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  • 20 Years of Pantone Color of the Year
    Design

    20 Years of Pantone Color of the Year

    Over the past two decades, Pantone has chosen 22 colors of the year based on trends, research, and analysis Imagine a world in which creatives were unable to guarantee how the final color of a print, fabric, product, or poster would turn out. Imagine a world in which, whenever you printed a copy of a design, the color was always different. Sounds scary, right? Well, that's exactly what the world was like until the arrival of Pantone. This unpredictable way of working was transformed in 1963, when Lawrence Herbert, Pantone's founder, created a system for identifying, combining, and communicating colors. Today, the Pantone Matching System is considered the international standard. The PMS is quite simply a color manual that opens out like a fan. Creative professionals use it on a daily basis to ensure that all the colors they use in their projects are universally understood. You’ve probably come across one of these catalogs of different colors.

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  • How Is the Pantone Color of the Year Chosen?
    Design

    How Is the Pantone Color of the Year Chosen?

    Every year Pantone chooses a color that sets the trend all over the world, but not many know how it is decided Despite having been the universal color identification system and the established color palette paradigm for over 50 years, it wasn’t until the year 2000 that Pantone started to proclaim a color of the year. The turn of the century marked the beginning of a trend, starting with ‘Cerulean Blue,’ which Pantone identified with ‘the sky’s color on a serene day.’ This would be followed by ‘True Red’ in 2001, aimed to symbolize the impact of the 9/11 attacks, a day that shook the world; then the equally acclaimed and criticized ‘Marsala,’ and Pink Quartz and Serenity (two hues were picked for the first time in 2016). Nowadays, the Pantone Color of the Year has become an institution, and many designers worldwide await its announcement, which takes place towards the end of the year with trepidation. The Pantone Color of the year forecasts the color trend we will see in the world of fashion, graphic and web design, and on an infinity of products. However, not many people know who decides which will be the ‘Color of the Year’ or how they do it.

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  • Interior Designers React to Regular Homes
    Teacher Design

    Interior Designers React to Regular Homes

    Founders of interior design studio STUDIOLAV Loukas Angelou and Vasso Asfi react to the homes of members of the Domestika community Professional interior design can often seem like an unaffordable luxury. However, a few simple changes can dramatically improve the look and feel of a room. Loukas Angelou and Vasso Asfi, founders of international interior design studio STUDIOLAV, have had their work exhibited at London’s Royal Academy of Arts but their talents can also be applied to a regular home. We asked them to take a look at the homes of a few members of the Domestika community and to share a few simple tips on how to improve them.

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  • Let The Bets Begin: 7 Colors That Could Become the 2021 Pantone Color of The Year
    Design

    Let The Bets Begin: 7 Colors That Could Become the 2021 Pantone Color of The Year

    Domestika's community on Instagram tried to guess what the Pantone Color of the Year will be 2020 marks the 20th anniversary of the Pantone Color of the Year declaration, which serves as inspiration for all kinds of creative projects. As happens every year, as we approach December, speculation and bets arise about what will be the new color that Pantone will choose. This color of the year arises from a long investigation, and its choice has repercussions in sectors ranging from fashion to graphic design. That's why we asked the Domestika community on Instagram what they think the Pantone color of 2021 will be, and below we show some of the most voted bets:

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  • Interior Design Tutorial: How to Choose Your Color Palette
    Teacher Design

    Interior Design Tutorial: How to Choose Your Color Palette

    Learn the importance of materials and aesthetic elements in choosing the color of your space Choosing the right color palette is one of the biggest decisions of any interior design project and it is not one you should take lightly. The color you choose will affect the entire project, from your materials to your furniture, so knowing how to bring these elements together is key to a successful design. In this tutorial, Vasso Asfi (@studiolav) shares some basic principles and tips for choosing the right color palette for your next project.

