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Evey-V — Back To The Feature - April
Published: 2016-05-04 22:52:17 +0000 UTC; Views: 10771; Favourites: 26; Downloads: 0
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April was a tough month for me, but still I found a lot of pretties and shared a celebration with you... And it will continue during May!
Maker's Choice
The Heart Wants What It Wants [Remix] | Colors [Remix] | Wrong Crowd
We Are The Hearts
About Resources
Do not use them to make your own. My psds and my textures aren't bases: you can't use layers from my psds to make yours, nor my textures to make your own textures. Also, do not reupload/repack/redistribute my resources. If you want to share them, share a link to the original post.
Now On Your Notifications
Didn't you grab your goodies yet?
On the Go
Ask | Youtube channel | RP Tumblr | Goodreads
Favourite Resources
What did April bring us?
Textures
PSDs
Stocks
Brushes
Other Resources
In The Spotlight
Welcome to the spotlight! These users are rather new to Deviantart and/or the graphic design world, so be sure to give 'em a warm welcome!
Honey Bunnies
I want to thank them all for being so supportive ♥
Inspiring Graphics
Getting Creative
Lovely art created by other fellow deviants using my resources
Stats
12 deviations uploaded | 13 psds | 10 large textures | 4 text styles | 1 tutorial
April Nominations
Do you think a particular artist needs some more recognition? Wanna get to know a certain artist? Do you have a topic you'd like to discuss about? Please, fill the form below with your nominations! You can also leave suggestions if you want ♥ The main idea of this journal is getting to know a bit more about our community, and sharing lots of love.
Interviewee of the month:
Featured users:
Debate topics:
Suggestions:Nominate as many as you wish, there's no limit ^^
Debate Time!Are trends hindering your style development?
Don't get me wrong—I am not against trends. Being ones I like, and ones I hate, I am not against trends nor those who follow them. However, it came to my attention that, lately, the graphic design community has developed some sort of a pattern where's hard to tell who made the graphic. Why? Because they're starting to look rather too similar between each other. And no, I am not saying that people are copying each other. The problem is trends are being overused, and in the wrong way.
And I'm not the only one that noticed it—even Eliza, Shadowplay's founder, had pointed something alike in May Promotions' thread. I'm going to quote her words, because I agree 100% with her:
It feels that a lot are changing styles and compositions to what they think is popular and will get them promoted. Please note that this won't help you in the long run. If you don't let your own true style show through your graphics, it's going to be hard to get above Inspiring. Ambition is good, but make it a personal ambition for self-improvement - you'll be far better off in the long run for it.
Trendy stuff taking over
You've probably know them by heart at this point. Patterned backgrounds, stock pngs everywhere, bright text styles... Those are the most common and popular trends at the moment. Go and take a look at a couple of galleries, being here or in graphic forums. I'm pretty sure you'll find many examples with no effort. Is it bad? Not really. Just because something is popular doesn't mean it's bad. But when people start doing and/or using the same elements/techniques in an almost exact way... Well, let's just say that isn't really good. For them, and for the community itself. As designers, we strive to stand out, don't we? How can you stand out in a crowd if you're doing the same the others are doing? You can't.
Follow trends efficiently
The main issue I've seen regarding trends is not only the fact that some elements/techniques are being really (and annoyingly) overused (even Vanessa pointed it out in our March interview), but that they don't work within the graphic itself. I've seen dark themed graphics with bright/happy text styles that have nothing to do with it. I've seen compositions entirely based in stock pngs, where those pngs are placed with no hierarchy whatsoever (and look randomly thrown in the canvas... Please, explain me the sense of, for example, putting a water fountain over someone's head) and no relation between them and the composition, nor between each other.
So, first things first—trends work in certain graphics, not in all of them. Using the same kind of text styling in all your graphics is not only repetitive, but it also can ruin what could be a perfect composition. You can't use the same elements in the same way for all your graphics for a simple reason: each graphic tells a different story. Therefore, the way of telling it will (or should) be different. Even if you're aiming to tell a similar story, your way of telling it will be different than somebody else's.
Linked to what's been said in the previous paragraph, trends don't always match with your style as they come. If you want to use them, that's completely fine—but don't change your style just to fit in! Instead, adapt them to your way of designing. I use both stock pngs and text styles (I even have a folder just for them!), but in a way I'm comfortable with, that suits both my style and the particular graphic I'm working in. You should do that—adapt them and transform them at your own convenience. Find a twist for them, don't just do the same just because others are doing so too. Artists stand out for their originality, their uniqueness. And I can tell you—following trends for the sake of being "in" won't help you at all. Focus on developing your style. That doesn't mean you can't try out things that have been seen before or that are currently popular. To the contrary, you should try them out in your own special way.
