Blog | J. Oliver Designs

13 May 2020

Design Tool | Occulture Design Resources

I’m delighted to announce that my new product Occulture Design Resources is now available in my shop! I’ve had such a blast creating these graphics in Illustrator and coming up with the different witchy items to include, and I hope you enjoy using them in your own creative projects.

These occult vectors, Photoshop brushes and patterns are great for your creative projects, from greeting cards, home decor, merchandise and apparel, to social media graphics, logo design and brand stationery. File types include .ai, .eps, and .png with transparent backgrounds, making them a versatile option.

Click here to learn more about Occulture Design Resources

I’ve been fascinated by all things mystical and arcane ever since I was a kid. Symbolism is present in our lives every day, but there’s something extra alluring about magic and mystery—the unknown and incomprehensible. This idea pairs well with a cosmic backdrop (what’s more unknown and incomprehensible than the cosmos, after all?).

Keep reading for more preview pics showing you how you can use these graphics.

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4 May 2020

Creative Distance Learning Resources

This post contains Affiliate Links. This means that I earn a small commission if you purchase through my links, at no additional cost to you. Please read my Affiliate Policy to find out more.

The wonderful folk at Creative Market have put together a collection of creative resources dedicated to distance learning and homeschooling. This will help teachers working from home and parents taking on the role of teacher during these difficult and unusual times.

What’s on offer? You’ve got a choice of fun characters, diagrams, activities, learning games, printable worksheets and posters that will engage and entertain kids. Some of these graphics also work great in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Canva, giving you a lot of different options to use them (make sure to read the descriptions first!).

There is a huge range of different creative resources available, and everything is organised into sections to make it easier for you to find what you need. Sort by subject or by grade level. I can’t emphasise enough how awesome these products are so why not take a look and see for yourself:

Click here for a wide range of Distance Learning Resources

Below you’ll find some of my favourite collections from this range (with preview images), but do explore the Creative Market website to discover everything.

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24 April 2020

Why I Love Vectors and Why You Should Use Them

This post contains Affiliate Links. This means that I earn a small commission if you purchase through my links, at no additional cost to you. Please read my Affiliate Policy to find out more.

Vectors feature in almost all of my products, and while I use them every day for my work I forget that many people might not know what they are, why I champion them and the many amazing ways they can be used.

I’ve only been working with vectors for the last three years; before that I’d never touched Adobe Illustrator and worked exclusively in raster format (.jpg, .png) using Photoshop. It wasn’t until I got an in-house graphic design job where Illustrator was mandatory that I learned how to create vectors and finally understood how efficient and useful they are.

Why Vectors?

Vector artwork relies on mathematical curves, points and lines (or paths) to create polygons and due to its nature it can be scaled up or down indefinitely without losing quality or clarity. This makes it an ideal option for displaying graphics at different sizes across a range of media, from computer screens and mobile devices to flyers and massive billboards. Vectors give you crisp, clean lines rather than pixelated or jagged images.

The other cool thing about them is they allow you to easily edit things like colour and line thickness, and when a vector is made up of many different components you can rearrange the composition with minimal hassle.

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20 April 2020

6 Creative Projects You Can Do At Home + Inspiration

The wonderful thing about being creative is that there are many things you can do even if you have a small to non-existent budget. With everything that’s happening in the world right now, a lot of us find ourselves isolating at home with more time on our hands than normal. If you’ve only ever dipped your toe into creative projects but you want to get more hands on, now is a great time to do it. I’ve put together this post full of ideas, resources and inspiration to (hopefully) kick-start your creativity!

Just to note: because I’m mainly a digital artist a lot of my creative work involves a computer, although for this list I’ve tried to include a few physical activities you can do at home even with limited supplies. The key to this post is that you have choices and nothing is ridiculously expensive or difficult to access.

So without further ado, here are 6 creative projects you can do at home on a small-to-zero budget.

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16 April 2020

How to Create Product Preview Images that Drive Sales

This post contains Affiliate Links. This means that I earn a small commission if you purchase through my links, at no additional cost to you. Please read my Affiliate Policy to find out more.

Ever wondered how some people create gorgeous product preview images? If you’re a creative solopreneur or small business that designs and sells end products, you might already know how important it is to have high-quality previews that engage your potential customers. If not, or if you’ve been struggling with your product previews, this post is for you.

Product preview images are your one chance at a great first impression. Most customers won’t consider buying a product if they can’t at least see what it is or how it can benefit them.

Unfortunately, I have some experience in this area. I’ve released products that have strong previews and I’ve released product previews that I’ve rushed. And let me tell you, the difference is real. One will compel your potential customers to click through and find out more about your product or service. The other will likely mean you’ll have to re-make the previews at some point down the line – a time-consuming and unnecessary task that could have been avoided (hey, we live and learn!).

