You add a some grain…then drop in a paper texture. Maybe some more noise even.

Suddenly your clean design looks like a grungy, weathered graphic that has been exposed to the elements for years.

But the problem usually isn’t the texture itself. It’s how we’re using it.

With this in mind I thought I’d share some tips on my approach to adding texture to my work.

Start at 100%, then back off

Apply the texture plainly into the graphic or layered above existing elements in your file.

After this, you can reduce the intensity if you want. Play with the opacity or layer blending modes to see what type of results you get.

The goal is not only to see the texture but to feel the difference it brings.

Give texture a job

It’s ok to stop and ask what is the purpose of adding texture to this design?

Is it:

• creating depth?

• separating one thing from another?

• adding a distressed effect?

• creating tactility?

• softening something that feels too clean?

• reinforcing a brand’s personality?

If none of this can be answered then it’s ok to remove the texture from the design. Sometimes it works….sometimes it doesn’t.

Don’t texture everything

This is something I learned over time. If everything has texture, nothing has texture. Introduce some balance or areas of contrast from clean to gritty.

This can make the visual much more interesting because the areas without texture make the areas with it stand out that much more.

Leaving some elements or areas clean can work in your favor.

Match the texture to the design

A heavily distressed texture on what should be an elevated, luxurious type of brand can feel off.

However, a subtle paper texture on an editorial layout might feel natural.

Sometimes matching the texture to the branding or style keeps the visual language consistent.

Think about the final medium

This is where my experience in print production comes into play. Something that looks subtle on your screen might behave differently when printed.

Especially when it comes to the following:

• Screen Printing

• DTF

• DTG

• Large-Format Printing

Truthfully, it’s not always the case but there are occasions where I see a sample print and I go back and adjust the way I distressed the graphic either to reduce or strengthen the intensity.

I find it helpful to keep a mental bookmark on the final stages when I’m designing.

I love working with tactile elements within my designs and because of that I talk about it often.

Hopefully this offered a few helpful tips you can use in your next design session.

Until next time!

-Jesse from The Fake PNG

I wanted something I can use in my work that wouldn’t overtake the design but instead add to it. Even if slightly.

Folding paper is pretty much a habit of mine. We all do it. Wether it’s bills we get, important documents or just notes we take on the fly…we fold them, stuff them in our pocket and continue our day.

For this one, I didn’t want it to be too worn so here’s what I did instead.

1. I grabbed a few sheets of 20lb bond paper. Any paper type will do but since this is what I had available it’s what I went with.

2. Began folding the sheets of paper. I went with basic, straight forward folds because I want the end product to have almost a geometric type of look to them. I also made sure not to repeat the fold. A different one on every sheet.

3. Scanned them in. I used an Epson scanner at 300 dpi. In my opinion, for scanning textures, the flat bed is the way to go, not the feeder. You have to scan each one individually but I find this produces the best results.

4. Next, I dropped them each into photoshop. Sized them to 4500px x 6000px at 300dpi. Every sheet was placed in its own layer and converted to a smart object. The reason for this is so I can work non-destructively. If I want to go back and make a change, I can do it easily.

5. As I adjust each one through the Camera Raw Filter, I keep an eye on how they look. I want them to be visually consistent. You can adjust one and then copy the changes onto every other sheet. Just be sure to double check again for consistency.

6. Once that’s done I export them to the desired file formats. On this one I chose to go with JPEG, TIFF and PNG.

That’s pretty much it. If you ever want to make your own textures from flat physical items like paper, this is a fairly quick way to do it. You can use a camera or your phone as well. My preference is usually to scan but if the surface I am working with isn’t suitable for a scanner then I use a camera.

If you plan on making an asset like this not just for yourself but to sell, then your next step would be to make a detailed presentation. I’ll cover that in another post.

In the mean time, enjoy your newly made assets!

If you’d rather skip the scanning, folding and Photoshop work, I already did it for you.

Basic Folds includes 12 clean, modern paper textures made from real folded paper, ready to drop into your next project. They’re subtle enough to add some texture and depth without taking over the design.

And if you already a have the Creator Toolkit, you’ll find Basic Folds included there as well.

Check out Basic Folds

One of the things AI is doing is creating an illusion that people think they’re getting print ready images.

That’s far from the case.

For us this has become an add-on charge due to the work the images require in order to be print ready. Some shops are even rejecting this type of inquiry at the door.

The goal is always to give the client the best quality possible. This means having the conversation that explains why we have to recreate the designs, partially or entirely.

Most of the time they’re good with it and are willing to pay. It’s always a good opportunity when I can share insight that helps a customer since many of them are brand owners starting out.

With that in mind, I’d like to share some things I think would help anyone when it comes to using AI for merch.

It Can Be a Good Starting Point

Prompted images are helpful when you can take it to a designer and say you’re looking to have the graphic designed similar to what you’re sharing. As a concept, it can be fairly helpful to get things off the ground.

