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So far smartdept has created 684 blog entries.

Why Designers Should Learn How to Code

There’s a never-ending debate about whether web designers should be able to code. Web designers who can’t code their own designs still exist. When the web first took off, the designation “web designer” was limited in scope. Technological developments led to an ever-growing demand for web designers, and now the field is open to unlimited possibilities for specialization.

If you are talented with graphics yet clueless when it comes to coding and the back end, then you will most likely be the first who a firm that is tight on budget lets go. Does splitting your share with another coder make sense as a freelancer? It’s simple: the more skilled you are, the more valuable you will be.

Read the full article here! (via instantshift.com)

Quote of the Day

“Creativity is an advertising agency’s most valuable asset, because it is the rarest.”

~Jef I. Richards

How to Write a Resume: 6 Steps to Take Before You Write

There is a lot of advice out there about how long a resume should be (depends on the job), whether you should mention short term jobs (depends on the job) and if you should proofread and use spell check (yes).  But before you can sort out what to include and begin to write your resume,  you have to assemble a complete picture of everything you’ve done, all your accomplishments, skills and experiences.

Read the full article here! (via Suzanne Lucas on bnet.com)

Are We In or Outside of the Box? Who Put us There?

Check out this great article, written by one of our talented candidates in Seattle!

(Susan Straub-Martin on biznik.com) – We give away our knowledge, and we just assume that everyone knows everything we know. STOP! You have worked hard, gone to school, learned from every job you ever had, and you assume that EVERYONE knows what you know. WRONG!

Read the full article here!

Quote of the Day



“The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.”

~ Albert Einstein

How’s Your HTML5? App Skills in Demand

Times are good for Web- and mobile-application developers.

The number of online listings containing the keywords “HTML5,” “Mobile app,” and “Android,” have skyrocketed over the past year, making them the fastest growing keywords in jobs posted online, according to data tracked by jobs search engine Indeed.com.

The number of job listings requesting HTML5, the latest version of the language used to display Web pages, increased 13-fold between the first and fourth quarters of last year, according to Indeed. “Twitter” and “jQuery,” which is used in JavaScript programming, rounded out the top five fastest growing keywords.

Read the full article here! (via yahoo.com)

Chicago Event Tomorrow – Friday Night Speaker Series

Jason Fried, Chicago Portfolio School

Jason Fried is the co-founder and president of 37signals,  a Chicago-based company that builds web-based productivity tools that, in their words, “do less than the competition — intentionally.” 37signals’ simple but powerful collaboration tools include Basecamp, Highrise, Backpack, Campfire, Ta-da List, and Writeboard. 37signals also developed and open-sourced the Ruby on Rails programming framework. Jason will share how these tools and the success of his company have come from solving problems through design or “designing solutions.”

 Get the full details for this free event on aigachicago.org!

smartdept Client in the News – read what Lou Maxon is up to!

Seattle 100: Portrait of a City book

Publications, Consumer

Seattle creative director Lou Maxon provided editorial art direction and design for independent photographer Chase Jarvis’s Seattle 100: Portrait of a City project which included a hard-cover coffee table book and wine and chocolate packaging showcased at a series of gallery openings and events throughout Seattle and on the Web. The project catalogs one hundred of Seattle’s next generation of mavericks (artists, musicians, politicians, chefs, poets, writers) and shares their stories across multiple platforms (print, exhibition, interactive and online). Biographies of each subject coupled with more than 300 stunning black-and-white portraits tell a fascinating, interwoven story about a unique and vibrant city.

Lou Maxon, art director/designer/creative director; Chase Jarvis, photographer.

maxoninc.blogspot.com

s100.chasejarvis.commaxoninc.blogspot.com

Quote of the Day

“Design, in its broadest sense, is the enabler of the digital era – it’s a process that creates order out of chaos, that renders technology usable to business. Design means being good, not just looking good.”

~Clement Mok

How Social Media Has Radically Altered Advertising

Social Media started out as a bit of a novelty — a playground for the “geekerati.” But it has taken hold as a game changing force that will reshape advertising at its very core.

