Any confusion in the way the site is setup, its search functions or even the appearance can create large amounts of controversy between citizens and governments; as history has shown.

With that said, we’re going to look at the best practices for creating government websites by comparing local with federal, the usability of these sites and their designs.

Note: To eliminate the chance of political debates in the comments, any reference to government hierarchy will be according to the US Constitution instead of their socially accepted hierarchies.

Transparency

Let’s start by taking a look at two .gov websites, the White House and the Santa Monica City Council.

White House (top) and Santa Monica City Council (bottom) websites

When considering the issue of transparency, which is priority #1 for most citizens when looking at a government website, the White House fails miserably.  Important information is extremely hard to find and may require hours of research to get a clear understanding of what’s going on inside the White House due to its lack of organization.

On the other hand, the Santa Monica City Council does a decent job of providing transparency.  When you first arrive to the site, it’s easy to find the last meeting that was held, all of the issues that were discussed, and any resolutions that occurred.  Minutes are accounted for, and it’s even easy to find out when the next meeting will be held so that you can watch it online.

It’s also important to provide an easily accessible and user-friendly search.  This is an area where the White House website performs well.  The search box is easy to find and the results are well organized, allowing the user to put them in chronological order.

The Santa Monica City Council also has an easy to find search box, but when the results are directed to Google it completely breaks the consistency of the website.  Results are difficult to sort through and the information isn’t always relevant to your search.

So when looking at these two government websites, we can learn the proper way and the wrong way to provide transparency.  By focusing on transparency on the homepage, the Santa Monica City Council website can be perceived as caring about its citizens as its primary concern. Adversely, citizens may get frustrated with the White House because their website makes it increasingly difficult to find important information.

In conclusion, while it’s important to maintain an aesthetic appeal, it’s even more important to make transparency easily accessible.  I see no reason why both can’t be done, with the aesthetic appeal of the White House website, and transparency put on the homepage like the Santa Monica City Council website.

Issues

This is a dramatically important piece of any government website.  Let’s start by taking a look at one that has done this well.

Sen. Rand Paul website

The website of Sen. Rand Paul lays out the issues in a very cohesive manner.  By simply hovering over a menu item that clearly states “issues” you get a nice drop-down menu with all of the issues laid out for you.  This is a very simple, straightforward approach to delivering the information citizens need.  Not only that, but when you choose one of the issues, the information is laid out thoroughly and in a user-friendly way.  It’s a very good example of what you should do when creating a government website.

Now let’s take a look at a government website that hasn’t done this so well.

Gov. Rick Perry website

Now even though the website of Gov. Rick Perry has a nice feature slider, digging deeper it’s actually pretty unorganized.  Finding the issues where the governor stands can be a fairly daunting task.  The website is more centered around mainstream news rather than focusing on information that’s important to citizens, such as the issues.

To summarize, when you are creating a government website, you never want to make the issues hard-to-find.  Make sure these are easily accessible to help citizens make informed decisions.

Mainstream Design

It’s extremely important that government websites have a professional and polished look.  In order for a government website to be taken seriously, as statistics have shown, it needs to look and feel mainstream.  With that said, let’s take a look at a government website that has plenty of mainstream appeal.

Congressman Ron Paul website

A website such as Congressman Ron Paul’s has this mainstream look and feel, so therefore it can be taken seriously.  When a government official comes to you asking to create a website for them, it’s important that you understand what the mainstream looks and feels like.  Blue and red are common colors that government websites like to use, especially when they are federal.  A large header with the representative’s photo, their name, and what position they hold is a very common practice as well.  Study what mainstream government websites look and feel like, and you’re almost guaranteed to get repeat customers.

Now when looking at a government website that isn’t so mainstream, we go back to the Santa Monica City Council.

Santa Monica city Council website

This is a good example of where the notion “content is king” holds true as the websites bounce rate hovers around 58% in the past month, which isn’t terrible.  It’s hard to look past the fact that this website looks like it was created in 1995, however, you’ll see that there is plenty of important information and it’s easily accessible at that.  Putting the content aside though, it’s not a website many people will stay on for the design alone.

So how important is design in a government website?  Well, with the bounce rate at 58% and the average user staying on the site for 2 min., the Santa Monica City Council website shows that the importance of the design is moderate.  However, it is noticeably important when you compare their website with Congressman Ron Paul’s website, which has a bounce rate of around 52% and an average time on site of around 3 min., whose design follows more along the mainstream guidelines.  Those numbers may not seem like a very big difference, but if you know anything about usability testing then you know they are significant.

So in closing, the importance of a government website design is the reason why it is number three on the priority list.  However, if you want to have repeat customers and referrals, you may want to consider understanding what government mainstream websites look and feel like.  Officials want to be taken seriously through their websites design just like anyone else, so you should provide that for them.

Conclusion

Spend some time going through various government websites and ask yourself the following questions.

• What do they look like?
• What is the feel that they are trying to generate?
• What do people complain about on the forums or do they have one?
• What do they have in common?
• What don’t they have in common?
• Whose user data looks better and why?

These are just a few questions that you could ask yourself when studying government websites and how to create them.  However, if you can nail down these three core features that I have outlined for you; transparency, issues and mainstream design, you’ll be well on your way to a career in creating awesome government websites.

Justin Hubbard has been helping businesses since 2007 by creating timeless, memorable logos as part of a branding package and modern, user-friendly websites.

What other practices do you think are important when creating government websites?  Let us know in the comments!

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Programmers are designers in their own right, but they design code and wonderfully architected systems. To design something visual is completely different and just because you have a good eye for design doesn’t mean you have a good mind to apply it.

Since so many programmers have personal projects that usually means they have to create their own websites. If you are a freelance coder, one of the greatest assets you can have is knowing the full web development process from beginning to end, and this includes design.

Here are eight mistakes that I often see developers make when applying design to a website.

1. I know what good design looks like

It can be difficult to separate an eye for design with the ability to design. It is very similar to the people that can look at fashion and tell you what looks good, but can’t really dress the same way themselves.

Great designers simply know what good design is. They know what will work and what won’t work many times before they even pick up a pencil or open Photoshop. Often this is the case because they have spent years pouring over different designs and trying out designs themselves. Just like no artist can pick up a pencil and draw something great the very first time, no developer should believe they can knock their first design right out of the park.

Similar to the way a programmer might study the code of another person, anyone can study a design and begin to gain an understanding of why it works.

Taking a look at the beautiful Punchfork you can see what makes the design so great.

• A great use of images. Images are always helpful in spicing up a design, but too many times designers can get carried away with them. The images used on Punchfork are helpful to getting the message across.
• A solid grid. The great use of a grid layout helps the eye get into a flow.
• Simple typography. There are fonts that should be used on the web and there are fonts that should be used very, very sparingly on the web (Papyrus, Comic Sans, etc.). There is nothing wrong with sticking with Georgia and Helvetica for a design because they work when done right.

There are many more parts of the design that make it so wonderful. When you come across a design you like take the time to study the individual elements, but also acknowledge how they fit into the whole. One great element of a design doesn’t make the whole design great.

2. Color selection

Color selection can be a pain. I hate having to pick colors because there are so many to choose from. For some reason most developers tend to stick to a blue and white palette. Maybe because it is used everywhere or those are the browser defaults, but great design can involve a range of colors. Fortunately for us color-challenged folks there are a ton of tools out there that can help us put together some wonderful color combinations.

COLOURlovers is a great community where people create their favorite color palettes and share them. You can browse, save and vote for your favorite palettes and colors. On more than one occasion I have turned to COLOURlovers to come through and save the day with color selection.

When picking a color palette be sure to stick with one that fits the mood of your site and its content. Don’t pick a palette simply because you love it. Orange and black might not be the best colors for a site around the concept of love for example.

Rarely will you need to use more than 3-4 different colors and if you decide to you need justify your choice.

3. Center it

It can be very tempting to center a headline. It looks great in newspapers, but rarely will it work well on the web unless everything is centered. We know that left-aligned text looks professional and works with the natural flow of the eyes so why go outsides the lines?

Centered text is best used for headlines and short lines of text. Users can read them with ease because the lines are short, scannable, and don’t need repeated eye movements. Centered text can also give your layout an aesthetic look with its symmetrical format. This works for text that goes with centered images. If your images are left- or right-aligned, you should left-align your text to keep it consistent with your layout.

Centered headlines work in newspapers because the text is broken up into columns so the headline flows over the whole story. If you are only dealing with one column of text you should stick to a left-aligned headline.

4. Font smorgasbord

When you aren’t immersed in the world of typography then Arial looks like Helvetica and Georgia resembles Times New Roman. You know that there are other fonts out there like Comic Sans, but you don’t see the importance of having to pay for a font when you can very easily use what is available to you.

With resources like Typekit though, font selection has become eerily similar to color selection. It can take days of research to find the right combination when you could’ve easily used a basic font and finished with the rest.

Don’t go overboard with fonts. Like colors a limited selection often works best. When it comes to fonts, one or two different fonts can be plenty to produce a beautiful design. Remember you can do a lot of different things with fonts. You can italicize them, bold them, underline them, uppercase them, or lowercase them.

5. Pack in the information

When you are a developer, the more information you can have on a page the better. When I code I like to do so on multiple screens because it allows me to have everything right in front of me. Unfortunately this doesn’t work in design. You shouldn’t cram as much information in a tight space as you see fit because then the design becomes dysfunctional.

The eye can only take in so much information at a time and if the purpose of most designs is to get a task completed, then hiding it inside of a million other pieces of information isn’t going to help.

While busy websites can be effective, more times than not they aren’t. White space should be your best friend. You need empty portions in your design to provide emphasis to the parts of the design that are important.

