A Harmony Of Hues

Under the spotlight #0

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 16:48:00 +0000

I am writing this post to announce some changes to this blog. Its been almost 4 months since this blog started and the results are close to what I expected. Slowly and steadily, the readers are building up and so are the visitors to this blog. However, to keep the readers engaged, change is necessary. That is why I decided to make some changes to the type of future posts on this blog, which I will be sharing with you all below. You all can (hopefully) expect a redesign too, by the end of this year. Now, the chages I was talking about:

Many of you must have noticed that there was no 'Best Of' post this month. This is because I thought deeply about it and came to a conclusion that it should be discontinued. We all know how the big blogs like Abduzeedo have their 'Best of the week' series, WDD have their 'Tweets of the week' series, Tuts+ also have a series of monthly 'Best of' round-up posts etc. Then why is it necessary for this blog to have one? Even I list the same articles as they do. Even though the 'Best Of' series of posts on my blog have generated a lot of traffic, I don't really see their usefulness anymore. Thats because most of the articles and links in these posts are from the well known blogs and the good posts from the lesser known blogs are left out. Hence, I believe the scrapping of the 'Best Of' series is justified.

Instead of the above mentioned series of posts, I am starting a new series called 'Under the spotlight'. These posts will be about some really great and unique articles, stunningly beautiful websites, very useful apps, my favourite artists and anything new that I come across. If the 'Best Of' was about quantity, you can say that this is about quality, with more focus on the design aspects. Four months of blogging have taught me a lot about blogging and design.

Well, this is it for now. A new post will be coming up soon! Stay tuned!

Follow me on twitter: @aharmonyofhues and facebook at: A Harmony of Hues

A List of 7 Great Design Forums And 6 Benefits Of Participating In Forums Like These

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 15:20:00 +0000

In this world full of tough competitors, we must constantly mold and sharpen our skills. We must keep on learning new things and skills. This is because only the fittest and the best survive. This is true for whichever field you choose, be it technology, education, research or even design.

But the road to learning is not easy. The most frustrating situation is when you are a beginner and don't know how to proceed and whom to ask directions. Many people back out at this stage, just because of the lack of clarity of the road ahead and the confusion. Or they keep doing the things wrongly until someone points this out to them. Since this blog is all about design, we'll talk keeping the designers in mind. Many young designers go on the wrong path due to the lack of proper guidance. And many others waste too much time, online and offline, searching for solutions to their problems. So today, I am writing this post to share with you all one simple method for easy solutions of your design-related problems - Design forums.

However, if you think that online discussion forums are only for your solving problems, think again. Here are some points as to why online forums are beneficial to you as a designer:

Benefits of participating in online discussion forums

Solve your problems - Ofcourse, this is why the forums are mainly built for! You can post your problems and seek advice from experts and users about any topic you like - graphic design, web-design, blogging, SEO, marketing etc. There are a whole lot of forums dedicated specifically for each topic you may find a problem in. I've listed some of the best design-related forums for you at the end of this article.

Networking with like-minded people - If you participate in graphic design forums, it will be graphic designers who will respond to your queries. Same is the case with other types of forums. These are the people who have the same interests and professions as you do, and many will be more learned and experienced than you are. Therefore, you can gain a great deal of knowledge here and make new friends in these forums.

A Source of inspiration - This is true and tried-n-tested by me. Let us consider blogging, for example. If you run out of topics for your next post, give these forums a try. Observe the problems of people. If you know the solutions to their problems, make a post out of it, clearing all topic-related doubts. Hence, you get a new post idea and earn respect in people's eyes all at the same time. This idea has a lot of scope and can be modified and applied anywhere to gain some inspiration.

Solve other people's problems - If you have a great deal of knowledge about any topic or subject, you can consider helping people out by participating in forums. This thing alone has so many benefits:

Earn credibility and respect - People who share their knowledge and solve people's problems are highly respected everywhere. If you can do this in forums, and continue doing so regularly, you start earning the respect of fellow designers and people want to know more about you. Though I must warn you that this takes a lot of time. Reputation can't be built in just a day. But what comes next is even better.

Job leads - Yes sir, job leads. I have read people's comments in so many places about getting a job via forums. But obviously, you have to be very reputed and learned for this. Its not very easy getting a job via forums. Its only possible by regular and helpful posting in big forums.

Traffic boosting strategy - Need more traffic to your website or blog? Read on. Many of the forums allow a 'signature' for the people who post there. This signature is your chance to display the link of your blog, portfolio or website. If the signatures are not 'nofollow', you can automatically get links to your site if have included the link in the signature and you leave meaningful replies. This helps in SEO (though I don't claim to be any kind of SEO expert to be commenting on this topic). However, SEO or not, if you start earning the respect mentioned above, people might want to know you even more. They might want to visit your website and follow you on facebook or twitter. In this process, you are getting traffic to website and returning traffic if the people decide to follow you. In my opinion, this is a very strong benefit of participating in the forums.

Okay, so we know why the online forums are beneficial for us. Now let us have a look at some of the best online forums out there for designers and freelancers.

Some of the best design-related online forums

Webmaster-Talk - Threads: 177,477, Posts: 999,849, Members: 145,492

As the name suggests, its all about Web design, web administration, internet marketing, coding etc. Beautifully split into sections for each kind of topic.

Webmaster-Talk

Sitepoint - Threads: 616,008, Posts: 4,112,563, Members: 401,057

A famous design-related forum with a LOT of members and posts.

Sitepoint

Kirupa - Threads: 306,552, Posts: 2,214,354, Members: 182,366

"This is a friendly community of designers and developers who love what they do and aren't afraid to share their knowledge (and quirky sense of humor) with others."

Kirupa

Estetica Design Forum - Threads: 25,133, Posts: 219,163, Members: 32,345

There are categories for everything related to design here. Well structures and a good design forum.

Estetica Design Forum

DesignersTalk - Threads: 55,730, Posts: 658,404, Members: 90,793

A beautifully built forum and with lots of members and threads.

DesignersTalk

Freelance Switch - A great place for freelancing-related discussions and queries. A part of the Envato network.

Freelance Switch

DaniWeb - Its an IT discussion community, but it has a category for web-designing and coding for the web too. And it is beautifully made.

Daniweb

How to Find Freelance Jobs through Effective Forum Networking - I suggest you read the comments on this article too.

Sensational List Of 25 The Best Design Worldwide Forums - If you need more options, do read this great list of design forums.

Top 5 Graphic Design Forums - Some more great graphic design forums for you in this short and sweet list!

Do you know of any more design-related forums? List them here! I would be glad to hear you out!

Best Of: September 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 17:24:00 +0000

Its time again for the 'Best of the month' on this blog.

