As a graphic designer, I spend a lot of time talking about color. Just a few days ago, I was discussing with one of our web developers which shade of blue would work best on a website. To someone outside the design profession, this can be puzzling — why spend so much time and effort on weighing the differences between teal and cerulean? Does anyone other than designers care that much about a color? You should — color is an extremely powerful branding tool! The emotions conjured by your use of color will help create a memorable story that customers will associate with your brand.

I’ve been making artwork since I was a kid, and continue to do so today. Working as both a graphic designer and an artist has given me a unique perspective on design work. Both artists and designers work in the visual realm, but often have very different goals — while artists explore the elements of composition to express personal feelings or ideas, designers apply these principles to solve problems. Creating artwork gives me a freedom to explore ideas visually that I might not have when creating work for a client. The work I create personally often feeds into and improves the work I do professionally. Here are some of the reasons why I feel that exploring the world of fine art will make you a better designer.

Art is how we view the world.

How do you approach graphic design?

If you are relying on traditional marketing methods to carry out your business goals, you are in trouble.