One thing artists and creative types tend to do is clutter their work spaces with inspirational artwork, photography and text clipped from magazines, websites, newspapers and all kinds of media. It’s always nice to be able to refer back to a great idea or image when you need it, but how will you find that one tiny little piece of paper when the time comes?

To create a clipping collection that is a resource and not a burden, you are going to need a bit of forethought and organization. Here are some ideas for those who want to start collecting clippings and need a system, or for those who want to transform their collections into a treasure trove of navigable ideas.

Commit yourself
It may sound obvious, but it is necessary to set aside time to focus on the task at hand. Otherwise you’ll end up with a bigger mess than you’ve started with.

Pick a spot
You need to plan the means for preserving and storing your files ahead of time. Ask yourself the following questions: Am I going to scan all of my paper images so that I can access them digitally? Am I going to use a hanging file folder, a scrapbook or a photo box? Do I have enough space? What kind of supplies will I need?

Choose an organizational theme
If you are a designer, perhaps you would benefit from organizing your clippings by color or by genre (photography, illustration, web design, text). If you have a more analytical mind, or are a writer, try organizing the content by publication, source or website. Organizing by date is another interesting option, because it will allow you to look back and see how your tastes have changed during a period of time.

Make a book
One way to create a sense of order out of a pile of great clippings is to purchase a simple sketchbook or photo album and create a resource book. Mount photos and art onto the pages randomly, by theme or make a collage. You can use a glue stick or even “laminate” the clips onto the pages with thick, clear tape. This way you’ll have a book you can flip through or put on your coffee table for sharing.

Go digital
If you are going to keep a digital archive of clippings, some options for storing the files are an external hard drive, or a series of clearly labeled blank CDs or flash drives. The benefit of scanning paper files into a digital archive, is that you can include ideas found in print and online in one place. If you do scan and then store files digitally, you’ll need regular access to a scanner and time to continue scanning future clippings into the archive. Before you start, come up with a consistent pattern for naming your files and stick to it!

Use available software
Photo sharing sites and even some blogging platforms have great potential to help organize your clippings. Some notable websites are Flickr, Picasa, Evernote and Tumblr. Each site offers a way to archive and categorize your content for easy access. You’ll also be able to share your entire archive or particular images with friends and even clients by simply directing them to a URL.

Happy archiving and enjoy!

©2009 PsPrint Blog. All Rights Reserved.

A: You can use a peer-to-peer (P2P) software service or a bit torrent software to download and/or capture an illegal version of Photoshop. I do not advocate this, because it is ILLEGAL and punishable, and I believe that good products are worth their purchasing prices. Photoshop is one of them: When you can make anywhere from $100 to $10,000 on a single design, the $700 price tag of Photoshop CS4 really isn’t bad at all.

It’s a steal!

Of course, you can also try Photoshop free for 30 days, opt for the less expensive Photoshop Elements, or even use basic Photoshop technology free at Photoshop.com, a software-as-a-service application that I believe is the foundation for the next generation of Photoshop software.

Don’t steal it. Buy it, use it and profit from it legitimately. It’s the American way.

Q: How much should I charge for design services?

A: Whatever you’re worth. If you’re asking this question, you’re a freelancer and probably a newbie at that. You need a portfolio under your belt before you’ll be taken seriously and so your stock is low. Do some jobs on the cheap to build a portfolio (I’ve discussed picking a niche and cranking out 100 designs in 100 days before – link to this), something you can actually do incredibly fast, and your stock goes up exponentially.

Ultimately, you have to consider where you want your business to go. Many, many freelance designers make the mistake of budgeting for their time as though an employee. If you want to work your whole life as an employee and not as a business owner, you can go ahead and make this mistake as well. But if you want to own a business, then you need to base your hourly rate on things such as the costs to hire an employee, the cost to market your services, your physical and digital overhead, your insurances and, last but not least, your profit margin.

Create a professionally researched business plan to see where your money will actually go, and you’ll likely find that $20 an hour isn’t going to get you anywhere (unless you can pay your employees $5). Chances are, you’ll need to charge between $100 and $200 an hour to take your business where you want it to go.

Q: What niche should I specialize in?

A: Something you love to design, something you can sell, something you can profit from as a business. If you can’t define a clear way to do all three, you can’t specialize in it. Some say you don’t have to love what you do. That’s true if you’re an investor, but if you’ll actually be operating your business (at least until you can afford to hire a manager), then you don’t want to get bored.

Also keep in mind that selling and profiting are two different things. I can SELL logo design for $20 a pop all day long, but I can’t PROFIT from it at that rate. Now, if I can sell logo design for $1,500, I can pay someone else to do the work and still profit. I could also add that you must be able to do it well, because you can’t profit from something you don’t do well – at least, not for long. Customer satisfaction is paramount.

