It's been a long time since I posted here, I apologize for the lack of updates. It's been a little difficult to encourage myself to draw after my grandmother's passing. I have some sketches scanned though, and I'll sort through those soon to share. I also have some recently completed projects that I'd like to share as I'm pretty proud of how well they turned out for my clients :)

Unfortunately, I'm resuming posts with some bad news. If you follow me on Twitter, you might have seen my tweets about the issue I had with an Acrobat update recently. the Acrobat Pro 8.2.4 update crashed the program within seconds of launch, even if I didn't open a PDF!

You can also see that other mac users have encountered this issue, with complaints in this thread on the Adobe forums.

Here's the error I received:

Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional cannot be launched at this time. You must launch at least one other suite component (such as Adobe Photoshop) before launching Acrobat 8 Professional

(launching Photoshop and Illustrator multiple times did not help at all)

And now, the "solutions"

1. Try this support article. Notice how old it is? Seems strange for it to resurface and be triggered by an update, doesn't it? (you may receive a serial number error if you use a suite, I certainly did)
2. In the Acrobat preferences, make sure "only use certified plug-ins" is checked.
   (this was a tip from a friend on Facebook. Thanks, Kory Wenzler)
   
3. On a mac, go to Applications>Utilities>Disk Utility, select the relevant drive and the "first aid" tab, click "repair disk permissions."
4. Deactivate, uninstall, and reinstall your entire Creative Suite. It may not work to uninstall and reinstall just Acrobat (but you can try that first to see if it saves time). When you install updates, I suggest avoiding the latest one for Acrobat 8 Pro. (8.2.4). Then, you may also want to disable updates for Acrobat.
   

After I tried the support article and the suggestion from Kory, I spoke with an agent on the Adobe website via live chat. They couldn't help and suggested I call for support. However, when I asked if the call was free, they ignored my question and ended the conversation. In my experience, it's better customer service to say "I don't know" than to ignore your customer. But that's not really the issue here.

I was quite annoyed when I called and started speaking to an agent, explaining that I was having an issue because of an Adobe update, that he said the call was going to cost $39. I refused to pay and asked to speak to a manager, reiterating that this was an issue caused by Adobe and that there was no reason for me to pay for something that was their fault. When the agent came back on the phone after speaking with the supervisor, he said I didn't have to pay for the call. That was the closest I got to any support agents actually acknowledging that Adobe was at fault for the issue.

I ended up spending about two hours on the phone getting shuffled around to different agents, repeating myself each time to explain the issue (and re-confirm my contact information – this seemed like a waste of time. Shouldn't they pass on the info when transferring?). A couple times I was misdirected to Windows support although I always said I'm using a mac running OS X 10.4. For a while I was also misdirected to installation support because the first agent moved folders on my computer (as in the support article, although I tried that before calling and told him so) and didn't put them back when his "solution" failed.

It was very frustrating to even get someone to confirm that there was, in fact, absolutely nothing wrong with my serial number. I think at least three people checked it before one finally said "you're right, your serial number is good." Yet they didn't know the reason for the error. I can only guess it has something to do with it being a suite. When I explained that I had a similar issue with the serial number back when I first installed the suite because of trial versions, an agent misunderstood and said I had to uninstall trial versions. I had to clarify that I don't have any trial versions, I simply meant it was a similar error. And also, if I moved the folders back, that issue disappeared but the original problem returned.

The worst agent by far was the last one I spoke with. She was the one who said I had to reinstall the entire suite. She claimed there were files corrupted on my computer (though she had no reason to make this assumption). When I said I didn't want to lose my preferences, custom templates, custom swatch libraries, etc., she forgot that there is an option when you uninstall to not touch the preferences. Instead, she moved the preferences folder for my computer account, which messed up many of my user settings later and not all of them could be restored by moving things back.

Please, Adobe, do not let your support agents move things they shouldn't touch!

This woman also repeatedly forgot that I use Acrobat 8 (how do you forget the version number mid-conversation?). That was the worst customer service experience I've had in my life. She didn't want to listen to me at all, kept treating me like I didn't know anything although I explained what I had done multiple times, and then made things WORSE on my computer after lying and saying files were corrupted. The only non-destructive thing she did was tell me to repair disk permissions. Which didn't help. After I started the uninstallation, she asked to share my screen again so she could move more folders. I told her it was too late for that and I couldn't stop the uninstallation. I was very frustrated and disappointed by her behaviour and attitude.

