Filter Foundry - Gabbey Sloan-Walters-Parsons

PAD by: Gabbey Sloan-Walters-Parsons

(CRED RECEIVED: 7)

Contact Artist

Follow Artist

Pin Artist to Wall

View Slideshow

Gabbey Sloan-Walters-Parsons

Portfolio

Do You See What I Can See?
Through Lens Eyes
The Mirror Breaks
Mystic Flowers

Profile Overview

Specialties
Design, Artwork of all kinds, graphic design, jewelry design.
My education includes a PhD in International Communications.
Art Collections (French, Russian), Literature

Applications: Adobe Photoshop, Not Listed, Not Listed, Adobe Lightroom, Final Cut Pro
Creative Fields:Digital Art, Fine Arts, Sculpture, Photography, Video Production

City: DFW	Personal Site: http://www.anightowlsarts.com
Location: USA	Work URL: http://www.thrulenseyes.com
Experience: 34 years, 10 months	Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/anightowl
Employer: Owner/Business	Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/glnart
Title: Chairman	LinkedIN: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=25894684&locale=en_US&trk=tab_pro
Status: Freelancing / Busy	Other: http://www.youtube.com/user/deviantartistabbey?feature=mhee

Project Comments

Gabbey

Please note: If the sound on the video seems to not be right, please see the original here: http://www.thrulenseyes.com/flowers-for-stephanie#h111c8382

Gabbey

The fact that we give flowers to those who are ill is not a coincidence. Being in the presence of something beautiful, living, and growing is a life reminder that a part of life remains beautiful and healthy.

Personal Introduction

Hello,

I''ve done some of my introducing in the short bio above, but this gives me the opportunity to tell you more about me as a person, rather than a group of statistics. I've been an artist for as long as I can remember. Not just a visual artist, but also music, poetry, written are, and almost every kind of art you can imagine. My very earliest memories are of an art teacher who was also my kindergarten teacher (I was barely 5 years old). Mrs. Beaver taught me things about drawing, and light that I use to this day.

I'm also a learner, and a teacher and have always done both. Although, I have achieved the highest level of education that I need, I always want to be in some kind of a class learning something new. One of the hallmarks of my career, is that once I have mastered a skill, I tend to tire of it, and move on to the next, I can attribute this only to my desire to "learn and remember" all that I learn, and then to pass it on to others with the same drive to succeed.

I'm a mother, a grandmother, a wife, a daughter, and a friend to my friends. Of the entire list, I do believe that you can also be friends with your children, grandchildren, and parents. It is of utmost importance to me that I be, not a casual friend, but a true friend, who will be there when everyone else has gone home. Those are the qualities I seek in others, and the qualities I aspire to find in myself.

" .....I’m just an artist, a changeling,
An intellect by night
Writing poetry and painting
Fanning my own creative light.

I’m a collector and creator
Of the colors that I see
Ever striving to improve on
Works that now – are me.

I’m a rebel, always pushing
At the bonds that surround my life
Flying off to far off lands
To relieve my inner strife.

I’m a mother and a lover
I’m a tenderhearted soul
Walking gently on my pathway
Listening to my rock n roll."

Excerpt from poetry written by me (c)g.abbey 2010

Anightowl

Design Fields

My chosen design field varies with the time period in which I am working. At this time, I am working mainly in the various versions of Photoshop, stretching it to see what can be accomplished with Digital Art Work. I am including real life objects, then changing them into almost total digital works, with the original object as the basis of the series. For example, the series "Broken Mirrors" is a series of works that are all made from a series of photos taken of a real broken mirror. The final works in no way resemble either mirrors, or glass, much less broken mirrors, but the basis of all is that broken mirror. This kind of artwork is intriguing to me, and has been to others. Enjoy them, as the venue will change soon.

Favorite Applications

My favorite applications are pretty well set by now, although I am very open to learning new program.s For the purpose of this bio, here is a list of my favorite applications, in no particular order:
1. Adobe Master Suite - taking into account ALL of the modules
a. No discussion about Adobe is complete without taking into account the hundreds on plug ins available. My favorites are onOne Software and Topaz Suite.
2. Apple's Final Cut Pro
3. Microsoft's Office is just a little bit less useful than Apple's Pages program, and I do use it, but I only use it to be compatible with other users. My preference is, by far, Apples' Suite: Keynote, Pages, and Numbers.
4. I thorough enjoy and use regularly a small application called "Evernote".
5. Apple's Basic Line of Installed Apps, including iTunes, Quicktime, and the iCloud.
6. I love the ConnectNow Program sold by Adobe.
7. I'm having a little debate in my mind, whether I love Aperature more than Lightroom. At this point, I'm using both.

My RSS Feeds

DIGITAL ARTS

SHOW NEXT 5 >

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

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Taschen opens shop in The Simpsons to make Springfield hip

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Flickr iOS app redesigned

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

WordPress 3.5 gets a media management makeover

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

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

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

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

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Pictoplasma Berlin 2013 artists revealed

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 2 WEEKS

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

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 2 WEEKS

BBEdit 10.5 adds Retina display support & better navigation

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 2 WEEKS

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

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 2 WEEKS

JUST CREATIVE DESIGN

SHOW NEXT 5 >

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: 5 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: 5 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: 6 MONTHS, 2 WEEKS

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: 6 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: 7 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: 7 MONTHS, 2 WEEKS

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: 8 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

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: 8 MONTHS, 2 WEEKS

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: 9 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: 9 MONTHS, 2 WEEKS

3D WORLD - THE MAGAZINE FOR 3D ARTISTS

SHOW NEXT 5 >

Video tutorial: Rig your own Transformer in LightWave

<p><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/TDW119.t_trans.opener.jpg" rel="lightbox[35093]"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-35098" height="348" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/TDW119.t_trans.opener.jpg" title="TDW119.t_trans.opener" width="580" /></a></p> <p class="strap">Transformers week draws to a close with this video training from Dan DeEntremont. Master key animation skills in this Transformer-style tutorial as you rig a robot to animate its transformation from train to humanoid</p> <p>To celebrate <a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/2012/03/07/digital-tutors-releases-new-transforming-robot-tutorials/">Digital-Tutors’ new Transformation training</a>, we thought we’d make an event of it and post online all things Transformery!</p> <p>We’ve already posted up two making-of Transformers articles:<br /> <a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/2012/03/07/the-making-of-transformers/">The making of Transformers</a><br /> <a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/2012/03/08/the-making-of-transformers-2/">The making of Transformers 2</a></p> <p>And you can also read a making-of article on the cult Transformers-style advert for Citroën – <a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/2012/03/13/the-embassy-the-art-of-robotics/">The Embassy: The art of Robotics</a></p> <p>To complete the Transformers roundup, here’s the train-transforming video tutorial from <a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/2009/07/02/3d_world_119_now_on_sale_in_the_uk/">issue 119 of 3D World magazine</a>.</p> <h3>Rig your own Transformer in LightWave</h3> <p>This article demonstrates the workflow for creating a transforming robot, similar to the designs in the live-action Transformers movies.</p> <p>The films’ director, Michael Bay, is well known for taking the level of special and visual effects over the top in his films. These Transformers are not the simple ones everyone has seen in the cartoon show, but a gigantic mass of moving metal that somehow manages to form a human-like (or sometimes animal-like) robot. The transforming train that you’ll rig and animate has about 300 moving parts.</p> <p>There are three videos available to show in detail the techniques described here. The first two videos focus on setting up the upper arms of the robot: you can take the principles you learn and apply them to the remaining parts of the figure. The first video will focus on rigging the upper arms. In this section, you will also be setting up the rig in a way that helps to cut the animation time nearly in half, using the useful Follower modifier. Bones will be used for moving the parts instead of separate layers.</p> <p>In Video 2, we will continue with the animation of the rigged upper arms. Here, I will demonstrate how to bring each piece to its destination position without causing geometry to intersect. I will also demonstrate a number of key techniques to help the movement of the different sections to be more realistic.</p> <div class="wp-caption alignleft" id="attachment_35099" style="width: 590px;"><p class="wp-caption-text">Discover how you can rig this robot to animate its transformation from train to humanoid</p></div> <p>Video 3 has a completely rigged transforming train. This video focuses on animating the transformation from a train to a robot, ending in a cool pose. A proxy version of the train will be used in this video. IK/FK Blending will also be implemented to allow smoothness in the transformation. If you get stuck at any point, the CD includes completed scene files you can study.</p> <p><em>Click Next to begin the train-transforming video tutorial</em></p> <img border="0" height="1" src="http://3dworldmag.com.feedsportal.com/c/33151/f/538495/s/1d821264/mf.gif" width="1" /><div class="mf-viral"><table border="0"><tr><td valign="middle"><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Video+tutorial%3A+Rig+your+own+Transformer+in+LightWave&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.3dworldmag.com%2F2012%2F03%2F16%2Fvideo-tutorial-rig-your-own-transformer-in-lightwave%2F%3Futm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Dvideo-tutorial-rig-your-own-transformer-in-lightwave" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" /></a></td><td valign="middle"><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Video+tutorial%3A+Rig+your+own+Transformer+in+LightWave&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.3dworldmag.com%2F2012%2F03%2F16%2Fvideo-tutorial-rig-your-own-transformer-in-lightwave%2F%3Futm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Dvideo-tutorial-rig-your-own-transformer-in-lightwave" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br /><br /><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/129200441230/u/49/f/538495/c/33151/s/1d821264/a2.htm"><img border="0" src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/129200441230/u/49/f/538495/c/33151/s/1d821264/a2.img" /></a><img border="0" src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/129200441230/u/49/f/538495/c/33151/s/1d821264/a2t.img" /><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/3dWorldrss/~4/VscwAZ8sOVc" width="1" />

UPDATED: 1 YEAR, 2 MONTHS

Friday Animation Fun: For the Remainder

<p><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/ftr.jpg" rel="lightbox[35136]"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-35137" height="243" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/ftr.jpg" title="ftr" width="580" /></a></p> <p class="strap">Find out how this atmospheric, painterly animated short was created using Maya, Photoshop and After Effects. Watch the film here too</p> <p>For the Remainder depicts the last moments of a house cat who bids farewell to its home before leaving to perish. The short was a graduation project created by Omer Ben David while studying at the <a href="http://www.bezalel.ac.il/en/">Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design</a> in Jerusalem, Israel. Ben David first began working on the plot in November last year. </p> <p>“I was dwelling on a concept of a cat that leaves his house and searches for his final resting place for some time before then,” he says. “I pondered on that notion since hearing the rumour that old cats sometime leave their home to die somewhere else unseen by their beloved ones or enemies. I felt that this essence of a story is very poetic and thus should be treated as a song rather than a narrative.”</p> <h4>First impressions</h4> <p>After developing the main plot, the director carefully considered the importance of the film’s characters and what role each would play. </p> <p>“From the beginning, the story was about a cat and a house,” Ben David explains. “The cat’s owner was also a main character but I wasn’t sure if he would be performing or his presence just suggested. The spider came somewhat in the middle of the storyboarding stage, when I was searching for a death motif to allow the cat to deal with.”</p> <p>“I was greatly inspired by sketches and calligraphy, and some colour blocking when searching for the look of the characters. I figured the house, as a character, should be mostly colour blocked while the cat should be wired so they were in contrast.”</p> <p><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/ftr1.jpg" rel="lightbox[35136]"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-35138" height="243" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/ftr1.jpg" title="ftr1" width="580" /></a></p> <h4>Creating perfect brush strokes</h4> <p>The film’s unique style was inspired by a number of sources. “I was very moved by a series of paintings by <a href="http://lukpazera.blogspot.com/">Lukasz Pazera</a> called <a href="http://postcardsfromthezone.com/">Postcards from the Zone</a> and his brilliant <a href="http://lukpazera.blogspot.com/2011/06/dog-of-zone-animation-sample.html">Dog of Zone</a>, which I figured would be awesome animated,” Ben David says.</p> <p>While researching, the director also watched Andrei Tarkovsky’s film Stalker. “I thought it to be the exact poem-like atmosphere I was searching for both visually and musically. I love the ambiance and slow rhythm,” he says. “I was also greatly inspired by color block paintings such as <a href="http://www.gerhardmozsi.com/">Gerhard Mozsi’s</a>, and the dreamy feel and pace in animated films such as Tekkonkinkreet or Ghost in the Shell which I adore.”</p> <div class="wp-caption alignleft" id="attachment_35159" style="width: 590px;"><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/remainder_infl.jpg" rel="lightbox[35136]"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-35159" height="389" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/remainder_infl.jpg" title="remainder_infl" width="580" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">One of the film’s main influences was a series of paintings by Lukasz Pazera called Postcards from the Zone. You can see similarities in tone and style between them and For the Remainder</p></div> <p>Ben David’s extensive research and inspirations helped him to develop the unique painterly style of the film. In order to achieve this in 3D, he turned to the powerful tools of Maya. </p> <p>“This software was vital to production,” he explains. “It was an inherent rendering method that got the look for my characters and objects, combined with the overlapping textures on the sets. Photoshop was of course crucial for painting the textures, but Maya allowed me to rig and control almost everything I needed.”</p> <p>The film’s style, however, also presented some technical challenges. “The whole sketchiness and painterly look was the biggest technical issue,” says Ben David. “I did a lot of research about NPR (non photo realistic) rendering before developing the technique for creating it, and it was pretty much an experiment throughout the entire process. I didn’t have a clear point of reference on a technical level on how to achieve this look, and so I did a lot of testing until I reached a certain point where I knew that the composited render would satisfy me.”</p> <p>Despite extensive research and testing, Ben David managed to complete the film within a fairly short time period. “It took me around nine months to finish the short,” he says. “I did some touch-ups, on and off, for a few months afterwards as I was not completely happy with some renders and I’ve worked some more on mastering the soundtrack with <a href="http://onili.com/">Onili</a>. I’m very pleased with the final result. Both on the aesthetics and the feel of it.”</p> <p></p> <h3>Like this film?</h3> <p><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/category/showcase/shorts/">Check out the selection of other awesome animations on our shorts page</a></p> <p><em>Make sure you visit next week for more Friday Animation Fun!</em></p> <img border="0" height="1" src="http://3dworldmag.com.feedsportal.com/c/33151/f/538495/s/1d81a18a/mf.gif" width="1" /><div class="mf-viral"><table border="0"><tr><td valign="middle"><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Friday+Animation+Fun%3A+For+the+Remainder&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.3dworldmag.com%2F2012%2F03%2F16%2Ffriday-animation-fun-for-the-remainder%2F%3Futm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Dfriday-animation-fun-for-the-remainder" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" /></a></td><td valign="middle"><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Friday+Animation+Fun%3A+For+the+Remainder&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.3dworldmag.com%2F2012%2F03%2F16%2Ffriday-animation-fun-for-the-remainder%2F%3Futm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Dfriday-animation-fun-for-the-remainder" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br /><br /><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/129200396320/u/49/f/538495/c/33151/s/1d81a18a/a2.htm"><img border="0" src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/129200396320/u/49/f/538495/c/33151/s/1d81a18a/a2.img" /></a><img border="0" src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/129200396320/u/49/f/538495/c/33151/s/1d81a18a/a2t.img" /><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/3dWorldrss/~4/W9nf4RJbbCw" width="1" />

