Archive for Design Inspiration
June 5, 2007 at 4:20 pm · Filed under Actionscript 3, Adobe, Apple, CS3, Design Inspiration, Flash
Ben Pritchard of the Pittsburgh Flash Users Group recently posted a cool add-in: Kuler Panel for Flash CS3. The extension adds a new panel to Flash which interfaces with Adobe's Kuler, allowing you to browse the color combinations from within Flash CS3. The best part, though, is that selecting a color scheme creates a layer with that scheme's name and then puts that scheme's swatches on the new layer. This makes using the schemes trivial, and is a great addition to the tool.
For more information, check out Ben's post on the panel, or download it here.
[Updated to reflect updated version of the panel, released June 7th, 2007]
May 31, 2007 at 9:49 am · Filed under Apple, Design Inspiration, Personal, Tech
Yesterday I got my 17" MacBook Pro laser engraved, and I'm extremely excited about the results:
Overall the process is actually fairly simple - the artwork gets loaded into CorelDraw (oh how we were missing Illustrator) and then you print the design just like any other document. The printer driver allows you to select the settings for the laser engraver such as power, resolution, and dithering modes. After a test run on paper to ensure everything was lined up properly, we etched directly onto the laptop.
The hardest part was picking out and customizing the artwork. It is permanent, and as such the task of choosing artwork made me feel like I was getting a tattoo. Because I earn my living as a Flash Developer and I spend much of my day working on my laptop, the design had to be something I was sure would stand the test of time. For that reason I decided to choose something that had a retro feel, but also a bit organic and edgy. I think that was accomplished with this design, and once the process was finished I felt I had chosen correctly.
A big thanks to Joe at Engrave here in Portland, Oregon for spending a few hours helping me get everything perfect. Joe posted a few photos we took (including the two above) to his Flickr account last night, and the design is already getting some great feedback.
Update: Here's a short video I shot with my small Canon Powershot last night of the laser in action:
Update 2: Looks like someone posted this to Digg! Also, I've gotten a few emails asking about the artwork. It is an illustration I found on iStockPhoto, which I then put a few hours into customizing. So yes, it is unique, but you can find a similar illustration on iStockPhoto.
April 23, 2007 at 3:26 pm · Filed under Design Inspiration, Flash, Illustrator, Visual Thinking, XPLANE
At XPLANE one of the projects we're currently working on is a new version of the popular "Did You Know" video from Karl Fisch (read Karl's post on the upcoming sequel) and Scott McLeod (...and Scott's post on the sequel). If you haven't heard about this video, the gist is that it provides you with some extremely provoking thoughts on the world economy, education, and general globalization. The original has been viewed over 2 million times on various video postings around the web, including YouTube.
We're taking what was a PowerPoint presentation (turned video), updating the content with new stats and thoughts as provided by Karl and Scott with some consulting help from us, and then redoing the graphics/design. Instead of limiting ourselves with PowerPoint we're designing in Illustrator, animating in Flash, then exporting to QuickTime. That said, I'm excited to have a project that will allow me to try out several parts of the new CS3 workflow so quickly.
I believe the original video has been accepted to a film festival in Telluride, Colorado, and the organizers will be taking a look at the new one once completed and possibly presenting it. So keep your eyes peeled to Karl and Scott's blog, YouTube, and of course here for more information as we wrap up this sequel.
This is an exciting project, and I'm glad to be a part of it!
January 10, 2007 at 2:04 pm · Filed under Books, Design Inspiration, Flash
For the past few months I have had several of Taschen's Web Design series books sitting next to my desk. I often spend a few minutes flipping through one of them when I need to take a break from coding, and I always get inspired.
These small-format books offer what they promise: screen grabs of (usually) well designed and well thought out sites. And at less than $10 a piece, it's pretty easy to build up a collection.
What I enjoy the most is that there is very little discussion on the sites. Every book starts with one or two case studies, but after that you get just a screenshot, tools used, budget (hours and/or money) and people involved. It allows me to form my own opinions on the site, and the ones I am interested in I'll go check out online.
Pick one up if you get a chance. If you are in Portland, Oregon, Powell's in the Pearl District has the whole collection on the floor with the art and design books.
December 14, 2006 at 11:42 am · Filed under Business, Design Inspiration
In honor of the soon to be released Photoshop CS3 beta:
December 12, 2006 at 11:55 am · Filed under Design Inspiration
Got a designer you need to get a gift for? Core77 has published a great microsite of 77 Design Gifts Under $77.
Some of the more interesting items listed include:
Guido Oooms Memory Sticks
I think I'll get one of these and send it to Brendan Dawes. I immediately thought about the chapter in his book where he speaks to all of the material objects in our lives becoming digital. To help him cope with this, he took an old Atari cartridge, cut out the inside and installed a USB flash drive. Now his flash drive looks like a classic Atari game. Sweet.
Clogo Tissue Holder
Really, why can't the bathroom have its share of good design?
Make: Magazine Subscription
Geek's paradise. Check out the Make Controller for even more geeky fun.
Just for Kicks: A Documentary
I own it, and give it two thumbs up. Being in Portland (home of Nike, Adidas USA and others), I think this movie is a must-own. Not to mention I love documentaries.
Designer Emulation Kit
AWESOME. Anyone who knows me knows I have a thing for cool, modern, designer lighting. Mmmm... LUX.
Moleskin Notebooks
"Creative types can never get enough of these...". Yeah, I'm a bit behind on this one. But, it has been on my to-do list for... months.
Films of Charles and Ray Eames
No, they didn't only build amazing furniture (which you can pretty much only find at Design Within Reach). They also made cool experimental films. Hooray design inspiration.
Miniature Designer Chairs
This one also gets an AWESOME rating. I've always eyed the Vitras ones ($125-575/each), but these are actually affordable.
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