Graphic Design

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• 5 Factors That Ruin a Graphic Designer’s Creativity!

  Graphic Design Blog - An Ultimate Resource for Graphic Designers

  Charlie B. Johnson

  24 Apr 2012 | 4:31 am

  Have you ever come across a time when your creative juices stop flowing? Yes, I’m referring to that moment when you try so hard but fail to conceive a creative idea. But this doesn’t happen all of a sudden, does it? There is always a reason behind this abrupt dearth of creativity. Even the slightest of distraction can ruin a designer’s ability to think innovatively. In the field of graphic design, creativity is one attribute that makes the real difference. Whatever you design for a client must stand out from the rest of the crowd. But there are some factors that damage a…

• The Art of Rock: Design Trends in Gig Posters

  You The Designer

  Cadence Wu

  10 May 2012 | 9:53 pm

  Since I’ve talked about album covers in a previous post, I’ve decided you still need a second serving of creativity care of our rock and roll gods. In this second serving, we won’t be talking about the people who created album covers or gig posters (there’s too many good artists out there, today). Instead, we’ll discuss some fascinating trends in designing the proverbial rock poster, as well as processes that most graphic designers use today. Here we go! Before starting this piece, I’ve had my team scour Google images and Flickr.com for different poster designs. Through the…

• 29 Exciting New Business Card Themes

  Colorburned

  Jake Rocheleau

  23 Feb 2012 | 10:53 am

  The corporate world has been rapidly advancing along with numerous design schemes. Individuals are able to network like never before and it has created a heavy demand for local business. Thus business cards are still vitally important for sharing your information and building a respectable client base. Check out these 29 card themes and you may even come up with a fantastic idea of your own. Similarly you can share fresh business cards and concepts in the discussion area below. Franco Business Card Design Nurture Athletics Nurture Athletics – Side View Interactive Business Card Mattson…

• 8 tools to manage an email newsletter

  Design daily news

  Mirko

  15 May 2012 | 8:26 pm

  According to internet marketers, the email list is still what you should look to grow fast if you want to make any money online. For non-business people, it is a great way to spread ideas and contact many people at once. I recently encountered problems with a client’s email list, some emails are not sent, so I’ve been looking for new ways to manage their newsletter. In the following article I share some of the popular options you get to technically manage your newsletter. Open-source solutions Whenever I start a new project or need some software to perform some tasks, I always…

• Crafting With Magazines

  Color + Design Blog by COLOURlovers / Feed

  allisonsilber

  10 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  A bit ago we posted about crafting with paint chips. Today I wanted to post about another product you probably have laying around your house that you could turn into totally awesome art. Have you ever tried to find a use for magazines and catalogs that you finished looking through? Throwing them away feels like such a waste sometimes, doesn't it? Well today we are posting about various art projects you can do with those old magazines to repurpose them and bring those pages to life, for the second time. These projects are also a great way to give your kids something to do, using only…

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  Design daily news

• 8 tools to manage an email newsletter

  Mirko

  15 May 2012 | 8:26 pm

  According to internet marketers, the email list is still what you should look to grow fast if you want to make any money online. For non-business people, it is a great way to spread ideas and contact many people at once. I recently encountered problems with a client’s email list, some emails are not sent, so I’ve been looking for new ways to manage their newsletter. In the following article I share some of the popular options you get to technically manage your newsletter. Open-source solutions Whenever I start a new project or need some software to perform some tasks, I always…

• The best rejected New Yorker covers

  Mirko

  14 May 2012 | 7:27 pm

  The New Yorker is famous for its gorgeous illustrated covers, but the published covers are only the tip of the iceberg. Many, many cover proposals stay unpublished for various reasons. Françoise Mouly, who has been chosing covers since 1993 as art director, authored a book giving these rejected covers some exposure. You can see some of these covers here, and see more as well as an interview on ImPrint Mag.

• This week on Pinterest

  Mirko

  13 May 2012 | 8:15 pm

  Pinterest has become a great source of inspiration for me. Each week I share my favorite pins of the week. If you don’t want to miss any pin, make sure to follow me on Pinterest. Alessandro Gottardo illustration. Via My Modern Met.   The Velvet Underground Loaded Album Cover.Via Tralfaz Archives. Sculpture by Ron Ulicny. Via Colossal. To Kill a Mockingbird cover. Via Amazon. Photography by Daniela Sachs. Via Flickr. Coffee Duck logo. Via Behance. Cool vintage typographic label. Via Codex99.

• How to get people to buy your software

  Mirko

  11 May 2012 | 10:37 pm

  A quite fun way by the founders of the Chocolat text editor to get people, graphic designers at least, to purchase your software. Via Reddit.

• Stylised 17th century floriated letterforms

  Mirko

  10 May 2012 | 9:22 pm

  Usually exagerated ornaments aren’t my cup of tea, but there is something charming about these letters engravings. See more on BibliOdyssey.

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  "graphic+design" - Google News

• Atlanta shines in “What To Expect When You're Expecting” - Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)

  16 May 2012 | 1:30 pm

  Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)Atlanta shines in “What To Expect When You're Expecting”Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)So stuffed, in fact, that it looks like the studio's graphic design department had to get creative to cram 10 names — Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz, Anna Kendrick, Matthew Morrison, Dennis Quaid, Elizabeth Banks, Brooklyn Decker, Chace Crawford,

• Young and Gifted Graphic Artist Justin Robinson - Inland Valley News

  16 May 2012 | 12:19 pm

  Inland Valley NewsYoung and Gifted Graphic Artist Justin RobinsonInland Valley NewsThe Inland Valley News is honored to introduce its readers to Justin Robinson, a young man who has been giving back to the community through graphic design. Justin Robinson, 25, graduated from Diamond Ranch High School in 2005.

• Graphic Design Principles in Web Design Part 3 - Graphic Design

  16 May 2012 | 11:27 am

  Graphic Design Principles in Web Design Part 3Graphic DesignWe can group all of the basic system of beliefs regarding design into two categories: elements and principles. Elements of design are the components of design themselves, the objects to be arranged. The Principles of design are the broad aspects of the

• GraphicDesign.com Welcomes Christine Medley as Featured Writer - Graphic Design

  16 May 2012 | 11:27 am

  GraphicDesign.com Welcomes Christine Medley as Featured WriterGraphic DesignChristine Medley is an assistant professor of graphic design at Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania where she teaches interactive design, print and package design,... Rafiq Elmansy is a graphic designer and book author in the field of design,

• New Xara Photo & Graphic Designer MX and Xara Designer Pro X - San Francisco Chronicle (press release)

  16 May 2012 | 10:05 am

  New Xara Photo & Graphic Designer MX and Xara Designer Pro XSan Francisco Chronicle (press release)The launch of two super-fast, easy-to-use single integrated programs that provide all the tools for a range of graphic design tasks that would normally require three or more separate 'suite' programs; iIllustration, photo editing, advanced page layout, Xara Designer 8 Enhanced for Vector, Bitmap, Page Layout and Website CreationGraphics.comall 10 news articles »

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  Dexigner

• Stephen Hodder to Be Next President of the RIBA

  16 May 2012 | 6:01 am

  Stephen Hodder has been confirmed as the next President of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Stephen will become President Elect on September 1, 2012 and will take over the two-year elected presidency from Angela Brady on September 1, 2013. Stephen will be the 75th RIBA President, a position previously held by significant architects Sir G. Gilbert Scott and Sir Basil Spence among others.

• Royal Mail Great British Fashion Stamps

  16 May 2012 | 5:48 am

  Royal Mail is featuring some of Britain's most renowned fashion designers on ten new first class stamps, available today from all Post Office Branches. The work of Hardy Amies, Norman Hartnell, Granny Takes a Trip, Ossie Clark with Celia Birtwell, Tommy Nutter, Jean Muir, Zandra Rhodes, Vivienne Westwood, Paul Smith and Alexander McQueen showcase some of the most exciting years of British fashion.

• Architecture Billings Index Reverts to Negative Territory in April 2012

  16 May 2012 | 4:50 am

  After five months of positive readings, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) has fallen into negative terrain. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the April ABI score was 48.4, following a mark of 50.4 in March.

• MPC Takes the Ribena Berry to the Next Level

  16 May 2012 | 4:04 am

  MPC collaborated with M&C Saatchi and Independent to deliver a fully CG commercial for the makers of Ribena, bringing the famous berries to life again. Working closely with director Peter Szewczyk, MPC was tasked with creating photorealistic characters and environments to promote the new Ribena Plus product range.

• Working Well Design Challenge

  16 May 2012 | 3:06 am

  Designers and youth organisations are being invited to join forces to design, build and launch new digital products and services that help young people secure the opportunities they deserve in a new challenge, launched today by Design Council and Nominet Trust. At a time when youth unemployment is at an all time high, the Working Well Design Challenge will offer three teams £50,000 each to develop an idea that will offer young people new opportunities to participate in society, both economically and socially.

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  Graphic Design News

• Kwiksher celebrates one-year anniversary offering 30% off Kwik plugin

  16 May 2012 | 11:57 am

  In celebration of its one year anniversary Kwiksher is offering 30% off Kwik, its popular Photoshop plugin this month.

• 9 Ways to Convince Your Parents to Support Your Startup - Not Just Financially

  16 May 2012 | 7:47 am

  For many young entrepreneurs, getting their parents' support for a new venture can make a huge difference - emotionally, practically and even financially.

• Two nations, one voice, as seen through graphic design student projects.

  16 May 2012 | 4:42 am

  In 2010, the OneVoice Movement - a grassroots organization that aims to magnify the voices of Israeli and Palestinian moderates - teamed up with design students at Tirtza Grannot [the Academy of Commercial Communications] in Tel Aviv for their final year projects.

• Calling all artists: Gallery is offering - Friday Creative'

  16 May 2012 | 12:32 am

  Artist Cassie Snow paints a landscape at "Friday Creative" at the Uptown Gallery Group and Art Studio School on Friday at the first meeting of its kind where artists are invited to come and work on projects while they learn from one another.

• Ron Fell makes his own dough for making special pizzas.

  16 May 2012 | 12:32 am

  The Mount Airy News , and her husband, Ron Fell, a writer, author and blogger, finish a day's work, they like to gather in their kitchen and create all sorts of down to earth food that includes pizzas, brunch, lunch and dinner meals, along with her wonderful biscuits and yummy desserts.

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  You The Designer

• You! Be Inspired! #0005 – NYT’s Lively Morgue, Festival of Colors, and PREVIIEW

  Cadence Wu

  16 May 2012 | 2:50 am

  Every geek out there is probably giddy about this week, especially today. Today marks the release of the third Diablo game (which basically took more than a decade to make). Diablo 3 aside, we’ll be featuring some street artists this week and we’ll talk about the art of sticker bombing and wheatpasting. Enough about this week’s events and topics, today we give to you this week’s edition of You! Be Inspired! Here we go!   Lively Morgue – New York Time’s Photographs It’s refreshing to find old photos being uploaded online and archived digitally. The New York Times recently…

• If Walls Could Speak: Creative Poster Design Ideas for Dorm Decoration

  Cadence Wu

  11 May 2012 | 11:26 pm

  It’s graduation season here in the US, and we’re reminded of the time we spent in our respective universities and colleges. While we’re thankful that we’re done with school, there are some college experiences that we want to relive. Living in a dorm is one of the most liberating things for a student who has lived with parents all his life. The freedom of having things your way is one of the perks of college.   Being the so-called creatives at the office, we all agree that deciding on which posters to plaster our walls with was one of the highlights of living in a…

• You! Be Informed! #0004 – Adobe Muse, AIGA/NY 30th Anniversary, and Maurice Sendak

  Cadence Wu

  11 May 2012 | 4:02 am

  This week’s about to end and we’d like to close it out with some interesting design news. We’ve heard some disheartening news, but there’s some good news out there, too. We’ve compiled some interesting projects, events, and news about design and designers.   Graphic designers often look at pictures to draw inspiration for their projects. But looking for the perfect muse can be tricky. You can check Piccsy, they’ve recently re-launched their site and is now offering an improved image search, related image search, and high quality images. If you’re looking for an alternative…

• The Art of Rock: Design Trends in Gig Posters

  Cadence Wu

  10 May 2012 | 9:53 pm

  Since I’ve talked about album covers in a previous post, I’ve decided you still need a second serving of creativity care of our rock and roll gods. In this second serving, we won’t be talking about the people who created album covers or gig posters (there’s too many good artists out there, today). Instead, we’ll discuss some fascinating trends in designing the proverbial rock poster, as well as processes that most graphic designers use today. Here we go! Before starting this piece, I’ve had my team scour Google images and Flickr.com for different poster designs. Through the…

• You! Be Inspired! #0004 – History Comics, Fan Art, and Artist Workspaces

  Cadence Wu

  10 May 2012 | 3:40 am

  Despite having interesting topics to write about, there comes a time when whatever I type looks and feels uninspired. When that happens, I visit the online abodes of my favorite artists. The team stumbles upon new sites and artists often, and that’s what You! Be Inspired! is all about! We hope you enjoy these creative folks as much as we do!   You’ll never look at literary and historical figures the same way when you read Kate Beaton’s well-loved comic, Hark! A Vagrant.  The artist’s simple drawings paired with witty lines are always fun to read. Her hand-drawn…

• Photostream from Daylife

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  CreativePro.Com Graphics

• iPad App Teaches Photoshop

  pfiffner

  16 May 2012 | 4:35 am

  Here's a little-known gem: Adobe has created a free iPad app that lets you learn Photoshop through interactive tutorials. The Tutorial Player for Photoshop includes 12 step-by-step tutorials that teach image-editing tasks. read more

• Adobe Will Fix Security Holes in CS5.5 Apps

  pfiffner

  14 May 2012 | 3:50 am

  Adobe found itself in hot water last week when it announced its plan to help users overcome a security flaw in key Creative Suite 5.5 applications. The solution? Upgrade to CS6. The applications affected — Flash Professional, Illustrator, and Photoshop — have security holes that let hackers take control of your system after you open a malicious file, for example, a .TIF file in Photoshop. Versions 5.5 and earlier on both Mac and Windows are vulnerable. read more

• Scanning Around With Gene: Teaching Kids About Industry

  GeneGable

  11 May 2012 | 4:14 am

  Kids grow up these days taking a lot of things for granted. The electricity that comes out of the wall, the gasoline in our cars and the steel in our skyscrapers are all just there and have been for so long it doesn’t seem like any big deal. I don’t even know if we teach kids about the history of these and other industries — much of it would seem like ancient history I suspect, and does it really matter how electricity is made or what goes on in a steel mill? Kids these days are probably a lot more interested in how iPhones are made. read more

• Dispatch from Adobe: A Graphic Launch

  pfiffner

  9 May 2012 | 10:54 am

  This week I've had the privilege to be at Adobe in San Jose learning Creative Suite 6. Yesterday was the day to learn the design tools, specifically Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, and a new product called Adobe Muse. (More on the products tomorrow.) The day I arrived at Adobe was the day the Creative Suite 6 shipped and made available for purchase. The atmosphere at Adobe was what's best described as exhilarated yet exhausted. In the front lobby were cupcakes decorated with the logos of CS6 products. The cupcake selection was picked over. Only one tired CS6 suite cupcake remained. read…

• Is There a Creativity Gap?

  pfiffner

  8 May 2012 | 3:03 am

  As part of the launch of Creative Suite 6, Adobe reported the results of a study it commissioned about creativity in global economies. The study, entitled State of Create, sought to discover the attitudes people have about creativity and the extent to which they feel they are able to express their creativity. read more

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  DesignFloat | Published News | Graphic Design

• 21 Cool Vintage Cartoon Posters

  16 May 2012 | 1:20 pm

  We looked way back in time and we managed to gather 21 Cool Vintage Cartoon Posters. These cover the era when Walt Disney unique style of drawing was a magnet for millions of children. To be more specific, the oldest poster to feature here is from 1929 (Mickey Mouse- Wild Waves), whereas the newest is from 1954 (Donald Duck).

• Tips & tricks: how to optimize a website for mobile devices

  16 May 2012 | 12:49 pm

  The huge development and usage of mobile devices makes us pay a close attention to this market of potential clients that will accede the website we’re creating with a far lower resolution respect to the standards (320 x480 tells you something?). In this article I’ll give you a few hints on how it’s possible to optimize the website or part of it, for a better usabilty on these mobile devices. In the following examples I’ll use iPhone as a reference

• 30 Must-See Diablo 3 Fan Art And Wallpapers

  16 May 2012 | 12:49 pm

  With the release of one of the most anticipated role-playing game this year, here are some awesome Diablo 3 fan artworks and wallpapers for gamers out there.

• 20+ Beautiful Sand Sculptures

  16 May 2012 | 12:30 pm

  Another amazing human works, combined with natural materials, in this world is sand sculpture. It takes time and efforts and requires our innovative ideas.

• 33 WordPress Responsive Themes for Business

  16 May 2012 | 12:15 pm

  The business world has now invaded the net. What with the numerous prospective clients who are surfing through the net, no wonder many business have also turned to the web to promote, advertise and display their services and other provisions to gain more profit.

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  Next Big Design

• Official Call for Presenters Now Open: World Future Trends Summit

  30 Apr 2012 | 10:32 am

  World Future Trends Summit Event Date: October, 2012 Location: Miami, FL INDUSTRY ALERT: OFFICIAL CALL FOR PRESENTERS The Institute for International Research (IIR) presents: World Future Trends Summit A meeting of Styles: Where West Influences East, & East Influences West October, 2012 Due to the high volume of submissions, we suggest you submit your proposal early and no later than Friday

• #FuseDesign live: The 2012 event in photos

  25 Apr 2012 | 2:49 pm

  Wow, we're still catching our breath from Fuse 2012, but it was once again an inspiring time in the beautiful (if a bit chilly!) city of Chicago. If you haven't yet, be sure to check out the photos from the 2012 CIULLA ASSOC welcome reception, which are also now up on Facebook. We grabbed some shots of our own throughout the event, watch the slideshow here: Did you take any pictures at Fuse

• Fresh Blood, New Perspectives: FUSE University 2012

  24 Apr 2012 | 9:00 am

  Today’s branding community is "saturated" with innovative thinkers, designers and strategists who brilliantly lend a hand in shaping and defining our culture. FUSE has welcomed and shared these gifted minds with us for over 15 years. We’ve all listened. We’ve all learned. And we’ve all left inspired and re-energized. But perhaps the word “saturated” is not necessarily the right term, as

• Three days; two perspectives

  20 Apr 2012 | 4:44 pm

  As a design professional, you can fall off your Setu [or Aeron, if you're a Boomer] chair and land at a conference on design, in almost every city. Few of those conferences balance the three legs of form, function and purpose in a way that FUSE does. The stories at FUSE are often beautiful, intellectual and evidentiary. As business professionals, this gets us excited about where design, (

• #FuseDesign Live: User Experiences

  20 Apr 2012 | 3:40 pm

  The final afternoon here at Fuse was filled with user stories for me. I jumped between tracks from 3D: Translating Brand Connection Through Form with Justin Coble, Industrial Design Manager, MARS CHOCHOLATE NORTH AMERICA to Brand strategy: Marketing Unlearned with Anthony R. Albanese and Sam Swartz of DUKE CANNON SUPPLY CO. to 4D: The Reset: Reinventing Windows Phone with Chris Acker, Design

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  Cameron Moll / Designer, Speaker, Author

• Regret.

  14 May 2012 | 2:48 pm

  Kathryn Schulz, as quoted by Maria Popova: If we have goals and dreams and we want to do our best, and if we love people and we don’t want to hurt them or lose them, we should feel pain when things go wrong. The point isn’t to live without any regrets, the point is to not hate ourselves for having them… We need to learn to love the flawed, imperfect things that we create, and to forgive ourselves for creating them. Regret doesn’t remind us that we did badly — it reminds us that we know we can do better.”

• FF Chartwell, a Chart Font

  10 May 2012 | 8:55 am

  Earlier today Erik Spiekermann made mention of FF Chartwell, and, at least conceptually, it’s pretty fantastic. Similar to the way icon fonts replace keyboard characters with icons, FF Chartwell uses alphanumeric characters to generate beautiful charts on the fly. To my knowledge, however, this works only in software programs and can’t be embedded in web pages. Update: It can be embedded. It’s possible to embed it, but the current EULA doesn’t allow it. Demo by Yaron Schoen who says, “Besides the FOUT which was really hard (impossible?) to remove, it was…

• Homeschool Quizzing for Four Grade Levels

  8 May 2012 | 3:58 pm

  TL;DR: It’s challenging. Some of you know we homeschool our four children. Their U.S. grade levels range from 1st to 6th grade. Suzanne teaches them Monday through Thursday, and I put in a half-day on Friday to school them in the morning. Because Suzanne covers several of the foundational topics such as math, science, and history, I complement their studies with less fundamental things like Spanish, sports, music, and computers (most notably HTML & CSS). One might argue these latter subjects are equally foundational, but that’s another topic for another day. It’s quite…

• Don’t Expect Applause

  25 Apr 2012 | 8:47 am

  Don’t Expect Applause: Seth Godin: If your work is filled with the hope and longing for applause, it’s no longer your work—the dependence on approval has corrupted it, turned it into a process where you are striving for ever more approval. Who decides if your work is good? When you are at your best, you do. If the work doesn’t deliver on its purpose, if the pot you made leaks or the hammer your forged breaks, then you should learn to make a better one. But we don’t blame the nail for breaking the hammer or the water for leaking from the pot. They are part of the system, just as the…

• Newcastle

  23 Apr 2012 | 1:38 pm

  Newcastle: An impromptu compilation using footage I gathered during my stay in Newcastle Upon Tyne and Gateshead (UK). This was my first visit to Newcastle, in town to speak at DIBI 2012. I flew in Sunday evening, dropped off my luggage, grabbed my camera, and proceeded to lose myself in the streets of the city. The camera captured what I saw. I later debuted this video during my presentation. I didn’t have a tripod with me as I was traveling light. I won’t make a blunder like that again. (Some shots stabilized in post.)

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  Coudal Partners Blended Feed

• Camera Cookie Cutters

  16 May 2012 | 1:08 pm

  For BB, camera cookie cutters.

• FNiA 172

  16 May 2012 | 12:32 pm

  Field Notes in action, and with two different people at Chicago's Field Museum.

• New Names for Mercury Craters

  16 May 2012 | 12:03 pm

  Vladimir Nabokov, John Philip Sousa and Andy Warhol, together at last, on the surface of Mercury.

• Glass Gem Corn

  16 May 2012 | 11:50 am

  Corn too beautiful to eat, thanks to good ol' genetics!

• 'Sabatoge' with Kids

  16 May 2012 | 11:36 am

  Director James Winters' tribute to MCA: Sabotage starring kids.

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  swissmiss

• Childish Things

  swissmiss

  16 May 2012 | 10:31 am

  The reluctance to put away childish things may be a requirement of genius. - Rebecca Pepper Sinkler

• Street Seats

  swissmiss

  16 May 2012 | 8:22 am

  Bade Stageberg Cox collected 50 abandoned chairs on the streets of New York, repaired them and gave them a new life with a coat of taxi cab yellow paint. The bottom of each chair is stamped and documented with the date and location it was recovered. Lovely. Street Seats.

• Reverse Of Volume

  swissmiss

  16 May 2012 | 8:14 am

  In this stunning installation, reverse of volume RG, Yasuaki Onishi uses the simplest materials — plastic sheeting and black hot glue — to create a monumental, mountainous form that appears to float inside of Rice University Art Gallery. (Thank you Mark and Angela)

• Geeks and Repetitive Tasks

  swissmiss

  15 May 2012 | 4:28 pm

  (via Chart Porn)

• Never too late

  swissmiss

  15 May 2012 | 3:19 pm

  “You’re never too old to become younger.” - Mae West

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  Logo Design Love

• Takes the biscuit

  David Airey

  15 May 2012 | 7:58 am

  Via @asburyandasbury. More on London 2012: London 2012 logo threatens Iran 2012 Olympic non-events Royal Mail 2012 stamps Related posts worth a lookMadrid 2020 logo causes controversyLondon 2012 alternative2012 Olympic non-eventsRio 2016 Paralympic Games logoWaterstones reveals new (old) logo

• Behind the innocent logo

  David Airey

  14 May 2012 | 3:29 am

  Launched twelve years ago, innocent sells more than two million pure fruit smoothies each week in 11,000 UK outlets. Here’s the story behind the “face with the halo” logo quoted from a comment thread on the Fast Tractor innocent blog. The story goes like this — the name ‘innocent’ came from us (actually via Rich (founder) going through the thesauruses in Huddersfield town library). We had a fair few dodgy names before settling on innocent. The logo was designed by Gravy at Deepend. Gravy doodled on a piece of paper in front of us in response to our brief…

• Elephant Combs

  David Airey

  9 May 2012 | 11:48 am

  The Elephant Combs logo caught my eye over on Creative Review’s roundup of the 2012 One Show Awards. Designed by TBWA/India for MKV Household Products, it also made the graphic design longlist at D&AD. It’s so fitting I can’t help but think it was designed before the product existed. That’s a compliment. Related posts worth a lookStedelijk MuseumBrand New Awards 2011 winnersNottingham JazzChickenBrainKen’s hair logoPeter and the Starcatcher

• Trying to remember logos (by my 5-year-old)

  David Airey

  8 May 2012 | 3:46 am

  Contributed by Cincinnati-based Adam Ladd. innocent logo, designed in 1999 by Deepend After Faith’s “impressions” on logos, it was fun to see her retention of some she is not familiar with (embedded below). You can catch Adam on Twitter here. Related posts worth a lookMobil logoWorld Wildlife Fund logo sketchesI (heart) NY concept sketchBrand alphabets, Chicken Now, the Apple logo designer, and a fuss over nothingTenth logo by Nancy Wu

• Indifferent

  David Airey

  7 May 2012 | 5:48 am

  A project by Tommaso Guerra, described in his words. We live in an infinite constellation of different products; infinite variations, infinite differences, infinite options. But what’s the real value of the difference in a globalised world economy? Multinational companies hide exploitation, politics of territory, and people, behind the objective of optimisation of resources, covering up everything with a skilled show of recognisable and distinguishing brand personality. We know them, we recognise them, we chose them consciously and with an exact reason why. I wonder if it could be just…

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  Ace Jet 170

• Collection Cligne Cligne

  acejet170

  14 May 2012 | 2:28 am

  I hadn't heard from Loïc for a while. Then out of the blue, he emailed an interesting link through. Interesting but not quite AS interesting as what he's been up to lately. A little while ago, after setting up Cligne Cligne Magazine, he met the head of French publisher Didier Jeunesse Michèle Moreau. Interested in Loïc's knowledge of long forgotten children's books, one thing led to another and Moreau asked Loïc if he'd be interested in managing a collection dedicated to "awesome children's books, unknown to most". He was. The plan is for…

• Mother

  acejet170

  12 May 2012 | 5:12 am

  As unlikely as it might seem, I really wasn't expecting to appear here yesterday - I thought it was going somewhere else. Needless to say, totally thrilled about it anyway. 

• Stick. On Rock.

  acejet170

  12 May 2012 | 4:15 am

• Colorplan at 40

  acejet170

  11 May 2012 | 2:57 am

  Forty years after Colorplan was first developed, GF Smith have maked the occassion with a top notch promotional double act: An open bound tabbed reference piece showing the colour range paired with a playful celebration "in three acts". The former is straight forward, a little retro and useful; the latter is ingenius, tactile and witty; incorporating folds, cuts and contrasts. Fantastic work, designed by MadeThought, that continues the paper company's tradition of outstanding design. And there's beautiful photos, by Lee Funnell, of Colorplan's manufacturing process on…

• Bicycling For Beginners

  acejet170

  9 May 2012 | 3:00 am

  Before around February 2011, the last time I'd sat on a pointy seat and propelled myself around the neighbourhood on a self-powered contraption was when I was about 15. Wheels were square then and bicycles were carved from wood. We've come a long way since those bygone days. Returning to the velocipede now that we're living in the future I am a little like the proverbial fish out of water; a fish, out of water, trying to ride a bike. How do you work it? More importantly, how do you fix it when things go wrong?  What I need is a handbook. A handbook for bike owners. That…

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  Design is Kinky

• 30 Apr 2012 | 8:35 pm

  Murray

  30 Apr 2012 | 8:35 pm

  After a long stint overseas working with the likes of Anton Corbijn, Nike & Vogue, Australian born Art Director Jamie Mitchell is back on Sydney shores. Take a look through his work.

• Semi-Permanent Sydney 2012

  Andrew

  29 Apr 2012 | 4:55 pm

  Have you checked out this years lineup for the Semi-Permanent Sydney event? It’s going to be a great year with an awesome speaker list and the addition of the Google+ Hangout Session with acclaimed film maker Roman Coppola. Check the Semi-Permanent site for more details.

• Boogie Workshop

  Andrew

  27 Apr 2012 | 7:29 pm

  One of our favourite street photographers, Boogie, has a workshop coming up in Italy. Check the link for details and get over there!

• Quentin Jones

  Murray

  22 Apr 2012 | 11:32 pm

  Illustrator / Animator / Filmmaker Quentin Jones has just dropped a new 25,000 jpeg film for Nowness that’s def worth a watch.

• 14 Apr 2012 | 11:56 pm

  Murray

  14 Apr 2012 | 11:56 pm

  Sydney based photographer Jay Harrison gave us the heads up on sculptor Dion Horstman who he’s recent shot.

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  Blog.SpoonGraphics

• Create a Dark Vintage Style Motorcycle Poster Design

  Chris Spooner

  14 May 2012 | 1:00 am

  My absolute favourite style of motorcycle is the custom “bobber”. I love the stripped down appearance and the raw vintage styling. It’s my plan to chop up a bike of my own one day, but for now I have to settle with designing custom motorcycle posters instead. Follow this step by step Photoshop and Illustrator tutorial to combine photography and typography and create a dark vintage style motorcycle poster design.The final poster design is based on custom motorcycle shop Brass Balls Bobber’s award winning “Tattoo” bike, thanks to a Creative Commons photo by…

• Yearly FanExtra Memberships Giveaway for Members

  Chris Spooner

  11 May 2012 | 1:00 am

  If you've found the collection of design resources from the Access All Areas section here on Blog.SpoonGraphics useful, you might be interested in the FanExtra Network's premium membership. With over 2000 downloadable resources and advanced members-only Photoshop tutorials being added weekly it's definitely worth checking out. This week Access All ...Log in to your Access All Areas account to read the rest of this post.Not a member? Becoming an Access All Areas member gives you the ability to view exclusive members-only content just like this. The premium category is already packed full of…

• Inspiring Examples of Custom Lettering Logo Designs

  Chris Spooner

  7 May 2012 | 1:00 am

  One way to create an absolutely unique logo design is to craft the lettering by hand, as opposed to selecting an existing font. This allows the designer to create the perfect logo with their own custom ligatures, tails and loops. This post showcases 20 inspiring examples of custom lettering logos, each featuring the designer’s initial sketch to show how the hand drawn scripts are converted from pencil to vector.Pixelo by Gert van DuinenMattrunks by Claire CoullonInk Butter by Alan AriailScratch by Sergey ShapiroAha-ok by Sergey ShapiroThe Funtasty by Claire CoullonGeek by Claire…

• Art & Design Inspiration Fix for May 4th 2012

  Chris Spooner

  4 May 2012 | 1:00 am

  The Art & Design Inspiration Fix pulls together a collection of my favourite graphical images that I’ve come across over the past week to give you a fix of creative inspiration. This week we have designs from Rubens Cantuni, Félix Ajenjo, Dariusz Markiw, Matthew Reilly and Ruel Jun Andaya.Nike T-Shirt by Rubens CantuniAuthority Blowing Away by Félix AjenjoThe Crow by Dariusz MarkiwStormtrooper by Matthew ReillyPowerpuff Villains by Ruel Jun Andaya

• Blog.SpoonGraphics Turns 5 Years Old – Thank You!

  Chris Spooner

  30 Apr 2012 | 1:00 am

  Every year since the start of Blog.SpoonGraphics in April 2007 I have created a special anniversary post celebrating the growth and success of my little blog. Despite being a pretty big milestone this year I had forgotten all about my little tradition. Thankfully I remembered just in time to bring you my 5 years of Blog.SpoonGraphics overview on the last day of April. Let’s take a look at changes in stats and figures over the past year.To see how things have changed over the years head back and check out 2011′s 4 year post, 2010′s 3 year post, 2009′s 2 year post,…

• 

  Graphic Design Blog - An Ultimate Resource for Graphic Designers

• Brand Logo versus Globalization

  Charlie B. Johnson

  14 May 2012 | 6:38 am

  Logo designers and brand managers have always laid paramount importance of imparting the power of their product through symbols. History has it that whether they are Mayans, Egyptian Pharaohs or Greek mythology, symbols and logos have always played a pivotal role in representing the force behind their message.   • Proposition behind the Brand Logo In the contemporary world, the effort put in by the logo designers has become more challenging and inspirational. Since the international economic market has moved towards globalization to increase profits, the consumers can actually now…

• 22 Amazingly Graffiti Artworks – A Creative Collection!!

  Charlie B. Johnson

  9 May 2012 | 4:32 am

  One of the most infamous types of graphic arts is street and road graffiti. It is known for decades and have enhanced over the passage of time. In earlier times it was employed by the Romans as a symbol of expression and opinions against their kings. In the modern world, street graffiti is a common technique of showing governmental and humorous reviews on the surfaces of both community and personal property. But on the other hand, it is also considered as a shrewd and infamous form of art as it harasses community and personal belongings. As visual artists, graffiti is always a creativity spot…

• 25 Photos of Invisible Man – See the Unseen!

  Charlie B. Johnson

  1 May 2012 | 3:28 am

  Remember the movie Hollow Man, where Kevin Bacon acquired the power to be invisible? Imagine how cool would it be in real life? Although there hasn’t been any ‘Invisibility Cloak’ developed similar to the one in Harry Potter, there is one artist that makes it almost possible to vanish. Liu Bolin is a Chinese artist with a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts. His famous work "The Invisible Man" features camouflage artwork that makes human beings disappear into the backdrop. Liu Bolin’s works have been featured in various Art Museums. In his ‘Invisible…

• 5 Factors That Ruin a Graphic Designer’s Creativity!

  Charlie B. Johnson

  24 Apr 2012 | 4:31 am

  Have you ever come across a time when your creative juices stop flowing? Yes, I’m referring to that moment when you try so hard but fail to conceive a creative idea. But this doesn’t happen all of a sudden, does it? There is always a reason behind this abrupt dearth of creativity. Even the slightest of distraction can ruin a designer’s ability to think innovatively. In the field of graphic design, creativity is one attribute that makes the real difference. Whatever you design for a client must stand out from the rest of the crowd. But there are some factors that damage a…

• Guess the Disney Cartoons – 20 Minimalist Posters

  Charlie B. Johnson

  20 Apr 2012 | 12:17 am

  Cartoons are a momentous part of everybody’s childhood memories. No matter how old you are, you cannot grow too old for cartoons. Famous animation studios like Walt Disney and Cartoon Network have created some of the most epic and iconic cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse and Cinderella that have etched into our minds for eternity. Recently, I came across an interesting post on re:blog that made me jog my memories about famous Disney characters. The team at re:blog has created minimalist posters on Disney’s classic cartoons using the most prominent elements of the cartoon. Some…

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  Outlaw Design Blog

• test

  DannyOutlaw

  8 May 2012 | 6:17 pm

  test

• FiftyThree

  Danny Outlaw

  30 Mar 2012 | 9:08 am

  FiftyThree.

