Graphic Design Blogs: The Best of the Best

Are you passionate about beautiful design, classic aesthetic elements, and impactful layouts? Do you judge both print and digital materials not just for content but also for its inherent beauty? If so, you are not alone! With the instantaneous connectivity the Internet offers, people from around the world have united in their love of hierarchy, Gestalt, and plain old “good” graphic styles. Check out the blogs below for information on these subjects you love by artists as passionate as you.

1 . YouTheDesigner

This website offers blogs bursting at the seams with information on print and multimedia design including how to captivate target audiences, landing your first job or dream job, and inspirational artwork to get you going. If that isn’t enough, you also have access to contests and job postings, as well as connecting with new “Friends” already in the design industry.

2. Thinkdesign

The purpose of this website is multifaceted; visitors are presented with deep discounts on stock photos, web templates, hosting packages, and illustrations in addition to tutorials and tips on current and burgeoning technologies. Watch tutorials about HTML5 and CSS3, download free high-resolution textures, and enter to win free business cards. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to check out all the free resources and downloads this site has to offer.

3. Win Without Pitching

Any designer will tell you that the art of creating graphics and layouts is only half the battle. The other part is “selling” your ideas or convincing your clients. Win Without Pitching offers a blog page that chronicles this firm’s endeavors towards fulfilling their mission of making great design a necessity, not a luxury, for companies.

4. The FontFeed

In order for blogs to be relevant and successful, they must be updated frequently. The FontFeed blog is updated 365 days a year, providing viewers with the latest and greatest in typography trends in print and digital viewing, as well as information on newly developed typefaces and industry pointers for type setting.

5. Letter Cult

Typography is an art form all of its own, and designers around the world have devoted every waking (and non-waking) moment to perfecting the art of text anatomy. For a virtual museum of typography geniuses, view the galleries of letterforms, logos, and custom movie titles.

6. The Skinny

Any designer worth his or her salt has either heard of or visited Veer.com. This site is devoted to stock images, typography, design inspiration, and merchandise that are just plain fun. Need I say more?

7. Webdesign.tuts+

Have you ever seen websites with gorgeous textures, smooth CSS layouts, and a sense of hierarchy and organization that is so beautiful you might cry? This website offers tutorials, articles, and galleries to help you stop coveting other people’s work and start making your own tear-inducing beauty. Once you become a master, you can even create your own tutorial and become part of the prestigious authors’ community.

8. IdentityWorks forum

Sometimes the simplest projects are the most difficult ones. Identity design may seem simple to non-designers, but anyone within this field knows that the arduous task of capturing a brand’s entire essence within one small icon is no easy feat. This forum provides articles and thought-provoking arguments from the best in the field of logo design. Learn from the trials and tribulations of the masters.

9. Dexigner

The “multi” in the phrase “multimedia” should really be changed to “so many different careers/venues/categories/talents/software” but it just would not sound quite right. Instead, the Dexigner blog captures industry-leading news and information on everything from 3D design to furniture design to sustainable design. If it ends in “design” this site has information about it.

10. Designers Who Blog

As the name implies, this website is dedicated to designers who blog about design. Use this source to learn from masters in your chosen field, and become a contributor yourself after reading the “How To” articles on successful blogging.

11. Photoshopdotcom

One thing is for certain: designers love Adobe, and most designers are devoted to Photoshop as the number one tool for pixel editing and artwork genesis. This blog, offered by Adobe itself, provides insight on how to use the almighty PSD for new and innovative techniques, as well as Photoshop artwork galleries, tutorials, links and resources.

12. UPrinting

Even though we live in a digital age, print design still calls to a great many people. To learn about everything from eco-friendly printing techniques and color matching capabilities to offset and web presses, visit this ever-updating blog.

13. CMD+SHIFT Design

The first thing a designer will enjoy about this site is its not so subtle reference to a Mac keyboard. The second thing a designer will enjoy is everything else. Created by Liz Andrade, a certified design and web geek who runs her own one-woman design company, this site provides helpful tips straight from the trenches of design: website design, web marketing and social media, and print collateral.

14. Outlaw Design Blog

Are you a one-stop shopper looking for tutorials, freebies, industry events, inspiration, video posts, and freelance business guidance all in one place? If so, then this is the site for you.

15. Just Creative Design

Jacob Cass, an Australian transplant with experience designing for companies such as Disney, Pepsi, the NFL, and Crayola®, has created the ultimate website: one that self-promotes yet provides so many juicy design tidbits that other designers (his competition, in essence) can’t seem to get enough.

About the Author: This article was written by Jennifer Ayotte the School of Technology & Design Coordinator at Rasmussen College at the Fort Myers, FL college campus. In this role, she assists students seeking digital and multimedia design degrees.

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