6. No questions asked

We all know that wonderful feeling of creating something and seeing it out in the real world. Because we created it, there tends to be a bias behind it that makes us think that it is better than it really is. You need to get the opinions of others to know if your design is effective and if it isn’t you can find ways to improve it. Instead, developers feel that they don’t need to ask the opinion of others because they know how their design works so it all makes sense to them.

You will also find that when people ask for an opinion about a design they aren’t asking for a critique, but approval. They want justification for the decisions they made and this isn’t the right approach. Asking questions really helps you find usability issues that you might not have been aware of before. Often you get so stuck in your own design that everything makes sense to you, but for a new person your design might be more complicated than a Rubiks Cube.

7. Details waste time

With great designs it can be hard to notice the small details that really make it. They might be so subtle that the casual observer looks past them and continues on. For a developer, the small details might be a waste of time because they don’t understand the overall impact a drop shadow can have on an element.

Small details by themselves only impact a specific element of a design, but when they all come together then you have a wonderful design that flows. Sites like Dribbble expose how great the small details can work in a larger design. However, if you aren’t a designer by trade, focusing too much on the details might slow down the process more than you would like. However, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be aware of how the details can impact a design.

Paul Scrivens is the Product Designer at (mt) Media Temple. He also runs the Imagination Community, Drawar. He believes great design makes the world a better place and that we should all strive to improve the world around us. You can find him on Twitter @scrivs. He also likes cats.

What other common mistakes do developers make when it comes to design? Please share in the comments!

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For some odd reason, there seems to be a discrepancy of sorts when it comes to doing the work for ourselves. Some designers feel like of course we should take on that Jack-of-all-trades mindset, while others just feel like it makes sense to pass the work off and let someone else do it.

The truth is, they’re both great ideas but vary depending on your situation. How creative are you? What is your skill set? What kind of things stress you out? All these questions should be taken into consideration when determining whether or not designers should do their own personal projects.

Keep in mind, that for the purposes of this argument, we will say that a personal project is any type of work that contributes to yourself and your services. For example, we are talking about business cards, websites, etc.

Yes, do personal projects

Doing your own work can be extremely beneficial, especially if you are in a place where your client work is slow or you are just starting out and need some things to keep you occupied. Doing your own personal work from start to finish can sometimes be much more fun than client work and can teach you a lot about yourself and your style. Keep reading to find out some reasons why designers work on their own projects.

Beginner’s luck

If you are at the very beginning of your design career, it’s kind of hard to offer services to others, especially if you are lacking the proper portfolio. Most times folks aren’t going to give you a chance if they don’t know you or know your work. The best way to counterattack this to make your first client yourself.

Let’s say for example, you are a graphic designer who would like to offer their services to the public. Well, to start off, you feel like you need to print up some business cards because you’d like to give them to some friends, family, and colleagues. That’s a great idea, but if you don’t have any work to show for, how are they going to know your work? Take the time out to really create your own business card and whatever other pieces you feel like you need to offer your services. There’s no need to run and grab a template if you can do it yourself.

As we are talking about personal projects essentially for your services and for promotional purposes, don’t forget that it’s okay to create conceptual art and put it in your portfolio. There’s this preconceived notion that all work in your portfolio has to be paid client work, but that is a falsehood. It’s okay to create a mock up, or some sort of conceptual art to let your viewers see what you are capable of. Whether you are a beginner or not, if there is a new technique you want to try out and show off, make something up. It’s totally fine to add imaginative work to your portfolio. It could quite possibly be the work that gets you in with a client!

Growth and technique

Doing personal projects really buys you time inside of whatever program it is that you may use. No matter your how good you think you are or how good others think you may be, it’s always great to have practice under your belt. Being involved with your personal projects allows you the opportunity to grow and be solid in your craft and allows you to become more familiar with techniques.

One thing that is extremely important to designers of all types, is their workflow. You may be an awesome web designer, but you don’t want it to be a pain in the butt to get done what it is that you need to get done. Personal projects help you figure out your workflow better because when you’re working on your own things, (hopefully) you aren’t as strict on yourself and you feel more free to create (than say, if you had a big near-deadline client). With your client work you want to try to be neat and color inside the lines—hopefully you loosen the reins a bit when it comes to your own creative projects.

Growth in whatever you do is necessary. Developing your technique and your workflow inside your programs of choice is absolutely necessary to the success of what you’re doing.

Experimentation

Along with practicing and streamlining your workflow, you want to be able to experiment on some things. Experimentation, along with practice, really helps you figure out new techniques and helps you come up with your own style. Most times with commissioned projects, we aren’t as prone to experiment, but with our own personal projects, experimentation should be heavily utilized and looked forward to.

Depending on your target audience, the work you end up doing could be extremely repetitive. You may be known for the way you put together really clean, minimalistic web designs. There’s no foul there, but it’s nice to be able to step outside of yourself if necessary—if not to add a skill, then to be able to have a general knowledge of said skill.

You may also have a skill set that is closely related to another—there may be times where you are asked to carry out those tasks by a client. Now it’s all up to you whether or not you want to increase your skills, but it is good to be able to experiment and research so that you have some clue about related skillsets. As a strict graphic designer myself, I don’t know a ton about web development, but I have experimented enough to know what works and what may not work. I have enough knowledge to know, if I can’t do the task, I can point you in the right direction. This is what experimentation can do for you.

Added personal touch

What I think is most important about doing your own projects is the personal touch and flavor that’s put on it. Yes, you can tell someone your style and the things that you like but no one can really portray it and put it down as best as you can (especially if you have the ability to do so). Most times, the work that is done for yourself is and can be the first that people see of you. Are you okay with that first impression being work someone else has done for you?

It also makes sense that if you are known for a specific talent to carry out that specific talent for yourself. For example, if you are known for developing great WordPress themes and such, when you need your own website, make it a WordPress site and develop your own theme. That acts as a free advertisement and folks can know and understand how great you really are. If you were to outsource your website and a client wants a site much like yours, they’re more than likely going to skip out on you and hire the company that worked for you.

If you are in a position where you want people to under your vision and your brand, it’s probably best that you do as much of your own work as possible. Quite frankly, when you outsource, most times you end up being lumped together with other clients that are doing similar things and then you lose your personality and what makes you different. You never want to risk losing that by not doing your own personal projects.

No, don’t do personal projects

There are some designers who feel like personal projects should be done by a third party. Much like doing your personal projects, there are some benefits to not doing your own work. When you think about outsourcing your personal projects, it’s best to take into consideration your business strategy, your common stressors, and much more. Again, below are some reasons why some designers choose to employ others and let them do the dirty work.

The small things

Simply put, giving the smaller tasks to a third party can really decrease your workload and your stress levels. You can focus on work you feel needs to be done (things close to deadlines, really big clients, etc.) and pass off smaller tasks, such as business cards and brochures, to others.

Of course, this is all with the assumption that you’ve already handled the larger tasks, such as the website, the logo, etc. What is really popular is to hire these third parties to make updates and changes as you move further along with your brand. It can get to be a bit much to update every single thing yourself, especially when it may be hard to find time—or it’s easily forgotten because it’s just not that huge of a task; however, it must be done. If your personal projects seem to always need updates and changes, you may want to think about outsourcing.

Time is limited

Some of us aren’t beginners and some of us are actually swamped with tons of commissioned work. Depending on your business and your strategy, focusing on this type of work may be all you want to do. If that’s the case, you may only have the option to have a third party help out with your personal projects.

There are times when after you feel like you’ve really gotten to a place of some success, sometimes you might want to re-brand. The projects you did for yourself when you just started are no longer representative of you, or you feel like your business is going in a different direction. Re-branding (especially visually) is extremely important if what you had and where you are going are two different things. Just imagine, if you are a web designer who did dynamic websites, but wants to change to focus on mobile responsiveness, there may be some visual re-branding you want to do.

If your time is limited and wrapped up by your clients, it’s probably best that you bite the bullet and outsource. You want to find a way to manage your time and your projects as best as possible.

You don’t know how

No matter how much you try to fake the funk on some things, when it’s time to actually sit down and create something you have no clue how to do it—or it just may not be of the quality you want it to be. We talked about how it’s nice be familiar with different skillsets, but most times, if you don’t have it, then you don’t have it. And you should be familiar enough with the skillset to know when it is time to reach out to someone else.

For example, as a designer you may want to create a promotional video for yourself. You have a nice digital camera that shoots in high def, and you even have iMovie or Final Cut, but perhaps that’s not quite what you had in mind. You know you want multiple angles and camera tricks and all types of fancy stuff—so it sounds like you may want to outsource.

What you don’t want to do is stress yourself out by trying to learn a completely new skill while trying to create something you know you want to use. It’s a great way to learn but it’s also one of the quickest ways to get stressed—you have to determine if that’s worth it, especially if you have a pile of client work to do and you’re trying to squeeze years worth of knowledge into a small personal project.

A different outlook

It’s easy to get caught in the act of using the same techniques, same programs, and same workflow that you use constantly. Now, there’s nothing wrong with being efficient but there is an issue when all your work begins to look and feel the same. There is a fine line between having a style and having the same base, just changing a thing or two. If you feel like all your work is looking pretty much the same, you may want to call on an outside opinion.

Even if you are creating work that does not look different, it is good to have a different opinion. Many times, it’s hard for us to step outside of our roles and see the much bigger picture. Having an outsider’s opinion can go far, not just by the look and design of things but also in helping you figure some things out with your brand and services. Outsourcing your work doesn’t have to just be about giving someone else your workload, but it can also be a partnership that helps move your personal visions further.

Which one?

