Gordon Kaye has been editor and publisher of GDUSA for more than three decades, and Sasha Kaye-Walsh is website and social media editor. This comment, connected to our 61st annual Print Design Survey and our 2024 Digital Design Awards competition and showcase, first appeared in our June 2024 print and digital magazines.
Category: Blog
Artisan: Questions To Ask Before Saying Yes To A Freelance Gig
Just because freelance jobs are available right now doesn’t help with figuring out which ones are high in quality. How do you determine which gigs are truly right for you? Artisan breaks is down into four types of questions you should ask yourself before you say yes to that freelance gig.
Williams and Lynch Lead Beardwood&Co.
Beardwood&Co. recently celebrated two decades in business, and new co-CEOS Sarah Williams and Ryan Lynch sat down to discuss just how they did it with Chief Growth Officer (and founder) Julia Beardwood.
GDUSA Moves To Brooklyn
GDUSA moved to the Prospect Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn earlier this year, after 60 years of publishing on or within a few feet of Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. Brooklyn is a leading producer of irony and Publisher Gordon Kaye has a few very brief thoughts along those lines.
Maugé-Lewis Book Guides Students Toward Graphic Design Careers
Professor Carole Maugé-Lewis’ new book – So! You Want To Become A Graphic Designer: A Resource and Guide — is available as an eBook and in paperback. With a foreward by GDUSA’s Gordon Kaye, the book is aimed at aspiring graphic design students, career changers, and more.
Why Heavyweight Paper Stocks Are Ideal For Marketing Collateral
A look at the kinds of print marketing pieces that are ideal for heavyweight papers, and how Accent® Opaque’s new line of premium heavyweight paper, The Heavyweights, can help brands create print marketing collateral that connects with customers in a deeper, more tactile way.
Zimmerman: The Digital Shelf
In a world increasingly dominated by e-commerce, the battle for the digital shelf is critical. Suzanne Zimmerman, Sr Director of E-Commerce at SGK, explores how brands are innovating to stand out to online shoppers without abandoning their brand voice or neglecting their base.
Taite: Why Sonic Branding Works
John Taite of Made Music Studio explains why sonic branding has emerged as a powerful way for brands to connect with consumers, becoming a valuable asset in any marketer’s toolkit.
Artisan: How To Find A More Stable Job In 2024
While most of us bought into the hype of working for super fun companies in tech, retail, hospitality, and travel, There are ways of finding stability if you turn your interest toward more consistent, in-demand industries.
Message From The Editors | People To Watch 2024
For the 61st time, GDUSA presents ‘People To Watch’. The annual edition highlights leaders in the creative community who have something important to say and back up their words with deeds — talent, achievement, leadership, service, newsworthiness.
Artisan: The State of Freelancing 2024
The number of freelancers has grown by 3 million a year since the pandemic. It’s a competitive landscape with no signs of slowing. Here is valuable advice from the Artisan creative recruitment agency for freelancers and contractors heading into 2024.
Monitor Features That Optimize Creative Workflow
To thrive, graphic designers must evolve to keep up with the changing demands. Monitors with high-resolution, accurate color reproduction and ample connectivity are not only a must but can help improve design experiences and process.
Ken Carbone’s Top Ten: Then And Now
Legendary designer Ken Carbone, a recipient of the 2012 AIGA medal, is currently a Senior Advisor to the Chicago-based strategic branding firm 50,000feet. He shares with us ten designers, then and now, who have inspired him.
Educator To Watch: Genaro Solis Rivero
Genaro Solis Rivero is an award-winning graphic designer and educator specializing in branding. He joined the Baylor University Art faculty in 2023, following five years of teaching Communication Design at Texas State.
Meri A. Page: Educator To Watch
Meri A. Page is an interdisciplinary designer originally from Maine and now based in Syracuse NY where she is an Assistant Professor of Communications Design at Syracuse University.
Kevin Hall: CT Designers Scored BIG in the ‘90s
Connecticut graphic designer Kevin Hall recounts the halcyon days of the 1990s when sports teams flocked to the state and sports loving designers like himself had a field day developing logos, branding and marketing materials.
The GDUSA Podcast #11: Michele Pistone of Neenah
Michele Pistone of Neenah discusses the power of print and premium papers in a digital age, and the need for package and print designers to be confident in their paper knowledge.
Street Level Studio Is…
Highwood IL-based Street Level Studio (SLS) is a full-service marketing and design agency that combines a “roll up your sleeves” work ethic with a creative drive and depth of experience that matches anything a Michigan Avenue agency might offer.
Designing for Good: Celebrating Creators Who Make Positive Change
Lucy Marino of global talent solutions firm Robert Half on how great design can drive positive social change. And why the firm is sponsoring a special Designing For Good category in GDUSA’s annual graphics awards program.
Denver Neighborhood Turns To Design
Wunder Werkz has created a visual language and brand systems to revive a Denver’s Sun Valley neighborhood and ‘give it back to the immigrants that made it a home.’
