vistors:

Monday, November 9, 2009

LOGOOGLES


I have to admit, I'm a bit of a geek...
I love to look at the google logos, also called logoogles, everyday
I found some cool sites and articles about google's constantly changing daily logos.

Here's an article about the DESIGNER who makes google "doodle" daily logos & an interview with him and
Korea Herald

>>>
Computer artist doodles oodles of 'google's<<<

More than 150 million Web surfers around the globe celebrated Korean Independence Day Aug. 15, 2001. Well, at least for a few moments while they were visiting the popular Internet search engine Google. That day, the Korean national flag and several roses of Sharon, the Korean national flower, adorned the familiar "Google" logo on the homepage of the Web site.

Dennis Hwang, Google Logo Creator

Just another day's work for Dennis Hwang (Hwang Jung-moak), a 23-year-old Korean computer artist in the United States, who has been drawing the face of Google for almost two years, creating a buzz of sorts with his simple yet witty designs. With its seemingly magical ability to produce the most relevant search results, Google is already an established destination for the Internet savvy. Recently, Hwang's creative logos have been expressing the playful heart of Google behind the impressive technology. For Piet Mondrian's birthday, Hwang transformed the "Google" logo to emulate the artist's signature style of utilizing colorful blocks. Claude Monet's birthday saw the logo turned into a dreamy watercolor, complete with floating lily pads. Hwang recently spoke with The Korea Herald to give his take on the artistic side of the popular Internet search engine. The Korea Herald: How long did you live in Korea as a child? What was it like?

Dennis Hwang: I was born in Knoxville, Tenn., but moved to Korea when I was about five years old. My hometown was Gwacheon where I had a very normal childhood. I went through public schools like everyone else, spending six years at Gwacheon Elementary School and two years at Munwon Middle School. Actually, much of my ideas and style stem from the time I spent during my childhood in Korea. Whatever challenges the logos bring, I can often rely on the little doodles that I used to do in school when I was young. Something that used to be frowned upon turned out to be my greatest asset.

Herald: When did you move back to the United States?

Hwang: I came back in 1992 when my father received a Fulbright Scholarship to research in the United States.

Herald: What was it like going to an American school all of a sudden?

Hwang: I was placed in a public middle school but was completely unprepared for it. I didn't speak a word of English. For the first six months, I couldn't communicate with the teachers or students. With the help of ESL programs though, I got better. My father returned to Korea, but my brother and I decided to continue our education in the States. My parents have made unimaginable sacrifices for us over the last 10 years, and I wouldn't be this successful without their support. Herald: What was the first logo you designed for Google?

Hwang: Google had been using outside contractors to do the earlier logos, so the first project I got was modifying the Fourth of July logo in 2000. The two founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, wanted something more fun, so I redrew parts of the image. The next logo was for Bastille Day, which is the first logo I did from scratch.

Herald: Which letters are your favorite targets for manipulation?

Hwang: Understandably, the "O" and the "L" are the easiest to deal with. The "O" has become a Halloween pumpkin, a Nobel Prize medal, the Korean flag symbol and the planet earth. The "L" has been used as a flagpole, the Olympic flame cauldron or a snow ski. The first "G" is the most difficult to deal with, and I don't think the "E" has gotten much action because of its location.

Herald: How did you come to do the Korean Independence Day logo?

Hwang: Google makes a big effort to recognize holidays that aren't necessarily mainstream. The Korean Independence Day logo was seen globally by tens of millions of people. Numerous Korean-Americans wrote to thank us on Aug. 15 last year. Many expressed how proud it made them to see the Korean flag.

Herald: Do you have plans for other Korea-related logos in the future?

Hwang: I'll definitely to a special logo for Korea hosting the World Cup.

Herald: You're only 23 years old. What are your future plans?

Hwang: Who knows? It's very important to me that I can work both technically and artistically. Google is a perfect place to do that. It allows me to have a programming job while letting me express myself artistically, with the added bonus of having my work be seen by tens of millions of people in a single day.

Herald: What is your favorite letter among the ones found in the word "Google?"

Hwang: I've stared at the logo for so long and so often. I love them all equally. (kimjin@koreaherald.co.kr) By Kim Jin Staff reporter,

source: Korea Herald

•Click here• to make your own "logoogle".

•Click here• to see all the past "logoogles".

•Click here• to read why, what, when and everything else you would ever want to know about the "logoogles" and google.


Wednesday, November 4, 2009

cool optical illusions

check out these optical illusions or "eye tricks" as i like to call them.
provided by: http://brainden.com/eye-illusions.htm

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

APPLE profits up 47 percent!


CUPERTINO, Calif. - Apple Inc. increased its net income 47 percent in the most recent quarter as more people bought Mac computers and gave in to the iPhone craze. The results sent Apple shares surging in extended trading Monday to an all-time high.

Apple unveiled a faster iPhone in June and cut the price of the previous generation of the phone to $99. Those moves boosted iPhone sales from July through September to 7.4 million devices, half a million more than in the same period of 2008.

Apple weathered the economic meltdown better than other computer companies, giving it a running start when PC sales grew in the quarter. Apple had also updated its Mac operating system and refreshed its Macbook Pro line. Apple sold 3.1 million Macs, a 19 percent rise from the same period a year ago.

As Apple's iPhone, which has iPod features built in, has grown in popularity, Apple's regular iPod music player business has suffered. The company sold 10.2 million iPods in the quarter, 8 percent fewer than last year, even though Apple unveiled a new iPod Nano with a video camera in September.

The iPod Touch was the bright spot in the media player lineup. Revenue for the gadget, which is like an iPhone without the phone, doubled from a year ago, Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer said in an interview.


Jeff Chiu / AP
Apple iPod nanos with video cameras also helped drive up profits.
Apple is rumored to be working on a tablet-style computer that's a cross between a laptop and an iPhone or iPod Touch, but the company is notoriously secretive about new products. On a conference call, Apple executives boasted vaguely about the company's "amazing" future offerings and dropped one tantalizing indication something new might be coming in time for holiday shopping.

Apple typically spends more on air freight in the current quarter in order to make sure stores are stocked with iPods and other gadgets for the holidays, but this year, the increase is more than usual.

"I'm sorry I can't be specific on the product, but it's, it's, it's an abnormal sequential increase," Apple's chief operating officer, Tim Cook, said in response to a question from an analyst.

Apple said it earned $1.7 billion, $1.82 per share, in its fiscal fourth quarter, which ended Sept. 26. Revenue jumped 25 percent to $9.9 billion.

For all of fiscal 2009, Apple said its profit rose 18 percent to $5.7 billion, or $5.36 per share. Revenue climbed 13 percent to $36.5 billion.

For the current quarter, Apple, which is based in Cupertino, Calif., said it expects to earn $1.70 to $1.78 per share, well below the $1.91 that analysts are expecting, though the company traditionally gives extremely conservative guidance. Apple predicted revenue of $11.3 billion to $11.6 billion, while analysts are looking for $11.4 billion, according to a Thomson Reuters poll.

Wall Street shrugged off the profit guidance and sent the company's shares up $10.79, 5.7 percent, to $200.65 in extended trading. At one point in the after-hours trading the stock climbed past $203. Adjusted for splits, Apple's highest price had been $202.96, reached Dec. 27, 2007.

Investors also are anticipating even more growth for the iPhone. Apple is set to officially begin selling iPhones in China on Oct. 30 and has plans to launch in South Korea during this quarter as well.

But Apple could hit snags in those countries in the first few months. The company struggled to supply enough of the newest iPhone 3GS to store shelves around the world over the summer. Cook said most of the sh
ortages had eased, but he added that he wishes more iPhones were ready for the China launch.

article by: msnbc

Monday, October 19, 2009

Hope Remains Shepard Fairey

*INTERESTING STORY ABOUT SHEPARD FAIRY by: WIRED.com*


Despite Fraud, ‘Hope’ Remains for Obama Artist Shepard Fairey

Street artist Shepard Fairey committed an egregious legal and ethical blunder by lying to a federal judge in his copyright battle with the Associated Press. But legal experts say his fundamental “fair use” case remains sound.

The nearly year-old legal dispute centers on Fairey’s iconic Obama Hope poster, which he based on of the photos of President Barack Obama taken in April 2006 by AP photographer Mannie Garcia at the National Press Club.

read more

Sunday, October 18, 2009

halloween is just around the corner


I found an awesome site that has the coolest mixed media craft supplies!


Some of there great stuff are:
collage sheets, embellishments, fake postage stamps, paper, vintage photo sheets, kits, books and MORE!


Check out the site HERE
or type this (below) into your URL
www.tentwostudios.com

Thursday, September 24, 2009

DO THE TWIST!

This is just too cool! A drink with a bottle cap opener on the bottom, genius. Every beer should have this on the bottom...

ABOUT the Product:
IZZE is an all naturally fruit soda – frizzy bubbly fun drink. In order to create a great amount of fun to enjoy this beverage, it will requires two or more people, hence this lead to the idea of a bottle cap design: “Do the twist”.

WHO DESIGNED THIS?!:

Amy Kin Chiew, also known as Redchiew, is a graphic based designer turned art director. A recent graduate of Miami Ad School (CP+B partnered), who majored in Advertising, she spent her first year in Miami and the rest of the years in Europe exposing herself with various ad agencies, such as Saatchi & Saatchi London and W+K, Amsterdam.

Currently, she is with Draft FCB as freelance Art Director. Her life after work includes experimenting with fine art photography and character designs, of which some of these works are found in www.designrelated.com/chiewy .--- bio by: dandelion

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Amazing Artist: Untamed Menagerie


Who: Untamed Menagerie

Where & why:
While recently shopping on Etsy.com (the best site for unique art piece for sale) I came across one of the best jewelry artist(s) I have seen in a long time. The pieces absolutely blew my mind with originality & creativity! I plan to buy several pieces, some for {{ME}} and some as gifts! Of course, I will let everyone know how wonderful the products are when I receive them, I'm sure they will be PERFECT!

A bit about the duo: Untamed Menagerie is a collection of the combined works of Penny and Nikki (mother and daughter). We are inspired by nature, vintage illustrations, and anatomy. We strive to create whimsical accessories that will bring a smile to your face.

CHECK IT OUT<---CLICK THERE to see more of Untamed Menagerie's ArtWork!

Thanks for reading!

Friday, September 4, 2009

MY VERY FIRST ATC's!!!

I uploaded my very first ATC's last nite to the ATCsforALL.com site. My name is artlove1987 if you would like to view my gallery.I scanned them in...they look alot better in person..but you get the idea of what they look like.
Here are some of my cards:



Monday, August 31, 2009

Product of the Week: Alcohol Ink Markers


Create custom Alcohol Ink markers with the Tim Holtz® Adirondack® Alcohol Ink Fillable Pen and your favorite Adirondack Alcohol Inks. This dual-tipped dry pen can be filled by using just a few drops of your favorite color Alcohol Inks. Doodle, journal, write, outline and color using either the flexible brush tip or the fine point tip.

I haven't used these yet but, I have used the Tim Holtz Adirondack
® Alchol Inks. I read an article on them in a craft magazine and them seem like a creative addition to the inks.

So...where can you buy this?
ohmycrafts.com
www.pageadditions.com



Here's a video on how to use the pens:


Sunday, August 30, 2009

Atc stuff!

I'm really into the whole ATC scene right now. I made my first set of cards yesterday with a "fall theme". They came out super cute and were really fun to do. But, I found myself hating one process, cutting the initial clipboard for the cards. I found these on ebay.com, thought it was a great item. They are precut ATC clipboards.

{click here}

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Artist Trading Cards!


I just recently joined a neat art trading website. It's such a smart idea, trade art for art & making art for art's sake! To Join me click here!

HERE'S A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE SITE:

Welcome to our Artist Trading Card (ATC) community forums! Our focus is on friendly ATC and mail art trading and swapping in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. Everyone is welcome here. All mediums are welcome too--painting, drawing, collage, mixed media, fabric, clay--you name it, we do it! And we don't just trade ATCs; there is a lot going on here. This includes chunky books, inchies, rinchines, twinchies, charms, art journals, altered art, rolodexes and rolo trading, and much more. We also have a gallery and trader rating system to faciliate trading between members and keep our community growing. We hope that you will join our family of art lovers and join us in trading art!


(THE IMAGE IS AN ACTUAL ORIGINAL HAND-CRAFTED ATC, made by mrubyjean of ATCsFORall.com, COOL HUH?)

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

FREE! hand-drawn fonts!


I found a website with FREE downloads of hand-drawn fonts!

Unlike the serif font family, these hand drawn fonts looked less serious but they tend to give and convey strong human touch wherever they are applied. Hand-drawn fonts are hard to find, and even harder to find them for free! Look no further!

(to the left is an image of one of my favorites from the site!)


{check it OUT}

Monday, August 24, 2009

ArtBin SALE!


Joann Fabric & Craft Stores have ArtBin's 50% off!
I bought a great one for only $19.99 (regluar $39.99)!
Here's the website:

Joann's ArtBin Sale!

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Product of the Week: DecoColor Paint Markers


These Paintmarkers made by: DecoColor are the coolest new supply in my ArtBin!

These markers are great for doing fine detail work graffiti, signs or pretty much any kind of craft your into because they are solvent-based and dry instantly. ( They are extremely great to use on WALLs, wood, plastic, paper & glass )

Colors can be blended and are removed easily with turpentine. They are fully opaque on all porous and non-porous surfaces. They are also lightfast and weatherproof — excellent for temporary outdoor signage.

{Click HERE} to get your own paintmarkers!

Have Fun!


Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Adorable Handmade Mac~Goodies!!

Discover something unique & handmade at Esty.com

Here's some of my favorites :

{check it out}
CLICK HERE FOR THIS--->CLICK HERE FOR THIS^CLICK HERE FOR THIS--->CLICK HERE FOR THIS->

Sunday, August 16, 2009

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WOODSTOCK AUGUST 14th-17th, 1969!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWJhQZ2_5T8&feature=fvw
check out that slideshow of woodstock photos, it's groovy!

What is WOODSTOCK?

Woodstock Music & Art Fair (informally, Woodstock or The Woodstock Festival) was a music festival, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music", held at Max Yasgur's 600 acre (2.4 km²; 240 ha, 0.94 mi²) dairy farm in the rural town of Bethel, New York from August 15 to August 18, 1969. Bethel, in Sullivan County, is 43 miles (69 km) southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, in adjoining Ulster County. During the sometimes rainy weekend, thirty-two acts performed outdoors in front of 300,000 concert-goers.It is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most pivotal moments in popular music history and was listed on Rolling Stone's 50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock and Roll.[3]. The event was captured in the successful 1970 documentary movie Woodstock, an accompanying soundtrack album, and Joni Mitchell's song "Woodstock" which commemorated the event and became a major hit for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young!

Friday, August 14, 2009

SAY GOODBYE TO PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES

PAPER IS THE NEW PLASTIC!

Extremely innovative new packaging from Brandimage, who was responsible for everything including concept development, branding, prototyping, engineering, and product design. The 360 Paper Bottle is the first of its kind in the world, and a true environmentally-friendly solution to the problem of plastic water bottles:

CHALLENGE
Each day, Americans throw out 60 million plastic bottles. Only 14% actually get recycled--
meaning 86% become garbage or litter. We looked at this as a radical problem requiring an
equally radical solution. Could we design a container that would leverage sustainability, be easy to transport, and enhance the consumer’s drinking experience?

SOLUTION
The 360 Paper Bottle is a sustainable vision of the future. It is the first totally recyclable paper container made from 100% renewable resources. Versatile in its range of consumer applications and made from food-safe and fully recyclable materials, it decreases energy consumed throughout the product life cycle without sacrificing functionality. It is paper
packaging that stands up to all liquid categories.

Nice work Brandimage!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

new Macbook SEMI-Pro?


It looks like the new Apple Macbook Pro isn't quite as technically well-equipped as the later models. BUMMER!

Although the new 15-inch MacBook Pro has the word "Pro" in it's name, Apple removed it's most pro-level feature: the ExpressCard/34 slot. The fastest interface on the machine, the ExpressCard/34 slot passed data through its direct connection to the system at up to 2.5Gbps through its direct connection to the system bus, enabling blazing fast speeds and almost unlimited expansion capabilities. Compare this to the maximum speed of 0.36Gbps for an SD card slot, which could have been added for a miniscule cost with an ExpressCard adapter anyway. Professional Videographers and Photographers depended on the ExpressCard slot to connect eSATA drives (whose theoretical speeds could reach 3.9Gbps, while real-world usage usually hovers around 1.5Gbps), to add extra FireWire 800 and USB 2.0ports onto their own dedicated buses without interruption from additional peripherals, and to add comprehensive card readers that could read dozens more types of cards than just SD. We hope Apple brings back the ExpressCard/34 slot to the 15-inch MacBook Pros. In the meantime, perhaps Apple should rename this machine the MacBook Semi-Pro!
---->Article written by: Scott Rose, Mac|Life Magazine


Wednesday, August 12, 2009

>>>>>the DO's & DON'Ts of COLOUR<<<<<
Did you know that colour and visual elements activate the right brain (emotions), while the printed words activate the left brain (logic)? Colour and Typography remain to be the two most important elements in design. When you harmoniously combine them all you attract a quicker attentionx to the subject, reinforce impact and recognition, help in establishing powerful identities and brand, set a mood.

Today we’ll examine the DOs and DON’Ts in designing with colour, and next time we’ll investigate the topic of Typography.

Babies are colour-dominant: they are more attracted by colour than form. And even though we generally become more form-dominant as we mature, colour still plays an important role on how we perceive the message. For instance, why does red always call to attention? Whether you want to tweak the colours of your site, or design an ad or a poster to attract people to your products or services, or even paint the walls in your house, these colour essentials should help you in becoming more colour-wise.

DO take time to learn the colour wheel?
the colour wheel All colours are made up of three primaries: red, blue and yellow. When you combine the primaries, you get the three secondary colours: orange, purple and green. When you combine each secondary colour with its neighboring primary, you get six tertiary colours: yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-purple, red-purple, red-orange. That’s how you get the familiar 12-colour wheel.

Every colour has a temperature: from the red/yellow side of the spectrum it’s warm, and from the blue/purple side it’s cool. It has an intensity that’s described as saturation or chroma. Saturation is determined by how much or how little grey a colour contains. High intensity colours are pure, bright and vivid. Less saturated colours are muted, soft and subdued. Every colour has a value, determined by its lightness or darkness. When planning a colour combination, value and saturation are as important as the hue (synonymous with colour).

DON’T miss on understanding the basic colour wheel rules:

  • Most colours look great when combined with the shades in various values or intensities. These colour schemes are called Monochromatic, which consist of colours drawn from the same hue.
  • Colours also love to hang out with their next door neighbors. Any three neighboing colours on a 12 part colour wheel make up an Analogous colour scheme. They are always harmonious as they share the same undertones: yellow-green, yellow and yellow-orange. To add a bit more impact to the analogous group, you can expand it with another neighboring color, e.g. orange.
  • Opposites attracts, even with colours, and that’s how you get Complementary colours: they are the opposite hues on the colour wheel, that “complete” each other when used as a pair. Warm colours have cool complements and vice versa.

I found this handy Flash application that visually explains the colour wheel in an easy to follow style. There’s also a helpful HP colour wheel that showcases different colour schemes.

DO analyze the colour undertones?
spices If you like blue but want a subtle effect, choose a white or grey with a blue undertone. A red-orange terracotta pot has a yellow tone to it, hence those colours will blend harmoniously with each other. On the other hand, don’t emphasize an undesired undertone by pairing it with its complement: if the shade of brown has a pink undertone to it, combining it with green (the complement of red) will only intensify the problem.

Learn to identify colour tone, its warmth or coolness. A warm blue contains some red that makes it to look more purple, while a cool blue contains some green, which makes it more aqua or teal.
Do keep in mind that neutrals also have undertones. Often people will mistake grey for blue if there’s a blue undertone, or plum if the undertone is violet.

DON’T neglect the fact that colours ‘change’ according to their surrounding:
colour change case 1 A large rectangle and a narrow line (or type) of the same colour will seem to have different values when placed against a white background: the colour in the line will look darker than it does in the rectangle, because it’s surrounded by much brighter white space.
colour change case 2 When two shades of the same colour, one dark and one light, are paired with each other, the darker shade will look darker and the lighter shade will appear to be lighter: a pink rose will seem to be paler against a purple background.
colour change case 3 Larger colour spaces will affect the smaller ones: if a small square of medium yellow is surrounded by a larger area of black, the yellow square will seem to be brighter than when surrounded by white. Any colour will appear lighter against a darker colour and vice versa.
colour change case 4Outlining a colour in a darker shade will enhance the enclosed colour, helping to keep a colour from “spreading” into surrounding areas. On the other hand, a lighter outline will cause a colour to spread to adjacent colours, and reduce the strength of the enclosed colour.
This valuable tip comes from David Airey: There’s also the illusion how dark colours surrounding light ones will make the lighter area appear smaller than it is if it were the opposite (dark surrounded by light). It’s why you should always bump up the text size if you insist on using white text against a black background.

DO explore the colour psychology?
While perceptions of color are rather subjective, and have different meanings in various cultures, some colours affect us in a similar way. The human eye sees warm colours before cool hues. Cool colours appear to recede, while warm colours appear to advance, however the degree of saturation can make a difference.

  • RED: With its aggressive, stimulating and sexy nature, assertive attention and provoking action, the red is impossible to ignore.
  • PINK: Depending on its saturation or value, pink evokes varied mood swings. Magenta and fuchsia are perceived as sensual and theatrical. But water-down the red in lighter pinks and the raw sensuality of red is replaced with gentle romanticism.
  • ORANGE: Inheriting some of the drama of red, orange is tempered by the friendly humour of yellow. It’s the colour that stimulates the appetite and radiates with warmth and vitality.
  • YELLOW: Yellow and black is the most unignorable colour combination in nature – tigers, stinging bees – it’s the colour that says: you’d better pay attention to me.
  • BROWN: Rustic, durable, wholesome and deliciously rich are just some of the traits of the colour that’s often associated with earth and home, substance and stability.
  • BLUE: Ever noticed how many corporations and financial institutions use blue in their brands? That’s because blue is seen as dependable and committed. It is also the colour we often associate with calm and serenity. Darken the blue and you’ll add an instant authority, credibility and power to it.
  • GREEN: Because of its association with nature and foliage, green in design can be used almost like a neutral colour: greens never clash with red or pink roses, yellow sunflowers, lilacs or bluebells.
  • PURPLE: It’s perhaps the most enigmatic and complex colour, with the range of meanings – from royal to elegant to spiritual to mysterious. Purple is often favoured by very creative and eccentric people who are not afraid of appearing daring.
  • WHITE: Not surprisingly white communicates purity, sense of clarity and simplicity. White is also perceived by the human eye as a bright colour, that’s why it works so well in contrast with all other colours.
  • BLACK: People see black as the most dramatic, heavy, powerful, classic colour with an up-scale look. Because of its extreme contrast to white, black and white is the quintessential combination of depth and clarity, power and innocence.

DON’T be afraid to experiment with colour combinations. Sometimes even the forbidden combinations work. Check out various online colour tools and applications that will help you to chose the right colour combination for your projects. Mac users can install numerous handy colour widget for the Dashboard: Adobe Kuler, Color Theory, ColorSchemer, ColorBurn.
UPDATE: I just found a great list of colour resources: Complete Color Matching Guide – it’s definitely worth to be bookmarked.

DO examine other sites and designs to determine which colour schemes are more appealing than others. In one of the upcoming weeks, I’ll be featuring sites that were designed with the excellent knowledge and sense of colour. Meanwhile, browse numerous CSS galleries, bookmark the sites with attractive colour schemes, thumb through the pages of various design magazines, books, not just the ones for graphic designers, but also architectural and interiour design publications, where you will be inspired by the innovative and fabulous colour combinations.

DON’T forget about the readability when combining colour with type.
type and colourIt’s true that we mainly deal with the black type on white paper/page background, and that a black text on a light background is the easiest to read. However, it doesn’t mean that colour and type don’t mix. When used well, colour can add an emphasis to your message. Pay attention to the relative values and saturation of colours when a background colour interacts with coloured type. The contrast between type and background diminishes when their values move closer to each other, and the type becomes less legible. The contrast between the type colour and the background colour must be considerable to ensure that the type remains visible.

John from iLT also gives this valuable advice: “when using reversed out text (e.g. light on dark), it’s often advisable to make the text a little heavier, as the dark background tends to optically reduce the weight of the text.”

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Product of the Week: Ugly Dolls


I recently started working at a toy store and discovered these odd little creatures. They are called UglyDolls. They're really neat & they have a badass website.

Check out UGLYDOLLS.com

Here's some info about them:
From the creative minds of two love struck artists David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim emerge the Uglydoll family! What started as a drawing of a playful orange character known as Wage has turned into a whole new world of fun! In 2001, when David's soon to be wife and creative partner Sun-Min had to return to Korea, he sent her many "I miss you" letters with his little Wage character drawn at the bottom.

Sun-Min sewed Wage into a plush doll and sent him to David as a surprise gift. David asked Sun-Min to sew a couple more for the Giant Robot store in Los Angeles and they sold out in one day! A very excited Sun-Min sewed many more and those sold just as fast! Sun-Min and David then began to pull more characters from the Uglyverse, a universe where UGLY meant unique and special, to translate into plush Uglydolls. They both met again at their very first Uglydoll Toy Fair booth (a small 6x6 booth made of felt and wood) in New York, where they would go on to win Toy Of The Year 4 years later!



Sunday, August 2, 2009

AMAZING PHOTO ILLUSTRATION!





Looks like I'm a day too late in sharing this site with you all given the number of track backs I see, have no idea how I missed it on BoingBoing. You may have seen the technical Illustrator pieces in the past such as Hulsey's work but I never ever fathomed creating photo-realistic images of people! Take a look for yourself and check out the mind blowing work done by the Illustrator artists. From afar you can't tell the difference, it's only when you look up close and see the various shapes they used to create the different body parts, only then are you able to discern the difference (hard borders between the different shapes). For example, check out the Jolie piece done by Forrest. The eyes, nose and lips are near perfect, the only way you can tell it's a drawing is the jawline and the ear... really amazing stuff.

Review by: basangpanaginip.blogspot.com

CHECK OUT OTHER PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS HERE!

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Product of the Week: The 4th Edition FontBook


Here's a book Review on The 4th edition of the "FontBook"!
This book was worth the wait! Check it out and get a copy for yourself!

Long before there were hi-res laser printers in every design firm and PDF specimens on every foundry website, typographers discovered, compared, and selected type using specimen books.

There is too much separation from the display to the printed page for a designer to see how the curves, the straights, and the joins truly interact. The best way to review and analyze the utility of a typeface is through viewing the samples in print. Nothing can replace this.

To this end, “FontBook” is a type reference worth much more than its weight in gold. And it weighs a lot! (More than six-and-a-half pounds, in fact.)

Some might say, “but it’s a book and it can’t be updated.” True. Containing font releases up to 2006, “FontBook” is best used in conjunction with FontShop.com and other online vendors for a more current view of what’s available. But the book offers insight not found online, such as the “see also” cross-references, and offset printed samples complete enough to really give a good idea of what you’ll get when you go to press.

This comprehensive reference is curated, organized, and printed with loving and tender care — a vital tool for keeping things original and fresh for each client and project.

---Reviewed by Tiffany Wardle de Sousa

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Photographer Adam Bouska


{{Adam.Bouska}}
,born October 31, 1983 in Decatur, Illinois, is an American fashion photographer who runs a photography studio based out of West Hollywood, California. He is known for pictures of male models in particular, and is considered a rising 'superstar photographer'. His work has been printed in DNA Magazine and reFRESH and has already been featured at major websites, such as amazon.com and tenpercent.com. Bouska's most recent model, Ryan Barry, is noted as being the boyfriend of Reichen Lehmkuhl. He is also noted for his work with America's Next Top Models; Bre Scullark, Amanda Babin, and Michelle Babin. Adam currently resides in West Hollywood, California.

Adam's artwork is absolutely beautiful & inspiring!!

CLICK HERE to view Adam Bouska's portfolio.