UPDATED: 1 YEAR, 2 MONTHS

Disney’s John Carter: The VFX of Cinesite

<p><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/johncarter_desert_cinesite.jpg" rel="lightbox[35145]"><img alt="Disney's John Carter movie still" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-35150" height="242" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/johncarter_desert_cinesite.jpg" title="Disney's John Carter movie still - opener" width="580" /></a> <p class="strap">Cinesite has completed 831 VFX shots and converted 87 minutes of film into stereoscopic 3D for Disney’s John Carter, which hit cinemas last week</p> <p>The 3D work in John Carter – Andrew Stanton’s first live-action feature film, based on Edgar Rice Burroughs ‘Mars’ series of novels – was split between three leading London FX houses: Cinesite, Double Negative and The Moving Picture Company. </p> <p>Cinesite, renowned for its photoreal environment work, was responsible for creating and populating the majority of environments for John Carter. The team of 310-strong completed 831 visual effects shots, which included creating and populating the majority of environments for the film. They also converted 87 minutes of the film into stereo 3D.</p> <p>Cinesite’s VFX supervisor Sue Rowe spent several months on set in the UK and Utah. Due to the scale of the project, Rowe divided the work between four other VFX supervisors.</p> <div class="wp-caption alignleft" id="attachment_35151" style="width: 590px;"></p> <p><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/johncarter_wireframe_helium_cinesite.jpg" rel="lightbox[35145]"><img alt="John Carter VFX shots" class="size-full wp-image-35151" height="242" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/johncarter_wireframe_helium_cinesite.jpg" title="johncarter_wireframe_helium_cinesite" width="580" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Helium is shown from different angles throughout the film, and is used as the backdrop for the final battle sequence</p></div> <p>Christian Irles supervised work on Princess Dejah’s city, Helium. The city presented a challenge as it had to match the art department concept stills. While this was easy enough to do in matte painting, it was very time-consuming and render heavy to get actual full 3D renders. Projections were created for the terrain and these were worked up in matte painting to achieve the level of detail required. </p> <div class="wp-caption alignleft" id="attachment_35152" style="width: 590px;"><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/johncarter_helium_cinesite.jpg" rel="lightbox[35145]"><img alt="John Carter Helium city" class="size-full wp-image-35152" height="242" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/johncarter_helium_cinesite.jpg" title="John Carter Helium city" width="580" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Cinesite created a matte painting of the outside of the city of Helium and, using projections, built up the terrain using high-res stills taken on location in Utah</p></div> <p>The shots presented the city as a whole with both Helium Major and Helium Minor visible, resulting in a huge amount of texture maps and shaders. Render time was very high for these shots and all layers, such as crowds, terrain, etc were rendered separately. </p> <p>Helium stats:</p> <ul> <li>346 models in the city structure</li> <li>74 individual props created</li> </ul> <div class="wp-caption alignleft" id="attachment_35153" style="width: 590px;"><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/Zodanga_cinesite.jpg" rel="lightbox[35145]"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-35153" height="242" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/Zodanga_cinesite.jpg" title="Zodanga_cinesite" width="580" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The mobile city of Zodanga crawls like a myriapod across the surface of Mars: giving the city a sense of scale and animating the digital legs was challenging</p></div> <p>Jonathan Neill supervised Cinesite’s work on the mobile city of Zodanga, a mile-long rusty metal tanker that crawls like a myriapod across the surface of Mars. The city was heavily textured using a combination of Photoshop, Mari and Mudbox in tandem with bespoke shaders and lighting development, to give an industrial look and feel.</p> <p>A handful of sets were built which were locations within the city, but these needed considerable extension work to make the depth and scale of the city believable. Cinesite modelled thousands of pieces of geometry for the city buildings, and created hundreds of CG props to dress the sets.</p> <div class="wp-caption alignleft" id="attachment_35154" style="width: 590px;"><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/johncarter_city_cinesite.jpg" rel="lightbox[35145]"><img alt="John Carter VFX. Interior of city" class="size-full wp-image-35154" height="242" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/johncarter_city_cinesite.jpg" title="John Carter VFX. Interior of city" width="580" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Cinesite filled the city with warships and troops, before dressing it with hundreds of CG props</p></div> <p>With 674 legs, the mobile city was technically challenging to animate: Timed animation caches were used to ensure the digital legs moved in a random fashion. “Variations in movement and secondary animation such as cogs and cabling were used to create interest in the leg movement,” says Cinesite.</p> <p>Zodanga City Model stats: </p> <ul> <li>291 structural element models</li> <li>Up to 20,000 objects in a single shot</li> <li>1-2 billion polygons, dependent on camera position and detail required</li> <li>242 CG props created to populate the city</li> </ul> <p>Zodanga City Legs stats:</p> <ul> <li>674 legs </li> <li>44 claws</li> </ul> <div class="wp-caption alignleft" id="attachment_35155" style="width: 590px;"><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/johncarter_airship_cinesite.jpg" rel="lightbox[35145]"><img alt="John Carter" class="size-full wp-image-35155" height="242" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/johncarter_airship_cinesite.jpg" title="johncarter_airship_cinesite" width="580" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The texturing and detailing of the giant airships had to be spot on since they feature in many close up shots</p></div> <p>Ben Shepherd oversaw the huge aerial battle between Zodanga and Helium. His team created each side’s airships which use solar wings to travel on light, as well as explosions, fire, people and set extensions.</p> <p>The giant airships needed to be finely detailed for close-up shots. A challenge for look development was that they were required to be more like a 19th-Century sailing ship, than the type of spaceship which a modern-day audience might expect. </p> <p>For Sab’s flagship corsair, a partial set was created for the bridge/cockpit and one deck of a single ship. This was scanned and photographed for reference and recreated. The remaining areas were created as full CG models. </p> <p>Dejah’s ship and the flagship Helium ship, the Xavarian, were created in 3D also. Each ship had a full set of wings which were sized and laid out specifically for each ship. These were controlled by pulleys and ratchet-type controls to give a sailing look. Each of the wings was covered in hundreds of individual solar tiles which needed to be able to be controlled in animation. </p> <div class="wp-caption alignleft" id="attachment_35156" style="width: 590px;"><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/Thern-Sanctuary_Final-Comp.jpg" rel="lightbox[35145]"><img alt="John Carter movie" class="size-full wp-image-35156" height="242" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/Thern-Sanctuary_Final-Comp.jpg" title="John Carter movie" width="580" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The entire Thern effect system was designed and built from scratch using a combination of Maya, Houdini and custom software developed in house</p></div> <p>Simon Stanley-Clamp directed work on the Thern sanctuary, a huge underground cave that forms around Carter and Dejah as self-illuminating blue branches as the characters walk through it. </p> <p>The entire Thern effect system was designed and built from scratch using a combination of Maya, Houdini and custom software developed in house. Based on the principles of nanotechnology, the system provided a semi-automated way to ‘grow’ Thern into any environment and geometry. It took a full year of development time to evolve and bring to the big screen.</p> <div class="wp-caption alignleft" id="attachment_35157" style="width: 590px;"><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/Thern-Sanctuary_3_Final-comp.jpg" rel="lightbox[35145]"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-35157" height="247" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/Thern-Sanctuary_3_Final-comp.jpg" title="Thern-Sanctuary_3_Final-comp" width="580" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">These ‘growing Thern’ shots were some of the most complex VFX shots Cinesite undertook, and can be seen to great effect in 3D</p></div> <p>In the sequence, as the tunnel itself ends, the main Thern Sanctuary room is seen to build itself, opening out within the Thern matrix of the pyramid interior. This shot required extensive Thern simulation and growing effects, blending multiple elements together in Nuke to build the shot up.</p> <p><em>John Carter is in cinemas now. We’ve not seen the film yet, and reviews so far seem to be fairly mixed, so if you do go, let us know what you think of it via the comments box below, or on Facebook or Twitter </em></p> <h3>The making of John Carter</h3> <p>This article focuses on Cinesite’s contribution to the film, but the 3D work was split between three leading London FX houses: Cinesite, Double Negative and The Moving Picture Company. </p> <p>Read the making-of John Carter article in issue 155 of 3D World magazine, where Renee Dunlop takes us behind the scenes of all three VFX facilities.</p> <p><strong>Issue 155 of 3D World goes on sale on 27th March</strong></p> <img border="0" height="1" src="http://3dworldmag.com.feedsportal.com/c/33151/f/538495/s/1d801946/mf.gif" width="1" /><div class="mf-viral"><table border="0"><tr><td valign="middle"><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Disney%E2%80%99s+John+Carter%3A+The+VFX+of+Cinesite&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.3dworldmag.com%2F2012%2F03%2F16%2Fdisneys-john-carter-the-vfx-of-cinesite%2F%3Futm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Ddisneys-john-carter-the-vfx-of-cinesite" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" /></a></td><td valign="middle"><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Disney%E2%80%99s+John+Carter%3A+The+VFX+of+Cinesite&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.3dworldmag.com%2F2012%2F03%2F16%2Fdisneys-john-carter-the-vfx-of-cinesite%2F%3Futm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Ddisneys-john-carter-the-vfx-of-cinesite" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br /><br /><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/129200459259/u/49/f/538495/c/33151/s/1d801946/a2.htm"><img border="0" src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/129200459259/u/49/f/538495/c/33151/s/1d801946/a2.img" /></a><img border="0" src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/129200459259/u/49/f/538495/c/33151/s/1d801946/a2t.img" /><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/3dWorldrss/~4/SAa9hvj4MmU" width="1" />

UPDATED: 1 YEAR, 2 MONTHS

Weta Digital on the making of The Adventures of Tintin

<p><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/TDW152.f_tintin.tin17_998034v28.jpg" rel="lightbox[35108]"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-35134" height="247" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/TDW152.f_tintin.tin17_998034v28.jpg" title="TDW152.f_tintin.tin17_998034v28" width="580" /></a> <p class="strap">Weta Digital embarked on a new quest with The Adventures of Tintin, complete with crashing waves, pirate battles and an extremely stylish wardrobe. Renee Dunlop takes us behind the scenes</p> <p>As the Blu-ray of The Adventures of Tintin goes on sale, we thought we’d share this article from <a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/2012/01/07/3d-world-152-create-fire-water-and-more/">issue 152 of 3D World magazine</a>. </p> <p>If you haven’t watched the film already, we suggest you do – The Adventures of Tintin looks like a mix of live-action and CG, which adds up to something unique on screen. It’s possible that The Adventures of Tintin missed out at the Oscars this year because of this very thing, which is a real shame as we think the film has some of the best CG we’ve ever seen. </p> <h3>Weta’s Adventures of Tintin</h3> <p>Weta Digital is delving into a new world – that of the journalist. Enter Tintin, a popular post-World War One comic strip hero who travels about with his dog, Snowy, cracking cases with a little help from his friends. Created in 1929 by the artist and writer best known as Hergé, the stellar artists of Weta, led by director Steven Spielberg and producer Peter Jackson, have brought the story to 3D animated life on the big screen. </p> <p>It took some of Weta’s best to tackle the wide array of arduous effects required to complete the film. Keith Miller, one of five VFX supervisors, was among those appointed to the task. He was in charge of roughly 340 shots.</p> <div class="wp-caption alignleft" id="attachment_35113" style="width: 590px;"><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/TDW152.f_tintin.opener_ships1.jpg" rel="lightbox[35108]"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-35113" height="326" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/TDW152.f_tintin.opener_ships1.jpg" title="TDW152.f_tintin.opener_ships1" width="580" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">An epic sea battle required Weta Digital’s team to simulate stormy ocean waves</p></div> <p>For Miller, the big challenge was the pirate battle. “It’s such a dynamic sequence,” he says. “There are nearly 60 pirates running about, two ships that are sailing in 60-metre seas complete with lightning storms, rain, hurricane winds, fire, explosions – you name it, it’s all there.” The most difficult challenge was the water, with 60-metre waves interacting with the ships that needed to compositionally match the representations provided by the pre-viz team.</p> <p>Miller’s team approached the work from a few different angles. “First, we updated our FFT [fast Fourier transform] library, a system of generating waves using measurements collected in oceanic research,” says Miller. They also completely rewrote their library using a more up-to-date spectrum that provided the ability to incorporate the ideas of the depth of the ocean and the fetch, or the distance that wind stays at a constant velocity. “We added those new variables into the system and we were able to generate much more realistic wave scenarios for the high wind systems,” he adds. </p> <p>Weta’s FX team did quite a bit of work approximating the surface velocity from the newly generated ocean surfaces and applied those to Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) particle simulations, much of which was used for the white water simulation, breaking waves that rode on top of the ocean surface. These were pushed through Weta’s in-house 3D effects solution, Synapse, a node-based system that’s a container for solvers. In some cases, Naiad data was also incorporated into Synapse for the initial bounded simulation elements.</p> <div class="wp-caption alignleft" id="attachment_35116" style="width: 590px;"><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/TDW152.f_tintin.pirate1.jpg" rel="lightbox[35108]"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-35116" height="245" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/TDW152.f_tintin.pirate1.jpg" title="TDW152.f_tintin.pirate1" width="580" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The battle sequence combines water, fire, wind and lightning, and featured as many as 60 pirates in combat</p></div> <p>In addition to reworking the FFT system, senior water TD Chris Horvath updated Weta’s shading model for raytraced water, using an improved model for participating media for underwater light extinction and scattering. He also made improvements to the procedural texture foam system. </p> <h4>Creating the hands</h4> <p>While Miller and his team battled with the pirate ships, Weta’s digital creature supervisor Simon Clutterbuck focused on some of the smallest of details through his modelling department. “We build the animation puppets, the deformation rigs, we do all the cloth and hair simulations, muscle dynamics, flesh dynamics – anything that has to do with the monster or character,” he says. “We interact with all the departments in the studio to produce stuff for them to use, like the puppets or the baked light, and we work closely with shots and animation.” </p> <p>The creature department work includes providing all the puppets for the animators. “Our animation puppet isn’t the thing that gets cached and ends up in the shot,” says Clutterbuck. “The animation puppets are kind of an interactive, almost real-time version of the character. They don’t have to see amazing hand deformations to pose the hand correctly, so they’re just posing [and] animating this thing that’s much lower resolution.” Clutterbuck’s Creature Department provides the animators with approximations of clothes and low-res hands and bodies that allow for faster animation. “Then the animation data is cached off of that puppet and plugged into a high-resolution creature rig, which gets cached and given to lighting,” he says. “This way there’s no requirement for interactivity in our actual deformation models.” </p> <div class="wp-caption alignleft" id="attachment_35111" style="width: 590px;"><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/TDW152.f_tintin.new_013025261.jpg" rel="lightbox[35108]"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-35111" height="326" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/TDW152.f_tintin.new_013025261.jpg" title="TDW152.f_tintin.new_013025261" width="580" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">A single complex rig was used as the basis for all characters’ hands</p></div> <p>It’s hardly all low-res work, though. “There’s a big focus on faces and hands in the show, so a good deal of time was focused on building a detailed hand rig,” says Clutterbuck. “We had all these incredibly close shots of Tintin’s hands. It’s a treasure hunt, so there are all these clues that lead to the treasure, and there are lots of shots where he’s inspecting things. The shots are incredibly long, so you’ll have minutes focused on their face or hands. The stability of the cloth solve, the fidelity of the hands [and] the deformation all had to be very high. It was pretty unforgiving.”</p> <p>Weta Digital’s workflow uses a generic model called Gen Man as a baseline for building humanoid characters. This starting point is used for reference, scanning and motion capturing, tailoring clothes, and even cross-referencing MRI data. Clutterbuck explains: “We produced a whole bunch of life casts in all different poses that were used to build support moulds, 36 in all, that went into the MRI machine, so the character could put his hand into a similar pose and hold it there. Then we could derive the meshes of his joints from the MRIs.” The result was a series of high-resolution joint meshes of his actual skeleton in the selected poses. </p> <div class="wp-caption alignleft" id="attachment_35110" style="width: 590px;"><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/TDW152.f_tintin.new_00402825.jpg" rel="lightbox[35108]"><img alt="The story requires characters to grip and manipulate objects" class="size-full wp-image-35110" height="326" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/TDW152.f_tintin.new_00402825.jpg" title="TDW152.f_tintin.new_00402825" width="580" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The story is a treasure hunt, so there are lots of shots where the characters have to pick things up and be able to manipulate them</p></div> <p>“The metacarpals in the wrist do all these crazy rolling motions – it’s really complex,” Clutterbuck says. “We couldn’t build that complexity into the animation puppets because it would have been prohibitive to animate with, but we also needed the correct degrees of freedom in the wrist and joints to give us the right deformations of the hand.” It took nearly five months to get the hands working the way they wanted.</p> <p>“The hand rig looks pretty amazing,” says Clutterbuck. “The hand model propagates out into the show, procedurally warped into new shapes, so we built one hand rig and it was fitted to all the characters’ hands. We have a process that was developed on Avatar to transfer the rig and deformation data onto other models.” </p> <p>Weta Digital’s model supervisor Marco Revelant was responsible for all the assets created in the model department and was involved with grooming and developing the fur system from the user side for the dog, Snowy. However, it was the clothing that both Clutterbuck and Revelant found the most challenging. The multiple layers and the way the different fabrics fell and moved presented a daunting task. </p> <h4>Folding the clothes</h4> <p>Weta Digital set up a Tintin-specific costume department that helped define the design of the clothing, offering insight into how the fabric would drape and move over a character. “The problem is,” says Revelant, “when you do digital clothing and give it to a modeller, the modeller will try to put in features like wrinkles and folds, but won’t necessarily take into account the quantity of fabric.”</p> <div class="wp-caption alignleft" id="attachment_35114" style="width: 590px;"><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/TDW152.f_tintin.other1_04800542SS_dist.jpg" rel="lightbox[35108]"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-35114" height="326" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/TDW152.f_tintin.other1_04800542SS_dist.jpg" title="TDW152.f_tintin.other1_04800542SS_dist" width="580" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Care was taken with getting clothing folds to animate correctly</p></div> <p>To manage this issue, the Creature Department worked closely with modelling, providing tools that helped drape the character as they were modelling so that they could see how the fabric was behaving, rather than waiting until the Creature Department ran their simulations. Weta used NCloth in Maya, but spent a huge amount of time up-front shooting parameters and getting the topology in the models and construction correct, especially in cross-sections such as sleeves. </p> <div class="wp-caption alignleft" id="attachment_35124" style="width: 590px;"><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/TDW152.f_tintin.tin8_020003215SS.jpg" rel="lightbox[35108]"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-35124" height="326" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/TDW152.f_tintin.tin8_020003215SS.jpg" title="TDW152.f_tintin.tin8_020003215SS" width="580" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">There are eight principal characters, and several have multiple costumes. In all, there were 551 individual costumes to build for the film</p></div> <p>Several characters had multiple layers of clothing, requiring layers of geometry to simulate friction. There were eight principal characters, and several – including Tintin, Captain Haddock and Sakharine – have multiple costumes. In all, there were 551 individual costumes to build for the film. “Take the Captain,” Clutterbuck says. “He had a big woollen jacket, a woollen jumper, trousers, and socks and shoes.” Again, proper reference was key. Weta filmed a man running on a treadmill wearing a tailored suit they provided, and gathered reference on how cloth breaks across the seams, collecting data on details such as the effects of double versus single stitching. </p> <p>Weta first tried just solving the visible clothing, but found that it didn’t quite look correct. “We ended up going for full coupled solutions where everything was solved,” says Clutterbuck. “Tintin might enter with his trench coat on, then take it off and toss it onto the back of a chair, and continue the scene wearing the rest of his costume,” says Clutterbuck. “We had to handle this level of complexity where we had all these variations of costume elements and they had to solve coupled. We hadn’t really done anything that complicated before in terms of clothes.” </p> <p>Coupling affects even supporting characters such as Silk, who dresses in a formal jacket, a waistcoat and a shirt. “We didn’t solve the shirt, then put the waistcoat on, then the jacket,” says Clutterbuck. “We solved everything at the same time, so the solutions were all fully coupled. All the costume elements are plugged into one solver. Since they’re all plugged in, they all interact.”</p> <p>Weta defers everything to its render wall. The costumes were assembled as a master file that contained a costume description. During the baked simulation step that file would assemble the costume, plug it into all the solvers, bring it in, attach it to the character, then do the simulation. The result was a final sim and a series of files generated to show what Weta calls pre-files, which are pre-simulation. The individual costume assets are iterated in parallel as an ensemble of costume elements. </p> <div class="wp-caption alignleft" id="attachment_35130" style="width: 590px;"><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/TDW152.f_tintin.tin14_03802770SS.jpg" rel="lightbox[35108]"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-35130" height="326" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/TDW152.f_tintin.tin14_03802770SS.jpg" title="TDW152.f_tintin.tin14_03802770SS" width="580" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text"> “There’s a big focus on faces and hands in the show, so a good deal of time was focused on building a detailed hand rig,” says Clutterbuck</p></div> <p>The costumes took several minutes a frame to simulate, but there was no interactivity requirement because that’s all happening on the render wall and animation was working with real-time puppet versions. “So we have these two parts of every character, with the puppet which goes to animation and the creature deformation model that’s the thing the animation curves get plugged into that simulates on the wall,” says Clutterbuck. </p> <p>Weta’s flexible pipeline paid off, according to Miller. “I know a lot of facilities tend to lock down their technology, branch it off and continue developing it outside of current shows, but that’s very different from how Weta works,” he says. “It’s got pros and cons for sure, but it’s one of those things that helps us to stay at the leading edge of technology. We’re constantly throwing in new technology and updating and developing new aspects, and trying to get it pushed into production all the way through the course of the show.” </p> <h4>Setting the scene </h4> <p>The entire Tintin project was done in-house at Weta Digital, including the artwork for the environment and character studies. The translation of the environments from 2D to 3D was left to Weta’s modelling department under modelling supervisor Marco Revelant’s guidance. An internal art department was assembled to research information about the time when the film takes place. </p> <div class="wp-caption alignleft" id="attachment_35133" style="width: 590px;"><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/TDW152.f_tintin.tin16_08900835.jpg" rel="lightbox[35108]"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-35133" height="326" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/TDW152.f_tintin.tin16_08900835.jpg" title="TDW152.f_tintin.tin16_08900835" width="580" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">“Every element that was drawn in the book, we tried to find the respective real element from that period that could have been the inspiration for the Hergé drawing," explains Revelant. "Everything was checked against real period data.” </p></div> <p>“One important thing is [creator] Hergé was very careful in depicting a kind of reality that was around the 1940s,” explains Revelant. “Every element that was drawn in the book, we tried to find the respective real element from that period that could have been the inspiration for the Hergé drawing. Everything was checked against real period data.” </p> <h4>Creating the hair </h4> <p>Weta was working on Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Tintin at the same time. While the requirements for hair on Tintin weren’t anything near what they were for Apes, some of the aspects translated over. Tintin required wind effects, wet hair and a lot of development to get the hair to work coupled with the clothes. </p> <div class="wp-caption alignleft" id="attachment_35125" style="width: 590px;"><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/TDW152.f_tintin.tin9_030016v405.jpg" rel="lightbox[35108]"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-35125" height="246" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/TDW152.f_tintin.tin9_030016v405.jpg" title="TDW152.f_tintin.tin9_030016v405" width="580" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Character hair in The Adventures of Tintin has to interact with objects and the environment</p></div> <p>With the hat on, the Captain has a groom, styled so his hair doesn’t stick through the hat. When the hat is off, the hair is groomed appropriately. Sometimes the Captain put his hat on or took it off, so transitional shots with appropriate grooms were needed. The Captain’s hair ended up having a very dense particle set on the hair and collision objects with the hat, and his hair would spring up a bit during the transition. </p> <p><a href="http://www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/design/3dworld-magazine-back-issues/3d-world-feb-12/">Buy issue 152 of 3D World magazine to read the full article</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Tintin-Two-Disc-Blu-ray-Digital/dp/B0034G4P4Y/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1331150699&sr=8-3">Buy the Blu-ray of The Adventures of Tintin via Amazon</a></p> <img border="0" height="1" src="http://3dworldmag.com.feedsportal.com/c/33151/f/538495/s/1d77d052/mf.gif" width="1" /><div class="mf-viral"><table border="0"><tr><td valign="middle"><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Weta+Digital+on+the+making+of+The+Adventures+of+Tintin&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.3dworldmag.com%2F2012%2F03%2F15%2Fweta-digital-on-the-making-of-the-adventures-of-tintin%2F%3Futm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Dweta-digital-on-the-making-of-the-adventures-of-tintin" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" /></a></td><td valign="middle"><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Weta+Digital+on+the+making+of+The+Adventures+of+Tintin&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.3dworldmag.com%2F2012%2F03%2F15%2Fweta-digital-on-the-making-of-the-adventures-of-tintin%2F%3Futm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Dweta-digital-on-the-making-of-the-adventures-of-tintin" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br /><br /><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/129200327135/u/49/f/538495/c/33151/s/1d77d052/a2.htm"><img border="0" src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/129200327135/u/49/f/538495/c/33151/s/1d77d052/a2.img" /></a><img border="0" src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/129200327135/u/49/f/538495/c/33151/s/1d77d052/a2t.img" /><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/3dWorldrss/~4/D4s7vJZZjr8" width="1" />