Both of these ‘methods’ sound so simple, but the truth is, a lot of designers make a bunch of mistakes by choosing to outsource or not to outsource. I don’t believe you have to stick to one method because both are appropriate depending on your situation and strategy, but it is important you use the right one at the right time.

Doing your personal projects is completely up to you and your capabilities, but if you are a designer of any sort and have some sort of general knowledge, you should definitely have some sort of hand in your personal projects. I’m not just talking about telling someone what you want to do, but actually doing something and being a large part of the creative process.

Ultimately, with whatever work you are doing, you don’t want to stress or burn yourself out. If that means you have to pass some work along to someone else, do that. You want to make sure you take as much care of your creativity as possible.

Kendra Gaines is a freelance designer from Virginia, USA. Connect with her.

Do you prefer to work on all your personal projects or not? When have you outsourced?

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Many of the resources below are free or very low cost, and are sure to be useful to a lot of designers and developers out there.

As always, if we’ve missed something you think should have been included, please let us know in the comments.

And if you have an app or other resource you’d like to see included next month, tweet it to @cameron_chapman for consideration.

Cuepoint JS

Cuepoint JS is an open source plugin for adding subtitles or cue-points to HTML5 video.

jRumble

jRumble is a jQuery plugin that makes any element you choose rumble, vibrate, shake, and rotate.

Circle Menu

Circle Menu is a jQuery plugin that emulates the menu in the Path application, and includes various animation options for opening and closing menus.

Hovercard

Hovercard is a free jQuery plugin that lets you display related information when you hover over a link, label, or any other HTML element. It includes Twitter and Facebook hovercards, and uses minimum CSS and no external stylesheets.

Sharrre

Sharrre is a jQuery plugin for creating widgets for sharing for Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, and more. It includes Google Analytics tracking, and is highly configurable and personalizable.

Flow Slider

Flow Slider is a jQuery plugin that lets you slide HTML content in a variety of ways. It’s cross-browser compatible, customizable, and easy to set up.

Gitview

Gitview is a JavaScript widget for listing Github repositories. It includes asynchronous loading of all data, a canvas element for the participation graph, and many other features.

Leaflet Maps Marker

Leaflet Maps Marker is a WordPress plugin that lets you pin your favorite places with markers, use integrated address search for finding your places, and much more.

Initializr 2 Responsive Template

Initializr 2 is now offering an HTML5 responsive design template generator. You can create slightly customized and highly customized templates in under a minute.

AntiMap

AntiMap is an open source toolset for recording and visualizing your data. There’s a smart phone app for data capture, as well as desktop and web applications for analysis and visualization.

Kinzaa

Kinzaa is a web app that lets you create infographic resumes that will set you apart from other job seekers.

HexHelp.com

HexHelp.com is an easy-to-use app for getting hex codes for any color.

Visual Heap

Visual Heap is a visual aggregator for designers that pulls images from all over the web for inspiration and ideas.

accentColor

accentColor is a JS script for grabbing the main accent color from any website.

Croply

Croply is a fast, secure, free online image cropping service. Just input the dimensions, upload your image, and that’s it.

Revolver.js

Revolver.js is a new content slider that’s equivalent to a boilerplate or framework for creating your own slider. It’s easy to use and completely customizable.

Scrollorama

Scrollorama is a jQuery plugin for doing various “scrolly stuff”, like transitions.

Tmpltr

Tmpltr is a tool for rapid web iteration, using JSON, HTML, and CSS.

Standard International (free)

Standard International is a modern sans serif font with slightly retro stylings.

Poly (free)

Poly is a traditional serif typeface suitable for text or display use.

Sofia (free)

Sofia is a feminine script font with lots of character.

Brix Slab ($174.30)

Brix Slab is an extended family with 24 fonts. It’s a robust slab serif font with subtle detailing, optimized for longer texts and readable in smaller sizes.

Rosarian ($55.10)

Rosarian is a beautiful brush serif font with curvy stems on many of the letters, designed by Laura Worthington.

Blanch (name your price)

Blanch is a display typeface that comes in six weights. It was designed for the Fruita Blanch brand, and is traditional but with a contemporary feel.

Cubano (name your price)

Cubano has rounded corners and wide strokes, and features 167 glyphs.

Hexa (free)

Hexa is a blackletter typeface that has a modern look and feel.

Haiku’s Script (free for personal use)

Haiku’s Script is a hadwritten script font, created by Poemhaiku.

Gaunt (free)

Gaunt is a varying-width, uppercase font. The varying widths can be mixed together to give it a more unpredictable, non-uniform effect.

Garamond Serial ($14.99)

Garamond Serial is a traditional serif typeface with seven widths.

Bad Script (free)

Bad Script is a script font designed with a tablet to resemble casual and neat handwriting.

Written exclusively for WDD by Cameron Chapman.

Know of a new app or resource that should have been included but wasn’t? Let us know in the comments!

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Is innovation just a synonym for “invention”, or is it really just a positive spin on “imitation”? I guarantee if you ask five different people, you’ll probably get five different answers. Not because everyone is wrong, but because the exact definitions for ‘innovation’ and ‘innovator’ seem to vary by situation. Once you feel like you’ve answered the question, the next step is to figure out how you can be innovative so that it might help you go further in your situation.

Below, we will go through some definitions and examples to eventually get you to a better basic understanding of innovation, and how it can help you as a designer.

And the answer is…

The word “innovation” kind of varies and is almost completely subjective; it has to deal a lot with the situation and it’s surroundings. Some will tell you that it’s the act of coming up with a new idea while others will tell you it’s just taking any idea and making it your own. I think it’s safe to agree with both points to a certain extent.

The dictionary lists it as something new or different introduced. That’s a concise textbook definition but innovation is not just about an idea or just about creating something new. If that was the case we’d be talking invention, right? And if we were talking just about ideas, we’d be just dealing with cultivating creativity, right? Innovation is much deeper than that, and lies in creating new processes.

Coming with a new and creative idea is just one point of being innovative because the next step is making something tangible from that idea. When you make that tangible thing, are you just hoping people like what you came up with or are you really thinking about it? Innovation begins with research so that you can, in turn, come up with a great process.

Think about this: some of the most innovative things are not new ideas, they’re just better processes. You create a better process by looking at what’s out there, figuring out what’s right and what’s wrong with it, and coming up with something new. The “idea” portion isn’t the most important thing; it’s about how you portray it. For example, if you are a web designer with your own business, your innovation doesn’t necessarily come from an “invention”, but it may come from the way in which you carry out your process: for example, finding a great way to figure out what your client wants or creating an easy way to communicate with clients can be your claim to innovation. You may also show it through your super intuitive designs.

The most important part, however, is doing something different. It’s a competitive world out here, and when a company sees another company come out with something new, oftentimes they try to mimic it and mark it down a couple bucks. I guess I understand the current marketing strategy, but how does doing something like that gain you real loyal customers? Companies in this situation (where they feel behind), have a better chance at re-doing the process and coming out with something new—pay attention to what those customers are saying they hate about said product and fix it. Don’t make the same thing and expect people to come running.

What are the differences?

Once again, trying to really define and teach innovation is really sticky, so perhaps one could understand it when being put against related terms. Innovation can be a completely new idea or a borrowed and improved idea. The thing, however, is not to get caught up in the “idea” of it all, but to focus on the finished product. We all have ideas.

Invention has a very similar definition to our topic. When we think of inventing, we obviously think of making something new. But the process of invention really only deals with creation. In the invention stage, we are working things out, on what’s usually a new idea. In the invention stage, we are trying our hardest to put money into the creation of an idea. We want whatever it is to work and be amazing. Innovation suggests that whatever we have isn’t necessarily a new idea, but it’s our new attempt to basically put it in front of people’s faces. In innovation, we have our finished and tangible reflection of the idea and now we typically want to make money off that, or at least get it seen on a larger scale.

For example, if you’ve studied a bit of science history, you may know we attribute the invention of the telescope to Galileo. The problem with this, is that telescopes were around for a while before Galileo got his hands on it and many people used them. He actually joined that bandwagon fairly late; he was about a year or so behind. Telescopes prior to Galileo’s usage weren’t used as a device to look at moons and stars—it was basically a pretty useless magnifying glass, sometimes purchased for fun. However, Galileo decided there was something important in the sky and he wanted to take a look at it, so he researched the product, made it better by increasing the distance in which you can see things and ended up giving us the precursors of the modern day telescope.

Galileo did not invent the telescope, but he helped to innovate and cultivate the idea. Steve Jobs didn’t create the MP3 player, but he helped to innovate the idea. Being or creating something that is innovative is about making the right connection to your consumer. There are many products that take extremely complex topics and scale them down to put them in front of an individual so that they may use it. There are also products that seem to be useless, that can be innovated into extremely useful products. However, if you have a simple audience and try to sell them an extremely complex product, you’ve completely lost hope. It’s just about making the connection between an idea or invention and an individual who has a problem to solve. Inventions can be innovative, but innovations do not have to be inventions.

Innovation relates not only to creation and making connections, but the organization as well as the design. If you want to create a better process that relates better to your audience, you’ve got to design it and organize it in a way that is easily understandable to your audience. Else, you’re a lost cause once again. Any product usually does not live without invention in some stage, but at some point there has to be a focus on the process and how to make it better for what ever problem needs to be solved. It’s easy to confuse invention and innovation, but the truth is, innovation is much more important.

Moving forward

Any good business, whether large or small, knows that in order to stay ahead of the game, they’ve got to be innovative. It isn’t about being better than anyone else, instead it’s about creating products and services that will have longevity. The great thing about innovative products is that they are typically timeless. Gimmicky products? Not so much.

