In December 2016, Route1Print, the UK’s fastest growing trade printer asked Quentin James Design founder and lead graphic designer Quentin James, to contribute to their forthcoming eBook “50 Tips from Designers, to Designers”. The eBook gathers advice and graphic Design Tips from experts in the Graphic Design field all in one place. From client management to typography, brand identity to finding alternative textures in Photoshop, their eBook offers practical tips for designers and showcases new ways to think about design.
We asked incredible Graphic Designers to share 50 hard-earned Graphic Design Tips they wish someone had told them sooner.
We were delighted to be asked to contribute and duly sent the team at Route1Print a number of tips based on our 18 years in business. The eBook is now available to download for FREE and features two tips from us, among the 50 tips included:
Every print job that leaves our studio is meticulously checked for both content errors and technical artwork errors. The best way to spot many technical errors is to open your finnal design as a PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro. Then from the tools, select ‘Print Production > Output Preview’. This allows you to switch on/off virtual CMYK printing plates. It’s a great way to identify unexpected problems like spot colours, overprint and knockout issues. The ‘Sample Tool’ will also let you spot check areas of your design for total ink coverage, handy as you always want to be less than 300% to keep your printer happy.
Establishing a good working relationship with a new client who already has a logo, branding and various other digital assets can be tricky. You’re both excited to be working with each other but then you, the designer, bombard the new client with technical questions about their logo and branding. Often, the client hasn’t a clue what the font in their logo is called or what their house font style is supposed to be. Online services like WhatTheFont!, Identifont and WhatFontIs.com can be invaluable in identifying fonts that you’re unfamiliar with. It saves you time and is one less question for your client.
The Route1Print eBook not only provides practical tips which graphic designers can apply their own work, but from the collective minds of the contributors it offers new ways in which to think about design.
"If you need design work that's going to actually help produce sales, he's the man!"
Jon Price
"Quentin is quick to understand a brief and always delivers outstanding work on time and on budget."
James Brockbank
"His right-first-time approach saves valuable time on every project and he backs his design work with excellent advice."
Jane Hunt
"A pleasure to work with and we will be using Quentin James Design again."
James Conlon
"The finished article was excellent and perfectly balanced for the audience involved."
Greg Clementson
"He interpreted my rather vague brief with speed, quality and an intuitive sense about what I needed."
Georgia Parker
"Having had the initial discussion Q came back with various options and from there on in through regular discussions he produced a website design that I'm proud of."
John Ashton
"I would highly recommend Quentin James Design if you are looking for a partner for your business."
Elizabeth Downing