2009

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009....
i hope u changed in 2009....

Travian (versi english)

Travian is an award-winning German massively multiplayer online browser-based game developed by Travian Games GmbH.^[2]

The game's developers drew roughly from Classical antiquity and particularly from the Roman Empire to create a predominantly militaristic real-time strategy. Along with three English versions, and the original German version, the game has been translated into 30 other languages^[3][4] and today has over 3 million players and over 250 servers worldwide.^[5][6] In 2006, it won the Superbrowsergame Award, in the large games category.^[1][6][7][8]

Travian is programmed in PHP and runs in most modern browsers (such as Camino, Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Safari.) Travian was also the first game of its type to be playable on mobile phones. When played on a cell phone, it uses Java.^[9]

• The game

Every player enters Travian as a leader of a small village as a Roman, Gaul or Teuton^[10] with two people (or a population of two, as referred to in Travian) in their village. The village has only one building, known as the Main Building. Around the Main Building are spaces for further buildings to be constructed. Around the outside of the village there are 18 resource fields that are level 0. Each resource field is either a Woodcutter (produces Wood/Lumber), Clay Pit (produces Clay), Iron Mine (produces Iron) or Cropland (produces Crop). These fields produce a certain amount of resources per hour, depending on their levels. At level 0, each resource field produces two units per hour. Resources are required to construct buildings, to sustain the population and to train and feed troops (see below). A player can increase the production rate by upgrading the fields.^[11]

At the start of the game, the selection of buildings a player can construct is very limited. As the village is developed, a wider range of buildings become available for construction.

A greater aspect for the game is its troops. Troops are produced in the Barracks. They allow a player to raid other villages and steal their resources, which will benefit the attacker. When the Barracks have been upgraded to a certain level, the player may build an Academy, which allows them to research new types of troops;^[12] the player may also construct new types of buildings (such as the Armoury ^[13] and Blacksmith ^[14]) once the Academy has been upgraded to a sufficient level.

• Goal

The goal of Travian is to construct and upgrade a World Wonder to level 100 and achieve a high population. The World Wonder requires millions of resources and takes a large amount of time to complete. Once a World Wonder is upgraded to level 100, the game ends and the winner and his/her alliance is announced. In order to construct a World Wonder, a player must steal an artifact from the Natars.

An appropriate ranking system has been created that determines the players rank from raiding, attacking, defending and building. Players can earn medals for their profile page by taking a certain place in the ranks.

• Factions

There are three tribes available to be played, the Romans, the Gauls, and the Teutons. Each has their own characteristics. The Romans complete upgrades faster than other tribes, the Gauls defend better than the others, and the Teutons are geared towards an aggressive style of play.

However, the actual style always comes down to the player, and his/her style of play. The fourth tribe, known as the "Natars", are an NPC tribe who are—according to the game—the predecessors of the three playable tribes. The Natars enjoy many benefits normal tribes do not, but only come into the game as part of the end game sequence, more specifically, 300 days after account activation (except if the player is on a speed server, in which case they appear after 100 days).

The Natars must be killed and an artifact stolen for a World Wonder to be built.

• Villages

A player is able to found more than one village. Additional villages increase total resource production, causes population growth and help support larger armies. To found an additional village the player must first create and extend a Residence or Palace to level 10, and also have 2,000 (500 for Speed server) Culture points. Culture points are automatically produced daily and accumulated, based on the buildings in the village(s).

To create another village after the second, progressively more culture points are needed. Almost all buildings made in Travian give the village culture points. After the amount of culture points are achieved, the player may train 3 Settlers to go and found a new village at any vacant area chosen. Settlers must be given 750 of every resource before they start their journey. A player may also create an Administrator (Senator, Chief or Chieftain) instead. These units need a level 20 Academy first. They allow the player to conquer another player's village and make it their own, but a player's last or only village cannot be conquered this way.

• Alliances

The game is heavily geared towards cooperative play. In fact the only likely way to win the game is through cooperation with an alliance. It's nearly impossible for single players to win, but an alliance can win together.

Resources can be traded between players, and towns can be reinforced with another player's troops. An in-game alliance feature is also available, providing the main catalyst for strategic play within Travian; players join and fight together for mutual benefit. Within an alliance, players can view attack and defense information for all alliance members, and also benefit from improved communication tools such as mass alliance-wide in-game messages.

Since the maximum number of members in an alliance is 60, 'wings' tend to form as an alliance develops. Being a wing entitles having multiple sub-alliances, often with similar names, acting as one alliance but in different areas of the game. Wings may not fight and destroy each other due to the friendly fire rules. Towards the end of a round, different alliances often join together, resulting in larger coalitions (meta alliances); other diplomatic agreements include Non Aggression Pacts (NAP) and Confederations (Confeds).

• End game

Each Travian server ends with the "end game" sequence. For normal servers it ends after about 300 days, and for speed (3x) servers,^[15] it ends after about 100 days. After this time has elapsed the Natars, a vicious tribe controlled by the computer, are released. As the players on the server begin to build the Wonder of the World that they had captured the plans for from the Natars, they meet resistance. The Natars will, every 5 levels of the Wonder being built, attack the villages with wonders until level 95 when they will then attack every new level. The first alliance that builds their World Wonder to level 100 wins the server, which stops and restarts. Then a new game begins.