The month of September was full of activity and some very good articles were published on various blogs. Lets have a look at some of the best articles, wallpapers, websites and apps which I came to know about, last month.

Wallpaper of the month

Cerulean Enia

Articles of the month

Massive Collection of Elegant Thin Fonts

I Want To Be A Web Designer When I Grow Up

Does The Future Of The Internet Have Room For Web Designers?

20+ Design Jobs and Disciplines Explained with Examples

The Future of Careers in Web Design

StumbleUpon Marketing: 5 Ways to Get More StumbleUpon Traffic to Your Website

5 Easy Steps to a Simpler Blog Design

15 Freelancer Design And Development Creative Job Boards

Eight Helpful Rules for Logo Designers

36+ Resources To Craft The Perfect Portfolio

18 Excellent Design Schools From Around the World

15 Bad Habits That Could Kill Your Design Career

The Faces of Poverty – Photography Showcase

48 Brilliant Free Fonts For Logo And Web Designers In 2010

The Ultimate Photoshop Toolbox

Web Design Podcasts Which Will Improve Your Life

Freebies of the month

Iconshock social icons

Websites of the month

Ubuntu Gamer

Ubuntu Gamer is part of the Ohso network of sites and its aim is to deliver high quality content related to gaming on Ubuntu, and more widely, Linux. This includes the latest news, sneak previews of games, reviews, hardware updates, interesting editorials from our variety of talented authors and even discounts on paid games. Now, I can sing praises about Ubuntu and its beauty forever. If you're also an Ubuntu fan like me, check this site out. Apart from having useful stuff, design-wise also this site is very beautiful!

App(s) of the month

Teuxdeux

Why am I mentioning this app again? It is because it has recently come out with some great features which make it even more exciting. They have also made an i-phone app for their webapp. Great, isn't it? :D

So, this is it! I would really love to hear from you about the quality of the post or any kind of feedback/suggestions. Leave me a message on twitter @aharmonyofhues

Creativity For a Cause - Part I - Social Issues

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 18:45:00 +0000

We read and hear about the social evils everyday, somewhere or the other. I live in India where, unfortunately, these social evils are in the news everyday. Poverty, corruption, domestic violence, child abuse, child labour etc. These are the factors which hinder the process of growth of any society. Not just these 3 or 4 evils, many of them. All of us have to come together and change our mindsets to eradicate these evils.

We as artists, love to express ourselves in some way or the other, about anything that touches us. Any dream we have had, any kind of vision, scene etc. You all must have heard this famous quote: "A picture speaks a thousand words". A picture has the power to capture our attention, to stun us with the strength of its message, to force us to act. Anything visual has more power to captivate our minds than its audio equivalent. That is why perhaps eyes are considered one of the most precious sense organs we have.

Imagine then, what would happen when a great artist expresses himself/herself, through art, for some social cause. Imagine its impact on the viewers. There are some great artists out there, who have such work so as to force the viewers to think. So today, I have compiled the works of some such artists/designers who have very beautifully done their part of creating awareness amongst the people about the effect of these social evils on the victims and the society. We have beautiful yet sad photography, stunning typography and great design. And yes, don't forget to read the facts provided within this post and visit the related websites for more information.

Child abuse

FACTS:
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 40 million children below the age of 15 suffer from abuse and neglect, and require health and social care.

A survey in Egypt showed 37 per cent of children reporting being beaten or tied up by their parents, and 26 per cent reporting injuries such as fractures, loss of consciousness or permanent disability as a result of this.

Some 36 per cent of Indian mothers told interviewers in a survey that they had hit their children with an object of some sort within the last six months. Ten per cent said they had kicked their child; 29 per cent had pulled their child’s hair; 28 per cent had hit the child with their knuckles; and three per cent said they had punished their child by putting hot peppers in their mouth.

A 1995 survey in the United States showed that five per cent of parents asked admitted to disciplining their children through one or more of the following: hitting the child with an object; kicking the child; beating the child; and threatening the child with a knife or gun.

Prevent-Child-Abuse by Punyaruk Baingern, on Flickr

Say no to child abuse!

Child Abuse Prevention Poster

Sometimes Words Hit Harder 1.0

STOP CHILD ABUSE

DACS

By Shaun velka (Behance)

STOP child abuse

Child Abuse Prevention

Prevention of Child Abuse Campaign

Nightmares

Indonesia Child Abuse Foundation "I Am The Greatest"

UNICEF's article on child abuse

Gender inequality

FACTS:
UNESCO report shows less than 40% of countries provide girls and boys equal access to education.

Two out of three countries in the world face gender disparities in primary and secondary education and as many as half will not achieve the goal of gender parity in education by 2015, according to a new report by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS).

Equality

Its a woman's world too

gender equality

Gender Equality

Defend Equality

Drug Abuse

Drug Abuse Advert

Drug Abuse Ad :type 2B:

Drug Abuse -unfinished-

Don't Do Drugs

Drug Addicts

Nikki Sixx against Drugs

Drug Abuse

Drug Abuse Ad :type 1:

Child labour

FACT:

Approximately 158 million children aged 5-14 are engaged in child labour.
In Sub-Saharan Africa around one in three children are engaged in child labour, representing 69 million children.
In South Asia, another 44 million are engaged in child labour.

Our childhood Vs. theirs:

We have spent our childhood playing with stuffed teddy bears and toy cars.
Their toys are stuffed rag-picking bags and heavy machinery.

We have played football and cricket for hours on the soft green grass in the playground.
Their only playground is the garbage dumping site they work in.

We start to work at the age of 20.
They start out 18 years before us.

We have spent our childhood dreaming about our future.
They don't have the time to think about all this. They have to work. Earn. And survive.

child labour

Young Labour -I

Child labour 1

Child labour 4

Child labour 5

Child labour 2

Child Labour

Cut Child Labour Out! by Will, 18,NSW

Child Labor Poster

Child Labour (Nepal)

Follow me on twitter: @aharmonyofhues and facebook at: A Harmony of Hues

Best Of: August 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 01:48:00 +0000

Its time again for the 'Best of the month' on this blog. I know I am a bit late in publishing this now. Would have done it a bit earlier had I not been down with fever.. :-(

The month of August was full of activity and some very good articles were published by various blogs. Lets have a look at some of the best articles, wallpapers, websites and apps which I came to know about, last month.

Wallpaper of the month

Guardian Angel

Articles of the month

If You Were Not A Designer, What Would You Be?

