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What are you capable of? Do you have a great idea inside you? Will your next effort be the one you are remembered for?
I love this: a list of 317 Apple patents that include Steve Jobs among the inventors... Here I truly believe that we are all capable of producing out-of-the-ordinary accomplishments. But that fewer of us are willing to extend ourselves in the ways necessary to make things happen. You've got to dedicate yourself to figuring out who you are, finding out what you're good at, accepting the consequences of failure, and developing the tenacity to start over again until you're successful. Tough stuff -- totally doable.
Regards, Chuck
315 InDesign 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...
For Adobe InDesign... Here
Don't fear website design
Don't fear the internet is a growing collection of video tutorials designed and produced by two folks who know their stuff: interaction and product designer Russ Maschmeyer and letterer and illustrator Jessica Hische.
Their idea is to provide a basic introduction to HTML & CSS for non-web designers. I point you to it for two reasons: First, you might want to show it to someone who is new to the process, and second, for the sheer value of the design and layout of the tutorials and website. They are clean, simple, and interesting to look at.
Don't fear the internet... Here
Jessica Hische's website... Here
Russ Maschmeyer's website... Here
How to identify what makes a graphic design tick
This is fresh stuff no? Part of the value of studying the work of a talented illustrator and designer like Chris Jinkins is in parsing the work to identify what makes it tick. For example, in this case, I'm seeing some consistency in the use of similar line weights, earthy color palettes, an almost exclusive use of all caps type, and designs that all communicate a subtle sense of wit.
I'm not trying to box him in, just trying to see if I might find a formula to apply some of the same rules to a future project of my own.
A short video about the playing cards... Here
You can purchase the Monarchs Deck here... Here
Jinkins' full portfolio... Here
Fahri Özkaramanlı's WordMark really is a useful tool. It allows you to type words into your browser and see them set in all of the fonts loaded on your computer... Here
New to me typeface by Hubert Jocham... Here
A striking series of oil paintings by Daniel Q. Adel... Here
Any doubt about your career choice? Make good design
In May of this year author Neil Gaiman gave this keynote address to the graduating class at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. I point you to it because, not only is the advice spot-on, but because I think you may find it uplifting.
Design is opinion and it is not always clear that my opinion is a very good one. So occasionally I think it is important to be reminded that others struggle too, and that the way moving forward is always to focus on making good work.
Neil Gaiman's website... Here
Here is one of Gaiman's latest book. I have not read any of them, have you?... Here
A great example of matching a website design to the products it presents
The Present & Correct website is a thing of diagramatic beauty - is that a word? I particularly appreciate the thoughtful, unique layouts of the illustrations. But the products are interesting too - have you ever seen a circular wooden ruler? I hadn't.
Eraser Pick & Mix... Here
A Circular Wooden Ruler... Here
The Wood Atom Set... Here
Media Temple... Rock-solid hosting services. Click her for a free trial. Here
Topaz Labs... Killer add-ons for Adobe Photoshop Here
Lynda.com... A huge library of top-quality, design-oriented tutorials. Click here for a 7-day free trial. Here
Myfonts.com... Thousands of typefaces from hundreds of foundries... Here
Meet illustrator Kagan McLeod
To me, Kagan McLeod illustrates with a wisdom that seems deeper than his experience. I'm not saying a young illustrator is not as capable as an older one, I'm just saying his work seems so effortless that he looks like he's been doing it longer than he has - since 1999.
The artist at work... Here
Will you join me on twitter? Here
We learn a lot about the creative process by hearing/seeing how others do it
CreativeMornings is a monthly breakfast lecture series for creative types that takes place in cities all over the planet - from Milan to San Francisco to Sydney. Each monthly event is free of charge and includes a 20 minute talk and a 20 minute question and answer period.
The good news is, if you're not in one of the aforementioned cities, you can watch them online here...
The Creative Mornings website... Here
Ben Chestnut from MailChimp.com... Here
Kelli Anderson from KelliAnderson.com... Here
Jason Fried from 37signals.com... Here
If you want to know how Google does search, ask Google
There are lots of folks out there that attempt to outwit Google in an attempt to improve their standing on search engines. I have never been one of them. I figure the best way to optimize websites it to focus on improving the value and quality of what you offer - trying to fool people into buying stuff they don't want or need is not only unethical, it's a conscious choice to take the most difficult path.
That said, Google is happy to share some of the many ways you can optimize websites to provide information in a way that gets you pushed up the page on its search results. If you want to know how to do it, all you have to do is tune into what they're saying and showing.
Sign up for future Live Webinars or look through the library of Recorded Webinars further down the same page... Here | 
