 Greetings -- thanks for subscribing. If you caught my last message, you'll recall I was talking about how much is changing our field. Now I want to focus on what hasn't changed. The best work still requires a smart idea, a compelling appeal, and a clear call to action. But the toughest test is a philosophical one: Will the work be better for it?
I hope what you find here helps you in your work, Chuck
Check out my Adobe InDesign Ideabook: 315 template files in 19 different categories Everything from brochures, newsletters, and direct mail to packaging, calendars, and books (one CD works with both Mac and PC). Use two or three files and you'll pay for the entire book and disc...
See a word or phrase rendered in every typeface loaded on your computerWordmark is wonderful online tool that allows you to see words and phrases in all of the typefaces loaded on your computer. So, for example, I can type in "ideabook" and see it rendered in all of the hundreds of the typefaces on my system -- every family and every typeface within them. A Pro version allows you to save selections, zoom in and out, toggle cases, adjust spacing and so on (free for one month). Thanks to Jay Nelson and Design Tools Monthly for pointing us to it. Here > Try it here...Here > Thanks go to its designer and developer Fahri Ozaramanli...Discuss this topic here...
Art Director: What the heck was I thinking?!Anyone who has ever art directed product photography for a catalog will appreciate the kind of situations that Catalog Living makes fun of. If you've done enough of it, you've had at least one occasion when you asked yourself something like, "What the heck was I thinking when I put a watermelon on the couch?!" Catalog Living spoofs images from catalogs such as Arhaus, West Elm, and Pottery Barn. Photographs that, in an effort to be attractive (at times), end up being a bit bizarre. Here > Having a ruff day...Here > A word from our sponsor...Here > Food for thought...Discuss this topic here...
A graphic designer's friend: the CIA
If you're searching for current imagery and information about the countries (and entities) of the world, the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) publishes an excellent, up-to-date resource titled The World Factbook - in print and online.
In addition to photographs, maps, flags, and so on of all the current entities (267 at this writing) it includes a written snapshot on each country's history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, and military.
More good news: The World Factbook is in the public domain. That means much of it can be used without permission of the CIA - but be sure to read the copyright pages. (You cannot, for example, use the CIA seal.)
Here > The main page...
Here > Maps of world regions...
Here > A map of the Arctic (1.6MB PDF)...
Here > Flags...
Here > An example of some entity-specific photographs - in this case, from France...
Here > Read this copyright information before using anything...
Discuss this topic here...
Meet illustrator and designer Tom WhiteI was surprised to find I've never pointed you to Tom White - he is a long-time favorite of mine - in my never-to-be-humble opinion, one of (if not the) top lettering illustrators working today. I want to use the word "meticulous" to describe his work but I'm afraid you'd think there was some negative associated with it. So I'll couch it by saying his work is "good meticulous" - his creations demonstrate an attention to detail, a sense of order and balance, and a level of technical expertise that (to me) firmly ensconce him in the top tier of designers. As you'll see, White is a master of Photoshop and Illustrator. I hope someday he'll give us a peak behind the scenes at the techniques he uses to produce his broad portfolio of work. Here > Example 1...Here > Example 2...Here > Example 3...Here > White's 9 Surf Studios website...Here > His blog...Here > The 9 Surf Studio Facebook page...Discuss this topic here...
The connection between decorative arts and graphic designWhy decorative arts? Because decorative arts, defined as the design and manufacture of functional objects, has many ties with graphic design. The Digital Library for the Decorative Arts and Material Culture, "Collects and creates electronic resources for study and research of the decorative arts." I point you to it because I think there's value in understanding the foundation on which modern design is built. Here > From The Grammar of Ornament, 1910...Here > From One Hundred and Fifty New Designs, 1761...Here > From Groups of Flowers: drawn and accurately coloured after nature, 1817...Here > The Digital Library for the Decorative Arts and Material Culture: Image and Text Collections...Here > If you find these images interesting, here's a source for vector reproductions of the images from From The Grammar of Ornament...Discuss this topic here...Pentagram Design continues to attract top talent and to produce great workPentagram Design is owned and operated by 16 partners as an "independent design consultancy." As long as I can remember, it has been a place you could turn to to find some of the world's top creative thinkers. Though the founders have all moved on, the system they instituted continues to attract top talent and to produce great work. Today I want to point you to their newly redesigned website and, in particular, the elegant slider bar that allows you to slide through work horizontally. There's lots to see. Here > Example 1...Here > Example 2...Here > Example 3...Here > The website...Discuss this topic here...Meet illustrator Michael ChoI not only like Michael Cho's style of illustration, I like his sometimes quirky concepts. As an aside: I wonder if Cho sees his illustrations in the same vein as I see them. For some reason I get a sense that he sees them differently. Makes me wonder how folks perceive my work. Not sure I want to know. Here > Example 1...Here > Example 2...Here > Example 3...Here > Cho's Illoz.com portfolio...Here > And his blog...Discuss this topic here...About the briefing
I try to remain as objective as possible about the information I share here. Unless I tell you otherwise, I receive no compensation from the organizations and people mentioned except for occasional product samples. Comments? Suggestions? Write me at chuckgreen@ideabook.com
Chuck Green
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