Other Design Resources

The following pages contain favorite links of UCDA members, relating to mission of the University & College Designers Association. UCDA is not responsible for any of the content on any of the following links — they are provided solely as a service.

ORGANIZATIONS
 
AIGA
The purpose of the American Institute of Graphic Arts is to advance excellence in graphic design as a discipline, profession, and cultural force. The AIGA provides leadership in the exchange of ideas and information, the encouragement of critical analysis and research, and the advancement of education and ethical practice.

CASE
The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is the professional organization for advancement professionals at all levels who work in alumni relations, communications, and development.
 
College Art Association (CAA)
CAA promotes excellence in scholarship and teaching in the history and criticism of the visual arts and in creativity and technical skill in the teaching and practices of art.
 
Graphic Artists Guild
Promotes and protects the economic interests of member artists and is committed to improving conditions for all creators of graphic arts and raising standards for the entire industry. The Guild is an egalitarian union that embraces all creators of graphic arts intended for presentation as originals or reproductions at all levels of skill and expertise.
 
International Council of Graphic Design Associations (ICOGRADA)
International Council of Graphic Design Associations is the professional world body for graphic design and visual communication associations.
 
National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR)
NCMPR is the only organization of its kind that exclusively represents marketing and public realtions professionals at community, technical and junior colleges.
 
Society of Graphic Designers of Canada (GDC)
The GDC is Canada's national graphic design association. A member-based organization of design professionals, educators, administrators, students, and associates in related fields, it acts as an advocate, voice and resource for Canada's graphic design profession.
 
University Photographers' Association of America (UPAA)
The UPAA is an international organization of college and university photographers concerned with the application and practice of photography as it relates to the higher education setting. They are committed to photographic excellence through continuing education and networking with our professional colleagues.
 
DESIGN-RELATED LINKS
 
10 Small Business Social Media Marketing Tips

A Guide to Effective Marketing

American Graphics Institute (AGI)
Adobe training, Apple classes, Photoshop classes, HTML courses, and web design classes. Training for designers, developers, marketers, and publishers at American Graphics Institute that fits any schedule and budget.

Anders Qvicker - AQ Art & Design  
AQ contains graphic design, web design, airbrush art, interface design, free stuff, HTML-tips, Contest, animated gif´s, and backgrounds. You can expect to find some attractive graphics, easy navigation, and lots of downloads.

The Art of Web Design: Color Wheel & Color Relationships
Ever since humankind first began mixing paint, color has played a vital role in the expression of ideas. Certain colors can evoke pointed emotions or memories. Color can change the atmosphere and feeling of a piece from dull and lifeless to bright and entrancing. As the role of the Internet in business and education increases, color must be used both to interest clients and to work on behalf of computer users.

Beginner's Guide to Color Pairing for Better Website Design
Pair colors like a pro in your next project. The best color palettes are engaging, create a sense of balanced harmony and are an extension of the message you are trying to convey. This article will help you create the perfect color palette.

Busy Beaver Button Co.
High quality custom buttons, magnets, and bottle openers. Every product is made with solar power from recycled steel in our geothermal heated/cooled headquarters in Chicago. Celebrating 20 year in business!

ClickZ Today
Topics in design, content and creativity.

Colad
Unique packaging, including pocket folders.
 
Company Folders, Inc.
Company Folders is the premier online folder printer, providing high-end marketing materials and premium-quality service. Our Folder Design Gallery offers artwork inspiration for students, increased exposure for designers, and a community where members can vote, share and comment on their favorite designs. We also offer free Folder Design Templates; designers can use them to quickly produce work for clients, professors can use them as examples in class, and students can reserve engineer them to better learn the principles of graphic arts. For valuable tips, tutorials, and articles related to design and printing, visit the Company Folders Blog.
 
Communication Arts Magazine
World's largest magazine on creativity for graphic designers, art directors, copywriters, photographers, illustrators and multimedia designers.

Corporate Image
Corporate Image has been creating environmentally friendly ways to store, organize and present information for more than 30 years. We're a specialty printer of presentation products that are designed to enhance your marketing and communication materials. Our product line includes FlexHinge ring binders made from 100% recycled board, tab dividers, pocket folders and custom boxes. Corporate Image is an FSC certified printer that is committed to providing attractive, well-designed, sustainable presentation solutions to meet the needs of colleges and universities. The result is a combination of superior craftsmanship and customer satisfaction.
 
Creative Bloq
Daily inspiration for creative people. Fresh thinking, expert tips and tutorials to supercharge your creative muscles.
 
Design Ideas and Recipes
Contains step-by-step design projects from www.ideabook.com.

Designer Resource Center

Designing for Print
The epitome of print education for graphic designers. Nowadays, there are so many methods of print in use; offset, letterpress, digital printing, silk-screening, engraving and more. To know the limitations and advantages of each method can be confusing, and not knowing can be costly for designers and their clients. Designing For Print contains all the know-how graphic designers need to work with printers and achieve amazing results. Designing For Print is perfect for self-taught pros, hobbyists, and digital designers who need to design and print successful projects.
 
Dmitry’s Design Lab
A collection of brief tutorials, bug alerts, and general advice on HTML and its extensions, Web page design and layout, browsers, and web graphics from Dmitry Kirsanov.

Email design do's and don'ts
Email marketing is an ideal and affordable marketing strategy for small businesses that want to quickly build a customer base and yield profits with minimal investment. But before you can get people to click on your messages, you have to capture their attention. Design plays a critical role in marketing success, so keep the following email design do’s and don’ts in mind when you develop your email campaigns.

