30 High Quality 3D Text Tutorials (and a New Text Generator)

By Scott, August 28th, 2009 in Graphic Design, Tutorials | 9 Super Comments

Because sometimes 2Ds are just not enough: Here’s a showcase of tutorials on designing, decorating and using 3D text. The collection includes a number of new tutorial posts, as well as some older classics. Most use Photoshop or Illustrator, and a few use Cinema 4D as well. Let me know if you have a great 3D text tutorial and I’ll add it to the list. Also included at the end is a new 3D text generator.

Create a 3D Text Scene Using Photoshop3D Shatter Effect with Cinema 4D and Photoshop

Create a Nature/Fantasy Composition with 3D Text and Light Effects

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Graphic Design and the Digital Revolution

By Michelle Shull, July 14th, 2009 in Graphic Design, Interviews | No Comments Yet

I recently sat down with Rob Zambrana, a graphic designer and marketing director from Charlotte, NC to talk about how the field is evolving. As virtually all media become increasingly digital, where do designers and professionals who cut their teeth in print fit in? And what should young graphic designers do to make themselves relevant and hireable in the market today?

Michelle Shull: Let’s start by talking about how you came to be a graphic designer. What led you to the career path?

Rob Zambrana: Well, I started very young as an illustrator. My first commercial art sale was at 13. In 8th grade I started picking up all the production stuff I could. The company I worked with did everything from paste-up to darkroom. We did generic design, we burned plates, ran a 2 color press, screenprinting – you name it we did it, and all when I was very young.

Michelle: In addition to being very competitive, success in illustration seems to be more about who you know than talent – the environment seems very incestuous. . . (more…)

40 Beautiful and Creative Typefaces and Custom Fonts

By Matt, April 8th, 2009 in Graphic Design, Showcase | 20 Super Comments

Typography can be more than just words, much more. Typography is a form of art that is nearly limitless, and is a field where expression is a key factor, and originality is crucial. When I say nearly limitless, there is only one true limit; and that is the fact that typography always needs to be legible. Here are 40 beautiful and very creative typefaces, as well as a few awesome custom fonts.

Destructive Vintage TyPO experiment

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Contest: Win 1000 Business Cards and 1 Canvas Print

By Matt, March 11th, 2009 in Contests, Graphic Design | 46 Super Comments

I am happy to say that Spoonfed Design’s first giveaway has arrived! Two lucky winners will win free business cards or a canvas print, and all you have to do is drop a quick comment!

Uprinting is giving you the chance to win 1,000 free printed business cards or one free canvas print. Two winners will be selected at random. One reader will be selected to win 1,000 free standard size business cards, and another reader will be selected to win one 18×24 canvas print.

Awesome! How Do I Win?

Sounds great, right? The best part is, you don’t have to do anything! Well, almost. All you have to do to win is leave a comment. When you leave the comment, make sure to include your real name and a valid email address so the winners can be contacted.

The giveaway will close Friday, March 27th. This is just over two weeks away, so be sure to leave your comments now! Both winnders will be selected and contacted shortly after the 27th. Winners in the United States and Canada qualify for free shipping. Shipping fees will apply to winners outside these areas.

Interview With Logo Designer David Pache

By Matt, February 19th, 2009 in Graphic Design, Interviews | 3 Super Comments

David Pache, owner of dache, is regarded as one of the better logo designers out there, and he is here to answer a few questions. Dache is a design studio based in Switzerland which deals with national and international clientelle. David and his studio focuses on logo design and branding, and also works in the areas of print, typography, and web design.

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50 Impressive Portfolio Designs

By Matt, January 22nd, 2009 in Graphic Design, Showcase | 29 Super Comments

An impressive portfolio is essential for any designer or agency. But it can be hard to create the perfect portfolio site that will show off your work and intrigue clients. Here are 50 excellent examples of design portfolios to inspire you.

To view the portfolio, simply click on the screenshot. If you know of any awesome portfolios I missed or would like to share your opinion, feel free to leave a comment.

AgencyNet

rzmota

Alex Buga

Sensi Soft

Digital Mash

Mediocore

Matt Dempsey

DVEIN

Studio7Designs

volll

Visualbox

Danny Blackman

Simple.art

Tomas Pojeta

Jwhanif

JenGermann Design

Colourpixel

Branded07

Chris Hortsch

M Studio

Pikaboo

OWT

FrancescoMugnai

Marcos Xotoko

Mike Precious

Humza Ijaz

Kyan

silsep

K4 Laboratory

Alex Carabi

Alex Cahaniuc

paiko

4060

TopherMick

Ploc Media

Digimurai

Deaxon

dibusoft mmdv

Designchuchi

ilovedust

Creasenso

Wake Interactive

HYPE

Red Crown Studio

Alexandre Prado

Mind Medium Creative

Lucas Hirata

Citrus

X Producciones Graficias

firstborn

Throw in Your Two Cents

Please, we would love to hear your comments!

11 Essential Tips for Good Print Typography

By Matt, January 11th, 2009 in Design Tips, Graphic Design | 45 Super Comments

Typography is a huge part of design and design is a huge part of type. You can’t just throw text on a page, it has to be laid out and organized in a clean way that adds to the information being presented. Here are 11 typography tips to help you convey information in print the right way.

1. Use Grid-Based Layouts

Grid’s are the basic underlying structure of almost everything you will do in design, especially printing. They help to create a nice clean layout, so use them. Before you even get to the type, layout the page with a grid.

Grids are simply a structure of columns and rows.Typically, when someone mentions a grid, one may think of even lines and columns, all the same size. In print, you don’t want everything to be the same size. A variation in size is required for a well-structured layout. A standard layout usually consists of one or two columns, but be original and use a three, four, maybe even a five column layout. Remember that these columns need to fit onto the page, and each time you add a new column you have to shrink the other columns.

This page is an excellent example of a grid-based layout. It uses a very complex grid to organize all the type and graphic elements into a organized and readable layout. Also note, the grid isn’t perfectly defined, some objects flow over the borders.

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