Does Design Have An Ageism Problem?
Ageism in the graphic design industry is a perennial problem. Dan Crowder of Craft argues that mixing up ages in a firm, agency or business isn’t just about fairness, it’s about being genuinely creative.
How To Be Found On LinkedIn
Advice from Artisan on boosting your visibility for recruiters and hiring managers on LinkedIn: jobseekers who put in the effort will find that some of the ‘work’ they do to get noticed is actually fun.
How To Stay Positive Through Rounds of Interviews
Artisan is a boutique recruitment agency with offices in major cities across the United States. This is the second in a series of blogposts that address relevant topics for the creative community in 2023, whether you are finding work or finding talent.
Workamajig Introduces Generative AI + Human Design Scholarship Contest
Workamajig introduces a major new Generative AI + Human Design Scholarship Contest. The contest invites participants to showcase their creative vision and design skills in conjunction with Generative AI design technology.
Advertising, Webcomics & Emoji Palooza
Outside of his Account Executive role at creative and media agency Cutwater, Marc Cruz runs an ongoing webcomic about the misadventures of emojis entitled “Emoji Palooza. ” His passion project leverages the assets from Twitter’s open source Twemoji library.
Washington DC Has Balance Between Workers and Jobs
Crucial.com crunched numbers to break down the best cities in the United States for finding a creative job. Washington DC and environs turns out to have the best balance between available jobs and available workers.
5 Easy Ways To Make Your Resume Stand Out
Artisan is a boutique recruitment agency with offices in major cities across the United States. This is the first in a series of blogs of relevance to the creative community in 2023, whether you are finding work or finding talent.
Article 4: Designing For Good | Sharing Good News
Last winter, GDUSA introduced a “Designing For Good” category as part of our annual Graphic Design Awards program. Here is the 4th in a series of articles that explore the winners, creative challenges, and impact.
Creative Director Reimagines Home-Sharing Software
Kanan F. Whited IV is a seasoned creative director known for driving automated, user-friendly, and visual technology solutions in the hospitality and lifestyle industries. He put this experience to work as co-founder of Orion Haus, a home-sharing software with fully automated processes and a mobile app.
Article 3: Designing For Good | Special Creative Challenges
This winter, GDUSA introduced a “Designing For Good” category as part of our annual American Graphic Design Awards™ competition. Here is the third in a series of articles that explores the category winners, the creative challenges, and the impact of their efforts.
Working With McGruff The Crime Dog
Shay Onorio has worked in brand strategy and design for more than 24 years for organizations throughout the DC Metro Area—and this year, she’s partnering with McGruff The Crime Dog, to help the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) shed a light on the global fentanyl epidemic.
Gen Z Rewrites Engagement Rulebook
With buying power, digital proficiency and a yearning for meaningful interactions, Generation Z presents a great opportunity for brands, but also a big conundrum, since brands must provide not just the products but also stories and experiences to go with them.
Full Sail University Hall of Famers Share Design Industry Advice
Full Sail University Hall of Fame inductees Kim Alpert, Michael Cardwell, and Nathaniel Howe talk about practical elements of working in the design industry — job hunting and career tips, business and entrepreneurship, clients and collaborators, and more.
Article 2: Designing For Good | The Impact of Design
This winter, GDUSA introduced a “Designing For Good” category as part of our annual American Graphic Design Awards™ competition. Here is the second in a series that explores the category winners, their work, and the impact.
To Further ESG and Carbon Commitments, Start With Signage
Alex Burkholder and Peter Muller of Gensler recommend that, when looking for an impactful, actionable, and timely way to move the needle in support of ESG and carbon goals, start with a fundamental, yet often overlooked tool: signage.
From Bland Voice To Brand Voice: Transforming The DTC Narrative
The rise of DTC businesses over the past decade has created an $111+ industry. To get to the bottom of what’s going on in DTC, and where the opportunities are right now, Mike Reed of Reed Words discusses mastering a singular brand voice.
Reuter: A Web Designer’s Responsibility to Accessibility
Alan Reuter of MCD Partners on why making accessible web design systems a priority — design that is truly for everyone — is a net benefit for you, your user base, and your business.
Article 1: Designing For Good | The Power of Design
This winter, GDUSA introduced a “Designing For Good” category as part of our annual American Graphic Design Awards™ competition. This is the first in a series of six articles that take a deeper look at the category winners, their work, and the impact of their winning projects.
How Molson Coors and BrandOpus Have Grown a Relationship of Trust
Molson Coors has grown its brand for many consecutive quarters. One reason: its close relationship of trust with branding agency Brand Opus. Caroline Winnington of the agency and Stewart Yepes of Molson Coors discuss.
The Makeup Of A Challenger Brand Marketing Team
Thoughts from Brigade, a leading branding firm, on what makes challenger brand marketing teams click and what type of agency they should be working with.