Latest Posts from GDF Bloggers
Chris Dickman | June 24, 2009, 4:20 AMHelp End the Email Horror
One of the first things you learn when creating an HTML newsletter is that it isn't a Web page. It sorta, kinda, almost is. You'd like to pretend it is. But it just isn't. The bastard child of graphic design, the email newsletter remains one of the last bastions of Web standards run amok.
Susan Kirkland | June 23, 2009, 1:09 PMPORTFOLIO: What's yours is NOT theirs.
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Mike Lenhart | June 17, 2009, 12:30 PMWhy Are We So Obsessive?
As designers, we all know how obsessive we can be. How do we get our ideas and where do they come from? How does what we design shape the world and mark a place for us in the history of the world? Well, I Miss My Pencil, a new book put out by Chronicle Books and IDEO, delves into these obsessions and takes a look at what shaped, and shapes, our world. Mike Lenhart | June 17, 2009, 12:10 PM
A Different Way to Tweet
We all know how to tweet these days, right? Well, let's not forgot the origin of such an act - that of birds. Chronicle Books has recently published Birds, with pictures by Jeffrey Fisher and words by Christine Fisher. This book is exactly what the title states - Birds. Chris Dickman | June 9, 2009, 11:55 AM
The Joy of Domain Parking: Part 1
If you've been involved in web work for a while, you've probably accumulated at least a few domain names. These could be for sites you planned to build, but never got around to. Or ones you launched but then dropped when the concept didn't pan out. Or even wacky ones you registered on a whim, just for fun. After all, for just a few bucks it won't set you back much more than a MacLunch to be the proud owner of a shiny new domain name. But as these start to pile up, the renewal costs can become significant. Get those emails often enough from your registrar reminding you that your account has been dinged again and a little voice starts saying, "Just why the heck have you spent the last ten years paying for HarryPotterSucks.com?"
Ben Kessler | May 28, 2009, 10:28 AMGraphics.com/Learning Turns 1! Free Tutorial!
Today is a special day for Graphics.com/Learning, its one-year anniversary. Unfamiliar with the site? It's a comprehensive online resource for graphic designers, featuring more than 80 video tutorials on topics including (but not even close to limited to) Adobe-app tips and tricks, logo design, where to find design inspiration on the web, and project management.
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Lubina | May 25, 2009, 1:40 AMWhen is a website past its expiration date? Part 2: Outdated Style
Outdated site is worse than yesterday's paper. We expect that a newspaper will loose its newsworthiness the next day, but the web is a medium that we expect to change continuously, to stay fresh and current. Nothing signals "old news" and drives away visitors faster than outdated look and feel.
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Chris Dickman | May 21, 2009, 8:49 AMPHP and MySQL: Together Again
Sometimes it's only years after an initially bad experience that you finally embrace something that once seemed repugnant. Take opera, for example. While I periodically give it a shot, I just haven't been able to develop a taste for what many feel is one of the highest achievements of Western civilization. I chalk my aversion up to a traumatic exposure to the works of Florence Foster Jenkins.
Mike Lenhart | April 24, 2009, 11:50 AMTagging as an Artform
Here is another review of a book from Chronicle Books that has to do with the "art" of tagging - or graffiti. For all of us who live in an urban area, or have ever visited one, we see this art all over the place. Sometimes crude, many times beautiful, this art on public walls and edifices is a way of life. Now there's a book that chronicles this on the subways of New York City. Lubina | April 21, 2009, 12:50 AM
When is a website past its expiration date? Part 1: Outdated Content
Everybody knows you shouldn't keep outdated content on your website. Yet, websites are full of debris such as announcements for events that took place a month ago, discontinued products, and even the company's old address. Needless to say, this is a blemish on the company's image that makes potential customers doubt the company's ability to stay current and deliver. Why is this problem plaguing businesses of all sizes and industries despite their best intentions to keep their site current? And is there an easy fix?
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Chris Dickman | April 13, 2009, 3:31 PMLast Call for CS4?
There are some applications that I just can't get excited about upgrading. My copy of Word, for example, is antediluvian, and yet it still provides all the functionality I need. Given that there are now open source and online alternatives, there's probably nothing Microsoft could do to induce me to upgrade, short of giving it away. I imagine I'm not the only one with this attitude. The situation is different, however, when it comes to graphics and publishing applications. Or is it?
Mike Lenhart | April 7, 2009, 1:13 PMS'more Books to Read
Here is an enstallment on some other books that were recently sent to me by Chronicle Books. I've been getting a lot of design and some architecture books that have been really interesting. It's just good that there are such great resources available to all of us.
The books this time range from designer sketchbooks to small, micro buildings.
Read on...
Mike Lenhart | April 4, 2009, 12:34 PMA Flock of Design Books for Spring
Well, Chronicle Books has done it again. They recently sent me a slew of design books - and all of them, well, almost all of them, are pretty interesting. I thought I'd choose 3 of them for now and write about the other ones in a future post or two.
Read on...
Mike Lenhart | March 21, 2009, 12:03 PMA Call Out To Package Designers
We all buy products. And, we all have different amounts of stuff to carry when we buy these products. It seems there are so many different brands of the same thing out there. How do we differentiate and how do we attract the same consumer to buy our product rather than "the other guy's"? Well, one method is in the design of the packaging. Therein lies a big problem.
Mike Lenhart | March 2, 2009, 4:03 PM
Naughty, Naughty
We all like to be a little naughty at times, whether we admit it or not. Naughty thoughts go through our minds many, many times a day - men have them a little bit more often. Anyway, STEP magazine's Jan/Feb 2009 issue has a blurb in there about Tart Cards. Yes, Tart Cards - how naughty. In case you don't know (I didn't) these cards are how prostitutes in London advertise their services. Intrigued? Read on...
