DTG News and Else
DT&G:   Vol. 19, Number 5,   May, 2009   ~   The eZine for Design, Typography, & Graphics   (since 1988)  

DT&G Newsletter for May, 2009

May brings some new features and beginnings for graphic designers... and we also bring some much needed profitability ideas for graphic designers feeling the slump in the market! But for now, until the email newsletter comes out, here are the top stories from DTG News &Else ...

May... time for changes!

Who loves you?
These three folks for sure! They have all stepped up to the plate to support your design center with their generous contributions. All three offer products and services above the call of duty, and all support the graphic arts fields. Particular thanks go out to Design-training.com for renewing their partnership with the Design Center for a THIRD time!
www.design-training.com
Smile Templates stood up a second time to show their support, not just for the Design Center, but for YOU, through their excellent templates that will improve your profitability!
www.smiletemplates.com
... and a round of applause goes out to the folks at Background Labs, our latest partner, with lots of cool graphics stuff for DTG readers!
www.backgroundlabs.com
When you visit these supporters of the Design Center, say "thank you" for their support!

Graphic Design: Templates for Profit

Whether you're a new designer, or a new freelancer, you need some basic starting points to answer the questions. The 'old guard' of the design profession shuns pre-designed templates. But don't shun something that can turn a $20 per hour profit into an $85 per hour profit! Hey, you might want to think again about Templates for Profit

Photoshop Picture Packages with InDesign?

Speaking of templates -- a subscriber in the Design Cafe asked how to make creative picture packages. He sent along a sample -- and was expecting us to show how to do it in Photoshop! Here's a free tutorial on making creative photo montages you can sell to your clients. But it's a lot easier using Adobe InDesign rather than Photoshop!

Design Projects: Easier? Profitable?ideas plus free book

Chuck Green The idea is simple. Modifying a well-designed template is far easier and more profitable than starting from scratch. With the professionally designed templates, you tap the talents of designer and author Chuck Green. He has researched, designed, and meticulously formatted over 300 extraordinary layouts in a clean, simple style that it easy to build on. Instead of spending 15 minutes to create a simple layout, you'll spend 15 seconds. For complex projects -- books, newsletters, catalogs, reports -- you'll save HOURS.

What is design?

All over the web, new bloggers are asking the question "what is design" and pontificating about how they interpret the word. It's an illusive word, yet means something very solid and stable. But with all the interpretations of the word "design" it still means what it always has. And now there's a new way of looking at the definition of any word ... visually! the definition of any word ... visually!

Photoshop Madness... free plug-ins to collages

In this issue we discover The Princess of Shadows and her remarkably free Photoshop Actions * a good pair of wings * and some * Masterful Manipulations! You'll also learn about * Saving for the Web * light your girl on FIRE * Misprinted Type from Assemblage to Collage. We'll also show you how to Get a FREE PHOTOSHOP BOOK ... and it's all in the MAY edition of Photoshop Madness... What's in your Photoshop wallet?

Aesthetics: MyArtSpace Art

MyArtSpace was established by the New York Art Exchange Scholars in the field define aesthetics as "critical reflection on art, culture and nature." MyArtSpace was established by the New York Art Exchange and helps us understand, digest and discover new Aesthetics with galleries and features by and about artists. This experimental venture hopefully will bring DTG readers lots of inspiration over the months to come. Join us for this edition of the MyArtSpace Art News

Photoshop Tutorials Revisited : Add Depth of Field

We get lots of requests for this series of questions, so we reached into the Photoshop Tips & Tricks tutorial library to update these tutorials. Here, the designer is faced with customer supplied photos -- which aren't always as good as they should be. Three great ways to improve dull photos. We've also added a bunch of new tutorials, so pig out!