Why is it so important to cultivate innovativeness? For one, people have short attention spans and get tired of new things fairly quickly. Secondly, innovation is what changes the world—it changes our interests, it changes our government and it changes the way we move in the future. Some products are for a time period, even some categorically innovative ones. But it takes that quality to be continuously visited in order for the product to remain relevant. You don’t just update features, but you update how it works, how it interacts and what it looks like. For example, the Nintendo GameBoy at every stage in its life (from the bulky handheld to the slim two-screen), hasn’t just simply added a feature, it changed the way you played handheld games. Not only did other copycat companies have to keep up, but game developers had to do the same, as did mobile phone makers and full gaming consoles. Nintendo has always been an innovator in the game console arena.

Companies that spring up just to copy off another company won’t make it. Even as designers, if we are trying to design like our favorite and follow the same path, we aren’t going to make it. You have to be different. You have to want to change something. The longevity of a company is in question when their main purpose is to copy every move of another company. Think about two companies that have broken the mold of typical companies; for example Starbucks, Apple, and PayPal just to name a few. Now think of the companies that came to be because they felt like “they could do that too”. The innovators mindset is not “I can do that, too”, but rather “anything you can do, I can do better.”

We must also keep in mind that innovation is not just directly related to products and commercialism. There are ways available to innovate in society through economics, laws and much much more. It is the propeller for all things linked to progressive movement. Innovators have to keep in mind that they have an opportunity to change the lives of 6+ billion people. It isn’t all about products and consumerism, but it is definitely about raising the bar for everyone.

How can you be innovative?

As a freelance designer who has clients, you’re probably not thinking you have to be innovative. That’s just the job of your clients and you follow suit. But as previously stated, any business knows that they must be innovative in order to prosper and be successful. Don’t you want that for yourself?

You already have the upper-hand because if you’re a good and mature designer, you know that graphic design is about visually solving a problem. You have a client that wants to use their website to sell their product; how would you do it? Your client needs a flyer for an event that people have to RSVP for; how do you do it? If you can answer these questions, you are already a problem solver of sorts and have no issues thinking in that mind frame.

The thing about innovation, however, is not just what you’re going to use to carry out your tasks but how you’re going to do it. See, innovation for a designer can present itself in several different ways. Do you find yourself and others in the same situation often, so you want to try to invent an app to take care of something? Do you want to change the way people look and see design, so you create the difference? Or perhaps you just want to change and better the process of graphic design all together, so you want to organize things differently.

Many innovators have mastered the task of paying attention. If there is a problem that needs to be solved, you must pay attention to the solutions already out there and you must also pay attention to the way consumers have reacted to the solution. Figure out what works and what doesn’t work and come up with something new. The trick to creating that new thing, though, is creating it so that it is used intuitively by your audience. If a solution or process is outdated or doesn’t work, flip it around and look at it from all angles. Try to figure out what works.

In order for innovation to take place, of course you need some creativity and you need some entrepreneurship capabilities, and you need an excellent relation between both. But you must know how to make things intuitive. Products and services are used when they make sense for people without the use of training and such. You must know how to find the bigger picture and act on and solve that.

You also want to make your self as susceptible to innovative thoughts as possible. It really begins when you attempt to think outside the box. It sounds cliche and boring, but the truth is a lot of people have issues thinking outside the box. Many of us our cultured into believing certain things and in some systems, that when one thinks against it, you automatically get scared. As a musician, I run into a lot of other musicians who are looking for fame and fortune. If anyone knows anything about the music industry, it isn’t doing so well. These musicians want to catch their big break while they are still running through the dying techniques of the industry, and when they have an out of the box idea, they shy away from it because it’s “too different.”

If you want to be innovative and move forward, you have to abandon the thought that all different ideas are bad ideas. Keeping an open mind and paying attention to your surroundings are some of the best things to do in order to be innovative. Innovators look for unique ways to solve problems. There’s no better way to think uniquely than to be open, daring, and bold; don’t be afraid of your creativity. Taking risks and not being afraid to break down barriers and walls will take someone further than playing it safe. There’s nothing wrong with being different, especially if you can bottle it up in a product that people will love.

Conclusion

The definition and thoughts on innovation will always vary, but there’s never any real question of those who are innovative. Innovation doesn’t have to be this thing you put on a pedestal or fear but it should definitely be something you strive for and try to welcome. It comes in many different scales and in many different situations, you just have to open your eyes to it.

Is there a difference between the person who creates his own new innovative idea or the guy who borrows an idea and makes it better? Not really, as long as both things work and are accepted as such. Is there a difference between the guy who invents something but it’s deemed unusable for the public and the guy who takes that invention and flips it so that it is usable for the public? Absolutely—the latter person is an innovator.

You don’t have to invent the newest, shiniest technology, but you do want to bring something different to the table. If you find a consistent problem in some sort of process, turn it upside down and see if it still works. If it does, use it. If it doesn’t, try some other amazing idea. Innovation doesn’t require you to reinvent the wheel, but it does challenge you to look at that wheel differently.

Kendra Gaines is a freelance designer from Virginia, USA. Connect with her.

Where do you see the most opportunities for innovation in web design and development? Let us know in the comments!

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While, there are many people out there who have made a nice living working for other companies, it shouldn’t be crazy to think about going into business for oneself, whether it be a full time job or a part time gig. With the changing economic climate things aren’t guaranteed and, quite frankly, the time spent helping someone else achieve their goals could be time well spent on chasing your own dreams.

As graphic designers, freelancing and creating our own small business is usually a pretty common thought; it’s almost a given. Even if we don’t market ourselves as freelancers, I’m sure some of us have gotten into doing side jobs to put some extra cash in our pockets. Some designers just like to offer design services while others have full businesses revolving around clothing design or creating products, or perhaps partnering with someone else to offer more products and services.

Regardless of what it is that you do, in order to see some growth in your business you’ve got to figure out who you are targeting. Many of us may believe that our product is for everyone, but trying to get your product in front of everyone is going to be painful and expensive. What you want to do is figure out who you are specifically targeting, figure out that niche and put your efforts into them. Finding out more about them will help your effectiveness and eventually help your reach because once you know who you’re selling to, you’ll better know how to design for them.

Before we get started…

If you’ve never taken the time out to do some customer research, don’t go nuts now. Hopefully you have enough customers to try and figure it out, or perhaps you have developed your product or service far enough to know around about who you think you can pitch it to. The biggest mistake is to throw your product or service into everyone’s face and hope that they bite. That’s a part of working hard, but in business you want to work smart. So here are some things to get you started on figuring out who purchases and should be purchasing your product.

Who are they?

The first thing you have to figure out about your target audience is who they are. What kind of things do they do? What kind of music do they listen to? What products do they use? How old are they? The answers to these questions and many more will help you better understand the people you are designing for. Getting an understanding of these individuals helps you create with ease and make something you know will relate to them and end up communicating well.

As a young designer, I notice that I take an interest in flyers and brochures that relate to me with great design techniques, a clear message, and a professional look. I’ve also been known to brake for really creative ideas or illustrations and things of that nature. I like that type of thing, so for me it’s easy to want to create that type of thing but the truth is the audiences I sometimes end up designing for could probably care less about design and making things clean and professional. It sounds absurd but it’s true; you’ve got to relate to the audience.

Again, you have to know the target audience. If you or your client have no idea who you’re designing for, you’re really taking a stab in the dark and hoping and praying you come up with something. There are times when you may have a wide variety of people in your audience, but you’ve got to find a commonality between the majority of folks.

Do the research

Finding out more about your audience does not have to be rocket science and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. It’s not about how you get your information, but what questions you ask and what you decide to do with it. Let’s say for example, you run a brick and mortar t-shirt store. You’ve got a shirt design that sells really well, but you want to know how to create more like it. If you have a low volume of folks coming through, just ask them what attracts them to the particular shirt. Not only are you doing research here, but you’re making connections with your customers. If you have more volume, or you run an online store, create a quick and concise survey that asks the questions.

Also be aware that you’ve got to ask the right questions. If I want to know why people like that t-shirt design, I’m not going to ask them what size shirt they wear, I’m going to focus on the design. For example, why they like the design or what it means to them. You want to ask questions that will help you figure your audience out and help you make educated guesses on the things they’ll like in the future.

Keep in mind, demographic information is only useful to a certain extent. You still need to figure out what your audience likes and what they feel (as well as what they like to feel). Don’t get so caught up in asking the regular boring questions about age and income that you forget to ask about their interests as well.

New products may make it hard to figure out your target audience, but you can research similar products and do beta testing. With your beta testing, you can continue to survey your group of users not just on the effectiveness on the product, but about all things design-related as well. Also, keep in mind that who you intend to purchase your product is not always the same person who will purchase it. Oftentimes, we will have a big great idea and we feel like we know who’s going to buy it, but sometimes it doesn’t always go as we plan. This is why beta testing and gathering information are important.

What are you doing?

Once you feel like you have a good grasp on your target market, you need to have an even better grasp of what you’re trying to do or what it is you are trying to design for. If you are trying to sell a product or service, what are you trying to convey about that product or service?

When you come to this step it’s easy to want to set up some sort of feature-benefit analysis. This means, for example, if you are trying to sell your graphic design services, you may feature that you do great print design as well as web design, so your benefit is that you’re a “one-stop-shop.” That’s really nice, but you’ve got to be more than that. Try to highlight what you can do for them and not just your skill set. Say that your print designs have the ability to captivate the intended audience, not just that you can do print design. Say that your web designs allow users to connect with a company in ways that were never imagined. Say that your product isn’t just a product but it contributes to your life in much deeper ways.

Knowing what your target audience likes and is interested in will help you come up with these types of things much easier. It’s not wrong to display the features and the benefits—for some audiences that’s all you really need. But in a competitive market, you have to know what makes your audience react and whether or not your product or service has that.

