variety of editable .psd files ready to be integrated into your design ideas. All mockups are royalty-free for both personal and commercial use, and no credit is necessary for creators who contribute to the international creative community’s database.
Discover 3D design apps for architecture, creating characters, illustration, and social media Being able to create, design, and manipulate three-dimensional graphics are skills that are incredibly sought-after across a range of professions and disciplines. Developing your knowledge and experience in these areas is essential if you want to work on projects relating to design, architecture, content creation using different formats, and digital communication. Learn more about 3D design with these fellow artists and specialized studios. Introduction to 3D Design and Printing, a course by Agustín “Flowalistik” Arroyo Learn the step-by-step processes of 3D design, modeling, and printing to give shape to your ideas and develop your own projects with Agustín “Flowalistik” Arroyo.
This is how the language websites are built with came to be All the websites you have visited share a similar basic structure. Regardless of their complexity, they are built with programming languages that make a site have large or small fonts, bright colors, drop-down menus, or videos. This is how the first, and still the most-used, website building language, HTML, came to be.
Discover the fundamental principles of packaging design Packaging was initially created as a utilitarian item–its sole function was to conserve a product as best as possible. However, soon the appearance of packaging also became crucial: packaging needed to attract buyers and drive sales. Today, these continue to be the two main ideas that all packaging designers work around. How did packaging come about? Packaging began to be developed at the same time that advances in technology and transport were being made, meaning food could be stored for longer and travel further. As more and more new products arrived, so did new types of packaging, printer technologies, and marketing techniques that set out to make products grab people’s attention. When it comes to graphic design, something similar happened. The art and culture trends can be seen reflected in packaging from different time periods. Memorable packaging Here are some examples of iconic packaging that show off the trends of the time. The Tiffany Box In 1887, Charles Lewis Tiffany, founder of the jewelry brand Tiffany & Co, chose the turquoise blue that would become emblematic of the Tiffany Box. The box has since become almost as iconic as the engagement ring inside. In 1998, the color “Tiffany Blue” was registered as a brand and listed in the Pantone color system.
Learn how to recognize an icon and what distinguishes it from another graphic symbol: the pictogram
Tom Geismar, one of the most important graphic designers of the 20th Century, took us through his career and his life-long commitment to design Founder of the influential agency Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv, and the creator of the visual identities of many of the most well-known brands in the world, such as Mobil, Xerox and PBS, the story of design would look very different if it weren't for Tom Geismar. Over 50 years in design have confirmed Geismar's place as one of the greats of modern logo design and visual identity. Always up to date with the most recent trends, Geismar guided us through his most recent achievements such as the visual program for National Geographic, making it clear once more that good design doesn't depend on eras or styles but timeless principles. Find out what he had to say in the video below:
Follow Quique Ollervides’s advice to ensure your logos make the best impression
Discover the benefits of using a style guide when designing and developing apps Christian Vizcarra (@christvizcarra) is a Senior UI/UX Product Designer and Digital Strategist whose work also includes elements of marketing, social media, 3D, and video. On a daily basis, he creates digital products, as well as designing websites, apps, and different interfaces for companies around the world. Here Vizcarra explains the purpose of a style guide and why it is a key tool when designing and developing apps.
Bruno Sellés, creative director of the Vasava design studio, tells us about his constant experimentation Becoming a reference design studio in the world of creativity is not an easy task, but Vasava has done just that. Since it was founded in 1997, it has become one of the most interesting hotbeds of creativity and talent on the Spanish-speaking scene, due to their attention to detail and obsession with treating each project as if it were their first. And they don't keep their talent to themselves: for some years now, they have been organizing creative talks and conferences in which they share their vision of creativity with the rest of the world, always connected to their constant research and multidisciplinary work. Bruno Sellés, creative director of Vasava, talks about his experimentation and some of his most important projects, such as his collaboration with F. C. Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid. Discover more below:
James Lewis, lettering artist capable of reproducing any logo you can imagine, takes on a Domestika Challenge James Lewis (@jamesllewis) is popular on social media platforms Instagram and TikTok for his brilliant deconstruction of some of the most popular logos in existence: the huge reach of his videos have got him work with Amazon, Samsung, Montblanc, and Rolls-Royce. He now gives conferences and classes on lettering around the world. Lewis is an expert in creating some of the most well-known logos in the world in brush lettering, but will he be able to recreate the sporting brand Champion's logo in just 10 minutes? Find out in the video below:
Learn about one of the most famous design companies in the world