• Financing

Travian was initially financed through players upgrading accounts with Travian Plus and Web banners. Later, an option for purchasing 'Gold' replaced the one for buying 'Plus'. The introduction of 'Gold' allowed players to directly influence the game mechanics: for instance, by increasing resource production, instant completion of building and researches or applying a strength bonus to troops. Travian has also expanded to include a "Travian Shop" which includes Travian-related items like clothing and mugs.

• Criticism

Travian has been criticized for the in game purchase of ‘Gold’. The selling of Gold pays for the some of the staff (most Travian staff are volunteers) server and bandwidth costs for the game but gives the purchaser an advantage over players who have not purchased gold, this advantage some feel is unfair.^[16]

However, many of the functional abilities (attack, defense and crop bonuses are not functional abilities) the Plus options give can be easily replicated with the use of browser-based scripts. These scripts are easily found online. However, use of any scripts to play the game, whether browser based or otherwise, is against Travian's terms of use, and can result in the player being banned from the server and possibly a full multi-server ban.

Travian

Travian adalah permainan browser-based game Jerman yang dikembangkan oleh Travian Games GmbH^[1] yang sebagian besar berhubungan dengan permainan pendahulunya yang disebut Tribal Wars. Pada tahun 2006, permainan ini mendapat peringkat satu dalam "permainan browser-based terbaik dengan lebih dari 10.000 pemain".

• Permainan

Pemain dapat memilih salah satu dari tiga suku, suku tersebut yaitu: Romawi, Teuton dan Galia. Para pemain memulai dari sebuah desa kecil yang hanya memiliki 2 populasi. Desa tersebut hanya awalnya mempunyai satu bangunan utama, dan mempunyai 18 sumberdaya, masing-masing sumberdaya adalah: besi, gandum, tanah liat, dan penebangan kayu. Tentara dapat dibuat jika telah mempunyai barak dan titik temu. Tentara lainya tersedia jika sudah membuat akademi dimana tentara dapat diriset.

• Akhir permainan

Server akan dimulai kembali ketika pembangunan Keajaiban Dunia (Wonder of World) mencapai level 100. Keajaiban Dunia memerlukan beberapa artifak dan hanya dapat dibangun di daerah suku Natarian. Setiap pemain harus menguasai desa milik suku Natarian dan harus mempertahankan dari serangan suku Natarian dan pemain-pemain lainnya. Natarian adalah suku yang dimainkan oleh NPC dan hanya muncul setelah 300 hari setelah server normal dimulai sedangkan untuk server speed hanya membutuhkan waktu selama 100 hari setelah server dimulai.

• Nama suku

Travian mempunyai 3 suku yang dapat dimainkan oleh semua orang dan mempunyai 1 suku yang hanya dapat dimainkan oleh NPC :

Romawi

1. Romawi adalah salah satu suku yang sangat maju dan ahli dalam pembangunan, Romawi mempunyai keistimewaan sebagai berikut:

2. Bisa membangun lahan sumberdaya dan bangunan secara bersamaan.
3. Bonus bertahan tinggi-bonus dari Pagar Batu
4. Pedagang bisa membawa sumberdaya sebanyak 500 unit (kecepatan: 16 bidang/jam)
5. Infantri sangat kuat, pasukan berkuda rata-rata,

Kekurangan:

• Pengembangan mahal dan memakan waktu yang lama.

Galia

Galia adalah suku terdamai di Travian, Galia adalah pasukan tercepat (rata-rata 6 bidang perjam). Galia sangat ahli dalam pertahanan. Keistimewaan suku galia adalah sebagai berikut:

1. Bonus kecepatan: Pasukan tercepat dalam Travian
2. Pertahanan rata-rata-bonus karena pagar kayu
3. Pedagang bisa membawa 750 unit sumberdaya (kecepatan: 24 bidang/jam)
4. Cranny 2 kali lebih besar
5. Expensive siege weapons
6. Settler yang murah

Teuton

Teuton adalah suku yang selalu menjarah, Teuton ahli dalam menyerang tetapi pertahanan Teuton sangat lemah. Sehingga pasukan Teuton dapat dikalahkan. Keistimewaan suku Teuton adalah sebagai berikut:

• Bonus rampasan: cranny musuh hanya bisa menyembunyikan 2/3 dari kemampuannya.
• Pagar Tanah hampir tidak bisa dihancurkan, tetapi hanya memberikan bonus bertahan minimal
• Pedagang bisa membawa 1000 unit sumberdaya (kecepatan: 12 bidang/jam)
• Pelatihan pasukan yang sangat murah dan cepat yang menjadikannya perampas yang hebat

Kelemahan suku Teuton sebagai berikut:

• Pertahanan lemah

sumber : Wikipedia

Game Online Travian

udah ada yang pernah coba game ini g yach......

permainan dengan mengggunakan browser yang memberikan dunia dengan ribuan pemain lainnya. Bermula dengan memimpin sebuah desa kecil.

bergabung tekan ini (*silakan klo pengen coba2 dijamin SERU...)

Articles Previous Browse Next Tip: 10 Realizations For Productivity & Making Ideas Happen

There are too many ideas in the world, and not enough action. If we consider every idea as part of a project - and then consider all we must do to manage our various projects, we realize the many challenges standing in the way of productivity. As a company founded "to help organize the creative world to make ideas happen," we believe that organization and productivity ultimately determine whether a brilliant idea ever actually happens. We have interviewed hundreds of the most productive individuals and teams in the world, and have discovered best practices across industries for managing everyday projects.

In this post, we will share ten of these discoveries, and also provide the first glimpse of a new (not yet launched) product, “Action Method Online”: a bold approach to everyday productivity that challenges the notion of typical project management.

