The Evolution of Paper
Until recently, to be a graphic designer was to engage in an endless love affair with paper. How many hours were spent flipping through swatch books in a kind of tracelike state, waiting for the click that signalled "this is it!" Then there was that anxious moment when the finished job came back from the printer and you held it in your hands—was the alchemy of paper, ink and inspiration such that something worthy and true had been born? Sometimes, yes, sometimes no. Many thoughts and emotions would arise in that moment, such as "Oh my god, the trapping! The TRAPPING!"
October 6, 2009, 7:24 AMBe Careful What You Wish For
When complete strangers ask you to lend your voice to their cause, history has shown that it's wise to reflect before taking up the banner. Because sometimes outwardly worthy causes can mask an unsuspected agenda. I guess I've been around long enough that a big red light starts flashing when I bump up against these. So it was when I recently received an email entitled Artists Ask Obama Administration to Protect Copyright.
September 23, 2009, 8:55 AMRead the Typographic Fine Print
I'm sure you meticulously scroll through the entire End User Licence Agreement (EULA) before installing new software. Ditto when downloading stock images purchased online. No? Frankly, I'm shocked. Well, in that case there's little chance that you're familiar with the license terms of the last font you purchased. You didn't know fonts also had EULAs? Fonts are just software, after all, and commercial software simply grants the purchaser a limited ability to use it. Same with fonts. So for designers, knowing what they legally can and can't do with their fonts is not insignificant.
September 16, 2009, 9:20 AMiStockphoto: Your Next Insurance Company?
We humans are frightened by a lot of things but for most of us the scariest thing of all is contemplating the future. Not a future in which all is happiness and bliss but one in which something horrible pops up out of nowhere to grab us by the throat. Some unforeseen event so overwhelming that our lives are forever damaged. Ready and waiting to respond to this fear is, of course, the insurance industry.
September 14, 2009, 9:45 AMAll Things Typographic: 7
That's right, ATT is back with its take on what's new in the world of fonts, font applications, notable font usage and general fontiness. This time out I'll focus on recent font releases from Fountain, Gestalten, Kapitza, Linotype and Mårten Nettelblad.
September 7, 2009, 3:44 AMPresentation Zen: The Video
I've never given a PowerPoint presentation in my life but I've sat through more than a few of them, with varying degrees of interest. And that's no surprise, since with millions of presentations being delivered every day, at any given moment thousands of people across the globe are assembled in darkened rooms to gaze in wonder at—or more likely slumber through—yet another mediocre presentation. There's something poignant about this human drive to share a point of view, when the odds are so stacked against its chances of succeeding.
August 30, 2009, 11:02 AMThe Joy of Domain Parking: Part 2
Earlier this summer I began a look at the alternatives available to those of us who have domains on our hands but neither the desire nor the resources to build them out to full-blown sites. Beyond simply using the domain parking provided by your registrar, what are the possibilities?
August 22, 2009, 10:08 AMPANTONE Wants You to Chip In
The economic crunch, combined with a growing aversion to the excesses of our disposable culture, is generating a very real aversion to upgrading just about anything. Take a look around. Odds are that you can spot something within sight that you (or the powers that be) have decided to hang on to, which in another era (not that long ago) would have been replaced by now with the latest and greatest. If you're a designer, that something probably includes tools of the trade, both digital and analog.
August 13, 2009, 8:17 AMYou've Been Hacked! Now What?
Your day began by learning that one or more hackers had compromised your site's servers, gaining access to customer account information and possibly credit card details. The trust customers place in you, essential for your survival, is at stake. Luckily, you have prepared for such an eventuality by putting in place a disaster plan that can quickly lock out the hackers, assess the full extent of the intrusion, restore any missing data, and ensure your customers know exactly what happened, what your response is and what impact this has on them. You don't have such a plan in place? Then take notes from a firm that recently found itself in this position.
August 2, 2009, 8:48 AMNight of the Living Stickers
Admit it, you've always wanted to have a giant skeleton emerging from your living-room wall, haven't you? No? Hmmm. Wait, I see the problem. Sorry, I was confusing this with my other blogging gig for Fangoria. Skeletons! Silly me, of course you don't crave oversize images of the living dead or alien surfers or giant bitmapped doughnuts (well, maybe that last one). So let's approach this from your perspective, that of a creative type in constant quest for new revenue streams and fresh services to offer your clients.
July 27, 2009, 5:05 AMLearning from the Masters
Those of us who provide fee-based services live and die by our ability to build an ever-bigger "platform," as the book trade calls it—a stew of branding and reach that generates a critical mass of ubiquity and trust in a given domain. Thus we can all take notes from Marty Neumeier who, through a series of books and a recent video, artfully demonstrates how to construct a mechanism that not only drives revenue up front but more importantly feeds the enterprise, hungry for clients, that lies behind.
July 20, 2009, 3:41 AMThe French Logo Malfunction
Readers with elephantine memories will have no trouble recalling that last summer in this space I launched a jeremiad against the freshly-minted graphical identity for the French Government Tourist Office. Those just arriving, or regulars now scratching their heads, are encouraged to wade through the gory details. Note that there will be a short quiz at the end of this post to ensure you soaked up all the historical bits.
July 12, 2009, 8:57 AMSnagging Images the Guilt-Free Way
Who amongst us has not been tempted to make use of an image found via Google Image Search? In the past, you would have been wise to avoid that temptation, since in most cases this would have run counter to the intent of the image creator. But Google has recently added the ability to determine the usage rights connected with such images, which is good news for those either seeking or creating imagery.
July 5, 2009, 10:17 AMSticking to the Script
It was about half way through the tour of the Château of Germolles that our aimiable and erudite guide—who it turned out was one of the current owners—ushered our little group into a darkened room. The shutters on the large windows were almost closed, allowing just a few rays to penetrate what seemed to be a high-ceilinged chamber. There was just the hint of a smile on our guide's lips as he admonished us to not bump into the walls.
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.
