DTG News and Else
DT&G:   Vol. 19, Number 3,   March, 2009   ~   The eZine for Design, Typography, & Graphics   (since 1988)  

DT&G Newsletter for March, 2009

March brings some new features and beginnings for graphic designers... and as you know it's Women's History month !

This month, we launch our 14th Annual Designing Women month. We think you're going to like it, so as soon as the newsletter is ready to go, we'll post it!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

March is WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

We look forward to this issue every month because here's where we meet some of the top talent in the field -- and it's always nice to get out and see new inspiration. Believe me, there are some blockbusters this month -- and next. So, in honor of Women's History Month let's take a fun and educational field trip to visit and discover some wonderful design works by women in the visual arts world! Follow along...

Lady sings Design: Nena Anderson

Once in a while we find a designer who exudes talent in 360-degrees! We found Nena and not only discovered a highly sophisticated visual designer in 2-D and 3-D, but a drop-dead blues and jazz musician as well. This powerhouse lady sings print design, trade show displays and product design from mountain biking to sea-side sandals to down-town swing ... it's all about talent!

Sandra Selle-Rodriguez

How often do you encounter an artist with the sensitivity of Van Gogh, C'ezanne and Degas -- some of the greatest artists who ever lived? It looks like digital painter Sandra Selle-Rodriguez is just such an artist. We were impressed with Sandra's work -- but considering she had her first art show at only 13 years of age, it's no surprise! Meet Sandra Selle-Rodriguez

Marie Thacker: Well Rounded Web Design

Marie is a Web, UX, Interaction Designer and Art Director in the Seattle Washington area who is well rounded and equally grounded -- with a propensity for nuts and bolts. We liked her dash of creative spark and intuition -- and welcome her to the DTG Gallery ... visit Marie Thacker

14th Annual Designing Women Tour

Each year we discover some pretty special ladies, and this year we introduce you to Susan Kare the original Icon Queen; Karen D'Amico a classic European style designer; well rounded Jennifer Duarte and then Allison Foltz Milmoe who will treat us to some distinctly dexterous typography! We're already working on next month's edition for even more -- I think you'll enjoy this year's Designing Women field trip!

Photoshop Field Trip: Gurus of Alien Skin

People talk about this or that Photoshop technique -- and the web is raft with bush league Photoshoppers like hookers at a Texas rodeo. For a break from the noise, let's take a look at a few accomplished visual artists who are actually doing it professionally. Come along and take a look at the works of Jim Zuckerman, Scott Stulberg, Jim White and pin-up photographer Robert Alvarado. All are masters in their own rights -- and all have something to share with you from the Alien Skin Case Studies library

Graffiti Feast

Every time I feast on Graffiti, I feel like I've gained weight! I've always admired the freedom and independence of graffiti artists in and around the bay area -- now photographer Steve Rotman has captured the very essence of the San Francisco graffiti culture -- and I guarantee you will add a few thousand brain cells, but won't gain a single calorie from Bay Area Graffiti eye-candy feast

Show-n-Sell Design gets clients quick

There's only one way graphic design practitioners are going to dig out of this recession -- and that's by selling more work in less time.

So, many need help. This selling device gets you into your client's business fast -- the design is done so you're out the door -- fast -- with a check!

This 340-page graphic designs display catalog will dazzle your client with 556 printed template designs spanning business design sets, brochures, flyers, ad sets, newsletters, postcard sets, menus, stationery sets with logo designs, posters and greeting cards!

When they don't want to really pay for your creative original design -- this offers a superb, lower cost alternative! And the templates are already done, including stock photography, graphics and all. You brand it, dump in the type hit the style sheets, and deliver to the printer. The client knows up front exactly what it looks like. You collect the check.Show-n-Sell Designs Catalog
      (You don't have to tell them you're using templates if you don't want to!)

Nikon Creative Lighting

Nothing can ruin a good photograph faster than a rude flash exposure. Flash photography has become an art in itself and should be mastered by all aspiring photographers. Nikon owners, and those with cameras that can use the Nikon lighting components should learn the subtle art of flash photography. Nikon Creative Lighting

Scanning Negatives and Slides

I know you've got slides and negatives from pre-digital years. Family, kids, portfolio photos and so forth. For future generations, you need to know how to achieve the best possible digital image from a negative or slide, and how to build a workflow to make this process efficient, repeatable, and reliable. Here's how. Scanning Negatives and Slides

Sending invoices made easy

Who needs to take extra time and fuss sending invoices -- the least fun thing in your business. For the small business or consulting firm, Involer is a simple, easy to use invoicing application for Mac OS X where you can create, print, export and track the status of your invoices within a single, easy to use interface. With Involer, you can be up and running with your company in just a few seconds, and sending invoices in minutes. Easy invoicing for business

Media browsing from any program - FREE

Karelia Software has released version 1.1.3 of the Karelia iMedia Browser, a free utility that adds the familiar "media browser" experience to just about any Mac application. Version 1.1.3 enhances searching, now including searches of keywords and comments in iPhoto libraries, and fixes an issue with redundant search results from iTunes. Version 1.1.3 also supports much larger iPhoto libraries. Free iMedia Browser for Macs

Fonts in InDesign made Easy

One of the dreads of InDesign users is getting to their fonts. Chris Paveglio has possibly solved at least some of the woes with his new InDesign Font Catalog. InDesign users should check this out. Adobe InDesign Font Catalog

InDesign and QuarkXPress Catalog Automating

AutoPrice for Adobe InDesign CS4 and QuarkXPress on both the Macintosh and PC platforms is a powerful yet easy-to-use plug-in module that streamlines the updating of prices and similar information in InDesign and Quark documents. Adobe InDesign Auto pricing

Clean up those links in InDesign workflows...

