While I've only reviewed the samples on his website, Andrew Cahner's book looks like a great resource for models and those who work with models for figure drawing or life drawing. Even the sample chapters offer information that's bound to be useful for art models and those hiring art models. It's definitely the kind of book I would want to have on hand for reference if I were looking to hire a model.

Here's a little about the book, from the Art Model's Handbook website:

The Art Model’s Handbook explains what you need to know to model for art classes and professional artists. You’ll learn about the structure of a figure drawing session, how to come up with interesting poses, costume modeling, fine art photography, professional conduct, finding work, and security concerns. Awkward but important questions about nudity and body issues are addressed. Guidelines for faculty and sample policies are also included.

Based on the experience of the author, plus interviews with male and female models, artists, fine art photographers, and art school management, this is the definitive guide for art models, artists, and workshop leaders. The book is illustrated with figure drawings, paintings, sculpture, and photographs.

You can take a look at some excerpts from the book on the site, just select Table of Contents and Sample Chapters in the menu.

If you'd like to buy the book, it's available on Amazon.com

Andrew, by the way, is the model who supplied the pose reference for the Suko with a Rose illustration.

Labels: books, recommendations, reference material

Here's an article I heard about today on Twitter that I found interesting:
The proper care and feeding of the in-house graphic designer (from the Jeff Fisher LogoMotives blog)

There are lots of great points in the article, it's a good read for in-house designers and those who work with them. It's also good as a general read for graphic designers and those who work with designers.

I think sometimes, from stories I've heard, that tensions tend to rise when clients and designers have trouble understanding each other. It may be necessary for the designer to give some idea to the client of what's needed to do a great job and what their working process is; but the client also needs to be able to step back and let some things happen behind the scenes before giving input. I think one of the greatest ways to build trust is for the designer to offer to give a little education about technicalities of design to the client. This is a way for the designer to show their expertise and helps the client understand the designer a little better.

Things like colour modes, resolution, and copyrights are good things to discuss in brief. The client doesn't need a ton of details, but they do appreciate knowing when things are being done correctly and knowing that the end result will be better for it.

I used to be an in-house graphic designer. It was something that I really enjoyed and learned a great deal from. I also made myself available to answer questions about design related things. I still work with that company, and they're one of my major freelance clients. I love working with them, corporate design is one of my specialties and I really get to be involved in so many areas of that with them :)

Prior to that, I worked at an engraving shop. In some ways, I think that had similarities to print on demand shops. It's high volume, high speed, and you deal with a lot of customers with different tastes. I always smiled when a customer said "you're the expert, please give me advice." What a great thing to say!

This carries over into design too. I always try to give advice on what I think will help the customer shine and I make a point of asking specific questions about things such as their needs, likes, and dislikes. Approval is always in the hands of the client, but the designer is there to offer creative solutions and help the client to meet their needs in the best way possible. And that's what we all want isn't it? The best possible solution to the task at hand :)

Labels: design, recommendations

Every graphic designer and, arguably, every visual artist should know how to use the principles of design to their advantage. I've seen mistakes before in the list of principles as presented by others, and I wanted to provide an accurate list here for reference.

I've listed the principles of design below as I learned them when studying graphic design in college. The information is based on my college notes and includes some direct quotes, but is largely presented in my own words. Unfortunately, I'm not sure of the exact source of some of the information, but I'll list recommended books from the course outlines in another post for those who may be interested.

Balance

• Used to portray stability or instability.
• Categories: symmetry, asymmetry, asymmetrical symmetry, and radial.
• Symmetry tends to create stillness and results in a more static, controlled composition. Asymmetry can give a sense of unrestrained energy.
• Asymmetry can feel balanced by giving the same weight to different areas without being symmetrical. Differing weights in asymmetry can create tension and/or emphasis.
  

Contrast

• Can be used to create emphasis or a sense of similarity.
• Often used in conjunction with other principles.
• Contrast can be between: shape/form, volume, size, value/colour, position, or direction of items.
  

Emphasis

• Used to focus the attention of the viewer and add interest.
  
• Unity must be carefully considered. A composition which is not cohesive feels uncomfortable to the viewer.
  

Positive/Negative

• The interplay of positive space (the figure/image/component) and negative space (white space/ground/picture plane).
• Balancing positive and negative space is more comfortable for the viewer. It allows for focus on important positive space while giving the viewer some visual rest.
  
• Excessive positive space prevents the viewer from focusing and important elements can be overlooked. Excessive negative space can result in a product which appears unfinished or unusually plain.
  

Repetition

• Encompasses rhythm and patterns.
• Can be used to create unity (e.g. a predictable pattern), a dynamic effect (e.g. a swirling vortex), or even emphasis (e.g. an anomaly within a pattern).

Movement/Direction

• Used to portray liveliness, stillness, time, change, or motion.
  
