Our very own Dan Rodney had the honor and pleasure to speak with the industry legend David Blatner of CreativePro. Watch the video below to hear them discuss:

• The effectiveness of various forms of training
• In-person versus online training
• The benefit of structured and well-designed training classes
• A glimpse into our history and why are we called Noble Desktop?
• Adobe XD and Figma

We hope you enjoy watching this episode of CreativePro Conversations!

An effective search for (and landing!) a junior graphic designer position requires a three-part strategy:

1. Finding and applying for jobs on job boards like Indeed, LinkedIn and Craigslist
2. Job boards that focus on graphic designer positions (often run by associations like AIGA) that provide different resources for graphic designers
3. Informal networking within the graphic designer community

Your resume is the first thing you step out with on your journey from graphic designer student to working graphic designer. It is the key that unlocks the door to having your LinkedIn profile and your portfolio reviewed, and ultimately getting an interview and… a job!

Want to get into graphic design? In this video, you’ll learn what graphic designers do, what apps they use, how to get started, and more. See examples of design work and learn about creating a graphic design portfolio. You’ll learn what classes and certificate programs are appropriate so you can take the next step and get started in graphic design.

Learn More

Graphic Design Classes (attend in New York City or Live Online)
Web Design Classes (attend in New York City or Live Online)

Learn from experienced instructors at Noble Desktop. 

As a highly-rated coding, design, and business school based in NYC, Noble is committed to tech education. To demonstrate this commitment to tech education, Noble is launching an initiative this spring to offer free live online seminars to the public.

Learn what Figma can do for your design workflow. This free video tutorial is for anyone new to UX design (user experience) and UI design (user interface) or new to Figma, as well as designers with experience in other design apps. You'll find out how Figma compares to the competition (Adobe XD and Sketch) to help you decide which to use.

View the Presentation Slides

Become a UX or UI designer or learn more about Figma with hands-on, project-based classes:

• Figma Bootcamp (attend in New York City or Live Online)
• UX Design Classes (attend in New York City or Live Online)
• UX Design Classes Near Me

Meetups and user groups are unique and underrated assets in making the transition from student to working professional. 

What makes meetups and user groups unique, and why should they be part of your career pathway from beginning to… wherever it leads?

When designing digital products such as websites and apps. there are many apps to choose from. Which one is right for you? In this article we’ll talk about Adobe XD, Figma, Sketch, and Adobe Photoshop.

Adobe XD

XD is the newest of these apps, and Adobe is putting a lot of effort into developing it quickly. Updates are released every 1–2 months, and XD has come a long way since the first beta versions.

XD aims to be the all-in-one solution for UX/UI design from wireframes to visual design, visual prototyping, voice prototyping, animation, and more. Despite XD being a relatively young app, it has some features (such as voice prototyping and repeat grid) that are not found in its competitors. While it is more advanced in some ways, it does lack some essential features. For example, there is no color management so on Display P3 monitors (like iMacs and Mac laptops use) the colors are not accurate, you can’t add multiple fills/strokes, and text styles are merely a find/change for formatting, just to name a few. Not having true styles severely limits their use because you’ll accidentally change things you didn’t intend to. There are no graphic/object styles, and exporting features are poorly implemented. Keep in mind that each app in this list has pros and cons, so none of them are perfect (Sketch and Figma also have their own set of limitations with styles for example).

Because XD came later to the game, it can open up Sketch, Photoshop, and Illustrator files and convert them into fully editable XD files. This makes it easier to switch to XD from those other apps. Being an Adobe app, it also integrates better, allowing you to edit photos in Photoshop and send an XD file to After Effects (if you need something beyond the animations you can create within XD).

XD has gained enough features that designers and companies are now starting to use it. Especially on small projects, some of the missing/poorly implemented features won't be much of an issue. However, on larger projects, those limitations might become a bigger issue. Adobe has been rapidly fixing things and adding features, so we’re seeing more and more people choosing Adobe XD.

Overall XD is quick and easy to use. We like the integrated design approach Adobe is going for, and we look forward to seeing XD continue to improve. It’s especially strong in UX design, prototyping, and animation when compared to the other apps.

You can use XD for free to see if you like it. The free version of XD gives you the full app, but with some limitations such as only one shared link (for prototypes and design specs) and no ability to save local files. If you need any of the premium features (such as multiple shared links or the ability to work with local files), you can get XD for $9.99/month (USD) or XD with all the CC apps for $52.99 (USD).

Learn more in our Adobe XD Bootcamp or another one of our Adobe XD classes.

IMPORTANT: The information in this post has since become outdated. Read our more current article on this topic.

When designing digital products such as websites, apps, etc. there are many apps to choose from. Which one is right for you? While some people use Figma, InVision Studio, and others, in this article we’ll focus on what we consider the three industry front-runners: Sketch, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe XD.

Sketch

While some designers are just now making the switch to Sketch, it’s been around since 2010. Sketch is a Mac only app, which is fine with most designers, but PC users will need to look at Adobe XD or Photoshop.

Sketch is great for UX/UI design. You can design wireframes or finished visual designs, and turn those into clickable prototypes using Sketch’s recently added prototyping tools or InVision’s Craft plugin.

Sketch has very powerful symbols and styles, which enable you to easily create complex design systems that are flexible and manageable across large projects. It also has decent exporting options.

Sketch costs $99 (USD) and you get a year of updates as well as Sketch Cloud. After the first year, you can continue using your last update for as long as you want with no other payments. However, if you want another year of updates and Sketch Cloud, you must renew your license for $69 (USD).

Sketch is a great option for Mac users that want an affordable and powerful design app.

Learn more in our Sketch class.

UX and UI Design

Before we dive into UX, let’s clarify the difference between User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) design. Think of UX as the experience of going on a road trip, and UI as the stop lights, signs, and lane markings that shape the events on the road. The appearance of the stop lights, signs, and lane markings each had to be designed (like the UI of a website or app), but how they all affect your driving experience defines the overall user experience (UX). 

What Do UX Designers Do?

UX designers are responsible for creating a customer experience that is easy, intuitive, and anticipates the customer’s needs. UX designers are generally concerned with the total customer experience including the ease of finding information within the product and accomplishing tasks quickly, easily, and enjoyably. (UI designers focus on visual elements such as graphics, typography, color, and composition.)