Wall décor has come far in recent years. No longer are you limited to just paint or wallpaper as even the most unusual objects, textures and designs can be used to enhance a wall’s appearance. As a graphic designer, you understand the value of well-placed colors and objects on a digital canvas, so why not use your creative and technical skills to create unique and distinctive wall murals for yourself or others?

Whether the wall is in a kitchen, bathroom or a kid’s room, a mural can bring style and finesse to a room and give it a personality all its own. Many businesses have murals in their reception areas, and murals can be seen in the offices of pediatricians and other medical specialists. A mural design can be inspired from a favorite story or play, a favorite hobby, the interior design theme of a room or wherever your creativity takes you.

You can easily take your own designs and turn them into wall murals easily using software such as Adobe Illustrator. There are online tutorials that detail how to design a mural as well as instructions on how to transfer your original graphic design onto a transparency and use a projector to help place the image on a wall. If you do not wish to use the transparency/projector method or want easy way to remove the design from a wall, you can always contact a local print shop to print your design on vinyl sticker paper. This method is perfect for bold, abstract designs and lettering.

Wall murals are fun and creative ways to liven up a room, office or any wall space that could use a fresh look reflective of your personality and style. Graphic designers are sure to enjoy the larger-than-life imagery they can create with their own hands and once finished, they have a portfolio piece that is one-of-a-kind, as well as in demand.

Labels: graphic.design, interior.design

When it comes to renovating your home, the first place you may look to increase your home’s value or benefit your family is the kitchen. A well-designed kitchen can be the focus of a profitable sale or contribute to memorable holiday celebrations or parties. Many homeowners want to update their kitchen’s design or its appliances; giving it a modern functionality that has a beneficial return on investment. It can be difficult to know exactly where to start and understanding the process of kitchen remodeling can give a feeling of security to the homeowner. Depending on your budget, style and needs, there are many options available that will help alleviate confusion and put a new face on one of the most important rooms in your home.



For a full kitchen renovation, it’s best to start with the actual kitchen design and layout. There are many styles of kitchens to choose from that can accent or improve your current kitchen’s functionality or appearance. A skilled Interior Designer can help clarify your options and go over aesthetic elements such as cabinet and counter top style and location, recommend appliances or other features and help inspire unique and creative ideas before you contact a contractor to begin the process of kitchen renovation.

If you are a do-it-yourself person, you can always use software to help design your kitchen. There are many different software programs available, such as Homestyler (and, its free!) that can help you bring your kitchen vision to life and give you a virtual look at your new kitchen.

Renovating your kitchen can be a huge undertaking. Knowing the right people and having the right tools to help make the process easier can help give you peace of mind. Once your dream kitchen is finished and you begin to bask in its new beauty and functionality, you will likely wonder why you waited so long to renovate.

Labels: Home Remodeling, Interior Design, Kitchen, Renovation

When starting out as a graphic or web designer or animator, what sets you apart from the competition? If you have the educational background and the experience, you should be able to compete in today’s markets with ease, right? Sometimes, it is not that easy. If you are trying to find a job in design or animation, maybe you should consider creating your own animated business card to help create a unique and memorable first impression.

Some options for animation are better than others, and its always best to use what you already know in terms of programs and software, instead of trying to battle a learning curve and producing a product that may not show your talent. There are many tools online that can help make your animated business card or you can invest in a program like Adobe Flash.



An online business card can link directly to your resume or profile, a contact form online or your Facebook or LinkedIn page. It’s a great way to show off your creativity and style, and very similar to handing a business card to someone and then explaining what it is you can do, only the animated card gives you the ability to not only speak about what you do, but show it off in its best light, where the company or client wants to ultimately see it, live and on the web.

Labels: animation, business, graphic design

T-shirts are hot, they’re everywhere and even taking a cue from the Internet and the viral video trend. Shane Dawson, of YouTube fame, recently began selling t-shirts based off of his vlogs at Hot Topic. Threadless, the indie-label t-shirt retailer started their business as an online graphic design contest, allowing people from all over the country to submit t-shirt designs for others to admire and ultimately purchase. Threadless and other companies have helped the independent graphic designer find a niche in a sea of consumers seeking witty, colorful, unique and personalized t-shirt designs. It is this success that has led Threadless and its popular graphic designers into the world of retail sales. Threadless’ best designs can now be seen in stores such as Nordstrom.


It used to be that launching a t-shirt line required a fairly large, upfront cash investment. Today, there are companies online that specialize in creating shirts, accessories and other textile-based canvases for your graphic designs. Online businesses like Café Press, SonicShack and Zazzle let you open up a “store” on their websites that feature your graphics on their clothing for little to no investment. Customers can then order your designs from those websites, releasing you from worries about keeping up with inventory and other business concerns. For those who want to have their product on hand, UberPrints and CustomInk allow you to design a shirt and order it, even in small quantities, to sell offline. With all of these options, you can take your favorite graphics and turn them into a business that features your own creativity and style.

Graphic design can take you in many directions, and seeing your graphic design emblazoned on a stranger’s shirt as you sit across from them on the bus may be just the way for you to use your design skills in a fun and rewarding way.

Labels: graphic design