Do you ever wonder what it takes to become a successful graphic designer? Check out this awesome website with 50 things that every graphic design student should know.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
WORD - Firefox Add-Ons
Have you installed and started using Firefox yet? Firefox is a free web browser that enables you to download a whole bunch of great plugins that can help you with your web development process. Check out this great article about the top 10 Firfox Add-Ons for Web Designers.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
WORD - 12 Basic Principles of Animation
Have you ever heard of the 12 Basic Principles of Animation? These are animation tips created by famous Disney animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston. They put these principles together into a book called, The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation. This is one of the best animation books of all time to reference! The purpose of these principles was to make the illusion of characters adhering to the basic laws of physics, and also dealt with emotional timing and character appeal. Check out the 12 principles and read through The Illusion of Life!
Monday, April 25, 2011
WORD - Noise Levels
Did you know that the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSHA) states that anything greater than 85 decibels for a period of over 8 hours is hazardous to your health?
Do you know what dB range is harmful to hearing? Do you know how loud common noises are? Check out the link below:
Check out this cool hearing simulator, too:
Friday, April 22, 2011
WORD - MP3 vs WAV
Do you know the difference between WAV and MP3 files? Did you know that MP3 files (one of the most popular audio formats) are highly compressed audio files? If you are looking for better quality from your audio files, make sure to use WAV files. You can read much more about the differences between these two types of audio files here:
Thursday, April 21, 2011
WORD - SendSpace.com
Do you ever have the need to send large files over the internet to someone, but the file size is too large to add as an attachment in an email? Did you know that there are sites out there that will allow you to send large files to individuals for free? There are sites like YouSendIt.com and SendSpace.com that will allow you to send files (up to 2 gigs) over the internet to anyone for free. Another option would be to upload the files to your own web server then share the link. If you don’t currently have a website yet (which you totally should), start using these other resources to send large files!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
WORD - SoundBible.com
Do you ever work on projects that require sound effects? Do you know that most of the sound files you find online are not Royalty Free (meaning they are not free to use)? You can find free sound effects and background music on many sites though. Check out SoundBible.com. It has a bunch of free sound effects that you can download and use in your projects. SoundBible.com is a great source for copyright free sounds. Start downloading today!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
WORD - Conferences
Do you participate actively in conferences and workshops related to your field? You should try to attend as many conferences as possible to network with individuals and learn more about the industry. Not sure about what conference to attend? Check THIS out! It’s an article with 80+ Upcoming Social Media & Tech Events.
Monday, April 18, 2011
WORD - WhatTheFont!
Have you ever wondered what type of font is being used in a design? Not exactly sure what a certain font is? There are websites out there that can help you identify what font is being used in an image or design. MyFonts.com offers a service called “What the Font!” You can submit an image to WhatTheFont to find the closest matches in their database. Use this handy tool to help you figure out what font you need to use in your projects.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
WORD - WEBBY AWARDS
Have you ever heard of the WEBBY AWARDS? It’s the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet. They were established in 1996 at the early stages of the world wide web. The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences present this award annually.
Did you know that our own Interactive Media II instructor, Paula Anderanin had worked on a piece was just nominated for this award for her work on the flash app on INSUREYOURLOVE.ORG? Check out the “How Romantic Are You” app at the bottom of the webpage and congratulate Paula next time you see her for her great accomplishment!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
WORD - Colour Contrast Check
Do you ever wonder if your design’s color is conflicting with the message you are trying to get across? Did you know that there are some great resources available online for deciding which colors to use in your designs? You may have already heard of Adobe Kuler, where you can choose colors that work together. There is also another great tool on the web that allows you to check color contrast to make sure that a foreground and a background color provide enough contrast. Visit Colour Contrast Check now!
Monday, April 11, 2011
WORD - DELICIOUS
Do you ever surf the web and bookmark websites? Do you know that there’s a MUCH better way to bookmark a website than doing it with your own FireFox/IE/Safari browser? Bookmarking a website on your computer leaves you limited to viewing saved links strictly with your computer (the one you bookmarked it with). Did you know that you can save all of your bookmarks online so that you can view saved pages from any computer and any location? Check out Delicious! Delicious is a social bookmarking service. You can save all your bookmarks online, share them with other people, and see what others are bookmarking. Start using Delicious today!
Friday, April 8, 2011
WORD - MOLEHILL
The Adobe Labs are constantly working on creating new technology. Have you ever heard of “Molehill?” It’s the code name for a new 3D API (Application Programming Interface) that allows 3D experiences through Adobe Flash. This is a big step forward allowing sophisticated 3D experiences across almost every computer connected to the internet. Read more about Molehill and check out the new game that was released on the web that showcases this new technology.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
WORD - ONE DAY FOR DESIGN
On April 13, 2011,
add your voice to an open, digital dialogue on design. One Day For Design brings together a global community of designers and design enthusiasts to exchange ideas, challenge viewpoints and push boundaries—collaborating in real time on the future of our profession and the organizations behind it. Spread the word. Join the conversation. Right here at onedayfordesign.org or via Twitter.
add your voice to an open, digital dialogue on design. One Day For Design brings together a global community of designers and design enthusiasts to exchange ideas, challenge viewpoints and push boundaries—collaborating in real time on the future of our profession and the organizations behind it. Spread the word. Join the conversation. Right here at onedayfordesign.org or via Twitter.
Moderators include: Alex Bogusky, Doug Bowman, Liz Danzico, Debbie Millman, Erik Spiekermann, Armin Vit, Alissa Walker and Katherine Walker.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
WORD - SEO
Do you know much about SEO (Search Engine Optimization)? Did you know that companies that specialize in this are reaping huge rewards? People are spending lots of money on SEO and SEM (Search Engine Marketing). It’s extremely important for companies to have an online presence. Even more important is that they get ranked high in search engine queries. Did you know that one of the best things you can do to increase your search ranking is add new and fresh content to your websites on a consistent basis? Never copy and paste stuff into your webpage. Not good for SEO. You always want to have unique content on your sites. Read more about tips and tricks for SEO here:
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
WORD - HDSLR
Have you tried shooting any HD footage with HDSLR cameras? Many of the new SLR cameras now allow you to record HD video (1080p) on your camera with beautiful results. B&H Photo has released a new video series called “HDSLR Educational Series for Cinema.” You should really check the site out. Shane Hurlbut, ASC reviews the functions of recording with your SLR camera. He covers everything from camera features to challenges and solutions you may face when working with your camera. This is a very informative series of videos that can help anyone start making movies with their DSLR camera. Take a minute to check the site out.
Monday, April 4, 2011
WORD - Adobe Museum
The world wide web has come a long way since its introduction in the 90’s. In the past, people were worried about bandwidth issues, download times, and even feared that the internet would really limit someone when trying to showcase rich multimedia. Welcome to the present, where websites now contain video, animation, audio, and an intriguing experience. The web has come a long way over the past 20 years. You can do far more with it than ever before. Check out the Adobe Museum for some inspiration and see how this medium has been enhanced to create a very unique way of presenting content over the web.
Friday, April 1, 2011
WORD - Zen Garden
Have you ever checked out cssZenGarden.com? Zen Garden is a site that was created for graphic artists to learn more about CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). The website shares its own HTML code and asks the artist to modify the CSS code to make a completely new and unique design that you can submit for others to view. The site shares a bunch of designs created by artists that showcase the power of CSS. There are resource guides and tutorials that teach everything from the basics to the advanced CSS on this site. Give it a try for yourself. It’s fun to do and very informative! Leading web developers have used this site to expand their knowledge of CSS. You should too!
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