If this is how Adobe offers support, and this is what they charge $39 for, it really discourages me from upgrading in the near future. I had been considering for a while whether or not I should upgrade to CS5 (which would also require upgrading my operating system to Snow Leopard, from Tiger). But now, I think it's best to save my money and wait until there's a CS6 suite (and possibly an Acrobat 10, since Acrobat seems to have a different release schedule).

The reason I called Adobe in the first place is that I use Acrobat a lot to create and/or edit forms, comment on PDFs, etc. I need to be able to use the program without it crashing within seconds of launch. If I'm quickly viewing a PDF, I generally use Apple's Preview because it loads much faster.

I think I'll take my chances and no longer get the updates for Acrobat Pro 8. I'd rather have a working version than a useless one.

Adobe has acknowledged that this is a bug, but it took about a day for them to release a statement and apology. They've yet to offer a real solution other than revert to an older version or reinstall. I find it very discouraging that they didn't seem to test this update before releasing it. That seems somewhat irresponsible. At the very least they should make sure that updates don't completely break a program.

I am very disappointed, as are many others who need to use Acrobat 8 Pro regularly. Hopefully this will be properly remedied soon. I think what bothers me the most is that the support agents I spoke with never seemed to want to acknowledge that this was a bug caused by Adobe (aside from agreeing to not charge me for the call). If the "solution" is to reinstall the suite, that is not a real solution and it's time to file a bug report. I wish I'd known an easier way to simply file a bug report, since the support agents didn't seem to think of that. Next time I have an issue, I think I'll head to the Adobe forums first. Adobe staff is clearly paying attention to what's written there, and it would save me from making a phone call that doesn't actually help me any.

I apologize, this probably all sounds rather scathing. I do like Adobe's software in general and I regularly use a variety of their programs quite heavily. To have a program completely stop working because of an update though, was quite inconvenient. And the customer service response I had left me very upset.

Regardless, I hope that anyone who encounters this horrible issue finds the steps above somewhat helpful, although they are not a real solution.

Next time, I promise to write a more positive post!

Labels: acrobat, adobe, recommendations, software

I heard about this a while ago, and I thought it would be fitting to discuss the corporate identity of a city in Canada, even though it's not in my province.

The city of Regina (in the province of Saskatchewan) has a new logo and branding package.


The new logo and branding were developed by Winnipeg advertising firm McKim Cringan George.

In an article from Leader-Post, they touch on what the $320,000 price tag includes for the branding package.

Some taxpayers are doubtless going to look at the $320,000 pricetag for the new branding and conclude it's an awful lot of money for a "lousy logo." But this is way more than a few words and some colourful artwork.

The process began more than 18 months ago and was directed by a committee of "community partners" that includes the Regina Regional Opportunities Corporation and Regina and District Chamber of Commerce. As well as research, telephone surveys, focus groups and a lot of creative development and graphic design, careful planning went into establishing guidelines for the consistent use of the new brand through videos, a website and a wide range of promotional material.

It's no small irony that the new brand was unveiled on the same day that the provincial government announced the executive board that will oversee development of the global transportation hub now taking shape on the "infinite horizon" west of the Regina International Airport. It promises to bring hundreds of new jobs to the city as road, rail and air freight services link up alongside warehouses and possibly light manufacturing and assembly plants -- a perfect example of Regina's growing economic strength.

With economic development all around them and low unemployment, Reginans can see opportunity right in their own backyard -- not some green pasture in another province.

Infinite horizons is now a fitting brand.

Here's the full article.

And another related article.

A branding package is always a much more involved thing than just a logo that you slap on everything. I personally specialize in corporate design, but this does not mean I focus on logos. It means I focus on branding overall, which permeates many, many parts of a visual identity for a business. In reality, most companies already have a logo when they hire me. But they need their brand to do more work for them. They need to improve their image and increase appeal with their target audience.

When a city gets rebranded, it's a huge change. Branding is closely tied to image or the "face" of the city, company, individual, etc. I think it is refreshing to see a news article that addresses the fact that branding is much more than just a logo.

Let me start my comments on the branding change for the city of Regina by saying that I think this is overall a positive change and a step forward for a city that wants to encourage its inhabitants to see the opportunities at home rather than leave for another city that sounds more exciting. The new logo is distinctive and the bright colours are optimistic and energizing.

