Filter Foundry - Robert Blankenship

PAD by: Robert Blankenship

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Contact Artist

Rainbow Squeeze
Distance Demons mascot tee
Judo Tee
Frozen Island Ice Cream mascot

Profile Overview

Hi, I'm Robert Blankenship aka PaperGhostDesign. Just another Freelance Graphic Designer currently plundering the past for my chance to visit the future. You can usually find me riding a bike and whistling at frogs. I Love dogs, graffiti art, DC and indie comics, DIY, bad movies, Garage punk music, MST3K, and monsters of all types and stripes.
Character Creator, Monster Curator and self professed Illustrator. Into ghosts, ghouls, snob-goblins and all critters of the night. I prefer the edges to the center.

Applications: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Flash, Adobe In-Design, Adobe Dreamweaver
Creative Fields:Sketching & Drawing, Graphic Design, Illustration, Cartooning, Advertising

City: Charlotte	Personal Site: www.paperghostdesign.com
Location: USA	Work URL: http://about.me/RKBlankenship
Experience: 15 years, 9 months	Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaperGhostDesign
Employer: PaperGhostDesign	Twitter: pprghost
Title: Head Designer	LinkedIN: http://www.linkedin.com/in/paperghostdesign
Status: Available	Other: <a href="http://about.me/RKBlankenship">Check out my about.me profile!</a>

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DIGITAL ARTS

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Interview: Founder of #includedesign campaign to save Britain from a creative education crisis

UPDATED: 6 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Taschen opens shop in The Simpsons to make Springfield hip

UPDATED: 6 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Flickr iOS app redesigned

UPDATED: 6 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

WordPress 3.5 gets a media management makeover

UPDATED: 6 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Parasol Island's boys' choir singing Mad World get a million hits in two weeks

UPDATED: 6 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Adobe releases Photoshop & Illustrator updates, tools for teams to Creative Cloud subscribers & a Dropbox-style app

UPDATED: 6 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Pictoplasma Berlin 2013 artists revealed

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UK design industry tells Michael Gove to put design into the EBacc

UPDATED: 6 MONTHS, 2 WEEKS

BBEdit 10.5 adds Retina display support & better navigation

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BBEdit 10.5 adds Retina display support, navigation improvements, and more

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JUST CREATIVE DESIGN

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Recent Web & Branding Work (Jul-Dec)

<p class="intro">Back in July I posted some of my <a href="http://justcreative.com/2012/07/27/recent-web-design-work/" title="Recent Web Work">recent work</a> for <a href="http://justcreative.com/2012/07/29/comedians-in-cars-getting-coffee/" title="Jerry Seinfeld">Jerry Seinfeld</a>, <a href="http://justcreative.com/2012/07/11/sweetn-low-website/" title="Sweet N Low">Sweet’N Low</a>, <a href="http://justcreative.com/2012/06/01/energy-kitchen/" title="Energy Kitchen">Energy Kitchen</a> and now six months later, I have a few more web & branding projects to share with you. Thanks for looking!</p> <h2>Ruff Club</h2> <p><a href="http://ruffclub.com" title="Ruff Club NYC">Ruff Club</a> is a dog-friendly social club and contemporary pet care hub based in East Village, New York City. I had the pleasure of branding this new business from the ground up, creating their logo, overall look & feel and web site design.</p> <p>The positioning of the brand shies away from the “boutique hotel experience” and instead, true to the East Village, offers a laid-back environment where dogs and humans are treated with dignity and respect but never pampered or infantilized.</p> <p>Ruff Club is built on the idea that people can channel the love and humility their dogs provide, into new relationships and collective community engagement.</p> <p>Ruff Club will be opening their doors very soon. I’ll share more photos once they become available.</p> <div class="wp-caption alignnone"><img alt="Ruff Club Logo" class=" " height="457" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/RUFF-Club-Logo-640x457.jpg" title="Ruff Club Logo" width="640" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Ruff Club Logo</p></div> <div> <div class="mceTemp"></div> <div class="wp-caption alignnone"><img alt="Ruff Club Logo Reversed" class=" " height="457" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/RUFF-Club-Logo-Dark-640x457.jpg" title="Ruff Club Logo Reversed" width="640" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Ruff Club Logo Reversed</p></div> </div> <div> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_11470"><a href="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Ruff-Club-Website-Home-Page.jpg"><img alt="Ruff Club Website Home Page" class="size-large wp-image-11470" height="421" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Ruff-Club-Website-Home-Page-640x421.jpg" title="Ruff Club Website Home Page" width="640" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Ruff Club Website Home Page</p></div> </div> <div> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_11471"><a href="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Ruff-Club-Website-SubPage.jpg"><img alt="Ruff Club Website FAQ Page" class="size-large wp-image-11471" height="655" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Ruff-Club-Website-SubPage-640x655.jpg" title="Ruff Club Website FAQ Page" width="640" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Ruff Club Website FAQ Page</p></div> </div> <div> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_11465"><img alt="Ruff Club Letterhead (Logo Stamped On) & Business Card" class="size-large wp-image-11465" height="477" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Ruff-Club-Stationery-640x477.jpg" title="Ruff-Club-Stationery" width="640" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Ruff Club Letterhead (The logo & text are stamped on) & Business Card</p></div> </div> <div> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_11438"><img alt="Ruff Club Pre Launch at the NYC Halloween Dog Parade " class="size-large wp-image-11438" height="480" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Ruff-Club-Launch-640x480.jpg" title="Ruff Club Pre Launch at the NYC Halloween Dog Parade " width="640" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Ruff Club pre launch at the NYC Halloween Dog Parade.</p></div> </div> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_11439"><img alt="Ruff Club Store" class="size-large wp-image-11439" height="480" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Ruff-Club-Store-640x480.jpg" title="Ruff-Club-Store" width="640" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Outside of the Ruff Club store front, providing support for pets effected by Hurricane Sandy.</p></div> <h2>Coffee Shop Restaurant, NYC</h2> <p>When Ammirati (the agency I work at) was asked to rebrand & refresh the iconic <a href="http://thecoffeeshopnyc.com" title="The Coffee Shop NYC">Coffee Shop</a> restaurant in Union Square, our stomachs growled at the opportunity. We designed a sexy new website that visually reflected their 23 opening hours, both for the desktop and mobile.</p> <p>Each of the 23 squares on their home page represents 1 hour of the day and a photo taken within that hour is randomly displayed each time the page is loaded. The website is scalable ensuring that screen sizes are used to their maximum potential. Viewing the menu and ordering online is just one click away too.</p> <p>My role in this project was coming up with the 23 hour grid concept and the overall UX / UI design for the desktop and mobile versions of the site.</p> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_11391"><img alt="Coffee Shop Website" class="size-large wp-image-11391" height="468" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Coffee-Shop-Website-640x468.jpg" title="Coffee-Shop-Website" width="640" /><p class="wp-caption-text">The Coffee Shop Website</p></div> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_11295"><a href="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Coffee-Shop-Final.jpg"><img alt="Coffee Shop Union Square, NYC" class="size-large wp-image-11295 " height="445" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Coffee-Shop-Final-640x445.jpg" title="Coffee Shop" width="640" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The home page for the 'Coffee Shop' Union Square, NYC</p></div> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_11296"><a href="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Coffee-Shop-Menu.jpg"><img alt="Website Menu Page for 'Coffee Shop' Union Square, NYC" class="size-large wp-image-11296" height="445" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Coffee-Shop-Menu-640x445.jpg" title="Coffee-Shop-Menu" width="640" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The menu page for 'Coffee Shop' Union Square, NYC </p></div> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_11321"><a href="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/CoffeeShop-Mobile.jpg"><img alt="Coffee Shop NYC Mobile Website" class="size-large wp-image-11321" height="354" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/CoffeeShop-Mobile-640x354.jpg" title="CoffeeShop-Mobile" width="640" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Coffee Shop NYC Mobile Website</p></div> <h2>Au Natural <em>In The Raw</em> Facebook App</h2> <p>The Au Natural <em>In The Raw </em>app allows users to upload their own food photo, censor it, and then share their successful creation. Friends can then click on the shared photo and “reveal” the sweet creation via an interactive slider. Users can then share their own photo, view the Au Natural gallery and gain access to secret <em>In The Raw</em> recipes.</p> <p>My role in this project was the interaction design for both the mobile & desktop versions of the Facebook application; including the overall architecture of the app, the user experience & user interface design. Designed & developed at Ammirati.</p> <p>The mobile version can be seen here (must be viewed on a Mobile device):<br /> <a href="https://www.hotintherawaction.com/mobile/" target="_blank">https://www.hotintherawaction.com/mobile/</a></p> <p>The desktop version can be seen here:<br /> <a href="https://www.hotintherawaction.com/" target="_blank">https://www.hotintherawaction.com/</a></p> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_11312"><a href="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/ITR-Mobile.jpg"><img alt="In The Raw Mobile" class="size-large wp-image-11312" height="457" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/ITR-Mobile-640x457.jpg" title="ITR Mobile" width="640" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">In The Raw Mobile Facebook App</p></div> <p><a href="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/02-Au-Natural-Facebook.jpg"><img alt="Au Natural Food Porn Gallery Facebook Cover Photo" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-11204" height="560" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/02-Au-Natural-Facebook-640x560.jpg" title="02-Au-Natural-Facebook" width="640" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/03-Au-Natural-Home.jpg"><img alt="Au Natural App Home Page" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-11205" height="962" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/03-Au-Natural-Home-640x962.jpg" title="03-Au-Natural-Home" width="640" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/04-Au-Natural-Censor.jpg"><img alt="Au Natural: Censor Your Food Photo" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-11206" height="856" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/04-Au-Natural-Censor-640x856.jpg" title="04-Au-Natural-Censor" width="640" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/05-Au-Natural-Success.jpg"><img alt="Au Natural Sweet Success - Food Photo Censored" class="size-large wp-image-11207" height="1059" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/05-Au-Natural-Success-640x1059.jpg" title="05-Au-Natural-Success" width="640" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/06-Au-Natural-Slide.jpg"><img alt="Au Natural Food Photo Slider Reveal" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-11208" height="1447" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/06-Au-Natural-Slide-640x1447.jpg" title="06-Au-Natural-Slide" width="640" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/09-Au-Natural-Recipe.jpg"><img alt="Au Natural Food Recipe Page" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-11210" height="1253" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/09-Au-Natural-Recipe-640x1253.jpg" title="09-Au-Natural-Recipe" width="640" /></a></p> <div> <a href="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Au-Natural-Mobile.jpg"><img alt="Au Natural In The Raw Mobile App" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-11211" height="410" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Au-Natural-Mobile-640x410.jpg" title="Au-Natural-Mobile" width="640" /></a></div> <h2>Vero Water</h2> <p><a href="http://verowater.com" title="Vero Water">Vero Water</a> is the industry leader for the finest still and sparkling water and is based in Miami, USA. I created this logo / brand identity / bottle design back in 2009 however they’ve just had a photo shoot and thought I would share some of the new shots.</p> <div><img alt="Vero Logo" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-11091" height="457" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Vero-Logo-640x457.jpg" title="Vero-Logo" width="640" /></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div><img alt="VERO Water Bottles" height="372" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/vero-water-bottles.jpeg" title="VERO Water Bottles" width="600" /></div> <div></div> <div><img alt="VERO Water Bottling System" height="400" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/vero-water-bottling-system.jpeg" title="VERO Water Bottling System" width="600" /></div> <div></div> <div><img alt="VERO Miami" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-11093" height="408" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/vero-miami.jpeg" title="vero-miami" width="612" /></div> <div></div> <div><img alt="VERO Restaurant" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-11094" height="342" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/vero-restaurant-640x342.jpg" title="vero-restaurant" width="640" /></div> <div></div> <h2>Appex</h2> <p>Another client, <a href="http://appex.no" title="Appex">Appex</a>, that I designed the brand identity for in 2009 has been expanding very fast. Here are some snaps showing their identity in use, from yo-yos, to soccer jerseys, to 8-foot high signage. Great to see it all come alive!</p> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_11329"><img alt="Appex Front Desk with Yo-Yos and Balloons" class="size-full wp-image-11329" height="427" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Appex-Front-Desk.jpg" title="Appex-Front-Desk" width="640" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Appex Front Desk with Yo-Yos and Balloons</p></div> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_11330"><img alt="Appex Lobby" class="size-large wp-image-11330" height="427" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Appex-Lobby-640x427.jpg" title="Appex Lobby" width="640" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Appex Lobby</p></div> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_11328"><img alt="Appex Welcome Chair" class="size-full wp-image-11328" height="800" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Appex-Chair.jpg" title="Appex-Chair" width="600" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Appex Welcome Chair</p></div> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_11332"><img alt="Installing The Appex Signage" class="size-large wp-image-11332" height="427" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Appex-Signage-Installation-640x427.jpg" title="Appex-Signage-Installation" width="640" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Installing The Appex Signage</p></div> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_11333"><img alt="Appex Signage" class="size-large wp-image-11333" height="427" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Appex-Signage-640x427.jpg" title="Appex-Signage" width="640" /><p class="wp-caption-text">8 Foot Appex Signage</p></div> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_11331"><img alt="Appex Newspaper Ad" class="size-large wp-image-11331" height="480" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Appex-Newspaper-Ad-640x480.jpg" title="Appex-Newspaper-Ad" width="640" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Appex Newspaper Ad</p></div> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_11334"><img alt="Appex Football Team" class="size-large wp-image-11334" height="338" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Appex-Soccer-Team-640x338.jpg" title="Appex-Soccer-Team" width="640" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Appex Football Team</p></div> <p>Thoughts and comments are always welcome. Thanks again for looking!</p> <p>As a heads up, the Just Creative blog may be a bit quiet over the December holiday break as I will be traveling. Happy Holidays all!</p> <hr /><br /> © This article is copyright of <a href="http://justcreative.com">JUST™ Creative</a> and should not be found elsewhere.<br /><br /> <div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=VDJFQ0wBdDQ:pG9baofuqzo:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?i=VDJFQ0wBdDQ:pG9baofuqzo:gIN9vFwOqvQ" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=VDJFQ0wBdDQ:pG9baofuqzo:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?i=VDJFQ0wBdDQ:pG9baofuqzo:V_sGLiPBpWU" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=VDJFQ0wBdDQ:pG9baofuqzo:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=VDJFQ0wBdDQ:pG9baofuqzo:qj6IDK7rITs"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=qj6IDK7rITs" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=VDJFQ0wBdDQ:pG9baofuqzo:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=VDJFQ0wBdDQ:pG9baofuqzo:D7DqB2pKExk"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?i=VDJFQ0wBdDQ:pG9baofuqzo:D7DqB2pKExk" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=VDJFQ0wBdDQ:pG9baofuqzo:I9og5sOYxJI"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=I9og5sOYxJI" /></a> </div>

UPDATED: 6 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

4 Lessons to Learn from Charles and Ray Eames

<p><em>*This is a guest article contributed by Aniya Wells.</em></p> <p class="intro"><strong>Charles and Ray Eames</strong> were the design power couple of the 20th century. Their Eames Lounge chair for Herman Miller, shown below, is one of the most lusted-after furniture designs in the world, and is only the best known example of their vast output.</p> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_11415"><img alt="Eames Lounge Chair" class="size-large wp-image-11415" height="357" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/eames-lounge-chair-640x357.jpg" title="eames-lounge-chair" width="640" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Eames Lounge Chair</p></div> <p>For over 35 years, Charles and Ray lived as husband and wife, but also as partners in a design practice that put forth such remarkably varied fruits as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eames_House" title="Eames House">Eames Case Study House</a>, the film <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powers_of_Ten" title="Powers of Ten">Powers of Ten</a>, and the exhibition Mathematica, still on view today at the Boston Museum of Science.</p> <p>Though slogan writing was not one of their advertised areas of expertise, Charles had a particular knack for the pithy, memorable quotation. I have drawn on some of them, published in the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/100-Quotes-By-Charles-Eames/dp/B003CMTHQQ" title="100 Quotes from Charles & Ray Eames">100 Quotes by Charles Eames</a>, in order to suggest a handful of lessons we can learn from the Eames Office:</p> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_11413"><img alt="Charles Ray Eames" class="size-full wp-image-11413" height="443" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/charles-ray-eames.jpg" title="charles-ray-eames" width="600" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Ray & Charles Eames</p></div> <h3>1. “The role of the designer is that of a very good, thoughtful host anticipating the needs of his guests.”</h3> <p>This quote from Charles Eames succinctly sums up the couple’s philosophical approach to design, and it explains the charm, detail, and accessibility that characterize so much of their work. The word “guest” is tossed around so much these days as a euphemism for “customer” that it’s easy to lose track of the original meaning of the word.</p> <p>The Eameses, as global travelers and enthusiastic amateur anthropologists (indeed, they saw this as part of their role as designers) learned firsthand the value of hospitality, and the role of a designer in smoothing the way for people to live and work. This means not only making things more functional, though that’s of primary importance. It also means making them more pleasing. As Charles often admonished designers:</p> <div class="superquote"> “Take your pleasures seriously.” </div> <h3>2. The more you do, the more you can do.</h3> <p>Perhaps the greatest secret to the success of the Eameses was that they refused to specialize. By taking commissions and launching new projects of their own for architecture, film, furniture, toys, games, museum exhibits, textiles, magazines, and more, they developed a comprehensive, even universal approach to their work. “We work because it’s a chain reaction, each subject leads to the next,” Charles said. A varied career has a way of cross-fertilizing from one domain to another.</p> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_11414"><img alt="The Eames House" class="size-full wp-image-11414" height="480" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/eames-house.jpg" title="eames-house" width="640" /><p class="wp-caption-text">The Eames House. Photo by Thomahalk1.</p></div> <h3>3. “Innovate as a last resort. More horrors are done in the name of innovation than any other.”</h3> <p>Great designers are voracious scavengers. In this age of sampling, mashups, and copyleft activism, we can look back and see that Charles and Ray were far ahead of their time in their collage-like approach to creativity. They disapproved of the cult of originality in their time, and saw that often the best solutions come from the ground up.</p> <div class="superquote"> “Eventually, everything connects – people, ideas, objects. The quality of the connections is the key to quality per se.” </div> <p>This should extend to your interactions with fellow designers. Being competitive is natural, but try to create a space for idea incubation, exchange, and riffing. After all, “Ideas are cheap. Always be passionate about ideas and communicating those ideas and discoveries to others in the things you make.”</p> <h3>4. A partnership is more than the sum of its parts.</h3> <p>While most of us are not married to our professional colleagues (and if we are, we know it certainly presents complications absent from our romantic daydreams), nevertheless this is true of even purely creative relationships. Think about how you can create this type of nonzero economy in your own interactions. When working with a client, don’t impose your own vision from outside, but consider what unique qualities you can draw out from them.</p> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_11425"><img alt="La Chaise" class="size-full wp-image-11425" height="480" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/la-chaise.jpg" title="La Chaise" width="640" /><p class="wp-caption-text">La Chaise Lounge Chair</p></div> <p>With all their diverse accomplishments, the greatest example the Eameses left us is their dynamic, symbiotic life together. As Charles put it, “Any time one or more things are consciously put together in a way that they can accomplish something better than they could have accomplished individually, this is an act of design.”</p> <p>For more Eames, this <a href="http://fuckyeahrayandcharleseames.tumblr.com/archive" title="Ray Charles Eames">Tumblr has a nice visual overview</a>. <strong>Do you have a favorite Eames piece?</strong></p> <p>–</p> <p><em>*Aniya Wells is a freelance blogger who primarily writes for <a href="http://www.onlinedegreeprograms.com/" title="Online Degree Programs">www.onlinedegreeprograms.com</a>. She also enjoys investigating trends in other niches, notably technology, traditional higher education, health, and small business. Aniya welcomes reader questions and comments.</em></p> <hr /><br /> © This article is copyright of <a href="http://justcreative.com">JUST™ Creative</a> and should not be found elsewhere.<br /><br /> <div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=fMLskbSeW1Y:q3UwEFRP93c:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?i=fMLskbSeW1Y:q3UwEFRP93c:gIN9vFwOqvQ" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=fMLskbSeW1Y:q3UwEFRP93c:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?i=fMLskbSeW1Y:q3UwEFRP93c:V_sGLiPBpWU" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=fMLskbSeW1Y:q3UwEFRP93c:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=fMLskbSeW1Y:q3UwEFRP93c:qj6IDK7rITs"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=qj6IDK7rITs" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=fMLskbSeW1Y:q3UwEFRP93c:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=fMLskbSeW1Y:q3UwEFRP93c:D7DqB2pKExk"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?i=fMLskbSeW1Y:q3UwEFRP93c:D7DqB2pKExk" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=fMLskbSeW1Y:q3UwEFRP93c:I9og5sOYxJI"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=I9og5sOYxJI" /></a> </div>