MAY: Flash on Tap

Flash on Tap, May 28-30 in Boston, will hold a private screening of Oscar-nominated, and Golden Globe award-winning Flash animated documentary feature, Waltz with Bashir. Director of Animation, Yoni Goodman to present the film and discuss the unique Flash-cutout animation technique created for the feature. Flash on Tap

The Poor Man's Photoshop for Mac

We've enjoyed the benefits of owning GraphicConverter for over a decade. This famous and popular image editing and conversion utility for Mac OS X has now been enhanced and upgraded with support for bio-formats -- GraphicConverter, often called the Poor Man's Photoshop

Review: MacSnapper Creates Tutorials

MacSnapper was developed specifically for creating step-by-step tutorials, manuals, kiosks, user guides or even personal notes. MacSnapper will organize everything necessary to describe a project. Screenshots may be taken directly from the application, or images may be easily imported. MacSnapper Creates Tutorials

Scanning with a digital camera

If you can take a picture of something with your camera, you don't need to buy a scanner -- maybe. Prizmo corrects lens distortion and perspective, it can scan documents of all sizes, including custom portrait and landscape documents indoor and outdoor photographs. This is a handy application -- especially for iPhone users who want to Scan with the camera

Getting control of Adobe InDesign Prepress

Zevrix Solutions is back with powerful applications for Adobe InDesign. This time they present InPreflight, its quality control, packaging automation and preflight reporting solution for Adobe InDesign InPreflight Pro and Studio

&ELSE... freebies and cool stuff

This month's &Else includes: Graphic Designer Toolbox * Hand-Drawn HD Effects for Final Cut Pro * Interactive charts for Mac * Master SQL Fundamentals * Money accounting gets better for Mac Leopard * Photography Tips for iPhone * PhotoUpLink 1.2 for iPhoto * Recover lost photos and tunes * Review: iWork 09 The Missing Manual * The Page Director Ad Layout System * Vector Drawing for OS X * A Light Panel In Your Pocket ... and a dozen others! News, Reviews &Else!

What is Design according to LinkedIn

I asked a group on LinkedIn what they thought the meaning of Design is, and I got 247 responses. Only a few actually addressed the question -- the others sharing their own rants or gotchas about what 'design' means to them. Two answers that really stood out however are worth sharing -- one for its wisdom, and one for it's humor...

R.Lee, a Design Specialist and partner at Arberth Studios wrote:
      > "Paul Rand said it best . . .
      > and if you don't know who he is, you should . . .
      > here are 2 quotes of his:

Without aesthetic, design is either the humdrum repetition of familiar cliches or a wild scramble for novelty. Without the aesthetic, the computer is but a mindless speed machine, producing effects without substance, form without relevant content, or content without meaningful form.
Design is the method of putting form and content together. Design, just as art, has multiple definitions; there is no single definition. Design can be art. Design can be aesthetics. Design is so simple, that's why it is so complicated.

... both by Paul Rand, probably one of the most well respected graphic designers of all times.

Then another writer Michelle said this is the meaning of design:
> "Turning corporate "wah-wah-wah" into
> "Dude, that rocks... let's buy it!"

C'mon along for the ride and join my LinkedIn network!

Mailbag: Festival of Colors

The folks over at the Desinuts blog tipped me to the Festival of Colors and blew me away! If you want an eye full of beautiful imagery, see the Boston Globe photos from this event that evidently takes place every year for Hindu -- called "Holi." While it is a religious celebration, it could remind some of a college fraternity party. Here's a sneak peek, or see the whole article: www.boston.com/bigpicture

Mailbag: Wearable Computer?

Just when your fashion thing starts getting you down, try a new wearable computer! Actually, I found this pretty cool -- a rugged computer you strap to your arm. How cool is this! (Sneak peek photo) See it at Glacier Computer

Top Five Paper Myths Exposed

Sabine Lenz, over at the PaperSpecs wrote in to rant on all of the falsehoods surrounding the paper industry. To dispel some of the paper myths, he wrote an ebook on the subject. It's important information for graphic designers -- really anyone who prints to paper -- so I'd like to get you a free copy. Just drop in on Sabine, and sign in: www.papermyths.com

Freebie Vector files

Here's an unbelievable collection of vector art you can just download. His women's collection is superb -- but there is a tone of others there as well. Tell'em Fred sent'cha. www.fordesigner.com

