Archive for April, 2009
links for 2009-03-31
links for 2009-03-31
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Some have been covered before, but a lot of PSD tutorials and sample looks to check out here.
Pixar vs. Dreamworks
links for 2009-04-04
links for 2009-04-04
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Pretty much a definitive article on how to use gradients in PS, and then… a whole stack of nicely designed gradients.
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A nifty little content slider using JQuery. Fun stuff!
Photography Show at ISU
I think it is very important for an designer to make the time to go to fine art exhibits to keep their creativity and motivation in tact. I went to a wonderful Fine Art Photography exhibit at Illinois State University. The exhibit was for BFA photography student Michael Prault. He is a photographer who is combining sculptural materials with his work. His exhibit title is “Normalady” which is a play on the words “normal” and “malady”. The concept of his work is how his memories are from bits and pieces of his visual impressions along with how his subconsciousness instinctively drives his choices within his work.The exhibit at the University Galleries (Center for Visual Arts Building) Gallery 2 and lasts until April 13th.
Ecofont
http://www.ecofont.eu/ecofont_en.html
Ink cartridges (or toner) could last longer. As a result, the company SPRANQ developed an ecofriendly font. Here is the link to download the font as a TTF. It uses 20% less ink when you print. The Ecofont was created by omitting parts of a letter using circles. At the shown size, this obviously is not as adaptable, but at a regular font size it is actually very usable. The only downfall is that it is only in uppercase. Naturally, the results vary depending on your software and the quality of your screen.
Reaffirming your career path. Do you love what you do?
Reaffirming your career path. Do you love what you do?
I just took an extended vacation. 10+ days actually. Went with the family to visit some friends and relatives. We had a great time. I was computer free for the entire time. *GASP*. 
I was in an environment with a number of people that use a computer only as a communication tool, email, etc. Their level of web saviness and familiarity with computing in general is pretty low. They are casual technology users in general, not early adopters. They are all what you would consider white collar workers in various economic sectors. All are pretty successful in life, with nice homes, families and all the things that come with it. All of them great people, and people I consider myself lucky to know. Their lines of work and the careers they have built through their hard work are all things to be proud of, and rightfully so. I feel the same about the choices I have made in my professional life, too.
There was a clear dividing line between them and myself that was far more important, though much less noticeable than simply being a power user or a casual user of a computer. That line? A clear and driving force behind the work we choose to do. You see, I haven’t really ever considered a career path that didn’t involve design and interactivity. Since high-school, I wanted to be a graphic designer. I avidly learned Photoshop and Illustrator, Aldus SuperPaint and Apple Hypercard, etc… Once in college, I taught myself HTML and dug into Apple Media Tool, Director, and picked up Flash. Since then I have expanded into user experience design, application design and social media design. All evolutions of the same basic tenet, creating and providing superior experiences for the people that use my products, services or solutions.
The paths the others had taken or are currently taking, these friends and many of my other friends included, have been a little less clear. A few years in consulting, maybe a few in real estate or retail, on and on… not really in one sector or even one basic task/goal type. I find this a difficult life path to comprehend. To not love the work you do so much, that it is really about the only thing you want to do, so much that you are willing to take a lower paycheck or see a lull in your billable hours, just doesn’t sound rewarding to me. To be able to move from selling Widget A to selling Widget B without a blink just isn’t me. I love the weekend, but I’m never really working for it.
In the wake of the dot com bomb, I was unemployed for a while. Taking any sort of design oriented gig I could scrounge. Websites, brochures, banners, web games, etc. I interviewed a number of times for creative positions, but to no avail. At the lowest point, after the work dried up and we were seeking to buy a home to start a family, I interviewed for a position selling technology products at a full commission store. The interview was great, I was virtually a shoo-in with my level of expertise on computers, home entertainment gear and the like… then the big question, “What will you do if a position in your previous line of work becomes available locally?” My answer, “I’d probably take it.” They promptly shook my hand and showed me the door. I just couldn’t do it, I needed a design job!
It makes me think. What other career paths are out there that people take that they are so passionate about that they just can’t think of doing anything else? Teaching, Law, Medicine? What? I am anxious to hear your thoughts on this. Do you love what you do? Could you envision yourself in a totally different job or career path? I’ve made my decision. It’s like some sort of tattoo. Design.
1 commentlinks for 2009-04-16
links for 2009-04-16
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A simple audio player for putting MP3s on your site using Flash. It's nice
Piggly Giggly
Piggly Giggly
So much charm and life from something so darn simple. This is where it’s at folks.
Love the outakes at the end.
Thanks Steve!
No commentslinks for 2009-04-17
links for 2009-04-17
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A little app to help you out… you can click things in it.(tags: opensource license)
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This should be pretty definitive as far as what the licenses cover. Not really any suggestions here, but a lot of good deeper links.(tags: opensource license)
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Choose wisely, my friend!(tags: opensource license)
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How do you pick one?(tags: opensource license)
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A pretty succinct comparison of OS license choices.(tags: opensource license)
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Some thoughts on what license to choose.(tags: opensource license)
The Open Screen Project Bears Fruit: Flash in Your Living Room Coming Soon.
The Open Screen Project Bears Fruit: Flash in Your Living Room Coming Soon.
Last year Adobe announced a partnership with device manufacturers to bring the Flash platform to devices other than PCs and Mobile. There was some question as to what types off devices would see the widely distributed runtime first, though. It looks as though NAB this year sheds some light on that one.
Engadget, NYTimes, and the BBC both report that a number of television manufacturers have models coming in late 2009, early 2010 that will feature the Flash player for use in widgets, tickers, search and much more.
This is a big move for Adobe in getting to the set top world before Silverlight and is a big boon for Flash platform developers. Working in the embedded systems market opens a largely untapped market, with many Flash developers (here) expressing interest in getting into that large market. Look at this:
More than 420 million TVs, set-top boxes, and media players are expected to ship globally in the next three years and increasingly they are capable of being connected to the net.
That is a big big market to create content and content delivery systems for. I see casual games, small utilities, custom video channels and a ton of other great applications coming around the bend.
Another thing about this that excites me… Often we create video kiosks for tradeshows, museums, etc. consisting of a low-end PC/Mac Mini and a large screen touchscreen. These configs usually just act as a video jukebox of sorts with a small amount of network connectivity required. If it turns out that the sets with the Flash system can have custom content loaded onto them via network, USB or SD cards, this could dramatically simplify the way we develop these solutions. No PC required!
Do you have Flash content ideas that will benefit from this development? How will this affect your day to day Flash platform projects? How can you take this development to market in your niche?
No comments