UPDATED: 6 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS

My Fav Tweets From This Week (Nov 2-9)

<p class="intro">Here are a few interesting links that I tweeted this week. <a href="http://twitter.com/justcreative" title="Just Creative on Twitter">Feel free to follow @justcreative for more</a>.</p> <p><img alt="Twitter Bird" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-11182" height="400" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/twitter-bird.gif" title="twitter-bird" width="640" /></p> <ul> <li>Pretty solid advice and tips from <a dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/teehanlax">@teehanlax</a>: 10 Years of Teehan + Lax <a dir="ltr" href="http://t.co/9BvpYvZl" target="_blank" title="http://bit.ly/Py3RRP">http://bit.ly/Py3RRP</a></li> <li>Did you know you can save paths within JPGS? Here’s how. <a dir="ltr" href="http://t.co/B1Vv7jwl" target="_blank" title="http://bit.ly/PGKs19">http://bit.ly/PGKs19</a></li> <li>Instagram gets profiles, here’s mine – <a dir="ltr" href="http://t.co/fISJZ03O" target="_blank" title="http://bit.ly/RJOy6L">http://bit.ly/RJOy6L</a></li> <li>A neat little stunt releasing the new Sony Xperia phone – <a dir="ltr" href="http://t.co/bKSThrni" target="_blank" title="http://bit.ly/WBR2Kq">http://bit.ly/WBR2Kq</a></li> <li>Appex, a client I designed the brand identity for has recently installed a rather massive sign on their building. <a dir="ltr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/appex/7985402043/in/photostream" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/RFh8q4 </a></li> <li>Hurricane Sandy is “likely the most digitally captured event in history”. 1.3 million photos were tagged with <a dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Sandy&src=hash"><s>#</s>Sandy</a>. <a dir="ltr" href="http://t.co/4yUr5UAi" target="_blank" title="http://on.mash.to/Wr8Wzj">http://on.mash.to/Wr8Wzj</a></li> <li>Although Hurricane Sandy was bad, I certainly wouldn’t wanna come across a fire tornado! Damn! <a dir="ltr" href="http://t.co/2E98BpWk" target="_blank" title="http://bit.ly/YyRmaQ">http://bit.ly/YyRmaQ</a></li> <li>ikonic 150 vector icon set by <a dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/rakeshdesign">@rakeshdesign</a> looks pretty neat <a dir="ltr" href="http://t.co/ovJlzJ2m" target="_blank" title="http://bit.ly/VXHq6N">http://bit.ly/VXHq6N </a> Free 25 too!</li> <li>A sneak preview of the new <a dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/RuffClubNYC">@ruffclubnyc</a> website that I created the brand identity / website for. <a dir="ltr" href="http://t.co/JF8WYrQX" target="_blank" title="http://bit.ly/XP6q3L">http://bit.ly/XP6q3L</a></li> <li><a dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/NRL">@NRL</a> Rugby League launches new brand logo <a dir="ltr" href="http://t.co/4t5k2RZk" target="_blank" title="http://bit.ly/Rfz74f">http://bit.ly/Rfz74f </a></li> <li>A Year In Full Colour stop motion video – <a href="http://youtu.be/7Q9XvlMITrQ" title="YouTube">http://youtu.be/7Q9XvlMITrQ</a></li> </ul> <p>Stay tuned for more.</p> <hr /><br /> © This article is copyright of <a href="http://justcreative.com">JUST™ Creative</a> and should not be found elsewhere.<br /><br /> <div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=0Oqch38j_uE:L8rCxgMpnyw:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?i=0Oqch38j_uE:L8rCxgMpnyw:gIN9vFwOqvQ" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=0Oqch38j_uE:L8rCxgMpnyw:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?i=0Oqch38j_uE:L8rCxgMpnyw:V_sGLiPBpWU" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=0Oqch38j_uE:L8rCxgMpnyw:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=0Oqch38j_uE:L8rCxgMpnyw:qj6IDK7rITs"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=qj6IDK7rITs" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=0Oqch38j_uE:L8rCxgMpnyw:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=0Oqch38j_uE:L8rCxgMpnyw:D7DqB2pKExk"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?i=0Oqch38j_uE:L8rCxgMpnyw:D7DqB2pKExk" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=0Oqch38j_uE:L8rCxgMpnyw:I9og5sOYxJI"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=I9og5sOYxJI" /></a> </div>

UPDATED: 7 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

7 Ways Designers Can Get Their Foot in the Door

<p><em>This is a collaborative guest article between Jamie Wayne* and I.</em></p> <p class="intro">Whether you’re a graphic <a href="http://justcreative.com/category/design-for-students/" title="Design For Students">design student</a> or a young professional, getting your foot in the door is not as simple as it sounds. Taking the first step requires initiative, patience and some wisdom too.</p> <p>Thankfully, there’s always a way to make it in and this article will provide seven different ways for you to get your foot in the door.</p> <div><img alt="Foot In The Door" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-11123" height="426" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/foot-door-640x426.jpg" title="Foot In The Door" width="640" /></div> <h2>1. Network at Conferences & Events</h2> <p><a href="http://jamiewayne.com/2012/02/04/xcviii-why-you-should-start-networking-now-instead-of-later/" target="_blank" title="Why you should start networking now instead of later">Networking</a> at <a href="http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2012/10/25/upcoming-web-design-development-conferences-2012-2013/" target="_blank" title="Design Conferences 2013">design conferences </a>and professional events can be a good way to get meet new people and build a professional stronghold. From conversing with other graphic designers to developers, copywriters, and business owners, exposure from these events can lead to great opportunities. With this said, walking into an event blindfolded may set you up for trouble as first impressions are everything. It’s imperative to keep a few things in mind when making your first impression – be admirable and memorable.</p> <p><strong>Be Admirable</strong></p> <ul> <li>Plan ahead for networking opportunities by <a href="http://www.howdesign.com/design-career/job-search-tips/present-your-portfolio/" title="Portfolio Polish">polishing up your portfolio</a> & <a href="http://www.yourbusinesscardsucks.com/" target="_blank" title="Your Card Sucks">business cards</a>.</li> <li>Be presentable for the occasion. Is it casual or formal?</li> <li>Ask questions and be interested (or act it) in every discussion.</li> <li>Don’t try to oversell your skills or services. Tell don’t sell.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Be Memorable</strong></p> <p>Small talk & <a href="http://justcreative.com/2008/10/02/design-elevator-speeches/" title="Elevator Speeches">elevator pitches</a> are common within these arenas, so listen well, show courtesy and thank those you talk to for their time. Don’t be afraid to smile and lighten up the mood a bit. Offer your business card as you close the conversation and you’ll most likely get the other person’s card in return. Keep the card in case you want to follow up with this person in the near future.</p> <h2>2. Follow Up, Use LinkedIn & Other Social Sites</h2> <p><a href="http://mashable.com/2012/05/23/linkedin-beginners/" target="_blank" title="LinkedIn Beginners">LinkedIn</a> is a great tool for building networks <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8MDihYKZTU" title="How to get clients on LinkedIn">and getting clients</a>, however it’s also a very handy tool to follow up with those you have briefly conversed with. A quick search of their name should yield a number of results. Before you contact them, think of the best way to contact them? Would they prefer an email rather than a LinkedIn connection?</p> <h2>3. Seek a Mentor</h2> <p>Having a mentor is a great way to learn the ropes. You will learn things such as <a href="http://justcreative.com/2009/02/26/how-much-to-charge-for-design-work/" target="_blank">how much to charge for design</a>, <a href="http://justcreative.com/2010/06/24/design-agency-vs-freelance-life/" target="_blank" title="Design agency vs freelancing">the pros and cons of freelancing</a>, <a href="http://justcreative.com/2007/12/27/how-to-boost-your-creativity/" target="_blank" title="Creativity">how to improve your creative process</a>, <a href="http://justcreative.com/2011/11/29/designer-office-set-up/" target="_blank" title="Designer Tools">recommended tools</a>, how to present your work, and much more.</p> <p>It’s important to understand the relationship between a mentor and mentee. Like a relationship between a couple, the mentor/mentee is also a two-way commitment that requires trust and honesty. Help them and they will help you. Ask for advice, seek out new opportunities & if you have to get the coffee, do it with a smile.</p> <div><img alt="Mentor" height="424" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/mentor-640x424.jpg" title="Mentor" width="640" /></div> <h5><strong>How do you find a mentor?</strong></h5> <p><strong></strong> It all depends on the scenario however there are a <a href="http://www.howdesign.com/design-career/mentoring/" title="Find a design mentor">few methods of finding a mentor</a>;</p> <p><strong>In Person</strong></p> <p>Once you’ve connected with someone and got to know them and have established some trust, it wouldn’t hurt to ask if they have the time to show you more of the ropes. Let that person know you’re interested in learning from them and see what they have to say. Be flexible with them, as it’s them doing you a favor.</p> <p><strong>Online</strong></p> <p><strong></strong>If you’re breaking the ice online, take extra care in crafting your approach, as it can be very difficult to convey personality through written communication. Always let them know you appreciate their time. If the person doesn’t have the time available, then it wouldn’t hurt to ask a few questions. At the very least, seldom communication may lead to a slowly growing relationship. Get them on your radar, and keep them there without being a pest.</p> <h2>4. Take Up Pro-Bono Work</h2> <p>Taking up <a href="http://www.davidairey.com/pro-bono-design/" target="_blank" title="Pro Bono Design">pro-bono work</a> will not only help a special cause, but it will build up your portfolio which will help you land more projects & strengthen your credibility in the long term.</p> <div><img alt="Pro Bono Work" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-11122" height="496" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/charity-640x496.jpg" title="Charity" width="640" /></div> <p>Before taking on pro bono work consider the following; Is there enough time to make the commitment? Are you financially capable of accepting a pro-bono project? What kinds of organisations would you do pro-bono work for? Make sure you are suited to take on pro-bono work before endorsing a false commitment.</p> <h2>5. Get Your Work or Portfolio Reviewed</h2> <p>Sharing your portfolio with seasoned professionals and asking for a review can help you gain new insights on the execution of your creative ideas. <a href="http://blog.teamtreehouse.com/the-art-of-the-design-critique" target="_blank" title="Constructive Criticism">Constructive criticism</a> is encouraged and you should always aim to take away new ideas and possibilities. Follow the motto; <a href="http://www.nwicreative.org/learn/get-your-portfolio-up-to-snuff/" target="_blank" title="Get your portfolio up to snuff">seek criticism, not praise</a>.</p> <p>Sharing your work will also allow other designers to observe your style, thought process, and results. This will allow others to lend you advice, which may lead into a steady stream of communication.</p> <h2>6. Start a Blog & Guest Author</h2> <p>Don’t overlook the benefits of <a href="http://justcreative.com/2011/04/27/building-a-personal-brand/" target="_blank" title="Starting A Blog">starting a blog</a>. In conjunction with social media sites, a blog can help establish your online presence, as well as be the frontier of your voice and portfolio.</p> <p>While some authors write on their own blog, others will contribute their articles elsewhere as a guest author. Guest authoring is a great way to share your voice with audiences elsewhere and connect with others on an international scale.</p> <div><img alt="Im Possible" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-11124" height="423" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/im-possible-640x423.jpg" title="Possible" width="640" /></div> <p>While each one of these ways can help you gain more exposure, utilizing several, if not all, will maximize your chances significantly.</p> <h2>7. Take Action</h2> <p>As a last piece of advice, I want to recite a few words, courtesy of my mentor, <a href="http://www.chasetalon.com/" target="_blank" title="Chase Talon Design">Chase Talon</a>, that inspired me to push myself through the doors.</p> <blockquote><p><em>“There is one thing and one thing alone that leads to success. That is action. Make a decision on what you want and begin moving forward with an unwavering, unrelenting, incessant vigor to see your goal to it’s end. Never letting fear guide you. It’s an illusion. All fear, and negativity are, is a test to prove how bad you want something.”</em></p></blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.whosay.com/BillMaher/videos/5963" title="Wish It. Want It. Do It.">Wish it, want it, do it</a>.</p> <p><strong>Have you got any other tips on how designers can get their foot in the door?</strong></p> <p>–</p> <p><em>*<a href="http://www.jamiewayne.com/about/" target="_blank" title="Jamie Wayne | Valparaiso Northwest Indiana Graphic Designer">Jamie Wayne</a> is a graphic designer for <a href="http://www.adforcecreative.com/" target="_blank" title="Ad Force Creative">Ad Force Creative</a> in Northwest Indiana, a webmaster & graphic designer for the Center for Innovation through Visualization & Simulation at Purdue University Calumet, and a member & writer of the Northwest Indiana Creative Professionals. Photos from <a href="http://bigstock.com" title="Big Stock">BigStock</a>.</em></p> <hr /><br /> © This article is copyright of <a href="http://justcreative.com">JUST™ Creative</a> and should not be found elsewhere.<br /><br /> <div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=D2AsBRt0gGs:ZL4lCnAFyN4:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?i=D2AsBRt0gGs:ZL4lCnAFyN4:gIN9vFwOqvQ" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=D2AsBRt0gGs:ZL4lCnAFyN4:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?i=D2AsBRt0gGs:ZL4lCnAFyN4:V_sGLiPBpWU" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=D2AsBRt0gGs:ZL4lCnAFyN4:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=D2AsBRt0gGs:ZL4lCnAFyN4:qj6IDK7rITs"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=qj6IDK7rITs" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=D2AsBRt0gGs:ZL4lCnAFyN4:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=D2AsBRt0gGs:ZL4lCnAFyN4:D7DqB2pKExk"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?i=D2AsBRt0gGs:ZL4lCnAFyN4:D7DqB2pKExk" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=D2AsBRt0gGs:ZL4lCnAFyN4:I9og5sOYxJI"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=I9og5sOYxJI" /></a> </div>

UPDATED: 7 MONTHS, 2 WEEKS

Iceland Adventure Photos

<p class="intro">I recently came back from 1.5 weeks traveling around Iceland, an extremely beautiful country. You can <a href="http://on.fb.me/W95OVX" title="Iceland Photos">view a few snaps on Facebook</a> and read more about the trip below.</p> <p>I went with a company called <a href="https://www.striking.ly/founderexcursionsiceland#0" title="Founders Excursions">Founders Excursions</a> who organized a trip of 14 like-minded entrepreneurs from Iceland and USA, to travel through Iceland doing <a href="http://siadv.is/?page_id=933" title="Adventure Tours">adventurous activities</a> while networking at the same time.</p> <div><a href="http://on.fb.me/W95OVX" title="Iceland Photos"><img alt="Iceland" class="alignnone wp-image-11035" height="424" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Iceland-Photos-39-of-51-640x424.jpg" title="Iceland" width="640" /></a></div> <h3>Highlights of the Trip</h3> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jiRegEs83A0" title="Canyoining Iceland">Canyoning</a> (climbing and swimming up waterfalls, then floating back down)</li> <li>Super jeeping (4×4 driving through the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landmannalaugar"><em>Landmannalaugar</em></a> mountains)</li> <li>Enjoying bonfires, beers and Icelandic BBQ</li> <li>Having tea & coffee at the US Embassy</li> <li>Driving through the back country & around the glaciers / volcanoes</li> <li>Viewing the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_%28astronomy%29"><em>Northern Lights</em></a></li> <li>Speed boating & exploring <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vestmannaeyjar"><em>Vestmannaeyjar Islands</em></a></li> <li>Swimming at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Lagoon_%28geothermal_spa%29"><em>Blue Lagoon</em></a> (Geothermal spa), one of National Geographic’s Seven Wonders of the World</li> <li>Taking in the glorious<em> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B6kuls%C3%A1rl%C3%B3n">Jökulsárlón</a> </em>(Glacier Lagoon – where the lake’s glaciers go out to sea)</li> <li>Bathing in the natural geo thermal springs while the mountains surrounded us</li> <li>Participating in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifting_stone"><em>steintökin</em></a> (strong man competition). Needless to say, I am no Viking!</li> <li>Having my shoes stolen on the first day at a public pool (Yup!)</li> <li>Enjoying the “Bæjarins beztu pylsur” (best-in-town Icelandic hotdogs). Can’t say much about the <em>Harðfiskur</em> (wind dried fish). Also loved the <em>Skyr</em> (drinkable yogurt).</li> <li>Overall, just enjoying the beautiful, peaceful Icelandic scenery.</li> </ul> <p>If interested in a similar experience get in contact with our awesome guide, Siggi from <a href="http://siadv.is/">South Iceland Adventure</a> or <a href="http://www.mattwilson.tv/" title="Matt Wilson">Matt Wilson</a> from Founders Excursions. I’d highly recommend it!</p> <hr /><br /> © This article is copyright of <a href="http://justcreative.com">JUST™ Creative</a> and should not be found elsewhere.<br /><br /> <div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=rQlhH0ax2BY:4LLyquN_hs8:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?i=rQlhH0ax2BY:4LLyquN_hs8:gIN9vFwOqvQ" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=rQlhH0ax2BY:4LLyquN_hs8:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?i=rQlhH0ax2BY:4LLyquN_hs8:V_sGLiPBpWU" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=rQlhH0ax2BY:4LLyquN_hs8:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=rQlhH0ax2BY:4LLyquN_hs8:qj6IDK7rITs"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=qj6IDK7rITs" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=rQlhH0ax2BY:4LLyquN_hs8:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=rQlhH0ax2BY:4LLyquN_hs8:D7DqB2pKExk"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?i=rQlhH0ax2BY:4LLyquN_hs8:D7DqB2pKExk" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=rQlhH0ax2BY:4LLyquN_hs8:I9og5sOYxJI"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=I9og5sOYxJI" /></a> </div>

UPDATED: 8 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Boost Your Computer’s Speed with a Quick SSD Upgrade