• Free Website PSD – Drafted

  DannyOutlaw

  16 Feb 2012 | 2:37 pm

  I made this file a while back intending to use it as a Tumblr theme. I have since moved on to other projects and this file has just been hanging out on my dropbox, so I thought Id share. Special thanks to Premium Pixels for some of the styles used in the design. Homepage Inner Page [box type="download"] Download Here [/box]   Rights and Usage You may freely use my resources, without restriction, in your work and other materials intended for sale or distribution so long as the file is not redistributed in its entirety. i.e. you can not turn this file into a premium wordpress theme and…

• Basecamp Next: A peek at early iterations of the Projects screen – (37signals)

  DannyOutlaw

  16 Feb 2012 | 1:39 pm

  Super cool and interesting to see how multi-million dollar companies work on UI and thier design process. Basecamp Next: A peek at early iterations of the Projects screen – (37signals).

• CakeHR

  DannyOutlaw

  13 Feb 2012 | 9:14 am

  Pretty sweet looking online HR app. Could be good for webshops that have real fulltime employees.

• 

  aqua-velvet.com

• Portfolio Magazine, 1949–1951.

  Sandi Vincent

  11 May 2012 | 12:09 am

  Portfolio – Volume 2 Cover features design for a kite by Charles Eames, reproduced from his original paste-up made with swatches of colored tissue paper Portfolio Volume 1 Cover design by Alexey Brodovitch Portfolio – Volume 1 Back cover design by Alexey Brodovitch Voting Booths – Volume 3 Painting by Ben Shahn for Container Corporation’s series “Great Ideas of Western Man” Optician’s shop window – Volume 1 by Irving Penn Kite – Volume 2 Charles Eames design for a kite, pasted up from brilliant swatches of paper Cattle Brands – Volume 2 Back cover inset from an…

• Ryan Tym – Typographic Hitchcock Prints.

  Amy@AQ-V

  9 May 2012 | 10:00 pm

  The Birds – Hitchcock Collection – Limited Edition Print Psycho – Hitchcock Collection – Limited Edition Print Saboteur – Hitchcock Collection – Limited Edition Print Rope – Hitchcock Collection – Limited Edition Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . UK designer Ryan Tym has recently released a brilliant set of limited edition typographic prints celebrating classic films by the master of suspense, iconic filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock. The print designs are based on Ryan’s original dvd covers featured on AQ-V back in 2010.

• Vintage German Book Covers.

  Amy@AQ-V

  27 Apr 2012 | 7:19 am

  Konrad Lorenz: Er redete mit dem Vieh, den Vögeln und den Fischen ( Konrad Lorenz: He talked to the animals, the birds and the fish ) Cover art/design by Celestino Piatti, 1983 A sample of Mr. Piatti’s iconic design work for Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag (DTV) Erzählungen der Gegenwart VI ( Tales of the Presence of VI – Reading Series, 1969 ) [ All images © ] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . This is an abbreviated post as I am heading out of town soon for a few days. Above is a pair of German book covers I recently came across at…

• AQ-V Sponsors » Matte Stephens & Kate Banazi.

  Amy@AQ-V

  27 Apr 2012 | 12:39 am

  [ © Matte Stephens / © Kate Banazi ] I am quite thrilled to welcome both Matte Stephens and Kate Banazi to the sidebar here on the site. Both are enormously talented studio artists and commercial illustrators with well deserved followings. Additionally, these two are a couple of the nicest people on the planet. Kate’s screen prints are signed with bold graphics oft including moving visual optics and spacemen. Matte’s signature paintings are happy and innocent—full of playful human and animal adventures and shapes with a thoroughly retro tone. Visit their shops to see much…

• Photo Essay – Eames House, 1950.

  Amy@AQ-V

  20 Apr 2012 | 12:59 pm

  An extensive photo collection of iconic designers Charles and Ray Eames in their new California home can be found in the LIFE image archives hosted by Google. The photographs above and below were all shot by veteran LIFE magazine photographer Peter Stackpole for a short print feature entitled A Designer’s Home of His Own: Charles Eames builds a home of steel and glass published September 11, 1950: Charles Eames, whose stark, comfortable chairs in the last five years have made him the best-known U.S. designer of modern furniture and a winner in the Museum of Modern Art furniture…

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  1stwebdesigner

• Ultimate Restaurant Website Design Guide To Make People Forget About Diet Constanly

  Salman Siddiqui

  16 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  If this message appears to another site than 1stwebdesigner ,it has been stolen, please visit original source!Get a large mug of coffee and brace yourself for a guidebook that you will be forced to bookmark. Dining out with families or friends has jumped up exponentially with the growth of working eggheads. And all of us are aware of the reach of Internet in our day-to-day lives. It is this reach of Internet into the life of customers that has forced restaurants to rethink their online strategies. I won’t be surprised to see a restaurant with its own social media marketing team. After…

• Great Examples of Interactive Architecture for Your Inspiration

  Christian Vasile

  15 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  If this message appears to another site than 1stwebdesigner ,it has been stolen, please visit original source!While you need a lot of creativity to create a website or an advertising campaign, design can also be combined with something else: architecture. If you thought following a grid system is difficult, imagine interactive architects prototyping large buildings or interior designs in order for them to interact with people. It is definitely not an easy task. What is Interactive Architecture? Interactive architecture is a field of architecture and construction featuring objects which…

• How Colors Help Make Websites Successful

  Christian Vasile

  14 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  If this message appears to another site than 1stwebdesigner ,it has been stolen, please visit original source!You might not realize how important colours are in web design. If a website is green, it might as well be blue; it doesn’t matter. And while I thought this myself for a long time, I recently came to the conclusion that the color is actually going to make a huge difference and express something different to your audience. There are psychological effects behind each color and tone, therefore I decided to tell you more about them today. Human senses get excited about lots of stuff.

• 40 Wonderful Gadget Design Tutorials for Photoshop

  Jameel Khan

  13 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  If this message appears to another site than 1stwebdesigner ,it has been stolen, please visit original source!Gadgets such as mp3 players, usb devices, iPhones, iPads, and other tablets and so on have now become an important part of our lives and these are also one of the most favorite subjects for the designing community. This is the reason why you see loads of gadgets being incorporated into web designs. This can be best achieved by using Adobe Photoshop; and there are heaps of Photoshop tutorials to help you improve your skills and techniques. We have compiled 40 gadget design tutorials…

• Introducing InfiniteWP – Your One-Stop Solution to Managing WP Sites

  Sufyan bin Uzayr

  12 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  If this message appears to another site than 1stwebdesigner ,it has been stolen, please visit original source!Are you in the process of managing multiple websites powered by WordPress, and feel lost somewhere? Perhaps you can never be sure whether you’ve updated that plugin on this site or this plugin on that site. After all, if you have multiple websites, each with its own share of plugins, themes and settings, how exactly can you be expected to have time for anything other than website management? If the above mentioned situation seems apt for you, InfiniteWP is one tool that you…

• 

  Stunning Mesh

• Inevitable Importance of Inspiration in Web Designing

  Arfa Mirza

  14 May 2012 | 1:31 pm

  We can use the word attraction for inspiration because just like you get attracted to something you like, you get inspired by something you like as well. Inspiration is a natural way to respond towards things which catches our attention or something which opens our minds to new ideas and perspectives that we had never [...]

• Stylish Wooden Text Effect in Photoshop

  Adil Raja

  13 May 2012 | 1:31 pm

  In this Photoshop Tutorial you will be learning how to make Stylish Wooden Text effect using Photoshop. We will be putting some Wooden Pattern over text then placing it over a Grass and putting some leaves over it. Some Layer Style commands would be used along with some tools. Not a very long tutorial, hopefully [...]

• Mother’s Day – Express the feelings through Poems and Pictures

  Wijdan Rohail

  12 May 2012 | 1:31 pm

  In most of the countries, second Sunday of every May is dedicated to all mothers of the world. This day is know as Mother’s Day. No doubt every one love the mother which gives them Birth and become the source of bringing them into this world. We salute all Mothers of the world. I’m dedicating [...]

• Enhance Your Convenience by Installing a Tanning bed in Your Home

  Harper Mac

  11 May 2012 | 1:31 pm

  There are plenty of items we keep in our homes to enhance our appearance as well as our convenience. Although home tanning beds may be a larger investment than hair curlers and facial products, it can save avid tanners a great deal of time and money in the long run. Not to mention, a tanning [...]

• Nice Miscellaneous Tutorials about making Office Stationery

  Adil Raja

  10 May 2012 | 2:45 am

  Printing, whether it is Online Printing or Offline Printing, depends upon nice design. Every new company requires to Print Business Cards, Brochures, Flyers, Pamphlets, Banners & Signs, Calendars, Catalogs & Booklets, Posters, Stickers, Envelopes, Letterheads, Magnets, Presentation Folders etc. to introduce their-selves in the market. If you got any project about these Office Stationery then [...]

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  MycroBurst

• Calling All Wonderful Websites: Enter The 16th Annual WebAward Competition

  Michelle Lewis

  14 May 2012 | 9:17 am

  Do you think your website is exceptionally good? Then submit it for consideration to the Web Marketing Association’s WebAward Competition, which is open to all international businesses. We at MycroBurst are big fans of great design, and we think great design should be recognized – we do run design contests, after all. So we are very pleased to say that we are a proud sponsor of this competition. The WebAwards recognizes the people and organizations responsible for developing some of the best websites on the Internet today in a myriad of industries. It’s run by the Web Marketing…

• The Twitter Guide to Great Customer Service

  Jessica Kornfeind

  7 May 2012 | 11:04 am

  I have been on Twitter for a little over a year and I firmly believe that it holds a whole new future for how businesses, big and small, interact with their customers. As a consumer, great customer service is extremely important to me. I’m not afraid to pick up the phone or send an email to let a company know how I feel. Twitter is an even more efficient way to give and receive feedback.  Let’s dig a little deeper. I’m a huge Chobani yogurt fan; I bring one to work with me every day to eat for breakfast. A couple of weeks ago, I realized that there was a hole in my bag and my…

• 10 Questions with Joe: David Shepherd, Author & Entrepreneur

  Joe Witte

  3 May 2012 | 1:50 pm

  David Shepherd is a former business school professor at the University of Texas who has launched successful businesses in the technology and services industries and has just launched a new business to provide guidance about the best business books for entrepreneurs. MycroBurst worked with David on an e-book cover project.  See the contest here. 1.  Who has been your greatest influence as an entrepreneur?  David Shepherd (DS): Steve Jobs. I’ve followed him since his early 20s. I have always purchased Apple products, and I’ve been impressed by his ability to take risks, overcome…

• Customer Spotlight: Helping Military Families Help Each Other.

  Jessica Kornfeind

  16 Apr 2012 | 9:27 am

  Our company, MycroBurst, has some of the most amazing clients. Our clients are located all over the world and come from each and every industry imaginable, including many nonprofits. One of our most recent clients had an extraordinary organization and began a contest at our website. I couldn’t help but share their story. Amanda Moore is a sales representative at PIP Printing and Marketing Services in Tampa, FL, which is a full service print marketing company.  PIP belongs to a civic leadership group called Tampa Connection.  Tampa Connection led Amanda to Seniors in Service of Tampa Bay,…

• Why you should treat your customers like your new girlfriend (and your wife too!)

  Joe Witte

  10 Apr 2012 | 9:12 am

  Customers… we all need them to stay in business. We spend lots of money and rack our brains to figure out creative ways to get NEW customers. Yet, when most companies get these new customers, they treat them like a grumpy old man treats their wife of 20 years, right? Why is that? What happens in the human psyche that takes customers, and spouses for that matter, for granted? Wouldn’t we all be better off if we worked HARDER to keep our current customers (and yes, wives) happier?  We sure know it’s a heckuva lot cheaper to keep both happy! So, imagine that you’re single and ready to…

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  Limeshot Logo Design & Branding Sydney

• Google releases new HTML and CSS coding guide

  limeshot

  2 May 2012 | 4:03 pm

  On May 2nd, the Official Google Webmaster Central Blog has released an update to their HTML & CSS coding guidelines doc. Several notable recommendations below. Related posts:Google Chrome Browser countdown: the wait is over The offspring of Google Gears and presumably many Red Bull... Google Analytics: Advanced Segments – Beta Feature Just noticed this late today – it wasn’t there in... KML generator – easy to use template This is something I had lots of fun with –...

• Clients in the Media In April 2012

  limeshot

  1 May 2012 | 6:44 pm

  I always like to brag about my clients, so here’s April’s crop. It’s so lovely to see lovely people and products getting the attention they deserve. Dominique Beck in North Shore Living Click on the thumbnail to see the larger version. Click to read more about Dominique Beck personal and executive coaching services. Dionysus Olive [...] Related posts:Dionysus – Illustration Logo Hand-drawn illustration for an organic Kalamata olive oil brand; more... Logo Design Logo & Identity|Website Design|Landing Pages|Print Consulting & Advisory Services Logo... Logo…

• The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics

  limeshot

  31 Jan 2012 | 11:21 pm

  Produced by legendary Chuck Jones, this little film about the love between a freedom-loving (female) dot and a dependable (male) line is a treasure of sprightly language and delightful visuals. It is enchanting, charming, witty – everything one could expect from a master of animation who was responsible for creating such cultural icons as Bugs [...] Related posts:The Largest Art Installation in Europe And it contains two of my favourite art pieces in... Free vector symbols: Art Nouveau card I’ve had this for a while now, it was fun... Cutest freebies Just a few things to brighten…

• Hate Maths? Start doodling.

  limeshot

  20 Jan 2012 | 6:35 pm

  Just a bit of random fun, that proves drawing is the answer to everything, even to understanding mathematics (Pythagora and the Greeks knew that). References ViHart, aka Victoria Hart, is a “recreational mathemusician” with a degree in Music from Stony Brook University. She blogs from Long Island, NY about all things mathematical, especially fun games [...] Related posts:Adding a Custom Tab to your Facebook Page I was doing this recently for a client, and I... Her Morning Elegance: 2096 stills, one song, one movie Photography? Design? Movie? Music? Actually, all of the above. Sunny... New…

• Bauer’s Family Tree of Printing Types

  limeshot

  19 Jan 2012 | 6:05 pm

  Gorgeous bit of type history discovered on Imprint: In 1937, on the 100th anniversary of the founding of The Bauer Type Foundry in 1837, the firm issued “Bauer’s Family Tree of Printing Types.” It’s a whimsical, slightly inaccurate and completely gorgeous work of art, a rare treat for any typography aficionado. I just love how [...] Related posts:The Beauty of Ampersands If you’re not familiar with 300&65, this is a blog... Printing Offset Printing Offset printing is the industry standard for larger... Featured Typography Artist: Jessica Hische Jessica…

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  Elmanco

• Il design in tasca

  Stefano Ricci

  16 May 2012 | 3:39 am

  “Il design in tasca” è un agile e intelligente libro scritto dall’architetto, designer e professore Valerio Sacchetti. Come si intuisce dal titolo, il libro è una sorta di guida per definire gli aspetti principali del disegno industriale: l’etimologia, le origini, gli esempi migliori e le relazioni con la società e l’arte nei diversi periodi storici. Tutti questi argomenti sono già stati affrontati da altri studiosi, ciononostante il libro merita di stare nella biblioteca ideale di Elmanco per lo stile asciutto e ironico, e per la mancanza di remore nel…

• YOUTOOL

  Stefano Ricci

  14 May 2012 | 4:05 am

  Youtool è un portale che mette in relazione tra loro designer e aziende attraverso workshop multimediali che prevedono video formativi e l’assistenza di tutor online. Il progetto è nato lo scorso anno con un finanziamento europeo per rinforzare l’industria della creatività nella regione Emilia Romagna. Youtool è portato avanti con competenza e merita di crescere, perciò gli do volentieri un pò visibilità. Il portale è disegnato con un layout moderno e funzionale che prevede sezioni dedicate al portfolio dei designer iscritti e alla aziende partecipanti, oltre a un…

• Intervista a Marco Ugolini

  Gianluca Gimini

  10 May 2012 | 2:31 am

  Ha appena inaugurato a Lipsia la mostra di un artista italiano il cui cervello è da tempo fuggito all’estero. Marco Ugolini ha passato l’ultimo decennio tra Olanda e Germania producendo una grande quantità di lavori di fortissimo impatto visivo e comunicativo che parlano una lingua comprensibile a tutti per la loro disarmante chiarezza. Impensabile cercare di incasellarne uno qualsiasi in una categoria preordinata: la lingua universale che questi lavori parlano è fatta coi pezzi di molti alfabeti diversi. Contaminazione e comunicazione sono indubbiamente le due costanti all’interno…

• NCW Industries e Aracne 8.0

  Stefano Ricci

  7 May 2012 | 2:40 am

  Durante la settimana del design milanese ho avuto modo di vedere l’allestimento di NCW Industries all’interno del negozio – galleria XL Combines in Via Montevideo. NCW Industries è l’ultima evoluzione di No Curves, uno street artist che ho sempre stimato e di cui parlai su Elmanco già nel 2008. No Curves continua ad esprimersi usando nastro adesivo (uno dei suoi sponsor tecnici è giustamente la Tesa) ma mentre nei primi lavori il messaggio era scritto sovrapponendosi a uno preesistente, e stravolgendolo, ora l’artista ha scelto uno strada diversa. La nuova…

• Ventura Lambrate deludente

  Stefano Ricci

  2 May 2012 | 2:59 am

  Scrivo questo articolo dopo la prima visita a zona Ventura Lambrate durante la settimana del design milanese 2012. La curiosità era tanta perché dal 2010, anno di nascita, ad oggi il progetto ha riscosso molti consensi e punta a ritrovare quell’energia creativa originaria del Fuorisalone, che sta sfumando sotto i colpi di tanti inserimenti istituzionali e commerciali che a volte poco centrano con il design. Forse le mie aspettative erano troppo alte, ma sono rimasto deluso da zona Ventura Lambrate nonostante tutti continuano a parlarne molto bene; e non lo dico per fare semplicemente…

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  Web Design Blog, Web Designer Resources

• 25 Fresh and Clean WordPress Themes

  2Expert

  16 May 2012 | 5:56 am

  Today we have a new theme collection for you called Fresh & Clean. These are another wordpress themes that got a very clean and minimal design, created with having the casual blogger in mind. These themes are perfect for all kinds of corporate sites or for personal blogs. Take a look at some of the themes presented below. 1. Lovely Tulips theme Demo & Download 2. Note pad Chaos Demo & Download 3. Uraniumoid Demo & Download 4. Galliumite Demo & Download 5. Demiurge Demo & Download 6. Foodiary Theme Demo & Download 7. Elegance Demo & Download 8. Infinity theme…

• 30 jQuery Plugins to help with Responsive Layouts

  2Expert

  15 May 2012 | 5:11 am

  There is always a new challenge for designers and Web developers. One of the latest is definitely responsive web design, the art of serving the same web page to multiple devices including PCs, mobile phones to the tablet and iPhone that look good on all of them. Typically, you would use Media Queries to resize the overall layout, but navigation, forms, images, sliders, carousels… they all need to be optimized as well. Web site designers and developers like to create such designs that allow users to browse their favorite websites on any device. To obtain these flexibilities in web design,…

• 40 Creative & Inspirational Photo Edit Examples

  2Expert

  11 May 2012 | 8:51 am

  Photo manipulation is the application of image editing techniques to photographs in order to create an illusion or deception. They edit these photographs in such a creative way by increasing quality and overall looks of photography that even we can’t decide about what to call them, photography or photo manipulation.It requires a very creative set of skills to generate an exclusive image that can induce even the most experienced set of eyes. Today I’ve collected really beautiful examples of creative edit photography. Hope you like them. 1. When the storm comes Edited using Photoshop by…

• Freebies: 3D Social Icons Pack for Designers and Developers

  2Expert

  10 May 2012 | 7:25 am

  Its the time for some freebies. We are happy to release a new 3D metallic social media icons pack for free to use (Personal & Commercial). Its a pack of 15 icons which includes Digg, Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, Pinterest, Skype, RSS, Myspace, Youtube, Linkedin, google, Yahoo, Delicious, Stumbleupon. These 3D metallic social media icons are exclusively designer for 2ExpertsDesign visitors by creative team at Design Article Writer. The pack consist of 15 icons that comes in 5 different sizes 32×32, 64×64, 128×128, 256×256 and 512×512. These are free to use for any…

• 35 Different Types of Liquid Textures

  2Expert

  9 May 2012 | 10:33 am

  In the field of design Photoshop is a well known tool that allows you to create many wonderful and creative things for web designers and graphic designers. Textures make your designs perfect and eye catching, with excellent results and Liquid textures are among them. Liquid textures make your objects sticky and you can also expand your creativity, play with your eyes and minds to the arts making it more attractive with effective artwork. In this post, we aim to share with you the stocks of cool and refreshing liquid textures from the world of creativity and design. Download and use the…

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  456 Berea Street

• iOS orientation change and automatic text resizing

  Roger Johansson

  9 May 2012 | 1:49 pm

  Most web developers who have viewed their work in an iOS device know that Safari for iOS likes to zoom in on the page and do weird things to font size when you change the device’s orientation from portrait to landscape. A too common way to prevent that is to completely disable the user’s ability to zoom, which you really do not want to do. Luckily there is A Fix for the iOS Orientationchange Zoom Bug, a very clever one too. I’ve been using this in a few projects and have found it to work well. I have however run into a couple of issues (that in hindsight are pretty obvious) that I want…

• Make sure your HTML5 document outline is backwards compatible

  Roger Johansson

  2 May 2012 | 1:43 pm

  This is just a short reminder of something I wrote about in On using h1 for all heading levels in HTML5: make sure your HTML5 document outline is backwards compatible. The reason is simple. Browsers and assistive technology haven’t implemented the HTML5 outline algorithm yet (the only exception I’m aware of is JAWS, which gets it wrong, as Jason Kiss explains in JAWS, IE and Headings in HTML5).Read full postPosted in Accessibility, HTML 5.Copyright © Roger Johansson

• Automatic line breaks in narrow columns with CSS 3 hyphens and word-wrap

  Roger Johansson

  23 Apr 2012 | 2:54 pm

  A problem that has always existed but has become more common lately as more people – thanks to the popularity of responsive web design – make their layouts adapt to narrow viewports, is the lack of automatic hyphenation in web browsers. As columns of text become narrower, the risk of a single word being longer than the column width increases. When that happens, the text normally extends outside the column (unless the column element’s overflow property has been given a different value than the default visible). The effect can be anything from just a slight visual glitch to unreadable…

• End tags, semi-colons and maintainable code

  Roger Johansson

  17 Apr 2012 | 1:34 pm

  In Of parser-fetishists and semi-colons, Chris Heilmann brings up the importance of code maintainability, something that I feel is overlooked a bit too often. The main issue Chris talks about is omitting semi-colons at the end of JavaScript statements, the subject of a current JavaScript drama. Doing so is valid syntax in many cases, and browsers parse and execute the code fine. However, it does not improve code readability for humans, who are often as important to target as the browsers that run the code.Read full postPosted in Coding, HTML 5, JavaScript.Copyright © Roger Johansson

• The HTML5 placeholder attribute is not a substitute for the label element

  Roger Johansson

  9 Apr 2012 | 1:15 am

  One of the useful things in HTML5 is the placeholder attribute that lets you specify a short hint for text input fields (textarea elements and the text states of the input element). In browsers that implement placeholder according to the specification, the hint text is displayed only when the field is empty and unfocused. This is good since it gives you an opportunity to provide the user with hints regarding what they are expected to enter in the field. What is not good is that the placeholder attribute is often used as a substitute for the label element. I’ve seen this in various demos of…

• 

  A List Apart

• Responsive Images and Web Standards at the Turning Point

  15 May 2012 | 1:44 pm

  Responsible responsive design demands responsive images—images whose dimensions and file size suit the viewport and bandwidth of the receiving device. As HTML provides no standard element to achieve this purpose, serving responsive images has meant using JavaScript trickery, and accepting that your solution will fail for some users. Then a few months ago, in response to an article here, a W3C Responsive Images Community Group formed—and proposed a simple-to-understand HTML picture element capable of serving responsive images. The group even delivered picture functionality to older…

• Application Cache is a Douchebag

  8 May 2012 | 7:00 am

  We’re better connected than we’ve ever been, but we’re not always connected. ApplicationCache lets users interact with their data even when they're offline, but with great power come great gotchas. For instance, files always come from the ApplicationCache, even when the user is online. Oh, and in certain circumstances, a browser won't know that that the online content has changed — causing the user to keep getting old content. And, oh yes, depending on how you cache your resources, non-cached resources may not load even when the user is online. Lanyrd’s Jake Archibald illuminates…

• Say No to Faux Bold

  8 May 2012 | 6:59 am

  Browsers can do terrible things to type. If text is styled as bold or italic and the typeface family does not include a bold or italic font, browsers will compensate by trying to create bold and italic styles themselves. The results are an awkward mimicry of real type design, and can be especially atrocious with web fonts. Adobe’s Alan Stearns shares quick tips and techniques to ensure that your @font-face rules match the weight and styles of the fonts, and that you have a @font-face rule for every style your content uses. If you’re taking the time to choose a beautiful web font for your…

• Content Modelling: A Master Skill

  24 Apr 2012 | 8:00 am

  The content model is one of the most important content strategy tools at your disposal. It allows you to represent content in a way that translates the intention, stakeholder needs, and functional requirements from the user experience design into something that can be built by developers implementing a CMS. A good content model helps ensure that your content vision will become a reality. Lovinger explains how to craft a strong content model and use it to foster communication and align efforts between the UX design, editorial, and technical team members on your project.

• Tinker, Tailor, Content Strategist

  24 Apr 2012 | 7:59 am

  What does content strategy mastery look like? As in any field, it comes down to having master skills and knowing when to apply them. While there are different styles of content strategy (from an editorial and messaging focus to a technical and structural focus), the master content strategist must work with content from all angles: messaging architecture and messaging platforms; content missions and content management. Above all, she must advocate for multiple constituents, including end users, business users, stakeholders, and the content vision itself. Rachel Lovinger shares the skills that…

• 

  Latest articles

• Typography Mania #132

  paul0v2

  16 May 2012 | 9:55 am

  Typography Mania is a weekly post series that comes around every Wednesday with the best of Typography design works on the web, from type videos to images everything is full of great design and typography inspiration. Users can submit their typography designs. Click here to check out all the previous Typography Mania Make sure to click on each image to go to original location where you can check out more work from each artist and designer. Submit your Typography work From now on you can submit your typography mania piece by adding your image to Abduzeedo's Flickr Group and use the tag…

• Architect Day: Gangoly & Kristiner

  MarceloSeferin

  16 May 2012 | 7:27 am

  Hans Gangoly and Irene Kristiner began working together in 1997 to found in 2007 the office with their names. With projects in different areas of architecture, accumulate awards for its projects in Austria. gangoly.at Hans Gangoly was born in 1959 in the town of Oberwart in Austria and Irene Kristiner was born in 1968 in Weiz. Both studied at the Graz University of Technology, Hans received his degree in 1988 and Irene in 1997. Working together since 1997, decided to found his own firm 10 years later, called Gangoly & Kristiner. Montan University Leoben, Áustria. photo © Paul Ott…

• Exquisite Cemetery Statues

  PauloGabriel

  15 May 2012 | 10:00 pm

  This is probably an unexpected post. When people think about cemeteries they usually associate it with ugly, dark, scary things. But not today. There's beauty in cemeteries and it only takes us a little effort to find it. Statues are probably the most beautiful element in any cemetery. Of course that we can easily find awful ones, but there's so much beauty to be seen that it's simply incredible these won't get more attention. I really wish it was easier to find out who the artists behind these exquisite pieces of art are. It pretty much makes art galleries out of cemeteries. I hope you enjoy…

• 

  Adaptive Path

• MX: Managing Experience 2012 Videos Ready for Your Viewing Pleasure

  Jamieson Chandler

  14 May 2012 | 12:30 pm

  Every March for the past six years, our MX: Managing Experience conference has brought together a growing community of managers, directors, and VPs of experience design teams (and their bosses) to discuss the unique challenges they face.  This year's sold out conference featured speakers from GE, eBay, Intel, Flickr, Salesforce.com, Sony, and Forrester Research, representing an excellent mix of examples of the role experience design is playing in the world's largest companies. This year's talks explored a range of topics from the journey to becoming a UX leader,…

• Signposts for the Week Ending May 11

  Pam Daghlian

  11 May 2012 | 1:24 pm

  The UK has come up with design principles for their government services. Progress is afoot.  DIY kits to build web-connected things.  Neato: responsive wireframes.  A tool to pump out models digitally. Information is food.  Welcome to the era of design.  Fun cross-platform interaction, the concept. And the real deal.  Can continuous improvement be hazardous to your organization's health?  Cue sad trombone. A sad lesson in collaborative innovation.  User experience is strategy, not design, says Peterme. What do you…

• UX Intensive Amsterdam 2012: Service Design Day Snapshot

  Chris Risdon

  3 May 2012 | 1:34 pm

  Last Thursday, April 5th, we capped off our four day UX Intensive training with the Service Design day. Jamin Hegemen lead the activity-packed day, introducing principles and methods designed to help organizations orchestrate cohesive cross-channel experiences for products and services. Just a couple of the highlights included developing service blueprints and mapping customer journeys. Much fun was had in the service prototyping portion, as participants used acting as a means of prototyping service experiences.  Jamin lead the group through a full day that included introducing Service…

• UX Intensive Amsterdam 2012: Interaction Design Day Snapshot

  Patrick Quattlebaum

  26 Apr 2012 | 4:52 pm

  After two days of fast-paced learning and making at our UX Intensive in Amsterdam, our attendees jumped into the deep end of Interaction Design. Chris Risdon used every minute of the day to pack in valuable concepts and useful tools that we use at Adaptive Path to quickly identify a large number of ideas and then turn the best ones into successful products and services. Here's a few highlights from the day: Chris takes a question from an attendee.  Attendees learned how to quickly generate design concepts and how to communicate them effectively.  Some tools of the trade.

• UX Intensive Amsterdam 2012: Research Day Snapshot

  Jamieson Chandler

  25 Apr 2012 | 4:06 pm

  Continuing our coverage of UX Intensive Amsterdam, day two featured Design Research (see Day 1: Design Strategy here) taught by Paula Wellings.    Paula led the group from start to finish on defining research goals and objectives, methods to collect and analyze data, and how to effectively communicate findings to clients and stakeholders in order to move research toward design.   Exercises included field research using methods learned throughout the day. A wall full of stickies shows the findings. The importance of organizing data into useful clusters.  Making…

• 

  Andy Budd::Blogography Articles

• User Research ain't no Magic Bullet

  andybudd

  7 May 2012 | 1:54 pm

  User research is an extremely powerful tool (or set of tools) for understanding customer needs and behaviours. As digital projects grow in size and complexity, the risk of building the wrong thing becomes an increasing danger. So it makes sense to spend a portion of your budget to ensure that you’ve done the due diligence and are investing wisely. Marketing teams have known this for years, so few company’s would dream of launching a product or service without first understanding the market and ensuring product-market fit. However for some reason this hasn’t filtered into the world of…

• Designing in the Browser is Not the Answer

  andybudd

  14 Mar 2012 | 1:38 pm

  The argument for “designing in the browser” seems very seductive at first glance. The web is an interactive medium that defies the fixed canvas of traditional layout tools, so why not use the browser as your primary design environment? The reason is simple. The browser was intended as a delivery mechanism with HTML and CSS a means of describing content rather than defining it (a subtile distinction I know, but an important one). As such the browser lacks even the most rudimentary tools like the ability to draw lines or irregular objects through direct manipulation. Instead this…

• Most Web Design Agencies Suck

  andybudd

  5 Mar 2012 | 12:02 pm

  Over the years I’ve heard plenty of designers moan about their clients. I’ve also witnessed a recent outburst of complaints against authors and speakers on Twitter. However the group that rarely comes under fire in public, but probably should, are the mass of terrible agencies out there. Through my travels I get to speak to lots of designers and developers, and am constantly amazed by how smart, knowledgeable and engaged these folks are. These people care passionately about doing the right thing, but are thwarted time and time again. It’s not clients getting in the way and it’s…

• Web Design Disciplines Explained Through the Medium of Dungeons & Dragons

  andybudd

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:23 am

  First off let me apologise for the laboured metaphor I’m about to inflict on you, but I thought it could be entertaining to try and describe the web design industry using a medium I’m sure you’re all familiar with—Dungeons & Dragons. However I should point out that I’m no D&D expert, having played it last when I was 13. So please don’t leave comments to the line of “you got that all wrong as those character classes were changed in AD&D 2nd Edition, Unearthed Arcana.” or I’ll pull out my +2 broadsword and go Berserker on your ass.

