Graphic Design Warning for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Tips, Quiz & Advice

Update:
Educator  and entrepreneur Andy Fling
offers a useful free  tutorial that underscores
the importance of  good graphics in How to Market Your TpT
Products on Pinterest (Without Wasting Your Time). See Teachers Pay
Teachers.com
http://tinyurl.com/zq92ug6

New Upload  Content.
For preview and
table of contents on the T
eachers Pay Teachers,
click this link
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Note:

The following content does not include affiliate links.
Sites or products mentioned have been chosen for educational
purposes solely. Links were gathered
from academicand design professionals, firsthand research and
experience, having hired designers for countless small business projects. 

Earlier this year, I decided to try the do-it-yourself path using
Adobe, Microsoft and PowerPoint software.  There’s a ton of good
how-to information in many formats on the web. But my attempts to
design several book covers inspired this post. Henceforth,
I have decided to leave graphic design to professionals.

Here’s Why

This past year, many hours were spent hunting for the perfect illustration and hours more were wasted trying to create a design with software that looked like the cockpit of a small plane, And then I’d upload and discover my nifty painting was the wrong choice after all.

In many other instances, I knew not to even bother uploading what I’d created.
Fortunately, critiquing and evaluating are strong areas in my skills set…

It dawned on me that a well-trained professional would know
instantly how to avoid some of the rabbit holes I’d tripped over
Too much time was being wasted on a task I was not fully
suited for while other major business activities had to be postponed.

Producing graphics requires for commercial purposes
all of the following elements:  training, natural ability and skills
and knowledge. So despite great effort, the end result may well be a product
that buyers will avoid.

Easy access to software and a can do attitude can mislead one into
thinking that that is the first major step. ..

First Things First

If the end goal is to produce sales, and do-it-yourself is the
path considered, evaluate your skills and abilities first via
checklist or vision board…

What skills and knowledge would a student need to find a job
in the graphics arts field? How many of those skills do you
have? How much do you already know?

Based on your answers, would you someone with the
identical skill set and knowledge for the task you plan to do yourself?

You may already have raw talent and talking a course would enable you
to complete the work successfully. How do you learn best? What go-to
resources can you assemble that will give you all the help you need
to execute the project successfully?

If you plan to launch a business using a do-it yourself graphic
design model, consider consulting a professional who also
teachers in order to get feedback on some of your proposed
finished graphics.

Unfortunately, too many aspiring entrepreneurs with talents in
other areas dabble in graphic design and end up wasting time,
effort and money.

According to the Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation,
aptitudes and skills of a graphic designer will likely include
color discrimination, perception and observation.

In addition to marketing and communication skills,
most important is spatial or structural visualization
aptitude, which is the ability to visualize ideas mentally in 3-D.

The typographic is one example. And see the link for Sassy
Bibliophile. An excellent illustration of a high school teacher
and librarian who exhibits some of the innate qualities of a designer.

Whether a book cover, logo or other
promotional item, graphic design is art
and marketing science combined.

Quiz

Choose from answers a-d.

What if any changes would you make on the
cover  draft pdf?
Click link to study draft
ICovernside The Music Biz

a. Change Font Size
b. Change Select Typeface
c.  Use Fewer Images
d. None of the Above
Note: Answer key at the end of the references list.

Dee Adams is the author of
Finding Your Niche: Discover…
http://wp.me/P3Kr4S-Uz

References

“American Institute of Graphic Artists. It’s one of the two best
resources as to why you should hire a real designer.
The other org is GAG – Graphic Artists Guild,
according to academic professionals in the design field.”

Teachers Pay Teachers.com (TpT)
Designing A Cover:
Using The Rule Of Thirds
http://tinyurl.com/oonsayo

Storefront Tips for TpT Sellers
Free Preview
http://tinyurl.com/oheqe7x 

Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation.org
Non-profit Aptitudes Research Since 1922
http://www.jocrf.org/

Ruby Porter-Marketing+ Design
4 Reasons Having A Graphic Designer is
Important for Your Business
http://tinyurl.com/qzj54l9

Freelancegrahicdesigner.info
5 Tips on Choosing a Freelance Graphic Designer
http://www.freelancegraphicdesigner.info/

Odesk.com/Blog
Hire the Right Freelance Graphic Designer
http://tinyurl.com/o7q4pks

Creative  Latitude.com Article
http://tinyurl.com/aaj7w

 GarphicArtsGuild.org
https://graphicartistsguild.org/tools_resources/browse

Blogs.wsj.com
Understanding Entrepreneurial Design
http://tinyurl.com/nban8gb

American Institute of Graphic Arts
http://www.aiga.org/why-design/

Graphic Artist Guild.org
https://graphicartistsguild.org/tools_resources/browse

Joe Ragey Fine Art & Design
|www.joeragey.com

Joe Ragey Design.com
www.joerageydesign.com

The Sassy Bibliofile.blogspot.com
http://thesassybibliophile.blogspot.com/

Psychology/Wichita.edu/useabilitynews
“Perception of Fonts: Perceived Personality Traits and Uses”
Note: Interesting content and charts are included.
\http://tinyurl.com/6oljq2Import

College for Creative Studies.edu/undergraduate programs/design
http://tinyurl.com/mteu3y3

Inspirationlab.comwordpress.com
So you need a typeface
http://tinyurl.com/y5hykyz

Smashing Magazine.com
What Font Should I Use?
Five Principles for Choosing and Using Typefaces 2010/12/14
http://tinyurl.com/29muad5

Just Creative.com
7 Fonts Used by Professionals in Graphic Design
http://tinyurl.com/cc6q5k9

 InspirationBit.com
“Plea from 16 Most Overused Fonts”
http://tinyurl.com/5tn3mh

YouTube
Using MS Word to Make Clip Art
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Heg9P2DY3M

YouTube
Making Cute Clip Art in PowerePoint
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfyd5

Adobe TV.com
http://tinyurl.com/njthod9

Lynda.com
Design Techniques/training Tutorials
http://tinyurl.com/o879off

According to a professional who spoke off the record,

nothing is actually wrong with the images individually,
but the entire visual does not communicate the message on
the cover: An Inside Look at the Music Business. So as a cover
page, it would be ineffective.

Souper Bowl Poster
Created for a fundraising event
Note: Check out the short insightful description of how
the piece was created.
http://sethmcomberdesign.com/souper-bowl-poster/

Canadians Internet.net
Top 3-D Cover Design Tools
http://tinyurl.com/qx9fmom
Summary: Includes details about low-cost
monthly subscriptions and free trial offers.

Bookmarketingbestsellers.com
Pinterest Marketing:
Redesigning Graphics for Pinterest
Nelson Mandela
http://tinyurl.com/lqru5kl

Quiz Answer Key
Answer is d
Note: But a good argument could be made
that a-c apply, too