A designer can look at it and instantly have a clearer vision for what you want done. This impacts the turnaround time removing some steps along the way. Especially if there’s a tight deadline.

Be Mindful of the Background Color

The overwhelming majority of images I get have backgrounds. Within those occasions most clients don’t even realize it. When it comes to merch and apparel, I find that a helpful approach is to prompt with the garment color in mind.

If you plan on printing on a black tee, include that into your prompt. Wether it is your brand logo you fed as reference or something entirely new, having the background color accounted for makes the process more efficient when it comes to printing.

It’s always better to have an image with transparency but this is the next best option.

Keep It Simple

Keeping the concepts simple can be beneficial both aesthetically and financially. You should usually expect fee’s for AI artwork correction that has to be printed. With a simpler, more balanced design you may end up paying a bit less.

In my experience, AI art with too much detail can lead to printing issues for garments after applying halftones and knockouts. Printers take note of this and account for it before invoicing.

Granted, this can depend on the printing method but in general, a simple, well balanced design will usually lead to a smoother process overall.

Count Your Colors

Keeping track of the amount of colors you want in your design is important. Having said that, the printing method you choose will determine how many you can use. The direct to film (DTF) or direct to garment (DTG) wouldn’t be as critical for color count. Now if you’re preferred method is the traditional screen print then you’ll be priced per color.

While you prompt, counting your colors will further ease the process from design to print. Even if the design gets remade, knowing the color count goes a very long way. It helps clarify pricing at the design and printing stages.

(Note: You don’t generally count the garment color. If you have black as one of the colors in your design and the garment is black, then that can be a knock out, letting the garment show through.)

Leave the Designers Some Room

Like anything else, AI is a tool to be used that can improve things like communication. You shouldn’t expect the design to be print ready as soon as ChatGPT gives it to you.

Keep in mind, we designers can remake parts of the design like the type, elements, textures and improve other things like layout and visual balance. This helps refine the concept.

Your AI images can explain your intent and ideas. That alone goes a long way. Expecting it to be print ready however, can lead to some unexpected challenges.

These are just a few tips that can help anyone get better results from AI-generated art. I understand budgets can be tight, which is why it has become such an appealing starting point.

But I think the biggest shift is in our expectations. When we treat AI as a tool for developing ideas and not delivering finished production files, it can make both the design and printing process smoother.

Ironically, the rise of artificial intelligence has made experienced designers even more valuable.

Knowing how to refine an idea, solve technical problems, and prepare designs that print well is still a human skill. AI can generate the visual possibilities, but it still takes a designer to bridge the gap between an interesting concept and a good looking product in the end.

If you enjoy these posts and want to support my work, the best way to do it is by checking out my Gumroad shop where you’ll find many high quality, human made design assets.

Additionally, you can save big by purchasing my Creator Toolkit Bundle which includes 35 products for a total of 1,300+ assets.

Every texture, brush and vector element is crafted for those who care about quality, and every purchase helps fund future of The Fake PNG.

Get The Toolkit

Things are moving pretty fast at the intersection of AI and design. Feels like every other day there’s a new web based tool being released. So far I have seen dither tools, ASCII art generators, mockup sites, gradient generators and a couple more I’m sure.

Naturally, I have tried these out and had some fun. While part of me recommends some of these tools I do understand that the market is quickly being saturated.

That’s one of the downsides. The speed at which things can move now and how fast we are quick to follow the trend to stay informed doesn’t leave us much time to sit and explore these things further.

It’s like a version of fast fashion (fast design?) that we designers online take part in. Some of this is accelerated by…you guessed it…artificial intelligence.

It fascinates me for a few reasons:

1. This should be the positive part. Designers can use tools to make their lives easier without losing the essence or the art behind the design and creativity.

2. Some of these web based tools can be used to make the design or the art using your own assets for finished products.

3. You can build a tool for personal or internal use.

4. Some designers are using this as part of their service package building tools like these for clients.

This is a new chapter in modern day graphic design which I approach with a positive mindset and some sense of caution as well.

Below is a list of some of the tools I’ve come across.

Symbl by Guillaume

Test your logo on this easy to use web based platform. Comes with practical yet great looking visuals for you to give your mark a quick stress test.

Available on Symbl

Studio. Neato.Fun by Josh Pigford

Have some fun with this free web based tool that offers 8 different stylistic directions you can take. Some require you to drag and drop an image and some don’t. Either way, the results are stunning.

Available on Studio.Neato.Fun

The Cartographic Poster Engine by TerraInk

This free and open source tool allows you to build detailed map posters from OpenStreetMap data with curated palettes, custom type, and print-ready formats.

Available at Terraink.App

Photoshop Layer Organizer by Synkit

Layer Organizer is a free open source Photoshop plug in you can use to keep your work tidy.

