What's That Font?
WhatTheFont is one of my favorite ways of identifying fonts. It's not perfect because the font has to be in its database for it to recognize it. And even if the font is in the WhatTheFont database, it might not recognize it if your supplied sample isn't up to snuff... Read more...
Mac Desktop Publishing for Non-Designers
Are you a budding graphic designer or a hobbyiest looking for an inexpensive desktop publishing package for the Mac? iStudio Publisher is a page layout application for Mac OSX that will run you about $50US. Macworld.com reviewer Jay Nelson places it between Pages and high-end programs such as QuarkXPress or InDesign in terms of usefulness for desktop publishing. Download a free trial version to find out if it will suit your needs.
Draw a Christmas Tree
Christmas Tree
© J. Bear
Beyond Wacom - Using a Cheap Graphics Tablet
After the replacement pen on my Wacom tablet broke I had gone back to using a mouse, although I was eyeballing graphics tablets every time I went to the store. But then my husband came home one day with a pair of tablets he'd picked up at a local discount store. Turns out that what I thought was at first some cheap off-brand is actually better known than I knew. Read more...
Where's Your Tagline?
You'll find the About.com tagline "Guidance. Not Guesswork" near the logo on the About.com home page. It's part of our branding, our message. This Design vs. Art blog post shows several Web site logos with their taglines. So, is a tagline part of the logo or is it a different creature? Sometimes you see it. Sometimes you don't. And when you do, does it mesh with the look and feel of the logo? Read more...
Design a Different Newsletter
The typical newsletter is letter size, has a nameplate across the top with articles below. But does it have to be that way? No, says Chuck Green. He suggests that making your newsletter look nothing like a typical newsletter can work to your advantage. Read more...
How Do You Identify Fonts?
We have a fairly active Type & Fonts folder in the forum. The bulk of the postings are from members seeking identification of specific fonts. They may need them to recreate some letterhead or a logo or just because they like the look and want to use the font in some project but don't know the name. We have some regulars who frequently offer help and I do so as well from time to time. This past week or so I've been posting quite a few font identifications. But it's not always an easy task.
Contests With Computer/Camera Prizes
One way to save money on desktop publishing is to get stuff for free. And you don't have to go dumpster-diving for some of the best freebies. Just enter a contest. OK, there's no guarantee you'll win, but it doesn't hurt to enter. Some of the prizes you can try for right now include a course in digital photography or a digital camera, a crystal-embellished laptop computer, or thousands of dollars worth of office supplies.
PNG Over WMF?
The PNG (ping) graphics format was developed as a patent-free alternative to the GIF format. PNG or Portable Networks Graphics are raster images that can support millions of colors, like JPG. PNG has variable transparency through alpha channels and has fully lossless compression (that is, saving and re-saving doesn't degrade the quality). These and other features make PNG a better choice than GIF and sometimes better than JPG or TIFF -- it can depend on the specific image and how it will be used.
MS Paint in Win 7: Surprise! A Decent Little Paint Program
I've used the little Paint program that comes bundled with Windows a time or two, mostly just for some quick doodling. There have been a few improvements over the years but nothing stupendous. Earlier this week my husband saw me working on some graphics in a couple of programs (the free and excellent PhotoScape and the starter version (free) of ArtRage) and he mentioned that in Windows 7, the Paint program is much improved. Opened it up a little bit later, and Wow! It sure is...
Paint in Windows 7