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Sunday, July 31, 2011

Hongkiat.com: Should Designers Start from Design School?

Hongkiat.com: Should Designers Start from Design School?


Should Designers Start from Design School?

Posted: 31 Jul 2011 04:25 AM PDT

Graphic design and web design, has become a popular career path in the last decade. As such, no matter an aspiring designer decides to attend a traditional brick-and-mortar school or an online school, there are always a plethora of professional classes, degrees and certifications to help them get started in this competitive field.

graduate Should Designers Start from Design School?
(Image Source: Fotolia)

Yet many may wonder – just how effective are these courses? A career in graphic design does not technically require a degree or certification to pursue, and many successful web designers have launched their careers without ever taking a graphic design course. Yet, the answer to the question ultimately lies in specific aspects of the aspiring designer’s career goals, their natural aptitude for the field and the competitiveness of the job market.

Full discussion after jump.

The Basic Facts

Although graphic design does not require a post-secondary degree in order to enter the field, having one does help. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), most entry-level graphic design positions require a two or four-year degree. In fact, of those working in the graphic design field, 81 percent have a bachelor’s degree, while 11 percent have an associate’s degree. As such, only 4 percent of all those employed in the graphic design field have some or no college study.

certificate Should Designers Start from Design School?
(Image Source: Fotolia)

Of course, these statistics include a variety of graphic design positions, including those in print media, web development and marketing. However it should be noted that the BLS places computer system design and related services, which includes web design, as being the top salary earner.

Education = More Income

This indicates that a higher level of education is desirable for these positions, particularly when coupled with the fact that freelance designers earned an average of $57,000 per year while designers working for corporations earned $95,000 per year. Thus the chances of making the leap to a corporation, with its attendant pay scale and benefits, would be significantly increased with formal education.

money Should Designers Start from Design School?
(Image Source: Fotolia)

Additionally, in the article “What Education and Experience is Required to Be a Web Developer“, Jennifer Kyrnin points out that aspiring web designers are best served by focusing their education on visual art and design rather than on the computerized elements of the design process.

While it is important to learn some computer-specific programming tactics and design strategies, most firms that hire web designers will mostly require individuals with visual creativity and design savvy.

The Essential Knowledge

Kyrnin also discusses the essential things that any would-be web designer must know before they go out and look for a job. Her list includes knowledge of:

  • HTML coding: Even though WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editors are now commonplace in web design, it’s good to know how web sites are constructed from the bottom up.
  • CSS: Cascading style sheets is an essential element of web design that unites all of the design elements on the page. As such, it is important for a designer to have a fundamental understanding of how CSS can be used and how it responds to changes in the design layout, otherwise a web page can quickly become a disaster, especially when it’s viewed in different internet browser.
  • JavaScript: Although this is generally the realm of web developers and programmers, knowing basic JavaScript can enhance your design prowess, overall user experience and make a simple web site more functional, and this knowledge serves as a big plus that will win you favor as a freelancer or as an in-house professional.
  • Design Theory: From color theory to design layouts, most web designers are visual people with degrees in the visual arts. Thus, studying design theory is essential to developing a strong portfolio of works to showcase to potential clients or employers.

While it is possible to learn all of the items discussed above on your own, it is generally more practical to learn them in a school environment. Additionally, while learning them on your own might be more economical in the short term, it rarely benefits in the long term.

This is especially true when employers want a four-year degree for most web design positions and advancement is often based upon education as well as experience. Furthermore, as the BLS notes, individuals with communications or business management training in addition to their visual arts and web expertise will be best positioned to advance in to management positions.

Job Growth and Competition

According to the BLS, the expected job growth for graphic designers in general is expected to increase by 13 percent between 2008 and 2018. Similarly, as new technology platforms and marketing initiatives lead to a need for individuals with the experience to apply design principles to these platforms, job growth has greatly increased for individuals with web design experience. The BLS further notes that competition for jobs will be fierce in graphic design, particularly in the field of web design.

competition Should Designers Start from Design School?
(Image Source: Fotolia)

With such fierce competition for design positions, a formal education will serve you well in not only securing a position, but also in maintaining that position and advance to higher echelons in your career.

