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As designers we ALL think that obviously our jobs are the most important. And by right, they usually are!

Okay in all seriousness, even as designers I think it's easy for us to overlook the really importance of our graphics and what we design.

There are 7 basic tasks good graphics MUST provide:

1. Reinforce the message---Visually explain the text and content.

2. Direct the reader's eye "Implied Motion"---Nobody ENJOYS looking at a stagnate design. Good use of line, curve and movement creates implied motion and visual interest.

3. Guides the reader---The layout of your design should subconsciously guide the reader from area to area on the piece.

4. Tell a story---What if the reader doesn't have the time to "read" the ad? Can they get the story from the graphics?

5. Good Pictures drive the layout---We've all heard it, "A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words".

6. Maintain Balance---A balanced layout is not the same as a mirrored, symmetrical layout that lacks life. Just the opposite actually, a balanced layout achieves great excitement.

7. Emotional Power---If you walk away from it and it stays with you, then you have an emotionally moving piece. That should be your goal: creating something so profound that you can't get away from it!

Enjoy! Download today's here. Smashing Magazine issued a challenge to designers for the new year, and I’m on board! I tried to decide what type of design I’d want to do and could stretch my boundaries as a designer. So in answer to this Challenge, I will be designing and posting a new Bookmark design each day on this blog. The Designs will link to a downloadable PDF that you can feel free to download, print out and share as desired.

This bookmark is simple and to the point. It acts as a flyer to advertise this twitter helper. The mother hen and the baby chicks were drawn in illustrator and left very flat, to have a cartoon feel. You can download yours here. Smashing Magazine issued a challenge to designers for the new year, and I’m on board! I tried to decide what type of design I’d want to do and could stretch my boundaries as a designer. So in answer to this Challenge, I will be designing and posting a new Bookmark design each day on this blog. The Designs will link to a downloadable PDF that you can feel free to download, print out and share as desired.

Enjoy this guest post by Senior Designer, Amanda King! With a solid degree in Communications, Amanda King found herself exploring her creative nature through an internship with a ministry in Tulsa, OK. Quickly her innate creativity was revealed as she was assigned more and more tasks and today, the rest is history. King’s responsibilities include creative branding for a variety of groups and ministries. She frequently finds herself working on print projects ranging from letterhead to magazine layout. Her work can be seen at SnowKingMedia.com Designing has to be fun, so don't forget to take the time to just play around! Make something you like and don't care what others think! Enjoy this #365 Bookmark! -- Smashing Magazine issued a challenge to designers for the new year, and I’m on board! I tried to decide what type of design I’d want to do and could stretch my boundaries as a designer. So in answer to this Challenge, I will be designing and posting a new Bookmark design each day on this blog. The Designs will link to a downloadable file that you can feel free to download, print out and share as desired.

This particular design of the day features another free texture background with overlayed fence elements. The fence element appears on the bookmark 3 times. Once full strength, and twice as a color overlay. Download It Today! Smashing Magazine issued a challenge to designers for the new year, and I’m on board! I tried to decide what type of design I’d want to do and could stretch my boundaries as a designer. So in answer to this Challenge, I will be designing and posting a new Bookmark design each day on this blog. The Designs will link to a downloadable PDF that you can feel free to download, print out and share as desired.

Ok, I took a break from some serious work and had a good time with this bookmark. The vintage phone was created in Illustrator and the numbers and shading effects are all done in Photoshop. And of course, I used this year's color of the year: Turquoise. Enjoy! You can download it here. __ Smashing Magazine issued a challenge to designers for the new year, and I’m on board! I tried to decide what type of design I’d want to do and could stretch my boundaries as a designer. So in answer to this Challenge, I will be designing and posting a new Bookmark design each day on this blog. The Designs will link to a downloadable PDF that you can feel free to download, print out and share as desired.