Design basics

After you have gathered all your information and you feel like you’re understanding your purpose and your audience, then it’s time to do your designing. Just because you’re designing with greater intentions does not mean you forget any of your fundamentals. You must continue to incorporate all the theories of design so that you can make an effective piece of design.

The greatest fundamental theory that you cannot ever lose is be visual hierarchy. As a designer, you have to remember and understand that you have all the power of figuring out what your audience looks at when they look at a flyer or a package. Use that to your advantage in everything you do. This theory basically states that you create hierarchy or importance based on what is the biggest and what is the smallest. While that’s the first contributor, the second contributor is going to be placement. Your most important visual, whether it be a headline or a picture, should be above or at eye level. Putting it below eye level or out of the initial view is a complete and total waste of time.

With visual hierarchy, you want to keep in mind the layout, the balance of the layout, and good proximity. These are just the basics to ensure that you have some sort of order and cleanliness about whatever it may be you are designing. A lot of times, we want people to stop and notice something crazy we’ve done with a layout or something, but we shouldn’t be reinventing the wheel, we should just be making sure everything makes sense and is legible. You want whoever sees your visual to get the main points even if they’re only passing by.

Putting the two together

Knowing your fundamentals of graphic design is essential. That’s going to make sure your audience, whomever they may be, can understand what it is you are trying to say. The purpose in researching your audience and getting to know them is that when it is time to design, the visual speaks to them and gets them to move.

As I said before, as a graphic designer, I just want to do fun designs with crazy colors, cool shapes, and illustrations. For my own personal business that works, because I tend to cater to trendier, younger folks who are interested in trying new things. However, sometimes I get a client who is less interested in that. I sometimes get clients who are extremely corporate, so I have to pull myself in a bit as they aren’t interested at all in cool and crazy designs. I don’t bore them to death with my design, but I will make sure there is focus on what needs focus.

Many times we can get caught up in ourselves and what we want, but it has nothing to do with what we want, and everything to do with what the audience wants. If you feel like in your design you want to be extremely creative with what you’re doing, you have to have a purpose for that. You have to know that that is something your audience will respond to. Being unnecessarily creative and crazy can alienate a large portion of your target audience if that’s not what they are into.

The ultimate goal with whatever you are designing is to get the people to move. You have to relate to them in a way in which they get. If you are catering to 60+ year-olds, you’re not going to use pastel colors and illustrations to attract them. If you are trying to attract teenagers, you probably aren’t going to use earth tones and photos of older people to get them to do something. You have to know the demographic and, most importantly, the psychographics (how they think, feel, etc.). When you have a real understand of the psychographics you can get them to do anything. If you want them to feel excited about your product and elite for owning it, you should know how to convey that to them. You should also know that’s what they want to feel about your product.

Creating a visual doesn’t have to be extremely forward. You do want them to think about your product a bit and let it relate to them. Basically while you are worrying about your target or niche market, every so often you have a person that comes along that doesn’t fit any of your research, but you don’t want to shut them out completely. Use design to tap into making someone feel a certain way because that’s what gets people interested in your product or service.

Try to put yourself in their shoes—what would you like to see and what would you not like to see? Even if it’s unrelated to your product, put yourself in a consumer’s shoes. For example, I dislike picking up a flyer or seeing a site for a real estate agent and the only visual given is a nice glamor shot of the agent. What is that doing for me? How does that make me want to purchase property? Well, it doesn’t. If you were to create a visual and just have a picture of yourself or even just the product or service, how would that really make a customer want to make a purchase?

Designing your website

One of the most important visuals you will have and use, is your website. Some people are just going to stumble on it and want more information, and some are going to go to your website specifically in an attempt to gain more information. You have to keep your research consistent with the visuals on your website. Part of your research should indicate why customers come to your website and what they desire from the site.

Many designers and owners believe a website’s sole purpose is to tell everyone about your product or service and why it’s completely awesome. Well, I beg to differ. A website is supposed to be an extension of your business and should be used to communicate with current customers as well as potential customers. Keep it consistent with your target market and make yourself available on your website.

Make sure you have a clear message on your site—if you sell several products try to highlight one. If you have several different services highlight one or highlight the reasons why people keep coming back; create a feeling. No matter the demographics of your audience, your website should be clear and consistent.

More on research

As graphic designers and/or as business owners, we have to learn how to understand marketing tactics as well as research. Determining a target market doesn’t take a lot, but you do want to make sure you’re doing it in a way that suits your needs. Your business and your clients depend on the visuals you make—if they end up being non-effective, that tends to be a direct reflection of your work. Once again, you want to make sure you are working smart (by doing your research and utilizing it), rather than working hard (creating a bunch of blind visuals hoping someone picks it up).

It can sometimes be a tough concept to understand, so I’ve added some pretty solid and helpful resources.

• How to Define Your Target Market
• What to Ask When Designing For a Target Audience
• Conducting Market Research
• How to Do Market Research

Kendra Gaines is a freelance designer from Virginia, USA. Connect with her.

Have you had experience switching from a large audience to selecting your target? What was your experience?

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Many of the resources below are free or very low cost, and are sure to be useful to a lot of designers and developers out there.

As always, if we’ve missed something you think should have been included, please let us know in the comments.

And if you have an app or other resource you’d like to see included next month, tweet it to @cameron_chapman for consideration.

Project Adthenticate

Project Adthenticate is a hosted service for ad validation from Adobe that aims to help publishers become more efficient at launching their advertising campaigns.

Colorpilgrim

Colorpilgrim offers tools for creating color palettes. The ColorClipper bookmarklet lets you easily collect colors, and other tools let you create palettes from uploaded images or from scratch.

FormBakery

FormBakery is an incredibly easy to use app for creating forms. Just drag and drop the elements you need (text boxes, drop downs, radio buttons, and check boxes are all available), enter the email address where the form should go, and then enter the name and email address where forms should go, and export your code.

Easy Basket

Easy Basket is a free Ajax shopping cart that works with PayPal and Google Checkout, and includes drag-and-drop functionality. There’s also a WordPress plugin version.

Draftest

Draftest lets you set up tests to let your clients rate designs so you can get an idea of what styles they like most.

Breakpoints.js

Breakpoints.js makes it possible to define breakpoints for your responsive designs, and will trigger custom events when the user’s browser enters or exits these break points.

BestVendor

BestVendor makes it easy to discover apps recommended by others. You can also enter your favorite three web services to recommend them to others.

QwikVu

QwikVu makes it easy to share website mockups with your clients at full scale, without resorting to email attachments and without requiring your clients to sign up for any kind of account.

iWebInspector

iWebInspector is a free web debugging app for Safari on iPhone, iPad, and Phone Gap.

YAMB

YAMB is “yet another boilerplate for responsive web design.” It’s a set of tools for building better responsive designs in less time.

CSS3 Click Chart

CSS3 Click Chart gives you a visual representation of different CSS3 properties, along with an explanation of each and example syntax.

Check My Colours

Check My Colours is a tool for checking the contrast of foreground and background elements on a website design to make sure they’re accessible to those with color deficits.

Moment.js

Moment.js is a javascript library for parsing, manipulating, and formatting dates and times.

Shapecatcher

Shapecatcher is a simple app that will help you find a Unicode character similar to whatever shape you draw.

Dochub

Dochub is a fantastic resource for checking various CSS, HTML, JavaScript and DOM elements and definitions. In-depth documentation is provided for each, including usage notes and attributes.

Keyboard JS

Keyboard JS is a library for binding to keys or key combos.

W3Clove

W3Clove will validate the entire markup of your entire website with a single click. Just enter your site’s address and click “Validate.”

Reverie

Reverie is a responsive HTML5 WordPress framework based on Zurb’s Foundation. It follows the HTML5 Boilerplate standard and is hNews microformat ready.

Color Thief

Color Thief uses JavaScript and Canvas to grab the dominant color or color palette from an image.

Sell Simply

Sell Simply is a service for sending and receiving direct payments on Twitter.

Smart Validate

Smart Validate is a jQuery plugin for validating credit cards. It supports American Express, MasterCard, Visa, Diners Club, and Discover cards.

foneFrame

foneFrame is an HTML5 and CSS3 mobile framework that helps you create web pages designed specifically for smartphones.

jqPagination

jqPagination is a design agnostic jQuery plugin for pagination of your website or app.

In-Field Labels jQuery Plugin

In-Field Labels is a jQuery plugin for turning properly formatted HTML forms into forms with in-field label support.

Excssive

Excssive compresses your CSS files on the fly as you drag and drop them onto the page. It gives you a list of sortable and removable files, and once you’ve sorted the file hierarchy, just copy and save the minified output.

SimpLESS

SimpLESS is an app that will compile your .less files into valid CSS. It’s free for Mac, Linux, and PC.

Stitches

Stitches is a drag-and-drop app for creating sprites and stylesheets. It uses HTML5, and is only compatible with the latest versions of Firefox and Chrome currently.

SocialCompare

SocialCompare lets you compare anything in interactive comparison tables, and then share with your friends, and even solicit their opinions on the table data.

Erler Dingbats (free)

Erler Dingbats is a new complete Unicode dingbats font. It has a consistent design so everything harmonizes elegantly, and includes a wide range of popular pictograms and symbols.

Bitter Regular (free)

Bitter Regular is a very attractive serif font with a modern aesthetic.

Streetscript ($59.99)

Streetscript is a contemporary script font with a wealth of OpenType features, including stylistic alternates, ligatures, swashes, and more.

Accent (free)

Accent is a free font designed by Nelson Balaban. It’s very modern, with exceptional details.

Lorena (free)

Lorena is a free slab-serif display font with rounded edges, designed by Arnold Hoepker.

