9th January 2024

Does Pantone Peach Fuzz float your boat?

Pantone Peach Fuzz is the 2024 Color of the Year. Find out how Pantone make their choice, view colour palettes and compare with Dulux.
28th December 2022

Pantone Viva Magenta is the colour of the year

Pantone describe Viva Magenta as “a new animated red that revels in pure joy”. But it looks pink to me. How do you respond to it?
3rd May 2022

Squarespace setup solved

If you're not a pro and you're creating your own website there are lots of 'builder' sites you could use. I recommend Squarespace.
9th February 2022

Pantone Very Peri is the colour of the year

Very Peri, a new shade, is Pantone’s colour of 2022. How do they choose? Trends, colour pairings and products are discussed in this blogpost.
18th August 2021

The beauty of books

If you’re interested in books, and book cover design in particular, don’t miss The Beauty of Books (episode four) on BBC iPlayer.
17th March 2021

Does packaging affect your buying choices?

A graphic designer can help you with your packaging, i.e. the image you present to the world to encourage people to buy from you.
4th January 2021

Colour Trends for 2021

Pantone have announced their Colour of the Year for 2021. What are the colour trends for 2021, and how can we best use them?
2nd October 2020

How to mix and match fonts

Most designers choose to use two typefaces in their designs (font pairing). Discover tips on how to mix and match fonts, and see examples that pair well.
27th August 2020

A typical day for a graphic designer

What is a typical day for a graphic designer? I made a note of everything I did one Thursday last month; this is a record of my day.
7th January 2020

Colour trends for 2020

Pantone have announced that the Colour of the Year 2020 is Classic Blue, and Shutterstock's forecast also features an intense indigo. What else is trending?
20th November 2019

Why designers should be involved in decision-making

With their creativity, practicality and powerful problem-solving skills, designers should be involved in decision-making. Why is this so rare?
2nd May 2019

Why consistency in your branding is important

A local nursery has recently undergone a rebrand. Things started well where did they go wrong?
9th January 2019

Seasonal colours

Colour psychologists often split colours into seasons. Find out how different shades of a colour can evoke different feelings.
9th January 2019

Colour forecasting for 2019

Every year, Pantone announce their colour of the year: in 2019 it was Living Coral. How does Pantone decide which colour they should promote in this way?
1st November 2018

Client story: how a brochure can help your business

Print is not dead, and a brochure can be a great weapon in your marketing arsenal. Find out how a new brochure helped AST Stairlifts get more business.
24th August 2018

Photo formats and sizes demystified

If you are confused about photo formats and sizes, this article will answer your most asked questions.
9th July 2018

Extraordinary typefaces

Where can you source really unusual and extraordinary typefaces? There are a number of options you can try. Read our useful guide to find out more.
12th March 2018

Is branding just for businesses?

This well-known man's personal branding is second to none. You may know who he is by just looking at his ties – or even just his socks. Who is he?
18th January 2018

Design focus: using colours

Find out why we used the colours red and green for this logo design.
8th January 2018

How to choose colours that match

How do you choose colours that match if you don’t know anything about colour theory or colour psychology? There’s a great free resource to help you.
26th October 2017

How to supply good pictures to your designer

Supply good pictures to your designer and ensure your marketing materials are up to scratch and your products and services are shown to the best possible advantage.
26th October 2017

Can graphic design save your life?

What exactly do graphic designers do, and can graphic design actually save your life? This question is discussed through a medical perspective.
26th September 2017

My top 5 tips on designing social media graphics

15th August 2017

London Lounge: the Johnston tour

The London Transport Museum at the depot in Acton is not just for train geeks, it has lots of treats in store for art and design enthusiasts. The Johnston tour is one of these.
8th July 2017

Portuguese portrayals

I usually like to stay in London during the summer months and get away when it’s cold, but this year I broke with tradition and spent
21st April 2017

How to select photos for projects

Easy ways to select photos for your projects; where to look, how much it might cost and the pitfalls you should be aware of.
5th April 2017

Is this campaign the best ever?

These amazing and moving posters first came to my attention in a Design Museum competition. Is this campaign the best ever?
28th March 2017

Typographic trends: are the sixties back?

In the 1960s, Donovan’s album covers used distinctive fonts which reflected his style of music. The most well known was ‘Arnold Bocklin’ font.
17th March 2017

Tips for using InDesign

16th November 2016

Is your website up to scratch?

Last week I was lucky enough to be commended in the Richmond Business Awards ‘Best Website’ category. During the submission process I
12th November 2016

London Lounge: Holland Park and the new Design Museum

Do you live in London? Are you the type of person who is torn between visiting museums and getting
27th October 2016

What the font?!! Try our type quiz to see how much you know

How much do you know about fonts? Have a go at our 10-point quiz and see how many you get right.
15th January 2016

Pantone Colour of the Year 2016

Every year, Pantone select a ‘colour of the year’ that they deem to reflect the zeitgeist (buzzwords this year are balanced, calming, wellness,
8th December 2015

Colouring for grown-ups

If you are in lockdown and want to relax by expressing your creativity, try colouring books. They're not just for children, they're for grown-ups too!
18th November 2015

Designing with a non-Roman alphabet

I know a thing or two about typography; I’ve studied, read about it and practised it for more than 30 years. I can talk endlessly about
2nd September 2015

How I rebranded a series of crime fiction book covers

Branding creates a cohesive identity for book cover designs. Read how this series rebrand resulted in an uplift in sales for a small publisher.
1st August 2015

Tokyo 2020 designer accused of plagiarism

What do you think of this new logo? I’m keen on it, as I love stencil typefaces and frequently play with them when I’m designing new
28th May 2015

Everybody razzle dazzle …

On a recent trip to Liverpool, I drove to Seacombe to see Peter Blake’s Snowdrop Mersey Ferry, but nothing had prepared me for this riot of colour.
28th May 2015

BookMachine success stories

Back in 2013, I wrote a post about a new service for publishing professionals. Little did I know what impact it would have on my career.
12th May 2015

Should your kids have a career in Graphic Design?

