Michael (Hok) Hawkins

Unused symbols from the last couple of years. Some rejects. Some abandoned ideas. Some too familiar. I rarely reuse or sell these ideas "aftermarket." Logo symbols are crafted from a really intentional place and are intended to identify. Identity is pretty personal. So I typically lay these to rest in peace. Logo designers, what do you do with unused concepts? #logo #symbol #branding #brandidentity #logomark

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Fellow book designers, authors, and publishing industry folks… Have you heard about Reedsy yet? If not, you can thank me once you sign up after reading this. Back in 2021, I stumbled across Reedsy, a site designed to connect authors with all the professionals they need to get their books ready to be published: Editors, Designers, Illustrators, Marketers, etc. I figured I’d sign up as a designer, and perhaps it would lead to a few new book design clients each year. Boy, was that an understatement. Three years later, the work I received from Reedsy literally quadrupled my book design business. It has been the biggest game-changer, so much so that I no longer do any other marketing. I simply don’t need to. The referrals that come in through Reedsy are more than enough to keep my studio doors open, to the point that I have to turn away projects regularly. If you’re a book designer, Illustrator, Editor, or have marketing experience in the publishing industry, I highly suggest you apply to be listed as a professional on Reedsy. There’s no charge to apply since they only take a small fee if you enter into a collaboration with an author, so there’s really nothing to lose. Plus, if you use my link here, you’ll get a free $100 once you land your first job! So check it out. And then let me know if it’s changed your business as much as it has changed mine. https://lnkd.in/gmmexfRx

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Oof, but I see this mistake a lot. Here's a CreativePro Network, Inc. article I wrote where I explain how to keep this from happening: https://lnkd.in/gPU6iS_p. #typography #punctuation

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YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG! 3 Better Ways to Hire Your Next Creative Partner... Prospective clients often come to me and say, "Here's my concept...how much will this cost?" On the surface, this seems like a perfectly acceptable way to request proposals, but in this video I'm going to give you 3 better alternatives to help you find your next creative partner, and get better outcomes. Let me know how you approach your RFPs, and shoot me a message here on LinkedIn or at Drew@779Video.com if you want to create something great!

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Just because your report is long and information-heavy doesn’t mean it needs to be boring. My designs keep readers engaged. Check out samples of interesting reports that I've designed at https://lnkd.in/gSjucZbp #graphicdesign #branding #reports #freelancedesigner #corporatecommunications #leahgryfedesigns #accessibility #bilingual #bilingue #français

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Exciting news! I just wrapped up designing a sleek, two-sided government brochure, and I couldn’t be more proud of how it turned out! 💼✍️ Whether you're in need of professional materials or just curious about design, this one’s worth checking out. Head over to my latest post for a closer look at the details! Let me know your thoughts—your feedback always helps me grow! 🙏 #BrochureDesign #GraphicDesign #illustratortutorial #adobeillustrator

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What's the best way to view mobile documents created in Adobe InDesign? In this new tutorial, let me show you two of the most commonly used methods: Acrobat Reader for mobile, and one of my favorite PDF to Flipbook platforms. Follow along in this free class as we'll also go over how to create a mobile company catalog using a custom template, which also happens to be included with this tutorial! So jump in and come learn! 🧑🏻‍💻👩🏽‍💻 Full tutorial with lesson notes, files ➡️ https://bit.ly/3UCauqR #adobeindesign #indesign #acrobat #adobeacrobat #mobile #digitalpublishing #design

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𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹. Your publishing team will take it from there. Don’t have a team? No problem. I know people. I know people who know people… We’re happy to make recommendations and suggest folks to help with whatever you need. There are countless talented editors, proofreaders, book coaches, and marketing experts in my LI network… Your “dream team” could be assembled in a few weeks or days. Self-publishing is about you having control. Go get published. - - - - - - 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼, 𝗜’𝗺 𝗧𝗼𝗻𝗶! 👋 I call myself 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘳 because I create deep connections and fully commit to each high-quality project I work on. 𝗠𝘆 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝗻-𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.

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Even designers use these terms incorrectly (and there's a lot of nuance and history here I won't bore you with). For our purposes, let's simplify: a TYPEFACE is a family of FONTS. Why should you care? Let's say that your brand guidelines state that Museo Sans is your brand TYPEFACE. If that's all that is specified, it's easy for materials to look different - some headlines using very thin weights of the typeface, while others use the thick weights. To ensure consistency, these guidelines can be more granular, defining which FONT within the typeface to use for headlines, body copy, etc. How specific do these need to be? I've found that in general, the larger the organization and the more folks that will be accessing the guidelines to create materials, more specific typographic guidelines = a more a consistent visual brand. Did you know the difference between these two terms?