Final Words

Ultimately, it is best to look before you leap into the world of graphic design and web design. While it may be possible to find a design job without a formal education in the field, opportunities for advancement will be slim.

So while it may be tempting to jump into a design career without formal training, studying design and computer principles before you attempt to begin a design career clearly seems to be the best option, as doing so will give you an edge over the competition.

Friday, July 29, 2011

Hongkiat.com: Hottest Web Applications of the Month – July

Hongkiat.com: Hottest Web Applications of the Month – July


Hottest Web Applications of the Month – July

Posted: 29 Jul 2011 04:46 AM PDT

Here we are again! In this particular month, we will like to share to you a whole bunch of great web apps that will improve your workflow in all sorts of different ways from online video editing to rapid prototyping, learning Ruby on Rails and more – you name it, we’ve got it.

hottest app july 2011 Hottest Web Applications of the Month – July

Of course, if you’ve got a great app you think we should include on this list you can suggest them by commenting below, or sending us a tweet @Hongkiat using the tag #hkwebapp. We’d love your feedback on the types of apps you’d like to see, and your favorite apps.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is a very neat and nicely designed to-do app. It keeps the interface very simple by offering you just two options – today or tomorrow. If you can’t get it done today, put it on the tomorrow’s list, and do it the next day.

I’ve been trying out the app for a few weeks now, and I found the “deliberately” limited option really helps me focus on the task in hand. The app also has iPhone, iPad and Android app available, so you can get your to-do list wherever you are. Well worth a look for the to-do junkies out there.

tomorrow Hottest Web Applications of the Month – July

InVision

InVision is an extremely useful tool for designers and developers that helps you to build up real working interactive prototypes in no time. All you need to do is upload your wireframes or designs, set up some links, and then you can run clients or users through your designs.

By testing your designs in this way and letting clients make changes earlier, you can invest more time on making great and functional sites, while avoiding the issue that the client wasn’t quite sure what they are looking for. Watch the screencast and you’ll be sold.

invision Hottest Web Applications of the Month – July

Sync.in

Aside from its pretty look, Sync.in is a great way to collaborate on different documents in real time, so you and everyone else you are working with the document can see changes reflected as you edit them.

If you’ve ever been working on a pitch, plan or anything else with multiple people, even in the same location, you’ll appreciate how simple and painless Sync.in operates document collaboration.

sync Hottest Web Applications of the Month – July

JayCut

JayCut is a surprisingly powerful online video editing tool which brings video editing to your browser.

I’ve been playing with the tool for a while now, and have found it fast, responsive and full of functionality. If you’ve got a slow computer, you move around a lot, or you don’t have access to other more expensive tools, JayCut is really something you should check out.

Most remarkably, the interface is really easy to use and understand compared to most desktop video editing apps, and you can access it all from your browser window.

jaycut Hottest Web Applications of the Month – July

Rails For Zombies

Rails for Zombies is an extremely well produced site for anyone who is interested in learning more about Ruby on Rails. It has a number of different lessons that teach you the basics in a new and interesting way.

One of the best things about it are the screencasts for each module which keep your interested while teaching you how to program. There’s also a very helpful PDF for each module to help to ensure you’ve got all the important information down pat.

zombies Hottest Web Applications of the Month – July

Wetransfer

Wetransfer is one of the most interesting file sharing sites I’ve seen for a while. They allow you to upload up to 2GB per file, and it’s free so no registration is required.

Unlike other file sharing sites I’ve seen though, they’ve also got a really different business model – behind the page where you share the files, they have fantastically designed full screen advertisements. None of the advertisements are in your face, and every time I go back to the site, I actually feel like clicking through to see just what the ads are for. It’s pretty neat. (Suggested by Danny)

wetransfer Hottest Web Applications of the Month – July

StrawberryJ.am

StrawberryJ.am is a neat new web app that helps you sort through the junk in your Twitter stream (with Facebook support coming soon) to see the stories you’ll actually be interested in looking at.

Anyone who follows a lot of people on Twitter will appreciate that it’s a very difficult to task to find the links that are actually worth looking at; StrawberryJ.am takes care of this for you so you spend less time looking at crap, and more time enjoying the good stuff. It’s currently in closed beta, but you can sign up for an invite from the home page.

strawberryjam Hottest Web Applications of the Month – July

Aviary Music Creator

Aviary has a collection of really interesting tools, and among them all I found one very enjoyable to play with: Roc.

