One of the most well known land line and cell phone providers on the planet, AT&T, designed some really interesting ads to market their mobile phones. Check out the collection below. Hope you enjoy.

HTML 5 is on its way to becoming the standard for web development. Although it’s still in development a lot of people are ahead of the game. Check out the sites below for some great examples of what’s to come…

1. Jamie Calabro

2. Tim Benniks

3. Nimbupani

4. Antilight

5. Jeroen Homan

Thanks to sites like logopond.com, logofaves.com, and logodesignlove.com there are a ton of places to find great inspiration for logo development. Here are 5 of my favorites this week.

1. Spartan Golf Club

2. Love Clip

3. Dodo Grill Restaurant

4. Starbucks “5 Year in Turkey” Logo

5. 8 Interactive

What are the biggest differences between the good freelance designers and the great freelance designers? If you are thinking raw design talent you are wrong. Yes it’s a plus if you have a talent in art and design, but that talent alone can only take you so far. Here are 5 hidden talents that make up a successful freelance designer.

1. Secretary/Accountant

Know your business. All great freelance business owners spend lots of their time running financial reports, tracking client payment schedules, answering calls, returning emails, scheduling appointments, and following up with prospects. You already know how to design, so why not take a little time to focus on the business tasks? This will greatly help you in the long run and ultimately lead you on an upward path to success.

2. The Salesman

All great freelance designers are salesman. You have to know how to sell yourself and your work! Don’t be afraid to go after the big clients either. The worst they can say is no. Use your professional knowledge and quote the client out properly. Also make sure to always ask for their business!! For more tips on how to close the deal check out 7 tips to help freelance designers close the deal.

3. Time Managment

All of the best freelancers have great time management skills. Let’s face it, being a freelancer leaves you with a lot of “free” time on your hands. Set aside your work schedule and stick to it. Something I love to do is set weekly and daily goals, working diligently until I have completed my tasks. Then I reward myself for all my hard work.

4. Administrative

Running day to day business administrative tasks can be extremely daunting but it is an understood practice amongst the great freelance designers. I would highly recommend spending lots of time on this section of the business before hiring someone else to do it for you.

5. PR/Marketing/Account Management

Every great designer out there is also a social butterfly and spends countless hours marketing themselves, going to social events, blogging,  promoting their company, and updated stats feeds on social media sites such as facebook and twitter. This is an absolute “have to” when it comes to being a successful freelance designer. You never know who you might bump into!

What about you?

I know there are multiple other hidden talents that us designers have so what is your secret weapon? I would love some feedback. Leave your comments below.

When it comes to creativity, great fonts are a must. Fonts can either make or break your design. I ran into some really nice looking creative fonts the other day and wanted to share. Hope you enjoy!

1. MDRS-FD01 – by mindriders

2. SquaretypeB – by digitalAM

3. Velocity

4. Exus Pilot – by mauroh

5. Dirt To Death – by Keepwaiting

6. PT Banana Split

7. Avant Garde

8. ABC Font – by MyFox

9. Karabine

10. Val Font

Here are some other font resources you may want to check out:

1st Web Designer – 65 Popular and Professional Free Fonts

76 Dirty and Extreme Creative Fonts

Creative Nerds – 50 Best Free Fonts of 2009

Designer: I want to be able to keep track of my project time on my iPhone. Is that possible?

Apple: Yes! There’s an app for that….

There is an app for just about anything these days. Some are paid and Some are free. Below I have compiled a list of 5 of my top used apps for production. All of them are FREE. Hope you enjoy!

1. What Da Font

Ever seen a great font in a magazine ad, poster, or on the web and wondered what font it is? Whip out your iPhone and snap a photo, and WhatTheFont for iPhone will identify that font in seconds! WhatTheFont for iPhone connects directly to MyFonts’ acclaimed font identification service, which has been helping customers pinpoint mystery fonts for 10 years. It works via Wi-Fi or the mobile phone network, so you can get your font fix right there on the spot.

2. Font Shuffle

Wouldn’t it be great if a whole font catalog would fit into your shirt pocket? If you could find a typeface without knowing its name, just by comparing its shapes? If it were possible to e-mail the marketing department your desired typeface for a client presentation while still at the airport?

3. Toggl

Toggl released a native iPhone application for the popular Toggl time tracking website. It enables you to track your time on the go. The timer supports online tracking and also works offline in case you have no network connection. Data is synchronized automatically with the server the next time you’ll be online.

4. Thinkink

It’s revolutionary. And it’s free. The Think Ink iPhone application from Neenah Paper puts powerful design and color theory tools in the palm of your hand.

5. Evernote

Use Evernote to save your ideas, things you see, and things you like. Then find them all on any computer or device you use. For free.