UPDATED: 1 YEAR, 2 MONTHS

New animation short: The Accuracy of Time

<p><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/19.jpg" rel="lightbox[35032]"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-35091" height="326" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/19.jpg" title="19" width="580" /></a></p> <p class="strap">Find out how this ultra photorealistic film was pieced together using 3ds Max and V-Ray. Watch the animated short here too</p> <p><span id="more-35032"></span></p> <p>The Accuracy of Time is a depiction of part of the process of building a watch, more specifically the ceramic crown. Created by art director Javi Martinez, the short was made as a case study for his upcoming <a href="http://lightrendergroup.com/">CGI training roadshow TAOT2012</a>.</p> <p>The idea was to replicate a real advertisement and the entire production process behind it. The film will be used as part of the roadshow training to highlight some of specific challenges currently facing digital artists.</p> <p>The project was created using a 3ds Max and V-Ray pipeline. “The decision to use this software was simply to make a technical demonstration of the many capabilities offered by the two working together,” explains Martinez. </p> <h4>3ds Max and V-Ray: an ideal combo</h4> <p>“3ds Max allowed us to develop the short very easily using the new MASSFX to perform physical dynamics and the ceramic particles and at the same time offered great performance in the modelling and animation of objects and cameras. The reason we chose V-Ray was the quality of representation of light, versatility, simplicity to recreate materials and the optimisation of production times.”</p> <p><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/14.jpg" rel="lightbox[35032]"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-35092" height="326" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/14.jpg" title="14" width="580" /></a></p> <h4>More-than-reasonable render times</h4> <p>Rather amazingly, The Accuracy of Time was created using only one workstation! It just goes to show what can be achieved if you’ve got the right amount of dedication: “The short includes the processing of raw materials [to create the watch], the material injection to obtain the piece itself, then it passes through the baking stage and ends with the exposure of the product with elegance and quality,” says Martinez. “But the whole film was in fact a very simple macro CG production playing with a basic geometric model, a virtual light and virtual camera. Given that the piece was produced using a single workstation, the render times were very manageable, ranging from five to 35 minutes per frame.”</p> <h4>Playing with the look</h4> <p>It wasn’t all plain sailing, however. Due to the style and close-up nature of the short, Martinez had to work out solutions in order to achieve the correct look. “The animation treatment and lens blurs were resolved by ZD channels and working on it in post,” Martinex explains. “The animation of the camera lens can easily change the meaning of a sequence so experimenting with this technique was very attractive to me.”</p> <p>Overall, the short took Martinez approximately just under a year to complete from start to finish. “The 10-month production time was an amazing experience,” Martinez says. “But it led to a lot of sacrifice and [it was a] joy to finally get my work out to reach the community of artists in an industry which is so difficult and exquisite.”</p> <h4>Watch the new animation short:</h4> </p> <p></p> <h4>Watch The Accuracy of Time making of video:</h4> <p> <p> </p> <h4>Want more animated shorts of the same calibre?</h4> <p>If you liked this film, check out a selection of other awesome animations on our <a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/category/showcase/shorts/">Shorts page</a></p> <img border="0" height="1" src="http://3dworldmag.com.feedsportal.com/c/33151/f/538495/s/1d6f8c5d/mf.gif" width="1" /><div class="mf-viral"><table border="0"><tr><td valign="middle"><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=New+animation+short%3A+The+Accuracy+of+Time&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.3dworldmag.com%2F2012%2F03%2F14%2Fnew-animation-short-the-accuracy-of-time%2F%3Futm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Dnew-animation-short-the-accuracy-of-time" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" /></a></td><td valign="middle"><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=New+animation+short%3A+The+Accuracy+of+Time&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.3dworldmag.com%2F2012%2F03%2F14%2Fnew-animation-short-the-accuracy-of-time%2F%3Futm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Dnew-animation-short-the-accuracy-of-time" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br /><br /><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/129200299806/u/49/f/538495/c/33151/s/1d6f8c5d/a2.htm"><img border="0" src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/129200299806/u/49/f/538495/c/33151/s/1d6f8c5d/a2.img" /></a><img border="0" src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/129200299806/u/49/f/538495/c/33151/s/1d6f8c5d/a2t.img" /><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/3dWorldrss/~4/HB_RZPTmu4k" width="1" />

UPDATED: 1 YEAR, 2 MONTHS

The Embassy: The art of robotics

<p><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/TDW94.t_trade.ad_seq3.jpg" rel="lightbox[35067]"><img alt="" class="alignright size-full wp-image-35088" height="348" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/TDW94.t_trade.ad_seq3.jpg" title="TDW94.t_trade.ad_seq3" width="580" /></a></p> <p class="strap">Do you remember the original Transformers-style Citroën C4 spot? Five years ago it became a worldwide cult hit and we asked The Embassy’s CG team to reveal some of the ad’s technical secrets. Catch up as Transformers week continues…</p> <p>To celebrate <a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/2012/03/07/digital-tutors-releases-new-transforming-robot-tutorials/">Digital-Tutors’ new Transformation training</a>, we thought we’d make an event of it and post online all things Transformery!</p> <p>We’ve already posted up two making of Transformers articles:<br /> <a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/2012/03/07/the-making-of-transformers/">The making of Transformers</a><br /> <a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/2012/03/08/the-making-of-transformers-2/">The making of Transformers 2</a></p> <p>We plan to post up a <strong>train-transforming walkthrough tutorial</strong> this week too, so remember to check back.</p> <h3>Here’s the Embassy’s making of the Citroën ‘Runner’ spot</h3> <h4>ABOUT THE ORIGINAL AD</h4> <p>Created for the launch of Citroën’s C4 range, The Embassy Visual Effects’s original 2004 ad, ‘Alive with Technology’, opens with a hand-held camera shot of a car that transforms into a robot, performs an?impromptu series of dance moves and then reverts back to vehicular form.</p> <div class="wp-caption alignright" id="attachment_35068" style="width: 590px;"><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/TDW94.t_trade.orig_ad.jpg" rel="lightbox[35067]"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-35068" height="320" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/TDW94.t_trade.orig_ad.jpg" title="TDW94.t_trade.orig_ad" width="580" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The Embassy Visual Effects’s original 2004 ad, ‘Alive with Technology’, opens with a hand-held camera shot of a car that transforms into a robot, performs an?impromptu series of dance moves and then reverts back to vehicular form</p></div> <p>As well as making other VFX teams green with envy, the spot proved to have unexpected longevity. A full two years on, it was regularly appearing on TV, picking up fresh awards, and inspiring numerous spoofs and tributes, including a memorable parody replacing the C4 with a rather less glamorous Citroën 2CV and a viral for Danish bacon. The Mill even got a shot at producing a follow-up, before The Embassy itself jumped back on board for a third in the series.</p> <p>“It’s hard to say what it was about that original ad that hit people,” says studio president Winston Helgason. “Technically we did a good job, but something else struck a chord with them. While the ad has that geek factor, it’s just really fun to watch.”</p> <p>Television audiences got their first taste of vehicular dancefloor magic back in 2004. A?relative newcomer to the field of CG, Vancouver-based VFX studio The Embassy Visual Effects had already turned heads with its viral short film <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1zGLx6H3f4&feature=related">Tetra Vaal</a> and some impressively photoreal ads for the likes of Nike.</p> <p>But it was the Citroën ‘Alive with Technology’ ad that really put the studio on the map – and a spring in the step of CG?based car ads. Fusing perfectly believable virtual visuals, directorial flair, and some seriously cool dance moves, The Embassy created what is now regarded as a?genuine classic.</p> <h3>Watch the Citroën ‘Alive with Technology’ spot</h3> <p></p> <p>Now the studio is back on board for the third spot in what is becoming an increasingly long-running campaign, and has been working hard to push the concept of a car that transforms into a robot to even greater heights.</p> <p>In contrast to the original spot, for which director Neill Blomkamp utilised a virtual camera and 3D environment constructed from photographs, the new ad’s director, Trevor Cawood, chose to undertake a live shoot in South Africa – a location chosen principally for its favourable lighting conditions. A new transforming CG vehicle was then integrated into the plates with the help of elements rebuilt in?3D to aid the creation of shadows and reflections.</p> <p>“The brief was pretty open,” says The Embassy president Winston Helgason. “The idea was to have the robot running, but other than that, it was simply ‘make it look cool’. The client did come back and ask if we could find something else for the robot to do, though, so we came up with the rail slide [which the bot performs along the restraining barrier by the side of the road].”</p> <p>Here, the studio’s 3D and compositing staff reveal just how their cybernetic star was rigged and animated to perform such a stunt. They also explore some of the shading and lighting techniques used to generate the photorealistic renders of the modified car necessary to composite it seamlessly into the background plate.</p> <p>Helgason reveals that the studio’s preferred tool for this kind of work is LightWave 3D’s own renderer, its raytracing proving particularly well suited to hard surface lighting. Dropping HDRI set data into the program and adding additional lights, the studio is able to get a scene fully lit in a matter of minutes. But ultimately, he says that the real secret of photorealism in the Citroën ads is simply attention to detail.</p> <p>“The most important thing is to understand how lighting really works, and then learn to match the way it reacts to metallic surfaces,” he says. “That, and then adding loads of extra model detail is what makes the results so effective.”</p> <h3>Watch the Citroën ‘Runner’ spot</h3> <p></p> <p><em>Click Next to read about how ILM had to rip apart the original robot design</em></p> <img border="0" height="1" src="http://3dworldmag.com.feedsportal.com/c/33151/f/538495/s/1d689117/mf.gif" width="1" /><div class="mf-viral"><table border="0"><tr><td valign="middle"><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=The+Embassy%3A+The+art+of+robotics&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.3dworldmag.com%2F2012%2F03%2F13%2Fthe-embassy-the-art-of-robotics%2F%3Futm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Dthe-embassy-the-art-of-robotics" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" /></a></td><td valign="middle"><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=The+Embassy%3A+The+art+of+robotics&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.3dworldmag.com%2F2012%2F03%2F13%2Fthe-embassy-the-art-of-robotics%2F%3Futm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Dthe-embassy-the-art-of-robotics" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br /><br /><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/129200298402/u/49/f/538495/c/33151/s/1d689117/a2.htm"><img border="0" src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/129200298402/u/49/f/538495/c/33151/s/1d689117/a2.img" /></a><img border="0" src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/129200298402/u/49/f/538495/c/33151/s/1d689117/a2t.img" /><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/3dWorldrss/~4/z_DGLpUWdbI" width="1" />