Our years of research have caused us to question the status quo of everyday project management:

• What if compulsive filing yields little benefit?
• What if priority matters more than context?
• What if the success of every project (and life) ultimately comes down to organizing actions you must take?
• What if the design of the method we use for productivity influences our psychology for getting stuff done?

Questions such as these have led our team to some very important realizations:

1. Actions should be kept separate from email.
Email can kill productivity, because the actions you must take are buried in regular communication. An inbox full of email - even well-filed emails - still forces you to dig through every communication to find the hidden task. Tasks to be completed, or “Action Steps,” should have a management system of their own.

2. People should NOT share whole projects, just relevant items within projects.
Until now, all project management systems were made up of projects that were shared among different people. However, the way people really THINK about their work is more personal: we define our projects in our own terms - and it is rare that 100% of any project is relevant to all involved. Rather than share entire projects, we now have the technology to share just the relevant components of projects - action steps, reference items, discussions, milestones - and the recipient can then organize these components in a way that makes sense for his/her system.

3. Good design is great for productivity.
Through witnessing all of the elaborate systems for productivity, we realized that the most effective systems are distinguished by their design. It’s very simple: If a system functions properly and is attractive, you are more likely to stay loyal to it.

4. Actions are only truly “delegated” when they are accepted.
While many collaborative tools support “to-do lists” that multiple people can see, true accountability is never achieved unless the designee chooses to accept the action step that he/she has been given. The rise of social networks has taught us that control over what we accept from others (or who has befriended us) preserves the sanctity of any system.

5. A degree of voyeurism and transparency keeps us engaged.
Twitter and other online “activity feeds” prove that the future of communication is passive as well as active. Being able to tune in and search everything that happens around you is more valuable than getting emails or holding “status posting” meetings.

6. When it comes to taking action, work and personal life collide (and that’s ok).
People tend to separate the actions they must take in their personal lives from their professional lives. While formal “to-do” lists and applications empower you at work, your little post-it notes on your refrigerator keep you on task at home. But after observing the uber-productive, we have come to believe that action steps are action steps, regardless of their context. Priorities may change, but having everything actionable in one system is your best bet for anxiety-free living.

7. Darwinian productivity: The “nag” and natural selection.
As great as you think you are, nobody can nail prioritization 100% of the time. The truth is that the importance of a particular action step is sometimes demonstrated by how badly other people need it done. Typical project management systems and office environments assume that dividing tasks is enough. However, we have found that “nagging” plays a key role in productivity - the forces around us help determine which action steps are most important. Nagging should be a formal part of project management.

8. Appreciation is the greatest non-financial reward for achievement.
If you have a formal way to nag your colleagues when necessary, why not also show some formal appreciation when something is done well? We think that project management systems need to have a fully integrated appreciation mechanism that rewards productivity.

9. No more email-chains - make it a real discussion!
Ideas that are discussed via email often become cut-up, convoluted, and lost. They also fill up our inbox and consume our time as we try to parse it all out. Instead, what if you could start a discussion at any moment - share it with anyone in the world - and organize it within your own projects? Technology now enables us to start, track, and search discussions online. It is time.

10. And if nothing else…ACTION ACTION ACTION
Too many project management systems either exclude a “task” functionality or minimize its importance. The main page in an office system is often the deadlines, the project list, and more static data related to roles and responsibilities. However, we have found that the most productive creative teams eliminate a lot of the “overview,” and start with what needs to get done, and who is doing it. What if we managed projects STARTING from action steps before anything else?

We've been writing tips for years on productivity and organizing the creative world, but we rarely write about our own products. However, as you can see, we are pretty passionate about the problems with project management. For the past year, we have been designing, developing, testing, and tweaking a new platform for productivity and project management. It is based on our Action Method methodology and the design of our paper product line, but the technology itself is revolutionary.

We are pleased to introduce publicly, for the first time, Action Method Online (AMO). Now being beta-tested by a select group of people and teams, AMO is a web-based application that offers a radically different approach to managing projects and collaborating with others. We invite you to see a gallery of screenshots (above), and sign up to be notified when we’re ready to launch.

Of course, the realizations we’ve shared above are relevant to any approach to managing projects. Even if you can’t change the way your company works, productivity is a personal pursuit that must allow for experimentation and (gasp) change when necessary.

This tip was co-written by Scott Belsky of the Behance team. Explore more Behance tips, and check out Behance's guest postings for small businesses trying to make ideas happen, hosted at American Express' OpenForum.

5 Amazing Graphic Design Magazines

Graphic Design Magazines are a key way for active graphic designers to further immerse themselves into the design community. They can inspire you, inform you and keep you up to date on the latest trends, hottest studios and new design talent.

They are often filled with great interviews, designer spotlights, graphic design news, current events, contests and everything else a graphic designer would want. The graphic design magazine list below contains a variety of top-notch publications I highly recommend having a look at.

Amazing Graphic Design Magazines

1. PRINT Magazine

PRINT is an extremely popular bimonthly graphic design magazine about visual culture and design.

2. I.D. Magazine

I.D Magazine is a leading critical magazine covering the art, business, and culture of design.

3. HOW Design

HOW magazine’s goal is to help designers run successful, creative, profitable studios and much more.

4. Communication Arts

Communication Arts is an amazing art and design magazine that consists of eight issues and includes the Design, Advertising, Illustration, Photography and Interactive annuals.

5. Computer Arts

Computer Arts is a kick-butt mag filled with tons of great advice for freelance designers of all levels and ages.