Having a career in graphic design can be very rewarding, though it has its pros and cons. Should you encourage your kids in this career?
9th January 2015

My top 10 ampersands

Designers employ lots of tricks to enhance a design. One of these is using beautiful ampersands. Here are my personal top 10 ampersands.
24th September 2014

How to identify fonts

Have you ever seen a typeface, admired or hated it and wondered what it was? You don’t have to have a degree in typography to find
22nd September 2014

How to brand a book series

When people think about branding, they normally envisage company logos and the way they are applied to marketing materials and products.
19th August 2014

Menu design: there's more to it than you think

‘Fresh, light and fun’ or ‘modern, yet traditional’? Both! Though not at the same time. This was part of my brief from the
8th July 2014

Should you use stock photography?

I recently met a content marketing expert whose opinion was categorically ‘no’, and most photographers would agree with her. While
15th June 2014

Did your toys influence your choice of career?

Or did your inherent love of what was to become your future career influence your choice of toys? I think it was that way round for me.
11th April 2014

What makes a good website?

I was asked recently ‘What makes a good website?’ The only answer I could give was ‘A site that serves its client well’. The majority of businesses
18th March 2014

Colour psychology: orange

To most of us, orange conjures up visions of youth and fresh ideas; it’s a lively, vibrant colour, ideal for portraying vitality and newness. On the
31st December 2013

Labour of love: Graham Rawle’s quirky book design

When I’m thinking of buying a book, often the design can put me off; a very small typeface, mean leading (line spacing) and stingy margins are
28th November 2013

How should I best back up my work?

Ever since my daughter stuffed a milk-bottle top into my floppy disc drive (now that’s going back a bit!) on the day a job was to
1st October 2013

How to commission a graphic designer

Anxious about commissioning a graphic designer? How to ensure your designer projects the right message and communicates successfully with your clients.
30th September 2013

Why font choice matters

Choosing the right typeface is not just about looking pretty; it can be crucial to the message you put across. When Pepsi teamed up with Aape to
4th July 2013

Is this the worst logo ever?

You’d think that if you had money to burn you’d be able to commission a logo you can be proud of, wouldn’t you? They don’tcome much richer
14th June 2013

Pinterest is fun, and a very useful social media tool

Pinterest is one of the most popular social media sites, and plenty of posts tell you how you should use it to best promote yourself and your business. Most
9th April 2013

It’s not all about looking beautiful … can ugly colours affect sales?

Can ugly colours affect sales? Sometimes designers have to make packaging unappealing to discourage sales.
2nd April 2013

A cultural desert? Not in my book.

People think the 1970s was a cultural desert, but Glam, an exhibition of popular art of the early 70s now on at the Tate Liverpool, proves
31st January 2013

Right or wrong – or just a matter of taste?

I love typography and calligraphy, and hand-drawn type can add flair and vibrancy to a design. One of my favourite lettering artists is the very talented
30th October 2012

On my wish list …

This wonderful book on Herb Lubalin by art publishers Unit Editions is top of my wish list at the moment. Harb was one of the original
28th April 2012

Truly terrible typography

Oh dear! Who is responsible for this typographic crime? It upsets me deeply. For those of you who don’t know, kerning is the process of adjusting
16th April 2012

How to choose a colour scheme

Sometimes all of us need inspiration when it comes to choosing colours, and you could do worse than turning to one of the Great Masters. One
25th July 2011

Logo design: behind the scenes

“Logo design? That must be easy – you could probably knock something up in a couple of hours”. Is that what you think? Here’s what really
17th March 2011

Who says you shouldn't use iconic fonts in your designs?

Recently, I read a blogpost about why you shouldn’t use iconic typefaces in your designs. Typefaces can polarise opinions and raise temperatures (especially among type geeks
26th January 2011

How not to design a flyer!

This week I met someone who showed me one of his flyers. The colours were great (black red and white) and it featured his bold and
30th November 2010

How do I choose a graphic designer?

Last week I met someone who said he ‘did a bit of graphic design’ – something that always sets alarm bells ringing with me. On probing
31st October 2010

How to enhance old family photos (1)

Repairing a tear So many of us have lovely old photos tucked away in a cupboard that are faded and 
creased. It would be a shame
20th October 2010

My top 10 tips for a great book cover design

1      Know your market 2      Get the size right 3      Keep it simple 4      Employ bold typography
28th September 2010

Why I love … (1)

I love the redesign of the Penguin Dictionaries. They are obviously Penguin books, but they have a very clean, modern feel. They follow rule number 1
2nd September 2010

An unsung hero

Many of you will have heard of Oz magazine, know about the obscenity trial in 1970, and possibly even know the name of its editor, Richard
1st September 2010

How to design a book cover (3)

If you are using a picture or illustration on the cover, make sure it is high-resolution (300dpi at the size you are using it) and in
31st August 2010

How to design a book cover (2)

When your book goes to press, your printer will ask you to provide him or her with a press-quality PDF, and in order to do this
26th August 2010

How to design a book cover (1)

‘Never judge a book by it’s cover’. People are far too intelligent to do that, right? Wrong. If your lovingly crafted words and years of hard