Mar

2025

Five tips for making the transformation from graphic designer to digital marketer

You’re a graphic designer, and want to be a digital marketing pro. This entails a transition from traditional marketing to digital marketing. I know, because I mastered the move through exploration, research, and course work.

Moving from analog to digital requires thought and planning

I did not just wake up one day, and poof—I was a digital marketing pro!

Moving from traditional print marketing to digital marketing took significant thought and planning. I had done traditional marketing communications in past job positions and was self-taught in certain aspects of digital marketing when I founded a management consulting firm more than twenty years ago. I knew how to use several Adobe creative apps and learned enough HTML/CSS to manage my Website.

At some point, I knew that I needed more formal training and found a course of study that would take me where I wanted to go. This led to a degree in graphic design. After applying what I learned through formal course work, I continued to explore new technologies and apps to provide digital marketing services.

Five tips for making the transformation from graphic designer to digital marketer

First, decide on the digital marketing services you will provide—social media marketing, content design, web design, web development, web analytics, user interface/user experience (UI/UX) design, advertising, analytics, and more.
Assess your software, IT, business, sales, marketing, and people skills. Yes—whether you work for an employer or are a freelancer, you need to use “soft” people skills to identify clients’ needs and provide the appropriate digital marketing solution.
Network, network, network! Find local digital marketing firms and identify professional organizations. Speak with people in the digital marketing industry about the required skill sets and job opportunities. Find a mentor if you can.
Make a plan to fill skills gaps between where you are currently, and where you want to go. This can entail classroom and/or online training, as well as formal and informal internships.
Finally, work your plan. Acquire new skills. Learn new technologies and software apps. Build your digital portfolio to demonstrate your capabilities, and market to potential employers or clients.

Digital marketing examples

Don't get left in the dust

Take your path to success in this exciting creative industry that hardly existed twenty years ago! You can become a digital marketer by shaping and working a thoughtful plan, through networking, and by developing a solid digital portfolio.

Digital marketing continues to morph, especially with Artificial Intelligence (AI), faster computers with more power and storage than ever, and continual changes to software and apps. Don’t get left in the dust… keep on learning new things, and stay ahead of the competition!

Mar

2025

Howzabluz cattery selects Jill B Gilbert for a brand refresh and a new website

Howzabluz LLC is a Houston-based cattery that shows and breeds Russian Blue cats. They had a new logo and needed a Website. They also wanted business cards to take to cat shows. Howzabluz liked the idea of a color scheme that represents the Russian Blue breed—a beautiful bluish gray.

Jill B Gilbert updated the brand colors and created a Website that gets hundreds of hits each month. That’s good for a small business!

Brand Refresh

The original brand used a bright blue and tinted black; the updated brand uses slate blue and a very dark marine blue.

Mar

2025

Procreate Brushes Provide a Plethora of Graphic Design Possibilities

Procreate digital brushes and Apple Pencil are key tools

What is Procreate? This powerful $USD10 illustration-lettering-drawing app generates high-resolution, multilayered raster images. First made for the iPad Pro for creatives, (thus, “Procreate”), today the app works on any iPad that can pair with an Apple Pencil. I use a 13-inch iPad Air (2024 model).

In Procreate, you draw with a digital “brush.” Some brushes are strokes that mimic those of physical drawing and painting tools; others are “stamps” or shapes. Only Apple Pencil Generations 1 and 2 and Pencil Pro provide both tilt and pressure sensitivity for full stroke variability.

Procreate comes with 100+ brushes installed. If you need more (or are a “brush junkie”), you can tailor-make brushes or import ready-made free and paid brushes. You can find thousands of brushes with a little Internet sleuthing. Import brushes or brush sets via the Procreate brush panel.

I follow Procreate artists and graphic design blogs and often find new brushes. I purchase some and get others free. Here are a dozen of my favorite free and paid Procreate brush sites, in no special order:

Most all of these providers also offer free Procreate tutorials, color palettes, and more; Procreate Folio offers a discussion group and other resources, including a complete Procreate manual.

Procreate brush management tips

If you download everything that catches your eye, you will reach “Brush Overload.” So, consider these brush management tips to make it easier to use and find your Procreate brushes:

Keep only the brushes you need active in your Brush Library. Experiment with new brushes you download; you will find lots you like and lots you don’t need.
Keep your Brush Library organized; Export unused brush sets to your iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, or other file backup locations.
Create a Favorites folder. Copy the brushes you use the most to that folder.
Set a Brush Restore Point. Explore brush settings, but remember to back up settings before you change them.
Make your own brushes and brush sets if you don’t find what you need in the marketplace. Export (Share) them for safekeeping so you can use them for another project.