How to Create a Graphic Design Project Outline

Before beginning the design phase of a job, it is helpful to create a graphic design project outline. It will provide you and your client with some structure when discussing and creating the pages and elements of a project.

Format of a Graphic Design Project Outline

How you format and present your outline is up to you. Make sure it is clear, to the point and easy to follow. You don’t want there to be any confusion as to what is included in the project, as that can lead to problems later on in the process.

What to Include in a Graphic Design Project Outline

What you include in the outline will vary depending on the type and size of the job. Remember that the idea is to get in writing what you, as the designer, are responsible for creating. This will give the client peace-of-mind as well, since they will know what is included in their project and that it is headed in the right direction. Here are just a few examples of what to include for different types of projects:

• Website design: For a website project, include each section of the site with a detailed description of the content and pages. It is important to know how many unique designs and layouts you need to provide.
  
  
• Book design: Include an approximate number of unique page designs and standard page layouts you will be providing, as well as additional elements such as the cover and jacket. If you have discussed it in more detail, include the chapters and sections of the book and what is required for each.
  
  
• Postcards, Business Cards, and Posters: For one-page jobs, the outline will be fairly simple. It should include what content needs to be presented and in what format.
  
  
• Package design: For packaging, include each element to be designed. For a CD package, for example, you would include the liner notes, spine, back cover and CD label.
  
  
• Brochures: For brochure and other foldout designs, include the number of panels and what content will appear on each.

How to Use the Outline

The graphic design project outline has several uses, including:

• Help to determine the estimate and timeframe: It is often a good idea to get an outline approved before quoting a price, as it will help you determine the time necessary to complete a job.
  
  
• Include it in your Proposal: Once approved, the outline can be part of your final contract or proposal so the scope of the project is officially agreed on.
  
  
• Keep the project on target: As you work on the project, you can refer to the outline to stick to the original plan. If the amount of content changes, this may affect the budget or timeframe.

Get into the habit of creating outlines for your graphic design projects, whether they are personal, for school or for clients. This will help to insure that the design process goes smoothly.

What to Ask Graphic Design Clients

At the start of a project, it is important to know what to ask graphic design clients to gather as much information as possible. This will often occur before you have landed the job, as it is necessary to have a meeting to help determine the cost and timeframe of the project. Once you have answered some or all of the research questions below, you can provide an accurate estimate in your proposal, as well as have a solid understanding of what the client is looking for.

Who is the target audience?

Find out who you are designing for. This will have a great impact on the style, content and message of the project. For example, a postcard aimed at new customers will be completely different from one aimed at existing customers. Some variables that can impact design include:

• Internal (i.e. employees of the company) or external customers
• Age
• Geographic location
• Gender
• Depending on the project, factors like economic status and religion may also come into play.

What is the message?

Find out what message your client is trying to get across to the target audience. The overall message can be something as simple as thanking customers or announcing a new product. Once that is established, go beyond it to find out the “mood” of the piece. Is it excitement? Sadness? Compassion? Gather some keywords that will help with the overall style of your design. If you are in a meeting with a group of people, consider asking each person to come up with a few words that they think describe the mood of the message, and brainstorm from there.

What are the specs of the project?

The client may already have an idea of specifications for a design, which is helpful for determining the time involved in the project, and therefore the cost. For example, a 12-page brochure will take much longer than a 4-page foldout. If the client doesn’t know exactly what they are looking for, now is the time to make some recommendations and to try to finalize these specs. The amount of content to present, budget, and final use of the design may all affect these decisions. Determine:

• Dimensions
• Number of pages
• Black and white vs. 2-color vs. 4-color printing
• Paper stock
• Size of print run (the number of pieces to print)

What is the budget?

In many cases, the client will not know or disclose their budget for a project. They may either have no idea what a design should cost, or they may want you to say a number first. Regardless, it is usually a good idea to ask. If a client has a specific budget in mind and tells you, it can help to determine the scope of the project and your final cost. This is not to say you should do the project for whatever the client says they can pay. Instead, you may alter some parameters (such as timeframe or the amount of design options you provide) to fit within the budget.

Whether they reveal a budget or not, it is ok to say you need to review the project and will get back to them with a quote. You don’t want to throw out a number that will have to change once you’ve had more time to think about it. Sometimes, the client budget will be much lower than you were expecting for a project, and then it is up to you if you want to take the work below your costs for the experience or your portfolio. In the end, you should be comfortable with what you are making for the amount of work, and it should be fair to the client.

Is there a specific deadline?

Find out if the project needs to be done by a specific date. The job may coincide with a product launch, or another important milestone, for your client. If there is not a deadline, you will want to create a timeframe for completing the project and present it to the client. This, much like your estimate, can be done after the meeting. If there is a deadline and you feel it is not reasonable, it is not uncommon to charge a rush-fee to finish it in time. All of these variables should be discussed prior to the start of the work, so everyone involved is on the same page and there are no surprises.

Can the client provide creative direction?

Whenever possible, it is helpful to get at least a little creative direction from the client. Of course, you will be creativing something new and unique for them, but some ideas will help you get started. Ask if there are any designs, design elements or other cues they can give you, such as:

• Colors
• Fonts
• Works of art
• Other designs
• Websites

It is also important to find out if there is an existing brand that you need to match. The client may have a color scheme, typefaces, logos or other elements that need to be incorporated into your design. Larger clients will often have a style sheet you can follow, while others may just show you some existing designs.

