As more people tend to respond and read emails over mobile devices, there is a high time marketers should create responsive mobile emails to increase the opens, clickthroughs and responses.

The one size fits all approach isn’t prevalent any more in the industry. I chanced upon yet another infographic from Email Monks that bring to you the vital mobile email stats, you might have long craved for. Infographic gathers unique stats from many sources and covers the recent vogue of mobile. Some of the staggering stats include:

- 43% of Emails are read over the phones and this is expected to rise to more than 50% by the end of 2013!

- Mobile or Smart-phone usage is more prevalent in the morning and evening hours.

It was amazing to know that iPhone leads the market share amongst all major email clients. Infographic provides us a brief on the market share of various email clients Calculated from 205 million opens tracked by Litmus Email Analytics in April 2013.

Many of the companies have yet not recognized the importance of responsive mobile email because they don’t know what exactly is the talk of the town?

This infographic from Email Monks also defines responsive mobile email in easy yet effective way. According to the infographic, Responsive email design uses CSS3 media queries to display different layouts of an email depending on the size of the viewing screen. You can display or hide elements for a true mobile experience.

About the Author I am Mathews Johnson and I work as a creative consultant with Email Monks. Email Monks is a superfast yet cost effective mobile friendly email design and coding services provider. Email Monks also converts design to Email HTML in as less as 8 hours.

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Imagination Station | Download Source

Sticky Things | Download Source

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NOTE: Please take time to read the terms and usage of each featured font in their respective download pages. Some of them are free to use both for personal and commercial while some are for personal use only.

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If you are feeling stuck and doesn’t know where to start and what ideas to pitch in, then you are experiencing a creative block. Well, don’t panic. Relax. If there are various causes of creative block, there are also numerous ways of breaking through it.

Here are ten of the most common and effective ways of beating creative block (based from my personal experiences) to help you guys bring back that little spark of creativity you need!

1. ASSESS YOURSELF.

Before going to any other actions, try to assess yourself. Ask yourself questions like,

-  Why am I not motivated?

- What is blocking my way to pitch in the idea I need?

- I am missing something, what is it?

It is important to answer questions like this first before jumping into conclusions that you are facing a creative block. Identifying them might just be the simplest way to get you going with your design work.

Other (unecessary) questions that might arise:

- How can I possibly pay the rent this month?
- Who the hell destroyed my roses in the garden!?

Nay! Thinking this sort of things  while working on your design will definitely NOT help!

2. READ A BOOK/MAGAZINE.

Print is always one of the most effective sources of inspiration. Books and magazines are on top of my list. Read a fiction, an illustrated children’s book, a photography catalogue or a fashion magazine. Fictional books will tickle your imagination work while magazines enhance your judgement in design.

3.  SEARCH FOR INSPIRATIONS ONLINE/OFFLINE.

There is always something more over the Internet than porn and Justin Beiber. There are numerous blogs and online portfolios out there that showcase the best of the design world. Try browsing them for the creative sauce you need. Or better yet, go to the nearest art gallery and be inspired. What I like most about art galleries and museums is that seeing actual artworks personally gives me that rare creative feeling. It’s like you have that instant connection with the artist by just looking at their works first hand.

4. DOODLE ON PAPER.

Grab a pencil and a sheet of paper then start doodling. Sketch anything you have in mind. Through this, you can sharpen your drawing skills and your random scribbles might just be an effective ingredient in formulating that kick ass design concept. This is why sketching is always an important factor in every design process.

5. UNPLUG. TAKE A BREAK, A WALK OR A VACATION.

Shut down your PC for a while. Take a walk and try to see the awesome things outside your workstation that you are missing every single day. Unwind. Get away for a day or two. Having a break or a short vacation can recharge your creative self and get back to work the next day overflowing with creative awesomeness!

6. LISTEN TO SOME MUSIC.

Another effective way to fight creative block is by listening to some music. I usually turn on the speakers in high volume whenever I work on a design. The beat of the songs gets me going, as if it supplies creativity into my brain. Sometimes, some of my artworks and designs are actually inspired by the songs I play while working on them. It worked for me so why not give it  a try!