Available at Synkit

Stop wading through generic stock. Every asset I share is hand selected to be a strategic upgrade to your toolkit. Here, you get zero filler and 100% fuel for your next creative breakthrough.

I was looking through my old work recently and came to the realization that some of the mistakes I used to make are now what helps design work stand out.

Much of the polished work we now see is being dialed back for design that is reducing polish and going more against perfection. Perhaps this is because of the AI generated art that has flooded our algorithms.

It’s an undone aesthetic and you know what? I’m all for it.

If you’ve read any of my posts before you already know I’m partial to the use of texture in design work. I love the tactile feel it brings to any visual the moment you add it.

The unrefined, distressed and jagged edges will always have a place in my design heart.

Canva says this is a way of regaining creative control but I think this could be an overall human reaction to the amount of AI and digital first atmospheres we have prioritized in recent years.

The fatigue might be setting in that could bring about a more physical and human approach to design and creativity overall.

Mokk by Dan Alves

Mokk is a $5 per file marketplace that, as Dan Alves puts it, has sold over 25k units through provocative marketing to graphic designers. The site even got a cease and desist from Adobe for copying the Photoshop logo. You can learn more about Dan Alves here.

Mockups are available on Mokk

Dither Effect by Rob Mine

I’ve seen these pop up a lot lately. Free online tools to halftone or dither your images. Dither Effect can apply dither to your images with a variety of adjustments in style, strength, scale, brightness and much more.

Available on Dither Effect

Assorted Artifacts by The Fake PNG (That’s me :)

Assorted Artifacts is a vector element pack for streetwear designers. It has 80 high resolution artifacts in a variety of formats.

Available on my Gumroad Shop

Stop wading through generic stock. Every asset I share is hand selected to be a strategic upgrade to your toolkit. Here, you get zero filler and 100% fuel for your next creative breakthrough.

Many obstacles are still present and will remain present that we have to solve for clients. While many customers may come to you with things that they designed themselves, seasoned or experienced designers such as myself still have to take those graphics and find solutions for them when it’s time for the production phase.

Why File Prep Still Matters

Artificial intelligence can get you started. Heck, it may even get you halfway there, but the truth is in many cases, especially with promotional items to market your business or your brand, a human has to take over.

We still retain the leverage for file preparation that lead to quality products in the end.

The Path Forward

So think about this if AI has you concerned; learning different printing methods or production processes gives you another skill that’ll help you remain valuable for potential customers along the way.

This kind of knowledge will set you apart in the long run and keep your design career healthy.

Screens 36ML Mockup by Mockup Lab

Tired of the usual tote bag, t-shirt or beauty package mockups? This seat-back monitor mockup will surely add style to your asset library. For extraordinary resources like this one and more check them out.

Available on Mockup Lab

Acid Textures by Indie Ground

Elevate your designs with Free Acid Textures, a pack of 5 high-res film scans featuring melted color haze and gritty, Y2K-inspired corrosion. Simply drop these 300dpi overlays into any project to add instant chemical blooms.

Available on Indie Ground

Freight Grade Textures by The Fake PNG

My latest design asset is a small collection of authentic, field-captured industrial grit. A curated pack of 10 high-resolution, 300dpi PNG textures sourced directly from an active shipping warehouse.

Available on my Gumroad Shop

Stop wading through generic stock. Every asset I share is hand selected to be a strategic upgrade to your toolkit. Here, you get zero filler and 100% fuel for your next creative breakthrough.

2026 has arrived and we have hit the ground running. So far this small publication I have has been a consistent source of creative expression for me. I’m happy to say that it’s turned out to be something I look forward to every week.

A time I set aside to write, prepare, review ideas, thoughts and resources I wrote down during the week that I can bring to you here.

As I write this it’s my 36th post and I’m very proud to reach this number. Mainly because when I started writing on here, and in general, I didn’t think I’d publish this many times.

But here we are and I thank each and every one of you who stops by and takes the time to read The Fake PNG.

As I pivot and look towards 2026 I have a list of goals I want to achieve for the year, some of which include this publication. While I’m not ready to share the goals I have I will be working to bring them to light when the time is right.

Until then I encourage anyone reading this to do the same.

Face this year head on, go for the ideas you’ve had in your head and see what happens.

A thought that often comes to mind and gives me a bit of urgency on pursuing my goals is the fact that every day that passes, is one less day we have to achieve or enjoy them.

That’s the reminder I guess I give myself to keep things in perspective, take on challenges and live with a loving disposition.

Paper Cutout Machine V2 by MadeByGray

Spotted this online and it’s a very effective asset to give your designs a tactile feel. Photoshop system is designed to take your cutout work up a notch. Gray doesn’t skip on details with this one.

