Each year, DTG editors pick the best of the best in books, software and web sites. The products listed below are true winners. They represent the very best of the industry in terms of content, presentation, and value for the user. Continued from the previous page
BEST Product for Graphic Designers
OnOne Plug-In Suite 4
We've tried twenty plug-ins this year, and they all are wonderful tools. But the problem is, crossing from plug-in to plug-in requires new installs, new learning curves, and the challenge of remembering how to use them once you've gathered them up, paid for them and installed them. We were a little skeptical at first, when onOne sent us the review copy of Plug-in Suite 4, because it costs almost as much as Photoshop itself. But once we ran it, we were convinced it is the Product of the Year!
Plug-In Suite 4 includes 6 Photoshop plugins that help you maximize the power of Photoshop. You get Genuine Fractals 6 Professional Edition for high-quality enlargements, PhotoTools 1 Professional Edition, Mask Pro 4 for removing backgrounds, PhotoFrame 4 Professional Edition for the perfect finishing touch to your photos, PhotoTune 2 for professional quality color correction and FocalPoint 1 for adding selective blur and vignettes to your photos.
Folks, this is strong stuff. It's elegant and it's flawless. If you work on digital imagery, then you can eliminate a lot of time and bother by getting this package TODAY.
Read our FULL review with pictures and full descriptions
BEST PHOTOSHOP Add-on
Shiny Core Photoshop Path Styler
Our quest for the perfect Photoshop plug-in goes on and on. In the past, we've seen many wonderful plug-ins. But this year we really came close to the ultimate in textures, edge treatments and special effects! You need to check out the WOW stuff you can do with Path Styler Pro -- the powerful styling plug-in for Photoshop makes stunning filter effects with a simple click or two -- and that's what drew us to it.
For creative experiences, or just fooling around, PathStyler offers the best bang for your buck -- plus it's easy to use and (as far as we can tell) it's robust and bug-free!
Shiny Core Path Styler Pro
See our full review of Path Styler Pro
BEST ILLUSTRATOR Add-on
Artlandia LivePresets for Macintosh and Windows
We've talked about Artlandia's awesome products for Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop for almost a decade. They seem to understand the needs of graphic designers in a most unique way -- doing things no one else does! Once you try the live editing, you will never want to edit your swatches or symbols any other way.
Artlandia LivePresets is a plug-in for Adobe Illustrator that gives you linked artwork updates interactively as you edit. The unique software gives you simultaneous interactive editing of multiple objects in Adobe Illustrator -- even live typography. And, that's very cool! By introducing a live, editable variety of formerly "static" Illustrator presets, such as symbols and pattern swatches, LivePresets increases productivity and opens new possibilities for the efficient use of repeating design elements.
We love this product. Once you've tried it, you will too!
Artlandia LivePresets for Macintosh and Windows
See our full review of Artlandia LivePresets
BEST FONT of the YEAR
Auntie Pat script from David Bergsland
We haven't had a "Font" of the year in the past, but we're starting the tradition this year. Why? Because our annual Fonts Festival continues to bring the highest traffic, and highest readership to the Design Center! So, that's telling us that typography and fonts are something that the DTG readership really wants to know about.
Auntie Pat is a delightful font creation by David Bergsland -- a small font maker with careful attention to minute details. Auntie is a full Open Type Pro font, complete with caps, lowercase, small caps and figures to go with each of the character sets. Additionally, there are many ligatures, swashes, fractions, numerators, denominators and ordinals. The smooth reading font fulfills the rigors of truly classic typesetting in the purest form. Extraordinary
... ladies and gentlemen, meet Auntie Pat Script
WEB SITE of the YEAR: Graphic Design
DesignFlavr daily Inspirational Art and Design
Sometimes we just have to ask "Where in the world do they get the time?" Whether they're making a full-time living off of blogging, or simply don't have a life, we don't care!
Andrew Greig's DesignFlavr seems to make the grade with daily shots-in-the-arm of juicy, creative imagery. He attempts to deliver the latest and freshest art and design in a no frills way. The site is fresh, it's inviting, and there's little noise in the way of readership. Yes, there are blinking ads, and all the usual screen spam, but Andrew seems to have moved it to the side so those of us not shopping can get some eye-candy. (click for enlargement)
Galleries include Colors, Articles, Portfolios, CSS Websites, CG Art, Illustrations, Traditional Art, Vector Art, Photo Manipulation, Abstract Design, Advertising, Urban Art, General Design and so much more, you won't even have time for it all. We think, if you've got time, this might just be the best bookmark for everything graphic design.
...
www.designflavr.com
GRAPHIC DESIGNER of the YEAR: Graphic Design
Luba Lukova
We were first introduced to Luba last year through Maggie's book "Decoding Design," another BEST award winner for 2008. We were swept away, and had to get in touch. Luckily enough, she contacted us -- and gained a coveted position in the DTG Gallery.
Her book, Social Justice 2008 is a book of posters beautifully packaged in a spectacular slip-cover which features Luba's own sketches and thumbnails from the art in the posters. The package is 14.5 x 21.5 inches and includes 12, ready-to-frame, posters . As I flipped through the posters, I saw an inarguable trail of social commentary so striking I knew at once these prints need to be framed and on the wall.
Luba Lukova, now living in New York, is an internationally recognized artist and designer. Her powerful posters are exhibited around the world and have won many awards including our GRAPHIC DESIGNER of the YEAR award.
Visual expression like this can only be described as possessing greatness -- and if you can see that, then you'll do like I have: framed them as part of my permanent collection. Some day, I predict these prints will be among the galleries along with Andy Warhol, Peter Max and David Lance Goines. You'll want to pass them to your children -- they'll be worth millions!
Luba Lukova Social Justice 2008
See our Full Review with pictures
And that's a wrap for this year's BEST AWARDS from DTG Magazine. You can be assured that any / all of the products mentioned in our AWARDS are of top quality, with top quality guarantees and support. If we didn't use them, and believe in them -- then they wouldn't be here!
For all the product manufacturers and publishers who are reading this, if you will contact me, I'll pass along printable / publishable logos for your award's use in packaging and web sites. For you manufacturers and publishers who did not win, please keep those review copies and samples coming. In today's world, there just isn't enough time to chase down every publisher out there who might have a notable product. So, you won't get noticed if we don't hear from YOU.
until next time... thanks for reading!
Fred Showker, Editor / Publisher of DTG Magazine
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