How and why should you say “no” to a client? What are a designer’s blindspots when providing project estimates? And at what point should we stop calling ourselves “graphic designers” and just stick to the simplified term “designer”?

Seattle-based blog ChangeOrder is a factory of fresh ideas on all of these topics. Since late 2007, ChangeOrder’s quality articles have concentrated on the business & process of design. And although they’re a country away and a timezone apart from us, it’s as if ChangeOrder and Elbowruminations are long-lost cousins out here on the blogosphere…only ChangeOrder was gifted with the brains while we just got the geeky computer skills.

ChangeOrder’s David Sherwin produces thoughtful, useful entries covering all corners of the design industry, providing applicable insights for the designers who like business, and the businesspeople who like design. In response to the three questions posed in this article’s intro, ChangeOrder offers these tidbits:

On Saying No

“The only major failure you should face in the business of design? The failure to recognize that a client project is something you should decline. […] Yes, you need to pay rent. Yes, this work is not beneath you. Yes, the work will hopefully lead to better things….but like the old adage says, “Be careful what you’re good at.” Can you afford to promote yourself as an expert in one area and end up spending your time working in another?” [Read the rest of “On Saying No” here]

Designers Hate Estimating

In a three-part series, ChangeOrder provides some tips to help designers put together better, smarter quotes for their projects. CO suggests considering how the client will behave through the course of a project, and if that will influence your work. “Clients ask designers for references,” Sherwin writes, “But it’s not always a bad thing to check up on your clients and/or closely observe how they interact with their peers or other vendors. This kind of gut check should govern what kind of buffer or multiplier you apply to your project fee, or whether you wish to engage with them at all. Sometimes you need to say no gracefully.” [Read the rest of “Designers Hate Estimating” here: Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3]

Farewell, graphic designer. We’ll miss you.

The term “Graphic Designer” has been in use for as long as the profession has been alive, but ChangeOrder suggests we guide the term into early retirement.

“A ‘Graphic Designer’ today may be responsible for a range of graphic applications across various materials,” explains the blog, “But that’s not what we’re paid to do anymore. […] Designers can contribute insights and ideas that have ramifications far beyond some ink on a page, or colors on an LCD display.” [Read the rest of “Farewell, graphic designer” on ChangeOrder]

Graphic design has the advantage of being an even-footed occupant of two different worlds: the dollars-and-sense arena of business, and the unpredictable, imaginative, explosive world of art. While most work we feature here is that which fuses the two, there are some occasions when the utility of graphic design is overtaken by lush, unstoppable creativity.

Such is the work of designer Scott Hansen: whether acting as creator or curator, the pieces that Hansen posts are intricate, elaborate masterpieces. It’s a refreshing wind to anybody who is in need of a little inspiration — a little reminder that yes, graphic design is for artists, too.

Signal vs. Noise is the official blog by infamous web design company 37signals. Focusing on usability in web, software and product design, Signal vs. Noise (or “SVN,” as it is abbreviated) does a fantastic job extracting timeless design principles from ordinary life. While many design blogs simply gawk at the beautiful, SVN also aims to learn lessons.

5 Best Recent Posts from Signal Vs. Noise:

1. Screens Around Town
Signal vs. Noise excels at spotting examples of smart design in everyday life. One particularly interesting section is “Screens About Town,” a feature dedicated to applauding well-thought out interfaces online. Here is one of the most recent entries, concerning zip codes and sign-up forms.

2. Writing Better Help Wanted Ads
“Write an honest, thoughtful, clear ad and you’re more likely to hear from candidates with those qualities. Spout a lot of buzzwordy nonsense and you’ll attract people fluent in BS.”

3. But there’s only so many ways to do something, right?
“Whenever I run into designer’s block or just need visual design inspiration I turn to the world of wrist watches.”

4. Bike Sheds and C. Northcote Parkinson
During development meetings, “it’s easy to have pile-ons that don’t really accomplish much. Someone has to blow the whistle every once in a while and say, “Is this conversation really helping?” Calling out “Bike shed” is a quick way to do that.”

5. Shattered Still Life
A quick “look at this” post about a photographer that drops ceramic figurines onto a solid surface, then snaps their photograph the second they begin to break into a million pieces. Gorgeous photos, and an incredibly brilliant concept.