Your opinion matters!
What do you think about trends? Are you a follower or do you prefer to avoid them? Is there any trend you love, or any you dislike? Let's debate about it!
Outsiders
Some useful resources out of Deviantart!
Linearts | U Creative | 20 Muses
Iconspirations | Desert Wind
Now it's your turn!
How's been your April? Share anything and everything on the comments down below!
Let's make this May unforgettable!
Related content
Comments: 86
No sé cómo but apapacho <33
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oh my thanks for putting my deviation on "getting creative"! <3
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Awh you see me as a honey bunny <3 (do we have ears like rabbits and sound like bees...?)
You're welcome! I'm glad I can support you <3 Take care, Evey!
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Maybe you're bunnies that carry honey everywhere, like Winnie o3o
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A bunny with a honey jar :'D cute
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Thank you so much Evey. <3
It's amazing moment for me.
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Aww, thank you, kiddo. <3
I checked out some of those featured links, they all look amazing.
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I have a couple more I'm saving for this month's feature :3 All of them are superb
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I'm looking forward to your next article, they're super fun to read! ^-^
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I think this month I'll be doing an interview instead :3 But maybe I can do both, lol.
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Ooh nice! They're all good though, hahah.
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thanks so much for featuring my set. i was so blah about it, but it makes me feel so much better knowing that you and others like it.
also, i'm mad in love with your featured colorization. you do hazel eyes so pretty! (something i've noticed in all of your colorization game entries)
I have a lot of opinions on the trends/style issue. But I'm going to avoid spending an eternity going on about it here. Mostly, I think people shouldn't be pressured into changing who they are by other artists, promotions, critiques, whatever have you. However, I also think that imitating someone else's style isn't really having a style of one's own. People should be willing to listen to what others have to say if they want to grow and improve. But yeah, if you make a graphic without putting any thought into it, you just keep using stuff you have before cuz it works, then you end up with a dark signature, with happy text, and flower PNGs.... that's just not going to be as good as someone who actually takes the time to think and plan out their graphic.
"Patterned backgrounds, stock pngs everywhere, bright text styles"
i make a lot of graphics like this. because i like to. doesn't mean i don't or can't make other types... just means that's what i enjoy making. and if anyone has a problem with that, they can smd
wooo. sorry, that was longer than I intended. I hope you're feeling better about graphic making. And I hope that May is a lot better for you <3
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I do use all those things as well, lol. As I said, it's not bad as long as you use them in your own way, and making sure it fits the composition. And with "pngs everywhere" I literally meant that—the kind of composition where you can't tell what's going on, because it's just a bunch of pngs that have nothing to do with, well, nothing. And this is being said by someone who uses a shit-ton of layers with png stocks/stocks/whatever-I-see-fit.
Thing is, lately I noticed that people are using the same elements in the same way, over and over again. And it's... Boring. And repetitive. And it doesn't work all the times. A few people started with that "style", and then BOOM... It became the norm for a lot of designers that were still developing their own style. However, I'm not saying /everyone/ is doing this, of course, but it's a common thing that many of us noticed.
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And I'm not saying I don't agree with you. There definitely are noticeable trends and people starting to replicate elements repeatedly. I think we're just coming at it from different angles.
For me, it becomes more of an issue with the designers themselves and less about trends. If people aren't creating hierarchy or framing, rather just throwing a bunch of stuff onto a canvas with no purpose, then it probably wouldn't matter if it was a trend or not - they're either just lazy designers or they haven't learned how to properly achieve strong composition, hierarchy, and framing. Which, yeah, I can see why seeing that over and over again can get boring or frustrating, but again, I think that falls on a designer individually. And I think that if that's what you like doing - throwing a bunch of stuff on a canvas and are proud of that - well more power to you. As long as you're having fun and enjoying yourself.
Copying, however, is a huge pet peeve of mine. It's one thing to follow a trend and and use a patterned font style in your graphic, but completely another to straight up copy someone's specific graphic or style. That's wrong on so many levels, whether it be in graphics, coding, or any other art. Or even with resources. Makes me super mad.
At the end of the day, if people don't understand that graphic making and designing isn't just "art" but equally as much of logic and problem solving, then they aren't going to create amazing graphics. There's so much herd following... but I say if that's what you enjoy doing, then go for it. It's not my place to tell someone what they should or shouldn't be doing - as long as, you know, it's not stealing or copying... cuz again. Get some of your own creativity or GTFO. 
