Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CreativeBloq/~3/VIp48dOnLoM/how-to-bring-the-energy-of-graffiti-into-typography

Us by Night is unique among creative events, not least because – as the title suggests – it's a nocturnal affair. After all, who wants to stumble into a conference centre early in the morning, bleary-eyed, when you could instead enjoy talks, networking and entertainment in the much more civilised evening?

Taking place in Antwerp, Belgium between 26 and 28 September, Us by Night features an arcade, a night market, a delicious selection of local food, and the extraordinary delights of fluorescent ping-pong.

But of course, the main reason to head to Us by Night are the inspirational speakers, and one of the top attractions this year will be the return of Tyrsa. 

Who is Tyrsa?

Tyrsa, aka Alexis Taïeb, first discovered graffiti in 1999, and fell in love. But unlike other graffiti enthusiasts, he decided not to pursue the route of 'pure artist', but instead went to study design and typography at the Gobelins School of Visual Communication and Arts in Paris.

Since graduating in 2007, Tyrsa carved out a rich and successful career as a freelance designer, with work ranging from murals, logos, posters and installations to packaging designs. His distinctive, hand-crafted typography has won him countless fans, and clients including Nike, Carhartt, Louis Vuitton, Timberland, Foot Locker, Issey Miyake and Childish Gambino.

We caught up with Tyrsa to find out what he'll be talking about at Us by Night, and why no one should miss it.

What will your talk at Us by Night be about?

9.50 x 8.3m mural by Tyrsa for the Mr Freeze festival in Toulouse, France

Firstly, I should mention that I did a talk at Us by Night three years ago. But anyone who saw that should know that my 2019 talk is going to be pretty different.

I'll be discussing my work, of course, but I want to provide a perspective on it that can help people think about their own designs in a different way. I don’t like talks at creative events where it’s just people showing their portfolio and going through each project, one by one. After all, if you want to look at my work, you can go onto my website and just check out my portfolio!

Instead, I'm not just going to show the finished work, but also stuff from behind the scenes, to show how each project developed from start to finish. And I want to talk about the mistakes I made and the things that went wrong, as well as the things that went right. I think you can learn a lot more from that than just hearing about people’s successes.

Your style is pretty distinctive – how would you describe it?

Well, I started in graffiti and moved into typography, so I brought that street style and energy into my work in a way that seems to connect with people. But of course, I know that I’m not the only person who’s followed this path.

So I think one thing that helps make my work distinctive and different is that it’s underpinned by a proper understanding of the fundamental principles of typography, which I taught myself. In other words, it’s not just cool-looking lettering, it really follows the function of typography in an organised manner and I try to always do something appropriate to each project, each client.

Also, I’m always trying to take in new influences and develop my work, so it doesn’t stay looking the same but constantly evolves and improves over time.

You've done a lot of work for Childish Gambino, can you tell us a little about that?

After a rocky start, Tyrsa has established a strong working relationship with Childish Gambino

I've been working with Childish Gambino's team for about three years. In the beginning, I was working on an album cover, which was originally titled “Operation High Jump”.

I spent months working on getting type lettering for the title right. They were happy with what I’d done, but then at the last minute they decided to change the name of the album to "Awaken, My Love". That was very frustrating after I’d done so much work on it!

But we continued to work together, and I went on to design for other covers, merchandise, a wordmark, and typography for the ‘This is America’ music video. So it’s worked out really well in the long term.

I'd say that we’ve reached a point in our relationship where we know each other and understand each other’s perspective so well. So when they need something, they know I can create something they’ll be happy with. 

What else have you been working on lately?

Art-directing the food court of the new Galeries Lafayette concept store has been Tyrsa’s biggest project to date

In the last year, I’ve been working on my biggest project to date, art-directing the design of the food court of the new Galeries Lafayette concept store, on the famous Champs-Élysées avenue in Paris.

This has been a big challenge, because it’s a huge area, with 10 different food stands, and each restaurant already has its own branding and identity. My job was to reinterpret each identities into a broader general branding, so there was an overall look and feel to the place as a whole.

I also did individual, two-metre tall illustrations for each of them, using mosaics, plus there's a lot of neon, a lot of signage… I’ve designed all of this, and it's been great because the client has given me a lot of freedom in how to approach it artistically.

How do you see your career developing in future?

I don’t have specific plans, to be honest. I just want to keep working and evolving my style. If you make too many plans, I think it just closes off a lot of potential opportunities to do new things and to grow. And really, I just feel blessed to be doing what I’m doing. 

My parents were very unhappy with me doing graffiti originally, so every day I feel blessed that I can work as a designer and keep creating cool new things.

And will you keep coming back to Us by Night?

