Subtraction: The Funniest Grid You Ever Saw – “Believe it or not, underlying every page of TheOnion.com are sixteen columns of 42 pixels each, separated by fifteen gutters (the empty white space between) of 10 pixels each, plus an additional, outsized column for the left-hand navigation. It’s an almost absurd number, I know, but it has a real purpose, because these pages are sufficiently complex that the practice of laying out elements on them requires lots of guidance.”
Marketing & PR
Photo Fakery
oe magazine – photofakery – “Identifying falsified images can be straightforward if you know a few tricks.”
Photoshop Splash Screens
design in-flight
design in-flight is back, having shifted from a PDF publication to a Web site chock full of tasty design goodness.
Mmmm Couleurs
Arrangement de couleurs is “a series of close-up photographs of shutters and doors, hoping that they would provide colour inspiration for an up-and-coming design project.”
Yet another great idea from And all that Malarkey
Website Research Highlights Gender Bias
As pointed out on xBlog, (which linked to the Molly Holzschlag’s blog) a recent study conducted by the University of Glamorgan, has found that ” there is no doubt about the strength of men and women’s preference for sites produced by people of their own sex”. While key parts of the study seem pretty obvious to designers (men tend to like angles, women prefer curves, etc.), it is interesting to note the statistics the male/female ratio of corporate Web designers. I was rather surprised that so many designers, were men – especially in companies that sell products focused on a female market (beauty supplies etc.)
Designers and managers of design teams should take note when they approach a new (re)design, as the gender of your target audience is one of the key factors that should shape the design of your site, and overall marketing efforts.
Enhance your photos by using the High Pass Filter
Enhance your photos by using the High Pass Filter – This looks amazing.
All the Logos
“AllTheLogos.com is an online database of logotypes and logo design. This includes more than 70,000 companies and organizations brands logos, team sports logos, countries flags and insignia as well as signs, general usage logos and more.”
ColorCombos.com
Thinking With Type
Thinking With Type looks like a great site, and is the companion piece to the book Thinking With Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students (Design Briefs)
Transforming bad material into suitable illustrations
A shortcut for working with straight lines in Photoshop
Quick Photoshop Tips
Quick Photoshop tips are very useful Veerle includes information about how to select a color that is outside of Photoshop’s window, which is something that I have wanted to do many times, but had not figured out. There are a couple of other interesting tips, plus a link to an article discussing the next version of Photoshop.
Layer Comps scripts in Photoshop CS
Layer Comps scripts in Photoshop CS explains how to use scripts to copy Layer Comps to a new file with all of the layers intact, turn Comps into a Web photo gallery with the ability to comment on each design or turn Layer Comps into a PDF. Yet another great tutorial from Veerle.
Zapfino Extra Pro
Linotype has released Zapfino Extra Pro:
> “when used in an OpenType-supporting application with all contextual features activated, draws on the rich library of glyphs included in the font to automatically generate numerous, changing alternatives that work together, creating a lively typographic impression. This impression can offer the same harmonious feeling as real calligraphy.”
This is an amazing font. Take a look at the different instances of the same letter within the example image. The variation provided by the different flourishes and letter types fools the eye into believing that this is actual calligraphy. This doesn’t look like a font.
Link via Authentic Boredom
5 Great Background Masking Techniques in Photoshop
5 Great Background Masking Techniques in Photoshop – “In this article, we’ll explore five different methods to isolate objects in Photoshop. As you follow this tutorial, you’ll gain a how-to explanation for each technique. You’ll also get the stats on how long each method takes, and my opinions as to when each method is most appropriate.”
Color Scheme Generator 2
Color Scheme Generator 2 improves upon the older color palette generator that had lived on pixy.cz. This is an extremely useful tool for all designers, and it is great to see that it has a new home at Wellstyled.com.
Change Multiple Text Layers in Photoshop
Wow, this is immensely helpful: Change Multiple Text Layers in Photoshop. As stated in the short article, if you want to make the same change to multiple text layers within Photoshop, you can skip the need to change each layer individually, or create an action. Simply follow these steps:
1. Link all of the text layers
2. Make sure one of the linked layers is currently selected
3. Hold down the Shift key while clicking on on the option bar to make the change
Very cool!
Thanks to Corrie Haffly for posting this on SitePoint.
graphicPUSH: Capturing and Optimizing Screenshots for Print
The Grammar of Ornament
I received some excellent books for my birthday this year, including The Grammar of Ornament, a stunning mixture of design knowledge, history and inspiration. The book, first printed in the middle of the 19th century, discusses a wide swath of ornamental styles and design from a wide array of sources and eras, including ancient Byzantinium, Greece, and Egypt, Imperial China and the European Renaissance.
While I have already spent a lot of time flipping pages, marvelling at the color reproductions, I have also started reading the book from cover to cover, just as I do with any other history source. The Grammar of Ornament provides an amazing opportunity to learn more about the history of those design elements we see throughout our day. All the better that it proves to be a great fount of ideas, even for those of us who design for an electronic medium.