I use Procreate almost daily in my design workflow; this little $USD10 app—now in its fifth generation—has amazing capabilities. Procreate provides a plethora of possibilities with an abundance of ready-made brushes and the ability to tailor-make your own. Experiment with different brushes, try different drawing styles, and find the ones that work the best for you. Keep your brushes organized, and copy your favorites to an easy-to-find folder.

Explore the possibilities, and happy drawing!

New Content! This post was updated on 20 March 2024, including changes to the Procreate brush source lists and updates re newer iPads and Apple Pencils.

Mar

2025

The top 15 branding, graphic design and web design blogs for inspiration in 2025

Design blogs provide creative inspiration, and more...

Most designers do not just wake up inspired each day; something they see or do gets their creative juices flowing. I often find inspiration in branding, graphic design and web design blogs.

These blogs are written by large companies and small; from giants in the design industry like Smashing Magazine and Creative Bloq to niche firms like TypeWolf. Some of these design blogs are general, while others are quite specific.

If you don’t know where to look, here is Inkbot Design’s compilation of The 15 Best Graphic Design Blogs to Follow in 2025. The list includes several blogs I have followed for years, plus some new ones I am eager to try… if only there were more hours in the day!

Whether you work in a corporate setting, design firm, marketing agency, or freelance setting, graphic design and Web design blogs offer many benefits. These blogs can

provide creative inspiration;
help you to stay current on industry trends;
help you improve skills; and
provide valuable resources like tutorials, templates, and graphic & web design assets.

"Remember, becoming a great designer isn't about knowing everything – it's about knowing where to find the answers."

Inkbot Design

Find a balance between finding inspiration and doing creative works

It is easy to subscribe to too many blogs, and to spend too much time reading, digesting and learning new things and/or getting way down the rabbit hole! The challenge is to achieve a balance between reading blogs and doing the work that you set out to do for in the first place.

With this in mind, Inkbot Design provides a few guidelines to follow. Perhaps the most important is to limit yourself to reading only three blogs regularly. That sounds like too few, but you should focus on quality over quantity. Though these blogs are legit, remember to “fact check” what you read. If you see something that resonates, feel free to link to the blog post on your own blog, and give credit to the author.

Read design blogs for new ideas, to keep up with industry trends, to find sources of design assets, and to up your creative and design skills. And remember to create something every day!

Jill B Gilbert Creative Director

Mar

2025

So, you think you need a new brand… eight tips for success

A brand is how your customer or audience views your business. A brand includes your organization’s brand identity—a logo and other assets used to convey your message; a brand strategy or blueprint; and brand marketing to spread your message via different digital, print, and word-of-mouth channels.

If you need a new logo, you can work with an in-house graphic designer or hire a freelancer. Follow the eight tips below for a greater chance of success.

1. Understand the "Why"

Why do you need a new brand? If you are just starting out, you may want to brand your products or services. Maybe you are launching a new product or service within an existing company. Perhaps you have a brand, but feel it is outdated, or it no longer reflects your organization’s mission, vision, and values. Do a majority of stakeholders share this need?

2. Understand the "What"

What do you want to accomplish with your new brand? What benefits do you expect, for example, the ability to reach larger audiences via new digital and print channels, greater market share, easier brand recognition, or other?

3. A brand is more than a logo

A brand is how your customer or audience views your business. It is the voice of your organization or company. A brand includes your organization’s brand identity—a logo and other assets used to convey your message; a brand strategy or blueprint; and brand marketing to spread your message via different digital, print, and word-of-mouth channels.

4. Do Your Homework

Do your homework before working with the graphic designer. With graphic design projects, it’s easy to express what you don’t like, but not always so easy to express what you do like, and what you really need. Identify your stakeholders, both internal and external to your organization. Talk with these stakeholders to get a feel for how they view the organization and its key message. Get consensus on stakeholder needs, wants, style, and color preferences. It is important to keep in mind that a consensus is something everyone can accept, versus “100% agreement.” Do research and find three to five examples of brands that inspire you; be prepared to talk with the designer about how similar aesthetics might work for your organization.

5. Follow a Process

Creating a brand is a project that should follow a process. This process typically includes the following steps:

Study Client Brief
Research
Brainstorm
Sketch
Develop Concept
Revise
Deliver.