<p class="intro">I was recently approached by Samsung to take part in their <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SamsungSSD" title="SSD Drivers">SSD Drivers program</a> which would allow me (and a few others) to test out their latest <a href="http://www.samsung.com/us/computer/solid-state-drives" title="SSD">SSD</a> (Solid State Drive) and review it here for you guys. After reading up on SSD drives and their <a href="http://www.samsung.com/us/article/top-ten-benefits-of-ssd" title="Benefits of SSD">benefits</a>, I decided to join the program and the results so far have been awesome.</p> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_11011"><img alt="Samsung SSD Drivers" class="size-large wp-image-11011" height="236" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/samsung-ssd-drivers-640x236.jpg" title="samsung-ssd-drivers" width="640" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Samsung SSD Drivers (Yours truly on the far right)</p></div> <h3>What is a SSD?</h3> <p>A solid-state drive is a data storage device that uses solid-state memory to store data. SSDs have the same purpose as traditional mechanical hard drives, but there is one major difference – they’re electronic devices and don’t have any mechanical parts. Unlike HDDs, SSDs don’t store data on spinning platters, but use flash memory instead.</p> <div class="superquote"> In short, this means that a SSD will make your computer considerably faster in a more reliable, silent and energy efficient manner. </div> <h3>Easy Installation</h3> <p>Samsung originally sent me a complimentary <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005T3GQ0G/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B005T3GQ0G&linkCode=as2&tag=justcrea-20" title="Samsung SSD 256GB">256GB SSD</a> however I decided that I <del>wanted</del> needed a 512GB so I sent the 256GB back to them and instead bought my own <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005T3GPXO/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B005T3GPXO&linkCode=as2&tag=justcrea-20" title="Samsung SSD 512GB">512GB SSD</a> to review.</p> <p><img alt="Samsung SSD 512GB" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-11015" height="380" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/samsung-ssd-512gb1.jpg" title="Samsung SSD 512GB" width="640" /></p> <p>After receiving the SSD, I watched a video from Samsung on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mihb8YQzDxw" title="How to install SSD for Mac">how to install it on a Mac</a> and after a quick stop at the hardware store for a new screwdriver, I was good to go. I copied 480GB of data from my previous HDD to the new SSD, which took about 7 hours overnight. After that was done, the physical installation / swapping of the drives took just 10 minutes.</p> <h3>Benefits of SSD vs HDD</h3> <p>There are a number of benefits of using a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJMGAdpCLVg" title="SSD vs HDD">SSD vs a HDD</a>, and I personally noticed a huge difference in the speed of my daily routines. Before I get into the differences, let me outline my current <a href="http://justcreative.com/2011/11/29/designer-office-set-up/" title="Hardware">hardware</a> & <a href="http://justcreative.com/2011/12/22/recommended-software-for-designers/" title="Software I use as Designer">software</a> I use as a designer.</p> <p>I use a Macbook Pro 17″ (3.06 GHZ Intel Core 2 Duo, 4 GB DDR Ram) attached to a 27″ display and at nearly all times I have these programs open; Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat Pro, InDesign, Mail, Tweetdeck, Chrome, Firefox, as well as Font Explorer, Spotify, TextMate, Bonjour, TextExplorer and Dropbox.</p> <h3>Increased Speed & Productivity</h3> <p>Within the first hour of using the new SSD I could visibly notice the speed difference in nearly every task performed. The most notable differences are listed below.</p> <ul> <li>Faster boot time (Even faster when I cleaned my computer with <a href="http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/11582/onyx" title="Onyx">Onyx</a>)</li> <li>All programs open much faster, especially the Creative Suite. The most notable speed difference is on startup as I have my programs set to auto start.</li> <li>Search is much faster, especially when combined with my productivity bud, <a href="http://www.alfredapp.com/" title="Alfred App">Alfred</a>.</li> <li>Moving between programs is much more responsive, eg. when changing from Photoshop, to Illustrator, to InDesign.</li> <li>Opening files and using Finder is way faster, as well as using program menus.</li> <li>The battery life seemed to last a bit longer too, only about 15-30 minutes but still noticeable.</li> <li>The only downfall I could think of would be the price (the 500GB was $608 after tax). The 256GB or 128GB gets you more bang for your buck, but you do get less space.</li> </ul> <p>Anyway, I’d definitely consider getting an SSD for a much faster & more reliable computer experience.</p> <p><strong>What has your experience been like with SSDs?</strong></p> <hr /><br /> © This article is copyright of <a href="http://justcreative.com">JUST™ Creative</a> and should not be found elsewhere.<br /><br /> <div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=8yuPa8WLv6w:O9ytCVh77vI:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?i=8yuPa8WLv6w:O9ytCVh77vI:gIN9vFwOqvQ" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=8yuPa8WLv6w:O9ytCVh77vI:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?i=8yuPa8WLv6w:O9ytCVh77vI:V_sGLiPBpWU" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=8yuPa8WLv6w:O9ytCVh77vI:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=8yuPa8WLv6w:O9ytCVh77vI:qj6IDK7rITs"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=qj6IDK7rITs" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=8yuPa8WLv6w:O9ytCVh77vI:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=8yuPa8WLv6w:O9ytCVh77vI:D7DqB2pKExk"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?i=8yuPa8WLv6w:O9ytCVh77vI:D7DqB2pKExk" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=8yuPa8WLv6w:O9ytCVh77vI:I9og5sOYxJI"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=I9og5sOYxJI" /></a> </div>

UPDATED: 8 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

The Art & Secrets of Personal Branding

<p><em>I originally wrote this article for the book, <a href="http://logonest.com" title="LogoNest Vol 2">Logo Nest Volume 2</a>. It has been republished here with permission. Photos are the end of the article.</em><hr class="thin" /></p> <p class="intro"><strong>Personal branding</strong> is by no means a new or light topic, but with the rise of social technologies, personal branding is as accessible as ever, meaning you have so much more opportunity, but also so much more competition.</p> <p>For you to stand out amongst the noise, you must become a valued brand. That brand is ‘You’. Take a closer look at the (st)art of personal branding and see how you can use it to start building your own personal brand. Brand You™.</p> <h2><strong>1. Set Goals, Plan & Define Your Brand</strong></h2> <div><img alt="Step One. Set Goals, Plan & Define Your Brand" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10949" height="400" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/step1.gif" title="Step One. Set Goals, Plan & Define Your Brand" width="640" /></div> <p>Before creating your brand, you must <strong>set specific goals and plan accordingly</strong>. You should take a look at where you are at now and where you want to be in the future.</p> <p>Are you trying to become an authority in your niche? Why? Are you planning to get a new job position or become a stay-at-home freelancer? Are you trying to find more clients and / or increase your prices?</p> <p>Figuring out <em>why and where</em> you want to be in the future will help you decide <em>how</em> to do it.</p> <div class="superquote"> Ultimately, your goal should be to make your planned self-impression equal to how other people perceive you. </div> <p>Re-read that. If you can do this, then you will become a master of your domain.</p> <p>As an example of a ‘successful’ personal brand, <a href="http://www.problogger.net/" title="Darren Rowse">Darren Rowse</a> is the leader in the ‘how to make money blogging’ niche (among others) and although his site is not self-named, his personal brand has grown based how he communicates through his own brand, websites & social channels.</p> <p>After you have figured out your goals, chosen your niche and set out a plan, you need to start creating your brand.</p> <h2><strong>2. Know, Understand & Believe In Your Brand</strong></h2> <div><img alt="Step Two Understand & Believe In Your Brand" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10950" height="400" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/step2.gif" title="Step Two Understand & Believe In Your Brand" width="640" /></div> <p>Your personal brand needs to have a look and feel, as well as a way to communicate, but this goes much further than having a logo & social media accounts. You need to maintain a consistent ‘corporate image’ in all mediums and at all times. See the <a href="http://justcreative.com/2010/04/06/branding-identity-logo-design-explained/" title="Branding Explained">differences between branding & visual identity</a> here.</p> <p>The fundamental idea and core concept behind having this ‘corporate image’ is that everything you do, everything you own and everything you produce, should reflect the values and aims of your personal brand as a whole.</p> <div class="superquote"> It is the consistency of this core idea that makes your brand. It shows others what <em>you</em> stand for, what <em>you</em> believe in and why <em>you</em> exist. </div> <p>As an example, let’s look at the well-known IT company, Apple. Although they are not a personal brand, the branding concept remains the same; they have a consistent ‘corporate image’.</p> <p>Apple projects a humanistic corporate culture and a strong corporate ethic, one, which is characterised by volunteerism, support of good causes & involvement in the community. These values of the business are evident throughout everything they do, from their innovative products and advertising, right through to their customer service. Apple is an emotionally humanist brand that really connects with people – when people buy or use their products or services; they feel part of the brand, like a tribe even. It is this emotional connection that creates their brand – not purely their products and a bite sized logo.</p> <p>If you can apply these same core principles to your own brand then it will be easier for others to see & know what you’re all about.</p> <address>“Remember, it’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be.”<br /> <em>-PAUL ARDEN</em></address> <h2><strong>3. Create & Maintain Your Brand</strong></h2> <div><img alt="Step Three - Create and Maintain Your Brand" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10951" height="400" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/step3.gif" title="step3" width="640" /></div> <p>After you have set your goals, outlined your target market & defined how you wish to be perceived, then you can start to form the foundation of your brand. Below are the essential building blocks that will help you do this.</p> <h4><strong>A Unique Visual Identity</strong></h4> <p>One of the easiest ways to differentiate your self from the competition is by having a unique <a href="http://justcreative.com/2012/09/11/branding-tips/" title="10 Must Know Tips for Creating Winning Visual Brand Identities">visual identity</a>. This visual identity should be consistent and reflective of your initial goals, yet flexible enough to work across all areas of your communication. Ensure, at minimum, that you have a business card, letterhead, an up-to-date CV, website and a variety of online social profiles.</p> <h4><strong>Your Own Website, Domain Name & Email Address</strong></h4> <p>Do you know what comes up when people type your name into Google? Hopefully your name and website, but if not, a quick way to climb to the top of search engines is by having your own domain such as JohnSmith.com.</p> <p>On your website, you should have information about you, links to your other websites, your social profiles, as well as a blog and if applicable, a portfolio.</p> <p>You should also set up a personally branded email address such as john@johnsmith.com as this looks much more professional than a free email service such as <a href="mailto:johnsmith@gmail.com">johnsmith@ymail.com</a>.</p> <h4><strong>Social Networks. (Engage & Communicate!)</strong></h4> <p>It’s one thing to have Facebook or Twitter, but actually using it right for your personal brand is another thing. You should remember that everything you do, say and share is reflective of ‘Brand You’, both personally and professionally.</p> <p>Ask yourself, what value are you providing to your friends and followers? Are you engaging and communicating with people, not just sharing what you had for breakfast? Have you filled out your online profiles to their fullest extent? Are you linking to your websites within each profile? What about your <a href="http://justcreative.com/2008/08/10/how-to-get-more-email/" title="How to get more email">email signature</a>?</p> <p>There are many ways to help promote you and your brand, but the simplest way is by making it easy for people to find and communicate with you. When they do, be sure to engage & provide value.</p> <h4><strong>Brand Maintenance, Security & Monitoring</strong></h4> <p>Your brand is your business and your reputation. Why wouldn’t you monitor what people are saying about you?</p> <p>Use <a href="http://www.google.com/alerts">Google Alerts</a>, Twitter Search and the many other tools available to you so you know when you are mentioned somewhere on the web. This allows you to put out fires early, as well as network and thank people who are helping or linking to you.</p> <h3><strong>The Secret To Personal Branding…</strong></h3> <div><img alt="Secret to Personal Branding" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10972" height="400" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/secret-personal-branding.gif" title="Secret to Personal Branding" width="640" /></div> <p>Remember, planning is the foundation of your personal brand and the execution builds the structure of that brand, but ultimately, it comes down to what people say about you, not what you say about yourself, thus the ultimate goal is to make your planned self-impression equal to how other people perceive you.</p> <p>That is the secret to personal branding.</p> <h3><strong>More branding & logo articles:</strong></h3> <ul> <li><a href="http://justcreative.com/2010/04/06/branding-identity-logo-design-explained/" rel="bookmark" title="Branding Explained">Branding, Identity & Logo Design Explained</a></li> <li><a href="http://justcreative.com/2008/04/18/a-comparative-study-of-logo-design-between-the-70s-and-90s/" rel="bookmark" title="Logos 70s 90s">A Comparative Study of Logo Design between the 70s and 90s.</a></li> <li><a href="http://justcreative.com/2012/09/11/branding-tips/" rel="bookmark" title="Branding Tips">10 Must Know Tips for Creating Winning Visual Brand Identities</a></li> <li><a href="http://justcreative.com/2011/08/02/12-ways-your-logo-impacts-social-media-marketing/" rel="bookmark" title="Social Media Logos">12 Ways Your Logo Impacts Social Media Marketing</a></li> <li><a href="http://justcreative.com/2010/11/09/a-look-at-consumer-emotional-attachment-to-brands-and-logos/" rel="bookmark" title="Logos and Emotions">Consumer Emotional Attachment to Brands and Logos</a></li> </ul> <div><img alt="Cover of Logo Nest Vol 2" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10108" height="425" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/00-cover.jpg" title="Cover of Logo Nest Vol 2" width="640" /></div> <div><img alt="Contents" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10106" height="425" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/02-contents.jpg" title="02-contents" width="640" /></div> <div><img alt="Art of Personal Branding" class="alignnone size-full" height="425" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/01-art-personal-branding.jpg" title="01-art-personal-branding" width="640" /></div> <div><img alt="Art of Personal Branding by Jacob Cass" class="alignnone size-full" height="689" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/art-of-personal-branding-jacob-cass.jpg" title="art-of-personal-branding-jacob-cass" width="640" /></div> <hr /><br /> © This article is copyright of <a href="http://justcreative.com">JUST™ Creative</a> and should not be found elsewhere.<br /><br /> <div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=5GOKdtLthXg:ls_PddWu8B0:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?i=5GOKdtLthXg:ls_PddWu8B0:gIN9vFwOqvQ" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=5GOKdtLthXg:ls_PddWu8B0:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?i=5GOKdtLthXg:ls_PddWu8B0:V_sGLiPBpWU" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=5GOKdtLthXg:ls_PddWu8B0:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=5GOKdtLthXg:ls_PddWu8B0:qj6IDK7rITs"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=qj6IDK7rITs" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=5GOKdtLthXg:ls_PddWu8B0:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=5GOKdtLthXg:ls_PddWu8B0:D7DqB2pKExk"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?i=5GOKdtLthXg:ls_PddWu8B0:D7DqB2pKExk" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=5GOKdtLthXg:ls_PddWu8B0:I9og5sOYxJI"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=I9og5sOYxJI" /></a> </div>

UPDATED: 9 MONTHS

10 Must Know Tips for Creating Winning Visual Brand Identities

<p class="intro">On Friday I attended the <a href="http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnewconference" title="Brand New Conference">2012 Brand New Conference</a>, a one day event focusing on the practice of corporate and brand identity. The event went smoothly <a href="http://justcreative.com/2010/11/06/2010-brand-new-conference-summary-quotes/" title="Brand New Conference 2010">again</a> (hat tip to Armin Vit for organizing) and the speakers shared some great tips and stories on a large variety of topics.</p> <p>The most notable talk of the day for me, was by <a href="http://twitter.com/manchipp" title="Simon Manchipp">Simon Manchipp</a>, the CD & co-founder of <a href="http://www.someoneinlondon.com/">Someone</a>. Simon’s talk was built around ten things to consider when creating a new visual brand identity.</p> <p>Below are some of the notes I took from his talk. There are some loose ends, but there are still a number of key takeaways so enjoy.</p> <p><img alt="Tips to consider when branding" height="612" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/branding.jpg" title="Tips to consider when branding" width="612" /></p> <h1>10 things to consider when creating a new visual brand identity</h1> <h3>1. Make it coherent, not consistent.</h3> <p><strong>A new logo is born useless.</strong> The media demands an approach that is instantly useful. Make your new logo useful. <strong>Create landscapes that can change and adapt.</strong> Information can and should fuel the design and pattern.A brand should be adaptive & coherent, not just consistent.</p> <h3>2. Do more than a logo.</h3> <p>The logo is dying so ask yourself <strong>how can you brand without badging?</strong></p> <h3>3. Brand without badging</h3> <p>A rubber stamped logo is not a brand. Remember…</p> <div class="superquote"> “A new logo should be a symbol of change, not a change of symbol.” </div> <h3>4. The big idea is not the big idea.</h3> <p>The big idea is not the big idea, but rather hundreds of ideas that form the brand. These ideas should be multi-channelled & multi-faceted.</p> <h3>5. Own moments</h3> <p>Find ownable moments that can be a spring point for the brand. eg. a color, season, taste, feature, etc.</p> <h3>6. Remove the fear</h3> <p>Branding is all fear & risk is attached to everything, but smart clients are those without the fear.</p> <div class="superquote"> We are hired for our principles, so stick to them. </div> <h3>7. Weird works</h3> <p>Weird shit creates monopolies. Trust the risky weirdo called creativity.</p> <h3>8. Make it people-centric</h3> <p><strong>We are not in design business but in the people business.</strong> Educated clients believe in coherent brand worlds. Winning companies are placing design at the heart of their business.</p> <h3>9. Create assets not costs</h3> <p>Design is often seen as a cost in the boardroom but it needs to be seen as an asset. The reason behind it being seen as a cost is that everyone considers themselves as a designer.</p> <p>“No one trusts creativity because of the dolphin duvet.” (aka everyone is a designer, I chose this dolphin duvet cover for my home). The goal is to show that design is an asset.</p> <h3>10. Chase the opportunity.</h3> <p>Chase the opportunity, not the money. If you are doing interesting work and having fun, enough money will come.</p> <p><strong>Have you got any other branding tips to share?</strong></p> <hr /><br /> © This article is copyright of <a href="http://justcreative.com">JUST™ Creative</a> and should not be found elsewhere.<br /><br /> <div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=iDBstlGPQaM:bSX6oaXQznU:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?i=iDBstlGPQaM:bSX6oaXQznU:gIN9vFwOqvQ" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=iDBstlGPQaM:bSX6oaXQznU:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?i=iDBstlGPQaM:bSX6oaXQznU:V_sGLiPBpWU" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=iDBstlGPQaM:bSX6oaXQznU:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=iDBstlGPQaM:bSX6oaXQznU:qj6IDK7rITs"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=qj6IDK7rITs" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=iDBstlGPQaM:bSX6oaXQznU:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=iDBstlGPQaM:bSX6oaXQznU:D7DqB2pKExk"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?i=iDBstlGPQaM:bSX6oaXQznU:D7DqB2pKExk" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=iDBstlGPQaM:bSX6oaXQznU:I9og5sOYxJI"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=I9og5sOYxJI" /></a> </div>

UPDATED: 9 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Future of Web Design 2012 + More Conferences

<p class="intro">I’ve been a media partner for <a href="http://www.futureinsights.com/">Future Insights</a> conferences for a <a href="http://justcreative.com/2011/11/07/future-of-web-design-conference-day-1-review/" title="FOWD 2011">few</a> <a href="http://justcreative.com/2011/11/15/future-of-web-design-conference-day-2-review/" title="FOWD 2012 Day 2">years</a> now and have been to a fair few of their events which are always <em>insightful</em>. This post is just letting you know that there is a web conference in <a href="http://futureofwebdesign.com/new-york-2012/" title="FOWD New York 2012">NYC</a> coming up in October and you can get 10% off. Details are below along with a few other conferences to be aware of.</p> <div><a href="http://futureofwebdesign.com/new-york-2012/" title="Future of Web Design 2012 NYC"><img alt="Future of Web Design NYC 2012" class="border" height="520" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/fowd-nyc.jpg" title="Future of Web Design NYC 2012" width="640" /></a></div> <p><strong>What:</strong> <a href="http://futureofwebdesign.com/new-york-2012/" target="_blank">Future of Web Design</a><strong><br /> When:</strong> Conference days: October 22 & 23. Workshop day: October 24<strong><br /> Where:</strong> <a href="http://www.newworldstages.com/">New World Stages</a> & Lighthouse International Conference Centre<strong><br /> Info:</strong></p> <div> <ul> <li>3 days, 30+ sessions, 4 full-day workshops</li> <li>Top-notch <a href="http://futureofwebdesign.com/new-york-2012/speakers" target="_blank">speakers</a>, including: Chris Coyier, Zoe Gillenwater, Darcy Clarke, Meagan Fisher, Dan Rose, Karen McGrane, Edward Boatman, Lis Hubert, and many more.</li> <li>Talks on CSS3, JQuery Performance, Typography, Icon and symbol design, frontend development, HTML5, responsive web design, UX, wireframing, and more</li> <li>Check out the <a href="http://futureofwebdesign.com/new-york-2012/schedule" target="_blank">full schedule</a> for more details.</li> </ul> <p><strong>10% off for Just Creative readers</strong><em><br /> Just Creative</em> readers are able to grab 10% off 2-Day Conference Passes or Workshop + 2-Day Conference Passes. Simply enter <em>JustCreative</em> on the registration page. Do remember to check out the handy <em><a href="http://futureofwebdesign.com/new-york-2012/downloads/FOWD-NYC-ConvinceYourBoss.pdf" target="_blank">Convince your Boss PDF</a></em> for help getting your approval.</p> <h3>More Conferences</h3> <p><strong><a href="http://uxweek.com/2012/">UX Week</a><br /> When:</strong> August 21-24, 2012<br /> <strong>Where:</strong> San Francisco, CA, USA</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.aneventapart.com/2012/chicago/">An Event Apart Chicago</a></strong><br /> <strong>When:</strong> August 27-29, 2012<br /> <strong>Where:</strong> Chicago, IL, USA</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.uxaustralia.com.au/">UX Australia</a><br /> When:</strong> August 28-31, 2012<br /> <strong>Where:</strong> Brisbane, Austalia at Sofitel Brisbane Central<br /> UX Australia also presents <a href="http://www.uxaustralia.com.au/agileux-2012/">Agile UX</a> and <a href="http://www.uxaustralia.com.au/servicedesign-2012/">Service Design 2012</a>.</p> <p><strong><a href="http://2012.dconstruct.org/">dConstruct</a><br /> When:</strong> September 7, 2012<br /> <strong>Where:</strong> Brighton, UK at the Brighton Dome</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2012/05/25/first-smashing-conference-coming-community-event-web-designers/">Smashing Magazine Conference</a></strong><br /> <strong>When:</strong> September 17-19, 2012<br /> <strong>Where:</strong> Freiburg, Germany</p> <p>Please feel free to share more web conferences if you know of them.</p> </div> <hr /><br /> © This article is copyright of <a href="http://justcreative.com">JUST™ Creative</a> and should not be found elsewhere.<br /><br /> <div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=QNGiDVr0duo:mIJJbvcPbM0:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?i=QNGiDVr0duo:mIJJbvcPbM0:gIN9vFwOqvQ" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=QNGiDVr0duo:mIJJbvcPbM0:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?i=QNGiDVr0duo:mIJJbvcPbM0:V_sGLiPBpWU" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=QNGiDVr0duo:mIJJbvcPbM0:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=QNGiDVr0duo:mIJJbvcPbM0:qj6IDK7rITs"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=qj6IDK7rITs" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=QNGiDVr0duo:mIJJbvcPbM0:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=QNGiDVr0duo:mIJJbvcPbM0:D7DqB2pKExk"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?i=QNGiDVr0duo:mIJJbvcPbM0:D7DqB2pKExk" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=QNGiDVr0duo:mIJJbvcPbM0:I9og5sOYxJI"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=I9og5sOYxJI" /></a> </div>