Roc is really a fun and interesting way to create music. There are 50 free instruments available, and you can mix and match to make all sorts of fascinating musical creations. You can also share and collaborate on different tracks, and it’s lightning fast to boot. For the musical guys among us, this one is definitely worth a look.

roc Hottest Web Applications of the Month – July

Feedly

Feedly is a very beautiful tool for following your favorite sites and finding new ones.

There are a bunch of different categories you can sign up to follow, as well as a huge range of popular sites. You can neatly divide all the different topics you are interested in, and get suggestions for other sites you might be interested to follow.

feedly Hottest Web Applications of the Month – July

Historious

Historious is a great way for managing bookmarks that you otherwise wouldn’t find again, and has lots of helpful features too.

You can bookmark in just one click. You can tag your bookmarks, share your bookmarks with whoever you like. They also take a snapshot of the sites you bookmarked so even if they change in the future, you can view them as they were when you first found them.

Best of all is it has full text search for all your bookmarks, so you don’t need to remember the headline, just input any information from the post. It’s like Google for you bookmarks.

historious Hottest Web Applications of the Month – July

Switchr

If you’ve ever needed to convert audio files then Switchr is the site for you.

All you need to do is to select your file, the format you’d like to change and enter your email address. There is such a confusing array of audio file converter out there so having an easy tool like Switchr is really a lifesaver. It’s free too, so keep it in mind next time you need to play with audio. (Suggested by Ameer)

switchr Hottest Web Applications of the Month – July

OhLife

OhLife is a journal for the modern age. Rather than opening up a diary or any other application, you simply get an email every day asking how your day went. All you need to do is reply to that email, and your thoughts will be saved for you.

I really like this app because it fits in with my workflow so nicely. I’m always on email anyway, so a quick reply to OhLife is very quick and painless, and a great way to reflect on everything you’ve been up to.

ohlife Hottest Web Applications of the Month – July

Conceptboard

Conceptboard is another great web app for online teamwork and collaboration.

Among many features, you can draw directly on a board for your team to see, drag files directly on to your concept boards, write over your documents, leave comments easily for others to see, invite colleagues and clients to participate and even work on it using your iPad. The free account gives you a lot of options and is worth a look. (Suggested by Roman)

conceptboard Hottest Web Applications of the Month – July

That’s all for The Month

That’s all for this month, same time next month :-)

Be sure to subscribe to our Newsletter or RSS feed to keep up with all the latest and greatest web apps, and all the other great content we offer.

Suggest An App!

This is going to be a monthly feature from now on, so if you have any great app you’d like to suggest for our next month’s round-up, here’s what you can do:

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Blogger Templates

Blogger Templates

Link to Blogger Templates

eCommerce

Posted: 28 Jul 2011 12:33 PM PDT

eCommerce is a free blogger template adapted from WordPress with 3 columns, sidebar on the right and left, space for ads, slideshow, twitter support, posts thumbnails and drop down menu. Download eCommerce for free in BTemplates.

Live demo Download

Link for Twitter: http://btemplat.es/8387

Reporter

Posted: 28 Jul 2011 12:13 PM PDT

Reporter is a free blogger template adapted from WordPress with 2 columns, right sidebar, web 2.0 design, footer columns, slideshow, posts thumbnails and vintage style. Download Reporter for free in BTemplates.

Live demo Download

Link for Twitter: http://btemplat.es/8385

Azul

Posted: 28 Jul 2011 11:47 AM PDT

Azul is a free blogger template with 2 columns, right sidebar, exclusive design for Blogger, footer columns and posts thumbnails. Download Azul for free in BTemplates.

Live demo Download

Link for Twitter: http://btemplat.es/8383

BlueCamp

Posted: 28 Jul 2011 11:36 AM PDT

BlueCamp is a free blogger template with 2 columns, right sidebar, fresh look, exclusive design for Blogger, space for ads, slideshow, twitter support, gradients and vectorial elements. Download BlueCamp for free in BTemplates.

Live demo Download

Link for Twitter: http://btemplat.es/8381