Category: Design

A part of my Identity Process includes time to look into Typefaces that match the clients’ needs or what I feel best expresses their visual message. What is a Typeface you may ask? A Typeface is a family of character design ie. Helvetica, Georgia, Futura, Baskerville, etc. You may call them Fonts, but a Font is actually a variation of a Typeface: Helvetica Bold, Georgia Italic, Baskerville medium book. I’ll step down from my terminology soap box for now and get back to the meat and potatoes of this blog post.

I am sure that most designers out there are like me and have a plethora of Typefaces on their machines. Sifting through them can be a long process causing a lot of wasted time. Until I found this handy dandy online Web App that can save lots of time for any designer.

This site is fairly simple and easy to implement. You can type in a word at the top center, click the ‘load more fonts,’ (I know, I know) and it will load a preview of these on the page. You can continue to load more until you are through all of your own installed Typefaces. You are able to make filters for your displaying Typefaces, change the size, and flip the positive-negative areas.

It is a great alternative to my old method of doing things, and I thought I would share this link so all could benefit from increased productivity during the Identity Process.

http://wordmark.it/

(Source: Skynet Solutions)

By Clint Smith

The design process can be a long and arduous road with many bumps along the way. Every bump affects each designer differently ie. typography, layout, content, color…DING! DING! I would sometimes spend more time than necessary deciding what colors to use in a web or logo design. I have found this handy web application developed by Petr Stanicek. It’s called Color Scheme Designer. I use it to quickly grab colors that are a part of a color family and continue with my process. The online application has several other features and functions to experiment with also.

http://colorschemedesigner.com/

(Source: Skynet Solutions)

By Clint Smith

Staying on top of web trends, design trends, and social trends can seem very daunting at times, but keeping your head above water on these subjects is essential for web/graphic designers. Software is also something to be mindful of in this profession. Knowing the lifespan or progression of the software programs and tools that you use can help you prepare and be ready for the future.

Recently there has been a lot of discussion over the use or lack of use of programs such as any web-based media player, but mainly Flash. Debating these programs’ value or usefulness is determined by your love for the software and how it may or may not work for your particular application.

The latest trend is mobile access, and the main push is Apple. Like it or not, Apple’s decision to not support Flash has caused much debate. Regardless of your personal views on the subject, the fact remains that Flash will be phased out or replaced; even Adobe realizes this.

Earlier this month, Adobe released Edge as the successor to Flash. It is my impression that this program will replace Flash, however that is only speculation on my part. Edge will allow all current browsers to display a video or animation without the need to have a ‘player’ or more commonly, the need to update your player. Adobe Edge uses CSS3 and ‘HTML5’ to be written for you as the development is happening in their WYSIWYG. It is currently available as a beta download on their site. I strongly suggest that all current designers be aware of and download this application.

(Source: Skynet Solutions)

By Clint Smith