98 posts tagged “tuesday creative”
I recently purchased a new monitor for my home office and boy was it frustrating. The thought of buying something new is fun and exciting and I'm envious when I see others getting boxes of goodies at work. Of course I couldn't just buy the first monitor I saw, I had to do tons of research to avoid buyer's remorse. I started my exploration for the right monitor with high spirits. By the end of one week, my spirits were crushed. Not only was I drowning in conflicting reviews from "experts" and users, but the manufacturers seem to number their products with the goal of confusing consumers. Why can't they just number their models intuitively and make it very clear what the differences are?
Especially with electronics, consumers can have dozens of products with dozens of features to choose from. Having to choose can get overwhelming and confusing. It would seem like making the buying process easy would benefit everybody. I had an easier time buying a new car than buying a new monitor. It came down to asking some very tech savvy friends for recommendations to narrow things down. My buying adventure ended a few weeks later on a weekend trip to Costco. I saw what I thought was one of the recommended models. It's wasn't even on the Samsung website at the time yet it's an update to a previous model. See what I'm saying? After all the frustration there was a happy ending, I'm very pleased with my choice.
- S. Osako
VECTORTUTS brought to you by
PSDTUTS is a great resource for those of you who are in need of Illustrator
help. Much like PSDTUTS, the site has tried and true tutorials with loads of
tips and tricks that even the savviest user could benefit from. When I personally
tested out one of the tutorials, I was amazed at how it broke down complex
illustrations into steps that I could understand and grasp quickly. It gave me
the tools to be able to create illustrations with simple shapes and shading
techniques. Even if you’re not a talented illustrator, you could pull off
realistic Illustrator drawings by knowing how to implement these techniques. There
were a couple of points I felt needed improvement. For example, the tutorial
asked the user to choose a few different shades of yellow without citing the exact
Hex number. Missing crucial color information can really change an
illustration!
Regardless of your skill level, I highly recommend trying out one of the tutorials, even if it’s just to practice your Illustrator ninja skills!
- C. Lin
After seeing marvelous Marvel characters such as Daredevil, Elektra, and Ghost Rider get not so great reviews on the silver screen, Marvel comics has decided to take matters into their own hands and create Marvel Productions. This new force to be reckoned with in Hollywood has already achieved groundbreaking success with the recent release of Iron Man, as well as the release of The Incredible Hulk. Even fans were unclear how much this new installment had to do with Ang Lee’s ‘Brokeback’ Hulk from 2003. Will it be a sequel or a completely different re-imagining? Marvel did have more creative control over this film than the other; bringing this installment closer to the original continuity. After gaining a solid reputation as a director from his high-octane Transporter movies, Louis Leterrier promised to direct the kind of action-packed Hulk movie that comic book nerds across the planet have been aching for.
When I watched the Incredible Hulk, I was blown away by the intense action, and a very pleasing aesthetic. The new Hulk character design in the movie bares a much closer resemblance to the way he had been illustrated in recent issues — specifically to the way he was portrayed by popular comic book artist Michael Turner, (who just recently passed away at the age of 37). The Incredible Hulk was a non-stop action thrill ride, without a lot of time misspent dwelling on Bruce Banner’s irrelevant psychological issues, despite the obvious. The movie was only about 110 minutes long, unlike its predecessor; it got right to the point, even bringing the viewer up to speed on the story during the opening credit montage. The plot does not really have much to do with Ang Lee’s version. It is based mostly on a mix of the comic book continuity and the 1970’s television show starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno (who incidentally both make cameos along with creator Stan Lee).
There were also rumors of several Easter eggs in the Hulk. For example, in Iron Man, there was a quick view of Captain America’s iconic shield on Tony Stark’s. I kept my eyes peeled throughout the Hulk staying after the credits, only to learn later that the Easter egg featuring an actual appearance by Captain America frozen in a glacier was cut from the movie altogether. While Cap failed to make an appearance in the theatrical release, a nice bit of fun for the fans was the appearance of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. Tony informs General Ross about his plans on assembling a team. With the slightest bit of comic book knowledge, we can assume this is alluding to an eventual Avengers movie. In order for that to happen, the Avengers roster might need to be established first in several solo movies like Captain America, Thor, Hawkeye, Ant-Man and the Wasp, as well as other Avengers like the Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and the Black Widow.
While being a very entertaining movie experience, the ending of the Hulk might leave the viewer with some questions like, “how did all those pedestrians and army guys end up on that roof-top all of the sudden?” or “after seeing how powerful Abomination was, how was Hulk able to simply knock him unconscious by choking him with a chain? He is left alive, so how can something with that kind of strength be safely imprisoned?” Regardless of a few contradictory elements from the movie, I generally declare The Incredible Hulk to be a success, while not as large of a success as Iron Man, this new Hulk movie more than makes up for the last one.
For those of you who enjoy the movies based on comics that have been in abundance over the years, I (and many other nerdy fanboys) strongly urge you to pick up some comics and start reading the stories that spawned these multi-million dollar franchises. These movies, for the most part, are always quite excellent, but ask any reader, and he or she will tell you that the original stories are way better!