7. BE SOCIABLE. TALK TO OTHER PEOPLE OUTSIDE YOUR INDUSTRY.

Having a conversation to other people outside your work or industry can help you solicit ideas that might help you overcome creative block. What’s good about talking with OTHER people is that you can have an idea of their own take on random things. A casual conversation with other passengers you met on a train might just give you that creative spark you need based from their shared thoughts.

8. ASK QUESTIONS. DO SOME RESEARCH.

You are experiencing a creative block probably because you are not asking enough questions about your project. Who is your target audience? What do they need? Do some more research about your project. How do other designers do it? A creative spark starts from a well-planned concept and idea before laying it out on pixel or paper.

9. GET SOME SLEEP.

Get some sleep. Then sleep more. According to a study cited in an article in The New York Times, those who slept more showed improved mental agility including the ability to make novel connections between disparate ideas. In other words, people are more creative after sleep. Sleeping will not only recharge your body but your brain capability for those aha! moments as well.

10. PLAY.

Work hard. Play harder. Playing is not just for kids but for adults as well, especially those who need to be creative. In a TED talk of Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO, he mentioned that “creating an office in which people have the security and comfort to play and not be judged allows them to take more creative risks”. I have this set of Anime action figures on my working station. Whenever I feel less creative, I play target shooting with them and get back to the design I’m working on feeling more creative. Play is a doorway to curiosity, discovery and creativity.

There you have it guys! Many of the above mentioned tips worked for me in beating creative blocks. While some have common ways of breaking through it, some may have tried crazy ways such as doing the household chores, repainting an entire room, or pulling out all the weeds on the neighbor’s backyard. But whatever ways you take as long as it brings back your creative self, then it’s worth trying!

Now it’s your turn! How do you deal with creative block?

Share us your thoughts and comments by leaving a message below. Find You The Designer on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google Plus for more updates. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to our blog for the latest design inspirations, stories and freebies. Speaking of freebies, check out our free print templates page for your print design needs. Stay creative everyone!

Read more posts by Kerby Rosanes

Every creative person and even those who are not into design work might have used a pencil or a pen and a paper at some point of their work process. But with the popularity of sketching applications on tablets and other devices, the traditional way of conceptualizing an idea on a piece of paper are replaced by virtual sketch pads and sticky notes.

Levels of sketching via idsketching

This article will teach you the importance of sketching and how your pen and paper will help you in conceptualizing and building your next successful design work. Take time to shut down your laptops and set aside those drawing tablets for a while as I give you some benefits of sketching your ideas first on paper, how other designers benefit from it and some tips on getting it started.

Why bother sketching?

An initial way to spark creativity

There is always that creative feeling when you are holding a pencil than holding a mouse. It gives you more freedom to illustrate what’s in your mind on paper than on a computer. By means of drawing rough lines and shapes, you begin to use that spark of creativity within you to come up with interesting concepts that can be the initial foundation of your next awesome design work.

Character Sketch Process | LuigiL

Easy, fast and can be done anywhere

Sketching doesn’t only happens in your work table. It can took place anywhere you need to record something, list an idea or just be inspired by the environment you are in. Bring a small notebook and a pen everywhere you go. Who knows, you might just find notable ideas as you go.

Some sketches of Suhita while traveling in different places

An effective visual communication tool

You might meet a potential client while not at work or in public places and you might talk about things relating to your design work. Your pen and notebook in hand can be a great communication tool. Through rough sketches or just showing up your sketchbook, you can easily  describe what you do and your creative process for an instant client work.

Sketches of initial ideas for a new blog design | Anatom!c

Visual exploration

When you start your project with a sketch, you will not limit yourself with a single variation of your idea. Through sketching, you can explore multiple options you could take in a particular design concept.

Early exploration of pose and style | FireFox OS brand mascots | Martijn Rijven

Great ideas comes from rough sketches

Oftentimes, when you still have nothing in mind, scribbling and doodling triggers your imagination and gives birth to the awesome idea you’ve been figuring out for hell years!

Early concept sketches of Twitter’s Brid logo via DesignTAXI

Improve your drawing skills and discover new skills

As a designer, you must be equipped with that extra skills you use in your design work. By means of sketching, one important skill is developed, drawing. The ability to draw and visualize things on paper instantly can be your greatest weapon. A designer who can easily illustrate his ideas or concepts will most likely win a client over those who can’t even draw a distinguishable object. Also, by sketching, you might just discover your other skills like art direction, creating storyboards or character designing.