UPDATED: 1 YEAR, 2 MONTHS

Software review: iClone5 Pro

<p><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/r_iclone5.hero_.jpg" rel="lightbox[35061]"><img alt="iClone's new toon shader" class="alignright size-full wp-image-35062" height="326" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/r_iclone5.hero_.jpg" title="iClone's new toon shader" width="580" /></a> <p class="strap">Real-time 3D animation tool, iClone, has everything you need to set up your directorial ?debut. But is it too limited, asks Paul Champion?</p> <p>PRICE?: $200.? Upgrade from $120. ??Other editions: Standard, $80??<br /> PLATFORM?: Windows??<br /> MAIN FEATURES: <ul> <li>Real-time animation?</li> <li>In-screen motion editing and puppeteering?</li> <li>Advanced timeline editing with transition curve?</li> <li>Animate in real-time with motion-capture device??</li> </ul> <p>DEVELOPER: <a href="http://www.reallusion.com">Reallusion</a></p> <p>Converting your finished story idea into a pre-viz or polished animation often presents some daunting challenges, and selecting the right software applications to use can be a key factor in the time (and cost) spent completing it. </p> <p>iClone5 Pro offers a happy medium between high-end applications that have seemingly endless options to tweak, and frustratingly feeble, user-unfriendly low-end software. The latest version of iClone has new animation tools, is still a breeze to use and remains competitively priced.?</p> <div class="wp-caption alignright" id="attachment_35063" style="width: 590px;"><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/r_iclone5.assets.jpg" rel="lightbox[35061]"><img alt="iClone5" class="size-full wp-image-35063" height="463" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/r_iclone5.assets.jpg" title="iClone5" width="580" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Now you can create your own version of Pixar’s The Incredibles, in a park and on a merry-go-round!</p></div> <p>If you’re unfamiliar with iClone, it’s primarily a template-based hassle-free solution for real-time animation with plenty of bells and whistles. In terms of workflow, you’re limited to working with the rudimentary content supplied with the application, unless you’re prepared to buy additional assets via Reallusion’s Content Marketplace (which always seems to have some sort of deal on offer). </p> <p>Getting your own assets into iClone5 Pro is quick and easy, but it requires Reallusion’s 3DXchange4, which converts files from applications such as ZBrush, Photoshop, Blender, Poser, Daz Studio, Vue and Maya, and costs $80 for the Standard version. You’ll need 3DXchange4 Pro ($120) to use assets in FBX, 3DS, OBJ and SKP formats. ?</p> <p>Pre-viz users or anyone presenting a concept pitch to clients should find that the content provided is more than adequate for demonstration, where the actual look of assets is less relevant. End users, who will no doubt grow tired of the limited content provided, will be disappointed that they have to shell out for 3DXchange to import more material.?<br /> With the assets in place, it’s time to animate, and there are many new tools to help you with this.??</p> <div class="wp-caption alignright" id="attachment_35064" style="width: 590px;"><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/r_iclone5.market.jpg" rel="lightbox[35061]"><img alt="iClone5" class="size-full wp-image-35064" height="402" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/r_iclone5.market.jpg" title="iClone5" width="580" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Whether it’s sexy girls, gym kits or vampires you’re after, the marketplace has plenty of assets for you to buy</p></div> <h4>New features</h4> <p>?<br /> Direct Puppet lets you record your actor’s animation in real time, and if necessary lock body parts to locations. MixMoves enables seamless blending between motions. Body Motion Puppeteering enables the user to control the animation speed and direction. ?</p> <p>Simple floor contact is taken care of with Human IK Motion Editing for Actors, and allows props (which can now be animated in real time) to be held onto realistically. The Timeline has been updated so that animation curves can be varied in playback by adding curve adjustments such as Ease In and Ease Out. For physics animation there are Rigid and Soft Body options for simulation, and other uses such as game prototyping.?</p> <div class="wp-caption alignright" id="attachment_35065" style="width: 590px;"><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/r_iclone5.effects.jpg" rel="lightbox[35061]"><img alt="iClone5" class="size-full wp-image-35065" height="464" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/r_iclone5.effects.jpg" title="iClone5" width="580" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Effects can help to enhance your movies, but they are limited to a maximum of five within a project</p></div> <p>The premium new animation tool being touted for use with iClone5 Pro is the Mocap Device plug-in. With this you can act out your animations in real-time – the recorded mocap data is then applied to actors. </p> <p>At $140, this is a lot cheaper than buying your own professional mocap studio, although it requires you to have an Xbox 360 with Kinect. It’s also only compatible with the Pro edition. </p> <p>The plug-in is a significant add-on that falls outside the remit of this review. Judging by forum responses, however, it’s a successful product and great for anyone who wants to physically generate their own movement.</p> <p>?Other notable tools and settings, with which Reallusion is catching up with market competitors rather than introducing groundbreaking innovations, include Ambient Occlusion, which improves the quality of visual output with barely any impact on render times; post-FX tools for colour and blur, which are easy to apply; and cartoon rendering, which can be achieved with just a few clicks and some minor texture corrections. ?</p> <div class="wp-caption alignright" id="attachment_35066" style="width: 590px;"><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/r_iclone5.rigid_.jpg" rel="lightbox[35061]"><img alt="iClone5" class="size-full wp-image-35066" height="371" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/r_iclone5.rigid_.jpg" title="iClone5" width="580" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Rigid body simulations can pep up high-speed chases. In iClone5 Pro they are easy to deploy</p></div> <p>There’s still plenty of room for improvement in the renderer. The options are minimal and simplistic – which is part of the general charm of iClone, but it doesn’t always do justice to the end result. Multiple cameras and Picture-In-Picture features offer greater control between shots. Much-requested duplication settings enable you to instance objects with ease, and adjustable pivots, snapping and aligning tools are now possible for objects.?</p> <p>More resource-hungry improvements include higher poly counts for actors, with notable increases to head meshes, which enable more natural deformations. In practice this works far better than before, and since faces are areas that most viewers’ eyes are naturally drawn to, it’s a clearly visible improvement. However, it can still be difficult and time-consuming to tweak. </p> <div class="wp-caption alignright" id="attachment_35062" style="width: 590px;"><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/r_iclone5.hero_.jpg" rel="lightbox[35061]"><img alt="iClone's new toon shader" class="size-full wp-image-35062" height="326" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/r_iclone5.hero_.jpg" title="iClone's new toon shader" width="580" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The new Toon Shader is found in the Atmosphere section of the Stage tab, and can be adjusted for your project needs</p></div> <p>Cartoon character facial controls have been advanced to include exaggeration. Height Map Terrains now allow bigger landscapes, but they are limited to just five. Smart iProps have been updated for game-like interaction.</p> <p>?During testing, these new tools all worked admirably, yet iClone crashed a number of times for no apparent reason. When pushed to reasonable extremes for any shot – such as 20 actors set up with different parameters and animations applied – iClone responded well. But other times it would crash with, for example, a fairly empty scene during terrain set-up. Ordinarily, this would only be a minor annoyance, but since there’s no autosave option in the program, it becomes more ?of a frustration. </p> <p>?Hardware-wise, iClone doesn’t require an overly demanding system. Rather misleadingly, it’s listed as being 32-bit and 64-bit Windows compatible, but it’s not actually a native 64-bit release, so it won’t take advantage of any extra memory installed over 32-bit limitations. It’s rumoured that a 64-bit update will be released, although this was unconfirmed as we went to press.?</p> <p>Overall, iClone5 Pro remains an easy-to-use application, and it can be a real time-saver for pre-viz work and presentations. The learning curve isn’t too steep, and setting up shots is intuitive. For existing iClone users, it should be a no-brainer to upgrade because content from previous versions is compatible, the upgrade price is good, and the new tools (and mocap plug-in, if you choose to buy it) will enhance its usability. New users will need to assess whether they have the funds for additional content and a copy of 3DXchange. </p> <h3>VERDICT</h3> <h4>PROS</h4> <ul> <li>Simple for novices without previous animation experience?</li> <li>Easily modifiable preset models?</li> <li>Ready-made animation categories?</li> <li>Intuitive editing?</li> <li>Options for advanced animators</li> </ul> <h4>??CONS</h4> <ul> <li>Facial profiles are difficult to tweak?</li> <li>Additional content incurs extra costs</li> <li>Rendering options still limited?</li> <li>Not a true 64-bit application??</li> </ul> <p><strong>A speedy solution for pre-viz but hampered by limited content options, basic render settings, and lack of true 64-bit support</strong></p> <h4>About the author</h4> <p>?Paul Champion is the demonstrator for undergraduate and postgraduate 3D and VFX courses at the National Centre for Computer Animation, Bournemouth</p> <h3><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/2012/02/06/win-a-copy-of-reallusions-iclone5-pro/">Win a copy of Reallusion’s iClone5 Pro</a></h3> <p>Enter our <a href="http://http://www.3dworldmag.com/2012/02/06/win-a-copy-of-reallusions-iclone5-pro/">iClone5 Pro prize draw</a> for your chance to win one of four packages featuring Reallusion’s real-time animation suite, <strong>worth $1,352 in total</strong></p> <img border="0" height="1" src="http://3dworldmag.com.feedsportal.com/c/33151/f/538495/s/1d5d1225/mf.gif" width="1" /><div class="mf-viral"><table border="0"><tr><td valign="middle"><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Software+review%3A+iClone5+Pro&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.3dworldmag.com%2F2012%2F03%2F12%2Fsoftware-review-iclone5-pro%2F%3Futm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Dsoftware-review-iclone5-pro" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" /></a></td><td valign="middle"><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Software+review%3A+iClone5+Pro&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.3dworldmag.com%2F2012%2F03%2F12%2Fsoftware-review-iclone5-pro%2F%3Futm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Dsoftware-review-iclone5-pro" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br /><br /><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/129168239143/u/49/f/538495/c/33151/s/1d5d1225/a2.htm"><img border="0" src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/129168239143/u/49/f/538495/c/33151/s/1d5d1225/a2.img" /></a><img border="0" src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/129168239143/u/49/f/538495/c/33151/s/1d5d1225/a2t.img" /><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/3dWorldrss/~4/FfSl8XDXlLw" width="1" />

UPDATED: 1 YEAR, 2 MONTHS

Bioware’s Mass Effect 3: Take Earth Back trailer

<p><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/Mass_effect_3_trailer.jpg" rel="lightbox[35052]"><img alt="Mass Effect 3 trailer" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-35053" height="325" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/Mass_effect_3_trailer.jpg" title="Mass Effect 3 trailer" width="580" /></a> <p class="strap">Remember the phenomenal CG trailer that Bioware released a few weeks ago? Don’t worry if you missed it: as Mass Effect 3 goes on sale in the UK, we take a look at Bioware’s cinematic for the final installment of the massively popular RPG</p> <p>We’re so lucky that big budget games can’t be released without an accompanying cinematic teaser to go alongside the standard gameplay trailer, as the animations produced are truly stunning. </p> <p>Bioware’s Mass Effect 3 trailer is a fine example – the teaser features children, aliens and devastating lasers. The cinematic action really gets your adrenaline pumping. </p> <p>One YouTube user commented that if the video keeps going like it does, [the character you play] Shepard has only got about 30-35 minutes to take back Earth, tops, before it’s completely annihilated!</p> <h3>Watch Bioware’s Mass Effect 3 trailer online</h3> <p></p> <h3>Want to learn how Bioware created the cinematic?</h3> <p>So do we, that’s why we’ve asked Bioware to contribute a ‘making of’ article for 3D World magazine. So look out for that in the next issue!</p> <h3>Want more like this?</h4> <p><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/2012/03/09/platige-images-witcher-2-trailer-and-making-of-video/">Watch Platige Image’s Witcher 2 trailer and making of video</a></p> <img border="0" height="1" src="http://3dworldmag.com.feedsportal.com/c/33151/f/538495/s/1d4c5888/mf.gif" width="1" /><div class="mf-viral"><table border="0"><tr><td valign="middle"><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Bioware%E2%80%99s+Mass+Effect+3%3A+Take+Earth+Back+trailer&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.3dworldmag.com%2F2012%2F03%2F09%2Fbiowares-mass-effect-3-take-earth-back-trailer%2F%3Futm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Dbiowares-mass-effect-3-take-earth-back-trailer" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" /></a></td><td valign="middle"><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Bioware%E2%80%99s+Mass+Effect+3%3A+Take+Earth+Back+trailer&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.3dworldmag.com%2F2012%2F03%2F09%2Fbiowares-mass-effect-3-take-earth-back-trailer%2F%3Futm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Dbiowares-mass-effect-3-take-earth-back-trailer" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br /><br /><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/127698767040/u/49/f/538495/c/33151/s/1d4c5888/a2.htm"><img border="0" src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/127698767040/u/49/f/538495/c/33151/s/1d4c5888/a2.img" /></a><img border="0" src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/127698767040/u/49/f/538495/c/33151/s/1d4c5888/a2t.img" /><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/3dWorldrss/~4/NvLT8p93M8g" width="1" />

UPDATED: 1 YEAR, 2 MONTHS

Friday Animation Fun: Synaesthesia

<p><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/Scene-2.jpg" rel="lightbox[35045]"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-35047" height="244" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/Scene-2.jpg" title="Scene-2" width="580" /></a></p> <p class="strap">Find out how this new short about a fascinating sensory condition was created using a combination of Maya, After Effects and Photoshop. Watch the film here too</p> <p>Synaesthesia tells the life experience of a synaesthete; a person with a condition where two or more of the five senses that are normally experienced separately are involuntarily and automatically joined together. Synaesthetes can experience sounds, tastes, smells, shapes, or touches in almost any combination. Synaesthesia features a character as a small boy, an adult worker and a retired man, who can see and feel shapes and depicts his different reactions to the phenomenon.</p> <p>The short was a final year project created by four students – Tien Hee, Kasumi Saito, Leo Chida and Nikko Hull – of <a href="http://www.massey.ac.nz">Massey University</a>, New Zealand. The quartet had to think of an idea to suit the brief of the school, which had a self-driven component as well as a pre-defined part. “This was basically to pick a topic and find a need or something that needs changing etc,” says Hull. “We chose Synaesthesia.”</p> <h4>Things shaped up nicely</h4> <p>In order to tackle such a complicated condition, the team spent a lot of time researching Synaesthesia and how it was going to affect their characters and set designs. “We decided during the research stage what we were going to do,” says Chida. “Each character was associated with a shape as were the environments. These were contrasting, for example, the first scene the kid was a circle, round and innocent and the environment was a triangle, sharp, scary and alert.”</p> <p>The team also used many sources of inspiration to achieve the look and style they were after. “For the environments, I looked at lots of animations, <a href="http://www.studio4c.co.jp/english/">Studio 4°C</a>, <a href="http://vimeo.com/user2825043">Team Cerf</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0831888/">Tekkonkintreet</a> etc and mixed them all together to get the end result,” says Saito. “It was hard to simplify the forms to get it right. We ended up mixing all of these with our own ideas to get the style we came up with.”</p> <p><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/Scene-1.jpg" rel="lightbox[35045]"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-35046" height="247" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/Scene-1.jpg" title="Scene-1" width="580" /></a></p> <h4>Added Layers</h4> <p>With set and character designs completed, the team began creating the film’s assets in Maya and UV layout tool, <a href="http://www.uvlayout.com/">Headus</a>. “This software is pretty awesome, I was really happy with how Headus sped things up,” says Chida. They also adopted a rendering technique which helped with production times.</p> <p>“The process was quite simple, which also helped in a way,” says Hull. “Each layer was kind of easy, it was just a matter of putting it all together in After Effects. We found the technique demonstrated (kind of) on <a href="http://www.deviantart.com/">Deviant Art</a>, I can’t remember the specific artist, but then we tried to figure it out in Maya and it worked quite well. But we didn’t choose that because of its ease, we chose it because of the style.”</p> <p>The scenes were separated to make the whole process more manageable. “The old man walking down the hall is a good example,” says Hull. “We had the walls, which were all on different render layers. The background and walls were a single layer and frame. Then anything which was moving, so the phone and the character, were on their own layers and were the only sequences. There also had to be a sequence for the shadows so they could cast on the walls. Then we had diffuse, shadows, highlight, AO and particle layers. This all went into After Effects with some lights and colour correction.”</p> <p>After two semesters worth of work, the student team completed the film and are pleased with the final result considering their prior experience in animation. “Up until the end, you have no idea what it’s going to turn out like,” says Chida. “But it was so rewarding finding out that all the effort wasn’t wasted and the film actually looked OK. I mean, some was wasted but we’re learning so it’s all good. Our degree consisted of lots of general design and even fine art so we’ve only really had about a year of animation training (in total). With this in mind, I’m pretty happy with how it turned out.”</p> <p></p> <p>Like this film? <a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/category/showcase/shorts/">Check out the selection of other awesome animations in our shorts section</a></p> <p><em>Make sure you visit next week for more Friday Animation Fun!</em></p> <img border="0" height="1" src="http://3dworldmag.com.feedsportal.com/c/33151/f/538495/s/1d4bec67/mf.gif" width="1" /><div class="mf-viral"><table border="0"><tr><td valign="middle"><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Friday+Animation+Fun%3A+Synaesthesia&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.3dworldmag.com%2F2012%2F03%2F09%2Ffriday-animation-fun-synaesthesia%2F%3Futm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Dfriday-animation-fun-synaesthesia" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" /></a></td><td valign="middle"><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Friday+Animation+Fun%3A+Synaesthesia&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.3dworldmag.com%2F2012%2F03%2F09%2Ffriday-animation-fun-synaesthesia%2F%3Futm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Dfriday-animation-fun-synaesthesia" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br /><br /><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/127698680485/u/49/f/538495/c/33151/s/1d4bec67/a2.htm"><img border="0" src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/127698680485/u/49/f/538495/c/33151/s/1d4bec67/a2.img" /></a><img border="0" src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/127698680485/u/49/f/538495/c/33151/s/1d4bec67/a2t.img" /><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/3dWorldrss/~4/_jN_z2Gm7AM" width="1" />