How Limitations Improve Design

Design101: Utilizing Strong Alignments

Mastering Flickr: A Practical Guide

A Practical Guide to Designing With Faces

A Handy Guide to Image Resolutions in Print Design

Top Questions To Help Make Designs That Your Clients Will Love

Business Card Design Starter Kit: Showcase, Tutorials, Templates

It’s About the Design Not the Tools

Best Printing and Prepress Articles

Why designers should consider tolerating spec work

Ten Laws to Design By

Freebies of the month

80+ Useful PSD Templates For Web Designers

“Buddycons” – Vector Social Media Icons

30 New Free High-Quality Fonts

60 High Quality Free Tumblr Themes

Websites of the month

Vector Patterns - A website for free vector patterns

App(s) of the month

Since I have just too many apps to share with you, visit these links instead which contain many of my favourite apps:

45 Free Applications For Designers And Developers

20+ New Apps and Websites for Designers

So, this is it! I would really love to hear from you about the quality of the post or any kind of feedback/suggestions. Leave me a message on twitter @aharmonyofhues

For The Love Of DeviantArt

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:22:00 +0000

I don't think there's any artist or designer who connects with people online, but hasn't heard about DeviantArt . This fantastic art related website recently completed 10 successful years of existence.

deviantART was created to entertain, inspire, and empower the artist in all of us. Founded in August 2000, deviantART is the largest online social network for artists and art enthusiasts with over 13 million registered members, attracting 35 million unique visitors per month. As a community destination, deviantART is a platform that allows emerging and established artists to exhibit, promote, and share their works within a peer community dedicated to the arts. The site's vibrant social network environment receives over 100,000 daily uploads of original art works ranging from traditional media, such as painting and sculpture, to digital art, pixel art, films and anime.

It is one of the best and the most popular site for uploading different kinds of art and getting feedback on it. This site is so good that people are literally addicted to it. Even I was addicted to it at some point and only God knows how I controlled myself. Its just craziness - just like Facebook. Some people also call it the 'artist's facebook' and they are right in saying so. Hardcore addicts and fans of DeviantArt can't live even an hour without checking their inboxes. Especially when they upload a new deviation. Its a huge community out there and fans have created a lot of stuff especially for deviantart, out of love for it - CSS journal skins, emoticons, literature, browser scripts and extensions, t-shirt designs, stamps and what not .

So, in this post, I have compiled a list of some of the best wallpapers and designs, made by true deviantArt fans and addicts, showing us how much we (and they) really love dA. Enjoy!

Pong Loves DA

DAGuitar

We Love Fella

DA photomanipulation

I Love DA

Early deviantart

DA Star

Where subscriber's money goes

I LoVe DeviantART

DeviantART typography

IloveDA color2

s.treet

Loved - Design Battle

DA Chibi

devious pumpkin 3: dark

I love dA

:dalove:

And finally.. the breathtaking-

Welcome to DeviantART World

I hope you loved the post. If not, why not tell me how it could've been better? :-)

Follow me on twitter: @aharmonyofhues and facebook at: A Harmony of Hues

Using a Reference Image to Produce Art - Justified?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 08:20:00 +0000

Before I even knew what this photoshop and graphic design was, I was still an artist. Thats because I used to sketch (and still do, sometimes). I used to sketch using shading pencils and paper. People used to tell me that I was awesome and possessed great skills as an 'artist'. I was very happy. But there was one little fact that I never paid much attention to - I always used to sketch using some kind of reference, be it an image from the internet, a book cover or just some random source. I didn't care much as long as people loved my work.

If you don't get what I mean by 'reference', take a look at the pencil sketches in this post. Though the sketches are simply mind-blowing and unbelievably real-looking, almost all of them have used some kind of 'reference', that is, the artists have made them using some photo of the person sketched. If you think I doubt any such artist's talent, then you are very wrong. I respect all the artists showcased in that post. And why wouldn't I, when I myself sketch like they do?

The problem

I was happy sketching celebrities and landscapes until I read a comment on some article like the above link. It was on an article showcasing such works - sketches made by highly skilled people using a reference image. They had drawn celebrities, places and objects. The showcase of the artist's works was amazing! Just like the link shared above. But when I was scrolling through the comments section , I found some comments shocking. They said that people like these, who use reference images, are not real artists. Just just modify other people's ideas and works and present them in a new manner, claiming them as their own. It was like a slap on my face. The last thing any "true" artist wants to hear is that their ideas are not original. And that they lack creativity.

But later, when I thought over it carefully, I realized that there was some amount of truth in those points. And it made me sad. Very sad. Why? Because all these years, I was just recreating other people's works. I had never made any sketch out of my own imagination.

Originality and creativity Vs. skills

I must clarify here that I'm not talking just about traditional art.. I mean all kinds of art, digital art included. The opinion that has now formed in my mind over this issue is that it is a fight between originality/creativity and the skills. If you use a reference for your artwork, you are in a way reproducing someone else's work in a different manner. The 'artist's' own imagination isn't being used much. A true artist must have originality of ideas and a creative imagination to produce stunning art on his/her own.

But on the other hand, an artist's skills are equally important. If they does not have their unique style or skill set, then what kind of artist are they? If someone does not have the skills to express themselves through art, then what good is the imagination? What I mean to say is that if you don't know how to paint, then how does it matter if you use a reference image or not? Your ideas won't be expressed anyway - original or not. But if you do have the skills, sometimes making something using a reference image is OK to showcase them.

Conclusion

Thinking over it, I've come to a conclusion that it is not entirely wrong to use a reference image for work. Thats because sometimes, it is not wrong to show other people's ideas in your own way. And its absolutely OK to showcase your skills if you are proud of them. As long as it doesn't become a habit. Thats because if it becomes a habit, the originality and creativity is lost over the time. An artist isn't an 'artist' if he doesn't have original and creative ideas in his mind. Thats all I have to say.

What do you think? Is it right to use some kind of a reference in your work? Comment, please!

Best Of: July 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 18:02:00 +0000

Its time for the first ever 'Best of the month' on this blog. As you might be knowing, 'Best of the week' was a failed experiment due to my hectic college life. But lets not discuss about it now.

The month of July was full of activity and some very good articles were published by various blogs. Lets have a look at some of the best articles, wallpapers, websites and apps which I came to know about this month.

Wallpaper of the month

Articles of the month

50 Inspiring Examples of Texture in Web Design

How to Increase the Quality of Your Facebook Fans

10 Free Online Books for Web Designers

Project Thirty Three

Friday Favorites – Concert Posters

Earn Money In Internet:30 Different Design Marketplaces

19 Important Features to Look for in a Web Host

For God's sake, follow your dreams

Creative & Inspirational Promotional Poster Designs

A Life Guide for the Anti-Social Freelancer

40 Outstanding Award Winning Photos Around the World

Am I Really Any Good at this Design Thing?

