So yeah, we just wanted to let our subscribers know that we’re taking a whole week off from the blog.

Why?

Because we have work to do! (We will return to our regularly scheduled programming on Friday, May 25th)

Product Launch

It’s a little product, but we’re getting ready to launch an e-book template on Graphic River!

It’s our first for-sale product that you can buy cheap and use a lot. We’ll have more details as soon as we’re through jumping through the hoops of getting our design on the marketplace.

We’re a little bit excited.

Client Work

Well, we have a project in the works, and the deadline is coming up fast, so we’re going to be working on that a bit, too.

One of our other pet projects is starting to come along nicely, as well. Again, we’ll have more details in the not-so-distant future.

Open for Work

Even though we have a lot on our plate at the moment, we’re open to taking on one more new client. Preferably for a web design project if possible.

If you need any web design work completed or you know somebody else who needs the same type of work – drop us a line and we’ll get in touch ASAP.

In the mean-time, sign up for our mailing list – if you don’t sign up, you’re not cool. (We have an RSS feed, too!)

Oh yeah, we release them as free desktop backgrounds to keep you motivated all week long, too!

This week’s quote is anonymous – the most likely source (according to Quote Investigator) is John William Gardner. We try to be tidy here at Nascent, though our minds are anything but.

From custom post types to categories and tags – the whole thing can get a little confusing.

So we’re going to take a long look at some of your options when it comes to WordPress posts.

The Basics – Posts and Categories

Let’s say your blog covers a couple of subjects, or you have two audiences. Maybe you just have a few specific columns.

Then you need to be using categories. WordPress categories split your posts into separate sections on your blog.

As an example – we use categories for each different column on Nascent - Pro-Design, Client-Ed, Five Finds, and our Wednesday Quote. Categories make it much easier for us to build navigation for each column.

Nascent's Blog Category Structure

You can also have sub-categories – all of our columns are a subcategory of our blog.

Another great use for categories (when it comes to designers) is the Portfolio. Our portfolio is one big category, with subcategories of Graphic, Print, and Web.

Here’s a little tip (for non-designers) – you can use portfolio themes as e-commerce themes. The portfolio section of most themes makes for a great shopping area, especially the more customizable ones.

Tags – What are they good for?

Absolutely nothing!

Alright, that was a lie, but it just reminded me of a song for some reason…

So what are they really good for? Identifying the topic(s) of a post for the most part. If you have tags visible in your posts’ meta users can click on a tag to see articles with similar topics.

But there are more powerful uses for tags.

Using tags as hooks for widgets, for example. The widgets we use on our homepage (#2 and #3) use tags to identify featured posts to slap ‘em on the front page.

Some SEO plugins also use tags as meta keywords for search engines. It’s not the best for SEO, but I imagine it helps a little bit.

The important part is to keep the tags relevant to your content. We covered that in 5 WordPress Essentials, so we aren’t going to repeat ourselves in depth.

Custom Post Type

Finally, we come to the all-powerful Custom Post Type.

Here’s the funny part, though – Custom Post Types are really just posts that go into a specific category by default.

Why use them, then? Because you can alter the interface for the post editor on a custom post type. It’s also much simpler to use for the end-user of a theme.

For instance, many portfolio and e-commerce themes use custom post types to make it easier to add portfolio items or products to a specific area of the blog.

Next Week

Due to popular demand, we’re going to analyze the various user roles for WordPress blogs – find out how to give special people special powers and learn how to break a spammer’s keyboard by demoting them to “Subscriber.”

So that deal with breaking a spammer’s keyboard probably isn’t true – but it will frustrate them, anyway.

And just because we found them and want to share them this week doesn’t mean they were published this week. We want to expose older articles as well as new ones.

So, without further ado, check out our Five Finds of the week from May 6, 2012 – May 12, 2012.

TED Talk of the Week – Perspective is Everything

-from Rory Sutherland on TED.com

The circumstances of our lives may matter less than how we see them, says Rory Sutherland. At TEDxAthens, he makes a compelling case for how reframing is the key to happiness.

Welcome to the Era of Design

-by Adam Swann on Forbes

All businesses, no matter what they make or sell, should recognize the power and financial value of good design.

ArtsyPoses.com

(NSFW-ish, unless you’re an artist)

This is a great figure drawing reference site. They even have a random pose slideshow with a timer. This is great for gesture drawing practice, but if you leave it on default settings and random, I’ve found you get a very large number of male nudes. If you prefer to draw the female body or an even mix, you might have to adjust accordingly.

45 Online Generators For Designers And Developers To Do The Job Faster!

-by 1stWebDesigner.com

With so many things to know and techniques to learn it often becomes hard for designers and developers to keep up with their projects and manage their work. [...] One of the things that can accelerate and enhance your workflow are online generators.

A guide to typography (Infographic)

-from ZuBeta.com

A quick and easy to understand graphical guide to typography. It covers knowing the difference between typefaces, common styles, type anatomy and different layouts. Jolly good graphic!