- J. Tepper
I’ve noticed an epidemic of people wearing their iPod earbuds to do just about everything. Even during situations that require higher degrees of concentration, like studying, writing and programming. Go to any coffee shop and you’ll see it. As much as I enjoy music and can do many things with headphones, I feel that people are harming themselves by constantly reaching for their mp3 player when they need to focus. Case in point—imagine you are a high school student with dreams of getting into a prestigious college. You are sitting down one Saturday morning to take the dreaded SAT exam. Even if it were allowed, would you really want to strap on some headphones during the test? Unless you don’t want to attend the college of your choice, this probably isn’t the wisest move. When people are doing math homework, reading a history book, or writing a term paper, however, they don’t seem to equate decibels with lack of concentration. Trust me, your concentration is being affected. Next time you’re sitting down to do some serious work, maybe try it without the headphones. Save your battery for the gym.
- S. Running
It’s all but impossible for me to
go into a bookstore without doing a pass at the design/computer section. When
it comes to Photoshop, you’ll typically find a glut of titles that usually do a
halfway decent job of listing all of its features with brief instructions on
how to use them. There is certainly nothing wrong with these books, and I own
several such titles. In fact, that’s why I almost didn’t even leaf through the
copy of Scott Kelby’s 7-Point System for Adobe Photoshop CS3 at my local
Border’s.
Judging from the title, I was expecting it to be a beginners-only book. As it
turns out, the book assumes you already have a comfort level with the finer
workings of Photoshop. The underlying concept of the book is that all other
Photoshop books simply dissect the various components of the application and
tell you how to use them. Do you have a dark image? Use levels to lighten it.
Have a blurry image? Use Unsharp mask. Want to get rid of a blemish? Use the
rubber stamp tool. The issue that Kelby addresses is that many digital artists
don’t know how to assess a photo and determine what needs to be done to it
overall and in what order. In simpler terms, the question becomes how to make a
good photo a great photo. As a master Photoshop user, Kelby audited his own
process as he worked on hundreds of images. He realized that the majority of
photos required a combination of the same seven steps. In the book, Kelby
breaks down each of those seven steps and applies them to real photos using
detailed tutorials.
The 7-Point System is actually a complete course in a book. Readers are
“required” to work their way through the entire 21 chapters, with each chapter
detailing all the things you need to “fix” the tutorial image. Chapters take
about 10-20 minutes to complete. Initial chapters walk the reader through each
detail of the correction, for instance, how to do an appropriate amount of
Unsharp Mask followed by a Fade Unsharp Mask to Luminosity. In later chapters
it simply will say, “then do Unsharp Mask as before.” This technique keeps the pace
of the book up so you don’t get bogged down in repetition.
If you are a Photoshop user, your first instinct when looking at the book might
be: “yeah, I already do all this stuff.” Perhaps, but the book tells you how to
most efficiently use the various tools and techniques. It also helps cut down
on lots of trial and error work when it comes to correcting images (should I
lighten in RAW, with Curves, by Dodging, etc).
This is certainly one of the most enjoyable Photoshop books I’ve purchased for
some time. Even if you consider yourself to be an advanced user, you would
benefit from checking it out.
- S. Running
I was reading a blog post about the relationship designers have with music on Design Observer. Adrian Shaughnessy writes: “I’ve never worked in a design studio where music wasn’t being played pretty much constantly… What is it with graphic designers and music?” Adrian has a good point. The image of a room full of designers with headphones on while staring at the computer screen is almost becoming cliché.
So, what is it with designers and music? Designers often listen to music to drown out ambient noise for focus and concentration. In Shaughnessy’s post, he also talks about the fact that music feeds a designer’s creative sparks. Music has influenced many artists. Paul Rand often cites jazz as a major influence in his work. Jackson Pollack has done the same. And in motion design, music often dictates the visuals of title sequences.
On a grand scale, however, I believe that design and music have always had a symbiotic relationship. For example, I grew up in a household where music was very important. As a result, I gravitated toward the visuals of records and CD covers. The artwork was often imaginative and more creative than anything I had ever seen. One of my favorites was Peter Saville, the English graphic designer most notably responsible for the Factory Records covers promoting such bands as Joy Division and New Order. Saville’s designs were inspirational. In fact, they taught me about graphic design and eventually inspired me to become a designer.
Whether or not music directly affects the creative conscious is still debatable even amongst musicologists. I do believe that there is a connection between design and music even if it’s not measurable. Maybe we’ll never know why designers need to listen to music while they work, but we do know that it’s important and that it has the possibility of being influential.