The designer should set expectations upfront regarding the project schedule and specific deliverables, such as the number of concepts and rounds of revisions.

6. Consistency Counts

You will use your brand in digital and print formats, maybe on signage, T-shirts, and more. Make sure that your brand looks great and reads well in different sizes, from an inch or two on a business card or letterhead, to a 12-foot banner at a trade show. You might need a horizontal layout on your web page or a large banner, a vertical layout on stationery and business cards, and an icon only for a website favicon.

7. Set Standards and Communicate Then

If you do not have Brand Guidelines or a Visual Standards Guide, this is a good time to create one. Such a guidelines describe your organization’s mission, vision, and voice, and how your brand communicates these. The Brand Guidelines should provide official colors for print and web materials; your official accepted logo/brand layouts and color combinations; logo/brand placement; and typography for web and other marketing communications. A brand–even when it consists only of letters or words– is artwork that must not be altered in any way, such as changing its aspect ratio, colors, or typography, or placing it within another shape. Make sure to communicate these standards and their use to your staff. Provide simple training materials.

"A brand is any distinctive feature like a name, term, design, or symbol that identifies goods or services."

—American Marketing Association

8. Protect Your Assets

A brand is one of your organization’s assets and becomes more valuable as it becomes widely used and recognized in the marketplace. Enforce the proper use of your brand assets to protect them. Protect your brand like the valuable asset it is—stick to your Brand Guidelines/Visual Standards Guide—always! Add a trademark (™) or service mark (SM) symbol to your brand, and apply for registered trademark status (®) as appropriate.

Nov

2024

Georgia Lawyers for the Arts 2024 Gala Invitation

Nonprofit organization Georgia Lawyers for the Arts (GLA) provides pro bono legal assistance to visual and performing artists and to arts organizations. Each fall, GLA holds a month-long fundraiser where they turn their Atlanta office into an art gallery and invite donors to private gallery viewings.

Last year, Jill B Gilbert created original artwork for the nonprofit’s 2023 Gala Invitation. GLA was so pleased with the graphic design work that they requested an encore performance—a new design for their 2024 Gala Invitation.

Gilbert chose a bright color palette and two contrasting typefaces for the Gala collateral—a bifold, two-sided invitation and a two-sided reply card.

French artist Henri Matisse’s colorful floral cutouts inspired the invitation’s design.

"I can't thank you enough for creating our Gala collateral for the second year in a row! I am so very grateful that you chose to donate your time and share your expertise with our organization! Rest assured that everything we do goes back to the arts community."

Meredith Ragains, JD Executive Director, Georgia Lawyers for the Arts

Mar

2024

Twelve Tips for Success as a Freelance Graphic Designer

You are creative, have a number of graphic design projects in your portfolio, and want to work for yourself. What does it take to become a freelance graphic designer, and a successful one?

Becoming a successful freelancer—in any field—requires thought and planning. Running a solo practice can be a challenge, but I think I can help. Here are twelve things I have learned in leading a solo practice for 20-some years.

1. Know your motivation

Are you motivated by the freedom to select clients and projects, focus on a distinct niche, do hybrid/remote work, lifestyle flexibility, or other reasons?

Are you willing to put in the effort? Can you balance work and life demands?

2. You need creative skills, and then some...

As a freelancer, you will be running a small business, whether you realize it or not. You need business, financial, marketing, and people skills—on top of graphic design talent and expertise.

You will be responsible for sales and marketing; proposal writing; invoicing and accounting—and graphic design work!

3. Freelancing is NOT a hobby

Treat freelance graphic design work as a business, not a hobby. Set up a studio or office where you you can work without distractions. Whether or not you work from home, have regular office hours—on your own schedule. Just make time to communicate with clients on their schedules.

4. Develop a business plan

Once you have a few clients and know what you’d like to do, make a simple business plan. This is especially important if you want to get a small business loan, apply for a grant, or obtain business credit. Have someone review your plan and provide feedback before you finalize the plan.

The plan gets you to think about what you really want to do. What is your vision? What type of projects do you prefer? Who is your target client base? What is your timeline? What is your budget, and how do you set rates for your services? What are your startup costs?

5. Save 6-12 months' expenses

It may take a while for the first client payments to arrive, and you may not have an even cash flow month-to-month. Save 6-12 months’ living expenses before you start. Maintain this reserve fund and add to it as often as you can.