• UX Developer is a misleading and potentially damaging job title

  andybudd

  27 Jan 2012 | 4:58 am

  I was really disappointed to see a recent post from somebody I admire and respect defend the validity of the new UX Developer job title that has been cropping up of late. As well as being misleading, the title, UX Developer has implications that are damaging to the field of User Experience and will hasten the current devaluation of the term. Despite what many newcomers to the industry may think, User Experience Design is a well-defined specialism as distinct from visual or interface design. The practice of user experience design is a specific field of study with its own books, conferences,…

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  AndySowards.com :: Web Design, Development, Programming

• 60+ Beautiful Examples of Geometric Designs

  Andy Sowards

  15 May 2012 | 2:28 am

  Advertise here with BSATweet So in high school I was not a big fan of math in general. In School, Math feels so boring, and archaic – but in the real world, you get to see how it applies to literally EVERYTHING. It is not “required” like teachers try to trick us into thinking, but it does make life much more beautiful. For example, my love for math in the real world started when I became a programmer. Now Math is FUN, and BEAUTIFUL because I can see how it applies to almost every design around us. Without Geometry, we would have no shapes! Geometry is awesome. Math is…

• How To Think Like An Entrepreneur To Help Your Business Thrive

  Christopher Wallace

  14 May 2012 | 11:44 pm

  Advertise here with BSATweet What Is Entrepreneurship? The dictionary defines an entrepreneur as 1. A person who organizes and manages any enterprise, especially a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk; 2. An employer of productive labor; contractor. Most of us can come up with the names of famous entrepreneurs who have made tremendous impacts to our society and the world at large: Henry Ford, Ray Kroc, Michael Dell, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey and of course, Steve Jobs, to mention only a few. It’s hard to imagine what our lives would be like if they had…

• 50 Amazing Examples of Interior Design & Architecture

  Andy Sowards

  14 May 2012 | 8:51 am

  Advertise here with BSATweet I think we all have a thing with interior design. I know I love it – i’ve always been fascinated with it. There is just something about being in, or looking at a well organized, clean, and stylish space that makes me feel calm, relaxed, and inspired! Same thing with Architecture – while they aren’t really the same thing, they go hand in hand. I could look at this stuff all day, but instead of doing it all by my lonesome I figured I would let you guys in on some of the viewing enjoyment! Today we have rounded up some of the freshest and…

• The Top 5 Innovative Foursquare Office Designs

  Endre Rex-Kiss

  14 May 2012 | 6:05 am

  Advertise here with BSATweet Dennis Crowley’s Foursquare revolutionized the way we think about and use mobile devices, with the idea that we can use them to interact with our environment. The app uses either a mobile device’s built-in GPS or network information to determine a user’s location, then allows them to ‘check in’ to a venue, earning points and badges, allowing them to compete with friends, let friends know where they are, find nearby places, and leave real-time reviews on places they’ve visited. With all these great features, it’s no wonder that their offices are…

• How To Design Your Own War Movie Film Poster In Photoshop Tutorial

  irenethompson

  14 May 2012 | 4:46 am

  Advertise here with BSATweet The war movie poster is typically one of the most dramatic styles when it comes to poster art. Not only will you want to capture the scenery of a battle, but also the key emotions that must be emphasized in the theme. In this tutorial we will help you create your own war movie poster using Adobe Photoshop.  Following these steps should help you learn exactly what you need to alter images and invoke filters/effects correctly for a typical war movie poster. FINAL IMAGE This is what we will be creating! excited? keep going! STEP 1 First create a new document for a…

• 

  Bohemian Breakdancer

• My cat gets a tattoo

  Will McNeice

  29 Apr 2012 | 2:35 pm

  Don’t have time to read this now? Download it and read it later: PDF | Kindle | iBooks. Since coming to live with us, Mrs Coulter has suffered a multitude of illnesses, indignities and injustices; at least, from her perspective, she has. From the perspective of my girlfriend and I, everything we have done to her has been in her own best interests, but since the cat’s walnut-sized brain has trouble contemplating perspectives, she blames us for everything. What follows is a list of the cruel, painful and humiliating tortures we have inflicted upon our cat. 1. We took her away from the…

• Mrs Coulter, our cat

  Will McNeice

  10 Apr 2012 | 3:08 pm

  Meet Mrs Coulter Don’t have time to read this now? Download it and read it later: PDF | Kindle | iBooks. For the past two months, I have been badgering my girlfriend into getting a cat. After many discussions and one major tantrum followed by a day of the silent treatment, she gave in and now we have a cat. I named her Mrs Coulter, after a character from one of my favorite sets of books, His Dark Materials, by Philip Pullman. Mrs Coulter arrived at the Wroclaw Animal Shelter with some bad cuts and in general bad shape. She looked like she had been in an accident, though nobody at the…

• Versatile Blogger Award

  Will McNeice

  7 Apr 2012 | 11:51 am

  I have been nominated for an award, the Versatile Blogger Award. I was nominated for this award by Sarah Baughman, an American living in Germany with her family. She writes essays and poetry. In addition to being free of spelling errors, her essays are elegantly written and entertaining. The image comes from her blog. The requirements of the Versatile Blogger Award are as follows: 1. Thank the award-givers and link back to them in your post. 2. Share 7 things about yourself. 3. Pass this award along. 4. Contact your chosen bloggers to let them know about the award. 1. Thank the award-givers…

• The Bullshit Review – Submission Guidelines

  Will McNeice

  2 Apr 2012 | 6:34 am

  Don’t have time to read this now? Download it and read it later: PDF | Kindle | iBooks. Please read our submission guidelines carefully. Anything that does not match our guidelines exactly will not be read, acknowledged or returned. The Bullshit Review is a serious quarterly magazine. Look! We have the word review in our name. That means we’re serious. We publish only the best poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Not the best in the world, just the best that we receive. That means that you do not have to be the best writer in the world, only the best writer who sent us something this…

• Top ten things to do while driving a car in Poland

  Will McNeice

  28 Mar 2012 | 2:45 pm

  Don’t have time to read this now? Download it and read it later: PDF | Kindle | iBooks. Poland is a magical place – in Poland, you can try out anything you like. Ever wanted to drive like an actual maniac? In Poland, you can! To help you navigate your way through the endless possibilities of insane driving, I have compiled for you a list of the most popular activities you might like to do when you get behind the wheel of a two-ton killing machine. Some are more difficult than others, but with little time and less skill, you should be able to master them all. 1. Drive really fast all…

• 

  Psdeluxe

• New Features and Improvements in Photoshop CS6

  StevenE

  15 May 2012 | 7:19 pm

  Photoshop CS6 has a lot of people talking. As a matter of fact, I have been on my Facebook and have even come across people selling their copies of CS5, so they could upgrade to the new CS6. This version of Photoshop comes with a slew of both big and small improvements over CS5. However, some of these features don’t really make a difference to me and some people may not even notice them. Therefore, I am just going to talk about some of the main stuff that I have come across.Layer searching is something that has become a whole lot easier in Photoshop CS6. Even if you have a document with…

• The Photoshop Elements interface

  George

  12 May 2012 | 1:58 am

  The Photoshop Elements interface holds a treasure trove of tools and commands for users at all skill levels. Here’s a primer in what the most important ones are.Photoshop Elements is a great little program if you’re just starting out with image editing. This is because it has all the tools that you need to make any edits to your image right in front of you in easy to find locations. It also has a loads of automated options, which let the program do the hard work for you.On these pages we mainly look at the Edit options, as these are the ones that you will be using time and time again.

• Focus on pixel resolution

  George

  11 May 2012 | 1:37 am

  Understand the nature of every pixel in your image and learn the right way to resize your photos without damaging themThe foundation of everything we do digitally is dictated by pixels – tiny bits of colour that we can barely see. When we talk about quality, pixels are more often than not part of the equation, and this is where resolution comes into play.Resolution is number of pixels per inch in your image, and for short this is know as ppi. There are two resolution values which are commonly used in digital artwork and photography: 72 and 300ppi. The larger the ppi, the bigger an image can…

• PSD to HTML Conversion Best Practices

  George

  10 May 2012 | 2:18 am

  Things to consider when selecting your PSD to HTML Conversion provider Graphic designers looking to convert their design to HTML face many different kinds of challenges. From grappling with best practices, figuring out what conversion software to use, figuring out the best course of action to take can seem like a minefield. What’s most important to graphic designers is that any conversion method– whether one is looking to simply convert PSD to CSS or even a full-fledged conversion from PSD to HTML– is that a conversion gives accurate renditions of your work in the least…

• Using the Photoshop Elements Organizer

  George

  9 May 2012 | 8:25 pm

  Keep your photo collection in order with this essential extra that comes with Photoshop Elements. The latest version Photoshop Elements not only includes new features for image editors to enjoy, it boats enhanced tools too.In Photoshop Elements 9 there is a new welcome screen from which you can choose between Organize and Edit tabs to either begin image manipulations straight away or sort through your library of images first.The Organize function in Elements is handy for arranging all of your photos and videos in one place. Due to the thumbnail display, which can be customized to suit how you…

• 

  Psdeluxe

• New Features and Improvements in Photoshop CS6

  StevenE

  15 May 2012 | 7:19 pm

  Photoshop CS6 has a lot of people talking. As a matter of fact, I have been on my Facebook and have even come across people selling their copies of CS5, so they could upgrade to the new CS6. This version of Photoshop comes with a slew of both big and small improvements over CS5. However, some of these features don’t really make a difference to me and some people may not even notice them. Therefore, I am just going to talk about some of the main stuff that I have come across.Layer searching is something that has become a whole lot easier in Photoshop CS6. Even if you have a document with…

• The Photoshop Elements interface

  George

  12 May 2012 | 1:58 am

  The Photoshop Elements interface holds a treasure trove of tools and commands for users at all skill levels. Here’s a primer in what the most important ones are.Photoshop Elements is a great little program if you’re just starting out with image editing. This is because it has all the tools that you need to make any edits to your image right in front of you in easy to find locations. It also has a loads of automated options, which let the program do the hard work for you.On these pages we mainly look at the Edit options, as these are the ones that you will be using time and time again.

• Focus on pixel resolution

  George

  11 May 2012 | 1:37 am

  Understand the nature of every pixel in your image and learn the right way to resize your photos without damaging themThe foundation of everything we do digitally is dictated by pixels – tiny bits of colour that we can barely see. When we talk about quality, pixels are more often than not part of the equation, and this is where resolution comes into play.Resolution is number of pixels per inch in your image, and for short this is know as ppi. There are two resolution values which are commonly used in digital artwork and photography: 72 and 300ppi. The larger the ppi, the bigger an image can…

• PSD to HTML Conversion Best Practices

  George

  10 May 2012 | 2:18 am

  Things to consider when selecting your PSD to HTML Conversion provider Graphic designers looking to convert their design to HTML face many different kinds of challenges. From grappling with best practices, figuring out what conversion software to use, figuring out the best course of action to take can seem like a minefield. What’s most important to graphic designers is that any conversion method– whether one is looking to simply convert PSD to CSS or even a full-fledged conversion from PSD to HTML– is that a conversion gives accurate renditions of your work in the least…

• Using the Photoshop Elements Organizer

  George

  9 May 2012 | 8:25 pm

  Keep your photo collection in order with this essential extra that comes with Photoshop Elements. The latest version Photoshop Elements not only includes new features for image editors to enjoy, it boats enhanced tools too.In Photoshop Elements 9 there is a new welcome screen from which you can choose between Organize and Edit tabs to either begin image manipulations straight away or sort through your library of images first.The Organize function in Elements is handy for arranging all of your photos and videos in one place. Due to the thumbnail display, which can be customized to suit how you…

• 

  Beautiful/Decay Artist & Design

• alice anderson Monumental Installations Made Of Doll Hair

  Amir

  16 May 2012 | 12:30 pm

  Alice Anderson’s giant installations created out thousands of feet of red colored doll hair are a thing of wonder. Selected for its relationship to her own bright red hair, Anderson selected the material to refer to her childhood where she invented rituals based around her hair to calm her anxieties when left home alone. Draped over buildings, walls, and every imaginable surface, Anderson’s work is just as much about reinterpreting an everyday material as it is about coming to terms with the ghosts of her youth. (via)        

• Uwe Schramm’s Photographic Subliminal Messages

  Amir

  16 May 2012 | 12:02 pm

  German photographer Uwe Schramm’s minimal photographs pack a powerful punch. “Removing the blinkers, to enable one to see that there is more than meets the eye, what one hasn’t been able to see before, from yourself and the world around you. Photography, for me, is the ideal medium, because it enables one to focus clearly on the image and carry a message. My aim is to reduce the subject and picture to the absolute essential minimum whilst giving the observer a subliminal message and other interpretation.… The supposed obvious has become, through my picture, foreign. The…

• JEAHYO LEE’s Functional Art Furniture

  Amir

  16 May 2012 | 11:43 am

  Jeahyo Lee’s work falls somewhere between functional furniture and sculpture. His massive wooden benches and chairs weight between 400-1000 pounds and its smooth curves can compete with the latest sports cars. When not using wood Lee turns to steel creating densely patterned orbs out of stainless steel nails which reference coral reefs and the textures that we find deep underwater. Lee’s work is not only is masterfully crafted but brings out the inner nature of the materials that he uses.              

• joe amrhein’s Painted Text Chaos

  Amir

  16 May 2012 | 11:18 am

  Joe Amrhein’s text based paintings are not only steeped in sign painting tradition but poke fun and shed light onto everything from international economics to art criticism cliches. Each piece is constructed by layering dozens of ornate typefaces painted on mylar on top of one another, creating rich paintings that are dense meditations on the world at large with all of its fractured meaning and profound chaos.      

• Documentary Watch: John Baldessari Is The Godfather Of Conceptual Art

  Amir

  16 May 2012 | 10:30 am

    John Baldessari is literally a living legend. Not only has he exhibited internationally more than most living artists but he has blazed the trail for millions of young artists who consider him a mentor, colleague, peer, and friend. I was fortunate enough to work with John for a few years while getting my MFA at UCLA and I have to say that he was one of the most giving professors that I’ve ever had. He always had time for his students and had explosive energy that was infectious. Commissioned by the Los Angeles County Museum Of Art and narrated by Tom Waits this six minute…

• 

  The 99 Percent

• The Difference Between "Money Work" and "Busy Work"

  14 May 2012 | 7:00 pm

  Are you doing everything you can to generate new income? The more effective you are with "money work," the more time you'll have for "creative work."

• The Illustrated 99% Conference 2012: An Epic Episode in Words & Pictures!

  13 May 2012 | 7:00 pm

  Wendy MacNaughton captures the nuances of this year's 99% Conference - from hairstyles to hand gestures - in an awesome illustration series.

• 99% Conference 2012: Key Takeaways On Making Ideas Happen

  9 May 2012 | 7:00 pm

  Get insights on creative epiphanies, finding your superpower, and celebrating small wins from this year's incredible 99% Conference.

• 99% Conference 2012: Key Takeaways On Making Ideas Happen (Pt. II)

  8 May 2012 | 7:00 pm

  A call for a new start-up paradigm, lessons on vulnerability, and why you can't iterate yourself into a business model from this year's 99% Conference.

• 99% Conference 2012: Key Takeaways On Making Ideas Happen (Pt. III)

  7 May 2012 | 7:00 pm

  Lessons on embracing "gut churn," turning self-doubt into a strength, and embracing your work as a gift from this year's 99% Conference.

• 

  Big Spaceship

• Team Development Tip: VirtualHost

  Stephen Koch

  15 May 2012 | 11:49 am

  At Big Spaceship it’s always bothered me how we all have different configurations for running things on our local machines. For example, I had adopted the convention of using ‘skoch.local’ for all of my projects. When I’d start a new project, I’d set up an alias in my httpd.conf file something along the following: Alias project-name "/Users/skoch/Documents/Development/WORK/2012/CLIENT/PROJECT/dev/bin" Options Indexes MultiViews AllowOverride All Order allow,deny Allow from all … which would then allow me to use…

• Forward Thinking Vol. 75

  Casey Roeder

  10 May 2012 | 4:07 pm

  NYT: New Tech City This week the New York Times reported about a recent study called New Tech City, concluding that the technology industry is growing more in NYC than anywhere else in America. The city’s growing industry isn’t based around computer chips, but rather the creative applications of these technologies. Ray Ban: Bright Light Ray-Ban recently launched an app called Bright Light – a tool to help people in cities get the most out of the sun. The app predicts where the sun will be shining during different points in the day based on the shadows of tall buildings in…

• Forward Thinking Vol. 74

  Casey Roeder

  3 May 2012 | 2:31 pm

  Pimkie Color Forecast Pimkie Color Forecast tracks color trends in fashion, within a given city. Videos are broken down by color tracking software that analyses that data in real-time, identifying colors that are showing most frequently. The results are compiled into compelling infographics that ilustrate how trends change and evolve over time. IOWEYOU Project An incredibly cool approach to online retail, the IOU Project celebrates the stories behind the brand’s handmade clothing. The Project showcases weavers and craftsmen alongside the clothes they create, while encouraging customers…

• Forward Thinking Vol. 73

  Casey Roeder

  27 Apr 2012 | 10:04 am

  Lego Super Hero Movie Maker This week LEGO announced the release of a new interactive mobile app that lets you bring LEGO figurines to life by creating mini stop-motion movies based on the toy. Yet another great job by LEGO, bringing the tactile brand into the digital sphere (in Fall 2011 they released the app Life of George). Like their last app, SHMM is not only a digital extension of the product, but requires simultaneous interaction between the physical product and digital platform. Very smart work by a great brand. Zombies, Run! Awesome app that creates an ultra immersive running…

• Forward Thinking Vol. 72

  Casey Roeder

  20 Apr 2012 | 11:25 am

  Our weekly update where we share what’s inspiring us: The Future of Touchable Movies The use of video technology that uses HD video to shoot objects from multiple angles, has the ability to create richer, more interactive video content on tablet devices. With the the increasing popularity of tablets, this technology has the potential to be an extremely useful tool for brands. Nature Valley Trail View A cool site by Nature Valley that lets you hike America’s greatest parks, online. The site uses “Streetview” technology to allow users to explore major US parks with 360°…

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  BittBox

• Free Texture Tuesday: 5 Vintage Paper Textures

  Dustin Schmieding

  15 May 2012 | 8:30 am

• Freebie Friday: 7 Script Handwriting Brushes

  Dustin Schmieding

  11 May 2012 | 8:30 am

  These brushes are each 2500px and will be a versatile addition to your toolbox, allowing you to add subtle antique writing effects to your work. Preview Download .ZIP

• Free Texture Tuesday: 5 Beach Stone Textures

  Dustin Schmieding

  8 May 2012 | 8:00 am

• How Web Developers and Designers can Work Together

  Jake Rocheleau

  7 May 2012 | 9:11 am

  Within any field of application production you often find the workload split between design and development. It’s a simpler process to let the designer handle creating the user interface while the developer codes it into reality. This is the case for desktop applications, mobile apps, and especially websites. In this article I want to share a few ideas for how web designers and developers can work together with each other in harmony. It can be a struggle to keep everyone on the same page. Especially when you’re sharing documents and graphics between a group of 4+ web…

• Freebie Friday: 5 Cardboard Brushes

  Dustin Schmieding

  4 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  These varied brushes are the maximum resolution of 2500×2500. Each one has different characteristics, so this set will suit many different needs. Preview Download .ZIP

• 

  Boagworld

• Adobe introduce two new iPad apps but are they useful?

  Paul Boag

  16 May 2012 | 6:27 am

  You have to admire Adobe at the moment. They seem to be pushing out new apps at a rate of knots and not just upgrades to the traditional creative suite. In the last couple of months we have seen the arrival of Adobe Edge (for creating CSS animation), Adobe Muse (for building websites without touching any code) and of course their Creative Cloud (making all their Adobe apps available on a monthly subscription basis). As if that wasn’t enough, last week we saw them release two new iPad apps. These are Adobe Proto and Adobe Collage. Adobe Collage Adobe Collage is their attempt to turn your…

• An alternative approach to personas

  Paul Boag

  15 May 2012 | 6:30 am

  I am a visual person, so when I’m working on a site I find it incredibly useful to picture the person I’m designing for. That is where personas come in. They make the user real and that to me is invaluable. That said, some personas can get a bit wordy for me. They go into so much depth about the persons likes and dislikes, their internet experience and family situation, that they loose their impact. They stop being an easy way to keep the user in the front of my mind. That is why I fell in love with this alternative approach to personas. Instead of lots of text they consist of two…

• Running a successful web design business

  Paul Boag

  14 May 2012 | 6:40 am

  For sometime now I have been running a full day workshop called “Running a successful web design business”. It is a workshop that ties in closely with my book “Client Centric Web Design,” but is obviously much more interactive. I love running the workshop because I always learn as much as I share with the attendees. Previously I have avoided sharing my slides from this workshop. This is partly because slides don’t really capture the essence of the day and partly because my previous slides were so vague that they were meaningless. However, I have recently reworked…

• Contributing to the web

  Paul Boag

  11 May 2012 | 6:59 am

  For me the web has always been about contributing rather than consuming. Don’t get me wrong I learn a huge amount from the web everyday. However, the web was always meant to be a medium you contribute to, unlike reading a book or watching TV. For me contribution is in the form of writing blog posts, recording podcasts and giving presentations. For others it is participating in open source projects or sharing code and designs. However, there are many who don’t contribute at all. This is not because they are bad or lazy people. It is because they either think they have nothing to…

• Starter kit for web design freelancers

  Paul Boag

  10 May 2012 | 6:30 am

  I don’t seem to be able to shut up about working with clients at the moment. Not only is there my book “Client Centric Web Design,” I also cover this subject as part of a series of videos I have recorded for Sitepoint. These videos form apart of Sitepoint’s superb “Kick Start Your Web Dev Business” course, which I can highly recommend if you are starting out freelancing. I have to say I find recording these videos painfully embarrassing, but apparently others find them useful. Here is the first video, which is particularly embarrassing because I talk about…

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  BOOOOOOOM!

• Maxime Ansiau

  Jeff

  16 May 2012 | 6:52 am

  Plates by Maxime Ansiau.

• Jaime Treadwell

  Jeff

  16 May 2012 | 6:09 am

  Paintings by Jaime Treadwell.

• World’s Tallest Lego Tower

  Jeff

  16 May 2012 | 5:50 am

  It took 4,000 children 5 days and more than 50,000 bricks to build a record-breaking 105 ft Lego tower in Seoul, Korea. Insert child-labour joke here. Watch the video below!

• Jenny Morgan

  Jeff

  16 May 2012 | 5:04 am

  Paintings by Jenny Morgan.

• Ghostpatrol

  Jeff

  16 May 2012 | 3:40 am

  “Cosmic Scale and the Super Future”, new works by Ghostpatrol debut at Backwoods Gallery on Friday.

• 

  Brendan Dawes' Meta Feed

• RT @gradualist: I've signed up to see Jon Hicks and Brendan Dawes speak at http://t.co/yenMBC2c next month. FREE event - how can you miss it? @MKGeekNight

  16 May 2012 | 11:26 am

  RT @gradualist: I've signed up to see Jon Hicks and Brendan Dawes speak at http://t.co/yenMBC2c next month. FREE event - how can you miss it? @MKGeekNight

• RT @letterpress_se: Great advice : ”Life is too short to own an ugly pencil.” - Brendan Dawes

  16 May 2012 | 10:39 am

  RT @letterpress_se: Great advice : ”Life is too short to own an ugly pencil.” - Brendan Dawes

• MaKey MaKey - An Invention Kit for Everyone - YouTube via @carladiana_

  15 May 2012 | 5:23 pm

  via youtube.com Permalink | Leave a comment  »

• Dynamic Identity System

  26 Apr 2012 | 12:42 pm

  Cast: Brendan DawesTags:

• My session description for Reasons to be Appy conference

  23 Apr 2012 | 2:06 pm

  I'm looking forward to the sold out Reasons to be Appy conference at the end of May in London. Right now I'm scribbling down lots of notes all based off this session description:Escaping FlatlandListen closely to James Brown's Super Bad; nestled in-between Bobby Byrd's keyboards and Bootsy Collins' bass line is a flaw. It's the sound of a squeaky hi-hat pedal. A squeak that nobody felt the need to remove – nobody felt compelled to record an _update_. And yet the recording is still wonderful even with this supposed flaw because – for me at least – it adds _texture_. I strongly believe…

• 

  CatsWhoCode.com

• Tips and best practices to develop responsive websites

  Jean-Baptiste Jung

  14 May 2012 | 9:42 am

  Start with a template Sure, you can start coding from scratch, but there’s a lot of interesting free templates that will make you save a lot of time. Among others, I recommend Mobile boilerplate, The 1140 grid and Skeleton. There’s a lot more than those ones, so feel free to google “responsive web design template” if you want more. Working with fluid grid based layouts Fluid layouts are an important part of a good responsive layout. In order to have a website that can adapt to many different screen resolutions, you have to use a fluid layout with widths defined in…

• Super useful online tools to work with images

  Jean-Baptiste Jung

  7 May 2012 | 9:13 am

  Minus As a developer or designer, you often need to upload images for sharing them with clients or people you work with. Many websites allow you to do so, but what I really love with Minus is how quick and easy it is: Just drop your image on their website, and it’s online. They’ll even give you a short url so you can share your image easily. No registration required! Just one request, I hope they’ll add a resize image feature soon. → Visit Minus Smush It When using images on the web, one thing you must definitely think about is the image size. You need to find the good…

• Super useful WordPress action hooks and filters

  Jean-Baptiste Jung

  23 Apr 2012 | 9:04 am

  Prevent automatic image compression By default, WordPress compress jpg images when you upload them to your blog. This is useful because it saves bandwidth and loading time, but sometimes you may prefer to have full quality images (For example, if you’re a photographer using WordPress to showcase your work). Paste the code below into your functions.php file to remove automatic compression of images. add_filter('jpeg_quality', function($arg){return 100;}); → Source: http://www.wprecipes.com/prevent-wordpress-to-compress-your-jpg-images Add target=”blank” to all links…

• Awesome sites to find useful code snippets

  Jean-Baptiste Jung

  10 Apr 2012 | 9:54 am

  CatsWhoCode snippet library Some of you already know it, but a few weeks ago I’ve created a snippet library with a picky selection of usefull snippets focused on web development: PHP, JavaScript, CSS, htaccess… Approximately one new snippet is published every day. Users are welcome to submit their own snippets. → Visit CatsWhoCode snippet library Snipplr Snipplr is probably the largest code snippet repository available on the internet. Since 5 years, they have published thousand of pieces of code. Some snippets are super useful, some other not so, but there’s a strong…

• Sending SMS with PHP and TextMagic: An A to Z guide

  Jean-Baptiste Jung

  26 Mar 2012 | 8:57 am

  Step 1: Creating a TextMagic account In order to send SMS to mobile phones, you need to use a third-party service. In this tutorial, I’m using a service called TextMagic to send SMS. There are lots of other services to do so, but I’ve tested Textmagic and I’m very happy with it so far. To use TextMagic, you have to create an account. Go here and register. Prices starts at $27 for 200 SMS (13.5 cents per sms) Step 2: Configure your API account Once you have created your TextMagic account, go to My services → API → Password. You need to generate an API password in…

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  Colorburned

• 22 HTML5/CSS3/jQuery Tutorials for Frontend Web Developers

  Jake Rocheleau

  4 May 2012 | 7:50 am

  When discussing web applications you always have to split development into two areas. Unless you are skilled both in the backend coding and frontend design markup, there is a dividing line between these two areas. HTML5/CSS3 are really starting to snowball in popularity. And with the jQuery library already infamous amongst JavaScript developers these 3 languages can streamline the development of any web project. But the problem is that many designers are put off from starting on the frontend. It truly doesn’t take a lot of difficulty to complete a full web design. But when you add in…

• 32 Amazing Minimalist Website Layouts

  Jake Rocheleau

  21 Mar 2012 | 9:10 am

  Minimalism is a commonly adjusted technique for web and mobile design. When you strip a layout of everything except key elements you begin to understand minimalist design patterns. Visitors will often find what they need a lot quicker. Plus your website files are much smaller than average. Web designers and freelancers look towards minimalism to elegantly showcase their portfolio works. I’ve put together a small gallery of minimalist layouts which you can check out below. Additionally if you have your own thoughts on minimalist web design please share with us in the post discussion area.

• 29 Exciting New Business Card Themes

  Jake Rocheleau

  23 Feb 2012 | 10:53 am

  The corporate world has been rapidly advancing along with numerous design schemes. Individuals are able to network like never before and it has created a heavy demand for local business. Thus business cards are still vitally important for sharing your information and building a respectable client base. Check out these 29 card themes and you may even come up with a fantastic idea of your own. Similarly you can share fresh business cards and concepts in the discussion area below. Franco Business Card Design Nurture Athletics Nurture Athletics – Side View Interactive Business Card Mattson…

• 20 iPad Applications for Freelancers & Webmasters

  Jake Rocheleau

  14 Feb 2012 | 8:54 am

  Since Apple unveiled the iPad back in 2010 it has been rapidly adopted by western culture. It appears that home computing is advancing into a new realm of mobility. Tablet PCs allow us to accomplish tasks more efficiently with less software and hassle in-between. The App Store just adds a huge bonus where developers can build and submit their software. Freelancers and web designers alike can benefit from many of these apps. Below I’ve put together a collection of 20 wonderful iPad applications you should check out. These are handy for task management, communication, networking, designs,…

• Giveaway: Win 250 Die Cut Business Cards From UPrinting

  Grant Friedman

  31 Oct 2011 | 9:00 am

  Hello everyone! Our friends from UPrinting have decided to sponsor yet another fantastic Colorburned giveaway. UPrinting knows how much you guys love and want Business Cards so they have decided to give away 250 Die Cut Business Cards to 1 lucky reader of this website. Update: Congratulations to Selena Benally. You have won 250 business cards from UPrinting. By now, most of you probably recognize UPrinting. UPrinting is an online printer that supports many popular design sites in the community, including this one. I’ve used UPrinting before and can vouch for the quality of their work.

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  Color + Design Blog by COLOURlovers / Feed

• Zazzle Design Contest Winners Announced

  allisonsilber

  16 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  Zazzle is one of those totally awesome online brands that has just about everything you could wish for on one website. Aside from offering so many different products, Zazzle also gives you the chance to customize your own. Make sure you check out their selection of goods. Did you all enjoy creating iPad cases for our Zazzle contest? I hope so. There were so many fabulous entries, you guys are great at creating some inspiring pieces. So thank you for entering. Today we are here to announce the winners of the Zazzle contest. Grand prize winner will receive $500 + a copy of their winning iPad…

• Floral Trends in Decor, Design + Fashion

  allisonsilber

  15 May 2012 | 10:17 am

  I'm excited for the return of floral prints. From fashion to design, this print has grown back into our lives and secured a very special place in current trends. These print pieces are so simple and sweet and will definitely add extra sunshine to your home office. Today we are going to take a look through all the various uses of such a trend. So get your pinning buttons ready, as you are in for a treat. Source: Tags, Journal Logo design? Using Florals? You better believe it! Source I love the use of watercolor + free hand floral drawing in this logo. This is one fun logo overall, and just…

• Colorful Round-Up + Links From Around The Web

  allisonsilber

  11 May 2012 | 2:57 pm

  It has been quite a fun week over here at COLOURlovers. Between our iPad contest with Zazzle, book review on the new Smashing Magazine book, Redesign The Web and so much more! FAVORITE BLOG POSTS: Some of our favorite blog posts from this week are crafty projects you can do with magazine pages and some fabulously colorful digital art by Andy Gilmore! Also, Zazzle is hosting a COLOURlovers iPad Design contest! If you haven't entered, now is the chance, the winner will receive a $500 cash prize. CMYLK by DESIGN MILK Design Milk (one of our fave blogs over here at COLOURlovers) has…

• Crafting With Magazines

  allisonsilber

  10 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  A bit ago we posted about crafting with paint chips. Today I wanted to post about another product you probably have laying around your house that you could turn into totally awesome art. Have you ever tried to find a use for magazines and catalogs that you finished looking through? Throwing them away feels like such a waste sometimes, doesn't it? Well today we are posting about various art projects you can do with those old magazines to repurpose them and bring those pages to life, for the second time. These projects are also a great way to give your kids something to do, using only…

• Redesign The Web by Smashing Magazine

  allisonsilber

  9 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  We are very excited to review the brand new Smashing Magazine book, REDESIGN THE WEB.  I'll start by saying that I would not only recommend this book to every designer, but it is a must for any person who is in the position to make decisions about their website. Why do I think this? Understanding the how and why behind design allows you to learn the types of questions you should be asking about your website and will help the entire design process immensely. Let's start by taking a look at the table of contents: Chapter 1, The Business Side of Redesign, was my favorite chapter in the…

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  Coolvibe - Daily Digital Art Inspiration

• Illustration: Hadoken

  Vhaddyz

  16 May 2012 | 5:04 am

  Illustration by Dave Wilkins, USA. Download full image here. Tools: Photoshop

• Fantasy: Anger

  Vhaddyz

  16 May 2012 | 4:51 am

  Fantasy by Svetlin Velinov, Bulgaria. Tools: Photoshop

• 2D Art: Bestial Rage

  Vhaddyz

  16 May 2012 | 4:46 am

  2D Art by Mike Capprotti, USA. Download full image here. Tools: Photoshop

• Portrait: Hydra

  Vhaddyz

  16 May 2012 | 4:39 am

  Portrait by Stjepan Sejic, Croatia. Download image here. Tools: ZBrush, Photoshop

• Portrait: First Born

  Vhaddyz

  15 May 2012 | 3:59 am

  Portrait by Stjepan Sejic, Croatia. Download full image here. Tools: Photoshop

• 

  CrazyLeaf Design Blog

• Wallpaper Designs #21

  Alex

  16 May 2012 | 3:22 am

  You are reading : Wallpaper Designs #21We are showcasing once a week or so, cool and beautiful wallpapers, free to download and use. If you designed or found an amazing wallpaper and you want to share it, just send it to us. We’d love to feature it.Size : 1920 x 1200 | Download (nw)Size : 1920 x 1200 | Download (nw)Size : 2560 x 1600 | Download (nw)By CrazyLeaf Design BlogCrazyLeaf on Facebook | CrazyLeaf on Twitter | CrazyLeaf on Flickr | CrazyLeaf on StumbleUpon Get new design resources every hour on Design Freebies

• Weekly Web Design Inspiration #54

  Alex

  14 May 2012 | 10:15 am

  You are reading : Weekly Web Design Inspiration #54This article is part of our “Weekly Design Inspiration” series. We are showcasing  once a week fresh and inspirational website designs. If you think your website belongs here, you can submit it for review (nw).SocratiThe LiltPsyrupBrave Nu DigitalIgnition LabsYuna KimThe City is BurningFor more design inspiration check out our web gallery or the related section below.By CrazyLeaf Design BlogCrazyLeaf on Facebook | CrazyLeaf on Twitter | CrazyLeaf on Flickr | CrazyLeaf on StumbleUpon Get new design resources every hour on Design…

• Design Coolness #15

  Alex

  11 May 2012 | 9:22 am

  You are reading : Design Coolness #15This post is part of our “Design Coolness” article series where we are showcasing inspiring and cool design stuff like typography, illustration, digital art and photography.IllustrationPrintPhotographyTypographyIf you wish to contribute, contact us using “Coolness” as a subject.By CrazyLeaf Design BlogCrazyLeaf on Facebook | CrazyLeaf on Twitter | CrazyLeaf on Flickr | CrazyLeaf on StumbleUpon Get new design resources every hour on Design Freebies

• 20 Creative and Appealing Business Card Designs

  Alex

  9 May 2012 | 5:49 am

  You are reading : 20 Creative and Appealing Business Card DesignsIt can be considered as an achievement when you have already established your own business or career that would make you famous and trusted by many. However, being able to grab the people’s attention and making them consider your offer for their needs is not something that can be easily done. You must know what promotional tools to use which would fit your plans and budget too. Go with the basics first like business cards which can help you create the connection that you want.Using business cards for branding and marketing is…

• Top 10 : Websites with Maps

  Alex

  8 May 2012 | 6:22 am

  You are reading : Top 10 : Websites with MapsMaps are often used in web design, but today we’d like to feature top 10 websites with maps definitely worth seeing. And although the sites differ in purpose and style we hope you will find them inspiring and helpful.So we invite you to check the screen shots below and see that each of the following websites is using a map in its own way. Sometimes it’s a real map showing a rout or location, sometimes a map is just a design element serving as a background or navigation. And as for a global map, it is a great way to show that a website is open…

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  Creativeoverflow

• Tips For Launching a Successful Freelance Copywriting Career

  Editorial Staff

  16 May 2012 | 5:06 am

  Freelancing career’s success is measured by repeated clientele. There are four building blocks to a successful freelancing career which include reliability, credibility, self-confidence and responsiveness. As a freelancer, always know your market to sell your USP effectively. Freelancing gives you the freedom to work at your convenience, anytime of the day – from anywhere. Here are some tips to get more exposure, more recognition and more contracts as a freelance copywriter. 1. Determine your areas of interest for freelancing You might think that all writing is the same however this…

• 12 Awesome Realistic Character Illustrations by Aleksey Baydakov

  Jacques van Heerden

  14 May 2012 | 10:00 am

  We love finding new talent on the web and especially if they guy is really talented in what he does. Aleksey Baydakov, a Russian illustrator has produced these 12 realistic character illustrations that feature aliens and pirates to bears and monkeys. These illustrations aren’t only high quality, super finely detailed and well thought out, but would look amazing if printed on an A0 sheet and blocked by online printing services. It’s always an option isn’t it? Well let’s have a look at what Aleksey has come up with in the following illustrations.