Lavanderia (name your own price)

Lavanderia is based on lettering from a Mission District laundromat sign, and features three weights and numerous OpenType features.

Bender (name your own price)

Bender is a chunky display typeface that comes in two weights.

Arvil Sans (name your own price)

Arvil Sans is a rounded sans-serif font that includes a wide range of symbols.

Bandera Pro ($189)

Bandera Pro is a square serif typeface that’s extremely legible and comes in six weights.

Carton (name your own price)

Carton is a slab-serif font inspired by letterpress designs, perfect for display use.

Modulus ($30)

Modulus is a clean and minimal sans-serif typeface with rounded lines and a very modern feel.

Valencia (name your own price)

Valencia is a condensed font with five weights (including matching obliques for each weight).

Written exclusively for WDD by Cameron Chapman.

Know of a new app or resource that should have been included but wasn’t? Let us know in the comments!

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Accomplished designers understand that there is no greater and more perfect creation than what can be found in nature. Designers that adapt the behaviors, instincts or habits of animals into their approach will find that they will develop designs that are innovative and efficient.

This article will examine how animals can inspire designers of all types to greatness.

Each species is a masterpiece, a creation assembled with extreme care and genius. – Edward O. Wilson

1. Lion

Lions are considered the King of the Jungle because they prey on nearly every animal from leopards to cheetahs. They are brave animals that will challenge nearly every animal in the wild. Every day, they spend two to three hours walking and 50 minutes eating. The remaining 20 hours they are resting, socializing, or grooming. Most of a lion’s hunting is completed during the night hours until dawn.

Designers in the same way must be fearless. They must be brave enough to be innovative in their designs and land major contracts with companies. Designers must be highly adaptable to any environment, while maximizing their full potential. Great designs often come when we are alert and well rested. But often, designers must burn the midnight oil to present clients with their best options.

As lions and lionesses, designers must remain competitive and remain ahead of the competition to maintain their position as lead designers in their region or in the world. Lionesses are often more agile and do most of the hunting for their pride. Keep in mind that lioness designers may also dominate in some areas of design because of their natural instinct. Use this knowledge to your company’s advantage.

2. Tiger

Tigers have recently beaten out the dog for the world’s favorite animal. This animal is territorial and maintains a solitary lifestyle. They are camouflaged by their stripes and are simply unafraid to challenge any animal in the wild. Though the elephant is too large for the tiger to kill, the tiger will still try to intimidate the elephant nonetheless. Tigers have been known to successfully kill a rhinoceros, crocodile, moose, leopard, and numerous other large animals of the wild. They are faster than lions and can leap 10 meters or more, but they have very little stamina.

Tiger designers must not be afraid of the large projects that seem out of their scope. Just as the tiger challenges the elephant, designers must also meet challenges without fear. Designers must take their numerous solitary moments to create and develop a solid design. Though there are some moments of collaboration with the team and the client, designers must retreat to create their designs as quickly as possible to meet the client’s deadline. Like a tiger’s hunting style, designers must be strategic in accepting and planning projects to continually generate fresh new designs.

Shall we, because we walk on our hind feet, assume to ourselves only the privilege of imperishability? – George Eliot

3. Giraffe

Giraffes have several advantages over other animals in the wild kingdom. The most obvious is the giraffe’s height. They can reach and consume more nutrients than their competitors in the wild, such as the impala or kudu. The giraffe also has the shortest sleep requirements of any mammal in the wild. The average is approximately 4.5 to 4.6 hours per 24 hours.

Like giraffes, designers must be able to land more projects and reach higher peaks than our competitors. Designers must strive to view challenges from a different perspective and tackle the projects in a new light. Designers often have to adopt the behavior of giraffes and survive on 4.5 hours of sleep per night for short periods of time to complete major projects.

4. Camel

Camels are resilient creatures that can withstand incredible temperatures and water consumption levels that would kill other animals. They can retain a significant amount of water in their cells, kidneys, and intestines. They then can go long periods without water, because the fat tissue in the humps of the camel metabolizes and produces energy for the animal.

Designers need to be resilient and adapt to changes in the work environment that may seem unreasonable in other environments. The work hours are often long, but the end product of the designs are rewarding. Designers must be energetic and constantly evolving to provide a design that is better than the competition in the least amount of time possible.

Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes it so much the larger and better in every way. — John Muir

5. Cheetah

The cheetah, by far, has the fastest speed of any animal on land. The cheetah reaches speeds between 70 and 75 miles per hour. The cheetah can reach 62 mph in three seconds or less. After long sprints, they must rest for at least 30 minutes before achieving those speeds again. They may be the fastest in the wild kingdom, but their prey often escapes them because they will let them go, rather than risk an injury. Consequently, the cheetah’s success rate of landing their kill is only about 50%.

Designers must acquire some the cheetah’s instinct to survive. They must be agile and fast to land the project and complete it according to the deadline. Designers must not overwork themselves or they will “burn out” and produce lower quality work. Additionally, designers may run the risk of losing half of their clients. Speed, however, will delineate a designer from their competition.

6. Dolphin

Dolphins are highly intelligent animals. Their brains are highly complex, and they can hear frequencies ten times higher than the normal human being. Dolphins are social creatures and form strong bonds with people. They have been known to rescue injured humans or aid in human therapy. They also enjoy communication through a variety of clicks, whistles, and other sounds. Play time is an important part of their lifestyle and culture.

Design relies upon listening to the client and determining exactly what they need and desire. As designers, they must learn to listen better than their competitors. Designers must pick up on the nuances that their competitors will miss during the consultation. This will help your firm deliver a solution that meets the needs of the client.

Loyalty is a large part of building brand image. Designers must form relationships with customers and also fellow designers to build business. If a client is the victim of a bad design, designers must rescue them and offer a better solution. Designers, like dolphins, must engage their customers and peers in play to discover innovative ideas and solutions to problems.

7. Whale

Whales are one of the largest animals to have ever existed. They spend 90% of their lives under water and only surface to breathe through their blow holes. Whales cannot afford to consciously sleep or they will drown. Therefore, a portion of their brain is always functioning to keep them afloat.

Like whales, our creative juices are always flowing. At night, when we sleep, our subconscious may be thinking about the latest design. In the middle of the night, designers may wake up and sketch out an idea to avoid forgetting.

Some designers never achieve a deep sleep, because their most innovative ideas come when they lay down to rest. A designer’s job is often spent at the computer, drafting board, or with the client. When we come up for air, a designer truly needs to release just as the whale releases accumulated water through its blow hole.

Living with animals can be a wonderful experience, especially if we choose to learn the valuable lessons animals teach through their natural enthusiasm, grace, resourcefulness, affection and forgiveness. — Richard H. Pitcairn

8. Turtle

Turtles are excellent at hiding from their predators. They retreat into their shells and can hide completely submerged in water or on land. Some turtles are more agile than others depending upon their preference to water or land. Though turtles have incredible night vision, they move slowly because of their shells.

Often designers must hide or retreat to privacy to focus on a design for a client. Designers must learn to be methodical in their designs to ensure that they meet codes and also the client’s specifications. Being a visionary in design often allows you to see the entire picture when other designers fail to understand the client’s request. Turtles are protective of themselves and highly adaptable to different environments, as designers should be.

9. Owl

An owl’s hunting strategy is highly dependent upon the element of surprise. They blend in with their environment and are virtually invisible at times. Their feathers, also, allow them near silent flight. Their camouflage and silent flight comprise their competitive advantage in the wild.

Designers must know their competitive advantage in the world of design. Like the owl, designers must establish an edge that delineates them from the competition. Designers must be like chameleons and design for any type of environment. If you are an interior designer, you should be able to design modern contemporary, French country, or Renaissance spaces. Versatility and capturing your audience’s attention with the element of surprise is instrumental to success.

Conclusion

Whatever your style that you may have cultivated, you should demonstrate your ability and creativity by showing others your animal instincts through fearless and flawless design work.

Our task must be to free ourselves… by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty. – Albert Einstein

Written exclusively for Webdesigner Depot by Aidan Huang, a freelance developer, designer and ingenious blogger. He is one of the editors-in-chief at Onextrapixel. Follow him on Twitter @AidanOXP

What is your competitive advantage? Are you like the owl and can offer a unique design that will “wow” the customer, or are you more like the dolphin, skilled at listening and rescuing the client from impending danger?

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Today I want to dig into some key ways that this tool has been put to work so we can draw new ideas to inspire and challenge the designs we produce.

Let’s begin someplace I seldom do, with a basic definition: Illustrated: 1) To make clear; 2) To make clear by giving or by serving as an example or instance; 3) To provide with visual features intended to explain or decorate.

It seems that in the real world of web design, illustration tends to perform both functions at one time. It beautifies while it clarifies. And if it is only doing one of these you might need to ask yourself why. Perhaps by putting illustration to work fulfilling both roles is the way to truly leverage the design element for all it is worth.

This is, of course, not to say that a design can’t be successful if it only handles one or the other; certainly it can. But in order to get the most out of our work I find that challenging our thinking is always helpful. As usual, let’s dig into some groupings of samples to see what can be done with this visual device. Along the way, consider if each approach provides clarity or decoration, or both.

Thematic illustration

The first approach to illustration that I want to cover here is the use of this style to produce an overall thematic approach. In this situation illustrations are put to work to establish an overall theme. Are we climbing mountains, visiting a space station or exploring a company’s office?

While this approach doesn’t have to take us to a location, it quite often does. In other situations the style simply establishes an overall motif that the site follows.

The reason we are interested in it here though is that it is being used to drive the overall design in a radical way. The illustration is not some small supporting element. Instead, it is the most prominent design element and control the entire layout.

