Design Blogs for Graphic Designers

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#FollowFriday // I have been making my bread and butter as a graphic designer for almost a decade and I still love to read design blogs that inspire me as well as teach me new tricks. Here is a shortened version of some of the design blogs I read. If you are a graphic designer or are interested in graphic design, you should totally check them out.

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Bittbox was probably the first design blog I ever read and I still follow it to this day. I mainly keep it around because the amazing freebies, but it used to have some good tutorials as well. However, I don't know a single graphic designer that doesn't love free textures and/or Photoshop brushes. Plus, I've actually purchased/used some of the products this blog has recommended and have never been let down once.

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Blog.Spoon.Graphics is one of my all time favorite design blogs. It has it all. Freebies. Tutorials. Product review/recommendations. Plus, Chris Spooner has a paid subscription service for a TON more useful graphic files that any designer would love to have to make life easier. I haven't paid for it yet, but I think about it every time he offers one of his new bundles.

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Go Live is a design firm that develops websites and their blog is amazing. I'm actually pretty new to this blog and I'm still working my way through it, but I love the design aesthetic and their breakdown of design builds. Plus, they have some really handy advice for webpages.

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I Love Typography is a blog whose name says it all. I've yet to find a fellow graphic designer who doesn't at least strongly appreciate beautiful/strong type design. It is the basis of all design, without good typography you cannot have good design. Period.

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Speaking of good design, Good Design Makes Me Happy is my new favorite design inspiration. It is collections of branding, marketing, product, you name it design and all of it is "good."

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I hope you found this list helpful. If you are interested in more design blog recommendations, let me know in the comments.

Blogger Brunch Round-up

I'm changing up how I do the #FollowFriday posts. Instead of focusing on one blog, I'm going to be sharing with you blogs that I've grouped together for one reason or another, that I think you should check out!

This week, I'm going to round-up the blogs of the attendees from the first Bloggers Brunch! I know a few of these ladies are reworking their blogs, so I can't wait to post new screen-grabs in the next round-up!

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Mallory @ Miss Malaprop was probably the most veteran blogger at the brunch. Her blog focuses on her personal interests and personality as she brings you indie fashion, eco-friendly and/or handmade goods, cool and unique finds, and local things going on in New Orleans. She is a wonderful person and her blog is a really great one to follow and read. So do it!

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Juliet is an amazingly talented graphic designer. She is new to the blog game, but you wouldn't be able to tell from her very polished and lovely blog. It is part of her portfolio site and each week she posts something that just makes my little design heart sigh with delight. Last week she offered her first freebie, a beautiful desktop background. She is definitely going places, not just with her blog but also as a designer.

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Emilie @ Jill of All Genres loves to read, and she has no problem telling you about it! Her blog is a focus of book reviews as well as a place you can keep up with this lovely author as she works on her many projects. I know that she is currently in the process of revamping her blog and I look forward to seeing what she does with it!

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Lianna @ The English Maven didn't get to stay long at the brunch, but she is also (I think) a veteran blogger. Her blog is full of advice about copywriting and marketing as well as personal touches she throws into the mix. She is very funny and one of my favorite posts on her blog is about the tradeoffs of what you pay for living in New Orleans.

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Christy @ Slow Southern Style is another blogger working on an overhaul. She was once a for-profit blogger but has switched gears towards a personal blogging route while she goes back to school. She is another one of our veteran bloggers in the group! She has some amazing photos on her blog.

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Last, but certainly not least, is Missy @ Now Listen, Missy. Co-hosting the Blogger Brunch with me (and actually physically hosting it in her home), Missy has had her own Follow Friday post already! You can check that out for info on this cool lady and her equally cool blog.

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Megan was also there, but she has literally taken down her blog's content as she works on a revamp. Next time...

#FF: Jamie Littler's Illustration Blog

This weeks Follow Friday, I present you with Jamie Littler's Illustration Blog. I love following the blogs of illustrators, especially children's book illustrators. I like to see how their work progress, and to just get a dose of illustration inspiration in my reader feed when they post.

From the his blog, here's what Jamie writes about himself:

I am a London based illustrator, and really like to draw. Which is pretty lucky, i guess, considering my occupation. I won a High Commendation in the Macmillan Children's Book Prize in 2008, and am currently delving into the fantastic world of children's books. If you like my work and are maybe interested to see more, please check out my site! I also like mornings (weird), coffee, all types of animal and coffee. Oh, and coffee. All my children's book illustration is represented by Jodie Hodges at United Agents.

However, while I love his work, he hasn't posted on the blog for a very long time. I don't know when he will be posting again, but it's worth checking out anyway, in my opinion. Also, here is a link to his portfolio website.

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// UPDATE //
This blog is officially over. Jamie posted his farewell to it today (Wednesday, March 11, 2015). However, he as moved over to Tumblr! You can check him out here: Jamie Littler's Illustration Blog on Tumblr.