• 20 Inventive and Surreal Nightscape Artworks

  Roxanne

  10 May 2012 | 3:23 pm

  One of the most outstanding and captivating scenery that any artist or even an ordinary man could capture is nightscape. This form of art shows what a happening would look like on a nighttime where colors, lights, and other elements can all make up interesting details. With just the right amount of inspiration and creativity, you can create a magnificent piece of art that shows the beauty of the night and the things that can go with it. Nightscape artworks are usually created by photographers, artists, or those who are fancied by the playing of lights with the darkness of time, yet anyone can…

• 25 Latest Free WordPress Themes

  Helen Bailey

  9 May 2012 | 6:16 am

  There are thousands of free WordPress themes on the net, but we bet you’re excited about the latest WordPress themes that are available free of charge, right? And here is why we think you will like today’s article: The WordPress themes featured below have been launched in 2012; in other words these are the newest free WordPress themes. Each of the following WordPress themes differs in design and purpose. For instance, one WordPress theme is good for a personal blog; another one is perfect for a news site, and so on. And of course, not only we have included the latest free WordPress themes…

• 17 T-Shirt Designs with Bold Focal Points

  Jacques van Heerden

  8 May 2012 | 10:30 am

  We love wearing clothes. Some people prefer t-shirts over dress shirts and some people prefer shorts over trousers. These t-shirt designs that I have rounded up has bold focal points that will make people stare. A lot of these designs would look great if used by an online sticker printing company to promote as well. As for now, let’s have a look at the designs I have rounded up and you can decide for yourself.

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  CSS-Tricks

• Responsive Images and Web Standards at the Turning Point

  Chris Coyier

  15 May 2012 | 11:04 pm

  Mat Marquis keeping us up to date on the responsive images hot drama. Good reminder at the end about not picking sides. Responsive Images and Web Standards at the Turning Point is a post from CSS-Tricks

• ShopTalk Episode 18

  Chris Coyier

  15 May 2012 | 7:11 pm

  With ol' Mean Gene Crawford! We talk about crazy clients, responsive images, health, and all kinds of other shoptalk. Thanks to Mijingo for sponsoring this episode. Direct Link to Article — PermalinkShopTalk Episode 18 is a post from CSS-Tricks

• Which responsive images solution should you use?

  Chris Coyier

  11 May 2012 | 9:39 am

  There are a bunch of techniques going around for dealing with responsive images lately. That is, solutions to help us serve the right image for the occasion (e.g. size of screen and bandwidth available). They all do things a bit differently. To keep track, Christopher Schmitt and I have created this spreadsheet of techniques. The spreadsheet has the data, but let's digest it through thinking about it through the lens of practical questions. To choose which technique is right for you and your project these questions may help as a guide. Many of the questions may apply to your project, so…

• Opt-in Typography

  Chris Coyier

  7 May 2012 | 10:19 am

  I recently heard Chris Eppstein give a talk (slides) about creating better stylesheets and using SASS to do it. There were a couple of surprising bits in there, one of which was about "opt-in typography." The idea was that instead of setting global styles for typographic elements like p, ul, ol, h1, h2, etc that you would instead apply those styles as a class, perhaps .text. The idea is that there is a lot of places on a website where you want a clean slate to work from and not be worried about what global styles are doing. The classic example is lists, where when using them for things like…

• ShopTalk Episode 17

  Chris Coyier

  6 May 2012 | 10:01 am

  Another RAPIDFIRE show where Dave and I answer as many listener questions as we possibly can. Direct Link to Article — PermalinkShopTalk Episode 17 is a post from CSS-Tricks

• 

  David Airey, graphic designer

• Ethics in design (and who you won’t work with)

  David Airey

  14 May 2012 | 4:41 am

  I read a comment from designer Miles Newlyn where he mentioned he wouldn’t work with zoos or companies involved in warfare. I’ll be writing a chapter in my book about ethical considerations so was wondering about the stance of others. I asked this question on Twitter. What type of business would you refuse to work with on ethical grounds? Here are some of the answers that were shared (thanks, folks). “I stay away from anything I don’t fully understand (and can’t see if they’re beneficial). Financial products are a good example.” — Richard Baird…

• Two memorable business cards

  David Airey

  7 May 2012 | 9:10 am

  Here’s one that stood out among the entries for this year’s Chip Shop Awards. Created for a bespoke tailor by graphic designer Greg Healy. Creative, appropriate, inexpensive (you could finish those yourself with a ruler and craft knife). And something a little more magical, Ritornell’s business cards are inspired by the project’s live show. With the aid of laser assisted milling, nine micro compositions consisting of circles, triangles and Ritornell’s contact information were applied onto a long musicbox paper stripe. Before handing out the cards to interested…

• Where’s your studio?

  David Airey

  26 Apr 2012 | 1:06 pm

  Since choosing self-employment in 2005, I’ve spent most of my time working from home. That home might’ve changed six times during those years, but my workspace has always been in the building where I’ve slept. There are plenty of positives (such as the time saved on a daily commute) and some negatives, too (like missing that daily interaction with other designers), but overall, I’ve been happy where I work, and although I sometimes wonder, it hasn’t seemed to hamper business. What interests me more are your surroundings, and it’d be great to learn from the…

• Milton Glaser on Donald Trump

  David Airey

  25 Apr 2012 | 4:07 am

  Milton Glaser was recently asked, “What do you think of Donald Trump?” “Well I’ve met him — I’ve even done a vodka bottle for him as a matter of fact. I don’t know how to think about him. He’s an example of the power of the ego. How can anyone be so totally egocentric to not understand that there are others in the universe. It also shows the power of that position: When you don’t think there are others, everything is attainable for you. I just find that the combination of incredible ambition and a lack of modesty can be a terrifying prospect. And…

• Using sound symbolism in branding

  David Airey

  23 Apr 2012 | 10:22 am

  A simple experiment: Take two imaginary names, Maluma and Takete, and before reading on, pair each name with a symbol below, the one you think is a better fit. If you’re like me (and most others) you’ll give Maluma the curved symbol and Takete the sharp angles. This is also known as the Bouba/Kiki effect, written about by German psychologist Wolfgang Köhler (1887-1967) in his book Gestalt Psychology (excerpted below). Book scan via ofazomi.org According to an article in Scientific American 98% of people choose the same pairings. Sound also plays an important role in product…

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  DesignBump Frontpage feed

• Coding the Digg v4 Layout with HTML5 and CSS3

  jakerocheleau

  16 May 2012 | 12:10 pm

  Link Type:  Tutorial Teaser Image:  The social news community Digg has been online since 2004 and rapidly grew in popularity leading up to the 2008 elections. read more

• Rotating Web Page Elements Using The CSS3 Rotate Transform

  zorzini

  16 May 2012 | 8:24 am

  Link Type:  Article With CSS3, you can rotate Web page elements by a specified number of degrees, clockwise or anti-clockwise. read more

• Weekly Web Design Inspiration #54

  crazyleaf

  16 May 2012 | 6:14 am

  Link Type:  Article We are showcasing once a week cool and inspirational website designs. This is the 54th issue.

• 30 Amazing Sequential Logo Designs

  aliqayyum

  16 May 2012 | 3:30 am

  Link Type:  Article These logo designs are demonstrating movement or motion in sequential steps which indicates a harmonious progress of a company and implies that a company is growing. read more

• Inspirational Showcase Of jQuery Sliders In Web Design – 40 Examples

  boogiesbc

  16 May 2012 | 3:05 am

  Link Type:  Article Sliders and carousels were different things at first and many people still think they are. read more

• 

  The Design Cubicle

• Hey Designer, get it right!

  Brian

  8 May 2012 | 10:15 am

  Having run my business for merely three years I’ve learned a hell of a lot of things, changed many, stumbled often and learned many new secrets along the way. Come closer to your monitor, I have another secret to share: Get it right – the first time! Clients often ask Designers if they can update them daily, bi-daily, or other timeframes that suits their craving. Designers, stop doing this. For good reason, I promise. Designing is a process – a process that often adapts and transforms along the way. During this process, I’m sure I’m not the only designer that hates how…

• AirParrot: Your Mac’s screen on your AppleTV

  Brian

  3 Apr 2012 | 7:11 pm

  I’ve been waiting for an app that let’s you mirror your Mac’s screen and apps on your TV that’s connected to  an AppleTV over wifi. AirParrot does just that. While you’re at it, check out Reflection.app as well. Made by the same folks, it displays your iPhone or iPad screen on your Mac.

• Photoshop CS6 improvements

  Brian

  3 Apr 2012 | 7:04 pm

  I’ve been trialing the beta of Photoshop CS6 for almost a week now and I must say, kudos Adobe, you finally have listened to the masses. By far their best release to date, mostly due to features we’ve all been longing for: layer searching, layer styles on groups, copy and paste shape attributes, and paragraph and character styles (finally!!) – to name a few. Check out a more thorough list of CS6 improvements. The interface brightness (you can make the entire UI various shades of grey) is also a plus. For the first release ever, I can honestly say I am stoked to by the full…

• Layer Cake: turn PSD elements into images for websites/apps – simply

  Brian

  3 Apr 2012 | 6:57 pm

  Seriously this is a serious time saver for only 20 bucks. Here’s how it works: Name layer groups the same as the file you want to create for them Drop in your PSD Done! The extracted files are ready. Save, drag, copy or auto-repeat.

• Offscreen Magazine Giveaway

  Brian

  28 Feb 2012 | 7:21 am

  Excited to giveaway three (3) free copies of the beautiful Offscreen Magazine. For those unfamiliar, this beautiful magazine designed by Kai Brach, is a “new collectible magazine about the human side of interfaces.” The first edition boasts lovely layout, beautiful typography and interfaces with Dan Cederholm (Dribbble), Drew Wilson (pictos), Benjamin de Cock, and Andrew Wilkinson to name a few. The Giveaway: Three free copies of Offscreen Magazine Issue 1 In order to win, tweet about this giveaway with a link to this post and the hashtag #offscreenmag (the hashtag is important as…

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  DesignM.ag

• 21 Best Websites for Teaching Yourself Web Development

  Jake Rocheleau

  14 May 2012 | 10:05 am

  Advertise here with BSAI remember how popular web design was even 5 or 10 years ago. Kids in high school were teaching themselves HTML and building small web pages from scratch. And nowadays this is possible because of the thousands of free tutorials and code online. Open source has dramatically shaped an industry of high-tech and high demand. But it can still be difficult pinpointing exactly what you want to learn. Beyond straight HTML/CSS there is jQuery for frontend animation, PHP/RoR for backend web apps, and even Java/Objective-C for mobile apps. With this collection you should be able…

• 40 Photos of Creative Offices & Freelance Workspaces

  Jake Rocheleau

  11 May 2012 | 12:23 pm

  Advertise here with BSAThere’s no denying that WordPress has become the leading CMS on the market. Anybody looking to launch a simple website would be foolish not to consider WP. It has the largest amount of free themes and plugins – not to mention the huge base of developers working to push out bug fixes every day. But just working with the default WordPress options is not enough. That’s why I have this collection of 26 amazing resources for those interested in learning WordPress. You can find hundreds of free templates & plugins to mess around with. Additionally some…

• 26 Resources for WordPress Tutorials Themes and Plugins

  Jake Rocheleau

  7 May 2012 | 8:54 am

  Advertise here with BSAFreelancing seems like one of the most lucrative job titles. And it’s true that setting your own hours and working on interesting projects can be a lot of fun. But there is also the matter of looming deadlines and touchy clients you need to keep satiated. One of the most important tools for a freelancer is their work station. You can’t get anything done if your work area is poorly setup, cluttered, or too small to fit inside. In the gallery below I have put together 40 brilliant examples of freelance offices, both home & industrial. Your creative space…

• 22 Fresh And Free Fonts For Your Design

  Brant Wilson

  3 May 2012 | 10:33 am

  Advertise here with BSAIn this post we have put together some high quality free fonts. If you like these fonts you might also want to check out our previous posts below. 30 Free And High Quality Fonts 50 High-Quality Free Fonts for Professional Design Silverfake  Metropolis Intro Graduate  Bobber Typeface Grammatica Nougatine Font GEARED Henry Valentina typeface Frontage Typeface WELLFLEET TITAN ONE FORO TROCCHI SIMONETTA OSWALD ITALIANNO ZNIKOMITNO24 Sornette Piximisa Deathe Maach NCV Advertise here with BSA

• Building an E-mail Request Invite Form with jQuery

  Jake Rocheleau

  30 Apr 2012 | 8:19 am

  Advertise here with BSAUsing jQuery we can build some incredible web-based applications. The animations and manipulation of DOM elements using jQuery are much more intuitive than coding regular JavaScript. Because the syntax is so minimalist it’s possible to scale a very complex idea within a few hours time. In this tutorial I’ll demonstrate how we can build an HTML5 invite form and check the results through jQuery. I haven’t gone into any backend PHP as this isn’t always the best solution for an invitation system. You may want to tie into another e-mail campaign such…

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  Design Observer: Main Posts

• Amelia Lacy: Gene and Jackie Lacy, Indianapolis-based graphic designers and illustrators

  Design Observer

  16 May 2012 | 6:58 am

  Gene and Jackie Lacy, Indianapolis-based graphic designers and illustrators practicing from the 1950s through the 1980s.

• Rick Poynor: The Strange Afterlife of Common Objects

  Design Observer

  15 May 2012 | 3:15 pm

  In lstanbul shops like The Works: “Objects of Desire,” the novelist Orhan Pamuk found the artifacts for his newly opened Museum of Innocence.

• Mark Lamster: The War Against Sixties Architecture

  Design Observer

  15 May 2012 | 1:47 pm

  An unbridled assault on architecture of the 1960s continutes.

• Rob Walker: Making an e-collection, and what it taught me.

  Design Observer

  14 May 2012 | 8:47 pm

  Learning to manage the disconcerting durability of digital objects.

• Keith Eggener: Louis Curtiss, the Boley Building, and the Invention of the Glass Curtain Wall

  Design Observer

  14 May 2012 | 11:32 am

  On Places, Keith Eggener casts new light on the little-known Boley Building in Kansas City, by Louis Curtiss, which featured one of the first glass curtain walls in America.

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  Desizn Tech

• Designing Landing Page for Conversions

  dt_guest_author

  24 Apr 2012 | 10:18 am

  Landing pages can have a lot of different styles – but there are few things that they do tend to have in common. A well designed landing page is decently clutter free, makes it clear what the site is about, and presents a clear call to action. Usually, the call to action involves following just one or two simple steps. In this post we will look into some of the technique and elements that make a great landing page . You have set up your website, perfected your SEO, and put together a killer PPC campaign. Now all you need to do is wait for the money to roll in, right? Possibly. However,…

• Why Minimal Web Design Works? Examples and Analysis

  Kawsar Ali

  18 Apr 2012 | 8:40 am

  Leonardo da Vinci once said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”, and in my opinion he was right. If you can master minimalism in your designs for websites or print, you can achieve an appearance of elegance and a feeling of effortlessness – but as designers, we are often questioned by the clients that employ us, as the minimalist approach is often confused as a way to avoid work, or to cheat them out of using all that space they have paid for. Getting around client expectations of minimalism can be difficult, so hopefully, this handful of amazingly simple, but beautifully…

• Free Pricing Table PSD Layout

  Kawsar Ali

  16 Apr 2012 | 8:18 am

  This freebie is a pricing table for your next product, service, or app. The design is fully customizable. Feel free to download and tweak it to make it your own.This set is designed by Bestpsdfreebies.com exclusively for Desizn Tech. Click on to image to see a large preview and download is after the image. Download Princing Table About Best PSD Freebies The ultimate place to get some free PSD design resources handcrafted by Michael Reimer. There are icons, sliders, buttons, banners and much, much more. These resources are free to download and use. Note from the Designer: Feel free to give me…

• How to Break Away From Boring Design Standards

  Kawsar Ali

  29 Mar 2012 | 9:19 am

  Once upon a time, there was really no such thing as a set of design standards. The world wide web was fairly new, and the tools we had for design were seriously limited. In 1997, I became acquainted with a graphic designer named Moyra through a forum, who went on to launch her own modest boutique of free web graphics. She was innovating design techniques with the first consumer versions of Paint Shop Pro, and nothing else like it had been seen on the web quite like it. She became wildly popular, not just for her beautiful graphics, but because her interface concepts later on were truly…

• Guidelines on Writing Effective Blog Post For Readers

  Kawsar Ali

  15 Mar 2012 | 9:30 am

  A compelling article or blog post never falls short of reader’s expectation. For any writer, be it  design, fiction, sci-fi, biographer, journalist, analyst or even the homegrown blogger, the ultimate aim is to reach out to their readers.When a reader comes across information that caters to his/her need, the writer’s aim to reach out is fulfilled. Today, the online community connects and shares thoughts and opinion by blogging, tweeting and so on. In this post we will discuss some points that can help you to write a better blog post/article. Purpose What compels a person to…

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  Devlounge - Homepage Feed

• Friday Focus 05/11/12: Rainbow Flavored

  Sophia Lucero

  11 May 2012 | 8:04 am

  Today we’re looking at designs that don’t shy away from a broad color palette and completely embrace the rainbow. Happy Friday Focus! Designs of the Week Make Headway, make intuitive layouts, make it your WordPress theme of choice! Jilion The top section is a little confusing, it doesn’t quite say that the video player graphic is just a product of the company by the way it appears, and it takes a little longer for you to make that conclusion (even if it’s milliseconds in your brain). The form elements and icons are lovely, and especially so for the logo, which even…

• Friday Focus 05/04/12: Comic book style

  Sophia Lucero

  4 May 2012 | 8:37 am

  This week’s Friday Focus shines the spotlight on designs with comic book-inspired aesthetic, each with its distinct take on the kick-butt art form. Check ‘em out after the jump! Designs of the Week Get solid WordPress themes, plugins, and web design training from iThemes. Drift Boys Stylized elements everywhere, from the splatters and tears to the comic book fonts, plus a bold red-black-white color palette for maximum impact. On art portfolio sites it’s always a good idea to showcase your work as much as possible, so using a variety of them in the header of each page, as…

• Friday Focus 04/27/12: Bento Navigation

  Sophia Lucero

  27 Apr 2012 | 8:20 am

  We’ve featured bento-style layouts before, and this week’s Friday Focus zones in on navigation that carries that same property. Check ‘em out! Designs of the Week Need help in promoting your site? INeedHits has been in the search engine marketing since 1996! Calepino Pocket Notebooks Two boxy menus here, at the top and bottom, which merges contact information and a subscription form into the layout. Both look like stubs with various store details, although the input field isn’t so distinguishable due to the whole blending factor. CaptainDash The sliding animations from…

• Friday Focus 04/20/12: Unfolded

  Sophia Lucero

  20 Apr 2012 | 8:07 am

  Our featured designs on this week’s Friday Focus put the paper motif to good use once more, focusing on its creases and folds. Not just in the corners and as borders, but as a way to demarcate sections of content at a time. Designs of the Week Wing Cheng The entire site, except for the fixed navigation on the bottom right, is presented in an accordion-type notebook with all the text and graphics done in the designer’s own handwriting, contact form included. It’s only when you click on the images that you get the actual version of the logos. There are tradeoffs of course:…

• Friday Focus 04/13/12: Video Backgrounds

  Sophia Lucero

  13 Apr 2012 | 8:06 am

  We’ve featured moving backgrounds using native HTML/CSS/JS animation before, but using video in backgrounds is quite the challenge given how it eats up more resources. Let’s see how effective these websites use this feature in this week’s Friday Focus. Designs of the Week Get solid WordPress themes, plugins, and web design training from iThemes. Kolonien Like the two other sites, the video background appears only in the homepage. The overall look here is warm, earthy, handcrafted—mixing two “scratchy” typefaces and a vintage color palette. Everything looks…

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  TheDieline.com - Package Design Blog

• Nagging Doubt

  Tiana Spellman

  16 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  Beautifully handcrafted wines from the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia.

• Oat Works

  Tiana Spellman

  16 May 2012 | 7:00 am

  Pearlfisher has created the brand strategy, tone of voice, brand identity and packaging design for Oat Works, a brand new oat based drink from Wellness Works.

• Concept Design: Sony Xperia S

  Gina Angie

  16 May 2012 | 7:00 am

  "The advertising agency Adentity developed the unique mini POS display concept for the global launch of the new iconic family of Sony smartphones.

• Anna Amélie

  Gina Angie

  16 May 2012 | 6:01 am

  The branding for Anna Amélie was created with with classical luxury brands in mind.

• Bread That Speaks For Itself

  Gina Angie

  15 May 2012 | 10:00 am

  "Plenum Brand Consultancy has created original bread packaging which is a bold move for the Russian market, providing a modern reappraisal of the graphical stereotypes and images of bread typical of the sector.

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  Digital Arts News

• WD releases 500GB, 750GB, 1TB and 2TB My Passport USB 3.0 portable drives

  15 May 2012 | 7:39 am

  Available in five colours: white, black, silver, blue, and red.

• Want: real Instagram camera concept

  15 May 2012 | 4:47 am

  The Socialmatic Camera is a concept by ADR Studio, and it turns Instagram into a camera that all hipsters would love to own

• Autodesk releases free 3D capture app 123D Catch for the iPad

  15 May 2012 | 3:59 am

  123D Catch has come to your iPad, it's free, and it doesn't require any additional hardware besides the camera already builtin.

• 2012 Apple MacBook Pro and iMac benchmarks appear on Geekbench site

  15 May 2012 | 3:58 am

  Benchmark results for a new MacBook Pro and iMac were spotted in Geekbench’s database over the weekend, suggesting that Apple will launch updates to both line-ups imminently.

• Creative Suite 6: our guide to updated Illustrator CS6, Photoshop CS6, After Effects CS6 and Premiere Pro CS6 plugins

  14 May 2012 | 10:43 am

  Here we're listing professional-level plug-ins for Photoshop, Illustrator et al as they're updated to support Creative Suite 6.

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  Divine CSS Showcase Gallery

• Cheese Please

  admin

  23 Apr 2012 | 7:23 am

  Cheese Please

• Webovy Grafik

  admin

  23 Apr 2012 | 7:04 am

  Webdesigner for rent

• Marcus Thomas

  admin

  23 Apr 2012 | 6:55 am

  Digital Agency

• Cuneyt Sen

  admin

  23 Apr 2012 | 6:42 am

  Cüneyt ?EN – Freelance Web Designer / Freelance Grafiker

• Barcito

  admin

  23 Apr 2012 | 6:28 am

  Barcito Chicago Stand and Eat

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  DzineBlog.com

• 25 Brand New iOS App Icons for Design Inspiration

  Jake Rocheleau

  14 May 2012 | 10:08 am

  Advertise here with BSAThe App Store has been growing at an exceptionally fast pace. Ever since we rolled into 2012 there have been more iPhone and iPad apps released from developers all around the world. And this isn’t mentioning the build-up of applications since the store originally launched in July 2008. In this gallery I’ve put together some outstanding iOS app icons. Use these for inspiration on parts of your website, or even when designing your own iPhone app. There are so many creative ideas that it’s tough to nail down one particular designer. But going through some…

• 30 Custom Layouts Designed for vBulletin Forums

  Jake Rocheleau

  11 May 2012 | 12:35 pm

  Advertise here with BSAWeb designers are moving forward with many of the different content management systems. WordPress is certainly a popular option – but when it comes to discussion boards I have to go with vBulletin. Their web software has been around for years and powers many of the infamous forums you can find through Google. Although these are common place with some web communities, it can be difficult to find some of the really great designs. That’s why in this showcase I have put together a collection of vBulletin forums running their own custom themes. You can use these…

• 35 Beautiful iPhone/iPad App Websites

  brantwilson

  7 May 2012 | 9:03 am

  Advertise here with BSAIn this post we have put together some beautiful iPhone/iPad application websites. If you like these designs you might also want to check out our previous posts below. 30 Beautiful iPhone Application Websites 26 fantastic iPhone & Android apps for managing your website paper   listbook getpocket irisapp Stocks domino-box savethemom instamatch instagallery letterlearner savageinteractive pistachioapp taskmasterapp anthmapp cheddarapp wunderkit duet impending sipp stamped banca saver popset thecocktailapp thehitlist thefontain piictu broadcast culturedcode sprw…

• Build a Custom URL Structure with .htaccess Rewrites

  Jake Rocheleau

  3 May 2012 | 10:34 am

  Advertise here with BSAOn almost every Apache server you will find different plugins and tools you can work with. One of these modules is mod_rewrite which allows you to redirect URLs according to matched regular expressions. These can range from extremely simple commands to very complex lines of code. The URL rewriting scheme is perfect for web developers trying to customize their site. In this tutorial I’ll introduce a few commands that beginners can start with right away. All you need is Apache, which you can install on your local machine or work off a remote server. How Does it…

• Seven Super Simple Social Media Tips

  Laura Spencer

  30 Apr 2012 | 8:30 am

  Advertise here with BSAIf you’re a freelance designer and you’re not currently using social media, you could be missing out on a lot. Social media can be a great way to get the word out about your freelance design business for little or no cost (other than the time you spend). You can also connect with fellow designers, potential clients, and maybe even find a mentor or two. While there’s an active community of designers who do use social media, there are also those designers who don’t yet have a social media presence. If you’re one of those, this post will help.

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  Articles Feed - Dwell

• Product Spotlight » ICFF Preview: Plank by Eric Pfeiffer and Council

  Diana Budds

  16 May 2012 | 12:07 pm

  by Diana BuddsOakland-based designer Eric Pfeiffer has been exhibiting annually at ICFF since 1997 and this year he's launching a series of outdoor pieces in collaboration with San Francisco's Council. According to Pfeiffer, the line is a take on the classic Adirondack chairs and owes some debt to mid-century design; however, it's distinctly contemporary in its restrained, minimalist features—qualities we love here at Dwell. The pieces are manufactured right here in the United States, and feature a new type of engineered wood. We sent a few questions to Pfeiffer to find out more about…

• Product Spotlight » Mid-Century Remastered

  Kelsey Keith

  15 May 2012 | 2:42 pm

  by Kelsey KeithBernhardt Design revives Charles Pollock’s long-dormant career with the release of a timeless new lounge chair.

• Blog » LEGO® Design Competition Finalists

  Ralston O'Neill

  14 May 2012 | 5:49 pm

  by Ralston O'NeillDwell joined forces with Pacific Standard Time to appeal to the architect—and child—within us all. The challenge was to construct a model of an original home inspired by iconic California mid-century modern architecture only using LEGO bricks. Now it's time to reveal the five finalists vying for the grand prize to be awarded at this year's Dwell on Design.

• Hotel Register » Endemico Resguardo Silvestre, Mexico

  Jaclyn Sienna India

  14 May 2012 | 11:44 am

  by Jaclyn Sienna IndiaIn recent years, Baja’s Valle de Guadalupe, only an hour and a half from the San Diego airport and 40 minutes from Ensenada, has emerged as Mexico’s wine country. In order to showcase the best that this region has to offer, Grupo Habita’s Carlos Couturier and Moisés Micha decided to develop a property in the area that "combines amazing dry weather, rich new wines, incredible seafood and produce, impressive light, and human talent." And so, Endemico came to be. The project, whose moniker suggests that it is a "wild reserve" and "native to its…

• Square Meal » Coffee Break: San Francisco's The Mill

  Olivia Martin

  14 May 2012 | 11:38 am

  by Olivia MartinAlthough we usually focus on completed projects, it is equally interesting to check in during construction to see how a space develops. Things that our memories smooth over post-construction, like frustrations and changes in plans, are still rampant. That never-ending argument over where to put the couch just isn’t funny yet. To capture this oft-forgotten phase, we checked in with San Francisco coffee company, Four Barrel, a few months before opening The Mill, their second cafe. Four Barrel founders Jeremy Tooker and Jodi Geren have already seen success at their nearby…

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  Drawn

• Rebecca Sugar writes some of the best songs for Adventure Time,...

  davidhuyck

  14 May 2012 | 1:32 pm

  Rebecca Sugar writes some of the best songs for Adventure Time, and she also writes some of the best stories for the show. This is an earlier work of hers that demonstrates the further depth of her brilliance. (via Cartoon Brew TV #21: Singles | Cartoon Brew)

• What a beautiful way to spend 8 minutes! This stop-motion...

  davidhuyck

  14 May 2012 | 10:26 am

  What a beautiful way to spend 8 minutes! This stop-motion animation, carved out of foam and made entirely of highlights and shadows, follows the life (from pre-birth!) of a scientist obsessed with time. Gorgeous. It has a ginormous list of (well-deserved) awards. And you can see some making-of shots here. (via The Eagleman Stag: A BAFTA Winning Stop-Motion Short Film by Mikey Please | Colossal)

• Jack Davis was born in Atlanta, Georgia on December 2nd 1924. He...

  luclatulippe

  14 May 2012 | 9:55 am

  Jack Davis was born in Atlanta, Georgia on December 2nd 1924. He had his first piece of work published in Tip Top comics at the age of twelve in December 1936. In his teens he carried on working for different pubications, then in 1952 he became one of the founders of the well-known American humour magazine ‘Mad’. (via Voices Of East Anglia & hat-tip to Kevin Church!) Ah, Mad Magazine’s Jack Davis! :) And if you’re under 35 you may not know that at one time, movie posters were allowed to have word bubbles on them. According to this post, Davis was once the highest paid illustrator in…

• “I KNOW THAT VOICE” is a new documentary on...

  luclatulippe

  11 May 2012 | 9:12 am

  “I KNOW THAT VOICE” is a new documentary on voice-over acting by John Di Maggio.  While I’m generally in the “don’t show me how the magic trick work because then you ruin the magic” camp when it comes to seeing behind-the-scenes anything in animation, I admit I laughed pretty hard when I watched Billy West as Dr Zoidberg say: “Young lady, bring me a sandwich from the dumpster.”  Also, June Foray is still alive?! 

• explore-blog: Maurice Sendak’s unreleased drawings

  johnmartz

  9 May 2012 | 1:36 pm

  explore-blog: Maurice Sendak’s unreleased drawings

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  Elliot Jay Stocks

• Tomorrow’s web type today: from Qaegkvwyz to Qaegkvwyz using stylesets

  Elliot Jay Stocks

  15 May 2012 | 12:50 pm

  It pains me to say it, but this is the first post in the ‘tomorrow’s web type today’ series that doesn’t look best in a WebKit browser: this time around, it’s Firefox’s turn to take the limelight. It may sound a little hypocritical of me, given that the reason I used subsets for the heading on yesterday’s post was because I thought Firefox-only support wasn’t enough, but I couldn’t do a hack two days in a row. So, if you haven’t done so already, I urge you to open Firefox and look at this post there. I personally feel that…

• Tomorrow’s web type today: Say it With a Swash

  Elliot Jay Stocks

  14 May 2012 | 3:00 pm

  For the third post in my ‘tomorrow’s web type today’ series, I’d planned to show OpenType swashes activated via CSS, but as browser support is currently so poor (Firefox only at the time of writing), I’ve instead opted for a swash subset to achieve the desired effect in this example. I think there’s real value in documenting this process, as deciding between pushing the boundaries or playing it safe is something we come across every day in web design. Much like I discussed in the last article, using a subset — a font file made up of a small amount of…

• Tomorrow’s web type today: Expert subsets for css in 123

  Elliot Jay Stocks

  12 May 2012 | 6:00 am

  On Thursday, in the first post in the series I’m calling ‘tomorrow’s web type today’, I covered ligatures. In the process, I dropped in a mention of several other OpenType features, including small caps and old style numerals — both of which I’ll be covering in today’s post. See the ‘CSS’ and ‘123’ in the title above, set in Magneta? They’re true small caps and old style numerals, delivered not via an experimental OpenType feature, but using Fontdeck’s ‘expert subset’ of Magneta. In case you can’t see it,…

• Tomorrow’s web type today: The fine flourish of the ligature

  Elliot Jay Stocks

  10 May 2012 | 10:00 am

  In preparation for my talks at TYPO Berlin next week and Ampersand next month, I’m brushing up on a load of future-facing techniques to do with typography on the web. I’m calling this series of posts ‘tomorrow’s web type today’ and I’m using each post’s heading to demonstrate a particular technique. Oh, and you may have noticed that in order to accomplish this, I’ve redesigned my site… again! First up, I want to talk about ligatures. Like most OpenType features, we’ve wanted ligatures on the web for ages. In addition to looking a bit…

• The cloud-centric Mac set-up: 8 months on

  Elliot Jay Stocks

  10 Apr 2012 | 7:00 am

  Recently, quite a few people have been asking me how I’ve been getting on with my MacBook Air and iMac set-up, which I got about eight months ago after blogging about my plans for ‘a cloud-centric Mac set-up’ way back in April last year. In short: I couldn’t be happier. If you’re thinking of doing the same or simply want to read a bit more about this set-up, read on… The definition of the cloud When we say ‘the cloud’, we tend to think of Dropbox, and whilst it’s true that Dropbox is very much the key to keeping my two Macs in sync,…

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  Fudgegraphics | for lovers

• FYI Monday: Gorgeous Gig Posters by Scott Campbell

  Franz Jeitz

  14 May 2012 | 4:59 am

  This post is part of the For Your Inspiration Monday series showcasing the most inspiring designs out there. Each week a new artist or design style will be presented in order to get your creative juices flowing for the upcoming week. I hope you enjoy the series. Scott Campbell is a graphic designer, illustrator, printmaker, musician, analog synthesizer enthusiast, and member of the Young Monster art and design collective. He is currently working and living in New Orleans, LA. What I like most about Scott’s work are the colours he uses, combined with the often minimal and geometric…

• Isometry: Free May 2012 Calendar Wallpaper

  Franz Jeitz

  1 May 2012 | 6:51 am

  This post is part of the free calendar wallpaper series. Each month I create a new wallpaper featuring the current calendar. Looking at the same image over and over again is not very stimulating. Hence having a new desktop background each month should help getting your creative juices flowing. The May 2012 Calendar Wallpaper is entitled Isometry. The design is very minimal as I wanted to concentrate purely on the type this time round. It’s a custom font I created using only isometric triangles. While I’ve finished the uppercase letters I’m currently working on numbers and…

• FYI Monday: Stunning Typography by Steven Bonner

  Franz Jeitz

  30 Apr 2012 | 5:29 am

  This post is part of the For Your Inspiration Monday series showcasing the most inspiring designs out there. Each week a new artist or design style will be presented in order to get your creative juices flowing for the upcoming week. I hope you enjoy the series. Steven Bonner is a designer and illustrator from Stirling, Scotland. Many of his works are heavily based on typography. What I admire the most about Steven’s designs is the vast variety of type styles. Whether it’s hand-drawn, flashy or grunge typography you’re into, Steve’s got it covered. For more…

• FYI Monday: Surreal Illustrations by Daniel Mackie

  Franz Jeitz

  23 Apr 2012 | 4:25 am

  This post is part of the For Your Inspiration Monday series showcasing the most inspiring designs out there. Each week a new artist or design style will be presented in order to get your creative juices flowing for the upcoming week. I hope you enjoy the series. Daniel Mackie is an award-winning illustrator based in London, UK. He’s worked with some of the biggest clients such as Adobe, The Economist, The Financial Times and Virgin. What I like most about Daniel’s illustrations is the surrealist nature of them. Combine that with a great sense of humour and you’ve got…

• FYI Monday: Striking Gig Posters by Aaron Gresham

  Franz Jeitz

  16 Apr 2012 | 6:24 am

  This post is part of the For Your Inspiration Monday series showcasing the most inspiring designs out there. Each week a new artist or design style will be presented in order to get your creative juices flowing for the upcoming week. I hope you enjoy the series. Aaron Gresham is graphic designer based in Birmingham, Alabama. I stumbled across Aaron’s work while looking for gig poster inspiration. As an avid live music fan there’s nothing that excites me more than to find beautifully designed gig posters. For more inspiration make sure to visit Aaron’s portfolio.

