Short course advice (work is paying :D )

T

tom thurs

Member
My background is animation and effects but I landed a job doing print design.

I can handle the technical/software side of things (potatoshop, indesign, illy etc) but the "where to put stuff", best practices, workflow kind of issues I'm not so great at.

Don't get me wrong I'm not totally clueless but I feel I'm missing some knowledge and work have said they'll send me on a short course but I'm having trouble finding one and was looking for advice which ones will give me the best non software knowledge (if that makes sense)

Cheers!

Tom
 
Not too sure about an actual course - but I've been working in a printers as a designer for over 3 years, and can give you a few pointers if you want (these are things I've found handy - you may not like this way, up to you!) :

• Put these folders in your documents folder and have shortcuts on your desktop; "temporary" (holds files for non regular customers), "layout" (holds template files, very handy) and "Downloads". This basically gives you easy access to any handy files.

• Have an "A-Z" in your documents folder, and logically categorise any companies by name or business owner inside the corresponding folder (if your doing work for apple mac, you can find it in the apple mac folder, in the a folder, in the a-z folder).

• "Use time machine" and delete your temporary files every week or two weeks, depending on how much random work you have coming in.


Anyway, hope this helps man.
Cheers,
Chris
 
c_b_g_b said:
Not too sure about an actual course - but I've been working in a printers as a designer for over 3 years, and can give you a few pointers if you want (these are things I've found handy - you may not like this way, up to you!) :

• Put these folders in your documents folder and have shortcuts on your desktop; "temporary" (holds files for non regular customers), "layout" (holds template files, very handy) and "Downloads". This basically gives you easy access to any handy files.

• Have an "A-Z" in your documents folder, and logically categorise any companies by name or business owner inside the corresponding folder (if your doing work for apple mac, you can find it in the apple mac folder, in the a folder, in the a-z folder).

• "Use time machine" and delete your temporary files every week or two weeks, depending on how much random work you have coming in.


Anyway, hope this helps man.
Cheers,
Chris
Click to expand...

I think the OP was after advice on the actual graphic design layout etc., but can see how this could be misunderstood.

Personally I don't know of any courses that offer the kind of thing you mention tom thurs, but there is a pretty good series of books that may be of some use to you called 'basics design', you can find them on amazon, like this one and all the others associated with it:

Basics Design: Layout: Amazon.co.uk: Gavin Ambrose, Paul Harris: Books
 
Or does he mean technical stuff - like crops and bleeds and the like. I have some stuff on my website. I've been over 25 years working as a graphic designer in print - as I'm sure many others have experience. Ask questions - we can probably answer them. Or ask a friendly printer - that you give a lot of work to if you can sit/work in their studio for a while...they may be disposed to help.
 
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