Here are some other resources for paid applications that I love also:

Inked.com – 25 Best iPhone Apps for Designers

Moonsail Design – Top 10 Free iphone Apps for Designers

Web Design Ledger – 15 Best iPone Apps for Web Designers

What About You?

What apps do you use to help with production. I would love to hear about them. Leave your comments below. Until next time…

When you first start using Illustrator as your design program make sure to have an open mind. Most tasks are a bit different than Photoshop and it can get a little frustrating when your not familiar with the tools and techniques. 6 years ago I taught myself how to use Illustrator and now 90% of my designs are created with this program. Below are some great tutorials and will help you get started. Hope you enjoy!!

1. Create A Cute Panda Bear Face Icon

2. How To Create Shiny Vector Dice

3. Illustrator Cs3 Vectoring An Eye

4. Design And Print Bold Promo Cards

5. Creating Geometric Patterns In Illustrator

6. Bling Bling Text Effect

7. How To Make 3D Vintage Stars

8. 3D Lighted Text Effect

9. How To Create A Landscape Wallpaper For Your Desktop

10. Creative Masking Techniques In Illustrator

11. Understanding The Pathfinder Tool

12. Illustrator Masking Tutorial

13. 3 Ways To Apply A Line Pattern Effect On Text

14. Create A Vector RSS Icon

15. Perfect Silhouettes with Illustrator’s Live Trace Feature

Freelance Folder posted an article the other day called 7 reasons not to meet with prospective clients. It was a very well written article that led me to think, maybe most designers don’t know how to run effective meetings? With a downward spiraling economy and the amount of freelance competition out there now, running an effective meeting can be crucial to getting more design work. Here are 7 tips that will help you seal the deal and show your clients you are the person for the job.

1. Prepare Yourself

Know who your prospective client is before you step in the door for a meeting. I can’t stress enough how important the information you find can be. If you get nervous in meetings now you will have something to break the ice with. You may also learn something about their financial status which will help you to know what price is appropriate to charge for your services.

2. Keep Your Body Language In Check

You would be surprised how many people do not understand this technique. The trick is to mimic the person you are meeting with. If they are relaxed and leaning back in their chair, than you need to do the same. When done correctly your client will start to subconsciously feel very comfortable with you, ultimately leading you to be the designer pick of choice.

3. Educate As Much As Possible

This is a helpful tip that will make you stand out over the competition. Most business owners do not understand what us designers do and how we do it. When your clients are educated about your techniques they will not only feel more comfortable with you, but also treat you as an industry professional. This leads to respect and many referrals from the clients friends and family.

4. Treat Your Meeting Like An Interview

This is your only opportunity to win over the client so make it your best attempt.  Ask questions, listen, and give out industry info. Just like the interview process, tell your client what services you have done in the past especially if you have worked with other companies in their industry. If their competitors are using your services, then more than likely they will want to use you as well.

5. Sale Yourself And Your Work

Have confidence but do not be arrogant. Show off some of your work and explain your thought process. Your confidence will shine within the way you carry yourself.

6. Show Excitement And Tell Them You Want This Opportunity

Passion and excitement is key. Let the client see how much you love your career of choice. If you are a freelancer you are also the owner of your company. There is a strong understanding between small business owners who are passionate and hardworking. The client will want you to become there designer and closing the deal will be a piece of cake.

7. Thank You’s And Follow-Ups

If you did not close the deal while you were in the meeting that does not mean the company decided to use someone else for the work. Maybe they just need time to think about what they want. Always send a thank you email and follow-up to see what they have decided. Worst case is that they will always know you are professional and are more likely to use your services in the future.

What do you think?

I would love to hear your thoughts on running a successful design meeting. Leave your comments below.  Until next time…

I am always on the look out for new desktop background inspiration to change up the studio vibe during the week.  I have included some of my favorite backgrounds all free to download. If these are not enough to keep your desktop happy, also make sure to check out the links at the end of this post for more places to find Apple inspired desktop backgrounds. Enjoy!

1 – Download

2 – Download

3 – Download

4 – Download

5 – Download

6 – Download

7 – Download

8 – Download

9 – Download

10 – Download

11 – Download

12 – Download

13 – Download

14 – Download

15 – Download

Links to other Apple inspired backgrounds:

Spyre Studios – 50 More Amazing Apple Mac Desktop Wallpapers

1st Web Designer – 40 High Res and Elegant Apple Wallpapers

Hongkiat – 60 Most Beautiful Apple Wallpapers

Illustrator is one of my favorite programs to design flyers, logos, and other graphics in. Vector graphics are one of the most popular, widely used forms of design. Here is a Safari animal pack that you can use to compliment your art work. Enjoy!

»Download – Safari Animal Pack