UPDATED: 1 YEAR, 2 MONTHS

Platige Image’s Witcher 2 trailer and making of video

<p><a href="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/witcher2_09032012.jpg" rel="lightbox[35048]"><img alt="Witcher 2" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-35049" height="317" src="http://www.3dworldmag.com/files/2012/03/witcher2_09032012.jpg" title="Witcher 2" width="580" /></a> <p class="strap">Watch the jaw-dropping animation in the trailer for The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. Then catch Platige Image’s ‘making of’ video too… </p> <p>In January, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and CD Projekt RED released the epic and impactful CG intro trailer for The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, produced by the award-winning animation studio, Platige Image. </p> <p>We were simply blown away when we watched this four-minute cinematic online at the start of the year. Directed by Tomek Bagi?ski and produced by Platige Image, this trailer is packed with stunning animation and effects. Watch it below.</p> <p>Now Platige Image has produced a behind-the-scenes look at the production of the trailer, from the early renders and mocap sessions to the final clip. You can also watch this three-minute video below.</p> <h4>Behind the scenes of Witcher 2</h4> <p>“The idea of the script came from CD Projekt couple years ago, right after the premiere of ‘The Witcher’. It was so called ‘soft’ version and we used it as basis for the work. In spite of vast changes we made, the project went on hold for almost two years until it was brought back to life in Xbox 360 version.”</p> <p>“As it turned out these two years gave both parties necessary perspective. Once we started working on the script again we were able to create new, better and richer version very fast.”</p> <p>“What was left from the original is the ship and main characters. All the rest has been changed. For example in the first version a hornet’s nest was used in the attack. The ship was turned into chaos – all crew started running around. They looked like a group of crazy or electrocuted people. Well… we got rid of this ‘dance’ but left the chaos and add a lot of steroids. It helped,” says director Tomek Bagi?ski.</p> <p>“It was one of the most demanding projects in Platige Image history. The script set up very high standards. As for such a short movie there were a lot of main, detailed characters, difficult face close-ups, very dynamic action full of special effects: cloth and particles simulation and hard slowmotion shots.”</p> <p>“The ship also became one of the main characters. First our graphic artists created a fantastic scenery and most of all great, very detailed sailing ship. Then the particles simulation team went rough with it. They created a vast interaction system covering the whole construction with milions of ice crystals and they smashed the whole thing,” adds CG Supervisor Maciek Jackiewicz.</p> <p>The team of 40 graphic designers and animators was involved in the project for couple moths.</p> <p>The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is due on on Xbox 360 on 17 April. The Windows version is shipping now.</p> <h3>Watch the Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings trailer:</h3> <p></p> <h3> Watch the making-of video for the cinematic:</h3> <p></p> <p><a href="http://www.cgsociety.org/index.php/CGSFeatures/CGSFeatureSpecial/the_witcher_2_cinematic">Read a longer interview with CG supervisor Maciej Jackiewicz on CGSociety</a></p> <h4>If you liked this, look out for our ‘making of’ Mass Effect 3 cinematic, due in the next issue of 3D World</h4> <img border="0" height="1" src="http://3dworldmag.com.feedsportal.com/c/33151/f/538495/s/1d4b9af0/mf.gif" width="1" /><div class="mf-viral"><table border="0"><tr><td valign="middle"><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Platige+Image%E2%80%99s+Witcher+2+trailer+and+making+of+video&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.3dworldmag.com%2F2012%2F03%2F09%2Fplatige-images-witcher-2-trailer-and-making-of-video%2F%3Futm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Dplatige-images-witcher-2-trailer-and-making-of-video" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" /></a></td><td valign="middle"><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Platige+Image%E2%80%99s+Witcher+2+trailer+and+making+of+video&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.3dworldmag.com%2F2012%2F03%2F09%2Fplatige-images-witcher-2-trailer-and-making-of-video%2F%3Futm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Dplatige-images-witcher-2-trailer-and-making-of-video" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br /><br /><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/127698762514/u/49/f/538495/c/33151/s/1d4b9af0/a2.htm"><img border="0" src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/127698762514/u/49/f/538495/c/33151/s/1d4b9af0/a2.img" /></a><img border="0" src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/127698762514/u/49/f/538495/c/33151/s/1d4b9af0/a2t.img" /><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/3dWorldrss/~4/b7YwnVrsgeA" width="1" />

UPDATED: 1 YEAR, 2 MONTHS

MACWORLD

SHOW NEXT 5 >

Mac Gems: CustomMenu provides quick access to your favorite apps, files, and folders

<div> <section class="page"> <p> One of my all-time favorite Mac utilities was <a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/1151306/maxmenusliteswitch.html">MaxMenus</a>, a System Preferences pane that let you create multiple custom menus, each containing your choice of apps, files, folders, volumes, and other frequently accessed items. Unfortunately, MaxMenus appears to have been abandoned—you can no longer download it, its website is dead, and while it currently works under Mountain Lion (OS X 10.8.2), I suspect some future update to OS X will render MaxMenus useless. </p> <p> I’ve tried—and quickly discarded—a number of alternatives, but one that works well is PointWorks’s $2 <strong><a href="http://www.pointworks.de/software/custommenu/index.php">CustomMenu</a></strong> (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/custommenu/id572551593?ls=1&mt=12">Mac App Store link</a>). Launch CustomMenu, and its systemwide menu icon appears on the right-hand side of your menu bar. Click this icon and choose Customize Menu, and you can choose the items you want to appear in the menu. </p> <figure class="right small"><a class="zoom" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2012/12/custommenuprefs-100017360-orig.png"><img align="right" alt="" height="180" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2012/12/custommenuprefs-100017360-small.png" width="140" /></a><figcaption>CustomMenu's configuration window</figcaption></figure> <p> Click the Add (+) button next to Group on the left to create a new group—a section of the menu that’s separated from other sections by a divider line. I don’t know if there’s a limit to the number of groups, but I had ten groups in my menu while testing CustomMenu, and the utility still let me add another. These group names and dividers take up space—and you can’t add items to the menu without using groups—but they make the menu much easier to navigate than if all your items were in a single, uninterrupted list. </p> <p> Select any group, and you can add items to that group by either dragging apps, files, and folders from the Finder into the group’s item list, or clicking the plus-sign (+) button next to Items to use OS X’s standard file-navigation dialog box. You can also move an item between groups by dragging it. Select an item and click the minus-sign (-) button, or press the Delete key, to remove the item from the list. </p><p class="jumpTag"><a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/2019731/mac-gems-custommenu-provides-quick-access-to-your-favorite-apps-files-and-folders.html#jump">To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here</a></p></section></article>

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Give a Mac game this holiday season

<div> <section class="page"> <p> The holidays are once again in full swing, and what’s more festive than loading up the Mac with some fun games? No problem! There is a veritable avalanche of games to choose from, ranging from kid’s fare to casual games to challenging action titles. </p> <p> Finding games in boxes on store shelves is, frankly, a difficult task, thanks to dwindling shelf space in Apple retail stores. But that doesn’t mean there’s a shortage of games available. In fact, we’re in the midst of a renaissance of Mac game publishing, thanks to Apple’s Mac App Store, Valve’s <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/">Steam</a> game service, and many other places to get Mac games online, like <a href="http://www.gamersgate.com">Gamersgate.com</a> and <a href="http://www.macgamestore.com">Macgamestore.com</a>. Here are a few suggestions to get you started. </p> <h2>For kids</h2> <p> Feral Interactive’s latest addition to the Lego Mac game pantheon is <a href="http://www.feralinteractive.com/en/mac-games/legobatman2/">Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes</a> ($30; <a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/2011404/review-lego-batman-2-features-the-dark-knight-s-super-friends.html">read the review</a>). The game brings players to the DC Universe, to a Lego-fied version of Gotham, home city to Batman and bad guys like the Joker. Batman teams up with other superheroes including Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Aquaman (all as playable characters, of course), fighting the forces of evil before they overrun the city. </p> <figure class=" large"><img alt="" border="0" height="328" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2012/12/lego_batman2-100016527-large.png" width="580" /><figcaption>Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes</figcaption></figure> <p> Players wield super powers and use incredible gadgets like Green Lantern’s Power Ring or Batman and Robin’s array of nifty utility belt items. What’s more, the game features cooperative two-player support, so another player can drop in or out (from the same computer) to lend a hand at any time. </p><p class="jumpTag"><a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/2019196/give-a-mac-game-this-holiday-season.html#jump">To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here</a></p></section></article>

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Apple e-book settlement with EU will allow Amazon to set prices

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Apple's iPhone found to infringe Sony, Nokia patents

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Why Google Maps for iPhone is good for Apple

<div> <section class="page"> <p> Despite its aesthetic achievements, Apple’s Maps app in iOS 6 <a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/2020187/google-maps-arrives-in-app-store.html">left a lot of users unhappy</a>. Turns out that the years Google spent building out its mapping data were hugely important; Apple’s data—which powered its new Maps app—didn’t have the real world, real user testing that Google Maps benefited from. That’s why <a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/2010186/opinion-ios-6-maps-is-great-and-its-not.html">Apple CEO Tim Cook apologized</a> to customers over his company’s Maps app. And that’s why customers are now so excited about <a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/2020187/google-maps-arrives-in-app-store.html">Google’s new, free mapping app for iPhone</a>. And you know who else is excited about Google’s new app? Apple. </p> <h2>Why abandon Google?</h2> <figure class="right medium"><a class="zoom" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2012/12/googlemaps-100017269-orig.png"><img alt="" border="0" height="533" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2012/12/googlemaps-100017269-medium.png" width="300" /></a><figcaption></figcaption></figure> <p> Apple hasn’t commented on the record about exactly why it chose to sever its relationship with Google for the Maps app in iOS 6. The most public explanation the company offered came in Cook’s public apology letter, when he wrote “We wanted to provide our customers with even better Maps including features such as turn-by-turn directions, voice integration, Flyover and vector-based maps. In order to do this, we had to create a new version of Maps from the ground up.” </p> <p> The implication there—and the rumor mill’s conclusion—is that Google wouldn’t allow Apple to offer features like turn-by-turn navigation with voice assist or vector-based map imagery, at least not without substantially hiking licensing fees. Some have also suggested that Google wanted to insert ads into the Maps app, and that Apple wouldn’t allow such promotion within a stock app. </p> <p> Let’s say that’s why Apple felt forced to roll its own Maps app solution. </p><p class="jumpTag"><a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/2020192/why-google-maps-for-iphone-is-good-for-apple.html#jump">To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here</a></p></section></article>

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Hands on with Google Maps for iPhone

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Smule's new social app Strum mixes video with visual and audio filters

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

The Macalope Daily: Taxing analysis

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Google Maps arrives in App Store

<div> <section class="page"> <p> <a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/2020175/report-google-set-to-release-ios-maps-app.html">Google’s new Maps app for iPhone arrived in the App Store</a> late Wednesday, in a move likely to please users disappointed with Apple Maps in iOS 6. While the new app leverages Google’s robust mapping data, it has a few weak spots of its own—most notably the lack of an iPad-optimized version. </p> <p> That said, Google’s new app may well soothe some of those iOS 6 users who find themselves frustrated by <a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/2010067/hands-on-with-ios-6-maps.html">iOS 6’s built-in, Apple-powered Maps</a>. Some users in some locations have found that Apple’s Maps data is <a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/2010577/how-to-report-problems-in-ios-6s-maps.html">seriously lacking</a>. <a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/2010783/apple-ceo-tim-cook-were-extremely-sorry-for-ios-6-maps-frustration.html">Apple CEO Tim Cook apologized for the Maps issues</a> in September. </p> <figure class="right medium"><a class="zoom" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2012/12/google-maps-100017268-large.png"><img align="right" alt="" height="533" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2012/12/google-maps-100017268-medium.png" width="300" /></a><figcaption></figcaption></figure> <p> The new, free Google Maps app launched Wednesday offers features that the iOS 5 version of the Maps app—built by Apple, powered by Google—lacked, making this new Google-powered Maps app more on par (in terms of functionality) with Apple’s Maps app in iOS 6. Among those features: vector-based maps for faster loading and panning, and turn-by-turn navigation with spoken directions. </p> <p> And Google Maps offers some functionality completely lacking in Apple’s app: public transit directions, synced searches between the iPhone and your computer via your Google account, and Google’s <a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/2010577/how-to-report-problems-in-ios-6s-maps.html">Street View</a>. Though Google’s app offers its satellite view data, it unsurprisingly doesn’t offer a direct match for the Flyover feature Apple introduced in its own app in iOS 6. And Google Maps doesn’t (yet) work natively on the iPad. </p><p class="jumpTag"><a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/2020187/google-maps-arrives-in-app-store.html#jump">To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here</a></p></section></article>

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

The best iPad cases you can buy today

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

CREATIVE COW

SHOW NEXT 5 >

Debra Kaufman's Early Review of The Hobbit in 48 fps 3D

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

AE Basics 60: Export 6 Media Encoder 2 - Preset Groups

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Workflow Update: iMac, Adobe & the X Factor

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

After Effects: Using & Customising the Dictionary Preset 3

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

After Effects: Using & Customising the Dictionary Preset 2

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

After Effects: Using & Customising the Dictionary Preset 1

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Audio Basics - Understanding Bit Depth

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Audio Basics - Understanding Sample Rate

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

The Hobbit & The Dawn of High Frame Rate Cinema

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 2 WEEKS

Jacob Rosenberg Directs Waiting for Lightning

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 2 WEEKS

NEWS FROM CGW

SHOW NEXT 5 >

Magical Performance

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Cinema 4D/Illustrator: A Better Match

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Studio Creates Edgy Effects for Commercial

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Blast from the Past

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 2 WEEKS

Color Correcting: It's Elementary, My Dear Watson

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 2 WEEKS

Union Creates Invisible Effects For 'Hyde Park On Hudson'

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 2 WEEKS

VES Renews Executive Director Contract

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 2 WEEKS

CG Plays Intergalactic Role

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 2 WEEKS

UK Looks at Tax Credits for Entertainment Projects

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 2 WEEKS

VIEW Conference

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 2 WEEKS

CREATIVEAPPLICATIONS.NET

SHOW NEXT 5 >

REWORK (Philip Glass Remixed) by Snibbe Studio

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Digital Manager at Warp Records

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

HOLO – Final days on Kickstarter – Digital Gifts and More!

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Woods – Structured landscape of responsive light by Nocte

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Computational Designer at ART+COM

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Energy Flow – Non-linear film experience by FIELD for the iOS and Android

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 2 WEEKS

“Every Day Of My Life” by Marcin Ignac

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 2 WEEKS

Front-end Interactive Developer at Less Rain Ltd

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 2 WEEKS

Artists in Laboratories (#A.I.L) – Regine Debatty

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 2 WEEKS

10 PRINT – Single line of code as a lens through creative computing

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 2 WEEKS

YOUTHEDESIGNER.COM

SHOW NEXT 5 >

Looking to Steer Clear the HTML5 Potholes?