I’m going to attempt to demystify mock-ups and suggest where you can find quality mock-up resources. I’ll also argue why investing in your product previews is best practise for your business in the long run.

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14 April 2020

Tutorial | How to Edit Logo Templates

Logo design can be a pricey business if you’re a solopreneur or small company, with many bespoke logo designs and branding packages costing hundreds or even thousands of pounds. Early on in your career you might find you simply do not have that kind of budget.

That’s where logo templates can come in handy. They’re a great starting point and many offer editing capabilities. Generally you will need access to editing software or know someone who can edit the logo for you. There are different software options out there, some free, some paid. If you’re going to buy a logo template always read the product description to make sure you can edit it (or you know someone who can).

My logo templates are predominantly created for Adobe Illustrator and/or Photoshop, but I always provide an .eps file to give you as many choices as possible. This tutorial will show you how to edit my logo templates in Illustrator and Photoshop.

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12 April 2020

Design Tool | Cosmic Dream Logo Templates

The easy-to-use Cosmic Dream Logo Template Kit helps you create your own beautiful logo designs. Use the individual vector icons to build stunning compositions that set your logos apart from the crowd. Or choose the pre-made logo templates for your client projects – especially useful if you’re on a deadline. Editing the text is easy in Illustrator or Photoshop.

BONUS: Included is a set of lovely seamless vector patterns and a vector mandala. The icons and mandala come with un-expanded versions so you can change colours, formations and stroke width.

This kit is also perfect for wedding stationery, greeting cards and gift labels, invitations, textiles and other merchandise. Take them further and use them in your scrapbooking, art prints, or digitally on social media in your Instagram feed and stories or your Pinterest posts. The sky’s the limit!

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11 April 2020

Newsletter and a Design Freebie

When you join my newsletter group you’ll get instant updates about new products, freebies, tutorials and special offers. I send out newsletters a couple of times a month and I always aim to pack them with content I think you’ll enjoy – including the occasional gift that’s only available to newsletter subscribers.

We are bombarded with emails all the time and I know it can be overwhelming, so to thank people for joining my newsletter I wanted to offer a freebie for your personal use.

As soon as you join you’ll receive a welcome email, and inside that email you will gain access to a set of 3 premium Instagram story templates based on my best selling product Celestial Beauty Design Resources. You can use these templates to jazz up your IG stories, giving them a magical, celestial vibe. The other great thing about them is you can re-use them as often as you like.

The download is a .zip file, so you’ll need to locate it on your computer and unzip it. The stories are saved as .jpg files. To learn how to upload an Instagram story click here.

Anything you sign up for through J. Oliver Designs falls under my Privacy Policy, and I recommend you read through it and make sure you’re happy with everything before you proceed to use my site.

My Promise

My promise is that I will only send you relevant content, either about my products or creative services, or illustration and design related stuff. If I send you anything you don’t like you have the option to unsubscribe. I’ll be sad to see you go but I understand – no hard feelings. 😊

Oh, and you can always hit reply on my newsletter emails and get in touch with suggestions or questions. It’s incredibly important to me to know what my readers want, so feedback is more than welcome. Don’t be shy – I love hearing from you!

10 April 2020

The Endless Creativity From Home Bundle at The Hungry JPEG

The Hungry JPEG have just launched an incredible design deal, available from April 10th through April 19th. I don’t want anyone to miss out because this one packs serious value.

Most of us are currently isolated at home and looking for new creative projects or hobbies. That’s why THJ have pulled together the Endless Creativity From Home Bundle, a huge design resource that is jam-packed full of useful graphics and resources to keep you busy.

Find fonts, Procreate brushes, patterns, mock-up scene creators, design kits and more, all pulled together in one package. At $18 (RRP $285) it’s one heck of a cost-saver and it helps support the creative community during these difficult times.

Click here to get your hands on this great offer at THJ!

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6 April 2020

Design Tool | Woodland Animal Scene Creator

Woodland Animal Scene Creator Main Preview

I’m thrilled to announce that the Woodland Animal Scene Creator is now live and available in my shop! This product has been a labour of love between the day job and my part-time Master’s degree, but it was worth the effort and I’m so happy with how it turned out. I hope you find it useful too!

Create your own stunning woodland scene using the vector silhouettes and background gradients. Get creative and build a magical custom composition with the animals and scenery, in any combination you like. The possibilities are endless. This resource is ideal for making greeting cards and gift labels, invitations, wedding stationery, website graphics, social media graphics, wallpaper, wrapping paper, product packaging, nursery design and home decor, apparel and more.

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