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Print Your Own Decals

Jeff Gamet — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:05:36 +0000

You can now use your inkjet printer to print your own old-fashioned decals — the kind you soak and slide off their paper backing onto your car window or model airplane. Check out www.decalpaper.com.

If you’re a fan of this kind of decal, have a look at Sjef van Eijk’s excellent website: www.members.multimania.nl/motelfan/

3M Visual Attention Service Determines Impact of Design

Jeff Gamet — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:40:45 +0000

3M Visual Attention Service (VAS) is an online service that allows designers and advertisers to analyze web and print designs for maximum impact. We all know that we only have a few seconds to grab a reader’s attention, but just how is that accomplished?

VAS attempts to refine that process by analyzing everything from color and shape to a design’s visual hierarchy, and then rates the amount of potential impact. Users simply upload an image to 3M VAS website and wait for the analysis, which comes in the form of a region map and a heat map.

The region map displays probable areas that will be read and the heat map highlights areas that are more likely to get attention. Pay-as-you-go and monthly subscriptions are available; each analysis costs from $11 to $20.

Inspiring Letterheads at Letterheady.com

Jeff Gamet — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:45:50 +0000

Sometimes inspiration for a new design can come from the past. A collection of interesting letterheads that might serve as that inspiration lives at Letterheady.com.

The site — which bills itself as “an online homage to offline correspondence” — displays reader-submitted examples of letterheads.

Whereas Letterheady’s sister site “Letters of Note” deals with the content of the correspondence, this site deals with the design of the media it’s delivered on.

DeviantART Provides Brushes & Textures

Jeff Gamet — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:25:03 +0000

As designers, it can be difficult to remember that we don’t always have to re-invent the wheel when it comes to our tools and our designs. Having a resource for handy things such as Photoshop and Illustrator brushes and elements can save a lot of time: time that can be used for creating a finished piece.

Besides being a great showcase for artists’ work, www.DeviantART.com is a community of artists who enjoy sharing all their creations, like those brushes, as well as backgrounds and other design elements. Just remember as you’re browsing the site that each shared item has a different licensing structure that needs to be respected. When in doubt, the artist is often only a comment box away!

Chart of Windows Fonts

Jeff Gamet — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 14:24:37 +0000

When creating Web pages in QuarkXPress or another application, you may want to know which fonts are available no Windows and on Macs.

For a list of fonts common to Macs and Windows, see www.ampsoft.net/webdesign-l/WindowsMacFonts.html. That page is a good browser test in itself, as it shows all the font names in their own typefaces.

Maverick Label: Affordable Custom Labels

Jeff Gamet — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 18:21:40 +0000

Maverick Label an incredible source for custom labels. They can make any shape or size label from your original artwork, in any combination of colors, including 4-color process.

Materials include the usual papers and vinyls, and also clear vinyl (for static-cling decals), repositionable vinyl, silver holographs, and variations of these that you can print in your desktop printer (inkjet or laser).

They’re happy to produce any quantity you like, from one to a zillion. And prices are reasonable.

The Daily Drop Cap

Jeff Gamet — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:43:15 +0000

The Daily Drop Cap is an ongoing project by typographer and illustrator Jessica Hische. Each work day she posts a new hand-crafted decorative initial cap, and they are truly impressive.

Some of them even come alive as you watch their parts appear atop each other. You are free to use them on your personal website or blog with proper attribution, but not for any commercial purposes. Have a look: www.dailydropcap.com

Daily Design Inspiration

Jeff Gamet — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 20:40:15 +0000

www.TheDesignInspiration.com up a daily dose of inspiring designs. Categories include Logos, Illustrations, Websites, Font usage, Photos and Photoshopped photos, Patterns, and inspirational articles.

Be sure to see their roundup of great moments in the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Their mashup of album covers is also unique.

301 Inkjet Tips

Jeff Gamet — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 17:33:49 +0000

Andrew Darlow wrote a terrific book about getting the most from your inkjet printer: “301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques: An Essential Printing Resource for Photographers.” He also has a website full of helpful info and a free newsletter that gives you one tip each week from the book. Check it out at www.inkjettips.com.

Try YouTube for Application Videos

Jay Nelson — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 16:49:16 +0000

YouTube.com has a wealth of videos that show off individual features in programs such as QuarkXPress and Adobe’s Creative Suite.

Just visit YouTube.com and search for your favorite application. A lengthy list of videos appears, and when you choose to play one, YouTube updates the list with videos that may be even more relevant to your search.

Check out my video here: lynda.com: QuarkXPress 8 Essential Training