Gadgets and Gizmos Galore

Building a Portfolio as a Freelance Graphic Designer

Gizmo — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 08:51:41 +0000

More and more graphic designers nowadays are leaving the office and going freelance. Being a freelance graphic designer does not only require creative skills but also other skills as well in order to succeed. With all the competition in the freelance world, you need to make sure you are always on top of your game, and you can demonstrate that this is the case by keeping a detailed portfolio of your skills. Portfolios highlight your works, particularly the accomplishments that you have made related to your work. This is what captures potential customers.

Ways of Submitting Portfolios

There are several ways of submitting your portfolio of work. Usually you are required to be able to present it during meetings with potential clients, but with the technology of today, graphic designers usually make an online portfolio as it is also provides the opportunity to attract clients. In an online portfolio, all you need to do is send your portfolio or send out a link to a website where you created your portfolio as a graphic designer. However, there will be times that employers or companies will ask you to mail them your portfolio or drop them off at their office. This is why having a hard copy also comes in handy.

What to Put in the Portfolio?

A freelance graphic designer must know that they have to be serious about making their own portfolio and not simply include all the projects they have worked on. Employers would not have the enough time to scan carefully your works. The images that you put in to your portfolio must be your “best” ones or the ones that best relate to your potential client’s needs. Therefore, it is important that you put it a variety of styles of your work. As a graphic designer, you should be able to demonstrate your versatility in regards to your designs.

Picture:

The Best Quality Printers for Graphic Designers

Gizmo — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 09:10:59 +0000

For most businesses, a good quality, reliable and efficient printer is essential. Printing colorful documents or high resolution photos requires a printer that is suitable for such purposes, and often these are hard to come by without spending a fortune. For graphic designers in particular, high quality printers are an absolutely essential requirement. Reliability, a broad range of image editing options, high capacity and colour quality are but a few of the features necessary to meet the needs of the graphic design industry.

1. Kodak ESP C310 All In One Printer

This Kodak all in one printer offers low cost per page as well as low running costs. Of the inkjet category, this is one which produces high quality photos and colour scanning and is one of the lowest priced within this category of the Kodak range. Perfect for the graphic designer with a smaller budget without compromising on quality and efficiency.

2. Epson Stylus NX430 Small All In One Printer

This relatively small Epson printer is a valid investment for those who want to produce high quality photos and graphics at a smaller budget, but do not have the space to accommodate a larger size. Small enough to fit in more compact spaces, this printer is suited to small home offices and more modest workspace. You can also buy Epson printer ink online which is convenient as it always better to use the ink cartridges which are actually made for your brand of printer.

3. Canon Pixma MG8220 Wireless Inkjet Photo All In One Printer

This do-it-all printer is for those graphic designers with more money to spend, but the rewards are substantial. Producing extremely high quality color photos, images and graphics, this printer offers everything you could possibly want, particularly in terms of image and color manipulation and editing.

The quality of the tools you work with as a graphic designer has a very direct impact upon the work you produce. Because of this, a high quality and reliable printer with a broad range of image editing options is essential and should be seen as a solid investment.

Picture:

Gizmos, Gadgets and Hardware that all Students Need to Survive

Gizmo — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 08:51:48 +0000

Nowadays getting through student life without the most basic of modern technology is almost unheard of, if not impossible. So to get through, what many people call, the best years of your life with an impressive qualification and some great memories to boot here are the gadgets, gizmos and hardware that all students need.

The essentials

The alarm clock is an essential device for anyone concerned with waking up on time. Though this may not always include students there are some days that even the most bed-obsessed student will want to make it to their 9am lecture. For those who find the snooze button all too tempting help is at hand in the form of the The Clocky Alarm Clock. When your alarm sounds in the morning this clever little gizmo will wheel itself away before your angry hand can hit it. The alarm will continue to sound and move around the room until you catch it. The idea is not to get back in to bed once you’ve located your troublesome toy!

Who wants to trek to the library and haul hefty textbooks home? No-one, which is why Amazon created the Kindle. With the Kindle you can store hundreds of texts on one device. More importantly for debt-stricken students though there is no need to pay the library fines or price of shiny new course books since Kindle books are far cheaper than their paper counterparts and are less likely to be destroyed by ink explosions or beer stains.

The extras

No student would be complete without a phone that makes them look like they don’t eat beans on toast every night. Apple’s most popular creation is also a must for syncing your music and notes with your laptop (another essential) as well as for long commutes and boring lectures- the gaming opportunities are endless.

Lastly, the camera. Students, you really are embarking on the best years of your life. And what with all the waking up early courtesy of your animated alarm clock, reading the campus library via your Kindle and playing Angry Birds you’ll be hard pushed to remember all the fun you had making amazing friends and experiencing life as a young adult. So make sure you take as many photographs as you can. Preferably on a JCB designed camera to avoid heartbreak when a drinking game goes awry at your new gadget’s expense.

Picture: