In the design community we are a different bunch of people and interesting eclectic mix of personalities. I wanted to see what the design community thought of being their New Years Resolutions, whether design related or otherwise. I want to say a big thank you to those people who responded to my messages and I look forward to any responses made in the comments below!

You may be interested in the following related articles as well:

What are Designers Thankful for this Thanksgiving?

My New Year Resolution for 2010 is …

bkmacdaddy: Web and graphic designer

I resolved many years ago to not make new year’s resolutions but instead to strive to continually improve, grow, learn and give.

crflores84: A rising designer trying to find my footing

I’d love to see the widespread popularity of minimalism with the simultaneous death of clutter and disorganization.

FredzGraphics: Freelance artsy dude

I haven’t given it much thought to be honest but I guess it would be to either take some courses or go to school to learn graphic design. =)

designthatrocks: Creative Director for Design That Rocks

My design resolution for this year is to do more creative/inspiring things in my life. This year was thin on concerts and events, which greatly inspire me to be and think more creatively, so this year I am going to attend more shows and events!

McConnellDesign: Web, print, brand design studio

Our design resolution this year will be expanding our blog audience and client base through awesome posts and great design!

gaksdesigns: Freelance Graphic Designer, Illustrator

My new years resolution for 2010 would be, to put out more personal work, better management of my time and to finally get my site/sites up and running.

sarahspooner1: Trainee designer, interested in logo design, illustration and digital art.

My design new years resolution will be to create my own website so that all my work is in one place.

mistygirlph: Graphics/avatar design, blogger.

To be able to make more designs and try to influence more people to bring out their creativity in a medium that they love

kalstudio: Designer. design & architecture affectionado.

To learn a new design app or something related; to schedule some time each week to draw or sew.

trudesign: Graphic, logo, web designer from VA(NY).

2010 will be an iconic year. More color, more design, more awesome than ever before. Take my skills to the next level. I resolve to develop my color use, continue to learn and hone my design skills, and increase my involvement in the community at large.

designshard: Lover of Typography, Web Design, CSS, XHTML , Illustration, Rock Music.

Try to make the best designs out of the the worst possible assets and not settle for anything less.

noellebydesign: Long time Graphic Designer/Visual Artist.

hhhmmm…. design resolutions? To continue acquiring knowledge and transitioning my Graphic Design degree into Interior Design.

francoispham: French graphic designer and illustrator. Games, music, manga, football, cinema, photos and drawing. PC user for now.

For 2010, I would like to experiment new ways about webdesign. I want to finish the next blog about stories and illustrations to, aswell as draw, draw, draw.

robertoblake: Ever since I was young I always knew I wanted to become a visual artist. Learning about Photoshop put me on the path to achieving that dream.

I think getting featured in more publications is one of my resolutions, and finding a cause I can put my designs behind would be the other.

mathewballard: Graphic designer, amateur photographer & random person.

That one is easy. To get my new website launched and get more freelance gigs then I did for 2009. Also, to become a stronger programmer.

nymphont: Dweeb. font geek. freelance designer. single mommie.

Personally my new years resolution for design is to start using my domain (nymphont.com) and to stop procrastinating on design projects.

myinkblog: I am a designer, blogger, twitter’er, wordpress’er, silverstripe advocate, blessed father and husband.

Improve the usability of the sites that I create and write better code.

GraceSmith: A 26 year old Freelance Web and Graphic Designer in ♥ with web standards and social media. An unashamed Apple Fangirl.

As a designer it would be to spend more time creating and developing my own projects and work with a wider range of talented designers and developers. Outside of design, I would like to focus on becoming a better photographer, as this summer I bought my first DSLR – a Canon 350D. I want to keep progressing and learning in all aspects of photography as it’s something I have developed a real passion for.

‘Orange Cream’

‘Controlled View’

‘You Found me’

‘Summer’s End’

‘Le Disko’

‘The Midnight Story’

‘You can always dream’

‘Twist in my Sobriety’

‘Cold Gaze’

‘Sound to out’

‘Rainbow Eye’

‘Cold Blue’

‘Someone like you’

‘Iris Confesses’

‘Splash’

’1003′

‘Colourful Wind’

‘All i do’

‘You are what you eat’

‘The Peak Hong Kong’

I hope you found these photos to be as inspiring and eye opening as I found them. Thanks for reading this post, what photo’s are your favourite? Drop us a comment below.