Collecting this information, and any other ideas, from your potential clients will help the working relationship and design process go smoothly. Be sure to take detailed notes when asking these questions, and include as much information as possible in your proposal.

The Graphic Design Process

• The Benefit of the Graphic Design Process

When starting a new design project, there are steps of the graphic design process to follow that will help you to achieve the best results. Rather than jump right into a graphics software program to try to create a final version, you can save yourself time and energy by first researching the topic, finalizing your content, starting with simple sketches and getting several rounds of approval on designs.

• Gather Information

Before you can start a project you of course need to know what your client needs. Gathering information is the first step of the graphic design process. When approached for a new job, set up a meeting to discuss the scope of the work. Be sure to gather as much information as possible:

• What to Ask Graphic Design Clients

Aside from the product your client needs (such as a logo or a website), ask questions such as:

• Who is the audience?
• What is the message?
• How many pages is the piece?
• What are the dimensions?
• Is there a specific budget?
• Is there a deadline for completion?
• Can the client provide examples of design they like?
• Is there an existing corporate brand that needs to be matched?

Take detailed notes, which you can use later for the next step of the design process.

• Create an Outline

Using the information collected in your meeting you'll be able to develop an outline of the content and goal of the project, which you can present to your client for approval before proceeding. For a website, include all of the major sections and the content for each. Include the dimensions and technical specifications for print or web work as well. Present this outline to your client, and ask for any changes. Once this is finalized, you know you are in agreement on what the piece will include and can proceed to the next step of the graphic design process.

• How to Create a Graphic Design Project Outline

NOTE: It is at this time that you would provide a proposal to your client as well, including the cost and timeframe for the work, but here we are focusing on the design process.

• Harness Your Creativity!

Design should be creative! Before moving on to the design itself (don't worry, that's next) take some time to think about creative solutions for the project. You can use the client's examples of favorite work as guidelines for what they like and don't like, but your goal should be to come up with something new and different that will separate them from the rest (unless of course they specifically asked to fit in). Ways to get the creative juices flowing include:

• Brainstorming: Get together with a group and throw out any and all ideas
• Visit a museum: Get inspired by the originals
• Read a book: Something as small as a color or shape in a graphic design book could spark a completely original idea
• Take a walk: Sometimes its best to get outside and watch the world...you never know what will spark your imagination
• Draw: Even if you're not an "artist," doodle some ideas on a page

Once you have some ideas for the project it's time to start creating a structured layout.

• Sketches and Wireframes

Before moving into a software program such as Illustrator or InDesign, it is helpful to create some simple sketches of the layout of a piece. This way, you can show your client some ideas without spending too much time on design. Find out if you are headed in the right direction by providing quick sketches of logo concepts, line drawings of layouts showing where elements will be placed on the page or even a quick handmade version of a package design. For web design, wireframes are a great way to start with your page layouts.

• Design Multiple Versions

Now that you've done your research, finalized your content and gotten approval on some sketches you can move on to the actual design phases of the graphic design process. While you may knock out the final design in one shot, it's usually a good idea to present your client with at least two versions of a design. You can agree on how many unique versions are included in a job in your proposal. This gives the client some options and allows you to combine their favorite elements from each.

TIP: Be sure to keep even the versions or ideas that you choose NOT to present and that you might not even like at the time, as you never know when they'll come in handy.

• Revisions

Be sure to let your client know that you encourage "mixing and matching" the designs you provide. They may like the background color on one design and the font choices on another. From their suggestions you can present a second round of design. Don't be afraid to give your opinion on what looks best...after all, you're the designer! After this second round, it isn't uncommon to have a couple more rounds of changes before reaching a final design.

• Stick to the Steps

When following these steps, be sure to finish each one before moving on to the next. If you conduct solid research, you know you can create an accurate outline. With an accurate outline, you have the information necessary to sketch out some ideas. With the approval of these ideas, you can move on to create the actual design, which once revised, will be your final piece. That's much better than having a client say "Where's the Logo?" after the work is already done!

Brainstorming in Graphic Design

Before you even begin to create a first version of a design in graphics software, it is important to harness your creativity to come up with concepts and ideas for a project. Unless the winning idea simply pops into your head (it has been known to happen), it is often difficult to sit down and start designing without a brainstorming session.

* The Goal of Brainstorming

The goal of brainstorming is to throw out any and all ideas related to a project, eventually leading to one or several to take further. This is certainly not the time to hold back… ideas that may seem risky, unrealistic or even downright stupid should be jotted down. Any one of them can lead to your best work. These ideas can be:

• Overall concepts and styles
• Layouts
• Color schemes
• Images
• Typeface options
• Project goals
• Ideas related to the mood or emotional feel of the work

This list goes on. Just remember to record everything, and worry about trimming it down later.

* Who to Brainstorm With

Brainstorming can be done alone or with anyone who is willing to listen to, and contribute to, the brainstorming process. This includes:

• Other designers and creative professionals
• Co-workers
• The client
• People in an industry related to the project
• Family
• Friends

You never know who will help lead you on the train of thought towards a final idea.

* How to Brainstorm

All you need to brainstorm is a pad and pencil. Whether you are alone or in a group, brainstorming includes:

• Writing down any idea that comes up
• Doodling or sketching
• Relating ideas to the goal of the project
• Elaborating on concepts that are the most promising
• Looking for connections between your ideas
• Combining ideas and concepts that are related

While brainstorming continues throughout the design process, you can consider yourself done with the initial brainstorm when you feel you have the right ideas and concepts to move forward. Don’t hesitate to take a break or go straight through the night… you never know when the right idea will strike.