6. Know what you don't know

You’re not expected to be a Jack/Jill of All Trades, so know what you don’t know. Get legal and financial advice as needed to set up your business, provide standard graphic design contracts, and to plan routine cash flow and paying taxes. Develop relationships with legal and financial experts so you can call them for advice on a moment’s notice.

7. Be professional

Avoid cute business names, though it’s OK to be clever! Act like a professional. Dress appropriately. Have business cards available—yes, people still use business cards! Avoid acting too casual on sales calls or in client meetings. Be aware of post content in personal social media accounts.

8. Network, network, network

Don’t underestimate the value of networking. Network to learn your market niche. Find local chapters of professional organizations for graphic design, and for specific niches like illustration, web and user interface design, advertising, package design. Consider attending local Chamber of Commerce, Rotary or similar meetings. All of these can teach you about business and can lead to new work.

8. Learn from others

Just because you are a freelancer, you need not isolate yourself. If you want to be a great illustrator, seek out role models, and get to know them and how they work. If you want to be package designer, then reach out to an expert in this field. You may find a mentor this way… I did!

10. You are valuable

Your time and expertise are valuable. Do not work for free, or for bargain rates, to build your portfolio. Professional associations frown on this behavior, as it cheapens the graphic design profession. Clients who ask you to work at bargain rates likely do not value your services, and will not pay your full rates in the future.

11. Be a leader

Once you focus on your graphic design niche, become a leader in that area. Develop a terrific portfolio and put it online to reach a wide audience. Get client testimonials. Write a blog and spread the word. Use social media for marketing your graphic design services.

12. Keep on learning

Continuing education is critical in graphic design, especially with developments in technology. Keep your skills up to date with formal and informal training. I am a firm believer in lifelong learning.

Dec

2023

Animals are social, too: Oklahoma animal rescue group uses social media to publicize upcoming training webinar

Grace Animal Rehabilitation Center in Sapulpa, Oklahoma rescues, fosters, and places dogs and cats in loving homes. The nonprofit engaged Jill B Gilbert to create graphic designs to publicize an upcoming webinar on social media, and also to prepare a brief presentation for use during the webinar.

The webinar presentation followed the colorful theme with images of various breeds of cats used in the social media posts.

Mar

2023

Multilingual graphic design matters

When asked to do a project for a repeat client, naturally, I said, “Yes!” My pro bono graphic design skills would allow my client–and the original author–to more widely distribute an important training manual. Welcome to multilingual graphic design!

The non-profit philanthropic organization in Melbourne, Australia came across an 80-page training manual written in Argentina and had it translated from Spanish into English. They wanted me to create the English manual with the same typesetting and layout as the Spanish version.

This introduced several challenges, also known as localization issues:

English sentences are shorter than Spanish sentences. This creates pages with less text and more “white space.”
Some typefaces/fonts are multilingual; others are not.
Graphic design and style naming conventions differ among languages.
The translation required the designer to recognize differences in spelling and word usage between Australian English and U.S. English.
The English translation required rewriting in a few areas to make the words sound more natural.
The original, Spanish manual looked good to those who are not trained in graphic design. Behind the scenes, the document needed to be set up with consistent typographic styles and colors.

Luckily, I have a working knowledge of Spanish and have written hundreds of English articles. I enjoy layout and typography. I was up to the challenge.

In this case, my mission was to make the English translation look like the original manual, published in Argentina. But what if my client originally envisioned a document that worked well in multiple languages?

Multilingual graphic design considers several localization issues:

Language differences—the translation and the use of common phrases.
Cultural differences—the use of acceptable images, colors and words.
Sentence length in different languages.
Languages that read from left to right vs. from right to left.
Multibyte languages with complex characters, e.g., Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.
Multilingual fonts—fonts that have all the characters, glyphs, and accent marks found in each language you want to use.
White space—embrace the use of white space when designing a document to be written in multiple languages; one line of text can look as elegant as two.

If you are not well-versed in multilingual graphic design, you can find a design firm that is. This was an enjoyable project with great results. My clients and the author of the original, Spanish training manual were pleased, and I learned a few new things as a bonus.

Feb

2023

Cat breeder client gets cool new brand

Howzabluz breeds and shows Russian Blue cats. Jill B Gilbert took cues from the owners and ran with it… creating the Texas cattery’s brand as a “cool cat” that brings to mind the Blues Brothers.

The business name “Howzabluz” and the fedora are a rich azure blue; the sunglasses and tagline “Russian Blue Cats” a deep charcoal gray.

The design has made its way to cat shows a few times since its introduction. The brand adorns T-shirts, tote bags, and stickers.