Monthly Archives: June 2007
iPhone. uPhone. iWIRED.
June 29th, 2007 by Amanda Paull
You would have to be living under a rock to not know the iPhone goes on sale this evening. In honor of all the hoopla, and the general insanity that has become considered ‘news’, we had to mark the occasion somehow. And then I stumbled on this tasty nugget…
Just when you thought all that could be said had already been….iPhone himself in a tell-all interview.
iPhone ‘photo shoot’ courtesy of the Extensis creative team.
Custom Wired cover courtesy of WIRED Magazine’s meme- fun idea- check it out.
The mythological letterpress
June 29th, 2007 by Amanda Paull
When was the last time you saw, used or otherwise thought about a letterpress? They still exist, mostly in mythology and the occasional history museum (true story). And apparently, one can also be found somewhere in Philadelphia.
Designer Jason Santa Maria, whose blog I read regularly, took a class in the (almost) lost art of letterpress. It’s a great story about a designer going back to the basics.
When the prints went up for sale on the oh-so-quirky-gotta-check-it-out Swap Meat, I had to get one. It is beautiful.
And then I got to thinking…what odd-ball item would I swap? How about you? I just might send you this piece of history if you make it good!
And the winner is…
June 28th, 2007 by Amanda Paull
Seems like the award season is kicking into gear right now. So pull up your archives for the last 12 months, spit, polish and submit. Applied Arts recently closed out their submissions, but here’s a sampling of upcoming deadlines:
The Create Awards- it is easy to submit, but DEADLINE IS JULY 6. There are over 300 categories, so start hunting.
UCDA Design Competition- About 50 categories- including a great new one this year: Going Green. Modest entry fee. DEADLINE IS JULY 6.
Design Effectiveness Awards- As a marketer, I admire this concept. The award is sponsored by the Design Business Association (BDA), UK. It is a design competition judged on how well the design achieved the desired business result. DEADLINE IS JULY 6.
The American Design Awards- 20 categories, modest registration fee. DEADLINE IS AUGUST 1.
Most of these awards have categories for (and discounted entry fees for) student artists. So you should check it out and take a gamble- even if you’re new to this design thing.
Good luck! Let us know if you win anything cool.
Typecon 2007
June 27th, 2007 by Jim Kidwell
If you’ve a serious affinity for typography, I mean a salivation for the serif, a yearning for the kerning, a wedding with the leading… OK that’s bad enough. If you’re a font aficionado, plan to be in Seattle from August 1-5 for Typecon 2007.
The convention is packed with interesting information, including optional workshops that cover everything from basic type design to calligraphy and letterpress printing.
And, if you haven’t had the pleasure of viewing Gary Hustwit’s documentary, Helvetica, plan to arrive before the evening of August 1st to catch the showing at the University of Washington.
You can get a discounted early registration rate and save $100 through this Friday, June 29th. Though, all things considered, the conference is rather affordable, hovering around $300 depending on your SOTA membership status.
We’ll see you there!
20 questions with Bernardine Lim
June 26th, 2007 by Jim Kidwell
What is one thing that people don’t generally know about you?
I rode motor cross bikes on dirt roads in Singapore.- Do you play any musical instruments?
Piano, and the snare drum in a marching band. - What sin food do you like?
Round Table pizza - Paper or plastic?
Plastic, if you’re not in debt, because you can keep track of where you’re spending your money and get rewards too. - What is your favorite dish to cook?
I cook whatever I’m craving. I can’t imagine not cooking as I love to eat good food. During the summer I like to barbecue using charcoal – especially chicken or beef satay with a spicy peanut sauce. - Do you have an all-time favorite vacation?
I went to Alaska on vacation in a motor home. We went fishing every day and caught the daily limit. Now, that’s heaven! Barbequing fresh caught coho salmon is SOOOOOOOOOOO good. I can no longer eat fish cooked at a restaurant because it’s nothing like what I’ve experienced in Alaska. - Are you a cat or dog person?
I’m definitely dog person. I’m allergic to cats and they seem to sense that and always jump on me. - Do you have any non-dirty jokes that you can share with us?
I thought you were trying to get into shape? I am. The shape I’ve selected is a triangle. - Have you ever lived alone?
Yes. It is good experience for anyone who hates being alone. - Which website do you visit daily?