We only recently discovered Brian Kroeker, and we’re fans already. A designer that lives, works and rides his bike in Toronto, Brian was part of the team that developed the new Winners/Homesense identities (as he divulged to us in this comment). His work isn’t restricted to corporate identity or just retail work, either. As evidenced by his design portfolio, he’s done work for everybody from rock bands, to magazines, to flatware companies.

He’s also got an interesting personal blog experiment, in which he spends two hours designing a book cover based on a song he’s listening to. It’s called Cover Songs. Let’s say he pops in Neutral Milk Hotel and listens to “Two Headed Boy,” he’ll mock up a book cover with the songwriter’s name and the song title. The result, in the case of this example, was this:

Brian’s work is original and ambitious, and we look forward to seeing future projects that have his name attached to them.

If you’ve ever found yourself unable to understand why all the presentations you’re forced to sit through are so utterly terrible, it’s because there are simply not enough people reading Presentation Zen. This blog considers it its mission to transform presentation makers from slovenly Powerpoint template co-opters, into graceful, elegant masters of smooth presentation design. Tips on creating presentations abound, along with live examples that help freshen up the experience. So the next time you’re about to open up PowerPoint or Keynote to create a new slideshow to show your staff or colleagues, spend a few minutes reading PZ first. Everybody will thank you — trust us.

For seekers of artful products, patterns and purchases, Design*Sponge (abbreviated as D*S) is a blog that absorbs inspiration and squeezes it all over the net. This decorative, cleanly designed blog is a calming space, with a tranquil colour palette and an eye for all things beautiful. While it likely won’t teach you much about the business of graphic design, Design*Sponge should at least help you acquire a taste for design done well.

Living, working and blogging in Toronto, Ontario, the author of this blog we know is an award winning Art Director and Designer. Frederik Samuel’s Ad Goodness is a black and white diorama of good and bad of advertising from around the world.

One of the most notable aspects of this popular blog is the masterful implementation of advertising into the layout and theme of the site. Although at times it’s somewhat difficult differentiating between navigational links and adverts, the pay-per-click-ability of this blog is impressive. Anyone looking to make money online could learn valuable lessons in advertising optimization by studying Samuel’s work carefully.

Ironically, this blog, in which good advertising is well executed online, also highlights the best of advertising in the real world. Here are few interesting links to check out.

Our post on April 12, called Designing for the Wacky New Frontier, discussed some of the ways Web 2.0 is changing our language and presenting new challenges for designers. The Name Inspector is a blog that specializes in keeping up with these trends.

Christopher Johnson is his real name. He’s a self-proclaimed wordavor* with a PhD who has worked as a linguist and language technologist for over 15 years. His experience is vast and his education reputable. His blog discusses the linguistic meaning of words and brand names, defines their verbal harmonies, and describes their visual connotations. His posts are intelligent and interesting with phonetic representations accompanying most words being analyzed.

The site itself takes some time to understand and navigate but once you figure out what it’s all about, it makes for an interesting read. To get you started, here is a post about Liftport, a company that is building an elevator to space.

*a wordavor is a person or animal that eats words (I don’t think it’s in the dictionary yet).

Canadian Design Resource is a project that seeks to document classic and original Canadian design work by bringing it to the web. The CDR doesn’t restrict itself to Graphic Design, but also features fashion artifacts, sporting gear and product packaging, just to name a few categories. Our favourites are the Expo 67 features (an incredibly modern design look for the 60s), and the longstanding Canadian classic, the Canada wordmark. (PS: Did you know that Canada’s logo is one of the featured examples of a wordmark for Wikipedia’s definition?)

As you can clearly see for yourself, the Canadian Design Resource is not only helping bring signature Canadian design ephemera to light, but is also helping bring out the brilliance of the Canadian design industry. Designed by Spacecadet Design and operated by Motherbrand, the CDR is one of our favourite sites to check out regularly.

This attractive blog is more than just a pretty face. FreelanceSwitch is authored by a trio of independent freelancers, who offer up useful instructions on doing business on your own, and doing it right. You might recognize their “Top 10 Signs You Might Be Charging Too Little” from a recent front-page item on Digg, but it doesn’t stop there: Freelance Switch has a lot more to say, from tips for overcoming your fear of pitching new ideas, to taking care of your internet persona. It will make a friendly addition to your current family of RSS subscriptions.