How designers and artists benefit from sketching

 
It is always fascinating to see how a designer transforms his/her sketches into an amazing design work. Rough scribbles in a piece of paper  can be a start of the next successful design. That is why more successful designers start their creative process by sketches and drawings. For the past months, YTD have featured a lot of awesome projects and interviewed some great designers and artists across the globe about their works and took a closer look on their creative processes. We always ask a particular question to most of them. That is,

“Can you share us your creative process? From where did you start?”

It is not a surprise that the common denominator of their answers is the skill we’ve been talking about in here. Here are some of them:

In his UCreative Spotlight interview, he answered:

“Projects in art direction can be really different, depending on the needs of the client. I think the most important part in the project is listening to the client speaking about his needs. Try to be reactive. Sometimes, the final idea comes during the first ten minutes of the meeting, while making some doodles on a sketch book. Then I begin the research stage; doing sketches and picking up pictures to make a mood-board. In doing this, I build the idea with the drawing and try to pass on the emotional direction with the mood-board. For the last stage, I just need to develop and put the finishing touches. That’s it!”

In an interview about his Game of Thrones Playing Cards Project,  he answered:

“After choosing a character and few thumbnails for the overall layout, I begin drawing. Then it’s just the tedious process of hatching lines, which is my attempt to retain a classic illustrated look in the cards vs the standard comic look.”

In his UCreative Spotlight interview, he answered:

“I start like I think most pencillers do. Maybe a couple of sketches on the script and layouts and thumbs and carry them out to finish with pencils. I think all the choices really come in the layout stage and I try saving the more exciting panel for last as a reward.”

In her Ucreative Spotlight interview, she answered:

“I always start with research. I’m a list person and I usually end up making a lot of those in the beginning stages, along with writing down snippets of information about the topic at hand. From here I move to the “looking” stage. I flood myself with visuals–looking through books, magazines, and art and design sites. Then I start loosely sketching or putting something tangible down on paper. Sometimes I add another step in there, but this is usually the start to my process.”

In an interview about his NatGeo Rebranding Project, he answered:

“I started generating assets by sketching logo variations and several applications of those new logos. From there, I began creating the logo and applying it to simple stationary. From that point, every single element followed the standard that was laid out in the previous elements, and I knocked them out one-by-one to give you the completed project.”

In his UCreative Spotlight interview, he answered:

“For my personal work, the concepts always begin in my sketchbook. I don’t use thumbnails as often as I should, but I’ll usually play with the idea on paper and in my mind enough that by the time I’m creating the final work, I have a good idea of where it will go.”

In an interview about his “Fluid Animals” Calendar Project, he answered:

“It really is very simple, I always start with a pencil drawing, not a rough sketch, but a finished drawing, then I scan it and trace it in Illustrator, then it’s just the simple process of choosing colors and getting those transparent effects perfect.”

In an interview about her Watercolor Patterns, she answered:

“Everything starts with an idea. Then I think about it for some time. Next I create draft sketches. I think it is the most difficult moment – to apply  the picture in my mind on the paper. Some persistence, a drop of inspiration, particular time – and voilà, I have a result.”

In an interview feature, he answered:

“Totally depends. Generally, as digital as I’ve become, it starts with a sketch. It could be the most crude rough sketch that anyone else would not understand, but if I’m doing layout, I’m going to start with sketches in my book. It’s going to say what the basic proportions are, blocking out typographic elements and how squares and rectangles and shapes are holding that visual weight. That’s easiest way to get going. You can push things around on the computer forever and sometimes not get it right.”

Ok, sketching is pretty cool but how can I get started?

This is the big question that might comes out of your mind. Well, I know that there is always that feeling of doubt when you are facing a clean blank sheet of paper and that hesitation of what to draw and where to start. Fortunately, I have listed some effective tips you might give a try to get started with sketching.

1. Start by listing some words/terms/initial thoughts that best describe your idea. These words, when properly analyzed can give you the starting point of what to sketch.

Sketches from the identity design process of Butterfield Photography via JustCreative

 
2. Don’t be afraid of mistakes. Remember you are sketching to come up with INITIAL ideas to be used for your FINAL designs. So mistakes are inevitable and most of the time, they give rise to new opportunities and better ideas.