Get my boss to North Cape

In this sample the approach could not be clearer. The design of the site clearly echoes its most basic purpose. The illustration provides a visual reference to what the individual will do. And in terms of defining the illustration, the artwork provides decoration and beauty to the page.

In this case the theme firmly establishes the site’s purpose and helps the user buy in on the concept.

Launch Kit

A thematic approach doesn’t have to be so blunt in a way. Sometimes it can be a more natural part of a more typically structured site. In this case, the site is slightly unique in its layout, and the theme doesn’t force some over-the-top interface based on rocket ships.

Instead, the theme is woven into the design in such a way that it communicates its decorative touches without interfering with the content. Here the illustration serves to decorate, but not clarify so much. This is not surprising at all and of course demonstrates that there is no formula to follow.

Atelier Anonyme Design

In other situations such as this one, the thematic illustration literally IS the site. It is not a supporting element, but rather completely becomes the design itself.

Here the use of illustration clearly plays a decorate role. But I would argue that it also provides a great level of clarity to the visitor. This is a web site for a design agency. The design and nature of this site communicates a great deal to it’s visitors. As such, I am certain it serves as a massive filter to their client base. You will either be drawn in and love their playful and creative approach, or, you will be totally turned off by it. So to this point, I think it provides a great deal of clarity about the agency and their mentality.

Allure Graphic Design

On this site the use of illustration plays a clear thematic approach as well. Though the site follows some standard layout formulas, the entire design is wrapped in a thematic layout. These elements drive not only the design of the site, but they merge with the main logo and copy used on the site. The theme is immersive and drives the entire message the site presents.

Additional thematic samples

Here are some additional sites that make use of thematic illustrations to establish an environment or theme for a site.

Chipmunk

Drift Boys

Iutopi

Chandu4u

Mascots

How could I possible cover the idea of using illustrations without reviewing one of the most obvious: mascots? With this visual element the designers tend to personify the site, its product, or purpose with a character. Not only does the implementation of such an element vary, but the power and reasoning behind it does as well.

inkFinder

In this design the illustrated mascot plays a rather clear role. Clear in that it echos the name of the product. It not only provides some life for the design, but it puts a face to it. In this way the audience has something a bit more unique to file away in their brain. Hopefully, the mascot helps to make a more memorable and unique experience that will help the product to stand out from the heard.

Perhaps that is the most powerful purpose behind a mascot, to help something stand out. The great thing about an illustrated mascot like this is that it can be totally unique and specific to this product. Assuming it was custom made for this design it should be the only place this exact illustration exists.

The Evnt

Ironically we find here another illustrated octopus-like mascot (what is a three legged sea creature?). In this case the mascot is obviously a much larger step away from reality: a robot three-legged creature with a brain in a bubble.

While it might be an odd choice, it does provide a beautiful distinguishing element for the event. This unique mascot gives a cool visual element to connect with the event. It takes on a life all its own and really connects people with something concrete. I suppose this is exactly the purpose of a mascot.

This site’s design is beautiful, but consider how dull it would be without this crazy mascot in place. Producing such an element isn’t easy, but it is extremely effective in this situation.

Big Eye Creative

For an example of a non-octopus based mascot take a look at the Big Eye Creative site. Here the mascot doesn’t play as much of a predominant role in the design. It does, however, add a lot of personality to it. Obviously the other illustrations and overall style of the site make for a less formal presentation. But the mascot in the logo is present throughout the site. This ensures their light-hearted style permeates the design.

Additional mascot illustrations

Here are a few extra samples of mascots at work in design. Including yet another octopus one; it would seem that is a popular one to use.

Pioneer Records Management

Argyle Octopus

Coucou

Konsebt

Illustrated decoration

The next type of usage I would like to consider is what I refer to as thematic decoration. This is when illustration is put to work in a decorative way that doesn’t really provide a specific physical reference. For example, most often illustration includes pictures of people, animals, objects, or places. But in this case the illustration doesn’t so much represent anything real, but rather, it simply provides decoration to beautify the design in a way only illustration can. As always, let’s clarify this through some samples.

1000 WP Themes

For our first example, consider the 1000 WP Themes web site. On this site the use of illustration provides an underlying framework and style for the site. But it does so in what is most purely decorative. The overall style feels like an illustration, and yet, it doesn’t have the typical humanistic elements.

Now, I want to totally contradict myself. I think the style is predominantly decorative. But I can actually see how we could argue that it does provide a level of clarification for the site. The style the design is using connects with a certain audience. It says something about the style of the site, and the themes they might produce. In so many ways, the quality of the illustrated layout demonstrates the quality of work you might expect to see through this site. In that way, the clarification is perhaps more subtle and less in your face, but present nonetheless.

Coca-Cola History

On this web site we find another design driven by illustration. There are some illustrated elements here that demonstrate real things, but most of the thematic approach is established with pure decoration. Not only does this example demonstrate the approach, but it also shows that almost no technique is used in a purist fashion. The reality is that you will likely merge these elements I various ways.

Metaphiziks

In this final example for decorative illustration you find some excellent background elements. Some of these are more tangible than others, but overall they are more about stylistic support elements than anything else. It is remarkable how beautiful such simple line drawings can be when combined with beautiful text, well chosen colors, and simple icons. The end result here is fantastic and remarkably beautiful.

More designs with illustrated decoration

Here are some additional samples to round out this type of illustration in design.

Moo’s Cupcakes

Tech Jobs

Pixel Stadium

Custom Bags HQ

Illustrated text

Hand rendered text is certainly not a new concept, and is something I have covered many times before. However, I have never considered such an approach with an illustration perspective.

Hand rendering text is one popular variation of illustrated text, and a great solution for many creatives. For one, it is a great way to put all that hands-on art school training to work. Secondly, it’s a great way to produce something unique. After all, if you hand render some text it will be 100% unique. Even if you sketch over an existing typeface, it will still become a distinct creation.

Rangus

This is a perfect example of illustrated type. The style is extremely gorgeous, totally unique, and very inviting. But it doesn’t stop there. The hand rendered type actually demonstrates the individuals talents. It shows he creates artwork with his hands and it connects perfectly to his animation skills. I particularly love the fact that it is all based on a chalkboard theme as it really ties the theme and elements together perfectly. In my opinion this site demonstrates how unifying illustration can be with the purpose and message of the site.

Joey Lomanto

In this case, the illustrated text is far more subtle. Instead of driving the entire direction of the design, it simply plays along nicely. In fact, on first take you might not even notice the hand rendered style of the large home page text. Granted, the text might actually be a font, but it has been used in such a way that it merges perfectly with the style of the site. Regardless, the style is beautifully unified and illustration plays many roles in the overall design.

Go Live

Illustrated text need not be hand rendered though. As you will find in this example the text is styled in various ways that turn the text itself into bits of the overall illustration. The beauty of this approach is that it unifies the text with the other illustrations. This avoids a less unified feel where you simply have illustrations over standard web-based text. The latter can work, but in this case the impact of illustrated text is clear.

Additional samples of illustrated text

The following examples fit loosely into this category. I say loosely because it is hard to say at times as it is sometimes a subtle thing. In some of these cases the text merely feels like a work of art, so I have placed it into this collection.

Contrast Rebellion

Fakta

La Web Shop

Informative illustrations

By the very definition of illustration, one of its purposes is to clarify and explain. So it is only fitting that we find some examples where the illustrations do this in with extraordinary clarity.

Bookish

Let’s begin with the Bookish site. In this unusual layout we find that the illustrations very clearly symbolize the various points of the home page layout. Each block has a visual element that not only beautifies it, but more importantly, explains it. So much so that as a reader I almost don’t even have to read the copy. The devices artwork in the bottom left especially demonstrates this.

Conferize

In a much less prominent way the illustration in this design proves equally informative. The simple illustration single handedly demonstrates the topic of the site. It might not beat you over the head with its message, but it echoes the site’s purpose beautifully.

Activate

The illustration in this design not only communicates information about the event it represents, but also echoes the very purpose of the event. This particular event revolves around disconnecting from technology. It is a chance for people inundated with technology to escape it’s clutches.

The illustration here shows us what attendees will be doing, so it is informative. And by it’s very nature, the illustration breaks with technology and roots itself in a purely organic feel, a fundamentally great way to communicate the sites purpose.

More informative illustrations

These extra sites also demonstrate the idea of illustrations that inform us. Some are tiny and basic icons, while others are immersive elements that fully define and represent the content.

Vitality City

Uklizenodoma.cz

Qubiq

A technological antidote

With the last example (The Activate site) we stepped into what I want to consider next, the use of illustration to break with the technology oriented feel of things. Sometimes it is necessary to disconnect from the web’s technological underpinnings and demonstrate a very organic feel. Illustration is one of the most powerful tools for accomplishing such an idea.

Shipment App

This straightforward coming soon page is nothing short of extraordinary. And clearly how it accomplishes its beauty is radically simple. A single huge illustration single-handedly distracts us from the fact that this is a web page. It feels more like a work of art that happens to have a small interactive element, certainly a great way to make a huge impact on users and establish a memorable image.

Muziekpark

While this site doesn’t make use of quite as radical an approach, the illustration is still large and prominent in the layout. Here the animated imagery breaths life into the page. Combine this with a creative and unusual layout and it feels fully detached from the technology that drives it. Perhaps the fact that it doesn’t look like a normal site plays a powerful role in this as well. Also consider that the illustration in this case really helps to inform us of the theme of the site.

Egopop

In yet another atypical layout we find that illustration has been put to work. Here the artwork not only tells us about the individual the site represents, but they also break us out of the normal web mindset a visitor might have. Again, it feels more like an interactive work of art than a website. If this is your goal and need, then this is a great approach to consider.