Folders Galore
Folder inspiration and direction.

Folders.com
Custom manufactured marketing and identity products.

Graphic Design Degree
Everything you need to know about studying graphic design online and finding the right school.

Graphic Design USA and GDUSA enewsletters
Graphic Design USA, for 46 years, has been a monthly news, people, products and services magazine for graphic design professionals  at independent firms, advertising agencies, corporations, and institutions.
 
Graphix Designer's Studio
Contains graphics resources, free images, downloads, plugins, fonts, tips, backgrounds, and more.
 
HOW Magazine
A leading creativity, business and technology magazine for graphic design professionals.

How to Customize WordPress (Step-by-Step)

How to Make a Website with WordPress

How to Start a Blog with WordPress

How to Provide Better Feedback to Designers
For most of the designers, getting feedback is a sensitive subject. Most of the times, the designers would like to skip this stage of the process. Designers may even think that feedback givers always stand in their way to design pristine and beautiful concepts. But the truth is that giving feedbacks is necessary.

HTML Tutorial (for Beginners)
Introduction and step-by-step tutorial for using HTML in web development.

HTML Tutorial for Beginners
A free step-by-step tutorial for new webmasters.

I.D. Magazine
The international design magazine, showcases innovative products and technologies for sophisticated readers who are at the forefront of shaping the world through design.

Illustrator How
You will learn many how-tos here. Even if you are a newbie, with the detailed step-by-step tutorials, you can self-taught and become a pro.

Kraus Banners
Kraus is one of the premier banner companies in America, renowned for its quality and craftsmanship, creating many banners for colleges and universities.

Learn to Code HTML & CSS
Learn to Code HTML & CSS is a simple and comprehensive guide dedicated to helping beginners learn HTML and CSS. Outlining the fundamentals, this guide works through all common elements of front-end design and development.

Mapping Resources for the Blind and Visually Impaired
A source for those interested in maps for the blind and visually impaired.
 
MegaPrint
Custom wallpaper prints allow you to create truly dramatic murals that give a space the exact look and feel you want! Your company lobby can have a floor-to-ceiling custom wallpaper of your product. Your restaurant can have a custom wall mural of old photos or scenery to set the right mood. Stores can have custom wallpaper that strengthens their branding.

Large format printing is all we do. We bring you 18 years of experience in this specialized field, and have highly knowledgeable people you can talk to about your job- from posters and vinyl banners to trade show graphics and custom wallpaper. We take pride in our New Hampshire craftsmanship, and guarantee your satisfaction. When you want your large format printing done perfectly - and on time every time - talk to us!

Mid-South Color Labs, Inc.
Mid-South Color Labs, Inc. is a full-service provider of photographic and digital imaging services. We offer true photographic prints, wall graphics, vinyl and fabric banners, custom-printed wallpaper and trade show graphics, to name a few. Some of our most popular products are low-cost retractable banner stands with custom graphics, which are ideal for recruiting and lobby displays. We also provide online professional lab service to in-house photo departments and institutional advancement offices (www.corporatepicts.com). We have been in business for over 50 years and focus on providing solutions to your marketing and communications needs rather than just products. A special online catalog for UCDA members is available with many design ideas and priced products. For more information, contact Bob Vickers or Brooks Clayton at 800-248-5227.

Online Courses Review
Online Courses Review provides high-quality information for individuals seeking the best online graphic design courses and degrees. In today’s increasingly competitive job market, having a degree or applicable course experience can help provide you with the skills and knowledge to give you a competitive advantage when seeking a job or promotion. Choosing the right degree program or course to suit your needs can be an overwhelming and time-consuming process. 

Phil Wong
Contains drawings, illustrations and comics from artist Phil Wong.
 
PRINT
Graphic designers, digital designers, art directors, illustrators, photographers, design educators, and students read Print magazine.Feature articles encompassmagazine design, advertising,corporate branding, video, animation, exhibitions, and digital design.
 
Stock Index Online
StockIndexOnline has just launched SEARCH - a search engine that links you directly to the content of 100's of leading stock specialist images libraries. This is a major benefit for those looking for images - by putting in keywords you can search ALL the stock libraries from our site and then go straight to their preview - average search time - five seconds.

Tafescourses Graphic Design
Australia's Leading Online Design College. Offering courses that are flexible and affordable in order to meet anyone's needs.

The Ultimate HTML 5 Cheat Sheet
Extensive up-to-date cheat sheet on HTML 5 to help designers use cleaner markups that are consistent and uniform, create elegant forms, and work with rich media elements.

Website Design for Your Online Business
If you find a link that is inactive, or if you have an additional resources you would like to see added, please contact the UCDA Webmaster.
           
What can I learn in an online Master's in Communications program?
The overarching skill a student can expect to gain from any online master’s in communications program is strategic thinking. While from the outside the term “strategic” could feel arbitrary, it’s essential to a management and senior-level skillset in many careers and is especially important in the field of communications where a professional must be able to think in the long-term, create a cohesive communications plan and be able to effectively analyze the outcomes of the plan. A communications professional, to use an effective cliché, must be able to see the forest through the trees. In other words, while a communications professional has day-to-day responsibilities, they still need to maintain a macro-level perspective. These professionals must also be able to effectively communicate with their various target audiences as well as their internal audiences (e.g. administrators, bosses, executive members).