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Completed the Essential Skills in Adobe InDesign 2024 Professional Certificate. Pretty thorough course even for someone who's used InDesign for well over a decade, most certainly picked up a few good pointers and tips. Check it out: https://lnkd.in/eS__8Rpk #adobeindesign.

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Your Brain on Typography: The Neuroscience Behind Letterforms Did you know that the part of your brain responsible for recognizing letters and writing is actually a repurposed region originally evolved for identifying and interpreting human faces? Neuroscientists have discovered that this "hardware" was adapted over time as humans developed the ability to read and write. This insight adds a fascinating layer to how we interact with typography. When we see text, especially in specific typefaces, our brains aren't just decoding symbols for informational purposes—they're responding with the same mechanisms used to recognize faces, expressions, and personalities. Think of the typefaces you choose as transmitters of emotion and character. A bold, geometric font might feel assertive and strong, much like a confident facial expression. In contrast, a soft, handwritten script can convey warmth and intimacy, evoking the personal touch of a human connection. The takeaway? Typography isn't just about legibility or aesthetics. It's about communication on a deeper, almost instinctual level. By choosing typefaces that align with the tone and message of your design, you can tap into this powerful brain wiring to create an emotional connection with your audience. So next time you select a typeface, remember: you're not just picking letters; you're crafting an experience, shaping how people feel and respond—because that's literally how the brain is wired to work.

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When to use Illustrator.🥰😙 Illustrator is a graphic design application. Graphic designers use Illustrator to create vector graphics. Vector images and graphics are made of points, lines, shapes, and curves based on mathematical formulas rather than a set amount of pixels, and therefore can be scaled up or down while maintaining image quality. So, vector artwork can fit different sizes — larger or smaller — without losing any detail. Vector art can appear on everything from enormous banners to wallet-sized business cards, and everything in between. This makes Illustrator a very good application for graphics that are going to be printed on signs or banners. Create with virtual brushes and ink. Designers using Illustrator can create graphics and images freehand, using a stylus and digital drawing tools. An artist’s intuition and personal style is a powerful asset for creating distinctive images, and Illustrator allows artists to create with virtual brushes, pens, inks, and other powerful tools on a variety of digital surfaces. HERE IS A PIECE OF WORK I DESIGNED WITH ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR.

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Kinda case study-ish. Kinda folio piece. Kinda have a look if you like. #freelancefraser #freelancecreativeartworker #artworker #graphicdesign #creativedesign #teejaymaths #educationaldesign #textbookdesign #aftermath #beforeandafter

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Remember paragraphs of centered copy are hard to read, especially on small digital screens. Have the heads of design and design leaders forgotten simple typography rules? Yes, mobile screens are small and almost scream for centered type, but it's hard to read, and I think left-aligning it for readability is smarter and looks better. I ask specifically about leaders because I'm seeing many of them share work they are proud of, and my ADHD brain and I'm sure many others struggle reading their thin type weight, designer black, centered type.

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So, on the heels of my post about senior independent designers / art directors not really having anywhere to go in terms of advancement, mostly financially, what I feel like I'm seeing is a lot of millennials who have gone freelance over the last 10-20 years with promise of more freedom to choose clients and projects, and potentially make a good living at higher rates and being able to work on their terms and schedule... Is actually the industry is now very saturated. Not just with freelancers. But with agencies vying for the work of companies / corporations. Everyone feels fairly disposable, and like quality isn't prioritized in many cases. We also have no union, so agencies and companies can do whatever they want, really. So now, there is no pathway for those of us who have 15-20 years of experience to either raise rates and continue to work for our client base. Or get a full time job, because that market is also saturated so between the option of someone who has had 15 years experience freelance vs. 15 years experience in-house, for an in-house job, they're going to go with the latter. (I don't even get a first round call with in-house jobs anymore.) It's all very interesting that so much of this is coming to light in the age of Pluto in Aquarius. Our ways of work are never going to be the same again. And, while some of us will find ways to shift and still do this work, many of us will look to other ways to fill our time—be that having to make money elsewhere and/or pursuing and aligning to our mission work, our true calling. It all makes perfect sense. But I think it's funny that, as someone who graduated during the 2008 recession, right when Pluto moved into Capricorn, when the first wave of freelancers were leaving ad agencies and social media was becoming a personal tool for work and creativity, when it was all very aspirational and yet confusing... I remember countless AIGA talks and the like of people going this route. That we all find ourselves here. Please continue to share and update about how you're adapting, whether you're freelance, in house, agency. I'm so curious!

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