Typography by Tyrsa for the Childish Gambino movie Guava Island 

I certainly will! This will be my fourth time at Us by Night, in fact. As I said, I did a talk three years ago, and for the last two times I did a mural there.

I really love the event: it has a great atmosphere and it’s such a great opportunity to meet other creative people and get inspired by them and their work… whether that’s photographers, designers, artists or whoever.

In fact, I think that if they carry on doing Us by Night for the next 20 years, I’ll want to go to every single one.

Us By Night takes place at Antwerp, Belgium from Thu, Sep 26, 2019 – Sat, Sep 28, 2019. Don't miss out: buy your tickets now!

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Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/1stwebdesigner/~3/OlROk8mKx_A/

When you start a web design business, there are so many unknowns and things you may not have even considered. Maybe you’re a talented designer or developer – but that’s only part of the equation.

After all, even the most talented among us aren’t going to be successful without the ability to recruit and retain paying customers. Otherwise, you career becomes one endless side project. It may sound fun, but it also leaves you wondering how you’ll pay the bills.

The future of your business depends on creating solid working relationships with your clients. In other words: You need to keep them happy. But how?

In my 20+ years as a freelance designer, I’ve had a number of experiences – both good and not-so-good. Here are a few things I’ve learned about retaining clients over the long haul.

Communication is Key

Having good communication skills is essential in this business – especially if you’re working directly with clients. But there are some misconceptions about what this entails.

First and foremost, communication during a project’s development phase is of the utmost importance. Keep in mind that no one wants to be left in the dark. Clients need to be kept abreast of progress and aware of any challenges you see in achieving project goals.

Once the project is launched, you still need to keep up with your clients. However, some designers take this to mean inundating them with upsells and other marketing. While it’s OK to send an occasional newsletter or social media post, don’t overdo it. Someone who just paid a good bit of money for your services doesn’t want be bothered with constant “offers”.

More important is to be proactive about things like software updates, security and third-party subscriptions. For example, if they’re using a commercial plugin on their website, you’ll want to let your client know when a license renewal is coming. Or perhaps a change to a search engine algorithm means that some adjustments to their content may be in order.

These may seem like little things, but they mean a lot. They show clients that you are looking out for them and aren’t simply out to take their money. In turn, this establishes a level of trust between you that bodes well for the future of your relationship.

Be Honest

Communication is only as good as its actual content. Just as it’s not wise to send a constant stream of sales pitches, dishonesty is also a huge turnoff (and, sooner or later, a deal-breaker).

It’s not that we necessarily start out with the intention of being dishonest. Often it can come from the fear of letting someone down. And it may not even be about anything very important with regards to the bigger picture. That’s all the more reason to just be honest.

Be truthful in your billing, your skills and your assessment of a situation. If you don’t know the answer to something – it’s OK. Let your client know that you need to do some further research and get back to them.

Perhaps most importantly, own up to a mistake. None of us are perfect and we’re all going to do something wrong from time-to-time. Refusal to admit mistakes can only serve to put you into a deeper hole, while harming your relationship.

Honesty has its consequences, as well. But they are often better than the alternative.

Make Them a Priority

Everyone wants to feel like their needs are being attended to. As such, you’ll want to be as responsive as you can when it comes to handling client requests. Whether their site needs maintenance or they just have a question, it’s important to take care of things in a timely manner.

Once again, it always seems to come back to communication. Even if you aren’t able to get to something just that minute (not every request is that important), it’s helpful to let your client know when they can expect it done. Just as important is to make sure that it’s done within whatever time frame you’ve provided.

The idea here is to provide a first-class experience. It’s not about getting to each and every item on your to-do list immediately. Rather, it’s making sure that your clients feel good about you and your service.

Think of it this way: In a world that is often chaotic, clients will appreciate the fact that they can count on you to get the job done. Prove your reliability and you’ll be far ahead of most of your competitors.

Build Better Client Relationships

The great thing about all of this is that it’s not inherently difficult. The main challenge comes in finding consistency in your efforts. This can take a little time, but it’s very much worth doing.

Now, some of you may be thinking that being an outstanding communicator also means that you need to have a warm and fuzzy personality. That you need to be a social butterfly. However, that’s not the case.

The tips above don’t require the gift of gab or even a witty writing style. It’s more a matter of avoiding procrastination and letting clients know that you are there for them. You don’t need to win a personality contest to do it.

And now that you know what it takes to keep clients happy, you can put it into practice. The result will be better relations with your clients, year after year.

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Designrfix/~3/mEdezLumZIU/the-ultimate-guide-to-graphic-design-basics-for-the-creative-eye

?If you have a creative eye and think you might enjoy working in art, a job in graphic design may be the best route for you. Learn everything you need to know, from the history of the industry to graphic design basics and design principles. We’ll show you how you can become a graphic designer […]

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