Help from Lynda

A few weeks ago, I attended a program on what print journalists need to expand their skills in today's multimedia market. Among the recommendations was to get to know lynda -- lynda.com that is. I've just started a trial subscription to the service, and so far so good.

The tutorials have been helpful in filling in a missed step here and there that can drive you crazy.

Wrapping Text Around An Object in Photoshop

For one of my web pages, I wrapped type around a photo. I found several tutorials on the Internet, but the best one for me was from pshero.com. It was a slide-by-slide presentation that was simple and clear.

http://pshero.com/archives/wrapping-text-around-an-object

When launching a real website...

Although our final project sites aren't 'live,' these tips might be helpful for sites we might want to make live in the future.

It is basically a list of things to check before launching your website.
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/04/07/15-essential-checks-before-launching-your-website/

Final Project Help

In case anyone needs a little assistance with the final project, this might give you some ideas. I know it helped me!

http://sixrevisions.com/tutorials/photoshop-tutorials/how-to-create-a-sleek-and-textured-web-layout-in-photoshop/

Enjoy!

Fun with Photos

Found this site and thought it might be cool to share.

http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/services/28-online-photo-editing-websites-to-have-fun-with/

It basically shows you all the online options for altering your photos. There are ways to make your photos appear more artistic, cool templates to put your photos in, and sites where you can put your face on a magazine, etc.

Possibilities are endless, and you don't need any software to do it.

Swine Flu Fashion

In light of all the Swine Flu talk, I wanted to bring something to your attention that put a little positive spin on the situation.

The citizens of Mexico have accepted their surgical masks as a creative challenge to showcase their abilities.

Several decorated masks have been viewed throughout the city, and I believe this adds a little laughter to an otherwise serious situation. Enjoy!

Dove Model Transformation

This is a youtube link that shows you how a model went threw a transformation from looking average to looking extra-ordinary. It starts off with the the makeup, hair extensions, the photo shoot, the Editing process in Photoshop, and to the final product of the model on a billboard. I saw this commercial on ion tv when they have commercials from around the world. Check it out for yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U

Crossword Puzzle Maker

I came across this site last month and really didn't think about posting it until today when I posted my last posting. I used this site for a newsletter that we did at work. We usually just give information in our newsletters and I wanted to do something a little different. I received my bosses permession to have it in the newsletter. We would have a drawing at the end of the month once people have submitted their answers in a drop-box located outside of the cafe. I used the word search feature. I tried other sites, but i think that this one was the easiest to use. here is the link to the site:

http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/

Crayola Page

Below is a link that I came across when trying to find some activities for my nephews. It iw the crayola webpage and you can print free pages for children to color on. They have different pages from animals, Disney, different seasons, to sports and puzzles. If you have kids or are babysitting your nieces or nephews go to this site and print some pages for them.

http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/animals-coloring-pages/

Rap Songs in Charts and Graphs

What's the relationship between money and problems? According to the Notorious B.I.G., more money, more problems. (Or mo' money mo' problems)

Now, for all you math geeks, you can see those lyrics, and dozens of other rap lyrics, represented in bar graphs and pie charts.

Not sure if this is technically visual aesthetics, but it sure is a visual interpretation of words, so why not.

Good Article - Visual Aesthetics Defined

This would've been helpful for the test, had I seen it a week earlier:

http://alistapart.com/articles/indefenseofeyecandy

Fonts anyone?

Hey - My friend shared this site with me and I thought it was pretty cool and could be useful when designing our sites.

It's basically a site with fonts, just fonts. You can look for a certain type through their "themes" or search for a specific font you're looking for, and then you can download that font into your computer so you can use it. So if you look up "spraypaint," for example, you get this.

I haven't tried it for a PC yet, but apparently on a Mac you can just drag and drop the font into your selections box.

I hope you enjoy! Even if you don't use, it's still cool looking through the different kind of fonts they have, just to give you some ideas.

TweetDeck

Came across the following application to keep track of all your favorite tweets on Twitter and status updates on Facebook.

I thought the color scheme was quite interesting.

Best Portraits Ever

http://www.flickr.com/photos/iri5/sets/72157611954107572/

Blending Tools to Make Backgrounds using CS3 & ill3

I was looking for some tutorials online and came across this one. It shows how to make a background using lines. You start off in Illustrator and the last part of the video ends in Photoshop. The Illustrator section does not look that hard to do. I will try it when we ge back and have an up date to this posting.

Try it out for yourself!!!

http://www.layersmagazine.com/blend-tool-backgrounds.html

Good Web site design

Designing my website, I wanted to make sure users had an easy time navigating the pages. But I've been having trouble coming up with a creative design that is still very intuitive. Here's a Website I came across that is easy to navigate, but still has a really interesting and unique layout.
There's a screen shot above. (It's a website for motorcycle gear.) I like how the page is very textured, almost literally. For most of the items, the background is textured like a part of the jacket or pant, and then there are three pictures of the item. The one in the foreground sort of jumps out of the rectangle frame. It's simple, but adds a nice element that you wouldn't expect.
It's a great design for a motorcycle apparel site, because people want to see all the details of the item, plus the full item itself. And the page does it consistently so it's not annoying.

Here's a cool play on type.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=21097294