Zaarly

Compared to the previous examples, the Zaarly site stands in stark contrast. Although the design is ruled by a single large illustration, and this illustration serves to set a tone for the site, the underlying function is far more complex than these other samples.

This site is an application that is intended to be used. And the illustration helps establish a certain set of expectations. It gives a light-hearted, humanistic feel that is clearly very organic and natural feeling. Imagine this in contrast to semi-minimalistic apps with no personality at all. The design gives the site a sense of approachability and shifts our expectations.

Conclusion

The use of illustration in design is an age-old practice, and its application to the web is clear. As with any design element I enjoy the process of reconsidering its purpose and use. Through such an effort I inevitably find that I gain a better understating of how it works, ways to leverage it for an intended purpose, and, ultimately, some fresh and inspiring ideas.

Patrick McNeil is a freelance writer, developer and designer. In particular he loves to write about web design, train people on web development and build web sites. Patrick’s passion for web design trends and patterns can be found in his books on TheWebDesignersIdeaBook.com. Follow Patrick on Twitter @designmeltdown.

How do you use illustration in web design? Please share your own experiences below….

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The practice of mentoring goes back as far as the days of the cave men (and women) when the elders of the tribe, probably 16 years old at the time, taught other non-upright beings how to dodge sabertooth tigers, make spears, clean and prepare the pelts of sabertooth tigers and other survival techniques like pooping outside of the cave.

It was easier then as meetings and the Blackberry hadn’t been invented and there was time to mentor the young. As time marched on and humans evolved to live to at least 32 years old, people created apprenticeships to train the replacements who would do the shop work when the craftsman was no longer able to pound barrel staves, cobble soles, or flunken gerflunkenheisers until the wee hours of morning before the daily witch burnings.

Mentorship is the modern gerflunkenheiser flunkening. It’s not a dead art and you’d be surprised how common it really is.

I was lucky. My mentors were my art school teachers. They saw promise in my talent and drive and, being mature adults, forgave my youthful…verve and bad attitude. My mentorship included odd jobs around their studios, invitations to cocktail parties and industry events which I could never dream of being invited on my own standing in the industry, or just dropping by their studio or office to chat and watch their everyday work routine.

I learned a lot from them. They imparted lessons on business, or I would see how they handled difficult situations. I would be introduced to the top talents in the industry and, like an illegal cockfight, sometimes be thrown at an obnoxious creative for the occasional fistfight or battle of wits. It was a wonderful time for me.

What do you get out of mentoring?

Your peers form a group within which you grow, but they are on the same level as you. Some will grow faster and move out of your group and some will fall behind and disappear. Throughout it all, while they offer support and commiseration via “misery loves company,” they cannot give you what a mentor will provide.

A mentor has pre-made your mistakes. He or she has dealt with the pain and heartaches and can steer you in the right direction. They are someone you can call and ask about what you need to charge, how do you get paid and generally bounce ideas off to advance your career. A mentor is a teacher, guardian angel, and friend. You will advance light years beyond where you would be on your own. They will give you information and feedback you can’t find anywhere else and give it to you straight. It’s like being home schooled by a parent who’s a famous designer; you receive loving one-on-one attention.

With all of that, you will find yourself with an uplifting feeling as you trudge through a very hard field. Whether freelance, with all of the twists and turns of running your own business, or working staff and facing weird office politics and power struggles, a mentor has been there and will give you sage advice. You, in turn, must learn to listen to it.

Why would someone WANT to mentor you?

Many professionals feel it’s giving back to the industry. Some feel it’s good karma and some do it because they enjoy helping the next generation. I’ve always felt all of the above and that when you help the next generation enter the field and do it as professionals with all of the correct information on business, they make the industry stronger. In almost every article I write, I relay the wise words of Brian Singer, creative director and founder of Altitude Associates:

“The way you get ahead in design…is by lifting up those around you.”

I’ve mentioned in several articles that I was not happy with the treatment I received from my former alma mater but I am big enough of a person to look past that and help students from my old school. I judged people by who they were and wanted to encourage those with talent and professional drive.

As the art director for a large, well-known publication headquartered in New York City, I was contacted by the head of my former school’s art department about taking on some interns. I despised the man to no end and tried very hard not to scream at him and hang up when he called, but I listened to what he had to say. Sure, I wanted interns and had already hired several students from the school, unbeknownst to him.

“And I don’t want them going for coffee or just making copies,” he demanded. “I want them actually designing the magazine!”

I counted to three under my breath. “You’re in no position to make demands,” I replied. I think his aggressive demand was based on either the fact that he knew he had treated me badly for many years and now I was in a position of power or he was just a pompous ass. The latter, I believe.

“I’ve hired a couple of students from the school and they seem very happy getting coffee and making copies,” I quietly continued. “When I was a student, I would have PAID to just be inside this publication, cleaning the floors with my tongue if that was what they needed!”

Which brings me to an important point: Attitude will haunt you forever! Be kind to those you meet on the way up because you’ll eventually need something from them.

An apt quote to consider is: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Dr. Maya Angelou said that. Actually, people will remember it all, so watch how you treat people!

Where do you find a mentor?

As I did, you may want to start with one of your teachers from art school. They have a certain oneness with you as a student and although there are certain states with laws that won’t allow them to fraternize with students or even friend you on Facebook, once you are out of school, a professional relationship is fine.

Maybe you didn’t go to art school or you did but your teachers hated you or they just aren’t worth the effort as mentors. Perhaps your family knows someone in the field? A good friend of my parents was a big wig in advertising and was always happy to see me when I dropped by his office. My grandfather fixed the cars of people who would be happy to do him a favor and let me tour their office or sit around and watch them work. My uncle was in the mob and people who owed him “favors” were happy to meet with me and answer questions and give me office furniture, electronics, and cartons of cigarettes. Family can be a great avenue to finding a mentor.

If you have no former teachers and your family has passed on or is doing a 20-year stretch in a federal penitentiary you still have a way to find a mentor: Ask someone. Is there a local design studio owner you admire? Write them a nice note and ask if they would agree to be your mentor. Offer to bring them lunch once a month so you can chat informally about the business. If they take a liking to you, there will probably be an internship or job offer.

Maybe the relationship is purely via digital communications. Emails back and forth may not be as advantageous as face-to-face but it’s better than nothing. I get many emails from young creatives who read my articles and I answer all of them. Most of them thank me and express amazement I took the time to thoroughly answer their questions. Maybe when they are in positions to hire freelancers they’ll remember the kindness and take pity on me?

Some people will refuse to become your mentor or answer emails but eventually, you will find someone who believes in mentoring. When you do, treasure the relationship and don’t screw up!

Screwing up the mentor relationship

You’ve gotten your in. You have what many other creative want and will wait for you to screw up or die…or both so they can grab your spot.

Unfortunately, I have seen too many people screw up the chance handed them. Rather than relive the stories of those who I had to fire and their utter embarrassment of having to explain to friends and family why their big break lasted four hours and the tears they cried as security walked them from the building, let me give you an important list that will save you heartbreak and career suicide:

• DON’T be late! If I have to wait twenty minutes to an hour for you to show up, you are not respecting me, my time or my schedule.

• DON’T steal from me! Yes, it has happened and it has cut down on those I allow into my office.

• DON’T refuse any job! As with the demand that interns not make copies of get coffee, you have to start at the bottom. Even at that bottom, you are still heads above those not interning or connected with a mentor.

• FOLLOW DIRECTIONS! I’ve had to fire several interns because they had a “big surprise” for me when they finished an assignment.

• RESPECT YOU MENTOR! If you go on Facebook and post something negative about your mentor, it’ll get back to them. Remember all the other people waiting for you to screw up or die? They’ll be happy to see that your boss/mentor gets the message.

• WORK HARD! Bosses and mentors like to see their time and trust is rewarded when they see you take responsibility for your own career. If you show you don’t care, then why should we?

• HELP OTHERS! Keep the good karma flowing. We help you, you help others, they help the next and so on.

Why should YOU be a mentor?

We paid our dues and spent years clawing our way to the top…or middle but we all should remember how hard it was. Do we say, “Tough! Do it like I did,” or do we practice compassion and help those young people who deserve a break? More importantly, do we train our next generation to keep the business strong and not allow them to be the ones to whom business owners refer when they say, “I can get it cheaper,” pointing at new graduates?

Business acumen has changed over the past few years. When I entered the field, the Catch-22 of needing experience before you were hired to gain experience frustrated us all. Now, young and cheap is the preferred hiring practice. Older workers are laid off and there is no natural flow of learning within companies. The young are no longer groomed by the older, more experienced worker. Training for growth is absent. It is part of nature that the young are taught by the old so they can move on and become the mentors to the next generation. The natural order may be discarded by economics and foolish business decisions, but we, as creatives, can keep to the path that nature demands.

We can teach, write, mentor and then you take our jobs and spit on us as we crawl for safety. You young punks! Still, we do it because it is in the natural order of things to pass on our experience to the next generation, however ungrateful it is.

Socrates had something to say about this:

The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.

Plato had Socrates and you should be able to find someone who takes you under their wing… just stay away from mentors who demand you wear a toga!

Written by Speider Schneider. He is a former member of The Usual Gang of Idiots at MAD Magazine and has designed products for Disney/Pixar, Warner Bros., Harley-Davidson, ESPN, Mattel, DC and Marvel Comics, Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon among other notable companies. Speider is a former member of the board for the Graphic Artists Guild, co-chair of the GAG Professional Practices Committee and a former board member of the Society of Illustrators. Follow him on Twitter @speider

Did you have a mentor or mentor someone? Share your story with us!

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