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What Dates Are Quarterly Estimated Taxes Due in 2012?
Graphic designers working as freelancers or running a business pay quarterly estimated taxes to avoid penalties and large payments at the end of the year. The following are the quarterly estimated tax due dates for 2012.
Illustration Blogs
Illustrations are used throughout graphic design in art and design books, magazines, advertisements, posters, book covers, websites, comic books and more. They are a great way to add visual interest to a design for anything from a political debate to a comic book character. Being able to depict something through a drawing can often be critical to communicating an idea, thought or a story and often nothing "says" it better than an illustration. This list of illustration blogs and websites showcases some great illustration work, tutorials and news.
International Graphic Design Schools
Earning a design degree can go a long way in helping to enrich and advance your career in the graphic design industry. There are many schools around the world that offer excellent programs in the various fields of graphic design including industrial design, visual communication, automotive design, health-care design and product design. This list of schools highlights some of the best outside of the United States, according to Bloomberg Businessweek and psdtutsplus.com.
Infographics
Information graphics (or infographics) and data visualizations use illustrations and other imagery to communicate concepts, data, statistics and other information. Infographics are used for anything from road signs to visual representations of the state of the economy. Often what an artist or designer wants to communicate is better said in images rather than words, especially when large amounts of data are being explained. This list of information graphics and data visualization blogs, books, online galleries and designer work is a small sample of what is going on in this particular area of the graphic design industry.
Graphic Design Schools
Attending a graphic design school to earn an undergraduate or graduate degree in graphic design can be an invaluable accomplishment towards building a successful career in the design industry. Design schools offer exciting and unique programs to build your skills in design, typography, illustration and other fields. This list of schools highlights some of the best in the United States.
Graphic Design Blogs
Graphic design blogs can be excellent resources for design information, inspiration and tutorials. Many design blogs are written by industry leaders and offer an inside look into what they are interested in and inspired by. This list highlights some of the most popular design blogs.
Online Printing
There are many websites that offer online printing for your design projects such as business cards, calendars, stickers, postcards and posters. These online printers offer a multitude of products to choose from with different paper options, processing speeds and delivery options. Depending on what you are printing you can often decide to order recycled paper and choose a matte or glossy finish, along with many other options. Some of the websites will provide you with a free proof to review before placing your order.
Graphic Design Magazines
Graphic design magazines can serve as a great source of inspiration for graphic designers. They are also a terrific resource for finding design competitions to enter and events to attend, and many are packed with advice on running a design business.
Holiday Card Design
If you design a holiday card each year for your design business (or just as a side project) you may find yourself in need of some holiday design inspiration, holiday fonts, online printers and other resources. Classic movie posters, well-designed cards and design galleries can help you break out of the ordinary holiday design mold and create something unique and memorable.
Where to Find Fonts
Knowing where to find fonts for your graphic design projects can make your job much easier. When you find the perfect font that meets your needs it can help you achieve that ideal finished product for both you and your client. Check out this list of font websites with both free and paid fonts for download.
Graphic Design Organizations
Joining a graphic design organization can open up a new outlet for networking to increase your client-base, contact list and list of potential collaborators. Being a member of a design organization can also give you access to events, research options and competitions. This list covers some professional organizations in the design industry.
Graphic Design Competitions
Being recognized as a winner in a graphic design competition can give you widespread exposure. It can also get your work in front of the many expert judges that are typically made up of industry leaders. This list highlights some of the most well known competitions and design awards.
Graphic Design Conferences
Attending design conferences is a great way to build your graphic design business. You will often attend lectures, seminars and collaborative events that give you first-hand expert advice. At the same time, just being at a design conference is an opportunity to network with others in your field and walk away with the potential for new projects and clients.
Social Media for Business
Using social media for your business can promote your work to large groups of people you may not otherwise reach. Social media tools like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are relatively new forms of marketing, and they are quick and easy to use.
Graphic Design Interviews
I have been fortunate enough to interview a number of members of the graphic design community. The interviews brought insight on the design processes, self promotion, budgets and maintaining control over your design.
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