UPDATED: 10 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Logo Lounge Vol. 7 Arrives

<p class="intro">Last September, I wrote about how <a href="http://justcreative.com/2011/09/08/6-logos-selected-for-logo-lounge-vol-7/" title="Logo Lounge 7">six of my logos and a case study</a> were to be featured in the next edition of the <a href="http://logolounge.com" title="Logo Lounge">Logo Lounge</a> series, that being Logo Lounge 7. Well, I’ve just recently received the hard cover book in the mail and thought I’d share a few snaps.</p> <p>You can read the <a href="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/DSC008921.jpg" target="_blank" title="Menu Cover Depot">case study of the logo</a> I created for Menu Cover Depot here in image format (not in text format unfortunately).</p> <p>You can <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1592537278//ref=cm_sw_su_dp?tag=logolounge-20" target="_blank" title="Logo Lounge 7">purchase this book on Amazon</a> for $29.50.</p> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_10733"><img alt="Logo Lounge Book 7 Side View" class="size-full wp-image-10733" height="425" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/DSC00884.jpg" title="Logo Lounge Book 7 " width="640" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Logo Lounge Book 7 Side View</p></div> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_10734"><img alt="Logo Lounge Book 7 Front Cover" class="size-full wp-image-10734" height="425" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/DSC00885.jpg" title="Logo Lounge Book 7 Front Cover" width="640" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Logo Lounge Book 7 Front Cover</p></div> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_10735"><img alt="Levi's Case Study" class="size-full wp-image-10735" height="425" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/DSC00886.jpg" title="DSC00886" width="640" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Levi's Case Study</p></div> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_10737"><a href="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/DSC008921.jpg"><img alt="Menu Cover Depot Case Study" class="size-full wp-image-10737 " height="425" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/DSC00892.jpg" title="Menu Cover Depot Case Study" width="640" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Case study of my Menu Cover Depot logo.</p></div> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_10738"><img alt="Eton Financial" class="size-full wp-image-10738" height="425" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/DSC00894.jpg" title="DSC00894" width="640" /><p class="wp-caption-text">My featured work: Eton Financial Logo</p></div> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_10739"><img alt="My featured work: Radar Logo" class="size-full wp-image-10739" height="425" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/DSC00895.jpg" title="My featured work: Radar Logo" width="640" /><p class="wp-caption-text">My featured work: Radar Logo</p></div> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_10740"><img alt="My featured work: Onyx Logo" class="size-full wp-image-10740" height="425" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/DSC00899.jpg" title="My featured work: Onyx Logo" width="640" /><p class="wp-caption-text">My featured work: Onyx Logo</p></div> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_10741"><img alt="My featured work: Yoga Tripper Logo" class="size-full wp-image-10741" height="425" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/DSC00900.jpg" title="My featured work: Yoga Tripper Logo" width="640" /><p class="wp-caption-text">My featured work: Yoga Tripper Logo</p></div> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_10742"><img alt="My featured work: Japan Tribute Logo" class="size-full wp-image-10742" height="425" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/DSC00902.jpg" title="My featured work: Japan Tribute Logo" width="640" /><p class="wp-caption-text">My featured work: Japan Tribute Logo</p></div> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_10744"><img alt="Logo Lounge 7 Back Cover" class="size-full wp-image-10744" height="425" src="http://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/DSC00906.jpg" title="Logo Lounge 7 Back Cover" width="640" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Logo Lounge 7 Back Cover</p></div> <p>This makes a total of 29 logos of mine that have been published in Logo Lounge’s books, as outlined below. Quite humbling!</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://justcreative.com/2011/05/10/logo-lounge-vol-6-book-review/" title="Logo Lounge 6">Logo Lounge Vol. 6</a> (6 logos)</li> <li><a href="http://justcreative.com/2009/08/17/logo-lounge-volume-5-book-review/">LogoLounge Vol. 5</a> (2 logos)</li> <li><a href="http://justcreative.com/2010/09/26/logo-lounges-master-library-book-3/">LogoLounge Master Library – Shapes & Symbols</a> (9 logos)</li> <li>LogoLounge Master Library – Typography and Enclosures (6 logos)</li> </ul> <p>If you’re interested in having your work considered for their next book, you can <a href="https://www.logolounge.com/join.asp">become a member</a> of Logo Lounge ($99) & start uploading your work. I am not affiliated with Logo Lounge… JUST sharing the love. Good luck & thanks for looking.</p> <hr /><br /> © This article is copyright of <a href="http://justcreative.com">JUST™ Creative</a> and should not be found elsewhere.<br /><br /> <div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=ZlZuXtDmp18:LiPcB0gvlZU:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?i=ZlZuXtDmp18:LiPcB0gvlZU:gIN9vFwOqvQ" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=ZlZuXtDmp18:LiPcB0gvlZU:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?i=ZlZuXtDmp18:LiPcB0gvlZU:V_sGLiPBpWU" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=ZlZuXtDmp18:LiPcB0gvlZU:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=ZlZuXtDmp18:LiPcB0gvlZU:qj6IDK7rITs"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=qj6IDK7rITs" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=ZlZuXtDmp18:LiPcB0gvlZU:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=ZlZuXtDmp18:LiPcB0gvlZU:D7DqB2pKExk"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?i=ZlZuXtDmp18:LiPcB0gvlZU:D7DqB2pKExk" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?a=ZlZuXtDmp18:LiPcB0gvlZU:I9og5sOYxJI"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JustCreativeDesignBlog?d=I9og5sOYxJI" /></a> </div>

UPDATED: 10 MONTHS, 2 WEEKS

COMPUTER ARTS DAILY

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The designer Christmas gift guide, part five

UPDATED: 6 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Introducing Robo-Lomo

UPDATED: 6 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

World's first audience-edited commercial

UPDATED: 6 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Morph is back

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Character design and art festival returns to Berlin

UPDATED: 6 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Barking mad new music video

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Detox Fashion

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The designer Christmas gift guide, part four

UPDATED: 6 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

The designer Christmas gift guide, part three

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UPDATED: 6 MONTHS, 2 WEEKS

SPECKYBOY DESIGN MAGAZINE

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The Dark Side of User Experience Design

<p><a href="http://rss.buysellads.com/click.php?z=1259958&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=30596&c=996784401" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://rss.buysellads.com/img.php?z=1259958&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=30596&c=996784401" /></a></p><br /><p>User Experience Design became a huge trend in the Interactive Industry. Working as a UX designer, UX manager and finally creating <a href="http://uxpin.com/">UXPin – The UX Design Online App</a> – I soaked up the design field. Even so, this UX revolution came to me as a surprise.</p><h4>Time for UX Design</h4><p>“Design and marketing aren’t just as important as engineering: they are way more important” <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2010-02-01/the-value-of-design-to-startupsbusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice">says Dave McClure</a>, founder of <a href="http://500.co/">500 Startups</a> – one of the most important startup accelerators in the world. In recent years his words have been proven by well designed, successful products, co-founded by designers e.g. YouTube, Airbnb, Flipboard, Square, Pinterest, Etsy, Path, AboutMe and Slideshare.</p><p>User experience design just stopped to be a niche and became a standard. It’s easier now to find an internet company without the SEO guy (after <a href="http://www.seroundtable.com/google-panda-20-15789.html">Panda</a>… I wonder why) than without a UX designer on board. According to LinkedIn there are more than 900,000 people somehow connected to UX design and almost 17,000 open job positions as of October, 2012.</p><p><img src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/darkside_02.jpg" /><small>Full Infographic available here: <a href="http://blog.uxpin.com/1176/the-age-of-user-experience-design/">The Age of User Experience Design</a></small></p><p>Seems like everyone wants to have at least one UX Designer in their team and luckily a lot of people want to become UX Designers.</p><p>And you know what? I’m not surprised that people want to be UX Designers. It’s a lot of fun! We make life a little bit easier for millions of people. Isn’t that satisfying?</p><p>UX is meaningful, no questions here, but I’m afraid it’s not only joy, relax, cute animals and rainbows. There’s a dark side of UX – every day work focused on constant optimization.</p><h4>The Dark Side of UX</h4><p>Let me tell you couple of words about my pre-startup, full time UX Manager job: My user experience design team was constantly occupied with lots of tiny tasks focused on the optimization of the User Interface. Believe me it was not something you could brag about during a family dinner (hardly noticeable things aren’t particularly admired). We were performance-obsessed. We measured thoroughly what and how our users do and we tried to make every small fragment of the UI optimized.</p><p>It required a lot of scientific-like approach – very methodological and precise. And yes! There’s more math and analytical thinking than visually appealing stuff. That’s the reality. The Dark Side. That’s the real User Experience Design.</p><p>User Experience Design lies at the crossroads of art and science. It’s a magical mixture of visual art, hard-boiled psychology and numbers. Non of these nobel ingredients can be omitted, as it may put your whole design endeavor at risk.</p><p><img src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/darkside_03.jpg" /><small>UX Design is a Magical Mixture. Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mgdtgd/">Everyone’s Idle</a></small></p><p>I’m afraid UX is a much harder work than it looks on the outside and you must be ready for that, no matter if you want to become UX Designer, you run your own company and care for UX, you work with UX Designers, or you’re just generally interested in the field.</p><p>Dozens of tests checking the influence of every tiny fragment of the design – this is the road you will take if you want to sky-rocket your conversion and reach the ultimate goal: design of well-performing product.</p><p>There are no shortcuts. I spent four years constantly fighting for the conversion rate of one web service and right now we’re spending every living moment at optimizing <a href="http://uxpin.com/">UXPin</a> for our UX users. It might not sound like fun, but it works so well.</p><p>Step into the Dark Side of UX and create products that really work.</p><h4>Conversion Rate?</h4><p>Oh yes, some of you may wonder what a conversion is and what a conversion rate is. Though these terms have made an amazing career in recent years, I that it’s really easy to grasp their meanings. Let see…</p><p>Conversion – is an act in which users change a casual visit to a website/mobile app, etc. into the achievement of a desired action (business goal).</p><p>Filling in a form might be considered a conversion, so could buying a product, sharing a message with friends, etc. It depends on our business goals.</p><p>Conversion Rate – is the ratio of users who change their casual visit into a desired action (business goal).</p><p>Therefore, optimizing conversion means taking certain actions with a plan to increase the conversion rate. Users are part of the conversion rate equation so you really need to get to know them. How can you do that? Test, test, test, test – by testing your designs you’re gathering knowledge which will help you make the right design decisions.</p><p>In reality you’ll be forced to get to know the tiniest emanations of your users’ behavior. Only hundreds of tests, psychological tricks and hard work on the interface architecture ma lead you to double digit growths in the conversion rate. I’ve been there and I’ve tried to make it easier, only to learn that there’s no “easier”.</p><p>All my experience taught me that conversion optimization is not a weekend-long job – it’s a way of developing your service.</p><p>That’s the tiresome reality. The true Dark Side.</p><p><img src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/darkside_01.jpg" /><small>Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/isherwoodchris/">CJ Isherwood</a></small></p><h4>Summing Up The Dark Side</h4><p>So in my salvational monologue about the Dark Side, I’ve tried to express that you need to test, test, test and… test, even if it doesn’t sound very sexy.</p><p>Most probably it’s in your power to double your current conversion rate, but, as Spiderman once said, with great power comes great responsibility. Your responsibility is to test your design conceptions and choose the best one.</p> <br /><p><a href="http://rss.buysellads.com/click.php?z=1259961&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=30596&c=975330550" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://rss.buysellads.com/img.php?z=1259961&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=30596&c=975330550" /></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=J_HQtSyMZGY:jer2MAMuPe0:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=J_HQtSyMZGY:jer2MAMuPe0:-BTjWOF_DHI"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=J_HQtSyMZGY:jer2MAMuPe0:-BTjWOF_DHI" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=J_HQtSyMZGY:jer2MAMuPe0:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=J_HQtSyMZGY:jer2MAMuPe0:F7zBnMyn0Lo" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=J_HQtSyMZGY:jer2MAMuPe0:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=J_HQtSyMZGY:jer2MAMuPe0:V_sGLiPBpWU" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=J_HQtSyMZGY:jer2MAMuPe0:qj6IDK7rITs"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?d=qj6IDK7rITs" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=J_HQtSyMZGY:jer2MAMuPe0:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=J_HQtSyMZGY:jer2MAMuPe0:gIN9vFwOqvQ" /></a> </div><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/speckboy-design-magazine/~4/J_HQtSyMZGY" width="1" />

UPDATED: 6 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

WordPress 3.5 Released: What All Does it Offer?

<p><a href="http://rss.buysellads.com/click.php?z=1259958&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=30617&c=1395323715" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://rss.buysellads.com/img.php?z=1259958&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=30617&c=1395323715" /></a></p><br /><p>This week, WordPress 3.5 “Elvin” was <a href="http://wordpress.org/news/2012/12/elvin/" target="_blank">released</a>. This new version comes with certain tweaks and improvements, primarily focusing on user interface and experience.</p><p><span id="more-30617"></span></p><p>The most noteworthy change introduced in this new release of WordPress is that of the Media Manager and Image Uploader. Unlike the previous one, the new Media Manager shows you thumbnail previews of all your uploaded images. Obviously, this new Manager interface has been designed with the heavy-usage photo uploaders in mind: you can easily drag and drop images to sort and organize them in your galleries.</p><p><img alt="New WordPress Media Manager" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/wp35_01.jpg" /></p><p>Beyond that, WordPress 3.5 also comes packaged with the responsive <a href="http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/twentytwelve" target="_blank">Twenty Twelve</a> (which was released earlier this month) as its default theme. Plus, WP 3.5 is now retina-ready, and with HiDPI display support, it sure looks all prepared to sizzle and shine on your iPhone and iPad screens.</p><p><img alt="Retina Ready WordPress" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/wp35_02.jpg" /></p><p>The Links section, also often termed as Blogroll, has now been eliminated. If you need that feature, you can opt for the <a href="http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/link-manager/" target="_blank">Links Manager</a> plugin. Furthermore, the color picker has been given a facelift, the privacy settings have been moved to the Settings–>Reading page, and before I forget, you now have the ability to mark selected plugins as ‘Favorites’, and then access them directly from the admin panel.</p><p>JavaScript libraries such as <a href="http://backbonejs.org/" target="_blank">Backbone</a> and <a href="http://underscorejs.org/" target="_blank">Underscore</a> are now included in WP 3.5. Also, TinyMCE and other components have been updated, the multisite support has been retouched, enhanced support for meta queries has been added, and WordPress API is now enabled by default.</p><p>Still need more? Check out this vid from WordPress:</p><p></p><p>What do you think of the new WP update?</p> <br /><p><a href="http://rss.buysellads.com/click.php?z=1259961&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=30617&c=1584413800" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://rss.buysellads.com/img.php?z=1259961&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=30617&c=1584413800" /></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=rYx0MPeYwU0:UCHEXj31ow4:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=rYx0MPeYwU0:UCHEXj31ow4:-BTjWOF_DHI"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=rYx0MPeYwU0:UCHEXj31ow4:-BTjWOF_DHI" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=rYx0MPeYwU0:UCHEXj31ow4:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=rYx0MPeYwU0:UCHEXj31ow4:F7zBnMyn0Lo" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=rYx0MPeYwU0:UCHEXj31ow4:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=rYx0MPeYwU0:UCHEXj31ow4:V_sGLiPBpWU" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=rYx0MPeYwU0:UCHEXj31ow4:qj6IDK7rITs"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?d=qj6IDK7rITs" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=rYx0MPeYwU0:UCHEXj31ow4:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=rYx0MPeYwU0:UCHEXj31ow4:gIN9vFwOqvQ" /></a> </div><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/speckboy-design-magazine/~4/rYx0MPeYwU0" width="1" />

