The Tag Media In-store Television Network has invited all Advertising Agencies, Design firms, and students to submit Public Service announcements for any cause that they strongly support. The top three causes will be aired on the Network for a period of one month starting from 23rd December 2006. The creative teams involved in the creation of the top three Public Service Announcements will be interviewed and broadcast on the network as well. Read the rest of this entry »

Many of you know that I write articles for DMXzone.com. And, probably just as many of you know that I’ve fallen into the habit of developing seventeen articles on a given topic, and that these articles are eventually bound into an E-book that’s made available solely through DMX. The Photoshop series was finalized this past week (no clue as to when the book will be available, but I imagine something before the end of January). The next series was approved today - a series on portfolio projects that you can use to illustrate the breadth of your graphic design capabilities. The first article will begin next week, and it’s one of amny modified projects that I developed as an undergraduate visual communications major with a focus on Information Architecture (IA).

If you’re interested in this upcoming series, you might also be interested in IA - or, rather, in its demise. Or, perhaps, you might be curious about the notion that the inherent structure of information simply needs to be renamed or restructured to consider relationships. If you want to learn more about the substance behind IA and its current course, I suggest that you head to Bokardo’s post, “Thoughts on the Impending Death of Information Architecture,” and then follow the links found there and so on. Or, try Scott Weisbrod’s thoughts about, “Information Architecture Is Not Dead… But It Might Be Stuck.”

Have a great weekend. I’m going to wrap my dog around my neck to protect myself against the chill and go shopping, shopping, shopping.

My daughter loves this scarf, which - to me - just looks like a compilation of a variety of yarn textures strung from a number of skein weights (and it is!). But - the monochromatic and textural simplicity behind this scarf is its appeal. You can see the scarf in its available sizes (small, thin, big) and colors, along with illustrations by Valentina Landi at Aforest-Design. Aforest is an experimental fashion design studio located in Lisbon, Portugal.

Mississippi Action for Community Education (MACE) is accepting entries for the poster design for the 30th Annual Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage Festival to be held in September of 2007. The contest is open to all U.S. artists over the age of 18 working in any two dimensional medium. The entries will be juried by a selection panel designated by MACE. The winning artist will receive a cash award of $500. In addition, the selected artist will be honored at a media reception and the poster artwork will be used in all promotional materials for the Festival. The poster will be sold at the Festival, other events and online. MACE will own rights to reproduce the poster art. This one is definitely much tougher than most poster contests, as you need to submit three examples of previous work and the proposed poster design by 15 March 2007. Visit the site for details and to view previous winners.

The Weinstein Company today announced the start of a contest to create the best movie poster for Factory Girl, about Andy Warhol’s (Guy Pearce) object of attention, Edie Sedgwick (Sienna Miller). The winner of the contest will have their poster prominently displayed at their hometown theater, get a private screening of Factory Girl for them and 25 of his/her friends, a full-size print of their poster autographed by the cast, which includes Sienna Miller, Guy Pearce and Hayden Christensen, and a promotion for the poster on the film’s official website.

To enter the contest, simply log onto FactoryGirlmovie.net and download the ‘Contest Package’ which will provide you with images from the film, different title treatments, a billing block with logos, a copy of the official Factory Girl poster (for some creative inspiration), a ‘SampleHowTo.pdf’ which gives an overview of how the official poster, ‘Treatment Ideas’ was made (which gives different ideas of how to treat an image), and contest rules and directions to build your poster. Deadline: 31 January 2007.

Looking for a diversion, dreaming of working on something catchy and thought provoking? Then Paradisal has a challenge for you. As a designer, you know that posters remain one of the most powerful and classic modes of expression available to you, and now they’re offering you the platform to do just that.

This contest will stretch your creative juices, because only two PMS colors are allowed and no bleeds. On the other hand, you have five categories to choose from and participation is totally free. The awards aren’t shabby - The winner receives five (5) copies of their poster and one (1) of a second winning design, 25% of proceeds from online sales of the poster through the Paradisal* website, and a $300.00 gift certificate for purchases at www.paradisal.ca. Deadline: 30 March 2005. Visit the site for details.

Yes, you plug these slippers into a USB port in your laptop or desktop to keep your tootsies warm. Do take the slippers off or unplug them before you begin to walk. Do not do use this item while drunk or if you’re under age 18, as both circumstances present a limited memory span. See more at USB Warmer Slippers if you dare.

Australia’s Powerhouse Museum has several volumes that contain thousands of bright, unfaded samples of fashionable fabric designs, braids and laces ranging from the 1830s to the 1920s. Some of these swatches, like the one shown above, are available through their Electronic Swatchbook. You can zoom in so close that you can actually see the weave in these fabrics.

The patterns on this site are in the public domain in Australia. All images and patterns on this site can be used for any commercial or non-commercial purpose without further permission. Copyright in these images and patterns cannot be revived under any circumstance within Australia. If you wish to use these patterns in a country other than Australia the museum recommends that you seek legal advice.

I spotted some interesting Harley Davidson ads at Hammer Uncut - they’re amazing. Carmichael Lynch, Harley’s advertising agency, created the images with motorcycle parts. Catch the larger image for the one shown and two more at Hammer’s site.

If you want to enter photo contests that comprise actual exhibits, you’ll want to mat and frame your work. Matting is especially important, as it serves three purposes: to isolate the image from its surroundings—thereby focusing attention on the image, to keep the image from touching the glass, and to color coordinate the image with its surroundings. The Center for Fine Art Photography offers an online tutorial that explains how (and how not) to mat your photography for exhibitions.