Available on Madebygray Co

Textures by Mark Busch

I personally follow Mark online because I think his work is amazing. You can download the assets he makes and uses in most of his designs. Includes before / after samples so you can see the difference the textures make.

Available on his Gumroad

Film Overlay Textures by Goodies.Buro

A simple pack of film overlay textures to soften your images and give them a vintage feel.

Available at Creative Market

Stop wading through generic stock. Every asset I share is hand selected to be a strategic upgrade to your toolkit. Here, you get zero filler and 100% fuel for your next creative breakthrough.

Before we close 2025 I want to take time on a small reflection. This Christmas was different for me. I told my wife I didn’t want any gifts this year. I don’t consider myself a materialistic person but like anyone else, I like to have nice things.

Lately, I’ve been feeling like I have too much though. That’s why I asked for my family not to worry about me. I’m not rich by any means but I feel like I have more than I need.

Right now I am learning to appreciate what I have without looking at the next new thing. Instead, I’m focused on learning and trying to acquire new skills. Trading a new pair of sneakers for practice on how to spackle, sand and paint my office.

I’m softly stepping on the brakes so that I can enjoy life as it comes. Just like I do with my fonts…it’s time to wear my favorite items as much as I want. Beat my sneakers up a little bit and put some life into them.

With this in mind I want to share some of my favorite assets I’ve used over the years.

Apparel Mockups by Pixel Sauce

In my opinion, Pixel Sauce makes the best apparel mockups. Not only do they have a wide variety of brands, they provide color libraries that match the garments giving you real life digital mockups for presentation or exploration. I use these for both professional and personal projects.

Available on Pixel Sauce

Duplitone by Retro Supply

A really great asset you can use to add halftone elements to your designs. Retro Supply also offers a free brush pack when you sign up for their newsletter.

Available on Retro Supply

Free Textures by Texture Lab

A free resource for a collection of textures you can choose from. Perfect for projects that need a quick turnaround with a distressed look.

Available at Texture Labs

Free and Premium Mockups by Mr. Mockup

A great resource for all types of mockups coming in both free and paid versions. Suitable for various kinds of design work and presentations.

Available at Mr. Mockup

Stop wading through generic stock. Every asset I share is hand selected to be a strategic upgrade to your toolkit. Here, you get zero filler and 100% fuel for your next creative breakthrough.

The days where we manually design everything are gone. If you write a good prompt it can now do it for you. This is quickly impacting designers workflow.

What if I told you that this doesn’t have to be a bad thing?

Like many, I thought this was a doom and gloom issue from the very beginning. Now I see it with a new set of eyes. How can I use AI to boost my workflow without me giving up the joy of creating what I want?

That’s the question that began to shift my perspective. I don’t want AI to do my essential tasks. Let me think, write, and design for myself.

Maybe AI can be limited to the repetitive stuff. I’m seeing designers online make some really cool things like add-ons to present work they’ve already made.

AI will only do what you allow it to.

In moderation I believe it’ll have a more favorable impact leaving us the necessary room to keep growing and exploring as creative people.

The truth is AI seems here to stay and the landscape has already changed and will keep changing. Future designers growing up on this will push and evolve it in ways we haven’t yet seen.

I’d like to think I can keep an open (but cautious) mind and adapt to the shifting grounds beneath my feet. This means finding ways to use artificial intelligence in a manner that will help me grow without stunting my ability to think, design and solve problems for myself.

-Jesse

Image to ASCII Art Generator by Vault

This free online ASCII art generator instantly converts images into text-based artwork using real ASCII characters. Everything runs locally in your browser.

Available here

CMYK Halftone Emulator by Daniel Petho

This free tool lets you turn your images into halftones with options for control and intensity on the results. Just drag and drop to get started.

Available here

2D to 3D Logo in Seconds by 3D Logo Lab

Bring your logos to life. Animate, export, or embed in seconds! Free and paid options available.

Check it out.

New Wallpaper Packs by The Fake PNG

I’m always creating and adding both free and paid resources to my Gumroad shop. The latest are two sets of wallpapers I think you will enjoy. Both collections are unique and hi-res so you can upgrade your digital spaces for either desktop or mobile.

Available here.

Stop wading through generic stock. Every asset I share is hand selected to be a strategic upgrade to your toolkit. Here, you get zero filler and 100% fuel for your next creative breakthrough.

Growing up in the 90’s I’d visit my local bodega and I can remember how most items like fruits had small stickers in different colors with out of register print. Or how we would buy cassette tapes only to lose the printed packaging inside. Today, I wish I had held onto some of those things because I’ve grown to appreciate them now as a designer.

This nostalgia is what is bringing me back to making things from an earlier time in my life. Details we grow up seeing but probably don’t notice it in the moment.

Let’s take the bread clip for example. I didn’t even know what it was called. I had to google something like “name of bread holder” to get the official name. This is where I learned that it was invented by Floyd G. Paxton in the 1950’s as a way of closing plastic bags more efficiently.

