Ask HN : Is there an HN for graphic designers (web but mostly print)?
I have a friend who would like to keep herself up-to-date but she doesn't know anything that could look like HN for graphic designers (mostly print). In fact, anything could go : a blog, a forum or whatever.
11 comments
UnderConsideration's Quipsologies and For Print Only (FPO) are design metablogs that regularly feature great print work:
http://www.underconsideraton.com/quipsologies http://www.underconsideration.com/fpo/
There's also idsgn: http://idsgn.org/
http://www.underconsideraton.com/quipsologies http://www.underconsideration.com/fpo/
There's also idsgn: http://idsgn.org/
Missing an 'i' in the first link but thanks for posting them nonetheless!
http://www.underconsideration.com/quipsologies/
http://www.underconsideration.com/quipsologies/
No personal experience there, but I've heard a lot of good things about Forrst (http://forrst.com). As far as blogs go, Smashing Magazine (http://smashingmagazine.com), A List Apart (http://alistapart.com), and Think Vitamin (http://thinkvitamin.com) come to mind.
Gated Community, Blog, Blog, Blog.
There isn't anything even close to HN for designers, for three reasons. One, design has traditionally had tenets from on high and views that since there are actual physiological limits to what the human body can read, there are set rules. Because of the acceptance of rules, there's acceptance of leaders in the industry whose trendsetting generally spans the next few years, much like the fashion world. However fickle design trends are, most clients aren't interested in novel solutions, they prefer to use whatever's popular. And, because there's no space for actual innovation, there's no need to discuss how to be innovative, unlike in programming. Basically, design is less creative then programming because nobody wants you to be creative.
Two. Since design is a visual science, you end up getting a lot of people who're in it for the lifestyle to be cool, as opposed to here where people are into programming because they truly love it. In programming, the weak members go home and watch tv. In design, they go home and talk about design. These daytrippers tend to weaken the community, and force gated communities like Dribble and Forrst which further enable the class mentality in design. If these communities aren't gated, there's a huge influx of quasi-designers who wish to pad their marketing. However, this insularity tends to ostracize anyone outside of the class system.
Three. There's been a traditional, accepted path for "real" designers: some freelance, then joining up with an agency, and then forming your own agency. Because this path is already well established in meatspace, there's no reason to form a board online: all the important stuff is going on in the back rooms of print shops and studios.
Marxism in my design? It's more likely than you think.
There isn't anything even close to HN for designers, for three reasons. One, design has traditionally had tenets from on high and views that since there are actual physiological limits to what the human body can read, there are set rules. Because of the acceptance of rules, there's acceptance of leaders in the industry whose trendsetting generally spans the next few years, much like the fashion world. However fickle design trends are, most clients aren't interested in novel solutions, they prefer to use whatever's popular. And, because there's no space for actual innovation, there's no need to discuss how to be innovative, unlike in programming. Basically, design is less creative then programming because nobody wants you to be creative.
Two. Since design is a visual science, you end up getting a lot of people who're in it for the lifestyle to be cool, as opposed to here where people are into programming because they truly love it. In programming, the weak members go home and watch tv. In design, they go home and talk about design. These daytrippers tend to weaken the community, and force gated communities like Dribble and Forrst which further enable the class mentality in design. If these communities aren't gated, there's a huge influx of quasi-designers who wish to pad their marketing. However, this insularity tends to ostracize anyone outside of the class system.
Three. There's been a traditional, accepted path for "real" designers: some freelance, then joining up with an agency, and then forming your own agency. Because this path is already well established in meatspace, there's no reason to form a board online: all the important stuff is going on in the back rooms of print shops and studios.
Marxism in my design? It's more likely than you think.
While this sounds authoritative, this post is so wrong it hurts.
How so? Maybe I'm just burned out, but I've found the design world to be extremely hostile.
IMO -
"you end up getting a lot of people who're in it for the lifestyle to be cool, as opposed to here where people are into programming because they truly love it"
You know the wrong designers, or the right programmers, or both. I know many designers who love what they do - and to be honest, it's probably just harder to love what you do when you make less for it.