However, I think the overlapping, translucent areas of the ribbon could be a bit problematic. The gradated colours and the translucent areas are not particularly noticeable at small sizes or, I suspect, from a distance. It is overall more colourful a logo than I was expecting, but it's not overbearing in any way and can also work in a single colour without losing its essence. I do think it could have been simplified to flat colours, but not being able to distinguish between shades of yellow (for example) and seeing that parts are translucent are likely very acceptable, minor losses when the logo changes size and/or is reproduced in various media that may not be forgiving to slight colour change.


The previous branding, with the I ♥ Regina campaign, seemed very reminiscent of New York's own successful branding that is incredibly recognizable and well known. Having branding that is so reminiscent of another city is almost like saying the city is not proud of itself and wants to be like another city. Which is quite negative and actually hurts the image of Regina because it was so obviously influenced by another design.

The update of Regina's branding package to be more modern and use the empowering slogan of "infinite horizons" is a wonderfully positive change in my opinion. I am sure the logo will be scrutinized by many as it is a significant part of the branding package as well as the fact that this is new branding for a city. Melbourne, Australia's branding change was dissected and discussed quite a lot for some time, and I think it's something that comes with the territory of developing a visual identity for something as large scale as a city.

What do you think of Regina's new logo and branding? Is it a positive change, or do you think it should be even more different from the I ♥ Regina campaign?

Labels: branding, design, discussion, theory

I just drew this one yesterday. My reference is this photo by Eirian-stock on deviantART. The model is Iribel.

It was a quicker one. Sometimes it's nice to just do sketches like this and leave them in pencil. What I liked about the photo was that the model was quiet and pensive, but also somewhat peaceful. It's a simple pose, but the outfit is also different from what I usually draw, so that was nice to sketch out.

I should do more random sketches like this, I think. It's nice to do something quick once in a while, in between all the Green Corner illustrations.

Hope you like it!

Labels: art, sketches, traditional media

This is the final of the 2010 Valentine's Day special for Green Corner, featuring Alshina and Koru. If you look closely, you may notice a special surprise detail :)

I hope you enjoy this spot illustration. It will also be available in prints on RedBubble soon.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Previously:
Valentine Background Progress (Part 2)
Background Progress (Part 1)
Shading
Flat Colour
Vector Line Work
Pencil Sketch

Labels: art, green corner, illustration, vector

More progress on the background for the upcoming Green Corner special this time. The changes to the sky, grass, and lake as well as the addition of the trees in the background really helped the mood become more romantic. I am quite happy with the sunset, in particular. You may recognize the trees in the background from my Lady with a Fan illustration as well as Alice and the Garden. I just changed the colour scheme for them.

The final is temporarily up as a TWC incentive and will be shared here soon.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing the work in progress for this illustration.

Previously:
Background Progress (Part 1)
Shading
Flat Colour
Vector Line Work
Pencil Sketch

Labels: art, green corner, illustration, vector, work in progress

This was the very beginning of the background being added. It was pretty rough, aside from the cherry tree. I used this photo as reference for the tree, but I obviously simplified it a fair bit. The rest of the background was mostly blocking in basic shapes and colours.

I decided I wanted to have a sunset in the background at this point, but it didn't really come together until the next step. I also fixed the colours for the grass, sky, and lake in the next step to make them more natural. I found it helpful to take a quick look at some photos of sunsets to plan how I would include the sun and how to better use a gradient for the coloured sky. But in this step, the sky wasn't quite working. I had been experimenting with both linear and radial gradients, but I decided it was best to step away for a bit after I got to this point as it's always helpful to look at a real sky when trying to emulate it in an illustration.

I hope you're enjoying the progress posts on this piece. I'm still deciding how to finish up, but I think the next step is very close. You can expect to see the end result soon :)

Previously:
Shading
Flat Colour
Vector Line Work
Pencil Sketch

Labels: art, green corner, illustration, vector, work in progress

Two progress images this time, but there isn't a huge difference between them so I'm sharing them together.
The bottom image here is the final shading for the figures, aside from some minor changes that I made later. I used a little feathering for some of the shading and shine details on Alshina's dress and Koru's tie.

I started editing Koru's proportions here, to make sure they were correct. I made some minor changes later, but here I was trying to fix his height as I initially made his legs too long. I've worked out his final height to be about 6' 4", while Alshina is 5' 8". He's a little taller than I was originally planning, but I think it will help add some more variety, as most of the characters are pretty tall.

Previously:
Flat Colour
Vector Line Work
Pencil Sketch

Labels: art, green corner, illustration, vector, work in progress