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  Fuel Your Creativity

• Creative Fuel #6: Music Vectors, Creating a Typeface & Web Design’s Lack of Critique Culture

  Joel Falconer

  16 May 2012 | 12:06 am

  Advertise here via BSA Creative Fuel is a periodic collection of design and creativity awesomeness found around the web. Find out about new apps and services, the best freebies, and other significant news from the design community! Design Freebies: Music Vectors, Login Form & CSS3 Buttons Building a music app? We’ve got free vectors for common features such as shuffle and repeat from 365psd. Also from 365psd is a modern, minimalist login form. Finally, Smashing Magazine has released a heap of buttons for 72 different social and web services — all in CSS3, including the little…

• Showcase: 50 Exuberantly Colorful Logos

  Felix Diaconu

  14 May 2012 | 10:47 pm

  Advertise here via BSA Last week, we looked at 50 black and white logos and talked about the need to design logos in black and white first so that they can be reproduced in the broadest array of media. This week, we’re looking at the flip side: exuberantly colorful logos. You might not want a logo as bright as one of these, but adding some color to your finished black and white version can help a logo pop out in a design or piece of stationery, and can be useful when surrounded by other brands. Take a look at these 50 colorful logos and tell us what you think: would your personal logo…

• $500 Contest: Design a Funny 2012 Presidential Campaign Logo

  Joel Falconer

  14 May 2012 | 2:37 am

  Advertise here via BSA It’s campaign time in the US, and we all know what that means: we’re in for a circus more entertaining than Cirque du Soleil and more ridiculous than Bozo the Clown. You might even think all your news channels are redirecting to Comedy Central. One of the best examples of late is the so-called Dog-gate, in which pundits tried to sway the debate on who should run the power with the largest economy and military in the world based on Mitt Romney’s treatment of the family dog in the 80s, revolving around an incident involving a dog who couldn’t…

• How to Create a Basic GIF in Photoshop CS5

  Daniel Bramhall

  13 May 2012 | 8:51 pm

  Advertise here via BSA There are many different image file formats — PNG and JPEG and each are good for their own specific uses, but there’s a few things that make the GIF (Graphics Interchanged Format) different. GIFs tend to take up less room than similar images in other formats. But perhaps what GIFs are known for — and when used poorly, despised for — is their ability to show animations while retaining their tiny file sizes. Despite the hate that is often heaped upon GIFs a little too broadly, there are plenty of instances where an efficiently sized animation could…

• Grayscale Inspiration: 50 Black & White Logos

  Felix Diaconu

  10 May 2012 | 11:44 pm

  Advertise here via BSA One of the most commonly given pieces of advice on the topic of logo design is that you should always start the project in black and white. There are a number of reasons for this. For one, it keeps you from using color as a crutch and getting the lines and shapes perfect because there is nothing present to distract from them. Secondly, it means that in the myriad situations where your logo will be reproduced in black and white, it’ll look good because it was initially designed for that scenario. Designers can then add color to their logos, whether that’s…

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  Graphic Design Blog

• Tips on Running a Web Design Business

  Tara: Freelance Designer

  9 May 2012 | 4:37 am

  Rob Cubbon is a graphic and web designer, a prominent design blogger and has also recently written a book all about running a web design business. I asked Rob to share a bit of his design background and offer his advice to anyone who wants to know how to start up a web design company. Please could you tell me a little bit about yourself and your background as a graphic and web designer? Rob: I never went to a design school or college. I used to work for newspapers and magazines and witnessed the “desktop publishing” revolution. I taught myself Quark and Photoshop and gradually got more…

• Design Graduates Clever CV Campaign Wins him his Dream Design Job

  Tara: Freelance Designer

  2 May 2012 | 4:42 am

  In this interview Ryan MCleod talks about how he got his first design job through a clever cv campaign Tara: Please can you tell me a little bit about yourself, where you work and the type of work you do? Ryan: I work for a full service digital agency called Equator in Glasgow, Scotland (http://www.eqtr.com). We do a whole host of digital media based work like websites, campaigns, social media stuff and apps. I’m part of the design team who work on all the concepts and visuals covering a few disciplines but mainly graphic and interaction design. We work with a whole range of companies…

• Skitch more than just Screen Capture for Mac

  Tara: Freelance Designer

  27 Apr 2012 | 11:40 am

  Skitch is a great free piece of screen capture software for mac, but it does a lot more than just straight screen shots. Skitch will also allow you to just drag images straight off the web and annotate them with arrows text and shapes if you need to. You can send the files straight to Evernote, attach to an email or drag out to other apps. I made a quick video to show you how it works (plus I got to experiment with Screenflow at the same time too ) Skitch is owned by the same people that make Evernote and is also available for iphone/ipad and android – find out more at…

• Interview with Childrens Illustrator and Toy Designer Claude Bonnaud

  Tara: Freelance Designer

  19 Apr 2012 | 5:03 am

  Claude Bonnaud is a toy designer and children’s illustrator who has also licensed his own children’s character brand. Claude kindly agreed to share some of his experiences of working on the sort of design projects many of us would dream of. 1. Please could you tell me a little bit about your background and how you got started as a designer and illustrator? I am originally from France (Paris) where I trained as a graphic designer in the marketing and advertising industry. Back then being a designer was very different from nowadays: most of the work was done by hand and the learning…

• Graduate in Graphic Design versus the Mature Designer the Challenges

  Tara: Freelance Designer

  10 Apr 2012 | 11:05 am

  With the economy in the state its in, being a graduate in graphic design at the moment must be very difficult. At any financial time good or bad, getting that first elusive design job is always the hardest, it’s the chicken and egg thing, everyone wants design experience but how to you get it if you have only just graduated. In this blog http://www.anothergraphicdesigngraduate.blogspot.co.uk an anonymous graduate graphic designer shares his/her problems of trying to get a Graphic Design Job in London. So is it easier for the more mature designer than the graphic design graduate? I think…

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  Graphic Design Blog - An Ultimate Resource for Graphic Designers

• Brand Logo versus Globalization

  Charlie B. Johnson

  14 May 2012 | 6:38 am

  Logo designers and brand managers have always laid paramount importance of imparting the power of their product through symbols. History has it that whether they are Mayans, Egyptian Pharaohs or Greek mythology, symbols and logos have always played a pivotal role in representing the force behind their message.   • Proposition behind the Brand Logo In the contemporary world, the effort put in by the logo designers has become more challenging and inspirational. Since the international economic market has moved towards globalization to increase profits, the consumers can actually now…

• 22 Amazingly Graffiti Artworks – A Creative Collection!!

  Charlie B. Johnson

  9 May 2012 | 4:32 am

  One of the most infamous types of graphic arts is street and road graffiti. It is known for decades and have enhanced over the passage of time. In earlier times it was employed by the Romans as a symbol of expression and opinions against their kings. In the modern world, street graffiti is a common technique of showing governmental and humorous reviews on the surfaces of both community and personal property. But on the other hand, it is also considered as a shrewd and infamous form of art as it harasses community and personal belongings. As visual artists, graffiti is always a creativity spot…

• 25 Photos of Invisible Man – See the Unseen!

  Charlie B. Johnson

  1 May 2012 | 3:28 am

  Remember the movie Hollow Man, where Kevin Bacon acquired the power to be invisible? Imagine how cool would it be in real life? Although there hasn’t been any ‘Invisibility Cloak’ developed similar to the one in Harry Potter, there is one artist that makes it almost possible to vanish. Liu Bolin is a Chinese artist with a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts. His famous work "The Invisible Man" features camouflage artwork that makes human beings disappear into the backdrop. Liu Bolin’s works have been featured in various Art Museums. In his ‘Invisible…

• 5 Factors That Ruin a Graphic Designer’s Creativity!

  Charlie B. Johnson

  24 Apr 2012 | 4:31 am

  Have you ever come across a time when your creative juices stop flowing? Yes, I’m referring to that moment when you try so hard but fail to conceive a creative idea. But this doesn’t happen all of a sudden, does it? There is always a reason behind this abrupt dearth of creativity. Even the slightest of distraction can ruin a designer’s ability to think innovatively. In the field of graphic design, creativity is one attribute that makes the real difference. Whatever you design for a client must stand out from the rest of the crowd. But there are some factors that damage a…

• Guess the Disney Cartoons – 20 Minimalist Posters

  Charlie B. Johnson

  20 Apr 2012 | 12:17 am

  Cartoons are a momentous part of everybody’s childhood memories. No matter how old you are, you cannot grow too old for cartoons. Famous animation studios like Walt Disney and Cartoon Network have created some of the most epic and iconic cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse and Cinderella that have etched into our minds for eternity. Recently, I came across an interesting post on re:blog that made me jog my memories about famous Disney characters. The team at re:blog has created minimalist posters on Disney’s classic cartoons using the most prominent elements of the cartoon. Some…

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  The Graphic Mac

• Apple being sued for turning a window sideways. Yes, really.

  James

  16 May 2012 | 12:24 pm

  Posted in Linkshttp://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2012/05/apple-sued-for-rotating-windows-on-ios-devices.htmlRotatable Technologies is suing Apple, Netflix, Target, EA, Whole Foods, and more for infringing on a 1999 patent covering windows that rotate. Yeah, I said "windows that rotate." Apparently the Texas-based company believes these companies won't find prior art on turning something on its side. Related posts: Free vector browser window and Web site elements HyperDock brings Windows 7 window previews to OS X’s Dock The most hated companies in America

• Want your own custom T-Shirt? Fibers is a great fit!

  James

  15 May 2012 | 10:30 am

  Posted in GeneralThere is no shortage of websites that allow you to print customized T-Shirts. When I found myself looking for a reputable site that could print a quality shirt at a reasonable price, my head was spinning with all the options. Fibers.com offers a variety of shirt styles and colors, and the I'm quite pleased with the results. Here's my quick review, including screenshots and final product. Related posts: Great Web page screenshot add-on for Firefox 5 great font resources How to get custom CSS signatures in OSX Mail

• How to select and move all items on an InDesign layer

  James

  14 May 2012 | 11:00 am

  Posted in InDesignExperienced InDesign users know the value of using Layers on complex documents, particularly ones where text, object and image items are stacked on top of each other. Here's a tip to help you easily select and move all the items on a layer. Related posts: Locking items in your InDesign document Moving InDesign items to the front or back Selecting objects on an InDesign layer

• Fonts & Intellectual Property, an interview with Frank Martinez

  James

  12 May 2012 | 3:45 pm

  Posted in GeneralFont Week: Interview with Frank Martinez covering fonts and intellectual property. Related posts: Huge collection of grunge fonts available for download Use Web Fonts in your Photoshop website mock-ups Extensis adds Google Web Fonts to the Web Font Plug-in for Photoshop

• Free font: Metropolis

  James

  11 May 2012 | 4:00 pm

  Posted in ResourcesFont Week Free Font: Metropolis

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  hongkiat.com

• Showcase of 70 Awesome Ultra-Wide Angle (UWA) Photos

  Jake Rocheleau

  16 May 2012 | 8:01 am

  In the art of photography you will find many small niches of focus. The technique of using an ultra wide-angle lens for one, has been around for quite some time and can display a deep level of professionalism. Yet even amateur and professional photographers alike can utilize these unique lenses in their own work. I’ve taken the liberty to collect a showcase of brilliant UWA photographs. The collection includes shots from cities and countries all around the world. In the past we have written on panoramic photography which offers a similar yet distinguished feeling. If you have thoughts…

• How to Read .ePub Ebooks on Firefox and Chrome [Quicktip]

  Mustaza Mustafa

  16 May 2012 | 5:01 am

  ePub is an open standard format for ebooks, a format used to publish electronic books, magazines and newspapers. The difference between an ePub format file with a normal doc file is its reflowability to suit the many display dimensions of mobile devices i.e. tablets, smartphones etc. It was created to be flexible with font size and text layout, allowing you to read the same material on any mobile device that you may own. However, it is not possible to open files with *.ePub extensions on your browsers, even though you can do that with *.pdf and *.doc (opened with Google Docs) files. To open…

• Top 10 Fonts Web Designers Love

  Tomas Laurinavicius

  15 May 2012 | 8:02 am

  When I was starting out with Web and graphic design, I was always wondering about the fonts that real designers use. So I conducted a research to find out the most popular fonts designers like to use, their best practices, and also out of personal curiosity, their typographical needs. It would be nice to know which font is good for which situation and today I am sharing with you the results of my research. Through a combination of data collected from Polldaddy, Forrst, Facebook and Twitter, I got feedback from 34 designers from 14 countries answering questions about their favorite fonts and…

• Top 10 Fonts Web Designers Love [Infographic]

  Hongkiat.com

  15 May 2012 | 8:01 am

  Ever wonder what fonts other web designers prefer to use in their work? Ever wonder if your choice of font can help you set you apart from the rest? Ever wanted to know the answers to a question so badly that you would carry out a research to find out? Fellow web designer and writer of Hongkiat.com, Tomas Laurinavicius did just that. Granted it’s not a large sample size but the research revealed some interesting information like 3 Top 10 lists of fonts designers most love, most popular free fonts and most popular premium ones. With some help from our friends in Piktochart, here is the…

• Diving Into E-Commerce: Do You Have What It Takes?

  Singyin Lee

  14 May 2012 | 8:01 am

  You may have come across this infographic depicting the new generation of tech millionaires under the age of 30 and wondered if it was time that you got yourself involved with an online venture yourself. Won’t that be great? Being your own boss, calling all the shots, go golfing whenever you feel like it, and charge all your trips and meals to the company’s account. That’s the life! But hold your horses, cowboy. It’s not as easy as it looks. Before you get yourself tangled in e-commerce, here are a few things you should know first. Recommended Reading: 10 Essential…

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  HOW Magazine Blog

• Design Industry News: May 10–16

  Sarah Whitman

  16 May 2012 | 11:32 am

                The Type Directors Club and Monotype Imaging will host the Type Masters Week 2012 from June 1–6. Attendees will participate in workshops with Masters like Gail Anderson, Henrik Kubel, Bas Jacobs (Underware) and David Berlow. Sign up by May 18 to make the early-bird deadline. iStockphoto has developed Continue reading»

• Designer Baby Names

  Megan Patrick

  16 May 2012 | 9:44 am

  During a HOW Books team meeting recently, we started discussing how high each of our names ranked in Google searches. If you search for "Megan Lane Patrick" the entire first page of Google is all about me. I wondered aloud whether I should create business card with just my name on them since I'm so Continue reading»

• Appleton Will Feature Letterpess Printed Keepsakes At HOW Design Live

  Megan Patrick

  16 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  Appleton Coated will be featuring letterpress printing demonstrations and limited-edition keepsakes from Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum during HOW Design Live (June 22-25 in Boston). "Every day at the Resource Center, we'll have a different giveaway exclusively designed and printed by Hamilton Wood Type for conference attendees," says Ferkó X. Goldinger, advertising and promotion Continue reading»

• Graphic Design Job Of The Day: Art Director (Web Design Job)

  Megan Patrick

  16 May 2012 | 7:20 am

  Art Director AOL, Palo Alto, CA Looking for graphic design jobs in California? AOL is seeing an Art Director to help them revolutionize email design. Are you the designer for the job? Do you look at your email app and see a jumbled list of links? Does it leave you feeling...well...meh? We think email can Continue reading»

• Mentoring Notes With Peleg Top: The Power Of Words (Advice From A Creative Business Coach)

  Megan Patrick

  15 May 2012 | 10:31 am

  Last week a remark President Obama made changed history with a few simple words. ”Personally,” it was ”important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.” To you and me, this idea may seem obvious, but for the history of the civil rights movement and Continue reading»

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  Inspiredology - Design Inspiration Lab

• Web Critique #9: Always With Honor

  Mike Puglielli

  16 May 2012 | 7:55 am

  Web Critiques is a take on examining a current piece of web art and breaking it down. We show off the good, the bad, dos and dont’s, why and how it works (or doesn’t), and the list goes on.With every Web Critique we choose to focus on things that are relevant to the website and how they’re trying sell their brand while pushing a website that is product-centric, functional, and looks great.We spend a lot of time looking at big name blogs and sites, its not often we take a look at a portfolio, which most designers have themselves…and we could all use a little help in how we show off…

• For Your Inspiration: Videos that Burst Inspiration

  Mike Puglielli

  15 May 2012 | 7:54 am

  Weekly web series to bring you a small dose of inspiration. Join us as we tap into the designer’s itch for all things artistic, trendy, and otherwise magical.Spatially aware devices from Ishac Bertran on Vimeo.hypercompact from Igor Ginzburg on Vimeo.Starbucks™ & YWFT Hannah from YouWorkForThem on Vimeo.Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering from Ars Thanea on Vimeo.iphone- diorama from Mike Ko on Vimeo.

• Dribbble Invite Contest #2

  Mike Puglielli

  14 May 2012 | 7:57 am

  Its that time again. You show us your best stuff and we give you one of the most allusive invites known to the design community—dribbble. Check out how to enter. The inspiredology team has many goals, and perhaps the most important one, is making sure that we are doing our part in growing the design community; giving an invite to dribbble is one of those ways.Submit your best, get a dribbble inviteIt really is that simple, nothing fancy here. Show us your best piece (more accurate directions below) and, if we like your piece the most, you’ll get an invite. If you want to make…

• Friday Fix May 7 – May 11

  Chad

  11 May 2012 | 7:20 am

  The Friday Fix is a weekly recap of all things inspiring. We look at new web apps, portfolios, beautiful websites and anything else design related.Lee W RobinsonDo We Have Milk? by Teehan+LaxImageThinkSehsuchtThemezillaPinstagramSketch

• Designer Spotlight: Rob Sheridan

  Chad

  10 May 2012 | 7:36 am

  Every week we are discovering new, awesome, design stars and showcasing them right here. The spotlight may hit on a logo designer, UI designer, web or graphic designer—we’re bringing you a new talent.These bad ass designers bring their “A” game time and time again and we hope that you will find this as a great design resource and be introduced to a few fellow peers along the way.Rob SheridanWebsite | Twitter | Behance  

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  imjustcreative–Graham Smith: Logo Designer

• Brand Fixer #1—Yahoo Gets Fixed

  Graham Smith

  16 May 2012 | 7:11 am

  Brand Fixer #1: Yahoo Gets Fixed—Fixing One Brand At A Time The Brand Fixer Pledge The Brand Fixer is on a mission to find & fix poorly functioning brands and/or logos of said brands. In most cases the brand and/or logo is beyond help or recovery, so the Brand Fixer adopts, and practices, the most humane method of brand repair: Duct Tape. The results are dramatic. See for yourself. The Brand Fixer uses professional judgement in determining which brands and/or logos need to be fixed, as well as latching onto any hyped up media story of the hour. The Brand Fixer pledges to be the first,…

• Type Hero #2–Appetite By Denis Serebryakov

  Graham Smith

  16 May 2012 | 6:06 am

  Type Hero #2: Fonts For Logos–Appetite By Denis Serebryakov Hey hey! Only posted my first Type Hero yesterday and then saw Appetite, designed by Denis Serebryakov, which simply had to be mentioned. Denis has also designed a much thinner version called Appetite Contrast. Just look at those sweet sweet letter forms, those ligatures, the multilingual glyphs. It all adds up to a scrummy lettering typeface which is pegged to be perfect for logo designs, and other less useful design stuff. Think I’m going to enjoy finding typefaces and fonts to feature on Type Hero. You can purchase…

• How to Rank #1 on Google for… Logo Design By Matt Cutts

  Graham Smith

  16 May 2012 | 2:32 am

  How to Rank #1 on Google for Logo Design By Matt Cutts Hey hey! If you want to rank #1 for Logo Design on Google then all you need to do, urm, as stated by Matt Cutts, is to link out, urm, to porn sites and you’ll rank #1 for Logo Design. So there we have it straight from the horses mouth: some targeted SEO advice if you are looking to rank #1 for Logo Design. All you have to do is, urm, link to porn sites and you’ll rank for #1 on Logo Design in Google. You can also practice some keyword stuffing for Logo Design as well to, urm, help you rank for #1 for Logo Design… on, urm,…

• Type Hero #1—Jocham By Hubert Jocham

  Graham Smith

  15 May 2012 | 9:54 am

  Yo! New feature on imjustcreative: Type Hero—where I will, on occasion, highlight a font/typeface that catches my eye. I am always coming across typefaces and fonts that are just perfect for logo designing. To launch Type Hero off in style here is the irresistible Jochan Family, designed by Hubert Jochan who started his own Type Foundy in 2007. These retro scripty style fonts are generally and adequately well provided for, but Jocham has that something I can’t quite put my finger on. By the way, Hubert based Jochan on his own logotype. Jochan comes in regular and italic and you can…

• RPM 45 – Free Font by Infamous Foundry

  Graham Smith

  11 May 2012 | 1:25 pm

  RPM 45 – Free Condensed Font From Infamous Foundry RPM 45 is a spivvy—I’m also quite partial to that particular hue of blue they have used for the graphics—free condensed font from the Infamous Foundry. The uppercase set sets you on one course, but then look at the lowercase a, b, c etc and you’ll quickly see you are not getting a regular starched hard line condensed font. This font has taken inspiration from the French alphabets of the 1930′s period. It’s really smooth. RPM 45 is certainly free, but it’s good for ones personal karma if one donates via…

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  Jason Santa Maria

• Hillman

  26 Apr 2012 | 3:41 pm

  Hillman Curtis, artist, designer, filmmaker, Brooklynite, bicyclist, friend, and explorer passed away last week at the young age of 51. I put off writing about him because I couldn’t find the words. Everything I would try to write felt so insignificant for such a significant man. Thankfully, as is usually the case, I found my words among friends. The folks over at Happy Cog have collected some thoughts on Hillman and invited a few of us staff alumni to share too. Below is my contribution: I followed Hillman’s work when I was first getting started in design. He stood out as a voice and…

• Design Is a Job, by Mike Monteiro

  10 Apr 2012 | 9:25 am

  I’m very excited for our latest release from A Book Apart available today, Mike Monteiro’s Design Is a Job. I’ve been working in design a while now and good handbooks on how to do it right are few and far between. Years ago, I read Norman Potter’s What Is a Designer, a thin yet surprisingly dense book that attempts to quantify this dear profession. There’s truth to be found there, but the language is terse. Perhaps it’s an effort to dissuade all but the most brave; if you get to the end and you still want to be a designer, you may have earned it. This…

• Comic Books on the iPad

  3 Apr 2012 | 11:36 am

  A page from Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener’s awesome Atomic Robo. I’ve been reading comic books since I was a kid, and now the new iPad has quickly become my primary means for reading them. Comics are one of the few printed formats whose interaction may have actually improved (or at the least didn’t diminish) when they moved to the iPad. The de facto standard for digital comics is the app Comixology — whose technology is also licensed by standalone apps from the big publishers. It’s available for the iPhone and iPad (plus Andoid and Kindle Fire, but I…

• Paper by FiftyThree

  29 Mar 2012 | 1:49 pm

  Paper is a new drawing app for the iPad from FiftyThree. Immediately after watching the video, I downloaded it (free download with paid add-ons) and ordered Cosmonaut and Jot styluses to try out. As a habitual sketcher, I’ve tried lots of drawing apps before, but this is the most promising one yet. The simplicity and lack of chrome for navigation (not unlike what we’ve seen in Clear for the iPhone) really speaks to me. In the short time I’ve played with it, sans stylus, I already love it.

• Stamen Maps

  21 Mar 2012 | 10:10 am

  Stamen has released some beautiful alternative takes on map tiles. They’re all free to use wherever you display OpenStreetMap data. All three are great, but the watercolor one is particularly pleasing to the eye, feeling a bit reminiscent of an old pirate treasure map. Maybe we just need to throw some all-caps italic Caslon on top of it.

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  JUST™ Creative

• Win a HP ENVY 14 Spectre Laptop

  Jacob Cass

  4 May 2012 | 1:51 pm

  Win this HP ENVY 14 Spectre. Details below. I was recently invited to attend a ‘top secret’ event held by HP. They emailed me and asked if I would like to attend an exciting ‘hunt’ between 4 and 8pm on a Thursday afternoon, at an undisclosed location. They were extremely vague about the event and they said to just show up, “it would be worth it”. Knowing how HP works with PR, I agreed and showed up. What was to follow was a set of extraordinary events, especially if you know how the company Accomplice works – the company that runs the show / hunt /…

• Digital vs Traditional Offset Printing: Pros & Cons

  Jacob Cass

  1 May 2012 | 9:30 am

  Every design project is different. When it comes to making a final decision on which commercial printing process to choose, designers must take into consideration the quality and volume they desire and their budget and timescale. The two main forms of commercial printing are digital and traditional offset printing, both of which have their pros and cons. Before you make your final decision, weigh up their pros and cons against what you want from your print job and make an informed decision. The Pros and Cons of Digital Printing PROS Digital printing is incredibly fast, making it ideal for…

• Pinterest: What, Why, How and Who? + Tips & Pin Optimisation

  Jacob Cass

  24 Apr 2012 | 8:30 am

  This article is a product of getting into Pinterest and clients coming forward saying, “What is Pinterest?”. In fact, there is a lot to learn from Pinterest and it is worthy of analysis which I will get to below. According to ExperianHitwise, Pinterest is now the #3 social media site behind Facebook and Twitter. It is also the #16th most visited site in the USA, so it is not something you should ignore. Let’s have a look at what Pinterest is, why it’s different, who uses it, what makes for the most popular pins and how to optimise websites for the best Pinterest exposure. What…

• The Ultimate Web Design Workspace for Photoshop

  Jacob Cass

  17 Apr 2012 | 9:59 pm

  I’ve been using Adobe Photoshop on a near daily basis, since 2006 and over this time I’ve learned quite a number of tips & tricks. I’ve optimized Photoshop for performance, learned all the essential shortcut keys and tools, and have recently found out what I consider the ‘ultimate web design workspace’. What is a workspace? “By saving the current size and position of panels as a named workspace, you can restore that workspace even if you move or close a panel. The names of saved workspaces appear in the workspace switcher in the Application bar of…

• JUST™ A Competition

  Jacob Cass

  3 Apr 2012 | 8:42 am

  With my recent rebrand and website update, came a few nifty features and one of them is the ‘hidden’ drop down menu in the top right corner of the website. On each reload, there is a new slogan that is displayed, such as: JUST™ Amazing JUST™ Be Happy JUST™ Did It JUST™ Drop That Bass JUST™ Believe There are already a good handful being rotated up there, but I thought it would be great to have JUST™ Creative readers be able to have their own one up there. So be creative, and leave your “JUST™ ____” idea in the comments below, and you could win some awesome…

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  Line25

• Showcase of Artistic Hand Lettering in Web Design

  Chris Spooner

  14 May 2012 | 2:00 am

  With websites being built from digital code it’s difficult to imagine them being crafted by hand, but this post showcases a bunch of websites that feature custom hand lettering in traditional mediums. In place of fonts these websites boast hand crafted typography to add a real artistic touch to the design.G’noshAustin EastcidersThe Soup PeddlerKansas City CreepFestGiveBeyond.MeWhitmansKyle SteedKolonienOdosketchMarie CatribsAmazee LabsLet’s Do This!War ChildConvergeSE 2012Full Frontal 2011Making Connections EverydayBrand New Conference

• Line25 Sites of the Week for May 11th 2012

  Chris Spooner

  11 May 2012 | 2:00 am

  Line25 Sites of the Week is a weekly roundup of the most outstanding website designs that I stumble across during my every day browsing. In this week’s collection, we have designs from Guided Creative, Peaxl, Rdio, DS22 and Column Five.Guided CreativeView the websitePeaxlView the websiteRdioView the websiteDS22View the websiteColumn FiveView the website

• Handy Roundup of CSS3 Generators and Tools

  Chris Spooner

  7 May 2012 | 2:00 am

  With the latest advances in CSS3 many of the effects that were once only achievable in Photoshop can now be replicated in CSS code, but it’s sometimes difficult to visualise the appearance of these effects when staring at a few lines of syntax. This is where CSS generators come in handy, this roundup of tools makes it easy to create the exact CSS effects you need with the help of graphical interfaces.All in One CSS3 GeneratorsCSS3 GeneratorCSS 3.0 MakerCSS3 SandboxCSS Layouts and GridsCSS Layout GeneratorVariable Grid SystemBlueprinterThe 1KB CSS GridGridinatorGrid DesignerCSS3 Gradient…

• Line25 Sites of the Week for May 4th 2012

  Chris Spooner

  4 May 2012 | 2:00 am

  Line25 Sites of the Week is a weekly roundup of the most outstanding website designs that I stumble across during my every day browsing. In this week’s collection, we have designs from dConstruct, Lore, Lifetree Creative, redpepper and Elaine Fisher.dConstructView the websiteLoreView the websiteLifetree CreativeView the websiteredpepperView the websiteElaine FisherView the website

• 20 Pure Websites with Clean White Backgrounds

  Chris Spooner

  30 Apr 2012 | 2:00 am

  Whenever we start work designing a website one of the first things we always do is throw a bunch of colours and textures onto the canvas, but sometimes a design will benefit from the clean and crisp appearance of a pure white background. This showcase rounds up 20 minimal website designs that prove that sometimes less is more.Information ArchitectsColor Grade ItFace. Works.MmDesignThe ManualAndy MangoldCasey BrittKyanWhat Happens Next?La Wine AgencyNew Gotham DesignsBig Bite CreativeWantfulHelen & HardYaron Schoenb14Eric Paul SnowdenWhitespaceHanzell VineyardsDecorated Playlists

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  lines and colors :: a blog about drawing, painting, illustration, comics, concept art and other visual arts

• Pochade boxes (update 2012)

  Charley Parker

  13 May 2012 | 5:04 pm

  Some plein air painters are hardy and dedicated enough to paint outdoors all year round. Others, like your humble author, are more inclined to wait until spring to emerge from the cocoon of a heated studio, brushes in hand, blinking in the glare of an unfamiliar sun. In either case, for most of us, the warmer days are high season for painting outdoors — time to get out the pochade box and venture into the open air. I’ve just updated my extensive article from 2008 on pochade boxes, in which I discuss the use and basic configurations of these portable outdoor artists studios, and…

• 1880′s paintings from Wikimedia Commons

  Charley Parker

  11 May 2012 | 10:57 pm

  Taking another dip into the extensive art image resources on the Wikimedia Commons website, I’m once again finding delight in the ability to sort paintings by decade (or year) and browse a wonderful assortment of artists, subjects and styles. This is just the tip of the iceberg, gleaning a few paintings off their generalized “1880′s paintings” page, from which you can dive into much greater detail going into individual years or artists. Though the images are not as consistently large as, say, the Google Art Project, and the image quality is hit and miss — the…

• Robert Douglas Hunter

  Charley Parker

  8 May 2012 | 9:29 am

  Boston painter Robert Douglas Hunter studied with R.H. Ives Gammell, carrying forward his defense of classical academic tradition in the face of modernist orthodoxy. Hunter’s refined, elegant still life paintings of simple objects wrapped in soft light and contemplative stillness, carry echoes of the 19th century French ateliers and even further back to Chardin and the Dutch still life masters. I don’t know of a dedicated site for Hunter, but I can direct you to galleries that feature his work as well as the Guild of Boston Artists, of which he was president for several years.

• Maurice Sendak 1928 – 2012

  Charley Parker

  8 May 2012 | 8:42 am

  Maurice Sendak, one of the premiere book illustrators of the late 20th/early 21st centuries, died today at the age of 83. Unfortunately, I don’t know of a large repository of his work on the web. The Rosenabch Museum and Library, a small museum here in Philadelphia, houses the preeminent collection of his works, and has a small gallery of images available online. Two quotes from Sendak: “I refuse to lie to children.” “Kids books… Grownup books… That’s just marketing. Books are books.” For more, see my previous post on Maurice Sendak.

• Harry Clarke

  Charley Parker

  5 May 2012 | 10:13 pm

  Harry Clarke was a Irish illustrator and stained glass artist, active in the early 20th Century, in the latter part of the Golden Age of Illustration. As an illustrator, he is known in particular for his work for Hans Christian Anderson’s Fairy Tales and Edgar Allen Poe’s Tales of Mystery and Imagination. You can see the influence of earlier Golden Age greats like Edmund Dulac, Kay Nielsen and Aubrey Beardsley, but Clarke wove his influences into a unique and fascinating style. You can also see Clarke’s influence carried forward, for example in the work of contemporary…

• 

  LogoBliss.com

• Magic Letters

  Haritha

  15 May 2012 | 11:37 am

  Magic words fits for any educational project, can also be used for bookstores, library or other. Under Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution Non-Commercial.Download this vector over here:http://www.logoopenstock.com/971-Magic-Letters-vector

• Bronze Turtle

  Haritha

  15 May 2012 | 11:30 am

  This logo was designed for “Bronze Turtle” by “Dzire 2 Dzine (D2D)”..!!

• Android Advaise

  Haritha

  15 May 2012 | 11:24 am

  This logo was designed for “Android Advaise” by “Dzire 2 Dzine (D2D)”..!!

• Street Cafe

  Haritha

  12 May 2012 | 2:33 am

  This logo was designed for “42nd Street Cafe & Bistro” by “Dzire 2 Dzine (D2D)”..!!

• Restaurant

  Haritha

  12 May 2012 | 2:23 am

  Logo makes your business more attractable, so get some free logo now.

