Are you ready for this year’s biggest multimedia and design convention in the Philippines? I’m excited to attend this year’s Graphika Manila. Will be held on September 2008. Having to attend last year’s convention, you can get a glimpse of the latest trend in multimedia and web design from different experts around the world. Well, the speakers this year haven’t been disclosed yet but I’m betting that it would be a big ass party.

If you want to know what happened on last year’s Graphika Manila, check the video below.

Mark your calendars ladies and gents.

Having to work with big design companies has a very large benefit. You get referrals just about anywhere and as time goes by, those that are referred also refers you to other potential clients like money having compound interest. This is basically, a web designer’s dream, to work and do the things he loves best and be appreciated by many.

But, before that happens, we must first know how to enhance our web design skills. Many new comers in the web design industry felt kind of lost to where to start. Sometimes, they have the desire to design websites but they can’t express it in a design. To make it simple, they can’t make their imagination into a reality. Sometimes, some people are not gifted with the eyes of a designer that can distinguish a good color combination to another.

Tips To Improve Your Design Skills When Starting Up

• Good Artist Copy, Great Artists Steal - Two people who actually said those words are two of the richest men in the world. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. It is true. As web designers, you are an artist. The best way to start is to COPY other people’s design and make improvements to it. Practice on doing the same layout, the same design, the same color combination of other sites and make it your own. Once you know the style, its easy to make a new style that you can call your own.
• KISS Principle - The KISS principle or “Keep It Simple… Stupid” is one of the most widely used technique especially in the web 2.0 arena. Perfection in simplicity is determined not when there are no more things to add but there are no more things to remove. If you can make the design as simple as possible, you’re on the right track.
• Don’t Make Me Think - Always keep in mind that people who uses the internet always want to save time. People want to SCAN pages, not read them. And when they see something interesting on your page, that’s the time they will read the whole article. Keep in mind, web usability. Don’t make your visitors think. If you can make them do something on your site, without them thinking tremendously, you’re hitting the right spot. The book Don’t Make Me Think has been a bible for newbie designers and experienced web designers in the field of web usability. Definitely one of the many books you must have if you want to learn more.
• Practice, Practice, Practice - It doesn’t matter if your first few designs are crap. In time, you are building a portfolio and experience. Each page you make will only get you inspired and try another approach on every different site you handle. Allot a time for yourself wherein you can practice a new effect or learn a new graphic tool. Practice makes perfect.

Always remember that you can not please everybody. Just like every artist won’t be able to please anyone. Don’t feel bad. Its just a matter of being true and totally loving what you do and the design you make.

Being a web designer, you are exposed to different people wanting to have different websites to be designed and built. You come into play to bring out the image of the company from mere description into a reality. But these are not only the things that web designer can do, in fact, web design is a way of learning and web designers are learning from each client they work with.

I have been an adult web designer long before and during those times, I was curious how adult web masters do their business. During the course of my working days, I have come to find out how an adult webmaster work, how they promote, what are the trends in design that converts, just by chatting them up. Though I have no experience doing things by what they say, but it’s better to have an idea of things than to be totally clueless. It’s a learning process for web designers and that’s what makes web design job rewarding.

For example, the time that I was curious about affiliate marketing. I have no one to teach me, how would I learn? I figured, if I promote my service to affiliate marketers, I can get a glimpse of how they do business. And so I did. It took me months to get an idea of how the whole affiliate marketing goes by talking to affiliate marketeers and asking questions. They wouldn’t really mind answering most especially if you did a great job. Most clients will come back for more and its a great chance to ask for even more. Plus, it builds rapport because you wouldn’t be talking about small things with them, you are actually trying to learn things that they are passionate about thus trusting you even more. Building relationship which gives a win win situation to both parties.