You need Before and After

Fortunately for me, work has been busy lately. Very busy. So busy that I’ve been having some trouble switching gears from one project to another, switching from administrative, boss type work to designing (which, of course, is why I do all of this in the first place). Thankfully, my issue of Before & After arrived just in time. Why do I say everyone needs Before & After? Let me count the ways:

1. Their tag line is “How to design cool stuff.” And they really do show you, step by documented step.
2. On their website (bamagazine.com) they offer free articles. Check out “What’s the right typeface for text?” I honestly can’t imagine an easier to read or better documented resource.
3. They cover current trends.
4. They remind me how to present my work to clients. Since the articles are written for both the professional designer and design enthusiasts, they take your hand and walk you through the design decisions made in each example. The way they spell it all out makes it clear what is involved in each design and why those choices were made. It’s exactly the way I try to present my design work to clients (ideally) and it’s nice to refer too when I get too caught up in talking about leading and kerning and my clients eyes glaze over.
5. It’s only $24 for a year of PDF articles, and $42 for both the print and PDF versions.
6. I’ve also subscribed to HOW, Print and Communication Arts. They’re all great magazines, but if I had to keep just one, it would be B&A. No offense other magazines — I love you, too.

BONUS. For another great FREE resource, check out Adobe’s online magazine.