Reviewing your own portfolio

Outlaw Design Blog has an article on How to Review your Portfolio through Social Media Design sites.

Concept Feedback
Concept Feedback is a nice site that practically guarantees you will receive feedback on your design within a day or two of posting. It’s a great place to hear what other creatives think about your work.

Design Critique
Uses Twitter as a tool to get reviews for your site or design. Seems ok, but reviews are limited to 145 characters.

Feedback Army
This website cost money, but is pretty affordable. It is more based on usability, but seeing as how usability and good design go hand and hand, it seems like the site could be worthwhile.

30 iPhone Apps For Designers

Here are a list of 30 iPhone Apps that will be particularly useful for Designers.

Link to Article at Tripwire Magazine.

Job Available: American Greetings Editor

Just got an alert about a this job opening. American Greetings is looking for an Editor to join the Editorial team at our world headquarters. This is an entry or mid-level position requiring a demonstrated aptitude of the editorial field. The qualified candidate will have a Bachelor's degree and a minimum of 2 years professional experience. Previous greeting card or related industry experience preferred, advertising or related field a plus!

More information on the application process at career opportunites.

How to Register You Copyrights Digitally



Have you filed your copyrights for all the art you've created this year? Now you can file your images digitally online at https://copyright.gov/registration/
You can also search for copyrights at http://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&PAGE=First.  The current fees are listed https://www.copyright.gov/about/fees.html  Most copyrights are $35 and some include "collections" you can do as a group.




Kate's tips:

  • Keep this tech support number handy: 202-707-3002.
  • Have the Tutorial open on your screen while you go through the application process, otherwise it's easy to get sidetracked and go down the wrong road, especially when a lot of their examples are oriented towards musicians, video producers.
  • There is a hour time limit for downloading, so it's best to have your art ready before you get on the site. Make copies of your art files, reduce their file sizes and put them all in one folder on the desktop. That way, they are ready to download and easy to find. I reduced each image down to 100-500K range.
  • Consider compressing all your files into one zip file and just downloading that one file.
  • Is this worth all the hassle? In the end, If you have a lot of art, then yes. But if you are only submitting a few items, then it will be faster filling out the paperwork by hand. For example, online, it may take you ten minutes just to decipher the dozen restrictions for the obscure and unnecessary password requirements, such as:
    "A password must not include words that can be found in any dictionary, whether English or any language"

Have any tips of your own? Did you have a different experience? Leave them in the comments below or write to me directly and I'll add them on this post.

Filing Online:
Where to file:https://copyright.gov/registration/
Lower filing fee of $35
Online status tracking

Before using the service, read
eCO FAQs, or eCO Tutorial (PowerPoint) eCO Tutorial (PDF).
For recently added features, see eCO Updates





Articles on Copyrights

Fear of Getting Your Art Stolen? Look at the Numbers

How to Register You Copyrights Digitally

Artist Protects Copyright Through Twitter

The 10 Key Points That Must Be In Every Licensing Agreement

Protecting Your Designs with Watermark Tools

Photoshop Tip: How to create a customized signature brush

Protecting Your Art: Interview with Alyson B. Stanfield

How to protect your assets in a licensing agreement




Free Booklets from the Copyright Office

PDF Copyright BasicsPDF Registering a Copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office
PDF Make Sure Your Application Will Be Acceptable
PDF Cartoons and Comic Strips
PDF Have a Question About Copyright Registration?
PDF Make Sure Your Application Will Be Acceptable
PDF Publications on Copyright
PDF Copyright Notice




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Legal Books for Artists
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The Copyright Zone: A Legal Guide For Photographers and Artists In The Digital Age If you license or publish images, this guide is as indispensable as your camera. It provides specific information on the legal rights of photographers, illustrators, artists, covering intellectual property, copyright, and business concerns in an easy-to-read, accessible manner. The Copyright Zone, Second Edition covers: what is and isn’t copyrightable, copyright registration, fair use, model releases, contracts and invoices, pricing and negotiation, and much more. 


Legal Guide for the Visual Artist This book provides legal guidance for any visual artist involved with creative work. Topics covered: developments in copyright, artists in artist-gallery relationships, First Amendment protections for graffiti art and the sale of art in public spaces, cases dealing with art and privacy, model contract for Web site design. The book also covers copyrights, moral rights, contracts, licensing, sales, special risks and protections for art and artists, book publishing, video and multimedia works, leases, taxation, estate planning, museums, collecting, grants, and how to find the best professional advisers and attorneys. In addition, the book teaches strategies for negotiation, gives information to help with further action, contains many sample legal forms and contracts, and shows how to locate artists' groups and Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts organizations.