UPDATED: 6 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

My Essential Design Resources

<p><a href="http://rss.buysellads.com/click.php?z=1259958&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=29872&c=1831886478" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://rss.buysellads.com/img.php?z=1259958&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=29872&c=1831886478" /></a></p><br /><p>Great tools make a huge difference in how quickly you can complete a task. I’d like to share a few tools I use when designing web applications to help me work faster and more efficiently. This isn’t a massive list of every design resource I could find on the web. Instead, I included just the ones that I and a few of my friends use to create great designs.</p><div class="greybox">Nathan Barry is the author of <a href="http://nathanbarry.com/app-design-handbook" target="_blank">Designing Web Applications</a>, a complete guide to designing beautiful, easy-to-use web software. He also writes about design and business at <a href="http://nathanbarry.com/" target="_blank">NathanBarry.com</a>.</div><h2>Patterns & Textures</h2><p><img alt="Subtle Patterns" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/1-Subtle-Patterns.jpg" width="640" /></p><p>When it comes to patterns and textures, there are two sites that have all my needs covered. <a href="http://subtlepatterns.com" target="_blank">Subtle Patterns</a> is my favorite, but I’ve also picked up a lot of great resources from <a href="http://tileabl.es" target="_blank">Tileables</a>. When using their resources remember that you can modify them in Photoshop to create a look that better matches your design. Besides, who wants to use the defaults?</p><p><img alt="Tileables" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/2-Tileables.jpg" width="640" /></p><h2>Icons</h2><p>I have three go-to sources for icons: The Noun Project, Glyphish, and Fugue. Each fills a slightly different need in my design portfolio.</p><p><a href="http://thenounproject.com" target="_blank"><strong>The Noun Project</strong></a><br /> Often it can be hard to decide what visual metaphor best represents a word. This could be for logos, icons, or just the overall style for your design. So I like to plug a few words into The Noun Project to see the metaphors they used. Sometimes one of their icons fits perfectly.</p><p><img alt="The Noun Project" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/3-noun-project.jpg" width="640" /></p><p><a href="http://www.glyphish.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Glyphish</strong></a><br /> Glyphish is an icon set originally created for tab bars in iOS applications, but I love using them all throughout my designs. The simple style works well on solid colors, doesn’t draw too much attention, and can easily be styled with a highlight (for the selected navigation item). The free set includes 200 great icons, but for $25 you can get the Pro set (which I use) that includes 400 icons at multiple sizes.</p><p><img alt="Glyphish" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/4-glyphish.jpg" width="640" /></p><p><a href="http://p.yusukekamiyamane.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Fugue</strong></a><br /> Fugue is a massive set of small, 16 pixel square, color icons. These days I prefer to use flat, monochromatic icons, but when a project calls for small icons with detail, Fugue is my set of choice.</p><p><img alt="Fugue" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/5-Fugue.jpg" width="640" /></p><h2>Inspiration</h2><p>There are tons of sites available for finding inspiration, but only two that I keep coming back to: Dribbble and PatternTap.</p><p><a href="http://patterntap.com" target="_blank"><strong>PatternTap</strong></a><br /> When designing web applications, I often want to know how other applications tackled a really specific problems. Rather than looking for a specific style, I want to see how they solved the user-experience problems. This is where PatternTap really shines. Want to see popovers in use throughout designs? There is a tag for that.</p><p><img alt="PatternTap" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/6-pattern-tap.jpg" width="640" /></p><p><a href="http://dribbble.com" target="_blank"><strong>Dribbble</strong></a><br /> Dribbble is where I turn when I want style inspiration. The screenshots are too small and focused to get an idea for the user experience, but the designers produce some great stylistic work. I’ve followed my favorite designers, so there is always something good in my feed.</p><p><img alt="Dribbble" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/7-Dribbble.jpg" width="640" /></p><h2>Design Elements</h2><p><a href="http://premiumpixels.com" target="_blank"><strong>Premium Pixels</strong></a><br /> For little design elements, Premium Pixels is the best place to go. These are small PSDs that are always wonderfully polished. I’ve used their browser chrome, maps, and several more. It is well worth your time to browse the site.</p><p><img alt="Premium Pixels" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/8-premium-pixels.jpg" width="640" /></p><p><a href="http://designmodo.com/the-bricks-addons/" target="_blank"><strong>The Bricks</strong></a><br /> The Bricks is a massive template of design elements that look really nice. While I don’t use them myself, several friends do and they absolutely love it! It’s a paid set, but looks to be well worth the money.</p><p><img alt="The Bricks" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/9-bricks.jpg" width="640" /></p><h2>Mockups</h2><p><a href="http://invision.com" target="_blank"><strong>InVision</strong></a><br /> I sketch all my mockups on paper first, then design in Photoshop. When sharing with a team I like to use InVision to turn my flat design images into a interactive web application. You can define clickable areas and share with the rest of the team for feedback. Comment threads can be started on any design element, so it keeps any discussions focused and in context. You can use it for one project for free; multiple projects start at $15 a month.</p><p><img alt="InVision" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/10-Invision.jpg" width="640" /></p><p><a href="http://www.zurb.com/playground/responsive-sketchsheets" target="_blank"><strong>Responsive Sketchsheets</strong></a><br /> Zurb’s Responsive Sketchsheets are great for designing how your application will look at different device sizes. Print them out for free and start sketching!</p><p><img alt="Responsive Sketchsheets" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/11-sketchsheets.jpg" width="640" /></p><p><a href="https://gomockingbird.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Mockingbird</strong></a><br /> If you like to use software to create your mockups, then you should check out Mockingbird. One friend just loves using them. Mockingbird is browser based, so your mockups are available anywhere and easy to share. They also have a “one project free” plan. Paid plans start at $9 a month.</p><p><img alt="Mockingbird" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/12-Mockingbird.jpg" width="640" /></p><h2>Code</h2><p><a href="http://twitter.github.com/bootstrap" target="_blank"><strong>Bootstrap</strong></a><br /> The fastest way to have clean buttons, forms, and menus in your web application is to use Bootstrap. Created by two former Twitter designers, Bootstrap is an HTML and CSS library for quickly styling your application. Even if you don’t use the entire thing, some of their JavaScript code for popovers and modals are really helpful.</p><p><img alt="Bootstrap" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/13-bootstrap.jpg" width="640" /></p><p><a href="https://wrapbootstrap.com/" target="_blank"><strong>{wrap} bootstrap</strong></a><br /> The only downside to Bootstrap is that if everyone uses it, all the sites will start to look the same. So you need to customize Bootstrap to get the most value out of it. {wrap} bootstrap sells themes for Bootstrap so you can get a more unique style, while still using all of Bootstrap’s great features. The themes are around $20 each. You can also get free themes from <a href="http://bootswatch.com/" target="_blank">Bootswatch</a>.</p><p><img alt="{wrap} bootstrap" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/14-wrap-bootstrap.jpg" width="640" /></p><p><a href="http://css-tricks.com/sass-vs-less/" target="_blank"><strong>LESS & SASS</strong></a><br /> I’m sure I’m not the first person to tell you this, but LESS and SASS are amazing. For those who don’t know, LESS and SASS are CSS preprocessors that add a bunch of extra features. If you’ve ever wished you could seamlessly reuse bits of code or define variables in your CSS, then you want to check out these preprocessors. If you are trying to decide which one to use, check out Chris Coyier’s article on the subject.</p><p><img alt="LESS & SASS" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/15-LESS.jpg" width="640" /></p><p><a href="http://www.zurb.com/playground/jquery-joyride-feature-tour-plugin" target="_blank">jQuery Joyride</a><br /> When a user first signs up for your application, you should give them a brief introduction to the interface. Instead of a series of screenshots or a wizard process, you want to point out features directly in the interface. The jQuery Joyride plugin from Zurb makes this really easy.</p><p><img alt="jQuery Joyride" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/16-joyride.jpg" width="640" /></p><h2>Start Using Them</h2><p>That concludes the list of my favorites. Go download the free ones and definitely consider any of the paid options as well. The resources listed above are key to my workflow and to the design process for many other designers as well.</p> <br /><p><a href="http://rss.buysellads.com/click.php?z=1259961&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=29872&c=907943154" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://rss.buysellads.com/img.php?z=1259961&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=29872&c=907943154" /></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=wMQ2s_q2KT4:dnMeVTcjjLA:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=wMQ2s_q2KT4:dnMeVTcjjLA:-BTjWOF_DHI"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=wMQ2s_q2KT4:dnMeVTcjjLA:-BTjWOF_DHI" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=wMQ2s_q2KT4:dnMeVTcjjLA:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=wMQ2s_q2KT4:dnMeVTcjjLA:F7zBnMyn0Lo" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=wMQ2s_q2KT4:dnMeVTcjjLA:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=wMQ2s_q2KT4:dnMeVTcjjLA:V_sGLiPBpWU" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=wMQ2s_q2KT4:dnMeVTcjjLA:qj6IDK7rITs"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?d=qj6IDK7rITs" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=wMQ2s_q2KT4:dnMeVTcjjLA:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=wMQ2s_q2KT4:dnMeVTcjjLA:gIN9vFwOqvQ" /></a> </div><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/speckboy-design-magazine/~4/wMQ2s_q2KT4" width="1" />

UPDATED: 6 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Photoshop and Illustrator Christmas Tutorials

<p><a href="http://rss.buysellads.com/click.php?z=1259958&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=30564&c=1616089724" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://rss.buysellads.com/img.php?z=1259958&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=30564&c=1616089724" /></a></p><br /><p>Have you ever wanted to design Christmas trees, bells, candles and other things things? How about drawing a cute Reindeer, a Christmas stocking choc-full of presents, or even a zombie Santa Claus?</p><p>Well, today, we have put together a collection of Photoshop & Illustrator tutorials — all related to Christmas festivity. So put your learning hat on, and explore some new creative ideas this festive season!</p><p><span id="more-30564"></span></p><div class="split-post-left"><h4><a href="http://abduzeedo.com/merry-christmas-illustrator-tutorial" target="_blank">Merry Christmas Zombie Poster</a><br />(Illustrator Tutorial)</h4><p><a href="http://abduzeedo.com/merry-christmas-illustrator-tutorial" target="_blank"><img alt="Merry Christmas Zombie Poster - Illustrator Tutorial" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ps_ill_xmas_01.jpg" width="295" /></a></p><p>In this not so festive Christmas tutorial you will learn how to create the above Zombie Santa Claus using some simple Illustrator tips.</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://abduzeedo.com/merry-christmas-illustrator-tutorial" target="_blank">View the Tutorial →</a></p><h4><a href="http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/3d/festive-cocktail-photoshops-3d/" target="_blank">Create a Festive Cocktail</a><br />(Photoshop Tutorial)</h4><p><a href="http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/3d/festive-cocktail-photoshops-3d/" target="_blank"><img alt="Create a Festive Cocktail - Photoshop Tutorial" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ps_ill_xmas_02.jpg" width="295" /></a></p><p>With this tutorial, you will be shown how to create this festive and delicious looking cocktail using Photoshop’s 3D capabilities.</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/3d/festive-cocktail-photoshops-3d/" target="_blank">View the Tutorial →</a></p><h4><a href="http://tuts.3d2dizayn.com/index.php/2011/12/painting-a-santa-christmas-greeting-card-with-adobe-photoshop/" target="_blank">Painting a Santa Greeting Card</a><br />(Photoshop Tutorial)</h4><p><a href="http://tuts.3d2dizayn.com/index.php/2011/12/painting-a-santa-christmas-greeting-card-with-adobe-photoshop/" target="_blank"><img alt="Painting a Santa Greeting Card - Photoshop Tutorial" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ps_ill_xmas_03.jpg" width="295" /></a></p><p>This tutorial will take you through the step-by-step process of how the digital painting above was created, learning advanced painting techniques such as working with custom brushes and color arrangement.</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://tuts.3d2dizayn.com/index.php/2011/12/painting-a-santa-christmas-greeting-card-with-adobe-photoshop/" target="_blank">View the Tutorial →</a></p><h4><a href="http://www.yvelledesigneye.com/2011/12/22/creating-a-christmas-tree-in-illustrator/" target="_blank">Creating an Earthy Christmas Tree</a><br />(Illustrator Tutorial)</h4><p><a href="http://www.yvelledesigneye.com/2011/12/22/creating-a-christmas-tree-in-illustrator/" target="_blank"><img alt="Creating an Earthy Christmas Tree - Illustrator Tutorial" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ps_ill_xmas_04.jpg" width="295" /></a></p><p>Using Illustrator CS5, this tutorial will show you how to create the above Christmas tree giving it a lovely earthy/grainy feel.</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://www.yvelledesigneye.com/2011/12/22/creating-a-christmas-tree-in-illustrator/" target="_blank">View the Tutorial →</a></p><h4><a href="http://alfoart.com/christmas_night_card.html" target="_blank">Magic Christmas Scene with Flying Santa</a><br />(Photoshop Tutorial)</h4><p><a href="http://alfoart.com/christmas_night_card.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Magic Christmas Scene with Flying Santa - Photoshop Tutorial" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ps_ill_xmas_05.jpg" width="295" /></a></p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://alfoart.com/christmas_night_card.html" target="_blank">View the Tutorial →</a></p><h4><a href="http://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/create-a-cute-vector-reindeer-character-in-illustrator" target="_blank">Create a Cute Vector Reindeer Character</a><br />(Illustrator Tutorial)</h4><p><a href="http://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/create-a-cute-vector-reindeer-character-in-illustrator" target="_blank"><img alt="Create a Cute Vector Reindeer Character - Illustrator Tutorial" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ps_ill_xmas_06.jpg" width="295" /></a></p><p>In this tutorial you will learn how to design the cute little vector reindeer you can see above. You'll begin by creating the basic structure of the reindeer with basic shapes, then build up the details with gradients and effects.</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/create-a-cute-vector-reindeer-character-in-illustrator" target="_blank">View the Tutorial →</a></p><h4><a href="http://abduzeedo.com/beautiful-fluffy-clouds-photoshop-christmas-tutorial" target="_blank">Create Beautiful Fluffy Christmas Clouds</a><br />(Photoshop Tutorial)</h4><p><a href="http://abduzeedo.com/beautiful-fluffy-clouds-photoshop-christmas-tutorial" target="_blank"><img alt="Create Beautiful Fluffy Christmas Clouds - Photoshop Tutorial" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ps_ill_xmas_07.jpg" width="295" /></a></p><p>In this Photoshop tutorial you will be shown how to create dramatic fluffy clouds with the added bonus of Father Christmas flying through them on his sleigh.</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://abduzeedo.com/beautiful-fluffy-clouds-photoshop-christmas-tutorial" target="_blank">View the Tutorial →</a></p><h4><a href="https://tutsplus.com/tutorial/gingerbread-cookies/" target="_blank">Create a Gingerbread Cookie Scene</a><br />(Photoshop Tutorial)</h4><p><a href="https://tutsplus.com/tutorial/gingerbread-cookies/" target="_blank"><img alt="Create a Gingerbread Cookie Scene - Photoshop Tutorial" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ps_ill_xmas_08.jpg" width="295" /></a></p><p>In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to build a seasonal gingerbread cookie using copies of a single Smart Object. This technique will allow you to quickly update the shape of the cookie with very little effort so that you can make multiple cookies for the overall scene.</p><p><a class="button-med" href="https://tutsplus.com/tutorial/gingerbread-cookies/" target="_blank">View the Tutorial →</a></p><h4><a href="http://alfoart.com/christmas_card_1.html" target="_blank">Unusual Christmas Card Tutorial</a><br />(Photoshop Tutorial)</h4><p><a href="http://alfoart.com/christmas_card_1.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Unusual Christmas Card Tutorial - Photoshop Tutorial" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ps_ill_xmas_09.jpg" width="295" /></a></p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://alfoart.com/christmas_card_1.html" target="_blank">View the Tutorial →</a></p><h4><a href="http://www.noupe.com/tutorial/adobe-illustrator-tutorial-create-a-christmas-greeting-card.html" target="_blank">Create a Christmas Greeting Card</a><br />(Illustrator Tutorial)</h4><p><a href="http://www.noupe.com/tutorial/adobe-illustrator-tutorial-create-a-christmas-greeting-card.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Create a Christmas Greeting Card - Illustrator Tutorial" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ps_ill_xmas_10.jpg" width="295" /></a></p><p>This Illustrator tutorial takes you through the steps of creating a nice Christmas greeting card with colorful presents to stuff the Christmas stocking.</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://www.noupe.com/tutorial/adobe-illustrator-tutorial-create-a-christmas-greeting-card.html" target="_blank">View the Tutorial →</a></p></div><div class="split-post-right"><h4><a href="http://www.adobetutorialz.com/articles/2530/1/Pretty-Girl-in-Christmas-Suit" target="_blank">Pretty Girl in Christmas Suit Tutorial</a><br />(Photoshop Tutorial)</h4><p><a href="http://www.adobetutorialz.com/articles/2530/1/Pretty-Girl-in-Christmas-Suit" target="_blank"><img alt="Pretty Girl in Christmas Suit Tutorial - Photoshop Tutorial" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ps_ill_xmas_11.jpg" width="295" /></a></p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://www.adobetutorialz.com/articles/2530/1/Pretty-Girl-in-Christmas-Suit" target="_blank">View the Tutorial →</a></p><h4><a href="http://www.pxleyes.com/tutorial/photoshop/2653/Create-a-Christmas-Holiday-Portrait.html" target="_blank">Create a Christmas Holiday Portrait</a><br />(Photoshop Tutorial)</h4><p><a href="http://www.pxleyes.com/tutorial/photoshop/2653/Create-a-Christmas-Holiday-Portrait.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Create a Christmas Holiday Portrait - Photoshop Tutorial" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ps_ill_xmas_12.jpg" width="295" /></a></p><p>Using only one brush and the Smudge, Line, Burn & Dodge tools, in this tutorial you will learn how to replicate the Christmas themed portrait that you can see above.</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://www.pxleyes.com/tutorial/photoshop/2653/Create-a-Christmas-Holiday-Portrait.html" target="_blank">View the Tutorial →</a></p><h4><a href="http://www.vectorious.net/blog/how-to-draw-a-cute-santa-in-illustrator/" target="_blank">How to Draw a Cute Santa</a><br />(Illustrator Tutorial)</h4><p><a href="http://www.vectorious.net/blog/how-to-draw-a-cute-santa-in-illustrator/" target="_blank"><img alt="How to Draw a Cute Santa - Illustrator Tutorial" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ps_ill_xmas_13.jpg" width="295" /></a></p><p>You will learn how to create the above vector illustration of Santa Claus in this tutorial, using gradients, shading and lighting.</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://www.vectorious.net/blog/how-to-draw-a-cute-santa-in-illustrator/" target="_blank">View the Tutorial →</a></p><h4><a href="http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/designing-tutorials/how-to-create-a-glittery-christmas-card/" target="_blank">Create a Last-Minute Holiday e-Card</a><br />(Photoshop Tutorial)</h4><p><a href="http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/designing-tutorials/how-to-create-a-glittery-christmas-card/" target="_blank"><img alt="Create a Last-Minute Holiday e-Card - Photoshop Tutorial" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ps_ill_xmas_14.jpg" width="295" /></a></p><p>This Photoshop tutorial shows you a very easy way to create a beautiful Christmas wallpaper or even an e-card to send to your friends or clients.</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/designing-tutorials/how-to-create-a-glittery-christmas-card/" target="_blank">View the Tutorial →</a></p><h4><a href="http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/tutorials/beautiful-christmas-vision-tutorial-and-wallpaper/" target="_blank">Beautiful Christmas Vision Tutorial</a><br />(Photoshop Tutorial)</h4><p><a href="http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/tutorials/beautiful-christmas-vision-tutorial-and-wallpaper/" target="_blank"><img alt="Beautiful Christmas Vision Tutorial - Photoshop Tutorial" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ps_ill_xmas_a.jpg" width="295" /></a></p><p>This Photoshop tutorial will show you how to create this beautiful Christmas wallpaper, teaching pen tool and smudge tool techniques and about using paths effectivley.</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/tutorials/beautiful-christmas-vision-tutorial-and-wallpaper/" target="_blank">View the Tutorial →</a></p><h4><a href="http://www.psd-dude.com/tutorials/photoshop.aspx?t=christmas-photoshop-tutorial" target="_blank">Christmas Scene Tutorial</a><br />(Photoshop Tutorial)</h4><p><a href="http://www.psd-dude.com/tutorials/photoshop.aspx?t=christmas-photoshop-tutorial" target="_blank"><img alt="Christmas Scene Tutorial - Photoshop Tutorial" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ps_ill_xmas_15.jpg" width="295" /></a></p><p>In this tutorial you will learn how to turn a daytime summer photo into an seosonal night time scene and creating a Christmas card with Santa visiting kids' houses and leaving gifts.</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://www.psd-dude.com/tutorials/photoshop.aspx?t=christmas-photoshop-tutorial" target="_blank">View the Tutorial →</a></p><h4><a href="http://alfoart.com/christmas_fairy_wallpaper_1.html" target="_blank">Create a Magical Christmas Calendar</a><br />(Photoshop Tutorial)</h4><p><a href="http://alfoart.com/christmas_fairy_wallpaper_1.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Create a Magical Christmas Calendar - Photoshop Tutorial" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ps_ill_xmas_16.jpg" width="295" /></a></p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://alfoart.com/christmas_fairy_wallpaper_1.html" target="_blank">View the Tutorial →</a></p><h4><a href="http://abduzeedo.com/node/17631" target="_blank">Christmas Wallpaper</a><br />(Photoshop Tutorial)</h4><p><a href="http://abduzeedo.com/node/17631" target="_blank"><img alt="Christmas Wallpaper - Photoshop Tutorial" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ps_ill_xmas_17.jpg" width="295" /></a></p><p>In this tutorial you will be shown how to create a tasty candy-cane styled 3D text in Cinema 4D, then importing it into Photoshop to create the background.</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://abduzeedo.com/node/17631" target="_blank">View the Tutorial →</a></p><h4><a href="http://www.adobetutorialz.com/articles/2910/1/The-Santa-Claus-Wallpaper" target="_blank">Santa Claus Wallpaper Tutorial</a><br />(Photoshop Tutorial)</h4><p><a href="http://www.adobetutorialz.com/articles/2910/1/The-Santa-Claus-Wallpaper" target="_blank"><img alt="Santa Claus Wallpaper Tutorial - Photoshop Tutorial" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ps_ill_xmas_18.jpg" width="295" /></a></p><p>In this tutorial you will learn how to design a Christmas desktop wallpaper with a very cheerful and bright Santa Claus at its center.</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://www.adobetutorialz.com/articles/2910/1/The-Santa-Claus-Wallpaper" target="_blank">View the Tutorial →</a></p><h4><a href="http://design.creativefan.com/create-a-festive-ornamental-christmas-text-effect/" target="_blank">Festive Ornamental Christmas Text Effect</a><br />(Photoshop Tutorial)</h4><p><a href="http://design.creativefan.com/create-a-festive-ornamental-christmas-text-effect/" target="_blank"><img alt="Festive Ornamental Christmas Text Effect - Photoshop Tutorial" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ps_ill_xmas_19.jpg" width="295" /></a></p><p>In this tutorial you’ll learn how to create 3D Studio Max 3D text, and then how to import the ornamental text effect into Photoshop.</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://design.creativefan.com/create-a-festive-ornamental-christmas-text-effect/" target="_blank">View the Tutorial →</a></p></div><h2><a href="http://www.adobetutorialz.com/articles/30971014/1/how-to-create-happy-new-year-2013-holiday-card-photoshop-cs6" target="_blank">Create a 2013 Happy New Year Card</a> (Photoshop Tutorial)</h2><p><a href="http://www.adobetutorialz.com/articles/30971014/1/how-to-create-happy-new-year-2013-holiday-card-photoshop-cs6" target="_blank"><img alt="Create a 2013 Happy New Year Card - Photoshop Tutorial" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ps_ill_xmas_20.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p>In this Photoshop CS6 tutorial you will learn how to create this cheerful and colorful 2013 New Year holiday card.</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://www.adobetutorialz.com/articles/30971014/1/how-to-create-happy-new-year-2013-holiday-card-photoshop-cs6" target="_blank">View the Tutorial →</a></p> <br /><p><a href="http://rss.buysellads.com/click.php?z=1259961&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=30564&c=1228335356" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://rss.buysellads.com/img.php?z=1259961&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=30564&c=1228335356" /></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=eedzsBwntpU:ZPk0S1gqEEs:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=eedzsBwntpU:ZPk0S1gqEEs:-BTjWOF_DHI"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=eedzsBwntpU:ZPk0S1gqEEs:-BTjWOF_DHI" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=eedzsBwntpU:ZPk0S1gqEEs:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=eedzsBwntpU:ZPk0S1gqEEs:F7zBnMyn0Lo" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=eedzsBwntpU:ZPk0S1gqEEs:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=eedzsBwntpU:ZPk0S1gqEEs:V_sGLiPBpWU" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=eedzsBwntpU:ZPk0S1gqEEs:qj6IDK7rITs"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?d=qj6IDK7rITs" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=eedzsBwntpU:ZPk0S1gqEEs:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=eedzsBwntpU:ZPk0S1gqEEs:gIN9vFwOqvQ" /></a> </div><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/speckboy-design-magazine/~4/eedzsBwntpU" width="1" />

