Images & Brushes Links: Texture: www.sxc.hu Car: www.sxc.hu Grunge Brushes: www.brusheezy.com Welcome to this tutorial! We are going to take a look at how to create this cool, fully customizable and editable grungy, dirty, distressed background. We will use a combo of texture, brushing, and blend modes to create a very cool background inspired by a modest iTunes Gift Card! Learn about brushing, adjustment layers, dodging and burning, blend modes, texturing, masking, and even a slight touch of the pen tool. Enjoy! Twitter! www.twitter.com Be sure to check out www.tutvid.com Check out the blog @ http

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Product Description
Consistently praised in earlier editions as the best volume on classic elements of web site design, Web Style Guide, now in its Third Edition, continues its tradition of emphasis on fundamentals. Focusing on the needs of web site designers in corporations, government, nonprofit organizations, and academic institutions, the book explains established design principles and how they apply in web design projects in which information design, interface design, and efficien… More >>

Web Style Guide, 3rd edition: Basic Design Principles for Creating Web Sites

The template includes the latest version of the RokBB3 administration module, which provides such features as customizing extensions options, Google Web Fonts, Loading Transition and others.

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An impressive array of features in conjunction with the standard and advanced controls provided by the RokBB3, creates a perfectly designed template to develop a beautiful online presence.

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The theme supports integrated styling for numerous phpbb3 sections, adapting to whichever style variation or module suffix you seek to use. The RokBB3 forms the core of the template with the standard and advanced features that accompany it.

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Product Description
 This is the first volume of the Design Elements series each focusing on a core element of the designer’s toolbox. Created with the design student in mind, the series offers a comprehensive reference for understanding and effective application of the core building blocks for designers. Volumes will break down the rules and elements related to each specific subject and outline how and when to apply effective usage and when it’s OK to break the rules. Both tex… More >>

Design Elements, Form and Space: A Graphic Style Manual for Understanding Structure and Design

The separated nature of Entropy allows for a visually enticing appearance, as well as catering for a more conservative look, simply by unpublishing or moving module positions. Standard RokBB3 features apply, such as the user friendly administrator interface, perfect for swift and extensive customization.

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Credit: elenathewise on Photodune

In this issue of Ask FreelanceSwitch, we look at low-cost marketing and developing a style. Ask FreelanceSwitch is a regular column here that allows us to help beginners get a grip on freelancing. If you have a question about freelancing that you want answered, send an email to askfreelanceswitch@gmail.com.

Question 1

I’m 18 and just started my own freelance design agency, I recently registered the company and I’ve had a little trickle of work.

I’m looking for help on how I should get myself noticed and get myself out there on a low budget.

I’ve been using some of my income from working in a studio to pay for business cards, hosting, domains and other business expenses and i’m about breaking even this month with work so I need help on how to raise awareness or raise capital.

I’m also pushing out a few personal projects such as my own blog where I write about web design posts and my experiences of starting a business.

Having marketing materials for your freelance agency is definitely an important start. A good next step is making sure those marketing materials are making it into the hands of people who make decisions about purchasing web design. That almost always means some level of networking, either online or off.

Having business cards doesn’t do a lot for you if they just sit there in the box. You’ve got to put yourself in the same spots where your prospective clients hang out. That means attending networking events, as well as events geared specifically towards the sort of people you want to work with — if, for instance, you want to create web sites for restaurants, there are plenty of events geared towards local restaurant owners that you can attend, from kitchen equipment shows down to the local trade association’s meetings. You can do the exact same sort of targeted networking online.

Of course, that means that you’ll want to get pretty specific about the types of clients you want to work with. If you don’t know who you are targeting, it’s harder to find them. It’s also far more of an effective option when you’re facing a low budget: if you know exactly the type of client you need to find, you can target your marketing efforts. You can avoid wasting time and money on chasing potential clients who don’t actually match up with what you want to offer.

Question 2

I’m a wannabe freelance designer/illustrator, and am currently finishing my design degree.
My question is:

In a world where individuality and uniqueness is highly valued, how do you develop your own style? And what exactly does it mean to have a style of design or illustration?

With some illustrators and designers, you can look at a stack of work and immediately be able to pick out their pieces. That isn’t always true: there are plenty of illustrators and designers out there who do fantastic work, but are not so easily identifiable with just a glance or two. An identifiable style can be a lucrative asset for a freelancer, especially if it works well for the type of clients you prefer to work with.

Because style can be so individually unique — line thickness can be just as much a matter of style as color choice or even the size of the pieces you work on — there isn’t a way to instantly create a style. The most practical method I’ve found is to basically do as much work as you can. Over time, you’ll see certain trends in your own work. You can build on those trends, emphasizing them until they become a full-fledged style. Don’t try to force yourself into a style: your approach will evolve over time, and become more uniquely yours simply based on the amount of work you actually do.

Photo credit: Some rights reserved by elenathewise.

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