Yahoo for the stock quotes and The Motley Fool – I’m into investing and finances! - What is your biggest regret?
Not traveling when I was young. When my mum was alive she used to travel a lot. I had the opportunity to go with her, but I was afraid to fly. - What is your greatest accomplishment?
Buying a townhouse on my own and selling the house at a higher price than what the real estate agent had recommended. - What’s your ultimate destination?
Tuscany and the Loire Valley for wine tasting. - Does television mostly settle or disturb you?
Settles me for the most part. - What do you consider courageous behavior?
Donating an organ to someone who needs it. - What do you like to read?
Suspense thrillers and mysteries. - What is your most treasured possession?
A Japanese Occupation 24K gold leaf necklace that my mum gave me before she died. - What are the top 3 movies that you can watch repeatedly?
The Sound of Music
My Fair Lady
American President - What kind of music do you enjoy listening to wind down your day?
Baroque Classical music - What do you want your dying words to be?
See you in heaven.
Thank you, Macworld
June 25th, 2007 by Amanda Paull
A quick shout out to macworld.com and James Dempsey. Last week James authored a piece on the macworld blog titled RSS feeds for the creative Mac user, which lists the key feeds he reads. Turns out that Manage THIS tops the list of ‘ vendor blogs’. This is quite an honor coming from the ‘Creative Guy’ himself. (aw shucks.)
Suitcase X1 InDesign CS3 plug-in
June 25th, 2007 by Jim Kidwell
On Friday we released the newest update to our font auto-activation plug-ins for Adobe CS3. This new plug-in automatically activates fonts in Suitcase X1 when you open InDesign CS3 documents, and is compatible for use with both the Client/Server and Single-User versions of the product.
The Extensis Suitcase Server X1 InDesign CS3 plug-in can be downloaded at http://www.extensis.com/en/downloads/file_download.jsp?fileId=4900071
Currently, the plug-in is available in English only, but support will be extended to French and German versions later this summer.
Oohs and ahhs
June 22nd, 2007 by Amanda Paull
I’ve been through a lot of Adobe upgrades. And I often wonder ‘how much more can they really cram into Photoshop?’ And so I definitely approach a new upgrade with a healthy dose of skepticism (which is not unlike my daily personality!). That said, I have just returned from the Adobe dog-and-pony show in LA (AKA: Creative License Conference) and I will say that there is a lot in there to be excited about.
Now, maybe I was just captivated- like everyone- with Terry White, the public face for Adobe. He was on fire that day, no question. Or maybe it was just being in ‘Hollywood’, or maybe it was the big ‘production’- music, lights, and an ON SITE POET!? Really over the top. But a great show.
Whatever it was, I was sucked in. And so were the 600+ other designers eager to see the latest and greatest. So many Oohs and ahhs, I could not keep track. My favorites? … The quick selection tool in PS is a keeper. And you have to check out the multi-file place function in IND.
If you look at Terry’s post from the event – you might see me all…the…way…back….there.
Suitcase Fusion tutorial videos – managing duplicate fonts and organizing with font sets
June 21st, 2007 by Jim Kidwell
Continuing with the Suitcase Fusion tutorial series, these next two videos cover how Suitcase Fusion helps you manage duplicate fonts, and stay organized using font sets.
Suitcase Fusion Tutorial #9
Managing duplicate fonts
Suitcase Fusion Tutorial #10
Organizing fonts using sets
The typography timeline
June 20th, 2007 by Jim Kidwell
There’s an old saying goes something like this: “You’ve got to know where you came from to know where you’re going.” I’ve found that that mantra helps me in my professional as well as personal life. Well, I’d like to argue that the same goes for type and the use of typography.
Those of us who spent some of our formative years in design classes had the history of design and the graphic design basics drilled into our heads. For me, part of that history included the appropriate use of type.
We’ve often thought about pulling together a timeline containing all of the pertinent moments in typography, and well, wouldn’t you know it, someone has already pulled one together. Recently, one of my co-workers sent me a link to the following typography timeline.
To view the timeline, click on the Explore the Interactive Timeline link in the lefthand column. Then click the link to Open the Typography Timeline.
I can’t be sure of its provenance, but my guess based on the URL is that it comes from the fine folks at Tyne Metropolitan College in the UK.