Graphic design history

Although the term 'graphic designer' was first coined in the 20th century, the story of graphic design spans the history of marks of humankind from the magic of the caves of Lascaux to the dazzling neons of Ginza. In both this lengthy history and in the relatively recent explosion of imaging in the 20th and 21st centuries, there is sometimes a blurring distinction and over-lapping of advertising art, graphic design and fine art. After all, they share the same elements, theories, principles, practices and languages, and sometimes the same benefactor or client. In advertising art the ultimate objective is the sale of goods and services. In graphic design, "the essence is to give order to information, form to ideas, expression and feeling to artifacts that document human experience."^[1] "Fine art refers to arts that are 'concerned with beauty'..."

The paintings in the caves of Lascaux around 14,000 BC and the birth of written language in the third or fourth millennium BC are both significant milestones in the history of graphic design and other fields which hold roots to graphic design.

The Book of Kells is a very beautiful and very early example of graphic design. The Book is a lavishly decorated hand-written copy of the Gospels of the Christian Bible created by Celtic monks around 800AD.

Johann Gutenberg's introduction of movable type in Europe made books widely available. The earliest books produced by Gutenberg's press and others of the era are known as Incunabula. The Venetian printer and publisher Aldus Manutius developed a design style and structure for the book that remains largely intact to the present day. Graphic design of this era is sometimes called either Old Style (after the Gothic and handwriting-based typefaces which the earliest typographers used), or Humanist, after the new typefaces imitating the lettering in Roman carved inscriptions. These were introduced as part of the revival of classical learning, and still form the basis of the most commonly used Western typefaces.

Graphic design after Gutenberg saw a gradual evolution rather than any significant change. In the late 19th century, especially in the United Kingdom, an effort was made to create a firm division between the fine arts and the applied arts.

From 1891 to 1896 William Morris' Kelmscott Press published books that are some of the most significant of the graphic design products of the Arts and Crafts movement, and made a very lucrative business of creating books of great stylistic refinement and selling them to the wealthy for a premium. Morris proved that a market existed for works of graphic design and helped pioneer the separation of design from production and from fine art. The work of the Kelmscott Press is characterized by its obsession with historical styles. This historicism was, however, important as it amounted to the first significant reaction to the stale state of nineteenth-century graphic design. Morris' work, along with the rest of the Private Press movement, directly influenced Art Nouveau and is indirectly responsible for developments in early twentieth century graphic design in general.

Piet Mondrian, born in 1872, was a painter whose work was influential in modern graphic design. Although he was not a graphic designer his use of grids inspired the basic structure of the modern advertising layout known also as the grid system, used commonly today by graphic designers.

Modern

Modern design of the early 20th century, much like the fine art of the same period, was a reaction against the decadence of typography and design of the late 19th century. The hallmark of early modern typography is the sans-serif typeface. Early Modern, not to be confused with the modern era of the 18th and 19th centuries, typographers such as Edward Johnston and Eric Gill after him were inspired by vernacular and industrial typography of the latter nineteenth century. The signage in the London Underground is a classic of this era and used a font designed by Edward Johnston in 1916.

In the 1920s, Soviet Constructivism (art) applied 'intellectual production' in different spheres of production. The movement saw individualistic art as useless in revolutionary Russia and thus moved towards creating objects for utilitary purposes. They designed buildings, theater sets, posters, fabrics, clothing, furniture, logos, menus etc.

Jan Tschichold codified the principles of modern typography in his 1928 book, New Typography. He later repudiated the philosophy he espoused in this book as being fascistic, but it remained very influential. Tschichold, Bauhaus typographers such as Herbert Bayer and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, and El Lissitzky are the fathers of graphic design as we know it today. They pioneered production techniques and stylistic devices used throughout the twentieth century. Although the computer has altered production forever, the experimental approach to design they pioneered has become more relevant than ever.

The following years saw graphic design in the modern style gain widespread acceptance and application. A booming post-World War II American economy established a greater need for graphic design, mainly advertising and packaging. The emigration of the German Bauhaus school of design to Chicago in 1937 brought a "mass-produced" minimalism to America; sparking a wild fire of "modern" architecture and design. Notable names in mid-century modern design include Adrian Frutiger, designer of the typefaces Univers and Frutiger; Paul Rand, who, from the late 1930's until his death in 1996, took the principles of the Bauhaus and applied them to popular advertising and logo design, helping to create a uniquely American approach to European minimalism while becoming one of the principal pioneers of the subset of graphic design known as corporate identity; and Josef Müller-Brockmann, who designed posters in a severe yet accessible manner typical of the 1950s and 1960s.

The reaction to the increasing severity of graphic design was slow but inexorable. The origins of postmodern typography can be traced back as far as the humanist movement of the 1950s. Notable among this group is Hermann Zapf who designed two typefaces that remain ubiquitous — Palatino (1948) and Optima (1952). By blurring the line between serif and sans-serif typefaces and re-introducing organic lines into typography these designs did more to ratify modernism than they did to rebel.

An important point was reached in graphic design with the publishing of the First things first 1964 Manifesto which was a call to a more radical form of graphic design and criticized the ideas of value-free design. This was massively influential on a generation of new graphic designers and contributed to the founding of publications such as Emigre magazine.

Saul Bass designed many motion picture title sequences which feature new and innovative methods of production and startling graphic design to attempt to tell some of the story in the first few minutes. He may be best known for his work for Otto Preminger's The Man with the Golden Arm (1955).

