Here's one of the BEST for 2004 - plug-ins from DigiEffects ... that easily and effectively create the most sought-after effects in the business... Web Euphoria
C.S. from Columbus, OH asks:
Fred- I enjoyed the article by Gary Dickson, regarding the true value of good logo design. So why, I must ask, is there ads along the right side of the page advertising cheap $49 logo design? It seems very much like the email spam and junk that you so strongly oppose! I don't understand!
* LOL... that's the first comment Gary made when he proofed the page. "Well Fred, see what I'm talking about? Right next to the article are 25-buck logos!" Quite ironic -- Google ads promoting what Gary is bashing. Go back and read the article again. Ignore the ads -- or, click one and see what you get.
What happens when the Design Cafe decides to have a logo contest and let listees propose a new logo? Lots of ideas and fun. Many submitted and these 16 finalists get the once over by other Cafe listees and two rather special graphic design celebrities. But it's not over. More to come next month. Cafe Logo Critique
Gary reflects on designing logos, dispels some myths and shares anecdotes on what a logo really is; how some clients never learn, and what Paul Rand had to say about them. (When you read this one, notice which ads appear in the Google column to the right! LOL) Gary says Logos are magic, but there's Nothing Up My Sleeve
Now we take a look at designers' unique expressions of creativity in folding for greeting cards. The first two show some savvy design -- and extraordinary inventiveness in "Designing Cards"
This reader is interested in learning web design and writes: > Dear D&P, I need information on how I can get the best training to become a web designer. I am mid-life, need to do this online. I have experience and training (writing, teaching, print ad sales, and print publication layout) and creative ability, but don't know the first thing about web design."
That's a tough one, since the writer also needs to cram it all into a year and keep the cost down. My advice would be to do an intensive at-home study regimine for maybe six months and then ask if you really need enrollment in an institution. If you discipline yourself to three or four two-hour learning sessions a week you'll be well versed on the mechanics in that six months. Select your chosen software (I'm partial to BBEdit text coding, to learn CSS and HTML right!) then pick any of the top ranked text books available and take their lessons religiously. Once you have a basis of mechanics, your design knowledge will kick in. A good starting place would be our education series
Following our Picture-to-Text piece last month, Kathy writes from Deer Island, OR, USA to tip us on three others which generate ascii text from an image:
* Text to image online: an Italian site with the source code: http://pic2text.divxmania.it/
* text-image.com with a similar software package: http://www.text-image.com, and
* TOOGLE, a Text version of Googles Image Search that creates images out of the very term that was used to fetch those images. We searched for "Santa" http://www.c6.org/toogle/index.php?phrase=Santa See our column See our column ART TEXT
Where do you look for creative ideas in crafting a unique, creative holiday greeting and promotional mailing? One of the elements of print media is folding. It comes along with the job, and if you incorporate a unique fold, your piece will be truly memorable. Here's the first part of our series on "Designing with Paper Folds"
Discover sources of inspiration that may just take you to the next level of creativity! Designer/Author Gary Dickson asks: "Where does your inspiration come from?" ... then shares his experiences with Inspiration in a Bottle
Martha Retallick, "The Passionate Postcarder" -- leading expert on post card marketing shares some important advice on saving a lot of time and money in your marketing. Before you splurge on the Yellow Pages or other media, read Martha's take on Using Postcards to Promote Your Design Studio
It doesnt take a lot of time, money or effort to create, print and mail a postcard. But when done right, postcards can be enormously effective... holiday postcards!
The Worlds first colour digital photo to colour text convertor is truly one of the most innovative developments in a long time! You simply must see Simon Leung's Artext Photo ConverterSimon Leung's Artext Photo Converter
Originally published in 1989, this printing primer for digital artists has been updated and annotated for today's digital desktop publisher. We've supplied an additional check list for publishing, press-checks, and a collection of references all desktop publishers need to know about: Print Primer for DTP
The BabelColor Company has rolled out the second version of "BabelColor", a color comparator and translator software designed for the Mac and Windows platforms. Babel Color Color Comparator
Gary Dickson from Epidemic Design provides some noteworthy observations regarding edge-designers, center-designers, their characteristics and their relationship to one another. He asks: "Would you rather Design from the Edge?"
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Posted Thu Jul 24, 2003 (C) 2004, all rights reserved.