BLOG: Our Weekly Reading List

Each week we devote a portion of our free time to reading articles about technological, social, and design trends and events that impact the world we live in and what we do. We have a research assistant dedicated to finding quality articles and compiling the most relevant and important reads for the team each week. They are publicly posted for specific DarkSquare team members and for anyone interested in following the kind of content we consume week to week. Follow our blog for some of the best curated content on the web for designers and futurists.

Latest Entries

The Psychology of Design

by Siobhan Ford | Jun 26, 2019 | Design, Graphic Design, Web Design | 0 Comments

The Secret Ratio That Proves Why Customer Reviews Are So Important

by Joe Senior | Jun 26, 2019 | Analytics, Brand Strategy, Marketing, Tech | 0 Comments

While great customer reviews can boost sales, bad reviews can hurt them -- those are obvious correlations.

The font issue: Is your company playing by the rules?

by Siobhan Ford | Jun 25, 2019 | Design, Graphic Design, Typography, Web Design | 0 Comments

You know that little check box you have to click on every time you download or buy something online? Let’s be honest here, do you really know what you’re agreeing to?

How Reciprocity Strengthens Brands

by Joseph Fioramonti | Jun 25, 2019 | Brand Strategy, Branding, Marketing | 0 Comments

A psychological phenomenon known as reciprocity is a powerful inclusion to the brand marketing toolkit.

DarkSquare Featured in LogoLounge Book 11

by Joseph | Jun 25, 2019 | Branding, Design, Graphic Design, Print | 0 Comments

We are very proud to have a logo design created included in LogoLounge Book 11. The logo was created for our founder's side project, Anno Domini, a hybrid traditional/ digital printmaking project. The logo was included in the mythology section of this years edition on...

When Local Roller Rinks Had Their Own Collectible Stickers

by Joe Senior | Jun 21, 2019 | Design, Graphic Design, History, Inspiration | 0 Comments

In the early 1940s, at the dawn of what’s sometimes referred to as the “Golden Age” of roller-skating, rink operators struck upon a simple means of promotion: stickers.

How Does the Blockchain Work?

by Joseph Fioramonti | Jun 20, 2019 | Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Design, Tech | 0 Comments

Blockchain technology is probably the best invention since the internet itself.

The Univers of Helvetica: A Tale of Two Typefaces

by Joe Senior | Jun 19, 2019 | Design, Graphic Design, History, Typography, Web Design | 0 Comments

In 1957 three typefaces, all designed in the same neo-grotesque manner, were released: Neue Haas Grotesk by Eduard Hoffmann and Max Miedinger, Univers by Adrian Frutiger, and Folio by Konrad F. Bauer and Walter Baum.

Buttons on the web: placement and order

by Rebekah Freeman | Jun 19, 2019 | Design, User Interface and Experience Design, Web Design | 0 Comments

We will try to figure out where to better place them.

All you need to know about colors in UI Design — theory & practice

by Siobhan Ford | Jun 18, 2019 | Color Theory, Design, User Interface and Experience Design, Web Design | 0 Comments

Have you ever wondered how we can improve the color harmony in our interfaces?

A Glossary of Engraving Terms

by Joe Senior | Jun 18, 2019 | Design, Graphic Design, History, Illustration, Print | 0 Comments

Due to its insanely minute ability to render detail, printing engraving remains the most amazing print reproduction process in the world.

Photos: Depression-era billboards sold and celebrated the “American way”

by Joe Senior | Jun 17, 2019 | Graphic Design, History, Illustration, Marketing | 0 Comments

Americans didn’t have a whole lot of money to spend in the 1930s. Great Depression and all. Nevertheless, people weren’t without wants.

Structural Typography

by Joseph Fioramonti | Jun 17, 2019 | Design, Graphic Design, Resource, Typography, Web Design | 0 Comments

It’s a tool you will always have available to you, no matter the project or medium.

Dungeons & Dragons & Design Thinking

by Rebekah Freeman | Jun 14, 2019 | Design, Design Thinking, Illustration, User Interface and Experience Design | 0 Comments

I'm a nerd. On the weekends I love to indulge in comic books, sci-fi, horror movies, and tabletop role-playing games.

Punk for a Day: Graphic Design History and the Punk Aesthetic

by Joe Senior | Jun 14, 2019 | Design, Graphic Design, History, Illustration | 0 Comments

Youth culture is known for rebellion.

10 Basic Principles of Graphic Design

by Siobhan Ford | Jun 13, 2019 | Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, Resource, Web Design | 0 Comments

Graphic design plays a critical role in brand-building and at the same time, in showcasing your skill-sets.

Supermarket Uses Embarrassing Plastic Bags So Customers Will Remember Their Reusable Ones

by Joseph Fioramonti | Jun 13, 2019 | Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, User Interface and Experience Design | 0 Comments

One supermarket in the Canadian city of Vancouver has gone to innovative and humorous lengths to ensure their customers think long and hard about their plastic bag use.

Why User Experience Design Is Essential to Everything

by Joseph Fioramonti | Jun 12, 2019 | Design, Design Thinking, User Interface and Experience Design, Web Design | 0 Comments

About 75 percent of people judge your website’s credibility on its design, which encompasses everything from the site’s load time to navigation hierarchy to the aesthetics of the page.