Overcoming Procrastination

It's the end run of the semester - here's a little kick in the pants:

Overcoming Procrastination - Wikibooks, collection of open-content textbooks

Nice How-To Article

creativepro.com - Design How-To: Using Ghosted Backgrounds

IDD400 Weekly Viewing

Motion Graphics+ from up-and-coming artists:

Radical Friend 2006

IMPACTIST

Takagi Masakatsu

After you redesign your blog, you can work on MySpace

Mike Davidson: Hacking A More Tasteful MySpace

Blog Design

Top 10 Best Designed Blogs by Elliott Back

IDD400 Sites for this week

Motion graphics sites for this week's analysis:

Trollbäck + Company

SUK & KOCH

mmmm, Inspiration

Alvin Lustig, Modern American Design Pioneer 1915-1955

The Alvin Lustig Archive (www.alvinlustig.com) grew out of our admiration for this important modern design pioneer, one that we believe deserved much more attention than what is currently available. As graphic designers, Lustig's passion for design in all aspects of life resonates with us and influences our own practice.

Zine Resource

Barnard College Library Zine Collection

ZINES ARE

Short for magazine or fanzine, zines are self-publications, motivated by a desire for self-expression, not for profit. The following quote from Not Sorry, a zine out of the zine capital of the United States: Portland, Oregon explains what zines are, and why they're necessary.

"I'm not even trying to be dramatic, but to the world at large, I am a freak. My voice is downplayed, ignored and/or made into a joke in the mass of verbal and physical disapproval that bombards me every day when I leave the safety of my house or make the stupid decision to read a newspaper, magazine or turn the television on. When I am out of my element, I am told that my very existence is wrong or problematic because I am a fat, queer, mentally ill, politically radical woman with very little money and little to no regard for beauty standards and so on and so forth. But you know what? I am so NOT fucking SORRY. As long as myself and others are disrespected, invalidated, unsafe and ignored by the masses, my experiences, ideas and opinions need to be heard and I will keep on talking this shit and it is not going to be pretty. Besides, how else are these stories going to be documented? With the exception of the gay rights movement, these stories will most likely not be found in any future history books, and if they are, they will most likely be totally inaccurate. Now I know that this zine will not go much beyond the zine reading community, but this is where I have chosen to start and it's something which is always better than nothing."

Jenny San Diego. Not Sorry, #3. April, 2005. Portland, Oregon.

Print Designers FYI

creativepro.com - Paper Tips: Fit the Design to the Sheet

Riddle me this: Would you rather trim a half-inch off your design or risk going out of business? While paper costs have remained relatively flat, it pays to be prudent when matching layout specs to paper size.

Inspiration

The Visual Dictionary - a visual exploration of words in the real world.

The Visual Dictionary is a collection of words in the real world. Photographs of signage, graffiti, advertising, tattoos, you name it, we're trying to catalogue it.

CNN has been watching over our shoulders!

CNN.com - Design software weakens classic drawing skills - Apr 5, 2006

Students are more comfortable manipulating computer graphics than doodling, drafting and drawing with pen on paper, and this has created a sharp decline in drawing skills in recent years, teachers say.

Another must-read blog...

Eyebeam reBlog

The Eyebeam reBlog is a community site focused on art, technology, and culture. The guest reBlogger is filtering feeds provided by artists, curators, bloggers, and news sites. With the touch of a button the reBlogger selects material to share with the Eyebeam community.

The Best Design Blog?

Don't forget about reading this one on a regular basis:

Design Observer - writings about design & culture

Typography Tutorial

creativepro.com - Creative Suite How-To: Working with Typography

Typography is perhaps one of the most compelling aspects of the Adobe Creative Suite -- especially when you tap into the workflow features of Version Cue.

Designers must write...

Ideas Blog - Designers must write

Early in my career, I was involved in a strange and completely unnecessary rivalry with one of my coworkers. She and I were like oil and water. After years of chilly interaction we actually managed to engage in something that had the semblance of a civil conversation. During this chat, she somewhat reluctantly noted that she held no drawing skills. To state it candidly, I was aghast. How could a professional not have a handle on what I perceived as the absolute basics?

The “P” Word

Thought this would be a good refresher on entering the last 5 weeks of the semeste.

Study Skills Library - Procrastination

Procrastination is a complex psychological behavior that affects everyone to some degree or another. With some it can be a minor problem; with others it is a source of considerable stress and anxiety. Procrastination is only remotely related to time management, (procrastinators often know exactly what they should be doing, even if they cannot do it), which is why very detailed schedules usually are no help.

New Design Magazine

redaction

Redaction is a new graphic design publication. Its mission is to present works of design educators and periphery practioners striving to create new paradigms in design practice and design writing. Its goal is to highlight designers operating in alternative modes: authors, editors, critics, producers, directors, artists, and researchers.

Flash Tutorial Resource

gotoAndLearn.com

Great Flash tutorials! Use it.

Architecture Student Blog Site

Archinect : School Blog Project

About Archinect
Mission: The goal of Archinect is to make architecture more connected and open-minded, and bring together designers from around the world to introduce new ideas from all disciplines.

Background: Archinect was initially developed in 1997 by Paul Petrunia. The site has since become a top online destination for progressive-design oriented students, architects, educators, and fans.

Photoshop FYI

Here's an issue that you may have had in creating an image:

creativepro.com - Graphics How-To: Simulate a Shadow in Photoshop

Objects in a spotlight or a setting sun throw long shadows. When you want that three-dimensional look but the available images don't fit the bill, you can make one yourself in Photoshop.