Moments like these where nostalgia calls me back in creative ways are important for my approach to design. It won’t always be about the new or the latest trends. Every once in a while I enjoy taking it back to see what I may have missed.

Parts List Typeface by Beth Mathews

Inspired by car repair shop waiting rooms and vintage forms this unique type face by works well for a variety of projects. Especially if it’s retro inspired.

Available here.

Low Ink Printer Effect by Divided Co

This is a Photoshop effect that gives you the instant low ink printer results via smart objects for easy editing.

Available on Supply Family

Hardback Textures by SBLNGR

A free sample collection by SBLNGR of hardback textures scanned at 1200 dpi for best results.

Available here

Bread Clip Mockup by The Fake PNG

This simple mockup is in line with the introduction to this post on vintage print items. I made this out of nostalgia and wanting to play around with something retro. It’s an easy to use mockup for you to make your own with text layouts or even single color logos.

Best of all it’s free.

Download Your FREE Bread Clip Mockup

Stop wading through generic stock. Every asset I share is hand selected to be a strategic upgrade to your toolkit. Here, you get zero filler and 100% fuel for your next creative breakthrough.

In my opinion digital design by default lacks that real world touch we are so used to seeing. Design assets in this instance become pretty important to our work.

Try not to think of them as shortcuts but as a style boost instead. Adding in a wrinkled paper texture, some noise, or a halftone color pattern and the design instantly has more life to it.

While the resources save you time they help you inch closer to your target when you want to meet a deadline. A tactile approach will prove to be a solution more often than not.

Considering design assets can be a secret weapon to efficient designs with unique style, let’s go over some of the resources that caught my eye recently.

Mockups by Mockup Lab

This is the Screen 20ML Mockup by Mockup Lab. It’s pretty eye catching and only one of many they offer on their site. Best part? They offer their entire library for a single membership.

Available on Mockup Lab

Papermix by Lerina Art Studio

This is a pretty unique pack with a wide range of high-quality paper textures, stylish backgrounds, and essential stationery accessories.

Available on Creative Market

Letterpress Print Kit

A Photoshop template file to help you create the look of vintage letterpress printing.

Available at You Work For Them

Canva Changes the Game

Couldn’t let this post end without highlighting this weeks biggest news in the design world. The new look Affinity by Canva is now free, forever (forever ever, forever ever?) As an Adobe guy myself, I had to download it. I’ll admit, I’m not holding my breath on the forever part but it does look promising.

Check it out.

THJ won’t see 2026

Just like Design Cuts earlier this year, The Hungry Jpeg will also close its doors. While I do not see official notification via their website I did receive an email since I was a contributor there.

Here’s the official quote:

We want to inform you of an important upcoming change to THJ. After careful consideration, we have decided to discontinue THJ operations on December 1, 2025.

While this marks the end of one chapter, we are excited to invite you to continue your creative journey with us at 123RF.

They will be moving on under a new name. Slowly but surely, many of the markets that first introduced me to design assets are slowly closing their doors.

A Special Gift Just For You!

As a thank you for being a part of this community, I’m giving you an exclusive, limited-time discount on my latest Gumroad products, which are normally $12.

You can grab any of the new releases for just $9 (25% off).

This is my way of making sure you get first access at the best price. But don’t wait, this offer is only valid until 11/7 at 11:59pm EST.

Use Code: YJMV1EV

Buy Feeder Flaws Textures

Buy Bodega Price Stickers

Stop wading through generic stock. Every asset I share is hand selected to be a strategic upgrade to your toolkit. Here, you get zero filler and 100% fuel for your next creative breakthrough.

In reality, the typeface we select is just as important as the logo we’re designing. For some…the font is the logo. Selecting the right one isn’t an afterthought. It’s an act of brand strategy that dictates tone, hierarchy, and trust. Keep this in mind as you browse the free assets I’ve curated this week. When you look at the colors and textures, ask yourself: What font would complete this picture?

Vollkorn by Friedrich Althausen

Vollkorn came into being as the first typeface design by Friedrich Althausen. First published in 2005 under a Creative Commons license, it was soon downloaded thousands of times and used in all kinds of web and print projects.

Available on Google Fonts

Oswald Bold by Vernon Adams

Oswald Bold is a reworking of the classic gothic typeface style historically represented by designs such as ‘Alternate Gothic’.

Available on Open Foundry

Orbitron by Matt McInerney

Orbitron is a geometric sans-serif typeface intended for display purposes. It features four weights (light, medium, bold, and black), a stylistic alternative, small caps, and a ton of alternate glyphs.

Available at League of Moveable Type

Telma by Indian Type Foundry

Telma is a family of informal script fonts. Their letterforms are drawn with a good degree of contrast between the thick and thin strokes. This contrast gives the whimsical structure seen in some of the characters a more formal nature.