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Oh, I'm not saying it's the trends' fault xD It's the designer's. Trends are just there, and people are the ones choosing how they'll do use of them, if doing any. And that's the issue I've seen—people that don't try to adapt those trends to their design process, but rather going on full lazy mode and just doing what others did.
And you're not the only one mad at copying, lol. Back in March I've been ripped off like 5 times or more... And I reached a point of too-annoyed-I-may-cut-off-your-head xD
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omg thank you so much for the mention 
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Thanks for the mention and I hope you are starting to feel a little better.
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Holi, yo solo vengo a comentar sobre las tendencias y el tiempo que me ha tomado leer todo y entender (mi ingles es PÉSIMO) :c.
Estoy totalmente de acuerdo contigo, es mas no creo que conozcas o quizá si, el estilo 'light', es como lo suelen llamar, paso exactamente lo mismo, todos usando recursos de la misma manera siempre, en realidad no es malo, al final cada quien hace con sus edits lo que quieran, pero ese es el punto, hacer lo que te imagines o venga en gana no tratar de encajar en un grupo o tendencia. La verdad me parece triste que este pasando con... no se si llamarlo estilo :v. Espero se entienda. Bueno es triste ya que esta forma en la que editan tiene mucho potencial.
Creo que parte de editar y ser 'creativo' es tomar algo que alguien ya uso y moldearlo a tu parecer, es aun mejor que ser 'original' es ser creativo con todos los recursos que tenemos ahora. Eso es todo.
La verdad es que los recursos que compartís y promocionas he tomado varios y aunque no edito como vosotros, me han servido mucho.
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Lo conozco bastante bien, aunque no sea parte de ese submundo del diseño... Soy del submundo foril, lel. Pero sí, he visto un montón de ediciones y creo que ni de broma puedo distinguir a diferentes artistas. Me acuerdo la época en que las palmeras se pusieron de moda y todos usaban las hojitas de palmera everywhere. Y así pasa con varios elementos D:
En fin, sin importar el estilo en que se edite, eso de seguir la corriente /solo/ porque está in, o porque x personas lo hacen, me parece súper bobo.
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Oh si, las malditas palmeras, que bien que dejaron eso por la paz. Créeme ni yo conociendo a varios a veces no podía distinguir de quien era que >.<'.
Pues si, ahora les toco a ustedes soportar esto de las modas y/o tendencias. Si, a mi también me parece medio bobo. Aunque me pareció genial que expresaras esto que esta pasando, sobre todo con el alcance que va a llegar a tener.
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Ya hay gente que me agradeció por privado el hecho de tratar este tema. Like, siempre hubo modas y siempre las va a haber, pero nunca vi algo /tan/ marcado. Por ejemplo, en una época había varios que usaban una rayita para dividir las modelos después de que subiera un gráfico psd en donde hacía eso... O sea, no era una súper cantidad de gente, pero de algo original pasó a ser algo usado por unos cuantos y nunca más lo volví a hacer porque perdió el chiste ;__;
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Oh que genial, pues yo ademas de agradecerte te felicito :'). Yo deje de editar como me gustaba solo porque unos cuantos que a mi parecer ya eran muchos hicieron moda lo 'neon', te entiendo. Yo recuerdo haber hecho lo de dividir el png, pero fue hace años como 2 o 3 :0, te conocí este año y no me arrepiento <3, osea tu dA akjslkaja.
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Ah, la moda neon... Después vino la onda vintage y la ola Tumblr (es gracioso porque en Tumblr no editaban así but whatev). Qué recuerdos (???) xD Creo que vi muchas cosas pasar en estos casi cinco años de estar en Deviantart o-o
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Jajajaja lo 'Tumblr' que luego ya se dieron cuenta y lo cambiaron a Aesthetic, una cosa así >.<. Oh si, que recuerdos...
wow 5 años es mucho tiempo, :0
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El aesthetic está in ahora :v Yo tengo muchas imágenes aesthetic porque son pastelosas y monas o3o Pero no las uso mucho.
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Thanks for the mention love. YOu deserve all the love and support
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Oh my gosh, thanks for the mention 
I totally agree with you about trends and while it seems to be a basic, yes trends work only for some graphics not all. Thank you for this journal, very useful as usual :3 Keep rocking ^^
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Sad thing is I'm still waiting for the pastel psds trend over Tumblr to be over. It's been years and it's still there ;-;
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Seriously? It's been years? O.o
Since I've been following people for their graphics for only a year, I didn't know that O.O Woah....
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Wow! <3 Thank you so much for the mention. ^.^ I'm so happy...
I love "Back To The Feature" - I always findd something interesting (e.g resources 
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