Close the gap
With Liv Strawbridge
Close the Gap
Early on as a designer, I had an understanding of the basic tools I should be using and what inspired me visually. But I struggled to translate what looked good in my mind into actual designs that also looked good. I didn't have the skills to do so; there was a huge ‘gap’ between my vision and my skills.
This gap is called 'the taste gap', a concept popularised by radio personality Ira Glass, which highlights the mismatch between our creative abilities and our vision for how things should look, based on our personal taste. It can be discouraging and knock your confidence as a designer – as it did (and sometimes still does) for me.
But remember that skills and vision develop at their own pace. Closing the gap takes time and effort, and getting good at your craft and refining your skills isn’t a thing that magically happens overnight.
So If you're a designer experiencing ‘the taste gap’ (large or small), remember that it's a natural part of the process. Just keep going… keep improving your skills, keep working on closing the gap between your vision and abilities.
How to deliver final logo packages?
Delivering final logo packages to clients is a process that needs careful consideration. If you don’t, you can run into several issues – including the need to redo logo files due to mistakes, clients struggling to use the files, or the logo being used incorrectly and inconsistently (to name a few).
In my final logo package process, I follow these steps:
- Tidy up the logo and artboard
- Make variations of the logo
- Package the logo files (for print and web)
- Create file usage and mini brand guidelines
As I'm sure you've experienced, there are many things involved in this process, and lots of ways to get them done. I’m currently writing a comprehensive article about this to help you navigate it with clarity, and would love to know about your approach, and what you find most difficult about it.
If you could spare a couple of minutes, I’ve created a simple anonymous multiple-choice form with three questions. Your feedback would be greatly appreciated. Please click here to access the questionnaire.
New Smooth Slider in Adobe Illustrator
There's a new tool that’s just been released in the new version of Adobe Illustrator (2024 v28.0). It's called the 'Smooth Slider' and it gives you manual control over how you smooth paths.
With the slider, you're able to smooth an entire path or even specific sections of your path and smooth it out to your liking.
Just select your object and go Object > Path > Smooth and drag the slider to change its smoothness.
See the tool in action in my Instagram Reel here