Article written by Jared Thompson

Head writer of Design Something Blog, currently studying Product design at the University of Central Lancashire in his final year. He has interest in minimal, clean and simplistic design styles.

Follow Jared (@Jthompsondesign) on twitter!

Check out his Design Portfolio here!

Be sure to subscribe to the RSS Feed for the best in design blog posts every week of the year!

Visit Karen McDade’s Website Here

Find her DeviantART Profile Here

Follow Karen McDade On Twitter

You may be interested in the following Interviews and related articles as well:

Interview With Creator of Nymphont!

Interview With Creator of FudgeGraphics!

Recently i got the chance to exchange a few messages with Karen Mcdade and I hope you enjoy her responses, please don’t forget to comment at the bottom of this article.

1. What did you study at university/college and was there a specific reason you chose to study these areas?
I studied Communications Science and English as majors, as well as Philosophy and Psychology as minors at the University of South Africa. I was also fortunate enough to get a scholarship to study Communication Science and Philosophy at Charles University in Prague. My initial interest was in the advertising aspect of Communication Science and that slowly migrated to more of the design aspect of advertising. I now work exclusively in the graphic arts field. I had been learning to use Photoshop even before I started studying and for the most part, I’m an entirely self-taught graphic designer.

2. You have a great educational background and nine years of design experience behind you, has there been a situation in your learning (and working) which has made you step back and think this is something which I am going to remember for the rest of my life?
I remember being so excited the first time I saw one of my designs published in an established graphic arts magazine. That would be a moment I remember fondly.

3. Is there a particular piece of work or group of design works, which really made you, think id love to do what that person can do?
I occasionally see amazing art where I think to myself, “wow, I wish I had thought of that”. I try not to get too focused on any particular artist or style of art as I want to try focus on developing my own style. I think it’s important for artists to try hone their own artistic form so they can distinguish themselves from the masses of other designers out there.

4. You cite Deviantart as your favorite online community to showcase your work, what makes Deviantart stand out the most for you?
I like the ease of communicating with other artists in DeviantART and it’s a great platform for getting honest feedback about your work. The community is very engaging, much more so than some other portfolio sites out there.

5. What has been the worst experience in the design industry for you?
Not getting paid! lol, I’m a freelancer – it happens. I’ve also had my art ripped off and sold without my consent. Luckily neither of these two happens too often. I’ve also had my share of difficult clients and times where I’ve had creative blocks but that comes with the territory, so I can’t complain.

6. You have also had the privilege to work with big name companies such as National Geographic and the Discovery Channel. How did these great jobs come about? Did you have one, which you think has been the most beneficial for you?
I get a lot of work through my website and one day I got an email from my site asking if I was interested in doing this kind of work. Having well-known brands can go along way to establishing your credibility as a designer, and especially as a freelancer. It’s good work if you can get it

7. What software/hardware do you use the most as a designer and do you have a particular favorite, which can find you spend hours on end working with?
I use the standard Adobe packages, most notably Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator. My hardware set up consists of an iMac connected to a MacBook Pro and a Cintiq. I can spend hours doodling around in Photoshop on the Cintiq – it’s such a natural and intuitive tool for creating designs.

8. Do you think you can ever truly switch off as a designer, or do you find yourself thinking of the next idea all the time?
Hmmm…. well I think it’s good if you can switch off as a designer and give your brain a break. Whether that actually happens or not is another story. I can be arbitrarily standing in a queue in a shopping centre, staring at magazine covers – not necessarily reading the text, but trying to suss out how well the retoucher managed to retain the textures on the models skin. I also carry a small cybershot camera around with me in case I spot a great texture somewhere, or see a clever design I want to remember. That said, I think it’s good if you have other interests and hobbies. Diversifying yourself can only make you a more original artist.

9. Which people in the social media community (such as twitter) do you find the most useful and great points of reference when in need of inspiration or to source an opinion from?
I have lots of great contacts on Twitter who are full of useful information. A few of my favorites are @robertoblake @Designely @DavidCousens @JThompsondesign @designblend @FeryKloucek @TipSquirrel @Minervity @An1ken and @designthatrocks… I can go on, but we’ll be here all day.

10. If you had no clients to please and no work in your to-do pile, what would you do with all that free time?
I would work anyway. I like working. I would do free designs for charities and small start-ups that need corporate ID’s but couldn’t really afford it. I would also create cool-looking graphics for my fiancé – he’s a programmer and creates awesome games in his spare time. His latest project is an open source online MMO-style pseudo-hacking game ([link]). That one is going to be fun to design.

It’s been brilliant to get a response from such a great artist as Karen McDade, I have been a fan of her work for a while now. No doubt I will continue to be so in the future and would like to thank her immensely for her time and input. Especially under such a large workload and other problems!

Thanks Karen, hope everyone has enjoyed this interview.

Don’t Forget To Leave Your comments below!

Article written by Jared Thompson

Head writer of Design Something Blog, currently studying Product design at the University of Central Lancashire in his final year. He has interest in minimal, clean and simplistic design styles.

Follow Jared (@Jthompsondesign) on twitter!

Check out his Design Portfolio here!

Be sure to subscribe to the RSS Feed for the best in design blog posts every week of the year!

Check my DeviantART profile out here

Follow me on Twitter

Photography:

‘Miss Mutation’ Ophelias Overdose

‘Chess Wonder’ by Hoschie

‘Minnie said Cheese’ by Crazy Kcee

‘I Want Magic’ by The 1st Grape

Typography:

‘Sixteen’ by BeriMae

‘Life Passes Most People by’ by Dreamt too late

‘As you can see’ by BeriMae

‘Bulletproof Heart’ by Scorpion Kiss

‘Sick’ by Hulis

’1st Rule of Fight Club’ by JanSzpakowski

‘Creativity: Typography’ by MadDesign

‘It might be you’ by BeriMae

Digital Art:

‘Apocolyptica’ by Karen Mcdade

‘Dubai Butterfly’ by Light from emirates

‘LMS Alice’ by adonihs

‘Mark it Zero’ by Skyringbreath

‘Commission: Yuritsuki’ by Scrotumnose

‘Mark unknown’ by Maca28

‘Mind Works’ By Rose on Grey

Traditional Art:

‘Kitsune’ by Treeworshipper

by Setik 01

Wallpaper:

‘December 09 wallpaper’ Fudgegraphics

‘Greeen’ by DeviantVicky

‘Cubed’ by DeviantVicky

‘Nalden Wallpaper no2′ by Endemo

‘Old Crows’ by MailboxArsonal

Fonts:

‘Happy Phantom Font family’ by Nymphont

‘Circled Font‘ by Lovelielife

‘Thatbad typeface’ by farissen

‘Facepunch’ by Shonenpunk

Don’t Forget To Leave Your comments below!

Article written by Jared Thompson

Head writer of Design Something Blog, currently studying Product design at the University of Central Lancashire in his final year. He has interest in minimal, clean and simplistic design styles. Follow Jared (@Jthompsondesign) on twitter!

Check out his Design Portfolio here!

Be sure to subscribe to the RSS Feed for the best in design blog posts every week of the year!

I also like to use these Flickr showcases as a shameless plug for some other places on the web where you can find me. Be sure to check out DesignSomething author on Twitter.

Check out ArnoKath on Flickr

Check his website out here

Check out the Design Something Flickr Group

His work showcases such simplicity and brilliantly minimal, typography is quite obviously a great passion of his and shines through in each of his posters. Be sure to spread the love to his flickr and website.

Don’t Forget To Leave Your comments below!

Join the Design Something Flick Group

Article written by Jared Thompson

Head writer of Design Something Blog, currently studying Product design at the University of Central Lancashire in his final year. He has interest in minimal, clean and simplistic design styles. Follow Jared (@Jthompsondesign) on twitter!

Check out his Design Portfolio here!

Be sure to subscribe to the RSS Feed for the best in design blog posts every week of the year!