Design Challenges

The Photos.com Challenge
Can you create a new design using one of the supplied six images of 19th century childhood? Win three months access to Photos.com.





The Liquidlibrary Identity
Challenge 2
Complete the graphic identity for the Savannah Culinary Institute. Three prizes of liquidlibrary subscriptions.





The AbleStock.com
Design Brief 5
Create a billboard for an Internet connectivity provider following the design directives

Photoshop World

The largest Adobe® Photoshop® training event in the world

April 2-4, 2008 Orange County Convention Center - Orlando, FL
In today's high-tech creativity market, it's more important than ever that graphic designers, digital photographers, Web designers, computer illustrators, motion graphics designers, and videographers constantly learn the latest and greatest techniques and technologies. That's why each year thousands of creative professionals, digital artists, academics, and more come from around the globe attend Photoshop World.

InDesign Conference

Barrycon Productions
We are pleased to announce our current events and training seminars we have planned. Check back often to see what cities we have added or new events we launch.

The InDesign Conference Events:
Miami Beach Conference: February 26th - 1st, 2008
The InDesign Conference is going to Miami. Attend the InDesign Conference and learn the latest and greatest tips and tricks on Adobe InDesign.

Join the leading InDesign experts, developers, and authors for three days at the Miami Beach Convention Center!

When Recycling is Not Enough

Designing for sustainability can help you grow your business and expand your skill set.

by Laurel Saville

When Celery Design created this volume of guidelines for building environmentally responsible multifamily housing, they incorporated sustainable thinking into the book itself. Says Celery's Brian Dougherty, "One big design objective was that this be interesting and approachable so busy architects and developers would take the time to read it. ...

click here for Full Article.

10 Directions - Packaging: Trends to Watch in 2008

by Steven Dupuis

From food trends—such as the introduction of chocolate to Europeans in the 16th century, to social trends like the mass migration to the U.S. in the 19th century, to the many environmentally conscious trends prevalent today—trends have shaped and defined human progress. They mirror our attitudes, values, desires and dreams.

In earlier times, it was in some ways much easier to observe and experience trends, because we had time to absorb them and enjoy the experiences they offered. Now we live in a multidimensional world where fads and trends overlap and collide with each other, all vying for our attention as they speed around the globe literally at the speed of light. We have learned to filter out much of this information, absorbing only what we see as relevant. In part to help us deal with mass-market clutter, our society fragments itself into subcultures or market segments. It’s through these groups that we can observe a trend incubate and grow from idiosyncratic idea into mass appeal. This was true with the rise of the coffee culture, health and wellness, and the organic movement. If you said you ate tofu 10 years ago, you probably got some strange looks. Now it’s viewed as mainstream. All of these trends start with small groups of influencers committed to their causes.

click here for Full Article.

InDesign User Group

If you missed the December 6th meeting of the NY InDesign User Group, you missed one of the best meetings in a long time. The theme was InDesign automation, and we were lucky to have three experts on the subject.

Our first presenter was Caleb Clauset, of Typefi Systems (http://www.typefi.com). Caleb demonstrated the power of Typefi and in particular its free Auto-Fit plug-in for InDesign. To download this great addition to ID, go to http://www.typefi.com/TypefiAutoFit.

After Caleb we heard from Scott Carson of Noble Desktop (http://www.nobledesktop.com). Scott wowed the crowd by using GREP (General Regular Expression Parser) in InDesign to take one book index and reorganize it into a new format. Scott also left users with a great handout that explained his demo. This handout will be available on our website within a few weeks.

Following Scott was Dan Rodney, also of Noble Desktop and points unknown (http://www.danrodney.com/scripts/index.html). Dan showed off his two amazing JavaScripts: "Make Book Jacket" and "Proper Fraction Pro." If you design books or book jackets, you must get Dan's two great scripts.

A few comments from attendees:
- "Very good session. Real value in each topic, this is why I come to every meeting."
- "Excellent stuff!"
- "1) Reminds me again why I like InDesign over Quark.; 2) Learned things about ID that had nothing to do with the topics (good); 3) Found out some cool stuff that I can impress people with at work; 4) Don't do books or mags so the index info might not get used by me, but the rest was gold!"
- "Clear and interesting presentations."
- "Loved it. Many thanks."
- "Always interesting and informative."
- "Great seminar."