<p>Every emerging technology undergoes the test of fire which is a given fact and HTML5 is no exception in the strict sense. Touted to replace flash, HTML5’s proponents blew its capabilities out of proportion even while HTML5 was still in its nascent stages. This, over the past months, has been fueling a glaring gap between what’s expected of HTML5 and the actuals. Although developers are tearing ahead making considerable headway, it’s the browsers that need to catch up.</p> <p><center></p> <div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_37118" style="width: 610px;"><img alt="" class="size-large wp-image-37118 " height="448" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/hole-600x448.png" style="border: 0px;" width="600" /><p class="wp-caption-text"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/vimeo.com">Source</a></p></div> <p></center></p> <h2></h2> <h2> <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Browser Bottleneck</span></h2> <p> </p> <p>The developer community has always been head over heels about latest technologies and shows no inhibitions to embrace it with both hands. Developers have a clear idea about what HTML5 is capable of given the stance of certain platform vendors. Despite the official validation not expected before 2020, developers are in no mood to slow down. While this can be a problem of sorts when viewed from the standardization point of view, but for the developer community it’s a free world with no rules/guidelines.</p> <p><center></p> <div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_37119" style="width: 610px;"><img alt="" class="size-large wp-image-37119 " height="257" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/browser-600x257.png" style="border: 0px;" title="browser" width="600" /><p class="wp-caption-text"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/infocustesting.net">Source</a></p></div> <p></center><br /> Keeping apace with the progress being made by the developer community, browsers are toiling day in and day out to support the capabilities acquired by HTML5. In the days to come, HTML5 support would be the key defining factor as far as browser capabilities are concerned. This is because the advancement in HTML5 is of little meaning if browser capabilities are not enhanced parallelly.</p> <p>The rampant use of HTML5 to build apps and sites have put tremendous pressure on browser developers to prepare browsers that are fast, light on resources and efficient. As of now Internet Explorer 9 & 10, Firefox 7 and higher, Chrome 14 and higher, Safari 5 and higher, Opera 11 and higher, Mobile Safari 3.2 and higher, Opera Mobile 5 and Android 2.1 support HTML5 elements. However, in order for browsers to support all HTML5 elements, there’s still a long way to cover as revealed in the Ringmark test.</p> <p>Various studies, particularly by IDC, predict HTML5 to form a major portion (if not 100%) of mobile apps’ code in the near future. And the ratio of HTML5 in mobile apps can only be expected to go north. Having said that, the question looms large for adopters – has HTML5 matured enough? Well, this would need a collective answer from all the quarters.</p> <p> </p> <h2><span style="text-decoration: underline;">HTML5 Woes</span></h2> <p> </p> <p>HTML5 is surely on its way to glory unless it gets over the woes that are a constant irritant for developers and users.</p> <ul> <li> Out of sync</li> </ul> <p style="padding-left: 60px;">The offline and online nature of apps is an area of concern especially when it comes to syncing of data. While being connected, syncing is automatic but when not, syncing doesn’t happen. And when substantial amount of data is accumulated in the server, synchronization can be a major headache. It’s the same case when the app is accessed from a different device or location.</p> <ul> <li>Namesake database</li> </ul> <p style="padding-left: 60px;">A salient feature of HTML5 is offline data storage, wherein the data is stored in the browser. This is one reason why HTML5 is adored because it gives a desktop type feeling to the user. But the flip side to this feature is that the user has no means to access the data like they do on a desktop. The user can’t see where the data is stored; they can’t know the contents, create copies or backup the data. Since the format in which the data is stored is unknown, the user cannot surf through the data if they need any information.</p> <ul> <li>Data insecurity</li> </ul> <p style="padding-left: 60px;">HTML5 has limitations in storing data and that’s why we’ve the servers, be it cloud or not. Now the user pay for the app, the device, the service and even for the hosting, but what’s the right the user has on their data? The terms and conditions speak nothing about ownership of data. They’re more or less a virtual ownership of one’s data and occurrences of loss of data ain’t uncommon wherein the server people just wash their hands off the issue. Neither HTML5 nor the hosting company can guarantee that your data will stay.</p> <ul> <li>Compulsory upgradation</li> </ul> <p style="padding-left: 60px;">Ever thought upgrades would be a problem? Upgrades for HTML5 powered apps are imposed on its users even if they don’t want it. This poses serious risks to the users in the form of corrupt allied programs or apps that worked well pre-upgradation.</p> <p style="padding-left: 60px;"> <h2><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Bridging The Gap</span></h2> <p> </p> <p>The tremendous pace at which changes are being introduced is a reason why developers and users aren’t on the same page. At times it is confusing as to what’s developed and for whom the development is being done.</p> <p><center></p> <div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_37121" style="width: 610px;"><img alt="" class="size-large wp-image-37121 " height="390" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/bridging_gap11-600x390.jpg" style="border: 0px;" width="600" /><p class="wp-caption-text"><a href="http://chasingtheperfectmoment.com/bridges/">Source</a></p></div> <p></center><br /> For users it is essential that they clearly put across what they expect from the HTML5 website or app to avoid any future discontentment. Users should know that the mind blowing capabilities of HTML5 is not something that is independent but a combination of various technologies tied to the browsers’ capabilities. Needless to say that this technology is evolving and a clear cut timeframe about when all the proposed capabilities are realized is obscure</p> <p>Developers should have constant interaction with the users in order to have a clear idea about the expectations. Provide the users with snapshots of how their app or site would look like, since seeing is believing. Make them understand as to how much of their expectations can actually be met because no matter what potential HTML5 holds, the end product should reflect the users’ needs and expectations.</p> <p> </p> <table style="padding: 15px; border: 5px solid #5d5d5d; background-color: #30302f;"> <tbody> <tr> <td><img alt="Rohit Singhal" class="alignright" src="http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/0baada9baeb3c9cec4099a744f8dccc8?s=75&d=identicon&r=G" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px;" width="100? height=" /></p> <h3>About the Author</h3> <p>Rohit Singhal is an emarketer working with PixelCrayons, a web development company. The company specializes in ecommerce solutions, CMS solutions, <a href="http://html.pixelcrayons.com/responsive-design-coding.html">responsive web design</a> implementation, <a href="http://html.pixelcrayons.com/">HTML5 Web Development</a> and more.</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p> Read more posts by <a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/author/guest-blogger/" rel="author">Guest Blogger</a></p><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/YouTheDesigner/~4/UI9svPxSUZ4" width="1" />

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

7 Vector Starburst

<p style="text-align: justify;">A lot of graphic designers and artists all over the world employ a number of elements in their designs and artwork making them extremely complicated and intricate. But as most people would say, the devil is in the details. And the mark of a true artist may usually be seen when his work is scrutinized to the smallest part of his masterpiece.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">That is the reason why it is very important for graphic artists, both novice and professional alike to pay attention to the details of their work as meticulously as possible. Every element, every layer and every stroke should be given an appropriate amount of attention. Background images and design accents for example play a pivotal role in tying up the overall look and feel of a design, which in turn makes for a well-polished and balanced work.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">We at You The Designer recognize this need, so today, we are giving you this amazing set of 7 starburst vector graphics that will definitely add some fine details into any design.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-37112 aligncenter" height="1000" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/post-cover.jpg" style="border: 0px;" width="600" /></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Download this stunning set of vector graphics by tweeting or sharing over Facebook. Click the button below and unlock the awesomeness! (Email subscribers, please visit the actual post page to download.)</p> <p><center></center></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">So there you have it guys. What other freebie do you want me to make for you in the future? Do tell us by leaving a comment below. You can also find us on <a href="http://facebook.com/youthedesigner" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/youthedesigner" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/cadencewu" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116824150281780256954/" target="_blank">Google Plus</a> or subscribe to our blog through our <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/YouTheDesigner" target="_blank">RSS Feeds</a>. And please, do check out our <a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/blank-print-templates" target="_blank">print templates</a> page and download any of our blank print templates for all your print designing needs.</p> <p> Read more posts by <a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/author/geno/" rel="author">Geno Arguelles</a></p><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/YouTheDesigner/~4/X_5uWWbZZ7A" width="1" />

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy

<p>Most live action movies today are based if not in best-selling books, are from classic comics and graphic novels. Major characters in comics especially most of our favorite superheroes have been transformed into major motion pictures today which appeal not only to kids and fans but across all ages.</p> <p>A successful superhero live action movie is mostly dependent on how the filmmakers have captured the exact character found on its two-dimensional, spandex-clad superhero origin. The classic look and style in comics combined with some modern aspects like slight changes in costumes and storyline is a common technique found in making movies today. To remember how much the comic stylings of the 60’s and 70’s have inspired modern films, Brazilian artist <a href="http://www.behance.net/butcherbilly"><strong>Butcher Billy</strong></a> created an awesome project which answers his thought about just how thin is the line that separate movies from comics.</p> <p>Butcher Billy, who focuses on graphic design and illustration created the series called “<a href="http://www.behance.net/gallery/The-Superhero-Media-Crossover-Project/6192521"><strong>The Superhero Media Crossover Project</strong></a>” which features a mash-up of images combining art from classic comic books overlapped on screenshots from the latest superhero films. The project makes us realize how often movie makers rely on the format of classic comic books and graphic novels, making them easy to translate them on the screen by interlacing cinematography with storyboard.</p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy" class="size-full wp-image-37070 aligncenter" height="300" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/112.jpg" style="border: 0px;" title="The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy" width="600" /></p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy" class="size-full wp-image-37072 aligncenter" height="300" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/210.jpg" style="border: 0px;" title="The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy" width="600" /></p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy" class="size-full wp-image-37075 aligncenter" height="300" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/34.jpg" style="border: 0px;" title="The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy" width="600" /></p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy" class="size-full wp-image-37076 aligncenter" height="300" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/42.jpg" style="border: 0px;" title="The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy" width="600" /></p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37077" height="300" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/52.jpg" style="border: 0px;" title="The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy" width="600" /></p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy" class="size-full wp-image-37079 aligncenter" height="300" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/62.jpg" style="border: 0px;" title="The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy" width="600" /></p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37080" height="300" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/72.jpg" style="border: 0px;" title="The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy" width="600" /></p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37081" height="300" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/82.jpg" style="border: 0px;" title="The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy" width="600" /></p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37082" height="300" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/93.jpg" style="border: 0px;" title="The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy" width="600" /></p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy" class="size-full wp-image-37084 aligncenter" height="300" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/102.jpg" style="border: 0px;" title="The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy" width="600" /></p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37085" height="300" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/113.jpg" style="border: 0px;" title="The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy" width="600" /></p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37086" height="300" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/122.jpg" style="border: 0px;" title="The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy" width="600" /></p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37087" height="300" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/132.jpg" style="border: 0px;" title="The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy" width="600" /></p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37088" height="300" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/142.jpg" style="border: 0px;" title="The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy" width="600" /></p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37089" height="300" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/152.jpg" style="border: 0px;" title="The Superhero Media Crossover Project by Butcher Billy" width="600" /></p> <p> </p> <p>The series is a homage to various comic artists from the 60′s and 70′s such as Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and John Romita Sr. and nice way of showing how their timeless works continue to inspire modern media and all of us. Check out more of the amazing works of Butcher Billy on his <a href="http://www.behance.net/butcherbilly">Behance</a> page.</p> <p> </p> <hr noshade="noshade" />  <br /> Which among the crossover designs is your most favorite? Share to us your thoughts and as well as your suggestions by commenting below. Find us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/youthedesigner"><strong>Facebook</strong></a>, <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/youthedesigner"><strong>Twitter</strong></a>,</strong> <a href="https://plus.google.com/116824150281780256954/posts"><strong>Google Plus</strong></a> and <a href="http://pinterest.com/cadencewu/"><strong>Pinterest</strong></a> for more design awesomeness! Also, don’t forget to <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/YouTheDesigner">subscribe</a> to our blog for the latest design inspirations, stories and freebies. Speaking of freebies, check out our <a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/blank-print-templates">free print templates</a> page where you can download templates for calendars, brochures, business cards and more! Stay awesome everyone!</p> <p> Read more posts by <a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/author/kerby/" rel="author">Kerby Rosanes</a></p><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/YouTheDesigner/~4/lxahROMCX04" width="1" />

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Announcing the Winners of the YTD – Themespectrum Giveaway

<p>Hello everyone! We’re now here to announce the 5 winners of our giveaway last week . But before that, we would just like to thank everyone who joined our giveaway which was sponsored by our friends from Themespectrum.</p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="328" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/superslide.jpg" style="border: 0px;" width="735" /></p> <p> </p> <p>Here are the 5 winners of the 5 premium themes from Themespectrum that includes premium support and free future updates:</p> <p> </p> <ul> <li> <h2>Susan Geiger</h2> </li> <li> <h2>Ricardo Gonzalez</h2> </li> <li> <h2>Michael Paul</h2> </li> <li> <h2>Naomi Estreicher</h2> </li> <li> <h2>Rony Mattar</h2> </li> </ul> <p> </p> <p>For our lucky winners, please accept our warmest congratulations and please wait for an email from a representative of Themespectrum as they will contact you shortly to instruct you on how to claim your prize. As for those who joined, again, please accept our sincere appreciation. For those who didn’t win, we have a new <a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/2012/12/10/im-creator-and-ytd-nexus-7-giveaway/" target="_blank">giveaway</a> on our site, so by all means, feel free to join.</p> <p>For any questions, suggestions, or sponsorship offers, please feel free to contact us using the contact form in our Contact Us page or just leave a comment below and we’ll certainly give you feedback. Lastly, please don’t forget to <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/YouTheDesigner" target="_blank">subscribe</a> to our blog or add us up on <a href="http://facebook.com/youthedesigner" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/youthedesigner" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/cadencewu" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116824150281780256954/" target="_blank">Google Plus</a> for more design related news, features, <a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/blank-print-templates" target="_blank">freebies</a> and of course giveaways. Stay Awesome everyone!</p> <p> </p> <p> Read more posts by <a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/author/cadence/" rel="author">Cadence Wu</a></p><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/YouTheDesigner/~4/K9ZrCrmD_1c" width="1" />

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

You! Be Inspired! – Creative Mug Designs

<p style="text-align: justify;">For most part of the world, Christmas is often associated with cold weather. This is probably because there have been many types of media in the past that mentions of a white Christmas, with houses covered in a layer of snow and people huddle near a fire place to drink coffee or hot chocolate. So in today’s You! Be Inspired! post, we decided to showcase 25 of the most creative mug designs that will certainly get you in the mood this holiday season.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Mugs have been around for more than 5000 years and were used by early civilizations for the sole purpose of drinking water or any form of fluid from it. Earlier forms of mug were produced by shaping clay or carved wood. However, these types of mugs were very hard to use especially with their thick walls that were unfit for the mouth. This changed upon the invention and discovery of different alternative materials like metal, porcelain and eventually plastic.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Today, mugs are produced in a variety of ways using different materials, sometimes even combining two or more materials in order to come up with the best result for a product. So without further ado, here are the 25 creatively designed mugs we’ve collected from the far reaches of the online world.</p> <p> </p> <hr noshade="noshade" /> <p> </p> <p><center></p> <div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_37020" style="width: 610px;"><img alt="" class="size-large wp-image-37020" height="600" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/r2d2-600x600.jpeg" title="r2d2" width="600" /><p class="wp-caption-text">For the Star Wars fan <a href="http://www.bitrebels.com/geek/star-wars-r2-d2-coffee-tea-mug/">Source</a></p></div> <p> </p> <div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_37021" style="width: 610px;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-37021" height="522" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/biscuit-pocket.jpg" title="biscuit pocket" width="600" /><p class="wp-caption-text">For the Biscuit Lover <a href="http://justamazingthings.blogspot.com/2012/07/top-10-creative-coffee-cup-designs.html#.UMfakuTYdSQ">Source</a></p></div> <p> </p> <div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_37022" style="width: 610px;"><img alt="" class="size-large wp-image-37022" height="508" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/chemist-600x508.jpg" title="chemist" width="600" /><p class="wp-caption-text">For the Chemist <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/111658600/coffee-caffeine-molecule-etched-coffee">Source</a></p></div> <p> </p> <div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_37023" style="width: 610px;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-37023 " height="420" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/tennis-player.jpg" title="tennis player" width="600" /><p class="wp-caption-text">For the Tennis Player <a href="http://decorating-ideas-for.com/decorating-ideas-for-coffee-mugs/">Source</a></p></div> <p> </p> <div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_37024" style="width: 610px;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-37024" height="300" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/angel-and-devil.jpg" title="angel and devil" width="600" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Good vs Bad <a href="http://decorating-ideas-for.com/decorating-ideas-for-coffee-mugs/">Source</a></p></div> <p> </p> <div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_37026" style="width: 610px;"><img alt="" class=" wp-image-37026 " height="600" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/golfer.jpg" title="golfer" width="600" /><p class="wp-caption-text">The Golfer’s Mug <a href="http://egotvonline.com/2011/10/06/25-awesome-mugs/">Source</a></p></div> <p> </p> <div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_37029" style="width: 610px;"><img alt="" class="size-large wp-image-37029 " height="600" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dog-lover-600x600.jpg" title="dog lover" width="600" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Dog Lover’s Mug <a href="http://dogmugs.blogspot.com/2011_12_01_archive.html">Source</a></p></div> <p> </p> <div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_37031" style="width: 610px;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-37031" height="637" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/musician1.jpg" title="musician" width="600" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Musician’s Mug <a href="http://dogmugs.blogspot.com/2011_12_01_archive.html&quot">Source</a></p></div> <p> </p> <div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_37032" style="width: 600px;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-37032" height="483" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/poop.jpg" title="poop" width="590" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Poop Mug <a href="http://www.squidoo.com/cool-coffee-mugs">Source</a></p></div> <p> </p> <div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_37033" style="width: 610px;"><img alt="" class=" wp-image-37033 " height="574" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/spill-proof-mug.jpg" title="spill proof mug" width="600" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Spill Proof Mug <a href="http://ilovecoffee.co.za/2011/02/17/cool-coffee-cups/">Source</a></p></div> <p> </p> <div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_37039" style="width: 610px;"><img alt="" class=" wp-image-37039 " height="339" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/knuckle.jpg" title="knuckle" width="600" /><p class="wp-caption-text">The Knuckle Mug <a href="http://bifty.com/cool-stuff/thabto-coffee-mugs/2204/">Source</a></p></div> <p> </p> <div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_37040" style="width: 610px;"><img alt="" class="size-large wp-image-37040" height="600" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ninja-600x600.jpeg" title="ninja" width="600" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Ninja Mug <a href="http://thecooleststuffever.com/ninja-coffee-mug">Source</a></p></div> <p> </p> <div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_37041" style="width: 610px;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-37041" height="600" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/cookie.jpg" title="cookie" width="600" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Cookie Mug <a href="http://www.barnorama.com/cool-coffee-and-tea-mugs/">Source</a></p></div> <p> </p> <div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_37042" style="width: 610px;"><img alt="" class=" wp-image-37042 " height="447" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Gun-Handle-Mug.jpg" title="Gun-Handle-Mug" width="600" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Gun Handle Mug <a href="http://www.likecool.com/Gun_Handle_Mug--Office--Gear.html&quot">Source</a></p></div> <p> </p> <div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_37043" style="width: 610px;"><img alt="" class="size-large wp-image-37043" height="519" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/twitter-600x519.jpg" title="twitter" width="600" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Twitter with Hashtag Mug <a href="http://www.forkparty.com/28384/ten-cool-tech-company-coffee-mugs-gallery/coffeemugs001">Source</a></p></div> <p> </p> <div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_37044" style="width: 610px;"><img alt="" class="size-large wp-image-37044" height="600" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/keyboard-600x600.jpg" title="keyboard" width="600" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Programmer’s Mug <a href="http://www.shop4juan.com.ph/Cool-Unique-Keyboard-Design-Coffee-Mug-Set_p_19.html">Source</a></p></div> <p> </p> <div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_37045" style="width: 610px;"><img alt="" class="size-large wp-image-37045" height="591" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/cow-600x591.jpg" title="cow" width="600" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Cow Mug <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005QB9TEQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl? ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005QB9TEQ&linkCode=as2&tag=squid0d8-20">Source</a></p></div> <p> </p> <div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_37046" style="width: 610px;"><img alt="" class=" wp-image-37046 " height="641" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/camera.jpg" title="camera" width="600" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Photographer’s Mug <a href="http://www.flavorwire.com/96838/design-porn-coffee-mugs?all=1">Source</a></p></div> <p> </p> <div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_37047" style="width: 610px;"><img alt="" class="size-large wp-image-37047" height="600" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/behind-600x600.png" title="behind" width="600" /><p class="wp-caption-text">The Behind Mug <a href="http://www.tripwiremagazine.com/2011/12/unique-and-creative-mugs.html">Source</a></p></div> <p> </p> <div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_37048" style="width: 610px;"><img alt="" class="size-large wp-image-37048" height="564" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/creature-cups-600x564.jpeg" title="creature cups" width="600" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Creature Cups <a href="http://creaturecups.com/store">Source</a></p></div> <p> </p> <div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_37049" style="width: 610px;"><img alt="" class=" wp-image-37049 " height="600" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/animal-nose.jpg" title="animal nose" width="600" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Animal Nose Cup <a href="http://www.designrulz.com/product-design/2011/07/creative-clever-coffee-mug-designs/">Source</a></p></div> <p> </p> <div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_37050" style="width: 610px;"><img alt="" class="size-large wp-image-37050" height="552" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/gameboy-600x552.png" title="gameboy" width="600" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Gameboy Mug <a href="http://churchm.ag/2012/02/page/3/">Source</a></p></div> <p> </p> <div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_37051" style="width: 610px;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-37051" height="558" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/rubix-cube.jpg" title="rubix cube" width="600" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Rubix Cube Mug <a href="http://1oet.com/funny-coffee-mugs-pictures/">Source</a></p></div> <p> </p> <div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_37064" style="width: 610px;"><a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/self-stirring.jpg"><img alt="" class="size-large wp-image-37064" height="449" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/self-stirring-600x449.jpg" title="self stirring" width="600" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Self Stirring Mug <a href="http://find-gift-ideas.net/tag/creative-coffee-mug">Source</a></p></div> <p> </p> <div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_37052" style="width: 610px;"><img alt="" class=" wp-image-37052 " height="600" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/toilet.png" title="toilet" width="600" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Toilet Mug <a href="http://www.tripwiremagazine.com/2011/12/unique-and-creative-mugs.html">Source</a></p></div> <p></center></p> <hr noshade="noshade" /> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: justify;">And that concludes today’s edition of You! Be Inspired! So which mug design did you find most interesting? Tell us by leaving a comment below. For other design related news, features and freebies, do <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/YouTheDesigner" target="_blank">subscribe</a> to our blog or drop by our <a href="http://facebook.com/youthedesigner" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/youthedesigner" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/cadencewu" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116824150281780256954/" target="_blank">Google Plus</a> social profiles.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Lastly, if you’re currently working on a project that involves a print product, don’t forget to check out our <a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/blank-print-templates" target="_blank">print templates page</a> and download any of our 1,100 templates completely FREE!</p> <p> Read more posts by <a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/author/zyril/" rel="author">Zy Gonzales</a></p><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/YouTheDesigner/~4/NgrBxr9kNvE" width="1" />