• 

  Logo Of The Day

• 2012-05-15 | Buxton Group

  Jacob Cass

  15 May 2012 | 5:04 pm

  Buxton Group Property Development Credits: Fabio Ongarato Design Related Logos: 2012-03-12 | Buzzdata (9) 2012-03-12 | Belfast (2) 2012-03-01 | Ratio (7)

• 2012-05-11 | City Living

  Jacob Cass

  11 May 2012 | 5:12 pm

  “Based in Amsterdam, CitiLiving is a Europe-wide management company specialising in accommodation for students and young professionals. Their identity had to appeal to a young target demographic but also be reassuring enough to appeal to a wider audience.” Credits: City Living Related Logos: 2012-01-04 | Trident Developments (4) 2011-11-15 | City Tech (6) 2011-08-11 | City of Lawrence (1)

• 2012-05-10 | Ustralian

  Jacob Cass

  10 May 2012 | 2:09 pm

  Ustralian – Australian news, info and culture in the USA. Credits: Ustralian Related Logos: 2011-08-03 | NASA (4) 2010-08-24 | US Mint (5) 2009-11-06 | American Issues Project (9)

• 2012-05-09 | Push Pop Press

  Jacob Cass

  9 May 2012 | 5:48 pm

  “Last year Push Pop Press set off to re-imagine the book. We created a new way of publishing and exploring text, images, audio, video and interactive graphics, then teamed up with Melcher Media and Al Gore to create a new kind of book.” Credits: Manual Related Logos: 2011-10-26 | Barnhart Press (7) 2012-02-16 | Booki.sh (2) 2012-02-06 | Pinterest (6)

• 2012-05-07 | Shoot To Kill

  Jacob Cass

  7 May 2012 | 4:56 pm

  Remi Luxford and Tony Gardiner started Shoot To Kill in 2010. Two passionate filmmakers who have grown up in the film industry. Both recognised the need to apply their experience with a new approach to today’s client expectations. This young team has extensive experience working across the industry: producing, shooting, editing and directing everything from big budget TVC’s to drama, shorts and documentaries in Cambodia. Shoot To Kill brings the discipline and resources of big TVC production combined with a bespoke approach to each project. The idea behind this logo was to not…

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  MachoArts | Design, Social Media, Blogging tips

• 25 Inspirational Business Card Designs

  suraj

  16 May 2012 | 2:21 am

  Business card is very helpful for promoting your business. For making first impression you must need unique and impressive business card. Here we have collected 25 creative business card designs for your inspiration, which will help you to get ideas for your business card design.   We recommend this quality Sticker Printing service

• Friday Photography Inspiration #58

  suraj

  11 May 2012 | 7:05 am

  This post is a part of our weekly photography inspiration series. Each friday we showcase some of the best photographs captured by talented photographers from all around the world. Here we have collected 26 latest most beautiful photographs for your inspiration. If you like this post feel free to share it on Twitter and Facebook. Photography Quote of the Day: “Never forget that all the great photographs in history were [...]

• 5 Things No One Needs On Your Facebook

  Tom Chu

  7 May 2012 | 7:26 am

  Everybody has a Facebook page. You have a Facebook page. Your mom has a Facebook page. Your priest has a Facebook page. … Everyone. Those few who do not are often regarded as some kind of purists; the rare elite who have refused to give in to this century’s most prevalent addiction. But even those are a dying breed, and at some point they will give in while swearing they [...]

• Friday Photography Inspiration #57

  suraj

  4 May 2012 | 8:55 am

  This post is a part of our weekly photography inspiration series. Each Friday we showcase some of the most beautiful photographs captured by talented photographers from all around the world. Here are 26 latest amazing photographs for your inspiration. If you like this post feel free to share it on Twitter and Facebook. Photography Quote of The Day: “A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells [...]

• SmashingWPThemes Has A New Home – MyThemeShop

  suraj

  30 Apr 2012 | 12:37 pm

  With multiple projects in our hands and due to time constraints, we were not able to give proper time and nourishment to SmashingWPThemes it needed. So instead of compromising on quality, we have decided to give over the charge to dedicated WordPress Themes Developers at MyThemeShop. We had many offers to sell it, but we wanted to make sure our site goes in the right hands. Thus after a thorough [...]

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  Marketingsherpa Blog

• Online Privacy: Information from the EU and Capitol Hill

  David Kirkpatrick

  15 May 2012 | 3:01 am

  We recently interviewed Dennis Dayman, Chief Privacy and Security Officer, Eloqua, who has been a hands-on participant in the ongoing online privacy debate in Washington, D.C. Read on for an inside look at the current political process involving proposed privacy regulations here in America as well as find out about some conversations he had with officials from the European Union.

• Mobile Search [Infographic]: 72% of smartphone users look for information on the go

  Daniel Burstein

  11 May 2012 | 3:01 am

  With 72% of smartphone users looking for information on the go, brick-and-mortar stores – everyone from big box stores to mom and pop shops – can now leverage the power of search by tapping into customers' needs. View the MarketingSherpa infographic to learn more about mobile search, and the opportunities it holds for companies, including B2B.

• B2B Social Media: How one marketer is utilizing Pinterest

  David Kirkpatrick

  10 May 2012 | 3:01 am

  At the moment, consumer marketers are making more use of Pinterest than B2B marketers. However, Bluewolf, a professional services company that provides consulting on enterprise agility, offers a great blueprint on how B2B marketers can take advantage of Pinterest.

• Email Marketing: New tactics for display ads, segmentation and discount promos

  Adam T. Sutton

  8 May 2012 | 3:01 am

  At MarketingSherpa, we are always on the outlook for new marketing tactics. Senior reporter Adam T. Sutton recently attended Responsys Interact 2012 to do just that, and he provides three insights he learned on the rise of display ads, delayed segmentation and testing discount promos.

• B2B Social Marketing: 4 ways to build one-to-one relationships with social influencers

  Paul Cheney

  4 May 2012 | 3:01 am

  According to MarketingSherpa research, the most effective social marketing tactic you can implement is to build one-to-one relationships with social influencers. To help you, our B2B Lead Roundtable group provided four tips on how to build one-to-one relationships with bloggers, network moderators and other social influencers.

• 

  Marcofolio.net ()

• Giveaway contest - Digital copies of "The Best 365 Websites Around the World"

  14 May 2012 | 2:41 pm

  A book with the title The Best 365 Websites Around the World, who doesn't want to read that? Awwwards wrote this book and this week, we're giving away 5 digital copies. The book contains great content, which will give you loads of inspiration. Read the rules below to find out how you can join this contest: it's pretty simple! Make sure you join this contest quick, since it ends on May 21st. You'll automatically receive information if you have won a prize. Good luck to everyone! Also, make sure you subscribe to the RSS feed or follow me on Twitter to get updates on more future giveaways. Read…

• CSS3 quickie: The Facebook loading animation

  18 Feb 2012 | 2:43 am

  After the couple of jQuery Quickies that have been placed online on this website, I today present you a CSS3 quickie. Just a short walkthrough to create a simple effect, to learn some basic stuff. In this case, we're recreating the Facebook loading animation using CSS3 animations. I'm pretty sure that you've seen the animation before, if you're a Facebook user. We're using CSS3 keyframes to create the desired effect. We'll be using prefix free from @LeaVerou to use unprefixed CSS3 properties.    Take note this example only works properly in browser that support the keyframes…

• Giveaway contest - MightyDeals deal

  8 Feb 2012 | 12:49 am

  A great resource for all kind of webdevelopers and -designers has to be MightyDeals. They provide some great (daily) deals for webprofessionals, which simply means that you can get that font, brush or program for a way cheaper price so can finally get it. Today, we're giving away five of these amazingly useful deals to all the readers! And the best part is: You're able to decide which deal you want to have. Read the rules below to find out how you can join this contest: it's pretty simple! Make sure you join this contest quick, since it ends on February 15th. You'll automatically receive…

• Recreating the IBM Lotusphere logo in CSS3

  23 Jan 2012 | 12:52 pm

  A while ago, I visited the IBM Lotusphere 2012 conference page. One thing that I noticed immediately, was their beautiful logo on the background. Although it's design is very minimal and simple, the logo just looks very good. I wanted to recreate this logo using only HTML and CSS3. The main key to this effect is using the border-radius and overflow:hidden properties. I've created two versions: One that uses extra HTML elements, the second one uses CSS3 pseudo elements. Check out the demo to see how the logo looks like in your browser. Keep in mind, no images are used at all. Feel free to dig…

• Giveaway contest - Stickers by Sticker Mule

  9 Jan 2012 | 2:10 pm

  Since it was my 23rd birthday last weekend, and I wanted to start off the new year with some great goodies, I've got a great giveaway for everyone. Today, we're giving away store credit for all kinds of stickers by Sticker Mule! They could be useful for anything! Design your custom sticker, create die cut stickers or even create custom skins for your iPhone, laptop, Kindle or iPad. Read the rules below to find out how you can join this contest: it's pretty simple! Make sure you join this contest quick, since it ends on January 16th. You'll automatically receive information if you have won a…

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  maxvoltar

• 75 Years Since The Hindenburg Disaster

  Tim Van Damme

  8 May 2012 | 12:59 pm

  In Focus has a great collection of photos of the Hindenburg, still one of the most beautiful airships ever created.

• IKEA KNÄPPA

  Tim Van Damme

  27 Apr 2012 | 10:54 am

  I’m intrigued by this cardboard camera made by IKEA. In these days where our mobile phones have point-and-shoot quality cameras, the simplicity of the KNÄPPA is a nice change.

• Lucky

  Tim Van Damme

  26 Apr 2012 | 1:31 pm

  Because cats make the internet go ‘round.

• The development of the signage typeface Wayfinding Sans Pro

  Tim Van Damme

  24 Apr 2012 | 10:33 am

  Ralf Herrmann writes about the research he did to design Wayfinding Sans Pro. (via)

• Inventing on Principle

  Tim Van Damme

  5 Apr 2012 | 10:49 am

  One of the most inspiring talks I’ve ever seen. Bret Victor is in a league of his own. He has a way of taking a step back and questioning the norm I can only dream of.

• 

  Thoughts From Eric

• Backgrounds, Shadows, Fonts, and the Cascade

  Eric Meyer

  16 May 2012 | 9:11 am

  The fact that this: h1 {color: red;} h1 {color: green;} …results in green h1 text, but this: h1 {background-image: url(red-wave.gif) repeat, url(green-wave.gif) repeat;} …results in a red wavy h1 background does my head in every single time. And it’s the same with text and box shadows, too! In cases where backgrounds or shadows overlap, the first one you write “wins”, by virtue of being “in front of” the background images that are listed after it. I know that font stacks are also done in order of most-to-least preferred, but I don’t see them as being equivalent. The reason is…

• Defining ‘ch’

  Eric Meyer

  15 May 2012 | 8:37 am

  I’m working my way through a rewrite of Two Salmon (more on that anon), and I just recently came to the ch unit. Its definition in the latest CSS Values and Units module is as follows: ch unit Equal to the advance measure of the “0″ (ZERO, U+0030) glyph found in the font used to render it. …and that’s it. I had never heard the term “advance measure” before, and a bit of Googling for font "advance measure" only led me to copies of the CSS Values and Units module and some configuration files for the Panda 3D game engine. So I asked the editor and it turns out that…

• Vendor Tokens

  Eric Meyer

  8 May 2012 | 12:55 pm

  It may be that from the ashes of vendor prefixes will arise a new way forward. As proposed by François Remy, vendor tokens would serve the same basic purpose as prefixes with a different syntactical approach, and with at east a couple of extra benefits. Instead of prefixing properties, you’d instead add vendor tokens to the end of a single declaration, much as you do !important (which of course we never ever use, amirite?). For example, you might write: border-radius: 1em !webkit-draft !moz-draft !o-draft; That’s it. The prefixed alternative, of course, runs to multiple lines and has…

• Plugging Up

  Eric Meyer

  27 Apr 2012 | 9:02 am

  I get asked from time to time for my number one tip for new parents. My answer is always a single word. “Earplugs.” Seriously. Get some earplugs. They don’t have to be fancy; the squishy yellow foam plugs you can get in a cardboard holder for a dollar work just fine. If you already have some fancier in-ear jobs for rock concerts or woodworking or whatever, those are good too. Because as much as you love your new baby, and as much as you will work to keep them calm and happy, there will almost certainly be times when they are hurting or uncomfortable or just generally upset and unable to…

• Linear Gradient Keywords

  Eric Meyer

  26 Apr 2012 | 1:54 pm

  Linear gradients in CSS can lead to all kinds of wacky, wacky results—some of them, it sometimes seems, in the syntax itself. Let me note right up front that some of what I’m talking about here isn’t widely deployed yet, nor for that matter even truly set in stone. Close, maybe, but there could still be changes. Even if nothing actually does change, this isn’t a “news you can use RIGHT NOW” article. Like so much of what I produce, it’s more of a stroll through a small corner of CSS, just to see what we might see. For all their apparent complexity, linear gradients are pretty…

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  Naldz Graphics

• 33 WordPress Responsive Themes for Business

  Ebrian Acebedo

  16 May 2012 | 6:00 am

  The business world has now invaded the net. What with the numerous prospective clients who are surfing through the net, no wonder many business have also turned to the web to promote, advertise and display their services and other provisions to gain more profit. Since innovation is fast and numerous gadgets have also been created [...]

• 30 Breathtaking Examples of Garden Wallpaper

  Joan Mae Maguale

  16 May 2012 | 5:30 am

  There is nothing quite as thrilling as picturing yourself getting the beauty treatment that comes from our mother nature, don’t you think? So, here we are helping you give yourself the treatment that is surely best for you! We hope to help you find ways to inject some celebrity magic into your everyday life. After [...]

• 23 Powerful Superboy Illustration Artworks

  Marvi Ocampo

  15 May 2012 | 6:00 am

  Another phenomenal DC Comic character is Superboy, who is presented on various comics as the youthful incarnations of Superman and the main character of the series, Superboy. The most popular story of Superboy was simply Superman as a boy, acting as a superhero in Smallville, where Kal-El (Superboy’s Kryptonian name) lives under his secret identity, [...]

• Extraordinary Collection of Breathtaking Splash Photography

  Sarah Corres

  15 May 2012 | 5:30 am

  We have already showcased several beautiful examples of high speed photography in the past. In today’s post, we are going to feature a collection of impresive type of high speed photography which shows several liquid splashes in action. Splash photography is a technique of shooting pictures with a greater shutter speed and is usually used [...]

• Free To Download of Pencil Icon Designs

  Ebrian Acebedo

  14 May 2012 | 6:00 am

  Icons are images, illustrations or graphics designed to symbolize a function as well as a feature in various means. As with any visual symbol, icons accentuate the design. They point out meanings effectively and can be recognized simply by their categorization based on their style and design and connection to the message. In today’s post, [...]

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  .net

• HTML5 responsive images spat explodes

  Craig Grannell

  16 May 2012 | 10:19 am

  Developers accuse spec author of pandering to browser vendors

• Designing in the browser

  Edward O'Riordan

  16 May 2012 | 6:55 am

  Designer and developer Edward O'Riordan explains why you should design in the browser and why clients should be shown HTML and CSS mockups

• Make a stylish preloader with SVG

  Ian Culshaw

  16 May 2012 | 4:00 am

  Many sites neglect users with slow connections. Ian Culshaw explains how to use SVG library Raphaël to create a preloader that’ll hold the users' attention while pages load

• Twitter email digest a 'whiff of desperation'

  Craig Grannell

  15 May 2012 | 9:35 am

  Attempt to grow networks will also lead to inbox noise, says social expert Suw Charman-Anderson

• Building a modern grid system

  Jonathan Smiley

  15 May 2012 | 5:00 am

  ZURB's Jonathan Smiley looks at what it takes to create a grid system that will help us build faster, better and with an eye to the future

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  Nettuts+

• How to Super-Scale Magento in the Cloud

  Jed Galbraith

  15 May 2012 | 12:31 pm

  This tutorial will help you prepare a Magento install for high traffic, better load times, and simpler ongoing site management. Ready? Requirements You can download the finished code for this tutorial, or launch the “magento-basic” Quickstart from your Pagoda Box account to test a working site. A Pagoda Box Account (free) A functional local Magento Install Local Development Software (MAMP or WAMP) Git Installed (Can use SFTP) The Pagoda Terminal Client Installed Fair Warning: This tutorial may change your life. Pagoda Box is not traditional hosting. The teachings in this article…

• Lots Of New Premium Content!

  Jeffrey Way

  14 May 2012 | 2:57 pm

  As Tuts+ Premium continues to sky-rocket, our ability to post better, more frequent, content has improved dramatically as well. This week, we have a variety of fun new things available to members! Course – How To Be A Terminal Pro In this fifteen-episode course, you’ll learn how to take advantage of that scary app you never touch: Terminal! We’ll begin with the obligatory “hello world” command, and work our way up to advanced usage. Course – JavaScript Testing With Jasmine Admit it: you say that you test your JavaScript, but, in reality, you…don’t. That’s okay; the…

• How to Convert a Widget into a Joomla Module

  KazKarizmatic

  11 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  This tutorial will cover the process of creating a basic Joomla module from an existing widget. We’re going to take a widget from Mixcloud, learn how to convert it into a Joomla module and, finally, distribute the extension to JED (Joomla Extension Directory). If you’ve never created a Joomla module before, this article is the best place to start! Step 1: Setting up Our Files Basic Files For every module created for Joomla, there are two files that absolutely need to be present. One file is a configuration XML file that will hold the module details and parameters and a PHP file…

• Aspect-Oriented Programming in PHP

  Chris Peters

  10 May 2012 | 9:01 am

  There’s a new player in town, and he brought new toys: The PHP World welcomes FLOW3, an enterprise application framework written and backed by the community of the TYPO3 CMS. FLOW3 can be used as standalone full-stack framework for your applications. It’s interesting, because it introduces some concepts of software development that haven’t been adapted to PHP before. Among these new concepts is “Aspect Oriented Programming”. We will have a look on the theory of the pattern, and will set up a basic FLOW3 Application and weave in our own aspect! Why Should I Care?

• Which Tuts+ Site Should We Launch Next?

  David Appleyard

  9 May 2012 | 8:18 am

  We’re planning our next few Tuts+ sites, and would love your opinion and advice on which topics you think we should cover next! We’d be really grateful if you could take a minute to answer our quick poll and share your thoughts… Have Your Say Nettuts+ Readers: Which Tuts+ Site Should We Launch Next? We’ve been considering lots of different ideas for our next Tuts+ sites over the past few weeks, and wanted to also ask the opinion of our awesome community! A selection of different concepts are included in the poll to the right, along with the option for you to submit…

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  NewWork

• Modeselektor & Thom Yorke

  Arjan van de Steeg

  16 May 2012 | 4:49 am

  The German Modeselektor, which you can see live in action at Pitch festival this year, made a song together with Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke. This awesome video is created by Future Deluxe.

• Amsterdam 2.0

  Rory

  15 May 2012 | 6:12 am

  Amsterdam 2.0 is an art initiative that explores the vivid art scene in one of the cosmopolitan city of Amsterdam. Combining a party and young artists their next event will take place at De Brakke Grond this friday. A great place to spot new talent (and get drunk).

• New art director needed

  jort

  9 May 2012 | 8:23 am

  Do you have a passion for digital? And can you handle a good Oktoberfest?

• Crowdbag

  rocco

  8 May 2012 | 3:19 am

  Every year, Dutch NGO StopAidsNow is releasing an Artbag to raise money and awareness for their activities to prevent Aids. The famous bag has been designed by Dick Bruna, Henk Schiffmacher, Viktor & Rolf, Marcel Wanders and Piet Paris in the past. Now they call out to the creative public to design this years ‘crowdbag’.

• Arno Coenen

  Bert Hagendoorn

  3 May 2012 | 2:41 am

  After shows with artists like Quick, Paul Du Bois-Reymond and Petro, Amsterdam’s Unruly Gallery is showing the work of Arno Coenen next week. For his new artworks Arno engraved the cut-off tops of wooden barrels with pyrography techniques, burning images onto the circular surfaces with a heated pen. Come see!

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  Noupe

• The Mobile Web: CSS Image Replacement for Retina Display Devices

  Stephanie Walter

  16 May 2012 | 2:57 am

     I see more and more devices that have a pixel ratio bigger than 1.5, even 2. My Galaxy Nexus for example has a pixel ratio of 2 and so do the latest versions of the iPhone and iPad. Retina display seems to be the next evolution and next challenge for us as designers. Native mobile app designers have already learned how to take advantage of those devices with high pixel ratios to display bigger images with better quality, so as to enhance user experience. They are used to creating the images in both normal and retina @2x sizes for the iPhone, and creating 4 sets of drawables in 4…

• The Smashing Book #3: A Book Review

  Robert Bowen

  15 May 2012 | 3:01 am

     Editor’s Note – Though Noupe is affiliated with Smashing Magazine, this piece is strictly the opinion of the author. When I was first contacted with a reviewer’s copy of The Smashing Book #3 I was both excited, and a little bit terrified. I was extremely excited to get a peek at the book before its release, and to get my hands on the content I had eagerly been anticipating since the project was announced. I was a bit terrified because the book’s theme of ‘Redesign the Web’, was not only one I had written on in the past, but after redesigning…

• Adobe Illustrator Tutorial: Create a Detailed Lifebuoy Illustration

  Andrei Marius

  14 May 2012 | 2:59 am

     In the following Adobe Illustrator tutorial you will learn how to create a semi-realistic lifebuoy graphic. We’ll start with a bunch of concentric circles and some basic vector shape building techniques. Once we create the starting shapes we’ll continue with some Pathfinder options, several Warp and Gaussian Blur effects plus some basic masking techniques. For the highlights we will use some simple blending techniques along with a set of linear gradients. Finally, we’ll need a simple, dashed stroke, the Rounded Corners effect and some discrete Drop Shadows. The…

• A Collection of Eye Catching Poster Design

  Tom Ross

  11 May 2012 | 2:59 am

     Poster design is a true art form. Often the best posters will be bold, eye catching and visually intense, yet minimal and elegant at the same time. As with logo design, often a great poster will be great for what it omits, as well as what it features. Really the effectiveness of a poster’s design depends upon it’s purpose. Whilst some posters require a basic typographic treatment, others may suit an elaborate visual design. When designing your own posters always try to bear in mind the poster’s audience, and what you are representing. Often poster designs will…

• The Smashing Book #3 “Redesign The Web” Is Out!

  Noupe Editorial

  10 May 2012 | 3:03 am

     The new Smashing Books have finally arrived—freshly printed, neatly packed and ready to be shipped to you, our dear reader. We believe this is by far the best book we’ve produced so far. We are very proud and excited, and the initial verdict has been thoroughly positive, yet in the end it’s up to you to decide how valuable and useful they really are. Get your books now! Why the Theme of “Redesign”? In recent years, the Web has changed—a lot. The Web designer’s tools are now advanced, and browsers are highly capable. Designers have established clever…

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  Pro Blog Design

• 7 Plugins to Save Time With the Dashboard

  Claudia Somerfield

  14 May 2012 | 11:00 am

  As bloggers, we spend a lot of time working on a range of different tasks. This includes things like checking stats, monitoring ad revenue, and interacting on social media. That leaves us with a lot of sites to log into. But by adding a few WordPress plugins, you can pull some of this data back into the WordPress dashboard, which saves you time by giving a quick snapshot overview of everything. Analytics 360 Analytics 360 brings Google Analytics and Mailchimp (Newsletter service) data together, and displays them on a subpage under the WordPress dashboard. This helps in accessing analytics…

• CSS & JS Auto-Refreshing with Live.js

  Michael Martin

  3 May 2012 | 11:00 am

  I want to share a fantastic little tool that I’ve only recently come across; Live.js, written by Martin Kool. This JavaScript file automatically checks for changes to your CSS and JavaScript files, and refreshes them. That means you can have your text editor in one half of the screen, and a web browser in the other. When you save changes in the editor, the updates are reflected immediately in your browser. It really helps to speed up your development time. A lot of text editors offer HTML previews and such, but they only work for plain .html pages. The great thing about Live.js is that…

• WordPress Development: Bypassing the Settings API

  Andy Walpole

  23 Apr 2012 | 11:00 am

  The following is a guest post by Andy Walpole. There are many parts of the WordPress API which are fantastic but there are also other parts which, I would argue, are lacking. The Settings API was introduced in version 2.7 to allow the semi-automation of form creation. All credible Content Management Systems and frameworks have their own set of functions or classes for the same purpose. Drupal has a multitude of hooks which can be leveraged, while CodeIgniter uses a combination of the Form Validation Class and the Form Helper . When creating a WordPress plugin recently I wanted to create a…

• How to Install and Customize Varnish for WordPress

  Austin Gunter

  12 Apr 2012 | 11:00 am

  The following is a guest post by Austin Gunter of WPEngine.com. If you’re looking to boost performance for a content-heavy WordPress installation, adding a cache like Varnish is a great way to boost your site’s performance. NB – This is an advanced topic, and only relevant if you have full control over your server (e.g. you’re on a VPS). It does not apply to regular webhosting. What is Varnish? Varnish Cache is a web app accelerator, or a caching HTTP reverse proxy. Install it in front of any server that speaks HTTP and configure it to cache the contents, and the Varnish…

• 6 Ways to Power Up WordPress Comments

  Michael Martin

  28 Mar 2012 | 11:00 am

  It’s a relatively simple process to add some flair to your blog comments these days. I want to look at 6 of the best free tools and give you a quick overview of the benefits of each. Let’s start with one you’ve likely heard of before… Disqus Disqus uses JavaScript to replace your WordPress comments with their own system. You lose the total design flexibility that vanilla WordPress comments offer, but you gain a large feature set, including: Real-time Comments – New comments appear on the page without needing to refresh. Not a major benefit for smaller sites, but…

• 

  Rey Bango

• Hey Paydirt: Your Site Works Just Fine in IE

  Rey Bango

  8 May 2012 | 2:12 pm

  One of the things that I’m passionate about in my role at Microsoft is helping developers ensure that their sites provide an awesome experience in every browser. Yeah, yeah I know it seems odd that a Microsoft evangelist would say this but it’s the honest truth and anyone who’s worked with me before knows that I take great pride in this effort. We’re Not Supporting IE! Today, I came across this article on HackerNews which caught me totally by surprise: “We don’t support Internet Explorer, and we’re calling that a feature” When I checked out the site entry, it…

• iOS to IE10 Metro: Building Cross-Browser Plugin-Free Experiences

  Rey Bango

  9 Apr 2012 | 11:35 am

  I’ve had the good fortune of working with my friend Jonathan Sampson recently on figuring out how to help developers build plugin-free experiences. With IE10 Metro going plugin-free, it’s incredibly important to document steps to help developers provide their users with great experiences without the need for proprietary 3rd party add-ons. If you’ve built a plug-in-free browsing experience for the iPad, a few changes will make it ready for the new IE10 plug-in-free experience on Windows 8. As more browsers adopt the plug-in-free approach, now is a good time to start thinking…

• Fix Common IE Problems: Update your Docmode for Web Standards

  Rey Bango

  9 Jan 2012 | 2:39 pm

  Document compatibility defines how a browser renders your website. The more specific you are at telling the browser what to expect, the better the experience for your users. When using web standards like HTML5, start by explicitly declaring the HTML5 document type: <!DOCTYPE html> This markup triggers standards mode in Internet Explorer 9 and 10. And it also works well in Chrome and Firefox. Four steps will get your site ready for many browsers and devices: Step 1: Validate that your site uses standards mode Check whether or not your site is currently in standards mode: Open the website…

• Site Pinning: Rotating Overlay Icons for Multiple Service Notifications

  Rey Bango

  18 Oct 2011 | 8:00 am

  In my last post, I went over how to use IE9′s Site Pinning API to implement overlay icons to enhance user notifications. The demo focused on how to display a numeric icon to indicate when a specific event (e.g.: messages in an inbox) had occurred. Pinned site with overlay icon It’s a really great way of letting your users know that there’s pending information for them to check into. But what happens if your site offers multiple types of notifications? With websites offering so much functionality nowadays, it’s pretty common for them to also serve up multiple types of…

• Using Site Pinning and Overlay Icons for Enhanced User Notifications and Engagement

  Rey Bango

  10 Oct 2011 | 8:00 am

  I was recently doing some testing of IE9′s Site Pinning API and found out about a cool bit of functionality that can enhance user notifications. If you’re not familiar with site pinning, it’s a great way to allow users to have easy and quick access to their favorite sites via the Windows taskbar. There’s a really nice overview on Beauty of the Web that explains how it works. Keeping Users Up-to-Date One of the features the API provides is the notion of notifications that can allow developers to provide alerts to end users. The functionality allows you to dynamically…

• 

  Reaction!

• FanCulture: The Evolution of Influence

  16 May 2012 | 3:17 am

  In this short film, Amplify explores "the changes in fan culture in the digital age - the shift in power - and the growing importance of fans":

• THE EAGLEMAN STAG

  16 May 2012 | 3:12 am

  The 2011 BAFTA award winning short film from Mikey Please:

• Story of Send

  16 May 2012 | 2:52 am

  Google (Green) shows what happens when you send an email using Gmail (and how the company minimises the impact on the environment along the way):

• 60,000 Dominos

  15 May 2012 | 2:49 am

  They took FlippyCat 65 hours over eight days to set up...and just 12 seconds to fall...

• The World's First Invisible Ad

  15 May 2012 | 2:30 am

  We seriously doubt it's the world's first invisible ad, but hey....LYNX (or AXE, as the brand's known in the US of States) has installed the world's first invisible ad in a terrace house in Sydney. As you can see in the clip below, it's beamed onto some special LCD screens that can only been seen with polarised glasses.

• 

  Illusion

• Girl on Factory Wall

  Adriana de Barros

  16 May 2012 | 9:31 am

  A few years ago I featured the street art of El Mac, and he has continued to work on large-scale murals. Notes about the artist (from bio): Born in Los Angeles in 1980 to an engineer and an artist, Mac has been creating and studying art independently since childhood. His primary focus has been the lifelike rendering of human faces and figures. He has drawn inspiration from the surrounding Mexican & Chicano culture of Phoenix and the American Southwest, religious art, pin-up art, graffiti, and a wide range of classic artists such as Caravaggio, Mucha, and Vermeer. He began painting with…

• The Black Line Collection

  Adriana de Barros

  16 May 2012 | 5:00 am

  Japanese designer Nendo had a recent solo art show entitled ”Think Black Lines” that featured 29 unique furniture pieces. His creations were minimalist yet freaky how they appear to be two-dimensional and three-dimensional at the same time. Photos © Masayuki Hayashi Link via Mighty Optical Illusions

• Surreal Sanity

  Adriana de Barros

  15 May 2012 | 9:20 am

  “A Momentary Rise of Reason” is a painting series by Dan Voinea. “Time is suspended, the characters are ageless, the backdrop [is] minimal.” [1]  The image at top of the couple actually resembles Rene Magritte’s artwork such as “The Mysteries of Horizon” (1955) and “Decalcomania” (1966). 1. "Momentary Rise of Reason." Danvoineagallery.blogspot.pt. April 25, 2012. Artwork © Dan Voinea Link via Booooom

• Miniature Art: The Butterfly Kite

  Adriana de Barros

  15 May 2012 | 5:00 am

  Artist Nic Joly creates miniature sculptures that narrate his thoughts and observations about life. His work reminds me of the art of Akiko Lda and Pierre Javelle, and Lisa Swerling. Top: “My Dream.” “Filthy Habit.” “Stuck.” “Waving Off.” “The Pen is Mightier than the Sword.” Photos © Nic Joly Link via Beautiful Decay

• Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

  Adriana de Barros

  14 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  Digital artist Joana Garrido has worked on visuals for films such as “Iron Man” (2008), “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” (2008), “Star Trek” (2009), and more. Her personal art allows her to be more experimental by taking photographs of flowers and paint in water, as well as creating cool computer graphics of a skull and butterfly. Images © Joana Garrido Link via Behance Network

• 

  The Social Commerce Social Sourcing Space

• StillShot – Another Useful App from GroupShot

  Craig Agranoff

  14 May 2012 | 7:46 am

  The makers of GroupShot have released a new app to the App Store: StillShot. Just as its name implies, this one takes a photo from a video.  Any video of any length and any quality.  The shots, obviously, will come out as good as the video was recorded in terms of resolution and clarity, but it is a great app for a variety of uses. For instance, as the commercial (embedded below) implies, if you go to take a photo with your phone or camera and then realize you accidentally had it on video record instead?  No problem, just put the video into StillShot and take any captures you want from the…

• Apple to launch new range this year

  dave

  11 May 2012 | 8:15 am

  It has been announced that Apple plans to launch a seven-inch iPad and the latest model of the iPhone later this year. Digitimes has reported that Pegatron, a major manufacturer for Apple, has received orders for the 6th generation iPhone as well as what would amount to a lager iPad. The report in Digitimes claims that the company has expanded its workforce and equipment in preparation for what would be a massive operation to produce both new iPhones and iPads given the previous levels of demand that Apple has experienced whenever they have released a new model. Rumours of a seven inch iPad…

• Smartphone users drive internet usage in South Africa

  dave

  11 May 2012 | 8:13 am

  It has been announced that there has been a dramatic increase in the number of people accessing the internet in South Africa, a move which is being attributed to the rapid growth of smartphone sales within the country. Ressearch, conducted by World Wide Worx in conjunction with howzit MSN, has shown that there are now 2.5 million people in South Africa who are accessing the internet on a regular basis without access to a PC. The last year has seen a dramatic 25 per cent growth in internet users amongst South Africans, taking the number of people online from 6.5 million people at the end of…

• Leonardo da Vinci: Anatomy for iPad

  Craig Agranoff

  7 May 2012 | 7:23 am

  No one will question whether Leonardo da Vinci was a genius.  He was not just any genius, but a master of several schools of science, including anatomy.  As one of the pioneers of human anatomical research, he sketched and detailed the human body’s functions carefully in his notebooks. Those books, once thought lost, were discovered, researched, and are now on display in an exhibition at Buckingham Palace.  After 400 years of hiding, they are now publicly available. Seeing them on the iPad in an interactive app from TouchPress is awesome.  With expert explanations of the sources and…

• Nokia to launch tablets and smartphones

  dave

  4 May 2012 | 10:28 am

  Jorma Ollila, Nokia’s outgoing chairman, has promised a new range of state of the art products, in a move aimed at calming restless investors who have been losing patience with the company’s inability to regain ground lost in the mobile industry. Speaking to the Financial Times, Mr. Ollila said that the company would be launching a range of hybrid smart mobile devices but would not give a timeframe as to when these devices could be expected.  Nokia’s chairman, who will be stepping down after 27 years at the head of the company, admitted that the firm had been slow to react when the…

• 

  Sharebrain

• Useful CSS3 Design Resources – Menus, Buttons, Ribbons & More

  entheosweb

  16 May 2012 | 1:28 pm

  Here is a collection of high-quality premium CSS3 design resources for every web designer’s toolbox. They range from shadows, drop down menus, tooltips, image lightboxes, web pricing tables to ribbons, buttons, login panels, footers, bookmarks, accordians and more! Use these premium CSS3 resources to spruce up your website and make it fast loading!

• XMPPHP the successor to Class.Jabber.PHP

  laeeq khan

  16 May 2012 | 12:59 pm

  Actually XMPPHP is the successor to Class.Jabber.PHP that have been promising for years. Taking advantage of PHP5, it is an elegant solution with a direct approach. You can directly to Google Talk, LJ Talk, jabber.org, facebook chat by using XMPPHP.

• WebPutty – The Live CSS Editor

  republicof3

  16 May 2012 | 12:30 pm

  WebPutty is new. Not just a new tool, but a geniunely new idea. When it launched in August 2011, WebPutty was on the beta phase and free for those had Google accounts. The idea behind WebPutty was and still is to edit CSS in an online environment and be able to see the changes happen live. WebPutty’s aim was to make the constant switching back and forth between your editor and the FTP application obselete. WebPutty is still available for free, but now it’s under the MIT license.

• How to Create a Trendy Typographic Poster Easily in Photoshop

  hypesol

  16 May 2012 | 12:01 pm

  Typography is the technique and art of arranging type to make words or letters noticeable. In this art (arrangement of type) involves the exact selection of font styles, line length, font size, line spacing and character spacing etc.

