Review

Hitachi today announced that their similar image search engine, GazoPa application will begin open beta testing and is available to the public at large. All features are available for test users without log in.

I think the new iMac 27" inch is the ultimate designer machine with its 2560 by 1440 pixels resolution and 375 cd/m2 brightness thanks to the LED technology. But for those used to 15-20" screens. Just how big is it?

Adapted from EdgyCute: From Neo-Pop to Low Brow and Back Again (Mark Batty Publisher)
By Harry Saylor with Carolyn Frisch
Dateline: October 20, 2009

I believe in art. I collect it, search for it and am driven to own it. My first “real art” purchase was in 1988: an Andy Warhol “Cow.” I loved the use of a trademarked character—Elsie the Cow—to create a homey feeling that was so familiar to me that it created instant comfort. Next, I acquired a piece by Rodney Alan Greenblat: “Challenge of the Suburbs.” At first glance it comes off as very silly. At the time none of my friends understood why I bought it. But I understood it and that’s all that matters anyway. It was like a new roommate. I look at all my art as roommates, silent, joyful, sometimes scary, always thought provoking, and happy! When I look at them they speak to me and even haunt me.

See the collection of images on Graphics.com

Adapted from What is Illustration? (RotoVision)
By Lawrence Zeegen
Dateline: October 9, 2009

“I’m a graphic designer at heart. I understand that different problems require different treatments, and that the mantra ‘form follows function’ is going to save my ass one day,” says Christoph Niemann, a passionate advocate for ideas-centered, problem-solving illustration. Niemann trained in graphic design at Stuttgart Academy of Fine Arts in Germany, moving to New York upon graduation in 1997 to begin a career in illustration, working predominantly as an editorial illustrator.

“Despite studying graphic design, I majored in illustration,” Niemann admits. “I had a harsh tutor, but it was a fantastic education.” The harsh tutor was no less then Heinz Edelmann, art director and illustrator of the 1968 classic Beatles movie Yellow Submarine. It was this education that set Niemann on his path to concept-led illustration.

“I have a real problem with illustration that isn’t created within the context of graphic design,” he continues. “Being an illustrator is like being an artist without being an artist; it is not about self or ego, it is always about collaboration and compromise.” Niemann understands the complexities of working to a brief, for a client and for an end user or “reader,” as he refers to his audience. “For an illustrator, the collaboration with a good art director means that it is never just about making a picture to fill a white space on the page—an art director will always have an opinion,” he explains.

Read the full article on Graphics.com

What do you guys think, is this useful enough to make it part of Photoshop?

Try it out! (Currently the link is down due to high demand.)

Adapted from Photoshop CS4 for Nature Photographers: A Workshop in a Book (Sybex)
By Ellen Anon and Josh Anon
Dateline: September 24, 2009
Version: Adobe Photoshop CS4

The Shadow/Highlight adjustment is an excellent way to reveal subtle detail in the shadow and/or highlight areas of your images. Although you could theoretically produce similar results with sophisticated use of Curves, the Shadow/Highlight adjustment is far easier to use when you need to recover detail that has been lost in shadow or highlight areas because of excessive contrast. It’s similar to the Fill Light and Recovery sliders in ACR, but it has additional controls so you can fine-tune the results.

Read the full article on Graphics.com

Prizmo is an application that allows you to extract the photos and text from your digital pictures. It's highly useful if you want to document an exhibition or make a quick copy of many pages from a book.

You can achieve the same results with a scanner, Photoshop and an OCR application if you have the skills, but Prizmo provides speed, simplicity and a better experience.

Adapted from Negative Space
(Mark Batty Publisher)
By Noma Bar, with an introduction by Buzz Poole, Dateline: September 11, 2009

When a student enrolls in a class to learn the craft of writing there is one adage that cannot be escaped: Show, don’t tell. This ubiquitous sentiment reminds writers of all stripes that their readers do not need to be bludgeoned over the head with the text’s “message.” Rather, writers need to do little more than pepper the scene with details of the moment—Is the room cold? What does the woman do with her hands when she is on the phone? The bread in the toaster is burning. The litter box has not been changed in three weeks—which permit the meaning to form in the reader’s mind.

Freelance designers offer potential clients the very real bonus of great creative work at affordable prices. Not only are freelancers likely to charge less for their own time than a head honcho at a large firm, but they have lower overhead and less expenses to cover. This is not an excuse for freelancers to offer budget-basement prices and thereby drive down the value for top-level creative work, but clients will expect a one- or two-person shop, just starting out, to be a little hungry and a little less expensive then the guy with the receptionist and tassel loafers.

Here’s the rub with the clients you’re likely to attract when you first start out: Not only do they want to pay you a little less, they also have a little less to spend on materials and production. This presents an opportunity not for you to hone your begging skills as you try to convince them that they really do need eight colors and specialty varnishes for their first brochure, but for you to find interesting ways to create bigger impact with fewer dollars. Do this a few times, help them become more successful, and as their budgets grow, they’ll reward you for being there for them when they were just starting out.

Read the full article.

Check out Design Bump, a social bookmarking site just like Digg, but dedicated to Design articles. It's not as feature full as Digg, but works well and it contains a lot of very interesting links to valuable information.