UPDATED: 6 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

The Flat Design Aesthetic: A Discussion

<p><a href="http://rss.buysellads.com/click.php?z=1259958&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=30483&c=953742402" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://rss.buysellads.com/img.php?z=1259958&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=30483&c=953742402" /></a></p><br /><p>A growing trend in web and UI design lately has been the use of “flat design” and it’s clearly a hot topic at the moment – full of lively discussion and plenty to learn about. I’ve always been drawn to minimalism, so flat design is an aesthetic that has inspired me, especially while working on the recent redesign of <a href="http://quoterobot.com/28c34a" target="_blank">QuoteRobot</a>, the proposal writing app I co-founded back in 2010.</p><p>In this article I’m going to talk about what flat design is, review what other designers are saying about it, and offer some tips on how to achieve it in your own designs.</p><h3>What Is Flat Design?</h3><p>In practical terms, flat design means designing without the usual gradients, pixel perfect shadows, and skeuomorphism that’s been rampant in recent years (more on this later) to achieve what appears to be a “flat” interface.</p><p><img src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/layervault.png" /></p><p>Allen Grinshtein of <a href="http://layervault.com/" target="_blank">Layervault</a> may have coined the term “<strong>flat design</strong>” originally. In an article that trended on HackerNews, he said…</p><p>“<em>Well-loved products on the web share a similar design aesthetic, with roughly the same kinds of bevels, inset shadows, and drop shadows. For designers, achieving this level of “lickable” interface is a point of pride. For us, and for a minority of UI designers out there, it feels wrong.</em>“<br /> <small>~ Allan Grinshtein (Layervault)</small></p><p>If you take a look at Layervault, it’s beautifully designed in it’s simplicity, even without the use of extra design details that we as designers often work so hard to achieve. It’s interesting to learn and look at the gradients and styles we apply as a current trend in UI design, one that is potentially changing.</p><h3>Examples Of Flat Design</h3><p>With the new version of <a href="http://www.squarespace.com/" target="_blank">Squarespace</a>, they’ve opted for an almost completely flat interface. You can really tell the time they spent wireframing and working out the UI, it’s quite complex but still easy to navigate.</p><p><img src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/squarespace.png" /></p><p>Although I haven’t used LayerVault myself, from what I’ve seen, the new flat UI looks really simple and easy to use.</p><p><img src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/layervault.png" /></p><p>Facebook has almost always embraced a flat design aesthetic – only lately introducing some slight bevels.</p><p><img src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/facebook.png" /></p><p>“<em>Facebook is the perfect example of interface trending towards flatness. Their major actions buttons still have a slight bevel, but lots and lots of the secondary actions are completely flat. And judging by the fact that they haven’t changed their interface style, it must be working.</em>“<br /> <small>~ <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/user?screen_name=ianstormtaylor" target="_blank">Ian Storm Taylor</a> (Segment.io)</small></p><p>Even though they’ve been criticised over the years for making many changes to the interface, it’s one of the most used web sites on the internet, and hey, millions of people can’t be wrong.</p><p>The latest Rdio interface is so flat and minimalist, it’s almost completely without shadows, gradients, or even colors.</p><p><img src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/rdio.png" /></p><p>I had the pleasure of making a very small contribution to Nest’s front-end code prior to their launching, and I was completely enamored with the flat aesthetic they rolled out.<br /> The designers who embrace flat design are really passionate about it.</p><p><img src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/nest.png" /></p><p>“…as interactive designers—we should embrace the medium with which we work, and steadily reject the skeumorphic, dropshadow-y hellhole we’ve found ourselves in.”<br /> <small>~ Daniel Howell (Howells)</small></p><h3>A Backlash Against Skeumorphism</h3><p>Like the minimalist movement in architecture in the 20th century was a backlash against the over ornamentation of architecture in previous centuries, the flat design aesthetic may be a backlash against the over designed, or overly ornamented web sites and interfaces that have been produced for years now. A common example is the overuse of skeuomorphism that people have been criticising Apple over lately.</p><p><img src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/apple.png" /><small>Apple received a lot of criticism from designers for the unnecessary use of leather texture on their calendar app.</small></p><p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skeuomorph" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a> defines skeuomorphism as:</p><p><em>A design element of a product that imitates design elements that were functionally necessary in the original product design, but which have become ornamental in the new design.</em></p><p>For example, we often apply gradients and drop shadows to elements that are meant to be buttons, because buttons in the real world have these features, even though they are unnecessary in the setting of a computer user interface.</p><p>“<em>So a weather app with a picture of a glass thermometer is skeuomorphic: the glass was necessary in the original (the real-world thermometer) but becomes purely ornamental in the new design.</em>“<br /> <small>~ <a href="http://sachagreif.com/" target="_blank">Sacha Greif</a></small></p><p>Was it really necessary to put a leather texture on the calendar app? In the same vein, is it really necessary to make our buttons with gradients and 3d edges, or do users know to click them anyway? How much ornamentation is necessary? Is any?</p><p>“<em>In real life, when a button is pushed, you can feel its give and its bounce, but on a phone or on the screen, there is a lack of that physical feedback. A physicality that your mind knows exists but in skeuomorphic reality it doesn’t. So for me at least, it becomes one of those moments where reality doesn’t meet expectations and that disappoints me</em>.”<br /> <small>~ Allan Yu (svpply / eBay)</small></p><p>So, flat design could be a backlash against the overuse of ornamentation in interface design, in a similar way that minimalism was a backlash against the gaudy imperialist architecture of the past.</p><h3>Form Follows Function, Embracing Flatness</h3><p>That same 20th century minimalist movement in architecture yielded some great design quotes like “form follows function” and “less is more” that we still talk about today. Similarly, I love this quote from sculptor Michaelangelo when asked about how he created the iconic David statue.</p><p>“<em>It is easy. You just chip away the stone that doesn’t look like David.</em>“<br /> <small>~ Michaelangelo</small>)</p><p>In user interface design, it’s often stripping away things that really brings an interface to life. The team at <a href="http://37signals.com/" target="_blank">37signals</a> is notorious (and very successful) as a result of applying this principle to their products, like Basecamp. In the world of flat design, less really is more.</p><p>In order to achieve the flat design aesthetic, we designers must focus on what things do, rather than what they will look like. This is key, and the reason why wireframing is so important to the design process.</p><h3>Aesthetics Are A Matter Of Opinion</h3><p>In my research for this article, I hardly found any scientific research backing up whether buttons on screen that look like buttons are actually more clickable. There’s plenty of evidence backing up contrast, color theory, and heirarchy, but I’d be willing to bet that a flat orange button is just as effective as a beveled orange button when set in an appropriate context. Here are a few opinions of other designers.</p><p>“<em>It’s no different than runway fashion– everybody starts doing the same thing; when it’s everywhere, to stand out as a designer, you have to do the exact opposite.</em>“<br /> <small>~ <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/user?screen_name=gem_ray" target="_blank">Cemre Güngör</a> (Branch)</small></p><p>“<em>Saying that “skeuomorphism is bad design” would be like saying that “purple is an ugly color” or “ellipses have no place in web apps”. It simply doesn’t mean anything</em>.”<br /> <small>~ Sacha Greif</small></p><p>“<em>Why promote a certain design aesthetic over something else without proof that what you are promoting is actually better? Is making something aesthetically more pleasing worth a potential drop in usability?</em>“<br /> <small>~ <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/user?screen_name=tensafefrogs" target="_blank">Geoff Stearns</a> (formerly YouTube)</small></p><h3>Good Design Is Good Design, Regardless of Aesthetic</h3><p>So, if bevels, gradients and shadows are a matter of opinion, then what makes a good design? Whether you’re going to use a flat aesthetic or not, user interface is about the planning. I believe flat design simply makes it easier to recognize a great design, since there’s less clutter between the design and how it works.</p><p>Here are some tips for great user interface design:</p><p><strong>Consistency</strong><br /> By using common UI elements and styles, you help users know what to expect, therefore making it easier to use your application.</p><p><strong>Contrast</strong><br /> Clickable elements should contrast elements that aren’t clickable. This can be done with color, size, positioning, and yes, style too.</p><p><strong>Layout</strong><br /> Using a grid based layout like 960gs is a great way to establish some visual guidelines to your design. The eye will naturally follow lines and ratios established by content, so understanding and using a grid is a great way to reinforce visual balance.</p><p><strong>Hierarchy</strong><br /> I like to think about this as “user actions”. I could write an entire article about this, but making the most common user actions (sometimes referred to as use-cases) easily found while burying less common actions is a great way to simplify an interface and make it easier to use. As a general rule, what’s most important should be more visible than what’s less important.</p><p>“<em>My experience is that flat or “realistic” doesn’t matter. What matters is that hierarchy is evident at a quick scan and that users can find their way to the next actionable item easily</em>.”<br /> <small>~ <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/user?screen_name=CarolineKeem" target="_blank">Caroline Keem</a> (writer)</p><p><strong>Target Audience</strong><br /> Some target audiences will gravitate toward different aesthetic styles. Architects, designers, and fashion conscience audiences might embrace flat design, while children, clowns, and some others might enjoy playful textures and colors.</p><p><strong>Feedback</strong><br /> When clicks occur, immediate and clear feedback is necessary. Animation is a common way to provide visual feedback, for example, spinning loader images after clicking something. Also related to feedback is the need for engaging and informative help and status messages at appropriate times.</p><p><strong>Remove Friction</strong><br /> In general, removing number of steps to let a user reach their goal creates a more fluid experience. Any interruptions or extra steps will decrease conversion rates.</p><p><strong>Encourage Exploration</strong><br /> Once a user gets past the most basic uses of your interface, it’s good to reward their exploration with expected results when they venture further.</p><p><strong>Wireframing</strong><br /> If you want to pull off an effective flat design, I can’t stress enough the importance to wireframing and planning. Figure out the common use cases, write them down, and rework your wireframes until everything makes sense. I like to do this on paper, but there are a number of great wireframing tools available as well.</p><p>“<em>Flat design certainly has it’s place in the world but it’s important to keep in mind that ultimately it’s just another aesthetic. Distressed, Glossy, Flat, Matte, Woodsy, etc, these are all just styles that lay on top of what is good information architecture and interaction design.</em>”<br /> <small>~ Mike Cuesta (carecloud)</small></p><h3>Please Share, Comment, and Tweet</h3><p>If you’ve enjoyed this article, been inspired by it, or disagree, I’d love for you to comment, share or tweet it. Let’s keep the discussion going. Also, if you have to write proposals, I’d love for you to check out QuoteRobot, where I’m the lead designer and cofounder.</p><p><strong>More on Flat Design:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="http://sachagreif.com/what-skeuomorphism-is-and-isnt/" target="_blank">What Skeuomorphism Is (And Isn’t)</a></li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skeuomorph" target="_blank">Skeuomorph on Wikipedia</a></li><li><a href="http://layervault.tumblr.com/post/32267022219/flat-interface-design" target="_blank">The Flat Design Era</a></li><li><a href="http://howells.ws/posts/view/160/on-the-flat-design-aesthetic" target="_blank">On the “flat design” aesthetic</a></li><li><a href="http://branch.com/b/is-flat-ui-design-better" target="_blank">Is “Flat” UI design better?</a></li><li><a href="http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4571551" target="_blank">The Flat Design Era – Discussion on Hacker News</a></li></ul> <br /><p><a href="http://rss.buysellads.com/click.php?z=1259961&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=30483&c=1011047994" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://rss.buysellads.com/img.php?z=1259961&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=30483&c=1011047994" /></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=kxIHROuarPg:ZI-MojrXMS0:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=kxIHROuarPg:ZI-MojrXMS0:-BTjWOF_DHI"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=kxIHROuarPg:ZI-MojrXMS0:-BTjWOF_DHI" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=kxIHROuarPg:ZI-MojrXMS0:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=kxIHROuarPg:ZI-MojrXMS0:F7zBnMyn0Lo" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=kxIHROuarPg:ZI-MojrXMS0:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=kxIHROuarPg:ZI-MojrXMS0:V_sGLiPBpWU" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=kxIHROuarPg:ZI-MojrXMS0:qj6IDK7rITs"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?d=qj6IDK7rITs" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=kxIHROuarPg:ZI-MojrXMS0:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=kxIHROuarPg:ZI-MojrXMS0:gIN9vFwOqvQ" /></a> </div><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/speckboy-design-magazine/~4/kxIHROuarPg" width="1" />

UPDATED: 6 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Inspiring & Powerful Documentary Photography