We hope to have our first meeting of '08 sometime in February, and are currently working with FIT to lock down next year's dates. In the meantime, the new New Jersey chapter will be launching their first event on January 28, 2008. If you live in The Garden State and want to be part of that group, please register on the InDesign User Group website (http://www.indesignusergroup.com/chapters/ and click on Central New Jersey). Best wishes go to new chapter rep Alison Cattelona, who will do a great job, no doubt.

Thanks again to everyone for your support this past year. We've got some interesting events planned for '08 so until then, have a happy and healthy holiday season. See you soon.

Macworld 2008

Achieving your aspirations is easy...
All you need is a little education and a little inspiration.
Macworld Conference & Expo® has a lot of both. Learn from some of the most successful leaders in your industry—from movie making to business management—and discover what’s possible with the latest technology and tools. Surround yourself with all the right products and people. Macworld Conference & Expo. See what it inspires in you.

Macworld 2008

Communicatin Arts Deadlines

Get information about each show below, including FAQs, submission guidelines and downloadable entry forms.

Interactive Media
The most prestigious design competition for interactive media.
Deadline: January 11, 2008

Illustration
The best work in drawing, painting, collage, electronic and three-dimensional illustration.
Deadline: March 11, 2008

Photography
The best photography used for advertising, design, editorial and any other area of the communication arts.
Deadline: March 11, 2008

Advertising
The best in consumer and institutional print ads along with posters, television and radio commercials.
Deadline: June 2, 2008

Design
The largest and most eminent of all juried competitions in graphic design.
Deadline: June 2, 2008

Jamuse

I was recently invited to join the advisory board of a new online creative community at www.jamuse.com

The site will open soon to the public, but the advisory board members are already setting up their portfolios, and becoming familiar with the features offered on the site. I will post more info after the site opens to the public.

From the leaders who shaped companies like Apple, Microsoft and Madison Avenue agencies, jamuse is a better way for businesses and creative talent to share, collaborate and manage their assets.

jamuse is giving back to the creative community. What others charge $100s and even $1000s a month for, jamuse gives FREE to you including storage, transfer, asset management, portfolios, collaboration and more.

In January 2008 look for additional features and packages.

A better way to... Share your files jamuse makes sharing creative files simple by eliminating the hassles and limitations of email, ftp sites and package mail for sending files. And you control when files are shared, how they are sent, how they are viewed, and even if they can be downloaded. Protect your work jamuse gives you better control over the creative integrity of your work while expanding your capabilities for file sharing and client communication. Plus all data is backed up to multiple data centers, providing redundant, secure storage of your files. That's 100 MB FREE. Showcase your talent jamuse wants you to be found and recognized. And unlimited image, audio, and video showcasing means no more limitations on how you showcase your talents to the world. Display your interactive portfolio, show your work, and even run your own blog with built-in RSS. Collaborate with clients jamuse eliminates the challenges of getting fast, accurate client feedback by making it safe and simple to collaborate instantly from anywhere in the world. Introducing JAM files, the new PDF that lets you provide secure, real-time WEB 2.0 collaboration on all your files. That means you and your clients can view, mark-up and comment on the same files, anywhere, anytime. Manage your creative assets jamuse includes MuseWorx™, a powerful, enterprise level digital asset manager that's so easy and simple to us that you can be uploading and managing your creative files in minutes. MuseWorx™ automatically manages uploading, storing, archiving, and transferring of over 400 different image, audio, video and presentation formats. MuseWorx™ also converts assets into standardize files for secure viewing, sharing, and collaboration automatically.

Photoshop User Awards

What do mad photoshop skills and Hawaiian beaches have to do with each other? Plenty - if you enter your work in the Photoshop User Awards. You could win an all-expense paid dream assignment to the tropical island of Maui, and have your work featured on a cover of Photoshop User.

Photoshop User Awards

The winner in each category will receive a prize package, valued at over $2,500. The winning image in each category will appear in a special issue of Photoshop User magazine. Enter your work in any of the following categories:

General Photography
Photo Retouching
Advertising Design
Illustration
Artistic Work
Wedding & Portrait Photography
Landscape & Travel Photography
Composites and Collaging
Photo Restoration
Student Work
General Photoshop Design

VIVE LA CHAUMONT!

by Aaris Sherin

For A-list designers, scores of students and a curious public, Chaumont, France, is the place to see and be seen on the first weekend in May. European designers look forward to this annual event, and it is not unusual to find people who have attended the festival’s opening weekend in excess of half a dozen times.