Available at Fontshare

Pro Tip: Outline Your Type

Always outline all text before you save and submit your final file for commercial printing. This converts your type into vector shapes, guaranteeing the printer sees exactly what you intended, even if they don’t have your specific font installed.

To do this in Illustrator select all your text in the file and go to Type > Create Outlines. Even better if all your text is in a separate layer beforehand so you can duplicate it first and then perform this task. This way it remains non-destructive.

No more missing or substituted fonts!

Stop wading through generic stock. Every asset I share is hand selected to be a strategic upgrade to your toolkit. Here, you get zero filler and 100% fuel for your next creative breakthrough.

If it’s worn or rough looking even better. It brings design back to something you can touch or feel. Texture is all around us.

It’s in the trees at the park, in the package on your doorstep and on the surface of your favorite book. Before it ever makes its way into your favorite design software it makes up the world we live in.

When we create things using textures we’re borrowing from our surroundings and reflecting it.

With that in mind, here are a few texture-driven assets worth adding to your toolkit this week.

Print Displacer

This photoshop template by Orbyt Studio creates the effect of printer glitches and artifacts.

Black Paper Textures

This collection by Pixel Buddha provides 6 paper textures with imperfections you would find in genuinely worn papers like creases and folds.

Paper Cuts

This grunge texture pack by Design Syndrome comes with 100 hi-res textures in both transparent and original formats.

Free Resource of the Week

This unique pack by Resource Boy comes with 100 free transparent tape PNG’s. Tape has been trending and with this pack you can add a tactile feel to your work.

Tip to Add Grain in Photoshop

My favorite way to add grain to my work in Photoshop is to create a blank layer and fill it with a neutral gray (#808080.) I then take that layer and convert it to a smart object.

Next I go to Filter > Filter Gallery > Field Blur. In this menu you can adjust the amount, size, roughness, color, and highlights. Once you’re done you set that layer transparency to Overlay.

Best of all its non-destructive. you can go back and adjust the amount as desired.

Stop wading through generic stock. Every asset I share is hand selected to be a strategic upgrade to your toolkit. Here, you get zero filler and 100% fuel for your next creative breakthrough.

Textures, PNG’s, vector elements and PSD brushes are all important elements we use day to day as designers. Even if we don’t create them ourselves. I’m always on the lookout for assets both new and old. I could browse them all day purely out of the appreciation I have for the creativity and the artists behind them.

Going forward, you’ll start to see this publication leaning more into these design elements. I’ll try my best to share assets I think could be valuable while discussing how they can be used and how you can make your own.

Think of it as a pivot from the overall design process to discussing the tools that help bring design to life.

With that said, let’s get into it.

Featured Mockup

Popsicle! Ice Pop Mockup by Studio Yorktown

Who needs a flyer mockup when you can have this popsicle mockup by Studio Yorktown. It’s one of the more interesting mockups I’ve seen and very well executed.

Asset Trend Watch: Lace Graphics

Lace graphics are trending in graphic design, not just fashion. Suitable for marketing campaigns, weddings and high end applications. These delicate details are popping up in design pushing streetwear and modern inspirations. Lace graphics can add a great touch to any project.

Lace & Grace by AnMark

Vintage Lace, Bows & Pearls by Lana Elanor

Softy Velvet & Lace Backgrounds by DigARTbyHavroshka

Quick Tip for Textures

Always keep your textures in black & white TIFF format when possible. They’re easier to apply as overlays in Photoshop + Illustrator and keep file sizes manageable.

Fresh Finds

Considering the Fall season is upon us, I want to highlight this Ornamental Vectors Graphics by MiksKS. This collection includes 200+ ornamental vector elements perfect for creating spooky Halloween themed graphics for any project. The best part is that it comes with AI, SVG, PSD and PNG file formats.

Stop wading through generic stock. Every asset I share is hand selected to be a strategic upgrade to your toolkit. Here, you get zero filler and 100% fuel for your next creative breakthrough.

A logo isn’t a logo the moment it’s created. It’s a visual icon with intentional lines, shapes and curves. It’s a an idea made to look important and represent something bigger.

A logo becomes a logo when it starts to have meaning. When the product you make is in a customers hand, when your service solves their problems, when your brand starts to resonate with them.

In moments like these the logo now starts to move from a logo to something significantly greater.

Let’s take the Nike swoosh as an example. It was created by a college student. No big budget or anything. Today it means so much more. It carries decades worth of stories, iconic athletes, and the emotions that come with it.

How about the Apple logo? What once was a black and white illustration, then a rainbow to now representing a global idea for innovation and technology.

Designers plant the seed, yes. But the people around this idea eventually make it grow.

Maybe a better question would be what are you giving your logo the chance to mean?