• "Tension plus direction equals motion."
  
• Diagonals tend to create visual movement, as they encourage eye movement in a particular direction.
• Comics, or sequential art, are a classic example of art used to portray the passing of time. The layout of sequential art also encourages a particular reading pattern or eye movement from the viewer/reader.
  

Gestalt/Unity

• Grids create a sense of unity and structure. Mathematical sequences can be used to create grids, including the golden mean and the Fibonacci series.
  
• Grouping creates a sense of unity and harmony. The relationship of groups can create a sense of closure, which is more comfortable for the viewer. Grouping can also be used to create implied shapes.
• Gestalt theory:
  
  1. "The parts of an image can be considered as distinct components."
  2. "The whole of the image is different from and greater than the sum of its parts."
     

Labels: design, recommendations, theory

It should go without saying that a company's official logo should always be a part of their corporate website. However, there are businesses that appear to overlook the importance of including the corporate logo and/or fail to realize the importance of having a website that is branded appropriately.

A website is the virtual face of your business and can easily be a visitor's first exposure to your business. Ensuring that your website is branded appropriately means that the website will unmistakably be associated with your business. Just as it is important to have consistent corporate branding for print collateral, it's important to maintain that consistency for your website.

A good practice in choosing a colour palette is to balance it around the colour version of the corporate logo. This can mean pulling colours from the logo, choosing colours analogous to those, and choosing colours which complement the logo. The palette should enhance the logo. It should also be appropriate for the company's industry and target audience. Remember that your logo and corporate colours need to be an integral part of the web design. Your website should strengthen your corporate image.

What if your logo only utilizes very bright colours? Your website colour palette does not have to consist of only bright colours. Keep your target audience in mind. Children are more receptive to bright colours than adults. However, it is important to keep in mind that text content should always be easy to read. Ensure that there's enough contrast and that type is sized appropriately.

If your business caters to a more professional audience, but you want to include some bright colours, it's best to use them sparingly. This allows the bright colours to make more of an impact and gives breathing room to other content. White space is not a bad thing, and visitors will generally prefer a site that gives some time for their eyes to rest while perusing content than a site which demands attention in too many places simultaneously.

Similarly, if you have a great deal of text content on your site, try not to have too many other items that can distract visitors from your content. If your site is about content, let the content shine. You don't need a plethora of bells and whistles to have a great website. If something seems to distract from the real purpose of your website, think twice about including it.

And what about extra features on your website? Don't forget to give those attention too. If visitors can see it, it should be easily identifiable as being associated with your business. That means the company blog needs to be branded. It doesn't mean that you need to replicate a site design for the blog, but they do need to work together.

Obviously, it's important for your corporate identity to carry across print and new media. But don't forget that there are things that are better suited to print than they are to new media, and things that are better suited to the screen than print.

Don't be afraid to ask your web designer why they think a certain route will work better for you in web design. Be glad if they raise concerns; it means they want the best for you. It is ultimately your business and your choice in how it's represented, but it's always wise to be receptive to the experience of your web designer. Even if you decide you want something to be done differently from what was suggested by the web designer, keep their concerns in mind and let them know that you prefer a different route.

Your website is an important vehicle for strengthening your corporate identity, and can easily attract new business. Take advantage of the opportunity to enhance your image; don't forget about branding.

Labels: recommendations, web design

I use a variety of software for work and personal use. I primarily use a MacBook Pro running OS X, but I also have an older desktop system that runs XP and I regularly used a laptop running Vista at a previous job. I've only had minor exposure to Linux.

I'll be noting OS's (Operating Systems) with each of the applications I mention. No games, and no native Mac applications listed here (I'm sure there are tons of lists online for those).

I'll only briefly discuss Adobe software in this post. I can discuss my experience more in-depth at another time, but there's plenty of extended information on their website about the capabilities of their software.


Adobe Creative Suite (OS X, XP, Vista)
I use CS3 Design Premium which contains:

• InDesign CS3 (for page layout)
• Photoshop CS3 Extended (bitmap/ raster graphics editor)
• Illustrator CS3 (vector graphics editor)
• Flash CS3 (for interactive content, some animation)
• Dreamweaver CS3 (for website coding)
• Acrobat 8 Professional (for PDFs, including forms and enabling rights for Reader)
• Bridge CS3 (for previewing files)

I probably use Illustrator, InDesign, and Dreamweaver the most. There are other suite options, for different purposes. This was the one that I found was the best fit for what I do (a mix of print and web design).

I've used Quark Xpress before for page layout, and that's what I was taught to use in college. InDesign was launched after I completed most of my core courses, so I taught myself to use it. I found it easy to switch, and prefer the integration possible with InDesign. You can link ai and psd files in InDesign, but you need to be careful about this, as you're generally expected to only send eps and tiff images to press. If using unusal image formats, it's better to export to PDF for press.