Designing From a Photo: Quick Tips and Best Practices

70 Photoshop Tutorials For Text Decoration From 2010

How to Run a Low-Cost Freelance Business

250 Quick Web Design Tips (Part 1)

24 Helpful Google Chrome Extensions for Bloggers

Freebies of the month

10 Free Wireframing Tools for Designers

Official India's Currency Symbol Rupee Icon Pack PSD

Websites of the month

If you are an Ubuntu fan, then this site is for you!

Omg! Ubuntu!

This is a design blog which I came across, very recently. There are some really good articles on this blog. Do have a look!

ChethStudios

App of the month

Feedly

Feedly is your magazine-like start page. A fast and stylish way to read and share the content of your favorite sites and services. It provides seamless integration with Google Reader, Twitter, Delicious, YouTube and Amazon. If you don't like the boring Google Reader interface, I'm sure you'll love this. After searching for a whole lot of feed readers with Google reader integration, I stopped after I discovered this. you can install it as an add-on in Firefox or as an extension in Google Chrome .

So, thats all folks! I would really love to hear from you about the quality of the post or feedback/suggestions.

Showcase: Vladstudio by Vlad Gerasimov

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 02:10:00 +0000

Today, I am going to showcase the work of a very very talented digital artist - Vlad Gerasimov. He is the force behind the amazing site called Vladstudio . In Mr. Gerasimov's own words -

Vladstudio is the project of Russian digital artist Vlad Gerasimov. In 1998 I started to design user interfaces for web sites and software applications. However, when I had some free time, I created desktop wallpapers. Over the time, this hobby has grown into business, and today I enjoy full-time self-employment, creating wallpapers for your computers and mobile devices. I love what I do, and I am happy that many people around the world love it, too!

I have been using wallpapers made by Mr. Gerasimov even before I knew what photoshop was. His style is different - mostly dark, enigmatic and serene. His work is mostly neat and minimalistic. From some of his works showcased below, you can get an idea about the amount of skills he possesses. Its just amazing! The tools he uses are mostly photoshop and a tablet.

If you like his style, you can follow some of the tutorials he writes explaining his flow of work. Apart from wallpapers, he produces e-cards, wallpaper clocks, posters, t-shirts, mouse-pads, vinyl stickers, themes for blogs, greeting cards and what not! Its just amazing! Don't take my word for it. Go and see it yourself on Vladstudio.

Now, lets have a look at some of his most popular wallpapers ever and my all-time favorites.

Dawn

Calm

Google Data Center

The Two and The Nightmare Before Christmas

Frog

Fire Dragon

The Two and the Lighthouse

Diving

Up or Down?

Cold Night

These were just 10 of the HUNDREDS of wallpapers on his website. As you may have realized by seeing his work, you definitely need to give Vladstudio a visit. It would take many of us a lot of time to reach his level of expertise in creating digital art using photoshop and other softwares. Comments and feedback, please? :-)

9 Reasons to Comment on Every Article You Read on the Web

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 04:03:00 +0000

How many times has it happened that you came across a really good article on the net and just closed the tab without even leaving a comment there? Ok, how many of you really take out some time everyday and try to comment on the articles you read that day?

I believe that only 5% of the people really do. And amongst those 5%, half are mainly spammers, trolls and people with comments like 'first!', 'nice article', 'good work' etc. The situation is really bad. And its getting worse.

Now some might ask if I myself comment (properly) on other blogs or not. The answer is that till a month back, I didn't. But I realized the importance of commenting properly on articles on the web just recently. That is why, today, I'm compiling all the benefits of properly commenting on the articles you read everyday, and also of going through others' comments. Please note that these points are not meant just for design related articles, but for every article you find useful and informative on the internet.

1. Who doesn't love comments?

True, isn't it? And by comments, i mean proper comments, not spam or 'great post' type. When someone leaves a comment saying how he/she loved what we wrote and adds some of his/her own suggestions, it really does feel so good. Especially new bloggers (like me). It encourages them and gives them the necessary push to carry on with what they are doing. Bloggers who get a lot of comments and have lots readers will also understand this because they surely must have gone through a time when their posts didn't get even a single comment. Some useful links:

8 Reasons you Might Not be Getting Many Comments

2. It helps the author in improving

Proper feedback helps a lot. I'll take up my case. Instead of 10 comments saying 'Great article!', I'd any day like even 1 meaningful comment explaining why the article was so great. And you know, I would be even happier if someone told me why my article was not good (in a respectful way) because it would help me improve and know what my readers love to read and expect on my blog. I'm sure this is the case with you people too.

3. Its good manners

Writing a good and an informative article isn't an easy task. A lot of work goes into it, be it articles related to design, technology or even blogging. A lot of research work has to be done and a lot of facts have to be checked before the article is published. It might even take hours to complete a single post, but it just takes a few minutes to read one. When someone work so hard to give you some knowledge/ improve you, can't you spend a minute writing a meaningful comment appreciating the author's efforts?

4. You get noticed

If you frequently leave thought-provoking comments on blogs, you must know what I mean. Or sometimes, even if your logo/gravavtar is interesting and unique, people might want to know you, follow you etc. Take interest in people and whatever they do, and people will do the same with you. Be rude to people, and expect the same behaviour from others.

5. Builds credibility

A good comment leaves a good impression on people. When you know what you are talking about, people admire you. They want to know you more. Hence, many end up visiting your website and some of them turn into your blog's loyal readers too. This, and the points above and below this are inter-related. Some useful links:

How to Leave a Positive Impression on Other Bloggers Through Comments

6. Traffic getting strategy

As I said before, if you comment regularly and properly, people will start noticing you and many end up visiting your website, thereby increasing the traffic to your website. One note here - many people think being the first to comment in an article will definitely help in being extent. This is only partly true. Here is one article explaining this. Also, as I am no SEO (search engine optimization) expert, I can't say for sure if it is good for improving your search engine rankings or not, but here are some articles you might want to go through to know more on this topic. But one thing is for sure - proper commenting does help. Some useful links (SEO related):

Blog commenting, Part 1: Benefits of blog commenting

7. You discover new stuff

A lot of information gathered just by reading other's comments. Many people do take out time to notify the author what he/she may have missed out in the post, or to highlight new things or share their experiences. A lot of information is also gained by this. let me give you one example. I have come across a lot of articles which showcase new and interesting apps. i make it a point to go through the comments on that article because in these articles get a lot of comments because people love to share what apps they are using instead of the ones showcased. And the benefits of reading these comments? I get to know what alternatives are available and people's opinions about all these apps. Same applies to other types of articles.

8. You get to voice your opinion

This is mainly what the comments section was made for - to hear your opinion. you can ask the author anything if you want, share your experience and knowledge, provide feedback or correct the author on some point. But lets just hope the author replies to your comment too.. Many don't and this is a bad thing on their part if they expect people to comment.

