Mokokoma Mokhonoana || Graphic designer » Resources

A Guide to the Business of Creativity [free eBook download]

Mokokoma Mokhonoana — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:41:19 +0000

As I promised, I’d love to share a book that covers the issues that I discussed in the prior post. I strongly believe that this book will be an invaluable read not just to graphic designers but anybody in the creative industry.

The book is authored by David Parrish and it’s titled T-shirts and Suits, A guide to the business of creativity. I must admit the name sounds a bit ridiculous at first but there’s a logical reason behind the title — T-shirts being a symbolism of creativity while suits symbolizes the business side (of creativity).

The author covers issues like creating financial security, intellectual property, management and leadership, marketing to name a few that are crucial to creating and sustaining a profiable creative business.

I think this is a must read for all creatives, my favourite section being, the part that we as creatives seem to overlook — creating financial security through protection and usage of intellectual property. This is a stream of income that will still flow even when you’re asleep, as it is not dependent on continuous labour.

Download Free eBook [1.9mb, pdf] or Buy a hardcopy of the book.

Further more, David Parrish runs a blog that contains new information, ideas and examples for creative people who want to make their businesses and organisations even more successful.

Please do me one favour, share this with any creatives that you know — knowledge grows when it is shared.

The more knowledgeable creatives are, the better for the creative industry and clients that we serve, so do share.

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Websites that I recommended to a junior graphic designer

Mokokoma Mokhonoana — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 10:40:28 +0000

This post is a result of a request by Twanet, a junior designer who kindly asked me to r efer any graphic design related sites that he could learn and get inspiration from.

I included some of the sites that I visit regularly plus I took some time to search around for others sites which I believe will be beneficial to Twanet and other designers).

Please recommend other websites which you believe will add value to this post, by commenting below.

Brand New

I Love Typography

Logolog

Graphic Design Blog

Logo Lounge

Iconic Logo Designers

David Airey

Logo Design Love

Skout (design resources)

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18 inspirational quotes for fellow freelancers

Mokokoma Mokhonoana — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 09:07:49 +0000

We all know how challenging being self-employed can be, there is a time where you experience a period of very few to no billable projects. This often leads to most people questioning their decision to work for themselves and some even consider calling it quits, I’ve collected quotes that will help you keep your focus on the ‘price’ and fight one more round when things gets a bit tough!

~•~

As you make your way through life, let this ever be your goal, keep your eye upon the doughnut and not upon the hole.

Unknown author

~•~

The greater the difficulty the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests.

Epictetus

~•~

I do not think there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature.

John D. Rockefeller

~•~

There is no elevator to success. You have to take the stairs.

Unknown author

~•~

Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.

Chinese proverb

~•~

Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.

Napoleon Hill

~•~

Never, never, never, never give up.

Winston Churchill

~•~

History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats.

B. C. Forbes

~•~

Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.

African Proverb

~•~

Your biggest break can come from never quitting. Being at the right place at the right time can only happen when you keep moving toward the next opportunity.

Arthur Pine

~•~

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.

Thomas A. Edison

~•~

Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.

Newt Gingrich

~•~

A hero is one who knows how to hang on one minute longer.

Norwegian proverb

~•~

There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.

Unknown author

~•~

Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit.

Vincent Lombardi

~•~

Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.

Thomas Edison

~•~

When you get in a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.

Harriet Beecher Stowe

~•~

Quitting is only a short cut to losing.

Unknown author

~•~

Credit: photograph

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19 design quotes that educates clients on the value of design

Mokokoma Mokhonoana — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 00:56:50 +0000

I would like to share a collection of few quotes that educate designers on what their designs should achieve and educate clients on how good design can contribute to the bottom-line of their business.

~•~

A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.

Antoine De Saint-Exupery

~•~

I didn’t get into design to be an artist. To me, an artist creates things to evoke emotion. Being a designer goes a step further than that, not only trying to evoke emotion but trying to make a reaction. It is very objective-driven, and that’s what makes it interesting.

Mike Davidson

~•~

Creative people should be sales people because design is a function of selling.

Duan Coetzee

~•~

Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.

Steve Jobs

~•~

Good design is the most important way to differentiate ourselves from our competitors.

Yun Jong Yong

~•~

Your products run for election every day and good design is critical to winning the campaign.

Procter & Gamble

~•~

Design adds value faster than it adds cost.

Joel Spolsky

~•~

Great design will not sell an inferior product, but it will enable a great product to achieve its maximum potential.

Thomas Watson Jr.

~•~

Design is art optimized to meet objectives.

Shimon Shmueli

~•~

Design is a plan for arranging elements in such a way as best to accomplish a particular purpose.

Charles Eames

~•~

Design is more than meets the eye. Design is about communicating benefits. Design is not about designers. Design is not an ocean it’s a fishbowl. Design is creating something you believe in.

Chuck Green

~•~

Design is communication. Great design is rational. Rational design is filtered communication.

Thierry Loa

~•~

What works good is better than what looks good. Because what works good lasts.

Ray Eames

~•~

Design is the bridge that brings the business strategy to life. It can build intangible brand value for a business, so the business is worth more. We all know that the intangible brand value of Coke far outweighs the value of its tangible assets.

Geoff Suvalko

~•~

Design is that competitive advantage that sets a company apart in the global market. Within the global economy, the highest performing companies see design as a strategic asset. It becomes the core to their businesses. For those companies, design is more than aesthetics—it’s competitive intellectual property.

Monika Conway

~•~

Good design is good business.

Thomas Watson, Jr.

~•~

Design has allowed us to stand out; to look different and show that difference boldly.

Joe Mansueto

~•~

Design, in the end, is about creating better things for people. Along the way, it can generate better profits as well.

Bruce Nussbaum

~•~

Good design doesn’t cost, but it pays.

Richard H. Driehaus

.

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8 effective political posters

Mokokoma Mokhonoana — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 11:30:17 +0000

In this post I share posters that are simple yet effective, some manages to convey their intended message without any usage of words.

Source: Chaz Maviyane-Davies

Source: Power to the posters

Source: Backspace

Source: Wikipedia

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A letter to my beloved potential client

Skout, for the love of designers

Mokokoma Mokhonoana — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 11:34:54 +0000

After long hours of labour, litres of caffeine and almost all my bandwidth I just jumped the first hurdle, the launch of Skout™.

Skout™ is a bookmark sharing platform with design resources for designers by designers.

Everybody is free to submit their sites to share with everybody.

Skout™ aims at becoming a one stop resources shop with links of great resources on just one page, all listed for free.

Skout™’s mandate is to list quality design resources from all over the world, and I aim at promoting quality resources from designers in Africa wherever applicable.

Listings are not limited to African design resources websites only but part of this project would be only be a success, as more and more sites from Africa get listed and promoted as Skout™ grows.

I was able to gather just over 250 sites over the past 9 months and I hope the number will grow as we all share our list of design resources.

You can share your sites by emailing the urls to: share[at]skout.co.za

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