Dreamweaver is primarily a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor. There's a text editor option that I use frequently (I almost exclusively use split view), but sometimes I switch to an external text editor (see below). The auto-complete feature for hand-coding is very useful, as are the validator and browser compatibility checker (I use the W3C validators afterward). I also love being able to change links site-wide. It really simplifies things.

I use Illustrator a lot for website mockups, and tend to make website graphics in Illustrator rather than Photoshop. For simple graphics, it keeps file sizes down while giving me the flexibility to make changes easily. I also use it regularly to illustrate my sequential art series, Green Corner. For corporate design, I use Illustrator when I can. I always use it for logos and branding elements like icons. Photoshop is not meant for that type of work.

I used to use older versions of Illustrator and Photoshop on Windows 98 (which prompted the computer to spontaneously die – really, one day it just gave up) and Windows XP (which enjoys crashing Photoshop). I found that, especially for Photoshop, you need extra RAM.

Crashes happened more frequently with XP for me, so I became a compulsive saver. It's also a good idea to delete your preferences (they get corrupted easily) for Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign at the first sign of tools acting strangely. You can find instructions by searching online for "delete preferences" followed by the program name and version. Add your OS if necessary to your search terms. After deleting them, default preferences will be re-created on re-start of the program.

Arachnophilia (everything)
Freeware. A text editor that I mostly use for HTML and CSS coding. It can be used for some programming as well. The "beautify" feature is useful for HTML coding, and lets you know if you need to fix anything. You still need to find the errors, but the indentation and number of errors to look for helps. Colour-coded tags make viewing the code easier on the eyes.

Works with Java, so it's completely cross-platform. Expects PC style shortcut keys to be used (Control instead of Command, for Mac users). I didn't have much luck changing them, so I reverted to the defaults. It's a minor thing, but you do need to be conscious of the keyboard shortcuts you use.

Autoruns (Windows)
This should really be installed natively for Windows, but it isn't. It allows you to control which programs are allowed to automatically run. Those little utilities that launch on startup that you don't need to be on all the time? You can stop them. It can look a little intimidating, but take a look at the description and program name. If you're unsure, leave the settings alone. I usually used this to stop software associated with printers from running on startup (they're initiated when you use the printer anyway).

Character Pal (OS X widget)
Free. Reminds you of key combinations for special characters (keyboard and HTML). Quicker than using a reference PDF or printout.

Enkoder (everything)
Freeware. Encrypts e-mail addresses with JavaScript. Practically eliminates spam. Downloadable version is OS X only, but there's also a web form that can be used by anyone.

Firefox (Windows, OS X, Linux)
Free, open source. I switched years ago from Netscape (another Mozilla browser). I like Apple's Safari as well, but the customizability of Firefox is very impressive.

Fugu (OS X)
Free, open source. Easy to use, secure FTP client.

Giffy (Windows)
Free. Converts bmp to gif and vice versa. Can also make gifs transparent (without needing a matte border for smooth transitions!). I'd like a Mac equivalent for this. I still need to define a colour for a matte border when saving transparent images for the web, and it just feels wrong.

Gimp (Windows, Unix, OS X with X11)
Free, open source image manipulation program. Similar to Photoshop.

Inkscape (OS X with X11, Windows, Linux)
Free, open source vector graphics editor. Similar to Illustrator.

InstantShot! (OS X)
Free. Screen grab utility. Similar to Apple's Grab and Microsoft's Snipping Tool for Vista.

Open Office (Windows, Linux, Solaris, OS X) and Neo Office (OS X)
Free, open source. An office suite that includes programs for word processing (Writer), spreadsheets (Calc), Presentations (Impress), drawing (Draw), database management (Base). Neo Office integrates native mac features (including regular keyboard shortcuts) so it's a better choice for Mac, but they're otherwise identical.

You can export nice PDFs directly from Writer, without having to own Acrobat Standard or Professional.

Pidgin (Windows, Unix) and Adium (OS X)
Free, open source. Instant messaging applications for running multiple chat services simultaneously. No voice or video support (they're working on it), so you need a separate application for those.

The Daily Grind (OS X widget)
Free. Simple to use timer. Press play to time, pause to stop. You can name and colour your timers as well.

Word Counter (OS X)
Free. Counts words. Application and widget versions available. Can work independently or in conjunction with other applications.

X11 (OS X)
Free. An Apple application, but not natively installed. It gives more options for software you can use and will be updated with Software Update like other Apple software. May also be on your OS X installer disc. Launches automatically when needed. Note that applications running with X11 will require more RAM and may run a little slower.

Zipeg (XP, Vista, OS X)
Free. Similar to Winzip and StuffIt. Allows you to preview the contents of certain archive files. You'll still need the free StuffIt Expander to open sit documents though.



Any more programs you'd add to the list? Please leave a comment.

Labels: recommendations, software