A new company called Digital Vector Maps (http://digital-vector-maps.com) has released more than 900 new maps of the World, the United States and US States. The maps are available in a number of different styles and projections, from blank outlines to detailed, multi-layered versions.

The maps have been made available in Adobe Illustrator and editable PDF formats, and use the latest map data available. Maps are scalable to virtually any size without loss of detail and quality, thanks to their vector nature. The royalty-free maps are fully editable in Adobe Illustrator 8 or higher, with all major map features residing on intuitively labeled layers to make possible separate editing of such map elements as lines, colors, symbols and text. Such objects as geographic place names, country borders and reference text are provided as separate editable objects. Read the rest of this entry »

New online Flash tutorial for beginners available for only $15 US

Meet the Flash is a new Flash-animated E-book designed to teach Flash beginners how to create a Flash movie. This book, recently released by Andrei (Andrew) Doubrovski, a professional photographic restoration artist and technician who previously released the “As Simple As Photoshop” study at home course for Adobe Photoshop users, created a simple and easy-to-use format. Doubrovski also is an Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) in Photoshop CS.

Meet The Flash helps to speed up the learning process, as each lesson is packed with a movie clip that shows some practical usage of the lesson. The tutorials cover the program essentials used to create still graphics, animations, and text. Also, Meet The Flash offers several scripting tutorials that show how to add simple interactivity without actually learning ActionScript language. Read the rest of this entry »

An international team of typographers, designers, and editors vivified the idea to publish The Building Letters 3 magazine in support of those who still suffer from effects caused by the 2004 Asian tsunami. The design issues covered by this issue are diverse, as they range from the “Fleurons of Hope” project which brought together over three hundred designers in tribute to the victims of the Tsunami to a visit to London’s Type Museum by Thomas de Gay. Additionally, twelve designers submitted 25 free fonts that are included in the magazine on a CD.

The magazine size is A5, it has 64 full colour pages, and it is published in a limited run of 1000 copies at the price of 35 Euro each. All proceeds from the sale of BL 3 magazines and CDs will be sent to Direct Relief International, a leading charity that guarantees to target these donations to victims of the Tsunami disaster. And, while you might doubt the integrity of charitable organizations across the board, Direct Relief International has been named by Forbes as one of the few nonprofit organizations that does maintain integrity with the money that they receive.

If you’re a graphic designer, you may not want to go home to an apartment painted in PANTONE Paints. But, as an interior designer, you might find a professional way to incorporate brand identity standards with an easy-to-match opportunity through this new product. Through a relationship with Fine Paints of Europe, you can attain more than 3,000 colors in the PANTONE PAINTS + INTERIORS* and PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM® in paint. These real Dutch paints are richly laden with the finest pigments, oils and resins that yield superior coverage in deep vibrant colors and a remarkable finish sure to dramatically enhance any environment.

Envision a room painted in PANTONE Freesia or Molten Lava, if nothing else, at Pantone >>>