Milton Glaser designed the unmistakable I Love NY ad campaign (1973) and a famous Bob Dylan poster (1968). Glaser took stylistic hints from popular culture from the 1960s and 1970s.

David Carson has gone against the restrictiveness of modern designs. Some of his designs for Raygun magazine are intentionally illegible, featuring typography designed to be visual rather than literary experiences.

link : wiki

Mac vs. PC

One of the most common ongoing debates in the computer world is "Mac vs. PC." Macs, produced by Apple, have often been used in the design world, with the PC (running the Windows operating system) dominating most of the business world. When looking at the two for graphic design work, the focus is on the handling of graphics, color, and type, the availability of software, and overall ease of use.

• Graphics, Color and Type

The handling of graphics, color and type is a significant portion of a graphic designer’s job. Because of Apple’s long history of being the “designer’s computer,” they have focused on improving their handling of colors and fonts, especially when going from screen and file to print. If you had to choose between a Mac and a PC on this factor alone, Apple has the edge. However, the same results can be achieved on a PC. For web design, neither wins out, though be sure to have access to both operating systems to test your sites across all platforms.

• Mac vs. PC Software

As far as graphic design is concerned, there is no significant difference in the software available for the Mac or PC. All of the major applications, including the Adobe Creative Suite, are developed for both platforms. Because the Mac is often considered the designer’s computer, there are some handy tools and applications that are Mac-only. Overall, there is more software available for the PC, especially if you are focused on a particular industry, gaming or 3-D renderings (such as for architecture).

• Ease of Use

Apple has clearly focused their operating system on ease of use, introducing new features with each release that improve the user experience. Their integration from application to application enables a clean workflow. While this is most apparent in their consumer applications such as iPhoto and iMovie, it continues through to professional tools and third-party products. While Microsoft has improved the user experience in the Windows operating system, I would give the edge to Apple on ease of use.

• Mac vs. PC Conclusion

Generally, “Macs” are mentioned in the same sentence as “graphic design,” and rightfully so for their excellent graphics and font capabilities, and ease of use. The drawback of the Apple used to be the price, but if you do want a Mac and are tight on budget consider the “consumer” level iMac, which is powerful enough for graphic design tasks, or a refurbished model. In the end, especially when starting out, you will probably do just as well with a PC. With some smart shopping you can get a powerful one for less money than a Mac, and you will be using the same design software… your creativity, and not the cost of your computer, will determine the outcome of your work.

Types of Graphic Design Portfolios

When trying to break into the field of graphic design, having a solid portfolio is crucial. If you are job-hunting, your portfolio is what employers will be looking at to decide whether or not to give you an interview. If you are starting a freelance business, potential clients will be comparing portfolios to choose a designer for a project. There are several choices for what type of portfolio to build, and each has their own benefits and drawbacks.

Website

Online portfolios are probably the most popular type today. As a graphic designer, some will even assume you have a web site. If your focus is web design, an online portfolio is the choice for you, as it serves as an example of your work.

Benefits:

• Easy to send out…it’s just a link
• Can provide a look into your personality
• Allows for an interactive presentation of your work

Drawbacks:

• The most time consuming to create
• You have to worry about it looking or behaving differently from computer to computer
• You need the technical knowledge to set it up
• Expensive to hire someone to develop it for you
• You will have to pay for a domain name and monthly web hosting

PDF

Creating a portfolio as a PDF is becoming more and more popular. Using Acrobat, multi-page PDFs can be created from layouts created in a graphics software program (such as InDesign or Photoshop). The result is a brochure style piece that shows examples of your work along with descriptions of projects and related information.

Benefits:

• Easy to email
• Control over layout without having to worry about browser and web issues
• The PDF itself serves as an example of your layout and typography skills
• Can be printed with consistent results
• Relatively quick and free to create

Drawbacks:

• Relies on the user to save and open the file
• Less effective for showing web design projects

The Classic Portfolio

The classic portfolio, an actual book of various sizes with printed examples of your work, still serves a purpose in today’s “digital world.” There are several ways to present such a portfolio, from placing prints in a pre-made book with sleeves, to creating your own custom, bound book.

Advantages:

• Shows your work in its actual, final format
• Great for showing off print design
• Can be brought to a meeting and shown without a computer

Drawbacks:

• Must be delivered by mail or in person
• If you leave with a potential client or employer, you are left without a portfolio

In the end, the type of portfolio you choose to have will depend on your budget, available time and type of work. For web designers, an online portfolio is a no-brainer. If you don’t have the time or budget to set up a web site right now, you should at least have a PDF so you have something to email. A classic portfolio is great to bring to a meeting and show off your best print work. As a portfolio is a key marketing piece, it should be taken seriously, and a combination of the options above might be the right choice to get you your dream job or client.

print media vs designing for the web

Designing for print media versus designing for the web can be a completely different experience. To better understand these differences, the two can be compared in major topic areas: types of media, audience, layout, color, technology and careers. Remember we’re looking at the graphic design side of web design, not the technical side. For more about the programming end of web design visit the web design section of About.com.

Types of Media

Before looking at the actual differences in design, it is important to know what type of work you may find yourself doing in each field.

As a print designer, you may work on:

• Magazine advertisements
• Product design and packaging
• Business cards
• Logos

As a web designer, you may work on:

• Standard HTML websites
• Flash websites
• Email newsletters
• Banner advertising

Of course the list for can go on for both, but the basic difference is that when designing for print you will end up with a finished product that someone can hold in their hand, and when designing for the web you will generally work on an ever-evolving piece viewed on a computer display.