Among longtime visitors and competition participants, there is consensus that the quality of work and design of the exhibitions have greatly improved since artistic direction was taken over by former Grapus members Pierre Bernard and Alex Jordon in 2004. It was then that the festival embraced the more inclusive label “graphic arts,” a decision that has resulted in the addition of increasingly diverse media to the exhibition offerings. Dutch designer and former competition contributor Max Kisman observes, “They are trying hard to maintain a status quo. This year everything is really great quality.” When asked what a visitor can expect from the festival, he suggests, “You can see trends in graphic design that are going on right now, including both the work of better-known designers and emerging talent.”click here for Full article

TEN TIPS TO HELP YOUR IDEAS SOAR

If you are in a creative field, then you have most likely at one time or another encountered that dreaded feeling: Creative Block. Not only is it uncomfortable, but it can make you question the merit of every idea you’ve ever had. However, we can all take comfort in the fact that it strikes even the most talented of creative professionals.

But fear not! Shutterstock has come to the rescue with ten tips to help you power through the toughest projects and succeed in every creative challenge.

1. Clear as Mud
Realize that creative haze is normal. Despite our wish to have a clearly defined path that leads us to the Big Idea, realistically that path can often be obscured by a thick cloud of haze. Be patient: you will eventually reach that moment of clarity. You may even be the person who leads everyone out of the smog.

Click here for Full Article.

Dynamic Graphics

Next in the Dynamic Graphics magazine
webcast series

25 Death-Defying Design Principles for Direct Marketing ... in 25 Minutes

December 18, 2007; 2 pm ET/1 pm CT

Registration is free, but space is limited for the live event - Act Now!

In this fast-paced webcast, you'll see the visual elements of persuasion and moments of truth that trigger response. You'll learn about specific changes (often minor) you can make to improve response significanly. And you'll hear the latest research on design approaches that work. This is one practical session that's focused on helping you evaluate creative content with innovative insight.

Presenter: Sandra J. Blum brings experience in direct marketing, advertising and marketing communications to her highly rated sessions. Clients have included The Atlantic, AC Nielsen, Harlequin, the IMF, National Geographic Society, Pitney Bowes, Smithsonian and Tufts. Author of Designing Direct Mail That Sells, Sandra writes the Marketing Matters column for Dynamic Graphics magazine.

Register for this webcast

Alden Creative Fine Art Exhibition- Call for Entries!!

Call for Entries
Theme: “Something about Love”
Entry Deadline: Monday, January 7, 2008
Exhibition Dates: Saturday, Feb 2nd- Sunday
February 10, 2008
Location: Joseph Thomas Galleries, White Plains, NY

Submission Guidelines:
“Something About Love” is taking place in early February and themed appropriately for Valentine’s Day. We will accept submissions of pieces that fit within that title. Whether you would like to express love’s beginnings or finales, consequences, or sincere moments, we’d love to see them. Joseph Thomas Galleries adheres to a certain level of style, so just keep it in good taste please!

Criteria:
2 dimensional media only- (Paintings, illustrations, prints, drawings, digital prints, photography)
Size maximum is 24”x32”
All entries must be framed and ready to hang.
All work must be available for sale.
Each artist must agree to sign a contract with Joseph Thomas Galleries directly. Fair sale prices will be discussed upon signing.
Artists MUST be available the week before the exhibit to drop off work at the gallery.
(January 22nd-26th) Artists must also be available at the end of the exhibit to pick up the work should it not be sold. (February 10th)

Each artist’s work will be reviewed by a panel of judges including:
professional fine artists, Alden’s clientele, and the curators at Joseph Thomas Galleries.
The artists of the chosen pieces will be individually notified by January 18th, 2008 and will participate in the “Something About Love” exhibition. Artwork will be sold directly through Joseph Thomas Galleries.

Please send:
Artist bio and JPG entries via email only to gallery@aldenstaffing.com 3 jpg maximum. All jpgs should be formatted at 72dpi. Please list the following for each jpg attached:
1. Title
2. Size
3. Medium
Deadline is January 7, 2008.