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  • 3 Websites Every Squarespace Designer Should Know About
    Design

    3 Websites Every Squarespace Designer Should Know About

    If you are looking for inspiration for your next website, these three sites will inspire you to design wonderful pages using Squarespace. Squarespace is a powerful publishing system with beautiful templates. It allows you to create any type of web page with no coding involved. Founded in 2004, it is behind many of the pages we browse daily, like artist portfolios or restaurant pages. Many designers prefer Squarespace to other publishing tools, like WordPress, because of the quality of its templates. They all have good typography, neat transitions, and responsiveness, allowing the users to enjoy the pages on mobile phones or tablets without having to make tedious adjustments.

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  • What is Creative Block and How to Overcome It?
    Design

    What is Creative Block and How to Overcome It?

    Learn more about creative block with useful advice from experts Even the most creative of minds and the most experienced professionals will, at some point, fall victim to creative block. It’s that feeling that you’ve run out of ideas, you’re incapable of producing work, or that you are unable to access your creativity. Creative block affects musicians and painters as much as it can affect writers and photographers, or anyone else putting out creative work. If we’re not careful, a creative block can result in a catch-22: feeling uninspired and unable to create can negatively impact one's self-confidence, which causes the person to feel even less inspired and less able to create. As Sylvia Plath famously said, “The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” Therefore, it’s important to familiarize oneself with the different tools and techniques available that will help you to combat your fear and get your creative juices flowing. In this blog post, several of Domestika's teachers–from professional writers to top photographers–share their advice. Practice, practice, and more practice Scriptwriter, storyteller, and teacher Alberto Chimal (@albertochimal) says that the best way to overcome a creative block is “practice, practice, and more practice.” If you’re lacking original ideas, pay attention to the world around you and something is sure to spark your imagination. “Inspiration never comes quickly nor when you’re sat at your desk. It could be an anecdote you hear or a news story. It could be a place you discover or an attractive scene you happen across.”

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  • Free Download: Storyboard Template for Books
    Design

    Free Download: Storyboard Template for Books

    Editorial Designer Silvia Hijano Coullaut shares with you a template for this book planning tool If you are starting an editorial project that has a significant graphic component, a good practice is to think in advance which images will appear on each page. That way, you will be able to correctly distribute the images and give rhythm to the whole book. The editorial designer Silvia Hijano Coullaut (@silvia_libracos), works in the production of handmade books with all kinds of finishes for contemporary results from artisan techniques.

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  • 20 Design and Creativity Books to Add to Your Bookshelf
    Design

    20 Design and Creativity Books to Add to Your Bookshelf

    Domestika teachers recommend their favorite books to get your creative juices flowing Every great creative needs a great collection of books to inspire fresh ideas. With this in mind, several of our teachers have selected their favorite books that will help artists and students find the inspiration they need to launch their next project. Check out the selection below and add your own recommendations in the comments! The Book of Shrigley, by David Shrigley Designer Marco Colín (@marco_colin) says that lots of people experience crises because they’re convinced they don’t know how to draw. This book by Shrigley is the perfect antidote. The simplicity of his work shows that a lack of technical skill should never be a barrier between you and creating something remarkable.

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  • Free Download: Templates to Create Interior Design Mood Boards
    Design

    Free Download: Templates to Create Interior Design Mood Boards

    Interior designer Miriam Alía shares her favorite templates with you to impress your clients The mood board is one of your best allies when you are about to embark on a new project. In interior design, the mood board also has very specific functions to help you transform a space, such as choosing colors and materials, establishing a visual balance of the space, and classifying key ideas. According to interior designer Miriam Alía (@miriamalia), the mood board will help you organize all the information you have collected in your search for inspiration, so that you or your client can visualize the idea of ​​the new project and start working on it.

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  • Why You Should Use Mockups in Your Stationery Design
    Design

    Why You Should Use Mockups in Your Stationery Design

    The importance of using mockups when presenting your stationery and brand designs Once you have designed all the elements commissioned, you will need to present them to your client. This is one of the main stages of the project, as the client gets to see the image you have created to represent them to their potential customers and the general public for the first time. Laura Méndez, creative director and founder of design studio Menta Branding (@mentabranding), believes that mockups are an essential element in your branding presentations and stationery designs and tells us why we should always use them.