Audience

When beginning a project, it is important to think about the experience of your audience, which differs greatly between print and web design. At the most basic level, the web is interactive and print pieces are usually not.

• In print, you are trying to get your audience to stay on a page long enough to get a marketing message across. You are often faced with a limited area in which to achieve this, such as a one-page magazine ad. In some cases, you are trying to catch their attention and have them dive deeper into your product, as with a book cover or the first page of a brochure. One of the benefits of print design is that you are dealing with a physical product, so physical properties such as texture and shape can help you achieve your design goals. As an example, paper companies will take out magazine ads printed on their own paper, allowing the audience to feel the weight and texture of their product.

• On the web, you are generally trying to keep your audience on a specific website for as long as possible. The amount of pages to work with can be unlimited, so you ‘tease’ the audience with snippets of content to entice them into clicking further into your site. Clear navigation (buttons that users click to get to the sections of your site), animation, sound and interactivity all come into play.

Layout

Both print and web design require clear and effective layout. In both, the overall goal is the same…use elements of design (shapes, lines, colors, type, etc) to present content to your audience.

The differences start in the available space to create your design:

In print:

• Your space is generally measured in inches.
• You can be dealing with anything from a business card to a highway billboard.
• You know the space allowed from the start and that your finished product will look the same to everyone who sees it.
• You must have bleed and safety areas to guarantee print results (learn more about this in the “printing process” section of this site).

On the web:

• You are measuring your space in pixels.
• You are faced with a challenge…designing your sites to look the best on all size monitors and at all monitor resolutions.
• A consistent design, with consistent navigation (always in the same place) is key to keeping people on your site.

Another major difference is how you actually achieve your layout. As a print designer, you know the final piece will be delivered as-is to the printer, though you must make the final print job appears as intended. As a web designer, you must keep in mind that you will deliver your design to a programmer (if not doing it yourself) who will prepare it for the web.

Color

Dealing with color can be very tricky in both print and web design. It is important to understand each of the color models and spaces, such as RGB, CMYK and HSV. Below are some of the choices, issues and concerns when dealing with color in print versus web design.

In Print Design:

• Consider the difference between your colors on screen and on paper.
• Again, a “proof” can help ensure you are getting the desired results.
• You often choose “spot” or “process” colors for your printer to use. These are colors you choose from a palette and identify with a code that you provide to your printer.

In Web Design:

• Consider the difference in colors from monitor to monitor.
• How color will be affected by brightness and contrast changes.
• Colors are represented by “hexadecimal values” (6 digit numbers). Again, this responsibility may fall on a programmer, but you may be providing these values to them.

Technology

Keeping up with the latest technology is necessary in both print and web design. For both, it is important to work in graphic programs such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. For print designers, knowing the latest advances in the printing process will help you to achieve the best results in your work. For web designers, knowing what your programmer (if not yourself!) can and cannot do will help you to provide the most effective designs.

Careers

A career in graphic design can mean many things. Below are just a few examples of specific jobs in print and web design.

Print:

• Art Director at a magazine
• Ad designer at an ad firm
• Package designer for a cosmetics company
• Designer for a t-shirt company

Web:

• Web designer for a social networking site
• Flash designer for movie websites
• Banner ad designer for a marketing firm

Which to Choose?

Ideally, deciding which type of design to pursue will be based on experience. Even if you create your own personal projects, try creating some print pieces (such as your own business card) and websites (create a mockup of your online portfolio). See what you enjoy, and learn more about it! Think about the differences in this article and what you’d like to focus on.

Learning both print and web design will make you even more marketable. In today’s job market, listings often ask for a focus on one, but knowledge of both. As a freelancer, being able to offer a client a full marketing package, with print materials and a website to match, will only help to grow a business and build an impressive portfolio.

Software Recommended From a Graphic Desinger

Software needed to be a top graphic designer in today's competitive market. If you are brand new to design, this is what I recommend.

• For Graphic Print Design:

All serious graphic designers know that the industry standard for graphic design software is Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and QuarkXpress or Adobe InDesign. If you are not familiar with these products here is a quick overview. Adobe Photoshop is photographic image manipulation software. Photoshop is where you will manipulate, clean up, re-touch, or re-color all the bitmap photographic images for your design project. Adobe Illustrator is vector art software and you will use it to create vector images such as logos and illustrations for you design project. QuarkXpress and Adobe InDesign are graphic layout programs. This is where you will literally combine all the pieces for a design project and lay them out. You will add your text, manipulated Adobe Photoshop images, and created Adobe Illustrator vectors images to this program and layout the finished product, which may be a brochure, flyer, etc.

• For Graphic Web Design:

Graphic web design has more options for software. Web design is not quite as specific with their software requirements as print design. As far as industry standard, the industry has really left it up to the designer to decide. I prefer to use Adobe Photoshop to create most of my imagery and then use Adobe ImageReady (which comes with Photoshop) to make my files optimized for the web and then use Adobe GoLive for my web site layout. Adobe GoLive is a great software product for designers who are not as skilled with HTML coding because GoLive does the coding for you, but if you prefer to do the coding yourself you are given the option of doing this as well. Another fun software program for web design is Macromedia Flash. Flash creates very fun animation and mini movies that give your site movement, but is not recommended that you design your entire site in Flash because of poor search engine optimization. Macromedia also has a product called DreamWeaver that is a web site creation and layout program.