Designed By Joel

DesignedByJoel is a typographic poster design shop. Come here for amazing prints, quotes and giveaways too!

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Boa - Twilight

Boa is one of my favorite artists! Not the Korean pop band but the alternative indie band from the UK. All I suggest is that you check out their stuff here

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Keep a business diary

Keep a business diary, everyday write down what you have done to forward yourself business-wise. Write down what you do in terms of your business. In my business diary I write down:

- When I make a sale

- When I change the description on one of my products

- When I write a Tumblr post

- When I tweet

- When I get retweeted

- etc...

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Learn Illustator, not photoshop!

Too often I see websites telling aspiring digital artists that their first step to success can be found within learning Photoshop; and the first thing these aspiring creatives do is buy (or torrent 0-o) Adobe Photoshop and they start learning. And don't get me wrong Photoshop is very powerful, I use it quite a lot when making posters but it is never my first stop. Here is my very simple routine I have when making a new poster: - turn on spotify (on shuffle) - open illustrator - design most (if not all) of the poster in illustrator - open up photoshop and add a simple grain to it I say to anybody who wants to start getting into digital art, learn illustrator! Nobody ever talks about it but it is such a simpleton to get the hang of. It's like Microsoft paint with with precision, maths, and a lot more usability. You can design whole websites in illustrator, I've designed whole posters using it. If you have the money you should also get photoshop but I suggest you don't open it until you can call yourself an intermediate at illustrator first. And there is a genuine reason I say that. Illustrator works like one big (huge) canvas. It is the perfect place to make art but it is also the perfect place to plan your art too. It gives you much more freedom than photoshop. Photoshop does not work like one big canvas, it works like one average sized canvas with a lot of restrictions. For me illustrator is the tool I can both play on and work on, whereas photoshop is the tool I can only work on.

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Don't Be Afraid to Make Mistakes - new tech/geek poster by DesignedByJoel

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I am Afraid of Nothing - new superminimalist poster from DesignedByJoel.

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The Perfect Laptop

I run my Etsy business almost completely from my iMac, but I want that to change. I need a new laptop but not just any laptop, something that can handle running Photoshop to a good standard; whilst being under the price of £500. If you are the type who makes stuff with photoshop, illustrator, 3ds max, Maya etc. this is the sort of problem you have considered before and it can be confusing. I'd love to give some advice on it but I'm not sure if I'm knowledgeable enough. All I know is that you want a processor strong enough to handle the job (I'm thinking a good Intel i5 or i7) and something with good gigahertz (i'm thinking 2.5-3.5). Oh and 8 or 6GB of RAM is preferable but getting all of that for under £500 is a nightmare but I believe it is possible. 

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Shop Policies Have Been Added!

It's only a small step for the average buyer on Etsy it is something very important. If your shop does not have a policies section it can look suspicious.

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Retro Time-tellers, my new treasury on Etsy Check it out here!

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Running an Etsy shop (part 1)

I sell my posters on Etsy. For the most part Etsy is the only place where I sell my posters. I've been doing so for some time now and for the most part I love it. Etsy has a warm and welcoming community ready to help out newcomers and experts alike. There are two reasons why I decided to choose to set up my shop on Etsy. The first is because it is so cheap to start up; it costs $0.20 to post something new to your shop (you pay this every three months again per listing I think). This is such a manageable price in my opinion. The second reason is because it has a site ranking of 171 in the world and 41 in the US. That is huge! To make a shop on a site with a ranking like that is very reassuring. 

I understand that this post may seem like I am simply just advertising Etsy but do not be confused, I am advertising myself and my shop. Visit it and tell me what you think.

- Joel.

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'Live the Dream' 

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'Live Life like a Main Character' 

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Plan your business week

If you are a small business owner (or large business owner for that matter) you probably already understand how important it is to keep a schedule. Usually I plan each week as I go but I'm sure some people would feel more comfortable planning out whole months which is also good.

I schedule my weeks using Wunderlist which, for those who don't know, is an application which allows you to make to-do lists and tick them off when you're finished. I have mine set up for each day of the week.

I try and complete everything on my list per day but if for some reason I cannot complete something I move it to the next day and try to catch up from then. 

Of course there are many other ways to plan out your week, this is just the way I do it. 

Thank you.

- Joel (DesignedByJoel)

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'Home'

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Sometimes in a time of crisis you may want to call upon your friends too, which is a great idea because more times than not getting help from someone close to you can be both positive and productive. But in some situations there is only one person who can help; and that is yourself. Sometimes you need to save yourself. This poster is not designed to give you a negative feeling about helping yourself, it is meant to serve as a reminder that you should always help and save yourself every day of your life so that you can improve yourself.

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I am Bigger than my Problems.

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In the Midst of Winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer - Albert Camus.

This is a quote from the writer and philosopher Albert Camus. He created a handful of literary masterpieces, he is most famous for his numb but powerful novel 'The Stranger'. If you haven't read it already I suggest giving it a try but I warn you it is not exactly a relaxing read. I read this quote and I instantly felt a little stronger on the inside, it gave me the sheer energy to create this print and offer it you. I hope you like it!

Get it here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/206999317/in-the-midst-of-winter-typographic?ref=shop_home_active_20

Get it cheaper here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/206176321/have-any-poster-in-downloadable-form?ref=shop_home_feat_1