UPDATED: 1 YEAR

20 New and Free Icon Sets for Web Designers

<p><a href="http://rss.buysellads.com/click.php?z=1259958&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=24473&c=1432346913" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://rss.buysellads.com/img.php?z=1259958&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=24473&c=1432346913" /></a></p><br /><p>As we do once or twice a year, today we are featuring some of the best recently released free web design icon-sets. Just like previous times we have found a fantastic selection for you, covering most aspects of web and mobile development. You will find some glyphs & pictograms sets, a couple of mini sets, mobile app icons and finally, a small selection of beautifully designed social media icons.</p><p>You will love them all!</p><div class="greybox">You may also like…<br /> <a href="http://speckyboy.com/2011/12/12/top-50-web-development-design-and-application-icon-sets-from-2011/">Top 50 Web Development, Design and Application Icon Sets from 2011</a>, <a href="http://speckyboy.com/2010/12/06/top-50-web-development-design-and-application-icon-sets-from-2010/">from 2010</a> or <a href="http://speckyboy.com/2009/12/21/the-top-50-web-development-icon-sets-from-2009/">2009</a><br /> <a href="http://speckyboy.com/2011/08/24/50-social-media-bookmarking-icon-sets-2011-edition/">50 Social Media Bookmarking Icon Sets – 2011 Edition</a>, <a href="http://speckyboy.com/2010/04/14/50-social-bookmarking-icon-sets-for-bloggers-part-2/">2010 Edition</a> & <a href="http://speckyboy.com/2009/07/20/50-social-service-and-bookmarking-icon-sets-for-bloggers/">2009 Edition</a><br /> <a href="http://speckyboy.com/2010/07/04/25-completely-free-fonts-perfect-for-fontface/">25 Completely Free Fonts Perfect for @fontface →</a><br /> <a href="http://speckyboy.com/2012/02/13/20-fontface-icon-sets/">20 @fontface Icon Sets →</a></div><h2><a href="http://brankic1979.com/icons/" target="_blank">Pixel Perfect Icon Set</a></h2><p><a href="http://brankic1979.com/icons/" target="_blank"><img alt="Pixel Perfect Icon Set" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/new_icons_01.jpg" /></a></p><p><strong><strong>Number of Icons:</strong></strong> 350<br /> <strong><strong>Format(s):</strong></strong> PSD</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://brankic1979.com/icons/" target="_blank">Pixel Perfect Icon Set →</a></p><h2><a href="http://www.jigsoaricons.com/" target="_blank">Jigsoar Icons</a></h2><p><a href="http://www.jigsoaricons.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Jigsoar Icons" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/new_icons_02.jpg" /></a></p><p><strong>Number of Icons:</strong> 60<br /> <strong>Format(s):</strong> AI & PNG</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://www.jigsoaricons.com/" target="_blank">Jigsoar Icons →</a></p><h2><a href="http://karimartin.cz/#freshy" target="_blank">Freshy Icons</a></h2><p><a href="http://karimartin.cz/#freshy" target="_blank"><img alt="Freshy Icons" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/new_icons_03.jpg" /></a></p><p><strong>Number of Icons:</strong> 99<br /> <strong>Format(s):</strong> PSD</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://karimartin.cz/#freshy" target="_blank">Freshy Icons →</a></p><h2><a href="http://jospinoj.deviantart.com/art/minicons-292943928" target="_blank">Minicons</a></h2><p><a href="http://jospinoj.deviantart.com/art/minicons-292943928" target="_blank"><img alt="Minicons" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/new_icons_04.jpg" /></a></p><p><strong>Number of Icons:</strong> 100<br /> <strong>Format(s):</strong> PSD</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://jospinoj.deviantart.com/art/minicons-292943928" target="_blank">Minicons →</a></p><h2><a href="http://freebie.secretpixels.com/icon/" target="_blank">Secret Pixels</a></h2><p><a href="http://freebie.secretpixels.com/icon/" target="_blank"><img alt="Secret Pixels" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/new_icons_05.jpg" /></a></p><p><strong>Number of Icons:</strong> 35<br /> <strong>Format(s):</strong> EPS & PSD</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://freebie.secretpixels.com/icon/" target="_blank">Secret Pixels →</a></p><h2><a href="http://www.yanlu.de/Yanlu/Freecns.html" target="_blank">Freecns</a></h2><p><a href="http://www.yanlu.de/Yanlu/Freecns.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Freecns" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/new_icons_06.jpg" /></a></p><p><strong>Number of Icons:</strong> 200<br /> <strong>Format(s):</strong> PNG</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://www.yanlu.de/Yanlu/Freecns.html" target="_blank">Freecns →</a></p><h2><a href="http://freebiesbooth.com/glyph-icons-patriglyphs-1" target="_blank">Glyph Icons</a></h2><p><a href="http://freebiesbooth.com/glyph-icons-patriglyphs-1" target="_blank"><img alt="Glyph Icons" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/new_icons_07.jpg" /></a></p><p><strong>Number of Icons:</strong> 50<br /> <strong>Format(s):</strong> PNG & CSH</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://freebiesbooth.com/glyph-icons-patriglyphs-1" target="_blank">Glyph Icons →</a></p><h2><a href="http://dribbble.com/shots/587469-Free-16px-Broccolidryiconsaniconsetitisfullof-icons" target="_blank">Visual Idiot Icon Set</a></h2><p><a href="http://dribbble.com/shots/587469-Free-16px-Broccolidryiconsaniconsetitisfullof-icons" target="_blank"><img alt="Visual Idiot Icon Set" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/new_icons_08.jpg" /></a></p><p><strong>Number of Icons:</strong> 108<br /> <strong>Format(s):</strong> PSD</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://dribbble.com/shots/587469-Free-16px-Broccolidryiconsaniconsetitisfullof-icons" target="_blank">Visual Idiot Icon Set →</a></p><h2><a href="http://www.icondeposit.com/theicondeposit:21" target="_blank">Pixel UI Icon Set</a></h2><p><a href="http://www.icondeposit.com/theicondeposit:21" target="_blank"><img alt="Pixel UI Icon Set" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/new_icons_09.jpg" /></a></p><p><strong>Number of Icons:</strong> 77<br /> <strong>Format(s):</strong> PSD, PNG & CSH</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://www.icondeposit.com/theicondeposit:21" target="_blank">Pixel UI Icon Set →</a></p><h2><a href="http://sublink.ca/icons/sweetieplus/" target="_blank">SweetiePlus</a></h2><p><a href="http://sublink.ca/icons/sweetieplus/" target="_blank"><img alt="SweetiePlus" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/new_icons_10.jpg" /></a></p><p><strong>Number of Icons:</strong> 120<br /> <strong>Format(s):</strong> PNG</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://sublink.ca/icons/sweetieplus/" target="_blank">SweetiePlus →</a></p><h2><a href="http://www.icondeposit.com/theicondeposit:27" target="_blank">Micro Icon Set</a></h2><p><a href="http://www.icondeposit.com/theicondeposit:27" target="_blank"><img alt="Micro Icon Set" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/new_icons_11.jpg" /></a></p><p><strong>Number of Icons:</strong> 110<br /> <strong>Format(s):</strong> PSD</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://www.icondeposit.com/theicondeposit:27" target="_blank">Micro Icon Set →</a></p><h2><a href="http://www.icondeposit.com/theicondeposit:24" target="_blank">Glyph UI Icon Set</a></h2><p><a href="http://www.icondeposit.com/theicondeposit:24" target="_blank"><img alt="Glyph UI Icon Set" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/new_icons_12.jpg" /></a></p><p><strong>Number of Icons:</strong> 48<br /> <strong>Format(s):</strong> PNG, PSD & CSH</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://www.icondeposit.com/theicondeposit:24" target="_blank">Glyph UI Icon Set →</a></p><h2><a href="http://vicbell.co.uk/shop/tinycons-freebie-pack/" target="_blank">Tinycons (Freebie Pack)</a></h2><p><a href="http://vicbell.co.uk/shop/tinycons-freebie-pack/" target="_blank"><img alt="Tinycons (Freebie Pack)" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/new_icons_13.jpg" /></a></p><p><strong>Number of Icons:</strong> 40</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://vicbell.co.uk/shop/tinycons-freebie-pack/" target="_blank">Tinycons (Freebie Pack) →</a></p><h2><a href="http://pixiconz.janjan.in/free/index.html" target="_blank">Pixiconz</a></h2><p><a href="http://pixiconz.janjan.in/free/index.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Pixiconz" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/new_icons_14.jpg" /></a></p><p><strong>Number of Icons:</strong> 33<br /> <strong>Format(s):</strong> PSD</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://pixiconz.janjan.in/free/index.html" target="_blank">Pixiconz →</a></p><h2><a href="http://dribbble.com/shots/476791-Pico-icons-9x9px-2?list=tags&tag=icons" target="_blank">Pico Icons</a></h2><p><a href="http://dribbble.com/shots/476791-Pico-icons-9x9px-2?list=tags&tag=icons" target="_blank"><img alt="Pico Icons" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/new_icons_15.jpg" /></a></p><p><strong>Number of Icons:</strong> 85<br /> <strong>Format(s):</strong> PNG</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://dribbble.com/shots/476791-Pico-icons-9x9px-2?list=tags&tag=icons" target="_blank">Pico Icons →</a></p><h2><a href="http://pixlsby.me/fb/portfolio/free-colored-minicons/" target="_blank">Colored Minicons</a></h2><p><a href="http://pixlsby.me/fb/portfolio/free-colored-minicons/" target="_blank"><img alt="Colored Minicons" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/new_icons_16.jpg" /></a></p><p><strong>Number of Icons:</strong> 25<br /> <strong>Format(s):</strong> PNG</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://pixlsby.me/fb/portfolio/free-colored-minicons/" target="_blank">Colored Minicons →</a></p><h2><a href="http://dribbble.com/shots/490010-Free-icon-set-First-attempt-?list=tags&tag=icons" target="_blank">Free Icon Set</a></h2><p><a href="http://dribbble.com/shots/490010-Free-icon-set-First-attempt-?list=tags&tag=icons" target="_blank"><img alt="Free Icon Set" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/new_icons_17.jpg" /></a></p><p><strong>Number of Icons:</strong> 22<br /> <strong>Format(s):</strong> PSD</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://dribbble.com/shots/490010-Free-icon-set-First-attempt-?list=tags&tag=icons" target="_blank">Free Icon Set →</a></p><h2><a href="http://hsigmond.deviantart.com/art/Android-UI-Design-Default-Icons-4-grouped-294529917" target="_blank">Android UI Default Icons 4</a></h2><p><a href="http://hsigmond.deviantart.com/art/Android-UI-Design-Default-Icons-4-grouped-294529917" target="_blank"><img alt="Android UI Default Icons 4" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/new_icons_18.jpg" /></a></p><p><strong>Format(s):</strong> SVG</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://hsigmond.deviantart.com/art/Android-UI-Design-Default-Icons-4-grouped-294529917" target="_blank">Android UI Default Icons 4 →</a></p><h2><a href="http://www.purtypixels.com/purty-social-icon-set/" target="_blank">Purty Social Icon Set</a></h2><p><a href="http://www.purtypixels.com/purty-social-icon-set/" target="_blank"><img alt="Purty Social Icon Set" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/new_icons_19.jpg" /></a></p><p><strong>Number of Icons:</strong> 40<br /> <strong>Format(s):</strong> PSD & PNG</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://www.purtypixels.com/purty-social-icon-set/" target="_blank">Purty Social Icon Set →</a></p><h2><a href="http://dribbble.com/shots/384760-Free-Social-Icons" target="_blank">Social Icons</a></h2><p><a href="http://dribbble.com/shots/384760-Free-Social-Icons" target="_blank"><img alt="Social Icons" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/new_icons_20.jpg" /></a></p><p><strong>Number of Icons:</strong> 48<br /> <strong>Format(s):</strong> EPS</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://dribbble.com/shots/384760-Free-Social-Icons" target="_blank">Social Icons →</a></p><h2><a href="http://www.dannydiablo.de/" target="_blank">Social Icon Bundle</a></h2><p><a href="http://www.dannydiablo.de/" target="_blank"><img alt="Social Icon Bundle" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/new_icons_21.jpg" /></a></p><p><strong>Number of Icons:</strong> 22<br /> <strong>Format(s):</strong> PSD</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://www.dannydiablo.de/" target="_blank">Social Icon Bundle →</a></p><h2><a href="http://pixlsby.me/fb/portfolio/simple-social-buttons/" target="_blank">Simple Social Buttons</a></h2><p><a href="http://pixlsby.me/fb/portfolio/simple-social-buttons/" target="_blank"><img alt="Simple Social Buttons" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/new_icons_22.jpg" /></a></p><p><strong>Number of Icons:</strong> 27<br /> <strong>Format(s):</strong> PNG & PSD</p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://pixlsby.me/fb/portfolio/simple-social-buttons/" target="_blank">Simple Social Buttons →</a></p><h2>You might also like…</h2><p><a href="http://speckyboy.com/2011/12/12/top-50-web-development-design-and-application-icon-sets-from-2011/">Top 50 Web Development, Design and Application Icon Sets from 2011</a>, <a href="http://speckyboy.com/2010/12/06/top-50-web-development-design-and-application-icon-sets-from-2010/">from 2010</a> or <a href="http://speckyboy.com/2009/12/21/the-top-50-web-development-icon-sets-from-2009/">from 2009</a><br /> <a href="http://speckyboy.com/2011/08/24/50-social-media-bookmarking-icon-sets-2011-edition/">50 Social Media Bookmarking Icon Sets – 2011 Edition</a>, <a href="http://speckyboy.com/2010/04/14/50-social-bookmarking-icon-sets-for-bloggers-part-2/">2010 Edition</a> or <a href="http://speckyboy.com/2009/07/20/50-social-service-and-bookmarking-icon-sets-for-bloggers/">2009 Edition</a><br /> <a href="http://speckyboy.com/2010/07/04/25-completely-free-fonts-perfect-for-fontface/">25 Completely Free Fonts Perfect for @fontface →</a><br /> <a href="http://speckyboy.com/2012/02/13/20-fontface-icon-sets/">20 @fontface Icon Sets →</a><br /> <a href="http://speckyboy.com/2010/06/20/30-of-the-best-web-development-and-design-mini-icon-sets/">30 of the Best Web Development and Design MINI Icon Sets →</a><br /> <a href="http://speckyboy.com/2010/04/19/15-uniform-payment-options-icon-sets-for-ecommerce-design/">15 Uniform Payment Options Icon Sets for Ecommerce Design →</a><br /> <a href="http://speckyboy.com/2010/03/08/14-free-mobile-app-development-icon-sets/">14 Free Mobile Application Development Icon Sets →</a><br /> <a href="http://speckyboy.com/2009/11/30/8-free-pictogram-icon-libraries-and-collections/">8 Free Pictogram Icon Libraries and Collections →</a></p> <br /><p><a href="http://rss.buysellads.com/click.php?z=1259961&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=24473&c=1436344875" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://rss.buysellads.com/img.php?z=1259961&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=24473&c=1436344875" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/2MFgkK0ZDRbL9nvx7HkGgTVhA4s/0/da"><img border="0" ismap="true" src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/2MFgkK0ZDRbL9nvx7HkGgTVhA4s/0/di" /></a><br /> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/2MFgkK0ZDRbL9nvx7HkGgTVhA4s/1/da"><img border="0" ismap="true" src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/2MFgkK0ZDRbL9nvx7HkGgTVhA4s/1/di" /></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=5kE7BzvFrJU:hN4JuA0d8jo:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=5kE7BzvFrJU:hN4JuA0d8jo:-BTjWOF_DHI"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=5kE7BzvFrJU:hN4JuA0d8jo:-BTjWOF_DHI" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=5kE7BzvFrJU:hN4JuA0d8jo:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=5kE7BzvFrJU:hN4JuA0d8jo:F7zBnMyn0Lo" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=5kE7BzvFrJU:hN4JuA0d8jo:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=5kE7BzvFrJU:hN4JuA0d8jo:V_sGLiPBpWU" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=5kE7BzvFrJU:hN4JuA0d8jo:qj6IDK7rITs"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?d=qj6IDK7rITs" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=5kE7BzvFrJU:hN4JuA0d8jo:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=5kE7BzvFrJU:hN4JuA0d8jo:gIN9vFwOqvQ" /></a> </div><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/speckboy-design-magazine/~4/5kE7BzvFrJU" width="1" />

UPDATED: 1 YEAR

Fascinating and Expressive Conceptual Art

<p><a href="http://rss.buysellads.com/click.php?z=1259958&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=24685&c=107782875" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://rss.buysellads.com/img.php?z=1259958&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=24685&c=107782875" /></a></p><br /><p>Conceptual art is an art form that tends to give more importance to the idea or meaning being expressed by a masterpiece rather than focusing on the product itself. It somehow gives a deeper realization and life to the artwork without having to look at it as it is.</p><p>According to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conceptual_art" target="_blank">Sol LeWitt’s definition of conceptual art</a>, he said, "In conceptual art the idea or concept is the most important aspect of the work. When an artist uses a conceptual form of art, it means that all of the planning and decisions are made beforehand and the execution is a perfunctory affair. The idea becomes a machine that makes the art." Sol Lewitt is considered as one of the brilliant American artists who gave meaning and life to conceptual art letting people view this avenue in a whole new perspective.</p><p>By working on this art form, your idea is always the concern and root of your actions or style in expressing yourself. Whether you are creating a painting, sculpture, or graphic design, the concept behind it must always be reflected and strengthened.</p><p>To give you an idea on how impressive and imaginative conceptual art can be, here are 20 creative sample artworks:</p><hr /><p><img src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/conceptual-art-01.jpg" /></p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://www.behance.net/gallery/The-Critique-of-Gesture/3902367" target="_blank">Source →</a></p><hr /><p><img src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/conceptual-art-02.jpg" /></p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/phatpuppycreations/5230882190/" target="_blank">Source →</a></p><hr /><p><img src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/conceptual-art-03.jpg" /></p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/images_fantasy/7297052804/" target="_blank">Source →</a></p><hr /><p><img src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/conceptual-art-04.jpg" /></p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://www.behance.net/gallery/SOUL-ART-2/1226871" target="_blank">Source →</a></p><hr /><p><img src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/conceptual-art-05.jpg" /></p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://www.behance.net/gallery/NEW-YORKER-COVERS/558246" target="_blank">Source →</a></p><hr /><p><img src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/conceptual-art-06.jpg" /></p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://mihai82000.deviantart.com/art/Intelligence-of-Wood-61323472" target="_blank">Source →</a></p><hr /><p><img src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/conceptual-art-07.jpg" /></p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kristiannem/3833901112/" target="_blank">Source →</a></p><hr /><p><img src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/conceptual-art-08.jpg" /></p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://www.behance.net/gallery/Conceptual-Surreal/47747" target="_blank">Source →</a></p><hr /><p><img src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/conceptual-art-09.jpg" /></p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassroberts/5835470984/" target="_blank">Source →</a></p><hr /><p><img src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/conceptual-art-10.jpg" /></p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://theflickerees.deviantart.com/art/The-Painter-141831120" target="_blank">Source →</a></p><hr /><p><img src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/conceptual-art-11.jpg" /></p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://koyamori.deviantart.com/art/memory-286532410" target="_blank">Source →</a></p><hr /><p><img src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/conceptual-art-12.jpg" /></p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://benheine.deviantart.com/art/Pencil-Vs-Camera-23-165368938" target="_blank">Source →</a></p><hr /><p><img src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/conceptual-art-13.jpg" /></p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/55765578@N00/45949316/" target="_blank">Source →</a></p><hr /><p><img src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/conceptual-art-14.jpg" /></p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://mihai82000.deviantart.com/art/Chronology-67476147" target="_blank">Source →</a></p><hr /><p><img src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/conceptual-art-15.jpg" /></p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://dsiqueiros.deviantart.com/art/French-Art-105750565" target="_blank">Source →</a></p><hr /><p><img src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/conceptual-art-16.jpg" /></p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8815881@N06/6662569123/" target="_blank">Source →</a></p><hr /><p><img src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/conceptual-art-17.jpg" /></p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://mihai82000.deviantart.com/art/the-sleep-of-conscience-62270442" target="_blank">Source →</a></p><hr /><p><img src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/conceptual-art-18.jpg" /></p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/towati/6817952230/" target="_blank">Source →</a></p><hr /><p><img src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/conceptual-art-19.jpg" /></p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://jan4all.deviantart.com/art/Domination-300999459" target="_blank">Source →</a></p><hr /><p><img src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/conceptual-art-20.jpg" /></p><p><a class="button-med" href="http://sicklilmonky.deviantart.com/art/Flashback-conceptual-cover-1-8312153" target="_blank">Source →</a></p><hr /><p>Making your own masterpiece using conceptual art can help you hone your skills in building imaginative and surreal ideas. Let your creative juices flow and you might just create an artwork that will also be recognized and admired by many, who have found purpose through this art form.</p><h2>You might also like…</h2><p><a href="http://speckyboy.com/2010/12/21/50-beautifully-designed-posters-with-amazing-typography/">50 Beautifully Designed Posters with Amazing Typography →</a><br /> <a href="http://speckyboy.com/2011/01/06/30-beautifully-colorful-typographic-book-cover-designs/">30 Beautifully Colorful Typographic Book Cover Designs →</a><br /> <a href="http://speckyboy.com/2011/02/04/the-beauty-of-minimalist-music-posters/">The Beauty of Minimalist Music Posters →</a><br /> <a href="http://speckyboy.com/2010/06/27/the-complete-web-design-style-series-700-designs-in-14-categories/">The Complete Web Design Style Series (700 Designs in 14 Categories) →</a><br /> <a href="http://speckyboy.com/2010/11/01/10-album-covers-for-eye-grabbing-color-scheme-inspiration/">10 Album Covers for Eye-grabbing Color Scheme Inspiration →</a><br /> <a href="http://speckyboy.com/2010/09/09/eight-helpful-rules-for-logo-designers/">Eight Helpful Rules for Logo Designers →</a><br /> <a href="http://speckyboy.com/2010/09/23/the-trend-of-minimalist-graphic-design/">The Trend of Minimalist Graphic Design →</a><br /> <a href="http://speckyboy.com/2009/07/31/a-gallery-of-slightly-odd-and-wonderful-photography-from-mr-toledano/">A Gallery of Slightly Odd and Wonderful Photography from Mr Toledano →</a><br /> <a href="http://speckyboy.com/2009/07/09/50-beautiful-hdr-images-from-50-world-cities/">50 Beautiful HDR Images from 50 World Cities →</a><br /> <a href="http://speckyboy.com/2009/05/18/20-beautiful-examples-of-photoshopped-smoke-art-and-technique-tutorials/">20 Beautiful Examples of Photoshopped Smoke Art and Technique Tutorials →</a><br /> <a href="http://speckyboy.com/2009/05/01/30-creative-photography-examples-using-the-polar-panorama-effect/">30 Creative Photography Examples using the Polar Panorama Effect →</a><br /> <a href="http://speckyboy.com/2009/01/27/20-amazing-images-that-could-be-hdr-but-are-definitely-not/">20 Amazing Images That Could Be HDR – But are definitely Not →</a></p> <br /><p><a href="http://rss.buysellads.com/click.php?z=1259961&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=24685&c=2073831637" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://rss.buysellads.com/img.php?z=1259961&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=24685&c=2073831637" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/eZbPhtPMXYs6tY9Lq9M7tNzkwYg/0/da"><img border="0" ismap="true" src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/eZbPhtPMXYs6tY9Lq9M7tNzkwYg/0/di" /></a><br /> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/eZbPhtPMXYs6tY9Lq9M7tNzkwYg/1/da"><img border="0" ismap="true" src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/eZbPhtPMXYs6tY9Lq9M7tNzkwYg/1/di" /></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=z_uiJI29UzA:HHDUCA9tv1g:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=z_uiJI29UzA:HHDUCA9tv1g:-BTjWOF_DHI"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=z_uiJI29UzA:HHDUCA9tv1g:-BTjWOF_DHI" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=z_uiJI29UzA:HHDUCA9tv1g:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=z_uiJI29UzA:HHDUCA9tv1g:F7zBnMyn0Lo" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=z_uiJI29UzA:HHDUCA9tv1g:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=z_uiJI29UzA:HHDUCA9tv1g:V_sGLiPBpWU" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=z_uiJI29UzA:HHDUCA9tv1g:qj6IDK7rITs"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?d=qj6IDK7rITs" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=z_uiJI29UzA:HHDUCA9tv1g:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=z_uiJI29UzA:HHDUCA9tv1g:gIN9vFwOqvQ" /></a> </div><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/speckboy-design-magazine/~4/z_uiJI29UzA" width="1" />