LinkOptimizer is a workflow automation solution to optimize link size and resolution for Adobe InDesign. LinkOptimizer allows to reduce the size of InDesign jobs and increase the processing speed by eliminating excessive image data. Adobe InDesign LinkOptimizer

Screen captures in layers?

If you work much with screen captures or screen shots, you probably often wish they could already be in the format and layer you want. Layers 1.0 is a unique screen capturing utility for Mac OS X -- screenshots captured in Layers are Adobe PhotoShop compatible Layered Screen Captures

GREEN DESIGN - You want it. You need it

What is it? How do you do it? Why should you do it? What difference does it make? Those and other questions will be addressed in our April issue. All designers have an obligation to society and the globe, in addition to their clients.

YOUR INPUT is needed to contribute to our April issue. Send your input

Mailbag: LOGOS revisited

Last month's article brought a whole slew of comments from readers. Adam, in Perth, WA, Australia, wrote in to say:
> Something to add to the "Logos that look like logos" article...
> what a classic!
> Woodside - a major Australian Mining and Resources company
> has just launched its new logo...
> http://www.woodside.com.au/About+Us/Our+Logo.htm
> Unfortunately, they didn't think to look in this product
> category for potential logo look-alikes!...
> http://www.poise.com.au/

And we're sure there are hundreds more like this! Check'em out and let us know.

Mailbag: Designers Social conscience

Then our good friend, Trish, wrote to point us in the direction of some fun acronyms for designers doing good... the acronyms? Well, you decide. Trish (www.contemporary-native.com ) from Tobyhanna, PA, USA, writes:
> I'd love that idea - some kind of logo designers
> unity to make the world a better place.
> Maybe;
> 'Brand And Logo Designers For Rights Of Generations' - BALD FROG smile
> 'Designers Uniting Nations Globally' - DUNG
> 'Brand Artists Reaching Kids' - BARK
> 'All Logo Artists Supporting Kids and the Aged' - ALASKA
> I actually had a client recently who was so happy
> with the work I did that she gave me some extra to
> give to charity smile This would definitely
> have been my way to help.

Got tips? Got suggestions? Send'em in!

Colors of Spring

April also opens the gates to spring color palettes, and we're looking for your. Share your favorite color ideas, samples of work, web sites, blogs with DTG readers. If we run your piece, of course we'll send you a selection from the Design Bookshelf as thank-you! Do it today.

&ELSE... freebies and cool stuff

This month's &Else includes: Network Know-How * Web Sites The Right Way * The Google Way * Motionographer * Anti-theft for your Mac * Involer invoicing * Art Fotografic * high resolution backgrounds * TAGA's 61st Annual Technical Conference * iPhone ColorSplash and a dozen others! News, Reviews &Else!

The Design Center Rebirth

A very talented and insightful web designer and I are now furiously working on an all new layout and structure for DTG online. I really thought that after 20 years -- 240 issues -- it was time to make some changes -- and believe it or not, I actually hired a designer. The old Bill Bernbach quote holds true. I'll share that one with you below.

So, this is your last chance to complain about this web site. Each month, out of a quarter million or so readers, there are always a handful who write to complain about something. Here's your chance to poke and moan. If your suggestions are ever to make it into this site, here's your chance:
* http://www.dtg-forums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3279

If you'd like to share, just send me an email, or click on any "Contact" button in the Design Center.

thanks for reading...

Fred Showker
Fred Showker

Fred Showker, Editor / Publisher, DT&G Magazine

Why did Fred hire a designer?
He remembered this famous advice for success as shared by Bill Bernback of Doyle Dane Bernbach:
      "Never do anything yourself
        that you can hire someone else to do
        especially if they can do it better!"

Thoughts for March and Women's History Month...

      "In politics, if you want anything said, ask a man;
          if you want anything done, ask a woman."
            Margaret Thatcher

The National Women's History Project

PS: if you've made it this far, excellent! The Publishers Warehouse have not been very successful switching all the hundreds of new clip art images to new directory structure, hopefully by the first week in March! We'll be lucky if they do -- after all, March is the lucky month, right? ?

You can contribute and get your voice heard: When you make your contribution to the Design Center, you not only help us continue the mission... and you get lots and lots of traffic and visitors to your web site! Google metrics evidence 611,387 pairs of eyes saw our Partner's buttons last month. Need we say more? Take a look for yourself

Participate in your Design Center

Lots of fun and information for all... don't forget, any community is only as good as the participation of its members. We invite your tips, tricks, comments, suggestions and camaraderie.