9. A place for discussions

The 'comments' section is a great place for readers to engage in a healthy conversation amongst themselves and the author. Features like threaded comments on blogs have helped a lot in this area. It helps in building a bond between the readers and the author and is a characteristic of a good community.

Now lets see (below) how many of you really got what this article was trying to explain! ;-)

25 Reasons to Start Out as a Graphic Designer Today

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:36:00 +0000

I have always had an inclination towards art and creativity since I was a kid. I used to go for art classes for many years. When I grew up, I used to sketch on my own. I was very fond of sketching and shading (you can see some of my sketches here). But something was missing. I was not able to express myself through traditional art the way I wanted to. Something more was needed. Painting was not an option because I was horrible at it.

So one day, while I was checking some cool wallpapers I got as a mail, I got curious and visited the site from where the wallpapers came from. This site was Abduzeedo.com. And this is where I was introduced to the world of digital art and design. It was amazing! Graphic design could be used to create anything. This was the thing missing. I sometimes think that I started a bit late at 18 and made some wrong career choices just because I was unaware of this field. But atleast I am on track now.

Therefore, in this post, I'm stating 35 reasons as to why you should start out as a graphic designer today, if you have that creative blood in your veins and are not afraid of computers. I hope this post will help you decide what to do. If you are already a graphic designer, this might help you know what openings you have as a graphic designer. Lets start with some general reasons and then move on to career related and personality development related reasons.

General and technical reasons

Being a graphic designer is awesome!

1. Its an unconventional career

Atleast it is, in India. People still think of art and design as a 'hobby' and mainly go for a career in engineering, medicine, law etc. But change is here. People are starting to consider this as a career too. More and more youngsters are going into design related careers these days.

2. A lot of scope

Earlier, while launching a product, advertising used to find a place in the bottom of their to-do lists. They used to think customers would come on their own because the competition was very less. But now, with increasing competitions from rivals, companies are turning to innovative advertising because it is the only chance to showcase their product to people before they buy. Same is for websites and product products. More and more emphasis is being laid on visually appealing advertising and packaging. As a result, the demand for designers and artists is increasing. These are just two examples. There are many more examples out there.

3. Help beautify the world

This reason may sound a weird to some, I think. But we all know how this world is filled with ugly things. On the net (ugly websites and ads), as well as the real life (bad product packaging, boring looking houses and buildings etc.). Don't you wish a particular thing looked the way you wanted or was a little more beautiful? Beautiful things make us happy. Ugly things only spoil our mood. You'll only make this world a better place to live in.

4. You get to know the web better

The internet is a big place. Being a graphic designer, initially you have to struggle to find good resources, people and tools on the net. In this process, you learn a lot about about the way the internet works and what to find where. The same happened with me. And the same has happened with all the designers out there. You wouldn't find a designer who doesn't know the 'secrets' of the web. It will help you greatly because most of your work later will be web related.

5. This is as good as (or even better) than traditional art

You (probably) read my story above explaining this point. You can achieve similar results with softwares like photoshop etc. that you achieve with oil paints and all. And there are some things that can just be done with computers only. Like print work, advertisements etc. Atleast I will say that I find digital art and design better than traditional art because I can express myself better with this medium.

6. A helpful community to guide you

There are SO many websites, articles, freebies and forums to guide and help you if you are new to the world of design. From beginner to advanced level, you can find tutorials and articles on almost everything imaginable. Some of the good ones out there include Smashing Magazine, Abduzeedo, Tuts+ network, DeviantArt etc.
Some useful links: Where to Find Free Design Feedback | Design Shack

Career related reasons

Working as a freelancer

Please note - The following are the benefits if you are both a designer and a freelancer. But most of these work for part-time designers too.

7. Lots of career openings

This is one of the MAIN reasons why graphic design is so good. There are so many things you can do or become to increase your skills or earn some extra income.

A. Blogging: Everybody should have a blog, I think. And graphic designers have more reasons to have one. One's own website can serve as a portfolio as well as you can use it as a blog side by side. And you can always earn some extra income by advertisements on your blog! You should know that some people earn their living by blogging only. One example is of the famous blogger Darren Rowse.

B. Web-designing: Website designing is another full time career. If you can design graphics and all, designing websites is easy. A lot of graphic designers are also web-designers. Webdesign also has a lot of potential as people are realizing how important it is to have a good looking website to attract future customers and build an impression. Therefore, web-designers are in demand these days. And this field pays well too.

C. Developing: If you can design graphics, why not design interfaces of software and apps too? You can always team up with a coder or can learn coding yourself to make high-quality software and apps (web-apps, iPhone apps etc.). This is another well paying career advancement option.

D. Photography: All these options are related. You can even become a photographer if you are interested in photography. I have seen a lot of designers who pursue photography as a hobby along with design business. As a creative, your photography sense eventually develops.

E. Join a company: You can also join a company as a creative and can become the creative head, art director or something like that once you gain some experience. The salaries are very good as there is a growing demand for professionals in this field. If you check out the job portals, you will see what I mean.

8. Become a freelancer

The benefits of becoming a freelancer outweigh its downsides. Many famous graphic and web-designers such as Fabio Sasso, Chuck Anderson and James white are freelancers. Become self-employed. Choose whom to work with. Work from your home. You are your own boss. This is life! And yes, there are a lot of sites like FreelanceFolder and FreelanceSwitch to help you out.

Lets talk about the benefits of being a freelance graphic and/or web designer, developer etc. First, some useful links:

How to Become a Freelance Web Developer | Nettuts+

40 Sites for Finding Web Design Jobs | Vandelay Design Blog

10 Reasons You Should Never Get a Job

9. Choose your clients and boss

You don't like your present client? There's always an option to let go of him. Because you'll soon find others. Though you might lose one income stream, you will have others (income from advertisements on your blog, income from selling graphic leftovers etc.) to support you. And finding a new client won't be difficult if you are good at your work and can sell your services good. Whereas in a 12-hour regular job, you cannot change or challenge your boss easily and you have to do all that your boss wants to do. Can't leave that job too because its the only source of your income.

10. LOTS of income streams

Who says graphic and web-designers can't earn as much as regular job-goers? As a graphic designer, you can build multiple sources of income. All these income streams add up to give a good amount of income per month. There are people doing it. They are supporting their families too. So, it can be done. Here are some articles that show you how you can build you income streams:

The Simple, Ridiculously Useful Guide to Earning a Living from Your Passion

How to Make Money Off of Your Graphic Design

Which ad network should work best for your blog?