Before I leave you just wanted to share that I recently launched a new website and to celebrate it, I’m giving you 25% off all design assets this week.
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Thanks for reading this weeks post. As always, I appreciate you taking the time.

Until the next one!

-Jesse

Hello friends,

I’ve been working on a little personal design experiment recently: reimagining the NBA logo (again).

The classic logo with Jerry West the silhouette has been around since 1969. It’s iconic, of course, but it also reflects a different time and era. Today, the NBA is one of the most international sports leagues in the world. From Hakeem to Dirk, Giannis to Jokic, international players have shaped basketball at every level.

So I asked myself What would the NBA logo look like if it celebrated that global side of the game?

My take was to keep it familiar with the red, white and blue colors with tall yet wider form but instead swap out the silhouettes making the logo more flexible. In this case, highlighting the growth of the game. My goal wasn’t to “fix” the logo, but to explore how design can reflect cultural change.

I’ve shared the concept on Behance if you’d like to check it out and join the debate on which players belong…or not.

Check out a Global Game Project

Learning by Doing

For me, projects like this are a reminder that design isn’t just about making things look good, it’s about storytelling, memory, and identity. I’ve been designing a long time and personal projects like these have always been a part of my routine.

I use it as a way to practice with the tools I use and to explore thoughts and ideas. It serves as training for when my next challenge comes around from a potential client.

Maybe it’s not something for everyone however, I do recommend practicing your designs or ideas one way or another. It helps you grow within this challenging field.

Until next time, thanks for stopping by!

Here's the thing about graphic design, not every project you get the opportunity to work on is going to be as appealing as you’d like.

Every once in a while you might get an inquiry for something very basic. In my case it's clients who email me an image and say this is what I want to put on my shirts.

The good thing is they know what they want. The challenging part is that the image they usually give me has to be recreated. It either has a background, or is very low in quality or resolution.

Naturally I then have to go into the explanation of why we have to recreate the design and why I recommend this approach. I’m not talking recreated in the sense that they want a rebrand. More like recreated in the literal approach of just making that same image again in good enough quality to produce.

It's not the most appealing gig but it's one I have taken more pride in as I got older in my profession. When I was younger I used to roll my eyes because I thought these jobs were not challenging enough. Silly me.

Don’t get me wrong, there are times where I upsell the customer and offer a full rebrand. I do this when I think it’s necessary after having a detailed conversation with them.

However, there are many times where it’s not needed because the client loves the design they have and don’t want to change it. What I think of it at that point doesn’t matter.

All they need is a direct recreation of whatever image they have in their possession.

Maturing for me was realizing these were situations where I could legitimately help someone out and meet them where they are. Plus, I still get paid anyway and seeing the end result is always the best feeling.

Projects like these are an opportunity to build trust, make new connections, and lay the groundwork for future collaborations. Eventually the testimonials will speak volumes about both the quality of the work and the spirit in which it is delivered.

And so, what once felt like a boring task has transformed into a rewarding part of my work. It's a reminder that maturity in any profession can shift our perspective, revealing the real value in meeting clients exactly where they are.

As always, thanks for taking the time to read this newsletter. I appreciate it.

Until next time!

-Jesse

Just a little note: If you’ve been enjoying these newsletters, you might like what I’ve been working on in my shop. It’s where I quietly share the kinds of design tools and resources I’d want for myself. No pressure, of course. Just putting it out there in case you’re curious. Take a look when you have a moment. Thanks in advance!

Browse Design Tools

I’ve noticed something over the course of my career: some of my best product ideas didn’t come from brainstorming, they came from client work.

With every new inquiry comes a new creative challenge. And many of the ideas I’ve had were sparked either directly by the client or by the solution they needed along the way.

For example, I’ve had clients request album art or marketing materials where originality was key. Sure, there were moments when I sourced assets online, double-checked the license, and moved forward. But in other cases, I was more than happy to draw the illustration myself, or snap an image of a texture and drop it into Photoshop. Whatever it took to cook up something I could call original.

Somewhere along the way, I realized I could take things a step further and share those assets online for others to use.

It was one of those aha moments that felt a little too obvious in hindsight. Why did it take me so long to see it?

I’d been sitting on a library of unused assets, rejected design concepts, textures and sketches, just waiting in folders. Some of them didn’t need to go to waste. They deserved a second chance to see the light of day (well, the ones that could at least).

Eventually, I joined a few marketplaces and started sharing what I had. I’ve seen some success along the way, but more than anything, it’s been a big learning experience. It’s also given me something client work never fully could: creative ownership.

When I create digital design tools, I’m not just answering a brief, I’m deciding what needs to be made, how it’s packaged, how it’s marketed. I’m the client and the maker. And while that brings a different kind of pressure, it’s a welcome one.