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

The Battle between Lettering and Calligraphy

<p>Typography techniques are improved by constant practicing and when given the challenge of competition. This idea inspired the new website called “<a href="http://www.letteringvscalligraphy.com/"><strong>Lettering vs. Calligraphy</strong></a>” which features two amazing Berlin based designers in a unique challenge celebrating the creative process of hand drawn lettering and penned calligraphy.</p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Lettering vs. Calligraphy" class=" wp-image-36963 aligncenter" height="1038" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/lvsc1.jpg" style="border: 0px;" title="Lettering vs. Calligraphy" width="524" /></p> <p> </p> <p>The type designers involved are <a href="http://www.martinaflor.com/">Martina Flor</a> and <a href="http://www.resistenza.es/">Giuseppe Salerno</a> who are both exceptionally talented and have been in the industry for more than a decade. The duo create a design each day based on a keyword provided by a moderator. Then they post their work online and let the viewers vote for their favorite. The two go head to head each day – the unique hand drawn lettering of Martina Flor versus the exquisitely penned calligraphy of Giuseppe Salermo. The adventure aims to explore and showcase the capabilities of the two technical approaches in type design. Below are some of the latest designs featured on their website (left – lettering, right – calligraphy):</p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.letteringvscalligraphy.com/distinguished-u/"><img alt="DISTINGUISHED “U”" class="size-medium wp-image-36966 aligncenter" height="300" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/U-600x300.jpg" style="border: 0px;" title="DISTINGUISHED “U”" width="600" /></a></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Distinguished “U”</strong></p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.letteringvscalligraphy.com/v-for-vendetta/" target="_blank"><img alt=""V" for Vendetta" class="size-medium wp-image-36967 aligncenter" height="300" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/v-600x300.jpg" style="border: 0px;" title=""V" for Vendetta" width="600" /></a></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“V” for Vendetta</strong></p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.letteringvscalligraphy.com/j-bizarre/" target="_blank"><img alt="Bizarre "J"" class="size-medium wp-image-36969 aligncenter" height="300" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/j-600x300.jpg" style="border: 0px;" title="Bizarre "J"" width="600" /></a></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Bizarre “J”</strong></p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.letteringvscalligraphy.com/swashy-t/" target="_blank"><img alt="Swashy "T"" class="size-medium wp-image-36970 aligncenter" height="300" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/t-600x300.jpg" style="border: 0px;" title="Swashy "T"" width="600" /></a></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Swashy “T”</strong></p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.letteringvscalligraphy.com/dynamic-n-2/" target="_blank"><img alt="Dynamic "N"" class="size-medium wp-image-36971 aligncenter" height="300" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/n-600x300.png" style="border: 0px;" title="Dynamic "N"" width="600" /></a></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Dynamic “N”</strong></p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.letteringvscalligraphy.com/b-happy/" target="_blank"><img alt="Happy " B"" class="size-medium wp-image-36972 aligncenter" height="300" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/B-600x300.jpg" style="border: 0px;" title="Happy " B"" width="600" /></a></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Happy “B”</strong></p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.letteringvscalligraphy.com/simple-z/" target="_blank"><img alt="Simple "Z"" class="size-medium wp-image-36973 aligncenter" height="300" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Z-600x300.jpg" style="border: 0px;" title="Simple "Z"" width="600" /></a></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Simple “Z”</strong></p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.letteringvscalligraphy.com/art-nouveau-9" target="_blank"><img alt="Art Nouveau "9"" class="size-medium wp-image-36974 aligncenter" height="300" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/92-600x300.jpg" style="border: 0px;" title="Art Nouveau "9"" width="600" /></a></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Art Nouveau “9″</strong></p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.letteringvscalligraphy.com/sophisticated-3/" target="_blank"><img alt="Sophisticated "3"" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-36975" height="300" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/33-600x300.jpg" style="border: 0px;" title="Sophisticated "3"" width="600" /></a></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Sophisticated “3″</strong></p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.letteringvscalligraphy.com/shop/time-to-fight-postcards/" target="_blank"><img alt="Time To Fight postcards" class="aligncenter wp-image-36978" height="318" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/time-600x318.jpg" style="border: 0px;" title="Time To Fight postcards" width="600" /></a></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“Time To Fight” postcards</strong></p> <p> </p> <p>Which of the type designs is your most favorite? Vote for them on their official <a href="http://www.letteringvscalligraphy.com/">website</a>. This amazing project is not just a design challenge but an opportunity to discover the various styles and possibilities in type design in both lettering and calligraphy. Moreover, the series will be a huge source of inspiration for typography addicts out there as the battle continues.</p> <p>Tell us your thoughts as well as your suggestions by commenting below. Find us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/youthedesigner"><strong>Facebook</strong></a>, <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/youthedesigner"><strong>Twitter</strong></a>,</strong> <a href="https://plus.google.com/116824150281780256954/posts"><strong>Google Plus</strong></a> and <a href="http://pinterest.com/cadencewu/"><strong>Pinterest</strong></a> for more design awesomeness! Also, don’t forget to <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/YouTheDesigner">subscribe</a> to our blog for the latest design inspirations, stories and freebies. Speaking of freebies, check out our <a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/blank-print-templates">free print templates</a> page where you can download templates for calendars, brochures, business cards and more! Stay awesome everyone!</p> <p> </p> <p> Read more posts by <a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/author/kerby/" rel="author">Kerby Rosanes</a></p><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/YouTheDesigner/~4/oU1Onf6UAXY" width="1" />

UPDATED: 5 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

Win a Depositphotos Free Subscription and $50 UPrinting Print Credits in this International Giveaway!

<p>This week, <a href="http://depositphotos.com/">Depositphotos</a> and <a href="http://www.uprinting.com/?utm_source=youthedesigner.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=gdm_ytdcon_0612">UPrinting</a> are collaborating to give you an international giveaway! Here you can win a 20-day free stock photo subscription where you can download 10 images a day (the normal setup is 7 days and 5 images a day), and $50 worth of print credits to spend however you like too!<br />  <br /> Here are the various means of entry:<br />  <br /> - Follow <a href="http://www.twitter.com/Depositphotos">@Depositphotos</a> on Twitter<br /> - Like the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/DepositPhotosEN">Depositphotos (English)</a> Facebook page<br /> - Tweet about this giveaway – you can find the premade tweet in the PunchTab app<br /> - Like the You The Designer blog (we know you do, it’s just that sometimes we need reminding!)<br /> - Leave a comment on this post saying what you’ll use the subscription and the print credits for<br /> - Visit (and join, if you like!) the <a href="http://www.ucreative.com/?utm_source=youthedesigner.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=gdm_ytdcon_0612">UCreative Network</a>, the social network for creative professionals!<br /> - Give the <a href="https://plus.google.com/116824150281780256954/">You The Designer Google+ page</a> a +1</p> <p> <br /> <strong>Make sure you do all that via the PunchTab app</strong> so all your entries are counted! As usual, the more times you enter, the better your chances of winning.<br />  <br /> <center></center><br />  <br /> Giveaway ends on <strong>Saturday, June 16, 2012, midnight PST. International except where prohibited.</strong><br />  <br /> Print credits do not include shipping costs. If the print job costs less than $50, the remaining print credits may be subtracted from the shipping costs.<br />  <br /> Once the giveaway ends, the PunchTab widget will reflect this, and we’ll publish another post to announce the winners as well as notify the winners privately.<br />  <br /> Now that you’ve read all that, start submitting your entries and good luck, everyone!<br />  <br /> <em>In case you need some printing done right now and can’t wait for this giveaway to end, UPrinting has a <a href="http://www.uprinting.com/coupons.html?utm_source=youthedesigner.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=gdm_ytdcon_0612">summer marketing sale</a> going on – that’s up to 20% off selected products until the 28th. <a href="http://www.uprinting.com/coupons.html?utm_source=youthedesigner.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=gdm_ytdcon_0612">Check it out!</a></em><br />  <br /> <em>If you are looking for quality images, and the subscription you can win isn’t enough for you, feel free to join Depositphotos. You will have an ability to use <a href="http://depositphotos.com/free-photos.html">free images</a> with their Free Trial Program!</em></p> <p>  Read more posts by <a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/author/cadence/" rel="author">Cadence Wu</a></p><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/YouTheDesigner/~4/6V4eEMK19_M" width="1" />

UPDATED: 11 MONTHS, 2 WEEKS

You! Be Informed! #0008 – Bonnaroo 2012, WordCamp NYC 2012, and The Innovation Whiteboard

<p>This week, as I was browsing <em>The New Yorker</em> magazine’s site for covers</a> (thanks to the curiosity sparked by <a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/2012/06/06/the-art-of-the-new-yorker-magazine-covers/" target="_blank">one of our articles</a>), I saw this <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2012/06/loving-ray-bradbury.html" target="_blank">tribute</a> to Ray Bradbury written my Junot Diaz. It was an intimate look at how he is well-loved by his fans and friends. Of all the tributes I read about him this week, one that discussed his answer to a question on passing a legacy to future generations is my favorite — </p> <p> </p> <p><em>“If you don’t read or write, you can’t be educated, you can’t care about anything — you’ve gotta put something in people’s heads so the metaphors bounce around and collide with each other and make new metaphors. That’s the success I’ve had of daring to put different metaphors together, mashing their heads together, saying, ‘Oh my god, I didn’t think of that — how wonderful!’”</em></p> <p>  </p> <p>Continue learning and discovering new things by signing up for our <a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/signup/" target="_blank">monthly newsletter</a> and subscribing to our <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/YouTheDesigner" target="_blank">RSS Feed</a>. Enjoy this week’s edition of You! Be Informed! </p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Bonnaroo 2012</strong></p> <p>Four days of camping out in Manchester, Tennessee with more than 10 stages for music performance is what the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is all about! Mingle with fellow revelers and explore the different options for food and entertainment! Know more about what you can bring, how to behave yourself during the festival, and more useful things <a href="http://www.bonnaroo.com/festival-info/" target="_blank"><strong>here</strong></a>.</p> <p> </p> <p><center><a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Bonnaroo2012-via-YouTheDesigner.com_.jpg"><img alt="Bonnaroo2012 via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26585" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Bonnaroo2012-via-YouTheDesigner.com_.jpg" title="Bonnaroo2012 via YouTheDesigner.com" /></a></center></p> <p> <br />  </p> <p><strong>Gallery 1988 – “Excuuuuuse Meeeeeeeee”</strong></p> <p>One of our favorite galleries is holding an exhibit that’s beyond awesome for words. Gallery1988 Venice will be holding <strong>“Excuuuuuse Meeeeeeeee,”</strong> a tribute to one of my favorite funnymen, Steve Martin. Artists participating in the exhibit created pieces inspired by Steve’s work in movies, books, TV, and music. The opening gala will be held on June 8, Friday, and the gallery will be up until the end of June 2012. If you’re a Steve Martin fan, or you just want to unwind by looking at contemporary art pieces, take time to drop by Gallery1988 Venice!</p> <p><em>Images from <a href="http://g1988.tumblr.com/post/24405864636/this-friday-at-g1988-venice-we-open-excuuuuuuse" target="_blank">G1988</a></em></p> <p> </p> <p><center><a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Gallery-1988-Steve-Martin.jpg"><img alt="Gallery 1988 Steve Martin Exhibit via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26524" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Gallery-1988-Steve-Martin.jpg" title="Gallery 1988 Steve Martin Exhibit via YouTheDesigner.com" /></a></center></p> <p> </p> <p><center><a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Gallery-1988-Michael-DePippo.jpg"><img alt="Gallery 1988 Michael DePippo via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26526" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Gallery-1988-Michael-DePippo.jpg" title="Gallery 1988 Michael DePippo via YouTheDesigner.com" /></a></center></p> <p> </p> <p><center><a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Gallery-1988-Jason-Edmiston.jpg"><img alt="Gallery 1988 Jason Edmiston via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26525" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Gallery-1988-Jason-Edmiston.jpg" title="Gallery 1988 Jason Edmiston via YouTheDesigner.com" /></a></center></p> <p> </p> <p><center><a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Gallery-1988-Nicole-Gustafsson.jpg"><img alt="Gallery 1988 Nicole Gustafsson via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26527" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Gallery-1988-Nicole-Gustafsson.jpg" title="Gallery 1988 Nicole Gustafsson via YouTheDesigner.com" /></a></center></p> <p> <br />  </p> <p><strong>WordCamp New York City 2012</strong></p> <p>WordPress users in New York, rejoice! WordCamp New York City 2012 is upon you, and it will be held on June 9-10, 2012 at Baruch College in Manhattan. Gear up for two whole days to learn the latest about everything and anything about WordPress. If you’re planning to attend the event, learn more about it <a href="http://2012.nyc.wordcamp.org/" target="_blank"><strong>here</strong></a>.</p> <p> </p> <p><center><a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/WordCampNYC.jpeg"><img alt="WordCampNYC via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26531" height="500" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/WordCampNYC.jpeg" title="WordCampNYC via YouTheDesigner.com" width="500" /></a></center></p> <p> <br />  </p> <p><strong>Asketic Riga – getCirulis</strong></p> <p>We’re all about discovering and learning new things here at You the Designer, that’s why finding something graphic designers will find useful excites us. Asketic Riga is a design office from Riga, Latvia that’s taking a bold step to turn one of the region’s most unique typefaces, Cirulis, into a usable font family. <a href="http://getcirulis.com/" target="_blank">Sign up</a> and be among the first designers to receive Cirulis Pro Bold! </p> <p> </p> <p><center><a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/getCirulis.jpg"><img alt="getCirulis via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26538" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/getCirulis.jpg" title="getCirulis via YouTheDesigner.com" /></a></center></p> <p> </p> <p><center><a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Cirulis-poster.jpg"><img alt="Cirulis-poster via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26541" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Cirulis-poster.jpg" title="Cirulis-poster via YouTheDesigner.com" /></a></center></p> <p> </p> <p><center><a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Cirulis-book.jpg"><img alt="Cirulis-book via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26540" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Cirulis-book.jpg" title="Cirulis-book via YouTheDesigner.com" /></a></center></p> <p> <br />  </p> <p><strong>AFA – Maurice Sendak Retrospective Exhibit</strong></p> <p>On the day before what would have been Maurice Sendak’s 84th birthday, AFA (Animazing Fine Art) will be opening a retrospective exhibit featuring his art. The exhibition will open on Saturday, June 9, and will be up until Labor Day. Original artwork and published pieces that celebrate the life of Maurice Sendak will be on display. Learn more about the exhibit by visiting the <a href="http://afanyc.com/" target="_blank">AFA website</a>. </p> <p> </p> <p><center><a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Maurice-Sendak-Retrospective-Exhibit-via-YouTheDesigner.jpg"><img alt="Maurice Sendak Retrospective Exhibit via YouTheDesigner" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26561" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Maurice-Sendak-Retrospective-Exhibit-via-YouTheDesigner.jpg" title="Maurice Sendak Retrospective Exhibit via YouTheDesigner" /></a></center></p> <p> </p> <p><center><a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Maurice-Sendak-Retrospective-Exhibit-02-via-YouTheDesigner.jpg"><img alt="Maurice Sendak Retrospective Exhibit 02 via YouTheDesigner" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26559" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Maurice-Sendak-Retrospective-Exhibit-02-via-YouTheDesigner.jpg" title="Maurice Sendak Retrospective Exhibit 02 via YouTheDesigner" /></a></center></p> <p> </p> <p><center><a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Maurice-Sendak-Retrospective-Exhibit-03-via-YouTheDesigner.jpg"><img alt="Maurice Sendak Retrospective Exhibit 03 via YouTheDesigner" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26560" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Maurice-Sendak-Retrospective-Exhibit-03-via-YouTheDesigner.jpg" title="Maurice Sendak Retrospective Exhibit 03 via YouTheDesigner" /></a></center></p> <p> <br />  </p> <p><strong>The Innovation Whiteboard</strong></p> <p>A month ago, The New York Times invited readers to share innovations that would make daily life easier. They called this <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/magazine/innovation-whiteboard.html" target="_blank">The Innovation Whiteboard</a>, a repository of ideas that features lifehacks. </p> <p> </p> <p><center><a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Innovation-Whiteboard-via-YouTheDesigner.com_.jpg"><img alt="Innovation Whiteboard via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26570" height="55" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Innovation-Whiteboard-via-YouTheDesigner.com_.jpg" title="Innovation Whiteboard via YouTheDesigner.com" width="600" /></a></center></p> <p> </p> <p><center><a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Innovation-Whiteboard-02-via-YouTheDesigner.jpg"><img alt="Innovation Whiteboard 02 via YouTheDesigner" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26569" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Innovation-Whiteboard-02-via-YouTheDesigner.jpg" title="Innovation Whiteboard 02 via YouTheDesigner" /></a></center></p> <p> <br />  </p> <p>Also share and discuss graphic design news with other You The Designer readers through our <a href="http://facebook.com/youthedesigner" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/youthedesigner" target="_blank">Twitter</a> accounts! </p> <p>  Read more posts by <a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/author/chin/" rel="author">Chin de Vera</a></p><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/YouTheDesigner/~4/a6hvP3cXl_w" width="1" />