40 Websites to Sell Designs and Photos Online | Psdeluxe

Earning Extra Income Selling Stock Art | Design Shack

101 Ideas to Get More Freelance Work and Generate New Client Leads | FreelanceSwitch

50 Freelance Job Sites For Designers & Programmers – Best Of | Web 2.0

11. Earn while sleeping

In a regular job, as long as you continue going to the office, you continue getting your salary. Wouldn't it be nice to earn even while you wern't working?Wouldn't it be nice to sleep peacefully and still be earning overnight? Yep. It is. And the fact is, many people are doing it. They are generating Passive Income streams. I have already shared with you in the previous point some links to earn passive income. Links for you:

5 Stellar Ways Designers Can Gain Passive Income | Design Reviver

10 tips to finally make money with Google Adsense

12. More savings

You save a lot of money by working at home. Transportation costs, food costs etc. Plus, in a regular job, incomes is taxed and distributed at various levels before it reaches you.. So you get less than what you actually toil for. But when self-employed, you get what you deserve and pay the tax on one level only. Thus the money saved can be used for better things. Some open-source software and cool links for you to save even more money:

70 Awesome Open Source Tools for Graphic Designers

15 Best Places for Designers to Get Free Stock Photos Online

Web Designer TO-DO list (MUST-HAVE resources for Web Designers) | Web Design Tutorials | Creating a Website | Learn Adobe Flash, Photoshop and Dreamweaver

13.You keep learning new things

Technology changes fast. Very fast. As a designer, you constantly need to update your knowledge about different softwares, tools and skills. You learn how to learn. The excitement and eagerness keeps you on your toes, always. This doesn't happen in a regular job, where you have to work for several years on the same technologies. After some time, boredom creeps in and you lose all interest in your job. Also when you work on your own, you apply the things you have learnt which most of the times isn't possible when working under someone.

14. You don't get a fan following in office

True. People don't go crazy over your work if you can fix a computer or make business deals with clients. OK, some people like your boss may be 'impressed', but its nowhere near the way designers are worshiped by their fans. You do get a fan following if you can make awesome posters, cool websites, produce amazing content on your blog etc. Get my point? People can't wait for your next creation. They want to know you, what you do, how you do it and everything about you. You gather followers over time. This surely doesn't happen in a regular job unless you are an actor or something like that.

15. You love your work

It happens. You do engineering in electronics (assuming you wanted to do it) but are made to transfer files from one table to another, when you finally get a job after graduation. I believe over half the people in this world are stuck in the wrong job, just because of parental pressure, peer pressure and wrong advice. Half the people really don't love their jobs. But no one can really force you to become a graphic designer. If you are into it, you are because of you wanted to. And in this, you choose the work. So there isn't any scope of doing unwanted and hated work. As a result of it, your productivity is increased because as they say - the work you like to do, isn't 'work' anymore at all.

16. Business sense develops

This is one of the benefits of dealing with clients on your own and earning income. Being a freelancer, a lot of records about your income and transactions need to be kept for taxes and all. Also, you learn how to convince clients to continue using your services in the future and also convince new clients why they should hire you. This, afterall, is business. Just as you would in a regular job, you learn the 'business thing' on your own.

17. Freedom is yours

Being a freelancer, you work from your home. You are free to set your own rules and working hours and can maximize productivity by working in the time and way that suits you. No more being confined to a small cubicle anymore. You can do whatever you like, wear whatever you want. You are free.

18. More time for family and home

One day, you will grow up, get married and support a family. In a regular job, you will have go to work at 8 a.m, return at 8 p.m, and work 6 days a week. As a result, you will be too tired on Sundays and will hardly get any time to spend with your loved ones. If you were a freelancer artist, you would be working from home and so you can spend more time with your family. This will greatly help in building relationships with your loved ones.

19. Development in soft skills

For work, you have to interact with clients. As you can even work for overseas clients, you have to interact with them too. Plus, its necessary for a designer to meet and tell people of what he/she does so that potential clients can contact them. In all these processes of interaction with people, the soft skills such as speaking abilities, manners etc. develop. And we all know how important soft skills are, apart from from technical skills, to win over a new client or an employer.

Personality development related

Stand out from the herd!

20. Your brain develops

Being creative helps develop your brain. This is because you have to use your grey matter to come up with new ideas for making something. Something that is innovative, fresh and useful. Something that woos the audience. All this just helps in the development of your brain.

21. Your personality develops

Meeting with clients, connecting with people and innovative thinking help in developing your overall personality. You get the required exposure and gradually overcome your shyness too (for introverts). And yes, the speaking abilities also develop, as I have mentioned above.

22. Learn to stand up for yourself

Clients from Hell is a very good site that shows how sometimes your clients can spoil your mood. Instead of the negative aspects of these clients, see the positive aspects of dealing with such people - you get stronger from within, more experienced and wise. They are indirectly teaching you to stand up for yourself when you get cheated and explore different methods by which you can force them to 'behave' (this includes contracts and legal help etc.). Some links:

Items a Designer Must Include in a Contract | Web Design Tips, Tricks and Tutorials

23. Time management

Thinking that working from home and on your own means less work is very, very wrong. Since there is no job security like in a regular job, you have to work equally hard (or maybe even more) here. And since there are multiple income streams, it means the amount of work is more, even though it might be less in load. From all these processes, you learn time management. Checking your mails, tweets, facebook, interacting with people, doing client's work, time with family... all this requires time management. You might be comfortable at home, but it doesn't mean you have to work less than others. Some links:

20 Powerful Time Management Tools | inspirationfeed.com

24. Its like a survival training

Except that you HAVE to survive in this one. While this might seem one of the downsides of being a freelance creative, look at it in a positive way. Think of it as a survival training like the ones the army provides to its soldiers. You are left alone in a jungle. And you have to survive there for 2 days. There is nothing with you except your skills and your brain. Initially, you are slow. But once you get the hang of it, you learn to survive easily. What does the soldier become after this training? Tough. And yeah, remember the story of Robinson Crusoe? Place yourself in this situation. It'll only help you become tough.

Oh yes.. one silly reason too..

25. Graphic designers are cool

Yup. There sure is an awesomeness surrounding them! Or atleast I think so! ;-) :p

These are just my views from what I have learnt till now. If you have better suggestions or want to correct me somewhere, why not comment below? Or send me a message on twitter at @aharmonyofhues :)

Best Of: June 27th to July 3rd

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 15:40:00 +0000

As you already know, this series will focus on everything that happened in the given week - great articles, freebies, breathtaking wallpapers, beautiful photography, people you should know about and cool apps. Its a round-up of all the things that got people talking and I'm sure you'll find it useful if just want to go through 'The Best'. Lets get down to business.

And yes, I'm dropping the 'Video of the week' section from these posts from now on.. I don't really watch videos on the net much..

Wallpaper of the week

Image of the week

This photograph really moved me when I saw it. I suggest you have have a look at the full image and read the artist's comments too! Its been one of my favorite photograph till date.

