Spoon Graphics 

Tutorials, freebies, articles, videos, inspiration, and other resources. This resource has been in operation since 2007! There is tons of info and great things on this site. The website has a newsletter to receive new content weekly!

1. How current is the information? New blog posts are made multiple times during the week. When writing this article the most recent was posted 2 days prior.
2. Who is posting? Are they an authority on the topic? The author of the website is a Graphic Design Freelance artist named Chris Spooner. He has been in the field since 2006 when he graduated with a BA in Art & Design.
3. Is there an editor or are posts a free for all with up/down voting? All of the posts are made by Spooner himself. They are simply added in a blog-style where the newest content appears at the top of the page, with access to older posts via the website archive.
4. Quality information? Absolutely! There is such a wide range of things available on the website. You may go looking for a design tutorial and find that there’s an article right below it for free font bundles or Adobe Photoshop actions. Tutorials are sooo well written on this website. Sometimes he overdoes the number of screenshots while breaking down a project, but the more the merrier I suppose.
5. Is this a place I would return for future reference? Yes! I have been reading the articles and tutorials on Spoon Graphics since probably late 2008! I come back every so often to see what new content he has posted and to learn new techniques to use in designing.

Creative Market Blog

A curated blog area nestled alongside the main marketplace with many different article topics. Ranging from inspiration, tutorials, trends, business-related, and even humor.

1. How current is the information? Content is posted multiple times a week. The most recent being the day prior to this article’s post date.
2. Who is posting? The articles are written by a team of many (40) different authors. Each of which specializes in different topics or styles.
3. Is there an editor or are posts a free for all with up/down voting? This website is a blog-style based source as well. New posts are listed above previous posts. None gaining any hierarchy due to being voted up or follow count.
4. Quality information? Yes!!! I absolutely appreciate the inspiration and trend posts on the Creative Market blog. Topics include a variety of things like: “10 Mindful Techniques for Designers Feeling Overwhelmed” to  “15 Design Sins No Client Should Ever Make Us Commit”. The articles are well written and quite enjoyable to read along with. Tutorials have great breakdowns and even recaps at the end to make sure you really understand what you’re working along with.
5. Is this a place I would return for future reference? I am fairly new to the Creative Market Blog page but have found myself checking it when I am in a mental rut. So yes, I will be returning in the future I am sure.

Digital Arts

Digital Arts is a very diverse website. It is almost as if they were going for an entertainment magazine type feel with their approach. The site contains articles about digital media news, features, tutorials, and even industry-standard product reviews.

1. How current is the information? Articles seem to be posted multiple times a week. But they are not clearly as labeled as the other two sites. The date stamp is included in the byline on the article pages only. The website is much more visual base, with just short one-line captions under the headlines.
2. Who is posting? There is a curated list of authors that was quite a lengthy process to find, lots of clicking backlinks. With 140+ (I gave up counting) authors listed, their diversity in topics has quite the range.
3. Is there an editor or are posts a free for all with up/down voting? Again, like the others, this site’s articles are listed in order of the date they were published. There is no voting system that I can see that would create any sort of position based results.
4. Quality information? With so many authors, the articles are sort of hit or miss with a variety of quality. Some of the tutorial articles are well-written step by step instructions with great photos, and others have vague imagery and short step descriptions.
5. Is this a place I would return for future reference? I’m quite undecided as to if I truly enjoy this website. I found it while searching for DMD tutorial sites. It was one of the top hits on Google and with its extensive amount of content, I can see why. But it is very overwhelming for me with so much going on on the home page. The design of the website seems very basic but not in a good modern edgy way. It just seems very underdeveloped for as large as the site is. As well as the length in which the company has been around. IDG founded Digital Arts in 1997! 23 years in, I would expect something with a much nicer first impression. I may give the page a few more chances, but as of right now I don’t see myself referencing this website often.