Like every creative professional, a graphic designer also has to face criticism a number of times in their career. Criticism can come from anyone – a client, a fellow designer, a family member or any onlooker.  A lot of designers find it hard to accept criticism in a positive and friendly fashion, but the truth is, criticism can actually help you improve. You get to know which areas need improvement. My point is, never feel bad when you are criticized. We are all criticized at some point of time. There are plenty of reasons why you shouldn’t feel bad when someone criticizes you. I have illustrated some of them below, for your help:

• Have faith in yourself: Criticism is not the end of the world. You know what you are capable of. Have a realistic idea about your skills so that you are criticized for a wrong reason, you can deal with it. Never lose faith in your own abilities.
• Keep your cool: Be nice and friendly. Sometimes when people criticize you, they start using abusive language. If it happens to you, firmly and calmly state that you are being verbally abused and the person who is criticizing you should control their tongue because it highly unprofessional to insult a professional with abusive language.
• Improve your listening skills: Good listening skills are important for success in every field. Let whoever is criticizing you talk. Do not be rude or harsh in your speech. When they finish talking, put your points across and explain why you did what you did. They may not always understand it, but substantiate your statements with proof.
• Make your point clear: When you are putting across your thoughts and opinions, be as clear as possible. If the person who is criticizing you does not understand technical jargon, talk in simple language.
• Identify the criticism: Try to understand what they are criticizing. Is there something wrong in your graphic design or has something went the other way in your stationery design? There is good criticism and bad criticism. You have to find out what you are facing. Good criticism is constructive. It motivates you whereas bad criticism only insults. If you are faced with bad criticism, stand for yourself. Firmly state the reasons why you did what you did.
• Don’t take things personally: Remember that you are not being criticized for what you are, but for what you have done. Take criticism as a feedback and move on to do what is necessary to improve the areas that need to be improved.
• Stop panicking: Sometimes clients throw unrealistic deadlines at designers. If you are in such a situation, don’t panic. Clearly state the required time for the project. You need to educate your client because clients do not understand the subtle points of designing.
• Don’t forget that you are still at liberty: I’d like to repeat what I said in the first point. Criticism is not the end of the world. Those who criticize you, may throw their ideas at you, but it doesn’t mean that you have to use those ideas. Besides, you will certainly go on to make several other designs. Understand your liberty and move on with a fresh mind.

Conclusion

Criticisms are commonplace in the design profession. Every graphic designer faces it. You cannot avoid it, but you can surely look at the positive side and move ahead to provide better graphic design services India.

As one of the primary colors, blue is also an integral aspect of the chromatic spectrum. It is a cool color that comes in different hues, such as light or deep blue. In this article, we will discuss various features of blue. We will also offer few tips regarding the intelligent usage of blue in brochure design.

Features

Proper theory states that blue is a far color. This means that an object painted in blue would appear larger, as compared to the one painted in orange or yellow.

One major characteristic of blue is that it can be perceived by the human eye easily. This is because of the fact that blue presents wavelengths that vary from 440 to 490 nm. All types of photosensitive cells react to this wavelength range-of course, at varying degrees.

Blue is also commonly known as the ‘cool color. This is probably because of the fact that blue evokes a sense of peace and calmness.

Symbolism

Blue has a strong connection with nature. This is proved by the fact that whenever any one utters the word ‘blue’, images of sky and sea come into our minds. Using blue intelligently in brochure and web design is critical. We will explain how you can utilize blue to create a mesmerizing effect.

Example 1

It is an established fact that using lighter tones can create a sense of free and open environment. This in turn, creates a calming effect. This means that using blue in brochure design can develop a friendly image of your company. However, if you use blue as the only color, chances are high that it will create a boring effect.

To avoid such a situation, consider the sky as your source of inspiration. Most people will agree that the sky looks boring when it assumes a single, solid color. Rather, it appears more interesting, when golden sun rays play with blue hue of the sky. Similarly, you can combine blue with other colors to spice up the design ( for additional information, check the section-combination).

Example 2

Next, let us consider the example of water. Water represents vitality, versatility, and life. The most unique fact about water is that it changes its shape, depending on its state. In small quantities, water appears colorless. However, in large quantities, water assumes a light blue color.

Many corporate companies incorporate blue in their logo designs. The reason is that blue evokes a sense of calm and is strongly associated with positive values, such as trust and stability.

Of course, some people also evaluate blue from a negative point of view. They argue that blue is associated with sadness (famous Monday blues!). Furthermore, the presence of blue on the human body, except the eyes, indicates that the person is suffering from health-related problems.

Combinations

When combined with the right colors, blue can create a mesmerizing effect. For example, try combining blue with dark brown. You would find that the combination creates an energetic image, while providing the creation with a cool feeling. You can also combine blue with metallic colors.

Apart from dark colors, associating blue with light colors, such as mint green or teal can be a great idea. Such a combination will create a fresh and watery image. Of course, you need to ensure that the combination promotes a sense of balance and harmony. Remember that if both colors possess similar intensities, they would clash and hurt eyes of your target audience.

You can also use blue as a complementary color in yellow or orange schemes. Such a strategy will lend a cool effect to the scheme and balance out the brightness.

Traditionally, orange is considered the complementary color of blue. However, combining it with yellow will also have the similar effect. If you still feel confused, getting in touch with graphic design services India can be a great idea.

If you are a professional graphic designer, especially a freelancer, have you ever wondered how you can get clients to approach you, instead of you approaching them for work? You can take the help of these following ideas to solve this problem that seems to recur in all freelance graphic design professionals’ lives.

In this era, there are 4 basic ways you can get more business:

1. Referrals from common professional circle (such as co-workers, friends and clients you have worked with earlier).

2. Referrals from common professional circle (such as co-workers, friends and clients you have worked with earlier).

3. Push marketing such as PR, advertisements and cold-emails and calls.

4. Pull marketing which is essentially striking a chord into your target clients’ minds. This is mostly done through social networks and blogs, both of which are very powerful platforms.

Needless to say, pull marketing is the opposite of push marketing. It creates a desire by which your target clients are ‘pulled’ to you the way iron is pulled to magnet. But when it comes to services like graphic design services India, how do you go about pulling clients? The fact is, there aren’t many clients who would take the trouble of looking for a designer themselves because most business owners don’t even know that their site needs a makeover. Neither do they care about getting a new logo.

The bottom-line is, these business owners are plenty in number. Trying to tell them how the clever use of color, font, contrast or images can benefit their business will not always help. You have to find referrals, which means, you need to find people who would refer your name to business owners that they know. Who would these people be? Clients whom you have previously worked with, your colleagues and your friends who know your potential.

Now comes the issue of convincing your new clients about how graphic design can increase the effectiveness of their businesses. To do this, you need to first educate them about brochure design, logo design and of course graphic design. Make presentations, arrange one-to-one meetings with them, create YouTube video for them and share it on their social networks. Just let them know how important it is to update their marketing materials instead of pushing them and that will do the trick.

Remember that you can’t charge for these educational sessions. You have to make these sessions as interesting and interactive as possible for getting new clients. The better they are educated, the more they will care about how your services can help them.

For a freelance graphic designer like you, keeping yourself updated about the latest happenings in your line of work is very important. And to do that, you need to watch videos, read or listen to tutorials on motivation, and read relevant books. That way, you can expand your knowledge base which will help you influence potential clients better.

Make use of free platforms that are so effective as well popular such as Skype, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn where you can interact with business owners of different niches and from around the world.