This week, we’re sharing some of our favourite resources to help you keep projects on track – and stay smiling – while working from home.
We’ve been blown away by the generosity, warmth and ingenuity of the global design community this week. In the midst of terrifying news about COVID-19, there are so many open-source resources, virtual meet-ups, free content and productivity tools popping up all over the internet.
We know that some studios and clients are anxious about keeping design projects and productivity on track. So we thought you might find the following resources helpful, which will help to keep you inspired, too.
SEGD is now making over 370 videos about experiential graphic design available free via segd.org. On 31st March, it’s also streaming its best Branded Environments presentations on Facebook, and everyone’s invited.
AIGA has published ‘The Eye on Design Guide to Self-Isolation for Designers and Creatives’. It covers everything from tips on collaborating remotely to combating loneliness, learning new skills, connecting with other creatives, and supporting artists, designers and makers. And because it’s open-source, anyone can keep adding tips as they discover them.
AGDA is all set to begin hosting events via Zoom, and its website is an excellent resource for designers who are worried about remaining relevant in a post-COVID-19 world.
Creative Mornings is still hosting design events only they’ll take place virtually from now on. Their weekly newsletter offers lots of nuggets of inspiration. So does OMGLORD, a newsletter created by Australian designer Gabby Lord, who lives in New York. This week, she featured The Social Distancing Festival. It’s an incredible initiative to support arts organisations all over the world by live-streaming their performances. Gabby is also showcasing colourful illustrations depicting life working from home – we’ve shared a few, below.
Productivity tools & resources
So many brands and tech companies are also being more generous with their products.
Atlassian is making its flagship cloud products available free for teams of up to 10 people. Hootsuite is offering free access to its Professional social media tools if you’re a small business or non-profits. Adobe is making its at-home Creative Cloud service free for students and educators, while Google is offering free access to its advanced Hangouts video-conferencing capabilities. For more free productivity tools, check out this guide from Entrepreneur magazine.
Staying sane & keeping up morale
Luckily, we’ve had the tools in place to work and brainstorm remotely for a long time. Google Hangouts, Trello, Zoom, PAM and Mediabank are all established parts of our design process. For us, the real challenge is making sure we support each other emotionally and check in with each other throughout the day. This means finding reasons to celebrate together – you can see us catching up for Friday drinks, below.
We’re also constantly sharing weird and wonderful podcasts, artists, albums, distractions and survival tips that are keeping us sane while working from home. Some of us are taking up knitting and weaving, Jules is experimenting with typeface design, Leigh is expertly hosting virtual dinner parties and drinks, and Barb has a new addiction to fictional podcasts.
If you’ve got a survival tip to share, we’d love to hear from you. Stay safe, everyone!
