Combining fonts is one of the trickiest parts of typography. Here’s a guide from Better Web Type to help you get font combinations right.

Interesting read, and it points out a real problem in the design industry. Conveying an idea with the use of stock photography is nothing new, but finding the right photo to do it is time-consuming and in some cases nearly impossible. Designers have been battling the infamous “customer service girl on phone” problem for decades… and the best photographers have come up with is to switch from a corded phone to a headset for the models.

20 Myths of Logo Design Busted covers quite a few pain-points for designers and clients.

I must say though, I believe #2 is almost always false. You and your client are not Sony, Google, Microsoft or Facebook. Your client needs a logo mark, if for no other reason than having a favicon for your website.

And #17 is complete bullshit. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with using clipart in a logo. Obviously you should customize the snot out of the clip art, using only the necessary pieces of it, etc. But to make an “absolutely never” statement like that is just foolish. The only absolute rule in design is that there are no absolutes.

When Steve Jobs asked Paul Rand for some “options” for the NeXT logo design, he offered the now famous reply

“No, I will solve your problem for you and you will pay me. You don’t have to use the solution. If you want options go talk to other people.”

Paul Rand

LogoDesignLove has put together a nice little post about the iconic Steve Jobs project that he worked with Paul Rand on that is well worth taking the time to read through. And be sure to watch the video at the end of the post.

By offering “options” to the client, you’re putting the job of providing the solution in their hands… which is what they’re paying you for. YOU are supposed to provide the solution.

The design business has got to be the only one I know of where a client requests one thing, expects to get three things and only intends on paying for a half of thing or no thing at all. And so many designers just happily comply. We’ve become our own worst enemy by providing “options” and doing spec-work instead of thoughtful, solution-based design. My fear is that “the ship has sailed” on the subject, and we’re stuck in a world where clients are willing to accept a piece of clip-art with their name under it as their logo because they’re only paying $200 for it anyway.

As for me, I think there’s a whole lot to love about Apple’s latest pro-level Mac. It’s the most powerful Mac Apple has ever made, and that includes the Mac Pro. It’s so powerful that I can’t recommend any designer buy one. In fact, I can’t recommend anyone buy it that doesn’t do very high-end video, animation or 3D rendering work on a daily basis.

There is simply no use-case scenario for a print or web designer for this beautiful beast of a Mac that justifies its price. I’m not saying it’s overpriced, not at all. The iMac Pro is actually priced cheaper than any DIY PC you can find. It’s just so much more computer than is necessary to do any manner of print or web design work. Buy a decked-out regular iMac and use the extra money for nice peripherals and upgrades, and pocket the rest of the money—or get yourself a MacBook Pro for taking work on the road.

I love these quick grammar lesson types of articles.

The majority of Photoshop training available on the internet is part of a huge conspiracy to keep people from learning the REAL techniques of how to use this program. Why? So you don’t ever actually figure it out and have to keep coming back to them for more!

Whatever you do… don’t ever, ever EVER name your layers!

I’m not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV; so I don’t want to go down the copyright rabbit hole here. That being said, I have found a nifty service that can help you with legal copyright issues you may run into. Check out Binded: Copyright made simple.

In a nutshell, Binded allows you to upload your creative work upon creation, creating a permanent record of copyright ownership. At this point, that’s all the service is. But according to their site, they plan on doing a whole lot more—including the ability to officially register your copyright. Take a look at their FAQ page for more details.

Binded seems like a pretty cool service for creatives, particularly photographers and graphic designers.

In Worst Ways to Use PowerPoint, you’ll pick-up a few tips to make your PowerPoint/Keynote presentations much better. While most designers learn these tips early on in their career, sometimes we need a little reminder. But mostly I hope this gives you ammunition to share with a client or boss that thinks “more is better.”