Q: How can I get a job with a great design firm?

A: By any means necessary. Scour job listings all you want, but being bold and aggressive will often get you much farther much faster. If you want to work for a particular agency, petition that agency with your spec designs. Network in the industry to make key connections that will put you at the front of the line for career considerations. Market yourself extensively. Perception pays now, but waiting around for opportunity to knock can take an eternity.

Do you have any stupid questions? Ask me and I’ll try to offer a legitimate answer.

©2009 PsPrint Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Anywhere there are 200 million people there is a huge opportunity to transmit messages of a business or marketing nature. One of the first commercial users of these sites was a band. Soon radio stations jumped on board. These groups set up profiles that showcased their music and offerings, which translated into sales from their performances and increased listeners. Since the model worked well for the musicians and the radio stations, others jumped on the bandwagon.

The downside is that this is an opt-in environment. The opt-in basis has spawned a whole new type of spammer who sends out massive numbers of requests for friends. The hope is that a big enough percentage of people will opt-in and a percentage of them will buy your products. If an outright marketing or commercial application is discovered by the site, then that account is usually deactivated.

Social networks should be a part of your overall marketing strategy, but you must understand the rules and regulations that govern them. Do you have any suggestions on how to use social networks to your advantage?

©2009 PsPrint Blog. All Rights Reserved.

I’ll give you a few throughout the next couple of posts and hopefully you will get a little something out of them.

Every penny you spend on Google AdWords, SEO, linking strategies, and social networking will be wasted if you do not keep these four marketing communication musts in mind: engage, enlighten, embed and reinforce. It is easy to see why they are important, but not always easy to incorporate them into a project.

The best way I can think of to demonstrate how all of these things together should make people feel is to tell a story.

Imagine you are in an ornate boardroom waiting for a client. In walks a well-dressed gentleman of obvious wealth. He walks over to the leather chair he is supposed to sit in, but stands beside it instead, then spits on the conference table.

You will remember what he did from then on. If your website can make people feel like that about your product, then you have successfully incorporated all four elements of website presentation.

In my next post I will go in depth about all four of the elements of website presentation. I hope you will join me. Who knows, maybe there will be more spitting.

©2009 PsPrint Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Get your work in the official Best Designs of 2009 book put out by Design and Design

Young Talent Award via I.D. Mag – worth a cool $10,000

A really cool contest by HUGO that has few rules and a lot of potential

A chance to create art for laptops and get paid for it … sweet!

This contest awards the best use of stock imagery in design

Do you design posters? Enter the poster of the year competition

Image use CC License via Flickr.

©2009 PsPrint Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Omega 3 fatty acids are essential for brain function and development. These healthy fats have amazing brain power. Higher dietary Omega 3 fatty acids are linked to lower dementia and stroke risks, slower mental decline and may play a vital role in enhancing memory.

Here are the top foods that are high in Omega 3 fatty acids:

• Flaxseed
• Walnuts
• Fish (salmon, halibut and snapper — it is recommended to eat two servings of fish weekly)
• Cooked soybeans
• Steamed/boiled shrimp
• Raw tofu
• Baked/broiled scallops
• Baked winter squash

Nuts and seeds are good sources of the antioxidant vitamin E, which is associated with less cognitive decline as you age. Dark chocolate also has powerful antioxidant properties and contains natural stimulants such as caffeine, which can enhance focus and concentration. You can enjoy up to an ounce a day of nuts and dark chocolate to provide all the benefits you need without excess calories fat, or sugar.

The heart and brain heavily depend on blood flow to function efficiently. Eating whole grains and fruits such as avocados can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and enhance blood flow, offering a simple, tasty way to fire up brain cells.

Whole grains such as popcorn and whole wheat also contribute to dietary fiber and vitamin E, while avocados have a good monounsaturated fat that contributes to healthy blood flow.

Research in animals shows that blueberries help protect the brain from oxidative stress and may reduce the effects of age-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Studies also show that diets rich in blueberries significantly improved both the learning capacity and motor skills of aging rats, making them mentally equivalent to much younger rats.

Carbohydrates — especially when eaten with no protein or fat — have been proven to be mentally soothing. Here are some foods high in carbohydrates:

• Baked potato
• Waffles
• Gatorade
• Grape-Nuts
• Whole wheat bread
• Bagels
• Stuffing
• Gram crackers
• Shredded wheat
• Cream of Wheat

What types of food do you consider brain food?

©2009 PsPrint Blog. All Rights Reserved.