These days, I’ve settled into a rhythm that feels right: a mix of client projects, part-time gigs, and ongoing digital product creation. It’s a bit of a patchwork, but it works. It gives me the variety I crave, and the flexibility to keep evolving.

I still meet new clients and solve fresh design problems but now I also keep a notebook nearby to jot down ideas that might turn into something helpful for the wider creative community.

Some of the tools I’ve made have been used by both new and seasoned designers. That means a lot. I still remember what it was like to search endlessly for resources, or not quite know how to do something in Photoshop. I learned by watching tutorials, reaching out to people who knew more than me, and trying and then failing along the way.

Now, I get to give a little of that back.

Whether it’s for a client or a download, the goal’s the same: make something useful, and make it with care.

That’s what I try to hold onto.

Until next time.

-Jesse

P.S. If any part of this story resonates or if you’re working on something of your own, I’ve stocked my shop with some of the tools I’ve created along the way. Many were sparked by real client needs, others by small creative curiosities. Either way, they’re made with care, and I hope they help make your process a little smoother.

Browse Design Resources

Apple’s latest software design has given designers a lot to talk about, and honestly? I like it.

It feels sophisticated and clean. Familiar, but elevated. The approach plays with transparency, lighting, and soft layering in a way that naturally invites designers to try it for themselves. It feels like something Apple was meant to do.

At first, I thought it might just be a trend. A visual moment that would spike in popularity and quietly fade. But after sitting with it a little longer and understanding the deeper connection to Apple’s hardware advances…I’m not so sure anymore.

Apple, as they’ve done many times before, seem to be setting the tone. They have a way of shifting the visual language of software when they really lean in. And this liquid glass aesthetic is stylish and a result of what their technology now makes possible.

It’s also something I’ve experimented with in my own work. That style is fun to create and visually rich. But what I’m still thinking about is this: Will this spark real creative curiosity? Or just more design by momentum?

Aesthetics That Invite Touch

What I like the most is how this look makes the digital space feel physical again. Like you could reach through the screen and move things around with your hands. It doesn’t just look great, it’s an invitation to interact.

As a graphic designer, this opens up some really exciting spaces. How can we design with light and depth as part of the experience? How can we move beyond a flat minimalist approach without losing clarity? It’s not about decoration, it’s about presence.

A New Layer of Possibility

Every popular trend runs the risk of being watered down or overused. But that doesn’t mean we should ignore it. I think this is one of those moments where a big design voice creates a visual permission slip for the rest of us to explore, experiment, and reimagine what digital interfaces and design feel like.

Instead of treating this as a passing trend, I’m choosing to see it as a new possibility. A fresh direction that can remind us that even in a digital-first world, design can still feel tangible and layered.

I’m excited to see where this goes and even more excited to keep pushing in my own way.

If you’re curious and want to experiment with visuals in the same spirit, I’ve set aside all of my design assets that reflect this style: Acrylic Overlay Objects, Photoshop Glass Effect Styles, and Glass Pattern Effects.

They’re all available in my Gumroad shop, and as a thank-you for reading, you can use the code 5Z3MDVR for 25% off any of them (*Offer valid until Friday, June 27th). Just a little something to spark your own exploration.

As always, thanks for reading. Until next time!

— Jesse

Browse the Shop

On the creative side one of the projects I’ve taken on is for Edel’s Meal Prep and Catering. It’s a new brand making traditional Dominican dishes that feel warm and flavorful. The project is far from done but I did share a concept on here via notes. This feels like the kind of gig that will leave an impression on me even after it’s complete.

I also had a familiar face come calling with a request for merch production. It was a blast from the past because the hats that I had to help produce were of a logo I worked on roughly 12 years ago. At the time the gentleman approached me to clean up the one he had. While I didn’t exactly design it I was surprised to see the little guy still in use. It goes to show why you should always put your best foot forward in any capacity. You never know how long a life some of your work will have.

In between client work I have been slowly building my latest asset pack. It’s inspired by random things I’ve seen during my day to day. Objects, shapes and textures that catch my attention. This one won’t be as structured as previous packs but it’s still bringing me a lot of joy because it’s such a mixed bag of ideas.

On a personal note, my kids softball season is slowly coming to a close. My oldest was able to make it to the championship game with her team but ultimately came up short. Yup, it stings. They lost by about 2 runs if I’m not mistaken. Watching the looks on their faces after fighting hard all season was tough. I couldn’t be more proud though. They may have lost in the final game but that still means they made it there through dedication and some grit.

That’s the thing about sports, sometimes the losses teach you lessons that will go beyond the field.

Once again, I thank you all for taking the time to read and be part of my little creative corner.

Until next time.

PS - If you’re working on something of your own and want to add a little flair, character, or inspiration to it—I’ve got a growing collection of design assets over in my Gumroad shop. There’s a variety of things to pick from like templates, textures, vectors objects and freebies. Either way, I hope they bring something good to your process.

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