UPDATED: 11 MONTHS, 2 WEEKS

Logo Design: Raster Graphics or Vector Graphics

<p>Logo design is made up of different defining aspects – from the designer’s influences and personal whims, to the design’s colour and its shape. We’ve discussed how logos are defined by colour and shape in our <a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/2012/06/05/logo-design-the-color-and-the-shape/">previous post</a>. This time we’d like to talk about the file types and the things that you ought to know when you’re designing a logo for different media.</p> <p> </p> <p>As technical as these two graphic design terms may sound, they’re actually very simple. Raster graphics are basically made up of pixels, the things you see on your screen, the rough edges that you see on an image when you zoom in too much. On the other hand, vector graphics are made up of lines and anchor points that are auto-adjusted by Adobe Illustrator (or any other vector software editor you’re using) when you’re resizing your work. That’s the basic gist of raster and vector graphics, but let’s delve deeper into the abyss and know where and when to use them, and on what project, aside from logo design, you can use them.<br />  </p> <p><center><img alt="Sample Raster Logo via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26546" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/full_ps.jpg" title="Sample Raster Logo via YouTheDesigner.com" /></center><br /> <em>Upon first inspection, raster and vector graphics will basically look the same way. The difference becomes apparent once reproducing the design becomes an issue.</em></p> <p> </p> <p><strong><br /> <h3>Raster Graphics</h3> <p></strong></p> <p>If you’re going to zoom in on an image, you’ll notice that the edges become more pixelated. This is because most images (JPEG, JPG, PNG, etc.) are rasterized to allow an artist or photographer to manipulate the image using a graphics editing software, like Adobe Photoshop.</p> <p> </p> <p>A raster graphic image is made up of pixels, with each pixel having only one colour. This means that if you have fewer pixels in your image, you’ll have lesser colour and a low quality image. Otherwise, you’ll have a perfectly crisp and sharp image.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Why it’s not for any logo project</strong></p> <p>The primary concern in using raster graphics to create your logo design is the resolution. As I’ve mentioned before, rasterized images tend to be more pixelated or jagged on the edges. Resizing will be the main problem when it comes to reproducing a rasterized logo. You may be able to produce high resolution image on Photoshop, but you’ll never know how big the logo needs to be in actual production.</p> <p> </p> <p><center><img alt="Sample Raster Logo via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26546" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/zoom_ps.jpg" title="Sample Raster Logo via YouTheDesigner.com" /></center><br /> <em>A logo design that’s created using Photoshop will show pixels once you zoom in within the image. This becomes an issue when you need to create a larger design from your original.</em> </p> <p> </p> <p>Another issue is professional quality. If you’re designing logos as a professional, you’d aim for the best quality and using a raster file for your project doesn’t help your cause. As mentioned earlier, upon closer inspection rasterized images would eventually produce pixelated images. This’ll reflect your knowledge about industry standards and practice, which is better that you know it now, than later.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>What’s it for?</strong></p> <p>Photos and graphic rendering are done in raster graphics. Because of the extensive colour manipulation capabilities of raster graphic editors, they’re apt tools in adding and editing colours, tones, and textures on images, and photos. Usual projects done in Adobe Photoshop are web design, promotional graphics, and your usual illustration colour rendering.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong><br /> <h3>Vector Graphics</h3> <p></strong><br /> In simple terms, vector graphic images are collections of lines and anchor points that make up a whole image. The lines serve as your drawing’s outline and the anchor points control where your lines should go. It’s similar to how the Photoshop pen tool works. If you’re familiar with it you’ll be fine, if not it’s time you work on it.<br />  <br /> The anchor points and lines that make up a vector graphic image are manipulated through mathematical calculations (done by the software you’re using, no worries), which make the image done in vector to be scalable to any size.<br />  <br /> <strong>Why it’s used in creating logos</strong><br /> Because of the ease in resizing a vector graphic image, logo designers find it easier to reproduce a logo in any size, any time, without losing quality. Aside from resolving sizing issues on a logo design, editing it will be a lot easier. Logos made in vector graphics are more adaptable and streamlined when applied to different media – from promotional prints and corporate stationery, like <a href="http://www.uprinting.com/business-cards.html?utm_source=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youthedesigner.com%2F&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=gdm_ytd_0612" target="_blank">business cards</a> and letterheads, to web design applications and other media.<br />  </p> <p><center><img alt="Zoomed in Vector Logo via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26549" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/zoom_vector.jpg" title="Zoomed in Vector Logo via YouTheDesigner.com" /></center><br /> <em>Vector Graphics’ primary strength lies on its scalability. Since you’ll be applying the logo on different media, you’ll have to create different sizes of the same design. But if you’ve created the logo design as a vector graphic, size and scaling issues are easily resolved.</em><br />  </p> <p><strong>Other applications</strong></p> <p>Most conceptual artists directly sketch their work on vector graphic editors and just render them on Adobe Photoshop, or other raster graphic editors. Because of the power combination of Adobe Illustrator’s intuitive drawing tools that work best with a tablet – this makes it easier for artists and illustrators to create sketches, concept designs, or adding details to a drawing easier.</p> <p> </p> <p>Look out for our other logo design posts for the month of June. Make sure that you’re subscribed to our <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/YouTheDesigner" target="_blank">RSS Feed</a> to receive awesome design news and inspiration. If you’ve got any questions, topic suggestions, or some love to share, just hit us up on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/youthedesigner" target="_blank">Facebook </a>or <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/youthedesigner" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. </p> <p>  Read more posts by <a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/author/cadence/" rel="author">Cadence Wu</a></p><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/YouTheDesigner/~4/NbyxvDmYX_E" width="1" />

UPDATED: 11 MONTHS, 2 WEEKS

You! Be Inspired! #0008 – Conrad Roset, Chibi Tarot, and Project: Rooftop

<p>As you’ve seen in our recent posts, we’re cooking up a series of articles focusing on logo design and the issues and elements concerning the design process as well as the technicalities that come with it. Watch out for this week’s upcoming posts – we’ll be featuring illustrated covers of The New Yorker magazine, we’ll also publish another logo design post discussing the difference between raster and vector graphics.</p> <p> <br /> Going into the things I dug up the past weekend, here are some amazing graphic design samples, illustrators, and their artwork:</p> <p> <br />  <br /> <strong>Emma Block – Illustrator</strong></p> <p>We’ve seen some amazing illustration from <a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/2012/05/30/you-be-inspired-0007/" target="_blank">last week’s Be Inspired</a> post, this week we’ve got another female illustrator in <a href="http://emmablock.co.uk" target="_blank">Emma Block</a>. Her work has a touch of 1930s jazz and 1950s lifestyle, some of her works somehow reminisce the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s and a little hint of Dorothy Parker’s era.<br />  <br /> <center><img alt="Emma Snow via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26481" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/emma01.jpg" title="" /></center><br />  <br /> <center><img alt="Emma Snow via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26482" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/emma02.jpg" title="" /></center><br />  <br /> <center><img alt="Emma Snow via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26483" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/emma03.jpg" title="" /></center><br />  <br /> <center><img alt="Emma Snow via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26484" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/emma04.jpg" title="" /></center><br />  <br /> <center><img alt="Emma Snow via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26485" height="580" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/emma05.jpg" title="" width="600" /></center></p> <p> <br />  <br /> <strong>Chibi Tarot – A Cute Take on an Ancient Tradition</strong></p> <p>A project by artist Adam Bodgett, the <a href="http://chibitarot.com/" target="_blank">Chibi Tarot</a> project aims to recreate the major and minor arcana of the Tarot deck, through the lens of chibi. If you’re not familiar with the term chibi meaning “Short Person”, it’s used to describe a thing or person as cute or small.<br />  <br /> <center><img alt="Chibi Tarot by Adam Bodgett via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26469" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/chibitarot01.png" title="" /></center><br />  <br /> <center><img alt="Chibi Tarot by Adam Bodgett via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26470" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/chibitarot02.png" title="" /></center><br />  <br /> <center><img alt="Chibi Tarot by Adam Bodgett via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26472" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/chibitarot03.png" title="" /></center><br />  <br /> <center><img alt="Chibi Tarot by Adam Bodgett via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26473" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/chibitarot04.png" title="" /></center><br />  <br /> <center><img alt="Chibi Tarot by Adam Bodgett via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26474" height="1111" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/chibitarot05.png" title="" width="600" /></center></p> <p> <br />  <br /> <strong>Conrad Roset – Illustrator</strong></p> <p>A common muse among graphic artists and illustrators is the image of a woman. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/conradroset" target="_blank">Conrad Roset’s gallery</a> of works exemplifies this appreciation of the female form – from his muse collections to his commercial works. Though Conrad’s work primarily focuses on the sensual form of a woman, his portfolio boasts an assortment of different projects, from photography to <a href="http://www.uprinting.com/postcard-printing.html?utm_source=youthedesigner.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=gdm_ytd_0612" target="_blank">postcard prints</a>, and children’s books.<br />  <br /> <center><img alt="Conrad Roset via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26476" height="925" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/conrad01.jpg" title="" width="600" /></center><br />  <br /> <center><img alt="Conrad Roset via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26477" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/conrad02.jpg" title="" /></center><br />  <br /> <center><img alt="Conrad Roset via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26478" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/conrad03.jpg" title="" /></center><br />  <br /> <center><img alt="Conrad Roset via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26479" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/conrad04.jpg" title="" /></center><br />  <br /> <center><img alt="Conrad Roset via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26480" height="830" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/conrad05.jpg" title="" width="600" /></center></p> <p> <br />  <br /> <strong>Movie Posters by Neil Kellerhouse</strong></p> <p>If you’re into films and <a href="http://www.uprinting.com/poster-printing.html?utm_source=youthedesigner.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=gdm_ytd_0612" target="_blank">movie posters</a>, you’ll love <a href="http://kellerhouse.com/" target="_blank">Neil Kellerhouse’s work</a>. He has worked on the posters for <em>The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo</em>, <em>The Social Network</em>, and <em>I’m Still Here </em>among others. His unique, sleek, and compact style in photography, and the typography he uses together in the movie posters provide a unique character to each film’s promotional media.<br />  <br /> <center><img alt="Neil Kellerhouse via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26486" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/neil01.jpg" title="" /></center><br />  <br /> <center><img alt="Neil Kellerhouse via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26487" height="888" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/neil02.jpg" title="" width="600" /></center><br />  <br /> <center><img alt="Neil Kellerhouse via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26488" height="944" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/neil03.jpg" title="" width="600" /></center><br />  <br /> <center><img alt="Neil Kellerhouse via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26489" height="888" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/neil04.jpg" title="" width="600" /></center><br />  <br /> <center><img alt="Neil Kellerhouse via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26490" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/neil05.jpg" title="" /></center></p> <p> <br />  <br /> <strong>The Great Showdowns – Scott Campbell</strong></p> <p>Everyone has a favorite scene from a film – from the first Matrix’s bullet time fight scenes to Gandalf’s epic confrontation with the Balrog. These have been memorable scenes from our most beloved movies. Now, Scott Campbell recreates all the battle scenes, the close encounters, and the conversations into cute and cuddly illustrations. Check out his project, <a href="http://greatshowdowns.com/" target="_blank">The Great Showdowns</a> on tumblr for more action!<br />  <br /> <center><img alt="The Great Showdowns via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26496" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/scott01.jpg" title="" /></center><br />  <br /> <center><img alt="The Great Showdowns via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26497" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/scott02.jpg" title="" /></center></p> <p> <br />  <br /> <strong>Project: Rooftop</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.tencentticker.com/projectrooftop/about/" target="_blank">Project: Rooftop</a> aims to promote and expand the founders’ idea of superhero costume and character redesign as a skill. It’s being spearheaded by comic book artist Dean Trippe and journalist Christ Arrant. The project was inspired by reality shows and other related superhero literature, and by the trend of costume redesign on different superheroes.<br />  <br /> <center><img alt="Project: Rooftop via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26491" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/rooftop01.jpg" title="" /></center><br />  <br /> <center><img alt="Project: Rooftop via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26492" height="330" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/rooftop02.jpeg" title="" width="600" /></center><br />  <br /> <center><img alt="Project: Rooftop via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26493" height="423" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/rooftop03.jpg" title="" width="600" /></center><br />  <br /> <center><img alt="Project: Rooftop via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26494" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/rooftop04.jpg" title="" /></center><br />  <br /> <center><img alt="Project: Rooftop via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26495" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/rooftop05.png" title="" /></center><br />  <br />  <br /> <strong>Vintage Book Collection by Mallory McInnis</strong></p> <p>“In the Thrift Shop we trust” – that pretty much sums up my affection for thrift shops that sell pre-owned and cheap curiosities. One of the nice things that you’ll never regret buying off thrift shops are books. Now, Mallory McInnis, a curious online case of a curator, has compiled more than a hundred vintage books and posted their prints online. The prints from her collection have a unique and eerie feel (well, most vintage books have eerie illustrations), and somehow transport you back in time. Check out her collection at <a href="http://myvintagebookcollectioninblogform.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">My Vintage Book Collection</a>.<br />  <br /> <center><img alt="Vintage Book Collection by Mallory McInnis via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26498" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/vintage01.png" title="" /></center><br />  <br /> <center><img alt="Vintage Book Collection by Mallory McInnis via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26499" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/vintage02.png" title="" /></center><br />  <br /> <center><img alt="Vintage Book Collection by Mallory McInnis via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26500" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/vintage03.png" title="" /></center><br />  <br /> <center><img alt="Vintage Book Collection by Mallory McInnis via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26501" height="948" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/vintage04.png" title="" width="600" /></center><br />  <br /> <center><img alt="Vintage Book Collection by Mallory McInnis via YouTheDesigner.com" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-26502" src="http://www.youthedesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/vintage05.png" title="" /></center></p> <p>Got something awesome to share, or a topic you want us to discuss? Hit us up on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/youthedesigner" target="_blank">Facebook</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/youthedesigner" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. Also be more amazing and subscribe to our <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/YouTheDesigner" target="_blank">RSS Feed</a>. </p> <p>  Read more posts by <a href="http://www.youthedesigner.com/author/victor/" rel="author">Victor Pontejos</a></p><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/YouTheDesigner/~4/MVnVWKIh9To" width="1" />

UPDATED: 11 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS

SHARE PAGE: