ditto

nickconflitti:

A Sunday filled with design :)

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Colorama - Paint By Numbers

found on http://www.motionserved.com/…

a nice commercial taking the idea of paint by numbers to the 3d world.

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a nice little type related stop motion video I ran across on http://www.typeforyou.org/

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the big bad world of internet social media

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Liska + Associates

What is Liska + Associates?

Liska + Associates is a Chicago-based communication design firm built on the principle that strategic design makes great business sense. We define the differentiating characteristics of a company or institution and translate core messages into consistent, compelling and persuasive branding programs and materials.

Several weeks ago a few of my classmates and I had the opportunity to visit this highly accomplished design firm. Located on the 23rd floor at 515 North State Street.

Moreover, who did we get to meet with, Mr. Dave Liska himself. Mr. Liska began by giving us a brief overview of what kind of work Liska + Associates does. But, rather than going deep into the different types of projects that the firm has done—he told us to look at the website. There was more to discuss than that.

Thus the question and answer session began.

One of the questions that we student designers always have is “What do you look for when hiring?” Mr. Liska’s repose was a little startling. He said he looked for people who where smart. Design finesse can be developed over time, but if you are not smart, if you are not capable of coming up with good ideas, then well…. The Second thing he said that he looks for is people who are good with typography. But…mostly…“Be Smart.”

Another one of the discussions we had regarded the transition away from print media to digital media and what this transition means for the design community. Less and less items are printed; instead they are published to the web. And this makes sense, why print out a 10,000 annual report if you can create a website for 1/10th the cost. Why print a magazine if all the readers are online.

Mr. Liska’s advice to us was to think digitally. We need to know how to design for the web if we are going to excel in the design world of tomorrow.

Jobs in the design world are shifting. As designers of the future we need to be ahead of the shift, we need to be flexible, and we need to be smart.

REMEMBER: BE SMART

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A Plethora of Petite and Powerful Programs for Productivity

(Another alliteration in apt adherence to awesome academic and addictive programs and widgets.)

Over the past few weeks my classmates have been sharing a bunch of programs and online tools that we use to help use though the day, below is my compiled list of programs, widgets and otherwise, along with a few that were not included in our presentations but I felt worthy of including.

Note: this list is primarily for Mac users.

PRODUCTVITY

SELF CONTROL
Ever find yourself going to Facebook, or checking your e-mail A LOT? Can’t stay away? Is it keeping you from getting your work done? Self Control, a freeware program that can help. This handy little program allows you to block any website for up to 12 hours at a time, thus affording you a little more self-control.

THINK
In the spirit of getting things done, Think is a program that helps you “Narrow your focus” by allowing you to have only one program in the foreground at a time.

QUICKSILVER
I am not sure what I would do without this program. It completely streamlines the process of opening programs and files. All you have to do is create a key command, and then just start typing whatever it is you need to open. But wait there is more.  Hit “tab” and a whole new world is at your fingertips; FTP, queuing iTunes, moving files, e-mail and more can all be commanded though Quicksilver. Take the dao mentality of wei wu wei to heart and act without doing.

Opening up iTunes

MESSANGER

SKYPE
Chat and make calls across the world with ease. I am an Adium addict, but there are two fail points to my favorite instant messenger. First Adium does not do video chat; something which Skype not only does, but seems to do better than any other messenger out there. And, two, Adium’s support for file transfer is spotty at best. So, get your buddies on Skype, and “set your conversations free.”

Looks like tweetie got to sneak into my screenshot of an across the classroom video chat between a classmate and me.

ADIUM
The best Mac messenger out there, combine almost all your accounts into one. It’s also free so there is no reason not to use it. And, you can customize the appearance to match your preferences and desktop background.

All of these messengers are supported though Adium.

TYPEOGRAPHY

FLIPPING TYPICAL
This little web app it a great way to quickly compare typefaces. Simply type in a few words and watch them appear on your screen.

Morph is the name of a specialty shop project I’m working on.

TYPETESTER
Another handy web app for comparing the look of blocks of text, change the leading, typeface, and color of your type. Compare, contrast and more.

HTML FTP, & CSS

FIREBUG
When it comes to debugging code, it is always a hassle. Firebug is a Firefox plugin that helps the process along. By showing you your code hand helping you find all the problems quickly and easily.

WEB DEVELOPER 1.1.8
Another Firefox extension that streamlines the web development process. More than worth it. The extension adds a menu and a toolbar to the browser with various web developer tools.

CYBERDUCK
How do you FTP? There are a bunch of programs out there Cyberduck is considered to be one of the best out there. And, it is free.

COLOR

ADOBE KULER
When it comes to developing color schemes, Kuler takes the cake and decoates it too. You can use the nifty tools to create beauty or terror with up to five colors. From photographs, or mathematical formulas Kuler helps you make color pop. Better still, because Kuler comes from adobe, you can download your creations right into the adobe software with ease… if you can remember your adobe password.

Now if only I could remember my user name and password that I created in high school when Adobe didn’t own Dreamweaver… oh yeah now I remember…

GENERAL

APPCLEANER
AppCleaner is a small freeware application, which allows you to thoroughly uninstall unwanted applications. It is easy to use and helps you keep your computer running at top capacity.

(sings) I’m gonna wash that app right out’ta my mac.

FUN

GEEKTOOL
This program embeds file content, web text and web images in the desktop. Most interestingly, GeekTool also embeds shell-command output in the desktop. This means you can keep Terminal commands running in the background at all times directly on the desktop wallpaper. For me I stick to having the date, time and weather in big bold typographic beautifulness and keeping a three-day update on my iCal at all times. It is great for quick reference if you want to know what the day is, what is due tomorrow, or if it is snowing outside.

My desktop. It looks like it’s snowing outside today.

SUPERDOCKER
For when you are sick of your dock always looking the same, this program effectively allows you to create and place “skins” on your dock.

MIRAGE 1.1 
This app allows you to make your “dock” invisible so that all you see is the icons. Currently I am using this program; I like how “clean” it makes my desktop appear.

FINDING FREEWARE

Here are a few resources for finding useful freeware for the mac.

100 free useful mac applications part 1

100 free useful mac applications part 2

15 best Freeware Apps for Mac Users

40 most useful free Mac OSX Softwares

The Great Mac OS X Freeware List

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Keeping up with the Jones.

For those of you out there with iPhones (not me I’m to poor) Jones Soda has extended their brand to the iPhone. You can now order your custom soda without ever having to leave the comfort of your phone.

AND NOW SOME PICTURES!

Get it here http://bit.ly/JonesApp

Thanks @BradWaller for the tweet and link!

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GOING POSTAL

aka: A QUICK LOOK AT POSTAL REGULATIONS

Knowing the correct weights, paper and size restrictions, and formatting for anyone working with mailed items. The ability to correctly design a mailed piece, cuts down on embarrassing problems that cost clients money. No one wants to add another stamp, or have the letters not go though the routing machines.

THE ANATOMY OF BUSINESS REPLY MAIL

• NO STAMP REQUIRED: Postage has been paid by the company already.
• HORIZONTAL BARS: must be 1/16” to 3/16” thick and evenly spaced. The bars must be at least 1” long and 1” wide.
• FIM: (Facing Identification Marks) there are two types, penalty mail which is mail sent by U.S. government agencies, and Franked mail and indicates that the postage for the mail has been paid. Get them at the US Postal Service website.
• BUSINESS REPLY MARK: “BUSINESS REPLY MAIL” must always be shown in all caps and appear above the address. Included in this area below is the permit number, issuing post office, and the addressee of whoever is paying the postage.
• DELIVERY ADDRESS: address that the card will be mailed to.
• BAR CODE: This represents the ZIP code information to allow for fast scanning. Each 5 lines represents a different number.

THE ANATOMY OF A BUSINESS LETTER

(image & information from international Paper’s Knowledge center )

1. Return address
2. Address window
3. OCR read area
4. Bar code clear zone

SOME RESOURCES

United States Postal Service

International Paper Knowledge Center

The Designer’s Toolbox

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Neutra Face : An Ode On A Typeface..

this is why graphic designers should never be given a video camera.

I absolutly love this.

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Designing Brand Identity: part 3

Are you Jonesing for Jones Soda, because I sure am?

Hip, cool, and different, Jones Soda stands out in the crowed multi billion dollar Coke and Pepsi dominated soft drink industry. But how does the little guy succeed in the soft drink industry?

The answer–-BE DIFFERENT.

You become connected to Jones Soda, it is not just something you drink you make Jones soda a part of you.

HOW
It’s the culture. When Jones Soda was founded, in 1994 by Peter van Stolk, the soft drinks were sold at “hot spots.” coffee shops, skateboard shops, tattoo parlors, hangouts, and events. From there Jones grew.

For advertising Jones stays away from the traditional media; wisely choosing to appeal to youth on a more local, personal, and interactive level. They sponsor alternative sport players, do Free give always at events, and more.

One of the most successful aspects of the Jones Soda brand is the bottle labels. On the company’s website, www.jonessoda.com ,users can upload and submit their own images to be used on the labels.  As of Spring 2004 Jones soda has had over 4,300 different images on their bottles. The constant change, keeps the brand fresh. And the system for uploading and voting keeps people involved in the Jones Community.

BEING DIFFERENT

During the Presidential election, Jones Soda released some special “presidential” bottles.

Right now they have a series of geek friendly D&D bottles.

Unusual flavors like fufu berry, kiwi, and blue bubblegum.

How about opening up a can of WoopAss when you need an energy pick me up.

Or some flavorful, fizzy candies that give your mouth a buzz.

And with every bottle you open there is always a user submitted fortune hiding inside the cap.

And, never forget, the annual completely vegan tofurky and gravy flavor.

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