Photo Credit: Wiki Media.

Photo Credit: cfourcalvin

Grinnell and Hill say, “You must find ‘the narrative

hook’ upon which to hang your [PowerPoint]

presentation; how can you tell a story about growing

roses, for example… Think of your presentation as a

little movie; one that has a beginning, a middle, and

an end… or a summary (Hill & Grinnell, 2012).

Foley (2013) says, With the right story, you help people to

understand about how what you’re talking about relates to

them… A human resource professional could create a fictional

character whose actions are unacceptable in the workplace and

tell the audience about all of his gaffes” (Foley, 2013).

Photo Credit: Ryan McGuire.

Photo Credit: Wonderlane

Cashion (2010) advises you to toss bad

presentations because it’s text based, with six

hierarchical levels of chapters and subheads –

all words, which means it takes a long time for

your brain to process all of those slides!”

(Cashion, 2010).

Photo Credit: cfourcalvin

Grinnell and Hill say, “Visuals are better hooks than

headlines, because most people look at visuals

before they read the words. Visuals communicate

faster than words… Add a relevant image, and recall

jumps to 65 percent!” (Hill & Grinnell, 2012).

Skillshare – Learn coding and calligraphy. “With classes running as cheaply as $20, there's no excuse for not knowing how to design your own website or create your own typeface.”

FontShop – “Between the site's content tester, which allows you to see what your work is going to look like, and the related fonts tab that shows you other typefaces you might be interested in, FontShop has it all covered.”

Book Cover Archive – “As a go-to source for new and historic book covers (easily sortable by photographer, art director, designer, title, author, and genre), the site will not only inspire you, it will also educate you. Check out Book Cover Archive's blog for insightful commentary on designs and styles.”

Grain Edit – “With its focus on 1950s to 1970s-inspired design, the site is a good tool for anyone looking for a vintage aesthetic. The site's editor, Dave Cuzner, conducts thoughtful interviews with designers, talks about new and traditional design pieces, and offers tips and product reviews(Henderson, 2014).

Cool Websites for Designers

Photo Credit: Wonderlane

James Chartrand (n.d.) says, “A graphic designer

needs to know color psychology and the

associations people make with specific shades and

tones. He needs to know what imagery will appeal

to people, the type of people it’ll appeal to, and why

it appeals to them. He needs to know what’s going

on in people’s minds when they land on sites and as

they navigate through yours.”

Photo Credit: JohnONolan

Henderson (2014) says, “Being a graphic designer takes a

unique mix of creativity, skill, patience, excellent

communication, and a touch of business savvy, all of which

need constant nurturing to stay sharp. Whether you're

checking out blogs for inspiration, watching tutorial videos

to learn new shortcuts, or reading up on your favorite

design movements, design resources are vital to a thriving

career in the field.” (Henderson, 2014).

Photo Credit: 55Laney69

Allsopp (n.d.) says, “As a graphic

designer, there are many tools and

techniques you'll want to master. ” In

her website, she provides you with

tools for designing (Allsopp, n.d.).

Canva – Great resource for creating all sorts of images and designs for your blog posts and social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The site offers tutorials on how to combine text and images.

Picjumbo – “You’ll find exceptionally high-quality photos for your personal and commercial use. The pictures have been shot by the site owner himself and all he requests for in return is proper attribution.”

Unsplash – “Subscribe to the email newsletter and you’ll get 10 photos in your inbox every 10 days. All images are under the CC0 license meaning they are in public domain and you are free to use them in any way you like.”

IM Free – “A curated collection of outstanding high-quality photos on all subjects that are also free for commercial use. The images have mostly been sourced from Flickr and require attribution.”

Super Famous – “Another great resource for finding high-res images for your websites and other design projects. The images are licensed under Creative Commons and require attribution.” (Agarwal, 2014).

Great Websites for Free Stock Photos

Photo Credit: Pink Sherbet Photography

Guerrero (2014) says, “Making your

background image transparent will make it

appear softer, which will improve the

legibility of text. This is a great option if your

image is especially detailed or busy”

(Guerrero, 2014).

• Agarwal, A. (2014, Jul. 30). The best places to find free, high-res images for your website. Retrieved May 2, 2015, from http://www.labnol.org/internet/find-free-images/24990/

• Allsopp, A. (n.d.) 10 best graphic design tutorials & tips. Retrieved May 2, 2015, from http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/features/graphic-design/10-best-graphic-design-tutorials-tips-new/

• Cashion, N. (2010, Oct. 13). Doctor's orders - burn your PowerPonts [Class handout]. Retrieved May 2, 2015, from http://moodle.ulm.edu/course/view.php?id=51847

• Chartrand, J. (n.d.) 7 secrets graphic designers won't tell you about effective website design. Retrieved May 2, 2015, from https://blog.kissmetrics.com/graphic-designer-secrets/

• Foley, L. (2013, Apr. 1). How do you tell a story in PowerPoint? [Class handout]. Retrieved May 2, 2015, from http://moodle.ulm.edu/course/view.php?id=51847

• Guerrero, A. (2014, Dec. 23). How to marry text and images [Class handout]. Retrieved May 2, 2015, from http://moodle.ulm.edu/course/view.php?id=51847

• Henderson, K. (2014, Mar. 18). 20 online resources every graphic designer should know. Retrieved May 2, 2015, from http://www.complex.com/style/2014/03/online-resources-every-graphic-designer-should-know/

• Hill, S., & Grinnell, C. (2012). Technical communication: A civic approach. Southlake, TX: Fountainhead Press.

• TED (2011, Nov. 23). Joe Sabia: The technology of storytelling [Class handout]. Retrieved May 2, 2015, from http://moodle.ulm.edu/course/view.php?id=51847

• http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Brush_and_watercolours.jpg

• http://www.imcreator.com/free/ambient/scattered-light-2

• http://www.imcreator.com/free/just-chilling-like-an-artist

• http://www.imcreator.com/free/ambient/shackles

• http://www.imcreator.com/free/ambient/abstract-energy-doesnt-wait

• http://www.imcreator.com/free/people/women/the-girls

• http://www.imcreator.com/free/nature/weather/autumn-rain

• http://www.imcreator.com/free/ambient/indigo-vintage-mist-overlay