Links of the week

What's so Great About Your Comfort Zone
50 Powerful Time -Savers for Web Designers

Customize Your Facebook Fan Page: Tips, Tricks, Applications

Are you taking enough time to build your design business?

Stupid Is As Stupid Does

Freebies of the week

Fresh and Excellent Photoshop Tutorials For Designing Posters (From 2010)

29 Resources for Freelance Designers Operating on a Tight Budget

People and websites you should know about

Smashing Magazine - The Best

Founded in September 2006, Smashing Magazine delivers useful and innovative information to Web designers and developers. Our aim is to inform our readers about the latest trends and techniques in Web development. We try to convince you not with the quantity but with the quality of the information we present. We hope that makes us different. Smashing Magazine is, and always has been, independent.

App of the week

Hootsuite is a social network status update client, just like Tweetdeck and others. But this is web-based.You can simultaneously update your status on multiple twitter accounts, facebook and facebook pages, wordpress and so on. ou can even schedule your updates for the future. There are so many features in it, I just can't mention everything here! Visit their About page for more of Hootsuite.

This is it for this week. Stay tuned for an article next week! I would love to hear from you about this post!

Best of: June 20th to 26th

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 07:50:00 +0000

This is the first post of the 'Best of' series. This series will focus on everything that happened in the given week - great articles, freebies, breathtaking wallpapers, beautiful photography, people you should know about and cool apps. Its a round-up of all the things that got people talking and I'm sure you'll find it useful if just want to go through 'The Best'. Enough talk.

Wallpaper of the week

A beautiful wallpaper by ~vivisektor. It seems as if the bridge is leading us into a mysterious, unknown world beyond the fog. Perfect for you if you are one those dreamy types like me, who could sit and stare at it for hours.

Image of the week

'Moving on' by Anders Lonnfeldt

While I was browsing through Creattica for some inspiration, I came across this photograph by Anders Lonnfeldt. I stopped there for 5 minutes to have a proper look at this. This is a beautiful photograph with all the right colors and a calm atmosphere. The way this man is silhouetted against the sun is just perfect! Anders Lonnfeldt's portfolio and his work - Its simply amazing! Check it yourself here if you don't believe me.

People and websites you should know about

Abduzeedo.com

This was the website which introduced me to the world of digital art and photoshop. Founded by the great Fabio Sasso, Abduzeedo is an awesome website for inspiration, freebies and tutorials, and also listed among the top 10 sources for art and design inspiration by Mashable. Do have a look! Twitter: @abduzeedo

App of the week

TeuxDeux is a simple, designy, browser-based to-do app. And yes, its one of the most minimalistic to-do app I've seen till now. You just have to enter a task for a day of the week and it is added to the list. If you didn't complete any task the day before, it is transfered to the current day. The things keep piling up if you procrastinate and the long list makes you work hard to shorten it.

Inspiration: The beauty of electronic circuits

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:13:00 +0000

Electronics is very boring (or atleast I think so). As I am doing electronics and communication engineering, I know what it feels like to learn the working of a hundred type of circuits and components and attend boring lectures.

But the fun part of electronics are the practicals. Here, you get to see and feel a real, working circuit. A friend of mine gave me the idea to find the connection between my studies and my passion. So, here I am, showcasing work of people who have the power to view the most boring of the circuits in the most interesting and beautiful ways. Enjoy!

Three LEDs by *Dvego on deviant ART

electronics v2 by ~kommissar on deviant ART

motherboard sunset by ~gabrieli on deviant ART

Mother by ~EvilDead-69 on deviant ART

Motherboard by `kuschelirmel on deviant ART

On-site repair team by *stevezpj on deviant ART

-Circuit- by ~mimoh on deviant ART

BW electronics - capacitor by *abey79 on deviant ART

Electronic Jungle by ~Tiger-Tom on deviant ART

Copper Circuits by ~Vonburgherstein on deviant ART

Was this post lame? Or different? What do you think? Please comment :)

Best of: A new type of post on this blog

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 16:28:00 +0000

Hello everyone!

I'm planning to start a new series of posts on this blog. Starting exactly a week later, the 'Best of' series of posts will have everything cool and new that happened in that week or some awesome stuff that I come across. Basically, it will have all this:

Wallpaper of the week
Image of the week
Video of the week
Links of the week
People you should follow
Freebies of the week

And yes.. I might add some more categories too..! ;)

Therefore, I (hopefully) plan to post twice in a week on this blog - A normal post every Tuesday / Wednesday and a 'Best of' post every Sunday.

I would be very happy if you people could suggest me something you wanted to see here. :)

Stay tuned for more!

Showcase: Jung Shan and her awesome Ink style effect

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 13:46:00 +0000

This section is for those awesomely creative and superbly talented artists, photographers and designers who, I feel, can inspire us all with their unique ideas and skills. You can expect this post every two weeks.

Today, I want to share with you the work of ~Jungshan from DeviantArt.

Bio: Chang Jung Shan is a female illustrator living in Taiwan and as she puts it, she likes to 'combine the Asian art style with the western technique of drawing, especially the ink effect'. And true to her word, her work just takes your breath away if you really are a fan of this style.

Enough talk. Let the work speak for itself!

run its course by ~Jungshan on deviant ART

summer snow by ~Jungshan on deviant ART

come back by ~Jungshan on deviant ART

black mica by ~Jungshan on deviant ART

Fallin' by ~Jungshan on deviant ART

fire in winter by ~Jungshan on deviant ART

clean by ~Jungshan on deviant ART

blood fist by ~Jungshan on deviant ART

season - Fall by ~Jungshan on deviant ART

Silk +black white by ~Jungshan on deviant ART

Take a Cup of Coffee by ~Jungshan on deviant ART

why.... by ~Jungshan on deviant ART

You can also check out her blog here if you want more of the ink style effect and the work I may have missed out here. Don't forget to comment on her profile if you like her style! And don't forget to comment and share this post if you like it!

How to: Deal with a creative blackout in 10 simple ways

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 15:31:00 +0000

Everyone of us has faced a time in which everything around us seemed so boring, uninspiring and dull. When we just couldn't come up with fresh ideas for our next design, art, project or anything. It has happened with me a lot of times too. It feels so frustrating. Just sitting blankly, wondering what to do next..what to make. This condition is commonly known as 'artist's/ designer's block' or 'creative blank'.

I've seen that this 'designer's block' mostly arises when we're forced to go through fixed, boring and monotonous routines for long periods of time. Or if we are subject to conditions where our gray matter isn't being used much. For example, attending boring lectures (in case of students) or sitting in front of a computer the whole day (in case of a freelancer or a general office-goer) does drain out all the creativity because of the dull environment they work in. Because, ideas are generated in our heads and so for creative thinking, our brain must be well exercised and used regularly.

