Pixels To Print: Making The Most Of Quarantine

Being stuck in quarantine right now may not be the ideal situation for most, but there can always be a bright side to a situation if you make one!

Designers and marketing teams alike thrive off of collaboration and the constant learning and growing that comes from working with others. This is one of the greatest parts of being a member of the creative world that we live in. With our temporary halt of in-person interaction with our team members and fellow coworkers, we may start to feel the effects of being stuck at home alone or with only a few others. However, this is not a reason to give up on finding inspiration from others and learning new things! Let’s take a different perspective on this time and see it instead as an opportunity to take the time that we may not have had before to expand our skills with the online resources that we have.

After researching some of the opportunities and offers that are being provided for free to the public during this time, we have gathered a list of options to learn or enhance your design skills while stuck at home:

1) New AIGA members, at any level, receive 2 months free of Skillshare Premium, a resource with unlimited access to thousands of inspiring classes, with hands-on projects and feedback from a community of millions

2) Sign up for are.na for free, a visual organization tool designed to help you think, create, and connect ideas with other people by collaborating privately or building public collections. You can also discover new design tools to play with on a number of channels, some including these below:

a) https://www.are.na/drew-albinson/design-toolkit

b)  https://www.are.na/drew-albinson/print-toolkit

c)  https://www.are.na/winston-struye/w_resources-printers-tools-etc

3) Watch live talks by designers and creatives that are streaming on Instagram via @LiveTalkFrom, a new design handle intending to “fight quarantine, boredom and, most importantly, to instill hope.”

4) Check out Adobe’s Creative Summit which took place on March 31st, which will now be online and free! (Adobe has also announced that their 99U Conference will be online and free as well with more details to come!)

5) Brush up on your business know-how: Online business coaching service The Role Model Way is offering its “Artist Business and Goals Roadmap Course” for free during the COVID19 period. Head over to therolemodelway.com to check it out!

6) Learn all about variable fonts and how to design them with Variable Fonts Primer (https://variablefonts.io/)

7) Create your own artwork encouraging others to stay at home, wash their hands, stop hoarding at the supermarket, or keep a six-foot distance to others – a great way to practice your design skills while also bringing awareness to coronavirus prevention!

Next time you're having a "lazy day," check out one of these resources to keep your mind active and your creative juices flowing!