UPDATED: 1 YEAR

The Best Programming Text Editors for Windows, Mac and Linux

<p><a href="http://rss.buysellads.com/click.php?z=1259958&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=24609&c=1312445098" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://rss.buysellads.com/img.php?z=1259958&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=24609&c=1312445098" /></a></p><br /><p>Seasoned programmers often eschew an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) in favor of a lightweight, barebones text editor. The reasons are obvious enough: text editors place little strain on system resources, are very versatile, and provide hardcore developers with the thrill of writing a program from scratch in a focused, bloat-free environment. For sheer simplicity and ease of use, nothing can beat a solid programming text editor.</p><p>The default Notepad app in Windows might be suffice for making to-do lists or jotting down ideas, it falls woefully short for development purposes. So, here is a list of the best programming text editors for Windows, Mac, and Linux:</p><h2>Windows</h2><h4>1. Notepad++</h4><p><a href="http://notepad-plus-plus.org/" target="_blank">Notepad++</a> has been the go-to choice since 2003 for Windows users who want to upgrade from the default Notepad to a more powerful, feature rich, yet lightweight text editor. It was one of the first Windows applications to support multiple tabs within the same window (a boon to all multitaskers — and coders usually are). It also includes a multi-item clipboard, which streamlines coding and increases efficiency.</p><p><img alt="Notepad++ - Programming Text Editor" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/texteditor_01.jpg" width="640" /></p><p>The list of programmer-specific features is long: it supports syntax highlighting and code collapsing. A built-in FTP browser makes uploading files onto your server effortless. With support for split-screen editing, file-compression, and auto-completion, there is nothing not to love about Notepad++. And since this text editor has been around since 2003 with a devoted developer community supporting it, there are now dozens of plugins that can extend its functionality beyond this already impressive base.</p><p>To round up the pros, Notepad++ is also free. While it may not be the best-looking text editor out there (which shouldn’t be a concern if your primary use is coding) or the most user-friendly, it is powerful, free, and offers the key features that all programmers need.</p><h4>2. SublimeText</h4><p><a href="http://www.sublimetext.com/" target="_blank">SublimeText</a> picks up where Notepad++ leaves off. It is a gorgeously designed, powerful, feature-rich text editor built specifically for coding. Besides basic features such as syntax highlighting, code collapsing, etc., it also supports macros and snippets to automate coding and increase your efficiency. Whereas Notepad++ has a UI that can leave even experienced users scratching their heads, SublimeText uses a minimalistic UI with little to come between you and your code.</p><p><img alt="SublimeText - Programming Text Editor" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/texteditor_02.jpg" width="640" /></p><p>The only downside of this text editor is its price: at $59, it isn’t cheap. You can download a copy for evaluation purposes, but you’ll have to shell out 59 dollars to use it beyond the evaluation period.</p><p>Besides Windows, SublimeText is also available for OS X and Linux.</p><h4>3. UltraEdit</h4><p><a href="http://www.ultraedit.com/products/ultraedit.html" target="_blank">UltraEdit</a> prioritizes ease of use and efficiency over any other feature, and the result is a userfriendly, feature-rich text editor that runs blazingly fast with ample support for programmers.</p><p><img alt="UltraEdit - Programming Text Editor" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/texteditor_03.jpg" width="640" /></p><p>Built-in FTP support, file comparison, and automation through macros are just a few among its long list of features.</p><p>On the price front, a single license costs $59 — the same as the easier-on-the-eye SublimeText.</p><h2>OS X</h2><h4>1. TextMate</h4><p><a href="http://macromates.com/" target="_blank">TextMate</a> has become the de-facto choice of programmers on the Mac platform over the past couple of years, courtesy of its lengthy list of developer-oriented features. Auto-indent, advanced search-and-replace, foldable code blocks, column selection, clipboard history, visual bookmarks, and support for recordable macros are just some of its features.</p><p><img alt="TextMate - Programming Text Editor" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/texteditor_04.jpg" width="640" /></p><p>The end result is a product bred thoroughly in the Apple spirit of simplicity that, nevertheless, holds the heart of a true programming text editor.</p><p>Price: $58.</p><h2>Linux</h2><h4>1. Emacs</h4><p>Of the three major computing platforms (Windows, OS X, Linux), Linux boasts of the largest selection of powerful text editors designed specifically to fit the needs of programmers (who also happen to form the platform’s largest user base). Emacs is programming text-editor royalty — an extremely powerful (albeit complicated) piece of software that has been ported to virtually every platform imaginable (including Windows, OS X, BeOS, etc.). Like all Linux software, Emacs too is free and can be downloaded in multiple flavors, of which <a href="http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/emacs.html" target="_blank">GNU Emacs</a> happens to be the most popular.</p><p><img alt="Emacs - Programming Text Editor" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/texteditor_05.jpg" width="640" /></p><p>In terms of features, Emacs is heavily inclined towards hard-core programming with extensive support for automation through powerful macros. A content-sensitive editing module, a large library of extensions, and a fully customizable interface round up the list of impressive features.</p><h4>2. Kate</h4><p><a href="http://kate-editor.org/get-it/" target="_blank">Kate</a> can almost come across as Emacs-lite. It’s UI is very easy to use (compared to the almost draconian Emacs) and the text editor is extremely easy to get started with. Hidden beneath the user-friendly interface, though, is a very powerful text editor that can make a programmer smile in delight.</p><p><img alt="Kate - Programming Text Editor" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/texteditor_06.jpg" width="640" /></p><p>It has support for all the features you’d expect: syntax highlighting, macros, code collapsing, code automation with argument hints, session support, etc. and then some more.</p><h2>Conclusion</h2><p>There are dozens of text editors on the market, and this list barely scratches past the surface of this niche industry. Finding a programming text editor that fits your needs is a matter of trying out the different editors and poking around for a few hours until you get a good feel of the product. Programmers tend to be creatures of habit; once you get used to a particular text editor, you wouldn’t want to use anything else.</p> <br /><p><a href="http://rss.buysellads.com/click.php?z=1259961&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=24609&c=42941342" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://rss.buysellads.com/img.php?z=1259961&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=24609&c=42941342" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/QdM4SuGBu9CKjYA2rbyT7Ubqo7o/0/da"><img border="0" ismap="true" src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/QdM4SuGBu9CKjYA2rbyT7Ubqo7o/0/di" /></a><br /> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/QdM4SuGBu9CKjYA2rbyT7Ubqo7o/1/da"><img border="0" ismap="true" src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/QdM4SuGBu9CKjYA2rbyT7Ubqo7o/1/di" /></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=DT3Jq6j7rg0:wYLeWl2agdg:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=DT3Jq6j7rg0:wYLeWl2agdg:-BTjWOF_DHI"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=DT3Jq6j7rg0:wYLeWl2agdg:-BTjWOF_DHI" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=DT3Jq6j7rg0:wYLeWl2agdg:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=DT3Jq6j7rg0:wYLeWl2agdg:F7zBnMyn0Lo" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=DT3Jq6j7rg0:wYLeWl2agdg:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=DT3Jq6j7rg0:wYLeWl2agdg:V_sGLiPBpWU" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=DT3Jq6j7rg0:wYLeWl2agdg:qj6IDK7rITs"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?d=qj6IDK7rITs" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=DT3Jq6j7rg0:wYLeWl2agdg:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=DT3Jq6j7rg0:wYLeWl2agdg:gIN9vFwOqvQ" /></a> </div><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/speckboy-design-magazine/~4/DT3Jq6j7rg0" width="1" />

UPDATED: 1 YEAR

How to Properly File a Digital Millennium Copyright Act Complaint

<p><a href="http://rss.buysellads.com/click.php?z=1259958&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=24730&c=311415627" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://rss.buysellads.com/img.php?z=1259958&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=24730&c=311415627" /></a></p><br /><p>One of the great things about the internet is how it has transformed access to information and sources of knowledge, from newspapers to private blogs and even self-written electronic books and other helpful content. While the majority of content featured on the internet is original content written by just one author or a collaborative community of authors, there exists a small but growing number of websites which are designed to illegally duplicate that information and give it away for free.</p><p><img alt="A thief steals the ideas of a man" height="220" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/copyright_01a.jpg" width="640" /><small>Image Source: <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-96854686/stock-vector-a-thief-steals-the-ideas-of-a-man-who-is-distracted.html">A Thief Steals the Ideas of a Man</a> via Shutterstock</small></p><p>This undercuts the ability of the internet to be a profitable or informational tool altogether. These “information piracy” websites cause content creators to be underpaid and unacknowledged, and they foster a sense of entitlement among the wider internet audience. When people learn that even the best content is available for free, illegally or not, many of them will opt to bypass paying for an author’s work and instead direct their traffic toward an information piracy site.</p><p><img alt="Making Economic Returns to the Ideas or Creativity" height="220" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/copyright_02a.jpg" width="640" /><small>Image Source: <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-96854584/stock-vector-the-illustration-is-a-metaphor-about-making-economic-returns-to-the-ideas-or-creativity.html">Making Economic Returns to the Ideas or Creativity</a> via Shutterstock</small></p><p>Luckily, the practice of copying and distributing someone else’s online content or information has long been criminalized in the United States as part of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Millennium_Copyright_Act" target="_blank">Digital Millennium Copyright Act</a>. The law was passed by the United States Congress in 1998 partially in response to two treaties ratified by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Intellectual_Property_Organization" target="_blank">Intellectual Property Organization</a>. Those treaties condemned the theft of electronic information, ranging from print sources to videos, music, and most anything produced by one person and distributed against their will by another.</p><p><img alt="A Person Affixing the Seal of Copyright" height="220" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/copyright_03a.jpg" width="640" /><small>Image Source: <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-96854950/stock-vector-a-person-affixing-the-seal-of-copyright-in-their-ideas.html">A Person Affixing the Seal of Copyright</a> via Shutterstock</small></p><p>Part of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act allows for original content creators to report incidents of theft to search engines like Google or even the company which is providing web space and bandwidth to the individual which is hosting the stolen content. This is a two-pronged approach that is relatively effective at eliminating the distribution of stolen intellectual property.</p><p><a href="http://support.google.com/bin/static.py?hl=en&ts=1114905&page=ts.cs" target="_blank">Notifying Google</a>, or any major search engine, of the intellectual property theft taking place at a domain will cause that company to eliminate the offending website from any search result for a given piece of written, recorded, or other intellectual property. On the other hand, sending the same notice to a web host will cause them to investigate the activity going on with a certain user’s account or a certain domain name, they’ll likely issue a temporary or permanent suspension of services to the offending website. That virtually assures that the original content author will be able to rehabilitate their image, recoup their profits, and recover from what is generally perceived to be one of the biggest threats to modern-day content creators.</p><p>Any notice sent to a major corporation under the <strong>Digital Millennium Copyright Act</strong> (DMCA) must follow a certain format and be sure to point out any violations of the policy, any examples or evidence that a violation is taking place, and a statement of good faith and contact information on behalf of the content creator who is filing the complaint.</p><p>Here’s a step-by-step guide which will explain how to create the best DMCA intellectual property theft notice.</p><h4>Step 1: Develop the Digital Millennium Copyright Act Notice with a Proper Business Header</h4><p>Because the DMCA notice which wil be sent to a major corporation is essentially a corporate communication between two entities, the top of the document should look like a standard business memorandum header. It should include the name of the business which received the notice as well as their address, and it should list their address as well as the date it was sent from the intellectual property owner. A prime example looks like the one listed below:</p><pre class="brush: plain; title: ; notranslate"> Date: May 22, 2013 Yahoo! Inc. Attn: DMCA Copyright Complaints Department 701 1st Ave. Sunnyvale, CA 94809 </pre><p>Following this rather standard business header, be sure to address the leader to “<em>To Whom It May Concern</em>.” This is the most formal and gender-neutral way of addressing whoever may receive the complaint and validate the contents of the intellectual property holder. With that part of the document complete, it’s time to get into the real “meat” of a DMCA notice, where the concrete proof of theft will be displayed and the company will be asked to take action against the violating website or distribution outlet.</p><h4>Step 2: Explain that the Letter is Being Sent to Address Copyright Infringement</h4><p>Now it’s time to tell the company listed in the first part of the letter why they’re receiving written communication from you in the first place. The intellectual property holder must make it clear, in just a few sentences at the top of the document, that they’re contacting the company because of a certain provision of United States copyright law. This provision is contained within a section of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and, once the provision is identified to the company in question, they’ll know exactly how to proceed in order to verify the theft and take action to prevent its recurrence.</p><p>Here’s a great example of how to notify the company that the letter to follow will deal with a complaint under the United States Digital Millennium Copyright Act:</p><pre class="brush: plain; title: ; notranslate"> To Whom It May Concern, This notice serves to notify you that I wish to report a violation of United States copyright law under section 512(c) of the U.S. Copyright Law under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) of 1998. It is my belief that the distribution channel in question has not properly obtained licensing or distribution rights for this content and, as your service is promoting their works to the wider online audience, I have sought to address this concern with your office. </pre><h4>Step 3: Identifying the Exact Material Which is Believed Stolen Without Payment or Due Credit</h4><p>The next step of the DMCA notice process is to list the exact intellectual property which has been stolen by the offending internet user, in a list format, until each instance of theft has been exhaustively documented to, in this case, the executives at Yahoo. This will be in a new paragraph below the introduction to the letter, and a great example of how to formulate this paragraph exists below:</p><pre class="brush: plain; title: ; notranslate"> There are several incidents of theft where copyrighted material which I produced, and to which I have exclusive publication and distribution rights, have been duplicated on the offending website. These works include the following: 1. Article 1 About Cars, posted on May 14, 2012, at the following URL: http://domain.com/link-to-cars-article/ 2. Article 2 About Transmissions, posted on May 12, 2012, at the following URL: http://domain.com/link-to-transmissions-article/ 3. Article 3 About Kia Motors, posted on May 8, 2012, at the following URL: http://domain.com/link-to-kia-article/ 4. Article 4 About Auto Loans, posted on May 1, 2012, at the following URL: http://domain.com/link-to-loans-article/ 5. Article 5 About Interest Rates, posted on April 28, 2012, at the following URL: http://domain.com/link-to-interest-article/ Each of these websites is displayed in a typical Yahoo! search when the visitor searches for "Domain.com cars articles," and it is severely impacting my traffic, impressions, and revenue. </pre><h2>Step 4: Tell the Company in Question How to Contact You About Their Resolution of this Matter</h2><p>Next, the company which has received the Digital Millennium Copyright Act notice must be aware of how to contact you after they have properly investigated this alleged occurrence of plagiarism or theft. It’s a good idea to include a home address as well as a business address, and be sure to include both daytime and evening phone numbers so that you can be reached no matter when the company decides to communicate about their investigation and the actions they’re taking to resolve the matter. Here’s a sample of that part of the letter:</p><pre class="brush: plain; title: ; notranslate">I have included my contact information below, and I kindly request that correspondence be maintained between your company and myself as the prosecution and resolution of this matter unfolds. I have included both home and office contact information, as well as daytime and evening phone numbers, for your convenience as well as my own. My Name 123 Main St. Town Goes Here, DE 19801 TEL: 302-555-5555 My Office Name Attn: My Name 2345 Office St. Suite L Town Goes Here, DE 19801 TEL: 302-555-5555 ext. 000 Please contact me using my office information between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. After the close of business hours, please contact me using my home address or telephone information regarding the status of this incident.</pre><h4>Step 5: Verify that You Declare Yourself the Copyright Owner Under Penalty of Perjury</h4><p>Because this is essentially the beginning of a legal proceeding, the copyright owner must declare that they are the owner of the material in question under penalty of perjury. This is generally to prevent the actually infringers from trying to take down the original source material for their own personal gain. This is a relatively simple statement included at the end of the letter, and it looks pretty much identical to the “penalty of perjury” clause at the end of job employment applications and other legal documents.</p><p>Here’s a great template for the statement:</p><pre class="brush: plain; title: ; notranslate">Under penalty of perjury, I hereby swear that all of the information contained in the above notification of copyright infringement is true and accurate. I swear that I am the content owner or that I am authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the above referenced copyrighted content which I have alleged in this notification to have been infringed.</pre><h4>Step 6: Send Out the Digital Millennium Copyright Notice to Each Targeted Corporation via U.S. Certified Mail</h4><p>In most cases, people would simply send a notification to a corporation using regular mail (officially known as Priority Mail in the United States), but this is not sufficient for official communication as it pertains to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Instead, those filing a complaint with a corporation in order to reclaim their copyrighted content must opt for certified mail when sending a letter to take down an offending website or distribution channel.</p><p><img alt="Metaphor About the Author who Retains Ownership" height="220" src="http://speckycdn.sdm.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/copyright_04a.jpg" width="640" /><small>Image Source: <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-96854566/stock-vector-metaphor-about-the-author-who-retains-ownership-of-their-ideas-or-works.html">Metaphor About the Author who Retains Ownership</a> via Shutterstock</small></p><p>This is an excellent idea for a few reasons, the most notable of which is that letters sent via Certified Mail can be tracked using a typical United States Postal Service tracking number. Beyond that, however, sending a letter via Certified Mail also allows the sender to request that they receive a “read receipt” when the letter has been received by the company on the end end of the dispute. This allows them to keep records of official communication in case further legal action is involved. Specifically, courts will want to see a “good faith” effort made by the copyright owner or their representative, and they’ll want proof that the company was contacted and that they failed to follow the DMCA guidelines appropriately. This is a great backup plan, and one can never have too much documentation when it comes to preserving the integrity of their intellectual property.</p><div class="greybox-tut"><a class="button-med-tut" href="http://speckyboy.com/demo/dmca_letter/DMCA-Example-Letter.txt" target="_blank">View the Entire Letter</a><a class="button-med-tut" href="http://speckyboy.com/demo/dmca_letter/DMCA-Example-Letter.zip">Download the Letter as a .txt file</a></div><p>After the notice has been sent, the company will begin investigating allegations of copyright infringement and contact the intellectual property owner with any results or requests for additional information which may be required.</p> <br /><p><a href="http://rss.buysellads.com/click.php?z=1259961&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=24730&c=822806355" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://rss.buysellads.com/img.php?z=1259961&k=53ef29bf69caaf7b9711bf01cd3ee13b&a=24730&c=822806355" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/jwJvnUPQcer7HxLfPO7Ht58_XBE/0/da"><img border="0" ismap="true" src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/jwJvnUPQcer7HxLfPO7Ht58_XBE/0/di" /></a><br /> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/jwJvnUPQcer7HxLfPO7Ht58_XBE/1/da"><img border="0" ismap="true" src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/jwJvnUPQcer7HxLfPO7Ht58_XBE/1/di" /></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=gKRnhYOvYDk:XMD9V_KhOpg:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=gKRnhYOvYDk:XMD9V_KhOpg:-BTjWOF_DHI"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=gKRnhYOvYDk:XMD9V_KhOpg:-BTjWOF_DHI" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=gKRnhYOvYDk:XMD9V_KhOpg:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=gKRnhYOvYDk:XMD9V_KhOpg:F7zBnMyn0Lo" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=gKRnhYOvYDk:XMD9V_KhOpg:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=gKRnhYOvYDk:XMD9V_KhOpg:V_sGLiPBpWU" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=gKRnhYOvYDk:XMD9V_KhOpg:qj6IDK7rITs"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?d=qj6IDK7rITs" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?a=gKRnhYOvYDk:XMD9V_KhOpg:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img border="0" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/speckboy-design-magazine?i=gKRnhYOvYDk:XMD9V_KhOpg:gIN9vFwOqvQ" /></a> </div><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/speckboy-design-magazine/~4/gKRnhYOvYDk" width="1" />

UPDATED: 1 YEAR

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