Character pose exploration via KingSketches

 
3. Sketch anything and anywhere. Bring with you a pen and a sketchbook or a small notebook wherever you go. Sketch anything that you think are interesting and can be an inspiration for your next designs. Do it in a subway, a park or in a restaurant. Some of the most brilliant ideas might come across your way at an instant so better be ready to record them.

Pocket sketches by SketchySteven

If those tips are still not enough for you to try sketching and drawing, then consider this advice from American graphic designer and filmmaker Saul Bass:

Now it’s your turn! How important sketching is in your design work?

Share us your thoughts and comments by leaving a message below. Find You The Designer on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google Plus for more updates. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to our blog for the latest design inspirations, stories and freebies. Speaking of freebies, check out our free print templates page for your print design needs. Stay awesome everyone!

Read more posts by Kerby Rosanes

Here are the best practices pertaining to the Envelop design, Pre-header and Header design, Email layout, Copy & Body Content, Footer design and Mobile Optimized Emails:

 
Sender Credentials: The Infographic is didactic. It shares best practices for the From Line, To field and Subject Line. From name should be identifiable. To Address should be personalized and the Subject Line should limit to 35 characters. Subscribers decide to read or delete an Email within 3 seconds.

 
Snippet Text should be well aligned with the subject line as few clients show preview text, pulled out from the first few lines of email content.

 
Johnson Box top is ideally 400×300 pixels, with the height of the header set at around 150 pixel.

 
Online Version: A stress has been put to link to an online version of your email should be provided.

 
Email Layout: Email width should be 500 to 650 pixels with a vertical layout preferred over horizontal. The infographic advises to use text and images both are used in right proportion with a Table of content if a lot is to cover in the email.

 
Easy Unsubscribing: According to the infographic, it is advisable to put the Unsubscribe button upfront and easily clickable. Social sharing links and/or ‘Forward to a Friend’ options are a must add.

 
Mobile Optimized Emails has to be restricted to single column template, using techniques like responsive and scalable coding standards as 42% of all email is now opened via mobile and 43% of mobile email users check email 4+ times per day.. Mobile emails should have tappable call to action of minimum size 44 x 44 pixels and Mobile Email width of 320 to 480 pixels.

 
Body and Content: The infographic reinforces the fact to use short sentences and paragraphs. Designers should distinguish content sections using design elements like spacing and dividing lines. It suggests using bold typeface and sub-headers to make certain words stand out with web-safe standard fonts keeping the Body Copy font size: 14 pixels & Title font size: minimum of 22 pixels.

 
Infographic also include guidelines, Do’s and Don’ts. To list down a few:

• Things to Avoid: Flash or Ajax functionalities, background images layered with text etc.
• Things to use: An alt text to an image provides sense to the viewers even with images off as in case an email does not display correctly, 69.7% will delete it immediately.

 
Below is the complete infographic discussing the key points mentioned above with examples. (Click on the image to view a bigger version of the infographic.)
 

Infographic also follows a downloadable checklist for the email design best practices. Designers engaged in hardcore email designing can use this checklist and incorporate the listed best practices in their day to day work. This checklist is one pager and can be easily accessed here.

About the Author Jenny Kay works as an Email Consultant with Email Monks. Monks are setting up an industry milestone through fastest email template conversion service that converts various designs like PSD to Email HTML and aims to help code the Email Newsletter HTML Templates and integrate with leading email clients like Mail Chimp, Constant Contact, iContact and Campaign Monitor.

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Although there are a number of professionals moving their businesses online, we still think that the internet was built for graphic designers to dominate. If you’re a graphic designer and you haven’t had your personal website and portfolio up yet online, we’re urging you to do it now!

Here’s an infograph telling you why you should take your portfolio online!

Just click the image for a better view.

There you have it. Start checking out the online portfolio sites today and put your portfolio online for everyone to see! You can also find this infograph at PrintRunner’s Small Business blog. Check out their site, they’ve got pretty interesting things to say about running your small business and marketing!

You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google Plus for more design related stories, you can also subscribe to our blog using our RSS Feeds. Also, check out our print templates page and download amazing blank print templates to aide you in your future projects. Enjoy!

Read more posts by Borjie Pontejos