I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, readers! In honor of this Black Friday, I have a deal I wanted to let you all know about. Another blogger and friend of mine posted about Shutterfly recently and the sale they are having on holiday cards. They have a nice selection of photo cards, from sweet and whimsical to elegant designs. See below for some great offers and examples of designs that you can choose from.
In the spirit of Halloween I thought I’d share some blogs and websites that are good for a few laughs. It’s important sometimes to step away from your work and enjoy a few stress-relieving chuckles. Some of these sites may be NSFW, so enjoy these over the weekend.
I’ve talked before about browsers and the best ways to make sure your site is being displayed properly, and today’s post is along those same lines. I recently discovered a new tool for cross-browser compatibility checking: Adobe’s BrowserLab. This great tool is a part of Adobe CS Live, a set of online services meant to enhance the use of CS5. Even without CS5 (I use CS4), these tools are still helpful and easily accessible. Signing up is simple and includes multiple benefits.
Sometimes it seems no matter how many computer programs I have, my clients always manage to have different ones. And not just different versions of the same programs, but programs that result in unique file types that I can’t even open with the many programs I use. Microsoft Publisher documents (PUB) are the type I come across most frequently that I am unable to utilize. However, my clever husband introduced me to a helpful website that converts files into PDF documents and delivers them via email, thus solving my file format dilemma.
Alright so it might be a little nerdy to dedicate an entire post to a pencil…but I’m doing it anyway. The Sharpie Liquid Pencil is no ordinary pencil: it’s more pencil/pen/sharpie transformer than your regular No. 2. While I haven’t been able to pick one up yet (I checked our Office Max this week but they didn’t have any), they are available on Amazon for $3.92 each or at Office Depot for $4.99 for a pack of two.
This week I have a quick source of inspiration for you: The Inspiration Blog. Created by the designers at Circlebox Creative, it is a collection of design round-ups and showcases. The site features a variety of motivating artwork, including “all things visually pleasing and inspirational.” No matter what creative industry you’re in (or if you’re not a creative but are needing some visual stimulation anyway), the site features graphic design, illustration, photography, interior design, architecture and of course, web design related posts. It’s a great resource when you’re feeling stuck and need a quick jump-start to get going again at work.
Today’s find is a website called xtranormal.com that makes movie making easy. Their tag line says it all: “If you can type, you can make movies.” With at least 16 ‘showpaks’, or themes, to choose from, you can select one or two characters, change your background, and add audio music and sounds with just a few simple clicks. Then you simply type up a script for your characters to read (in a voice of your choosing), and animate them as you see fit. A number of these videos can be created for free, but for advanced options there is a fee.
In the Watch Movies section you can view featured videos by xtranormal, as well as the most recent and most popular user created videos. There is also a Desktop option to avoid the sometimes overwhelmed server issues. Xtranormal is a quick and fun distraction that could also be used as a business tool. Want to join the YouTube craze but are a little camera shy? This site is a great way to do so for cheap. Plus, you can avoid novice camera shaking and other less-than-desirable traits customary of new video producers. If you find yourself escaping the heat indoors this weekend, head over to xtranormal and try your hand at creating videos. Happy Friday!
Today’s find was created for web designers, but is a great tool for anyone involved in launching a new website. Launchlist is a simple one-page website made up of a comprehensive checklist to be completed before a website is published. The site was “born out of frustration” by two Australian designers in need of a solution for formerly inefficient methods of preparing websites for publication. In addition to the practicality of the site, the design is whimsical and well done.
Today’s find focuses a couple different websites with a common theme. Like a lot of professionals, creative and otherwise, I often have music playing in my office while I work. Depending on the task at hand, I find that certain music makes my quiet office a happier place to work. In my personal work environment, I enjoy quiet background music while I design, edit and take care of things around the office. Since the music I listen to usually has lyrics, I tend to turn it off while writing or copy editing as I find the lyrics to be more of a distraction in such cases.
This week’s find is The Big Picture, a blog published three times a week by Alan Taylor at The Boston Globe. The Big Picture collects and compiles high quality news images from main stream media sources like the Associated Press, Getty Images and Reuters. This site appeals to me on many levels- as a photographer I really appreciate the physical and artist quality of these images. They are stunning on my wide screen monitor (none of that pixelated low resolution nonsense that is a necessary evil on most sites), and everything from the subject matter to composition, contrast and focus are always spot on.
