Find your creative spark ⚡

Rediscover the designer within you For Creative Professionals Tue, October 25, 2022 [Mighty Deals]( “It’s through mistakes that you actually can grow. You have to get bad in order to get good.” – Paula Scher, graphic designer and ‘master conjurer of the instantly familiar’ Pop quiz: What are the two NASA logos called? Aspiring astronauts turned designers, it’s your time to shine. In this issue: - A Designer’s Journey - What’s your Type? - Design in Motion Let's dive in, shall we?   A DASH OF INSPIRATION A Designer’s Journey, from Mediocrity to Mastery Defeating mediocrity and finding that elusive creative spark. [Mediocrity to Mastery] As a designer, what sets you apart from others? If that question has you stumped, it’s time for a bit of self-reflection. To rise above mediocrity in a competitive world, you need to find what drives you to design. Rediscover Your Inner Designer When you’re always chasing the next best design trend, it’s easy to lose sight of what matters the most – your creative spark. Here are 3 steps to help you [rediscover the designer within you]( Step 1: Find your core mission – Why do you design and what do you care about as a designer? Step 2: List down your skills and approaches – Which frameworks, disciplines and approaches are you drawn to? Which soft and hard skills do you possess? Step 3: Connect it to the outcomes – What are the outcomes of your design mission and approaches? Soft Skills that Make You a Better Designer Flexibility: Build an adaptable [user-first approach]( to design where constructive criticism is welcomed and ideas are not set in stone. Desire to Learn: The only true wisdom is knowing that you know nothing. Good designers have an unquenchable [thirst for knowledge]( and innovation. Mediation: Be ready to negotiate to find that sweet spot between user needs, business goals and other constraints. Clear communication: Articulate and accessible communication is key to getting your ideas across. Learn more here: - [Soft skills in UX — what makes a mediocre designer great]( Stay Relevant in 2022: Refresh your Portfolio! Are you procrastinating on updating your portfolio…again? We know that a design portfolio is always a work in progress. But with so many new design trends popping up, it’s better to refresh it sooner rather than later. Remember when it comes to your portfolio, less is more. You don’t have to cram it up with projects, you just have to showcase your best ones. You can start with: - Trimming it down and letting go of older projects - Featuring the popular design trends you’ve worked on - Modernizing it through web-friendly fonts and layouts - Updating your existing projects and case studies Check out more ways to quickly refresh your portfolio [here]( Having trouble getting the creative juices flowing? Here are the top 3 hottest design trends of 2022 to inspire you: - [Web kitsch]( - [Dopamine color palettes]( - [Interactive 3D elements]( Go deeper: - [Revamping your portfolio? Here are 3 design trends to inspire you](   TYPOGRAPHY TOOLS How Fonts Rule Emotions: Font Psychology 101 [Font Psychology 101] Learn how to use fonts to evoke specific emotions. Fonts are easily overlooked when we think about evoking certain emotions, thoughts and feelings through design. The truth is that they can be just as important as any other design element - sometimes even more so. Enter [font psychology]( the study of the impact fonts can have on human perception. As an experiment, compare your feelings after seeing [Times New Roman or Helvetica]( as opposed to Comic Sans or Papyrus. Just like color, font has the power to make or break your design! Check out how [Netflix]( uses fonts as an example. [Typhography] Photo by [Kaboompics .com]( from [Pexels]( Semi-related video: [Beginning Graphic Design: Typography]( Go deeper: - Rules And Terms Every Designer Should Know]( - [What Are The Families Of Fonts?]( - [Featured Fonts]( - [How Do Web Designers Use Typography?](   ANIMATION & MOTION DESIGN Design in Motion [Design in Motion] The overlap between graphic design and motion design and why you should be practicing both. Did you know? [Graphic design and motion design]( are more similar than you think! In fact, learning motion design can make you a better graphic designer and vice versa. Here are some great reasons to practice both disciplines: - Similar tools are required. Since you’re already aware of the basic software, the learning curve is manageable. For example: Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator are used in both disciplines. Motion designers also often use Adobe After Effects. - The same design principles apply. The language of design principles binds motion designers and graphic designers. For example, concepts like the golden ratio and rule of thirds apply to both. - Both reinforce each other. Learning the [12 principles of animation]( can help graphic designers create dynamic designs. Meanwhile, motion designers can benefit from basic skills that graphic designers have mastered. Go deeper: - are The 10 Best Animators of All Time?]( - [The 10 Best Motion Design Resources to Up Your Game]( - [10 of the Best Motion Design Courses for Beginners](   THE ANSWER The ‘Meatball’ and the ‘Worm’ [NASA] NASA’s traditional logo designed by James Modarelli is known as the ‘[Meatball]( The modern version of the logo released in 1976 adopted a more stylized sans-serif font which earned the name ‘[Worm.]( Modern fonts that pay tribute to these include ‘[Nasalization]( and ‘[Bambi]( NASA previously used Futura as its official typeface but replaced it with Helvetica when the logo was updated. Want to learn more? - [Symbols of NASA]( - [NASA’s Web Design Typography Guidelines](   Meme of the Week [Meme of the week]   Design Fact Design Fact of the Day – The term ‘[graphic design]( was coined by book designer [William Addison Dwiggins]( in his 1922 essay ‘[New Kind of Printing Calls for New Design](   Mighty Deals Mighty Savings for You [5600 Photoshop Brushes Bundle]( 5600 Photoshop Brushes Bundle by Igor Vitkovskiy Was $700 | Now only $17 [25 in 1 Photo Effects Collection]( 25 in 1 Photo Effects Collection by Pixelbuddha Was $735 | Now only $12 [4700+ Flat Cartoon Characters]( 4700+ Flat Cartoon Characters by Truemitra Design Solutions Was $1000 | Now only $59 [Modern Calligraphy Font Bundle]( Modern Calligraphy Font Bundle by Calamar Was $181 | Now only $17 [45-in-1 Photoshop Effects Bundle]( 45-in-1 Photoshop Effects Bundle by Pixelbuddha Was $612 | Now only $12 [Laro Sans Serif Font Family]( Laro Sans Serif Font Family by Larin Type Co. Was $18 | Now only $9 [Print Presentation Mockup Bundle]( Print Presentation Mockup Bundle by Pixelbuddha Was $435 | Now only $11 [Designer's Survival Guide eBook]( Designer's Survival Guide eBook by Misenheimer Creative, Inc. Was $9.99 | Now only $4.99   How did you like today's newsletter? Your feedback helps us improve! Please click on a link to vote: - [I enjoyed it.]( - [Meh – it was ok.]( - [Not interesting to me.](   Daily Deals for Creative Professionals Get massive daily discounts on fonts, templates, icons, patterns, apps, courses, and many other design-related resources. Save 50–90% on most deals — each available for a limited time only. [How it Works]( | [FAQs]( | [Affiliates]( | [Submit a Deal]( | [Contact]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [Update email frequency](