Site of the Month: Conficker Eye Chart

If you use Windows, and have not yet discovered the Joe Stewart blog, then perhaps you should. Joe is Director of Malware Research with SecureWorks and writes:
      "I've been working on a few different ways to detect Conficker via a web page load. I originally came up with a javascript method but I decided to go with a simpler approach using only images. Thus, the Conficker Eye Chart was born. It's a simple visual test you can use to evaluate a Windows PC just by surfing to that page and looking at the images."
BRAVO, JOE! (Whew, I don't have the Conficker worm! Oh. I guess I wouldn't, would I? I'm running Macs! See: www.joestewart.org

Mailbag: Mission fulfilled

this kind of letter is what the Design Center is all about...
> Hi again, I just wanted to send along another thank you for including me in your column. I have gotten some great response to the article, and a lot of visits to the "giving back" section of my website.
Again you guys did a nice job. And it is very much appreciated.

Don't thank us... When a designer becomes philanthropist and takes "changing people's lives" beyond the realm of graphic design, it's the ultimate... we thank YOU, Wendy of Wetherbee Creative

Mailbag: Ultimate advice for graphic designers

Thank you Keith, for sending this great tidbit of advice! I think I'm going to use that for our "words" for the month ...

      if you wouldn't enjoy doing it for free, pick another occupation.
      if you would enjoy doing it for free, charge double.

LOL... Good one! Keith is a design professional in Eugene, OR, USA -- and Keith, we're sending a little something out for TILLY just to say "thanks for writing!" See: www.vespagraphics.com

NEW Seasonal design Templates

These days, survival and success depend on getting your client's jobs through to finished printing with as little time as possible. We have updated our selection of Brochures, Tri Fold Brochures, Newsletters, Business Cards, and all kinds of professionally designed layouts to reflect the season!
Graphic Design templates READY TO GO, complete with professional photography, integrated graphics and style sheets for Quark XPress, Adobe InDesign or Apple's new iWork / Pages!

Graphic Design templates New titles include :
      Post Card Campaigns; marketing for Lawn Care, Massage Therapy, Health Insurance & Financial Services; all new collection of Tri Fold brochures; Women's Health Care Marketing; Brochures for Youth Group Outreach, summer camp, field trips; campaigns for Hair Stylists, hair salon, make over, tanning; templates for education in the arts, Arts Councils or Arts Institutes; Staffing Agencies or human resources campaigns; templates for construction, building and contractors: construction industry, roofing contractors ... and a lot More!

May Day, May Day,

NO -- it's not a distress signal -- you would not want to shout that over a short-wave radio! "mayday, mayday, mayday" is an emergency code word used internationally as a distress signal in voice procedure radio communications. It derives from the French venez m'aider, meaning 'come help me'. Actually that might not be so inappropriate after all! Where did April go? Mayday, I've lost April! flowers

Don't forget, on May 10, 2009, take some flowers to your mom and ask if there's anything she would like to have or do. Mother's Day is celebrated around the globe on the second Sunday of May. Just do it. You'll be glad you did.

Web Critique: DTG -- so since nobody critiqued the Design Center site as requested in March and April, we assume you love it the way it is and don't think it needs improvement! Wow, what a compliment! So we'll keep it very much the same.

Next month is SUMMER, and once again we're opening the ranks of the design center gallery and the Photo-Folio site to welcome your photos -- show your good stuff to the DTG Readership! Sign up and send content and/photos : by clicking here.

Have a really great May and spring!

thanks for reading...

Fred Showker
Fred Showker

Fred Showker, Editor / Publisher, DT&G Magazine

Thoughts for May..

      "If you've got time to complain,
        then you've got time to do something about it!
            -- unknown.

      Be who your are and say what you feel,
        because those who mind, don't matter
          and those who matter don't mind.
            -- Dr. Seuss

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. During the month of March they cataloged and re-linked 3,400 files! We'll be lucky if they get this project done by Christmas -- but May is the "flowers" 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.