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This is Design Likes Issue 73: An overview of stuff of interest to the design mind. Be sure to see the Science of Creativity.
Enjoy!
Chuck Green
P.S. Please check out my template collections:
For InDesign > http://www.ideabook.com/indesign_templates.html
For PageMaker > http://www.ideabook.com/pagemaker_templates.html
For QuarkXPress > http://www.ideabook.com/quarkxpress_templates.html
Ideas 101 > Design a campaign around a visual illusion
Next time you are brainstorming an advertising or marketing piece, consider the idea of using an illusion to illustrate your point. I'm thinking, if you find just the right illusion (something somehow related to your topic) and write a thoughtful tie-in for it, you'd have a built-in reason for people to stop, look, and get interested.
Thanks to my brother Jim Green for sending me this link to the 2009 Finalists of the Best Visual Illusion of the Year Contest.
The 2009 finalists...
Here > http://illusioncontest.neuralcorrelate.com/cat/top-10-finalists/2009/
Tintbook CMYK Process Color Selector, on Coated or Uncoated Stock...
Here > http://www.ideabook.com/store_tintbook.html
Print Design > If you're interested in learning how to create and market comics
The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS) offers a two-year course of study that centers on the creation and dissemination of comics, graphic novels and other manifestations of the visual narrative. It's curriculum of art, graphic design, and literature reflect the wide array of skills needed to create comics and graphic novels. CCS emphasizes self-publishing and prepares its students to publish, market, and disseminate their work.
The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS)...
Here > http://www.cartoonstudies.org/
Download a free copy of CCS's How To Brochure (3.63MB PDF)...
Here > http://www.cartoonstudies.org/images-index/ccsHOWTOBOOKLET.pdf
Illustration > Defining words with pictures
I recently mentioned Pictorial Webster's: A Visual Dictionary of Curiosities and received a heads-up about another great resource from Caroline Fortin, Publisher of QA International. She referred us to The Visual Dictionary Online--an interactive dictionary with a long history and a futuristic approach.
"From the image to the word and its definition, the Visual Dictionary Online is an all-in-one reference. Search the themes to quickly locate words, or find the meaning of a word by viewing the image it represents."
Very cool.
Example 1...
Here > http://visual.merriam-webster.com/images/about-visual/overview/zoom-volcan.gif
Example 2...
Here > http://visual.merriam-webster.com/images/about-visual/behind-visual/zoom-arbre.gif
Try it out. Choose a theme and drill down to a specific subject...
Here > http://visual.merriam-webster.com/index.php
Color Harmony Guide...
Here > http://www.ideabook.com/store_color_harmony.html
Illustration > The ultimate in presentation inspiration
If you want some terrific presentation inspiration, head over to The Art of the Title Sequence. It demonstrates how top film title designers, past and present, combine pictures with words to communicate ideas in thoughtful and intriguing ways.
While there, check out the wonderful collection of alphabet posters created for the film Coraline. Take note of how each letter of the alphabet is modified to provide a secondary meaning.
These are the titles for Coraline...
Here > http://www.artofthetitle.com/2009/11/09/coraline/
For fun... the Coraline movie site...
Here > http://coraline.com/
Wed Design > Building your web on the 960 grid
Stephen Bau has created a terrific collection of commonly used web elements built on Nathan Smith's 960 pixel grid system. As he explains it, "I have been looking for a means of rapidly developing interactive prototypes for our site designs at Domain7. So I have been building a library of commonly used HTML elements, combining these with CSS for typography and layout, and adding some basic effects available from popular JavaScript libraries."
Even if you don't use the code, the page itself will get you thinking about elements you might want to include in your design.
If you are unfamiliar with the 960 Grid system, I have also included a link below.
Stephan Bau's "design incluences" page...
Here > http://designinfluences.com/fluid960gs/16/
Nathan Smith's 960 Grid System...
Here > http://960.gs/
Graphic Design, Referenced: A Visual Guide to the Language, Applications, and History of Graphic Design...
Here > http://www.ideabook.com/graphic_design_referenced.html
Illustration > The science of creativity
My interest in the aspects of graphic design that can be "proved" continues to grow. By "proved" I mean visual and informational structures that are actually based on some type underlying formula.
I thought this article was particularly intriguing: "The mathematics behind the Droste effect." It poses that when M.C. Escher drew his Print Gallery, he was, without realizing it, following a rather complex mathematical formula.
It reminded me of our discussion a few months ago about whether there exists some type of "design DNA" that we do not yet understand.
Seb Przd's conformal mapping imagery...
Here > http://www.flickr.com/photos/sbprzd/302576236/sizes/l/in/set-72157594172266668/
More from Seb Przd...
Here > http://www.flickr.com/photos/sbprzd/sets/72157594172266668/
The mathematics behind the Droste effect...
Here > http://www.josleys.com/article_show.php?id=82
12-page illustrated article "Artful Mathematics: The
Heritage of M. C. Escher" from the American Mathmatical Society (1.8MB PDF)...
Here > http://www.ams.org/notices/200304/fea-escher.pdf
Our earlier discussion, "Is there such a thing as design DNA?"...
Here > http://www.pageplane.com/ideas_101/is_there_such_a_thing_as_desig.html
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About the briefing
I try to remain as objective as possible about the information I share here. Unless otherwise stated, I receive no compensation from the organizations and people mentioned except for occasional product samples.
Comments? Suggestions? Write me at chuckgreen@ideabook.com
> Chuck