• 30+ Free Vector Backgrounds

  muhammadfj

  16 May 2012 | 11:32 am

  Vector Graphics: I'm sure designers always in need of a free vector backgrounds and vector graphics for illustrations and sometimes it can become a little tricky to find the right one. So here is free 30+ vector backgrounds and vector graphics design which sweet to use on your desktop and illustration work.

• 

  siteInspire

• Google Ventures

  hello@siteinspire.com

  15 May 2012 | 12:03 pm

  View in siteInspire | Go directly to Google Ventures Advertise here via BSA

• The Shape of Design

  hello@siteinspire.com

  14 May 2012 | 12:01 pm

  View in siteInspire | Go directly to The Shape of Design Advertise here via BSA

• Tumblr: Storyboard

  hello@siteinspire.com

  11 May 2012 | 12:04 pm

  View in siteInspire | Go directly to Tumblr: Storyboard Advertise here via BSA

• Pollen

  hello@siteinspire.com

  10 May 2012 | 12:00 am

  View in siteInspire | Go directly to Pollen Advertise here via BSA

• Elliot Jay Stocks

  hello@siteinspire.com

  10 May 2012 | 12:00 am

  View in siteInspire | Go directly to Elliot Jay Stocks Advertise here via BSA

• 

  Six Revisions

• 10 Excellent Online Payment Systems

  Jacob Gube

  15 May 2012 | 9:34 pm

  Advertise here with BSA In this article, we’ll be reviewing my top 10 online payment systems for accepting payments on the Web. While many of the companies on this list have been available to online merchants for years, many are also now getting into new areas of online payments such as social commerce and in-store online card reader systems. A Quick Primer on Online Payment Systems Before getting started, here are just a few things to know about online payment systems. ACH payments are electronic credit and debit transfers, allowing customers to make payments from their bank accounts…

• Ultra Sleek Accordion Slider: Free PSD Template

  Jacob Gube

  13 May 2012 | 5:00 am

  Advertise here with BSA This exclusive freebie on Six Revisions, brought to you by www.bestpsdfreebies.com, is a design mockup of an accordion slider that can be used to display content. It comes in 3 variations. Each slider variation has a unique texture design with a hover effect on the 3rd slider tab. This freebie comes in 3 separate and neatly organized PSD files that allow for endless customizable options. Previews Here are the 3 accordion sliders: Slider 1 Slider 2 Slider 3 License Feel free to use this accordion slider for personal or commercial projects. If you would like to share…

• 5 Reasons Why Metaphors Can Improve the User Experience

  Jacob Gube

  11 May 2012 | 5:00 am

  Advertise here with BSA There are many ways to experience the world around us. Especially offline, we can make use of our different senses to collect information, interpret our environment and make judgments. On the Web, however, our senses are more limited. As designers, we need to present information carefully to make sure our users think, feel and do the right thing. A great way to help your users understand abstract content, create a sense of familiarity, trigger emotions, draw attention and motivate action are metaphors. "The way we think, what we experience, and what we do every…

• 30 Minimalist Portfolio Website Designs for Inspiration

  Jacob Gube

  4 Apr 2012 | 5:00 am

  Advertise here with BSA There seems to be a recent trend whereby creatives are aesthetically stripping down their online portfolios to their bare essentials. (UK-based web designer/web developer Kean Richmond recently discussed this trend in an article about "undesign", and the possible reasons why this trend is becoming widespread.) In this showcase, you’ll get to see 30 great examples of minimalist portfolio sites for your inspiration. 1. Eleven Made 2. Jessica Caldwell 3. Buero Buero 4. Thuy Truc 5. Igor Zagnienski 6. DB Works 7. Andy Mangold 8. Alexander Munk 9. Mickaël…

• “Undesign” Your Portfolio Website

  Jacob Gube

  2 Apr 2012 | 10:27 pm

  Advertise here with BSA Even the most ineffective, unattractive or simple of man-made objects have been designed in some way. The same is true for the Web: Even the most hideous of websites are created by someone who has consciously made decisions into its design. For web design professionals, it’s normal to put a lot of work into a design, using research, analysis and their expertise to form a design to delight and engage. This process is not quick and while many of us spend hours crafting websites for clients, our own website goes wanting. It’s in this situation that the process…

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  Free and Useful Online Resources for Designers and Developers

• 20 Useful PHP Tutorials For Beginners

  AQ Nizam

  16 May 2012 | 8:55 am

  PHP or Hypertext Preprocessor is a scripting language that is especially designed for the web development purpose. With the help of PHP, one can create dynamic web pages with loads of functionality. It is the general-purpose scripting language which is similar to other scripting language such as JavaScript, Ruby, Python etc. For the beginners, it may be somewhat difficult to learn but with the help of step by step tutorials, learning the scripting language also is a fun. So, in this round up you will find some useful and detailed PHP tutorials that are especially designed from the…

• 16 Useful Free Handwritten Fonts For Your Designs

  Akhter

  15 May 2012 | 12:19 pm

  Handwritten fonts add a natural feel to your design and make them look more appealing and enticing. This is the reason why majority of the designers prefer to use handwritten fonts in their designs. By using handwritten fonts, an ordinary design can also be converted into a truly stunning design – this is the power of typography. In this round up, you will unearth 16 amazing and attractive handwritten fonts that are available for free download. These fonts can also be used as signature fonts. So, without any further ado, here we are presenting the complete list of 16 free handwritten fonts…

• 50 Essential And Free Web Template PSD Layouts

  Akhter

  14 May 2012 | 10:23 am

  For a web designer what comes more handy than a high quality PSD web template? This is the reason why every designer spends loads of time in searching out some essential and basic PSD web templates and layouts that he can use in his design work. Though PSD templates simplify the designing task but finding out high quality PSD files that are free to use is a tough job. You would have to browse through dozens of web pages to find out a handful of PSD templates. This is a time consuming process. As we have already published some posts about Free Web Template PSD Layout and that was greatly…

• 45 Examples Of Websites Designed With HTML5

  Akhter

  10 May 2012 | 10:09 am

  With the revised and improved edition of HTML, the authors as well as the web developers have been given some more flexibility and interoperability in order to create more interactive and creative websites. HTML5 has been proposed recently because the community believed that now it is the time to move forward and push the limitation of HTML further more in every direction. In today’s collection, we are presenting 45 excellent examples of websites that are designed by using HTML5. With this collection, we tend to share with you variety of highly-creative, striking and most prominently…

• 25 (More) Free And Useful Photoshop Actions

  AQ Nizam

  9 May 2012 | 9:57 am

  Here is a collection of 25 truly amazing and wonderful Photoshop actions for you. Different types of Photoshop actions are high in demand because Photoshop actions make automating the common sequences easy for the designers and thereby increasing their efficiency and saving their precious time. In this compilation, we have put together 25 awesome and absolutely free Photoshop actions for you that you can download for free. With these Photoshop actions, you can easily automate monotonous work and improve your work efficiency greatly. We hope that you will like this assortment. Feel free to…

• 

  Smashing Magazine Feed

• Zocial Button Set: 72 CSS3 Buttons

  Sam Collins

  15 May 2012 | 7:39 am

     The idea behind this project was to produce a consistent set of buttons that could be used for the range of social actions frequently taken in Web applications. These actions are often important goals for users, such as connecting third-party accounts or sharing content to third-party platforms, so their appearance has to be attractive and clear. The standard buttons provided by third parties (such as Facebook, Twitter and SoundCloud) vary in size, style and interactivity. A consistent button set could reduce a lot of that visual noise and inconsistency. Furthermore, having it in…

• Smashing Daily #1: Mobile Device Lab, Browsers and Animated GIFs

  Smashing Editorial

  15 May 2012 | 4:24 am

     Editor’s Note: This post is the first in the new Smashing Daily series on Smashing Magazine, where we highlight items to help you stay on the top of what’s going on in the industry. Vasilis van Gemert will carefully pick the most interesting discussions, tools, techniques and articles that were published recently and present them in a nice compact overview. Vasilis goes through dozens of RSS feeds and hundreds of tweets so that you don’t have to. Do you find the new series interesting? What would you like to have? And what wouldn’t you like to see? Let us…

• The Font Wars: A Story On Rivalry Between Type Foundries

  Simon Loxley

  14 May 2012 | 9:09 am

     I had thought terms like “intellectual property” and “intellectual theft” were of fairly recent provenance, so my eye was caught by the latter’s use in a headline of a 1930 edition of the US trade journal The American Printer. The article it headed proved to be equally intriguing, a response by the president of American Type Founders (ATF) to a June 1929 article in the German journal Gebrauchsgraphik by the designer Rudolf Koch, calling the ATF a “highway robber of German intellectual property.” At issue was a typeface marketed by the ATF earlier in 1929 called…

• Taming The Wild Mind

  Marli Mesibov

  11 May 2012 | 10:32 am

     Myths have developed around and researchers have studied how the human brain juggles creativity and organization. Popular theory tells us that the left brain is structured and logical, while the right brain is artistic and imaginative, and that all human beings use predominantly one side of the other. Working in a creative field means challenging that theory, or else challenging the schedules and deadlines that managers impose on writers, designers and other creatives. As a project manager in a UX design agency, as well as a writer, I believe it is necessary to challenge both the…

• Interaction Design In The Cloud

  Erik Perotti

  10 May 2012 | 8:05 am

     Interaction designers create wireframes in tools such as Adobe Illustrator, OmniGraffle and Microsoft Visio. Originally, these wireframes were primitive shapes drawn to represent various UI elements. Many of us cannot imagine life without them. There are, however, reasons to consider moving to the cloud to do interaction design. In short, today’s cloud-based tools are: Optimized for collaboration, Editable anywhere, Interactive, Published in real time, Self-maintaing (the user doesn’t need to update software), Payable monthly, Emailing your old static designs will feel old…

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  Snook.ca

• Project Detritus

  24 Apr 2012 | 12:38 pm

  Zielun asks of managing projects: It often happens in projects that based on one, large system with tons of modules that can be enabled or disabled, and documentation is often not up-to-date or doesn`t exist at all. At least I have such experience. I know that real problem lies elsewhere like in project management but such things often plays main role when you or team decides which coding standard to pick for a project to solve such issues. This project detritus can definitely be frustrating. Big projects that go on for extended periods of time begin looking like sediment layers of a rock…

• CoffeeConsole: A Chrome Extension

  7 Apr 2012 | 12:14 am

  Harry Brundage, a co-worker of mine at Shopify, does a lot of CoffeeScript development and said he would love to be able to do CoffeeScript right from the console in Chrome's Web Inspector. I asked Paul Irish, a "dev relations guy" at Google, to point me in the right direction on building just such a thing. The result of today's pet project is CoffeeConsole, a Chrome extension that adds a new panel inside the Web Inspector. Type in any CoffeeScript and then hit the run button (or hit Command-Enter or Shift-Enter). The code will be compiled into JavaScript and then run in the context of the…

• Definition Lists versus Tables

  25 Mar 2012 | 7:40 pm

  I remember a couple years ago speaking at An Event Apart and mentioning how I don't use the definition list. I may have said it a few times, to the annoyance of the audience. When pushed on why I don't use definition lists, I mentioned that screenreaders read out that a term is equal to a definition. Somebody tested and confirmed with me afterwards that his particular screenreader did in fact read it out in a way that would be awkward if people were to use them. (Alas, I can't remember exactly what it was that the screenreader actually announced.) It's been a couple years since that fateful…

• Going Simple with JavaScript

  5 Mar 2012 | 9:29 am

  I was making a change to a page that needed to pull from a remote API and make changes to various parts of the page. Sounds like the time to pull out jQuery and Ajax, doesn't it? Instead, I just used old fashioned JavaScript. Actually, I used new fashioned JavaScript. Browsers haven't stood still in the advent of libraries and frameworks. As a result, we can take advantage of those features when we need to bake in a little extra. Some JSONP The first step was to get the JSONP call executing. This is generally straightforward: embed a script tag into the page. The script will run a function…

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  Speckyboy Design Magazine

• 25 Examples of Monochromatic Photos and Art

  Tara Horner

  16 May 2012 | 10:36 am

  Colors help our eyes determine detail. Sometimes, however, multiple colors can disguise details that we do not naturally see. Using shades of one color to wash out a photo or art piece can add to the overall impact and bring out details we might have missed.This process of either eliminating all color or reducing the color palette to hues within a single shade is generally referred to as monochromatism. In the below examples of monochromatic photos and art, we included images in which the artist focuses your attention using careful color selection. This is not necessarily a single color, even…

• Coding the Digg v4 Layout with HTML5 and CSS3

  Jake Rocheleau

  16 May 2012 | 2:16 am

  The social news community Digg has been online since 2004 and rapidly grew in popularity leading up to the 2008 elections. Come 2011 the Digg team performed an overhaul on the system and completely revamped the site layout. This also broke the friends system, allowing big-name publishers to game the front page. This upset many powerhouse users who were furious with the major changes.Over time the site has slowly moved back towards its roots as a user-powered news community. And although the domain has lost some credibility, their design skills are still impeccable. So in this tutorial I want…

• 20 More CSS3 Tutorials and Techniques for Creating Buttons

  Paul Andrew

  15 May 2012 | 11:13 am

  It has been well over a year since we last took a look at some of the latest CSS3 buttons techniques. And what a difference a year makes.No longer satisfied with just using the basic CSS3 properties (border-radius, box-shadow…), many developers have progressed to using @font-face icons, animation and 3D effects. All with only CSS.Hope you enjoy this selection:You might also like… 20 CSS3 Tutorials and Techniques for Creating Buttons → 22 CSS Button Styling Tutorials and Techniques → 20 Awesome jQuery Enhanced CSS Button Techniques → CSS3 Menu and Navigation…

• Weekly Design News – Resources, Tutorials and Freebies (N.132)

  Speckyboy Editors

  15 May 2012 | 2:56 am

  This is our weekly column were we share our favorite design related articles, resources and cool tidbits from the past week. Enjoy :) If you would like to receive our daily updates and keep up to date with the latest and greatest articles and resources from the design community, you can follow us on Twitter, on Facebookor by subscribing to our RSS feed.Our Weekly Design News has been sponsored by MediaLoot. Check them out for some seriously useful resources like icon fonts, UI kits, vectors and themes.CSSPop – The Snippet CommunityThe Toolbox – A Directory of Useful Single-Page…

• Cookie Consent – an Open Source Solution to EU Cookie Law

  Sufyan bin Uzayr

  14 May 2012 | 9:55 am

  Few weeks ago, we covered the European Union’s Cookie Law, and its implications on websites based in Europe. Thereafter, we have also covered the reactions to the said law. In fact, as a UK-based site, Speckyboy itself firmly stands in support of such protests against the Cookie Law.Speaking of protests, Silktide, one of the most prominent critics of the Cookie Law and the brains behind concepts such as No Cookie Law and the popular YouTube video The Cookie Law in Under Three Minutes, has come up with a free open-source solution to the EU Cookie Law, named Cookie Consent.In simplest…

• 

  Subtraction.com

• Recursive Drawing

  desk@subtraction.com

  14 May 2012 | 3:07 pm

  This made the rounds last week but it’s worth playing with — or at least watching the video. It’s a novel and quite startling concept in object-oriented drawing that’s fascinating to see in action. Via Chunk Anderson. To follow me on Twitter click here.

• When Letraset Was King

  desk@subtraction.com

  9 May 2012 | 2:50 pm

  A look at two 1970s-era catalogs from Letraset Ltd. To follow me on Twitter click here.

• Stijn Debrouwere on Journalism

  desk@subtraction.com

  9 May 2012 | 9:44 am

  A sobering diagnosis of how extensive the crisis is for journalism as something people need in their lives. Stijn is a technologist working in journalism and has an apparently keen understanding of the situation that he expresses clearly and urgently. Full blog post here. Via Mike Davidson. To follow me on Twitter click here.

• Why Publishers Don’t Like Apps

  desk@subtraction.com

  8 May 2012 | 9:08 pm

  From MIT Technology Review, a summary of the publishing industry’s ill-fated dalliance with iPad apps, including first hand experiences. “And Technology Review? We sold 353 subscriptions through the iPad. We never discovered how to avoid the necessity of designing both landscape and portrait versions of the magazine for the app. We wasted US$124,000 on outsourced software development. We fought amongst ourselves, and people left the company. There was untold expense of spirit. I hated every moment of our experiment with apps, because it tried to impose something closed, old,…

• Tracking Airfare Prices

  desk@subtraction.com

  4 May 2012 | 10:48 am

  Air fares to Europe are up significantly this year, as I recently discovered when my girlfriend and I started planning a trip to France to see relatives. To try to get a sense of whether there were any deals to be had, I started manually checking prices every day and tracking them in a Google Docs spreadsheet. I did this for about two weeks. It was laborious, but it was fascinating in that it let me decrypt just a little bit of the arcane logic that goes into the fluctuation of ticket prices. There’s not a tremendous amount of pattern recognition that you can glean from a sample size as…

• 

  Think Vitamin

• Free Video: iOS Blocks and Categories

  Amit Bijlani

  15 May 2012 | 10:42 am

  In this 5:30 minute video, you will learn that a category is used to define additional methods of an existing class without subclassing. And blocks are simply a block of executable code that have access to local variables and can be stored or passed around. This video is the first video in the iOS Blocks and Categories badge from Treehouse, a high-quality video training site with hundreds of short videos. The entire Blocks and Categories badge consists of the following videos: Categories Blocks – Part 1 Blocks – Part 2 Other topics on Treehouse include topics like ……

• Free Video: iOS Property Lists

  Amit Bijlani

  30 Apr 2012 | 9:01 am

  In this 6:46 minute video, you’ll learn about property lists also known as a “plist”, a structured data representation used as a convenient way to store, organize, and access standard types of data. This video is the first video in the iOS – App Settings badge from Treehouse, a high-quality video training site with hundreds of short videos. The entire iOS Tutorial – App Settings: Property List consists of the following videos: Property List Settings Bundle NSUserDefaults Setup Defaults Change Notification Other topics on Treehouse include topics like ……

• Free Video: Ruby Hashes

  Jason Seifer

  25 Apr 2012 | 1:45 pm

  In this 7:18 minute video, you’ll learn what hashes are, how they work in Ruby, and how to create them yourself. This video is the first video in the Ruby Hashes badge from Treehouse, a high-quality video training site with hundreds of short videos. The entire Ruby Arrays badge consists of the following videos: Creating Hashes Keys and Values Working With Hashes Iteration Enumerable Other topics on Treehouse include topics like … Accessibility HTML Website Basics CSS3 Aesthetic Foundations HTML5 iOS Development JavaScript Responsive Web Design Ruby New videos are added regularly,…

• Tony Hsieh and Zach Ware of Zappos – Speaking at FILive!

  Lou Morgan

  18 Apr 2012 | 10:49 am

  We have an amazing late addition to our Future Insights Live show taking place in Vegas in less than 2 weeks time…. Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh and Lead Developer, Zach Ware - will be joining us on stage for a special extended Keynote! That’s right – the infamous Vegas company will be joining us to discuss The City As A Startup. Zappos are helping accelerate community, learning, and serendipity in downtown Vegas to generate productivity, innovation, and happiness and will share their insights with you. If you’d like to see Tony and Zach on stage, they’ll be speaking on…

• Free Video: Building Accessible Charts

  Nick Pettit

  11 Apr 2012 | 8:00 am

  In this 6 minute video, you’ll learn how to create a simple bar graph from scratch by using HTML and CSS. This bar graph is made with screen readers in mind, and doesn’t make use of images or browser plugins. This video is the third video in the Accessibility: Web Apps badge from Treehouse, a high-quality video training site with hundreds of short videos. The entire Accessibility: Web Apps badge consists of the following videos: Forms Tables Charts and Graphs Other topics on Treehouse include topics like … Accessibility HTML Website Basics CSS3 Aesthetic Foundations HTML5…

• 

  blog

• An Afternoon at the Parrish

  admin

  13 May 2012 | 7:42 am

  Recently I’d been thinking to myself—lamenting really—that I was not one of those graphic artists who could walk around and see art in everyday things, what they call “found art.” And I am particularly not into staring at type on the street and contributing to the genre of “found type.” I wish I were more of the sort who could look at a sign proclaiming the price of broccoli and see the art in it. I have, of course, made no bones about my like of formal art training, unless weekly visits of Mrs. Winnamore the Art Teacher to my class at St. John the Evangelist in Brooklyn from…

• Time to Think and What It Leads To

  admin

  22 Apr 2012 | 2:48 pm

  It never ceases to amaze me just how far afield I get from my usual thinking when I’m not overwhelmed by work. Anyone who knows me through this blog or otherwise online, or anyone who simply knows how much I love my part of making books, is probably also aware how when my plate is not overflowing with work(s) in progress, I tend to get edgy, fidgety, antsy, squirrelly—whatever you want to use to refer to the uneasiness I feel when there’s not so much work that it owns me. For instance, tho’ it wasn’t the reason I began this piece for the blog, in using the word “antsy” in the…

• Making My Way into ebook Design and Layout

  admin

  28 Mar 2012 | 9:17 pm

  Although I continue to harbor reservations about the ability of human readers to change the look of ebooks on their e-reading devices, time has come for me to jump into ebook-making with both feet. To be sure, it gnaws at me that the typefaces I use in my print books will not make it to their e-versions, but it really is time. So right now, in between projects and/or pieces of projects, I am beefing up my skills by extending my knowledge. First in my learning parade is Anne-Marie Concepcion’s DVD from Lynda.com, Adobe InDesign CS5.5 to EPUB, Kindle, and iPad. This is a fairly painless way,…

• Logos v. Books: What’s the Diff?

  admin

  4 Mar 2012 | 11:00 am

  A few weeks ago I was asked by a reader of this blog to write some about the differences between logo design and book design. Never having designed a logo, I thought I might not be the best person to offer an opinion. Thinking longer on it, however, I figured at least a few of my observations might make some sense. Truth is, logos simply never have been my thing. I started with résumés, product literature, and some local supermarket paper display ads. But pretty quickly I got into books and that was all she wrote. So to speak. The thing I know about logos are that they are usually meant to…

• Staying Relevant

  admin

  1 Feb 2012 | 1:29 pm

  I do not remember the last time I made a mass upgrade of software. Back in 2005, I think it was, I got a PoweMac tower and Adobe CS2, but that’s not what I mean. It came to me the other day, however, that it is high time. So I made my plan … I finally see the tools for making ebooks starting to show signs of maturity. InDesign CS5.5 has been available for some time. In fact, CS6 is rumored to be around the corner. But it’s Export to epub  function, I hear, works pretty well. And Apple’s iBook Author looks—from the demo I saw—like it does what I have asked for, making iPad a…

• 

  UnBeige

• In Brief: Design Hunting Debuts, Illustrators Honored, New York Photo Festival Opening

  Stephanie Murg

  16 May 2012 | 4:41 am

  Can you hear me, Major Tom? The instructions that greet visitors to Tom Sachs’ “Space Program: Mars,” which lifts off today at the Park Avenue Armory. • Design Hunting is now on newsstands, just in time for the International Contemporary Furniture Fair. The new stand-alone home design title from the publishers of New York magazine and tireless design huntress (and New York design editor) Wendy Goodman is stuffed with lush photos of eye-popping dwellings—from a dentist’s office-turned-studio to an indoor treehouse—as well as advice from industry experts…

• Freelance Photographers Wanted at Time Out Chicago

  Donya Blaze

  15 May 2012 | 10:59 am

  As the go-to guide for seven-day snapshots of local arts and events listings, Time Out Chicago boasts service-oriented stories that help urban explorers find the best ways to spend their free time. And if you’re a freelance photographer, TimeOutChicago.com is wide open for those looking to add to their portfolios. The site gets over 3 million page views a month and features lots of photo galleries that speak to the mag’s cultural core. “We have the broadest, most in-depth cultural coverage of Chicago of any media outlet and the largest cultural reporting team in the city,…

• Marina Abramović Teams with Koolhaas’ OMA to Convert Old Theater into Performance Art Institute

  Stephanie Murg

  15 May 2012 | 2:49 am

  Marina Abramović and OMA’s Shohei Shigematsu with a model of the Marina Abramović Institute for the Preservation of Performance Art (Photo: OMA / Loren Wohl) Artist Marina Abramović began her Met Gala Monday in Queens, inside MoMA PS1′s geodesic Performance Dome, where she detailed her plans to transform a crumbling old theater in Hudson, New York into the Marina Abramović Institute for the Preservation for Performance Art (MAI for short). Hours later, having sharpened up her all-black ensemble, she was striding up the red carpet at the Metropolitan Museum of the Art on the…

• Learn HTML in Cyberspace, Just as Nature Intended

  Stephanie Murg

  14 May 2012 | 2:15 pm

  Admit it. Your seven-year-old nephew could out-HTML tag you any day and you think that a Cascading Style Sheet is something with a thread count. That’s where the mediabistro.com mothership comes in. They’ve asked us to tell you about the upcoming online course in HTML fundamentals. Over four fun-filled weeks, web design design guru Laura Galbraith will guide you through a variety of web page production techniques, from column-based layouts and search engine optimization to semantic markup and advanced CSS styles. The online learning fun begins Thursday, May 31, and by Independence…

• National Building Museum Gets LEGO White House

  Stephanie Murg

  11 May 2012 | 5:35 pm

  Remember those commercials featuring Zack the Legomaniac? His real-world, adult equivalents are known as LEGO Certified Professionals, a designation that only a dozen people worldwide have achieved. One of them is Adam Reed Tucker, a Chicago architect-turned-“architectural artist” that now builds exclusively with tiny plastic bricks. “Working with my hands, creating art and sculpture, the freedom to create and explore my own vision of design without computer reliance, and to share architecture with the world all made this a natural move for me,” he says. “I…

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  Vandelay Design Blog

• 17 Tools For Making Awesome Client Presentations

  Jessica Moon

  16 May 2012 | 6:09 am

  Ask five designers how they handle client design presentations and you’ll get five different answers. Some like to do their presentations in person, accompanying their designs with printouts detailing specific highlights. Others prefer utilizing an online screen sharing experience and talking their clients through their design in real time. And then there are those who simply ship off the jpgs in an email outlining the design’s main points. No matter what your method is for revealing your design, it is important to use tools and resources that can make your presentation successful.

• 21 Awesome Bright and Colorful Websites

  Steven Snell

  15 May 2012 | 1:56 pm

  Finding the right color scheme for a website design can often be a real challenge. Bright colors are sometimes not favored by designers, but in the right situation they can be very effective. In this post we’ll showcase examples of 21 different bright and colorful websites. Hopfully, seeing these examples will give you some inspiration when you’re considering color schemes in your own work. By seeing what other designers are doing and how they are able to make colorful web designs work, you may get some ideas of your own. Brooks Shoe Advisor Adventure World Global Team Travel…

• Comment to Win PSD to HTML Services from Markup-Service!

  Steven Snell

  15 May 2012 | 5:53 am

  Many designers prefer to outsource some of their coding work in order to free up more of their own time, or maybe to get a higher quality of coding than they can produce on their own. Outsourcing PSD to HTML conversion can be done on a regular basis with the majority of your web design clients, or it can be done only in special situations when you are really pressed for time. Our friends at Markup-Service have offered to give PSD to HTML credits to 2 lucky readers of the Vandelay Design Blog! The first-prize winner will get $300 worth of services and the second-prize winner will get $100…

• Design an iPhone Icon for Notes Application in Photoshop

  Mohammad Jeprie

  14 May 2012 | 5:59 am

  In this tutorial, I will show you how to draw a notes icon for an iPhone app using Photoshop. We will combine the power of Layer Styles and traditional drawing to achieve a realistic result. Preview Here’s a preview of icon we are going to make. Tutorial Resources In this tutorial, we will use resources below. Wood and Knot Textures from VandelayPremier. 26 Repeatable Pixel Pattern from PSDfreemium Step 1 Let’s start by making a new file with size 550 px × 550 px. Acivate Rounded Rectangle tool. In the option Bar, set its Radius to 90 px. Click and drag on the canvas to draw a…

• Simple Style Photography WordPress Theme

  Steven Snell

  11 May 2012 | 4:13 pm

  With the free Simple Style WordPress theme you can showcase your photos on a clean, professional website. The theme was designed in a minimalist style to allow for your amazing photos to take center stage. With either color scheme (light or dark) you can have a site that shows your photos in a stylish way. Theme features include: 2 color schemes (light and dark) Customizable slideshow on homepage Customizable photo galleries Upload your own logo, or display site name in text Widget-ready sidebar The Simple Style theme gives you the ability to set up a customized theme without the cost. The…

• 

  Veerle's blog 3.0

• iPad HD Retina Wallpapers designed by Simon C Page

  Veerle Pieters

  9 May 2012 | 1:38 am

  Most of you that visit here often know that I have a soft spot for geometrical shapes. In this post you'll get plenty of those and you'll have the option to download it as a wallpaper for your shiny new iPad 3 with the retina display. Repetitions of a shape The creator of these beauties is Simon C Page, a name that rings a bell properly as I featured Simon's work before in a post called International Year of Chemistry 2011. His latest experiment didn't take too long to create. I'll let Simon reveal some of the process: These pieces actually didn’t take long to create as they are just…

• Inspiration Stream, now with downloadable ASE file

  Veerle Pieters

  2 May 2012 | 2:03 am

  Time to talk about color inspiration today. Each image in my Inspiration Stream contains a color that is handpicked. No ingenious automation process in action here, as I want to have full control over this. I even try to choose my colors so I end up with an interesting palette at the top of each page. Even though, each time I add a new image to the gallery, the colors move one position per page as the images move one position as well. Still, I try to watch that the neighboring colors are in harmony. That said, it has always been my intention to create some sort of non-stop color palette, or a…

• Caleb Kozlowski cycling posters

  Veerle Pieters

  18 Apr 2012 | 7:53 am

  With the Waalse Pijl/La Flèche Wallonne race going on today it seems like the perfect timing to combine my passion for cycling and the love for vectors. Just like we did with Neil Stevens aka Crayonfire and his Tour de France Series. Illustrations & cycling Illustrations & cycling is an addictive combo that I don't mind featuring here. The people who follow me on Twitter will also know that I'm just keeping my promise. These posters by Caleb Kozlowski fit the profile. These follow a long tradition of illustrative sports posters with the ones from the 1972 Munich Olympics by Otl Aicher as…

• I Love Adaptive Web Design poster contest winners

  Veerle Pieters

  14 Apr 2012 | 9:45 am

  The graphic design enthusiasts that read this blog have put their pencils down on their desks and finished their entries for our contest. Here are the results… The I Adaptive Web DesignPoster Contest Winners Grand Prize Winner Erin Crocombe Queensland, Australia Charity: World Wildlife Foundation 1st Runner Up Valentina Rachiele Pesaro e Urbino, Italy Charity: Free Tibet 2nd Runner Up Phillip Keys Wisconsin, USA Charity: Charity: Water 3rd Runner Up Cristian-Ioan Colceriu Mureș, Romaina Charity: Amnesty International 4th Runner Up Heidi Sergel New Mexico, USA Charity: American…

• The design process of my Eco theme for Fork

  Veerle Pieters

  11 Apr 2012 | 1:51 am

  Last year Bart De Waele from Netlash bSeen asked me if I would be interested in designing a theme for their Fork CMS. Designing themes is something I always enjoy doing because of the creative freedom that comes with these kind of projects, so it didn't take me all too long to accept this great challenge. Here is another short behind the scenes story of my design adventures… The briefing The briefing for this project was pretty straightforward as the client gave me total freedom. I could just choose my own theme, and design style. The boundaries I needed to stay into were the ones of the…

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  Warpspire

• Peepcode Play by Play

  Kyle Neath

  16 May 2012 | 2:00 am

  I sat down for a while with the excellent PeepCode folks and recorded a Play by Play — a real time video of me solving a design problem. A bit terrifying, a bit fun. Check it out if you’d like to see me bumble around.

• Choose Your Adventure! slides

  Kyle Neath

  28 Apr 2012 | 2:00 am

  Slides from my presentation I gave at Úll – Choose Your Adventure!

• Knyle Style Sheets

  Kyle Neath

  5 Dec 2011 | 2:00 am

  So I’ve been writing CSS for somewhere around 13 years now. Some might think I’ve learned the right way to write CSS in that time — but if you ask me all I’ve learned is the most efficient way to drive someone insane. CSS is complicated. It’s not object oriented. It’s not hierarchical. It’s a specificity based cascade applied to a dynamic hierarchical data structure that few people truly comprehend. Trying to impart this knowledge on someone is a very difficult task with extremely minimal rewards. I used to think that imparting this knowledge was the path…

• Knyle style recruiting

  Kyle Neath

  7 Nov 2011 | 2:00 am

  Otherwise known as Kyle Neath’s guide to hiring the best people in the world: an examination into why recruiters are useless piles of humanflesh hellbent on destroying the souls of good designers and developers across the world. Too harsh? Most likely. But here’s the thing: recruiters do not give a fuck about doing good in the world. They do not care about making people happy. They do not care about building a good company. They do not care about treating email addresses as human beings. They only care about their percentage. Employees are the best recruiters At its core, the idea…

• Mustache, ERB and the future of templating

  Kyle Neath

  17 Oct 2011 | 2:00 am

  There are days that I feel like I’ve spent the better part of my life inside templating languages. I’ve rocked hundreds of different styles of templates over the past 8 years. Smarty, vBulletin templates, generations of Wordpress, J2EE, XSLT, CFML, ERB, HAML, Mustache and every form of in-house bastardized template language that exists. So when I say that {{ mustache }} is my favorite templating language I’ve ever worked with, I mean it with a great deal of sincerity and experience. It’s syntactically elegant, focused on output (HTML), encourages documentation, and…

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  Imprint-The Online Community for Graphic Designers

• Teen! Mags! 4-Ever!

