It’s Friday! And this Friday is the door to Halloween, or Samhein, or the beginning of the Celtic New Year. This weekend is represented by the Crone Goddesses (among other deities), so I’m in a place of power for the next few days. Don’t mess with me!

Sébastien Théraulaz is coming into his power as well, with new typefaces and illustrations that have been noticed by HOW magazine, Debut publications, and Grafika. The Halloween illustration at right is one example from Subtitude, a site that showcases this company’s talents. Check out their studio work at sub communication for their perspectives on film, animation graphics, and print.

Be careful this weekend, mon cher!

by Shaun Crowley

You’ve set up your online portfolio. Now you can direct potential clients to your website when you contact them.

But wouldn’t it be great if new clients contacted you?

In the following article, I’ll show you how to conquer the search engines, so prospective clients can find you online. We’ll look at four core areas: Choosing your keywords, Making the content of your website “Googlable,” fulfilling the needs of browsers, and getting other sites to link to you. Read the rest of this entry »

The first series of D&AD President’s Global Lectures & Forums 2006/07 in London brings together some of the most influential and globally respected practitioners in photography, environmental graphic design, illustration, poetry and toy design. And, oh yes, I’m a little late on this announcement as well, because the first lecture was delivered on 5 October by Joel Meyerowitz, the only photographer regularly allowed into Ground Zero following 9/11 attacks in New York (see more information about this photographer at the end of this press release).

In spite of my negligence on this matter, I hope to redeem myself with the following information on the next three lectures. Read the rest of this entry »

The National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) today announced the call for entries for the 13th Annual NAMIC Vision Awards. Submissions are welcomed in fifteen award categories presented in honor of cable television’s commitment to advancing programming diversity. Submissions received by the 15 November 2006 entry deadline will be eligible for consideration. Winners will be announced at an awards presentation, which is scheduled to take place on March 27, 2007 at The Regent Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, California. Read the rest of this entry »

Semi-Competitive is a design competition brought to you by Design is Kinky and Adobe. Closely aligned with the Semi-Permanent events, the competition consists of three categories: Graphic, Motion/Film, and Fashion (t-shirt). Each category not only gives you the chance of winning a large prize, but winners will also gain world wide exposure for their works at the Semi-Permanent events. Visit the site for more information. Deadline: 15 January 2007, free submission!

Commenting in the latest EDIT 6 magazine and webzine at www.gettyimages.com/edit, Lewis Blackwell, Group Creative Director at Getty Images says that “less than 20 years ago, you could always tell the advertising images from the editorial ones. Ads were at least aspirational, if not totally dreamlike. Sometimes they were lurid in colour. Editorial was gritty realism and always black and white.

“Now it is nearly always colour for news, with only upmarket advertising being likely to opt for a full-page black-and-white image. Authenticity is a key watchword in much advertising photography, while our finest photojournalism is often remarkable for its symbolic power and surrealistic eye for the strangeness of life”, says Lewis. Read the rest of this entry »

…Getting the most out of your images.

by Jane Long, mirage design

Sometimes you want to create a particular theme or “feel” to something. Something that triggers an emotional response in the viewer. It can be an intimidating task trying to recreate what you see in your mind’s eye, but with a little planning it’s not as hard as you might think.

The key is to break things down into individual components.

For example, mirage design was recently asked to create an invitation with a “Midsummer Night’s Dream” theme. The client (the local school swimming club) had a very clear idea of what they wanted - champagne in the background with words reflecting the theme of the evening sprinkled over the top with something down the bottom (but no clear idea what). So there were three very clear components required to the image. Read the rest of this entry »

Yes, I’m a little late posting this news, but it’s never too late to learn how to build a dynamite Website a la A List Apart (ALA). If you’re unfamiliar with this site (one of Jeffrey Zeldman’s babies), writer Erin Lynch will welcome you with open arms. Before Erin’s involvement with the illustrious ALA, he spent time working as an editor and writer for a variety of film and music publications. He now works as a designer and writer based in Vancouver, Washington.

This time, Erin introduces the reader to “The ALA Primer: A Guide for New Readers.” He writes:

If you’re going to build a house—or a website—you need the right tools. A List Apart offers hundreds of articles on design, markup, style, accessibility, usability, and more. We’ve selected a few that you might want to start with.

While you might believe that this page is for beginners, you’re wrong. It’s a series of links to articles that are the “crème de la crème” from the ALA site for new readers. The beginner’s page is entitled, “The ALA Primer Part Two: Resources For Beginners,” and this piece is also written by Erin along with the support of ALA’s staff. Slurp it up!

Adobe Photoshop CS2 Upgrade from Photoshop Version 5.5+: I have the Photoshop Upgrade installed on my desktop, and the older version of the same software on my laptop. Granted, a laptop isn’t the best environment to produce graphic images, but I’ve been so spoiled by the upgrade that the laptop’s been neglected. The Filter Gallery alone is enough to convert a die-hard Photoshop 7 fan, but the other toys - like the Advanced Noise Reduction, the Revolutionary Vanishing Point, and the Image Warp - will push that die-hard over the edge. And, the price is right up Santa’s alley…

NOTE: This is the UPGRADE ONLY. Previous installation required.

IWA (International Webmasters Association), a professional trade association, is the industry’s recognized leader in providing educational and certification standards for Web professionals. IWA’s initiatives now support more than 100 official chapters representing over 22,000 individual members in 106 countries. IWA’s accomplishments include the industry’s first guidelines for ethical and professional standards, Web certification and education programs, specialized employment resources, and technical assistance to individuals and businesses. They currently offer over 40 online, instructor-led classes and 4 Web certificates in conjunction with HWG (HTML Writer’s Guild). The online courses are for both casual and professional interest in the areas of Web development and eCommerce, and a full lineup of 51 classes is about to begin. For more information go their Website Design Training site now.