I feel like I’ve been working 16 hour days 7 days a week. It’s pretty rough.

So how do we cope when we’re approaching the burnout zone?

Take a break.

That’s right, we’re going to take a couple of days off. Sort-of.

I recently shared a little jewel in Persistence and Business – always show up and do the bare minimum, even when you don’t want to.

We’re still showing up every day to do what needs to be done, but for the next few days we’re going to relax a little bit.

I encourage you to do the same.

Relax and be productive.

Just because I’m encouraging you to relax doesn’t mean that you’re going to be unproductive or lazy if you take my advice.

I personally plan on taking this time to do some writing, drawing, and a pretty thorough reflection on how things are going lately.

Maybe you could do a bit of light spring cleaning, read a great book, or learn a new skill without the distraction of work.

But you still need to relax in order to avoid burnout.

Time to take my own advice.

That’s right, I’m off to relax and avoid the otherwise inevitable burnout. That means this article is going to be a bit short this week.

After you leave a comment you should go ahead and relax, too.

Oh yeah, we release them as free desktop backgrounds to keep you motivated all week long, too!

This week we have a great quote from the poet Pierre Reverdy. This one resonates with us due to our philosophies at the studio – creativity and efficiency.

Or have you hired a web designer to create a database-driven content management system?

Web designers are not web developers. Web developers are not web designers. “Web guys” and “Web gals” can sometimes be both.

It can get confusing sometimes, so we’re going to bring the cast of Overhaulin’ in to demonstrate the differences.

Enter Chip Foose – A Designer

Chip Foose designs cars – very beautiful cars. His hit reality TV-Show, Overhaulin’, hit it big a few years back due to Chip’s design skills and his excellent team.

Chip knows how to create beautiful concept drawings of cars. He designs the exterior, interior, and details the sketch until it’s a beautiful piece of paper that would be worthy of a frame on a wall.

Chip also knows (to an extent) the limitations of what his team can accomplish when he creates his concepts. Because Chip knows cars.

This is what a web designer is for your web site.

A web designer designs the appearance of your web site – with extensive training in UI design, accessability design and a great imagination.

Web designers need to know the basics of web development, namely to identifiy limitations and possiblities for design, but a web designer’s primary concern is making sure your site looks fantastic and has a user-friendly interface.

The Overhaulin’ Crew – Developers

The cast of the show typically changed every episode, though there were some recurring crew members. The point still stands – the crew made Chip’s designs come to life.

You had your body guys, paint guys, engine guys, interior guys, etc. Most of them specialized, but many floated between stations depending on what was needed the most.

They were true developers.

Your web developer is somebody who knows how to get the code done. Whether it’s PHP, Javascript, or HTML/CSS.

Think of developers as the people who create the skeleton of your site, make sure the engine is running smoothly and get all of the moving parts in-motion.

Interactive elements in your design? The developer will make them move. Database-driven site? The developer writes the PHP to make that database work.

The Everyman (or Everywoman) – All-in-One

There are some individuals out there who dedicate their existences to being a designer and developer.

Learning new tech and design trends is a full-time job in the first place. When these individuals do projects above and beyond their constant education – it’s something to behold (and be thankful for).

Of course, designers and developers always need to know a bit about each others’ fields – they overlap quite frequently. If you meet a web designer that doesn’t know HTML they aren’t worth your money. It’s the same if you meet a web developer that doesn’t appreciate great alignment.

Now that you understand the blurry line between the two professions – go hire a great designer or developer – just know what you’re hiring them for.

By the Way – We do Both

That’s right – Nascent Studio has web designers and web developers on board. So go ahead and fill out our Web Questionnaire to get started on your web design and development project today.

And just because we found them and want to share them this week doesn’t mean they were published this week. We want to expose older articles as well as new ones.

So, without further ado, check out our Five Finds of the week from April 29 – May 5, 2012.

TED Talk of the Week – Design to Challenge Reality

-from Kelli Anderson on TED.com

Kelli Anderson is a graphic designer (specializing in print) who designs things to challenge the way we see and use them.

She is an expert at reframing problems and creating excellent design solutions, and she illustrates this beautifully in her very popular TED Talk.

Check it out for some great insight and inspiration for your own design career.

A Comprehensive Guide to Starting Your Freelance Career

-from Freelance Switch

Collis goes through every little detail on starting a freelance career in this very thorough article for first-time freelancers.

Questions about pricing and invoicing? Questions about problem clients? Need help finding work? Check out this article.

Ignore the design, please

-by Sreeraman Mohan Girija for Speckyboy

An interesting look at how people perceive the profession of design.

Also, it could be our own fault for letting people perceive our profession this way. Are we under-valuing ourselves because people see design as “easy”?

What I’ve Learned About Learning

-from ZenHabits

Leo posted this article as we were writing one on a similar subject. We couldn’t resist including this link in this week’s roundup.