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  • The Visual Differences Between Online and Offline Communications
    Design

    The Visual Differences Between Online and Offline Communications

    Learn how graphic elements online should differ from their offline counterparts The rules for online and offline communications are not the same: the things we say and do online are not exactly the same as those we say or do in real life. For companies and brands, this is no different, each space has different requirements that need different strategies to achieve a particular image. James Eccleston (@james80) is a Brand and UX Specialist with over 18 years of international experience working for major brand communication agencies in London, digital start-ups in Latin America, and running his own agency in Madrid. He considers the main different between successful online and offline branding campaigns is attention span, "When you communicate online," he says, "your users have a very short attention span. Usually, it's around 15 seconds." Keeping someone's attention is challenging enough on a desktop, but more so on mobile, when the screen space is smaller, and there are more distractions.

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  • What Most Websites Have In Common
    Design

    What Most Websites Have In Common

    Why similar looking websites aren’t necessarily a sign of bad design Have you ever noticed that a lot of web pages look the same? You aren’t just imagining it: one study of over 10,000 websites found an increase in design conformity over the last few years. From large banner images to hamburger menus (those three horizontal lines that reveal a list of pages), the visual language of the internet has become more standardized. Why has this happened? Is this uniformity a sign of lazy design? We spoke with experts to discover the challenges, and needs, that web designers today are responding to. Turns out, there are a few major reasons why designers are creating similar looking websites, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for creativity.

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  • 5 Free Classes to Learn UX Design for Beginners
    Teacher Design

    5 Free Classes to Learn UX Design for Beginners

    Get started in UX design and get to know the world of digital usability One of the biggest trends in web design, whether for websites or for apps, is UX design, our user experience design. This simply means that all design decisions are made with the users' needs at the center. These 5 experts in UX design will help you to discover basic principles of this discipline to make your digital projects have a high impact. To watch each class, just click on its title in red. Enjoy!

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  • 5 Courses to Perfect Your 3D Modeling and Design Skills
    Design

    5 Courses to Perfect Your 3D Modeling and Design Skills

    Learn how to use different programs and techniques to improve your 3D design and modeling skills The world of 3D design and modeling is so broad that the possibilities are truly endless; that means that you can choose the software and style that bestfit your creativity and skill level. Whether you are taking your first steps or improving your 3D modeling and design skills, these five online 3D modeling courses will inspire you to reach new levels in your professional career. Low Poly Character Modeling for Video Games, a course by Daniel Gutiérrez The low poly style is one of the most attractive contemporary aesthetics in video game creation, animation, and illustration. The objects and characters created with this technique show clearly defined polygons and flat faces but achieve an emotional impact nonetheless. Daniel Gutiérrez teaches you how to make them perfect in this course.

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  • What Is a Counterbrief?
    Design

    What Is a Counterbrief?

    Andrea Galvez and Martín Bedoya, from FIBRA branding studio, show us the methodology they use to create an efficient counterbrief To understand the role of the counterbrief in a branding project, it is important to first remember the concept of the brief: a document or process with essential information and instructions on how to create a brand. From this document, the design process is born. The brief usually comes from the client, the counterbrief is the designers' answer to everything requested and, according to Andrea Galvez and Martín Bedoya from FIBRA branding studio (@fibra_branding), it is the most crucial step in their work process. It is through the counterbrief–the first delivery made to the client–that the project script and the refinement of the initial ideas are defined.