It’s time to move past debates about traditional media co-existing with social media. Madison Avenue should see social media as a wonderful, if not disruptive, gift. It should run hard to catch up with the consumer, let go of legacy business models and build something better.

My career in advertising started in February, 1965, right in the middle of the Mad Men era, and I am fortunate to still be doing what I love. Just when I thought I’d seen everything over the past five decades, along came social media. Here I am at age 67, cheering for change and eager to be a part of it.

To put things into perspective, it’s helpful to look back at the impact that TV had on the ad business in the mid 60s and draw some parallels with where we are today.

Read the full article here! (via mashable.com)

Quote of the Day

“Mistakes are almost always of a sacred nature. Never try to correct them. On the contrary: rationalize them, understand them thoroughly. After that, it will be possible for you to sublimate them.”

~Salvador Dali

Groupon-Like Site for for Creative Professionals?

According to designmodo.com; “This is a website offering exclusive one-day deals for web designer tools. It can be an e-book, icons, designer software, templates, membership to a professional resource etc. Each deal lasts limited time and allows saving up to 60-70%.”
 
Looks like this could be a great idea, check it out here!

How to Do More in Less Time

Often, I can be on the computer all day long. Sure, it’s my job — writing, planning, interviews, video, project coordination. However, I find that I have no time for thinking, reading and other things I can and should be doing in the course of the day.

Am I alone? Do you feel this way? Maybe in your case, you are only reading, and not updating your blog. Maybe you’re on the phone all day long selling to new clients and never visiting a customer.

Read the full article here! (via openforum.com)

Quote of the Day

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Design is knowing which ones to keep”

~ Scott Adams

How to Use LinkedIn for Your Web Design Business

Maybe you’re already one of the 85 million users on LinkedIn, or perhaps you’re just getting started. Regardless of where you fall on the social networking spectrum, LinkedIn has a number of new applications and features to enrich your experience.

In this post, we’ll look at ways to beef up your profile as well as use new applications and sections to optimize your networking with clients, prospects and others in the design community. We’ll also cover how to find design-related groups on LinkedIn, exploit the new features of company pages to showcase your design work and keep up with developments on LinkedIn.

Read the full article here! (via www.webdesignerdepot.com)

How to Decide on Resume Length

“How long should my resume be?” is one of the most commonly asked questions about resumes. Not too long ago, job seekers were told that a resume should never exceed one page. Those who broke this golden rule were destined for the circular file.

Times have changed, and so has the criteria for resume length. The new guideline is: A resume should be long enough to entice hiring managers to call you for job interviews. That may sound vague, but there is no hard-and-fast length rule that works for everyone. Factors to consider include career objective, occupation, industry, years of experience, number of employers, scope of accomplishments and education/training.

Read the full article here! (www.monster.com)

Quote of the Day

“Goals are dreams with deadlines.”

~ Diana Scharf Hunt

 

How to Get More Design Referrals

Freelancers and small design companies do not have large marketing budgets. There may be a few dollars here or there to spend on Google AdWords, Facebook ads or perhaps a small print campaign, but by and large we survive on one things: referrals.

When someone begins his/her freelance design career, all we have are referrals: from our friends, schoolmates, even our parents and family. As we land our first clients and complete our first design jobs, it’s important to realize the importance of referrals and think about how to maximize them. The more clients we get, the more opportunity for referrals, which brings in more clients, and so on. It grows exponentially and, if you take steps to ensure you get more referrals, you may not have to spend a cent on advertising. Ever.

Read the full article here! (via www.paper-leaf.com)

45+ Unique Examples of Coming Soon Pages

When launching a new site, it is important to build up buzz before actually revealing your masterpiece to the public. That way you can have an eagerly waiting audience to hit the ground running! This next post will not only help you start a promising site, but will guide and inspire you to create your own sensational “coming soon” page to build up buzz. First impressions mean a lot, so make the most out of every opportunity. Here are 45+ Unique Examples of Coming Soon Pages. Check out this list that we came up with just for you. Enjoy! (via www.youthedesigner.com)

Quote of the Day

“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.”

~Mary Lou Cook

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