"here where people are into programming because they truly love it"
You're on HN - these people OPT IN to talking about programming because they love it. You're not seeing all the people that do it but don't love it. The OP was looking for the HN of design - the place where designers OPT IN because they love it.
As for the "hostility," I imagine you can find hostility and contempt in the top ranks of any discipline. But certainly not from everyone - I know a number of excellent, passionate designers who are the opposite of hostile. The most hostility I've ever seen from the design community is around the issue of spec work, and I understand it - if your wage-earning craft was being devalued, you would likely be hostile towards the culprits as well.
"you end up getting a lot of people who're in it for the lifestyle to be cool, as opposed to here where people are into programming because they truly love it"
You know the wrong designers, or the right programmers, or both. I know many designers who love what they do - and to be honest, it's probably just harder to love what you do when you make less for it.
"here where people are into programming because they truly love it"
You're on HN - these people OPT IN to talking about programming because they love it. You're not seeing all the people that do it but don't love it. The OP was looking for the HN of design - the place where designers OPT IN because they love it.
As for the "hostility," I imagine you can find hostility and contempt in the top ranks of any discipline. But certainly not from everyone - I know a number of excellent, passionate designers who are the opposite of hostile. The most hostility I've ever seen from the design community is around the issue of spec work, and I understand it - if your wage-earning craft was being devalued, you would likely be hostile towards the culprits as well.
Opting into a lifestyle does not mean that they opt in to the work, it's that they opt in to the culture that surrounds the work. It's like a music fan, but one who professes to be a musician because he likes the concept of music. There's a ton of designers who hate the work, but design because it's "cool." If a programmer's only in it for the money, he doesn't go home and sit on a forum talking about the profession.
Because of this, most of the places where people care about the abstract excellence of work in itself have vetting requirements, where the newcomer has to prove themselves before entering, not in participating on the forum.
Because of this, most of the places where people care about the abstract excellence of work in itself have vetting requirements, where the newcomer has to prove themselves before entering, not in participating on the forum.
If forrst users create anything like Orman Clark's premium pixels (http://www.premiumpixels.com/), it's probably very useful for inspiration and discussion. if you want a blog with deep discussions, then A List Apart is hard to beat.
reddits /r/web_design isn't too bad.
http://www.webdesignerforum.co.uk/ is another one.
It is more like the graphic designers are hooked on inspirational social networks like
http://ffffound.com
http://dribbble.com/
http://emberapp.com/
Check out http://www.qbn.com/ and http://www.behance.net/.
QBN is great for industry gossip and trends - lots of high profile designers and a healthy sense of elitism.
Just don't ask what it stands for...
Another good one is http://www.typophile.com/
Just don't ask what it stands for...
Another good one is http://www.typophile.com/
A graphic designer friend and I are working on a hobby project (startup?) - we meet weekly. Behance to him is like HN to me.
EDIT: He's more into print than web.
EDIT: He's more into print than web.
I left the print design world many moons ago, but here are a few that may or may not be what you're looking for:
http://designobserver.com/ http://www.drawar.com/ http://www.undrln.com/
http://designobserver.com/ http://www.drawar.com/ http://www.undrln.com/
The designers in my office are all http://dribbble.com/ fans but they're all web designers and not print.
I personally like http://notcot.org/ for designy stuff as well, which hasn't been mentioned in the comments so far.
I personally like http://notcot.org/ for designy stuff as well, which hasn't been mentioned in the comments so far.
Reddit - several of the subreddits are quite good. Try:
http://www.reddit.com/r/design/ - general design
http://www.reddit.com/r/web_design/ - web design
Both of these pages have more specialized subreddits linked in the sidebar (e.g., http://www.reddit.com/r/designthought).
http://www.reddit.com/r/design/ - general design
http://www.reddit.com/r/web_design/ - web design
Both of these pages have more specialized subreddits linked in the sidebar (e.g., http://www.reddit.com/r/designthought).
There is the domestika.org community but it is in Spanish :S