When searching the web for anything related to design you're going to run into a huge selection. I am going to give you a list of the top 5 that I regularly browse. These sites range from user-submitted work, industry professional insight, design freebies, wallpapers, tutorials and much, much more.

Businesses are always trying to balance keeping costs low and providing the most value to their clients and their brand. If everyone could afford to use Omniture to set up custom analytics and have custom proposals created in In Design, they would. But many small businesses have to make choices every day to make sure they're spending every dollar wisely. That's why I wanted to write a blog this week to let small businesses owners know why graphic design is one area where a small investment goes a long way.

1. We get the job done- right

Have you ever tried fixing something in your home only to make the problem much worse? And in turn end up spending more money and time then you would have just hiring a professional in the first place? We spend years upon years studying graphic design application and design aesthetics. You may have a natural eye for design and may be very artistic but each design program has a huge learning curve to be able to produce what you are envisioning, we can do that for you.

When it comes to branding, consistency is of prime importance, even in social media. Or, perhaps, especially in social media, because that media is of increasing importance today to promoting your company and your products—or, your brand.

Your consumer will spot inconsistencies in your branding, and may lose trust in you and your business because of them. Companies like Coca-Cola have stood the test of time because they have a clear and concise message, look, and feel. You know Coca-Cola when you see it, and that’s how you want your company to be, as well.

Predicting the next trend is pretty hard to do, but if you take a look at what was popular in 2013, you will start to see what will continue and what will expand off of those ideas. Every creative wants to come up with something that is their own unique design, but it’s also important to follow visual trends, or at least be aware of them. I recently purchased the December PRINT magazine that recapped the 2013 regional designs. This gave me good insight into what I think may evolve in 2014.

What are infographics? Infographics are a way to visually display data. By using them you are replacing mind-numbing data with a visually appealing graphic that can be read quickly and clearly. Sure, there are people that love data, but for most of us on an information overload, we either don’t time or don’t want to sort through it all. This is why infographics can be a great idea for your company.

It may be hard to keep up with the trends in design only to find out that it is outdated one year later. The flat design trend is something that I have seen emerging in major companies including Apple, Microsoft, and many others.

You might think that GIFs are only used to show twerking fails or of a cat falling off a ledge, but there are actually some very useful instances for GIFs. Check your inbox. I bet that you have a few waiting for you right now. I constantly see animated GIFs that are classy, appealing, and eye catching that compliment the email’s message. Here are a few reasons why I think you should use them in your next email campaign.

For someone who has not ever worked with a graphic designer you may wonder, "Where do I start?"

One of the most common questions that I get from non-designers is “What programs do you use? Are there any free options that are just as good?” I use Adobe and they are the industry standard in the design world. I honestly don’t know if there are any free options out there because I never cared to check. Once you use Adobe’s applications you will never use anything else.

Today I will show you some of processes that go into creating a logo. This time I worked with Conversion Strategies, a consulting business that assists their clients with digital strategies to increase web conversions (sign ups, sales, social following, traffic, etc).

They were originally looking for a simple logo with clean lettering but would also like to incorporate what the business does… their first thought was to include a beveled button somehow, second thought was to include a numerator & denominator concept because conversions are simply increasing your numerator or decreasing denominator.