1. Free All-in-One Graphic Design Starter Kit

    November 16, 2009 by Jeff

    Graphic design has an amazing community. Comprised of both the vets from the pre-computer era to the newbies who were raised on the internet and computer-editing applications, there is a huge gamut of people sharing their work and expertise online. I know when I was starting out in design, I found tons of inspiration and information from sites like JustCreativeDesign, DesignNewz, and more. If there’s one issue, however, it’s that there’s almost too much great information out there. I know – good problem to have, right?

    But for those designers just starting out, or for those designers who are considering getting into design, the amount of information can be a little overwhelming. Couple this with Paper Leaf’s desire to give back to the design community, and this is what you get: the All-in-One Graphic Design Starter’s Kit. The idea behind this kit is for it to be a one-stop shop for those getting into design – and for it to be completely free. It includes free software (for both Mac & Windows – photo/raster editing, vector editing, and HTML/CSS WYSIWYG editing), eBooks, textures, vectors, brushes, and awesome fonts. If you were to have no idea where to start, you could come here, download everything, read the eBooks and corresponding software guides, and have a great starting point.

    FreeDesignKit

    This “kit” was originally intended to be a zipped file containing all of the links below; however, it clocked in at about half a gigabyte, which I thought most people wouldn’t want to sit and download (plus it would put a strain on our hosting). Thus, I’ve broken down the kit into the elements that made it up, and linked to them all below – and making this All-in-One Graphic Design Starter’s Kit a series of links and downloadable sections, which allows people to pick and choose what elements they want.

    All of these items are free, open-source and legal for both me to share & you to download – however, please don’t claim any of them as your own. All of the items in this design kit required a lot of time & effort from their respective creators, so give ‘em some love! Hit the jump for all the amazing links and downloadables that make up the Free All-in-One Graphic Design Starter Kit!

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  2. 15 Best Holiday Gifts for Designers

    November 9, 2009 by Jeff

    I was in the mall the other day, and amidst the mass hysteria of the H1N1 immunizations happening there, I saw Christmas advertisements. Yes, it’s that time of year already. Now, if you have a graphic designer in your family, you might be wondering what to get them. CS4 is too expensive. A pencil is too cheap. Well, never fear, because I am here with a list of the best holiday gifts for designers – no CS4 or pencils in sight. Or, perhaps, you’re here because you want to buy a little something for yourself for Christmas, or put something on your list. Who am I to judge?

    Below are the 15 Best Holiday Gifts for Designers. Now, it’s not like these gifts are only available to members of some ultra top secret Designers Club of the Universe or anything – I picked them because they are either directly design-related, or the design of the object is something unique – a design that someone who is a design professional would most likely appreciate. If you want more, check out the 10 Cool Items for Your Design Workspace article too! Share, enjoy & subscribe to the RSS feed!

    Objectified DVD

    objectified

    Directed by Gary Hustwit (also did the Helvetica documentary), this look into the minds of industrial designers will provide both entertainment and inspiration to any designer. BluRays are also available, but the DVD is $20.

    Mimo Mini USB Monitor

    mimomini

    I know – we would all love to rock two Apple Cinema displays in our workspace. Unfortunately, I do not sleep on a pile of cash at night and you probably don’t either (if you do, call me & let’s hang out). For those of you who are in the same boat as me, I present to you the Mimo Mini USB monitor. Tiny, USB-powered and useful, you can plug this in to your laptop or desktop computer and have another screen for items like your Photoshop tools, reminders, IM screens and such. $129-$229.

    Hit the jump for more!

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