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  • 12 Creative Ideas For Your Stationery Design
    Design

    12 Creative Ideas For Your Stationery Design

    12 creatives from the Domestika community share the designs they've created for brand stationery If you are working in branding or brand identity design, or are interested in working in this field, you will know the importance of a brand’s stationery. Despite living in a world where everything is digital, printed material is still standing its ground as clients try their best to stand out from the crowd. Read on as 12 creatives from the Domestika community show you ways to produce stationery designs for different brands, in mockup version or printed, and inspire you to start your own projects. Click on the red titles to access every entry in detail. 1910, by HUMAN (@human_) This was part of a brand identity project for a Mexican restaurant in London. The contemporary design draws from elements from traditional Mexican culture and a color palette inspired by the work of architect Luis Barragán. Learn more about this creative studio in the course, Principles of Concepting and Branding.

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  • 7 Masters of Graphic Design Share Their Industry-insider Secrets
    Teacher Design

    7 Masters of Graphic Design Share Their Industry-insider Secrets

    Get to know these legendary international graphic designers and discover their industry-insider secrets Just like any other creative discipline, the key to graphic design is practice. Listening to and learning from the best of the best will help you to perfect your daily output. These 10 graphic designers from our Domestika Masters series share their experiences to help you develop your own library of references and reflect on the role of a graphic designer. Domestika Masters: Milton Glaser Not many designers have been able to say that they have produced several works that are considered iconic all over the world. However, US designer Milton Glaser (1929-2020) was one of them. Founder of New York Magazine and creator of the I ❤ NY logotype–to give just a couple of examples–Glaser was a gamechanger in the history of design.

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  • 5 Online Courses to Become a UX Designer
    Design

    5 Online Courses to Become a UX Designer

    Learn basic UX Design principles and concepts to start your projects like an expert After the technology boom and the widespread of digital devices everywhere, UX Design has become an essential discipline for all types of industries. If you want to impress your clients developing new apps and websites, these experts will teach you their secrets to become an expert UX designer:

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  • 5 Free Classes to Learn How to Make a Mood Board
    Teacher Design

    5 Free Classes to Learn How to Make a Mood Board

    Learn to plan your creative projects like an expert with these lessons For any type of creative discipline, the planning and conceptualization of ideas is an essential moment in the development of projects. In these cases, the mood board is your best ally. By learning to make yours, you will be able to have visibility of your ideas and translate them in an orderly manner. Below 5 creative experts in different disciplines share with you practical advice to create your own mood boards. To watch each class, just click on its red title. Enjoy!

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  • 5 Creative Ideas For Promoting Your Work
    Design

    5 Creative Ideas For Promoting Your Work

    Discover these top tips for making your work stand out and showing people what you do As creative professionals, we need to be able to balance intense periods of creation with the time needed to promote what we create. Knowing how to sell your work and show off what you do to secure more clients or gain a loyal following is essential. It’s how you’ll expand your horizons and get jobs, commissions, and opportunities to collaborate. Designer and lettering artist Martina Flor (@martinaflor) shares tips so that you can promote your work and connect with potential clients:

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  • A Brief History of Book Covers
    Design

    A Brief History of Book Covers

    Discover how book covers evolved over the centuries with Silja Götz In the beginning, books were leather-bound, made to fit someone's library. Only in the 19th century, images started to appear on covers to give us an idea of a book’s content. Silja Götz (@Silja) is a German illustrator who has worked with press clients like The New Yorker, Elle, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Die Zeit, Outdoor magazine, and more. Her book cover illustrations adorn the books of publishers like Penguin Random House, Harper Collins, Gräfe und Unzer, and Doubleday. In her Domestika course, she reveals the secrets of conceptual illustration to create eye-catching book covers and tells us how book covers evolved over the last century.