Leo explains his teaching methodology and how we can learn more effectively by doing the things we want to know more about. Lecturing doesn’t work, and he has the experience to prove it.

Weekly Inspiration – Movie Posters by Mahdi Chowdhury

-from Design Float

Just a look at some excellent minimal movie posters by Mahdi Chowdhury. Did we mention he was 14?

Yeah. That’s right, this kid is creating designs that put most designers to shame. Regardless, check out his work for a little kick in the ass and some great inspiration.

Is it odd to think that your entire education was pretty worthless when you started doing things in the real world? Especially if you’re an entrepreneur or designer.

Many creative professionals comment that their formal education was nearly useless. They learned everything they needed to know once they began their careers.

So I ask another question – how do you learn the things that you need to use now?

Learn by Lecture? No.

Historically, youths were apprenticed by masters to learn a trade early in life.

This apprenticeship system was abandoned during the industrial revolution for a “one size fits all” model of modern education.

The only problem is that one size does not fit all. Eventually, regardless of your trade, you will be apprenticed by your employer. You just have a late start due to your education.

Schools create generic courses of instruction that teach students theories without. Unless you consider responding to a bell every hour or so to be a skill. (It is a skill in a factory…)

Become an Apprentice Again

Becoming an apprentice is really the only solution to learn what you need to know.

You can’t become an artist by watching Bob Ross. You can’t become a designer by reading design books. You won’t become a great marketer by listening to a marketing lecture.

You need to paint with Bob, practice your skills, and test your theories.

Learn your profession by practicing it. And start early.

Some people have already realized that a major change needs to happen in education. Here are a few examples:

• The New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts is a vocational school that pushes students to their creative limits without traditional classes – their teachers are the masters, the students are the apprentices. 98% of their graduates go to college.
• High Tech High is a San Diego charter school that puts kids to work on projects without a traditional class structure. They get to build, program, and solve difficult puzzles. They learn their trade by working in it (with guidance). 100% of their students have attended college.
• Unschooling is a new learning concept that encourages parents to help their kids solve their own puzzles. Not give them the answers – give them the tools to find out. Leo Babauta of ZenHabits works with his children in this way – and he actually put up a post on a similar topic as I was writing this one – touché, Leo.
• Schools that practice Free Education and Democratic Education tend not to have a set curricula – students of all ages end up mentoring and apprenticing each other along with the staff of the school. This increases social interactivity between age groups, promotes self-learning, and prepares students to make their own decisions at an early age.

If all of these people have found solutions, why can’t you?

As artists, designers, and entrepreneurs – you will need to have skill sets similar to the children mentioned above. So how do you start?

Tips to Learn By

First, I’d just like to say that you need to learn by doing. You can’t simply read about a skill to learn it.

If you aren’t prepared to take the time to be good (or better yet, great) at what you want to do – stop reading now.

If you are prepared, read on. Here are 7 tips to get you started:

1. Focus. Start to focus on one thing at a time. When you get distracted you won’t retain as much of the skill you’re trying to learn. Whether it’s design, drawing, or learning to code – focus. Try to focus on other daily activities when you do them as well. Focus on doing the dishes, taking a shower, walking the dog. Being mindful will open you up to new possibilities.
2. Take 10. When you decide what you want to learn, take 10 minutes to plan out the actions you will take to get there. You don’t have to plan for mastery, but figure out what first actionable thing(s) will get you on the right track. “Find good instructional video” –> “Watch and apply first instructional video.”
3. Experiment and Disagree. Don’t take things by face-value – public education encourages that, I don’t. Try to disagree with common beliefs, experiment with your own theories, and take note of the results.
4. Find a Master. When you’ve exhausted all of your own resources, find somebody who can help you get past a plateau. Become a true apprentice to an expert in your field. Sometimes it’s difficult to get in contact with successful people, but be persistent and keep asking around.
5. Peer Feedback. Peers in your field can offer valuable feedback on your projects and ideas. Designers, in particular, can offer a lot of feedback to other designers. Sometimes the community can be brutal, but developing a thick skin is part of any business. Whether you like the feedback you receive or not, it will help you learn. Just remember – not all feedback is relevant or correct. You need to determine the value of feedback yourself.
6. Practice. This is a no-brainer. You need to practice what you’re learning in order to get better. Put in the effort to see the results.
7. Reflect. Reflect on what has worked in your practice. Note your progress. What helped the most? What seemed like a waste of time? Figure out what causes your ups and your downs. Once you notice patterns you can fine-tune your learning and productivity. I like to write about what I’ve learned as a way to reflect.

These tips will be essential to truly learn any skill. But the most important factor in becoming a master of your trade is to be passionate and enthusiastic about it.

If it’s difficult to develop a true interest, then don’t. Move on to something else until you can find that passion.

What About You?

What are some skills you’ve learned by diving in head-first? Do you have any stories about learning your trade? Let us know in the comments!

To get things started the right way, our first hump day quote is going to be from one of my favorite designers – Paul Rand.