So here I am, listing 10 ways as to how you can avoid a creative blackout and always stay at your creative best:

1. Browse through inspiration galleries

The most simple and obvious step. There are many great sites like Abduzeedo, Creattica, DeviantArt, Yay!Everyday etc. which provide very good inspiration whenever you need some ideas. The content on them is very fresh and inspirational.

2. Follow a tutorial

Look for a tutorial on sites like PSDTuts or DeviantArt and try to follow it. But don't produce the same final results as given in the tutorial. Try to change the results to make it look different. You can even combine two tutorials to produce a new effect altogether. This will help you think differently and bring you right back on the creative track. This method can apply for traditional artists too.

3. Recreate your old work

Everyone was a beginner at some point in his/her life. I'm sure, you like everyone else must have attempted something in photoshop or on a real canvas that didn't come out the way you expected, just because you weren't as skilled at that point of time. When you have run out of ideas, try taking up these projects again and recreate them in a new way. In this process, you will come up with new ideas which will help in re-igniting the creative fire in you.

4. Study the artists you love

We all have someone whose skills we admire the most. Take up two or three of his/her works and study them. See how it was made, what techniques were applied, etc. I'm sure you will come across some techniques which are new to you. Now, try to implement these techniques on your own. You will start getting ideas as to how you can combine these techniques with yours, and produce amazing results.

5. Push your limits

Its never too late to learn anything new. Are you only a graphic designer? Try web designing too. Do you only work with watercolors? Try doing pencil sketching for a change. Trying out something different gives you new and better ideas. And yes, by learning new skills, you can always increase your sources of income.

6. Make an 'inspiration' folder

This is a technique I follow whenever I'm out of inspiration and also not in the mood to search the internet for some good inspiration. Because the net contains equal amount of crap as it does the good stuff. Whenever I'm surfing the net and come across beautiful piece of design or art , I just save its image (whatever size it is in) in my computer in a specific folder. And thus, whenever I need some ideas, I just go through my 'inspiration' folder and get charged up again! No more going through useless stuff and wasting time to find the perfect inspiration.

7. Look around yourself

Look out of your room's window. Do you see that billboard? The typography in it is awesome, isn't it? Getting some ideas? Nice! Or what about that painting in your room? Beautiful, isn't it? This is how you can find good inspiration in those 'small' and 'irrelevant' things around you.

8. Reconnect with nature

Most of us live in cities and due to the rising industrialization and urbanization, we hardly get to see much greenery around. Take a day or two off and visit some place where you can reconnect with nature. Just get away from the noise and the crowd, somehow. Because nothing in this world is more beautiful and inspiring than the flora and fauna around us. Lie down on the grass. Feel the nature's vibes running through you. Watch the birds flying. Hear the whispering of the wind. And when you return to your home, I'm sure it'll be a long time before you hit the creative block again.

9. Listen to music

Yes, music. Music has the power to change our mood whenever we're feeling down. It cheers us up and it can also be a source of inspiration. There must be a song that moves you in some way, makes you think or makes you emotional. Or it has some memory associated with it. I'm sure you can form an image of that scene in your mind. Convert that scene/emotion into your next panting/design. For example, whenever I listen to the song 'After the rain' by groovecatcher, all I can think of is the rain. I somehow feel like expressing the scene I'm imagining, through art. Somehow feel like making something relating to the rain, expressing my love for it.

10. Never lose an idea

Never underestimate the power of an idea, however small and crazy it seems to you. Half the inventions in the world are because of crazy ideas and experimentation only. An idea can hit you anytime - in the middle of a lecture, while daydreaming, having lunch, traveling etc. Before you forget it, note it down somewhere. You can maintain a small diary to keep record of all your ideas/ inspirations. You can also use mind mapping applications such as Mindmeister, Xmind etc for organizing your ideas. I use Mind42 and love it. And one day, when you hit a creative block, you can go through your diary or your mind maps for creative ideas you've been noting down.

Feedback on my first article, please? :)

3.. 2.. 1.. Yay!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 13:48:00 +0000

Hello there!
This blog is ready and finally up! :D
I know it took a lot of time, but its finally here! *party* I can feel my dreams coming true.. step by step. Below I explain why I made the blog the way it looks like.

The design

I am a big fan of minimalism. Therefore I chose this minimalistic template (well, I had to choose this one because the last one looked too plain). Also, the studies have shown that its easier to read black text on white rather than white on black. Hence the choice of background. The minimalism doesn't let the visitor's eyes stray anywhere except on the content, which is the most important thing on this blog. The font for the posts is helvetica, my favorite, for its oh-so-perfect finish.

The 'logo'

This is the thing I spent 50% of my time on, just because I wanted perfection. After a lot of creations and rejections, I finally came up with this:

I am happy about this one, though still not satisfied. Hey - I'm no logo designer (yet)!

What to expect on this blog:

Lots of great articles, inspiration, tips and freebies related to all kinds of art and design and more! Any kind of appreciation or criticism is welcome. It will only help me improve and learn. Also, why not read the 'About' page of this blog, while we're discussing this? :)

A Harmony Of Hues

Under the spotlight #0

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Yup. There sure is an awesomeness surrounding them! Or atleast I think so! ;-) :p These are just my views from what I have learnt till now. If you have better suggestions or want to correct me somewhere, why not comment below? Or send me a message on twitter at @aharmonyofhues :)

Best Of: June 27th to July 3rd

Best of: June 20th to 26th

Wallpaper of the week

Image of the week

Video Of the week

Links of the week

Freebies of the week

People and websites you should know about

Abduzeedo.com

App of the week

Inspiration: The beauty of electronic circuits

Best of: A new type of post on this blog

Showcase: Jung Shan and her awesome Ink style effect

How to: Deal with a creative blackout in 10 simple ways

3.. 2.. 1.. Yay!

How to Become a Freelance Web Developer | Nettuts+

40 Sites for Finding Web Design Jobs | Vandelay Design Blog

10 Reasons You Should Never Get a Job

5 Stellar Ways Designers Can Gain Passive Income | Design Reviver

10 tips to finally make money with Google Adsense

70 Awesome Open Source Tools for Graphic Designers

15 Best Places for Designers to Get Free Stock Photos Online

Web Designer TO-DO list (MUST-HAVE resources for Web Designers) | Web Design Tutorials | Creating a Website | Learn Adobe Flash, Photoshop and Dreamweaver

20 Powerful Time Management Tools | inspirationfeed.com

24. Its like a survival training

Yup. There sure is an awesomeness surrounding them! Or atleast I think so! ;-) :p

These are just my views from what I have learnt till now. If you have better suggestions or want to correct me somewhere, why not comment below? Or send me a message on twitter at @aharmonyofhues :)