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  • 3 Websites to Download Free High-Quality Mockups
    Teacher Design

    3 Websites to Download Free High-Quality Mockups

    These are the websites the designers use to get the best mockups The icing on the cake for any great design project is to see that smile on the client's face during the presentation thanks to high-quality visuals. Mockups are editable images that allow you to show a design the way it would look if it were applied to the product or in real life. Without a doubt, they are one of the most significant assets for designers when it comes to publicizing their work. Pattern designer Laura Varsky and members of the design studio The Branding People have shared with us the websites they usually trust when looking for resources for their presentations. Mockup world This website houses a wide variety of mockups and editable resources of different styles that can be adapted to the design you are working on. Laura Varsky (@lau_varsky) points out the importance of choosing the ones with smart objects and, above all, looking for those that offer you higher-quality images — especially if you are going to end up printing the mockups once you have applied your design to them. Most of the website's resources can be downloaded on the site, but some will redirect you to the creator's webpage.

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  • What Is InDesign, and How Can It Help You?
    Design

    What Is InDesign, and How Can It Help You?

    This application underpins most of the magazines, books, newspapers, and printed ads you see every day. InDesign is one of Adobe's most versatile and advanced design programs, although it is not as well known as some of the other Adobe applications such as Photoshop, Illustrator, or Premiere. It's a desktop publishing and typesetting app, aimed at designers and creatives who work with products that generally end up in printed form. It is often used to create magazines, books, or newspapers, but also promotional materials such as posters, flyers, and all kinds of signage and advertising.

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  • This Game Will Help You to Improve Your UI Skills
    Teacher Design

    This Game Will Help You to Improve Your UI Skills

    Designing an excellent interface is an achievable goal, you just have to train your eye to observe detail Aside from their technique and expert knowledge, a great UI designer stands out for their attention to detail. A bad kerning, a misaligned object, or an inadequate icon has no chance of slipping by them. Training your eye to appreciate the details and differences between a perfect design and a flawed one takes years of experience and observation. Fortunately, there are many fun ways to improve, such as playing Can’t Unsee–a web game for improving your UI skills. A reinvented classic The user is presented with two images, seemingly identical, and has to identify the differences and select the better design based on its appearance. The game’s name, “Can’t Unsee,” couldn’t be more fitting. Once you’ve discovered the error, your eyes will be drawn to it.

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  • Tips for Digitizing Your Sketches
    PLUS Teacher Design

    Tips for Digitizing Your Sketches

    Camipepe shares advice for digitizing your sketches in Illustrator After you’ve developed the concept for a project–whether it be graphic design, lettering, or illustration project–it’s best to get your ideas down on paper in the form of a sketch. Once you’ve done this, the next step is to convert it into a digital illustration. In this blog post, design and illustration duo Camipepe (@camipepe) shares their top tips for simplifying this process and improving your workflow in Adobe Illustrator:

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  • InDesign Tutorial: Menus and Windows for Beginners
    Teacher Design

    InDesign Tutorial: Menus and Windows for Beginners

    Discover the basics tools of Adobe InDesign that will allow you to manipulate a document and change its design elements with Jamie Sanchez Hearn Adobe InDesign is a program that allows you to create efficient and versatile designs for countless visual formats, such as typography, editorial design, and branding projects across a variety of different media. Understanding your workspace and adjusting it accordingly will help you work efficiently. Graphic designer Jamie Sanchez Hearn (@jamiesanchezhearn) has worked for visual design firms such as Pentagram and Johnson Banks and teaches at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. InDesign is a staple of his day to day work as a designer. In this tutorial, he will give you a tour of a typical InDesign workspace, the functions of each section, and shows you how to adjust them to your needs and preferences so that you can begin confidently with the software. Watch the video below:

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  • This Digital Archive Is a Treasure Chest of Typography and Design
    Design

    This Digital Archive Is a Treasure Chest of Typography and Design

    The TM Research Archive compiles every issue of the magazine Typographische Monatsblätter, which played an important role in the history of typography If we look back on 20th-century graphic design history, the emergence of International Typographic Style–a movement of Russian, Dutch and German origin that developed mainly in Switzerland during the post-WW2 years–was a huge turning point. Looking to unify shape and content and drawn to simplicity and typographic design, International Typographic Style had such a huge influence on global design that its impact is still felt today.

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