Thursday, June 16, 2005

On Being a "Decorator"

Working on an internal corporate design team has its own benefits and drawbacks. One all too often drawback would be tight deadlines. VP's usually don't understand the timelines that professional* design projects require, and tend to send over things to "beautify" and or "make pretty". I don't like the idea of being considered a "decorator" but you kind of put yourself in that box sometimes.

The thing about quick turnaround times however, is that sometimes you're on, and sometimes, you're just not - and projects suffer. Sometimes its out of your control. Occasionally you're able to follow through and somehow pull a rabbit out of your hat, providing someone with great work even though they dropped a bomb on you at the last minute. They'll be very pleased, and expect another miracle next time.

The trick is to try and balance your time spent running and gunning ..with a good amount of time looking at things you get inspired from. I think it's all about how you prepare yourself in your downtime.

Sometimes however, you just suck. And the deadline doesn't allow for it. That's when the deadline-setter walks away with mediocre work.


*Making an assumption that I'm a professional. That statement may be premature.

Wednesday, June 15, 2005


The perfect banner idea if you could afford the photos.
As always, click on the image for a less "jpg'd" version.

Whiplash the cowboy monkey saves the day.
As always, click on the image for a less "jpg'd" version.

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Stock art junkie


I love stock photography. But in general, stock photography is evil, for many reasons I won't go into. This girl is destined for antidepressant ad stardom.
As always, click on the image for a less "jpg'd" version.

Liquid Crystal Magic


I always liked this set of shots I made of my alarm clock. 2 or 3 second exposure, ..panning back as it exposed.
As always, click on the image for a less "jpg'd" version.

Photoshop those legs

Visual communication crash course from a designer living in the middle east.

Watercraft Xchange logo


The cheesy logo in all its glory.
As always, click on the image for a less "jpg'd" version.

I'm pretty sure those guys at Watercraft Xchange went belly up. Clues being they couldn't seem to find a hundred bucks to pay me for my 30 minutes making the logo. Lesson learned. Make sure you get paid.

Drooling over Photoshop CS2

I'm not a very tool-intensive guy, but I'm looking forward to giving a few of these new features a spin.

For now I'm completely sold on using Picasa 2 and Hello, but I'll try out Bridge to see if it comes close.





Overview of what's new in Adobe Photoshop CS2?

The Power to Creative the Extraordinary

* Adobe Bridge - The next-generation File Browser for Photoshop CS2.
* Vanishing Point - Groundbreaking ability to clone, paint and transform in the perspective of your images.
* Image Warp - Warp any object, with customizable presets and adjustable control points.
* Noise Reduction - Advanced correction of noise created in high-ISO shooting, plus JPEG artifact reduction.
* 32-bit HDR - Create and edit 32-bit, High Dynamic Range images, for the widest range and richest detail.
* Spot Healing Brush - Fast, efficient one-click retouching of dust, scratches and other image flaws.
* One-Click Red Eye Correction - Instantly eradicate this common photo flaw.
* Optical Lens Correction - Correct common lens issues like barrel and pincushion distortion.
* Animation - Easily create animated Web graphics directly in Photoshop CS2.
* Smart Sharpen - Intelligently counteract common photo blurring with advanced control.
* Shadow/Highlight - Simple discrete adjustment of shadows and highlights, now also for CMYK images.
* Enhanced 16-bit Editing - Additional filters, such as Liquify, are now available for use in 16-bit images.

Creation Acceleration

* Smart Objects - Non-destructive editing and transformations, including Illustrator CS2 integration.
* Multiple Layer Control with Smart Guides - Faster, more intuitive editing without using the Layers palette.
* Multi-Image Camera Raw - Process multiple raw images while you continue to work in Photoshop CS2.
* Video Preview - Send an instant preview of video-destined images to an external monitor.
* WYSIWYG Font menus - Preview typefaces visually, right in the Font menu.
* Printing Enhancements - New options enable more efficient, consistent print output.
* All-New PDF Engine - Comprehensive, customizable presets and PDF 1.6/Acrobat 7.0 compatibility.
* Enhanced Memory Use - Devote more than 2 GB of RAM to Photoshop CS2 for optimum performance.
* Powerful Design Process Management - Easier versioning & collaboration with the new Adobe Version Cue®.
* Integrated Adobe Online Services - Access and download professional Adobe Stock Photos and share and print online with Adobe Photoshop Services.

Adaptability - Making Photoshop CS2 Your Own

* Menu Customization - Workflow-based presets and custom-defined menu sets, with color-keyed commands.
* Enhanced Automation - New actions and scripts facilitating batch image processing and film & video production.
* Variables - Streamline creation of repetitive graphics using imported spreadsheet data.
* Event-Based Scripting - Expand your efficiency with commands triggered at specific points in your workflow.
* Adobe Help Center - New task-based help topics and search features in a separate floating window.

Monday, June 13, 2005

Construction Company Logo


Jason didn't like any of these for his construction conglomerate. At least one of them was good. hmm.
As always, click on the image for a less "jpg'd" version.

Clinton Library Collage


I really like the collage I made of the Clinton Library. Still trying to think of an interesting way to frame/display it.
As always, click on the image for a less "jpg'd" version.

I'm excited to see who the winner of Coudal's video editing contest.
As always, click on the image for a less "jpg'd" version.

..or this.
As always, click on the image for a less "jpg'd" version.

Certainly no reason for this whatsoever

No reason for this first post

I'm increasingly motivated to make and produce more things than my job or freelance work (yeah right) allow. I've decided to start a blog where I can design things for no reason at all and keep a record of whatever strikes my fancy. Tthings will only show up here if I think: "hey that's cool and really interesting, but there's no way I could ever do that for a client".

Design links too. Things I want to keep track of/remember/go back to.
But mainly a place to throw good stuff.
Chessy stuff.
Terrible stuff.
Stuff.

Today a photo sparked this Illustrator composition. I like it.