- C. Lin
When new employees join our company, they are presented with the expected array of health benefits, 401(k) plan, vacation, and so forth. However, one special benefit we give everyone is their very own red water bottle from Camelbak. We realized that we were going through as many as 30 cases of bottled water per month (we drink a lot), so we decided to install a water bubbler to replace all the individual bottles. Instead of creating a trash can full of disposable plastic cups, we outfitted the whole team with stylish, personal bottles. Everyone decorates their bottle so they can tell it apart (silver sharpie is a popular inscription tool). We figure this saves as much as 10,000 bottles worth of plastic per year. If only there was a way to get Snickers without the packaging…
- S. Running
Photoshop can be, at times, cumbersome with each new
edition, although this is not to say completely futile. What commences
as a brief look into creating conceptual art, culminates into an
exceptional discovery. PSDTUTS.com
is anything
and everything Photoshop related. Lessons range from applying realistic
tattoos, retouching facial imperfections, creating conceptual art,
building seamless collages, fine tuning techniques of illustration, to
making rad text effects. PSDTUTS is not only a prime
resource for Photoshop tutorials, but it is also an online community
where readers have the opportunity to suggest topics and even write in
for paid publishing on the site. Definitely a hot resource right now.
- B. Juergens
Found: the most compelling art form for both typographers and laymen alike. People of various significance in the art world have taken famous cinematic scenes and re-created them using motley typefaces along with audio to showcase the enigmatic effect on our psyche.
What I cannot wrap my mind around is how delicious these clips are! Always Watching.org provides a synopsis of the concept and plenty little vids so you may make your own deductions. Of course, I have a few faves and a couple that I thought could have been a bit saucier. Don’t forget each video, once played, gives you the option to check out others of this genre, a notion I recommend indulging in.
Top two faves featured on the site have to be dedicated to Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill. The color scheme is punchy, the typeface is felicitous with each movie’s feel while keenly representing the narrative character. In my mind, what separates the rocks from the gems in this case are the aforementioned qualities. The Oceans Eleven and Full Metal Jacket scenes, for example, were desperately lacking this appeal.
The medium itself is an exceptional expression. Like hearing a book complete with action-motivated type and a killer soundtrack of effects. Kinematic Typography receives two thumbs up, four stars, two critics on a sofa, and the Mystery Science theatre 3000 seal of approval. Check it out!
- B. Juergens
Grunge Design is a chaotic and abstract design style from the 1990’s arguably coined by David Carson, dubbed the ‘godfather of grunge.’ Ok, fast forward to 2008. Smashing Magazine.com posted an article last week which states: “Shiny and glossy design elements are now officially outdated. Just like retro is becoming trendy again, the grungy look appears to rapidly gain on [sic] popularity.”Is 90’s grunge design coming back? And how do designers feel about it?
One of our Art Directors here at Tuesday Creative, Andrew Seles, took particular umbrage with this from the Smashing post: “In our everyday environment we’re unlikely to find ideal geometric forms or pretty shadow effects as they are manifested by glorious web 2.0-designs.” Andrew’s response: “While this once was the case, it is increasingly less so. Not only is media sleek these days, but our environments are becoming more refined. Whether it’s the latest in architecture and environmental graphics, a new chair at Ikea or snacking at a boutique eatery like Pink Berry, the real world places we inhabit and the objects we interact with are more polished and highly designed than ever.”
Jennifer Murse, a designer at Tuesday said: I DON’T love the aesthetic when it’s done well, but I hate it when it’s done poorly.” Murse went on to cite these examples, which in her opinion, display well executed (Subdued.net), (Misprintedtype), (THS), (MindTwitch), Grunge Design, poor use of (Jeremy Zevin), (Satsu) it, and even some who claimed a grunge aesthetic, but were not successful (AJMiles), (WebDesigner) in pulling it off.
This co-opt of 90’s design is best captured with the following quote from Fresh Styles for Web Designers: Lo-Fi Grunge Style…
“If there is indeed ‘nothing new under the sun’ (as the author of
Ecclesiastes repeatedly asserts), one way to come up with a ‘fresh’
style is to go back in time a few decades, cut what you find, and paste
it into the present.” Today’s grunge design, however, is not nearly as
exciting as the 90’s not because ‘it’s been done’, but because the new
grunge no longer feels like a rebellious aesthetic. David Carson’s edgy
abrasive design and typographic art is now being appropriated to
resemble a scrap-book party rather than a military coup. On the
flipside, negative feedback from the public that the 90’s aesthetic was
illegible and confusing may have driven today’s designers to create a
more palatable and modern grunge. For better or worse, grunge has
officially returned!
Ironically, it may be a misnomer to call grunge retro. After all, did
it ever really go away? Take a look at distressed fashions and
splattered rock graphics of the last decade. Torn edges and weathered
textures might be as much a nod to the 1990’s as they are to the
1890’s. The steady recycling of yesterday’s styles may already have
lapped itself several times over. The grunge movement of the 1990’s was
itself a throwback to the counter-culture of the 60’s and early 70’s
(Woodstock II, anyone)? Have we reached a critical mass where the term
“retro” is an oversimplification? Perhaps, much of today’s work may at
best be “inspired by” or at worst grossly “derivative of” what came
before it.
- B. Juergens, C. Lin, A. Seles
