http://www.distortedesigners.com
Kind words are often spoken out of the urge to not hurt someone’s feelings when judging the works of others in any field. However, holding back proper, constructive criticism can lead to cultivating mediocrity. An end product has to be criticized just enough to make one feel inspired or pushed to elevate himself to a higher level or genius or perfection. I can hear you laughing, yes, its easier said than done. You can find this kind of honesty is harbored in a community of online digital artists that is called Distorted Designers.
Distorted Designers is an inspiring place for both its visitors and its members. Even people outside the realm of digital design will find themselves surrounded by intriguing mix of colors, swaying lines and imagery that pleases the senses. The membership is open to everyone, just find the Register link and fill up the form to get full access to their forum which is a treasure chest of information. It’s a community devised to increase the interaction between all the people involved in this field or preparing to do so. Non-designers can still get a very satisfying experience from all the content that is open to all.
Digital design is not a well established field here in Bangladesh yet. There is a lot of demand for it due to the appearance of multiple satellite tv channels, software companies, the increase in the use of the internet, and special needs for industries like real estate and architect firms for animated visualization of their projects, etc. Make no mistake; this demand is being met very well, but mostly by self-taught, maverick designers, most of them with almost no institutional training. In this scenario, a community site for designers provides a much needed platform for exchange of ideas, and know-how.
At the heart of the community is its forum where the designers share their work, knowledge and also their processes. That shows through in the face of the site, its homepage, as the forum is mentioned in some detail. The layout of content in the homepage is also done with taste, showcasing some of the samples of its members’ works in a large banner. Also noticeable are its efforts to display some advertisements from companies looking to hire designers. Looking around the center of the page is the Designers and Top Rated section of the page, where the more involved members are highlighted. To appear listed as a designer on the homepage, one must show 5 completed works inside the forum. This simple condition ensure that exposure is given to the more experienced and more active designers. And the administrators of the site go through the works in the forum to select and present some of the convincingly well done pieces of work in the Top Rated section.
A non-member faces some restrictions in the forum, with not all sections being open to them, but outside that, the content viewable without membership is highly commendable. The Done section is possibly one that you wouldn’t want to miss, since it’s the section where the members actively submit their finished works. Works range from caricatures, to cover design of music CDs of recording artists, from eid cards to 3D graphics, and even logos. A lot of the members are working graphics professionals and have a lot to offer in terms of quality of work and obviously industry knowledge, a lot of them are working also for self-satisfaction but equally knowledgeable. There is also a good amount of conceptual artworks here also, the kind of projects that a designer might not be able to necessarily do on a job at the office. So expect to see some things out of the ordinary, some things going out towards the imaginative genres of traditional art like abstract or surrealism, and some things that might be designs of products from the future. All this has been put under the title ‘concept art’ usually in the world of design, and you can get a taste it right here.
Probably even more interesting, at least to me personally, is the section – Sketches & Works in Progress. Here you can take a look at works in different stages of completion. Its members are abound with comments, both praises and suggestions for their fellow members, be it a completed piece of work or something in its earlier stages. The Critique Center section of the forum exists especially for those who are really eager to get opinions of the other members of the forum for a particular project. As it says on the description of the section: “Be Honest, be helpful, be straight-up, be true, and share your ideas about how to make better art/design”.
I mentioned many times the sharing of knowledge as a major advantage of this community. Its not achieved, however, through just one section. Its spread all over the Done section, Critique Center, Sketches & Works in Progress and many others. So, to browse or search through the site would be an enlightening experience.
Under the heading Tricks, Tweaks and Tutorials, there are a lot of help to be found for those looking for it. The members had proactively contributed a lot of articles on different techniques, and as it says on the title of that part – tricks and tweaks. This is also the part where the members can post their questions, and the other members dive in to provide assistance. This part has three sections – Design which deal with the design issues people have, especially on the usage of software like Illustrator and Photoshop which are the most popular worldwide in this arena; Animation – which is now a popular way of decorating websites, for promotional videos of products, and even training games and demos; and Web Development – for the website designers who work with code like HTML, PHP etc.
I hope you had visited this site, and had a great time looking through all the activities that go on there, and enjoyed the artwork from the Distorted Designers.
Quotes:
When the true colors cover the true Sky…that’s named Rainbow; which come from true haven. Like this way…A true design comes out from a true heart; which based on true feelings…isn’t it true? We the DD pupil appreciate the sentiment of true heart; which is the base of our creative work…so a smart designer can make a smart design...
Iqram Ahmed
CEO
CreativeGeek
A great place to communicate with other designers
K. Zahidur Rahman
Senior Graphic Designer
KAZ Software
It’s really an exceptional designer community for all Bangladeshi creative designers. It’s nice, well organized, new concept in web community. I wish all the very best to the DD and congratulate for its great initiative.
S.M. Shabbir Hossain
Senior Creative Engineer
KAZ Software
First of it's kind here in BD...and finally too! What a great way to showcase your talent, hard work and learn from people working in the same field and best of all bringing all the creative think-tank under one roof !!! :)
Dhanad Islam
Web Designer
Therap Services, LLC.
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