  Gail Anderson

  16 May 2012 | 12:00 pm

  Before there was a Justin Bieber—before there was even a Justin Timberlake—there was Donny Osmond. One summer night in the 1970s, my poor older brother, Mike, was forced to take his preteen sisters to see Donny and those other Osmonds, as well as the Jackson 5, at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Imagine the stress of worrying about two adolescent girls and their obligatory mutual friend dancing their way down from the cheap seats to the slightly better view one section below. Mike was in college, and my sister and I weren’t even in high school yet. I guess that’s why our brother…

• Our Bodies, Our Products

  Steven Heller

  16 May 2012 | 12:02 am

  I bet many of you don't know what the Michelin Man, also known as the Bibendum, is made of. Take a wild guess! French cartoonist Marius Rossillon, also known as O'Galop, created the prototype for a Munich brewery (he was holding a glass of beer and quoting Horace's phrase "Nunc est bibendum" -- now's the time to drink). It was rejected. But the Michelin brothers saw the image and suggested replacing O'Galop's man with a figure made -- yes indeed -- from tires. Voila! The Bibendum is now one of the world's most recognized and collected trademarks in the world. Concocting trade characters from…

• Comics Analyzed, Metastasized, Rasterized

  Steven Heller

  15 May 2012 | 6:00 pm

  On May 18-20, the University of Chicago is hosting a conference called "Comics: Philosophy & Practice" that will bring together 17 world-renowned graphic novelists for three days of lectures and public conversation at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts. Attendees include Alison Bechdel, Lynda Barry, Daniel Clowes, R. Crumb, Joe Sacco, Art Spiegelman, and Chris Ware. The conference was organized by Hillary Chute, an English professor at U. Chicago and a leading expert on graphic narrative. For those who cannot attend, it will be webcasted throughout the weekend. Information about…

• Remembrance of Comics Past

  Steven Brower

  15 May 2012 | 2:02 pm

  Memory is evanescent. I can’t recall where I made the purchase; perhaps it was during an elementary-school or Cub Scout trip. Nor do I remember my exact age; it was anywhere between eight and ten. What I do remember vividly is the visceral experience: the feel and smell of the paper as I unfurled it. The sense that I was both witnessing and experiencing history, which I then held tangibly in my hands. In the morning of that day, my mother had given me some small change for the day's trip, and I spent it on a reproduction of the Declaration of Independence. It was printed on a rough-hewn,…

• Pigheaded Demopublicans

  Steven Heller

  15 May 2012 | 12:13 am

  Both U.S. political parties are playing politics with food aid. And Oxfam America is angry. Their recent advertising campaign, created by Hill Holliday, USA, "Tell Washington to Stop Playing with Food Aid," takes a non-partisan/non-gender stance against the stubborn donkeys and elephants who fill the pockets of special interest groups when they should be "helping to feed millions of starving people." Moodily photographed, the campaign features brilliantly costumed antagonists dancing at "a party for Republicans and Democrats." Apart from the beautiful craft, the striking message is…

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  STEPHANIE ORMA :: travel, arts, & design writer

• Travel + Leisure Article: Most Over-the-Top Room Service

  steph

  13 May 2012 | 1:31 am

  On a secluded African island, you’re finishing dinner in your private cottage when there’s a knock at the door. Villagers from the local church choir have arrived ready to perform a song and dance ritual just for you. That’s the kind of above-and-beyond room service to expect at Tanzania’s Lupita Island retreat. These days, attracting travelers takes more than just good service—it takes oodles of creativity. Hotels are one-upping each other with the most unexpected of amenities, large and small, serious and silly. From in-room art lessons to personal Book Butlers to homemade ice…

• Spa Magazine Article – At Your Room Service: Kimpton’s Hotel Monaco Chicago

  steph

  6 Apr 2012 | 7:09 pm

  For the latest issue of SPA MAGAZINE, I uncover what makes Kimpton’s Hotel Monaco Chicago the ultimate urban unplug. Check out my article below: Image Courtesy Spa Magazine

• California Home+Design article: SF Creatives Turn Literary Classics Into Poster Art

  steph

  9 Mar 2012 | 9:29 am

  When writing is good (like insanely good) – it’s art. The problem? You can’t exactly frame your favorite reads without wallpapering every inch of your abode. Enter SF-based Matt Grinberg’s and Alex Yancher’s NovelPoster – entire literary works printed on a single page. Classic tomes (like Pride and Prejudice below) turn visual art with a symbolic image crafted from white space in the arranged text. And although the words are small, these tall tales are fully readable from beginning to end. Read my full article on California Home+Design. Pride and Prejudice

• Mention in California Home+Design!

  steph

  9 Mar 2012 | 9:14 am

  One of my favorite pubs to write for is California Home+Design - where I weekly blog about my latest San Francisco design obsession from architecture, interiors, and products to emerging artists and must-see gallery openings. So I couldn’t be more stoked to have a mention in this month’s issue! And speaking of which, I’m always on the hunt for the next great buzz-worthy SF arts and design news. Got an idea share? Shoot me an email. I’d love to hear from you! And follow my musings here.

• 7×7 SF Article – New on the Aisle: Brooch Bouquets

  steph

  9 Mar 2012 | 8:51 am

  While you want your wedding day to last forever – your bridal bouquet has more short-lived plans. So why not toss the dead-in-a-day posies for buds that won’t kick the bucket? Enter, SF-based Britta Uniacke’s offbeat brooch bouquets. After falling head-over-heels for the non-prickly trend last year and recently walking down the aisle with her own head-turning creations, her Silver Stems business blossomed. Read my full article on 7×7.com.

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  The ZehnKatzen Times

• [net_liff] Google Chrome, Now With Built-In Tab Synching

  Samuel Klein

  15 May 2012 | 2:29 pm

  2816.The new Google Chrome, Chrome 19, is in the stable channel, and what got my attention was that they have apparently brought tab synching to the browser. This is supposed to mean that no matter where you are, on what computer, whenever you use Chrome you have the same tabs on any session on any computer you use. Your browser follows you everywhere.This'll probably have two reactions depending on how you see Google; for those who aren't down with the seemingly-ever-increasing amount of information Google collects on you to make your online experience as unified as possible, there will be a…

• [design] How Many Fonts Do YOU Have?

  Samuel Klein

  10 May 2012 | 10:37 pm

  2815.Looks like I'm running behind.

• [pdx_liff] Are There Mutant Ducks In Laurelhurst Park?

  Samuel Klein

  10 May 2012 | 12:27 am

  2814.Well, no … not if you don't feed them, anyway.Earlier today we repaired to the park to take in the waning day and enjoy a light lunch. The money the City's spent to rehab the pond in Laurelhurst Park has been well spent; ducks enjoy it mightily, and clouds of tireless swifts clear the air of irritating bugs. It's a very pleasant place.But as you may or may not know, the City's concerned that we keep the Pond clear of everything that we don't need there; feeding the ducks will bring in matter they don't need, and threaten the rehab that's been accomplished there.This is what it looks…

• [zehnkatzen] The Portland Marquam Bridge Skyline Picture Has Jefferson Smith's Back

  Samuel Klein

  8 May 2012 | 3:39 pm

  2813.When a particularly beloved progeny goes on TV, there's always a moment of swelling pride. Now, some know this photo, and it has gone round the world a couple of times (sadly, not always permitted). Back in January, though, I reached an agreement with the Jefferson Smith for Mayor campaign to license the photo for use.This, of course, is that photo:It went on a few posters, which made me rather extremely happy. But in the latest campaign spot for Jefferson, my happiness meter pretty much pegged. Not just because it's a darned fine spot, and Jefferson looks very good in it, but the…

• [net_liff] Mahtab Zargari and the Yoda Soda

  Samuel Klein

  5 May 2012 | 8:16 pm

  2812.I've rhapsodized at length about Mahtab in the past. If you've not been introduced, let me explain.Mahtab Zargari is this precocious little 8-year old girl who has a passion for food. Yes, I know, what kid doesn't? But, unlike most kids, she makes the greatest little show out of it.Mahtab's Big Kid Cooking Show is now at 11 episodes; she's covered things like making hummus wraps (yes, and "Yoda Soda") in the little-kid way but with a big-kid approach and a comfortability with the camera that is unmistakable. It's hard not to be sweet on young ladies, but I say, sirra, if you don't…

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  Hensher Creative

• Book Review: Creative Stuff - An Activity Book for Visual Thinkers

  Shaun Hensher

  2 May 2012 | 3:12 pm

  Design is hard. The creative mind is a finicky thing. Sometimes you can get in a flow state and it seems like no design problem is a match for your supreme wit. On the other hand, sometimes you just can’t seem to get in the groove and feel like you couldn’t design your way out of a wet paper bag. Hey, it happens to the best of us. We all have little tricks and ways of jump-starting the creative process, but sometimes what you need is a little guidance.  That’s what a new book by Dave Gouveia and Chris Elkerton offers. Creative Stuff: An Activity Book for Visual Thinkers is…

• The Best Book Cover Designs of 2011

  Shaun Hensher

  19 Dec 2011 | 12:06 am

  It’s that time of year again! Time to showcase the best book cover designs of the year. If you missed last year’s list, check it out here: The Best Book Cover Designs of 2010. Once again, I’ve sorted through thousands of new books to find the gems for you. 2011 has turned out to be a pretty darn good year for book design. The themes of the year seem to be great art, understated typography, the return of white space, and unique materials/binding/packaging. Enjoy! At the request of my readers, I’ve tried to include the designer credits where possible. If you know who…

• FITC Rebrands, Adopts New Meaning

  Shaun Hensher

  28 Nov 2011 | 2:29 pm

  The first FITC (Flash In The Can) event was held in 2002 as a Flash development conference. That was a decade ago. At that time, IE 6 and Netscape Navigator 7 were the most modern browsers available, “Web 2.0″ held meaning, Macromedia Flash MX was the next big thing, and the iPhone was still 5 years away. The world has changed. Recognizing that, FITC decided it was high time to enter a new direction in their brand design that better represented the brand it has become. “FITC has evolved into a brand which is embraced by digital creators around the world for playing host to…

• The Creative Process - Reliable methods for coming up with great ideas

  Shaun Hensher

  9 Nov 2011 | 10:49 pm

  In the last couple of posts, we’ve been talking about how to be creative. In The Creative Mind, we covered the mindset required for creative production. In The Creative Space, we talked about how our surroundings can help us foster our creative thinking. Now let’s talk about the actual creative process. The Creative Process How do we go about solving creative problems? Although it may sometimes seem like a mystical or mysterious process, creative ideation is no mystery. Creative problem-solving can actually be made quite simple by following a few tried and true methods. Research…

• The Creative Space - How our surroundings can help us tap into our creative potential

  Shaun Hensher

  1 Nov 2011 | 11:49 am

  In the last article, The Creative Mind, we discussed the mental aspects of fostering creativity. This week, we pick up where we left off. If you haven’t read that article, I recommend checking it out. Now that we’ve got ourselves acting like kids and thinking like crazy people, let’s talk about some of the external factors that help foster creative thinking. The Creative Space Before we are ready to start the process of ideation, it’s important that we take a look at our environment. An environment that encourages creativity can really help ease the process. So what…

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  Rhoda Design Studio

• Big Bright Eyes

  30 Apr 2012 | 6:30 am

  Happy Monday!It was a very busy weekend. Glad that I got a number of chores done and then still had time to relax.We have started to count Monday's until the end of the school year. 3 more after today! It's getting closer, but still feels so far away.I figured it would be a good way to start the week with a fresh freebie :)I've been posting links to my newest digital art. Now I want to give one to you to play with. A cute Big Eye Girl with an Owl Hat (click the link and download the file...instruction on how to download and unzip are at the top of my blog).If you make something that you…

• A Fun Project

  26 Apr 2012 | 8:12 pm

  Just wanted to post a quick photo of a project that one of my customers did with the coffee cup clip art.She used it to make some super cute tags. She is using them for Starbucks goodies that she gave out as teacher appreciation gifts. So cute! And so much fun!She used these coffee cup images:And these papers for the background:As a teacher, there are days that there is nothing that I want (or love) more than my coffee! Kids could earn A's if they just knew the right way to place my order (kidding...but only a little *wink*).Have a great day!Rhoda

• Spring is Bursting

  25 Apr 2012 | 6:30 am

  It's been a little over a week that we have had warmer temperatures. It is amazing how much green has popped out in that short amount of time.The current bushes are full of leaves and little pink blossoms. The yard is lush (and hubby has already mown it once!). The lilacs are about half way there.Those are the ones I usually watch for.They are such a dark green, and when that full leaf is on, you know it is finally spring!And the birds singing in the morning (and the evening)...it just makes me smile :)This little digital stamp is the perfect way to celebrate! Click on the link to download…

• Ahh...Creativity

  22 Apr 2012 | 4:05 pm

  It was a whirl wind weekend.Friday after school I loaded up a small bus with 9 girl and 2 parents. We drove four and a half hours to Bozeman, MT. The girls were signed up for an all girls Math and Science day at the University.It started at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday so we stayed at the C'mon Inn.The girls were so silly.Swimming.Vending machines.Hot tubs.The tea and coffee bar.And lots of giggles!We left at 3:30 yesterday afternoon and made the long drive back home. Exhausted, but happy :) You should have heard them talking about all the science they learned, the cool experiments, and things…

• Soundtrack of My Life...

  17 Apr 2012 | 7:02 pm

  Do you ever feel that when you are plugged into your iPod/iPhone that it is the sound track to your life?Think about it.You are wandering around the grocery store, and you have your own theme music. Or while you are making dinner or doing the laundry. It doesn't always set the stage for the next scene, but it still colors it :)Sometimes, my sound track is on repeat. I could listen to the same songs over and over and over. And I do. Probably drives everyone crazy. Makes me happy! Currently it is Adele, Pink, Nickelback (Pink and Nickelback are always in the list), the new Goyote, Fun, and…

• 

  What an ART !!!

• Illustrations by Yuri Gvozdenko

  mage67giya_eye

  16 May 2012 | 2:42 am

  Featured below are some awe-inspiring illustrations created by illustrator Yuri Gvozdenko at ‘MatteDesign‘, a Stavropol ( Russia )-based creative studio specializing in illustration, matte painting and web design. Artist – Yuri Gvozdenko 1matte.ru - Images used with the permission of the artist -This post was published on What an ART !!!

• Unique Picture Book Illustrations by Daniel Nikoi Djanie

  mage67giya_eye

  16 May 2012 | 1:41 am

  German comic book artist and graphic designer Daniel Nikoi Djanie ( AKA Gilmec ) created these beautiful, cartoon-like illustrations for a personal picture book project titled “Kasper and Seppel“. All the artworks are created in Flash and Photoshop CS3. Artist – Daniel Nikoi Djanie gilmec.carbonmade.com - Images used with the permission of the artist -This post was published on What an ART !!!

• Retro Video Game Characters In Real Life Settings

  mage67giya_eye

  15 May 2012 | 7:21 am

  Lee Vidal, a graphic design student from London, UK has mixed some of our favorite retro 8-bit video game characters into real life settings. Artist – Lee Vidal flickr.com/leevidal Click on each image to enlargeThis post was published on What an ART !!!

• FIFA World Cup History in Pictograms

  mage67giya_eye

  15 May 2012 | 2:03 am

  Brazilian illustrator André Fidusi has created a series of clever minimalist pictograms highlighting the most notable moments in FIFA world cup history. Artist – André Fidusi andrefidusi.comThis post was published on What an ART !!!

• Teen Girl Characters by Diego Magalhães

  mage67giya_eye

  15 May 2012 | 12:20 am

  Developed as part of a project titled “SuperZ“, this is a set of teen girl characters by Diego Magalhães, a graphic designer, art director and illustrator based in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Artist – Diego Magalhães Portfolio - Images used with the permission of the artist -This post was published on What an ART !!!

• 

  SOULTRAVELMULTIMEDIA

• THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE OF AFRICA: 130 GORGEOUS PHOTOS

  admin

  4 May 2012 | 5:10 pm

  By SoulTravelMultimedia   Today’s article is about the beauty of African people represented through photographs . There are 130 really beautiful pictures. Unfortunately in the media sometimes Africa is represented through a very narrow view – either poverty, disease, or war.  And in this  article we want to show the other side. We want to focus on the beauty of the people. Africa is the world’s second largest continent and has over 1 billion people. It has 54 countries and  is one of the wealthiest continents when it comes to natural resources. Africa is known in the…

• 20 PHOTOSHOP AND ILLUSTRATOR TWITTER BIRD TUTORIALS

  admin

  24 Apr 2012 | 12:57 pm

    By SoulTravelMultimedia As everyone knows Twitter is one of the most popular social networks out there. It is a great way to promote and connect, and is now an essential part of  having a successful business.  The following are 20 different Photoshop and Illustrator tutorials on how to create a Twitter bird.. Enjoy     PHOTOSHOP     Create a Cheerful Twitter Bird in Photoshop       How to Create a Cute and Adorable Twitter Icon in Photoshop       Creating a Twitteresque Bird Vector     Twitterlove Bird from Sketch to Vector…

• Part 2: 30 MORE 3D Social Media Icon Sets

  admin

  17 Apr 2012 | 1:50 pm

    By SoulTravelMultimedia   This week is part II of last week’s article :30 3D social icons. There are all kinds of 3D social icons: bottle caps, tea cups, square shaped icons, circle shaped icons, soda cans, isometric icons, chocolate heart shaped social icons and more.. Hope you find what you’re looking for .   Isometrica Volume 1: A Free Social media Icon Set     Twitter Icons      Ultra Glossy Silver Button Social Media Icons     SocialShift Icon Set – 246 Free Social Networking Icons      Squared Social Icons Set…

• 30 FREE 3D SOCIAL MEDIA ICON SETS

  admin

  10 Apr 2012 | 1:26 pm

   By SoulTravelMultimedia   In today’s article we present 30 gorgeous sets of 3D social icons that you can use in your different projects: cube shaped icons, square shaped, circle shaped, isometric, candy shaped, pop sickle, bottle cap, Easter egg icons, cushion icons and more. Also check out part two where there are 30 more.. Enjoy     35 Diced Social Media Icons     Free Oval Social Icons     Free 3D Circle Social Icons       Free White Clean 3D Buttons    Free Set of Egg Shaped Social Icons     Free Black and White 3D…

• 40 BEAUTIFUL MUSIC BASED CSS WEBSITES

  admin

  3 Apr 2012 | 1:10 pm

  By SoulTravelMultimedia This week’s article is all about CSS websites, music related CSS websites. They are beautiful and we hope you find them inspirational… Enjoy   Patcapocci.com.au     Brianray.com     Garynock.com     Forestedge.org.au     Bloch.edu.pl     Chichestermusicacademy.com     Thethomasoliverband.com     Licenselab.com     2011.festivalmundo.com.br     Anymore.eu/it_IT     Steelym-musicproduction.com     Johanreinhold.com     Tribecon.com…

• 

  www.hypernovadesign.com

• SEO Techniques

  11 May 2012 | 10:43 am

    Search Engine Optimization (SEO) are methods that aid in the improvement of a website's ranking in the listings of search engines. There are different kinds of listings that are displayed in the results pages of search engines, such as paid inclusion, pay-per-click advertisements, and organic search results. Utilizing SEO can increase the quantity of site visitors that acts on the activity that the site intends.  

• 5 Important Points to Remember about Web Design

  25 Apr 2012 | 11:05 am

    When it comes to your website, extra attention should be paid to every minute detail to make sure it performs optimally to serve its purpose. Here are seven important rules of thumb to observe to make sure your website performs well.      

• Well-Known Graphic Design Magazines

  12 Apr 2012 | 5:37 pm

    Any serious graphic design student or graphic designer should subscribe to at least one graphic design industry magazine.  Graphic design magazines give graphic designers and graphic design students the ability to keep up with current graphic design trends, learn about new or coming graphic design technology, and discover new graphic design opportunities.  Graphic design magazines can also give graphic design students information about graphic design scholarships and graphic design compeitions.

• 5 Methods to Keep Visitors Returning to Your Website

  2 Apr 2012 | 8:54 am

    A lot of successful websites depend on returning visitors to account for a major part of their traffic. Returning visitors are easier to convert into paying customers because the more often they return to a site, the more trust they have in that site. The credibility issue just melts away. Hence, keep your visitors coming back to your site with the following methods.    

• Common Places to Find Graphic Design Jobs

  26 Mar 2012 | 3:14 pm

    Whether you are just out of school or simply feeling ready for something new, good graphic design jobs abound.  We are living in a visual society; most of us spend hours on the internet perusing site after site.  Every one of these sites has visuals, and those visuals were designed by someone.  That someone could be you.  And even if you don't want to explore graphic design jobs centered around the web, there are so many other areas, packaging, print design, advertising, marketing and within all of these areas there are graphic design jobs that you may be able to…

• 

  inspirationfeed.com

• Tips & Advice: How to Start a Clothing Line

  Ray Masaki

  16 May 2012 | 11:00 am

  I frequently get emails asking me for advice. I love responding to thoughtful questions, and I try to be as helpful as I possibly can, but most of the time, it’s something like “can you teach me how to do everything?” It’s very difficult for me to recommend starting a clothing brand, when he or she doesn’t understand the difficulties of running a company. There’s a huge distinction between making a shirt and starting a brand.Anyone, and I mean literally anyone, is able to make their own shirt. I could design a shirt today, and get them printed tomorrow, if…

• 3d Rendering for Architecture – Incredible Invention

  Joel Cordle

  16 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  With the recent changes in the way movies, ads or any type of photos or videos are made, there has been a great demand for newer and innovative ways of presenting them. As the name rightly depicts, 3D is a three-dimensional view of an object. Almost everyone enjoys watching videos in three-dimensional formats as it takes us to a strange new world. Today, companies and industries are opting for 3D rendering to give their photos and videos more appeal. 3D rendering is the process of transforming photographs or video into realistic three-dimensional format. It is mostly useful in depicting…

• Kaleidoscopic and Hypnotic Geometric Compositions by Andy Gilmore

  Igor Ovsyannykov

  16 May 2012 | 7:00 am

  A master of color and geometric composition, Andy Gilmore’s work is often characterized as kaleidoscopic and hypnotic, though it could just as well be described as visually acoustic, his often complex arrangements referencing the scales and melodies in music. Gilmore’s journey toward this masterful style followed a long and winding road. He characterizes his pursuit of education as a tangled web, noting the bookstores, bakeries, and theaters where he worked were of more importance than the schools he attended in pursuit of his BFA, which he received from SUNY Empire State…

• Taking the Necessary Steps to Create Quality Content

  Igor Ovsyannykov

  15 May 2012 | 2:51 pm

  If you don’t know how important quality content for your blog or website is, then you haven’t been paying attention.Google made an update early in 2011 and another one in March of 2012, which caused a large amount of low quality content to drop from their search engine rankings. This really magnified the need for high quality content for most bloggers and webmasters.High quality content can shoot your website or blog back up to the top of the Google rankings and will give your readers what they desire. If you want to gain traffic, continue to make money online and build a…

• A Cities Beating Hub: Creative Districts of the World

  Igor Ovsyannykov

  15 May 2012 | 11:30 am

  Deemed the cultural or often arts quarter this designated area in a particular city is thriving with artists, galleries, theatres and dance halls. These areas are often encouraged by public policy-making and planning, including the injection of money into these areas. However, at the root of them is the artists and creative’s themselves. This acts as a honey-pot affect and once creative people settle there it only serves to pull in more like-minded people who strive to push creative boundaries. Let’s take a look at a selection at these unique cultural hubs.America: NoHo Arts District, Los…

• 

  Blink Design Studios

• The perfect biscuits for your office’s afternoon cup of tea!

  admin

  14 May 2012 | 7:04 am

  Saw these today and it just made us smile – tea bag shaped biscuits perfect for dipping into that afternoon cuppa to fuel the rest of the working day. Thinking about it, these would also work very well with a nice cup of hot chocolate. In fact – we might need to send someone out on a hot chocolate run this afternoon now! You can see more posts like this on a few of our growing Pinterest boards: Made Us Smile – http://pinterest.com/weareblink/made-us-smile/ Blink Goes Geek – http://pinterest.com/weareblink/blink-goes-geek/ And on our Facebook page: Like Blink on…

• Join us on Facebook with our new timeline

  admin

  6 Apr 2012 | 4:29 am

  Just a quick note to let you know Blink has updated it’s Facebook page to the new Timeline format. Come and join us on Facebook and stay in touch with news, articles, great links to articles in the industry or just say hello. We plan to offer discounts and exclusive offers to Facebook fans and Twitter followers in the future so why not hit that Like button today? Talk to us on Facebook at Facebook.com/WeAreBlink See our boards on Pinterest at Pinterest.com/WeAreBlink Follow us on Twitter at Twitter.com/WeAreBlink See you there!

• Using Facebook pages for business – How the new timeline & cover photo rules affect you

  admin

  7 Mar 2012 | 12:46 pm

  Facebook is rolling out it’s mandatory update to the new page and profile timeline layout which includes a number of changes which will affect your Facebook business page. Want to know the new rules and new ways to use your page? Read on… So, what are the changes and what are the pro’s and cons to them? Facebook Timeline: Your updates are now printed on the page in the order they chronologically happened, rather than the order you posted them in. So you can add photos with a date in the past so they appear on the timeline in the correct place, something you couldn’t…

• Blink Design Studios is now on Pinterest!

  admin

  21 Feb 2012 | 10:35 am

  Pinterest is a new exciting social networking paltform allowing users to share images on their own pinboards. Just like Twitter you can follow pinners, ‘like’ pins, comment on them and even re-pin them to your own boards. You can see our pin boards at http://pinterest.com/weareblink/ We have boards on design inspiration, email newsletter designs, fun geek items we found on the internet and more. Join us and start exploring the world of Pinterest.

• Get your first graphic design job: Twitter tips for graduate designers

  admin

  3 Feb 2012 | 8:58 am

  Twitter is a great social networking tool for social and work contacts. To help you out Blink has put together our top tips for using Twitter, from what to name your account, to understanding how business and person life overlap and how to use Twitter to help land your dream graphic design job. From why to use Twitter, what to call your account, what and how often to tweet and how to gain followers to help land your dream job. This is the guide for you: Why join Twitter? Twitter is a great social networking tool, it allows you to post short status updates and links to a wide range of people.

• 

  strategic design thinking™

• 10 May 2012 | 3:30 pm

  Richard Gregory

  10 May 2012 | 3:30 pm

  Projects on the workbench… Continue reading → [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• A lasting impression

  Richard Gregory

  26 Apr 2012 | 5:35 pm

  Beauty in the Making is a small but engaging exhibit occupying Victoria House Basement in London’s Southampton Row. Staged by GF Smith and featuring a three-point trail involving paper, type and... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• Water. Colour. Box.

  Richard Gregory

  31 Mar 2012 | 9:57 am

  Recently I unearthed this set of watercolours from a box of stuff that had been stashed and forgotten since our move from Portland… Continue reading → [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• Keeping my place in the (design) velodrome

  Richard Gregory

  21 Feb 2012 | 6:00 pm

  I’m on a cycle of change for my design business and my work – right now making sure my technology is current and powerful so I can keep doing what I do best with some in reserve… Continue reading... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• Reference: referrals, recommendations

  Richard Gregory

  20 Jan 2012 | 11:00 am

  Sometimes I will mention books relating to the content of my blog – they might be source, inspiration, or just give you a hint of where my head’s at. Continue reading → [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• 

  ArenaCreative.com Stock Photos Blog

• How to Disable Pinterest Users from Pinning Your Website’s Photos

  ArenaCreative.com

  9 May 2012 | 2:15 pm

  So, you’ve decided you don’t want anyone pinning images from your website or blog.  Maybe it’s due to personal opinions, or fear that some Pinterest pinners will violate the copyrights of the work or content that your website hosts. How do you make it harder for people to pin your stuff?  You can actually ban or block people from pinning any pictures on your website.  This was released recently from Pinterest: We have a small piece of code you can add to the head of any page on your site: <meta name=”pinterest” content=”nopin” /> When a user tries to pin…

• Engaged Couple Stock Photos

  ArenaCreative.com

  8 May 2012 | 1:57 pm

  Here’s a slideshow I wanted to share from a recent Spring time engagement session photoshoot with some friends of mine.  The location was a country New England orchard, and made for great scenery.  These images will soon be available for royalty-free stock photo licensing. One of my favorite selects from the shoot is the photo of the diamond engagement ring wrapped around the wild onion grass.  I love it when you are working with a couple who is willing to add their own creative ideas and suggestions.  It’s easy to get lost in the photo shoot and to forgot certain details that…

• The Pitch TV Reality Series Review

  ArenaCreative.com

  25 Apr 2012 | 10:21 am

  We love our reality television shows, but there’s a new tv show that will be right up the alley of all creative professionals.  If you’re a fan of Donald Trump’s The Apprentice or Celebrity Apprentice, then you will definitely like the new AMC TV series The Pitch even more.  Here you can watch the first episode, S01E01 of The Pitch for free (also viewable on Netflix through May 28th in HD). The Pitch gives us a real life look into the lives of creative professional and process behind landing the next huge marketing campaigns for Fortune 500 companies. Another Reality…

• Dust and Scratches Removal Tutorial by The Miz

  ArenaCreative.com

  15 Mar 2012 | 9:19 am

  Did you ever scan a photo or some film negatives on a flatbed or film scanner, only to realize that the image is covered in pieces of dust, pet hair, or lint?  Or maybe you photographed a closeup of an object only to find a bunch of obvious dust or scratches that were not very noticeable to the eye beforehand?  This Photoshop tutorial by the late Bob Mizerek will show you how to Photoshop out dust and scratches in a jiffy using this simple technique. While the standard dust and scratches removal feature in Photoshop may be enough, you might find that many times that it takes away too much…

• There is a problem parsing the package Kindle Fire Error

  ArenaCreative.com

  2 Mar 2012 | 11:15 pm

  “There is a problem parsing the package” is the error message you might get when trying to sideload apps on your new, shiny Kindle Fire.  Here’s why I think it happened to us, and this is what we did to fix it.  This post is for Kindle Fire users; the rest of you can move along (unless you want to be bored, or if you enjoy absorbing useless tech knowledge). First of all, for those that might not be aware, you can sideload apps from the Android Market on your Kindle Fire.  Just about every app will work, due to the fact that the Kindle Fire tablet runs on the Android OS.

• 

  fonts.com blog

• New Foundry: Bomparte’s Fonts

  Bill Davis

  16 May 2012 | 7:08 am

  Bomparte’s Fonts is a small type foundry that launched in 2006 and features the diverse range of fonts designed by John Bomparte. Bomparte began his career in type in the 1970’s – the glory days of typesetting – at the legendary Photo-Lettering, Inc. (PLINC). For ten years he worked closely with Ed Benguiat and also [...]

• Fast Company Acknowledges Nadine Chahine

  Allan Haley

  14 May 2012 | 11:35 am

  Fast Company's fourth annual ranking of The 100 Most Creative People in Business identifies some of the most influential executives, artists and impresarios fashioning our culture – and our future. Among this year’s luminaries is Nadine Chahine, who is in charge of all our Arabic-related type design and business development, working from Linotype, our subsidiary in Germany. Past recipients of the recognition have included Conan O'Brien; Microsoft's Alex Kipman, who led the creation of the Kinect motion sensing input device for the Xbox game console; Oscar-winning costume designer Colleen…

• Customer Spotlight: Sony

  Ryan Arruda

  11 May 2012 | 8:35 am

  Employing over 168,000 people across the globe, Sony is a worldwide electronics manufacturer, specializing in computer, video, and audio products for both consumer and professional audiences. The Sony homepage employs the ITC Avant Garde Gothic typeface family, using book and medium weights for its headlines and subheads. This classic geometric sans is quite appropriate for [...]

• New Foundry: Dalton Maag

  Bill Davis

  10 May 2012 | 3:00 am

  Dalton Maag Ltd is a London-based type foundry specializing in custom type design and development. The Dalton Maag font collection reflects the typographic and language capabilities their team has built up since its founding in 1991. All their fonts are finely crafted for use in text and display settings. Dalton Maag fonts feature extensive language [...]

• Top 100 Web Fonts for April 2012

  Chris Roberts

  9 May 2012 | 11:24 am

  Here's a ranked listing of Fonts.com Web Fonts' top 100 most used Web fonts for April 2012:

• 

  free background Download

• flower background

  4 May 2012 | 9:27 pm

• Floral cutout around the frame

  4 May 2012 | 9:25 pm

  Download psd of floral  only psd file 

• Clipart Juicy Fruits on transparent background

  26 Apr 2012 | 12:24 am

  Download PSD of juicy fruits 

• The flower clip art - The Festive Bouquet

  26 Apr 2012 | 12:18 am

  100 flower Download PSD 

• png frame for cate flower

  25 Apr 2012 | 7:27 am

  download psd 

• 

  Trendy Kit

• Floral Photoshop Patterns

  sherry

  11 May 2012 | 1:11 am

  Nice and cool another file having Photoshop Pattern in it. Enjoy using and downloading it.

• Cool Flower Photoshop Patterns

  sherry

  7 May 2012 | 1:09 am

  Awesome and Cool Photoshop Pattern file having cool and attractive flowers, can be use to make your project’s environment a kind of Fragrant.

• Green Flower Photoshop Patterns

  sherry

  4 May 2012 | 1:01 am

  Awesome and cool Photoshop Pattern in .PAT extension file, related to Flowers.

• Flower Photoshop Patterns

  sherry

  1 May 2012 | 1:01 am

  These are very beautiful and awesome Patterns, used for Photoshop. PAT extension file is uploaded so you have to download only file and then add in Photoshop.

• Colorful Photoshop Patterns

  sherry

  30 Apr 2012 | 1:01 am

  This Photoshop Pattern file can create a background for Kids as it is having different shapes inside it.

• 

  Webneel.com

• Nextel - Inspiring 3D Animated Short Films

  webneel

  16 May 2012 | 5:27 pm

  Meindbender Team Loro read more

• 25 beautiful website design examples for your inspiration

  webneel

  15 May 2012 | 8:23 pm

  In this post we have added 25 fresh examples of website design samples. When you’re feeling creatively low, one of the best ways to get inspired is to admire and look at exceptional web designs. But spending lots of time to find these kinds of web designs is not possible for most of the designers. So you need to search some kind of reliable resources which take you to these design inspirations. Exactly the same we are trying to do, this showcase will surely be the responsible for your creative design ideas. read more

• 30 Free Icon sets for graphic and web designers - Download now

  webneel

  14 May 2012 | 7:46 pm

  In this post we have added 30 high quality Free icon sets for designers. This list contains some of the best handpicked Free Useful Icon Sets from different categories. Download them instantly and make your website more attractive. read more

• 25 Beautiful Oil Paintings by Chinese Artist Guan ZeJu

  webneel

  14 May 2012 | 3:35 pm

  Guan ZeJu is a Senior Artist of the Guangzhou Art Institute and a member of the Artists’ Association of China; he has served as Director of the Guangdong Provincial Branch of the Artists’ Association of China and Vice-Secretary General of the Oil Painting Research Association of Guangdong, China. He currently resides in the United States where he works as a studio artist. He is also a member of the American Society of Portrait Artists and has been awarded the distinction of Honorary Overseas Artist by the Guangdong Art Institute. read more

• 25 Creative Fashion Advertising Photographs by Suresh Natarajan

  webneel

  14 May 2012 | 1:30 pm

  Suresh Natarajan is a leading fashion and advertising photographer. His stunning images reflect his belief that creative thinking should be visual. His timeless images have also adorned innumerable editorial covers. read more

• 

  LogoTalk | The Logo Design Guru Resource Center for Graphic Designers

• Summer Olympics Logo History: 1992 to 2012

  Alexis Stone

  15 May 2012 | 1:45 am

  Every Olympic event is associated with its very own logo. Today we will look back into the past at some of the most exquisite, Summer Olympic logos created over the last decade.

• MycroBurst’s Multilingual Webinars

  Alexis Stone

  10 May 2012 | 11:57 pm

  MycroBurst’s first two multilingual webinars were a success! These were for the Indian and Indonesian community. Check out the details here...

• Inexpensive Ways to Increase Your Design Knowledge

  Alexis Stone

  8 May 2012 | 11:28 pm

  To stay competitive in the graphic design industry and to be on top of the latest developments in your field of expertise you need to improve your design knowledge. Here are 5 very simple and cost effective methods that graphic designers can use to improve themselves.

• Derivative Design Concepts – Drop it like a Bad Habit

  Alexis Stone

  3 May 2012 | 2:28 am

  This post educated logo designers about derivative design concepts and logo theft. In order to succeed, designers must avoid this form of theft and come up with their own unique designs for their clients.

• 5 Questions to Ask Before Entering a Graphic Design Project

  Alexis Stone

  30 Apr 2012 | 1:47 am

  If you are about to undertake a design project or are participating in an online design contest, there are a few questions that you must have the answers to and a good understanding of.